Spirit
Fall 2014
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Winter 2015
Terri Spencer Trio, they delighted audiences at Lea’s and the Piccadilly Room at the Benson Hotel. They would perform for 45 minutes then take a 15-minute break. Sometimes, they played four or five sets each night. Doug Baker of the Oregon Journal newspaper wrote, “It was at the original Espresso…that I first heard Terri’s piano and the next day I was rhapsodic.” He referenced a letter from a reader who had written, “No current jazz pianist can surpass her in style, technique and new ideas.” The article headline: “World Grows Older, But Terri Just Grows Better.” Ron Steen said, “She was a remarkable jazz vocalist — the best singer I’ve ever heard. She was also an incredibly gifted composer and a great piano player. And she was as beautiful as a movie star.” He added, “I was a teenager when she gave me the opportunity to perform in some of the best venues in town. Meeting her changed my life.”
As Terri Spencer (fourth from left), she shined at the 1962 Seattle Jazz Festival. Jazz great Dave Brubeck (sixth from left) was also a featured performer.
his most famous students, jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, who became a colleague. She placed her career on hold to marry and raise five children: one boy and four girls. “They are all musical,” she said proudly.
“I can’t imagine my life without music… Music is speaking. Music is my voice.”
As the children grew older, Terri Spencer’s love of performing drew her back on stage as a singer and pianist. Performance highlights included an appearance at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, where Dave Brubeck also performed. “That was a thrill,” she said. “The acoustics were superb. The applause was overwhelming. It was fabulous for me to play. Everything was just alive.” In 1964, she recorded some of her signature compositions at a studio in Los Angeles.
While she loves all music — with nods to Chopin and Mozart — she has a special affinity for the music of George Gershwin. “I got the biggest ovation I’ve ever had when I played ‘I Love You, Porgy,’” she said. She loves that song because “you can really emote.” When she sits down at the piano at Maryville, where she now resides, Gershwin songs are highlights. At age 87, her fingers caress the keyboard and the sparkle in her eyes makes it clear that her love of performing is undiminished. “I can’t imagine my life without music,” she said. “I like nothing better than when people are enjoying it, and I love it when people ask me to play their favorite tunes.”
Terri and her second husband, Roland (Rol) Mersereau, lived in Lake Oswego. One night, she invited two young musicians to perform at a party at their home. Jamie Faunt played bass. Ron Steen played drums. Then in their teens, both went on to become leaders in the Pacific Northwest jazz scene.
“Music is speaking,” she said. “Music is my voice.” She was so impressed by their performance that she invited them to join her. Performing as the
Performance photos courtesy Terri Mersereau.
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