TOUR DATES:
2012:
Friday, January 20: BLUE CRANES @ Walters Cultural Arts Center (527 E. Main St., Hillsboro, OR). 7:30pm. All Ages. $12 adv, $14 day of show.
Wednesday, January 25: BLUE CRANES @ Alberta Rose Theater (3000 NE Alberta, Portland) w/ Sunbears!, Log Across the Washer. $8.
Friday, March 2: BLUE CRANES @ Alberta Rose Theater (3000 NE Alberta, Portland). w/ Tim Berne / Snakeoil (NYC). Sponsored by the Creative Music Guild and KMHD. doors 7pm, show 8pm. $12 advance / $15 day of show. Minors ok w/ parent or guardian.
Friday, March 30: BLUE CRANES @ March Music Moderne Festival @ Blue Monk (3341 SE Belmont, Portland) w/ Classical Revolution, Graham Reynolds. doors 7:30pm, show 8pm. $8-$20. All ages until 10pm.
Stay tuned... get on our email list to find out about more upcoming shows.
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photo by Jen
Downer
for high resolution press photos, click here
"A jazz group with an art-rock heart"
- DAVID ADLER (Philadelphia Weekly)
"A truly unconventional approach to improvised music
that puts other third-streamers to shame"
- MARLON BISHOP - (WNYC)
"Combines a downtown-jazz aesthetic with overtones
of arty indie rock."
(Time Out New York)
"Rich melodies and dynamic interplay"
- CHRIS BARTON (Los Angeles Times)
"Blue Cranes tackle tunes ... without a whiff of
the crossover crassness or postmodern cleverness that typically infect
jazz versions of indie-rock songs."
- PETER MARGASAK (Chicago Reader)
"Wily, lyrical, evocative and bright"
- JOSEF WOODARD (Santa Barbara Independent)
"Blue Cranes have a sensibility that draws equally
from old and new wells. You don’t have to count the tricky beats
to enjoy their joyous interplay."
- KEITH GOETZMAN (Utne Reader)
"Blue Cranes provide a new amplification of jazz,
allowing listeners to hear a stream of water pass through a storm drain
thick with sediment."
- JOSH FERNANDEZ (Sacramento News and Review)
"Blue Cranes’ latest disc, Observatories, isn’t
just one of the best jazz releases out of Portland this year, it’s
one of the best releases out of Portland this year—or any year,
for that matter. A deep, beautifully composed and then radically deconstructed
effort, it rocks harder than most rock albums and says more than most
singer-songwriters—without any words at all."
- CASEY JARMAN (Willamette Week)
ABOUT BLUE CRANES
Hailing from the fertile scene of Portland, Oregon, the Blue Cranes create music that is as invigorating as it is disarming. Working a thin line between improvisation and catchiness, Blue Cranes arrive at a unique place. They have found a way to make exploration seem like the most enjoyable process around.
"Consider the band a brainier kinfolk to the indie rock scene, and with influences from rock and other areas, but with a solid foundation in the vocabulary of jazz." - JOSEF WOODARD (Santa Barbara News-Press)
The group, composed of Reed Wallsmith (alto saxophone), Joe Cunningham (tenor saxophone), Rebecca Sanborn (keyboards), Keith Brush (acoustic bass), and Ji Tanzer (drums), began working together as a quintet in 2007 (originally recording as a quartet in 2006). Since then, the band has begun to reap the rewards of collective articulation: a truly individual sound that depends on the contributions of each member.
Blue Cranes have performed at jazz, rock, punk and art festivals across the U.S. They have shared the stage with John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet, Wayne Horvitz’s Sweeter Than The Day, The Scott Amendola Trio, Portland Cello Project, Michael White, The Youngs, Thruster!, Cuong Vu, The Tiptons, and Mi Ami to name a few. Clubs regularly showcase the Blue Cranes on tour, and the band has played in-studio sessions in the NW's top radio stations for creative music, including Seattle's KEXP and Portland's KMHD / KOPB, and has been featured on nationally syndicated shows including Livewire! Radio and The Moth Radio Hour.
THE BAND
Reed Wallsmith, alto sax
Joe Cunningham, tenor sax
Rebecca Sanborn, keyboards
Keith Brush, bass
Ji Tanzer, drums
CONTACT / BOOKING
contact@bluecranesmusic.com
PUBLICITY
Matt Merewitz - Fully
Altered Media (print media)
Mark Rini, Groov
Marketing (radio pr)
PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION
NEWS:
(for more up to the minute news, see Blue Cranes on Twitter and Facebook)
| >>1/17/12: Coming up in March: Tim Berne/Snakeoil
with Blue Cranes in Portland: >>1/3/12: We've uploaded a bunch of live videos from the vaults of some of our performances across the U.S. on our YouTube channel. Check back for updates. >>1/2/12: Hillsboro!!!! Here we come! >>10/29/11: We are presenting a series of workshops on
composition this coming month:
>>10/27/11: Posters for tomorrow's show with Allison Miller's
amazing band Boom Tic Boom. >>8/1/11: We'll be playing two shows in the City of Portland's Concerts in the Park series this summer: Friday, August 12 at the Washington Park Amphitheater (w/ NW Dance Project) and Friday, August 26 at Elizabeth Caruthers Park. >>6/17/11: Oh no! The Willamette Week cartoon department
slaughtered us! (Rebecca! look ooooooout!!!!!) >>6/7/11: Coming up! >>5/5/11: Check out our complete TRAIN TOUR BLOG for the Willamette Week. >>4/12/11: >>3/29/11: >>3/21/11: Blue Cranes US Train Tour dates: 3/19: PORTLAND TOUR KICKOFF: Tony Starlight's
(presented by the Portland Jazz Festival) ---- >>2/12/11: Thank you to NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers) for helping promote our April train tour. NARP is a DC-based non-profit working to help rebuild what used to be an amazing rail network in the U.S. Check out an article about our train tour on the NARP Blog. >>2/4/11: We're playing Friday, February 25 @ the Portland
Jazz Festival w/ Nik
Bärtsch's RONIN: >>1/13/11: On Friday, January 21, we will be releasing
two albums: Oversea Orbits and Cantus
Firmus EP. Oversea Orbits: Observatories Remixed
features each song of Observatories remixed / reworked / re-envisioned
by: Sound installation artist / film scorer Ethan Rose (Portland
/ Chicago); singer/songwriter/producer Gavin Castleton (Portland
/ Providence); Gameboy pop artist Jonny Classic (Providence, RI),
early dub, dancehall, and sound system-influenced Gulls (Portland);
the jagged beats and gloomy melodies of Quiet Countries (Portland);
Elders' post punk blown-out through a full stack (Davis, CA);
improvised looping artist JP Jenkins (Portland); and improviser/electronic
artist Doug Theriault (Portland). The enhanced CD also includes
three bonus videos: "Ritchie Bros.," by the dada-esque
Weird Fiction, "Grandpa's Hands" by found footage master
Dennis Hitchcox, and "Blue Cranes Shredz" by Shredz
worshippers Chris Hudson and Gavin Castleton. The cover art was
designed and hand screened by Eric Redpath and Jessica Cooke at
Papercut Press (Davis, CA). Cantus Firmus is
an EP of Blue Cranes covering Blonde Redhead, David Bazan and
the Red House Painters. It was recorded at SuperGiant Studios
in West Linn, Oregon, and features Kyleen King on violin/viola.
