SITKOT appreciates jazz this month

We don't spotlight enough jazz here on the site, but April is a tough month to ignore on that front. For starters, it's evidently National Jazz Appreciation Month. Not sure what that means exactly, except that there is a hell of a lot of good jazz in town over the next few weeks.

The Mellon jazz series has a lot going on all spring, the full schedule for which is here. Most, but not quite all, are at the Cabaret or the Backstage Bar, both over in the Theatre District, both very nice places for a concert if you haven't been there. A few shows I want to call out: Paquito D'Rivera's Funk Tango Quintet at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild; Sean Jones & Dwayne Dolphin at the Cabaret; and Pittsburgh Native Jeff Tain Watts also at the Cabaret.

Another worth mentioning, with whom I actually wasn't familiar until this week, is Ahmad Jamal. He's being billed as the "headliner" of the month, so there must be something to that, yes? He'll be at the Byham on the 9th. Check him out below.

Before any of that, however, George Winston passes tomorrow night through that old library on the hill over in Munhall. Though probably best known for his soothing soft jazz melodies, there's more to his catalog. Not your standard jazzman, Winston was somewhat discovered by experimental folk guitarist John Fahey, and his music still carries that folk origin while blending in sounds of rock, blues and R&B.

Ahmad Jamal - "Arabesque"