This weekend holds a big gala to celebrate and sustain Con Alma, the Pittsburgh Jazz Club - Sunday with an Orrin Evans led gala, February 1st from 5-9pm.

We revisit the history of Con Alma - starting as a dream by Josh Ross, Aimee Marshall and John Shannon with the small, beloved venue on Ellsworth Avenue, through COViD challenges, adding a location in downtown Pittsburgh on Penn Avenue, the closing of the Ellsworth Location (with a great show by John Shannon, Cliff Barnes and James Johnson III), and on to the pivotal moment this month, where raising extra funds for the venue on Penn Avenue are imperative for Con Alma to continue.

We tell the story, briefly, with music from Dizzy Gillespie, Orrin Evans, Tony Campbell, Tony DePaolis, Dwayne Dolphin, Max Leake, Mark Strickland, James Moore, George Heid III, Eric DeFade, Thomas Wendt, Benny Benack II and III, John Shannon, James Johnson III, Cliff Barnes, and many more notables.

We also share conversations over the years with John Shannon, Amy Marshall, Josh Ross and James Johnson III.

For Con Alma, this is a challenge, but we thought better to celebrate and encourage, now, to show what can be, instead of the sometimes Pittsburgh mode of talking of what’s not there.

The Jazz Central Calendar shows a lot of “what’s there” in Pittsburgh - we encourage you to check out Con Alma and the dozens of live music choices at venues across the region EACH WEEK!

Music and conversation about the modern-day Pittsburgh jazz Mecca, Con Alma.

The Scene - Thursday night at 6, repeated Saturday at noon and Sunday at 5 on “THE SCENE” on WZUM - All on the radio on WZUM!