Miracle Theatre Group: Jessie Marquez Sings Cuban Jazz Sept. 25

[From Miracle Theatre Group's Miracle Insider, Volume 8 Issue 15: September 16, 2009]

Jessie Marquez has been enchanting audiences with her Cuban filin throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Her show, "Get the Feeling.... An evening of Cuban jazz with Jessie Marquez & friends" on Friday, September 25th will be the finale to our sensational festival of La Luna Nueva. Marketing Assistant Angela Bolaños-Osorio caught up Jessie amidst the singer's busy schedule. Here is an excerpt of their conversation ...

Angela Bolaños-Osorio: Your father is from Cuba and you had the opportunity to visit the island in 1996. What were your first impressions upon your arrival?

Jessie Marquez: My family and I accompanied my father to Havana in 1996 to visit his childhood home. It was his first trip back to Cuba since leaving in 1962. Things felt familiar to me when we arrived. Not the physical surroundings, but the people. I suddenly recognized where certain gestures, attitudes and idiosyncrasies in my family had come from. Retracing my father's past with him was a turning point -- I spent the next 10 years making regular trips to Cuba to collaborate, perform and learn.

AB: What is the process you use to decide which songs become a part of your repertoire?

JM: I think of the songs in my repertoire as jewels -- and I try to take good care of them -- to treat them respectfully and to sing in service to them. There's almost always a personal reason I choose a song-an association with a time, place or person. I like to sing songs by composers I know personally or whose lives I know something about. I choose songs because I'm moved by a lyric or how the melody sits in the harmony. I also like to sing songs that I think need to heard--that haven't been heard too much before.

AB: Who are your biggest musical influences?

JM: My biggest musical influences are the musicians I know and/or work with personally because we've shared time and experiences together. Some have been well-known Cuban musicians like Beatriz Marquez, Julito Padron, Pucho Lopez -- but mostly it's been musicians whose names haven't gone beyond certain circles.

Hear for yourself! Tickets are still available for "Get the Feeling ... An Evening of Cuban Jazz with Jessie Marquez and Friends", which has two performances: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25 at the Milagro Theatre (525 SE Stark St., Portland). Tickets are $15 from 503-236-7253 or www.milagro.org.