Internationally known musician and composer David Ornette Cherry, a Watts transplant who catapulted onto Portland’s jazz scene during the 2008 Portland Jazz Festival, has created a late-night, monthly series, titled ‘Round Midnight, to entertain music lovers after the nightclubs begin to close.

‘Round Midnight is held one Saturday per month from 11:30 PM to 1:30 AM at Curious Comedy Theater in NE Portland.

A portion of the $8 admission supports jazz and arts programming at Jefferson High School in North Portland.

David Ornette Cherry explains, "When I was first running around Portland, I realized that every club that had live music was just closing down around 11:30 PM, except for the bars. 'Round Midnight offers an alternative for late night cats who want to interact with live music at a performance spot with a positive vibe.”

"We called it ‘Round Midnight not only because it’s an accurate reflection of what time the music begins every Saturday night, but also because the 1944 jazz standard is the most recorded tune composed by a jazz musician," says Cherry. "That’s a history and a heritage we want to keep alive and accessible to the masses."