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​Media Contacts:
Khalil Waldron: (412) 339-1009 | kwaldron@awaacc.org
Carolyn McClair | CMPR: (212) 721-3341 | cmcclair@awaacc.org

​ENGLEWOOD, NJ, April 28, 2025 – Singer Andrew W. “Andy” Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with his four-octave, vocal virtuosity, which encompassed his bellowing baritone and high flying falsetto, died on Saturday, April 26, at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, NJ, surrounded by loving family and friends. He was 85 years old. His death was announced by his nephew, actor/singer Darius de Haas.

​Bey’s long artistic life ranged from his years as a child prodigy, singing in the family group, Andy and the Bey Sisters – Salome Bey and Geraldine Bey de Haas – his impressive sideman work with many jazz stars including Gary Bartz, Horace Silver, Stanley Clarke and Max Roach, as well as his own albums as a leader, including his 1974 Indian-influenced debut, Experience and Judgement, his 1996 album  Ballads, Blues & Bey, which drew critical acclaim as Bey’s breakout recording and established him as major jazz vocalist after years of obscurity. His album American Song garnered him a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. His final two projects released in 2013 and 2014, Grammy-nominated The World According to Andy Bey and Pages from an Imaginary Life, represented the zenith of his musical style, which usually featured Bey accompanying himself at the piano, interpreting American standard repertoire and pop artists like Nick Drake.
 
Writing in Jazzwise magazine, Kevin Le Gendre opined, “that baritone, paradoxically full and light, with its floating quality, has acquired more finesse over time, and on slow tempos it is exquisite, primarily because the control that Bey exerts over every single sustain or sotto phrase is faultless.”
 
Born in Newark, NJ, on October 28, 1939, Bey started playing piano at three. He attended Newark Arts High School, performed at the Apollo Theater and in the mid-fifties, he worked on the television show Startime Kids, which also featured Connie Francis and Joe Pesci. Bey recorded three LP’s with his siblings from 1961 to 1965 for the RCA Victor and Prestige labels: Andy and the Bey Sisters, Now! Hear! and ‘Round Midnight. Bey and his sisters embarked on a 16-month tour of Europe before disbanding in 1967. Influenced by Billie Holiday, Billy Eckstine, and Sarah Vaughan, Bey’s vocal talents were heard on Horace Silvers’ hard bop oriented LPs that included That Healin’ Feelin’: The United States of Mind/Phase 1 and Music to Ease Your Disease, Gary Bartz’s Afro-themed Harlem Bush Music recordings, Stanley Clarke’s fusion-formed Children of Forever, Max Roach’s martial classic, Members Don't Get Weary in the 60’s and 70’s and Bey’s own seminal recording from 1974, Experience and Judgment featuring his composition “Celestial Blues.”
 
As Ballads, Blues and Bey established Bey as a vocal force to be reckoned with, his quiet, yet dignified battle as an HIV-positive openly Gay man in the 90’s and beyond drew legions of admirers in and beyond the world of jazz.  His awards and accolades include winning the 2003 Jazz Vocalist of the Year Award from the Jazz Journalists Association and NPR’s  2014 Jazz Critics Poll award for Best Vocal Album for Pages from an Imaginary Life.
 
When most musicians in their years as an octogenarian show sign of slowing down, Andy Bey represented the opposite of that notion until his last years. “It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Bey said on an NPR Jazz Night in America in 2019 when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
 
Andy Bey is survived by his sister Geraldine (Bey) de Haas and many nieces and nephews.
 
A memorial celebration of Mr. Bey’s life and musical legacy is being planned.
 
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For More Information:
Carolyn McClair Public Relations
(212) 721-3341 | Info@CarolynMcClairPR.com

​SAN DIEGO, CA, March 26, 2025 – Tenor saxophonist and flutist James Moody (March 26, 1925 - December 9, 2010), whose hit song, “Moody’s Mood for Love” made him a popular jazz giant for seven decades, is being honored for his 100th birthday with a new CD, James Moody 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note, March 26, 2005, recorded during his week-long 80th birthday celebration. The CD will be released internationally on May 16 on Origin Records.

Supporting Moody on this historic night were trumpeter Jon Faddis, flugelhornist Randy Brecker, clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, pianists David Hazeltine and Cedar Walton, bassist Todd Coolman, drummer Adam Nussbaum and trombonist Slide Hampton, with a brief introduction by jazz impresario George Wein.
 
