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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 2005)
B lack H istory M Page A 8 onth .Wfe zaZ February 9, 2005 Focus Jazz Student Featured Performer Advertise with diversity in Œl’vJJovt la nö (Ob6crucr Call 5O3-28S-OO33 ads@portlandob s e n er.com KMHD’S VALENTINE’S DAY FUNDRAISER EXTRAVAGANZA Featuring Valerie Day & The knights of Swing w/special guests... M onday F ebruary 14, 2005 7 PM— 11 PM D oors open at is ¿ i. 6 pm T he M arriott H otel 1 4 0 1 SW N aito P kwy v \ Leroy Vinnegar Jazz Institute presents rising star T w enty year-old bassist, vocalist and com poser Esperanza Spalding is quickly becom ing one o f Portland" s hottest jazz exports. T he Berklee College o f M usic senior returns to Portland as the featured artist in the first ever Leroy V innegar Jazz Institute Y oung A rtist Jazz Concert on W ednes day Feb. I 6 a t 7:30p.m . at The O ld Church, 1422 S.W. 11th Ave. Spalding will lead a group that includes form er m entor T hara M em ory and several o f the new vanguard o f Portland jazz players including saxo phonist M ary Sue Tobin, pianist Dan G aynor and drum m er C harlie Doggett. Spalding entered the professional m usic world at the ripe young age o f 15, only a couple m onths after picking up the acoustic bass “alm ost by accident” in a school band room. Invited by veteran Portland blues vocalist “Sw eet Baby” Jam es Benton to perform with T he Original Cats at Portland jazz venue Billy Reeds, Spalding confesses to not know ing how she m ade it through her first gig. “I could play only the blues in F ,” she remembers. W hat began as an audition turned into a w eekly gig that served as a training ground and fostered a grow ing love for the bass. W ithin a year, Spalding was perform ing as a bassist and vocalist with a half dozen different groups throughout the Portland area, including two ja zz septets, a trio, and a fusion group called N oise for Pretend that released tw o w ell-re ceived album s on the independent label Hush Records. The mission o f the Leroy V innegar Jazz Insti tute is to preserve and promote the art form, cultural heritage and social history o f jazz music in the Northwest through education, outreach, and historical documentation. Tickets are $ 10 in advance and $ 12 on the day o f show and are available at the Portland State University box office orby calling 503-725-3307. Esperanza Spalding * Grammys to Honor Ray Charles VA1ÜUF. DAY AND THE KNIGHTS OF SWING D ance per couple : $50 , D inner B uffet & D ance per couple : $115 D inner , D ance & R oom per couple : $230 VIP LEVEL ROOM INCLUDES ROSE BUDS AND CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES T ickets A vailable at M illennium E ast or W est OR CALL 503.491.7271 Music legend Ray Charles performs in Zurich, Switzerland on Nov. 19, 2001. (AP photo) BLACK HISTORY (A P ) — R ay C h a rle s , p o s th u m o u s ly n o m in a te d fo r se v e n G ra m m y s - in c lu d in g a lb u m o f th e y e a r fo r “ G e n iu s L o v e s C o m p a n y ” - w ill b e h o n o re d in a trib u te at S u n d a y ’s a w a rd s sh o w . B o n n ie R a itt an d B illy P re sto n w ill p erfo rm in a seg m en t h o n o rin g C h a rles, T h e R e c o rd in g A cad em y an n o u n c ed T h u rsd ay . T h e fam e d sin g e r and m u sicia n d ied Ju n e 10 at his B ev erly H ills, C a lif., h o m e o f ac u te liv e r d ise ase . H e w as 73. The 4 7 th A nnual G ram m y Aw ards, to b e p re se n ted at th e S ta p le s C e n ter in L o s A n g eles, also w ill in c lu d e a trib u te to S o u th e rn r o c k f e a tu r in g T im M c G r a w , K e ith U rb a n , G re tc h e n W ils o n , so m e m e m b e rs of L y n y rd S k y n y r d , D ic k e y B e tts (A llm a n B ro th e rs B an d ) an d E lv in B ishop. Q u e e n L a tifa h w ill h o st th e sh o w , w h ic h w ill a ir o n C B S K O IN C h a n n e l 6. K a n y e W e st, w h o le a d s all a r tis ts w ith 10 n o m in a tio n s , w ill a p p e a r w ith J o h n L e g e n d , M a v is S t a p l e s a n d th e B lin d B o y s o f A la b a m a . P re v io u s ly a n n o u n c e d p e r f o rm e r s in c lu d e M c G ra w , G re e n D a y , A lic ia K ey s a n d U 2. Black Panther Photo Exhibit Reed C ollege w ill be show ing photos by R uth-M arion B aruch and Pirkle Jones through Feb. 20 at the D ouglas F. C ooley M em orial Art G allery. Pirkle Jones w ill speak at 6 :30 p.m . on W ednesday, Feb. 9 in room 19 o f the B iology building, w ith an 8 p.m. recep tion follow ing. Laugh Factory C om edy returns every second W ednesday o f the m onth at the upscale B acchus R estaurant, thanks to EEI International. For m ore inform ation, call 503-223- 5236 or visit w w w .eei-intem ational.com . Reel Music and Cinema T he Reel M usic Festival, featuring m usic cinem a, is show ing through Feb. 13 at G uild T heatre, 829 S.W . 9 Ave, and W hitsell A uditorium , 1219 S.W . Park. For details, visit w w w .nw film .org. Trippin’ through Town Take a trip through tim e to find the hottest poetry, hip hop and soul influencing Portland on W ednesdays at the O hm . $7 cover. 