After 13 years, Montavilla Jazz Festival has become a destination for dozens of Pacific Northwest musicians

When four music lovers had the idea for an artist-centered neighborhood jazz festival, they didn’t imagine it would become what it is today.

What began as a quaint, 13-artist show with a budget of around $6,000 materialized into the Montavilla Jazz Festival. It’s the only jazz festival in Portland where local musicians perform exclusively original music.

“We’ve grown astronomically, but the idea is still centered around the local artists,” Mattson, executive director of the festival, said. “Without the businesses that were willing to sponsor and support that first festival, and then the several after that, it would have never happened.”

Mattson, who is also a professional jazz guitarist and composer, said the festival was born out of a desire to keep jazz alive and uplift local artistry. He founded the festival alongside Fritz Hirsch, Ryan Meagher and Aaron Hayman.

Over the weekend, the festival presented 41 musical acts across several locations in Southeast Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood, bringing together a diverse array of local musicians, youth performers and concertgoers bonded by their shared love of music.

“Jazz artists in Portland have the opportunity at the Montavilla Jazz Festival to try something brand new out there and not have to be as concerned about the commercial viability of that thing, because the festival is saying, ‘We want you to have a platform for whatever your creative vision is, and we’re gonna work our asses off to platform you,’” Mattson said.

The neighborhood aspect is what sets the Montavilla Jazz Festival apart.

People who attend can walk around the neighborhood, listen to live music by student performers, catch a concert at Mt. Tabor Park and then stop for dinner or drinks at one of the nearby restaurants.

For Mattson, creating that ecosystem also means giving musicians the freedom to take creative risks.

“You just have to show up, and we’ll try to take care of as many things as we can,” he added.

Coexistence

On Saturday morning, dozens of audience members had already gathered at the SoundsTruck NW stage in Southeast Portland for the first set of performances.

Pianist and composer AJ Allida was at the top of the bill at this location. He led his fellow musicians in an hour-long performance of original compositions.

A song called “Coexisting Dream,” composed by Allida, flowed from the stage into the crowd. Vocalist Anna Meyer “Zyanna” sang the phrase, “I believe in a world for you and me,” accompanied by Dae Bryant on drums, Olivia Fields on alto saxophone and Xylyn Hathaway on upright bass.

“It’s about the idea of embracing everyone’s differences and learning to coexist with everyone’s diverse identities and everything that makes a person,” Allida said.

Allida’s set preceded a performance by Wen’ipt, an Indigenous-based jazz ensemble highlighting Indigenous artistry and contributions to jazz.

Bandleader Orion White, who is of Nez Perce tribal heritage, said performing in Portland, where Indigenous jazz musician Jim Pepper was born, is incredibly validating and meaningful.

“It’s a huge act of defiance and resistance that I’m honored to be part of the legacy of,” White said. “Everyone here is so kind. Everyone is so professional. The audience the jazz festival has cultivated is very inviting and enthusiastic.”

Festivalgoer and musician Ryan Meador said Portland is one of the greatest cities in the world to be an artist.

“I think it’s a great community event. They do a lot of due process in finding good and upcoming artists that excite me to watch,” Meador said. “Because of the way Portland is, it creates an environment that nurtures artists. It’s a great place to start a project and to grow a project.”

Nurturing young artists is another important part of the Montavilla Jazz Festival, according to Mattson.

The festival gives youth performers a chance to gain experience onstage and learn from seasoned musicians around the city.

White called jazz “the music of the people and the music of protest.”

“I’m just carrying on that tradition as well.”

Call and response

In jazz, call and response is a conversational musical technique in which a soloist or section plays a repeated vocal line or rhythmic motif, and another musician or the ensemble answers it.

Just five minutes away from SoundsTruck NW, at the nonprofit Portland Metro Arts, community members witnessed call and response firsthand during a performance by The Collective.

Led by Harlem-born drummer and composer Dae Bryant, the group consisted of six members on Saturday: Robert Rodriguez on bass, Machado Mijiga and Sam Epstein on saxophone, Davasaté Phelps on piano and Amenta Abioto on synth. Spoken-word poet Destinee Moore accompanied the music with her words.

The Collective aims to use their mastery of music and language to express what surrounds them.

Together, they performed a series of compositions by Bryant to a dimly lit room of about 50 festivalgoers.

During the band’s penultimate tune, pianist Davasate Phelps repeatedly sang the phrase, “There is a melody in my soul.”

On the drums, Bryant echoed the notes Phelps played in a musical conversation that one attendee, Murray Edelman, called fresh and new.

“It really kind of took me out of myself, in a sense,” Edelman said.

Bryant composed the song “There is a melody in my soul” as a way to channel his grief.

“That’s a mantra. We both came up in the tradition of gospel and church, which also means growing up in a moral tradition that is all about words and space, and not what’s written,” Bryant said. “You’re not looking at a piece of paper or relying on someone to tell you. We read for each other through the music. I had to find something to put that sadness and grief into. I kept this repetition. I just love having the space to play with them.”

The Montavilla Jazz Festival wants to be a resource for local musicians to showcase their creativity, Mattson said.

Local artists, original music and creativity will always be at the center of the festival.

“I think that’s what I would like the festival to be known for,” he said.

Note: KMHD is a sponsor of the Montavilla Jazz Festival.