ECLECTIC PORTLAND SEXTET TO PERFORM CHAMBER MUSIC ON TAP CONCERT
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Portland, Ore. … Combining modern chamber music, Tango, Middle Eastern and Eastern European folk music, "3 Leg Torso" will perform at Chamber Music on Tap Wednesday, Jan. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at BridgePort BrewPub (1313 N.W. Marshall St., Portland). Chamber Music on Tap, sponsored by BridgePort Brewing Company, is presented by Fortissimo, an Oregon Symphony volunteer organization.

The Portland-based sextet will perform new selections from their upcoming CD, due in 2002, as well as pieces from their debut album that have been re-arranged for the sextet.

The Oregonian calls 3 Leg Torso "A success in the fluid netherworld between serious art and popular culture," and according to Willamette Week: "3 Leg Torso's classically tinged combination of gypsy folk and whirling tangos is both devilishly clever and damn beautiful." Members include violinist Béla Balogh, cellist Gabe Leavitt, accordionist Courtney Von Drehle, vibes and percussionist Rob Lewis, bassist Peter Whitmore and percussionist Mark Burdon.

Since 3 Leg Torso's formation in February 1996, the sextet has participated in Portland's International Performance Festival; was one of the featured acts in the Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts 1999 season; has made multiple radio appearances, including a National Public Radio feature, and collaborated with many of Portland's top choreographers.

Chamber Music on Tap is held upstairs in the BridgePort BrewPub's Heritage Room every third Wednesday of the month, January through May. The concerts provide audience members the opportunity to interact with musicians and socialize while sampling the brewery's homemade pizza and hand-crafted, award-winning ales in the pub's unique building, a 100-year-old former rope factory. A tour of the brewery will be offered immediately following the performance.

3 Leg Torso's performance is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. at BridgePort BrewPub (1313 NW Marshall). Tickets are $6 for Fortissimo members, $10 for the general public and may be purchased in advance at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday - Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at the door, if available. All proceeds from the evening benefit the Oregon Symphony.

3 Leg Torso

3 Leg Torso began in 1996 when violinist Béla Balogh, cellist Gabe Leavitt and accordionist Courtney Von Drehle came together with the humble goals of creating a passionate and new sound for their instrumental trio and having fun. Fun was had early on with a number of street performances that the trio termed "Meestering." Their original repertoire evolved into a combination of Modern Chamber music, Tango, Middle Eastern and Eastern European folk musics, that, coupled with a cinematic sense of musical storytelling, bridged the worlds of serious art and popular culture. The trio has been profiled on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and on Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Artbeat." During the summer of 1997, 3 Leg Torso played a successful East Coast Tour, with stops and the Knitting Factory and CBGB's Gallery. Their first CD, "3 Leg Torso" was released in April 1998. One of the compositions from the CD, Divertissments for Performing Bears, was used as theme music for a Bosnian television series and other pieces have been used in various American and European television commercials. Commissions they have received include scoring With Hope and Help, a United Nations funded documentary on AIDS in Thailand; scoring The Dowager's Feast and The Dowager's Idyll, two films by Academy Award-winning animator Joan Gratz; and composing a series of new pieces for the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's 1998-1999 season.

Since 1996, 3 Leg Torso became a sextet, adding percussionist Mark Burdon, upright bassist Peter Whitmore and mallet player (vibes, marimba, xylophone) Rob Lewis. The ensemble's increased size is reflected in the larger scope of their eclectic repertoire. When the band expanded from a trio to a sextet, their Eastern European roots, particularly evident in violinist Bela Balogh's soulful Hungarian-influenced playing, were augmented by the interests of the new members and their instrumentation. Most significant has been the introduction of Latin orchestration and percussion, and Rob Lewis's ability to enhance the comic and cartoon-like qualities of some works with his xylophone playing. With Peter Whitmore propelling the rhythm on bass, along with drummer Mark Burdon, Balogh and Von Drehle have been freed up to perform trumpet and saxophone on some numbers, in addition to their primary instruments. Gabe Leavitt, on cello, has seen his role evolve from being the bass voice in the band, to performing more melodic parts.

3 Leg Torso has performed a number of popular shows in Portland, Seattle, Eugene, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno and San Francisco. They are currently recording a new CD with an expected release date in the spring of 2002.