Darren Littlejohn
"..fair and organized (leader) ...a great jazz poet"
..Positively Entertainment
My name is Darren. I do jazz.
I've been playing in the Portland area for a couple of years at local
restaurants, bars and jam sessions. I'd love to bring a Black Samba small
group to your fine location, wedding, private engagement. We can provide
a combo tailored to your specific needs. See the Booking
page for details.
I specialize in putting people together and hosting great sessions. I
engineered the West
Side Jazz Jam to create an open enviroment for
up-and -coming players, as well as seasoned veterans. I've expanded it
to several sessions per week in various locations. My latest endeavor
is Portland
Jazz Jams which takes on a broader, community service oriented
mission.
teaching
I love to teach and pride myself on being patient and methodical with
students of any age and level.
Contact me directly at this
address for availability.
jazz education
After an AA in Behavioral Science, BA in Psychology and 2 years
of graduate school for Research, I decided to study music with the intention
of becoming a Music Therapist, which I plan to take up again at some point.
I first studied jazz for a year in 1995 at the
University of North Texas with amazing players like TIm Miller (now at
Berklee) and Steve Cotter. In 1999 I picked it up again in Santa Cruz
with a 3 term Improv series with trumpeter Ray
Brown and had private lessons with Bob Basa.
In 2001, after moving to Portland I put in 3 more terms of Improv and
Arranging at PCC, followed by 3 years of Jazz Improv, Arranging and
Small Group courses at Portland State University under Darrell Grant.
Along
the way I've attended Jazz Camps and workshops with Jamey Aebersold,
Mimi Fox, Mick Goodrick, Fred Hamilton, Bugs Henderson, Julian Kasper,
John Stowell, Pere Soto, Dave Holland, Joe Locke, and others.
For the past 5 years I've studied with Dan
Balmer and will continue to tap his inexaustible supply of
knowledge indefinitely. I also enjoy time with the legendary John
Stowell when he's in town.
The most important thing is that I get to play with great players at
the jam sessions. That's better than any book, video or class.
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jazz makes me groove
jazz makes me swing
jazz speaks the truth
as jazz is everything...
Musical and creative
influences include, but are not limited to: Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall,
Bill Laswell, Pat Martino, Emily Remler, Joe Pass, J.S. Bach, Andres Segovia,
Frank Zappa, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Al DiMeola,
John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Carlos Santana, as well as many poets,
painters and other artists of all types.
More recently I've been enamored by a whole slew of amazing new guitarists,
such as Adam Rogers, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jonathan Kreisberg, Liberty Ellman
and Brad Shepik. Future musical projects with Black Samba will incorporate
many sources of inspiration, including Latin Jazz, Afro-Metal, indigineous
folk and religious musics, electronic, spoken word...rock opera...
Read my philosophy about
the purpose of music.
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