Pitt’s 51st Jazz Seminar and Concert celebrates legendary musician Erroll Garner

The Department of Music’s Jazz Studies program will host the 51st Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert virtually from Jan. 24-29.

The popular Jazz Week will feature performances by Pitt jazz students and faculty, a symposium on musician rights, a virtual tour of the Erroll Garner Archive and a concert performance showcasing critically acclaimed pianist Orrin Evans.

All performances are free to the Pitt community and the public and will be streamed on YouTube. A full line up of events can be found here.

This year’s music, performances and discussions will focus on the late Pittsburgh legend Erroll Garner (1921-77), who penned the jazz standard “Misty” and performed at the famous jazz club, The Hurricane, in the Hill District neighborhood.

“Erroll Garner is not only a Pittsburgh icon, but he’s an incredible jazz legend who forever changed the scene through his infectious style, deeply embedded with melodically virtuosic swing,” Jazz Studies Director Nicole Mitchell Gantt said. “The University of Pittsburgh is blessed to hold his archive, which contains crucial insights to his music and the journey of his career.”

The Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert, founded by the late Jazz Studies program director Nathan Davis, was the first academic jazz seminar in the country to feature international artists connecting with aspiring student musicians in a lecture format, then performing together as an ensemble.