The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild is celebrating the MCG Jazz 30th Anniversary Concert Series beginning in September. Tickets are on sale now.
Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24 mark the first installment of the concert series with the Michael Feinstein Trio at the MCG concert hall, 1815 Metropolitan St. The concerts will run through April 21, 2017.
The schedule for performances is as follows:
BNY Mellon Jazz presents Michael Feinstein Trio
September 23 and 24, 2016
TIZER featuring Chieli Minucci, Karen Briggs, Eric Marienthal, Gerald Veasley and Lao Tizer
October 7, 2016
The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6 for a performance they call The Summit
October 22, 2016
Freddy Cole for his 85th birthday bash with his trio and special guests Joel Frahm and Nnenna Freelon
October 29, 2016
Ramsey Lewis and Ann Hampton Callaway
November 19, 2016
Monty Alexander Trio with John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton celebrating their 40th Anniversary (a show reminiscent of Monty’s first performance at MCG Jazz in 1988)
December 3, 2016
John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey debuting together in Pittsburgh
December 16, 2016
Under 30 for the 30th a program produced by Etienne Charles & Creole Soul with featured guests Jazzmeia Horn and Melissa Aldana
February 4, 2017
*Rufus Reid’s Tribute to Ray Brown with the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, Bass Quintet and Rufus Reid Trio
February 10 and 11, 2017
Drum master Lewis Nash celebrates the music of Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey featuring a special drum battle with Roger Humphries.
February 25, 2017
*DIVA Jazz Orchestra & the Boys featuring Maurice Hines, Ken Peplowski, Claudio Roditi and Bob Cranshaw with Johnny Mandel premiering ten new arrangements
March 10 and 11, 2017
Piano prodigy Joey Alexander makes his Pittsburgh debut; the sensational “Little Jazz Man” has displayed his talents on CBS’s 60 Minutes and the recent GRAMMY Awards.
March 17, 2017
*BNY Mellon Jazz presents Bob Mintzer Big Band and New York Voices perform together for the first time on U.S. soil with a blend of swing, bebop and Latin styles for this one-of-a-kind performance
March 31 and April 1, 2017
EQT Foundation presents Bob James with guitarist Howard Paul on a program that will also feature two young future guitar masters; sponsored by Benedetto Guitars.
April 8, 2017
EQT Foundation presents 30th Anniversary All-Star Smooth Jazz Celebration featuring for the first time ever at MCG Jazz Gregg Karukas and Vincent Ingala with MCG Jazz favorites Peter White and Chuck Loeb
April 21, 2017
* Indicates this performance will be recorded live.
Artists and dates subject to change.
Visit www.mcgjazz.org or call the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild Jazz Box Office at 412-322-0800 to purchase tickets and for more information. Tickets can also be purchased with the MCG Jazz free mobile app available through Google Play and the Apple store.
About MCG Jazz
MCG Jazz’s mission is to preserve, present and promote jazz. Through our performances, we strengthen the long time Pittsburgh jazz community and contribute to the overall cultural and artistic diversity of the region. Through our live recordings we reach a national and international audience – a market we’d like to grow. Through our educational programs we are able to have students attend the concerts at low or no cost to them, make artists available for master classes and provide opportunities for internships in production and marketing.
Since 1987, MCG Jazz has brought audiences together with jazz artists at its 350 seat music hall in Pittsburgh for innovative 4-day performances and recordings. Many of these international masters of jazz would headline a list of Jazz’s “Needs No Introduction” — Joe Williams, Billy Taylor, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, Ray Brown. MCG Jazz Archives now contain over 300 CDs worth of jazz history by those who represent the past, present and future of jazz music. The performance series, one of the oldest in the nation, is an anchor of Pittsburgh cultural and community life.
