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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2022)
ALL THINGS MUSIC PAGE 6 • GO! MAGAZINE THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 • THE BULLETIN Concert combines songs, short films to present Black history in Oregon BY BEN SALMON • For The Bulletin A t its height in the 1940s, Vanport, Oregon was the second-largest city in the state, with more than 40,000 residents, nine schools, 14 playgrounds, shopping centers, a hospital and a 750-seat movie theater that offered three double features per week. Today, if you zero in on Vanport on Google Maps — near the Portland International Raceway, just south of Vancouver, Washington — all you’ll find is a historic marker. The town, which was 40% African American, was destroyed by a flood in 1948. More than 300 miles to the east, there’s another point on the Oregon map labeled Maxville, where aerial photos show only trees, trails, a couple of roads and a whole bunch of open space If You Go in the mountains What: Portland north of Wallowa. Jazz Compos- But 100 years ago, ers Ensemble’s Maxville was a bus- “From Maxville tling company town to Vanport” developed by Bow- When: 7:30 p.m. man-Hicks Lumber, Wednesday, and it was home to April 27, doors African-American open 6:30 p.m. loggers at a time when Oregon’s con- Where: Tower stitution included Theatre, 835 NW Wall Street, Bend a provision exclud- ing Black people Cost: $20-$29 from the state. It Contact: tow- was the largest com- ertheatre.org. munity in Wallowa County from 1923 to 1933, when Bow- man-Hicks’ logging operations in the area ceased. These two long-gone locations are the framework for “From Maxville to Vanport,” a multimedia concert of songs and short films from the Portland Jazz Composers En- On Wednesday at the Tower Theatre, Portland Jazz Composers Ensem- ble will perform “From Maxville to Vanport.” The show uses music and short film to tell the story of Black history in Oregon. Submitted photo two communities, the people who lived there, the prejudice they faced and the roles they played in Oregon’s Black history. The Tower perfor- mance will coincide with a special exhibit at the Deschutes Histor- ical Museum in Bend. Ticketholders for the show can get “buy one get one free” admission to the museum through the month of May. semble that will come to the Tower Theatre next week. The production features text by S. Renee Mitchell, video by Kalimah Abioto and music composed by Ezra Weiss and performed by the PJCE and vocalist Mari- lyn Keller. The result of their work is a lively assemblage of jazz, blues and gospel music along with visuals that tell the story of these Continued from previous page Event Security • Physical Security • Cyber Security Vehicle Patrols • Private Investigations KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY & YOUR BUSINESS SAFE & SECURE (458) 292-8044 tridentprofessionalsecurity.com Bryan Bielanski But mostly, you hear Bielanski: hooky, thoughtful, inspired, driven. Hear it for yourself at bryanssuperhappyfuntime. bandcamp.com. He’s from Charlotte, N.C., which means he’ll be approx- imately 2,600 miles from home when he stops in Bend for a couple of gigs this weekend. Stop by one of ‘em and make him feel welcome. Bryan Bielanski, live in Bend: 8 p.m. Friday at Worthy Brewing Beers & Burgers (806 NW Brooks St.) 2 p.m. Saturday on KPOV Bend radio, 88.9 FM 8 p.m. Saturday at Worthy Brewing Company (495 NE Bellevue Drive) More info can be found at bryansuperhappyfuntime.com. — Ben Salmon, The Bulletin Ben Salmon is a Bend-based music journalist and host of Left Of The Dial, which airs 8-10 p.m. Thursdays on KPOV, 88.9 FM and streams at kpov.org. You can find him on Bandcamp and Twitter at @bcsalmon.
