"Like some David Lynch-style basement jazz hallucination, the Blue Cranes' music is the type of experimental, sometimes insane, but always invigorating experience that's hard to shake. The Portland quintet understands jazz is alive and well—but also that it was never something to be defined in the first place. The Cranes treat music as the broad, blank canvas it is, splattering it with color, bizarre time splits, soothing melodies and frightening bursts of brass while forging an original soundscape that would make a by-the-books beatnik jazzhead's beret spin." - AP KRYZA (Willamette Week)
"That was the best fucking music I've ever heard in my whole goddamn life... and I'm including Mozart and Brahms in that. I thought you guys were going to be crappy and boring." - LEB'S DAD
“Great melodies and a strong focus on ensemble playing over individual virtuosity.” - DAVID KING (The Bad Plus)
“Frame-shattering tonal and textural reconstructions ... For such spontaneous music making, these pieces sure feel lived in. ” - MITCH RITTER (Dirty Linen)
“The greatest strength of Blue Cranes is their unity as a band. [They] anticipate each other's moves with considerable empathy.” - MARC MEYERS (All About Jazz)
“[BURGEONING JAZZ STARS] If you've not familiarized yourself with the work of Blue Cranes, you'd better get on board quickly. This arch and artful jazz combo already has listed on its website shows with keyboardist extraordinaire Wayne Horvitz and a showcase at this year's Portland Jazz Festival. My point is that you can pay a nominal fee to see them in a small venue like the Doug Fir now or, once the jazzheads that descend on our city once a year get ahold of them, end up losing half your paycheck to see them on a big stage in six months' time. The choice is yours. ” - ROBERT HAM (Willamette Week)
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"Love, Love, Love" (W. Horvitz) live at the Goodfoot (Portland), January 2009.
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"Seven Swans" (S. Stevens) live at the Doug Fir (Portland) w/ the Portland Cello Project, July 2008.
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"Returning to Portland" (R. Wallsmith) live at PDX Pop Now! Festival, August 2007.
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the Blue Cranes create music that is as invigorating as it is disarming. The quintet, composed of Reed Wallsmith (alto saxophone), Sly Pig (tenor saxophone), Rebecca Sanborn (keyboards), Keith Brush (acoustic bass), and Ji Tanzer (drums), gracefully merges nostalgic homages to old jazz with completely fresh innovations on the genre.
In 1994 at a high school in Portland, Tanzer and Wallsmith met to form a musical project and creative outlet for their jazz-leaning sensibilities. Nine years later, in 2003, they joined with bassist and fellow jazz enthusiast Keith Brush to form Blue Cranes. A year later marked the addition of keyboardist Rebecca Sanborn, and their first full length album as a quartet, Lift Music! Flown Music!. In 2006, Sly Pig approached the band about writing a piece for the group. When the musical chemistry became immediately evident, Blue Cranes became a quintet. This group, along with guest guitarist Ila Cantor, recorded the second full length Blue Cranes album, Homing Patterns, which was released in May 2008.
Blue Cranes have performed at the Portland Jazz Festival, Seattle‘s Sounds Outside, PDX Pop Now!, and have shared the stage with Wayne Horvitz, Portland Cello Project, Cuong Vu, and The Tiptons. They regularly tour the West Coast and beyond.
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Hello my most esteemed colleagues! I'm playing Thursday night at the Tugboat with a slamming lineup that you can read all about here. Come hang, many beverages shall be consumed! Hope you're all doing well. Here are some tunes.
Marvelous stuff last night at the HOMELAND...I felt lightning rip us all apart during Love Love Love. The new compositions are beautiful. Thanks and Keep up the good work!
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