31 N.W . First Ave. THE FAIRFIELD FOUR CONCERT 8 p.m . T onigh t - February 2, h au l A uditorium G r a m m y A w a rd w in n e r s th e F a irfie ld Four, o n e o f th e c o u n t r y 's m o s t a c c la im e d g o sp e l g r o u p s fo r o v e r 50 y e a r s , a r e m a s te r s o f a n a c a p p e lla s ty le th a t r e p r e s e n ts A fric a n A m e r ic a n h e r ita g e lik e fe w o th e rs . CORNEL WEST LECTURE £ / BOOK SIGNING 7:30 p.m . February 18 h a u l A uditorium A u th o r o t R ace M a tters a n d th e n e w D em o cra cy M a tte rs TIM SEIBLES BLACK PANTHERS 1968: Photographs by Ruth-Marion Baruch & Pirkle Jones EXHIBITION T hrough February 20 D ou glas F. C ooley M em orial Art G allery All events are free & open to the public; seating is lim ited. Visit web.reed.cdn/black history,m onth/ or call the Reed events lin e at 503/777-7795. POETRY READING 8 p.m . February 24 Vollum Lounge JAMES GIBSON LECTURE 7 p.m . February 28 Vollum L ecture H all reed Reed College 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd. Portland, Oregon On the Radio Spike Lee Power Behind the Camera (A P ) — F ilm m aker Spike Lee says black representation is stron ger than ever on screens, big and sm all, but the true pow er in en ter tainm ent lies behind the cam era. “ W e have to get in gatekeeper positions,” he said. “W e have to get those dual law and M BA d e grees and w ork up the corporate ladder because everybody c a n ’t be an actor, everybody ca n ’t make a record.” Glacier Run T he O regon Z oo presents G lacier n, a sim ulator ride w orth bundling up for. For m ore inform ation, visit w w w .orgonzoo.org. Time to Jam Jam Night, P ortland’s ever-popular com edy/variety show , is at Christian P erform ing A rts C enter, 8131 N. D enver Ave. Show s continue every Friday Night starting at 9 p.m. w ith d inner by M ondem aj C atering next d o o r to the show at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m . D inner is $ 13 and tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for children under 12. For dinner reservations, call 503-286-2590. For inform ation about the show , call 503-735-4184 or visit w w w .jam -night.com . Madame Butterfly Portland O pera presents P u ccin i’s “M adam e B utter fly,” on stage Feb. 5 through 12. T ickets range from $35 to $ 127. T ickets can be purchased by calling 503- 241-1802 or visiting w w w .ticketm aster.com . The Middle Passage Floyd R. C ruse presents N abeeh M ustafah’s “The M iddle P assage,” a pow erful play about issues af fecting all com m unities regardless o f background. Perform ance is on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. at M iracles Club. T ickets are $ 12 general. $7 m em bers, students and seniors. For more inform ation, call 503-284-0985. G roove to soul and hip hop w ith K evin Berry from 7 to 9 p.m. M ondays at 90.7 FM /K B O O . C heck out the C om m unity Potpourri talk show from 7 to 8 a.m. M o n days, W ednesday and Fridays at 1480 A M /K BM S. C ount your blessings w ith M elodies from Heaven from 6 to 10 p.m. M ondays through Fridays at 1290 A M / KKSL. T une in to A frican A m erican H ealth R adio W ednesday nights on 1290 A M /K K SL. Blues m usicians W alter T rout and the R adicals will perform on Feb. 14 at 8 p.m . at the Roseland Theatre. T ickets are $ 13 advance, $ 15 door. For m ore inform a tion, call 503-221-0288. Local Artists Featured at Abbey Café Wine and Cheese The A bbey C afé, 441 N. K illingsw orth St., invites m usicians to sell their C D s and perform on Friday s and Saturdays. For m ore inform ation, call 503-286-4847. The 2nd A nnual Portland S how case o f W ine and C heese will be held at the O regon C onvention C enter on Friday, Feb. 18 at 6 :30 p.m. O ver 250 varieties o f w ines and gourm et cheeses, live entertainm ent and auction item s will be show cased. T ickets are $35. For more information, call 503-232-0077. Gypsy Classes C aravan Studios offers classes in belly dance, A frican dance and more. V isit w w w .gypsyearavan.us. Make Art on Alberta Walter Trout and the Radicals Jewish Film Festival M ake art and enjoy art on A lberta through Portland C om m unity C ollege. A variety o f classes from art m aking to art appreciation are available. For m ore information, call 503-731 -6622. The N orthw est Film Festival presents the 13,h Jew ish Film Festival through Feb. 29 at the G uild Theatre and W hitsell A uditorium . A dm ission is $7 general, $6 m em bers, students and seniors. For m ore inform a tion, visit w w w .nw film .org. Have a Ball Write Around Portland Kids wi 11 have a ball at O M S I' s new Innovation Station by exploring the hum an side o f technology. For m ore i nform ation, visit w w w .omsi .edu. W rite A round P o rtlan d ’s free creative w riting begins on Feb. 21, at various locations around the city. For m ore inform ation and locations, visit w w w .w rite around.org orcall 503-796-9224. Amusement At Oaks Park C elebrating 99 years o f fun. O aks Park in southeast Portland offers rides, picnic grounds, roller-skating and family gam es in the shade o f 100-year-old oak trees on the banks o f the W illam ette River. R ides and roller skating are open daily. F or m ore inform ation, call 503- 233-5777. Little Shop of Horrors Mt. H ood C om m unity C ollege in G resham presents “Little Shop o f H orrors” from Feb. 25 to 27 and M arch 4 to 6, w ith Sunday m atinees at 2 p.m . on Feb. 27 and M arch 6. All other show s are at 8 p.m . T ickets are $ 15 general, $10 students, seniors and staff.