2016 Lineup Set For Portland’s Biamp PDX Jazz Fest

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   2016 Lineup Set For Portland’s Biamp PDX Jazz Festival
Coltrane tributes, Charles Lloyd, Dianne Reeves and more
By JazzTimes
The 13th Annual Biamp PDX Jazz Festival will take place Feb. 18-28, with 30 featured concerts at venues throughout the Portland, Ore., metro region. This year's 11-day celebration will also boast the second annual Jazz Forward Competition, a high school competition drawing students throughout the western region. According to a press release, “In partnership with Portland State University, the JFC was created to establish a scholarship program in the tradition of other prestigious regional events held in Reno, Nev.; Monterey, Calif., and Moscow, Idaho. Finalists will compete in seven categories (two college level solo categories have been added) and the winners will receive main stage exposure. 

The thematic centerpiece performances for this year’s festival are two For Portland Only concerts featuring Ravi Coltrane in celebration of his father's 90th birthday and mother's influence and artistry. Friday, February 26, the Africa Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Charles Gray, will re-imagine the five singular pieces from John Coltrane's debut Impulse! sessions. Anchoring this performance is Philadelphia pianist Orrin Evans. On Feb. 27, Ravi will pay tribute to his mother, Alice Coltrane, in a program titled Universal Consciousness, featuring bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Geri Allen, harpist Brandee Younger and drummer Andrew Cyrille.

Coltrane's legacy will also be celebrated in special groupings through tribute projects: Gary Bartz (Coltrane Rules) and Javon Jackson/Jimmy Cobb (We FOUR); Olé Coltrane featuring the Bobby Torres Ensemble with special guest Azar Lawrence, the West Coast debut of Reggie Workman's RW WORKz, and a week-long residency of nightly Coltrane tributes from top Portland performers. 

Coltrane will also be explored through his association with Elvin Jones around a project titled Puttin' It Together, featuring Jones' sidemen Sonny Fortune and Azar Lawrence, led by Portland’sAlan Jones. The Festival will also pay homage to the Saxophone Summit, which originally featured Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and David Liebman and later Ravi Coltrane. Recast For Portland Only as the Saxophone Summit Supreme, the Orrin Evans Trio will be joined by JD Allen, Jimmy Greene and Devin Phillips. Allen will also collaborate on another program with Evans' Trio billed as The Classic Quartet.
Tickets are exclusively available to PDX Jazz members beginning October 4, and to the general public November 2.

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	2016 Lineup Set For Portland’s Biamp PDX Jazz Festival Coltrane tributes, Charles Lloyd, Dianne Reeves and more By JazzTimes The 13th Annual Biamp PDX Jazz Festival will take place Feb. 18-28, with 30 featured concerts at venues throughout the Portland, Ore., metro region. This year's 11-day celebration will also boast the second annual Jazz Forward Competition, a high school competition drawing students throughout the western region. According to a press release, “In partnership with Portland State University, the JFC was created to establish a scholarship program in the tradition of other prestigious regional events held in Reno, Nev.; Monterey, Calif., and Moscow, Idaho. Finalists will compete in seven categories (two college level solo categories have been added) and the winners will receive main stage exposure. The thematic centerpiece performances for this year’s festival are two For Portland Only concerts featuring Ravi Coltrane in celebration of his father's 90th birthday and mother's influence and artistry. Friday, February 26, the Africa Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Charles Gray, will re-imagine the five singular pieces from John Coltrane's debut Impulse! sessions. Anchoring this performance is Philadelphia pianist Orrin Evans. On Feb. 27, Ravi will pay tribute to his mother, Alice Coltrane, in a program titled Universal Consciousness, featuring bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Geri Allen, harpist Brandee Younger and drummer Andrew Cyrille. Coltrane's legacy will also be celebrated in special groupings through tribute projects: Gary Bartz (Coltrane Rules) and Javon Jackson/Jimmy Cobb (We FOUR); Olé Coltrane featuring the Bobby Torres Ensemble with special guest Azar Lawrence, the West Coast debut of Reggie Workman's RW WORKz, and a week-long residency of nightly Coltrane tributes from top Portland performers. Coltrane will also be explored through his association with Elvin Jones around a project titled Puttin' It Together, featuring Jones' sidemen Sonny Fortune and Azar Lawrence, led by Portland’sAlan Jones. The Festival will also pay homage to the Saxophone Summit, which originally featured Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and David Liebman and later Ravi Coltrane. Recast For Portland Only as the Saxophone Summit Supreme, the Orrin Evans Trio will be joined by JD Allen, Jimmy Greene and Devin Phillips. Allen will also collaborate on another program with Evans' Trio billed as The Classic Quartet. Tickets are exclusively available to PDX Jazz members beginning October 4, and to the general public November 2.