Smut City Jellyroll Society
The Smut City Jellyroll Society is a wild and crazy bunch of fun loving musicians playing blues and early jazz from the 1920’s and 1930’s. With a unique sound somewhere between ragtime blues, early jazz and jugband music, the Jellyroll Society keeps it loose and lively with a driving syncopated swing that gets the dancers out on the floor. The music is from a variety of sources: Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, The Harlem Hamfats, Memphis Jug Band, Blind Boy Fuller and others. The Society also has a couple of original tunes in the repertoire with more on the way. The lyrics are fun and a bit on the risqué side. Smut City Jellyroll Society plays shows at some of the finest venues in town and is available for private events and swing dances.
The lineup is somewhat flexible. Listed below are folks who have performed with the Society in recent months:
Doug Shafer—guitar, vocals, Bambazoo kazoo
Charles Pike—drums, vocals, washboard
Paul Evans—soprano sax, melodica, piano, vocals
Chelsea Barnes—vocals, Bambazoo
Jim Delaney—bass, vocals
Russell Gores—bass, drums, vocals
Danielle Smith—banjolele, vocals
Kyle Butz—trombone, jug, vocals, banjo
Andrew Alikhanov—clarinet
Andrew Oliver—trumpet, piano
Pace Rubadeau—trumpet
Teresa Boyd—vocals, banjolele, washboard
Bruce Beaton—percussion, harmonica, whistling, churning the butter, vocals
Dave Hill—accordian, keyboard
Hurqalya
Hurqalya, in certain strains of Persian mythology, is a city located halfway between the realm of the spirit and the realm of the material. That serves as a fundamental symbol of our approach to music. The material aspects of music, such as acoustics, theory, instruments, and technique blend with spirit and imagination to create the sound of Hurqalya.
Our music draws from the musical traditions of all cultures around the Mediterranean Sea area. We play mostly original tunes inspired by the various Mediterranean cultures, but our eclectic mix of sounds also includes West African Highlife, Afro Cuban and even Peruvian Chicha songs. Hurqalya uses a variety of instruments to create our unique sound, ranging from traditional instruments like oud, saz, darbuka and davul to modern instruments like electric guitar and keyboards.
We have played at many of Portland’s finest venues as well as a variety of regional festivals. We collaborate frequently with belly dancers and have played for virtually all of the finest dancers in the area.
Hurqalya is composed of :
Doug Shafer—oud, saz, cumbus, electric guitar, electric 4-string mandolin, darbuka
Dave Hill—keyboards, accordion
Clark Salisbury—electric bass, guitar, oud
Charles Pike—darbuka, cajon, conga, davul, misc percussion
Jason Ramirez—darbuka, riq, misc percussion
Sean Molloy—davul, riq, darbuka, djembe, misc percussion
Other musicians we have worked with:
Bruce Beaton—davul, djembe, misc percussion
Belinda Underwood—upright bass
Andrew Alikhanov–clarinet, bass clarinet
Eric Stern—accordion
Paul Evans—soprano sax, melodica
Michael Beach—darbuka
James Gregg—trumpet
The Krebsic Orkestar
The Krebsic Orkestar, under the direction of Alex Krebs, is a brass band playing the high-energy music of the Balkan Romani musicians. The band usually has a dozen or so members for each performance. In this band I play darbuka, a goblet shaped drum from the Mediterranean Sea area. Krebsic Orkestar shows always get people up and dancing, and the band has fans of all ages and backgrounds. We have played at most of the finest venues in Portland, at various festivals and a number of private events around the area. For more information about the band and booking information contact me or visit the band website.
The Underscore Orkestra
The Underscore Orkestra is a fun loving and somewhat nomadic group of musicians, playing an eclectic mix of lively songs ranging from Klezmer to Balkan to old swing jazz. The band performs intermittently in Portland due to the nomadic spirit of key members, especially of leader Jorge Kachmari, but when they are in town, I play cajon, darbuka, davul and occasionally strings. The music is high spirited and fun, the band colorful and talented. The lineup has included a large number of fine musicians in its various incarnations.