More about Portland Jazz, Soul’d Out Productions & The Jack Russell Revue & “We Insist! Freedom Now” Suite

Beginning operations in 2003, PDX Jazz is a non-profit cultural arts organization and the presenter of the Portland Jazz Festival. Conceived by former Mt. Hood Festival Artistic Director Bill Royston, the proposed annual event was awarded a three-year city government grant with co-founder and partner Travel Portland (formally POVA). The Festival’s mandate was established as a cultural tourism initiative to celebrate February’s Black History Month by highlighting a series of jazz education and outreach programs that would extend into Portland’s schools and community centers. Current PDX Executive Artistic Director Don Lucoff, who’s involvement with Jazz dates back to the 1980’s (stints at the Playboy Jazz Festival, MCA Records Jazz Division and DL Media) has continued to build on PDX’s mandate to foster the growth of musical offerings in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Nick Harris and Haytham Abdulhadi co-found Soul’d Out Productions in 2008. They been promoting great soul, funk, R&B and hip hop all across Portland ever since, filling a wide gap in the city’s musical landscape.

The Jack London Revue is the Pacific NW’s new destination for Jazz. Located in the historic Alder Building in downtown Portland, OR, the Jack London combines the classic speakeasy feel of an historic basement Jazz club with the modern bells and whistles of a cutting-edge 21st Century club.

BSA is thrilled (hit us one time) that our first Portland OR appearance in over fifteen years, under the co-banner of PDX and Soul’d Out Productions, will shine a flashlight on BSA’s cornucopia of musical wonderment with an early evening performance of the “We Insist! Freedom Now” suite … Abby Lincoln, Max Roach and Oscar Brown Jr.’s pivotal and still timely 1960’s social-justice-seeking recording  … “caramelized” as only the Burnt Sugar Arkestra can do …  Ya Hear