The release show will be at the Secret Society Ballroom (Portland)
with Gulls / JP Jenkins Duo, Gavin Castleton, and Doug Theriault.
More info to the left. >>12/20/10: We just found out that Blue Cranes will receive funding through the Regional Arts and Culture Council to compose and record our next album! >>12/16/10: Opening tonight! Blue Cranes perform to dance
pieces choreographed by Minh Tran, Carla Mann, Andrea Parson,
Tracey Durbin, Sarah Slipper and Kemba Shannon. See info to the
left. >>12/1/10: This will be in Santa Cruz on Fri. Dec. 10,
and Davis on Sar. Dec. 11!:
>>11/24/10: Seattle, Bay Area, Portland: we are coming
your way this December. see dates to the left. >>11/19/10: We are the musical guests on Live Wire! Radio tonight at the Alberta Rose Theater (Portland). This show will be broadcast on Saturday, 11/27 at 7pm PST on 91.5 FM in Portland, and on the web at OPB.ORG. >>10/28/10: Tractor Tavern (Seattle) w/ string trio! >>10/17/10: We're looking forward to double billing Oct.
27 with Scott Amendola (Nels Cline / Charlie Hunter / Bill Frisell),
John Shifflett, and Jeff Parker (Tortoise, Isotope 217, Brian
Blade, Chicago Underground Trio) >>10/1/10: Our heros from the North! at the beautiful TaborSpace
in Portland! >>9/14/10: Thank you Music Millenium! >>9/12/10: Our Kickstarter campaign to tour the U.S. by
train in Spring 2011 was successfully funded yesterday!!! If you
are interested in helping us find a show in your town, please
contact us! Thank you to everyone who
participated!!!! >>9/10/10: Press for the Portland pre-release of Observatories: >>07/09/10: Press Release for Observatories: Portland, OR’s Blue Cranes Release 3rd Album of Indie-Tinged Chamber Music, “Observatories,” September 14, 2010 It takes a minute for a band to hurdle growth spurts and become the eloquent ensemble it hopes to be. But striving for a truly individual sound, one that depends on the contributions of each member is a noble goal. After three years as a quintet with two saxophones up front, Blue Cranes have achieved such a victory. They prove it with Observatories. On its third album, everything gels for the acclaimed instrumental outfit from Portland, Oregon. Working that thin line between prog-jazz improvisation and indie rock catchiness, the band arrives at a unique spot. Like forebears such as The Ordinaires and The President, and contemporaries like Todd Sickafoose’s Tiny Resistors and John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet, Blue Cranes have found ways to make exploration seem like the most enjoyable process around. The songs and performances on Observatories are all about rewards of collective articulation..... [read more] >>6/27/10: National Street Date: Tuesday, September 14 >>4/22/10: >>3/20/10: >>2/21/10: tour! (with kickoff 2/27 at pdx
jazz festival) >>2/10/10: Well look at that! Blue Cranes popped up in
Dell's
press release for the Mini 3: >>1/27/10: Coming up in February at The Know with good
friends from Davis, California (Elders): >>1/14/10: Donate to Haiti relief: Oxfam, Mercy Corps, Partners in Health. >>1/7/10: Thanks to everyone who came out to the Mission Theater two nights ago. Our next show is an intimate two set night at Blackbird Wine (details to the left). I'm looking forward to expanding the quiet end of our dynamic range in this room with no p.a.
>>10/21/09: We are finished tracking our new album. Thank you to Timothy Young (guitar), Anna Fritz (cello), Kyleen King (viola), Marilee Hord (violin), and everyone in the adhoc percussion and vocal sections who joined us for the recording. Immense thanks to Jason Powers at Type Foundry for engineering. Now to mix! >>10/06/09: We are performing with NYC's Claudia Quintet this Halloween (see details on the left):
The Claudia Quintet is made up of: John Hollenbeck (drums), Drew Gress (bass), Chris Speed (clarinet & tenor sax), Matt Moran (vibes), Ted Reichman (accordion). This will be an early show (6:30 doors, 7pm show). Blue Cranes will play first. >>7/24/09: California here we come.
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