For 10 years now, Jazz at The Oxford has sold out every single one of the shows that happen just five times a year. For the past decade, the Oxford Hotel — boutique and luxury 4.5 star hotel in the heart of Downtown Bend — has brought talented (I'm talking Grammy Award-winning talented) jazz musicians to the intimate ballroom of the hotel. That's quite the luxury jazz scene for little ol' Bend.
"The Central Oregon community has had the unique opportunity to welcome an incredible and diverse lineup of world-class artists each season." said Sara Hammoudeh, brand & communications strategist at the Oxford. Attendees don't even have to be staying at the Oxford to attend a JATO show. In fact, the Oxford and its featured artists host a jazz workshop for aspiring musicians the Saturday morning of each of the five yearly shows, led by local jazz educationalist Georges Bouhey and his studio, "Studio20."
After a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, Jazz at The Oxford is currently in its 11th year and going strong. Series passes are priced at $325 and prices range from $55-60 for general admission per show — if you can get your hand on a ticket (wink). While attending a JATO show, it's not just the live music attendees experience in the hotel's intimate ballroom. The ballroom is transformed into a jazz club where people can dine, drink and snack a la carte from the hotel's ground-level restaurant, ROAM. Series passes include valet parking for JATO guests and can be added onto general tickets. How lux are we, Bend?
"Jazz is such a wonderful genre of music with such a rich history across the nation. We are honored to have encouraged an even bigger jazz culture in Bend, alongside Jazz at Joe's who began two years before us in 2007. For JATO, being hosted in more of an upscale boutique hotel ballroom, it provides more of a culturally diverse experience and opens you up to a different world – it's different from anything else in Bend, or any other 'concert' that you can attend," Hammoudeh claims enthusiastically. "It gives audiences a feeling of something more elevated, or more sought-after as an annual event that has become so essential to the community. Plus, it creates even more of a memorable experience being able to stay in the hotel, where you'll find several odes to Jazz in frames hung all over the walls!"
The seed for JATO was planted by Curt Baney, CEO at Oxford Corporate, who has always had a strong passion for music and wanted to do something to benefit the community of his hometown of Bend—which translates this local luxury into what it truly and simply is: a family-run business and passion project.
"We have a niche fan base that is dedicated and will return to JATO each year," says Hammoudeh. ". . . it's almost like our hospitality expertise from managing a four-diamond luxury boutique hotel has translated into this series as well, and our guests have been made to feel right at home with this exciting annual event."
WATCH: Jazz at the Oxford's Carmen Lundy:
As a testament to its enduring popularity, some Jazz at the Oxford fans and longtime supporters will secure their same exact seats year after year. The Oxford Hotel team believes that is what makes their shows so intimate. Having familiar faces in the crowd year after year adds to the authenticity of the jazz scene JATO has created. Many guests attending Jazz at the Oxford choose to stay at the Oxford Hotel.
Programmed by Patrick Lamb Productions, the 2022-23 Jazz series will host 125 seats per concert, with five concerts total and three shows per concert for a significant audience size of 1,875. Where seating is organized in a manner that allows the audience to feel like they are part of the show. Upcoming shows include Grammy nominated female Jazz singer Carmen Lundy, Haley Reinhart— third place winner during the 10th season of American Idol and Billboard Chart Topping R&B/Jazz Saxaphonist, Eric Darius. See below for show dates and ticket info!
Upcoming JATO Shows:
Jan. 13-14 | Carmen Lundy, Grammy nominated
Feb. 10-11 | Haley Reinhart, 10th Season of American Idol
March 10-11 | Eric Darius, released first independent album at age 17
Tickets can be purchased at jazzattheoxford.com
