Elevate Unity & Alberta Abbey Present: Love • Soul • Jazz
Schedule
Fri Feb 14 2025 at 08:00 pm to 11:00 pm
UTC-08:00Location
Alberta Abbey | Portland, OR
About this Event
$25 GA | $30 Reserved Seating | $55 VIP + Dinner & Seat
Creole Surf & Turf Special
- Cajun BBQ Shrimp
- Garlic-Stuffed Brisket
- Bourbon St. Chicken
Celebrate this special holiday with an unforgettable night of music, food, and romance! Eldon and Alonzo join forces to deliver a one-of-a-kind musical experience that will leave you spellbound. When these two music masters take the stage, the magic is undeniable. Enjoy the romantic atmosphere with handcrafted cocktails, sparkling champagne, and more. Get your tickets early to secure your spot for this extraordinary evening of entertainment and indulgence!
Elevate Unity Inc. @ www.elevateunity.org
Elevate Unity Benefit Music and events are a collaborative effort created from the necessity to support the arts, reconnect our community, and promote unity through the healing message of music! Our focus is to advocate for diversity, equality, and unity!
ELDON T. JONES
What I hope people take away from my music is a glimpse at the person God created me to be, how he designed me to shine through my gifts,” says saxophonist Eldon T Jones.
Jones moves hearts through his profoundly genuine playing and an infectious groove he honed in Portland before becoming a nationally recognized smooth jazz artist and electrifying festival performer.
As a child in a prominent musical family, melody was part of the air Jones breathed. “Listening to my uncles playing saxophone in church inspired me to pick up the sax, and as I got into music that resonated with me, Grover Washington, Jr., Wilton Felder (Crusaders), and Kirk Whalum influenced my own playing,” Jones says. He brought together young musicians from his neighborhood including his teenage brother Anthony Jones (later of Pink Martini) to form the group N Touch that Portland audiences soon grew to cherish. Their burgeoning local fanbase led to N Touch opening for Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power, receiving glowing praise from musicians in both groups.
As Jones established himself by performing at venues like Yoshi’s (Oakland), Spaghettini (LA), Jazz Alley (Seattle), and Jimmy Mak’s (Portland), he never disconnected from his community or roots. He often performs at the Oregon Symphony’s Gospel Christmas show and benefit concerts for local organizations. In 2017, World Arts Foundation recognized Jones with a Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual MLK Tribute for the blessing his music has been to the Portland community.
In 2019, Jones tributed Grover Washington, Jr. at Portland Jazz Festival with a band that included Washington’s former bassist Gerald Veasley. Jones honored the music of his hero, and Veasley affirmed Jones as the best person to capture not only Washington’s distinctive sound but also his character. That set the stage for Jones to release his first single as a solo artist, “T’s Jam,” which peaked at #54 on the Smooth Jazz Network Top 100, #1 on Groove Jazz Music’s Most Added, and #4 on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz Most Added. Portland Jazz Festival invited Jones to return in 2024 with a First Call Showcase concert, a new series honoring local legends of the jazz scene, so he put together an outstanding band for a sold-out show at The Old Church!
The success of “T’s Jam” caught the attention of Jones’s longtime friend and industry wiz Darren Rahn who signed Jones to Side 2 Music. Rahn produced Jones’s next singles “Captured by Love,” which hit #30 on the SJNT100, and “Sweet Serenity,” which peaked at #31 on the SJNT100 and #41 on the Mediabase Smooth A/C Chart. This foray into the smooth jazz scene landed Jones on another big stage back home for the 2022 Vanport Jazz Festival. The summer of 2023 saw Jones head east to perform at Capital Jazz Fest, The Roots Picnic, and Jazz in Hot Springs.
Eldon T Jones is currently writing new music and preparing new concerts. “All the wonderful music I hear inspires me to interpret my own life experience through music and share my ideas with the world,” Jones says about his drive to elate new audiences.
ALONZO CHADWICK
His interests in music began since around the first grade, where he was selected to sing the lead for his classrooms Christmas program. From there he got started like many other artists of today: singing and stepping into the role of lead vocalist in his church choir. Now this talented vocalist has stepped into his own as one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier male vocalist, and creating quite a buzz, and his name? Alonzo Chadwick!
Possessing an incredible vocal range, and an amazing voice able to perform almost any genre. He also has an energetic stage presence that impacts you emotionally as well as joyfully. Able to move deftly from a simmering ballad that sooths the soul and sets an ambiance, to an up-tempo R&B, Blues, Jazz, Funk, or Gospel groove that creates a high energy musical experience, that not only gives you chills, but guarantees to have you up on your feet clapping, dancing and singing along.
He is a true musician and accomplished vocalist that has a sincere compassion and desires to see people impacted through his gifts of Music. He is also a poet, songwriter, actor, playwright, and most of all a GREAT Father and Husband. He has begun to take his career in music to the next level by preparing to record his first project after years as a professional vocalist.
You may have seen Alonzo performing as a highly anticipated reoccurring soloist at the Oregon Symphony’s annual “Gospel Christmas” for the last 12 years. That’s where Alonzo never fails to wow the audience by ending all three nights with a roaring standing ovation. Originally born in Nebraska, Alonzo has called the Pacific Northwest his home for the majority of his life, but has traveled far and wide musically. His singing has taken him from the West Coast to the East and from the Northern states to the Southern states. He is the 2012 spring winner of the “Most Powerful Voices” singing competition sponsored by GMC channel. He has performed at National renowned “Oregon Blues Festival,” as well as Oregon’s “The Bite,” and “The Portland Rose Festival.” Performed and shared the stage with recording artists such as Josh Groban, Israel Houghton, Kim Burell, John P Kee, Canton Jones, William Murphy, India Arie, CeCe Winans, Pink Martini, David Banner, The Oregon Symphony, Storm Large, Linda Hornbuckle, Janice Scroggins, National renowned Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, and Orchestra Conductor Dr. Charles Floyd, and special life changing performances for Civil Rights activist Congressman John Lewis & Myrlie Evers. Alonzo has recently stepped into the world of theater and is already beginning to make his mark as an up and coming thespian. Using this platform as place to engage in the fight of social justice. He’s now ready to go to heights unknown, and is excited about using his many gifts and talents on his journey along the way.
Where is it happening?
Alberta Abbey, 126 Northeast Alberta Street, Portland, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 28.40 to USD 60.02