September 24, 2007, Pittsburgh, PA – The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild will be host to a Dale Chihuly-designed Steinway piano September 27 through October 1, 2007, when it will make a stop in the Guild’s Kerr Gallery. The Gallery is located at 1815 Metropolitan Street inside the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, which opens its season of live jazz performance with legends James Moody and Jimmy Scott this weekend. (more…)

By Bob Karlovits, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Thursday, September 20, 2007

Don’t blink. You might miss an important jazz event.

Jazz has become that way in this town, a place with a great history in the art but a shaky present. Clubs close or are wildly inconsistent in their offering of jazz. Concert presenters offer one or two major events a year, if any at all.

Aside from an occasional tune, jazz is available on one radio station, WDUQ (90.5 FM).

The North Side’s Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild easily is the organization most dedicated to keeping it alive.

For the full Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/living/music/s_528140.html

MCG Jazz’ 2007 – 2008 season explorse Jazz in the 21st century by honoring the Masters and discovering how Jazz has influenced music around the world as well as how Jazz has been influenced by world music and cultures. Jazz has become a common language: many cultures – one voice. Tickets for the MCG Jazz 2007 – 2008 season are on sale now. Please call the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild Box Office at 412-322-0800 for more information or visit www.mcgjazz.org.

______________________________

James Moody Quartet with special guest Little Jimmy Scott
September 27-30, 2007
Whether James Moody is playing the soprano, alto, tenor, or flute, he does so with deep resonance and wit. Mr. Moody has a healthy respect for tradition, but takes great delight in discovering new musical paths, which makes him one of the most consistently expressive and enduring figures in modern jazz today. Mr. Moody’s special guest is the legendary vocalist Little Jimmy Scott.

Latin Side of Miles, ‘Trane and Wayne
October 18-21, 2007
Jazz trombonist Conrad Herwig and trumpeter Brian Lynch present a tribute to the masters of jazz trumpet Miles Davis and saxophonists John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter.

Lalah Hathaway’s Tribute to Shirley Horn and Sarah Vaughan
November 8-11, 2007
Vocalist Lalah Hathaway’s work is sophisticated, emotive, sinewy. Perhaps it is her love of jazz that has imparted to her a bewitching spell common to the best of that genre, putting the thinking person in touch with his or her visceral self. Hathaway premieres her tribute to Shirley Horn and Sarah Vaughan at MCG.

Randy Weston’s African Rhythms Quintet
December 6-9, 2007
After contributing six decades of musical direction and genius, Randy Weston remains one of the world’s foremost pianists and composers today, a true innovator and visionary. Encompassing the vast rhythmic heritage of Africa, his global creations musically continue to inform and inspire.

Chicago Jazz Ensemble with Artistic Director Jon Faddis
February 28-March 2, 2008
$37.50
The Chicago Jazz Ensemble led by Artistic Director, Jon Faddis is recognized internationally as one of American’s leading jazz ensembles. Jon Faddis is a complete and complex musician, conductor, composer and educator. As a trumpeter, Mr. Faddis possesses full command of his instrument; he consistently demonstrates an extraordinary range, one that is virtually unparalleled today.

“Many Cultures: One Voice” Celebration Concert featuring Monty Alexander and Dr. Anthony Brown
March 27-30, 2008
$42.50
The finest jazz musicians from around the world join American jazz artists on the MCG stage to celebrate the amalgamation of cultures through the jazz idiom.

Chuck Loeb’s Jazz and Bossa Nova
April 10-13, 2008
$37.50
More than just a jazz guitar player, Chuck Loeb is the consummate musician. In a career that spans four decades, he has proven himself to be a versatile composer, arranger and producer in a wide range of musical styles and contexts. The MCG performance marks the world premiere of Loeb’s Jazz and Bossa Nova project.

Ahmad Jamal
May 1-4, 2008
$42.50
A highly-regarded American jazz pianist from right here in Pittsburgh, Ahmad Jamal has impressed and influenced many musicians, from Keith Jarrett to Miles Davis. Audiences delight in Jamal’s total command of the keyboard, his charismatic swing and daringly inventive solos that always tell a story.

_________________________________

Contact: Marty Ashby
Executive Producer
(412)322-1773 ext. 121
mashby@mcg-btc.org

By Cristina Rouvalis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bill Strickland didn’t recognize the strikingly beautiful woman who walked into the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild a few weeks back.

But the reaction of his students who leapt out of their seats and peered out of art studios and cooking classes told him this — she was a celebrity.

Students did triple-takes and stuttered “Drucilla” incredulously as they crowded around Victoria Rowell, who played the sultry character on the CBS daytime soap opera “The Young and the Restless…”

… And in her devotion to those artistic pursuits, she found a kindred spirit in Strickland, who has spent years building up the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild as a way for at-risk youth to change their lives through the arts and career training. The nonprofit group serves about 3,000 Pittsburgh Public School children, many of them at-risk, with instruction in ceramics, design, digital arts, photography and other skills.

For the full Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07247/814382-51.stm