Even as the post-Pickathon high fades and the last weeks of summer concerts dwindle, there are still plenty of ways to engage with Portland’s excellent music scene. This week we cover some opportunities to see jazz at the Montavilla Jazz Fest, a new album (and release party) for eclectic jazz keyboardist/producer Brown Calvin, a rescheduled Sávila show, and yet another forthcoming single from rapper and Portland "It Girl," Wynne. Get into it!


MUST-SEE: 

Three can’t miss upcoming events. 

Montavilla Jazz Festival

Is there ever a bad time to listen to jazz music? I think not! This year’s Montavilla Jazz Festival will showcase nine acts over a three-day weekend at locations that include The 1905, Vino Veritas Wine Bar and Bottle Shop, Portland Metro Arts, and Alberta Rose Theater. Kicking off Friday, August 19, the fest will showcase performers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond—with Portlanders like the Noah Simpson Quartet (energetic, improvisational trumpet and forward-thinking jazz); Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (PJCE) featuring vocalist Marilyn T. Keller, and vocalist/keyboardist Rebecca Sanborn; and Oregon-based tenor saxophonist/composer Rich Halley, who’ll be joined by New York’s Matthew Shipp Trio. Check out the full lineup here. (Fri Aug 19- Sun Aug 21, various venues and times, tickets $5-35)

Sávila w/ Chenoa Egawa & Blossom

Rescheduled from July 15, this headliner show features Portland’s Sávila: a cumbia/latin/world/r&b group composed of guitarist Fabiola Reyna, vocalist Brisa Gonzalez, and legendary percussionist Papi Fimbres. If you're not familiar, you must check on their 2021 six-track project Mayahuel, which is based on pre-pandemic times and a visit to Oaxaca, Mexico. Also rave-worthy on this bill is Portland-based neo-soul singer/songwriter Blossom, who will hopefully be giving audiences a “tease” of whatever she’s been working on since 2019’s Maybe. Singer/songwriter Chenoa Egawa also performs, we're hoping for tracks from last year’s Enduring Rhythms: Seven Songs from the Skagit Valley. Tickets bought for the original show date will be honored. (Fri Aug 19, 8 pm, Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth Ct, $20, all ages, tickets here)

Brown Calvin’s Album Release Show

Portland-based keyboardist/producer Brown Calvin—Andre Burgos of the interstellar jazz and soul duo Brown Calculus—is releasing a new solo album, dimension // perspective, on Friday August 26. The night before, he’ll play an album release show at the TEAM Center, where attendees will have a chance to buy the artist’s LP early. The artist wrote on his Bandcamp page that the 10-track project “was created as a broken society collapsed [and] as I transitioned into fatherhood. I was angry but also hungry for resolution, sanctuary, peace, rest, new ideas, and approaches.” Two fluid tracks from the album can be heard now: “Perspective3” and “Perspective44.” Both exemplify the kind of unconventional, improvisational jazz and cosmic synth soundscapes we hope the rest of the project will bring. (Thurs Aug 25, 8 pm, TEAM Center, 115 SE 9th, $12)


ADDED TO THE QUEUE: 

Some upcoming music buzz to put on your radar.

“Look At You,” Wynne

This month, one of Portland's most promising rising hip-hop stars is dropping (some more) new material. On Wednesday, August 24, the Lake Oswego-raised and Portland-based rapper Wynne will drop yet another single for her fans (who are known as "the honeycomb") to drool over. Adding to the stack of new songs the Oregon alumnus dropped this year, her next single is called “Look At You.” On Instagram, the MC teased that the upcoming single “is one of them ones.” If it’s anything like her other fresh material, we can expect it lots of ferocious, punny wordplay. You can pre-save it on all the major streaming platforms.