December 20, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … 3 Leg Torso, the eclectic chamber ensemble that combines eastern European folk music and Latin rhythms with classical overtones returns to the Chamber Music on Tap series on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room at BridgePort BrewPub. Chamber Music on Tap, sponsored by BridgePort Brewing Company, is presented by Fortissimo, the Symphony’s young professional volunteer organization. The BridgePort BrewPub is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall.
In this performance, 3 Leg Torso will be presenting a mix of old and new works, including Belle Qui Tiens Ma Vie,” which dates to medieval times, and original works featured on their upcoming CD: the Latin-influenced “B & G's;” the spy-themed “Frog…Secret Agent;” the chamber jazz of “Ba Doum;” the flamenco-inspired “It's All Andalusian;” and the comic tour-de-force, “Giant Stomp.”
The Oregonian calls 3 Leg Torso, “A success in the fluid netherworld between serious art and popular culture,” while Willamette Week describes their repertoire as a “devilishly clever and damn beautiful” combination of “classically tinged gypsy folk music and whirling tangos.” 3 Leg Torso’s members are violinist and trumpeter Béla Balogh; percussionists Rob Lewis and Gary Irvine; bassist Skip Elliot Bowman, and accordion player and saxophonist Courtney Von Drehle.
Chamber Music on Tap is held every third Wednesday of each month, September through May. The concerts provide audience members the opportunity to interact with musicians and socialize while sampling the brewery’s homemade pizza and handcrafted, award-winning ales in the pub’s unique building, a 100-year-old former rope factory.
Tickets are $6 for Fortissimo members, $10 for the general public and may be purchased in advance at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at the door, if available. All proceeds from the evening benefit Fortissimo.
3 Leg Torso combines modern chamber music, tango, Middle Eastern and Eastern European folk music, coupled with a cinematic sense of musical storytelling, that bridges the worlds of serious art and popular culture. The group began as a violin, cello and accordion trio in Portland, OR in 1996. Their debut CD, “3 Leg Torso,” was released in April 1998, and music from it has been used as theme music for a Bosnian television series and for Deutsche Komtel in Germany. After the group was profiled on National Public Radio's “All Things Considered,” their debut CD climbed to No. 12 on Amazon.com’s Top 100 list.
Among the commissions they have received have been scoring a documentary funded by United Nations on AIDS in Thailand, music for films by Academy award winning animator Joan Gratz, and a series of new compositions for the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's 1998-1999 season.
In 2000, 3 Leg Torso became a sextet, adding percussion, acoustic bass and mallets (vibes, marimba, xylophone) and increasing the scope of their eclectic and largely original repertoire. They are currently recording a new CD with an expected release date in the spring of 2003.