It's the 37th annual! Friday, July 14 through Sunday July 16...free.
Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is one of the most delightful festivals of the year. How could it not be? It's on the Willamette under the St. John's Bridge and it's full of great music. It's run, these days by the Jazz Society of Oregon and it's got Jazz, Soul and Blues!
And it's FREE!
OMN is a media sponsor again. Here's the lineup.
Friday evening, July 14
5-5:30pm - United By Music North America: Professional musicians mentor a program for musically-talented people with developmental and intellectual challenges.
6-6:45pm - Julie Amici: jazz singer Julie Yanko, blues bass player Dean Mueller with guitarist Dan Gildea, drummer Carlton Jackson and special guest Mary Kadderly.
7:15-8:15pm - 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 pm - Andy Stokes: The Northwest’s “King of Soul”, with a smooth R&B style and gritty emotion.
Saturday afternoon & evening, July 15
1-2pm – Roosevelt High School Jazz Band: North Portland is home to this swinging group of student musicians.
2:30-3:30pm – The Bylines Quartet: Song stylist Marianna Thielen and pianist Reece Marshburn write together and perform jazz-inspired, story-driven tunes.
4-5 pm – 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 pm – Shirley Nanette - Veteran Portland vocalist pays tribute to the late Ernestine Anderson in a quartet featuring tenor star Renato Caranto.
7-8 pm - Manuel Valera Trio: Grammy-nominated NYC-based, Cuban-born pianist-composer Valera plays his sophisticated blend of Latin and jazz, called Forma Nueva.
8:30-10pm - 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 & evening, July 16
1-2 pm – 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 pm – Clay Giberson Quartet: One of the most sought-after sidemen in Portland, composer-pianist Giberson showcases his sensitive style of jazz.
4-5 pm – 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 pm – Joe Powers & Friends: Harmonica wizard and international Tango artist, Joe Powers, celebrates the music of his mentor Toots Thielemans.
7-8:15 pm – Michael Beatzilla Whitmore & The Store of Funk: A horn- driven blend of jazz, rock, soul, funk and R&B, this music is eminently danceable.