Wednesday May 14th: NANCY KING INVITATIONAL

“She is, I think, one of the best singers that ever walked the planet.”

-       Karrin Allyson, Jazz Vocalist

 --Nancy has been nominated Female Vocalist of the year by the Jazz Journalist Association!--

This week Nancy invites two of her longest standing playing mates, Steve Christofferson and Tom Wakeling. 

How fortunate we are to be living in a time and place where we can hear Nancy sing every Wednesday!

Thursday May 15th: ALAN JONES PRESENTS...

…an exploration of new music with a totally new line up of some of the “younger” musicians on the Portland scene: Tim Wilcox, tenor; Greg Goebel, piano; Bill Athens, bass; 

Best-known for his leadership of the Alan Jones Sextet, which for many listeners defines the essence of Portland jazz with its adventurous, hard-swinging original music, grounded in both jazz tradition and the rugged individualism of the Northwest.

Friday May 16th: THE JOHN NASTOS QUARTET

A Portland native recently returned from living, studying and playing in New York, John is a standard setter in our flourishing scene of young players. He plays the alto at a very high level having learned from some of the best…Warren Rand, Dick Oatts, Steve Wilson…he’s first-call guy in many of the working bands in Portland, and he runs JazzPDX.org - a website about the Portland jazz scene.  His energy and enthusiasm is where Jazz is going. John brings with him 3 other great young players Clay Giberson kybds, Randy Rollofson dr and Chris Mosley gt.

Saturday May 17th: DAVID VALDEZ, The Lennie Tristano Files

David is a very creative human being.  He plays the alto and tenor saxophones with the depth of…well, someone who deeply understands the music, he teaches at Ethos Music Center, a non-profit music program in north Portland, he runs 2 or 3 bands, he writes a FANTASTIC blog, http://davidvaldez.blogspot.com/ that everyone interested in jazz should definitely read, and he invents really cool projects…this music of Lennie Tristano is one of them.

Lennie Tristano had a profound influence on jazz, but as sometimes happens, has not gotten a lot of popular recognition.  His compositions are clever, intricate and challenging to play even if you’re an obvious virtuoso.  This evening will be a slice of jazz history not often heard.  Playing with David will be: Tim Wilcox tenor sax, Dan Ganor piano, Dave Speranza bass, Alan Jones drums.

THE CAVE atmosphere blends the dim under ground funky sophistication of a fifties European Jazz club, the creative bohemian vibe of the legendary Village Vanguard in NYC, and the Oriental feel of a Persian cafe.

The Cave is an environment where inspired world-class musicians can experiment and develop their art...an environment that encourages original composition, creative project ideas, young emerging artists, and fresh new combinations of veteran players.

Excellent handcrafted Persian food and appetizers can be ordered off the Green Onion menu or from the buffet in the restaurant, with plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans.

And of special note, there is a meticulously selected wine list featuring varieties that not only pair perfectly with the Persian cuisine, but also are among the most interesting and exciting wines available for the price.