Orchestrating the science of love

Songs about falling in and out of love fill the Great American Songbook. “Fever” explores the physical spark people feel when near an object of desire. “You Go to My Head” touches on the all-encompassing romance of new love. Then there are songs like “Cry Me a River” mourning relationships that have run their course.

These songs form the basis of a multimedia show delving into the physiological and emotional aspects of love. “Brain Chemistry for Lovers: Where the Art of Song Meets the Science of Love” pairs pop tunes and jazz standards with video and lecture elements discussing the various chemicals the brain releases during different stages of love.

The show will be presented at the Bagdad Theater Tuesday evening as part of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry’s Science Pub program. It features Portland singer Valerie Day, along with Vancouver jazz drummer Gary Hobbs, pianist Darrell Grant, bassist Kevin Deitz and vibraphonist Mike Horsfall.

o What: “Brain Chemistry for Lovers: Where the Art of Song Meets the Science of Love,” an OMSI Science Pub offering.

o When: 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. Doors open at 5 p.m.

o Where: Bagdad Theater & Pub, 3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland.

o Who: Features singer Valerie Day, Vancouver jazz drummer Gary Hobbs, pianist Darrell Grant, bassist Kevin Deitz and vibraphonist Mike Horsfall. Science Pub is geared toward those 21 and older. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

o Tickets: $15, available through Ticketmaster, as well as the Bagdad Theater and Crystal Ballroom box offices.

o Information: http://www.omsi.edu/sciencepubbagdad, http://www.brainchemistryforlovers.com.

o Vancouver jazz musician Gary Hobbs has been drumming since 1965 and has worked with such notables as Grammy-winning trumpeter Randy Brecker, singer Kurt Elling and the late jazz alto saxophone player Bud Shank. Hobbs played with the Stan Kenton Orchestra from 1975 to 1977. This will be his third “Brain Chemistry for Lovers” performance.

o The “Brain Chemistry for Lovers” troupe teamed with 3 Doors Down Cafe for a cocktail challenge, adding liquor to its mix of science and music. They worked with the bartender there to create three drinks inspired by the monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.

o The cocktails were served at 3 Doors Down in Portland, and people could vote at the cafe or online for their favorite. The winning drink will be available at the Bagdad on the night of the show. For those who’d like to try making the drinks at home, the recipes are available online at http://www.brainchemistryforlovers.com. 3 Doors Down will offer the cocktails through the end of the month, and at least one will be added to the regular drink menu.

Day conceived of the show several years ago after reading a National Geographic article on the cycles of love. She and the other musicians involved performed it twice last year with the Portland Chamber Orchestra.

“It’s rich in its diversity,” Hobbs, 61, said of the show’s appeal. “It’s educational, but at the same time, it’s very enjoyable. It’s totally unique. You couldn’t find a more uniquely Valentine’s thing than this, because it deals with the head and the heart of love and romance.”

“Brain Chemistry for Lovers” taps into the scientific and artistic sides of Day’s DNA. The daughter of a physician and an opera singer, she never liked science in school but developed a fascination with neuroscience while researching for this production.

When conveying the science of love to an audience, music helps put complex language and concepts into context, she said.

“You can talk about something all you want, but when music is played, you experience the feelings that go along with what we’re talking about,” said Day, 50, who along with husband John Smith fronts the Grammy-nominated band Nu Shooz.

“Brain Chemistry for Lovers” succeeds because it tackles a topic of universal interest that people want to understand better, said Amanda Thomas, OMSI’s adult programs coordinator and creator of Science Pub.

Thomas launched Science Pub in Portland in 2006 to help OMSI expand its reach beyond children and families to adults. Science Pub now has locations in Eugene and Corvallis, Ore., as well as at McMenamins’ Bagdad and Mission theaters in Portland. Each of the four locations typically hosts one Science Pub event a month. There’s usually a $2 suggested donation to help support the program but certain events, including “Brain Chemistry for Lovers,” are ticketed.

Science Pub Portland tends to draw an average of 250 people, with audiences arriving early to snag the best seats and enjoy food and libations.

“It has turned out to be ridiculously popular. It’s obviously a winning combination of the learning and the beer, so we’re sticking with it,” Thomas said.

She believes “Brain Chemistry for Lovers” will appeal to Science Pub attendees’ inquisitive nature.

“It’s a very polished production talking about how we find love, how we stay in love, how we fall out of love. I think love, especially around Valentine’s Day, is a topic people are interested in learning about.”

“Brain Chemistry’s” audience will learn about how love affects the head and the heart. The tug-of-war that those two organs sometimes engage in is reflected in the show’s physical setup. The stage is divided into more of a classroom setting on one side, with a lectern, books and a video screen, and a jazz club environment on the other. Day spans both worlds, giving lessons on love and then joining the musicians in song.

Four phases

The accompanying video, by filmmaker Jim Blashfield, follows imaginary couple Alice and Bob through the various phases of love, and features Oregon Health & Science University neuroscientist Larry Sherman weighing in on what’s happening in their brains. Sherman will be on hand after the performance to answer questions.

The show divides love into several phases: initial lust, falling in love, a fork in the road that either leads to rejection or a deeper attachment and a more nebulous fourth phase that puts the science aside and draws from wisdom and experience to understand love.

During the lust phase, the hormones testosterone and estrogen play an integral role. As people fall in love, the monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin take hold. That exhilarating, head-over-heels phase typically lasts 18 months to two years, but then those chemicals start to subside, Day said. At this point, the couple may drift apart, or those feel-good chemicals might be replaced with vasopressin and oxytocin as the pair commit to each other.

Music literature is filled with tunes about love and breakups, but Smith did some compositions and arrangements for the show to augment their song choices. These include “The Monoamine Medley” and “The Crying Medley,” representing ups and downs, respectively, on the love continuum to which most people can relate.

“(Love) isn’t easy. It’s a roller-coaster ride for most people, but it’s worth it,” Day said. “Without love, life isn’t worth living. We really need it, on a physical level.”

Mary Ann Albright: maryann.albright@columbian.com, 360-735-4507.