GREAT WOMEN OF JAZZ—Photos above are from left: GERRI ALLEN is continuing the legacy of Pitt Professor Emeritus of Music Nathan Davis, the former director and founder of the Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert, who retired in the summer of 2013; ESPERANZA SPALDING bassist, cellist, and singer, who in 2011 became the first jazz performer ever to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. She has won four Grammys; and TIA FULLER alto saxophonist and composer and a member of the all-female band that toured with the Beyoncé Experience World Tour in 2006-07. (Photos by J.L. Martello)
The University of Pittsburgh presented the 44th Annual Jazz Gala Concert at the Carnegie Music Hall. The unique, one-night only concert included performances by nationally renowned jazz artist such as trombonist Clifton Anderson, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, jazz alto saxophonist Tia Fuller, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding, and the vocal a cappella jazz ensemble Afro Blue. HONOREES—From left: presenter Harry Clark, honorees Carl Murphy, Judge Warren Watson, and George “Duke” Spaulding. JOE LOVANO tenor saxophonist, who has recorded or performed with just about every jazz great within the 20th century. BILL ROBINSON Master of Ceremonies AWARDEE—Kathy W. Humphrey presents Pitt Jazz Advocate Award to Ralph Echols. CLIFTON ANDERSON trombonist, who toured with Sonny Rollins for years and is one of the most in-demand session musicians TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON drummer, composer, and producer, who earlier this year became the first female artist to win a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for her 2013 album Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue; AFRO BLUE—Howard University’s premier vocal a cappella jazz ensemble, whose members have won awards from DownBeat magazine and have competed on a national level on NBC-TV’s The Sing-Off.
