Pink Martini return for two nights at Liberty Theatre

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Fans on the North Coast are no strangers to performances by Pink Martini, a world-class “little orchestra,” as founder Thomas Lauderdale once described it.

The group — whose repertoire draws inspiration from music all over the world and across a range of genres — makes somewhat regular appearances at intimate venues in the area.

It’s one benefit of having musicians with deep ties to Oregon, along with a passion for playing in cozy settings as well as large arenas, said Claire Dennerlein, publicity director for Pink Martini and Heinz Records.

That’s what brings them back to the Liberty Theatre in Astoria for two upcoming performances at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

“The Liberty Theatre is professional but it’s small-town at the same time; it’s homey and friendly,” Dennerlein said, adding the group feels a warm reception from the staff and the community in Astoria, “and it comes back out for the audience.”

But while aficionados and first-time attendees can expect a classic Pink Martini experience at the Liberty, there’s also bound to be a couple of new surprises and additions as the group kicks off their 30th-anniversary tour.

At the Astoria performances, singer-songwriter China Forbes will be leading the charge. She recently released a solo album, “The Road,” which came out in May, and Dennerlein expects she’ll perform a couple of songs from the album with Pink Martini in Astoria.

Meanwhile, Lauderdale is constantly working on side projects, such as the newly released single, “I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out!,” which was a collaboration with Hollywood legend Mamie Van Doren.

Reflecting on three decades

As Pink Martini is celebrating its 30th birthday — Lauderdale founded the group in 1994 with Forbes, his Harvard University classmate, joining a year later — their tour has a commemorative and reflective flavor to it.

In many ways, the group has stayed true to its roots and Lauderdale’s earliest vision. From student body president in high school to a history student at Harvard, Lauderdale had aspirations of working in politics.

But he was also a musician, and going to political and civic events, he was disillusioned by the songs often played at them.

It sparked another passion. He wanted to provide an inclusive musical soundtrack for political fundraisers and events, something that could aesthetically capture a spirit of civility.

The music captures that spirit of “getting people out and getting people across the aisle,” Dennerlein said.

This summer, Lauderdale and his partner played at the opening of the Portland International Airport’s main terminal after its remodel.

The airport represents access and opportunity, “our gateway to the rest of the world,” Dennerlein said, adding it was appropriate for Lauderdale to provide the soundtrack to a meaningful event for Oregonians.

“That is the titular mayor that he is,” she said.

Finding an international audience

Pink Martini’s first single, “Sympathique,” was released in the late 1990s, around the time of a major workers’ strike in France, and the movement embraced the song as a sort of rallying cry — the line “Je ne veux pas travailler” literally translates in English as “I don’t want to work.”

“Sympathique” elevated Pink Martini from playing smaller gigs locally and regionally, with a couple of national shows, to touring the world.

Since then, they’ve continued to cultivate a musical repertoire that emphasizes universal appeal, or in the words of Lauderdale, an “urban musical travelogue.” They now have songs in more than two dozen different languages.

Pink Martini can play a show in Athens or Seoul, and when they sing a song in Greek or Korean, the whole audience gets to sing along.

But while entraining a wide audience, the group also maintains a close attachment to Oregon. All the musicians in the group — which averages 12 to 15 at a time — are based in the region.

As they return to Astoria this weekend, audiences can expect to see a sense of chemistry and the personalities and dynamics that can’t be captured on an album.

Lauderdale has gotten into having a dancing competition during one song, plus “there’s always a conga line,” Dennerlein said. Pink Martini also has a few songs they only play live, such as the eight-minute improvisational “Flying Squirrel,” wherein each musician gets a solo.

Pink Martini’s performances at the Liberty Theatre feature reserved seating, with ticket prices ranging from $46 to $72.