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Darrell Grant, professor of music, made history this month when he unveiled “A Great Day in Portland,” a commemorative photograph and poster of Portland’s premier jazz artists and the first project of its kind to document Portland’s vibrant jazz scene. Taken by noted Portland photographer Owen Carey in February, “A Great Day in Portland” was inspired by the famous 1958 jazz musician portrait “A Great Day in Harlem,” and sponsored by PSU’s Leroy Vinnegar Jazz Institute (LVJI). The unveiling event was part of the institute’s second annual Leroy Vinnegar Jazz Week, held in Portland the first week of May.

The photo contains 169 local musicians, including leading jazz artists Ron Steen, Tom Grant, Nancy King, Mel Brown, and Glen Moore. The 24"x 35" exhibit-quality poster is available at several locations locally and through the LVJI Web site at www.lvji.pdx.edu. Funds from the sale of posters and prints will support music scholarships in PSU’s School of Fine and Performing Arts, a priority of the University’s $100 million Building Our Future campaign.

PSU also recently opened LV's Uptown in the University Place Conference Center at 310 SW Lincoln Street. Aimed at helping carry on the tradition of jazz in Portland, the city's newest jazz hotspot showcases sophisticated sounds of jazz duos and trios on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. LV's Uptown offers an up-close and personal jazz experience that is also student friendly, with an all-ages section adjacent to the stage area.

“We can always use more opportunities for young people to be exposed to this music,” says Grant, who sees the club as a vehicle to educate the next generation of jazz musicians.