“This live recording is a true tribute to the extraordinary talent surrounding Moody that night…,” Moody’s beloved wife and the CD’s producer, Linda Moody, fondly recalls. “…The energy wasn’t just onstage – the room was buzzing with jazz legends, sports figures, TV personalities, family, friends, and fans who all came together to honor this remarkable man. The Blue Note was alive with love, joy, incredible artistry and the unmistakable heartbeat of a community united in reverence for my husband.”
 
That reverence is aurally evident on James Moody 80 Years Young. The nine-track CD leads off with Wein’s “Introduction to James Moody.” Backed by Nussbaum’s in-the-pocket drumming, the solid bass tones by Coolman, the profound pianism provided by Walton and Hazeltine and a solid frontline featuring Hampton’s boppish trombone, Brecker’s fiery flugelhorn, D’Rivera’s Caribbean clarinet and Faddis’ dizzying trumpet flights, Moody’s melodious and moving, Charlie Parker-influenced tenor sax and flute lines reveal the fire and finesse that made him the standard bearer on those instruments for seven decades. Jazz classics “Ow,” “Bebop” and “Cherokee,” (three early up-tempo selections from Dizzy Gillespie’s late 40s big bands), along with Gillespie’s mid-tempo masterpiece “Birks Works,” find Moody in rare and riveting improvisational form, musically speaking the language of bebop with a 21st Century accent.
 
No performance by Moody was complete without his rousing rendition of “Moody’s Mood for Love – the Television Rap.” Moody recorded it as an improvised instrumental version of the Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields ballad, “I’m in the Mood for Love,” in 1949 in Sweden. In 1952, King Pleasure presented an acclaimed version of it. It then became a hit throughout the United States when vocalese singer Eddie Jefferson put words to it and recorded it with Moody on the 1957 LP, Moody’s Mood for Love. Though it has been covered by a wide variety of artists over the years – from Aretha Franklin and Quincy Jones to George Benson and Amy Winehouse – it is, for all intents and purposes, Moody's song when he sings it, as the Blue Note audience approves, applauds and sings along when the band plays “Happy Birthday” to Moody.
 
But there’s more to Moody than hip bop solos. He is a natural showman with a razor-sharp comedic flair that comes through loudly and clearly on his gravelly vocals. It is evident on “Benny’s from Heaven,” a funny riff off the standard “Pennies from Heaven,” where a soldier comes home to his wife with a child not conceived by him. And there’s “Moody Speaks,” where Moody acknowledges the heavyweight boxer Joe Frazier, in the club, only to find out that Joe is a woman!
 
In addition to the physical CD, the album will be available on all digital platforms, with an added four bonus tracks. The extra tracks include the Harry “Sweets” Edison/Jon Hendricks love song, “Centerpiece,” laced with Roberta Gambarini’s vivacious velvet vocals; “Darben the Redd Foxx,” an old Moody-penned blues composition; “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” which is imbued with Moody’s ballad brilliance; and the Sonny Rollins calypso “St. Thomas,” an excellent vehicle for Moody’s upbeat personality.
 
TRIBUTE CONCERT AND TOUR
Stay tuned for more information on a touring ensemble celebrating Moody’s 100th birthday. Tickets are available for a concert at the Blue Note Jazz Festival at New York’s Sony Hall, 235 W. 46th Street, on May 27 at 8:00 pm. Share in the Moody Love with Musical Directors Christian McBride and Renee Rosnes, Randy Brecker, Terri Lyne Carrington, Paquito D’Rivera, Elena Pinderhughes and Madeleine Peyroux and. For tickets, click here. For more information, call (212) 997-5123

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​ABOUT JAMES MOODY
Moody’s multi-faceted career stems from a life of adversity, challenge and artistic triumph. Born in Savannah, GA, Moody was raised by a single mother in Newark, NJ. Born partially deaf, he attended the Bruce Street School for Deaf in that city. Moody’s uncle bought him his first saxophone when he was 16, and he later graduated from Newark’s famed Arts High School, where Sarah Vaughan, Melba Moore and Wayne Shorter also matriculated. Moody’s early saxophone idols were Lester Young, Charlie Parker and Don Byas. He mainly played tenor saxophone and flute, and occasionally played alto sax. He was drafted into the Army in 1943 and played in an all-Black military band.
 
