You came out in droves to help sell out seven of eight concerts of the 2010 Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival presented by US Bank. Thank you for showing the world that jazz is very much alive in Portland. Read below for the PDX Jazz story of the festival or visit the Oregonian and Oregon Music News. More news here.

The PDX Jazz story:

Devin Phillips, the young saxophonist who evacuated Hurricane Katrina with the NOLA2PDX program in 2005, took the stage at the Newmark Theater and showed the audience in his adopted hometown that he has the chops to share the stage with the legendary Pharoah Sanders, who welcomed him with open arms. At one point Phillips introduced Pharoah as “my idol”. It was a fitting moment for a festival that encourages the development of young players and Portland jazz musicians.

Beginning with a sold out show featuring Luciana Souza (pictured; photo credit: Fran Kaufman) on Thursday and concluding with Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy at the storied Crystal Ballroom, the 2010 Alaska Airlines/ Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival presented by US Bank demonstrated that jazz is very much alive in this country and across the Atlantic, in Norway.

Friday morning began with a scramble to transport the Mingus Big Band from storm-rattled New York to rainy Portland. Arriving less than an hour before show time, the band performed the music of the legendary Charles Mingus to a sold out audience. Even after a long day, five of the Big Band members joined the packed Midnight Jam Session at Norse Hall, the venue that featured performances by Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli, the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble and In The Country. One of the jam session highlights was pianist and program curator Darrell Grant taking over for Dave Kikoski in welcoming Craig Handy and Justin Faulkner. A Philadelphia native, Faulkner (pictured performing with Pharoah Sanders and Devin Phillips; photo credit: Fran Kaufman) aptly demonstrated to Portland audiences that he lives up to his rapidly growing reputation since joining the Branford Marsalis Quartet in 2009. Faulkner also performed admirably with Pharoah Sanders sounding akin to a young Elvin Jones. Another jam session highlight was Grant’s moving tribute (a recasting of Amazing Grace featuring bassist Glen Moore) to Portland political and cultural icon Dick Bogle who passed away on the festival’s opening day.

The Norwegian artists, two groups premiering in North America, played to sold out performances at Norse Hall,Portland’s Norwegian community center. In The Country demonstrated the provocative quality of Norwegian jazz with their genre bending and electrifying performance. The virtuosos Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli (pictured; photo credit: Fran Kaufman) captivated the audience with a personal and unconventional saxophone and accordion duo performance. Taking advantage of the warm acoustics of Norse Hall, the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble opted for an acoustic performance creating an intimate sound that highlighted the subtleties of their acoustic instruments.

Portland’s jazz scene was in force at full capacity for PDX Jazz free performances by Devin Phillips, Ben Darwish, the Blue Cranes, the Quadraphonnes, the Farnell Newton/Marcus Reynolds Quintet, Toni Lincoln, Clay Giberson & John Nastos, and the John Gross/Dave Frishberg/Charlie Doggett Trio.

“This year’s festival represents the culmination of an experience that began in 2007 when we prominently featured ECM artists – Charles Lloyd, Gary Burton & Chick Corea – along with introducing Trygve Seim and Tomasz Stanko,” states Portland Jazz Festival co-founder and artistic director, Bill Royston. “The ECM exposure led to an exhilarating odyssey to the Kongsberg Jazz Festival as an invited guest of the Norwegian government. Hearing Christian Wallumrod, In The Country, and the alluring duo of Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli in their natural environment gave me renewed energy to expand on what jazz is and potentially is not for the 2010 festival.”

More festival highlights:

• The festival week began with a sold out Gospel Brunch featuring Mike Phillips at Self Enhancement, Inc., an organization that serves youth in the N Portland community.
• The Incredible Journey of Jazz traveled to five area middle schools to present the musical history of jazz to 2,000 students in honor of Black History Month. In attendance were two Portland Trail Blazer alumni, Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey.
• Dave Holland, who had weather related problems departing New York, was joined by Alex Sipiagin in place of Robin Eubanks, on tour with the SF Jazz Collective. The Grammy award-winning quintet also featured longstanding members Nate Smith, Chris Potter and Steve Nelson.
• Jam session participants included artists from Norway and America – Darrell Grant, Roger Arntzen (In The Country), Craig Handy (Mingus Big Band), David Kikoski (Mingus Big Band), Justin Faulkner (Mingus Big Band), Trygve Seim, Frode Haltli, Andrew Oliver, Glen Moore (of the group, Oregon), Reed Wallsmith, Derek Sims, Ben Darwish and others.
• The Jazz Conversation with Pharoah Sanders took place in front of an overflow audience.
• The Jazz Conversation originally scheduled with Craig Handy became an impromptu discussion about the life and times of Charles Mingus. Moderated by Tom D’Antoni (Oregon Music News), the discussion included David Friesen (bassist/composer), Don Lucoff (PDX Jazz), Paul DeBarros (Seattle Times/ Down Beat) and Sam Howard (bassist).
• Is Jazz Dead (or has it moved to a new address)? featured a highly charged discussion on transatlantic musical styles, politics, race, art and commerce. Moderated by Paul DeBarros, the conversation included Forrest Bryant (JazzTimes), Peter Margasak (Down Beat) and Darrell Grant (pianist/composer), with pianist Christian Wallumrod joining the discussion in mid-stream.

