Pittsburgh - John Chacona writes

Collective Action: A New Player Brings Benny Benack III Back to NEO

Published 18 March, 2025 By John Chacona

How many times have you heard this—or said it yourself—when leaving a great concert by a touring musician: Why can’t we get more shows like this here?

Kyle Knoke, a graphic designer and concert promoter found himself asking that question and decided to answer it by creating the Midwest Jazz Collective, a consortium of 13 clubs and presenting organizations that will bring Emmy-nominated trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III to BOP STOP March 25 and BLU Jazz+ the following night.

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Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO June 6-13

Published 7 June, 2024 By John Chacona

Friendly experiencers,

Forget the headline of this post. The question this week is how to decide where to go & what to hear Friday night. Between an A-list Jamey Haddad quartet hit, a night of Roma jazz in beautiful CVNP and a powerhouse band led by saxophonist John Petrucelli, that’s a tall order. And that’s only if you won’t be at The Treelawn for Fred Hersch (see you there?). Still, this is a good problem to have and there is no wrong answer to this question. Whichever you choose, let me know what you heard and how you liked it. I’ll open the comments to this post, but please keep it clean and respectful.

Stephen Philip Harvey Runs On Big Nerd Energy

Published 28 May, 2024 By John Chacona

Stephen Philip Harvey is a saxophonist, educator, composer, arranger, clinician, label executive, husband and son. Though he just turned 32 last Friday, you have to wonder where he gets the energy.

“I think it’s unfortunately a symptom of high functioning anxiety,” he said with a laugh that belied the sentiment. “Realistically, and emotionally,” he added, “I just really, really love music.”

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Restless Traditionalist Jim Snidero Returns To BOP STOP For A Blackberry Winter Date

Published 12 March, 2024 By John Chacona

On his new recording, For All We Know (Savant, 2024), Jim Snidero leaned heavily on the classic repertoire: “Love For Sale,” “Willow Weep For Me,” “My Funny Valentine” and the title cut. But midway through, he throws in an unexpected selection, Alec Wilder’s “Blackberry Winter.”

“Well, I love the melodies,” Snidero said by phone, “One of the prettiest melodies I’ve ever recorded is ‘Blackberry Winter.’ I’m trying to stay true to that melody and still be interesting at the same time. It’s always a balance between knowing and not knowing. For me anyway, I’m trying to have a grounding when I’m playing, but still have surprises and still keep people interested and not sure about what’s going to come next.”

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Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO, Feb. 22-29

Published 23 February, 2024 By John Chacona

Ken Vandermark's Edition Redux — *Ken Vandermark’s Edition Redux. Photocredit: Alex Inglizian*

Friendly Experiencers,

It’s been a minnit, I know, but the last eight weeks has been a bit of a time, which is to say that big changes are afoot, but getting on the good foot, I should have the time and mental energy to resume the coverage here and there’s much to cover on the NEO scene in the very near future. So let’s get right to it.

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Tag: Pittsburgh

Collective Action: A New Player Brings Benny Benack III Back to NEO

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO June 6-13

Stephen Philip Harvey Runs On Big Nerd Energy

Restless Traditionalist Jim Snidero Returns To BOP STOP For A Blackberry Winter Date

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO, Feb. 22-29