Downtown Jazz Season Begins in Winston-Salem

FREE Live music is abundant in downtown Winston-Salem!
The season has begun for the Downtown Jazz series!

Downtown Jazz concerts begin at 6pm Saturday nights and last until 9pm.  


Brian Simpson & Elan Trotman headlined last night's show with opening performer Reggie Buie.

Bring a lawnchair.  There are food trucks on site!

June 10:   Brian Simpson & Elan Trotman
Opening performer – Reggie Buie


June 24:  Matt Marshak
Opening performer – Titus Gant


July 8: Eric Darius
Opening performer – Saundra Crenshaw

July 22: Urban Jazz Coalition & Will Donoto
Opening performer – Will Donato


August 12:  Dee Lucas
Opening performer – Vince Crenshaw


August 26:  Joey Sommerville
Opening performer – Galvin Crisp

Details of this and other FREE family events are on our calendar.  If you have questions about an event, please contact the sponsor directly.  All information is accurate at the time of it's posting.

Visit DowntownWS here

Photo Credit: Dave Hampton

Abebi Stafford and the 90.5 WSNC-FM Fall Fund Drive

Photo Courtesy of Eric Xavier, Founder of Wayne County Jazz Showcase

Piedmont Triad Living is happy to welcome local composer and jazz pianist Abebi Stafford to our staff!  Abebi will bring a different perspective to the local music scene.

Having a broad range of experiences,  Abebi Stafford has played with Russell Malone, accompanied vocalist Deborah Brown, given Kenny Garrett a piano lesson and has been solicited by Andre 3000 from Atlanta based outkast for his musical expertise. Born in Minnesota, Abebi relocated to Winston-Salem two years ago.  Abebi has headlined in two major jazz festivals (Atlanta Jazz Festival and the Minneapolis Jazz Festival 2002).  After he and his group "Bayorhythm" won the "Future of Jazz Competition" in 2004, Abebi went on to perform internationally in cities such as Berlin, Munich, Nuremburg, Frankfurt, Paris and Prague and toured the Southeast United States as a performer.  Abebi has produced three albums compiled of mostly original works.  He is currently working as a solo artist and featured artist at such local venues as Crown and Cork, Tate's, Krankie's WS Shuffle, Arts on Sunday, Kernersville's Spring Folly and the Wayne County Jazz Showcase.  Abebi is working on his fourth album.

Abebi says, "On Tuesday October 28th, I was interviewed by 90.5 WSNC radio for their biannual fund drive. The station is locally driven and is located on the campus of Winston Salem State University. The day I was interviewed was a sunny and clear day just shy of eighty degrees; it would have been an ideal day for golf! I parked and walked to the studio and was greeted by the friendly staff members of the station. We started the interview discussing my musical and educational background. There were also pitches for the fund drive mixed into the show, spearheaded by out of town guest, Alice Ferris, as well as music from my most recent album, “Are Changing” which came out earlier this year.

The show host Jim Steele played the whole album over the hour and a half that I was on the show. We also discussed the local jazz music scene and WSNC’s commitment to promote and play local artist on its station. I had a gig that evening as a special guest of Matt Kendrick in downtown Winston Salem at Tate’s, a venue that features a jazz band on Tuesdays."

The format of 90.5 WSNC-FM is jazz, including blue, R&B, gospel, and world music, plus NPR news and public affairs programming.  Piedmont Triad Living is a proud donator to the WSNC Fall Fund Drive 2014.  While the on air portion of the fund drive has finished you can always make your own donation to this genuine jazz station here.  

You can hear Abebi play live this Sunday, November 9 at Crown and Cork in Reynolda Village (by the silo) from 2-5pm.

You can purchase any of Abebi's albums on cdbaby.  

Highlights: Jazz Performance by Patience Reich at Walkertown Library

When you want to catch a jazz concert, the public library may not be the first venue that comes to mind.  But this afternoon the Walkertown library hosted a special music event featuring Patience Reich in a performance of Jazz Ballads from the 1940s, 50s and 60s.  It was a comfortable and cozy way to enjoy a live performance on a Saturday afternoon, and like all events at the library it was FREE to attend.

With the stage transformed to a skyline at sunset and set with dinner for two, Ms. Reich's performance and choice of songs told a story in a conceptual format that was a cross between a traditional concert and a play.

Patience Reich performs "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" by Frank Sinatra

Patience Reich was born in Minneapolis, MN and spent her formative years in Cameroon, Central Africa.

While she was influenced by traditional and popular African music, Classical music, Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms her earliest and most enduring influences come from great American Pop music.

With an ability to sing in many styles and languages (including French, Spanish, multiple African languages and Arabic), Patience is musically incredibly versatile.

Patience currently lives in Winston-Salem.











Patience Reich performs "You Go to My Head"  

It was a great pleasure to attend this performance.  Many thanks to Patience Reich for brightening our day with her beautiful talent and also to the Walkertown Library for hosting her.  This was a wonderful debut for what we hope will transcend into a series of musical performances showcasing local performers in our area.

Photo credit: Jeanette Runyon of Studio Woolslayer