| So, What is happening to Jazz in Harrisburg? This question keeps popping up in my travels... What’s
happening to Jazz in Harrisburg?
Well, on the one hand, you’ve got a select group of people who believe that the
Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz is not the only game in town. But because CPFJ is so
large and well known, it’s difficult to get any other Jazz events going. The major
block other Jazz promoters in the area hit when making proposals to local venues is the:
"Well, if the CPFJ haven’t done it, it probably isn’t worth doing."
This coupled with the basic belief by most venue owners that Jazz crowds aren’t big
spenders makes them shy away from anything less than a guaranteed success.
So, on the other hand, how do you explain the list to the right. This list is far from
complete, and we at MODE hope to hear from the other area venues that are supporting Jazz
on regular nights. When we set out to find Jazz in Harrisburg, we often heard: "There
isn’t much to speak of." Yet, aside from the established, Mecca of Jazz like the
St. Moritz and Lawson’s of days gone by, we managed to find out that Scotts’ Bar
& Grille had live Jazz on Wednesdays, Heaven had live Jazz on Thursdays, the Bar at
the Hilton has almost always had Jazz, and Kosta’s has a truly great Jazz Brunch
every Sunday. This doesn’t even cover the venues we couldn’t confirm before the
printing of this article.
So Jazz is alive and well in Harrisburg. In part thanks to efforts of Central Pennsylvania
Friends of Jazz to keep Jazz a mainstream mainstay for the local population. The new radio
satellite feed of Temple Jazz, from Temple University has also kept Jazz somewhat in the
limelight.
But what of the club owners that just don’t want to support Jazz because it
apparently doesn’t want to support their efforts in the form of revenue?
I have learned one very important thing about Jazz. It is an interactive art form, truly
American, and always growing. Born from Blues and Gospel, Jazz is the voice and soul of
the artist. How the artist feels and what the artist is experiencing is conveyed, often
quite clearly, in the music being played. In live Jazz performances, the audience is a key
factor in the mood and performance of the artist, moreso than in any other improvisational
musical art form.
Diane Wilson, a Jazz vocalist, and Rick ‘Ricci Rags’ Ranaglia, Jr., a Jazz
saxophonist both confirmed that they feed on the reaction and interaction of the audiences
they are playing to. Owner of the St. Moritz, and long time piano player Mack Granderson
commented: "if you like Jazz, you’ve got to come out and show your support.
Frequent the places that have live Jazz and tell the management what you like and dislike.
It’s the only way to gauge the success and possible continued support of the Jazz
artist."
Ricci Rags added: "Jazz isn’t a fad, you don’t have to dress up or dress
down to it, you just have to enjoy it for what it is... Jazz"
It is apparent, for reasons yet unknown that more and more local (Harrisburg) clubs
(venues) are supporting Jazz in one way or another. If you want to hear live Jazz at your
favorite watering hole, you have to ASK FOR IT! For now, patronize the places listed to
the right, they are answering your requests for Jazz right now.
Please look for a continuation of "Jazz in Harrisburg" information and
interviews in future issues of MODE. |
