Return of the Uptown Jazz Series Will Chronicle the Beloved Genre

The Mary Pappert School of Music’s Uptown Jazz Series (UJS) returns to the Bluff for a special season that will explore and showcase the music of specific eras in jazz history.

Focusing on the theme The Evolution of Jazz, this year’s six-concert UJS series will feature a core group of music school faculty members and special guest performers under the direction of Mike Tomaro, who developed the theme.

“This concept has always been in the back of my mind and our Uptown Jazz series is a perfect vehicle for it,” explained Tomaro, professor of jazz studies, jazz saxophone and composition in the music school. “Though many of our students and the general public are jazz fans, they don’t understand how the music evolved.”

The concerts will progress in chronological order, according to Tomaro. The kick-off concert—scheduled for Monday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Genesius Theater—will feature the music of the Dixieland and Swing eras.

“This is a bit of a challenge considering how much great music came from these two eras, but I decided to put them together so that we could progress through the entirety of jazz history in six concerts,” said Tomaro, who will also perform on saxophone during each concert. “Each performance will contain significant music from the era as well as a little bit of lecturing to give context to the music and its progression.”

The core group of musicians in the UJS are adjunct professors Joe Badacewski on trumpet, Jeff Bush on trombone, Max Leake on piano, Paul Thompson on bass and Tom Wendt on drums. “These gentlemen are some of the best jazz performers and educators in the country who happen to reside in the Pittsburgh area,” said Tomaro. “Some special guests during the series will include guitarist Mark Koch, another one of our outstanding jazz faculty, and our first concert will feature clarinetist Paul Cosentino, leader of the Boilermaker Jazz Band—a great traditional group that is a Pittsburgh institution.”

Each concert will also feature at least one song made famous by prominent Pittsburghers in jazz history, such as Rosetta by Earl “Fatha” Hines, Take the A Train by Billy Strayhorn and Stanley Turrentine’s Sugar.

Tomaro organizes and arranges all of the music for each UJS concert. “This is a labor of love for me,” he said. “It will be incredibly satisfying to hear some of my favorite musicians performing my arrangements.”

General admission is $10 for each concert. For more information, visit www.duq.edu/UptownJazz.