Always a pleasure to have the fantastic trumpeter Cyrus Nabipoor and his smashing quartet featuring fellow PDX heavyweights Jack Radsliff on guitar, Garrett Baxter on bass and Micah Hummel on drums! Since returning home to Portland in 2020, trumpeter & composer Cyrus Nabipoor has become a mainstay of the scene. Nabipoor’s honest & distinctive voice on the horn soars over a unique blend of jazz and rock. He has been a featured artist at the PDX Jazz Fest, Cathedral Park Fest, Montavilla Jazz Fest, and New Orleans French Quarter Fest. In addition to writing for his own group, Nabipoor has had several works commissioned by Portland Jazz Composer’s Ensemble. He recently released his highly-anticipated debut studio album, 'In Lieu of Tears'. The album is a landmark in the development of Nabipoor's writing style as well as his trumpet playing. Cyrus Nabipoor’s unmistakable voice on the trumpet rings with honesty, warmth and lyricism. Melody reigns as Nabipoor balances focused clarity with daring exploration. Through his pairing of trumpet and electronics, Nabipoor bridges the conceived dichotomy of nature & technology, exploring new tonal possibilities. Born and raised in Portland OR, Cyrus began playing trumpet at age 11. He wanted to play trombone, but it wouldn’t fit on his bike. As an adolescent Cyrus was taught by Cynthia Plank and trumpeter Derek Sims. In high school he joined the Alan Jones Academy of Music. Cyrus holds a Bachelor of Music from Loyola University New Orleans, where he graduated magna cum laude and was awarded outstanding undergraduate in both Jazz and Brass. While at Loyola, he studied with Nick Volz, Tony Dagradi and Jimbo Walsh. Cyrus also spent a very formative term at the Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway studying with ECM legend Per Jørgensen and Martin Winter (Bergen Philharmonic). In 2015, Cyrus was awarded the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Scholarship. “It is never possible to anticipate his next move…The jazz equivalent of a first-year pitcher who throws 99 m.p.h….His trumpet chops are deadly.” -JazzTimes “A bandleader and composer/arranger for whom no style or emotion is off limits.” -Offbeat 

So excited for the great saxophonist Joe Manis to bring his swinging band to Christo's! Featuring Paul Krueger on trumpet, Joe Bagg on organ and Charlie Doggett on drums! Originally from Dexter, Oregon, SteepleChase recording artist Joe Manis is noted for the strength of his "intense, updated take on the glorious Rollins-'Trane tradition." (Willamette Week) Manis was the recipient of a 2013 Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. His album for SteepleChase Records, The Golden Mean, features George Colligan on organ, Kevin Congleton on drums, and Lillie Manis on viola and was released in 2015. North By Northwest was released by SteepleChase Records in 2013. He released his debut album Evidence in 2009 features Manis on tenor saxophone, Kevin Congleton on drums, and Portland luminary Dave Captein on bass: the Willamette Week called the album "explosive,” and said “(Manis) makes Pink Floyd's 'Money' sound like something a young John Coltrane might have played"; the Eugene Weekly said: "Fabulous... Will thrill fans of Monk, Rollins." The Joe Manis Trio was featured at Rontoms during the 2010 PDX Jazz Festival, a high-energy performance that was a featured Willamette Week "Pick" and received praise from local music critics and bloggers; the Trio returned to the Festival in 2011, 2013 and 2020. Recent Joe Manis Trio appearances include Fat Cat NYC, the Shedd Institute’s jazz series, Jimmy Mak's, Tula's, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, and the Montavilla Jazz Festival. Manis has toured Europe as a duo and in a trio with David Friesen, where they recorded Structures, a live album. He currently plays with Friesen's Trio. He also appears on Risky Notion (Four stars & Best Albums of 2015, DownBeat Magazine) on Origin Records with George Colligan's Theoretical Planets. Manis has played with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, including a performance at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and appears on their album Rise Up! on Real World Records. He has also performed with the George Colligan Quartet, the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra, the Ken Schaphorst Big Band, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Johnny Mathis, the Temptations, comedian Bob Newhart, Wayne Newton, the Oregon Symphony with Gladys Knight, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Portland Opera, the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra, the Eugene Symphony, and the Eugene Opera. Manis has performed on NPR’s Jazz Night In America, hosted by Christian McBride. Manis has presented jazz masterclasses across the country, including at University of Nevada, Reno, California State University, Northridge, Whitman College, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Oregon, Ferris State University, Central Washington University, Willamette University, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, Pacific University, Lower Columbia College and Mesa, Glendale, Portland, Spokane Falls, Mt. Hood, Clackamas and Lane Community Colleges. He received a Master of Music in Jazz Studies-Performance with Academic Honor from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon. Additional studies were at the Eastman School of Music. He is a current faculty member at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College and a former music faculty member at Portland State University and Umpqua Community College. Manis is the Director of the Oregon Jazz Workshop in Eugene. His article "Rhythmic Analysis: Jeff 'Tain' Watts - 'Housed From Edward'" was published in the March 2012 edition of JAZZed Magazine. Manis also has written for the Jazz Society of Oregon's Jazzscene. He is married to violinist/violist/educator Lillie Manis, with whom he has a son, Ellery. 

Fantastic saxophonist and bandleader Idit Shner brings her smashing quartet to Christo's! Featuring Jack Radsliff on guitar, Patrick Golichnik on bass and Michael Raynor on drums! An active performer of both jazz and classical music, Idit has played in various distinguished venues in the United States and abroad, such as The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Lincoln Center in New York. Her latest project, Mhondoro, blends Zimbabwean folk music and American jazz. Mhondoro released their first album, Heatwave, in 2022 and are about to release their second album soon. Additional jazz releases include Live at The Jazz Station, 9 Short Stories (which garnered a 4-start review in Downbeat magazine) and Tuesday’s Blues. Jazz festival performances include the Diet Coke Woman in Jazz Festival (NY), Bellayre Festival (NY), and New-Trier Jazz Festival (IL). 

Three of the regions finest players join forces for a special one night only presentation! David Friesen and John Stowell are some of the most innovative and forward thinking players of their respective instruments, being bass and guitar. This is also something of a reunion as David and John first met in New York City in 1976, and they formed a duo that recorded and toured prolifically for seven years, with performances in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Their 1978 collaborative album "Through the Listening Glass" was chosen as one of the "Ten Best Jazz Albums of the Decade" by the Los Angeles Examiner. Do not miss this special night! "It’s been said of David Friesen that he does for the art of bass playing what Pythagoras did for the triangles." Patrick Hinely/Jazz Times "In the age of mediocrity and clones, John Stowell's uniqueness and originality are a breath of fresh air." Paul Horn