Saturday, March 8, 2014

How I found the Portland City Grill and how they found me!

March 14th St. James Annual Pi Day Celebration Update - So far we have received confirmations for 175 5th-graders and 16 teachers and chaperones.  I will have a final total Tuesday or Wednesday for our huge math field day event. It's going to be a blast.

My plans are still to be at the Portland City Grill Friday, March 14th.  It is Pi Day (3.14), and Albert Einstein's birthday. But not only is it my birthday, it is also my anniversary of the opening of Portland City Grill.

The Portland City Grill opened to the public on March 19, 2002, but this was after a "soft opening" to friends and guests the week before. That's when I first came in contact with this new Portland hot spot. It really began with a surprise call that had received from the PCG office. They had been told by a business friend that I had played piano professionally in Los Angeles, and that they should consider giving me an audition.  I had heard of the new restaurant/bar (it was wildly anticipated by the city), but I had never been to the place, even when it was Atwaters in the old days. It was now under new ownership and was scheduled to open soon.

I went up to meet the managers, and I was invited to have an audition - more precisely I was asked if I would like to play ( it was one of their soft opening nights, the week of my birthday).  As I looked around, my first impression was that it was a gorgeous night club: elegant, classy, with a spectacular  view of the Portland city lights 30 floors below, and with a wonderful Yamaha grand piano surrounded by tables.  I admit that I assumed they were expecting to hear the usual society background stylings of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, etc., which actually is an era of music dear to my heart. But that evening, just before I started toward the piano to begin my "audition set," one of the managers stopped me and explained, "Now remember, we don't want any of that old music here. We want fun music, rock and roll, 60's - 70's - 80's, everything young and upbeat."  With a grin on my face, I sat down in the middle of a huge, enthusiastic crowd and let the music begin.

It was just like being in college again. The place was literally packed with thoroughly enraptured guests. The energy was high with lots of laughter and singing. It was like a continuous party; the hours just zipped by. At the end of my audition, the managers said they were pleased and gave me a choice of playing nights.  I picked 8 pm on Friday, thinking it was my one free weekend evening (working around my choir schedule).  They said that was great, and asked what other night I could play. I picked 5 pm on  Wednesday (again working around choir practice and school).  And then they asked for another!  So I went with Saturday with an 8 pm start (enough time to accommodate my 5:30 Mass).  I went up for an audition thinking that I might be able to play there once or twice a month, and I ended up playing there practically every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evening for over ten years.  I was chosen as one of several fine pianists who eventually filled out the week's house musicians. Three of our original group still entertain there weekly.

So it has been 12 years this week. I still smile on my way to play there, and I usually smile all the way home.

Happy Anniversary, Portland City Grill.  See you Friday.



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