Media Update: December 2007

 

DECEMBER TOPICS
Events – 5th Annual Portland Jazz Festival Warms Up Winter
Arts & Culture – Portland Art Museum Receives Gift of Van Gogh
Green/Culinary – Rocket Launch!

 

5th Annual Portland Jazz Festival Warms Up Winter – Feb. 15-24
According to DownBeat magazine, “the Portland Jazz Festival has moved into the upper echelon of U.S. jazz festivals.” And this year’s lineup supports that claim. Among those scheduled to perform at the Feb. 15-24, 2008, festival are:

- Jazz legend and 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winner Ornette Coleman
- rule-breaking jazz trio The Bad Plus
- Spanish Harlem Orchestra, the Grammy-winning emissaries of classic salsa sound
- Bill Charlap and pianist/vocalist/composer Jillian Lebeck
- saxophonist Maceo Parker, the “Dean of Funk”
- the all-star jazz ensemble SFJAZZ Collective
- eight-time Grammy winner Béla Fleck and The Flecktones
- pianist and composer Myra Melford

The festival, which celebrates both the jazz genre and Black History Month, is packed with more than 150 concerts, shows and educational events. In addition to 18 ticketed performances by major names from the jazz world, 75 free performances will showcase local and regional Pacific Northwest talent. (The majority of the festival’s events are clustered around two weekends: the long Presidents’ Day weekend, Feb. 15-18, and the following weekend, Feb. 22-24.) Information on hotel packages can be found online at www.travelportland.com (in the “Special Deals” box, click on “Portland Jazz Festival”). For more information on the 5th Annual Portland Jazz Festival, including ticket packages, prices and a detailed schedule of events, visit www.pdxjazz.com.

Media Contacts:
Rachel Trice, Portland Jazz Festival, 503.228.5299, rtrice@pdxjazz.com
Don Lucoff, DL Media, 610.667.0501, don@jazzpublicity.com

 

Portland Art Museum Receives Gift of Van Gogh
Santa may still be working on his “Naughty or Nice” list, but, if recent gift-giving is any indication, the Portland Art Museum has been very, very good. The museum recently received a priceless present: an original Vincent van Gogh canvas titled The Ox-Cart. The painting is being given to the museum by Fred and Frances Sohn, long-time Oregon residents who have had the piece in their private collection for nearly half a century.

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous and fascinating artists of modern times. The Ox-Cart (1884), painted early in his career, is part of the artist’s exploration of peasant life. Prior to its acquisition by the Sohns in 1960, the painting was included in a number of major art exhibitions following van Gogh’s death. The painting was included in the Museum of Modern Art’s landmark Vincent van Gogh exhibition of 1935-1936. Following World War II, from 1946-1947, it appeared in an exhibition at The Hague and then traveled to several other European cities.

The Ox-Cart is now on public display in the Portland Art Museum’s Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art. The museum is located in downtown Portland at 1219 S.W. Park Ave. For more information on the museum, its collections and upcoming exhibitions, visit www.portlandartmuseum.org.

Media Contact:
Beth Heinrich, Portland Art Museum, 503.276.4370, beth.heinrich@pam.org

 

Green Scene – Rocket Launch!

Launched earlier this year, Rocket restaurant inspires as much interest for its green design as it does for its sustainable cuisine. Perched on the fourth floor of a bright-red, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum building, Rocket features a rooftop garden, where chef/co-owner Leather Storrs grows many of his own herbs and vegetables; the building even has a natural aquifer that captures and recycles Oregon rainwater. The restaurant’s large windows, which lower energy bills by washing the stylish dining room with natural light, frame a stunning view – truly the best we’ve seen – of the downtown Portland skyline.

Rocket’s menu is local, playful, tasty, and seasonal, which means diners always have a fresh range of options. If you’re wondering where the name Rocket came from, look no further than the produce aisle. Rocket is another name for the aromatic salad green arugula. Rocket’s dual meanings encapsulated both Storrs’ commitment to using fresh-grown local ingredients and his desire to launch a restaurant that would push sustainability to a higher level.

Rocket is located on the top floor of the Burnside Rocket Building, 1111 E. Burnside St., Portland, Ore. 97214; 503.236.1110. For more information on Rocket, visit www.rocketpdx.com.

Media Contact:
Leather Storrs, Rocket, woodwardia@comcast.net