
Bebel Gilberto photo by Daryan Dornelles
February 18-March 1
Various venues, Portland, OR
The City of Roses plays host to celebrated jazz artists from around the world, as well as locally recognized musicians, in the 12th annual Portland Jazz Festival presented by Alaska Airlines. Running Wednesday, February 18, through Sunday, March 1, the festival sees a record number of 30 headline concerts at venues throughout the city. Among the headlining artists are Vijay Iyer, Taylor Eigsti, Lee Konitz, Christian McBride and Cyrille Aimée.
Opening the festival is Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, daughter of famed João Gilberto. The multi-Grammy-nominated vocalist recently released Tudo, her first studio album in five years. The release is infused with sultry vocals, playful rhythms, and touches of electronica.
Along with Gilberto, the festival features nine vocalists. Kurt Elling, considered the “most influential jazz vocalist of our time” by JazzTimes, pays homage to Frank Sinatra in his third festival appearance. Featuring the Art Abrams Swing Machine Big Band, this program focuses on three Sinatra/Basie collaborations from the mid-60s and comprises original arrangements by Quincy Jones, titled Elling Swings Sinatra.
For her PDX debut, Bay Area-singer Jackie Ryan re-crafts the musical work of French composer Michel Legrand, in honor of 2015 Portland Jazz Master Wayne Thompson. Over the years, Thompson has supported the Portland Jazz Festival as a contributing board member and programming advisor, and is recognized by the Jazz Journalists Association as a Jazz Hero.
Many of the region’s musicians are scheduled to appear at the festival, with more than 50 Portland artists performing in the headline shows alone. Latin percussionist Bobby Torres, drummer Mel Brown, and saxophonist Hailey Niswanger lead their bands at the esteemed Jimmy Mak’s, home to nine shows this year.
“There’s a wealth of critically acclaimed artists in Portland, and what better way to showcase them than in the festival,” Managing Director Don Lucoff says in a press release. “This year’s line-up will certainly appeal to a broad demographic of music fans with an ample amount of free music all over the Portland metro area.”
This year will also see the first annual Jazz Forward Competition, a high school competition drawing students from throughout the western region to compete in five categories, with the winners performing on the mainstage.
PDX Jazz, a non-profit cultural arts organization founded in 2003, puts on the 12-day festival. Co-founded in 2004 with Travel Portland, the festival aims to establish a cultural tourism initiative in the metro Portland area, and to celebrate Black History Month through education and outreach.
Tickets, full schedule, and more information available at portlandjazzfestival.org or 503-228-5299.
B3 @ PDX
Freda Payne with the Mel Brown B3 Organ Band
February 19, 7pm & 9:30pm
Jimmy Mak’s
Though she’s perhaps best known for her 1970 R&B hit “Band of Gold,” Freda Payne has her roots in jazz, having performed with Quincy Jones and Duke Ellington. Making her Portland debut, the vocalist will deliver a sultry mix of jazz and R&B, performing alongside the Mel Brown B3 Organ Band (Mel Brown, drums; Louis Pain, B3; Dan Balmer, guitar; Renato Caranto, tenor sax; Curtis Craft, percussion) in an evening titled “My Town Is Motown.”
Frank Catalano: “Blowin’ in From Chicago: For Vonski, Jug and Eddie Who?”
February 20, 8pm
Jimmy Mak’s
Dubbed the “John Coltrane energy for the 21st Century” (DownBeat), Frank Catalano blows in from the Windy City to pay homage to three saxophonists: Von Freeman, Eddie Harris, and Gene Ammons. Catalano will be joined by fellow Chicagoans Clark Sommers (bass) and Mike Raynor (drums), along with George Colligan on the B3 and piano and Dan Balmer on guitar.
Joe McBride with the Mel Brown B3 Organ Band
February 26, 7pm & 9:30pm
Jimmy Mak’s
Making his first Portland appearance in nearly 10 years, pianist Joe McBride pays tribute to Ray Charles in a program titled “What’d I Say, For Brother Ray,” with the Mel Brown B3 Organ Band.