PITTSBURGH, PA, March 28, 2024 – In honor of National Jazz Appreciation Month, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) is sharing another opportunity to enjoy the 2023 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF) during a special 48-hour presentation featuring highlights from Highmark Stadium on Friday, April 19, through Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 7:00 pm (EDT). To enjoy a second look or catch the festival for the first time, tune in FREE to https://pittsburghjazzfest.org, https://youtube.com/@pittsbughjazzfest,  via Facebook Live on https://www.facebook.com/pittsburghjazzfest or  https://facebook.com/jazzcorner.

Enjoy performances by Gregory Porter, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Kurt Elling, Bob James, PJ Morton, José James, Gerald Albright, Orrin Evans, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Keyon Harrold with Pharoahe Monch and Mumu Fresh, Nicholas Payton, Christie Dashiell, Chelsea Baratz and Howie Alexander, which took place at Highmark Stadium on September 16 and 17.

“The 13th annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival presented by Citizens was one of our greatest, most diverse and exciting events,” said Janis Burley, AWAACC President and CEO. “We are thrilled to present highlights from almost every performance during this special 48-hour presentation, and we are proud to provide another opportunity to celebrate the music and share Pittsburgh’s legacy of Jazz.”

Gregory Porter, who elegantly delivered his soulful and down-home songs about life, struggle and love and left the audience clamoring for more. Five-time Grammy-winning Minneapolis producers/songwriters keyboardist James Samuel Harris, III, aka Jimmy Jam, and bassist Terry Lewis, one of the most successful and influential producer/songwriter teams of all time, made PIJF a part of history when they performed their own music and songs in concert for the first time ever.  Kurt Elling put his body and soul into singing, scatting and swinging and brought a provocative and protean force to his modern music. Bob James, who received the 2023 PIJF Luminary Award for his trailblazing work in jazz and jazz fusion and for being one of the most sampled jazz artists in the 50-year history of hip-hop, performed in an intimate trio setting that highlighted his intense, infectious and ingenious music. Literally the son of a preacher man, the New Orleans singer, songwriter and pianist, PJ Morton – who also played keyboards for Maroon 5, Erykah Badu and LL Cool J – offered up a Big Easy bouillabaisse of jazz, Afro-Cuban, blues, gospel and R&B that Pittsburghers consumed with gusto. Using his beautiful and bold baritone vocals in the service of reimagining the music of Erykah Badu, José James proved that he has the resonant resources to do her music justice.

Witness nine-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Gerald Albright’s sax appeal and see why he is one of the most engaging and show-stopping musicians in contemporary/smooth jazz. Pianist Orrin Evans, who hosted The Jazz Train also stepped up to the plate with his propulsive and poetic piano style to showcase his own unique, genre-challenging musical voice. Hear a wide range of sounds from the African musical Diaspora through the sizzling syncopations of Oscar Hernández and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, powered by jazz and Afro-Cuban/Salsa dance rhythms from the Caribbean. Keyon Harrold encompassed the soul of jazz and swagger of hip-hop with special guests MC Pharoahe Monch and vocalist Mumu Fresh, who added her vivid and vibrant vocals to Harrold’s moving and melodious mix. Nicholas Payton brought his soulful, syncopated spirit to the Highmark Stage. Christie Dashiell undoubtedly made new fans with her subtle, swinging sound when she hit the PIJF stage. Chelsea Baratz – the pride of Upper St. Clair High School, who played her first jam session at the Crawford Grill when she was 13 – delivered a homecoming concert full of her robust tenor sound and rich, tonal colors. A native of Wilkinsburg, PA, keyboardist Howie Alexander grew up in a home full of R&B, funk, blues and jazz, so it is no wonder that he kicked off the Highmark concerts with an excellent delivery of his soulful sonic survey of mainstream, fusion and contemporary jazz.

Join the August Wilson African American Cultural Center September 19-22, 2024, for the 14th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. 

For the second year, Pianist Orrin Evans will host The Jazz Train™, an exciting ride and five days of music, fun, food and camaraderie at the PIJF. On September 19, The Jazz Train™ picks up fans at Amtrak stations in New York at 10:52 am, Newark at 11:09 am and Philadelphia at 12:42 pm, arriving in Pittsburgh by 8:00 pm in time to see the opening night concert at the AWAACC at 9:00 pm. The Jazz Train™ departs Pittsburgh on Monday morning, September 23. Travel tickets are on sale now. For tickets and more information, log on to https://pittsburghjazzfest.

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SPONSORS

Citizens is the Presenting Sponsor for the 2023 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. Additional sponsorship support is provided by UPMC, UPMC Health Plan, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Doris Duke Foundation, Comcast NBC Universal and Xfinity, and P&W BMW and Mini of Pittsburgh. Our Presenting Sponsor, Libation Station Tent is Bacardi.

Major support for AWAACC’s operations is provided by Richard King Mellon Foundation, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD).

AWAACC’s programming is made possible by generous support from its donors. For a complete list, please visit awaacc.org.

CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $222.0 billion in assets as of December 31, 2023. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,200 ATMs and approximately 1,100 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn or Facebook.

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 119,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today. www.awaacc.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Carolyn McClair | (212) 721-3341 | Info@CarolynMcClairPR.com