After his discharge from the Army in 1946, Moody led a group called The Modernists, and he later joined Dizzy Gillespie’s pioneering big band for two years. That initial association with Gillespie would last for decades. Moody was a part of Gillespie’s State Department big band that toured Asia, The Middle East and in Latin America in the mid to late 50’s. Moody later joined Gillespie’s small combos in the 60’s that included a young Kenny Barron on piano. Gillespie and Moody recorded a few critically- acclaimed albums, including Jambo Caribe, Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac, and Live at Royal Festival Hall with Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra. Moody also worked with a wide variety of jazz stars including Art Farmer, Quincy Jones, Milt Jackson, Max Roach, Lalo Schifrin and Elvin Jones. Moody’s 45 albums as a leader include James Moody and his Modernists, Moody’s Mood for Love, Last Train from Overbrook, Flute n’ the Blues, Teachers, Something Special and Moody 4B. Moody also had a cameo role in Clint Eastwood’s 1997 movie, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
 
In addition to his sensational career as a musician, Moody was a steadfast supporter of arts education. In 2005, he and his wife Linda founded the James Moody Scholarship at Purchase College. In 2011, Mrs. Moody founded the James Moody Scholarship for Newark, NJ, which partners with Jazz House Kids in Montclair and annually awards $10,000 toward college tuition to a Newark high school senior, who embodies the qualities expressed by Moody throughout his life and works through musicianship, creativity, leadership and community involvement.
 
In 1998, Moody received the NEA Jazz Master Award, and in 2000, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Berklee College of Music and an Honorary Doctorate from Florida Memorial College. Moody was a four-time Grammy nominee and a recipient posthumously in 2011. The TD James Moody Jazz Festival, founded in 2012, is named in his honor as a proud Newark native.
 
Whether you are a lifelong fan of James Moody, or just discovering him, the music of James Moody: 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note, March 26, 2005, features the artistry of a musician who loved music as much as he loved life.

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​Media Contact:
Carolyn McClair Public Relations
(212) 721-3341 | Info@CarolynMcClairPR.com

​New York, NY, NY,  April 16, 2025 – Jazzmobile, the first U.S. not-for-profit arts and cultural organization created just for jazz 60 years ago, continues its celebration of National Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), and International Jazz Day, UNESCO’s global celebration of jazz, with a night of straight ahead jazz and down home swing with the world-renowned trombonist, vocalist, trumpeter and bandleader Wycliffe Gordon and his International All-Stars & Friends at Aaron Davis Hall, 129 Convent Avenue in Manhattan, on Wednesday, April 30, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The concert, in conjunction with the City College Center for the Arts, takes place on International Jazz Day, which caps off Jazz Appreciation Month. 

​General seating tickets are $20/$10 for students and seniors and are available here.
 
“Throughout the years, Wycliffe has been an audience favorite and powerful presence on many Jazzmobile bandstands,” says Robin Bell-Stevens, Director and Executive Producer of Jazzmobile. “His command of his instrument, his deep knowledge of the history and traditions of jazz, and his devotion to swing, exemplify what Jazzmobile is all about as we continue to celebrate our 60th anniversary.” 
 
This upcoming gig offers Gordon and his all-star friends a rare opportunity. “Several moons have passed since our last opportunity to perform together, so I'm extremely excited to perform with my group, The International All-Stars, at Aaron Davis Hall on April 30,” Gordon says. “Getting the opportunity to freely perform music from every period and idiom in jazz is a great feeling! This group – consisting of Adrian Cunningham on reeds and vocals, Ehud Asherie on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Alvin Atkinson, Jr. on drums and cymbals – is a dream situation for me and the love we have for the music and for one another exudes from the bandstand.” 
 
At the concert, Gordon and his esteemed ensemble will perform selections from their first recording, I Give You Love. “It speaks to the sentiments we wish to share with all of our audiences and everyone that hears our music," Gordon relates. “From the early classics of New Orleans artists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, and Louis Armstrong to that of Ellington, Basie, Parker, Waller, Gillespie etc... "
 
A dominant musician on the trombone for four decades, the Georgia-born Gordon, was selected by Wynton Marsalis, to join many of his bands and ensembles, including Marsalis’ septet from 1989 to 1995, and he was a founding member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra from 1995 to 2000. Gordon played with a wide variety of musicians as a sideman including Paul Simon, David Sanborn, Dianne Reeves, Dizzy Gillespie and Branford Marsalis. Gordon’s albums as a leader include Hello Pops, Signature Series, Somebody New and Within These Gates of Mine.
 
Gordon’s commissioned works include creating new music for two of the prolific silent film director Oscar Micheaux “Body and Soul” (Jazz at Lincoln Center) and “Within Our Gates” (Jazzmobile, 2011); A Soldier’s Heart (Savannah Children’s Choir/ D-Day) and the Charles Henry Suite (Douglas Theatre/Macon Georgia). Gordon has taught on many college campuses including, the Peabody Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School and Temple University. Gordon is a 6-time winner of DownBeat Magazine’s Best Trombone category, was selected Trombonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Associated 15 times and was awarded The ASCAP Foundation Vanguard Award in 2007. Gordon is also a gifted composer, arranger, trumpeter and vocalist.
 
