By Daniel Buckwalter

We’re all forgiven for those moments when we annually forget the occasions we swore to always remember and, then happily trip over them again and say, “Oh, yes, I remember. I need to hear this.”

One such moment for me came on Aug. 13 at The Shedd Institute — the first matinee performance of this year’s Oregon Festival of American Music — and the chance again to hear bass player Nicki Parrott perform her magic with the deeply expressive style all her own.

The concert — titled Painting With Blue — is a look at the jazz and blues influence on popular music in the United States. It will repeat on the festival’s final night, Aug. 22, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to catch Parrott again, along with Chuck Redd, his orchestra and vocalists Shirley Andress and Thomas Guastavino.

It’s a fun beginning and end to the 35th edition of OFAM, and Parrott is a large reason why.

Australian-born Parrott is a fixture at OFAM, and Redd, OFAM’s artistic director, spotlights her well. She even does some singing in this performance. Slap That Bass and Why Don’t You Do Right? are two standouts to the show.

Beyond her obvious talent is the joy Parrott brings to the stage. It’s not overwhelming, but it is distinctive, and it’s hard not to watch her. You’ll be glad you did.

With other vocal pieces, Guastavino does wonderful work with Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, and Andress is inspirational in a ballad arrangement of Oh, Lady Be Good and spot-on with Ol’ Man River.

Redd on the vibraphone and his eight-piece orchestra take on a good share of the program, and the Porgy and Bess song, It Ain’t Necessarily So, is a perfect tune to showcase the array of talent on stage.

As always when Redd is on stage leading an OFAM production, I am struck by his relaxed, been-there-done-that presence on stage, peppered by caffeinated-like bolts to individual musicians for whispered instructions.

In the past, I had always enjoyed the fact that he was a bit messy, tossing unused sheet music on the floor behind him, creating a musician’s lived-in look on stage.
I had always smiled at that, so imagine my disappointment to discover at this year’s OFAM that Redd now puts unused sheet music in a neat stack on a chair behind him. Oh, I miss the messiness.

No matter, I urge you to take in Painting With Blue on August 22.

Note: The Oregon Festival of American Music runs through Aug. 22 at The Shedd Institute, 868 High Street. A repeat performance of Painting With Blue is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22. Ticket and performance information for OFAM is at TheShedd.org.