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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 3, 2005 Evolution of a jazz player By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Local music aficionados know Ed Dunsavage as one of Ashland's most talented jazz guitarists but few in the scene realize he also moonlights in the other side of the business. As well as performing his unique jazz sounds in several Ashland venues with several different lineups he is also the artistic director for the Siskiyou Institute, an organization that combines live music and education to help promote the oral arts in the Ashland area. "It's not always easy to pay the bills as a professional musician," said Dunsavage, a 16-year resident of the Ashland area. "Recently, I've gotten involved in the booking end of the business. I'd probably prefer to just play but I enjoy the other end of the business, as well. It's all good." The Siskiyou Institute, says Dunsavage, "is a really neat organization that's been together for about four years," said Dunsavage. "Our focus is on educational events as well as putting on concerts. We'll bring someone in (a live act) and do a concert and a workshop." The Siskiyou Institute events are open to the public and are held in the Old Siskiyou Barn. The spring series, says Dunsavage, begins on April 15 when pianist Randy Porter performs with internationally recognized jazz guitarist John Stowell. "We like to try to feature piano players because the Old Siskiyou Barn has a wonderful nine-foot grand piano," Dunsavage said. "The barn has wonderful acoustics." In the meantime, Dunsavage himself plays jazz guitar several nights a week in Ashland. On Friday evenings, he can be found at the Winebar at the Winchester Inn from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.. On Monday nights, he plays with a jazz trio at Martino's. And later this month, Dunsavage will reunite with his long-time band, the Latin Jazz Quartet, to perform most Sunday nights at the Standing Stone Brewing Co. On Sunday, Feb. 12, he and local singer Leslie Kendall will perform a Valentine's Day show featuring many romantic numbers. "I work in a lot of different contexts, with a lot of different people, in all types of settings," said the New Jersey native who has been playing guitar since he was nine-years-old. Dunsavage, like many musical products of the 1960s began his musical career with a rock and roll garage band. "I grew up with rock and roll - Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, the Beatles," he said. "Then I started getting exposed to jazz and that did it for me." He says playing jazz - and listening to it - is more of a challenge compared to rock or pop music. "That's why it's not as popular," he noted. And as a result, his musical tastes are as eclectic as the venues he performs at. Dunsavage says he enjoys listening to jazz of all varieties, but his recent favorites include Brazilian and Cuban music. "I like a lot of world music," he said. "Recently, I've been listening to this cool French Vietnamese guitar player named Syl Vain Luc. My tastes are pretty varied." Dunsavage first moved to Ashland in 1989 after he "accidentally" visited the area. "I love Ashland," he said. "It's a very nice place to live." DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange web conferencing Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams