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Sean Aaron Cruz 1000 Nations

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a saxophone in a red velvet-lined case
i
Jim Pepper’s saxophone at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Credit: Avie Schnieder
Portland Events / Summer in Portland / September Events

The Jim Pepper Native Arts Festival

An annual festival honors this local Native American musician.

Editor's Pick
Updated June 7, 2022 1 min read Northeast Portland

Sean Aaron Cruz 1000 Nations

Editor's Pick
Northeast
This is a recurring event and we’re showing the details from its most recent past occurrence. We’ll update this page with future event info as soon as we get it. Please check back!
When
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019
Free
Where
Parkrose High School
12003 N.E. Shaver St.
Portland, OR 97220

The Jim Pepper Native Arts Festival

Founded in 2013 to increase access to music education and honor this remarkable musician’s legacy, Jim PepperFest: The Jim Pepper Native Arts Festival is held annually at Parkrose High School in late September.

Featuring daytime and evening festivities, the free event celebrates Native American culture and Jim Pepper’s musical legacy. The festival is open to the public and takes place outdoors with dancing on the lawn and Mount Hood views.

Who is Jim Pepper?

A smiling man holding a saxaphone
Jim Pepper

Jim Pepper (1941–1992), who was of Kaw/Creek heritage, grew up in Portland. His Kaw Indian name Hunga-che-ada translates to Flying Eagle. He became a tenor and soprano saxophone player, composer and bandleader of international significance, creating a unique, innovative body of work that continues to inspire and influence musicians and attract audiences across the United States, throughout Indian Country, and Europe.

Founded in 2013 to increase access to music education and honor this remarkable musician’s legacy, the Jim Pepper Native Arts Festival is held at Parkrose High School in late summer.

His song “Witchi Tai To” is the only song based upon a Native American chant to break into the Top 40. He is one of the very few saxophonists in history to create an unmistakable original “sound” on the instrument. His compositions have drawn the interest of major composers the world over, including David Amram and Gunther Schuller, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Jim Pepper’s tenor saxophone is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of the American Indian, and among his many honors are his induction into the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame and the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

Cultural Communities, Festivals, Music

Native American Community

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