Patrick Lamb

Yes, the irrepressible Lamb is living a new dream with the same enthusiasm he's brought to all of his endeavors, gospel CD, playing the blues with Norman Sylvester- Lamb has won three Cascade Blues Association awards - to world tours with jazz vocalists Diane Schuur.

And though he remains the sam R&B-flavored sax player, he now singing for the first time on his new CD "Sould Of A Free Man."

Lamb's new approach is built on collaboration.

"I went from a place where I wanted to be in control and do everything myself, to seeking out the best people, who are much smarter than me, and letting it happen," he says. Lamb's colleagues on his new CD include songwriter Lee Garrett (co-author with Stevie Wonder of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and "Isn't She Lovely") and powerhouse guitarist Eddie Martinez.

The result is an album of tough Motown backbeats, Tower of Power horn arrangements and smooth, Earth Wind & Fire patina supporting upbeat, and sunny melodies.

"My mission was to do something I love and could pull of authentically. I didn't make the CD for any particular format," says the newly free man. "With the way the industry has changed, you best bet is yourself." - The Oregonian

Wednesday, August 08, 2007
The Oregonian
I t was the unexpected twists and turns that -- at various times -- saved Patrick Lamb's life, mind and
creative passion.

His latest music CD -- "Soul of a Free Man" -- is a testament to that journey. It's a celebration of what could have been but wasn't. And what could be but hasn't -- yet.
"I've been to a lot of funerals in my lifetime," says the 37-year-old, who has played the saxophone since he
was 16. "When you experience loss, you appreciate the now."

As a teenager, Lamb was supposed to be on that 1986 Mount Hood climbing trip that led to the freezing
deaths of two adults and seven students from Oregon Episcopal School. But Lamb had twisted his ankle and couldn't make it.

His fans expected him to forever remain as a smooth jazz musician. But he revisited his Mississippi roots
to re-create himself as a singer.
Lamb doesn't take well to labels. So, what better way to change the landscape of Portland's music scene
than to bring together 23 of the region's headliners -- such as Curtis Salgado, Lee Garrett, Sweet Baby
James and Thara Memory -- to honor the late Ray Charles, who ultimately changed America's musical
landscape?

During a potluck dinner in Lamb's North Portland basement, Lamb and wife and manager Amy Maxwell
promised the jazz, blues, R&B, funk and gospel musicians and singers a fun time if they would raise money for the Oregon Food Bank.

"Whenever you're trying to cross pollinate different circles that people aren't used to working in," Lamb
says, "people get a little suspicious."
The resulting performance by the NW Ray Charles Tribute Band ended up being the highlight of the 2005
Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival. The sum of all the amazingly talented parts is now a working
collaborative that has cemented new friendships and is celebrating the breadth of Portland's homegrown
talent.

"The causes brought us together, which is beautiful when everybody can drop everything and not demand
money," says longtime R&B singer Linda Hornbuckle. Because of the Ray Charles project, band leader Andy Stokes, who performed over the decades with headliners Michael Bolton, George Clinton and the Temptations, was able to sing at the downtown blues festival for the first time.

As part of the 11-track CD, soul singer Liv Warfield, 28, recorded a duet with Paul DeLay, the larger-thanlife Portland bluesman, before he died from leukemia at age 55.
"Paul brought out another side of me, the bluesy side. I became kind of like an open book," says Warfield,
who performed with Lamb at last weekend's Mt. Hood Jazz Festival and will join him again Sunday at
downtown's The Bite of Oregon.
Later this month, Hornbuckle and pianist Janice Scroggins will be performing -- for the first time -- with the Oregon Symphony. The free event is Aug. 30 at Waterfront Park. - The Oregonian