This is the beginning of our new series: 1st & 3rd Thursday happy hours at Jam!

It's an earlier Happy Hour slot -- 5-7pm -- so you can come straight from work and have dinner and drinks with some happy lively acoustic swing!

Check out the the review of Jam on Hawthorne's happy hour by Willamette Week!

There are new audio and video goodies on our website at hotclubofhawthorne.com!

FREE ~ ALL AGES

There is a new audio demo for my gypsy jazz group the Hot Club of Hawthorne. It's another montage of snippets from a show. I'm going to try to do this for all shows of which I get a decent sounding recording!

Click here to listen to highlights from the show at the Jade Lounge last December. (This was the show that was partially filmed for live TV!)

Then come see us at Biddy's on Saturday night! See calendar!

I've been working hard on developing a bluegrass repertory and collective of players too! (What is up with Jeffree and his acoustic traditional projects these days??)

It's a blast -- and a challenge. Those who think it is easy have not tried. Chord progressions can be simple, but you have to be right on top of the timing, and tempos are often fast. Phrasing has to resolve in a timely fashion, unlike jazz or rock in which you can noodle aimlessly.

My tune selections are mostly the happy songs. No dirgey depressing woe-is-me type songs. Included are a lot of common originals, but also newgrass numbers from the likes of Old & In the Way, David Grisman, and Phish. Been done? Who cares!?! It's great fun!

Like the gypsy jazz project, I'd like to have a collective of players, so if you or someone you know is interested, get in touch!

Jenny Sizzler -- the comedy rock band with whom I have played keyboards and sang for years -- produced a smashing CD earlier this year: Sweet Velvet Pants. Three days of tracking at fabulous Secret Society Ballroom and hours of tweaking with genius engineer Jordan made for a great sounding album! Here is a short two-minute sampler of the album:

• Sweet Velvet Pants DEMO

You can order the CD on the Jenny Sizzler website at jennysizzler.com!

My new gypsy jazz project, which for now I am calling the Hot Club of Hawthorne after Django's Hot Club of France, is now performing!

For current info and audio samples, visit my gypsy jazz web page at jeffree.info/gypsyjazz.

Check my future page for show info.

Note: this is what I posted on Craigslist in April.

I am forming a string band which plays a mix of gypsy jazz (aka “djazz”), bluegrass, and a little latin/flamenco/persian/klezmer/world/?. Maybe even an acoustic arrangement of a rock or blues tune here and there. Mostly instrumental, but some vocals. Mostly peppy, all festive. David Grisman Quintet is a big influence.

I'm thinking a 4- or 5-piece core band, including a combination of the following instruments (multi-instrumentalists would be great):

• guitar
• bass
• violin
• mandolin
• 2^nd guitar
• ?

I play guitar and mandolin (and keys). Guitar at an advanced level, mandolin intermediate.

I'm also looking to form a collective of musicians, really – so gigs can happen regardless of individual levels of commitment. (The selection of traditional music and the ability to read chord charts are key here.) So I'm looking for players of all instruments. Enthusiasm and availability are as important factors as talent.

I would like to perform frequently, so you should be ENTHUSIASTIC TO PLAY GIGS – even if they do not all pay well, and/or if they are late at night on a weekday. Even play on the street once in a while. Eventually I would like to do acoustic venues, McMenamins gigs, and festivals – maybe occasional out-of-town gigs.

So any practice for me with anyone is great.  I'm pretty flexible schedule-wise since I do freelance web work from home.  Most afternoons and evenings are free.  I'm near 27th & SE Belmont. I'm carless (part of the impetus behind acousticizing), so my place would be the place.

I have wine bar gigs in May and June at Thirst Bistro; I have a big gig on June 18th at a huge 50th anniversary party a couple hours' drive east*.

I'm not married to my song list; many are chosen simply because they are common tunes with which others are likely to already be familiar. I would like to do originals as well – I have a few to fit the project – but I am not willing to throw out the covers later because someone in the band decides that the band needs to be all original. The project, while irreverent, is also about traditional music, and audiences like to hear covers. And if a band plays exclusively someone's originals and that person leaves the band...I've been through that too many times.

