Mt. Hood Jazz Festival: Hailey Niswanger and the Mt Hood Jazz Collective
Mt. Hood Community College Bruning Center, 1484 NW Civic Dr, Gresham, OR 97030, USA
Saxophonist and composer, Hailey Niswanger (pronounced “NICE–wonger”), graduated in December of 2011 with a B.A. in Jazz Performance from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, on a full scholarship. Born February 12, 1990 in Houston, Hailey grew up in Portland, Oregon, and now currently lives in Los Angeles, CA, after spending 7 years in Brooklyn, New York. Hailey has shared the stage with Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Harvey Mason, Mike Clark, Michael Wolff, Ralph Peterson Jr., and other jazz greats. Hailey leads her own bands and has performed at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest (2018), Portland Jazz Festival (2015), Cathedral Park Jazz Festival (2015), Northampton Jazz Festival (2013), Saratoga Jazz Festival (2012, 2010), Red Clay Jazz Festival (2011), Salem Jazz Festival (2011), Beaches International Jazz Festival (2010), Elkhart Jazz Festival (2010), Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival (2009), Tri-C Jazz Festival (2009), The Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, Smalls Jazz Club, National Sawdust, among others. Hailey was part of Esperanza Spalding's Radio Music Society, touring the United States, Europe, Asia, Curaçao, and Cape Verde. Hailey has also appeared with the Ralph Peterson fo'tet and sextet, performing at the Pittsburg Jazz Festival, the Side Door Jazz Club, and Smalls Jazz Club in New York City. She is a member of the Wolff & Clark Expedition, a band formed by pianist, Michael Wolff, and drummer, Mike Clark, and was featured on their latest album, Wolff & Clark Expedition 2. Hailey has been a reoccurring guest soloist with The Soul Rebels Brass Band, and has performed with Demi Lovato on Saturday Night Live, and noise pop duo Sleigh Bells on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the Late Show with David Letterman. Hailey has released 3 album under her own name, Confeddie (2009), The Keeper (2012), and PDX Soul (2015).
Tickets available hereJazz Night featuring Tahirah Memory and Justin Copeland at The 1905
The 1905, 830 N Shaver St, Portland, OR 97227, USA
Ever relevant soul singer/songwriter Tahirah Memory is a Portland native. Born to a musician father, who would later win a Grammy, musical influence was present from inception. The 2015 release, of Tahirah’s debut “PRIDE”, created buzz amongst music lovers in Europe, topping the UK Soul Chart and garnering support elsewhere internationally.
Miss Memory has been heard and seen touring as a background vocalist for long time vocal icon KD Lang, collaborated extensively with soul singer Jarrod Lawson, and foremost heard as front-woman on her own successful tours abroad. Following the release of Tahirah’s 2nd album, “ASHA”, in 2019, she was nominated by SOULTRACKS for Best Female Vocalist, Best Album, and Best Song of 2019.
Currently, Tahirah can be seen showcasing her music live locally, as well as working on new music and professional writing endeavors behind the scenes. Most recently, Tahirah was featured in the 2022 PDX Jazz Fest, opening for headliner Robert Glasper, sang alongside Eric Benét at the 2022 Vanport Jazz Festival, and was an artist on the 2023 Capital Jazz Supercruise.
Late show: 10 PM (DOORS 9:45 PM) 21+
Artist: Justin Copeland
Tickets: $15
Justin Copeland is a trumpet player, pianist, educator and composer based out of the central valley city of Fresno, CA. He has been performing extensively as a professional musician for the past 10+ years all over the United States, and currently resides in the Chicago area.
