Before the pandemic, a number of jazz presenters and supporters in Pittsburgh collaborated to boost awareness of live jazz in the region - one of the themes was “the Jazz Days of Summer,“ celebrating jazz events over a specific 10 or so days in August.

In this summer of 2022, the whole summer has been filled with a resounding return to live jazz - and now more than 200 to 250 events each month!

We celebrate a bunch of that with coversations with a couple of notable visitors on the scene - guitarist John Pizzarelli’s Swing 7 at Hartwood Acres Sunday night August 7th, and pianist Orrin Evans, coming back to Pittsburgh for Kente Arts with saxophonist Tim Warfield at Alphabet City (live and online) on August 10th. We chatted with both John and Orrin a few months ago, when things were more locked down - and hearing the perspectives from then, now, helps us celebrate their visits even more.

WZUM’s Jazz Central Calendar is increasingly comprehensive and we try to make it accurate as possible - and it continues to be full - and pretty much everything on the show is a part of the Pittsburgh jazz days and nights of summer.

Also, of note - Con Alma, Downtown has made some more changes - going later on Friday and Saturday nights. The early sets with now go 6-9pm, the “late” show - 10pm to 1am.

Also in August - Jazz at the Highland Park Reservoir on Sundays in August - 5-7pm, including John Shannon and Fourth River on August 7; The Roger Humphries Jazz Boat Ride is a go for August 28th with the Gateway Clipper fleet - including honors from Roger Humphries to Mensah Wali of Kente Arts.

Kente Arts, btw, will have TWO august shows - Orrin Evans August 10 and Antonio Hart August 17, both at Alphabet City — and just announced fall shows including vocalist Catherine Russell, September 10 at the New Hazlett Theater

The Jazz Days of Summer in Pittsburgh - bursting out in town and on the air on WZUM!