September 2025 Check-In's

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Alaska Cruise

This month started out with our Alaska Cruise, Saturday, August 30 to Saturday, September 6, 2025.
For commentary and photos from this cruise, CLICK HERE to go to CruiseRookies.net/2025h30a.

Celebrating Shelli's Birthday At
Margarita Factory, Vancouver, Washington
Sunday, September 7, 2025

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Celebrating Shelli's Birthday With
Suberban Slim's Blues Band At
Slims PDX (Est. 1911), Portland, Oregon
Sunday, September 7, 2025, The FIRST SUNDAY Of Every Month

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Late Lunch, Live Music and Free Member Wine Flights At
Maryhill Winery, Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Monday, September 8, 2025

Celebrating Sonny's Birthday & 19 Years Cancer Free!
The Blue Diamond, Portland, Oregon
Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Alan Jones Social Music At
The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Thursday, September 11, 2025

Noah Simpson:Trumpet, Leon Cotter:Tenor, Matt Sazima:Piano, Garrett Baxter:Bass, Alan Jones:Drums & Composer
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Social Music is built on a simple truth: we're all in it together. The band doesn't just play at people -- they play with them. Every show is a conversation, a risk, a leap. The musicians listen as much as they lead, and the audience? They help steer the whole damn ship.

At the center of it all is drummer and composer Alan Jones, joined by four of Portland's most electrifying young players: Noah Simpson on trumpet, Leon Cotter on tenor sax, Matt Sazima on piano, and Garrett Baxter on bass. These aren't hired hands -- they're fearless collaborators, in it for the feeling, the surprise, the realness of the moment.

Alan says it best: "Musicians can't do it without the listener, and the listener's got nothing to listen to without the music. In a live performance, we work together -- what the audience brings has a huge influence on what the musicians deliver. When we play, every listener knows they're part of the creation."

The band just spent a long weekend in the studio putting down all original compositions, never before recorded, but tested and stretched over countless live shows. These are pieces the band knows deep in their bones. The melodies and forms are so ingrained that they can approach them like standards -- free to explore, improvise, and take chances. That's what you'll hear tonight.

Ron Steen Trio & Guests At
Conway's House of Jazz, Clackamas, Oregon
Friday, September 12, 2025

Ron Steen:Drums, Tony Pacini:Piano, Dennis Caiazz:Bass, Judy:Taps
Guests substituted at times on all 3 instruments

Judy Tap Dancing. Click the above play button to view the video.

Open Mic Jazz Every Sunday 6pm-9pm At
Billy Blues Bar & Grill, Vancouver, Washington
Sunday, September 14, 2025

Early Dinner, Live Music and Member Appreciation Week At
Maryhill Winery, Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Monday, September 15, 2025

Member Appreciation Week At Maryhill Winery: 25% off food and bottles of wine plus 2 extra wine tastings in addition to the usual 7 tastings in the free Member Wine Flight. They added Pesto Salmon to the menu which we ordered.

The Big Easy Band At
Conway's House of Jazz, Clackamas, Oregon
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

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Early Dinner, Live Music and Member Appreciation Week At
Maryhill Winery, Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Member Appreciation Week: 25% Off All Food & Wine Bottles. 2 Premium Extra Wine Pours.
A beautiful day at The Vancouver Waterfront.

NW Legacy Law's Client Appreciation Event!
Willful Wine at The Grant House, Vancouver, Washington
Thursday, September 18, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM

With appreciation, join us at Willful Wine on September 18th to celebrate our anniversary!

Reflecting on the last year, we have been honored to serve you and families like yours. This open-house style event will offer wine, small plate snacks, and a storytelling presentation. At 6:30pm, Tracy Reilly-Kelly with the Clark County Historical Museum will entertain us with the story of Esther Short's legacy. A synopsis of the presentation can be found below.

Esther Short’s Legacy: How the Town of Vancouver Evolved

After an arduous "Crossing the Plains", the Short family arrived in southwest Washington in 1846 determined to settle a claim along the Columbia River. Crossing the plains to procure "free" land in the Oregon Territory was anything but free - many hardships lay ahead. Hear the wild story of their quest, and the settled town that arose from her legacy. As the new territory in the United States unfolds, witness it through Esther Short’s eyes: the Gold Rush, a murder, platting the new town, putting up docks and hotels and selling her property to the multitudes of Americans coming to the Pacific Northwest. A Meti woman (Indigenous/ European), she exemplified what it is to be an American.

Kevin Selfe & The Tornadoes At
Billy Blues Bar & Grill, Vancouver, Washington
Thursday, September 18, 2025

Featuring Don Shultz, Dennis Lusk, Pete Moss and Miyuki Hamanaka

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Ben Fowler Quintet At
The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Friday, September 19, 2025

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The Ben Fowler Quintet infuses modern jazz with a heavy dose of soul, blues, and gospel roots. Get ready for an incredible night of music at The 1905! The band has new music, special guests, and surprises a plenty for this evening. Besides the standard repertoire from The Pilgrimage album era, Fowler will be sizzling up some new and modern tunes as well, from some of Ben's biggest influences, including Kenny Garrett, Mike Stern, Donald Harrison, Vincent Herring, The Crusaders, and more.

Galen Clark Organ Trio featuring Nicole McCabe At
The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Saturday, September 20, 2025

Nicole McCabe:sax, Micah Hummel:drums, Andy Coe:guitar, Galen Clark:organ

The Galen Clark Organ Trio brings a genre bending approach to the classic organ trio instrumentation, exploring entropic soundscapes, psychedelic funk and groove heavy electronic tinged jazz. The trio features Seattle drummer Micah Hummel on drums (Anna Tivel, Quickly Quickly) and Seattle based guitarist Andy Coe (Skerik, McTuff, Robert Walter) and features special guest LA saxophonist Nicole McCabe (Louis Cole, Gerald Clayton, Justin Brown)

Galen Clark is a keyboardist, songwriter, producer, and educator based in Portland, OR. He leads the soul funk collective Outer Orbit and the genre bending group Trio Subtonic and he is 1/3 of the NW collaboration Patterns Fly with D'Vonne Lewis and Andy Coe. He has toured and collaborated with artists such as Anna Tivel, Sarah Clarke, Sleater-Kinney, A Love Electric, Jessica Lurrie and more.

