A Holiday Exclusive! "BENSON LIVE" | Soul of Jazz Tribute

Presented by Elevate Unity & the Benson Jazz Revival

Saturday, November 28, 2026

7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Venue: Benson Hotel - Fireplace Lobby Lounge & Mezzanine Palm Court Bar

• 7 pm - Doors open
• 8 pm - Music starts

We suggest arriving early to get seated.

Music Lineup:

Featuring Portland's Own...Billboard Top #50 Jazz Artists

Saxaphonist

• ELDON T. Jones

With Special Guest

• PDX Vocal Legend Alonzo Chadwick

+ an All-Star PDX Jazz Collective Band featuring...

• Surprise Special Guests TBA!

Event:

Celebrate the holiday season at the iconic Benson Hotel for the start of our Friday and Saturday music series, "Benson Live".

This community concert is the perfect chance to celebrate and support local talent, give back during the holiday season, and be a part of a memorable new annual Thanksgiving classic!

Please join us for an unforgettable night of music featuring Mr Alonzo Chadwick, arguably Portland's top male vocalist, performing Jazz, Soul, Gospel, and more!

This phenomenal star power combination promises to deliver yet another next-level marquee performance showcasing the musical stylings of legendary, renowned, Billboard Top 50 touring artist Eldon T. Jones and a crew of some invited special guests you've heard of!

He always brings an ever-changing, evolving, electric musical interpretation that's been selling out venues nationally all year. Including the likes of the famed Jazz Alley in Seattle and infamous Yoshi's Supper Club in San Francisco. Coast to coast, Eldon T. has been a major fixture on live concert stages in 2026, so buckle up and get ready for the ride!

Keep in mind this is the debut concert for our new music series at the hotel, simply called "Benson Live." With the popularity of the weekly Jazz Revival shows every Wednesday, we plan to focus on featuring even more exceptional local, regional, and national talent. Honoring its long and storied jazz history, "The Benson is Back" weekends start in November on select monthly Fridays & Saturdays.

The performances will be hosted in the legendary Lobby Fireplace Lounge and, of course, in the exquisite and iconic Crystal Ballroom!

This show benefits two impactful local non-profits, Elevate Unity & the Saturday Samaritans, who together have fed the homeless locally for over 10 years. Most importantly, both these organizations are dedicated to uplifting our community and musicians by championing unity, inclusion, and diversity while feeding our homeless neighbors. Your donations directly support this effort!

So don’t miss this special curated musical tribute night celebrating some of the most memorable Jazz and Soul artists of our time!

Tickets:

$25 - General Admission: Standing Room, Lobby Bar + Mezzanine Access

$35 - Single Seating

$70 - Couple Seating

$150 - Prime Seating: 4-top Reserve Table

$200 - VIP Couple Overnight Standard Hotel Room & tickets

*CONCERT SPECIAL HOTEL ROOMS AVAILABLE CALL BENSON HOTEL DIRECT*

Dinner & Appetizer Food Menu Service:

• El Gaucho, Honorable Mention Sports Bar, Palm Court Restaurant.

Benson Hotel Amenities Include:

Lobby Jazz Lounge
Palm Court Dining
Premium Top Shelf Bars & Wait Staff
Sponsor Mezzanine Satellite Bar, Host DJ

The Entertainment

Eldon T. Jones

Eldon T. Jones / As 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. 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. 

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.

Alonzo Chadwick

Chadwick is very passionate about his community and uses his platform to bring awareness to key community issues. Using music as the universal love language to engage in the fight of social justice, by providing peace, healing, and unity to all who experiences his voice. He has served on the Board of Directors for local nonprofits Y.O.U.T.H, Maverick Main Stage Productions, Trillium Charter School, and recently the Multnomah County Public Health Advisory Board.

Originally born in Nebraska, Alonzo has called the Pacific Northwest his home for the majority of his life, but has traveled far and wide musically. His singing has taken him from the West Coast to the East and from the Northern states to the Southern states. He is the 2012 spring winner of the “Most Powerful Voices” singing competition sponsored by GMC Channel. He has performed at the nationally renowned “Oregon Blues Festival,” as well as Oregon’s “The Bite,” and “The Portland Rose Festival.” Performing and shared the stage with recording artists such as Josh Groban, Israel Houghton, Kim Burell, John P Kee, Canton Jones, William Murphy, India Arie, CeCe Winans, Lena Byrd-Miles, Jason Nelson, LeAndria Johnson, Crystal Aikin, Pink Martini, David Banner, The Oregon Symphony, Storm Large, Linda Hornbuckle, Janice Scroggins, nationally renowned Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, and Orchestra Conductor Dr. Charles Floyd, and special life-changing performances for Civil Rights activist Congressman John Lewis & Myrlie Evers.

 All ages. | Tickets are Nonrefundable.