A New Year's Eve Exclusive! THE PDX SOUL ALLIANCE TRIBUTE

Presented by Elevate Unity & the Benson Jazz Revival

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

• Venue doors open at 6 pm
• Music begins at 7 pm
  
• NYE Dinner from 6 - 10 pm

We suggest arriving early to get seated.

Music Lineup:

Featuring Portland's Own...Hall of Fame Vocalist SHIRLEY NANETTE

ft. Special Guest ELDON T. JONES

& PDX Soul Alliance Band

• Sherif Iman ~ Vocals
• Justin Calhoun ~ Drums
• Kenton Davey ~ Piano
• Russ Garlow ~ Bass

along with Surprise Special Guests!

Celebrate New Year's Eve with Us!

Join us for an incredible night of music featuring Portland's top female vocalists performing Jazz, Soul, Gospel, and more! Celebrate with the legendary Shirley Nanettec, and Billboard jazz top 50 Artist Eldon T Jones as they sing in the new year! 

This is a once-in-a-lifetime show performance at the beautiful historic Benson Hotel.

And benefits two impactful local non-profits: Elevate Unity & the Saturday Samaritans organizations, dedicated to uplifting the community and feeding our unhoused neighbors. 

Don’t miss this truly special night!

Tickets:

$27 - General Admission: Standing Room/Mezzanine Access

$55 - Reserve: Table Seating & Mezzanine Access

$185 - All Access: Table Seating, Standard Room, Sponsor Cocktail & Merchandise, & Mezzanine Access

$245 - VIP Couple All-Access Package + Overnight Standard Guestroom Accommodation Tickets 

*Door Tickets are CASH ONLY day of the show*

Benson Hotel NYE Amenities Include:

• The Live Jazz Lounge
• Palm Court Restaurant
• Premium Top Shelf Bars & Waiter Staff Service
• Sponsor Mezzanine Bar w/ Guest DJ & Dancing

Shirley Nanette

Shirley has appeared as a guest soloist in concerts throughout the United States and Canada on commercial and public television. She has performed at many of Oregon’s musical events, including the Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz, Cascade Music Festival, Sunriver Music Festival, and at the Oregon Art Museum’s “Museum After Hours” Gospel Meets Jazz concert each year. Shirley was honored by the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade with her float for two consecutive years, during which she sang through the entire parade length. She has been the opening act for Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons, Billy Eckstine, Diane Schuur, Lou Rawls, and Eddie Harris, and substituted for Tony Bennett with the Spokane Symphony when he became ill. Shirley performs with the Woody Hite Big Band and the George Reinmiller Big Band each year, usually in outdoor summer concerts. 

Shirley made her debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1981, conducted by Norman Leyden. She appears as one of the “Pops” concert favorites. She has also appeared as a guest soloist with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Seattle, Spokane, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Tucson, San Diego, Honolulu, Long Beach, and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. In 1983, competing against several thousand contestants throughout the United States, she won the First “Star Search,” aka “Fantasy,” national talent competition on NBC Television. Shirley was recognized as “Best Female Vocalist in Portland” from 1981 to 1991. 

Shirley has been inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame for her dedication to jazz and her long career.

Eldon T. Jones

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 given to the Portland community.

In 2019, Jones tributed to 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.

 This 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 single, “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.

Nehemiah Booker

Is here on the music scene to stay, one word: Wow! Raised in his father’s church, Nehemiah has been performing music in one form or another for most of his life.

He had recorded his first song by the age of 12 and at the age of 15 and headlined his first concert in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, with proceeds that went towards teenage victims of domestic violence. 

It was after that concert that Nehemiah was convinced that he wanted to pursue music professionally.

The experiences of his teenage years opened the door for Nehemiah to later join Soul, a gospel group signed to a subsidiary of the Hendrix record Universal label.

This release spent 9 weeks on the Billboard gospel charts and peaked at number 36. Though the group was short-lived, it provided him the opportunity to tour the states and establish relationships that would bear fruit in the years to come.

Soul Alliance Tribute Band

The FreeTones are an extremely talented Portland-based band born in early 2024 by leader/drummer Justin Calhoun.

He just wanted to play music with his friends on their own terms, and it quickly grew to much more than they all expected. 

This band is truly funky and soulful; they like to refer to themselves as a versatile genre band, because whenever, wherever, & whatever they’re playing, it’s guaranteed to be a great time.

All ages. | Tickets are non-refundable.