Pittsburgh Fest To Celebrate Jazz Across Generations

By DownBeat I Sep. 7, 2022

Orrin Evans is scheduled to perform with his trio at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival in mid-September.
(Photo: Kayfield Photography)

The 12th annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF) presented by Citizens Bank will feature more than 100 musicians, from veteran artists to new and unique voices in jazz, funk and fusion.

The lineup for this year’s event, which runs Sept. 16–18, includes multi-Grammy winner Ron Carter, jazz fusion pioneer Stanley Clarke, soul funk icons Average White Band, vocal phenom Samara Joy, vocal storyteller and stylist Vanisha Gould, pianist Orrin Evans, trumpeter Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) and U.K-.based acid jazz favorites Incognito featuring Maysa Leak performing at August Wilson African American Culture Center and the Highmark Stadium, both in Pittsburgh.

Ron Carter Foursight will kick off the festival on Sept. 16 at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. On Sept 17–18, PIJF will then move to Highmark Stadium for back-to-back performances by Clarke, Incognito featuring Maysa Leak, Ledisi, Average White Band, Buster Williams & Something More, Melissa Aldana, Vanisha Gould, Orrin Evans Trio, Nate Smith + KINFOLK, Chief Adjuah, Aymée Nuviola and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Dan Wilson Trio, Samara Joy featuring Pasquale Grasso Trio, Laurin Talese and more artists to be announced.

“Jazz is synonymous with Pittsburgh, being the home of innovators like Ray Brown, Art Blakey, George Benson, Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal, Stanley Turrentine and Roger Humphries, so it was important to share this strong jazz lineage and invite jazz lovers home to Pittsburgh for this annual festival,” said AWAACC President and CEO Janis Burley Wilson, who created PIJF in 2011. “For more than a decade, the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival has been a highly anticipated weekend destination for music lovers and the most innovative jazz musicians in the world. For example, Ron Carter is celebrating his 85th birthday and still creating new music; while Vanisha Gould is making her distinctive mark and will be seen and heard for the first time in Pittsburgh at PIJF. People will be able to catch performances by their favorite artists and discover new interpretations of this music.”

The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival presented by Citizens supports the AWAACC mission to celebrate African American culture and the African diaspora.

One-day passes for Saturday or Sunday are available starting at $45, and two-day passes are available starting at $85 for performances taking place at Highmark Stadium. Tickets for the Ron Carter Foursight concert on Sept. 16 start at $55. Student one-day passes for $30 and two-day passes for $55 will be available for in-person purchase at the venue, as well as $12 tickets for children (ages 4–12) and free lap passes for children under 3. These tickets must be purchased in person at the Highmark Stadium box office.

For additional details and the complete festival lineup, click here. DB