Here is the djazz tune list I have played around with.  I'm sure a bunch will get cut and a few will get added.  I have charts and would like to use the same charts with everyone; I have three books printed.  As you know, many times different charts are not always compatible.  For some tunes, I have different versions available.

• After You've Gone
• Aint Misbehavin'
• Avalon
• Brazil
• Cantina Band
• Charleston
• Confessin'
• Dark Eyes
• Dinah
• Dinette
• Exactly Like You
• For Sephora
• HCQ Strut
• Honeysuckle Rose
• I Cant Believe That You're In Love With Me
• If I Only Had a Brain
• I'll See You in My Dreams
• It Had to Be You
• Limehouse Blues
• Lullaby of the Leaves
• Minor Swing
• Mister Sandman
• Out of Nowhere
• Russian Lullaby
• Sheik of Araby
• Shine
• Sweet Georgia Brown
• Sweet Sue
• Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams

I have some bluegrassy numbers I will be working in to the set too.  I'd like to form a project that does some of both -- for variety.  All peppy acoustic material.  (Did I mention I like David Grisman's work a lot?)  As you can tell, I discovered bluegrass from jambands – Phish, Grateful Dead, SCI – so I'm light on traditionals, but am down with learning more.

• Better Times A-Comin'
• Could This Be Magic
• Dill Pickle Rag
• Do, a Beer
• Eating Out of Your Hand
• Long Journey Home
• My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own
• Panama Red
• Red Haired Boy
• Rocky Top
• Salty Dog
• Salt Creek
• the Hobo Song

So if you would like to play some time, let me know and we can talk times. Most weekday afternoons and evenings are available.

Thanks for reading.

Stellakinesis has disbanded due to time constraints and artistic differences.

We had a lot of great times over our year-and-a-half existence! Thanks to everyone who came to see us, and special thanks to the clubs and booking folks who believed in us and gave us opportunities.

We did produce a lot of great recordings and video. Check Stellakinesis' collection on archive.org for updates; there are still a few shows and videos we need to publish. We'll announce on the Stellakinesis website and on Facebook as new material is published.

Stellakinesis may return in the future in a new form...

I've fallen in love with playing gypsy jazz. The term is sort of misleading, but what it is essentially is early jazz -- mostly the 20s and 30s -- played with primarily acoustic string instruments, especially multiple guitars, violin, and upright bass. The most famous artist in this style was Django Reinhardt, an incredible guitarist; many of his compositions are gypsy jazz standards as well.

It's time that I started a project. I've loved jazz for a long time -- it's the music to which I listen the most -- and I also love playing straight-ahead jazz on guitar and keyboards. However, this subgenre offers several advantages:

• lots of guitar solos
• relatively easy chord changes
• mostly lively tempos and cheerful vibes
• no need for drums!
• lower volume
• less gear needed
• timeless appeal

I've started hosting & attending regular sessions and have met a number of talented folks who are interested to play. I will have a collective of musicians to draw from for various gigs. That's another advantage to playing traditional music like this: many players are already familiar with the tunes and accustomed to reading charts.

Soon I will have plenty of audio samples!

If you're interested in learning more about Portland's gypsy jazz scene, join the PDXdjazz Yahoo group. There are great resources available there and announcements about all the local groups.

So, I've become a full-blown Facebook addict over the last several months.

And, since I frequently post stuff there, I am less likely to post random stuff on my blog -- on this site. It gets much more exposure there, and I can get immediate feedback.

This site does better fulfill the function of collecting personal news and views, of course. So I am going to try to be better about adding content regularly.

I do keep the calendar updated with performances.

If you do Facebook and are not yet my friend, find me there at facebook.com/jeffreewhite. And if you don't, well...I can't understand why not!

My new band, called Stellakinesis, has arrived, and it sounds, well -- stellar!

Go to the listing on my music page for more info.

Those of you who were the few who visited pdxjams.com over the last few years have noticed that it had some serious down time... Well, it has been revived and revamped, and I'm finally taking the plunge and promoting it, and committing myself to keep the calendar updated.

