Almost ten years ago now I officiated at a large wedding in a private home in Portland's affluent Dunthorpe neighborhood. The processional was performed by Gavin Bondy, a trumpet player for the Oregon Symphony, and afterwards the rest of the band showed up to play the reception. And I've been a big fan of Pink Martini ever since. Won't even try to put into words who they are or what they do -- they are simply amazing, and if you've never heard them you are really missing something.
Sunday night I saw them perform for the first time since I moved away from Portland Oregon five years ago. Four rows back on the left hand side, and both the seats and the band were magnificent! Probably their best show I've seen yet, and I've seen a lot...more times really than I can even remember. Benefits and fundraisers, a private Christmas party, the "Taste of Beaverton" (where gay pianist/band founder Thomas Lauderdale made a quip about "the taste of beaver" and his Harvard classmate/vocalist China Forbes unforgettably replied "What would you know about it?") and, of course, the debut concert for their first CD "Sympathique" at "the Schnitz" -- Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. And since Thomas lives just across the street from My Former Wife's law office in downtown Portland, I've often heard him practicing at home, and even seen him out walking his dog Heinz on Yamhill Street.
Of course, now that they've hit the "big time" (such as it is), Pink Martini doesn't play weddings any more. And I do miss some of the people who've left the band: Miss Khilmony Downs, in particular, who, though not quite as strong a singer as China Forbes, still had a certain stage appeal that endeared me to the band in its early days. Pepe Raphael has gone on to form his own band, Pepe and the Bottle Blondes, and apparently they still do play wedding gigs. The band is actually much stronger, tighter and more focused now that China has really come into her own on stage, while Timothy Nishimoto (Pepe's replacement) does a solid job in a much more limited vocal role. The original percussionists Brian Davis and Derek Rieth, along with guitarist Dan Faehnle, are a huge part of the band's unique sound, the brass and the strings are strong (with Gavin's outstanding trumpet a familiar anchor), and Thomas M. Lauderdale is simply brilliant, magnificent, remarkable, and incomparable. Pink Martini is really his baby and his brainchild, now twelve years old and going strong. Check out their website, buy their albums, see them perform live and go home with a tee-shirt. http://www.pinkmartini.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Great to revisit some Portland memories, Tim, thanks.
hi, khilmony downs here. do you think different could have sufficed as a description? "nowhere near" ??? i appreciate your blog but your comment hurt my feelings. i'd love to hear you sing sometime.
Don't get me wrong -- I was/am a huge fan of yours, and when you were first replaced by China Forbes I was terribly disappointed, notwithstanding my respective appreciation for both your talents. But your point is well taken: obviously, you were "somewhere" as good a singer, or else you wouldn't have been with the band in the first place. So (blogging being what it is) I've changed my comment to more accurately reflect that reality. Certainly had no intention of hurting your feelings; as I said in the original post, you were a big part of what endeared me to Pink Martini in the first place. And if you're ever in New England, you can hear me sing most Sunday mornings starting at 10:30 AM at the First Religious Society in Carlisle MA. But believe me, I'm nowhere near as good a singer as Miss Khilmony Downs....
thank you for the invitation and for kindly moving my comment to the proper blog! frankly my ego was a factor in my comment and i'm quite embarrassed now. blog on, fondly, kari 'khilmony' downs
I was so impressed with Miss KD...I'm STILL googling her to see where I might find her singing. While I think China does indeed have a voice, I don't find her stage presence even a fraction close to that of KD. I was sooooo devastated when one concert after another was without the sultry and sexy KD. SO..if Khilmony finds and reads this blog again, please let me know where I might find you on stage....anywhere. You were, and remain to be my one and only female obsession. So mesmerized...
Anonymous -- I tend to agree with your opinion (except for the obsessive part), but I wonder whether if you'd seen China's performance here in Boston it might have changed your opinion of her. Don't know whether it was just the "home town love" or the fact that it had been five years since I'd last seen the band perform, but she seemed like a different person. And very impressive.
And I also look forward to more chances to see "Miss Khilmoney Downs" perform. She does indeed possess a certain je ne sais WOW!
Khilmony was amazing. I hope I get another chance to work with her. - Gavin
Post a Comment