The Portland-based quartet Conversation (www.conversationquartet.com) featuring vocalist Michael Winkle (www.michaelwinkle.com) has built quite a following in their first four years of performing together, creating incredible music. For their Marine View appearance they will perform “The British Are Coming,” jazz takes on the music of the British Bands who took America and the world by storm in the 60s. Beatles to Cream. Groovy stuff!! Michael grew up in the San Francisco Bay area in the ‘60s, influenced by a diversity of musical genres that inspired him to want to play music and attempt to emulate some of his early musical heroes. His voice has been favorably compared to a host of artists including Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Caldwell, Sam Cooke and others. After over 40 years of performing, Michael has found his own voice and style that is really just a synthesis of everything he has listened to, absorbed and loved. Drummer Kurt Deutscher (www.kurtdeutscher.com) has been recording and performing music professionally for over 44 years. Best known for his four years with the United States Marine Corps Band and twelve years as founder and drummer for Tall Jazz, Kurt records and performs with a number of Northwest artists, literally in thousands of venues of all types. Kurt strongly believes that live music is one of the few art forms with the ability to span and permeate cultures, politics, religions, languages and anything that may, at times, divide us. Music unites us and jazz is his music. Bassist Craig Snazelle is a native San Franciscan. His jazz education included lessons/study with well-known SF Bay area bassist Chuck Sher as well as Glen Moore after his move to Portland in 1993. Craig has worked with a large list of notable players including pianists Gordon Lee, Bill Beach, Mike Horsfall, and George Mitchell, vocalists Shirley Nannette, Karla Harris and Marilyn Keller, and horn players Paul Mazzio, Lee Wuthenow and Pete Peterson. Pianist Jose Luis Sosa was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and studied classical piano at Universidad Nacional de Rosario. As the chief engineer at Rosario’s legendary Big Audio Studios, Jose recorded, produced and performed on countless projects covering pop, rock, jazz, funk, blues, tango, symphony orchestra, music for theatre, documentaries, etc. In Portland he has studied with “the best” Randy Porter and can currently be heard playing with Big Bad Beat, Soul Suspect and his own jazz trio. Don't miss an outstanding evening of music in the beautiful confines of Marine View.