I redid the database to customize the info fields to facilitate pulling up richer content dynamically. I then created a tool with which I can easily add shows, and this will help me keep it updated. I added a forum to allow user input and dialogue. Consider putting your 2 cents in (speaking of which, a donate button is in the works too...)!

Have a look and let me know what you think! And next time you're looking for something to do or good music to see, check PDXjams.com!!! Check out some band you'd never heard of before.

Become a fan of pdxjams on Facebook here.

Visit us on MySpace and become our friend here.

Summer 2008 was a spectacular one. Despite its late start for me, we got a lot in.

The early highlight was our first time at the prestigious High Sierra Music Festival. We had a lot of fun over the FOUR days, despite heat, dust, and smoke from the nearby forest fires which closed the main highway in. One great thing about this festival is the abundance of water: misters keeping everyone cool, and bathrooms with plumbing and showers(!). We saw dozens of great bands.

Other musical highlights of the summer were seeing the Neville Bros. & Dr. John (featuring Eugene's John Fohl on guitar!?!) and the Tower of Power at the Zoo, and seeing Return to Forever at the Schnitz.

In August, we went rafting twice on the Clackamas River between Barton and Carver parks and swimming at lovely McIver Park. We explored the Gifford-Pinchot Forest in WA between Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams for three days; the lava beds north of Mt. Adams along the Pacific Crest Trail were otherwordly. Later, we went up in a hot-air balloon over Newberg, lush farmland, and the Willamette River, up to 4000 feet!

September allowed us a couple of great hikes, including one up Cathedral Ridge on the north side of Mount Hood. We passed Timberline Trail and got near MacNeil Point (next time!), where the views were spectacular. The hike was strenuous -- 2400' elevation gain (we got up to 6050') and steep -- but it was worth it...highly recommended.

I feel like I got enough summer in and am ready for fall/winter. The plan for next summer: more festivals and more hikes up Hood!!! More more more!!!

I'm feeling burned out on the live music scene. I've decided to scale back my live projects.

Not many clubs in Portland book music I like. I haven't had much success with booking gigs or promoting shows, and they take a lot of time and energy. And since I stopped drinking, I've had increasingly less tolerance for smoky bars; there are only a couple that I'll go to anymore. I'm looking forward to 2009 and the implementation of the smoking ordinance. Until then, it seems like a perfect time for a hiatus where I can focus on composing and recording.

I've been playing other people's music for so long, I haven't allowed my creativity to blossom. Original music will be more fulfilling to play. And when you're a sideman, and the project breaks up, you're left with very little; if you lead a project, you can keep some momentum as supporting musicians come and go.

I plan to redirect time and energy to developing my music archive too.

I'll still perform here and there at select events. I can't refuse the lure of the stage entirely...some are too much fun. And even if just one person at the show says they enjoyed it, I figure that that's a measure of success.

DAY JOB.

Working full time in a computer-intensive job has not afforded me the time or energy to work on my websites or musical projects.

It has however, afforded me several new toys which will invigorate my efforts in both music and web publishing:

• new laptop
• new keyboard controller
• sweet rotary effect pedal for keys and guitar (Roland)
• mandolin
• portable high-fi digital recorder (Zoom H2)
• new keyboard amp
• very-much-needed guitar repairs

So, while part of me feels like I am wasting away my time slaving away at a mindnumbingly tedious job resulting in pretty much no personal fulfillment, it is a necessary step in achieving my artistic and professional goals.

The job is by contract and may end soon, so I should have some time opening up with which I will revitalize my website and get some new content up. So don't give up on me yet. =)

I'm on the new Funk Shui CD! I recorded some tracks for Sean Nowland, aka the Shag, in my basement -- back when it was his room -- and they ended up on the Funk Shui CD. It's the song entitled Axxxe. Go to their website at www.funkshuipdx.com and follow the link to CDBaby to hear a sample.

I was lucky enough to get to spend ten days in gorgeous Italy: a week in Tuscany and four days in Rome!

