Montavilla Jazz Festival 2019 was a few months ago, but hearing the voices of these artists brings back vivid memories of all the music we heard that weekend. Like we’ve come to expect, the music was incredibly diverse and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. You’ll hear why that is as you listen to the artists talking about their work and about t…

On Saturday May 18th PJCE honors the late saxophonist and composer Jim Pepper in a concert at the Old Church. We’ll play music by Jim Pepper, Gordon Lee, and Glay Giberson, as well as music by our guest, hip hop artist and traditional singer and dancer 2 8 Tha Native, arranged by Farnell Newton and Stephanie Kitson. Jim Pepper, who identified with …

I talked with composer Ezra Weiss as two big projects of his go out into the world. First the release the studio recording of From Maxville to Vanport, featuring his music, and lyrics by S. Renee Mitchell sung by Marilyn Keller; and second, a concert taking place this Saturday, December 8th, 2018 at the Alberta Abbey featuring Ezra’s latest composi…

This is the second installment of a two-part series recapping the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival. This time I talk with Neil Mattson, MJF Executive Director, about how the festival went in terms of ticket sales, budgets, and attendance, you know, the stuff you can measure. And then we get into the intangible measures of the project’s success—the gut…

If you were at the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival on August 19th or 20th in Portland, OR, then you felt the excitement. But if you weren’t, I hope this episode will give you a taste of the music and the people that made the event special. Interviews with Shao Way Wu, saxophonist Idit Shner, KBOO radio personality Daniel Flessas, and the Saturday hea…

Trio Untold, with James Miley on piano and keyboards, Mike Nord on guitar and electronics, and Ryan Biesack on drums, is the thirty-third release on PJCE Records. It drops Friday September 14th. Stream and buy it at pjce.bandcamp.com.By Douglas Detrick, Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble

Ryan Meagher’s new album of “collective spontaneous composition” is called Evil Twin, and its the 32nd release on PJCE Records. You can hear the band perform live at the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival, on August 18th at 4:10 pm. Learn more and get your tickets at montavillajazzfest.com. The album drops August 17th. Stream and buy the album at pjce.b…

The Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble gives two world premiere performances of James Miley’s newest work “Watershed Suite.” This six-movement piece is inspired by distinctive bodies of water in the Oregon landscape, from the Tamolitch Pool to Oaks Bottom, capturing the spirit of each through music. James Miley joins PJCE Executive Director Douglas D…

The 31st release on PJCE Records is “Escape Route,” by Other Barry, a bionic power trio led by George Colligan on keyboards, with Micah Hummel on drums and Enzo Irace on guitar. Transcript: [Doug] PJCE Records artists Other Barry, a trio led by George Colligan, play at 2:50 pm, Saturday August 18th at the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival in Northeast …

Portland Center Stage is presenting “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill,” from May 26 to July 1 at The Armory in Portland’s Pearl District. Use the discount code “PJCE” for $10 off your ticket to any performance of this incredible production. And, don't miss a special concert featuring Portland-based singer-songwriter Jimmy Herrod with a sextet of…

“Nothin’ but white people and sheep,” is how one Maxville logger described the tiny town of Maxville, Oregon. Oregon's racist history is well-known, but we rarely hear from the people of color who thrived in spite of it. FROM MAXVILLE TO VANPORT celebrates the blue-collar African American experience in 20th century Oregon with new jazz, blues, R&B …

The Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble’s Grasshoppers Young Composers Program is now in its third year with six new students. Hear new music by these young artists March 25th, 2018 at The 1905 from 7 to 8 pm. An open composer’s jam session follows, and there’s no cover charge. Grasshoppers 2018 was sponsored by Vino Veritas wine bar in the Montavilla…

Frank Boyd's one-man show is a profane yet passionate "love letter to jazz." In this episode of Beyond Category, sponsored by Oregon Arts Watch, PJCE Executive Director Douglas Detrick interviews the show's creator, director and performer about this production staged as a live jazz radio broadcast.

Edna Vazquez joins the PJCE’s 12-piece jazz ensemble February 15th at the Old Church in Portland, February 16 at Mt Hood Community College in Gresham, and February 17th at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. If you get your ticket before they all sell out, you’ll hear the incredible passion she brings to every performance. Her energy is…

Andrew Oliver, co-founder of the PJCE, lives in London now, but back in 2008 he and a group of ambitious graduates of Portland State University staged the first concert in the group's history. Oliver didn't know what he was getting himself into, but we're glad he did. [Andrew] I was stupid enough to make a 501(c)3 without having any idea of what I …

This episode is a collection of interviews I did at the 2017 Montavilla Jazz Festival in Portland, Oregon, mostly August 20th. I talked to artists, festival leadership, and a few other members of the jazz community who helped make the event happen. And from what I heard, both in terms of the music and what people had to say about the festival, the …

Jasnam Daya Singh, a pianist and composer originally from Brazil, has composed a new piece for the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble called “Ektah: The Unity Project.” When Jasnam begins a new piece of music, he begins not with a melody in mind, but with a word. This helps to give the piece a purpose, and help him focus his attention on that purpose…

The 4th annual Montavilla Jazz Festival is August 19th and 20th, 2017. Get all the information at montavillajazzfest.com. This year’s festival features headliner Essiet Essiet with Sylvia Cuenca, the Rich Halley Five with Vinny Golia, the Blue Cranes, the David Friesen Quartet, and us, the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble playing new music by Jasna…

