SoundsTruck NW: Mount Immigration
Free
- Joe Kye, violin
- Denzel Mendoza (Illegal Son), trombone
- Cory Limuaco, percussion
Migration is as natural as life. Plants grow towards the sun. Blades of grass meet wind and become an undulating meadow. Children hop from swings to the slide. For this show, Portland-based musician and storyteller Joe Kye draws inspiration from the natural movements of Mt. Tabor's lush, urban, mountain landscape. Joined by percussionist Cory Limuaco, he'll perform some original songs while weaving in improvisational moments, interacting with the audience and the park setting to create new sonic environments.
This concert is presented in partnership with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) and Montavilla Jazz.
About SoundsTruck NW
During the pandemic, SoundsTruck NW Founder and Director Yoko Greeney reimagined the concert experience for maximum flexibility, resiliency, and access. The result is a movable venue that allows for invigorating and connective performances while social distancing outdoors. The beautiful and durable stage trailer and truck combination situates in any drivable location. With its high level of innovation, SoundsTruck NW expands the arena for both audiences and culturemakers throughout the Pacific Northwest.
SoundsTruck NW supports the health, wellbeing, and vibrancy of communities by bringing live ensemble music and family-oriented programming into neighborhoods, nature, and institutions. Utilizing its unique mobile stage, SoundsTruck NW increases access and connection to the arts with priority given to underserved areas.
https://www.soundstrucknw.org/About Joe Kye, violin
Joe Kye discharges worlds of emotion with his lush string loops and eclectic style. From viral TikTok jingles skewering microaggressions to delivering keynote speeches about creativity, community, and identity, Joe’s work taps into an inner core, inspiring audiences to compassion and empathy. Drawing upon his immigrant upbringing, Kye weaves together electronic and acoustic textures, catchy melodies, and vocals to uplift and empower listeners. Violin-looping meets jazz, classical, and world pop in a sound that defies borders and blurs boundaries. He has opened for Yo-Yo Ma, recorded a Tedx Talk, and been featured on NPR. He's an Oregon Arts Commission 2023 Fellow.
http://www.joekye.comAbout Denzel Mendoza (Illegal Son), trombone
Trombonist and composer Denzel Mendoza is Illegal Son, and opens for Joe with bassist Matthew Holmes. A Filipino National born in Singapore, raised in Las Vegas, NV; studied in NYC, NY, and based in Portland, OR; Mendoza has lived in the United States for the majority of his life but yet, he continues to chase the American Dream. Since 2004, Mendoza has been an Undocumented Immigrant. Labeled as illegal, criminal, and unwanted, Mendoza unwillingly carried that shame as a child into his years as a young adult to only then embrace those terms as strengths as the years progressed. Ironically, his achievements as a musician have outweighed his path towards citizenship; from traveling nationwide as a sideman and opener for Haley Heynderickx to being awarded at the Grammy Awards for his participation with John Daversa's American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom in 2018.
Denzel Mendoza's Illegal Son is quite simply his interpretation of life as Undocumented Immigrant through sound and music. It is deeply emotional and incredibly vulnerable. Every passing day, there is no promise of a tomorrow; there is only fear and hope. To process life under the umbrella of being Undocumented consists of improvisation, a consistent chaos of what's to come – it's insecure, unstable, but hopeful.