Get Ready to Tap Your Feet

Growing up in what may be considered the jazz era, I have learned to tap my feet in appreciation of most any old beat. In fact, it’s an involuntary action. It occurred to me that others may also have feet they can’t control, which led to ArtsWestchester featuring the best of jazz in our historic building, which then led to a Jazz Fest collaboration with the City of White Plains and the White Plains BID (Business Improvement District), which is now in its eighth year. And it’s all coming up, beginning this coming Wednesday and through to Sunday the 15th.

Pete Malinverni

This year, there are two events at which to tap your feet in our historic bank building which, due to our marble floor, is actually a quite nice acoustical accompaniment. You can flap-ball-change to Pete Malinverni’s Jazz-Chester, featuring Ralph Lalama, Mikey Migliore and Aaron Seeber on Thursday, September 12 at 8pm. Pete has a good groove as head of Jazz Studies at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College. Stay on for the Jazz Jam, led by Jake Robinson of the Music Conservatory of Westchester, Ed Palermo of Hoff-Barthelson Music School, Bob Gingery from Concordia Conservatory and Pete Malinverni.

Melissa Aldana

Twice-selected as a Thelonious Monk Institute National All-Star, and a 2013 Young Arts Jazz Finalist, Chicago native Joel Ross performs at ArtsWestchester on Friday, September 13, 7:30pm. He will play in a quintet formation aptly-named ‘Good Vibes.’ Then at 9pm, the quintet will join Chilean saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana, who has had a remarkably rapid evolution, from being a six-year-old sax prodigy to now being widely considered one of the most compelling tenor saxophonists on the scene. If tapping your feet is not your thing, bring a little lung capacity for hooting and hollering when it’s time for applause.

Get the full JazzFest White Plains schedule, and your tickets, at artsw.org/jazzfest.