Get Your Jazz Pass

Alysa Haas is a chip off the old block…in a good way. She comes by her musical talent through her genes, so to speak. She is the daughter of  Bira Rabushka, a violinist for 40 years with the New York City Ballet orchestra and the founder of the sorely missed Northern Westchester Center for the Arts.  Her credits are on recordings of A Balanchine Album, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Nights Dream and Godspell while her stepfather, Joseph Rabushka, has credits on Peter Pan, Porgy and Bess, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Add to that, her father Georges Haas was a world famous oboist. With that lineage, she has honed her skills as a classically-trained vocalist performing on stage and screen in the New York region. Alysa will bring her jazz/cabaret show to the ArtsWestchester’s Arts Exchange on Thursday, September 4 from 8 to 10:30pm. She will be accompanied by Tedd Firth on piano, Paul Beaudry on bass, and Tony Jefferson on drums. But there is more in store for jazz lovers.  Her performance will be followed by The Gerry Malkin Jazz Collective the very next day, on Friday, September 5 from 8 to 10:30pm. A tenor sax-led six-piece band of acclaimed Westchester jazz musicians – some of the finest jazz performers of our day – will be joined by special guest artist/trumpeter Scott Wendholt. Tickets for each of these two event will be $20 and can be purchased online at artsw.org/jazzfest.

But that’s not all. The music of Miles Davis will be the focus of an event that will be presented by ArtsWestchester and White Plains Performing Arts Center on Saturday, September 6 starting at 8pm.  The Blue in Green Project: A Tribute to Miles Davis will be a convergence of great talents, featuring music by one of jazz’s greatest performers, whose ground breaking sounds and styles played a major role in the evolution of the art form. Performances by guitarist Wali Ali, pianist Bob Baldwin, saxophonist Ray Blue, bassist Harvie S, trumpeter Antoine Drye and drummer Tony Jefferson will be an exciting addition to the festival. Admission will be $25.

Those interested in catching all three ArtsWestchester and WPPAC performances might consider purchasing a Jazz Pass. New this year, a Jazz Pass will grant the holder access to all three, ticketed Jazz Fest events at a discounted rate. Limited to the first 50 purchasers, buying a Jazz Pass will allow the holder to attend performances by Alysa Haas and The Gerry Malkin Jazz Collective at ArtsWestchester on Thursday and Friday, September 4 and 5, in addition to The Blue in Green Project: A Tribute to Miles Davis at WPPAC on Saturday, September 6 – for just $50 per Jazz Pass.

Be there or be square.