PDX Jazz Festival at various venues
Mike Van Liew at the Nines 525 Southwest Morrison StreetPortland, OR, 97204 - 12:00 noon - Free
Mike Van Liew has been working as a musician, composer, arranger, recording artist, and teacher in Portland, Oregon for over 40 years. Originally trained on trumpet, he now plays mostly piano and flute. Mike has collaborated and performed with The Flying Karamazov Brothers, 3 Leg Torso, Do Jump!, Oslund and Company, the Klezmorim, the Portland Marathon, and the Oregon Zoo. These collaborations have led him to perform nationally (including on Broadway) and internationally. He performed with his 8 piece band at the 2017 PDX Jazz Festival. Mike recorded an album of his original songs, Polyglot, in 2005. His most recent project is a collection of 10 Inventions for solo piano.
Portland State University Student Combo at University Place Hotel 310 Southwest Lincoln Street Portland, OR, 97201 - 5:00p - Free
Festuring Dae Bryant, Robert Rodriguez, Owen Evans and Nathan Gleason.
Dan Gaynor Trio at the Benson Hotel 309 Southwest Broadway Portland, OR, 97201 - 6:00p - Free
Dan Gaynor has been a regular fixture of the Portland jazz scene, getting his start playing at the Jazz de Opus. He has regularly performed with Nancy King, Chuck Israels, Bobby Torres, Ed Bennett, Rob Scheps, Glen Moore, Esperanza Spalding, Bob Mover, Reggie Houston, Dmitri Matheny, Damien Erskine, Reinhardt Melz, and many others. He has recorded with David Friesen, Dan Wilensky, the Portland Jazz Orchestra, Martin Zarzar, and Robert Moore. He spent several years teaching at Western Oregon University, and his latest adventure is as a student at the OHSU School of Medicine. Garrett Baxter is one of the many promising musicians in Portland's jazz scene. Garrett earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon, where he studied with and shared the stage with some of his musical inspirations, including Linda May Han Oh, Ben Wendel, Walter Smith III, Kendrick Scott, and Terrell Stafford. At UO, he was a member of the Oregon Jazz Ensemble, the JazzArts Oregon Combo, and the UO Symphony Orchestra. In addition to performing as a bandleader, he has also performed in bands led by Idit Shner, Roger Woods, Joe Manis, Tony Glausi, Paul Krueger, Steve Owen, Toby Koenigsburg, Torrey Newhart, Josh Hettwer, and Mike Denny, and had the honor of performing in the Javon Jackson Quartet at the Jazz Station. Drummer Michael Raynor splits his time between Portland and Chicago, where he spent more than twenty years playing with tenor sax icon and NEA Jazz Master, Von Freeman. Raynor also toured with vocalist Kurt Elling and can be heard on two of his Grammy nominated recordings, including "Live in Chicago," featuring Jon Hendricks. He has worked with Freddie Hubbard, Eric Alexander, Tia Fuller, Steve Coleman, Gary Bartz, Johnny Griffin, Ira Sullivan, Jon Faddis, Bob Sheppard, Bobby Broom, Fareed Haque, Howard Levy, Arturo Sandoval, Chuck Israels, Nancy King, and Bob Dorough among others. In addition to playing festivals throughout Europe, North America, and Australia, Raynor has co-led tours in both Asia and Africa as a United States Jazz Ambassador. The piano trio offers a pleasing blend of group interplay, the opportunity to showcase individual talent, and a small enough ensemble so that you can listen to all three voices at once. Come share the joy as Gaynor l