Portland Hopes To Revive Jazz With New Downtown Project
The Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Portland Jazz Festival have formalized endorsements for JumpTown, a blueprint for a revitalized entertainment district to offer music, culture and community. The venue would have about 150 free shows a year under a covered outdoor stage in the Rose Quarter plaza, home to the Rose Garden Arena, Memorial Coliseum and One Center Court.
“JumpTown will make music, including jazz, more accessible to the people of Portland,” said Bill Royston, drtistic director of PDX Jazz and the Portland Jazz Festival. “This project will provide the catalyst to present national jazz artists outside of the Portland Jazz Festival each February, while also offering the opportunity to showcase local talent and Portland’s next generation of great artists and musicians.”
The neighborhood’s cultural history, chronicled in Robert Dietsche’s book JumpTown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz, 1942-1957, served as inspiration for the project. Some of the most talented jazz artists who’ve ever played, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk, showcased their talents at clubs in the area.
For more information, go to imaginejumptown.com.