Read reviews and previews of the 2010 Portland Jazz Festival:

The Oregonian

Oregon Music News

Willamette Week and this

Portland Tribune

Audiophile Audition

During the Midnight Jam Session, the smile on Darrell Grant’s face said it all as he accompanied Trygve Seim and Frode Haltli, along with other Portland musicians and members of the Wallumrod Ensemble. While on sabbatical last year from his post at PSU Grant spent significant time in Norway studying their music and culture, and now he was in it, in his own country, his own town, playing a song of Seim’s he had listened to 200 times, with the man who had written it. That was a moment.

Today, there are more moments to come in the festival’s final day. This morning festival guests can fuel up for the day at the Brasserie Montmartre’s Jazz Brunch (call to verify availability). Then guests can join Dave Douglas in a Jazz Conversation prior to his closing set at 7:30 this evening with his group Brass Ecstasy (read the Willamette Week preview). This afternoon (3:00 PM), the legendary Pharoah Sanders takes the stage at the Newmark (read the Oregonian preview). Other events fill out Sunday.

Should be another memorable day.

Many jazz fans awoke bleary eyed this morning after a full day of activities and last night’s full tilt jam session at Norse Hall that went until 2:00 AM. It was an all-star lineup with local, national, and Norwegian musicians collaborating in a Darrell Grant hosted session. Artists included Roger Arntzen (In The Country), Craig Handy (Mingus Big Band), David Kikoski (MBB), Justin Faulkner (MBB), Andrew Oliver, Dave Ornette Cherry, Glen Moore, Farnell Newton, and others. At one point Handy and Grant shared the stage together, having last played together in a band 20 years ago. Tonight, who knows what more magic will come. See some photos from this and other events yesterday right here.

Today we’re looking at the first performances by student groups in the PCPA’s Brunish Hall. They run from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM at various times. Check the schedule for details. Also  at noon is the first Jazz Conversation of the day with Dave Holland in the PCPA ArtBar. Pharoah Sanders speaks to Barry Johnson at 6:30. This is a great way to gain some insight into headline artists before their performances.

Tonight features the Dave Holland Quintet (7:30 PM, Newmark), the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble (9:30 PM, Norse Hall), and the aforementioned Midnight Jam Session. There are a ton of other shows throughout the day at downtown venues, many free. Check the schedule for locations and times.

Lastly, in case you are on the fence about attending one of the Norwegian performances read Ryan White’s piece in the Oregonian, Tim Duroche’s piece on Oregon Music News, or ask someone who experienced the genre-bending In The Country last night.

Due to extreme winter weather on the east coast and flight delays, the 4:00 PM Jazz Conversation with Craig Handy has been changed. The Mingus Big Band show is still as scheduled tonight and musicians are en route. The 5:00 Conversation with Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli and 6:00 with Christian Wallumrod are still as scheduled.

In lieu of a Conversation with Handy, Tom D’Antoni will moderate a lively panel discussion on the life and times of Charles Mingus starting at 4:00 PM and including panelists David Friesen (bassist/composer), Don Lucoff (PDX Jazz), Paul DeBarros (Seattle Times/ Down Beat) and Sam Howard (bassist).

All Conversations take place in the PCPA ArtBar.

Welcome to the 6th day of the Portland Jazz Festival, when the major action begins!

Today, a series of discussions around jazz and music begin at 2:30 PM with Is Jazz Dead (or has it moved to a new address)?, a panelist discussion presented by the Jazz Journalists Association and KMHD with JJA members Paul DeBarros (Seattle Times) and Forrest Bryant (JazzTimes), plus Peter Margasak (Down Beat) and Darrell Grant. The discussion continues as journalists interview headline artists in live one-on-one intimate Jazz Conversations at 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Audience participation encouraged. All Conversations and panels take place in the PCPA ArtBar.

