Montavilla Jazz Festival Announces 2019 Lineup, Headlined by Drummer Mel Brown
JUNE 27, 2019 // PORTLAND MERCURY
By ROBERT HAM
The Montavilla Jazz Festival, the annual nonprofit celebration of Northwest musicians and composers, is set to kick off its sixth edition this coming August, and earlier this week, they announced the full lineup for this year’s event and it’s a beaut.
Headlining the two-day festival is the combo of drummer Mel Brown and pianist Gordon Lee. The longtime collaborators will be on hand to perform a set of Lee originals, arranged and backed up by the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. If you’re not familiar with Brown, you clearly have had your head in the sand with regards to the local jazz scene. A former Motown session drummer, the 75-year-old has been a pillar of the Portland music community for decades now and still draws a healthy crowd to his regular weekly gigs at the Jack London Revue. Festival goers get two chances to bask in Brown’s beatific grin and smoothly swinging playing as he will also perform a set with his funk/blues-inspired B-3 Organ Group. Read more…
MJF 2019 Dates & Times
Portland Metro Arts
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Sunday, August 18, 2019
1:30 – 9:30 p.m., doors open at 1:00
AJAM Jam Session
East Glisan Pizza Lounge
Saturday, August 17, 2019
9:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
Attendees
MJF 2019 Artists
Mel Brown and Gordon Lee with the PJCE
Ezra Weiss: We Limit Not the Truth of God
CMG Sound Foundry presents Wayne Horvitz
Mel Brown B3 Organ Group
Bobby Torres Ensemble
Charlie Porter Quintet
Dana Reason: Torque Songs
Sherry Alves with George Colligan
Bryan Smith: Let Me Take You There
Ian Christensen’s Rolling House
Kathleen Hollingsworth: Mad Love
Kerry Politzer: Bossa PDX