Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert

The Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert closes its 56th annual run at Bellefield Hall Auditorium on Saturday, November 7, at 8 PM. It's the finale of a week that kicks off on November 2, and the concert brings together a full ensemble of international artists and students who've spent the week working side by side.

The lineup for the night is built around the organ, which is the focus of this year's seminar. On the keys are Cliff Barnes, Greg Lewis, and Ben Paterson. They're joined by Bobby Broom, Peter Bernstein, and John Shannon on guitar, Yoko Suzuki on saxophone, and Chad Taylor and Kobie Watkins on drums. Raina Welch is on vocals. It's a big group, and the mix of organ, guitar, and horns gives you a good sense of the different sounds that come out of the jazz tradition.

There's a bit of history behind this one. The seminar was founded by the late Nathan Davis, who directed Pitt Jazz Studies for years. It was the first academic jazz seminar in the country to pair international artists with students in a free lecture format, with the two groups then performing together as an ensemble at the week's end. That's exactly what happens here: the concert is the culmination of the whole week's work.

If you want more than just the show, the seminar itself runs from November 2 to 7, and all the other events that week—the workshops, panels, and the organ summit—are free and open to the public. The concert on Saturday is the only part that costs: $20 general admission and $5 for students. Bellefield Hall is at 315 S. Bellefield Avenue in Pittsburgh, and the music starts at 8 PM.