Pittsburgh residents love to talk about the city’s past: places that aren’t here anymore; natives who left the city to seek their fortune; and the way things were … some other time. Our jazz legacy is the same. Much ado is given to bassist Ray Brown, drummer Art Blakey, guitarist George Benson, composer Billy Strayhorn, and others who left town and shaped the music in ways that still reverberate to this day.
However, when it comes down to it, Pittsburgh remains a vital part of the jazz scene. Guitarist John Shannon, who also serves as co-owner and music curator at the jazz club Con Alma, sees the city’s longstanding jazz legacy as something that continues to grow.
“We all kind of see ourselves as a part of that, connected to the past and moving into the future,” he says. “I always say Pittsburgh has a real jazz scene because we have elders, we have younger people coming up in it that are committed and dedicated to it. We have all walks of life involved with the music, and we have a whole audience — a whole city that loves jazz.”
The artists are coming back to the place that raised the innovators. Now in its 15th year, the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival — taking place Thu., Sept. 18-Sun., Sept. 21 — promises to deliver a diverse lineup, in a full-scale presentation that ranks with festivals in bigger cities.
After two years as a ticketed event staged at Highmark Stadium on the South Side, the event returned last year to its original home on Liberty Avenue in Downtown, where nearly all of the performances are free to the public. Some performers veer into other styles of music, but PIJF anchors its schedule with straight-ahead acts and features a cross-section of veteran players and new faces who carry the music forward.
Janis Burley, president and CEO of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, curates the event, which was born from ideas she wrote on a legal pad during a cookout at the home of bassist Dwayne Dolphin. Since 2011, her approach has remained the same.
“I want to introduce new artists to our audience. I want to honor the folks that are considered the legends, the ones that really have innovated music,” she says. “Pittsburghers like to dance. So we always have a band that will allow you to get up and dance or sing along. And I like to provide different perspectives on the music.”
This year, the festival pays tribute to Pittsburgh native and guitarist George Benson in a concert organized by guitarist Dan Wilson, the event’s artist-in-residence, together with fellow guitarist Johnathan Butler. While the evening honors the Hill District native who crossed over to the pop realm, Burley mentions two things that put a unique spin on the evening.
During a Zoom call with Benson, “Dan and Jonathan mentioned that when they first met George, he told them, ‘Have your own voice, do your own thing.’ So that was a green light to take the music and go wherever they want it to go. They didn’t have to mimic George,” she says.
At the same time, Burley had one expectation. “I told Dan we need a couple songs that sound like George so we can get up and dance and sing along,” she says, launching into a line from his classic “Gimme The Night” and laughing. “Then on the other ones, do your thing.”
Burley mentions the thought of getting up to dance a few times during our conversation. “If it’s going to be in Pittsburgh and I’m doing it, you have to dance in the street,” she says. Bringing the event back to Liberty Avenue motivates such movement, and it also has a positive impact on the performances. “I think the energy is different when it’s on the street. Obviously, there’s more people because it’s free. And I think the musicians prefer that energy you get from being on the street.”
On Saturday, artists like tenor saxophonist Branford Marsalis and his quartet, consisting of pianist Joey Calderazzo, drummer Justin Faulkner, and bassist Eric Revis, provide material for patrons who would rather sit and listen. On Sunday, guitarist Shannon will perform with his organ trio in a set from his upcoming album A Day In Tarifa. The evening caps off with performances by vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bilal, who both have diverse careers that include radio show host (the former) and tenure with the Soulquarians, the experimental collective comprised of artists like Questlove and the late J Dilla (the latter).
The PIJF has introduced audiences to musicians before they received major recognition, the most notable being vocalist Gregory Porter, who performed in 2011 just before breaking through with his first album. Burley speaks emphatically about this year’s roster, which includes vocalists Michael Mayo and trumpeter/vocalist Ella Bric. Several artists also put an international spin on the music, such as Trinidad-born trumpeter Etienne Charles, playing with his Creole Soul group, and drummer Obed Calvaire, who appears with his Haitian Project band.
If camaraderie on the street wasn’t enough, before the festival even kicks off, a PIJF jazz train will depart from Manhattan, with a crew of musicians leading a jam session. The concept started in 2023 when Orrin Evans chartered an Amtrak train from Philadelphia to shuttle friends and fans to Pittsburgh. Longstanding jazz writer Ted Panken will officiate in a Blindfold Test, both on the train and on Saturday at the August Wilson Center. A regular feature in DownBeat magazine, it involves playing a song for a musician and having them guess the artists and offer insight into their guesses.
The weekend will also include a discussion of a relatively unknown African-American entrepreneur who first featured jazz in a festival form. Burley will host a conversation with author Deborah Swan, whose grandfather organized the Calvacade of Jazz, considered the first jazz festival in the country, which ran in California from 1945 to 1958. When Burley heard about Leon Hefflin Sr., who organized the shows, she knew she had to pay tribute. “I think he paid for these festivals on his own,” she says of Hefflin. “It wasn’t like today, where you call Highmark or UPMC and say, ‘Can you be a sponsor?’ He didn’t have those resources to draw on. I don’t know how he did it, but we’re going to learn.”
When it comes to sponsorship, Burley admits frankly that funding for an event like this remains an issue, especially with the uncertainty of government funding.
“It’s a free festival, but it’s not free. To do it well is very expensive,” she says. “Some festivals have an artist singing to a [pre-recorded] track. We don’t do that. It’s a lot less expensive to do. If people want the quality, we need their support.”
When an event of this size can continue to prosper, it sheds light on the city and its role in music. “There’s this seed of jazz wisdom that exists here,” Shannon says. “And that’s the aspect of it that’s so special because it’s not just about fame, it’s about the music. It’s like an authenticity.”
Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. Showtimes vary. Thu., Sept. 18-Sun., Sept. 21. August Wilson African American Cultural Center. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free. pittsburghjazzfest.org
