Volume 31 No. 3
March 2015
Northside center of city’s jazz scene
New biking business moving to Northside By Sabrina Romano
Aero Tech Designs, Inc., an athletic biking apparel and accessory manufacturer which started in 2004, will relocate to its new Chateau home from Coraopolis by this summer as Northside, and the city as a whole, is becoming more biker-friendly. “Being in the city also has a special energy, like you feel like
Photo courtesy of Steeltown Jazz
Abby Gross (center) plays saxophone as Beni Rossman (left) and Dylan Aragon (right) provide bass and drums during the Steeltown Jazz Storytellers event Feb. 21 at James St. Gastropub & Speakeasy. By Brady Langmann With a lineup full of Grammy Award-winning artists and several talented up-and-comers, the debut of Steeltown Jazz Storytellers program Feb. 21 at James Street Gastropub & Speakeasy in Historic Deutschtown proved that the Jazz Age is still alive, and swinging, in Pittsburgh. The event idea originated from James Street co-owner Adam Johnston, as well as Kesha M.w Pate, the founder of Ashek Media. For two years, the duo imagined the possibility of holding a series of shows that both honored Pittsburgh’s rich jazz history, yet featured its current stars both young and old.
A few months ago, they pitched the idea to the Heinz History Center Volunteer Ambassador Program, who shared their excitement for the project and agreed to present it with them. For the presentation, California University of Pennsylvania’s Music Department produced a series of videos, each one featuring a Pittsburgh jazz legend. 90.5 WESA’s Bob Studebaker, the “Voice of Jazz in Pittsburgh,” signed up to emcee, while finding musicians to play was the easiest part. “All of the musicians we talked to were really excited and wanted to be on board,” Pate recalled. “We’re talking about showcasing the history of jazz, talking about
the current community of jazz in Pittsburgh that is so deep and so amazing and so talented, and then cultivating the future of jazz in Pittsburgh, to make sure that people still are supporting jazz 10, 20, 30 years from now and that young people that are coming up have the opportunity to really experience this in a way that you don’t really get in another city.” The night included stunning performances from jazz stars Roger Humphries (drums), Dwayne Dolphin (bass), Tony Campbell (saxophone), and Howie Alexander (keyboards). Opening for the established performers were fastSee Jazz, Page 24
See Aero Tech, Page 18