Tonight features the sold out show of the Mingus Big Band at the Newmark Theater, then In The Country at Norse Hall (tickets available), and the first of two Midnight Jam Sessions at the Norse Hall lounge (free and featuring Norwegian and American musicians). Read about all of the Norwegian artists and why you should head out to hear some Norwegian jazz this weekend in the Oregonian’s concert preview.

As well, you can find more than a dozen other events around town. See the complete schedule for details or pick up a Program Guide at festival venues. Keep in mind that occasionally there are last minute tickets available at the box office, so if you absolutely have to see a show and do not have tickets, stop by 30 minutes before show time and you might get lucky.

Read about last night’s sold out Luciana Souza show from our friends at Oregon Music News here.

See you out there!

Dave Holland brings his inventive and critically acclaimed Dave Holland Quintet to the 2010 Portland Jazz Festival on Saturday, February 27.

There’s a reason why Dave Holland is one of the most celebrated and honored (three Grammy Awards) contemporary bassists. Never content to keep doing the same thing year after year, he continuously pushes the boundaries of his instrument and of jazz as an art form. He’s played with some serious jazzmen (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John Scofield, and others), meanwhile maintaining his own career as a bandleader since 1971.

Though he’s too busy to be fully engaged in outside projects, Holland has played on recent Roy Haynes albums and recorded trio dates with such leaders as Geri Allen and Kenny Wheeler-all outings that he says he could not pass up. He even has taken his recording career into his own hands, launching his own label imprint, Dare2 Records in 2005, after a fertile three-decades-plus association with ECM Records. As well, he recently launched his new multi-media website at www.daveholland.com.

In regards to the Dave Holland Quintet at this year’s festival: Holland sees his band as (more…)

While downtown, take a moment to view the beautiful window displays at the Downtown Macy’s across from Pioneer Square, featuring an interpretation of this year’s festival by talented Macy’s artists. As well, you, a Portland Jazz Festival guest can receive a store discount for limited time.

Here’s the promotion:

From Feb 21 through March 7 bring your Portland Jazz Festival ticket (or ticket stub) into the Downtown or Lloyd Center Macy’s, and receive a 10% visitor savings pass* valid for multiple days of shopping. Just show your jazz ticket to a sales associate in the Fine Jewelry department to receive a savings pass. Remember, go in before March 7.

*Limited exclusions. Restrictions apply. See store for details.

Oregon Music News continues its complete coverage of the Portland Jazz Festival in an interview with Dave Holland, a review of Monday’s Incredible Journey of Jazz at Beverly Cleary School, a preview of Luciana Souza’s Thursday show, and more.

Monday, the Oregonian posted their exclusive Pharoah Sanders interview online for your reading pleasure. Read every Oregonian 2010 Portland Jazz Festival article online.

Wednesday, The Willamette Week interviewed Sue Mingus and Dave Douglas.

Click here for last week’s articles from the Oregonian and Portland Tribune.

Special 1/2 price Student/Senior Tickets
to Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy
Prime General Admission for $15 and GA/All Ages for $12.50 (+ $1 handling fee)
Limited availability via walk up only at the Crystal Ballroom/ Ringler’s Pub
11:30 AM – 11:30 PM, every day

Arguably the most prolific and original musician/composer of his generation, two-time Grammy-nominated trumpeter Dave Douglas brings a new project, Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy to the 2010 Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival presented by US Bank.

Born out of the Festival of New Trumpet Music in 2005, Brass Ecstasy nods to the ever-evolving spirit of brass music through soul inflected compositions. Joined by Vincent Chancey on french horn, Luis Bonilla on trombone, Marcus Rojas on tuba, and Nasheet Waits on drums, the group will perform in support of their debut Greenleaf Music recording, “Spirit Moves”. On the album, the group pays homage to the brass instrument with eight new original compositions and three arrangements of classics by such disparate artists as Otis Redding, Hank Williams and Rufus Wainwright.

From his New York base, where he’s lived since the mid 1980s, (more…)

Some great stories have been published recently highlighting the artists and events of the 2010 Portland Jazz Festival. We couldn’t say it better. Take a moment to read these and you might uncover a hidden gem that you’ll want to take in over the week’s festivities.

Portland Jazz Festival rebuilding its base by Ryan White, Oregonian

Tickets available for ALL shows, and a few shows are close to selling out

The best seats are selling fast!

Nordic Tones Package (general admission to all Norse Hall shows) available for $50

Purchase tickets at any Ticketmaster location or from the PDX Jazz Box Office. See more info on the ticket page.