"East Coast Meets West Coast" at the 36th Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert Nov. 1-4

PITTSBURGH-A dynamic group of international musicians will present lecture/demonstrations and perform in concert as part of the 36th Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert Nov. 1 through 4. Jazz Week will include free on-campus lectures by musicians and industry experts, appearances at community venues, miniclincs at two Pittsburgh schools, on-campus brown-bag lunches with jazz performances, a jazz memorabilia exhibition, and the annual concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 4 in Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

Jazz Week guest performers include Patrice Rushen, piano; Jimmy Owens, trumpet; Nestor Torres, flute; Abraham Laboriel, bass; Oscar Brashear, trumpet; Donald Harrison, alto sax; Ron Affif, guitar; Dave Pike, vibraphone; and Winard Harper, drums. These legendary musicians will perform with and under the direction of saxophonist Nathan Davis, professor of music, head of Pitt's Jazz Studies Program, and founder of the annual event. Rushen, Pike, Laboriel, and Brashear are based in Los Angeles. Harrison, Torres, Owens, and Harper are coming to Pitt from various states on the East Coast. The concert and lectures will be recorded, and the audio and videotapes will be added to the University of Pittsburgh Sonny Rollins Jazz Archives.

Concert Details

The Nov. 4 concert will feature special arrangements by Davis of East Coast and West Coast jazz favorites; the diverse playing styles and impromptu nature of the gathering will make this a one-of-a-kind performance. Tickets are $18 for general admission, available at any Ticketmaster location, by phone at 412-323-1919, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, or at the William Pitt Union (WPU) box office. Students with a valid ID can purchase tickets for $8 at the WPU box office only.

Allegheny County Councilman William R. Robinson will serve as the evening's master of ceremonies. At intermission, two musicians will be inducted into Pitt's International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame, and one musician will be honored with the Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert Committee Award. A schedule of events follows:

Evening Lectures

(Free and Open to the Public)

Wednesday, Nov. 1 The History of Jazz

Heinz Memorial Chapel Dan Morgenstern, jazz critic, director of the Rutgers

7 p.m. University Institute of Jazz Studies

Thursday, Nov. 2 (CANCELED) Inside the Recording Industry

Heinz Memorial Chapel Mike McFadin, cofounder and president of

7 p.m. Ubiquity Recordings

Morning and Afternoon Lecture/Demonstrations

(Free and Open to the Public)

Friday, Nov. 3

WPU Assembly Room The Brass Connection

10-11:30 a.m. Jimmy Owens (trumpet)

Oscar Brashear (trumpet)

WPU Assembly Room Fascinating Rhythms in Motion

1-2:30 p.m. Winard Harper (drums)

WPU Assembly Room The Art of Jazz Guitar

3-4 p.m. Ron Affif (guitar)

Saturday, Nov. 4

WPU Assembly Room The Artistry of Jazz Piano

10-11 a.m. Patrice Rushen (piano)

WPU Assembly Room Jazz Explosion: From New Orleans to L.A.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dave Pike (vibraphone)

Donald Harrison (saxophone)

WPU Assembly Room Jazz-Latin Fusion

1¬-2 p.m. Abraham Laboriel (bass)

Nestor Torres (flute)

School Visits and Community Outreach

Two guest musicians will travel to the following Pittsburgh schools to conduct

miniclinics for students only:

Friday, Nov. 3

1-2 p.m. Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts

111 Ninth St., Downtown

1-2 p.m. Falk Laboratory School

Allequippa and Brackenridge streets, Oakland

Two other musicians will visit the following community venues, in lecture/demonstrations that are free and open to the public:

Saturday, Nov. 4

11 a.m.-noon Ronald McDonald House

500 Shady Ave., Shadyside

11 a.m.-noon Hill House, Kaufmann Auditorium

1835 Centre Ave., Hill District

Brown-Bag Lunches

As a preview to Jazz Week and to set the mood on campus, several student musicians from the Pitt Jazz Ensemble will perform from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 18 and 25 in the Jazz Hall of Fame showcase area on the main floor of the WPU.

Jazz Memorabilia Exhibition

Jazz memorabilia-including photos, music, posters, Mary Lou Williams' piano, and a xylophone that once belonged to Lionel Hampton-will be on display during Jazz Week in the Conney M. Kimbo Gallery on the main floor of the WPU. The artifacts represent artists who have participated in the Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert the past 35 years.

For more information about Jazz Week, call 412-624-4187.

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10/13/06/tmw