Pitt Jazz Week 2009

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

Pitt Jazz Week 2009 to Feature Community Outreach Activities, Lecture, Film, and Nov. 7 Concert
International jazz masters to perform at 39th annual event

PITTSBURGH-Jazz enthusiasts from throughout the region will be on the University of Pittsburgh campus Nov. 3 though Nov. 7 for the 39th annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert, the longest-running event of its kind in the United States.

A stellar group of international jazz musicians will hold free on-campus lecture/demonstrations, visit area schools and community venues, and convene for the annual concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 in Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

Guest performers include George Cables, piano; Terri Lyne Carrington, drums; Leon Lee Dorsey, Pitt assistant professor of jazz studies and coordinator of Pitt's Jazz Studies Program, bass; Benny Golson, tenor saxophone; Donald Harrison, alto saxophone; Jimmy Owens, trumpet; Yotam Silberstein, guitar; and Lew Soloff, trumpet.

Golson's participation in the Pitt event occurs the same year that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has honored the sax man-a composer, arranger, lyricist, and producer-with a concert titled “Benny Golson at 80.” Hosted by actor Danny Glover, with appearances by the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Al Jarreau, Ron Carter, and others, the Jan. 24 concert featured Golson performing his compositions that have become jazz standards.

“Benny wrote the kinds of tunes people whistled and sang,” said Billy Taylor, artistic director for jazz at the Kennedy Center, adding that Golson is also popular with those who recognize his distinctive sound from various movie soundtracks and music for TV shows like “M*A*S*H,” “Mission Impossible,” and “The Cosby Show.”

Golson says he is looking forward to returning to Pitt to lecture and perform, an experience he says is “always fulfilling.”

Founded by Nathan Davis, director of Pitt's Jazz Studies Program, the Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert was the first academic jazz seminar in the country to feature international artists connecting with aspiring students in a lecture format, then performing together as an ensemble.

Details on the Pitt Jazz Week events follow:

Concert
The Nov. 7 concert is a one-of-a-kind performance, given the diverse playing styles and the show's impromptu nature. Tickets are $18; students with a valid ID pay $8. Tickets are available by calling ProArtsTickets at 412-394-3353 or visiting www.proartstickets.org. Tickets also are available at the University's William Pitt Union (WPU) box office, 3959 Fifth Ave., Oakland. Student tickets can only be purchased at the WPU.

The Honorable William R. Robinson, District 10 representative on the Allegheny County Council and former Pennsylvania state representative, will serve as the evening's master of ceremonies. At intermission, one of the guest artists will be presented with the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar Committee Award and two other musicians (one living and one deceased) will be inducted into the University of Pittsburgh International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame.

Saturday, Nov. 7
10-11:15 a.m.
“Trumpet Kings: The Music of Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, and Miles Davis”
Lew Soloff

11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
“A Tribute to Jazz in Film: “The Terminal””
Benny Golson