As a company, Biamp is committed to connecting people through extraordinary audiovisual experiences. This mission includes supporting other organizations with a similar passion. In that spirit, we are delighted to once again serve as the title sponsor for the PDX Jazz Festival, a multi-venue series of concerts presented each February in Portland, Oregon.
Nationally and regionally supported as a cultural tourism initiative in celebration of Black History Month, the PDX Jazz Festival is dedicated to preserving a truly American art form by presenting internationally recognized masters alongside local musicians. Featuring 10 days of electrifying performances from acclaimed masters and players on the rise, the 2022 Biamp PDX Jazz Festival will be held at venues throughout the Rose City, providing concertgoers with numerous opportunities to enjoy live music once again.
Below are just some of the highlights music lovers can look forward to at this year’s festival:
RON CARTER TRIO + THE CHUCK ISRAELS ORCHESTRA
Fri., Feb. 18, 2022
7:00 PM
Newmark Theatre
Among the most prolific and influential bassists in jazz history, Ron Carter has more than 2,200 albums to his credit, an accomplishment honored in the 2015 Guinness Book of World Records. He has recorded with greats including Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, and the Kronos Quartet, to name but a very few.
From 1963 to 1968, Ron was a member of the classic and acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He was named Outstanding Bassist of the Decade by the Detroit News, Jazz Bassist of the Year by Downbeat magazine, and MVP by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He earned two Grammy awards, one in 1993 for Best Jazz Instrumental Group, and another in 1998 for Call Sheet Blues from the film Round Midnight.
In 2014, Ron received the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, France’s premier cultural award, by the French Minister of Culture. He teaches frequently at master classes around the world, and has received five honorary doctorates, most recently from The Juilliard School.
Sat., Feb. 19, 2022
9:00 PM
Holocene
MNDSGN, aka Ringgo Ancheta, was born in San Diego, raised in the southern region of New Jersey, and is currently based in Los Angeles. The youngest of four in a family of Filipino descent, Ringgo grew up in a household where the love and appreciation for music was always synonymous. Self-discovery began with illustrating the world through drawing and b-boying which then evolved into a deeper appreciation for music as his older brother introduced him to rap music and beat production at a pivotal age.
MNDSGN began exploring these questions on his Stones Throw debut Yawn Zen (2014), which he followed up with Body Wash (2016), an album that drew heavily on ’80s R&B and boogie, approached from a psychedelic, cosmic angle. Raw, mixtape-style records Snax and Snaxx followed in 2018 and 2019, along with the self-released Gonna B OK.
In the fall of 2018, Ringgo began building on dreams and sketches of songs that would later form new record Rare Pleasure. Rare Pleasure brings together the music that has inspired MNDSGN over the years — R&B, soundtrack music, psychedelia and jazz — into a rich, expansive record.
Wed., Feb. 23, 2022
8:00 PM
Jack London Revue
Sasha Berliner is a musician, composer, producer, and band leader from San Francisco now based in New York since 2016. Sasha released her debut alternative jazz album, “Azalea”, nominated for JazzTimes 2019 Readers’ Poll’s “Best New Release”, and featured by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the New York Times.
She has performed at NYC Winter Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, The Blue Note, Montreal Jazz Festival, and National Sawdust and has been featured by The SF Jazz Education Center, PBS News Hour, NPR, and The New York Times for both her musicianship and her activism.
In addition to touring internationally with Sasha Berliner Azalea, her recent notable performances and recordings have been with Tyshawn Sorey, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, and Quincy Davis. She is a faculty member at the MalletLab percussion intensive, where she gives masterclasses and clinics, as well as previously at esteemed universities like MSU Denver and Berklee College of Music.
THE SOUL REBELS and NATE SMITH + KINFOLK
Fri., Feb. 25, 2022
9:00 PM
Stage 722
The Soul Rebels are riding high, receiving national attention with recent performances with Katy Perry and DMX, and featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk series, a debut late night TV appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and a headlining set at the TED Conference. Their explosive stage presence has led to live collaborations with the likes of: Nas, Macy Gray, Portugal. The Man, Robert Glasper, Pretty Lights, Talib Kweli, GZA, Macklemore & Lewis, Mobb Deep, Raekwon, Metallica, among many others, and supporting Lauryn Hill and Nile Rodgers.
The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock all within a brass band context. The band has built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in a deep pocket funk party-like atmosphere.
Click here to view the full event schedule.