2024 DCWJBF Jazz Headliner Announced

What better time to make a big reveal than on the eve of an eclipse?

We are proud to announce our 2024 Jazz Headliner courtesy Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival: Howie Alexander.

With a sprawling repertoire that ranges from jazz and gospel to funk and blues, Howie Alexander’s live performances as both sideman and headliner have taken him from Pittsburgh to Monaco.

He hails originally from the Blackridge area of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, growing up in a home filled with jazz, rhythm and blues, and funk.

Alexander cites a trio of mentors: Dr. James Johnson Jr. of the Afro-American Music Institute in Homewood; guitarist Jimmy Ponder, with whom Alexander had his first professional gig at the age of 17; and Nelson Harrison, former trombonist with the Count Basie Orchestra.

Alexander took up the piano when he was 15, and 27 years later, has filled his resume with performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Poogie Bell, Ciaro, and Stanley Turrentine among others. The Duquesne University graduate has taught piano at the Afro-American Music Institute since 1994 and is now its Artistic Director.

Alexander is also the 2024 B.U.I.L.D. Artist-In-Residence at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center/Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank PIJF for enabling us to bring world-class talent to our small town stage.

Be sure to check back with us for more lineup announcements.

See less