Friday, May 3rd, at 7:00pm, Jazzbird welcomes MSW’s Valley Jazz Cooperative alongside guest artist John Wojciechowski (Benefit for HART Pantry).
Featured artists (first set) include:
VJC Senior Showcase
Outstanding seniors from MSW’s Valley Jazz Cooperative program perform combo jazz alongside guest artist John Wojciechowski and leading area jazz musicians.
Featured artists (second set) include:
John Wojciechowski Quartet, featuring John Wojciechowski– Saxophone, Russell Schmidt– Piano, Chris Finet– Bass, and Rob Moore– Drums.
About the guest artist… Saxophonist John Wojciechowski, of whom the Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich wrote: “…technically accomplished, musically profound, and harmonically daring” is originally from Detroit and has spent the last 18 years performing and teaching in Chicago. In addition to leading his own groups, he has performed or recorded with The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, The Chicago Jazz Ensemble, The Woody Herman Orchestra, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Clark Terry, Charlie Haden, and Kurt Elling, among many others. John has appeared on dozens of recordings as a sideman and has three recordings as a leader: “Lexicon” (2009), “Focus” (2015), and his most recent album, “Swing of the Pendulum” (2023), released to critical acclaim on the AFAR Music label.
Besides being an active performer, John (a National Board Certified Teacher) is also an educator noted for his versatility, creativity and enthusiasm. He has taught at the public school as well as university levels and has appeared all over the country as a guest artist, clinician, and conductor. His student groups have performed at the IAJE Conference, Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, JEN Conference, and the Illinois All-State Music Educator Conference.
The Valley Jazz Cooperative was founded in 2016 and is an educational outreach of MSW Ministries. Instruction is focused on expanding the creativity of VJC members by developing improvisation skills and learning the language of jazz. The program is offered free of charge to eligible, committed, passionate music students (grades 8-12).
100% of all proceeds and donations from this event will benefit HART Pantry, which is dedicated to reaching teens in local high schools in the West Valley who do not have enough food, clothing, toiletries, and other basic needs. It is HART Pantry’s mission to provide support and encourage teens to finish high school and increase self-esteem. (Learn more at https://hartpantry.org/)
Experience an evening filled with wonderful jazz and choose from a fine selection of wine, craft beers, and catered dinner options for purchase. Check back here or visit our Facebook page the Thursday before this event for a more detailed dining menu. Doors open at 6:00 pm, and the show begins at 7:00 pm.
Reservations for Jazzbird are now available. Click the “Get Tickets” button above to reserve your seats. Prices will range from $16-$28/each. For ticketing assistance, click the “TICKETING HELP” button to see step-by-step instructions on reserving seating in Jazzbird.
