The Bad Plus

Every week, we highlight touring artists and bands who are coming to play a show in Central Oregon, and we try hard to spread the love, stylistically speaking. Read GO! long enough, and you’ll see stories on pop, rock, country, punk, folk, blues, jam bands and beyond.

You’ll see stories on jazz acts, too, but not as often as we’d like, and it has been that way for years. Besides two long-running concert series — Jazz at Joe’s and Jazz at the Oxford — and the occasional tour stop at the Tower Theatre or a local nightclub, there’s just not a ton of live jazz to be had in the area.

So when the concert calendar features a couple of chances to hear world-class jazz played live within a week, folks ‘round here know to pounce at the opportunity. And here at GO!, we know it’s time to spill a little ink for jazz. So here goes: A 1 and a 2 and a …

Jazz at the Oxford hosts Jane Monheit

This weekend sees the return of Bend’s annual Jazz at the Oxford series, which features concerts by regional and national touring acts in the basement ballroom of the Oxford Hotel in downtown Bend. The 2023-24 season kicks off with Jane Monheit, a New Yorker and possessor of “a voice of phenomenal beauty,” according to the New York Times.

Two decades and 12 albums into her career as a jazz singer, Monheit has worked with big names like Ron Carter, Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard and Christian McBride, and she has performed at iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl and the Village Vanguard. Next stop: Bend, where attendees will get to hear her versatile and compelling voice in an incredibly intimate room.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the Jazz at the Oxford season:

Nov. 10-11 — The Lao Tizer Band, featuring Karen Briggs, Elliott Yamin and more.

Dec. 17-18 — Patrick Lamb’s Charlie Brown Christmas

Jan. 12-13 — Elan Trotman (music of Marvin Gaye)

Feb. 9-10 — Jarrod Lawson

March 8-9 — Dear Amy (music of Amy Winehouse)

Jane Monheit: 6 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, doors open 30 minutes before showtime, $68, The Oxford Hotel, 10 NW Minnesota Ave., Bend, jazzattheoxford.com.

The Bad Plus play the Tower Theatre

Speaking of Jazz at the Oxford, The Bad Plus played the series in 2017, delivering an impressively wide-ranging performance that showcased the trio’s power and precision.

Now, the boundary-pushing band is back in town, this time as a quartet after the departure of pianist Ethan Iverson and the addition of guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist alongside founding members Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums). Together, those four sound as alive and adventurous as ever on their newest album, 2022’s “The Bad Plus,” which simmers, skronks and soars with rejuvenated fervor.

Watching them whip up their heady brew in a lovely listening space like the Tower Theatre is going to be a real treat.

The Bad Plus: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, doors open 7 p.m., $39-$50, Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall Street, Bend, towertheatre.org.