Pittsburgh residents love to talk about the city’s past: places that aren’t here anymore; natives who left the city to seek their fortune; and the way things were … some other time. Our jazz legacy is the same. Much ado is given to bassist Ray Brown, drummer Art Blakey, guitarist George Benson, composer Billy Strayhorn, and others who left town and shaped the music in ways that still reverberate to this day.
However, when it comes down to it, Pittsburgh remains a vital part of the jazz scene. Guitarist John Shannon, who also serves as co-owner and music curator at the jazz club Con Alma, sees the city’s longstanding jazz legacy as something that continues to grow.
“We all kind of see ourselves as a part of that, connected to the past and moving into the future,” he says. “I always say Pittsburgh has a real jazz scene because we have elders, we have younger people coming up in it that are committed and dedicated to it. We have all walks of life involved with the music, and we have a whole audience — a whole city that loves jazz.”…