RICHMOND, Va. -- The Mingus Awareness Project will descend on Richmond this weekend.
The concert series featuring some of Richmond's most accomplished jazz musicians and raises money for the ALS Association. Renowned jazz bassist Charles Mingus died from the effects of ALS in 1979 at age 56.
Mingus Awareness Project (MAP) organizer and and longtime Richmond-based musician Brian Jones said he and his friends started MAP in 2007 after ALS killed his best friend's mother.
"I loved their mom and it was a real tragedy," Jones said. "So, we put on a concert, play all Mingus compositions for the most part, and donate the money to an ALS charity. We've been doing that in Richmond. We did a couple in Charlottesville. I know we did one in Williamsburg, but the bulk of them had been in venues in Richmond, Virginia. So we're still going strong and we're donating the money this year to the ALS Association and we're having three concerts this upcoming Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.
Scroll down to see the lineup for this year's Mingus Awareness Project shows.
"I'm part of this jazz community in Richmond. There's a lot of great musicians and so the more that I can get involved and you know, I'm lucky enough that these guys are super generous with their time, everyone's donating their time and their talents. So we're lucky to be in a place like Richmond has such amazing musicianship," Jones said. "So yeah, if you're into jazz and especially Charles Mingus or music of that era, so we're talking about, you know, mid 50s, to the end of the 60s, that sort of period in jazz, I mean, we're going to be playing a lot of Mingus' catalog, so it should be exciting."
Friday, August 9, 2024
7:30 p.m.
The Basement
300 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Brian Jones Trio
Brian Jones -- drums
Daniel Clarke -- piano
Randall Pharr -- bass
& special guests
tickets: $20 advance / $30 day of
Saturday, August 10
6 p.m.
Ember Music Hall
309 E. Broad St.Richmond, VA 23219
1st Set: No BS! Brass
Taylor Barnett -- trumpet
Charlie Frise -- trumpet
Sam Koff-- trumpet
Nick Skinner -- trumpet
Reggie Pace -- trombone
Bryan Hooten -- trombone
John Hulley -- trombone
Dillard Watt -- trombone
David Hood -- saxophone
Stefan Demetriadis -- tuba
Lance Koehler -- drums
Sam Reed -- vocals
2nd Set: Michael Hawkinsand the Brotherhood
Dr. Weldon Hill -- piano
James "Saxmo" Gates Jr. -- alto saxophone
Michael Hawkins -- bass
Jonah David -- drums
tickets: $20 advance / $30 day of
Sunday, August 11, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Firehouse Theatre
1609 W. Broad St.Richmond, VA 23220
1st Set: Charles Owens Quartet
Charles Owens -- saxophone and piano
Randall Pharr -- bass
Karl Tietze -- drums
2nd Set: Toby Whitaker Ensemble
Jason Scott -- alto saxophone
John Lilley -- tenor saxophone
JC Kuhl -- baritone saxophone
Bob Miller -- trumpet
Toby Whitaker -- trombone/arranger
Randall Pharr -- bass
Brian Jones -- drums
Will Roman -- percussion
tickets: $30 advance / $40 day of
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