The lineup for the 2024 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival will be announced April 30th for the September event. More news on that, soon.
If we turn back the calendar to September 1964 - the Beatles played the Pittsburgh Civic Arena for their first and only show in the Steel City. Months earlier, a very major event happened in that same location, with echoes reverberating from 60 years ago to now. The first, ever, Pittsburgh Jazz Festival, June 19 and 20, 1964.
The idea of a Jazz Festival in Pittsburgh started much earlier with planning led by Mary Lou Williams and many others that went on for several years.
It was a very big deal, but has not been talked about much of late. As we prepare to celebrate Mary Lou’s birthday in May, we want to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first ever festival - and its very Pittsburgh roots with global reach.
We’ve not yet found a printed program or compressive report of that notable weekend, but through columns and articles from the Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Press and the Pittsburgh Courier, we’re finding a fuller picture of the notable weekend comes in to view - plus, a few stellar photos by the legendary Teenie Harris!
Charles “Teenie” Harris
Musicians Larry Gales, Ben Webster, Mary Lou Williams, and Percy Brice backstage of Civic Arena for Pittsburgh Jazz Festival. Credit Heinz Family Fund © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
It was a very Pittsburgh focused event with a global ambition featuring many “Hometown” headliners - the Mary Lou Williams trio (Larry Gales - bass, Percy Brice - drums) with Ben Webster - tenor sax, Harold Baker - trumpet, Melba Liston and Al Grey - trombones and singers Ethel Fields and Jimmy Mitchell.
Other Pittsburgh originated stars included vocalist Dakota Staton and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers; The Walt Harper Quartet, the Harold Betters Quartet with Benny Benack - trumpet and George Wein - piano. Add in the (40 piece) Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Orchestra, directed by Melba Liston.
Other headliners included the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the Thelonious Monk Quartet (featuring Charlie Rouse), The Jimmy Smith Trio and a band led by trombonist Al Gray. Also, vocalists Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams with the Junior Mance Trio.
Also on the playbill, the Bernice Johnson Dancers and Comedian “Moms” Mabley. Plus the Newport All-Stars with the likes of Ruby Braff, Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Russell, Shorty Baker, Snookie Young, Percy Brice, and Ben Tucker.
An extended review by Phly Garland published in July in the Pittsburgh Courier gave a number of other aspects - the MC’s included Willis Conover, Father Norman J. O’Connor - also known as the “jazz priest” ; Mercer Ellington;
A number of stories from the festival that caught our attention - a column by Carl Apone wrote about a “long awaited $20,000 improvement to the Civic Arena’s sound system” that would get its first real test from the Jazz Festival - to be followed by a concert by Nat King Cole for the Civic Light Opera season July 6, 1964.
In that same column, Carl Apone noted that ticket sales were lagging just a week before the festival - sales of only $3,500 towards the $30,000 talent budget alone. Whatever happened next, total sales ended up at about $36,000. The “acid test” was the rehearsal for the Festival before doors opened on June 19, 1964 - for the biggest “high fidelity” sound system in the region at the time.
The festival made a profit - but barely - seemingly due to a cancellation - Sarah Vaughan was scheduled to perform - but cancelled shortly before the Festival. As noted in several articles , the $2,700 cancellation refund from the Sarah Vaughan booking was enough to swing the festival into a profit for the weekend. Making a profit helped lead to the return of the festival in 1965 with a 3 day event with another grand lineup of talent.
The sponsor of the event was the Catholic Youth Organization under the direction of the Rev. Michael Williams, with the encouragement of the leader of the Pittsburgh Diocese, Bishop John Wright. Governor William Scranton and former Governor David L. Lawrence served as honorary Chairmen. Mayor Joseph Barr issued a proclamation declaring “June is Jazz Month.”
The producers of the Festival were Mary Lou Williams and legendary festival promoter George Wein.
We’ll talk about the festival, and play some of the music that relates to it on The Scene - Also, a revisit to a chat with adoptive Pittsburgh jazz artist and author Deanna Witkowski - currently finalizing work on her PhD in Jazz Studies at Pitt - she did research on the importance of Mary Lou Williams’ Pittsburgh connections in getting the festival started, which helped nudge us in the direction of digging deeper.
Pittsburgh’s Jazz legacy continues as the sounds continue, here, where we live.
Also - a special note - the new Pittsburgh-based Mary Lou Williams Institute will have two special programs next weekend in recognition of Mary Lou and her birthday - and leading to the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center the weekend after, May 11 and 12.
Saturday May 4 at the University of Pittsburgh Frick Fine Arts Building from 12 pm to 3 pm. This event is open to the general public. Music and refreshments will be a collaborative effort with the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Department, and the MLWI - Scholar, author and MLWI board member Tammy Kernodle will do a reading from her book “Soul on Soul: the Music and Life of Mary Lou Williams.
Sunday May 5 2-4pm at St. Bede's Church in Point Breeze (509 S Dallas Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15208). It will be a reflective time to wrap up the weekend and an African American Music Institute (AAMI) student will be playing some of his own music as well as liturgical music from Mary Lou. Light refreshments will be provided.
Thursday night at six, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday afternoon at 5 on WZUM.
Pittsburgh Courier, July 4, 1964, Page One, Section Two
Deanna Witkowski and Mary Lou Williams
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 22, 1964
1964 Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Advertisement, Pittsburgh Press, June 3, 1964
Carl Apone Column Jazz Tests Arena Sound, Ticket Sales for Jazz Fest a concern a week before 1964
Article from Jun 14, 1964 The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Dakota staton, Harold betters, Mary lou williams, George wein