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Welcome back the Don Latarski Quintessential, practitioners of acoustic original jazzarcana, as we kick off the new season. Don Latarski guitarJake Pavlak guitarDamien Masterson harmonicaZach Wallmark bassJason Palmer drums Website Don Latarski has been playing the guitar since 1963. At the age of 10 he put down the accordion and little league for guitar lessons. These decisions have proven to be sound. Latarski grew up in a rural community about 35 miles north of Detroit, Michigan. After moving to Oregon at the age of 19 he began studying jazz. As a music student at the University of Oregon he studied classical guitar and that experience led him to incorporate finger picking. His style incorporates elements of jazz, folk, and Americana. His instrument of choice is a handmade Spohn baritone acoustic guitar, which produces a deep, rich, and all-encompassing sound. Most of his life has revolved around composing, practicing, teaching, recording, and performing. After graduating with a music degree he was hired to be head of guitar studies at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance. He has authored and published 21 books on guitar instruction and recorded 15 albums, mostly of original music. His passions include hiking, photography, forest bathing, and just listening to nature. Jake Pavlak is a guitarist and songwriter for the bands Buckhorn, Heavenly Oceans, Yeltsin and Ferns, all of which have released multiple LPs and singles. He holds a degree in guitar performance from the university of Oregon and was on their guitar faculty for 10 years. he continues to teach and perform in the area today. At the age of 14, inspired by various Blues masters, Damien started playing diatonic harmonica. At 16, he received as a gift an alto saxophone, and applied the theory learned through sax lessons to another recent gift, the chromatic harmonica. Around that same time he was introduced to Altaneze Taylor, the founder of Bright Moments Music Lovers Club. Through her organization, he met and studied with professional musicians and learned about Jazz history and culture. As an adult he entered Laney College and studied with Elvo D'amante and Ed Kelly. He transferred directly for an exchange program (aka "Intercambio") to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he lived, studied, and played for the next two years. Upon returning from Brazil he was soon playing in the Bay Area's top clubs with the area’s best Brazilian and Jazz musicians, resulting in the 1996 debut CD release, "Intercambio," inspired by his overseas adventures. In 1997, after nine consecutive visits to Havana, Damien produced "Cubacambio," taking his passion for World Music, Jazz and Pop and melding them into one vision. "Cubacambio" is one of the first recordings featuring chromatic harmonica in an authentic Cuban setting. In following years, Damien expanded his performance and recording into many genres, mixing Jazz, Rock, Pop and World Music styles, searching for an elusive "sound" to express the music he heard growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 70's and 80's. That exploration can be heard in his various recordings on his own albums, and the recordings of other artists. During this time he was fortunate to tour and perform all over the globe, including Europe, Asia and North America. In 2009 Damien released "All Over the Map," his first major release since "Cubacambio. " Considered one of his finest albums, it showcases his compositional and arranging talents, as well his trademark harmonica and saxophone chops. A collaborative effort with Bassist/Producer/Engineer Jon Evans of San Pablo Recorders, featuring Allison Miller on drums and Julie Wolf on keyboards, "All Over the Map" has been dubbed a "must have. "In years since, Damien has been searching for lost rhythms and atypical ways to syncopate his compositions. That exploration transported him all over the world; but it was his discovery of certain styles of African music, especially Senegalese Mbalax, that captured his heart and soul. During 2009 - 2010 Damien traveled to Africa 4 times, studying, performing and recording in Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa, ultimately building a studio in Dakar, which allowed lower income artists to create recordings and demos. Damien lived in Dakar, Senegal for 4 years, performing and touring with a number of groups. Damien is also a polyglot and can speak several languages fluently, including Portuguese, Spanish, French, Chinese and Wolof. He has a Bachelors in Music with a minor in Spanish from San Francisco State University. Bassist Zach Wallmark has performed in jazz, bluegrass, and other improvisatory and groove-based musical contexts around the US. Prior to moving to Eugene in 2019, he was active in the music scenes of New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Portland, including regular appearances at Fat Cat, Knitting Factory, Tonic, Birdland, Cotton Club, and CBGB (NYC) ; Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club (Miami) ; and Jimmy Mak’s and Blue Monk (Portland) . He has performed with jazz luminaries such as guitarist Kenny Burrell and saxophonist George Garzone, and recorded with the Gian Tornatore Quartet, Ben Darwish Trio, Muddy Souls, and Moon Mountain String Band. He’s also a commercial music and award-winning string orchestra composer (Neil A. Kjos Music Publishers) with credits in regional and national ad campaigns. Zach’s day job is Associate Professor and Chair of Musicology at the University of Oregon, with research and teaching on popular music history and music psychology. Jason Palmer is a drummer, percussionist, composer, and educator living in Portland, Oregon. He is nationally active in drum set performance, with appearances at St. Peter’s Church and the Knitting Factory in New York, the Rochester Jazz Festival, the High Sierra Music Festival, the Gene Harris Jazz Festival, and the Calgary Jazz Festival. In addition, Jason acts as Department Chair of Music at Portland Community College’s Rock Creek Campus. Jason attended the University of Oregon, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance and Jazz Studies (Magna Cum Laude) , as well as a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies. Regionally, he has performed as a drummer at The Waterfront Blues Festival, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, the Portland Jazz Festival, the Oregon Bach Festival, and the Oregon Festival of American Music. His performance and recording experience includes work with such artists as Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, John Clayton, Ben Monder, Bobby Shew, Ron Miles, Dick Oatts, Dave Frishberg, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Zorn, Steve Wilson, Dick Hyman, Ken Peplowski, and Chuck Redd. Additionally, in 2011, Jason began his tenure as the drummer with the American Metropole Orchestra. Upon moving to Portland, OR in 2011, Jason began playing regularly with many noted Portland jazz artists, including Randy Porter, George Colligan, Darrell Grant, John Gross, and Dan Balmer. Jason’s recorded work includes releases on Origin Records (Toby Koenigsberg Trio and Jim Olsen) , Space Age Bachelor Pad (The Daddies) , and Crescent Records (Don Latarksi and Rue De Blues) . His recordings have been reviewed in Cadence, All About Jazz, and the All Music Guide. In 2015, Jason was nominated for a Grammy award in the children’s music category for his performance on the Lori Henriques album “How Great Can this Day Be. ” Online ticket purchases close one hour before showtime. If the show is NOT sold out, and tickets remain, they can be purchased directly at the box office door.