Ron Steen Jazz Jam At
Clyde's Prime Rib, Portland, Oregon
Sunday, August 21, 2025

Late Lunch and Free Member Wine Flights
With Live Music By Tom Mann Duo (TMD - Tom Mann & Ron Ruiz) At
Maryhill Winery, Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Monday, September 22, 2025

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A barge goes by the Vancouver Waterfont on the Columbia River with a big smiley face!
This was really on the barge. I did not add it to the photo.

Portland Spirit Brews on Board
Craft Beer Tasting Cruise
Willamette River, Portland, Oregon
Shelli, Barbara & Me
Thursday, September 25, 2025

Late Set With Nathanael Ankeny - Album Release Show At
The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:15 PM

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Randy Porter:piano, Todd Strait:drums, Nathanael Ankeny:sax, Quinn Walker:trumpet, Patrick Golichnik:bass

Nathanael Ankeny is an Associate Professor of Music at George Fox University in Newberg, OR, where he teaches jazz improvisation, applied saxophone, theory, aural skills, arts appreciation, and serves as the director of the University's Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos.

His first album of original compositions, Joy in the Making, was released in September 2023, and features Justin Copeland, Randy Porter, Patrick Golichnik, and Todd Strait. As an active performer, Ankeny can be heard regularly with his trio in the greater Portland area. As a jazz director he has performed with and/or led performances with Matt Wilson, Dave Pietro, Erica von Kleist, John Clayton, Benny Green, Wycliffe Gordon, Allan Chase, Byron Stripling, Katie Thiroux, Dan Balmer, Randy Halberstadt, Justin Copeland, Joseph L. Jefferson, George Colligan, Greg Goebel and Jason Palmer. His accomplishments as a classical saxophonist include performing as a featured soloist with the Spokane Symphony and with the Portland Wind Symphony.

Dinner and Free Member Wine Flights At
Maryhill Winery, Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Saturday, September 27, 2025

A Full Wine Flight Consists Of About A One Ounce Poor Of 7 Different Wines.
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We actually came to take part in the Grape Stomp experience, but they had ended it at 4 PM at this location today. Their post said they'd have it from 11:30 AM until 7 PM tomorrow, so we figured they'd be doing it until at least 7 PM today. But we were wrong. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow and come a bit earlier.

Picking Up Our Membershp Bottle And
Enjoying A Membership Whiskey Flight At
Whestward Whiskey, Portland Oregon
Saturday, September 27, 2025

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A little hard to see, but the Amtrak Cascades passenger train practically runs through the parking lot of Westward Whiskey. A bit hard to see, but if you click on the above right photo with the umbrella, you should see the locomotive of that train. After departing Westward Whiskey we went and picked up a large crispy crust pizza (it really isn't that crispy or I wouldn't order it) at Dominos. They have a sale going on: any size pizza, with any crust, and any number of toppings for just $9.99. Without the coupon, they said my pizza would have cost $39.99! I couldn't pass up that bargain. At the rate Barbara and I eat pizza, this one pizza should last us for several days. All vegies with extra tomato sauce, no meat. About 190 calories per slice.

Maryhill Grape Stomp & Harvest Party At
Maryhill Winery, Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Sunday, September 28, 2025

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Stompin' On Them Grapes!

Before wine ever touched a glass, it touched human hands and feet. For centuries, harvest wasn't just about gathering grapes. It was about communities coming together to crush, to laugh, to stain their toes with the first promise of wine. Maryhill keeps that tradition alive. One weekend a year, the barrels are rolled out, the grapes are poured in, and the invitation is simple: step in, stomp down, and be part of the story. This is a rite of passage. The kind of messy, joyous memory you'll brag about years from now, made even better with your own grape-stained footprints stamped on our "I Got Stomped at Maryhill" T-shirt. Join us for our Annual Grape Stomp & Harvest Party, September 27-28, at all four tasting rooms: Goldendale, Vancouver, Woodinville, Spokane. Not ticketed, but participants pay a $25 fee for a shirt, glass of wine, and to stomp. Come stomp. Come squish. Come sip. And leave with more than a glass of wine. Leave with a harvest story of your own. Because where it's made matters.

360° Immersive Movie: "A Vision for Tomorrow"
Immersive cinema experience in the OMSI Kendall Planetarium, Jul 24-Oct 12, 2025
OMSI - Oregon Museum of Science & Industry
Portland, Oregon
Sunday, September 28, 2025

Barbara and I felt totally ripped off by the misrepresentative conent of this movie. They promoted it as a 360° immersive movie with previews showing various 3D scenes from the micro and macro world. It turned out to be just a propaganda piece on the world running out of fresh water, how bad fossil fuel is, how solar and wind is so much better, and only spent 30 seconds on the benefits of clean unlimited nuclear energy. OMSI use to have unbiased presentations of the contributions and benefits of science and industry. I was tempted to cancel our OMSI annual membership.

Eric Rabe (Sax) & Sunday Night Fun Jam
Every Sunday 8pm - 11pm At
M&M Restaurant & Lounge, Gresham, Oregon
Sunday, September 28, 2025

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The Big Easy Band At
Conway's House of Jazz, Clackamas, Oregon
Tuesday, September 30, 2025

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