I, my girlfriend Miki, and her family stayed at an amazing villa in the Tuscany region, home to many kilometers of lush farmland growing vineyards and olive tree orchards. We took day trips to several ancient "hilltowns" -- little cities built on hills and surrounded by walls -- and the cities Pisa and Firenze(aka Florence). Then, we explored fantastic Rome, walking many kilometers through its maze of pedestrian-friendly streets and checking out all the antiquities, ruins, and architecture we could. And, yes, we indulged all the while in all the scrumptious food available(good thing we walked a lot)!

Being in the presence of human creations of such mindboggling age, such as the Pantheon and the Forum, is truly awe-inspiring, as is witnessing such magnificent art -- the Uffizi museum in Firenze has an overwhelming collection of paintings and sculpture -- and architecture, including the magnificent cathedrals in Siena, Firenze, and Rome, St.Peters Basilica in Vatican City being the most incredible example.

We took hundreds of photos, the best of which will be featured on this site. It'll take a while to sort through them all and create the galleries, so I'll be posting them little by little over the next couple of months. I'll elaborate on my journeys in postings in my world view page.

An anonymous fan (thanks Gordon ;-) ) posted a couple of videos of me on YouTube. They're both from performances at the Goodfoot Lounge's Sonic Forum open mike in 2004.

In one, I sing and play Phish's lovely ballad "Tela" while Chilli Most from Jenny Sizzler dances flamboyantly. In the other, I try out a peppy swing tune of mine, backed by Scott Pemberton on bass and Ji Tanzer on drums & using Scott Pemberton's cool high-octave distortion pedal.

It's a been great run over the last year and a half playing with Ashbury Park. The time has come to move on.

The band has chosen to play solely with another guitarist. I have been considering leaving the band for some time, so this actually makes for a relatively smooth transition and mutual separation.

I've enjoyed playing the tunes and working with the guys very much. However, it's been apparent for a while that we have artistic differences. They're into the roots-rock songwriting thing; I'm leaning towards more funky, jazzy, instrumental, improvisational, progressive styles.

Playing with Ashbury Park has afforded me the opportunity to play for new audiences, for which I am grateful. I got to take a lot of solos (though the forced shortness of them frustrated my fans).

I'm looking forward to devoting more energy to my other current projects and to composing.

Thanks to all of you who came to see me play with Ashbury Park. Another notch on my guitar strap. ;-)

I built Lowell a web site!

You can find it at lowelljmitchell.com.

It utilizes new-to-me calendar and gallery programs which I think are pretty cool.

Check out the video of us at the Laurelthirst!

His bio is also very impressive.

It's still being developed, so check back soon!

I have a new band, called "Blue Zebra"!

We've been working hard building a set of tunes for several months now. The style is instrumental funky jazz ("dazzlejazz", as some have described it) -- groove-oriented, peppy rhythms (we strive to inspire and facilitate dancing), and lots of taking turns soloing. We're inspired by Garaj Mahal (as a matter a fact the bass player takes lessons from Kai when he's in town), Scofield, Jeff Beck, and Miles Davis. It's a four-piece: guitar, keys, bass and drums; all the guys are seasoned, talented players. I play guitar solely.

We have a webpage up at www.bluezebra.name with MP3's and bio's. The MP3's were recorded live in my basement with minimal overdubs (we had to redo some keyboard tracks which got overdriven, is all).

We recently played our first full performance at the Clean Energy Fair (right before Ashbury Park, Surrounded By Ninjas, Mars Retrieval Unit and Tye North & Friends :-) ). We're seeking gigs now...stay tuned for upcoming performances!

The story behind the band name is worthy of mention: at the Everyone Orchestra show at the Crystal last time, Matt Butler jumped into the crowd and asked my girlfriend Miki what he should have everyone sing...so she said the first thing on her mind: "Blue Zebra". So Matt went ahead and led the crowd into singing the words "Blue Zebra" during a jam. (How's that for subliminal advertising? Hmmm, Blue Zebra...Blue Zebra...I've heard the name before... ) Later, we took this as our name, after considering dozens others. :P

Today, the total number of all-time visits to my web site -- sessions, not just page loads -- reached 2500!!!

Okay, many of them were from me. =) Still. I am proud.

And, I am inspired to develop the site more. I promise: I will get more music, pictures and blogs up soon!!!

