It began humbly with a leap of faith. This year we saw bassist Wayne Moose and the proprietors of Mezza Restaurant join together to establish a weekly Wednesday Night Jazz series at their location on Elmwood Avenue. Like any new endeavor, we have seen night's sparsely attended to evenings where people are standing together like a tightly packed subway train.
One thing for sure is the weekly event has become a bright star for jazz in the Elmwood Village. We’ve seen many of Buffalo’s jazz stars take their turns to perform for the series. Plus, it has helped serve as a homecoming spot for returning and visiting jazz performers.
This week on Wednesday, December 30th beginning at 6:30 pm, the first year will close with an End Of The Year Jam Session to celebrate a successful year of memorable performances. Which has included performances by Phil DiRe, Dave Schiavone, Russ D'Alba, Cindy Miller, and Janice Mitchell – to name a few. The “house” band for the event will consist of Wayne Moose on bass, Tim Clarke on trumpet, George Kane on guitar, and Dan Hull on drums. Wayne says “bring your horn and sit in!”
Hats off to Wayne Moose for stepping out and creating a night and space for jazz in Buffalo. And, props go to Mezza Restaurant for supporting jazz at their location of fine foods and drinks! An example of the community working together to make Buffalo the great arts and performance city it is!
Keep Jazz Alive In WNY!!
(Don't forget to get your nominations in for the second annual JazzBuffalo Readers and Fan Poll. Go here: JazzBuffalo Nominations)
