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A JazzLive Special Session

The Cabaret at Theater Square (only 250 seats!)
June 1st, 2012 – 8pm
Tickets: $38 – Buy Now!

Latin jazz is more than 50 years old: In 1942, Mario Bauza wrote his classic composition “Tanga” and four years later he introduced Dizzy Gillespie to Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo, giving rise to a series of historic cross-cultural collaborations featuring Machito, Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and others. Afro-Cuban rhythms have been embedded in the pulse of jazz ever since, but rarely have the two traditions melded as fluidly as they do in the music of Fort Apache.

First organized in the early 1980s by the Bronx-bred brothers Jerry Gonzalez (trumpet, flugelhorn, congas) and Andy Gonzalez (bass), Fort Apache was initially a large, flexible ensemble, boasting as many as 10 or 15 pieces and featuring such players as Kenny Kirkland, Sonny Fortune, Steve Turre, the late Jorge Dalto, Frankie Rodriguez, Milton Cardona, Hector Hernandez, Angel Vazquez, and others. The band’s first two albums were recorded live at European jazz festivals: The River Is Deep, 1982 in Berlin; Obatala, 1988 in Zurich. But it was 1989’s Rumba Para Monk, a quintet recording of Thelonious Monk masterpieces arranged by Jerry Gonzalez and the entire band, that brought the Fort Apache concept into focus. Named Jazz Record of the Year by the French Académie du Jazz, the album also resulted in the Fort Apache Band being voted the number one World Beat Group in Down Beat’s 55th annual Readers Poll.

Don’t miss this very rare Pittsburgh appearance!

Over 240 musicians will perform in 72 HOURS.

The Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival (PJLIF) returns to downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District on June 1-3, 2012. The expansive weekend of music will include a JazzLive Crawl in 30 downtown venues, 3 outdoor stages, and feature both national and internationally renowned musicians and a visual art show. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PJLIF is produced in cooperation with the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, which runs from June 1 through June 10, 2012.

“The PJLIF hits four central themes, this June,” says Janis Burley Wilson, Vice President and Director of Jazz Programs for The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “First, it’s literally a jazz explosion:  240 artists in 72 hours. Second, it’s a festival that preserves and celebrates Jazz and new music–America’s only classical music, by unifying a large audience with legendary, world-class musicians, emerging talent and commissioning new work. Third, it’s an event that enhances the regional economy, and finally the PJLIF is a happening that delivers world-class art and entertainment to the City of Pittsburgh, and is free and open to the community.”

The overarching theme for programming is “family.”  Janis Burley Wilson says, “Jazz appreciation is passed down through families.  Pittsburgh has families of musicians that have been trailblazers in jazz.  Also, there will be a number of families performing in the festival, brothers, sisters, children of important jazz figures of this city.”  The performances will take place in downtown restaurants, coffee shops and galleries, and on three large outdoor stages in the Cultural District. Some of the musicians featured at The PJLIF include:  Monty Alexander, Poogie Bell, The Clayton Brothers, Fort Apache with Andy & Jerry Gonzalez, Robert Glasper, Allan Harris, Lalah Hathaway, Sean Jones, Soul Cycle, Jeff “Tain” Watts, David Budway, Warren Wolf, and The Average White Band.The festival hires over 140 local musicians, as well.  Most of the concerts are free; however seating in restaurants for the JazzLive Crawl is available for dining patrons. In addition, Sean Jones, artist-in-residence for the new initiative, Sound & Spirit, is commissioned to write new music that will debut at the festival.

The program includes community and school workshops that involve Pittsburghers in the writing process, creating music truly inspired by the people of this city.

Founded in 1984, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. Over a period of 25 years, the Trust has restored historic theaters, constructed new performance venues, commissioned public art projects/galleries and developed unique urban parks and riverfront recreation spaces. The Cultural Trust is recognized across America as a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity.

The Pittsburgh JazzLive International weekend is presented with support from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Macy’s, Savoy Restaurant, the City of Pittsburgh and many in-kind sponsors. All artists and show times are subject to change. Please visit pittsburghjazzlive.com or call 412-456-6666 for updates and information.

Ahead of his appearance at Pittsburgh JazzLive tonight, April 3rd, Grammy Nominated vocalist Gregory Porter stopped by KDKA’s Morning Show with Janis Burley Wilson from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Watch the video.

Janis Burley Wilson and Sean Jones visited the Lynne Hayes-Freeland Show on February 12, 2012, to talk about Sean’s Valentine Day shows for JazzLive. Please click through to the CBS website to view the videos:

• 1st segment
• 2nd segment

Buy your tickets now at trustarts.org.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Education and Community Engagement Department is thrilled to welcome Sean Jones as the Arts Passport Artist in Residence for the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival, 2012.  As part of the Artist in Residence’s duties, Sean is hosting a series of free workshops for members of the community.  This particular workshop is designed for University-level students who are interested in the creative process behind writing and composing jazz. The product of these writing workshops will be new music that will debut at the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival, June 1, 2, 3, 2012.

