A Soiree Salon-Style Evening in the Coleman Scott House

Last night my husband and I were invited to hear Angel Romero play guitar and share stories from his life in an historic home (Coleman-Scott Home, built by John Bennes, and has remained in the same family since it was built) in the Irvington district of Portland. There were about 50 people in attendance, most of them  classical guitar enthusiasts or players. The event was sponsored by the Portland Classical Guitar society, as well as Arciform (a building/design/remodeling company specializing in authentic, historic remodeling) and tickets were $100. I got to pretend for the evening that I had that kind of disposable income. We were on the guest list, thanks to our son-in-law! He has been working on the  new addition to the home for the past several months and the homeowners (thankyou so much Carol and Monty) extended the invitation to us. The red wine, white wine, fizzy mineral water, cheesecakes, fresh fruits, and mini-wraps refreshed us as we mingled in the beautiful home.

Let me say that this evening was unique! The home was carefully and lovingly appointed with the family treasures, photographs, and bits of history. There was a large photo of Abigail Duniway, the first woman to cast her vote in Oregon,(ironically, her brother, the owner of the Oregonian, was vehemently against suffrage and wrote editorials to that end, quite the family feud) an originally installed Estey pipe organ with the largest collection of pipe organ spools in America. The walls were covered in woven silk jacquard, the lighting fixtures were of the period, and a large library table was recycled from former bookshelves by a German craftsman, bookshelves that had to be left behind in the midwest in the 1860's, but eventually brought dismantled to the west. I did not take notes, so my facts might be off a bit, but you get the idea.

Devin and Jasper

Angel answers a question about the Steven Connor guitar he brought along to play

When Angel arrived with his lovely wife Nefretiri and young daughter Isabel a ruffle of excitement and awe moved through the crowd. Angel, dressed in jeans and plaid shirt, blended in so well that neither my husband nor I could really tell where he was. An energetic 64-year old, white haired, tan faced, elegant Spaniard, with a slight accent, Angel moved to the United States in 1957. His father was the most famous classical guitarist of his time, and left Spain when Franco came into power. Angel is an affable man, laughing heartily as he chatted with people. Angel was asked recently what kind of music he listens to at home....we all laughed when he said "Lady Gaga". Naturally! That is the music Isabel is playing! He said that learning to play guitar came naturally to him. I'm sure that is an unassuming, humble statement, not a pompous one. I'm sure he applied himself to learning scales. This man can play lead melody lines with both hands simultaneously. He told us his father would say  'el hijo de un gato cace ratones' (The son of a cat catches mice).

Angel told an anecdote about meeting with Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys (back in the 1960's) and teaching him an ornament (or 'lick') from Scarlatti on the guitar....which soon after showed up in Sloop John B.

Eventually we were directed to the living room to listen to Angel play. He played only one piece, (I wonder if people were expecting a mini-concert) and kept us enthralled with stories about  people, compositions, composers, singers, events in his life. His overarching message was one of compassion and humanity. He spoke of making mistakes and being human. He laughed often. We cracked up when he told us of the time he met Segovia and Segovia noticed Angel's hands as being like his own, thick and meaty (not long and lean like the rest of his family). Segovia grabbed Angel's hands, held them to his face and kissed them!

As you can see, I had a pretty good seat in the salon!

Here is the tail end of the one piece Angel played for us.