6 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2017
S IUSLAW
Miles to Go
Concert
Review
B Y B URNEY G ARELICK
E
veryone cried tears of
joy when songstress
Maree Beers sang “Cry
Me A River,” overflowing the
banks of the local waterway.
The old song from 1953,
recorded by the likes of Julie
London and Ella Fitzgerald,
revived its grandeur in Beers’
rendition.
Talk about a class act!
Florence’s Class Act Theatre
presented the classiest musical
event of the New Year on Jan.
26 when Miles To Go jazz
quartet played a sizzling cool
concert, including silky smooth
divas Beers and Denise Dee.
Fresh and exuberant arrange-
ments of standards received
enthusiastic applause from the
sold-out crowd appreciative of
superb talent.
Miles To Go began its per-
formances on stage at City
Lights Cinemas, when gener-
ous and genial theater owners
prepared one stage for live per-
formances. As extraordinary as
“Live in HD” shows are, live in
person shows of the quality of
the jazz quartet are devoutly to
be wished in a small town far
from the madding crowd and
the bright lights of the big city.
Stylish Class Act Theatre pro-
vides elegance to the perform-
ance venue.
Instrumentalists and vocal-
ists held the audience in thrall,
even those not yet in sync with
the glory of jazz.
The quartet includes key-
boards, percussion, horn, and
bass personified by Gus
CRIES A RIVER FOR JAZZ
Russell, Nate Kaplan, Ron
Green and Michael Anderson,
respectively. Anderson, who
plucks chocolate from acoustic
and electric bass, though not
simultaneously, occasionally
croons, melting and melliflu-
ously. We flew first class with
him on “Bye Bye Blackbird”
and stirred his bubbling cham-
pagne brew on “Witchcraft.” A
musician doesn’t have to sing,
but one who does both exceed-
ingly well is a treat.
With notes suffusing the ears
with the sweet juice of fresh
fruit, Green is a horn of plenty,
actually two horns, trumpet and
flugelhorn, again not simulta-
neously. A masterful musician,
his trumpet sparkles and soars
and his flugelhorn swirls like
melted gold. His interpretation
of “Emily,” written in 1964 by
Johnny Mercer and Johnny
Mandel, was dreamy. Green’s
“So Nice To Come Home To,”
written by Cole Porter in 1943,
and later recorded by Chet
Baker, master of trumpet and
flugelhorn, was toasty. Every
note from Green’s instruments
punctuates the quartet with per-
fection.
Russell is a versatile and
exacting pianist who com-
mands the eighty-eight, what-
ever the tune. He and Beers
delighted with Gershwin’s
“You Can’t Take That Away
From Me,” and he blew it away
whenever the quartet dashed
out, swinging through genre,
such as the Mongo Santamaria
frolic in which Kaplan, a usual-
ly steady and on-the-money
drummer, rocked out with a
smashing solo.
Perhaps it was the approach
of February that brought the
quartet’s delivery of a funnier
Valentine — a wild, bumpy
ride through hearts and flowers
and boxes of candy. These four
musicians are one organism,
the way they anticipate each
other’s licks. If the great Miles
Davis were still around, he
would see that the foursome
was gaining on his coattails and
didn’t have far to go!
With generous support from
the astonishing quartet, the
divas held their own, with
Dee’s voice bright and witty,
scatting with glee and aplomb,
and Beers’ stunning with
majesty,
particularly
on
“Nature Boy” —written by
1947 George Alexander Aberle
a.k.a. Eden Ahbez and a 1947
hit for Nat “King” Cole. The
song prompted a grand old
Florence gentleman, with a
penchant for dancing in the
aisle, to recall his Army days in
Venice when he spied a nature
boy strolling on the beach.
Beers invited her young stu-
dent, Nyah Vollmar, to the
stage for a duet, a happy har-
monic arrangement of two old
songs, “Get Happy” — written
by Harold Arlen and Ted
Koehler in 1950 — and “Happy
Days” — written by Milton
Ager and Jack Yellen in 1929
and the Democratic Party’s
unofficial theme song since
1932. Since many of us didn’t
get to sing the latter song this
year, we were enraptured by
vocal dexterity and excitement
of teacher and student, soaking
the happiness from the lyrics to
both songs and breaking the
glass ceiling with jumping
jazzy joy.
Perhaps happy days are still
here with class acts like Miles
To Go and class venues like
Class Act Theatre. Stay tuned
for the CD that was said to be
recorded at the concert, and
stay tuned for more information
about the next performance of
the fabulous jazz quartet.
Backstreet Gallery authors featured this month to receive reception
Backstreet Gallery features
four outstanding authors next
month. There will be a recep-
tion in their honor on Feb. 11,
from 3 to 5 p.m. at the gallery.
“Dogs, Crows and the Corn
Chip Dance,” by Kathryn
Damon-Dawson,
Darby
McCann and Riley McCann,
is a children’s book which
teaches backwards-counting
through rhyme.
The text is whimsical,
engaging and fast-paced.
Watercolor illustrations are
by Damon-Dawson, who incor-
porated digital images and
drawings of dogs, crows and
cars gathered by granddaugh-
ters Riley and Darby.
