Before we get started, "journalistic integrity" requires
me to reveal that I am good friends with both Tahoe Jackson
and J.R. Pella, the two-headed soul monster at the heart
of Black Angel, the lava-hot and glacier-cool band that
rips down Dante's every Thursday night.
There are no sordid tales to share--unless you count the
time J.R. accidentally flushed a radio down the toilet,
and I got called in to play plumber. J.R. and I sit around
and watch the Gameshow Network. Tahoe tries to fix me up
with women she meets on the bus or at the grocery store,
and encourages me to keep my upper lip clean shaven.
The one thing I can tell you about Tahoe and J.R. is no
big secret--they love music. I've spent endless nights in
the clutches of their combined record collection, a massive
bounty of soul, hip-hop, jazz and rock that would make any
DJ retch with envy.
Earlier this year, Tahoe and J.R. decided to share this
passion with the citizenry at large. They formed Black Angel
as the molten core of Soul Kitchen, a funkified super-soul
groove-a-thon that is Tahoe's baby. Backed by a constantly
rotating lineup of some of Portland's finest musicians,
Black Angel explodes with rapturous fury, somehow hitting
an intense, emotional high, right on schedule every Thursday.
"I wanted to create an atmosphere where we could have a
whole night of soul music," says Tahoe. "I didn't want it
to be in the hip-hop scene, because I really wanted to dedicate
a night to live soul music. And that's not to say hip-hop
is not valid--I love hip-hop and rock. But I really wanted
to expose people in Portland to real soul."
In 1997, Tahoe launched the original Soul Kitchen at the
Speakeasy in Southeast Portland. This earlier incarnation
of Soul Kitchen was a laid-back, improvisational environment
where DJs spun old '70s funk and soul albums. There was
always some good home-cooked soul food, prepared especially
for the night. On good nights, Tahoe and J.R. would get
on the microphone and blast vocals along with the vinyl.
"The first Soul Kitchen, which only lasted a few months,
really taught me that Portland was ready for a night dedicated
exclusively to soul," says Tahoe. "It was a proving ground
that let me know this city was ready for something different."
Even with the success of the original Soul Kitchen, finding
a club willing to book an entire night of soul music was
far more difficult than Tahoe expected. In a city that embraces
alternative rockers and fire-throwing exotic dancers, no
one seemed to feel soul music had its place.
"I searched high and low for a venue, and people kept turning
me down," Tahoe recalls. "You can have a show where a guy
does some crazy juggling act, but no one was interested
in booking a soul show on a Friday or Saturday night."
Finally, Dante's, the new kid on the Old Town block, became
the launching ground for the band known as Black Angel and
the event now known as Soul Kitchen. Starting out with modest
crowds, Soul Kitchen was Portland's best-kept secret less
than four months ago. Tahoe and J.R. quickly found a loyal
audience that enjoyed their playful, energetic vocals and
the humorous banter between songs.
"We've been a little surprised by the success of Soul Kitchen,"
J.R. explains. "Not that it's been successful, just that
it's happened so quickly."
Now, Portland's best-kept secret is no longer much of a
secret. Every week the crowds at Dante's get a little bit
bigger, as an eclectic mix of folks gather to get a groove
on. The small dance floor packs with gyrating bodies during
up-beat songs like Stevie Wonder's "I Wish." When things
slow down with songs like J.R.'s heartfelt rendition of
Donnie Hathaway's "Ain't It Strange and Wonderful," the
true power of soul music can be seen and felt as lovelorn
tears begin to flow.
Old-school Portlanders remember J.R. from his days as frontman
for such bands as Bazuka Jazz, Fatman and the now-legendary
Drunk at Abi's. His soulful voice and energetic stage antics
are in direct opposition to his chubby-white-guy exterior.
His evident love of soul music is infectious.
"There's a great history in soul music, and that's what
I love," he says. "That's one of the reasons I love being
on stage--I get to share what I know about soul music with
the people. I'm finally singing the songs I love. That's
why we're doing covers. We don't want to be just another
dance band. We want people to come away with something a
little more from one of our shows."
By comparison, Tahoe is a relative newcomer to Portland,
having migrated six years ago from the Bay Area, where she
produced and hosted the popular cable-access show Trauma
TV. Music is hardwired into Tahoe's DNA. Her brother
Paul played bass for Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters.
Her sister Denise is a jazz singer, and her other sister
Joyce is an accomplished flutist and songwriter who wrote
for such musical luminaries as George Benson and Frankie
Beverly & Maze. Regular visitors to the Tahoe household
included Carlos Santana, Chick Corea and members of Tower
of Power.
"Seeing all these people seemed perfectly normal to me,"
says Tahoe. "And yet at the same time it had a profound
impact on me."
Although many of the people who gather Thursday nights
for Black Angel's holy/profane revival only come to shake
their booties, they can't help but walk away with a newfound
musical appreciation.
"The whole goal behind Soul Kitchen is to educate people
about soul music," Tahoe adds. "A lot of people don't know
who Lynn Collins is. They don't know who Tammy Tyrell is,
or Mavis Staples. They don't know who Donnie Hathaway is.
These people are the ones who influenced all the popular
people we hear on the radio today. D'Angelo is great. Lauryn
Hill is great. But we can't forget Donnie Hathaway or Roberta
Flack or Little Jimmie Scott. They paved the way."
These are my friends. God love them.
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