Oregon Hall of Fame piano man returning to Auburn for concert

John Nilsen is a storyteller and multi-talented performer who is returning to Auburn for an encore. The pianist from Portland, who was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in October, is returning to the area to play a variety of music that features classical, jazz, folk and boogie-woogie, plus classics and originals. The John Nilsen Solo Piano Concert will take place at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Pioneer United Methodist Church, located at 1338 Lincoln Way. An offering will be taken at the concert. "The Auburn show will be a solo piano performance," said Nilsen, who has been performing for 55 years. "I love playing guitar, though. It is an equally important part of my career." Nilsen is a longtime pianist and artist from Oregon who has performed in all 50 states, plus four continents. His 22 albums have sold more than 1 million copies. Auburn is the start of his concerts this year. "I've played in Auburn a few times," Nilsen said. "My brother lived in Sacramento for 20 years and I'd visit him and perform over three-, four-day stretches every winter. He moved back to Oregon, but I've kept coming down since then." Nilsen will enter Saturday's show prepared to tell stories while performing. "I've built my career on my own music," Nilsen said. "Of the 22 albums I have, 19 are original compositions. My songs seem to be a woven mix of folk, jazz, classical and rock. I'll play my songs and some classics that I didn't write (songs people will easily recognize as classics, Nilsen noted). I will share a few stories, but I never make a set list; I will choose the songs as I go forward into the performance." Nilsen plans to perform fewer than 200 shows in the United States. He'll tour Europe for the seventh time this spring. "Even though I have a Europe tour coming up, I have started to tour less nationally," Nilsen said. "I'm still touring nationally some, but I'm performing more around Portland now and going out on the road less." Nilsen was honored to have been inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. "Many of my favorite Oregon artists who have been inducted had great and productive music careers in Oregon and well beyond," Nilsen said. "I am friends with many of them. The great Oregon pianist Tom Grant is one who comes to mind. Tom nimbly walks a line between jazz and pop, which has always been inspiring to me. I've played a lot of gigs with Tom and his now ex-band members through the years." Nilsen practices his skills on keyboards and guitars five or six days a week for several hours. "Sometimes, I'll miss a day if I'm traveling or what not, but I'm always composing songs. That hasn't stopped once in over 55 years," Nilsen said. "The songs and ideas for songs just keep coming. I thoroughly enjoy and am captivated by the creative process of songwriting." Nilsen also performs with Swimfish, a rock 'n' roll band featuring three-part vocal harmonies. "Most of my piano music, whether solo or with my piano trio, is non-vocal and includes elements of classical, folk and jazz," Nilsen said.