Night School #187: J. Michael Kearsey (Upepo)

Tonight on Night School it gives me great pleasure to welcome Michael Kearsey of the band, Upepo. In 1970s Portland, this loose collective of post-Woodstock jazz-funk creatives made an indelible mark on the regional scene. They kept Portland weird before it was a thing. Incorporating stylistic influences from Brazil, the Middle East, and the wide world of Gamelan, they made “world” music before IT was a thing. And they did these things before “The Thing” was even a thing! But I digress..

An original member of the group, The Cars, Kearsey would achieve acclaim as a solo artist as well. His “Suite For The Columbia River Gorge” LP was a catalyzing force in saving wild lands within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area during a 1980s land grab that would have otherwise altered the landscape as we know it today. And a little known fact is that he laid the foundation (aka ghost-wrote) Sade’s “Smooth Operator.” Stay tuned...