Ron Steen on drums at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
This month’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival will feature two new events that benefit local food banks!
Pancake Brunch and Bloody Mary Challenge
Sunday morning, July 22nd, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Pancake Brunch
The Jazz Festival will host their first-ever Pancake Brunch from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. The cost is $7.00 for adults. Children accompanied by a paying adult eat for free. This will also be in Cathedral Park. Look for the tent with the Pancake Brunch sign.
Bloody Mary Challenge
Meanwhile, adults over 21 can build their own Bloody Mary between 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Deschutes Brewery Beer Garden. Cost is $8.00 per person. Tomato juice, garnishes, and a short of vodka will be provided. At 11:00 a.m. in the beer garden, six bartenders from Portland establishments will compete in front of a panel of judges for “Best of the Fest Bloody Mary” honors. This event is sponsored by Everett West and Tito’s Vodka.
Proceeds Benefit Local Food Banks
While admission to the festival itself is free, everyone is urged to bring two nonperishable food items. Donated non-perishable food and proceeds from the Pancake Brunch and Bloody Mary Challenge will benefit local food banks including:
Portland, Oregon, May 1, 2018 – The Jazz Society of Oregon’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival (CPJF) has announced its lineup of jazz, blues, R&B and soul performances for the three-day free event, Friday, July 20, Saturday July 21, and Sunday July 22, 2018, held in Cathedral Park under the historic St Johns Bridge in Portland.
“This is the 38 th consecutive year of the festival, which was started by a group of volunteers looking to commemorate the construction of spectacular Cathedral Park – one of the city’s most beautiful settings,” said Rita Rega, CPJF artistic director. “It has evolved into a celebration of Portland’s diverse music scene. It’s an ‘old Portland’ hang where everyone is welcome because it’s still free and still run by volunteers. It is also the longest-running community event in the Greater Portland area.”
In all, 15 jazz and blue bands will be performing. Youth groups open each day of the festival.
Friday afternoon and evening performances feature some of Portland’s top blues artists, including Norman Sylvester, Reggie Houston, Timothy James, and the NW Women Rhythm
and Blues.
Saturday is a showcase for the women of the Portland jazz community, featuring five female-led groups from the big band of Jessika Smith to the country swing of Becky Kilgore.
Sunday opens with a young jazz guitar hero and ends with a tribute to Ray Charles.
The CPJF planning committee is still looking for community sponsors and volunteers to fill a variety of positions. Sponsors may contact the festival planning committee by emailing
sponsors@jazzoregon.com. Also check Jazz Oregon website sponsorship page.
Allen Hinds playing at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
3-day performance schedule
Friday, July 20
5:00pm: Timothy James and the Portland Blues Revival – Strong vocals, instrumentals and arrangements got this talented group of young artists to the prestigious International Blues
Competition in Memphis in January this year.
6:00 pm: Reggie Houston – Former long-time band leader for Fats Domino and Charmaine Neville, Houston is a world-class artists of Blues, New Orleans Jazz and R&B.
7:30 pm: NW Women Rhythm and Blues – Sonny Hess brings together a powerful band of award-winning NW performers, including Joanne Broh, Lady Kat, Leah Hinchcliff, Kathryn Grimm and Kelly Pierce.
9:00 pm: Norman Sylvester Band, featuring Lenanne Miller & Renato Caranto – Show-stopping energy from Oregon Music Hall of Fame member, multiple CBA Muddy Award-winning, Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester and his 6-piece band.
Finale sees Timothy James and Taylor Newville join the “old dogs”.
Saturday, July 21
1:00 pm: Roosevelt High School Jazz Band under the direction of Jason Margolis.
2:30 pm: Becky Kilgore & the Cowhands (presented by JoBar)- Nationally recognized interpreter of the Great American Songbook, Kilgore brings her playful approach to Western swing and country with a taste of gypsy jazz. James Mason on fiddle, Doc Stein on Hawaiian steel guitar, Pete Lampe on upright bass.
4pm: Jessika Smith Big Band – Composer, saxophonist and music educator, Smith was lead alto saxophonist in the award-winning Oregon Jazz Ensemble and has performed at the Montreux, Vienne, Umbria and La Spezia jazz festivals. Here she has hand-picked 17 outstanding musicians from around the Northwest to fuel her powerhouse big band.
5:30pm: Catarina New & Brazilian Touch – Swedish-born saxophonist and vocalist, Catarina New’s sound is a perfect match for Brazil’s sultry Bossa Nova beat. Performing with her are some of Portland’s top Latin musicians, including her husband-percussionist Al Martin and Cuban born electric bassist Al Criado.
7pm: Quadraphonnes – This all-female saxophone quartet delivers both the sweetest harmonies and the hottest dance music. Spirited playing and dynamic vocals break all the boundaries of the usual sax quartet.
8:30pm: Tahira Memory – Following in the footsteps of her Grammy-winning father, Thara Memory, vocalist and band leader Tahira Memory is one of the most popular vocalists to come out of Portland. She has been praised as having “a love for old Soul, an open ear for all music, and a respect for current Rhythm & Blues.”
Sunday, July 22
1pm: Enzo Irace – Young composer-arranger, jazz guitarist and student of Dan Balmer.
2:30 pm: Under the Lake: On the heels of their success at this year’s PDX Jazz Festival, Under The Lake will satisfy those fans of funk, neo-soul and jazz with their groove and attitude. The 6-member group has four internationally-distributed albums.
4pm: Randy Porter Trio with Nancy King – Portland’s Randy Porter and Nancy King were both nominated for Grammys again this year and are two of the country’s best improvisers. They will take us on a trip through the music of Cole Porter, sampling the material from the recent release, “Porter Plays Porter”
5:30pm: David Evans Quartet – Portland saxophonist and clarinetist David Evans has shared the bandstand with Pete Fountain, B.B. King and Mose Allison, among others, but here he will lead his own quartet, including Randy Porter (piano), Tim Gilson (bass) and Charlie Doggett (drums).
