Short Green Kick
Eli Reisman became curious
about jazz guitar at the age of 21 while a freshman attending Western Washington
University. By his junior year he was hired to teach the jazz guitar lessons
for the school by famed bassist Chuck Israels, and by his senior year he
was on contract with the university to direct the 5 o'clock jazz ensenble
as well. In addition, Eli was performing frequently with such artists as
Larry Holloway (former bassist with Harold Land and Chet Baker), Mike Allen
(Vancouver, BC saxophonist), Israels himself, Hungarian pianist Attila Juhasz,
David Feingold (WWU Classical Guitar Professor) and drummer Julian MacDonough.
After graduation, Eli chose to make his home in Portland, OR where he now
teaches private jazz students from both Mt. Hood Community College and Clackamas
Community College as well as Artichoke Music store. In addition, Eli has
performed and/or recorded with such greats as Phil Baker, Ron Steen, Steve
Christoffersen, Dan Schulte, Andre St. James, Tom Wakeling, David Evans,
Randy Porter, Bob Mover, Alan Jones, and many others.
Career highlights include performance at the Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival
with Renato Caranto and Roger Mielke opening for Chuck Mangione, a performance
at the Jazz on the Water Festival with Dan Schulte and Tim Rap opening for
the Kenny Barron Trio, and numerous club dates around Portland at venues
such as Jazz De Opus, the Blue Note, the Brasserie Montmartre, and the Blue
Monk. and live radio peformances on both KUGS radio Bellingham, WA and KMHD
in Portland, OR.
Charlie Doggett, drummer/percussionist,
is one of the most enigmatic drummers in the Portland and the greater Northwest
music scene. From straight ahead to Avant-garde Jazz, from Pop to Folk
Rock, Charlie makes himself heard.
Doggett is known mostly in jazz circles playing with groups like Short Green
Kick Organ Trio, The Dan Guildea, Louis Paine, Charlie Doggett Organ Trio,
Blues Connotation, the Derek Sims Sextet, Darrell Grant Trio, and Saxophobia,
featuring John Gross, Warren Rand, and George Mitchell. He also plays
percussion with Portland’s own Omo Ire, an Afro-Cuban folkloric group. He
has performed at international jazz festivals like British Columbia’s
du Maurier Jazz Festival in Vancouver, Canada, the Medicine Hat Jazz Festival
in Alberta, Canada, and the Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz. He has recorded
and performed with Stephanie Schneiderman, Canadian guitarist/composer Jared
Burrows, and the Eugene Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Eugene, pianist, jazz organist, and composer Marcus Reynolds has performed together or in conjunction with jazz artists Betty Carter, Mel Torme, Sunny Wilkinson, trumpeter Claudio Roditi, and cabaret artist Lorna Luft, in addition to ensembles at Willamette University and Western Michigan University. Marcus has also performed with local jazz artists Dan Balmer and Andre St. James, among others. Additionally, he is the principal arranger and accompanist for vocalist Jessica Schultz and a composer of classical music. He has won the West Michigan Cancer Center “Creations” competition for new music, received for his String Quartet no. 1, and is currently working on a short orchestra piece based on the performance techniques of Harry Houdini.