Ahmad Jamal Headlines Jazz Appreciation Month at Byham Theatre, 4/9

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in association with MCG Jazz presents a rare and unforgettable performance of big band arrangements and compositions with Ahmad Jamal featuring the MCG Jazz Orchestra. This special event, part of the Trust's National Jazz Appreciation Month celebration, takes place at the Byham Theater on Saturday April 9, 2010, at 8pm. Cohen & Grigsby is the lead sponsor of the Trust Presents series.

The celebration continues all month long with grooveMODERN, a series of Tuesday night jazz performances at the Cabaret at Theater Square presented by the Trust's Department of Education and Community Engagement. grooveMODERN is an exploration of jazz, soul and rhythm featuring Soul Cycle, Dwayne Dolphin and Sean Jones, the Orrin Evans Trio, and the Jeff "Tain" Watts Quartet. grooveMODERN is sponsored by BNY Mellon.

Tickets for Ahmad Jamal with the MCG Jazz Orchestra ($25.50 - $45.50) and all of the grooveMODERN performances ($20 - $25) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets, please call (412) 471-6930.

grooveMODERN Performances
Soul Cycle
9pm, Tuesday, April 6, at the Cabaret at Theater Square. $20. Doors open at 8pm.

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Soul Cycle brings an infectious blend of jazz, funk, and world music to Mosaic, their eagerly awaited third release Inspired by artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Richard Bona, James Brown, Chopin and Bach, Soul Cycle has developed a distinctive brand of world fusion, incorporating sounds from jazz, funk, R&B, gospel, reggae, Latin, Jewish, African, and classical music.

Dwayne Dolphin/Sean Jones.... The Jazz Funk Sessions
8pm, Tuesday, April 13, at the Cabaret at Theater Square. $20.

Dwayne Dolphin is a veteran player of multiple basses - including the acoustic, electric, and piccolo bass - and has performed all over the world with the legendary masters of jazz and funk music. Dwayne's career began more than 25 years ago with the Wynton Marsalis Quintet. Most recently, Dwayne has been a regular member of the legendary funk outfit, Fred Wesley and the JB's. Fred Wesley was one of the founding member of James Brown's famous band, creating classics that have influenced generations of rhythm and blues enthusiasts.
Sean Jones has developed into one of jazz's top young trumpeters, known for both his lyrical fluidity and high-tier technical facility. Dolphin and Jones play together regularly, so this collaboration should be even more precision since they both know one another's strengths and performing styles. This collaboration will include new compositions by Dolphin and Jones, along with some classic soul jazz covers.

Orrin Evans Trio - Phillie Sounds
8pm, Tuesday, April 20, at the Cabaret at Theater Square. $20.

Orrin Evans has been recognized as one of the most distinctive and inventive pianist of his generation. In a short span of time Orrin has earned the titles of pianist, composer, bandleader, teacher, producer and arranger. The New York Times described the pianist as "...a poised artist with an impressive template of ideas at his command", a quality that has undoubtedly assisted in keeping Orrin at the forefront of the music scene. His recording and performing resume includes Wallace Roney, Pharoah Sanders, Antonio Hart, The Mingus Big Band, Roy Hargrove, Nicolas Payton, Brandford Marsalis, Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson, Sean Jones, Tim Warfield, and Ravi Coltrane

Jeff "Tain" Watts Quartet
8pm, Tuesday, April 27, at the Cabaret at Theater Square. $25.

One of the most in demand jazz drummers in the world today, Pittsburgher Jeff "Tain" Watts initially majored in classical percussion at Pittsburgh's Duquesne University, where he was primarily a timpanist. He later enrolled at the Berklee School of Music, where he pursued jazz studies alongside such talented players as Branford Marsalis and Kevin Eubanks.

Jeff played with the Wynton Marsalis Quartet from 1981-1988, winning three Grammy Awards with the ensemble. After working with George Benson, Harry Connick. Jr. and McCoy Tyner, he joined the Branford Marsalis Quartet in 1989. Along with explosive power, blinding speed and mastery of complex rhythms and time signatures, Watts brings a rare sense of elegance, tried-by-fire composure, and a gritty street funk to his music. A true jazz innovator, Watts never fails to deliver the percussive magic that has been his trademark since his emergence on the contemporary jazz scene.

Pittsburgher Dave Budway will also be part of the quartet. David Budway is one of the most distinctive pianists on today's international jazz scene. While deeply rooted in classical music and rock and roll music, his masterful command for the modern jazz vocabulary has propelled him into the midst of present-day jazz pioneers. He is quickly becoming a highly sought-after accompanist, arranger, film composer, and songwriter.

About Ahmad Jamal
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ahmad Jamal is an acclaimed virtuoso jazz piano and keyboard master, and composer. He began playing piano at the age of three, when his uncle Lawrence challenged him to duplicate what he was playing on the piano. Jamal began formal piano training at the age of seven with Mary Cardwell Dawson, whom he describes as greatly influencing him. Since 1960, he has been a Steinway Artist.
Miles Davis, Randy Weston, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, and Gary Peacock all cite Ahmad Jamal as a major influence in use of rhythm and space as well as his innovative use of multi-tonal melodic lines and his unique extended 'vamps'. The element of surprise in his performances are an important part of Jamal's unique improvisational music style.

Clint Eastwood featured two recordings from Jamal's But Not For Me album - "Music, Music, Music" and "Poinciana" - in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County. The French government has inducted Ahmad Jamal into the prestigious "Order of the Arts and Letters" by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, naming him Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in June 2007.

About the MCG Jazz Orchestra
The MCG Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece big band comprised of top musicians from the Pittsburgh region under the direction of executive producer Marty Ashby. MCG Jazz's mission is to preserve, present and promote jazz through their performances; and continue to strengthening the long time Pittsburgh jazz community and contribute to the overall cultural and artistic diversity of the region.

For more information, click here.

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