N. Oregon Coast Swings with Sounds of Parisian Gypsy Jazz

Published 05/04/2015

(Manzanita, Oregon) – A hefty dose of jazz comes to the north Oregon coast on May 23 with the Portland group Stumptown Swing taking over the Pine Grove Community House with a special concert.

Stumptown Swing takes audiences back to 1920's Paris, when gypsies with guitars, violins and upright basses made the leap from French musette to American "hot jazz" and kept Parisians dancing to this evocative new sound. The group performs a set of hot, cool and sultry classics, featuring swinging groove and gorgeous acoustic instruments played with intelligence and passion by four masters of their craft.

Portlanders Tim Connell (mandolin) and Mike Burdette (guitar) formed the group after nearly a decade of playing swing gigs with Portland's best acoustic musicians. They scooped up upright bass player Keith Brush (Stolen Sweets, Pete Krebs Trio, Blue Cranes), and now also boast their long-time friend and collaborator, violinist Ben Blechman.

About the band: Tim Connell is a graduate of the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music and a multi-instrumentalist with over twenty years professional performing experience. He also performs in Mike Marshall's Ger Mandolin Orchestra, as well as with renowned jazz guitarist Eric Skye, Portuguese fado diva Alexandra Coutinho and the Brazilian choro group Rio Con Brio.

Tim is a veteran teacher and workshop presenter, having taught alongside of David Grisman, Mike Marshall, Mike Compton and others in the past. He is an Adjunct Professor of Music at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Tim's in-depth study of both Brazilian and Irish music, combined with his earlier years as a professional bassist and pianist, have helped him synthesize a personal style on the mandolin which is harmonically advanced, rhythmically diverse, and brimming over with sparkling ornamentation and intensity.

Mike Burdette has been performing Brazilian choro and gypsy jazz guitar for the past seven years with Jason Okamoto, David Stassens, and Eddie Parente.

Ben Blechman began studying violin at the age of 8 in Santa Rosa, California, and began private instruction with Dominic Dissaro at age 11. While at UCSC he also studied jazz improvisation with jazz greats Ray Brown (trumpet) and Smith Dobson (piano). He completed a BA in violin performance, and continued on for an MA in 20th Century performance practice, with an emphasis in computer music. He is in demand as a studio musician, and gigs regularly.

Keith Brush began his professional music career in Montana with the Billings Symphony while performing with multiple cross-genre groups and working alongside the varied likes of Bernadette Peters, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Green Day and The Offspring.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., concert at 6 p.m. followed by dancing. Tickets are $10, 12, $15. General $20 available through Brown Paper Tickets 800-838-3006 or on-line at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1175377. Pine Grove Community House 225 Laneda, Manzanita, Oregon.

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