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Welcome
to the Jazz Society of Oregon's Website
(Last
Update 06/04/2009)
We are proud to be part of a
vibrant Jazz community in the Pacific Northwest. On this site, you will
find original articles on local clubs, musicians, and events, as well
as, reviews of Jazz recordings, a great calendar and information about
Jazz Society activities.
Dive in, enjoy the articles,
give us some feedback.
Become
a member and you will receive the monthly JazzScene magazine
containing features and articles not available on the website. Here is
an
excerpt from the June
2009 edition.
Summer Jazz
Festivals in the Pacific Northwest
By Lynn
Darroch
The
Jazz Festival
that Works
In Vancouver, B. C., global is local
The largest international jazz festival on the West Coast is actually a
hometown affair, founded by hometown guys. It grew organically and
reflects the community that has been its stage since 1985, and yet it
operates as if jazz were a global language.
And it works.
The 24th annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival, scheduled June
26-July 5 at more than 40 venues, indoors and out, in Vancouver, B.C.,
is one of the success stories in the shifting world of jazz festivals.
It currently operates on a budget of $40 million, has a staff of 12-15
full-time positions. And it’s undergone no major changes in
goals or vision since it was founded by a trio of native Vancouverites
who had a passion for jazz. One of them, Media Director John Orysik,
was in Portland last month to talk about this year’s festival
(see highlights below) and what Vancouver has learned about presenting
jazz in a market economy. Our conversation has been edited for space
and clarity.
Lynn Darroch:
What’s made it possible for this festival to survive and grow?
John Orysik:
Our mission is to bring artists and audiences together through the
transformative joy, passion and intellectual power of jazz. That has
always been at the core of what we do. What has made us successful has
been the benefit of other people’s experiences about what not
to do, but also having our own clear path and vision of how things
should happen. Building infrastructure incrementally and having this
long-term plan and vision to reach your goal has been part of our
success. Trying to create something big overnight has been the downfall
of idealists as far as jazz is concerned; they’re in such a
hurry to get the music out that they don’t have time and
patience to create conditions that will allow you to be successful.
What’s important to us is to build on our indigenous,
creative jazz scene in Vancouver, and give those musicians an
international platform on which to perform. Look at the those
we’ve nurtured over the years – the biggest of
course is Diana Krall, but you also have trumpeter Brad Turner. When he
won the National Jazz Award in Canada, he said it was due in large part
to the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society (which runs the festival) that he
is able to raise his family and be a practicing artist in his hometown.
That means a lot to us. And it acts as a stimulus to other musicians
that it can be done –you can work and prosper in your
hometown.
Our outreach and education program has grown exponentially over the
years. We have 60 concerts and workshops outside the festival every
year. And those lecture/demos (like our Jazz 101 sessions in the
Vancouver Public Library leading up to the festival) and workshops
allow people to really discover what this music is and get to know the
musicians. And that helps to extend our audience.
….
Continued in June Jazzscene ….
Cathedral Park Jazz
Festival (July 17-19)

Catherdral Park Jazz Fesival is still free, still a community event,
and the mellowest festival around. Headliner Allen Hinds, plus the
following musicians leading their own groups: Bill Rhoades, Duffy
Bishop, Toshi Onizuka, Kate Davis, Jessie Marquez with the Bobby Torres
Ensemble, Carlton Jackson, Grant Richards, Dan Schulte and Alyssa
Schwary.
….
Continued in June Jazzscene ….
Get
your own
copy of JazzScene magazine by becoming
a Jazz Society member.
Join now!
For over 30 years, the Jazz
Society of Oregon has had a simple mission: to promote "America's
Original Art Form" by promoting jazz musicians, sponsoring jazz
students and entertaining jazz audiences.
As a non-profit
organization, we sponsor shows and educational workshops. And we've
helped hundreds of young musicians improve their skills by giving out
tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants.
The Jazzscene magazine is
Oregon's premier jazz magazine and keeps you in-the-know on who's
playing with whom in the northwest, where you can find them, what
they're up to, and more. Subscription is free with your paid membership
in the Society.
Ultimately, the JSO is a
fellowship of jazz lovers: the musicians and their partners in the art
form--their audiences.
UNITED WE JAZZ
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