Jazz Poetry Month: Thumbscrew

City of Asylum @ Home

A virtual only performance.
In August 2021 Thumbscrew lived on Sampsonia Way for a fourth residency at City of Asylum. The opportunity for intensive, collaborative, undistracted time to work on new music yielded a striking collection of tunes. The residency culminated in a video-recorded concert debuting new music—and the video of new songs premiers at Jazz Poetry 2021. as part of their fourth residency at City of Asylum, developing new songs for a 10-year anniversary album. The video recording of the first-ever performance of new songs premiers at Jazz Poetry 2021.   It's a special "sneak peak" of musical genius. 

Free

Jazz Poetry Month: Jure Pukl Broken Circles

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Jure Pukl first performed in Pittsburgh as the Impossible Four Quartet in Jazz Poetry 2019. It marked the first performance of a Slovenian jazz group in Pittsburgh, and their 3-day gig lead to 3 days of sell out concerts and delighted audiences. Jure returns to the Pittsburgh stage, this time streamed live from his home in Slovenia. Featuring a quartet live on the stage at the Max Jazz Club in Velenje Slovenia and beamed to an audience gathered at Alphabet City, and an audience at home. 

Free

Freedom to Create Keynote with Wole Soyinka

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

In-person tickets for this event are SOLD OUT. You can still join us live via livestream by clicking the "watch online" button above. 

Our annual Freedom to Create Keynote features two distinguished authors: Nobel Prize-winning author and activist Wole Soyinka and author Richard Wiley. 

Free

Drue Heinz Winner Joanna Pearson

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Reading and discussion with 2020 Drue Heinz Winner, Joanna Pearson. Joanna will read from her award-winning collection You Know it All and be joined in conversation by Clare Beams (The Illness Lesson).

Free

Aimée Allen Trio

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Aimée Allen Trio: Strings and C(h)ords with Tony Romano and François Moutin
Aimée Allen brings her trademark soulful originals and lyricism to life with world-renowned bassist François Moutin and multi-dimensional guitarist Tony Romano.  They make nine strings and two vocal cords sound like much more, with rich sonic landscapes and passionate, adventurous explorations of jazz improvisation and musical storytelling.  The repertoire will include new arrangements of standards and old and new compositions.  The trio provides a warm, dynamic, rhythmic experience like no other.

Free

Yoko Suzuki presents “The Music of Geri Allen”—Jazz & Strings

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

The 3rd concert in a series of Geri Allen performances by Yoko Suzuki, a former student and colleague of Geri Allen. This concert features all-new arrangements of Geri's Work with unique instrumentation. These songs are rarely heard and the concert reveals Geri’s genius and the complex puzzle of her work.

Free

Pittsburgh Remembers with Clarion Quartet

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

This program features music written by Jewish composers as well as music that expresses the powerful human ability to move forward, and create great art, after tragedy. The program also features remarks from Rabbi Myers of the Tree of Life Congregation as well as literary readings, to honor the memory of those whose lives were taken at the Tree of Life Synagogues.

Free