Rivkah Ross, drums

Kerry Politzer, piano

Joe Aloia, bass

Pete Petersen, saxophone

 

Rivkah is an Oregonian by birth who took a “detour” - living in Florida and California for many years before returning to live in Portland in 2016. While in Florida, she studied jazz at Broward College and fell in love with jazz and Roy Haynes’ playing. The next stop was Los Angeles, where she got her Bachelor of Music at Musicians Institute. While living in SoCal, Rivkah completed three European tours, performing with Jeff Hershey and the Heartbeats, who opened up for Dick Dale, the B-52s, and The New Mastersounds. 

 

Other experiences of note include opening up for LMFAO and Lady Gaga, and performing with Stevie Wonder as part of a drum ensemble at the Nokia Theater. Rivkah continues to be inspired by Roy Haynes, and her favorite drummers also include Cindy Blackman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, and Sean Reinert. Her favorite composers are Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and McCoy Tyner.  

 

The mission of PDX Jazz is to evolve the art of jazz by engaging our community, celebrating live performances, and enhancing arts education.