Mt. Hood Jazz Festival Welcomes Pro and High School Musicians April 22-26 at Mt. Hood Community College

Seven years ago, the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival returned home to the Mt. Hood Community College campus, where, in its heyday, it drew in thousands of jazz enthusiasts and big name musicians like B.B. King, Rosemary Clooney, and Tito Puente. 

Now under the management of the college — and its Director of Jazz Studies/Music Instructor Dan Davey — the festival has expanded to not only serve up five days of terrific tunes, but opportunities for middle and high school musicians to compete and perform as well. 

The 2026 festivities will kick off on Wednesday, April 22, with an opening performance at The Old Church in Portland. The evening will feature a performance from Emmet Cohen, honoring the works of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and the 100th anniversary of their contributions to music history. 

Throughout April 22-26, there will be professional performances as well as high school competitions and performances around the region and on the MHCC campus. 

To see more info on the lineup or buy tickets, visit mhcc.edu/jazzfest. 

“Each year since the pandemic, the festival has grown quite a bit,” Davey explained. 

Since coming back to MHCC in 2019, the festival has been proud to welcome artists such as Joshua Redman, Chris Potter, Helen Sung, and Etienne Charles. And they now host around 96 different middle school and high school bands for their programs, from as far away as Idaho. 

“When I was younger, my high school used to go to the Berklee Jazz festival,” Davey said. “When I’d go to that, I felt overwhelmed in the best way possible. I remember the feeling of ‘Wow. I love this. I want to do this as an adult.’ I look forward to creating that for other people. At first I felt like I was creating (this experience) just for the students, but there are so many community members and adults who also experience that feeling I had. This is an act of service to the community.” 

Aside from celebrating all that jazz, the festival makes an effort to highlight locally based artists and local businesses. 

Businesses are welcome to contact the festival about advertising and sponsorship opportunities. Community members are invited to volunteer to help at the festival as well. 

To get involved, email mthoodjazzfestival@mhcc.edu.