Pianist Orrin Evans Hosts Inaugural JAZZ TRAIN with Stops at Amtrak Stations in New York, Newark and Philadelphia Before Arriving in Pittsburgh for Four Nights of Stellar Music

PITTSBURGH, PA, May 05, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ — Ray Brown, Art Blakey, Billy Eckstine, Fatha Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal, Stanley Turrentine and Erroll Garner are just a few of the greats who answered the Pittsburgh jazz roll call. Through their music, these sons and daughters of Pittsburgh not only spoke the language, but they also re-invented it, refined it and expanded it through musical conversations across time and place. They understood how the language of jazz connects us, encourages us to remember where we’ve been and where we’re going, and gives voice to our shared community. And, it’s these timeless cross-cultural conversations that will be carried on through the 13th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival presented by Citizens (PIJF), which returns to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) and Highmark Stadium September 14 – 17, 2023.

Tickets go on sale May 8 to PIJF Members and May 12 to the general public at www.pittsburghjazzfest.org.

The 2023 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival is about being alive now. The musicians taking this year’s stage know that the language of jazz is an ever evolving one – one that honors its history while always growing and finding new forms of expressions. Just take a look at the lineup. On almost any given day of the festival stages, you’ll see GRAMMY® award winners and nominees, legends, and some of the most talked about up-and-comers, all in conversation with the past, the present, and the future.

Looking to reacquaint with some favorites? Don’t miss Gregory Porter, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter, Nicholas Payton and Emmet Cohen with legendary saxophonist Houston Person. Maybe something more contemporary? Check out José James and PJ Morton. Or do you want to make a discovery? Listen-in on Somi, Samora Pinderhughes, Madison McFerrin, Christie Dashiell and Pittsburgh’s own Chelsea Baratz and Howie Alexander. How about a salute to 50 years of Hip Hop? Catch Keyon Harrold with special guests Pharoahe Monch and Mumu Fresh plus DJ Selecta when he spins Hip Hop and Jazz classics at the Taste of Jazz Party. And, don’t miss hitmakers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis when they take the Highmark stage to share their special Minneapolis-rooted grooves.

“There is no question that jazz is the language of Pittsburgh,” says Janis Burley Wilson, President & CEO of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. “But it also is engaged in a global dialogue, one that transcends race, class and upbringing. And it is so moving to be able to invite jazz lovers to Pittsburgh for this annual festival, to be part of the history – and the future – of these musical and cultural conversations.”

Pianist Orrin Evans does double duty at PIJF as a performer and the leader of the late-night Jam Session at AWAACC and as the host of the inaugural Jazz Train, which picks up fans at Amtrak stations in New York, Newark and Philadelphia before arriving in Pittsburgh on September 14 and departing on September 18. The package, available until June 1, will include round-trip train tickets from each city, live jazz music during the trip, gifts bags, light refreshments and a shuttle bus to/from the festival. Passengers are responsible for securing the hotel and festival events of their choice. More information and tickets are available at www.pittsburghjazzfest.org.

Stay tuned for more artists to be announced over the coming months and head to this year’s Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival to hear jazz in all its varieties and variations – an artistic language that is as diverse as the artists who are making it.

TICKETS
For tickets and more information on the 13th annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, please check out the lineup at www.pitsburghjazzfest.org. Taste of Jazz Party tickets are $50. One-Day Passes for concerts at Highmark Stadium are $60, General Admission, and $85 for VIP tickets. Two-Day Passes are $100 for General Admission, and $150 for VIP tickets. Jazz Train tickets range from $230 – $280, depending upon the city of departure. In an effort to be as inclusive to as many young people as possible, PIJF is working with area educational institutions on free and heavily discounted tickets for enrolled high school and college students as well as for families with youth under 21.

“I developed my love and appreciation for Jazz by attending concerts with my Dad as a child. The experience made a life-long impression on me and fueled my desire to build a career in Jazz and entertainment,” said Burley Wilson. “We hope that making live jazz more accessible and affordable has a similar effect on today’s youth.”

PIJF DAILY LINEUP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 | 9:00 pm | AWAACC
Uhuru Jazz Sessions
Samora Pinderhughes
Madison McFerrin

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 | 8:00 pm | AWAACC
TBD

Taste of Jazz | 9:00 pm – 12:00 am | AWAACC
Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead
Kevin Howard
DJ Selecta Spins Jazz Classics and Salutes 50 Years of Hip Hop
Dancing | Food & Beverage Tastings

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 | 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm | Highmark Stadium
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
PJ Morton
Orrin Evans
Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Emmet Cohen & Houston Person
Howie Alexander
Christie Dashiell

Jam Session | 10:30 pm – 1:00 am | AWAACC
Orrin Evans & The Imani Allstars

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2023 | 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm | Highmark Stadium
Gregory Porter
Keyon Harrold with Pharoahe Monch & Mumu Fresh
Kurt Elling’s Super Blue with Charlie Hunter
Nicholas Payton
José James Sings Badu: On & On
Somi
Chelsea Baratz

August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC)
980 Liberty Avenue | Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Highmark Stadium
510 W. Station Square Drive | Pittsburgh, PA 15219

SPONSORS
Special thanks to Citizens, PIJF Presenting Sponsor; Bacardi, Presenting Sponsor, Libation Station Tent; and Supporting Sponsors UPMC, UPMC Health Plan, P & W BMW and Mini of Pittsburgh, Highmark Health, AARP and Arsenal Cider House, Supporting Libation Sponsor.

CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $226.7 billion in assets as of June 30, 2022. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,300 ATMs and more than 1,200 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 119,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today. www.awaacc.org

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