I was about to make my first visit to the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF), one of the major free jazz festivals in the country. However, there was some anxiety on my part regarding the ride down to Pittsburgh on the Jazz Train. This writer was never about group travel and activities.
To my pleasant surprise, the jazz patrons were comfortably seated in one car, making it very easy to meet delightful jazz fans from North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Boston. They all had made their way to New York City’s Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, to board the Jazz Train that stopped for fans in Newark, NJ and Philadelphia. Pianist, Composer, and Big Band Leader Orrin Evans coordinates the Jazz Train and its various fun activities. There were performances by Recording Artist Ember, on Evans’ independent label Imani Records, and impromptu songs by Vocalists and Co-hosts of WBGO Jazz Radio, Lezlie Harrison and Multi-Grammy winner Janis Siegel. It proved to be an enjoyable journey and having the creator of PIJF, Janis Burley, aboard was definitely a plus.
The PIJF opened with its only paid (sold-out) event, a celebration to honor Pittsburgh’s own jazz icon George Benson, featuring South African Guitarist and Singer Jonathan Butler and Guitarist [artist in residence] Dan Wilson, held at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC). It was my first time seeing Wilson perform and realized that being my first time was my loss. He plays with the swift dexterity of Wes Montgomery and from there, he’s swinging in his own creativity (check out his album Things Eternal (2023). He and Butler are both devout fans and proteges of Benson. “He told me to have my own thing and I took that to heart,” said Butler. The two came together on Benson’s “Affirmation,” “Down Here on the Ground,” and “My Latin Brother.” They were the dynamic duo with Butler inserting his South African rhythms and unique accented vocals to the mix. “A prophet has been honored tonight in his hometown,” said Butler.
Mayor Ed Gainey accentuated the evening by presenting festival founder and President/CEO of AWAACC Janis Burley with a proclamation stating, “When you miss out on jazz, you miss out on the legacy of this country. Thank you for putting Pittsburgh and jazz back on the map…”
After the concert, patrons were treated to a Taste of Jazz Party (delicious tastings from Pittsburgh’s noted restaurants) and a fiery jam session that featured Pittsburgh legend tenor Saxophonist and Composer Kenny Blake with Pianist Theron Brown and Drummer Brian Edwards. Ironically, I wasn’t aware of these cats, but that’s why I came to PIJF for a new experience. “I’m not local, I just live here,” said Blake. “I am a functioning musician in this territory.” Blake, who graduated from Columbia University with five CDs to his credit, demonstrated his reputation as a hard bop jazz soulster with hittin’ R&B riffs.
The next day, under a bright late-summer sun, glowing faces alternated between two stages (prominently erected on Liberty Avenue at each end of the block serving as bookends to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center). Black culture is embedded in the foundation of live black music, how apropos. Vendors scurrying, public radio in need of help, food trucks from vegan to soul food, and sushi catering to long hungry lines.
Los Angeles native Michael Mayo made his debut at PIJF. He offered sparkling originals like “About Your Love,” along with daring covers of such difficult tunes as “Speak No Evil” and “Four.” He went solo with just his trusty looper and audience participation on “I Didn’t Know What Time Was.” His vocals are warm and blissful like a refreshing summer rainstorm. His latest CD is “Fly” (Mack Avenue Music). Look out, the all-female band Be’la Dona came with pulsating jump up and shout Go Go, music nonstop pumping funk, baby. The nine-piece ensemble included two keyboards and two drums for a fuller sound. A unit for 18 years, Drummer Sha’Won shared her all-girl band idea with good friend Sweet Cherie, who loved it, and here we are. The band members hail from the D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area. To date, Be’la Dona has released three singles.
This year, PIJF highlighted a lost history in jazz but also acknowledged and recognized Leon Hefflin, Sr., a great Black trailblazer in business and entrepreneurship. Hefflin started, funded, and produced the first large outdoor jazz festival, the Cavalcade of Jazz, in Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field. It took place annually every summer from 1945 to 1958, featuring some of the greatest names in jazz, including Nat King Cole, Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Dizzy Gillespie, and The International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
Hefflin’s granddaughter, Deborah Swan, curated an exhibition of Cavalcade memorabilia and presented an insightful discussion on the history of her grandfather and his Cavalcade of Jazz. She just completed her book “The Impresario: Leon Hefflin and the World’s First Annual Jazz Festival” to be released on October 25 with a book launch and celebration in Los Angeles. To reserve your copy, email hefflinlegacy@gmail.com.
Ironically, Swan’s book and research changed jazz history that until this point had been etched in stone. Both Norman Granz and George Wein have been acknowledged as the premier impresarios of jazz. But with Swan’s newly researched book, her grandfather’s name and contribution will NOW have to be acknowledged in any conversation (printed or otherwise) related to jazz impresarios.
What, really, you sure? The most anticipated act of the festival was Keith David, the well-versed, distinguished actor with over 400 roles to his credit on stage, screen, television, voice-acting work, and interactive media.
“It’s [a] long dream of mine to record a jazz album and perform it live,” said David. Dressed in a light-colored suit and white dress shirt with open collar, he was ready to get down performing such traveled standards as Nat King Cole’s “Blue Gardenia,” “Be Mine Tonight,” “Rio De Janeiro Blues,” “No Regrets,” and “Here’s to Life.” His rendition was heartfelt. He sang a few Cole standards but I would like to hear him add some Sammy Davis, Jr. to his repertoire; there is just a touch of Sammy in his voice. David has an incredible stage presence, a bold tenor that easily demands attention, as Richard Pryor said, “the brother has finesse.” He pulls you into each song with a jaunty introduction similar to cats like Grady Tate, Nat, Lou Rawls, Bobby Short, and Sinatra. His soon-to-be-released debut jazz album was produced by Grammy-winning producer Brian Bacchus.
David mentioned on stage he has made a full 360-degree circle in his career, having debuted in Pittsburgh at AWAACC in August Wilson’s plays “Seven Guitars” and “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.”
NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater walked on stage to a furious standing ovation. She noted her set was a social commentary on today’s political situation. She roared on Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam” (and she sang every word of it), heartstrings popped on Billy Taylor’s “I Wish I Knew How it Feels to be Free,” and Roberta Flack’s “Tryin Times.” A riotous standing ovation forced her into an encore with her all-female trio of Pianist Carmen Staaf, Bassist Hannah Marks, and Cajon Drummer Shirazette Tinnin. They broke into a high velocity rendition of “Compared to What” followed by yet another crazed standing ovation. The younger generation of established Vocalists, Jazzmeia Horn and Ekep Nkwelle, who delighted audiences earlier, were present to see the NEA Jazz Master at work. Even David was on hand for the now historic performance of her debut PIJF appearance.
Every seat was taken, every space on the sidewalk was occupied as Christone “Kingfish” Ingram laid down his blues gospel that has been captivating audiences since his teen years. The 26-year-old Clarksdale, Mississippi native, blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter is bringing a new audience and younger generation to the blues. The Grammy Award-winner known as Kingfish is revitalizing the sound of blues with his own experiences, having been mentored by the great blues guitarists and singers Buddy Guy and Bobby Rush. His latest album is entitled “Hard Road.”
The festival’s finale featured Singer-Songwriter Bilal, known for his falsetto high notes that dance in avant-garde and futurist soul. With seven albums released to critical acclaim, he reflects the inventiveness of Prince, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, and Miles Griffith. Like his confident predecessors, he offers no excuses or attempts to describe his music to those not hip enough to get it. Throughout his show, a group of young people, perhaps in their 20s-30s, were absorbed in every song, singing along and dancing. At the end of his intriguing performance, most of the audience had disappeared. There are many feasible reasons, but perhaps they couldn’t follow his artistic excursion.
Music isn’t a cookie-cutter manufactured product; it is creativity, inventive concepts that shake the foundation of normality, extending the boundaries of so-called jazz in all directions. Burley, during her 15 years at the helm of PIJF, has demonstrated her commitment to introducing creative cross-genre artists to Pittsburgh, giving them a prominent platform to express themselves. Look forward to next year’s PIJF and the Jazz Train.
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