Vocalist, educator and Songwriter Phat Man Dee has been an active performer in Pittsburgh for many years - and her newest release was a product of both the global reach of the internet during COVID-19 and Pittsburgh connections virtual and real. We speak with about “A Thousand Miles,” which also has a release event at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls in Millvale Sunday June 4th. Plus - drummer Joe Saylor is in with Emmet Cohen in Indiana (PA), a farewell to Casa Brasil and those musical sounds from that venue in Highland Park (music from Lilly Abreu and Diego Figueiredo), the Steeltown Horns, Tony Campbell with Bethany James and more.

The Scene - Thursday at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM.

Don Aliquo Jr and Senior in the MCG Jazz Spotlight on WZUM

Friday nights and Sunday nights at 6, Saturday afternoon at 1 on the Pittsburgh Jazz Channel

Fats Waller's Birthday - with Kate Borger on Rhythm-a-Ning

Please join Kate Borger on "Rhythm-a-ning" Friday morning at 10 and Saturday from 11 a.m. until noon for a truly joyous musical journey with Fats Waller on WZUM, The Pittsburgh Jazz Channel. 101.1 FM in Pittsburgh and on the worldwide web at wzum.org.

Pittsburgh Jazz keeps surging forward in the new century - and musicians from where we live are continuing to make creative marks.

The Scene - Thursday at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM.

Marty Ashby and Renée Govanucci celebrate the the birthdays and music of many jazz notables.

Featuring music from artists from Betty Carter, Woody Herman and Gary Peacock to Gil Evans and Jay Beckenstein, plus Pittsburgh’s own Maxine Sullivan and Jimmy Ponder

Mary Lou’s Birthday was May 8th - and in this month of May, a number of important events celebrating her life and career are on tap.

May 12th and 13th, the 27th annual Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Hosted by NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater. Included on the agenda, some of today’s finest women in jazz: Doreen Ketchens, Somi, Camille Thurman, and the Dee Dee Bridgewater Big Band.

Also - the Heinz History Center is presenting a virtual screening of “Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band,” on Saturday, May 20.

We talk with Deanna Witkowski about her Mary Lou Williams Biography, Music for the Soul, about Pittsburgh and what she has learned in the process. Also, a visit with Bobbie Ferguson - niece of Mary Lou Williams and founder of the new, Pittsburgh-based, Mary Lou Williams Institute.

The Scene - Thursday at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM.

Kate Borger brings a great party together to salute Irving Berlin as we near his May 11th Birthday (1888). In his long career he wrote some 1,500 songs, including 20 broadway shows and 15 feature films.

Tune in for a sampling with Kate Borger Friday morning at 10 and Saturday from 11 a.m. until noon on WZUM!

This week on the Scene - we check in with John Shannon at Con Alma. The music venue first opened 4 years ago on Ellsworth Avenue, the second location in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District two years ago. Things are still swinging.

The Scene - Thursday at 6pm, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM