Event Date/Time:
Tonight! World Premiere and Live Recording - Ezra Weiss Big Band!
Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the live recording and world premiere performance of some incredible music by one of jazz’s best modern composers - and a Portland resident - Ezra Weiss!
The Ezra Weiss Big Band will debut a jazz suite entitled, “We Limit Not the Truth of God” which was commissioned especially for this memorable evening by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.
Seating: All seats are general admission, so please arrive early to get a good seat! Doors open at 7pm!
Tickets: No physical tickets will be issued. If you purchase tickets in advance (highly recommended), we will have your name and order information at the door. Just look for the sign for advanced ticket check-in.
Parking: There is a small parking lot directly across Alberta Street from the Abbey, but most concert-goers will need to find street parking, which is very plentiful nearby.
Cathedral Park Jazz Festival Fundraiser
This concert is being produced by the Jazz Society of Oregon (JSO) and is a fundraiser for the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival!
This jazz suite addresses current social issues in a very personal way.
From Ezra -
This new music is by far the most personal thing I've ever written. It's about being a father. It's about children. It's about the events happening in our world today. And it's written for some of the best musicians I've ever met. I feel extremely honored to hear them perform my compositions so beautifully.
This is like no other concert I've ever been a part of, so I'm thrilled that we'll be recording it. The audience always plays a huge role on a live recording, but I think that is especially true in this case. Please come join us in bringing this new music to life.
This evening will be professionally recorded!
Check out a video clip from one piece during the first rehearsal of this new music by the band!
The video below shows the band playing another fundraiser for the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival.
The Ezra Weiss Big Band
- John Nastos, John Savage, Renato Caranto, Rob Davis, Mieke Bruggeman, reeds
- Greg Garrett, Thomas Barber, Derek Sims, Farnell Newton, trumpets
- Stan Bock, Jeff Uusitalo, Denzel Mendoza, Douglas Peebles, trombones
- Jasnam Daya Singh, piano
- Eric Gruber, bass
- Alan Jones, drums
- Carlton Jackson, percussion
Also a special appearance by the Camas High School Choir.
Ezra Weiss
Recently listed in the 2012 and 2013 DownBeat Critics Polls, composer/pianist Ezra Weiss has released six albums as a bandleader, most recently Before You Know It [Live in Portland]. All of these CD’s have received substantial national and international acclaim from the press, and have spent significant time on the JazzWeek Radio Charts.
Ezra currently leads his own big band and sextet, performing at major jazz festivals and clubs. His bands have performed in many of the U.S.’s greatest clubs including Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Smalls, the 55 Bar, and Tonic in NYC; Ryles in Boston; Nighttown in Cleveland; Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia; The Triple Door in Seattle; Jimmy Mak’s in Portland; and the Catalina Bar and Grill in Los Angeles.
Additionally, Ezra recently wrote the music for the Portland Jazz Composer’s Ensemble’s multimedia concert and recording, From Maxville To Vanport (2018). He also wrote the big band arrangements for Derek Hines’ recording The Long Journey Home (2017). He has composed and/or arranged music for Billy Hart, Jeff Baker, Darrell Grant, Thara Memory, Leon Lee Dorsey, Stan Bock, and Renato Caranto, among others, and has written three musicals for Northwest Children’s Theater.
Ezra has won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award three times. He currently lives with his wife and two sons in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches at Portland State University.
“A bold, inspired figure in the contemporary jazz arranging scene.” – DownBeat Magazine
Please note: some of the themes addressed in this concert may not be appropriate for children.