There is a group in
Pittsburgh that works at promoting and perserving
jazz in Pittsburgh. This Pittsburgh Jazz Society does many things around town to accomplish this.
On Sunday nights they hold a sort of party open to the public. Mostly members attend, but there are also people like me who come up off the street to listen to some live jazz. Local jazz musicians are brought in to play, and it is free to the public. The atmosphere is just great for this. The audience can sit so close to the musicians that the musicians are no longer performing for a crowd, but entertaining their friends it seems.
A group that plays for these parties is the Pittsburgh Jazz Society Big Band. Part of the call to perserve jazz is to have a big band of their own. This group usually consists of high school students, which are incredibly talented for high school. They perform at these parties every once in a while, plus they have several gigs around town.
A major bonus for the Pittsburgh Jazz Society is their president, Tony Mowod. Tony Mowod is not only the president, but also a DJ for WDUQ, a Duquesne University jazz radio station. He is able to plug a lot of jazz events around the city thus helping out the Pittsburgh Jazz Society. Tony is also a well known figure around Pittsburgh, receiving awards from the city government for his work in perserving jazz.
The society also maintains a sort of Hall of Fame for jazz musicians. The group sponsors many activities for its members, including an annual cruise open to members. Their newsletter includes plugs for jazz festivals around the coutry.