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Regular listeners to Coffeeshop Conversations….and I mean over the years…know that one of the things we like to do is bring on some of the folks responsible for some of Oregon’s great music festivals. For the past few years, a regular visitor to wherever we happen to be recording these has been Chris Doss, the Executive Director of the Biamp Portland Jazz Festival…usually long before the festival has begun. This time he’s here as the festival is winding up. It ends this weekend and we’re recording on Thursday March 19. I wanted to find out how he feels with the finish line in sight, and get some impressions of what he has heard and learned etcetera. At the controls in his Studio Blue in Northeast Portland is Paul K Ward who seems to be at every keyboard in town these days. Playing music or recording it. I’m at my desk in Northwest Portland. With Paul is Chris Doss himself.

Chris Doss OMN 2026 by Oregon Music News

This was supposed to have run a couple of weeks ago but that awful flu intervened, both for me and Paul K Ward. We're both back at work. Sorry to keep you waiting. = = = = = = = A couple of weeks ago we got the news that Music Millennium owner Terry Currier was, at 70 years of age, looking to the future of Music Millennium and handing off to another owner or owners the home of recorded music in Oregon…after forty-two years at that magnificent museum of music on East Burnside. I’m at my desk in Northwest Portland, at the controls engineering, producing and editing is Paul K Ward in his Studio Blue in Northeast Portland. And in his office at Music Millennium is our guest Terry Currier to tell us how all of this happened, how he sees his future and that of the record store. He’s no stranger to Coffeeshop Conversations. He’s been a guest once a year for …well for EVER.

Hey Tom D’Antoni back with ya. It’s another Oregon Music News Coffeeshop Conversation I’m at my desk in Northwest Portland. Engineer, producer/editor Paul K Ward is in his studioblue and at his home? Guitarist/composer Chance Hayden. It’s been a long time since Chance was on the podcast and I don’t know why. …he is a very busy musician.

Joe Manis - the Point 12_19_2025 by Oregon Music News

It’s another Oregon Music News Coffeeshop Conversation. I’m at my desk in Northwest Portland and in studioblue in Northeast Portland are, at the controls, Paul K Ward and with him is Darka Dusty. She of the Light and Limn podcast she and her husband Miri do. She and Miri visited Ukraine for five weeks during the summer. They did an episode of their podcast when they returned. I wondeed, now that Darka has had more time to process, what she thinks of it and how it has effected her.

PDX Jazz Festival Jazz Master. He ran the Portland State University Jazz program for 27 years and produced generations of great musicians. //

Paul Brainard: Playing many instruments including "The Fun Machine: Coffeeshop Conversations #448 by Oregon Music News

Tom D’Antoni back with you for another, as a matter of fact the four hundred and forty sixth Coffeeshop Conversation. Well, yeah I’m proud of that. Proud also that returning to the bat controls at his own studioblue in Northeast Portland is the very busy pianist/comper/proudcer Paul K Ward. I’m still at my desk in Northwest Portland. Sitting next to Paul is the fabulous Miz Kitty of Miz Kitty’s Parlour…l o u r…the long running vaudeville show, which returns once again on Saturday, October 18th to the Mission Theater. We’ll find out who’s playing in a bit. Miz Kitty, in her other life is Lisa Marsicek, she of many bands, maybe the most well-known of which was the Flat Mountain Girls who many of us still miss.

What we’re going to do this week is talk to Arietta Ward and Terry Robb. The backstory? You remember Sly Stone passed away on June 9th I did a memorial set on KMHD’s I Like It Like That. But there was one song I wanted to play and I couldn't find the album no matter how hard I looked and I have a lot of CD’s. It was a lengthy search and very frustrating. I was on the last shelf, the last place it could be and there it was. The song was If You Want Me To Stay and the version I wanted to play was from an album called Sista by Portland’s angels; Janice Scroggins and Linda Hornbuckle. You know how you get when you hunger for knowledge about something you love? That is precisely why Janice’s daughter Arietta Ward is here. She was there at the recording sessions. Also with us is Terry Robb who produced those sessions. And by the way, the day I found it would have been Janice’s birthday.

Happy to be with you for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation. I’m Tom D’Antoni at my desk in NW Portland. At the controls in NE Portland studioblue…all lower case…all one word is Paul K Ward without whom Coffeeshop Conversations wouldn’t exist in its present form. As Dr. John would say, A big round of ammunition for Paul. And along with hin is our guest today, Jim Friscia, from an organization called Swan Songs, musical last wishes. What’s that? That’s what we’re here to find out. Jim was one of the founders of Portland’s own Mardi Gras Krewe The Missti Krewe of Nimbus Which makes merry every Mardi Gras. And we are still trying to have lunch at that Sicilian restaurant…what was it again Jim? And what do you recommend?

First of all, thanks for all the Birthday wishes. Much appreciated. Of course, it’s another reminder of my age. Not much I can do about that. Thanks also once again to Paul K Ward for recording and editing at his studioblue in Northeast Portland as is our guest. I’m at my desk again in Northwest Portland. You know lots of musicians moved to Portland because of our music scene, at least in part. Today we’re talking to Debra Giannini who has lived all over the place, moving to Portland in 1990. She had multiple careers, the musical one being as a singer/songwriter and folk music artist. But she’s about to leave town, to a degree. And as such she’s about to launch a farewell Portland tour, singing and playing guitar and baritone ukulele. She’s calling it “The Savoring Time Tour.” It begins in Portland and ends (if there is such a thing) in Kansas where she will light like a butterfly on a leaf. That seems like a good time for me to stop talking and let her explain herself.

Glad you found another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation once again not at Artichoke Music…yet. Paul K Ward is at the controls again in studioblue…all one word, lower case,and doing a great job of being the real reason why there still are Coffeeshop Conversations Artichoke or not. I’m at my desk in Northwest Portland. With Paul is guitarist, composer and educator Ryan Meagher and we’re going to talk baseball. He’s a Giants fan and I’m an Orioles fan so there are no bitter rivalries between us. Ok, we’re not going to talk baseball. That’s for when we’re not rolling. I could give you a list of what Ryan is up to, but it’s hard to keep up with him. Let’s just say he does a lot of things and we’ll let him tell us what they are in the order he thinks best.

Welcome back to OMN’s Coffeeshop Conversations yet again not at Artichoke Music, although we’re getting closer. I’m at my desk in Northwest Portland and Paul K Ward is in his studioblue on the other side of town, at the controls along with our guest making a return appearance, saxophonist, vocalist and educator and once again a resident of Portland…….our friend Reggie Houston. He’s got a new band, something I’m eager to hear about. He has a birthday gig coming up at EAT that combination restaurant and venue that’s been a home to him and various ensembles he has put together. That’ll be on Wednesday, July second. Reggie has done several memorable Coffeeshop Conversations so let’s get rolling on this one

Vocalist/bassist Lisa Mann is coming back strong from a severely broken leg, as only she can. She's gigging again and is full of the fire and energy we've come to know. But that's not all we talk about, as you might expect. You'll like this one.