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PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL TAKES ON NEW LOOK FOR 2012 AS “US BANK PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY ALASKA AIRLINES”

TWO MAJOR CORPORATE SPONSORS CREATIVELY EXCHANGE ROLES TO PROVIDE INCREASED SUPPORT FOR JAZZ FESTIVAL

It was announced today that effective with next year’s Portland Jazz Festival, PDX Jazz (the presenting organization of the Portland Jazz Festival) has named U.S. Bank as the official title sponsor and Alaska Airlines as the event’s presenting sponsor. The U.S. Bank Portland Jazz Festival Presented by Alaska Airlines is scheduled for February 17 through February 26, 2012.

The Portland Jazz Festival is an annual, multi-venue series of jazz events presented each February within the downtown area of Portland, Oregon. The Festival is dedicated to presenting internationally recognized, contemporary jazz masters; showcasing local jazz musicians within intimate, free performances; and celebrating February as Black History Month with a series of jazz education and outreach programs that extend into Portland’s schools and neighborhoods.

During a decade where arts and cultural organizations have suffered from declining grants and corporate sponsorships, PDX Jazz has re-organized their two primary sponsors in order to provide further organizational stability with enhanced visibility and involvement for US Bank and Alaska Airlines.

“PDX Jazz is fortunate to have had ongoing major corporate support from U.S. Bank and Alaska Airlines that exemplify a heart-felt commitment to our mission as an arts organization in particular, and as consummate community advocates in the Pacific Northwest,” said Don Lucoff, managing director for PDX Jazz.

Tom Smith, president of the PDX Jazz Board said, “the Portland Jazz Festival continues to be an important event on the Portland arts calendar and the board is committed to assuring an ever improving and economically sustainable festival in the future.”

States Quentin Strode, Senior Vice President, “U.S. Bancorp has a long-standing record of community leadership in the arts and culture nationwide, and particularly in Oregon where we have operated for 120 years. We are committed to the Portland Jazz Festival which connects our customers and the Portland community to a world class event. We commend Alaska Airlines for taking the lead as title sponsor in 2008. We have enjoyed our collaboration over the past two years and look forward to the future.”

States Molly Brown, Alaska Airlines’ manager of advertising and promotions: “Alaska Airlines has had a special kinship with the Portland Jazz Festival since 2009 when we became the new title sponsor. We are delighted to see the Festival expand and play a significant leadership role for jazz programming and education outreach in the Portland community. Alaska Airlines also looks forward to a continued alliance with U.S. Bank in their role as title sponsor.”

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $311 billion in assets as of March 31, 2011, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,082 banking offices in 25 states and 5,238 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. U.S. Bancorp and its employees are dedicated to improving the communities they serve, for which the company earned the 2011 Spirit of America Award, the highest honor bestowed on a company by United Way. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at http://www.usbank.com .

Alaska Airlines, an Alaska corporation founded in 1932, is noted for its award-winning customer service. Together with Horizon Air, the carriers provide scheduled air service for more than 23 million passengers annually to destinations in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.

..:: SOURCE: PDX JAZZ ::..