May 04 Saturday
Peter Mulvey is an exemplar of singer-songwriters in our time. Startlingly fine guitar playing, poetic (and sometimes silly!) lyrics, compassionate, collaborative, and committed to social justice. He is a devoted songwriter and a caring mentor and teacher to other songwriters, hosting occasional online songwriting circles with a loosely-knit group that anyone can join, called "Mulvey's Elephants". This is his second appearance at SongSpace, and you won't want to miss it!
Twenty albums, one illustrated book, thousands of live performances, a TEDx talk, a decades-long association with the National Youth Science Camp, opening tours and gigs for luminaries such as Ani DiFranco, Greg Brown, Emmylou Harris and Chuck Prophet, appearances on NPR, an annual autumn tour by bicycle, emceeing festivals, hosting his own Lamplighter Sessions for years in Boston and in Wisconsin… Peter Mulvey has built his life’s work on collaboration, on an instinct for the eclectic and the vital.
An Evening with Peter MulveySaturday May 4, 7:30 p.m.General $15+fee advanced; $20 at the doorStudent/reduced income: $10+fee advanced; $15 at the doorOr, pay what you can to support live music in Pittsburgh!
May 09 Thursday
Experience “the ultimate authentic sound from Harlem” with Rakiem Walker as he and his quartet fuse jazz, soul, and hip hop to create their unique sound. Rakiem will collaborate with four poets: finalist for the 2020 Emerging Poet Laureate of Allegheny County grace (ge) gilbert, winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Ladan Osman, author of four novels in Arabic and City of Asylum writer-in-residence Anouar Rahmani, and Astrid Roemer, winner of the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren, the most prestigious prize for Dutch writers. Astrid’s performance is presented in partnership with The Center for the Art of Translation in San Francisco.
Each Jazz Poetry program begins with a 40-minute performance by the band, followed by 30 minutes of collaborative performance with the featured poets. In these collaborations, poets share their work while the musicians interpret and accompany their poetry with jazz, adding a unique, improvisational dimension to each performance.
Featured Musicians:
May 10 Friday
Bidwell Presbyterian Women will present the one-and-only Etta Cox & Friends in a "Mother's Day Jazz & Gospel Extravaganza" on Friday, May 10, 6 p.m. at Bidwell Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased in advance at Bidwell Church or at the door. For information call 412-231-4663 or njbarnes42@gmail.com. Reception with light refreshments at 5 p.m., and Concert begins at 6 p.m. Don't miss this wonderful event!
Folk February left us wanting more soothing sounds, and since Sweet Jazz has become a staple at Sweetwater, this year the Community Room doors will open to one of our biggest ongoing concert series, Sweet Jazz.
Join us for six weeks of Sweet Jazz performances starting on May 10. The concerts will be held both on-site in Sweetwater’s Community Room and Club Thaw located at 174 Camp Meeting Road Extension, Sewickley, Pa., 15143.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. Music will be from 7 to 9 p.m.
Limited tickets available, seating is first come, first serve.
Please note that our indoor jazz concerts do not allow outside food or beverage. Meals will be available for purchase courtesy of Chef Alvarez, with select wines available for purchase by the glass for attendees 21+ with a valid I.D.
May 13 Monday
Jazz Poetry 2024 welcomes some of the most incredible talents the Alphabet City stage has ever seen, including Fatimah Asghar, a South-Asian American Muslim writer with National Book Award and Emmy nominations; Deaf poet, storyteller and founder of ASL NYC Jeremy Lee Stone; Sudanese activist and City of Asylum writer-in-residence Rania Mamoun; and celebrated Argentinian poet and novelist Andrés Neuman, traveling all the way from Spain. Setting the tone for this third night of Jazz Poetry is acclaimed violinist Leslie DeShazor, who will make her debut at City of Asylum with an exciting quintet.
ASL interpretation will be provided by Heather Gray and Josh Stresing.
May 16 Thursday
City of Asylum’s International Jazz Poetry Month welcomes artists from all over the world, bringing new friends sharing new works to the stage every year. This Jazz Poetry month we are delighted to welcome Milena Casado, an amazing Spanish composer, flugelhorn player, and trumpeter who is no stranger to mixing poetry with her compositions. Milena and her quartet will be sharing newly composed work, joined by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Rae Armantrout, Palestinian poet Yahya Ashour, whose work has been translated and published in eight languages, current fellow at Pitt’s Center for African American Poetry & Poetics program Richard Hamilton, and Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko, multi-disciplinary Ukrainian artist and City of Asylum writer-in-residence.
May 17 Friday
May 19 Sunday
Jazz Poetry continues into its final week, welcoming Juno Award–winning pianist Andy Milne all the way from Canada. Andy Milne’s Unison Trio will be sharing his new album, Time Will Tell, which explores the intersection between heritage, identity, and destiny. Performing with Andy are renowned poets Justin Perez (a leading Deaf storyteller sharing work via visual vernacular), Kundiman and Sewanee Writers Conference fellowship awardee Noah Arhm Choi, winner of the Cave Canem/Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize Jonathan Moody, and Monica Sok, a recipient of the Discovery Prize from the 92nd Street Y.
ASL interpretation will be provided.
May 20 Monday
Hard Rock Cafe and CE Presents welcome Fury In Few with special guests on Monday, May 20, 2024!
Reserved table and bar seating options are available for advance purchase on Eventbrite.com.
Entry and seating begin at 7 p.m. / Show starts at 8 p.m.
This event is open to all ages with alcohol available to attendees ages 21 and over.
May 21 Tuesday
Fans of Thursday Night Jazz rejoice: legendary Pittsburgh drummer Roger Humphries and RH Factor return to City of Asylum to join in the 20 year anniversary of Jazz Poetry. Our Tuesday night poets feature City of Asylum writer-in-residence and prolific Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Rafeyenko in his Jazz Poetry debut, winner of the University of Pittsburgh Press’s Donald Hall Prize for Poetry Sahar Muradi, sharing work from her recently published collection Octobers, recipient of The Judith A. Markowitz Award for Emerging Writers Xan Forest Phillips, and Mónica de la Torre, Mexican poet and winner of the 2022 Foundation for Contemporary Arts C.D. Wright Award for Poetry.