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West Virginia Jazz Society to Host First Creative Crossroads Weekend

By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on October 05, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

The West Virginia Jazz Society (WVJS) is celebrating North Central West Virginia’s emerging identity as a destination for “cultural tourism” with the first Creative Crossroads Weekend on October 20-21 in Bridgeport and Clarksburg.
 
The two-day, two-night event will feature live performances, educational workshops, a fine art jazz photo exhibition and a meet-the-artist-reception, according to the WVJS organizers.
 
Featured artists are QiEt, the eclectic high-energy entertainment powerhouse from southern West Virginia, and The Funk & Soul Jazz Revue, a sextet of the region’s top jazz artists doing a unique program described as “jazz meets James Brown.”
 
On Friday, October 20, QiEt with bandleader and showman, Christopher Vincent, will appear in Mia Margherita Coal Fired Pizzeria, the upscale bar and restaurant in Bridgeport’s Charles Pointe complex, with dinner show seating at 6:30pm and 8:30pm.        
 
QiEt, pronounced as if the name had a vowel, features Vincent on vocals and guitar, backed up by trombone, trumpet, violin, bass and drums, performs both acoustic and electric sets of mostly original tunes, augmented by creative covers of jazz and pop classics.
    
There is no admission charge for the QiEt performances but reservations are required as seating is very limited.   Phone 304 808 6400 for more information and to make reservations.
 
On Saturday evening, October 21, The Funk & Soul Jazz Revue (F&SJR) will introduce their brand of dance beat grooves and musical improvisation with a two-hour performance in Jazz at Charles Pointe, the iconic “pop up” music and dining nightclub in the Bridgeport Conference Center, with doors open for dining at 6:30pm and music and dancing beginning at 7:00pm. 
 
The Funk & Soul Jazz Review was organized by Hammond B3 organist, Davin Seamon, and baritone saxophonist, Jared Sims, and includes tenor saxophonist, Curtis Johnson; alto saxophonist, Rich Norwood; drummer, Brian Wolfe, and guitarist, Seth Maynard.
 
The F&SJR program will feature danceable arrangements of funk and soul classics, along with sit-in performances by Kurtis “The Kid” Richards, a tenor saxophonist from Harrison County, and Yana Tyulkova, a Russian jazz vocalist.
 
Individual tickets are $40 and include the unlimited New Appalachian BBQ Buffet. Couples are priced at $70 and a table of four is priced at $120.  For more information and to order tickets, phone 304 517 9813 or email to:  WVJazzSociety@aol.com.
 
Earlier on Friday, October 20, Harrison County students at Lumberport Elementary in Lumberport, and at Notre Dame High School in Clarksburg, will enjoy career explorations with Eva Hambach, award-winning photographer and managing photo editor for Agence France-Presse (AFP), France’s international news agency, and Herman Burney, also a professional photographer as well as an internationally recognized jazz bassist.
 
The special career exploration workshops are funded through a grant from the Barbara B. Highland Fund for the Arts, and coordinated by Lumberport Elementary teacher, Melanie Gentilozzi, and Notre Dame High School teachers, Teresa Musgrave and Wayne Rowand.
    
Hambach and Burney will exhibit their fine art jazz photos at the Bridgeport Conference Center on Saturday, October 21, from 5pm to 8pm, during a Meet-The-Artists Champagne Reception prior to the opening of Jazz at Charles Pointe performances, also in the Bridgeport Conference Center.
 
The public is invited to the exhibition and reception, with RSVP requested to 304-517-9813.  Additional information is provided at WVJazzSociety.com.
 
Editor's Note: Pictured from top are Brian Wolfe of the Funk & Soul Jazz Review and Christopher Vincent of QiEt. Photos are courtesy of West Virginia Jazz Society.



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