Jazz and Beyond Portland Vancouver

When Attending Our events please tell one of the band members to announce that Jazz & Beyond Meetup Members are in the audience and where you are sitting. If you have a band or are a promoter and want to post here please message me and I will enable it in settings for the group. Are you a fan of jazz music (or other niche genres) or just curious to know what it's all about and why we "jazzers" are so dedicated to the art (or somewhere in between?)? If so, join us as we explore the great music and more that Portland has to offer.
I had originally created this meetup to bring out what I (perhaps mistakenly) considered a lost generation of jazz listeners -- namely, my peers in their late 30's through mid 40's -- but have decided to leave my emotional baggage behind :-) and broaden the scope of this meetup...
And for good reason: wouldn't want to miss out on the opportunity to meet anyone interested in this great music, and, we need to support this art form and the local musicians in every way possible. What better way than by bringing together those new or curious about the music with us long time (and not so long time) fans in and around town?
The Music
This Meetup is mostly about jazz and Swing but also the blues, r&b, funk, world and beyond, so events will not be limited to jazz, nor any particular type of jazz. As Duke Ellington once said, there really are only two kinds of music, right? Good music and bad music. Well, let's try to find the good variety (and with any luck, we'll also find good food, drink and company to go along). I'm also depending on suggestions from members to expand our horizons as I'm always interested (and hope you are) in discovering interesting new music of any genre. NOTE: I would like to stay away from the pop, rock and country genres as there are already a number of Meetups for those.
Venues
Let's focus on more informal venues where we can relax, eat, drink and enjoy the music and each other's company. When we do concert venues, perhaps we could meetup earlier for happy hour or dinner where we could meet and get to know each other before the music begins.
Tickets
To the extent that tickets are required for an event, you are responsible for buying your own ticket. I'll list the ticket price or cover charge where applicable.
Suggestions
Oh, and please offer suggestions for events and venues. I have my "go to" venues and artists that I've been following forever, but am always searching for new experiences.