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CaughtPortland Jazz Festival Connects WithKnockout Norwegian ImprovisersArtistic director Bill Royston has distinguishedthe Portland Jazz Festival by regularly shakingup its focus. By changing its emphasis fromyear to year it thrives as one of the country’smore unpredictable soirees. In 2007 artistsaffiliated with ECM Records were spotlighted,in 2008 free-jazz heavies like Ornette Colemanand Cecil Taylor were feted, and in 2009 thefest tipped its hat to the 70th anniversary ofBlue Note Records.Because of the shoddy economy (whichalmost cancelled the festival in 2009 untilAlaska Airlines offered sponsorship), thisyear’s edition, which ran Feb. 21–28, was considerablysmaller than in previous years. Sturdybookings like Luciana Souza, Pharoah Sandersand Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy were among aslate of concerts representing what’s good, ifnot always progressive, in mainstream jazz.But Royston still scored an artistic coup byprogramming a careful mini-fest of cuttingedgemusicians from Norway. It says somethingabout the reputation of the Portland JazzFestival with the local population that seven ofthe eight headline concerts were sold out—there were dozens of other admission-free setsby local musicians around town—including allthree shows by the Norwegians.Reedist Trygve Seim and accordionistFrode Haltli played at the festival in 2007 in adifferent configuration, but they’re hardlyhousehold names in Portland. Their stunningduets at Norse Hall—a quaint Norwegian communitycenter about a mile from downtown—kept the audience rapt, with meditative compositionsthat borrowed musical language fromArmenia. On a piece called “Yeraz” Trygve’sgorgeous tenor tone meticulously borrowed thesorrowful timbre of the duduk, the trademarkArmenian wooden flute. The crowd in the hallCreative SparksLight Up Umbria JazzWinter in OrvietoBelying Italy’s deep recession and tumultouspolitics, the 17th edition of Umbria Jazz Winterin Orvieto, which ran Dec. 30–Jan. 3, was afinancial success—every concert was sold out.The festival proved to be an aesthetic triumph aswell, as artistic director Carlo Pagnotta and aidede camp Enzo Capua booked a cohort of worldclassmusicians for a full week’s residence andprovided acoustically up-to-snuff venues, excellentsound systems and good instruments—arecipe for inspired musical production.was equally silent and attentivefor the Christian WallumrødEnsemble’s knockout U.S. debut.The peculiarly configured sextet—withthe leader on piano andharmonium, Eivind Lønning ontrumpet, Gjermund Larsen onviolin and Hardanger fiddle,Tanja Orning on cello, GiovannaPessi on baroque harp, and PålHausken, on loan from the trio Inthe Country, on percussion—played music from its superbrecent Fabula Lugano Suite, astriking mixture of baroque composition,Scandinavian folkmelodies, and contemporary classicalharmonies and dynamics.The group played with no amplification,allowing the gorgeoussonorities to wash over the audiencewith startling purity. In The Country’s setrevealed a different yet equally sumptuousthread in contemporary Norwegian music,greatly intensifying and stretching out thepieces from its latest album, Whiteout. PianistMorten Qvenild appended his elegant, spaciouspost-Paul Bley piano playing with electronics,triggering melodic and harmonic shadows viacomputer, but the real joy of the performancecame from watching the group—which alsoincludes bassist Roger Arntzen and drummerHausken—rip into the material, bringing animmediacy and visceral quality that’s notalways apparent in its studio work. Like somany Norwegian musicians, In The Countrypays little heed to jazz purity, singing melodiclines that might’ve come from an indie rockband in another universe.The crowd ate up the Dave Holland QuintetJohn Clayton (left) and John PatitucciChristianWallumrødand the Mingus Big Band at the 1,000-seatNewmark Theatre. Individual soloists in eachgroup transcended somewhat predictable material.True, there’s nothing predictable inMingus’ music, but the group’s arrangementssometimes sap the raw power in the bassist’soriginal recordings. Inspired improvising fromsaxophonist Seamus Blake, trumpeter BrandonLee and drummer Justin Faulkner brought thehouse down a couple of times, althoughFaulkner’s flash tended to overwhelm hisimpeccable timing and deep sense of swing.While Holland long ago carved out a warm,wonderful aesthetic with his durable quintet,his compositions too often follow a regulartemplate. Luckily, his killer band can imbuethem with more than enough fire and intellectualrigor to overcome a certain predictability.—Peter MargasakUMBRIA JAZZ FRAN KAUFMAN20 DOWNBEAT May 2010