Jazz Portland
2010 program poster
Jazz Portland, also referred to as Jazz Portland 2010, was a two-day summer jazz festival in Portland, Lovia on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of August 2010. Jazz Portland took places in the Coastal Woods and the adjacent beaches in Bayfield, Portland in Kings. The jazz festival was organized by Portlander Jon Johnson and HRH King Dimitri I of Lovia. The former was in charge of the commercial organization, whereas the latter did the musical organization. The event was sponsored by Pabst Red Ribbon Beer, Flérisonne, and Velvet Records.
On the program were world-famous jazz artists such as Toots Thielemans, The Blue Note 7, the World Saxophone Quartet, and the New Old Philosopher's Trio. Popular Lovian jazz bands and artists at Jazz Portland are Godmund Culligan, the Automotive Jazz Ensemble, Coastal Trees, Blue Smith, and Fox Force Four. It is estimated that about 8,000 attendants came to Portland, Kings, during the festival weekend, making it the largest cultural event ever to take place in Lovia.
It is generally believed another edition of Jazz Portland will be held in 2011. Critical reception of the 2010 edition was very favorable. Some performing artists, such as the Automotive Jazz Ensemble and Fox Force Four, have announced to be willing to perform at the 2011 edition already.
Line-up[]
Godmund Culligan performed an much applauded solo saxophone session on August 21st
The famous Brussels-born jazz musician Toots Thielemans, recognized as the greatest harmonica player of the 20th century, performed at Jazz Portland 2010
Jazz Portland 2010 ran on a rather limited program, with seven and six performers per day. Six of the performing acts originate in Lovia. All Lovian acts were signed at Velvet Records, the largest jazz label in Lovia. There were four acts by American performers. The festival offered a selection of less known and younger artists in the jazz scene. For Fox Force Four, it was their first festival or concert performance, and it's likely to become their breakthrough in the national music scene.
August 21st[]
| Set start | Artist |
|---|---|
| 16:00 |  Blue Smith and the Golden Age Quintet
|
| 17:00 |  Cassandra Wilson
|
| 18:00 | Godmund Culligan (solo saxophone session)
|
| 18:45 | New Orleans-Lovian Jazz Band
|
| 19:30 |  Toots Thielemans
|
| 21:00 | The Blue Note 7
|
| 22:30 |  Beady Belle
|
August 22nd[]
| Set start | Artist |
|---|---|
| 16:00 |  Sam Wedgwood and Clare Teal
|
| 17:00 |  New Old Philosopher's Trio
|
| 18:10 | World Saxophone Quartet
|
| 19:30 | Automotive Jazz Ensemble
|
| 21:00 | Coastal Trees
|
| 22:20 | Fox Force Four
|
Bars and stalls[]
Sponsorship poster
In the Portland Coastal Woods, the organizers erected a number of bars and food stalls for the festival visitors. As Jazz Portland 2010 was sponsored by both the Lovian vermouth brand Flérisonne, and the Pabst Red Ribbon Beer brand, all bars sold Pabst Red Ribbon, Red Ribbon Light, Flérisonne Dry and Flérisonne Sweet, on top of the regular soft drinks and popular alcoholic beverages. In the northern section of the Coastal Woods, there was a Red Ribbon Bar devoted to Pabst Red Ribbon. On the beach adjacent to the woods, Flérisonne had its Fléri Beach Bar. On the same beach, there was a snack bar offering french fries, hot dogs and soda pop. The Speakeasy was a temporarily erected jazz-themed speakeasy bar located behind the concert stage. The day after the festival, local Portlanders have asked the organizers to open The Speakeasy throughout the year in Bayfield.
Along the west side of the Coastal Woods, several shopping stalls were built for the occasion of Jazz Portland. Noble City's specialized jazz music store, the Hepcat Store, as well as Gramophone Classics from Sofasi, had a stall on the festival site.
Velvet Records, the third major sponsor, installed its own "record studio" on the site. In it, some of the artists signed at Velvet did signature sessions.
Radio broadcast[]
The popular radio station West Wave broadcast live from the Coastal Woods during the weekend of the festival. Toots Thielemans, The Blue Note 7, and Godmund Culligan have all given live radio interviews in the Jazz Portland West Wave studio. According to early, unconfirmed figures, the live broadcast was the most popular radio program on West Wave since December 2009.
Notable attendants[]
Notable attendants of the festival were Jon Johnson and King Dimitri (the organizers), Yuri Medvedev, Harold Freeman, Andy McCandless, Marcus Villanova, Prince Sebastian, Princess Louise, Princess Elisabeth, Mary Elisabeth Nelson, Sam Culligan, Jhon Lewis and many others. Toots Thielemans and other performers were often seen off-stage on the festival site, enjoying the spectacle.
It may be noted that among the notable attendants there were significantly more progressives than conservatives. King Dimitri explained he believed that "jazz still attracts a certain group of edgy people, people with taste, guts and a good mind."
Reception and legacy[]
The Noble City Times applauded the performance of Fox Force Four, the newest band on the festival. "Em Rothschild's fantastic vocals remind of Tracy Chapman."
The Nova Times praised the initiative as "a great two-day jazz festival with great acts." The festival was highly anticipated by many notable Lovians, including Prime Minister Yuri Medvedev (CPL.nm), who used to be known as a critic of jazz music. Medvedev said: "Listening to jazz opens my eyes for how our little minds are forced to fit certain closed ideas. I say liberate yourself and come to Jazz Portland!"[1]
In an August 23 article, Nova Times called Jazz Portland "insane" and "so fun."[2] The newspaper praised jazz fusion band Coastal Trees, as well as newcomers Fox Force Four, who Nova Times called "ultimately the best."[2]
In an extra long review article, The Noble City Times were very enthusiastic about the festival. The newspaper noted the record sales of Pabst Red Ribbon, Flérisonne and jazz records. The Noble City Times were generally positive about Blue Smith, Cassandra Wilson, Godmund Culligan, the New Orleans-Lovian Jazz Band, Toots Thielemans, Beady Belle, Sam Wedgwood and Clare Teal, the New Old Philosopher's Trio, the World Saxophone Quartet, the Automotive Jazz Ensemble, Coastal Trees, and Fox Force Four. Like the Nova Times, TNCT was extremely positive about Fox Force Four calling their session an "amazing improvisation [with] fresh, sizzling sounds with influences from folk-inspired music and experimental hard bop jazz."[3]
Semyon Breyev was critical of the festival, saying, 'It was a bit rubbish really.'