In 2016, David Stuckey of

Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...

wrote, "In the 1940s and '50s, Portland's jazz scene was a mixture of cultural progression and intense audio experience." In 2019, ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' described

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

scene as "constantly shifting" and said, "It often feels like the fate of Portland jazz hangs in the balance."

Venues

Jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is license ...

s in Portland have included

Blue Monk This is a list of compositions by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. 0-9 52nd Street Theme A contrafact based loosely on rhythm changes in C, and was copyrighted by Monk under the title "Nameless" in April 1944. The tune was also called "Bip Bop" ...

, Brasserie Montmartre,

Cotton Club The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue (1923–1936), then briefly in the midtown Theater District (1936–1940).Elizabeth Winter"Cotton Club of Harlem (1923- )" Blac ...

, The Dude Ranch, Club Acme,

Jack London Revue The Jack London Revue is a jazz club in Portland, Oregon, United States. The venue is beneath the Rialto Poolroom Bar and Cafe at the intersection of Southwest Fourth Avenue and Southwest Alder Street in downtown Portland. The Jack London Revue op ...

, and

Jimmy Mak's Jimmy Mak's was a jazz club in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District, in the United States. It was established in 1996 and closed on December 31, 2016. History Jimmy Mak's opened in 1996. Owners included Jimmy Makarounis, aka Jimmy Mak, his wife an ...

Musicians

Jazz musicians with connection to the city include Mel Brown, Cleve Williams,https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/williams_cleve_1930_2007_/#.YhlbnujMLs0

George Bruns George Edward Bruns (July 3, 1914 – May 23, 1983) was an American composer of music for film and television. His accolades include four Academy Award nominations, and three Grammy Award nominations. He is mainly known for his compositions for ...

, Alan Jones, Nancy King,

Glen Moore Glen Moore (born October 28, 1941) is an American jazz bassist, who occasionally performs on piano, flute and violin. Moore was born in Portland, Oregon, United States. His performing career began at age 14 with the Young Oregonians in Portlan ...

, and

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award. A native of Portland, Oregon, Spalding be ...

References

African-American history in Portland, Oregon Jazz in Oregon Music of Portland, Oregon {{Oregon-stub