LooseWig Jazz Party and Live recording session!

On May 19th, the LooseWig Jazz Sextet will make a live house concert recording! Please help us make this recording memorable by providing your enthusiasm and energy! 

The LooseWig Jazz Sextet (our "house" band) will play at 7:30pm! Doors open at 6:45pm. Please tell your friends to come join us!

loose • wig (n) – An exceptionally uninhibited performer; a way-out musician. One whose wig has flipped beyond the norm. (The Guinness Jazz A-Z)

This group of “way-out” jazz musicians will flip their wigs for you in two great sets! LooseWig debuted at the PDX Jazz Festival last February with all-star lineup including many local jazz legends! In this concert, LooseWig will perform many original compositions from band members as well as selected originals from saxophonist Dayna Stephens.

LooseWig features Greg Garrett on Trumpet, Stan Bock on Trombone, Ben Fajen on Tenor Sax, Tom Sandahl on Guitar, Tim Gilson on Bass and Mike Snyder on Drums.

Greg Garrett - Trumpet

After the better part of a year touring with the Artie Shaw Band under the leadership of Dick Johnson, Greg returned to the pacific northwest to perform as a freelance musician in the Seattle and Portland areas. Since 1990, Greg has played with many major acts coming through Portland, as well as every Blues and Jazz festival in the region. Comfortable playing everything from commercial to classical music, Greg has been known to perform with an Oregon Symphony Classical Series concert and immediately commute to a gig with a funk band or recording session. His experience as a multifaceted trumpet player is well known within the Portland/Seattle area. 

Stan Bock - Trombone

Stan had a full career in the U.S.A.F. Band program where he appeared throughout the U.S. and Europe as a trombone soloist and clinician. In 1994 Stan retired from the Air Force Band program and arrived on the Portland, Oregon scene where he has become one of the “top call” jazz trombonists in the area. He has also been on Faculty at Willamette University from 1995 – 2012 where he was Adjunct Instructor of Low Brass, Jazz Improvization, Brass Chamber Ensembles, and Combos. He is an active freelance trombonist performing with a full spectrum of musical groups throughout the Pacific Northwest. While Stan has appeared on over 75 recordings, he has recorded 4 CD’s entitled Of Fathers and Sons, Night Grooves, Your Check’s in the Mail and, most recently,Feelin’ It, by his new band, Stan Bock and The New Tradition. The latter three CDs are released on OA2 records, part of the Origin Arts family of independent jazz labels and each of the CDs with Origin have received much critical acclaim. Night Grooves and Your Check’s in the Mail were submitted for Grammy consideration in 2004 and 2007 respectively.

Ben Fajen - Tenor Sax

Ben has played jazz his entire life, counting among his inspirations Joe Henderson, Dayna Stephens, Joshua Redman, Dexter Gordon, John Coletrane, and many others. Locally, Ben has enjoyed playing with many of the great Portland jazz artists. Although Ben is new on the Portland jazz scene, he has already made a big impact, most notably through the LooseWig house concert series he started in the Mt Tabor area of Portland and through his LooseWig Jazz Sextet, which was featured in the 2017 PDX Jazz Festival.

Tom Sandahl - Guitar

After finishing his Bachelor of Arts in Classical Guitar from The University of Wyoming, Tom went on to earn his Masters in Jazz Studies from The University of New Orleans, under the tutelage of guitar great, Steve Masakowski. From 2000-2004, In New Orleans, Tom led his own groups, and performed with many others, including a performance at New Orleans Jazz Fest with The University of New Orlean's #1  Jazz Combo, under the direction of Terence Blanchard. After Hurricane Katrina, 2005, Tom relocated to Portland, OR, as part of a group of musicians invited here by the Portland Jazz Fest. Since then, Tom has led his own groups, and performed with many bands in the Portland area, including The Shanghai Woolies, Lahronda Steele, Innershpere, and others. He has appeared at many venues throughout the west, including The Portland Jazz Festival, The Nowoodstock festival, The Newport Performing Arts Center, and Jimmy Mak's. Tom is also a jazz educator, who has directed the Marylhurst University Jazz Ensemble for the last 7 years, and teaches privately. When he is not teaching, or performing at various venues, you can see Tom every Wednesday night at El Gaucho, in Portland, a restaurant where he has performed Latin guitar music for over 10 years. 

Tim Gilson - Bass

Tim Gilson has been a mainstay in the Northwest for many years. In 1985 he joined the Mel Brown Quintet with which he recorded the award winning ‘Gordon Bleu’ CD. During this time Tim had the opportunity to play with many nationally acclaimed artists including Mose Allison, Ritchie Cole, Bud Shank, Herb Ellis, Julian Priester, John Handy, Ernestine Anderson and many others. In 1988 Tim won 2nd place in an international bass competition in Los Angeles and shortly thereafter substituted for John Clayton with ‘Slide Hampton and the New Jazz Masters’ in a concert in Sacramento. He toured Japan in 1993 with the Mel Brown Quintet with special guest artist Chuck Findley on trumpet; then in 1994 he moved to Madison Wisconsin where he served as Principal Bassist with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and substituted on a regular basis with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Since returning to Portland in 2002 Tim plays regularly with the Oregon Symphony backing guest artist such as Dee Daniels, Byron Stripling and Herbie Hancock. Tim has also accompanied several guest artists including Wycliff Gordon, Antonio Hart, Matt Wilson, Ingrid Jensen and Wynton Marsalis during their tours of the Pacific Northwest.

Mike Snyder - Drums

Whether it be recording, education, or electronic drums, Mike Snyder has left his mark. His playing can be heard on hundreds of records, Cleo award-winning jingles, film, and television soundtracks, including Spaceballs, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Home Improvement, Dinosaurs, One Tree Hill, and The Little Mermaid. Mel Brooks hailed Mike as, "My most favorite drummer in the world." After publishing his first drum set instruction book in 1983, Mike went on to teach drum set at USC in Los Angeles and write All About Electronic Percussion—the definitive guide for electronic drums—as well as dozens of feature articles for DRUM! Magazine. Recognized worldwide as an eDrum guru, he has consulted on numerous world tours, including Jay Z, Peaches, Clutch, The Zac Brown Band, Hilary Duff, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Santana.