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  • Attractions
    • View All Attractions
    • Attractions Open Now
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    • EVEN MORE THINGS TO DO
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    • Arts
    • Beer
    • Biking
    • Cannabis
    • Cultural Communities
    • Craft Spirits
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    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Outdoors
    • Sports
    • Weird
    • Wine
    • MORE CULTURE
  • Neighborhoods
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    • Alberta Arts District
    • Belmont
    • Central Eastside
    • Division/Clinton
    • Downtown
    • Hawthorne
    • Lloyd
    • Mississippi
    • Northwest / Nob Hill
    • Old Town Chinatown
    • Pearl District
    • St. Johns
    • Sellwood-Moreland
    • Williams
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  • Region
    • View All Region
    • Near the City
    • Columbia River Gorge
    • Mount Hood
    • Oregon Coast
    • Willamette Valley
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Oregon Arts Watch

Local jazz legend Mel Brown drums up a storm with his combo The Mel Brown Quartet. Local jazz legend Mel Brown drums up a storm with his combo The Mel Brown Quartet.
i
Local jazz legend Mel Brown drums up a storm with his combo The Mel Brown Quartet.
Culture / Music

Portland Jazz

Saturated in black coffee and rain, Portland is a perfect percolator for another acquired taste: jazz.

Updated Sept. 10, 2020 3 min read

Oregon Arts Watch

Saturated in black coffee and rain, Portland is a perfect percolator for another acquired taste: jazz. Many jazz players call this region home and find the city’s low-key atmosphere inspiring. In Portland, it’s pretty easy to find small venues hosting intimate combos of world-class talent, or bigger, more boffo live shows that still “got that swing.”

Veteran pianist and composer Dave Frishberg, who’s written songbook classics like “Peel Me A Grape” and “I’m Hip,” still gigs regularly (at age 80).

Jazz Festivals

For two weeks every February, the PDX Jazz Festival spotlights the best local talents and welcomes a fleet of jazz-world luminaries to Portland. This is easily the city’s most active jazz season. After a decade of jazz curation, however, the PDX Jazz organization has expanded its efforts into year-round support of the jazz scene. Check their calendar anytime for a solid show recommendation.

The Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, founded in 1981, the longest-running free jazz festival west of the Mississippi, is held beneath North Portland’s majestic St. Johns Bridge in Cathedral Park every July.

In August, pay homage to a historic Northwest legacy the Vanport Jazz Festival, which commemorates the pioneering musicians who established Portland as a true jazz city in the wake of the tragic Vanport Flood of 1948.

Across the river from Portland, the Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival draws national and regional acts to its outdoor, waterfront setting each August.

Venues of Note

Visitors to Portland can find regular jazz offerings at Wilfs. Downtown’s Bijou Cafe also features a Friday night dinner show series drawing local legends and others. For a classic speakeasy vibe, descend into the basement of the Alder Building to the Jack London Revue.

In Northeast Portland, Tony Starlight’s keeps the beat for lounge and jazz acts. At 1905 you’ll find live local jazz artists and special guests almost every night of the week.

Music Festivals

More music
Catch live performances all week long during Portland\'s annual Jazz Festival, which draws musicians from around the city and the world together.

Portland Jazz Festival

The Portland Jazz Festival returns every February with a stellar series of concerts and events celebrating Black History Month.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Erykah Badu headlined the 2018 Soul\'d Out Festival.

Soul’d Out Music Festival

Whether you’re a lifelong soul fan or hunting for your new favorite band, Portland’s annual Soul’d Out Music Festival delivers.

The Waterfront Blues Festival draws crowds every Fourth of July weekend.

Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival

Every Fourth of July weekend, the Waterfront Blues Festival takes over downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.

Grammy Winners

“City of Roses” is both another name for Portland and the name of Grammy-winning jazz hit by Portlander Esperanza Spalding. Spalding, a young jazz bassist and composer that David Letterman once dubbed his “coolest guest,” became a figurehead for new jazz in Portland — and indeed the world — after her shocking 2011 “Best New Artist” Grammy win over Justin Bieber.

5 To Try

Jazz Venues in Portland

Sit back and listen to local and visiting jazz musicians at these live music venues.

  • The 1905

    Classy yet affordable, The 1905 features craft cocktails, artisanal pizza and an event calendar featuring live jazz music, karaoke, jam sessions and DJs.

  • The Tony Starlight Show

    Tony Starlight brings a Vegas-style dinner show to Portland. Live music, comedy, dinner and local beer, spirits and wine make this a great destination. Tony’s musical comedy performances range from tributes to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, the Copa.

  • Jack London Revue

    The Jack London Revue is located in the basement of a historic downtown building — it delivers a classic speakeasy feel in an intimate setting, and features some of Portland’s best jazz musicians.

  • Bijou Cafe

    Bijou Cafe has been serving Portland since 1978. It’s a breakfast standby whose specialties include Netarts Bay oyster hash and brioche French toast.

  • Wilfs Restaurant

    Located at Union Station, this family-owned restaurant and bar hosts live, local jazz. They offer a contemporary take on the classic American menu, with ingredients sourced locally whenever possible.

Other Notables

The Jazz Society of Oregon’s Hall of Fame helps keep a record of jazz luminaries (of Memory’s general ilk) from the region’s present and past. Many of these inductees are still active around Portland.

Veteran pianist and composer Dave Frishberg, who’s written songbook classics like “Peel Me A Grape” and “I’m Hip,” still gigs regularly (at age 80) in small clubs with singer Rebecca Kilgore. Drummer Mel Brown, a near contemporary, is also still kicking, playing regular sets with his combo The Mel Brown Quartet. Portland was also home to the late Native American jazz saxophonist Jim Pepper, whose work is commemorated in the Jim Pepper Native Arts Festival, held each August.

African American Community

With a diverse range of organizations and businesses, Portland’s African American community provides visitors with resources and a friendly welcome.

Read more

Pink Martini, one of the highest-profile jazz/pop crossover bands of the last decade, is based in Portland but travels all over the globe. The Shanghai Woolies, a Pink Martini “hot jazz” offshoot, more regularly make the rounds in P-town. Growing jazz-rooted acts with broad appeal include Ben Darwish and Trio Subtonic.

Portland’s preeminent vaudeville acts also favor a jazzy live accompaniment. Vagabond Opera and Wanderlust Circus each play polka-flavored gypsy jazz and put on a glitzy, cheeky live show full of dancing, dialogue and various cirque-burlesque feats.

Jazz Radio

Portland radio listeners are lucky to have access to a dedicated nonprofit jazz radio station that plays the pantheon, from swing to soul. KMHD Jazz Radio broadcasts at 89.1 FM from Mt. Hood Community College in collaboration with Oregon Public Broadcasting.

African American, Cultural Communities, Music

Elsewhere Online

Jazz Society of Oregon

PDX Jazz

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