The headliners for past Portland Jazz Festivals have included Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Dianne Reeves, Regina Carter, Charlie Haden, Patricia Barber, Eddie Palmieri, Gary Burton, Poncho Sanchez, Nicholas Payton, Miguel Zenon, Luciana Souza, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Joe Locke. There have also been hundreds of free performances, and the after-hours jam sessions are open to public participation.
Portland has had a thriving jazz scene since World War II, when thousands of African American laborers moved from the South to work in shipyards. When jazz began to grip the West Coast, the city was a stop for musicians traveling between two other jazz hubs, Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California.
Alaska Airlines reinvigorated the 2009 festival, which looked as though it would be canceled in late 2008 when its biggest sponsors pulled out due to the economic downturn. The 2009 festival, February 13th through the 22nd, will continue with its mix of regional and international acts, although in celebration of Blue Note Record’s 70th anniversary, each headliner will be a current or former Blue Note recording artist.
Below is the schedule for the 2009 Portland Jazz Festival headline concerts. Check the website for the full schedule.
- Friday, February 13, 7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - A Tale of God's Will (Requiem for Katrina) Terence Blanchard Quintet with full orchestra plus Gonzalo Rubalcaba Quintet
- Saturday, February 14, 2:00 pm, Portland Art Museum Ballroom - Joe Lovano's Us5 plus Jacky Terrasson
- Saturday, February 14, 7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - Dianne Reeves w/Oregon Symphony
- Saturday, February 14, 9:30 pm, Portland Art Museum Ballroom - John Scofield
- Sunday, February 15, 2:00 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - McCoy Tyner + Joe Lovano Quartet plus Don Byron Ivey-Divey Trio
- Sunday, February 15, 6:30 pm, Hilton Pavilion Ballroom - Lionel Loueke plus Judi Silvano
- Thursday, February 19, 7:30 pm, Old Church - Portland Jazz Orchestra
- Friday, February 20, 7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - Cassandra Wilson plus Jason Moran & The Bandwagon
- Saturday, February 21, 2:00 pm, Crystal Ballroom - Bobby Hutcherson plus Lou Donaldson
- Saturday, February 21, 7:30 pm, Newmark Theater - Patricia Barber plus Aaron Parks
- Sunday, February 22, 2:00 pm, Crystal Ballroom - Pat Martino plus Jane Bunnett & The Spirits of Havana
