PJIF Reflections, PJIF Vids
In addition to having another great Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, it should be noted that the combined TRAF/PIJF “season” was the best in recent years, if diversity is a yardstick. The City Paper article below sums up why brown music lovers had begun to look past Three Rivers Arts Festival toward PIJF.
With India Arie, Tank & the Bangas, and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at TRAF 2019, though, we had a tasty appetizer while waiting for the big meal. The PJIF big meal was huge, this year starting on a Thursday evening with Makaya McCraven’s set in the August Wilson Center informal “Wall of Sound” format:
Here is some Friday afternoon footage of Butcher Brown with Sean Jones guesting, Roger Humphries’ Art Blakey Tribute, Wolf Trap and Keyon Harrold:
From the proto-funk trio Labelle, its two biggest stars were in town for separate shows: Patti in a solo performance (she was at an Afro American Music Institute event earlier in the week), and Nona Hendryx in Black Women Rock, a tribute to Pittsburgh’s Betty Davis.
More PJIF to come in the next soulBlog edition.
soulshowmike’s Shows of Note (excluding weekly regulars)
- JazzLive Series at Katz Plaza, July 2 (Tommy Lehman’s Squadtet Featuring: Theron Brown, Dan Wilson, Zaire Darden, & Chris Coles)
- Funk Factory at Wolfie’s Pub
- Quantum Modern Jazz Sessions at Quantum Spirits, Carnegie, 7/3
- Coffé Love Train Band at Flagstaff Hill, 7/3
- Tana Reunion at Genuine Pub, 7/3 (Stevie Murin will be officiating a slideshow of Tana past)
- hunnycomb at Riverview Park, 7/6
- Jerk Fess, featuring The Flow Band, Highland Park, 7/7