MANCHESTER CRAFTSMEN'S GUILD

MCG JAZZ HAS BECOME ONE OF THE LONGEST-RUNNING SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT SERIES FOR LIVE JAZZ IN THE COUNTRY AND HAS BEEN NAMED A GREAT JAZZ VENUE BY DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE FOR ELEVEN CONSECUTIVE YEARS. MCG JAZZ PRESENTED ITS 38TH ANNUAL CONCERT SEASON IN 2024-25. TITLED THE "SEASON OF FIRSTS," MCG JAZZ PRESENTED AN ARRAY OF NEW PROJECTS AND FIRST-TIME MCG JAZZ ARTISTS. SIX NEW PITTSBURGH JAZZ LEGENDS WERE HONORED IN THE SEASON'S OPENING JAZZ LEGENDS PARTY: TONY CAMPBELL, GEORGE EDWARD HEID, ERIC JOHNSON, MARVA JOSIE, ERIC SUSOEFF, AND MIKE TOMARO. AMINA FIGAROVA PAIRED HER SEXTET WITH THE MATSIKO WORLD ORPHAN CHOIR, PREMIERING MUSIC FROM THEIR RECORDING "SUITE FOR AFRICA." SIMILARLY, LEE RITENOUR AND DAVE GRUSIN PERFORMED WORKS FROM THEIR NEW RECORDING "BRASIL." ABDULLAH IBRAHIM, A WORLD-RESPECTED MUSICIAN, MADE HIS MCG JAZZ DEBUT WITH HIS TRIO. THE DIVA JAZZ ORCHESTRA CELEBRATED JAZZ ARTISTS TURNING 100 IN 2024 ALONGSIDE VOCALIST KIM NAZARIAN. PIANIST CHRISTIAN SANDS PRESENTED HIS NEW RECORDING, "CHRISTMAS STORIES," CLOSING OUT THE FALL HALF.STARTING IN THE NEW YEAR, OLIVER NELSON, JR. CONDUCTED THE PITTSBURGH JAZZ ORCHESTRA AS THEY PERFORMED NEWLY DISCOVERED WORKS BY HIS FATHER, THE LATE OLIVER NELSON. ARGUABLY ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST BIG BANDS, THE WDR BIG BAND MADE A RARE US APPEARANCE, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF BOB MINTZER, FEATURING GUITARIST DAVE STRYKER. CANADIAN TRUMPETER/VOCALIST BRIA SKONBERG PRESENTED HER QUINTET FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE MCG JAZZ STAGE. THE JOSHUA REDMAN GROUP PRESENTED THEIR NEW PROJECT WITH VOCALIST GABRIELLE CAVASSA. CLOSING OUT THE SEASON WAS JAZZ FUNK SOUL, A NEWLY-FORMED SUPERGROUP MADE UP OF EVERETTE HARP, JEFF LORBER, AND PAUL JACKSON, JR. NEARLY 7,400 TOTAL TICKETS WERE SOLD TO JAZZ PATRONS FOR THE 38TH ANNUAL CONCERT SEASON. RAY ANGRY, WHO SERVED AT THE 2024/25 ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE, PERFORMED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE SEASON, COMPOSED COMMISSION WORKS HONORING PITTSBURGH'S JAZZ LEGACY, REHEARSED AND SHARED THE STAGE WITH REGIONAL GROUPS AND INDIVIDUAL MUSICIANS INCLUDING THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, THE PITTSBURGH JAZZ ORCHESTRA, AND SEVERAL INDIVIDUAL PITTSBURGH-BASED JAZZ MUSICIANS. OVER 100 TEENS PARTICIPATING IN MUSIC PROGRAMS AT MCG AND OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM RAY AT WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCES, AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS HELD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. RAY COMPLETED OVER 20 ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH 13 ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERS THAT BENEFITED YOUTH, LOCAL MUSICIANS, PITTSBURGH'S ARTS & CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE PUBLIC.IN THE SUMMER OF 2024, MCG JAZZ PARTNERED WITH THE PITTSBURGH PLAYHOUSE AT POINT PARK UNIVERSITY TO PRESENT THE INSIDE/OUTSIDE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR, WHICH FEATURED TATIANA EVA-MARIE, TUCK & PATTI, BILL O'CONNELL LATIN JAZZ GROUP, AND THE DAVE STRYKER ORGAN TRIO. ADDITIONALLY, MCG JAZZ PARTNERED WITH ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS TO PRESENT THE DJANGO FESTIVAL ALL STARS AND MATTHEW WHITAKER. LOCAL ARTISTS INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAMMING INCLUDED MILA SHADEL, COLTER HARPER, AND HUGO CRUZ.THE TELL YOUR STORY AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM RETURNED THIS SCHOOL YEAR, ENGAGING 28 PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THIS COMPOSITION-BASED CLASS. THE SCHOOL OF SWING PROGRAM ALSO ENGAGED PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. DUE TO A HEAT ADVISORY IN MAY 2024, OUR SCHOOL OF SWING PROGRAM WAS RESCHEDULED TO OCTOBER THAT YEAR. WE ALSO HELD OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED SCHOOL OF SWING PERFORMANCE IN APRIL 2025 AND REACHED OVER 1,500 THIRD AND FOURTH GRADERS.