February 21, 2014

In celebration of Black History Month, Portland is hosting its annual Jazz Festival! 

The nationally-recognized Portland Jazz Festival is dedicated to preserving America’s Jazz identity.  The event takes place all over Portland, with many performances in multiple venues throughout the city. At the heart of the program lie Jazz education and outreach programs for local schools and neighborhoods.

As Portland’s Arts & Culture Commissioner, Nick looks forward to seeing our own homegrown, Grammy Award-winning Esperanza Spalding, who will sing in a Spring Quartet along side Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, and Leo Genovese with Matt Fleeger. They will perform at the Portland’5 ArtBar & Bistro on Sunday, February 23, at 2 pm. The event is free.

PDX Jazz, the non-profit cultural arts organization that co-produces the festival also has year-round Jazz performances at the Mission Theater and Jimmy Mak’s. 

The festival goes until March 2. For more information about Portland Jazz Festival and its events, please visit the website.

Photo courtesy of the Portland Jazz Festival