Founded as a progressive funky little fundraiser orchestra in 1994, Pink Martini is currently touring with a lively holiday concert called All-Stars: A Season of Stars, which stopped at the Auditorium this month. Founder, band leader and Portland-based pianist Thomas Lauderdale assembled a deeply talented multicultural 12-piece ensemble to provide seasonal tunes and more to an enthusiastic crowd.
The intermission-less two-hour concert (with encore) was a non-stop party of global seasonal songs that mix international rhythms and languages including English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Japanese and Korean, like a jovial, musical United Nations. The performers (mostly from the West Coast) moved seamlessly on- and off-stage for each song to feature a new player or two.
In addition to Lauderdale on piano, musicians with impressive pop touring resumes included Antonis Andreou (trombone) and Thomas Barber (trumpet), who both had fun with brass mute moments; Dan Faehnle (electric and electrified acoustic guitars), Phil Baker (upright bass) and Nicholas Crosa (violin) were a skilled string section; with Miguel Bernal (congos and percussion) and Reinhardt Melz (drums and percussion) provided the driving global backbeats throughout.
The quartet of singers—recently retired NPR newsman and lanky male model-cosplayer Ari Shapiro (who has toured with the band for 20 years), lyrical powerhouse Edna Vazquez, heavenly vocalist Jimmie Herrod and tantalizing tenor Timothy Nishimoto (who also provided hand percussion, including a güiro)—flowed seamlessly through the repertoire, some solos, duets, trios, foursomes, sometimes backing up others and clapping along in chairs at the back of the sparse stage.
The holiday playlist included “We Three Kings,” “Jingle Bells,” “Little Drummer Boy” (which grew in energy like Ravel's Boléro), and a Japanese version of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” (“one of those Jewish composers who wrote Christmas songs,” it was noted). They sang ABBA’s “Fernando” in the original Swedish.
Much of the joy in a Pink Martini concert is the playful and supportive calls for active audience interaction. Lauderdale and others invited raucous audience members onstage to sing along with certain tunes, including one of their French pieces (and garnered a dozen or so excellent participants). The band also encouraged dancing in the aisles during various rockers (with a signed show poster prize for the best couple to cut the rug). The concert ended with a conga line to the exit, ending this Pink Martini show exuberantly stirred, not shaken (apologies to James Bond).
Pink Martini will host two New Year’s shows in Portland, then swing through Arizona, Washington and Colorado in early 2026. Pink Martini offers a varied discography, including 2010’s holiday album Joy to the World, all of which would make excellent seasonal gifts.
Upcoming Auditorium shows include an MLK Tribute Concert on his day, January 19; the Martha Graham Dance Company on January 24; Drumline Live on February 1; an ABBA tribute concert on February 6; music from the movie Titanic in concert on February 13; Lord of the Rings 25th anniversary concert on March 13; and Raiders of the Lost Ark concert on March 28. A Pilates class will be offered on January 17.
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