Gordon and company come to the Aaron Davis Hall stage, like Louis Armstrong, in the cause of happiness. “This band is ready to perform the music with exuberance and style, and all with a smile,” Wycliffe said.
 
Jazzmobile’s Jazz Appreciation Month concerts also included a performance by the Saturday Jazzmobile Workshop (SJW) Youth Band, with special guests pianist Danny Mixon, vocalist Antoinette Montague and tenor saxophonist Patience Higgins at The Interchurch Center on April 2 and Charenee Wade Sings Miss Roberta with Love: A Tribute to Roberta Flack, on April 9, both at the Interchurch Center.
 
Jazzmobile is the oldest charitable organization created with a mission just for jazz. The organization presents, preserves, promotes and propagates America’s classical music. Through Free core programs, (Summerfest, Jazzmobile|Sessions, Saturday Jazz Workshops (SJW), lecture demonstrations) Jazzmobile presents world-class artists in underserved communities. Programs not only educate and entertain; but also contribute to these communities’ well-being. Programs are accessible for all, including families. As Jazzmobile celebrates 60 years of presenting free programs, the team is proud to have also inspired other organizations to create programs inspired by Jazzmobile’s founders, NEA Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor, Ms. Daphne Arnstein and with programs developed with NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath and other jazz greats of that era. This year SJW students are finalists in the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
 
“While April is Jazz Appreciation Month, Jazzmobile is Jazz, and we celebrate 12 months a year,” says Robin Bell-Stevens.  Visit  www.jazzmobile.org for more information.
 
For more information on International Jazz Day, click here.

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The Last Poets

​PITTSBURGH, PA – The August Wilson Cultural Center proudly presents Poetry Unplugged: Always August, an electrifying evening of spoken word, music, and artistic expression, supported by Citizens. Taking place on Friday, April 18, at 7:00 PM, this highly anticipated annual event will take place in honor of what would have been August Wilson’s 80th birthday, celebrating his enduring legacy through the voices of today’s most influential spoken word artists.

Contact: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
​(212) 721-3341 | Info@CarolynMcClairPR.com

​PITTSBURGH, PA, April 8, 2025 – August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) presents the 15th edition of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, co-presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, featuring the city’s own iconic history along with legendary and contemporary jazz artistry.  The majority of performances are FREE on Liberty Avenue in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh with food trucks, a beer garden and Game Zone, plus ticketed concerts at AWAACC.

​“The August Wilson Center is bringing you the best fest yet with the 15th edition of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival co-presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield,” said Janis Burley, President/CEO of AWAACC and the festival’s Artistic Director and founder. “As I reflect on the last fifteen years, I am proud of what the PIJF has accomplished: introducing new artists at the beginning of their rise to stardom, jazz legends at the height of their careers, and incredible jam session memories that the musicians remember as a special night in Pittsburgh. Music is the main objective for us, and we are committed to preserving the history, integrity, and ushering the future of this music we love, JAZZ.”
 
"The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a powerful testament to music's ability to connect us all,”  said Kenya T. Boswell, senior vice president of community affairs, Highmark Health. “Through our Highmark Bright Blue Futures program, we're honored to support events like this that not only showcase the vibrancy of our community and its well-being but also contribute significantly to our local economy." 
 
The 2025 festival headliners are an eclectic mix of straight-ahead jazz, neo soul, Caribbean and urban folk music.  Jazz stalwarts Branford Marsalis and Dee Dee Bridgewater headline the festival. If you have a taste for the infinite varieties of jazz vocalists, you can feast your tastebuds on one of the reigning queens, Jazzmeia Horn, and Keith David, the richly-voiced, acclaimed stage and screen actor whose jazz album drops later this year, and two young singers -- the Los Angeles-based crooner, Michael Mayo, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center-affiliated chanteuse, Ekep Nkwelle Howard. And if you have a craving for a soothing, keyboardist/vocalist in the vein of the late Roberta Flack, hear Kandace Springs. After you’ve ingested all those musical styles, and you’re ready to dance, you’ll enjoy the D.C. go-go rhythms of the all-woman group, Be’La, Dona, the trap-jazz of saxophonist Nathan-Paul Davis, the West Indian riddims of the Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles and his Creole Soul Ensemble, and the propulsive polyrhythms from the Haitian-American drummer Obed Calvaire. And, if you feel like chasing the blues, then catch Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the young award-winning guitarist/vocalist from Mississippi.
 
