We’ve spent a lot of time, lately, looking back to the jazz scene in 1959 and 1960. This week, we look back just a year, to the first week in August, 2019.
Thursday night at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, and Sunday at 5 on “THE SCENE” - a radio journey back to last year’s late summer jazz scene in Pittsburgh.
It was just a year ago that we saw the official ribbon cutting at Con Alma in Shadyside - leading to a visit with the three folks behind the new jazz, food and drinks spot - Amy Marshall, Josh Ross and John Shannon. We talked about the adventure of putting this new venture on the scene.
The film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was in production in the Pittsburgh area, and music being recorded with area musicians and also composed and arranged by saxophonist Branford Marsalis. He stopped into the club Wofies Pub on Wednesday July 31 for the final night of the Funk Factory Jam Sessions in the Market Square venue, and we got to chat with him.
Other notable things on the Scene included Herb Alpert and Lani Davis coming to MCG Jazz August 6-7, vocalist Sachal Vasandani with the MCG Jazz Orchestra at Fallingwater in September, and a Pittsburgh return by jazz piano and accordion great Sonny Barbato on August 11.
And we talked about the August Jazz Scene - the Pittsburgh Jazz Days of Summer are August 17-25 with more than 50 jazz dates during the week - and for the month of August, we count more than 220 gigs!
For now, we have things on simmer, as we wait for health and economics to return to a more favorable time - but this scene will return, and you’ll hear about it on WZUM!
2019 Event at Heid House with Sonny Barbato
Sherman and Mr. Peabody enter the WABAC machine ca. 1960 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waybackmachine3.png
Scott Hanley and John Shannon at Con Alma, David Roth
Scott Hanley, Branford Marsalis, by Michelle Kienholz at Wolfie’s Pub, 2019
Sachal Vasandani at Fallingwater for MCG Jazz