Michael Raynor Quartet

TICKETS $30 | ALL AGES

Drummer/bandleader Michael Raynor moved to Portland from Chicago, where he spent twenty-two years playing with tenor sax icon and NEA Jazz Master, Von Freeman. That immersion, at age 22, in the hard swinging Chicago scene, with a musician who had played alongside Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday, was an incomparable education and led to gigs with Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Sam Rivers, Eric Alexander, Steve Coleman, Jon Faddis, Arturo Sandoval, and Fareed Haque. Raynor also toured extensively with vocalist Kurt Elling and can be heard on two of his Grammy nominated recordings, including Live in Chicago with guest vocalist, Jon Hendricks. (They also recorded “Cool Yule” which you’ve heard if you’ve ever been to a Starbucks around Christmas time.) More recently Raynor has worked with Bobby Broom, Gary Bartz, Tia Fuller, Howard Levy, and a host of world class Portland stalwarts including Nancy King, Chuck Israels, George Colligan, Dan Balmer and Dan Faehnle.

Bassist Lorin Cohen is also a Chicago native, now based in New York City. He has built a reputation as one of the most soulful, groove-driven bassists working in jazz today. For nearly a decade, Cohen toured the world with piano legend Monty Alexander, and appears on two of his celebrated recordings, Calypso Blues and The Good Life. He is also a core collaborator of vibraphonist Joe Locke, and is featured on Locke's most recent albums, Subtle Disguise and Makram. As a bandleader Cohen has headlined New York City's Birdland and Mezzrow, and his debut album Home, was named one of DownBeat Magazine's Best Albums of 2015. The Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich captured it best: "Cohen's compositions revel in rhythmic complexity while conveying an unmistakable dance pulse. It's impossible not to sway in your seat a bit while listening to this music." Lorin has the rare ability to make a room full of strangers feel like they're all moving to the same heartbeat. He played at The 1905 for the first time last year with pianist Larry Fuller. Raynor and Cohen have a long history of playing and touring together. In addition to working and recording with pianist and composer, Ryan Cohan, they toured Southeast Asia in 2004 as U.S. Jazz Ambassadors with the Chicago Jazz Quartet, under the artistic direction of The Kennedy Center. Both Raynor and Cohen have since done U.S. Rhythm Road tours under the artistic direction of Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Rounding out this trio is first call Northwest pianist, Greg Goebel. Praised by guitarist Larry Koonse as "a force that is stretching known boundaries and moving the music into new territory,” Goebel shows himself as firmly rooted in tradition while simultaneously developing a unique voice among his generation. He has toured, recorded, and co-produced with singer Gino Vannelli for over 12 years, and can be heard on the The Best and Beyond, the DVD, Live in L.A., as well as the most recent Wilderness Road. A long time member of David Friesen's Circle 3 Trio, his work can be heard on several of Friesen’s recordings, and his own album as leader, Rainy City, was released to critical acclaim. Goebel has had the pleasure of performing with notable musicians such as John Handy, Antonio Hart, Dick Oatts, Terrell Stafford, Pete Christlieb, Ken Peplowski, Ben Wendel, Allison Miller, Eric Marienthal, Steve Wilson, Ingrid Jensen, and Seamus Blake.