The Montavilla Jazz Festival kicks off its 2025 performances on August 29th with ticketed events throughout the neighborhood and in various locations around Portland’s Eastside. However, the music celebration is not limited to indoor and outdoor music venues. The group worked with Montavilla businesses to create “Village Partner Events” in Montavilla’s Historic Downtown and along NE Glisan Street. People can visit those establishments all three weekend nights to take in Jazz without a festival ticket.
On Friday, August 29th, the Academy Theater will play Spike Lee’s 1990 movie “Mo’ Better Blues” at 4 p.m. Then Replicant Beer & Wine PDX will feature performances by Edad del Pavo at 6 p.m. and DJ Joe Ball at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 30th, Replicant Beer & Wine PDX will feature a Clackamas CC Duo at noon, with the Spy Mohr Trio on stage at 5:30 p.m. and DJ Papa Warrior at 7:30 p.m. Threshold Brewing & Blending will start hosting performances at 3 p.m. with Shiloh Rush. Then they feature Swingin’ Sounds Jam at 5 p.m. People can continue the fun by visiting Montavilla Brew Works at 6 p.m. to hear MHCC Hogan Street Combo, and then hop over to Vino Veritas Wine Bar and Bottle Shop for a 7 p.m. show from a PSU Student Combo.
The Academy Theater will offer repeat showings of “Mo’ Better Blues” at 1 p.m. on the weekend and then on Sunday, August 31st, Replicant Beer & Wine PDX will host another Clackamas CC Duo at noon. Starting up again at 4 p.m. that evening, they will feature Thilo Kluth Trio, followed by DJ Sanjo at 6 p.m. Threshold Brewing & Blending has Eli Amundson performing at 1 and 3 p.m., followed by Swingin’ Sounds Jam at 5 p.m. Montavilla Brew Works will host the MHCC Kane Street Combo at 6 p.m. and at 7 p.m., a second PSU Student Combo will play at Vino Veritas Wine Bar and Bottle Shop.
Event organizers hope that anyone interested in enjoying the Montavilla Jazz Festival will have the opportunity to find a performance that suits their schedule and preferred venue. People should visit montavillajazz.org to view detailed information or to purchase tickets.
The 10th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival begins this Friday, September 1st, and runs through the 3rd. This weekend’s music celebration expands beyond the neighborhood’s borders with five venues and a livestream. For the first time in its ten years, the festival will feature two free outdoor concerts in the Mt. Tabor Park Caldera Amphitheater, starting at 6 p.m. on opening night.
The 2023 Montavilla Jazz Festival starts with the Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra Vanguard Combo at Vino Veritas Wine Bar & Bottle Shop. This all-ages show starts at 4 p.m. and features Youth Jazz Orchestra alums, professionals, band directors, and college students alongside accomplished high school musicians. Festivities shift up the mountain to hear Vestal Stories with the Mary-Sue Tobin Sextet in the Caldera Amphitheater. This first free concert in the Mt. Tabor Park series features Montavilla Jazz’s Artist In Residence at Vestal Elementary School Mary-Sue Tobin.
Following that performance, the second park concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with Views of an Urban Volcano. Composers Cyrus Nabipoor, Kirsten Volness, and James Powers will premiere jazz inspired by Portland’s unique formerly volcanic natural space, Mt. Tabor Park. The 12-member Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble will perform the new works based on a year of research and community engagement.
The Montavilla Jazz Festival continues after that with an already sold-out 11:30 p.m. show at The 1905 jazz club. A donation-based livestream is still available. People interested in reserving a spot at the free shows or purchasing tickets to the other events should visit the Montavilla Jazz website, montavillajazz.org, or look for links at the bottom of this article.
4:00PM – Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra Vanguard Combo
MJF Student Stage at Vino Veritas Wine Bar & Bottle Shop – Make all-ages reservations here. Breakout student performers take center stage. Read more.
6:00PM – Vestal Stories: Mary-Sue Tobin Sextet
Mt. Tabor Park Caldera Amphitheater – FREE! (RSVP) ADA parking and accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Celebrating where we come from and the joy around us, this project is the culmination of a collaboration between Montavilla Jazz, Portland State University’s Artist as Citizen Initiative, and Vestal Elementary. Read more. ASL interpretation provided.
7:30PM – Views of an Urban Volcano with Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble
Mt. Tabor Park Caldera Amphitheater – FREE! (RSVP) ASL interpretation provided. ADA parking and accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Composers Cyrus Nabipoor, Kirstin Volness, and James Powers premiere new jazz inspired by Portland’s beloved greenspace and extinct cinder cone, Mt. Tabor Park, performed by Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble’s 12-member band. Read more.
