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Sam Epstein

@samepste.in

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Spent the sunny months away from this app and mostly away from home too--napping, writing, hiking, teaching, eating ice cream in all forms, getting better at asking for and accepting help, learning how to grow radishes and a second book and also another human, due in Scorpio season, already dancing when he hears dad on saxophone. Still not really online but sending as evidence of digital life 🏹

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The 2026 @montavillajazzfest was an absolute blast!

I had the opportunity to sit down ahead of the festival and chat with @brandonleecierley @domobranch and @losteele , if you missed it... you can catch past broadcasts available on demand via MixCloud (link in bio).

Some more highlights from this year's festival included @dat.bari.sax / @wenipt , @rebeccasanborn and the @portlandjazzcomposers ensemble 'Shadow Work' album release show, a pair of multisensory performances from @northpolepdx and @and.or_you + @mosleywotta . @de_dae_day The Collective left a "melody in my soul" (courtesy of @davasate_jr ) that I can't stop thinking about.

🎺 @simpsonaire always puts on a show, and I was lucky enough to see him perform with 4 different groups over the weekend.

Montavilla Jazz has become one of my favorite local events and this year was the best year yet! Let's do it again Labor Day weekend 2027!

#jazz #jazzmusic #modernjazz #montavillajazzfestival #jazzradio

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Still buzzing off my performance at @montavillajazzfest this last Sunday. One of the most packed shows they had that weekend.

Thanks again to everyone that pulled up for the kid

📸 : @gregmurraymedia
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#montavillajazzfest #livemusic #saxophone #festival #portlandmusicscene

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Montavilla Jazz Festival 2026 is in the books!

Thank you to everyone who came out with a special shout out to those who braved the weather on Sunday. Our annual celebration moves with the belief that the past, present, and future of America’s greatest art form belongs to—and deserves to be enjoyed by—everyone.

This festival is only possible through the collaboration of our artists, staff, crews, sponsors, donors, neighborhood businesses, funders, an army of volunteers, and audience members like you!

We love sharing our creative community with you, and we hope you loved your experience. Please take 5 minutes to tell us about by completing the survey linked in our bio.
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📷 by Norm Eder and Kim Gumbel

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PDX - ya’ll showed TF out last night for my set over at @montavillajazzfest to end out the festival AND the weather decided to turn out to be beautiful.

Big shoutouts to everyone who came from Tacoma & Seattle to see the kid, all the staff that helped with everything at the festival, and most importantly thank you to the homie @braxton_cook for making time out of his business schedule as a world known performer & father to come be a part of my show.

Huge shoutout to the band of the homies who showed up and held it down with the kid. Each time we play together, you guys never seize to amaze me and for that I’m grateful to call you colleagues, bandmates & most important, friends!

More photos & footage to come but until then…

I’ll see ya again real soon ✌🏼

📸 : @gregmurraymedia
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#montavillajazzfest #pdxmusicscene #family #musicfestival #saxophoneplayer

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Inspired by the lineage of A Love Supreme and other landmark works by John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders, The Collective is a spiritually grounded, interdisciplinary performance that blends original music, poetry, sound design, and improvisation. Curated by Dae Bryant, the project explores jazz as a language of connection, truth, and transformation. Rooted in Bryant’s background in gospel, psychology, and community-based performance, the work invites audiences into a shared experience of reflection, presence, and collective care.
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Catch them September 5th at Portland Metro Arts. Grab your festival pass now before prices go up August 16th!
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📷: by Norm Eder

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What an honor to join @samepste.in at @theoldchurchconcerthall for their Lunchtime Concerts series yesterday!

Sam wanted to present a new interation of his ensemble, "Neighborhood Politics," so I dusted off the old @gohanblancomusic setup with a few modifications and built some soundscapes for us to develop some of his language over.

I've known Sam for over half of my life, but this is actually the first time I've ever played with him outside of a jam session or a school gig — it was an honor to weave some sonic webs for him, and I tried my best to keep up on sax, but I've been trailing behind for a decade and a half. Sam is always covering for me and generously lent his guitar and bass guitar skills to the duo to pick up the slack for the keyboard skills that I lack.

Here's a quick edit of three fun musical moments from the livestream of our set (which can still be found on YouTube)

1. An ambient moment featuring some Lydian colors on keys
2. Me desperately trying to keep my soprano sax in tune (and failing)
3. Esoteric breakbeats for the soul.

Keep an eye out for the full band iteration of Neighborhood Politics — Sam composes some incredible music and has been making waves at his recent residencies at @fortunepdx and @keyspdx, so stay up-to-date on all of his performances and check out the livestream on TOC's YouTube if you are interested— their Lunchtime Concerts are fantastic, and they host a plethora of amazing shows every week in a lovely room with breathtaking acoustics.
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#portlandjazz #livemusic #saxophone #ambient #producer

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Mississippi Studios Album Release Show

We are so happy to call Portland home, and to have amazing venues like @mississippistudios around to share this music at. Thank you so much @nightheronmusic and @greaterkind for joining us, it was such a great night of music.

Keep listening to Swollen Eyes out everywhere! And go to a @tenderlovingempirerecords store and get a vinyl!!!

Thank you @tg.digs for these amazing shots!

#jazzfusion #albumrelease #newmusicforyou #listen #stream

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Some photo highlights from the past year of saxophonist/musician Sam Epstein (@samepste.in)

#portland #pdx #portlandphotography #jazz #livephotography

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Fun times at @pomalobarpdx as usual w/ @santi.a.goh for our weekly @alley.oop.pdx residency!

We've been at it for so long now that we're finally ready to record some of this music, so I've been mixing and editing together live albums from our sets and just posted another one to my Bandcamp — I'm also posting the full album as a YouTube video, so check those out if interested!

We're honored to have talented friends that occasionally come and sit in with us at Pomalo, and last night we had some double trouble sax shenanigans from @brandonleecierley and @samepste.in throughout the night.

Super stoked to be ripping on the same @westcraftdrums kit I've had for years, which happens to match Pomalo's colors. I'm also really digging this full set of @skretasfamilycymbals .

Santi has been rocking @nordkeyboards (Electro) and @moogsynthesizers (Sub 37) for key bass

Here's the last 3 minutes of the concert; some solos and melody to an old fave: "Nardis" by Bill Evans, featuring the incredible Sam Epstein on tenor 🎷
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#livemusic #portlandjazz #drummer #pianist #groove

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Last night I was standing on the sidewalk in lower Manhattan when I found out I won the James Beard Award for Personal Essay AND the whole city was screaming for the Knicks. Thank you thank you thank you to @orion_magazine and team for publishing and championing my weird mushroom meditation on love and terror— pals, subscribe, subscribe, subscribe to magazines like this one, the nourishment we all need. Meanwhile, a round up of superlative meals from the last month (mostly from France honeymoon bc I love love, sorry!!!).

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