Homegrown guitarist and jazz club owner, John Shannon tours the globe but will shine a light on Pittsburgh-based talent.  Ohio native Dan Wilson is heir-apparent to the legacy of Pittsburgh’s living legend, George Benson.  He is commissioned by PIJF to be the musical director of an all-star tribute to Benson to open the Festival on Friday night September 19.  If you are in the mood for some post-bop, avant-garde, soul music, you’ll dig pianist Theron Brown and Orrin Evans’ TARBABY trio, featuring bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits. Showcasing all flavors and styles of jazz, PIJF embraces the diversity of the music.
 
For the third straight year, pianist/bandleader/composer Orrin Evans will host THE JAZZ TRAIN™, in partnership with AWAACC and Amtrak. The travel package includes round-trip train tickets from New York, Newark or Philadelphia, live jazz music during the trip, light refreshments and exciting jazz-related games and activities followed by four days of live music at the Festival. Passengers are responsible for securing the hotel and festival events of their choice.
 
Festival attendees can purchase single-day or full weekend VIP Passes separately or as a bundle with The Jazz Train tickets. VIP access includes priority seating for outdoor stages, access to a lounge area inside the AWAACC building, VIP-only bars and more. VIP Passes are limited, and advance booking is recommended. Tickets are available at www.pittsburghjazzfest.org.
 
After giving it serious thought and probably changing her mind a time or two, Burley named some of her favorite performances over the past 15 years – “Chaka Khan, the first artist we honored with a Luminary Award … 50,000 people singing War’s classic song, “Cisco Kid” … Patti LaBelle inviting dance partners on stage to sing a duet…Chick Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade in one of Corea’s last festival appearances, and Gregory Porter headlining the festival in 2011.”
 
SPONSORS
The 2025 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival is co-presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, with generous support from the Mellon Foundation. Additional sponsors include UPMC and UPMC Health Plan, BMW of Pittsburgh, Visit Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Presenting Sponsor for the Libation Station Tent is Bacardi.
 
August Wilson African American Cultural Center's presentation of the Jazzmeia Horn Quartet is supported through a Chamber Music America Presenter Consortium for Jazz grant in collaboration with Jazz House Kids and DC Jazz Festival. A component of the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project, Presenter Consortium for Jazz is funded by the Doris Duke Foundation.
 
Major support for AWAACC’s operations is provided by Richard King Mellon Foundation, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD).
 
AWAACC’s programming is made possible by generous support from its donors. For a complete list, visit awaacc.org.
 
ABOUT HIGHMARK INC.
An independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc., together with its Blue-branded affiliates, collectively comprise the fifth largest overall Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization in the country with approximately 7 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and western and northeastern New York. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance and other related businesses. For more information, visit www.highmark.com. 
 
The Highmark Bright Blue Futures program‘s goal is to ensure healthier, brighter, stronger futures for all, and it focuses on improving access to care, quality of life, and economic resilience in the communities the enterprise serves. For more information, visit Highmark Bright Blue Futures.
 
ABOUT AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a nonprofit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 100,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today.
 
For more information on the 15th Anniversary edition of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Co-presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, log on to https://pittsburghjazzfest.org.
 

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​Media Contact: Carolyn McClair | CMPR
(212) 721-3341 | CmcClair@awaacc.org

DS Kinsel's Work Inspired by August Wilson's Two Trains Running

PITTSBURGH, PA — Renowned visual artist and cultural agitator DS Kinsel will unveil new work created as part of the August Wilson Archive Community Artist-Scholar Award program sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Library System. The exhibition is on view March 6 until April 6, 2025, inside the 2nd floor Claude Worthington Benedum Gallery within the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC).
​

​The exhibition titled, August Taught Us…, presents powerful artifacts created by Kinsel inspired by the life and legacy of August Wilson. Across the paintings and collages, Kinsel merges icons from his own archive with copies of rare documents, photographs, and production materials from the August Wilson Archive, held by the Pitt Library System’s Archives & Special Collections. The exhibition provides an abstract visual report on the vast universe created by Wilson’s American Century Cycle.
 
“This body of work is a reflection of what I learned—not just about August Wilson, the historical figure, but August Wilson the practicing artist, negotiator, and everyday person.,” said DS Kinsel. “Wilson’s archive is more than a collection of scripts and notes; it’s a portal into the ways of being of a monumental Black American artist, and I aim to honor that legacy through my work.”
 