11:30PM – Charlie 3rown Quartet
The 1905 – Tickets $15-20SOLD OUT! – LIVESTREAM Riding the edge of multiple genres, the Charlie 3rown Quartet’s creations use their diverse experiences and influences to take listeners to the brink. Read more.
Saturday September 2nd
2:00PM – George Colligan: The Phyllis Wheatley Project featuring Zyanna
Portland Metro Arts – Tickets $5-30 – LIVESTREAM ADA parking and accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Phyllis Wheatley was the first African American poet to be published in the United States. George Colligan sets her poetry to music. Read more.
5:00PM – Ryan Meagher, Ralph Alessi, Peter Epstein, and Mark Ferber
Portland Metro Arts – Tickets $5-30 – LIVESTREAM ADA parking and accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Prominent Portland guitarist Ryan Meagher assembles a team of eminent improvisers to mine their decade-long creative relationships. Read more.
6:00PM – Mt. Hood Community College Student Combo
MJF Student Stage at Vino Veritas Wine Bar & Bottle Shop – Make all-ages reservations here. Breakout student performers take center stage. Read more.
8:00PM – Darrell Grant’s Piano in the Dark with special guest Billy Childs
Alberta Rose Theatre – Tickets $5-45 Accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Chasing the magic of the unexpected, Darrell Grant curates ephemeral encounters at and beyond the keyboard melding tradition and innovation. Read more.
11:30PM – Nicole McCabe Quartet
The 1905 – Tickets $15-20 – LIVESTREAM McCabe’s Los Angeles-based band plays music from her recent album Landscapes released on the Spanish label Fresh Sounds New Talent. Read more.
Sunday September 3rd
2:00PM – Domo Branch and Branchin’ Out
Portland Metro Arts – Tickets $5-30 – LIVESTREAM ADA parking and accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Branch and company are on a mission to heal, motivate, and inspire through the trance of original and arranged music. Read more.
4:00PM – Jam Session Hosted by Alan Jones Academy of Music
The 1905 – Tickets $15-20 Local artist hone their craft in the traditional jam session format hosted by AJAM instructors. Read more.
5:00PM – Tim Willcox Quartet featuring Chuck Israels
Portland Metro Arts – Tickets $5-30 – LIVESTREAM ADA parking and accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Tim Willcox’s saxophone “sings and, at times, broods passionately and inventively” into the original works of his ensemble of local heavyweights. Read more.
6:00PM – Portland State University Combos
MJF Student Stage at Vino Veritas Wine Bar & Bottle Shop – Make all-ages reservations here. Breakout student performers take center stage. Read more.
8:00PM – Alan Jones Quartet featuring Tivon Pennicott, Kevin Hays and Joe Martin
Alberta Rose Theatre – Ticket $5-45 Accessible seating available, email accessibility@montavillajazz.org to reserve. Festival headliner Alan Jones assembles a dream team of award-winning talent for a concert of original music designed to inspire and challenge. Read more.
11:00PM – Frank Irwin’s Aurora Septet
The 1905 – Tickets $15-20 – LIVESTREAM Blending chamber orchestration with improvisation and modal groove, Aurora Septet paints a beautiful landscape of self-discovery. Read more.
Beginning in March, Montavilla Jazz and Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (PJCE) will host informative events revealing Mt. Tabor’s history in relationship to marginalized communities and examining its current influence. Three composers will use these events to create new musical works performed at the 2023 Montavilla Jazz Festival’s free public concert held in Mt. Tabor Park on September 1st, 2023. The three-part series is titled Views of an Urban Volcano and is free to attend with advanced registration.
Views of an Urban Volcano will take place Sunday, March 5th, at 2 p.m. at the Oregon Historical Society, Saturday, March 18th, at 4 p.m. at Taborspace’s Copeland Commons, and Saturday, April 15th, at 10:30 a.m. in Mt. Tabor Park. The composers, currently being selected through a panel review process, will attend each event to build a shared understanding of this iconic park’s role in the city. They will use those experiences to craft musical pieces that the 12-member PJCE group performs at the 10th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival. Community participation is needed to feed this creative process. The organizers encourage people to register now to reserve free tickets to the events.
The event features a panel discussion on the history and impacts of Mt. Tabor Park from the perspectives of Portland’s Chinese, Black, and Indigenous communities from 1896–2020. Light refreshments will be available. Panelists include Hap Pritchard, Board Member, Friends of Mt. Tabor Park; David Harrelson, Cultural Resources Department manager and member of The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; Darrell Millner, Professor Emeritus of Black Studies at Portland State University; and Dr. Marie Wong, Professor Emerita, Seattle University Institute of Public Service, Asian Studies, and Public Affairs.
