Portland Jazz Festival
The annual festival celebrates the rich local jazz scene and attracts international stars.
PDX Jazz Festival (from local music organization PDX Jazz) celebrates Black History Month with a series of concerts and events presented over two weeks every February. This celebration of improvised music returned Feb. 20–Mar. 1, 2020, bringing some of jazz’s greatest stars to over a dozen venues across Portland.
Dedicated to preserving America’s indigenous art form by presenting internationally recognized jazz masters alongside local musicians, this annual festival always includes education and outreach programs that extend into Portland’s schools and neighborhoods, as well as a generous offering of free performances.
“We strive to produce a festival that reflects the fabric of a vibrant jazz community … there is no city of a similar size in America that boasts such a wealth of talented artists as Portland.”
Portland Jazz Festival Managing Director Don Lucoff
The festival celebrated its 17th anniversary in 2020, highlighting musicians, composers and producers who “take chances” with their art. Featured musicians in 2020 were Mark de Clive-Lowe, Jaimie Branch, Ghost-Note and Liv Warfield, along with Portland-based acts like Blue Cranes, Jimmie Herrod and Brown Calculus. Additionally, the festival partnered with Portland State University to host two headline performances and jazz master-classes for students.
Couldn’t make it to the festival in 2020? PDX Jazz hosts special events and concerts year-round (visit their website to learn more).