There are only a few out-of-town jazz festivals left on this year’s jazz itinerary. One is the 13th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival on September 14–17. This eclectic music fest employs multi-Grammy winner Gregory Porter; Gotham’s own Spanish Harlem Orchestra; keyboardist, arranger, and founder of Fourplay Bob James; Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter; Nicholas Payton with Blaque Dynamite; the R&B soul of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; Ledisi; Pharoahe Monch & Mumu Fresh; Orrin Evans; and the African-rooted stylings of Somi.
Pittsburgh is a mere 369 miles from New York City—approximately six hours by car and just over an hour by plane.
The Pittsburgh festival opens with Nigel Hall & Madison McFerrin. The music of vocalist and keyboardist Hall is gospel-based with exploratory blends of classic soul, funk, and hip hop. McFerrin has fun incorporating her bright vocals, which are textured in an array of colorful tones that diminish genre bias. Together, Hall and McFerrin are an exciting duo with fresh ideas waiting to be heard.
The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by Citizens launched the Music is Very Powerful (MVP) Program, which will offer a minimum 500 complimentary festival passes for Saturday and Sunday at Highmark Stadium on September 16–17, 2023. Regional musicians will receive 100 festival passes and 400 local high school and college students, with valid IDs, will receive general admission festival passes.
Tickets to the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by Citizens are on sale now at https://pittsburghjazzfest.org.
Jazz bands with leaders are the order of the day, but pianist James Hurt and trumpeter Duane Eubanks wanted, as they stated, “to get out of the 20th century bandleader thing, so we got this collective.” Their collective, called Spontaneous Creativity, has been playing since 2020. The other members are bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Eric McPherson. With their individual experience (being relied upon by such notables as Jason Moran, Greg Osby, Oliver Lake, and Rashied Ali) and instrumental command, they are easily one of the best quartets on the scene. Their latest CD, “2020 The Black Chamber, Pt. 1,” substantiates their creative versatility as they push forward the musical inventiveness by Trio 3 that featured Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, and Andrew Cyrille.
“Our music is coming right out the studio—it’s an organic collaboration by all of us. We just go in the studio and play, and the people hear our results. That’s why we came up with the name Spontaneous Creativity,” said Hurt. “There aren’t any rehearsals and deep conversations. We are building our musical foundation that is motivated by all the musicians who came before us.”
The CD “2020 The Black Chamber, Pt. 1,” which includes seven tracks, is a consortium of straight-ahead melodies with avant garde classical edges. The cut “Remembrance’s Reflections” has it all: a riveting spiritual opening with a subdued harmonic trumpet accompanied by tom-tom beats with engrossing piano chords, and a textured solo tempered with whispering cymbals. The title track begins with hip melodic bass lines as all instruments unite in moving conversation. “This is Black chamber music,” said Hurt.
The four members of this collective (Hurt, Eubanks, Tarus Mateen, and McPherson) are all exceptional leaders and composers who are virtually under the jazz corporate radar, although their many musical colleagues have acknowledged their virtuosity.
Hurt’s genius was noticed since his arrival on the jazz scene. He is always miles ahead, forging his own path. Tenor saxophonist Gregory Tardy wrote a song after him, entitled “Mr. Hurt.” “Putting the music out is a challenge, but we will keep releasing music like Charles Tolliver and his now-legendary record label Strata East. We just keep going.” The music speaks for itself.
The CD is available on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, and Pandora.
Harlem Late Night Jazz, Inc., is celebrating its eighth anniversary. In its short existence, they have made an impact on supporting Harlem venues, artists, and the communities they serve. The partners include Dakota Pippins, C. Kelly Wright, Geoffrey Eaton, and T.S. Monk. Their program Elevating New Artists/Honoring Legends is a weekly jam session held at the historical New Amsterdam Musical Association (NAMA) founded in 1907 as the Negro music union. It brings established and emerging jazz musicians together in the same brownstone where Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, and James Reese Europe played. During the Late Night Jazz anniversary, they are seeking to raise $80,000 to assist and build on its opportunity goals for artists, venues, and the jazz community. For more info, visit www.harlemlatenightjazz.networkforgood.com.