The book was conceived one
afternoon while they traveled
by car from Beaverton to
Florence.
Damon-Dawson
wanted her granddaughters to
understand how, with diligence
and effort, an idea can be taken
to completion.
Judy Fleagle worked as edi-
tor and staff writer for Oregon
Coast and Northwest Travel
magazines for 21 years. Prior to
that, she taught first and second
grades in California for 22
years. In 2009, she retired to
write her first book.
In 2011, she co-founded the
Florence Festival of Books.
Fleagle’s books include
“Crossings:
McCullough’s
Coastal
Bridges,”
“The
Crossings Guide to Oregon’s
Coastal Spans,” “Around
Florence” and “Devil Cat and
Other Colorful Animals I Have
Known.”
A fifth book is in the works
that will be another guide to the
Oregon Coast and available late
in 2017.
Pattie Brooks Anderson is
first a painter and printmaker,
but most recently she has
become an author of books for
children, she says, “from eight
to eighty.”
She has always loved illus-
trations in children’s stories and
her work is evidence of that
inclination. Though she has
always loved writing, she has
found her paintings are the
inspiration for the stories she
writes.
She said she hopes to use her
children’s books as a message
to children of all ages to respect
the earth and all its creatures
and the importance of our role
as human beings in preserving
our environment.
Karen Nichols, an artist, is
also author of five books. All
her novels are set in Florence.
Her books: “Triumph Over
Fear: An inspirational novel of
wilderness survival;” “Second
Chance Heart: How often does
one witness a miracle?;” “The
Unexpected Gift: A novel of
Inspiration” — a Marine
returns from Afghanistan to
reclaim purpose and trust
through love and redemption;
“Thornton House” — mysteri-
ous love transcends time and
opens death’s door.
The latest, “The Moral of the
Story,” is a collection of short
stories from the poignant to the
completely hilarious.
Join the authors on Saturday,
Feb. 11, for a book signing at
Backstreet Galleries and they
will tell you about their many
adventures.
Includes one dozen roses, one bottle of
wine, one 9 piece box of chocolates, and
two tickets to City Lights Cinemas. Option
to add a plush animal for $5.00
Free d
delivery to Florence area - Must be 21 years of age
Florence In Bloom
Full Service Flower Shop
1234 Rhododendron Dr. Florence
541-997-5391 800-914 -2305
w
www.fl
orenceinbloom.com
The Top Choice in
Florence Real Estate.
What’s
happening
in your area?
Run a customized
Market Watch
report today!
NEW LISTING
Privacy among the trees! Stunning
remodeled home with community
dock on Woahink Lake
3 Bdrm, 2 full & 2 partial Ba 2538
sq ft
$550,000 BH7396 ML#17579675
NEW LISTING
Upgraded 1978 single wide plus
addition in private Cul-de-Sac lot.
Enclosed attached garage. Gated
community
3 Bdrm, 2 Ba 1276 sq ft
$149,900 BH7393 ML#17239811
NEW LISTING
2 nice 2 bedroom/1 bath units
with backyard alley access. Great
location, close to shopping, library,
hospital & shopping
2 Units-2 Bdrm, 1 Ba 945 sq ft (each
unit)
$259,900 BH7390 ML#17377037
NEW LISTING
Multi family duplex 2 units, each with
1143 sq ft 2 bedroom/1 ½ bath. Both
have private fenced patio areas and
attached garages
2 units-2 Bdrm, 1 ½ bath 1143 sq ft
(ea unit)
$289,900 BH7391 ML#17598038
NEW LISTING
Shelter Cove custom elegance-
propane fi replace, double garage-
covered back deck & porch
3 Bdrm, 2 Ba 2211 sq ft
$444,500 BH7395 ML#17196889
FEATURED LISTING
Near Heceta Beach. Private setting
in area of fi ne homes.
2 Bdrm + den, 2 Ba 1558 sq ft
$325,000 BH7388 ML#17411914
FEATURED LISTING
Stunning panoramic ocean views
from this custom home in gated
community. Separate family/bonus
room opens to wind protected deck.
3 Bdrm, 2 ½ Ba 2603 sq ft
$625,000 BH7381 ML#16243862
NEW LISTING
Woahink lakefront on 1.14. acres
with private dock. Expansive deck
overlooking lake.
3 Bdrm, 2 Ba 1808 sq ft
$619,900 BH7376 ML#16376820
View active listings with our exclusive Market Watch
based on what is important to you.
• Search active listings by a geographic parameter such as a zip
code, address, or centered around a particular point on a map
• Easy-to-use interactive map with an adjustable radius
• Detailed color-coded summary of each property
Visit our website at
www.RealEstateFlorence.com
and click the Market Watch
icon and start your search!
...or give us a call at 541-997-6000
and we’ll do the searching for you!
FEATURED LISTING
Fleetwood Barrington with enclosed
heated sunroom. Spacious living &
dining area. Private backyard.
2 Bdrm + den, 2 Ba 2255 sq ft
$249,000 BH7386 ML#17034555
Florence Branch | 1875 Hwy 101 | Florence, OR | (541) 997-6000 | www.RealEstateFlorence.com
© 2016 BHH Affi liates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affi liate, and a franchisee of BHH Affi liates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.®