2021 is here in Pittsburgh, and so is jazz, albeit limited due to health and safety.
Still, Jazz Endures. We check in with the club Con Alma, which has returned to takeaway food, live jazz and limited reservation-only dine-in seating. Guitarist and music coordinator for Con Alma, John Shannon tells us the latest of what’s in store - including special Saturday tributes to jazz giants, and a combination of live and livestream jazz to work through the winter months.
We also visit with pianist, composer and author Deanna Witkowski, who has gone from admiring Pittsburgh’s jazz scene to getting deep into it by moving here. Deanna’s blog post “Pittsburgh, the CIty Where Jazz is Love” has gotten a lot of notice, too. Deanna’s new book on Mary Lou Williams will be out at the end of summer, and a special rebroadcast of Mary Lou Williams music, with new features, from Alphabet City, will be happening on Monday January 25, with Deanna on piano, Jeff Grubbs, bass, Thomas Wendt, drums.
The cover from Deanna Witkowski’s upcoming book
John Shannon
Deanna Witkowski, Mary Lou WIlliams