As a Community Artist-Scholar, Kinsel has been engaging with Wilson’s materials in Hillman Library since 2023. These investigations into Wilson's work have also encouraged Kinsel to uncover lost icons within his own artistic archive, leading to time spent reviewing artifacts from Kinsel's creative journey to fuse alongside Wilson's notes. The resulting work uses all of this source material as a foundation to build bridges between past and present narratives of Black resilience, genius, and artistic expression.
 
The Claude Worthington Benedum Gallery at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center boasts a wide range of dynamic exhibition and educational spaces that have hosted thousands of talented artists and creative students of all ages and backgrounds. Kinsel’s exhibition reinforces the AWAACC’s mission to support local artists, elevate Black voices, and present dynamic visual storytelling and artistic experiences.
 
The exhibition is free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with Kinsel’s work, learn about his research process, and reflect on August Wilson’s enduring influence.
About DS Kinsel:
DS Kinsel is an award-winning creative entrepreneur and cultural agitator who expresses his creativity through various mediums, including painting, printmaking, collage, installation, curating, performance, and public art. His work focuses on themes such as space keeping, urban tradition, hip-hop, informalism, and cultural re-appropriation. DS is former AmeriCorps Public Ally member and an Awardee of the Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40, Pittsburgh Magazine PUMP 40 Under 40, Pgh Tech Council Creative of The Year, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's "Top Ten People To Meet in 2016," and the Incline's "Who's Next" for 2018.


DS is also the co-founder of BOOM Concepts, a creative hub dedicated to advancing black and brown artists representing marginalized communities. Since its establishment in 2014, BOOM Concepts, based in Pittsburgh, has curated 50 on-site exhibitions, paid over $500,000 in artist fees, and produced 200+ events across the country. BOOM serves as a space for field building, knowledge sharing, mentorship, and storytelling, continually challenging and uplifting the creative community. In 2021, BOOM Concepts was selected as one of the partners to represent the Greater Pittsburgh Region on the Google Arts & Culture platform and recognized as one of Pittsburgh's Cultural Treasures through The Heinz Endowments and The Ford Foundation.
 
ABOUT THE AUGUST WILSON ARCHIVE
Held by the University of Pittsburgh Library System, the August Wilson Archive is a comprehensive collection of materials that document Wilson’s life and career. The archive includes handwritten notes, scripts, playbills, production materials, personal correspondence, and rare photographs that shed light on Wilson’s creative process and contributions to American theater.
 
ABOUT AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a nonprofit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 100,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today.


Major support for AWAACC’s operations is provided by Richard King Mellon Foundation, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD). AWAACC’s programming is made possible by generous support from its donors. For a complete list, visit our website. www.awaacc.org

EVENT DETAILS:
What: The August Wilson Archive presents:  August Taught Us… by DS Kinsel
When: March 6 – April 6, 2025
Where: The Claude Worthington Benedum Gallery, 2nd floor, August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Admission: Free and open to the public
 
AWAACC Gallery Hours of Operation:
Thursday: 3pm-6pm
Friday: 3pm-6pm
Saturday: 1pm-5pm
Sunday: 1pm-5pm
 
Experience More:
Sunday, March 16, 3-5 PM
Black Power Storytime, presented by artist DS Kinsel as part of his exhibition August Taught Us, is a dynamic storytelling event that celebrates Black voices through captivating performances of prose, poetry, essays, and more, highlighting the richness of the Black experience. Presented in collaboration with partners like BOOM Concepts, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh Festival of Books, the program creates an inclusive, intergenerational space for cultural exploration and appreciation. Through the power of storytelling, this event fosters dialogue, preserves traditions, and showcases the creative brilliance of Black authors.

Friday, March 28, 6-9 PM
Kinselland Radio, created by Anqwenique and DS Kinsel, is a vinyl-driven sonic experience that takes listeners on a journey through deep cuts of classical, jazz, hip hop, R&B, rock, and retro pop. Having performed at venues like Carnegie Museum of Art and The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Kinselland blends ancestral inheritance with personal crate-digging discoveries. For the March 28th Gallery Crawl at AWAACC, they will curate a musical selection inspired by August Wilson’s personal collection, seamlessly intertwined with their own.

Saturday, April 5, 3-6 PM, Closing Reception
The exhibition closing reception will feature a gallery talk with DS Kinsel and AWAACC Literary Curator, Jessica Lanay: “AW Archive as Ancestral Work.”

 “This project is a unique opportunity to leverage our geographical proximity and exceptional influence we share as four of America’s most influential broadcasters,” said WBGO President and CEO Steven A. Williams “For the first time, we’ll work together to develop initiatives that will benefit public radio listeners in the nation’s largest media market and the public media system as a whole, and at the same time we’ll build a foundation for similar collaborations between stations in other cities.”

