Hailing from the fertile scene of Portland, Oregon, the Blue Cranes create music that is as invigorating as it is disarming. Working a thin line between improvisation and catchiness, Blue Cranes ...

Author's note: If you want to find new music, ask a musician. Occasionally we'll do just that and share with you what the people who play Portland are listening to themselves. We kick off this ...

There's no way around it: Swim, the fourth album by local jazz institution Blue Cranes, is as heady and dark as anything the group has done in its six years together. The big chainsaw synths of opener ...

, is as unbeholden to any one sound as you'd hope from one of Portland's most adventurous jazz bands. Sure, the tenor and alto saxophones of Joe Cunningham and Reed Wallsmith grab the wheel, but the ...