The first of these workshops takes place on Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 at 6pm.

Here is a flyer that you can post or email to interested students.  Please note that though this workshop is free, registration is required through a simple process and can be found at pgharts.org.

Any questions regarding this workshop may be directed to:
Megan Gilby, MAM ‘12
Program Coordinator
Education and Community Engagement | The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival has named trumpeter, Sean Jones, as Artist-in-Residence for a series of jazz-related programs that include a mix of student matinees, workshops, and a new commissioned work to be debuted at the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival next summer.

Janis Burley Wilson, VP of Education, and Director of Jazz Programs at the Trust, says, “The Trust has presented Sean Jones as part of the JazzLive series regularly since 2004.  As an artist, he has contributed to the planning of the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival.  He has also served on the Education/Community Development advisory board since 2008 representing Duquesne University.  We, at the Trust, are thrilled to have Sean as an artist-in-residence for the festival, and welcome all the knowledge and talent he will continue to bring to the JazzLive program as a whole.”

The series kicks off with a free performance open to 1,200 students on Monday, October 3, 2011, with Jazz at Lincoln’s Center’s “Who is Mary Lou Williams“.   A partnership between the August Wilson Center and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Education and Community Engagement Department, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Who is Mary Lou Williams” will be performed by the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra.

Sean Jones will conduct workshops around the region on composition, jazz and new music, with students joining him on the journey to write music that the Trust has commissioned for the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival.  The new music will launch the JazzLive Sound/Spirit Initiative, which involves, commissioning new work every year that will debut at the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival.  The name of the program was inspired by the great jazz saxophonist, Sonny Rollins, who stated that, “…you can’t kill jazz… jazz is a spirit….”  Jones will write music each year, with the community involved in the writing process.  He will perform the new work, or it will be performed by another musician featured in the festival.

In addition to world-renowned trumpet career, Sean Jones is an Assistant Professor at Duquesne University, artistic director of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra and Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and the director of musical initiatives at August Wilson Center.

The JazzLive series, formerly, Downbeat in the District, began in summer of 2004.  The Trust has year-round jazz presence with the JazzLive series in the Cabaret Theater and Backstage Bar every Tuesday from September through May, and at Agnes R. Katz Plaza during the summer months.  During National Jazz Appreciation Month, the Trust presents national and international musicians each Tuesday evening, presenting a variety of new artists and established legends on the jazz scene.  The introduction of Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival in June of 2011, in cooperation with the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, made the Trust the biggest supporter of jazz in the region, with more resources and support going to regional and national jazz musicians, and more programming available to the community.  BNY Mellon is the lead sponsor for JazzLive only.  The Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival is sponsored by a host of other generous funders and in-kind supporters.

On behalf of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, I’d like to thank everyone that traveled to Pittsburgh, and all of the great people living in our city that joined us for the first Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival. People traveled from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Washington, DC, and surrounding states to enjoy the live music that filled the streets of our city. The JazzLive Crawl, featuring close to 140 regional musicians was a success beyond our imaginations. Cultural District restaurants reported their highest sales since opening their doors, musicians gained new fans, and our out of town guests got a chance to see just how JAZZLIVE Pittsburgh has become. We closed down the streets for JazzLive Summer Stages and enjoyed great weather and music from Soulive, Gregory Porter, Sean Jones, and Bobby Sanabria, just to name a few. The JazzLive Jam Sessions hosted by Roger Humphries and Sean Jones were standing room only, and were truly a celebration of Pittsburgh’s rich jazz heritage, and evidence that this music is alive and well and on the rise.

Special thanks go out to all of our sponsors, especially Highmark, Macy’s, Savoy, Richard King Mellon and Pittsburgh Foundations, and all of the gracious in-kind sponsors that made this festival possible. The City of Pittsburgh provided staging, security and so much support for this project and we are very grateful. Flyspace, JazzCorner.com, Fairmont Pittsburgh, Trombino Piano, Classic Limosine, Courtyard by Marriot, Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh, Raff Printing, Adventures in Advertising, City Paper, New Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, and so many more of our friends were integral to the success of this festival.

Lastly, we thank all the talented musicians that brought so much joy to all of our festival guests. Without you, none of this would be possible.

Start making your plans now for Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival 2012 on June 1, 2, 3 in Pittsburgh. The Jazz scene starts HERE!

Your friend in Jazz,

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Janis Burley Wilson, VP and Director of Jazz Programs

From Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

On May 29th, Janis Burley-Wilson, Director of Jazz Programs at The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, was interviewed on the Lynne Hayes-Freeland show on CBS Pittsburgh about the forthcoming Pittsburgh JazzLive International festival.

Read the article on BroadwayWorld.com Pittsburgh.