Thanks for your interest and patience with my slowly evolving web site!

Hey,
This is a little reminder about my Monday happy hours at Biddy McGraw's with Lowell J. Mitchell. We've been having a blast with it.

Lowell, of Heavy Petting Zoo fame, has been doing Monday happy hours at Biddy's for several months now, and has asked me to join him for the next couple of months! I play the house piano. The music is bluesy and ragtimey and a lot of fun.

Every Monday from 6 to 8pm. Come for dinner: they have great food.

Biddy McGraw's

NE 60th & Glisan: just south of the 60th Ave. MAX station and near the 58th Ave. exit from Hwy. 84. Tri-met lines 19 and 71 stop right by the place.

My housemates of over a year-and-a-half have decided to move on.

I have had many housemates over the years, and these guys were the best. We got along really well and had a lot of great times. I will miss them.

Along the way, I helped both guys put up their own web site:

• Check out at Dustin's at either dustinthejuggler.com or dustinchristensen.com. He built the web site himself. He is a master juggler, and you can find cool pics of him in action. He's also a musician, and you can download a few of his recordings, some of which feature yours truly.
• You can visit Rob Roy's site at robroy.name. I designed and built it for him. Be sure to check out the leisure suits page!

I've been the data entry volunteer coordinator for the local Sierra Club office for almost a year now. Currently, we have a real need for help. Got a couple of hours to do some typing and help the Sierra Club build and manage its volunteer list? Drop me a line!

I starting volunteering at the Sierra Club before the election, doing data entry related to their voter education campaign. The Sierra Club is the largest, oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. I've continued to volunteer regularly, and they've asked me to help with training and coordinating other volunteers there.

• Evan McDonnell
• the Space Age Polymers

See the Shakedown Fest website, to see the statement by the promoter. He claims he was screwed by the Columbia Meadows management, who cancelled the show unnecessarily due to their unreasonably low projections of ticket sales at the gate.

Unbelievably, the Shakedown Festival was cancelled just three hours before the gates were scheduled to open. This was devastating news, as I expected it to be in some ways the performance highlight of my career thus far.

I don't have any answers to the questions "why?", "Why?", and "WHY!?!" yet. I just figured I'd make sure that you all know in case any of you were planning to go. It'd suck to find out at the gates after packing for a weekend of camping and driving to St. Helens. Tune in to the Shakedown website to possibly find out more -- as of now they ain't saying much.

In a related development, Ashbury Park picked up a gig at the Goodfoot next Thursday the 1st, filling in for a cancellation. How about calling it the "Shakedown Cancellation Recovery Party"?

I can only imagine what the repercussions of this major fiasco will be. Yikes.

I've played with seven bands this summer alone!

Planned are sets by:
Folkrum 4:30-5:30
Ashbury Park 6-7
Pieces 7:30-8:30
Root Canal
Evan McDonnell
Jenny Sizzler
and special surprise guests...

To the upper right you can now find little nuggets of wisdom, humor, and absurdities that I like. To see another, just reload the page.

Summer's coming, and I wanna be out there playing. I haven't been focused on music in recent months, but it's time. I'm looking for players of all instruments interested in jamming. I envision a loose-knit collective of musicians who are interested in mostly instrumental, largely improvisational, primal-yet-futuristic, experimental jam-oriented music. On the rhythmically-driving/danceable side. World rhythms + modal frameworks + ambient electronic textures. Basic jam-vehicle songs. Including spontaneous reinterpretation of form, perhaps guided by a system of hand signals.

The Goodfoot Lounge, IMHO, offers the best live music in town. I feel lucky that it's right in my neighborhood. And, it's now mostly non-smoking! Tell your friends!

It was flattering to discover that they chose to feature audio clips of Five on their web site [note: clips no longer featured on site. -ed] .

I starting volunteering at the Sierra Club before the election, doing data entry related to their voter education campaign. The Sierra Club is the largest, oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. I've continued to volunteer regularly, and they've asked me to help with training and coordinating other volunteers there.

What do you think of my new site?

You can send your opinions(be they humble or not-so), suggestions, and/or scathing criticisms here. Scathing criticisms will not be returned.