Justin completed a B.A in Music Performance at California State University, Fresno in 2011, and subsequently an M.M in Jazz Studies at Northwestern University in June of 2013. Throughout the recent years he has had the privilege of performing with and learning from many world-class musicians, like saxophonist, composer, and educator, Victor Goines, trumpeter, educator and counselor, Dr. Michael Caldwell, trumpeter and educator, Brad Mason, saxophonist, composer/arranger, and educator Christopher Madsen, saxophonist and educator, Sherman Irby, trombonist Elliot Mason, drummer, composer/arranger and educator, Rich Derosa, legendary bassist and educator, Rufus Reid, legendary trombonist, Curtis Fuller, world renown jazz educator David Baker, and legendary saxophonist and educator, Nathan Davis. Currently Justin is pursuing a D.M.A in Jazz Studies at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Tickets available here
Mel Brown Trio at Salty's
Salty's on the Columbia River, 3839 NE Marine Dr, Portland, OR 97211, USA
Live Jazz Friday Nights Salty’s on the Columbia is thrilled to have live jazz performed by the magnificent Mel Brown Trio in our café dining room. This trio of world-class jazz players features Jof Lee on piano, Tim Gilson on bass, and Mel Brown on drums. Drummer Mel Brown is known as Portland’s ultimate timekeeper and ‘Mister Groove.’ An Oregon icon in jazz, Mel Brown has been labeled the ‘Gentleman of Jazz’, with a career spanning over 40 years. Mel first made his mark as a Motown staff drummer, recording and touring with Martha Reeves, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and others. He subsequently spent ten years working with Diana Ross and other pop acts before giving up the road in 1991 and returning home to his first love – jazz. This fabulous trio is a treasured part of the Salty’s family.Marilyn Keller with Ron Steen
de Fuego Grille, 12566 SE 93rd Ave, Clackamas, OR 97015, USA
Reservations recommended: www.defuegogrille.comMt. Hood Jazz Festival: PJCE and Third Angle Theatre present "D'Zama: The Musical Vagabond"
Mt. Hood Community College Bruning Center, 1484 NW Civic Dr, Gresham, OR 97030, USA
PortlandJazz Composers Ensemble (PJCE) and Third Rail Repertory Theatre (TRRT) willpresent the concert production of D’Zama: The Musical Vagabond at theMt. Hood Jazz Festival. Inspired by the life of the free-spirited andpioneering spirit of the little-known Oregon musician D’Zama Murielle, theconcert production will feature the TRRT cast alongside PJCE’s 12-memberensemble. Tickets for the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival can be found here.Soul'd Out Presents EDDIE MARTINEZ
The Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204, USA
Friday May 3rd Eddie Martinez returns to The Jack London Revue. Eddie’s discography reads like a who's who of Rock Royalty as well the soundtrack of the past 30 years. Born and raised in NY and being a first call studio guitarist and performer for years, you’ll find that Eddie’s credits include Robert Palmer, Mick Jagger, David Lee Roth to Steve Winwood, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, George Duke, Yoko Ono to Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Nona Hendryx, RUN DMC and Meat Loaf, just to name a few. Eddie has been a part of that eclectic Rock History. As always the mission is to raise the roof and the fact that Eddie makes Portland his home it's going to be an extra special show and party from start to finish!
Tickets available here2024 Mt. Hood Jazz Festival Steve Spiegl Big Band
Mt. Hood Community College Bruning Center, 1484 NW Civic Dr, Gresham, OR 97030, USA
teve Spiegl was born and raised in Southern California, where he attended Cerritos College and California State College at Long Beach. As a student, Steve wrote for and recorded with the Collegiate Neophonic Orchestra of Southern California, under the direction of Jack Wheaton, past president of the International Association of Jazz Educators, and studied trumpet privately under Carlton MacBeth, in Hollywood. In 1970 he became the chief arranger for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, arranging one Stan’s biggest hits, "Hey Jude" (from the Beatles), recorded on the "Live at Redlands University" album. In 1973, he won the Hollywood Radio and Television Society's International Broadcasting Award for writing the music for the "World's Best Broadcast Ad of the Year".
Steve was Director of Jazz Studies and Brass at Pepperdine University, Malibu, and published over 50 original compositions for school jazz bands with Maggio Music Press. In 1985 the Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corp used Steve's composition "Bacchanalia" as their opener for their winning performance at the Drum Corp International. Over 12,000 schools throughout the U.S. and Canada currently use Steve's compositions in their music programs.Tickets and more info available here
2024 Mt Hood Jazz Festival Camille Thurman
MHCC Theatre, &, NE Kane Dr & NE 29th St, 26000 SE Stark St, Gresham, OR 97030, USA
Remember the name Camille Thurman. As a composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and unique interpreter of the jazz tradition, she is quickly becoming one of the standard bearers for the form, making a considerable and dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while paying tribute to its heroes.
Fluid and powerful on the tenor saxophone and highly inventive as a vocalist, she also plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo. Her rich sax sound has been compared to Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, while her vocal approach—including an impressive scatting ability—has been classified alongside those of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter.
