AnnaPaul and the Bearded Lady

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4.6

Booking Info: Free Quote Travels 60 miles from Portland Fee: $200 and up Languages: English Member Since 2010

Why hire AnnaPaul and the Bearded Lady?

AnnaPaul and the Bearded Lady plays vintage jazz from the 1920's and 1930's as a duo, trio, quartet, or quintet. In our smallest form, we are "the littlest Bigband in Portland," featuring Paul Evans on melodica, flute, and saxophones, and Anna Leander with vocals, melodica, and trombone. If your occasion calls for a "bigger" band, we can oblige with guitar, bass, and percussion.

Reviews (1)

Fabulous Group!

Dinner Dance AnnaPaul and the Bearded Lady were absolutely fabulous. I first contacted them within 3 weeks of the event, and although this was short notice, they were able to come. They played great music and interacted with the audience really well- they can even alter their music to fit the dance level of the group. We were very basic swing dancers (I'm talking a college dance) and they slowed down the tempo so we could keep up. However, they can definitely play for experienced dancers as well. The event went perfectly and they were great to work with! I would definitely recommend this group!!

Hired by: Taylor O.

: Expertise
: Communication
: Professionalism
: Priced Fairly
: Adaptability

Event Date: April 6th, 2013
Event: Dinner Dance in Portland, Oregon
Services provided: Jazz Band, Swing Band

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Overview

About

Suspend time and spin it around you like a well-knit sweater. Imbue it with Lucky Strike smokiness and Ovaltine sweetness and then squeeze it through 1920s vintage instruments, vintage microphones, vintage countenance and inflection.

You've got AnnaPaul and the Bearded Lady.

With a joyful and almost scholarly attention to rarely-heard songs like "Button Up Your Overcoat," "The Sheik of Araby" and Gershwin's "Somebody Loves Me," AnnaPaul and the Bearded Lady value authenticity and a respect for history unseen in most "retro bands". This is not kitsch, not hipster irony, this is living music.

AP&B was co-founded by Paul Evans whose roots run deep in the Portland music community. In addition to a thriving career as a film and commercial composer, he's a revolving member of Vagabond Opera and the Eric Stern Quartet and regularly lends his talent to groups like Fractal, Myshkin's Ruby Warblers, Saturnalia Trio, Portland Swing, Djangophiles and Tana the Tattooed Lady and the Fascinators as well as his own projects like PaulAlone and the Hierophant. Paul is a multi-instrumentalist whose talent extends to keyboards, melodica (a woodwind-keyboard), soprano and tenor saxes, all kinds of flutes and a vast range of obscure percussion devices. And as co-owner of Redbird Studio on Alberta Street, he finds an outlet for his graphic design sensibilities through greeting cards, letterpress pieces and silkscreen.

AP&B co-founder and vocalist Anna Leander exudes the 1920s with her Helen Kane flirtation and Ruth Etting flair, supporting the group instrumentally with trombone and melodica. An Arizona refugee who fled the relentless UV rays for the comfortable climes of Portland, she's performed a wide range of vocal styles and has an extensive background in theater.

Joey Appel provides Django-inspired rhythm guitar, laying down the pulse-pounding musical mortar. He's a co-founder of the Portland swing group, the Clambake Combo and performs regularly with other groups like Djangovitis and the Baz Trio. A Hood River native, Joey kicked off his punk rock career at age 14 with such bands as Hung Far Low, Double-O-Negative, Bamboozled and Mondo Hollywood.

Penelope Meringue Leander is "The Bearded Lady" and the cutest miniature schnauzer with an affinity for pink dresses you've ever seen.

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