The stations will use a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to develop a comprehensive, five-year business model, including a structural outline for staffing and management that could become the model for similar collaborations between stations across the country.

“WQXR is proud to unite with our fellow music format public radio stations in the tri-state region to find new, inventive ways to collaboratively serve our audiences,” said LaFontaine E. Oliver, President and CEO, New York Public Radio. “At WQXR, we are committed to making classical music inviting and available to everyone and joining forces with other stations who share our values of accessibility and service can demonstrate the unique value we bring to our communities. We are grateful to WBGO for spearheading this work and convening this collective, and to the CPB for supporting this effort.”

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
Working with the stations will be Public Media Company, which will help to develop the collaborative’s strategic focus, and Paragon which will conduct digital audits of each station and a comprehensive membership data analysis. The audits will analyze the current state of each service’s digital marketing presence and utilize industry-specific research to provide suggestions for improvement and identify areas to target to enhance content distribution while expanding digital reach.

Customized digital strategies will be developed that are specific to each station’s goals. The strategies will act as a detailed roadmap of digital content, marketing efforts and internal processes. The strategies will also include analysis of the targeted audiences for each platform.

“The idea of collaboration among the New York area’s music stations has been informally discussed for more than a decade,” said Chuck Singleton, WFUV’s General Manager. “We’re excited to see it advance with our great colleagues, thanks to CPB’s generous support, and we look forward to exploring paths to strengthening our connections.”

MEMBERSHIP CULTIVATION
Research will be conducted to understand the dynamics of membership for a public media music station including the donor's proclivities toward ongoing versus one-time donations; donating to stations in traditional versus nontraditional avenues; and types of appeals and incentives. Membership benefits, development of updated fundraising guidance to attract new donors to members of the Collaborative and development of a sustainability plan for the stations also will be covered.
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“This historic collaboration of public media stations represents a significant step forward in understanding and enhancing the relationship between public media and its supporters,” said Brad Dancer, WSHU’s President & General Manager. “We could not be more excited to be part of this endeavor and explore new opportunities to help each other grow. We will learn so much more together.”

ABOUT THE STATIONS
WBGO 88.3 FM / Newark Public Radio: Celebrating its 45th anniversary, WBGO is a non-profit, publicly funded arts and cultural institution, dedicated to the curation, presentation, and preservation of music created out of the African American experience. The station is committed to providing the community with independently produced music programming and journalism for the purpose of public enrichment, entertainment and insight. Its mission is accomplished through creating and distributing relevant, high-quality content, engaging diverse audiences and providing an inclusive workplace. As content provider to NPR, WBGO’s reach extends to millions across the country and the station has long been an anchor institution in community engagement through its partnerships, concerts, education and news programming. With informative and entertaining announcers, award-winning original arts programming and pioneering jazz tourism, WBGO will continue to be “the jazz source” for years to come. www.wbgo.org

WQXR 105.9 FM / New York Public Radio: WQXR is New York City’s only all-classical music station, immersing listeners in the city’s rich musical life on-air at 105.9FM, online at WQXR.org, and in the community through live events and performances. Signature programs include Carnegie Hall Live, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcasts, New York Philharmonic This Week, New York in Concert, and the Young Artists Showcase. WQXR also produces podcasts that showcase compelling storytelling and powerful music: The Open Ears Project, Made in New York: the NY Philharmonic Story, Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, Helga, and Aria Code, a joint project with the Metropolitan Opera. www.wqxr.org

WFUV 90.7 FM: New York’s source for music discovery, WFUV has been a non-commercial, member-supported public media service of Fordham University for more than 75 years. WFUV has received national recognition for its unique weekday format of adult album alternative music, award-winning local news and sports, and a diverse weekend lineup. www.wfuv.org

WSHU 91.1 FM: WSHU Public Radio is a group of non-commercial, member-supported radio stations owned and operated by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, that brings the best in music and news in Connecticut and Long Island. An NPR member station since 1984, WSHU also locally produces classical and folk music shows. WSHU’s Sunday Baroque is syndicated and heard on over 270 stations nationwide. All programming is available for streaming at www.wshu.org and for broadcast on 13 radio frequencies.

About Paragon
Paragon is a consulting and research firm specializing in innovative content for broadcast and digital media, with over 400 years of combined experience.  Paragon expertise includes media start-ups, new business models, market share, strategic planning, content creation, marketing, branding, community building, fundraising, and creating healthy company culture. 
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About Public Media Company 
At Public Media Company, our mission is to cultivate vibrant local media that informs, connects, and inspires communities. We believe that local media plays a vital role in community life, as a trusted source of news, education, music, and public discourse for people of all ages. Since 2001, Public Media Company has partnered with nearly 400 nonprofit and noncommercial media organizations in all 50 U.S. states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, helping them amplify their service and impact, deepen community connections, and secure long-term business sustainability.