7pm: Remembering Ray- Something audiences won’t experience anywhere else, this tribute to Ray Charles, “the father of Soul” is led by soul singer, Sean Holmes, and backed by Ray Charles sideman, saxophonist Dan Wilensky and organist King Louis.
Background – Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
This year marks the 38 th consecutive year of the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, which has been managed for the past five years by the Jazz Society of Oregon.
“This is a free, non-profit festival that provides the best jazz, blues, R&B and soul music from around the region to the greater Portland/Vancouver community,” said Rega. “In fact, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is both the longest-running free annual jazz festival west of the Mississippi – and Portland’s longest-running annual community event.”
About the Jazz Society of Oregon
The Jazz Society of Oregon is an all-volunteer non-profit organization 501(c)(3) whose mission is to promote the local jazz scene in Portland and the rest of Oregon. The Society supports jazz education, as well as fostering a greater appreciation of this thoroughly American art form. Information on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, including news on sponsorships, poster contest, volunteer opportunities and talent, can be found at Jazz Oregon.
Photo by Joe Alcala. Taken in 2016 of the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival in beautiful Cathedral Park.
Photo by Joe Alcala. Taken in 2016 of the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival in beautiful Cathedral Park.
The Jazz Society of Oregon’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival (CPJF) has finalized the lineup and schedule of jazz, blues, R&B, and soul performances for all three days of this year’s free event. Held in Cathedral Park, under the historic St. Johns Bridge in Portland, this is the 37th year for this annual event.
The CPJF was started by a group of volunteers looking to commemorate the construction of spectacular Cathedral Park — one of Portland’s most beautiful settings. It has evolved into a celebration of Portland’s diverse music scene. It is still free and still run by volunteers. In fact, this is the longest-running community event in the Greater Portland area.
Performers include both nationally recognized artists, such as Manuel Valera, Joe Powers, and Ezra Weiss, as well as local artists, including two youth groups.
Performance Schedule
Friday evening, July 14th
5 – 5:30 p.m. — United By Music North America: Professional musicians mentor a program for musically-talented people with developmental and intellectual challenges.
6 – 6:45 p.m. — Julie Amici: jazz singer Julie Yanko, blues bass player Dean Mueller with guitarist Dan Gildea, drummer Carlton Jackson and special guest Mary Kadderly.
7:15 – 8:15 p.m. — Rose City Kings: One of Portland’s top blues bands with 5 critically acclaimed albums, including last year’s A Love So Strong, which stayed 7 months on the Top 50 Blues Album chart.
8:45 – 10 p.m. — Andy Stokes: The Northwest’s “King of Soul”, with a smooth R&B style and gritty emotion.
Saturday afternoon and evening, July 15th
1 – 2 p.m. – Roosevelt High School Jazz Band: North Portland is home to this swinging group of student musicians.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – The Bylines Quartet: Song stylist Marianna Thielen and pianist Reece Marshburn write together and perform jazz-inspired, story-driven tunes.
4 – 5 p.m. – Midnight Serenaders: The hot, retro swing group, but very different from your grandparents’ swing; ukulele and Hawaiian steel guitar give them a Hawaiian accent.
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Shirley Nanette: Veteran Portland vocalist pays tribute to the late Ernestine Anderson in a quartet featuring tenor star Renato Caranto.
7 – 8 p.m. — Manuel Valera Trio: Grammy-nominated NYC-based, Cuban-born pianist-composer Valera plays his sophisticated blend of Latin and jazz, called Forma Nueva.
8:30 – 10 p.m. — Ural Thomas and the Pain: Thomas topped the soul charts in the 1960s, and a group of young Portland musicians brought him back to the live music scene. A showcase for vintage soul and funk that will get the audience dancing.
Sunday afternoon and evening, July 16th
1 – 2 p.m. – Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra Vanguard Alumni Band: Alumni from 16 years of PYJO bands mixed in with talented high school musicians perform Ellington, Coltrane, Woody Shaw and more.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Clay Giberson Quartet: One of the most sought-after sidemen in Portland, composer-pianist Giberson showcases his sensitive style of jazz.
4 – 5 p.m. – The Ezra Weiss Big Band: Composer-pianist Ezra Weiss leads some of the best players in town in Portland’s most popular homegrown big band.
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Joe Powers & Friends: Harmonica wizard and international Tango artist, Joe Powers, celebrates the music of his mentor Toots Thielemans.
7 – 8:15 p.m. – Michael Beatzilla Whitmore & The Store of Funk: A horn- driven blend of jazz, rock, soul, funk and R&B, this music is eminently danceable.
Background on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
This year marks the 37th consecutive year of the Cathedral Park jazz Festival, which has been managed for the past four years by the Jazz Society of Oregon.
This is a free, non-profit festival that provides the best jazz, blues, R&B, and soul music from around the region to the greater Portland/Vancouver community. In fact, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is both the longest-running free annual jazz festival west of the Mississippi and Portland’s longest-running annual community event.
Margie Smith
Managing Director
Volunteers Needed
The CPJF planning committee is still looking for community sponsors and volunteers to fill a variety of positions. Sponsors may contact the festival planning committee at sponsor@jazzoregon.com.
The Jazz Society of Oregon is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, 501(c)(3), whose mission is to promote jazz music in the Pacific Northwest. The Society supports jazz education as well as fostering a greater appreciation of this thoroughlyAmerican art form.
Information on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, including news on sponsorships, poster contest, volunteer opportunities and talent, can be found at the Jazz Society of Oregon website.
Background on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival