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Hooks and Phonics Festival at Pittsburgh's AWAACC

1/16/2024

Photo: Sunni Patterson, Spoken Word Poet

HOOKS & PHONICS FESTIVAL MAKES HIP-HOP AND SPOKEN WORD POETRY HISTORY AT THE AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER JANUARY 19-21
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January 15, 2024 (Pittsburgh, PA) – The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) is proud to announce the debut of the Hooks & Phonics Festival, a groundbreaking weekend celebration of Hip-Hop culture and the art of Spoken Word Poetry taking place January 19-21, 2024. This inaugural festival is dedicated to amplifying the powerful stories of trial and triumph narrated by BIPOC communities, whose orators and emcees speak truth to power without compromise.

Celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa at The AWAACC

12/11/2023

Bring Your Family, Tell Your Friends and Head to
HOLIDAY COMMUNITY DAY
A FREE Event Celebrating the Season
December 16, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm,
at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center

PITTSBURGH, PA, December 7, 2023 -- ‘Tis the season to spread love and joy, and there’s no better place to share those warm and fuzzy feelings than at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s (AWAACC) Holiday Community Day set for Saturday, December 16, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, at 980 Liberty Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh. Made possible by the generous support of UPMC and UPMC Health Plan, Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), Pittsburgh International Airport and Duolingo, the festivities are FREE and feature three hours of entertainment, shopping, photo booths and a variety of hands-on family activities.

JEFFREY OSBORNE, THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND and LOOSE ENDS

11/21/2023

Jeffrey Osborne, The Average White Band
and Loose Ends Featuring Jane Eugene
Headline The 5th Annual We Want the Funk Festival,
December 8-9, 8:00 pm,
at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center

PITTSBURGH, PA, November 20, 2023 – The 5th annual We Want the Funk Festival, which takes place at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC), 980 Liberty Avenue, on December 8-9, 8:00 pm, will once again celebrate the rhythm-driven musical genre that evolved from the R&B, soul, and jazz scenes of the 1970s and continues to influence today’s artists. This year’s edition features two groups from The United Kingdom and a soulful singer from New England – proving that the music is still funky from either side of the pond.

PAN AMERICAN NUTCRACKER HOLIDAY TOUR

11/13/2023

Angelface Records Presents
Joe McCarthy’s New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band
Seven-night PAN AMERICAN NUTCRACKER SUITE HOLIDAY TOUR
with Stops in New York City, Honolulu, Costa Mesa and Seattle

Experience Latin Jazz Versions of Tchaikovsky’s Famed The Nutcracker Including A Dazzling Combination of Music, Dance
and The Visual Arts

The Band’s “Waltz of the Flowers” Nominated for 2023 Latin Grammy - Best Arrangement

NEW YORK, NY, November 9, 2023 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s immortal 1892, eight-part ballet suite, The Nutcracker, is loved the world over and has been performed in a wide variety of styles, including the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn 1960 LP. On September 9, 2022, drummer/bandleader Joe McCarthy and his New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band added a different groove when he released The Pan American Nutcracker Suite, a swinging adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece with Latin Jazz and African-derived rhythms from the United States, the Caribbean and South America.

MUMU FRESH PERFORMS AT THE AWAACC 11/18

11/8/2023

Vocalist, Emcee, Composer and Social Activist MUMU FRESH
Brings Her Engaging and Empowering Artistry
to the August Wilson African American Culture Center’s SOUL SESSIONS
Saturday, November 18, 2023, 8:00 pm

PITTSBURGH, PA – October 31, 2023 - Baltimore-born Maimouna Youssef, better known as Mumu Fresh, is more than an artist – she is a summation point where hip-hop, jazz, R&B, blues, spoken word, soul and world music come together in one amazing performer. Following a dynamic guest appearance with trumpeter Keyon Harrold at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival presented by Citizens in September, Mumu Fresh brings her songs and stories of the struggles and strivings of Black and Brown folk to the latest installment of Soul Sessions presented by the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC), 980 Liberty Avenue, on Saturday, November 18, 2023, 8:00 pm.

2023 Satchmo Award

10/18/2023

The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation Honors
NEA Jazz Master/Bassist Reggie Workman
with the 2023 Satchmo Award
at the FREE WBGO Jazz for Young People Concert,
Armstrong: Past, Present and Future,
at Flushing Town Hall, Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 11:00 am

New York, NY - October 12, 2023 - The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation (LAEF) will present the world-renowned bassist, composer, bandleader, educator and NEA Jazz Master Reggie Workman with the foundation’s prestigious Satchmo Award for his seven decades of jazz musicianship and education during WBGO’s Kids Jazz Concert Series at Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 11:00AM.

2023 HBHF

10/13/2023

World-Renowned Bluesmen BOBBY RUSH and ERIC GALES,
Latin Jazz Percussion Master PETE ESCOVEDO
and Legendary Afro-Cuban Vocalist OMARA PORTUONDO
Headline the 6th Annual Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival,
Friday and Saturday, November 3-4, 8:00 pm,
at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center

PITTSBURGH, PA – The 6th Annual Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield lights up downtown Pittsburgh, this year showcasing the extensions and connections of the blues – from Africa to the Americas – with two generations of Blues stars, Bobby Rush and Eric Gales on Friday, November 3, and two grand masters of Latin music, percussionist extraordinaire Pete Escovedo featuring Nestor Torres and singer and original member of the Buena Vista Social Club, Omara Portuondo on Saturday, November 4. Both evenings take place at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, 980 Liberty Avenue, at 8:00 pm.

Joan Watson-Jones Returns to The Lilypad 10/21/23

10/10/2023

Vocalist Joan Watson-Jones Returns
to The Lilypad Saturday, October 21 | 4:30 pm

CAMBRIDGE, MA, October 10, 2023 – Vocalist/lyricist/composer Joan Watson-Jones sings with conviction, swings with precision and turns a lyric into a cool, compelling musical story. Hear her melodious narratives at The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge Street in Cambridge, on Saturday, October 21, at 4:30 pm.

John Coltrane Jazz Festival | Miles Ahead, Saturday, 9/23, 3:00 pm

9/19/2023

Trumpeter Miles Davis, left, with Saxophonist John Coltrane

Harlem Set to Celebrate the Second Annual FREE
John Coltrane Jazz Festival | Miles Ahead
September 23, 3:00 – 8:00 pm,
at Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park

Harlem, NY – What could make a celebration of jazz giant/saxophonist John Coltrane even better? Throw a FREE concert on his birthday, September 23, add in a salute to the musical genius Miles Davis, and invite music fans throughout the region to celebrate at the second annual John Coltrane Jazz Festival | Miles Ahead at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park, 3:00 – 8:00 pm.

Renowned Pianists Take the Stage at Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by Citizens

9/7/2023

Piano/Keyboard Masters Bob James, Orrin Evans, P.J. Morton,
Nigel Hall, Kevin Howard and Howie Alexander Perform at
the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by Citizens
September 14-17 at Highmark Stadium
and August Wilson African American Cultural Center

PJ Morton

PITTSBURGH, PA, September 07, 2023 – The late, great Pittsburgh pianist Ahmad Jamal said, “I think Pittsburghers are stylists. They all have their approach…” Mr. Jamal was speaking of the many jazz musicians who came from the city, including piano players Earl “Fatha” Hines, Mary Lou Williams and Erroll Garner. And like those aforementioned masters, an accomplished potpourri of pianists/keyboardists – Bob James, Orrin Evans, P.J. Morton, Nigel Hall, Kevin Howard and Howie Alexander – will display their myriad styles and approaches at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF) presented by Citizens September 14 – 17 at Highmark Stadium, Station Square, 510 W Station Square Dr., and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC), 980 Liberty Ave.

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HOOKS & PHONICS FESTIVAL MAKES HIP-HOP AND SPOKEN WORD POETRY HISTORY AT THE AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER JANUARY 19-21P

Bring Your Family, Tell Your Friends and Head to​HOLIDAY COMMUNITY DAYA FREE Event Celebrating the SeasonDecember 16, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm,at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center

Jeffrey Osborne, The Average White Bandand Loose Ends Featuring Jane Eugene Headline The 5th Annual We Want the Funk Festival, December 8-9, 8:00 pm, at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center

Vocalist, Emcee, Composer and Social Activist MUMU FRESHBrings Her Engaging and Empowering Artistryto the August Wilson African American Culture Center’s SOUL SESSIONSSaturday, November 18, 2023, 8:00 pm

The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation HonorsNEA Jazz Master/Bassist Reggie Workman ​with the 2023 Satchmo Awardat the FREE WBGO Jazz for Young People Concert,Armstrong: Past, Present and Future,at Flushing Town Hall, Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 11:00 am

World-Renowned Bluesmen BOBBY RUSH and ERIC GALES,Latin Jazz Percussion Master PETE ESCOVEDO and Legendary Afro-Cuban Vocalist OMARA PORTUONDOHeadline the 6th Annual Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival,Friday and Saturday, November 3-4, 8:00 pm,at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center

Vocalist Joan Watson-Jones Returnsto The Lilypad Saturday, October 21 | 4:30 pm​

Harlem Set to Celebrate the Second Annual FREEJohn Coltrane Jazz Festival | Miles AheadSeptember 23, 3:00 – 8:00 pm,at Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park

Piano/Keyboard Masters Bob James, Orrin Evans, P.J. Morton,Nigel Hall, Kevin Howard and Howie Alexander Perform atthe Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by CitizensSeptember 14-17 at Highmark Stadiumand August Wilson African American Cultural Center

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