An open forum for lovers of Mt. Tabor Park to share their own stories about its significance with the composers. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the selected composers and project leads and contribute to the community-driven creative process.
Led by Friends of Mt Tabor Park, this 90-minute guided tour of the park will begin at the Mt. Tabor Visitor Center and highlight historical and cultural points of interest and the park’s impressive vistas. Participants should dress for the weather and bring their questions.
Views of an Urban Volcano is presented in partnership with Friends of Mt. Tabor Park and the Oregon Historical Society with support from Oregon Cultural Trust and Regional Arts and Culture Council.
Starting this Friday, August 19th, the annual Montavilla Jazz Festival returns with in-person music performances. The three-day festival showcases emerging and established Portland jazz artists in four venues. Tickets are on sale now, with select shows live-streamed from the Portland Metro Arts stage.
Venue tickets range from $5-35 per concert, sold through tickettomato.com. Event organizers offer discounts for advance purchases, students, and Arts for All eligible patrons. However, reduced pricing is only available for some concerts. A limited quantity of day passes for Portland Metro Arts performances on Saturday and Sunday cost $50-60, and all-access festival passes are available for $155-185. Event staff will stream the six concerts at Portland Metro Arts for free on the montavillajazz.org website with a suggested donation amount.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Montavilla Jazz relies on local business support, donors, and volunteers. Those contributions, along with ticket sales and support from other organizations, make the annual arts event possible. The Montavilla Jazz Festival is presented this year by OnPoint Community Credit Union, Mr. Plywood, and The Skanner News.
This weekend’s shows will provide a unique opportunity to experience some of Portland’s favorite jazz musicians. This exhibition continues to grow each year, working towards a large celebration in 2023. A recent investment of $18,730 from the Oregon Cultural Trust will support a considerable portion of next year’s event, including the Montavilla Jazz Festival’s 10th-anniversary concert at Mt Tabor park. Participating in this year’s concerts will help grow the organization and ensure the 10th anniversary is a huge success.
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The eighth annual Montavilla Jazz Festival returns this year as a three-day hybrid event. Attendees can participate in live-streamed concerts by local artists and view the premiere screening of Call + Response. Unlike previous years, the festival is free to view online or at designated screening locations.
Farnell Newton headlines this year’s Montavilla Jazz Festival, running from August 20th to the 22nd. Performances held at Portland Metro Arts will live stream to select locations in Montavilla and around Portland. Limited in-person tickets are available through Ticket Tomato.
This year more jazz fans have an opportunity to participate in the annual event, as the hybrid nature makes it infinitely accessible to all interested Portlanders. This long-running tradition supports and strengthens local music culture, enriching the community by showcasing the best of Portland jazz. This year, both enthusiastic fans and casual appreciators of music can take part in the celebration. Review the schedule below for more information and to plan your attendance.
Friday, August 20th
9:00 – Montavilla Jazz Film Night
Call + Response plus Blue Cranes film premieres screening outdoors at Portland Art Museum Courtyard Links: Project page, Facebook event
Saturday, August 21st
4:00 – Ryan Meagher: AftEarth
Lineup: Ryan Meagher, guitar and compositions; Tim Willcox, tenor sax; Andrew Jones, bass; Charlie Doggett, drums; Tina Granzo, drawings and animations. Links: Artist page, Facebook event, watch this show! Limited in-person tickets available here
5:30 – Call + Response (film)
Participants: Micah Hummel, music + Jeff Oliver, film; Noah Simpson, music + Shilpa Sunthankar, film; Idit Shner, music + Deejuliano Scott, film. Links: Project page, Facebook event, watch this show!
7:00 – Rebecca Sanborn
Lineup: Rebecca Sanborn, voice and compositions; Randy Porter, piano; Jon Shaw, bass; Ji Tanzer, drums Links: Artist page, Facebook event, watch this show! Limited in-person tickets available here
Sunday, August 22nd
4:00 – George Colligan: Fredson the Jeffy
Lineup: George Colligan, piano and compositions; Lisa Lipton, clarinet; Micah Hummel, drums. Links: Artist page, Facebook event, watch this show! Limited in-person tickets available here
5:30 – Call + Response (film)
Participants: Micah Hummel, music + Jeff Oliver, film; Noah Simpson, music + Shilpa Sunthankar, film; Idit Shner, music + Deejuliano Scott, film. Links: Project page, Facebook event, watch this show!
7:00 – Farnell Newton Quintet
Lineup: Farnell Newton, trumpet and compositions; Kyle Molitor, trombone; Ryan Meagher, guitar; George Colligan, organ; Andres Moreno, drums. Links: Artist page, Facebook event, watch this show! Limited in-person tickets available here
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