Andrew Durkin's "Breath of Fire" is out now on PJCE Records! This pianist and composer, who led the firebrand Industrial Jazz Group in concerts around the world, releases his first album in seven years. The meditative music is inspired by Durkin's yoga practice, which he has started as way to keep his body flexible, and his spirit engaged.…

Eddie Bond makes the unheard sounds of the bridges of Portland audible in his new composition for the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble's Oregonophony concerts April 13th at Willamette University in Salem, and April 15th at the Fremont Theatre in Portland.By Douglas Detrick, Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble

“Finding” is the title of saxophonist and composer Ian Christensen’s debut album, and it’s the twenty seventh release on PJCE Records. When Ian talks about getting lost in the music, he’s talking about what some people call a “flow state.” It’s the state of fulfillment you experience when you are completely absorbed in a task that you care about. F…

Portland singer/songwriters Catherine Feeny, Annalisa Tornfelt, Tahirah Memory, Johanna Warren, and Haley Heynderickx join our 12-piece jazz ensemble on original arrangements of their songs, October 29th at The Old Church at 7:30 pm. Curator Catherine Feeny talks about our guest artists.

Guitarist and composer Ryan Meagher’s fifth album is called Mist, Moss, Home. It’s a musical celebration of all things Oregon, the state he now calls home. Get the album at pjce.org.

George Colligan has composed a suite of new music for the PJCE. It's called "Fathers and Sons" and it's about family—George's answer to the question "how does one person go into another person?" Hear the new piece at the Montavilla Jazz Festival, Aug 20th in Portland, OR.

Holland Andrews, aka Like a Villain, joins the PJCE to perform her newest composition, "Deviate." Inspired by her work in the mental health field, the piece for her voice, electronics and clarinet explores the depths of human experience through the lens of trauma. Hear the new piece at the Portland Improv Summit, the summer festival of the Creative…

"Sound is all around us," says Portland Center Stage sound designer Casi Pacilio. She tells us some of the secrets of designing sound for the PCS production of Streetcar Named Desire happening May 14 to June 19, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. Use the discount code "PJCE" for $10 off your tickets!

The PJCE's first-ever student mentorship concert is February 20th, 2016! Meet our "grasshoppers," Devina Boughton and Andres Moreno, both high school students, and their professional mentors Kerry Politzer and Ezra Weiss, and hear them talk about the ups and downs of the mentorship process.

What kind of crazy does it take to launch a new jazz festival? Beyond Category host and producer Douglas Detrick interviewed the Montavilla Jazz Festival's Programming Director Ryan Meagher before the festival, and then interviewed musicians, staff, volunteers, and sponsors during the festival to produce this recap of this unique festival.…

Jessika Smith's hard-swinging big band music comes out on PJCE Records December 18th, 2015. With all the difficulty that went into composing and producing this album, the hardest part for Jessika was finding the confidence to write the first note. She found it and then some.

Marilyn Keller is one of Portland's favorite singers and storytellers in the jazz and gospel scenes. She shares her experience learning to express her heritage through music, and getting in touch with the strength of her ancestors.

The third installment of a special podcast series produced in partnership with Portland Center Stage and their production of Ain't Misbehavin'. Paul Knauls was the owner of one of North Portland's favorite nightclubs, the Cotton Club. He shares stories about the club's role in Portland jazz scene.

Writer, historian, and performer Lynn Darroch tells stories of the history and culture of jazz in the Pacific Northwest during the time of Fats Waller. This episode was produced by Andrew Oliver, recorded by Branic Howard, and features original music by Christopher Brown.

Pianist and composer Darrell Grant talks about his PJCE Records release "The Territory." How do you make it to the end of a big project? How will you recognize the end when you get there? This accomplished and creative composer shares what he's learned about making music in the Oregon territory.

Drummer Christopher Brown about his journeys across the world playing jazz, and finding his way back to Portland. This is the first episode of a special series sponsored by Portland Center Stage and their production of Ain't Misbehavin'.

Portland drummer Carlton Jackson shares stories about the Oregon Coast Jazz Party's freewheeling, joyful atmosphere. This episode was sponsored by the Oregon Coast Jazz Party, a three-day celebration of jazz in beautiful Newport, OR. Go to http://oregoncoastjazzparty.org to buy tickets and learn more.…

Darrell Grant, a skilled and accomplished composer, is premiering a new band at the Montavilla Jazz Festival that's playing his arrangements of pop tunes from the likes of Adele, Pharrell Williams, and Lorde. Why? "The idea is to create a vibration, wherein there is the opportunity for people to realize themselves."…

Episode Three of Beyond Category, the podcast of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. A close family friend of Barra's was rushed to the hospital the night before the band went into the studio to record this album, and this event had an impact on the music.

In Episode Two of Beyond Category, we introduce you to John Savage, one half of the avant world-jazz duo Cartridge. Their album, "Black Heron and the Spoonbill" will be available June 17th online and at their CD release show at Turn Turn Turn at 8pm in Portland.

In the first episode of the PJCE's new podcast Beyond Category, Andrew Durkin reveals his own personal coffee ceremony, and the traditional ceremony of Ethipoia that he learned about from his daughter's second grade report, that inspired his newest work for the PJCE Sextet.