In a few short years, Thurman has shared stages with such jazz and R&B luminaries as George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO) featuring Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Charles Tolliver, Jack DeJohnette, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Hendricks, Harry Connick Jr., Jon Batiste, Audra MacDonald, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Louis Hayes, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrasson, Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, among others.
Tickets available here2024 Mt. Hood Jazz Festival Etienne Charles and Creole Soul
MHCC Theatre, &, NE Kane Dr & NE 29th St, 26000 SE Stark St, Gresham, OR 97030, USA
Trinidad born Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller, who is continuously searching for untold stories and sounds with which to tell them.
His lush trumpet sound, varied compositional textures and pulsating percussive grooves enable him to invoke trance, soothing and exciting listeners while referencing touchy and sometimes controversial subjects in his music.
A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow and 2022 Creative Capital Awardee, he researches his compositions by travelling to the regions on which he is focused, meeting with musicians and cultural leaders then observing and participating in rituals to be fully immersed into the cultures that he is studying.
As an Afro-descendant, his work is actively connecting the diaspora and drawing lines to regions at the roots of migrations. Highlighting marginalized communities and engaging with them has been his mission, evident with projects such as Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1, San Jose Suite, Creole Soul, and Folklore.
A firm believer in music and performance as a tool for provoking thought and dialogue, Charles’ themes speak to the status quo while drawing parallels to history. With his latest commissioned project, San Juan Hill, he goes a step further by exploring the storied New York neighborhood to bring the culture of San Juan Hill to the mainstage.
His concerts engage, enlighten, educate and enrich audiences with energized multidisciplinary performance utilizing original composition, thematic improvisation, dance, short films and spoken word to create a holistic experience.
Tickets available hereJazz Night featuring Joe Manis Trio and Noah Simpson at The 1905
The 1905, 830 N Shaver St, Portland, OR 97227, USA
Two Shows: 6 PM (DOORS 5 PM) All Ages | 8:15 PM (DOORS 7:30 PM) 21+
Artists: Joe Manis (tenor saxophone), Joe Bagg (organ), Charlie Doggett (drums)
Tickets: $20
Originally from Dexter, Oregon, Steeple Chase recording artist Joe Manis is a current faculty member at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College and is the Director of the Oregon Jazz Workshop. Recent Joe Manis Trio appearances include Fat Cat NYC, the Shedd Institute’s jazz series, Jimmy Mak's, Tula's, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, and the Montavilla Jazz Festival.
Manis has toured Europe as a duo and trio with David Friesen, where they recorded Structures, a live album. He also appears on Risky Notion (four stars & Best Albums of 2015, DownBeat Magazine) on Origin Records with George Colligan's Theoretical Planets. Manis has played with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, including a performance at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and appears on their album Rise Up! on Real World Records. He has also performed with the George Colligan Quartet, the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra, and the Ken Schaphorst Big Band. Manis’s live performance was recently featured on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, hosted by Christian McBride.
The recipient of a 2013 Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship, Manis has been published in JazzEd magazine and has presented jazz masterclasses across the country. He received a Master of Music in Jazz Studies-Performance with Academic Honor from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon. Additional studies were at the Eastman School of Music.
Late show: 10 PM (DOORS 9:45 PM) 21+
Artist: Noah Simpson
Tickets: $15
In the short time Noah Simpson has lived in Portland, he has established himself as one of the top trumpet players in the area. Receiving his grandfather’s cornet at the age of 6, his musical journey began, with major accomplishments throughout his younger years performing in his high school big band, his combo, and The Young Sounds Of Arizona.
In his collegiate years, Noah began establishing himself around the Phoenix area as both a leader and sideman. He was a long standing member of the Paradise Valley Community College Monday night big band, numerous Scottsdale Community College combos, as well as groups of his own. While attending SCC he had the privilege of studying with great local musicians such as Eric Rasmussen, Will Goble, and Fred Forney. After receiving the George Benson Honorary Scholarship, he attended Portland State University under the Brad Merserau scholarship while studying with George Colligan and Darrell Grant. As a recent college graduate, Noah is a fixture of the Portland Jazz community sharing his passion for Black American music throughout the west coast.
Noah has performed with renowned musicians such as Bernard Purdie, Lewis Nash, Alex Acuna, Jaleel Shaw, Sean Jones, and Dennis Rowland. In addition he has also toured around the country with groups such as Ron Artis II, Climbing Poetree, and Taina Asili.
Tickets available here