From NECN:
Sherman: A Jazz Opera (see attached poster) is loosely based on the life of saxophone player Sherman Thomas, who died tragically in the ’70s. But it also celebrates the legacy of post-war North Williams Avenue when it was known as “Black Broadway,” because live jazz by black musicians and singers from around the country – including Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Billy Holiday – was being played night and day in a least 10 clubs along the entertainment strip and in other parts of the city.
This performance is historical because Portland doesn’t have anything else like this to honor its history during Black History Month. We also are creating a documentary that interviews Sweet Baby James, Bobby Bradford, Paul Knauls, etc. And we are scheduling a Black History Month reception in City Hall, that features Esperanza Spalding and a mayoral proclamation.
Dates: Feb. 18-27, 2011, last two weekends of Black History Month. All shows begin at 7 p.m.
Location: Ethos@IFCC, 5340 N. Interstate Ave.
Featuring: Janice Scroggins, Reggie Houston and Rita Marquez!
Musical score: Thara Memory / Libretto: S. Renee Mitchell
Sponsored by a grant from The Regional Arts and Culture CouncilThis two-weekend run of “Sherman: A Jazz Opera,” is a community tease to a larger show that we hope to put into full production in 2012-13, in partnership with the Portland Opera. The story is based in the 1940s-50s and also features the jazz-themed art of the late Philemon Reid. This project is unique in itself because it establishes, for the historical record, the role Portland played in the popularity of jazz. As the city’s black population burgeoned during WWII to build war ships, they brought their East Coast music to Portland. And the railroad allowed many jazz legends, such as Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, to perform in the jazz clubs on Williams Avenue and other parts of the city. The Dude Ranch, considered a nuisance by whites, was the hottest supper club west of Chicago from 1920 to 1946. It featured a tap-dancing emcee, an elaborate dance floor and celebrity stars, such as Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday.
Sherman Thomas stood out as a gifted star among stars. When he wrapped his full lips around the mouth of his saxophone, the fierceness of his notes electrified Portland’s smoky jazz clubs, sending brown-skinned women’s hips to swaying and married jazz lovers to make promises they couldn’t keep. But, Sherman took his natural talent for granted, and eventually he complimented the high he chased with harder drugs. In the end, he lost his hold on both of his loves – jazz music and his sweetheart, Marion. Eventually, his life and notoriety, like his music, faded, leaving the memory of a sweet, familiar tune you couldn’t quite remember but still can’t get out of your head.
The qualities of jazz music – improvising, group interaction, developing an individual voice, and being open to different musical possibilities – provide reminders of valuable life lessons to all those who will attend the show. All performances will conclude with a question and answer session, and a documentary interviewing musicians and jazz lovers who experienced William Avenue’s legacy.
Tickets are $15 and $10 for seniors and students, available at Reflections Bookstore and Geneva’s Salon, both on MLK Jr. Blvd. and online at http://ethos.org/