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Media Contact: Carolyn McClair PR
(212-721-3341 | Info@CarolynMcClairPR.com

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​PITTSBURGH, PA, February 26, 2025 –  Save the date for the 15th Anniversary of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Co-Presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (PIJF), set for Thursday, September 18 – Sunday, September 21, 2025. This year's festival celebrates 15 years of world-class jazz in Pittsburgh, boosting the local economy and enriching our community—a commitment shared by Highmark's charitable giving and community involvement program, Highmark Bright Blue Futures.

​PITTSBURGH, PA, February 20, 2025 – The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) is proud to present acclaimed actor Roger Guenveur Smith in his latest solo performance, IN HONOR OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, on February 27, 2025, at 7:30 PM. This powerful theatrical tribute, presented in partnership with Pittsburgh Public Theater and The House of Life Pittsburgh, explores the enduring legacy of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat through Smith’s signature blend of storytelling, history, and poetic lyricism.

​Praised by critics as a “spellbinding … storytelling master class” (Minnesota Star Tribune), IN HONOR OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT draws from Smith’s personal friendship with Basquiat, whose meteoric rise in the art world was marked by groundbreaking creativity and a tragic loss at the age of 27. The performance captures Basquiat’s cultural and artistic resonance, reflecting his engagement with history, poetry, and encyclopedic musical references.
 
Previously presented at the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, as well as an acclaimed run at St. Paul’s Penumbra Theatre, Smith’s performance has captivated audiences with its poignant and evocative storytelling. TalkinBroadway.com hailed it as “a blend of poetic vision and searing reality … a beautiful piece of stagecraft that transmits a hero’s journey to our eyes, our ears, and our hearts.”
 
Roger Guenveur Smith is widely recognized for his innovative theatrical works, including A HUEY P. NEWTON STORY, which won an Obie Award and was adapted into a Peabody Award-winning telefilm, and RODNEY KING, which earned a Bessie Award and is currently streaming on Netflix. Both projects were directed by his longtime collaborator, Spike Lee, and featured music by Marc Anthony Thompson, who will also provide live sound design for BASQUIAT.
 
AWAACC previously presented Smith’s JUAN AND JOHN, inspired by baseball greats Juan Marichal and John Roseboro, as well as his signature work FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW. The Center is honored to welcome him back for another extraordinary evening of performance and storytelling.
 
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a singular tribute to one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. IN HONOR OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT promises an unforgettable evening of theatrical mastery, described by the New York Times as “Roger Guenveur Smith gets it all and gets it brilliantly.”
 
TICKETS AND INFORMATIONTickets for IN HONOR OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT are available now: $30 in advance / $40 at the door. Student discounts are available. For more information and to purchase, visit awaacc.org.
 
ABOUT AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a nonprofit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 100,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today.
 
Major support for AWAACC’s operations is provided by Richard King Mellon Foundation, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD). AWAACC’s programming is made possible by generous support from its donors. For a complete list, visit our website. www.awaacc.org
 
Interested in opportunities like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on socials to stay updated.
 
ABOUT PITTSBURGH PUBLIC THEATER
Pittsburgh Public Theater strives to be a true public theater to the Pittsburgh region and welcomes more than 70,000 guests through the doors of the O’Reilly Theater every year. The Public is renowned for its exceptional mix of programming, featuring American classics, world premieres, new adaptations, and favorite musicals. Its commitment to education and engagement initiatives is a cornerstone of its mission and includes the signature Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest and innovative community partnerships. The O’Reilly Theater is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
 
Pittsburgh Public Theater is under the leadership of Artistic Director Marya Sea Kaminski and Managing Director Shaunda McDill and celebrates its 50th season in 2024.
 
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF LIFE PITTSBURGH
The House of Life - Pittsburgh (HOL - PGH) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting formerly incarcerated individuals as they transition back into society. Founded by a group that includes former law enforcement officers, and individuals who have experienced long-term incarceration, the organization emphasizes restorative justice and community reintegration. The House of Life Pittsburgh exemplifies a collaborative approach to restorative justice, bringing together diverse perspectives to create meaningful change in the community.
 

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Media Contacts:
Carolyn McClair | (212) 721-3341 | cmcclair@awaacc.org
Amanda Brandes | (412) 567-2956 | abrandes@awaacc.org
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