PJS Jazz Society – Founded in 1980—and still swingin’!

For Immediate Release:  January 27, 2012.

PJS Jazz Society to Present Versatile Jazz Vocalist Lynette Washington on February 12.

Mount Vernon, NY – The PJS Jazz Society will present the popular and versatile jazz vocalist Lynette Washington at its next Second Sunday 
Jazz Series concert on Sunday, February 12 at the First Presbyterian Church on North Columbus Avenue here in Mount Vernon. Doors open at 5 PM, there is an opening set by younger jazz musicians at 5:15, and then Washington will perform from 6-9 PM.

Tickets are $18 for non-members; $10 for PJS members; and $12 for students. Concerts are held in a cabaret setting, with food and beverages available for purchase.

Washington is a Brooklyn, NY native whose extensive music career in jazz, R&B, and gospel has taken around the globe. Winner of the 2005 Grand Prize Winner of the Jazzmobile / Anheuser Busch Jazz Vocal Competition, she was featured on WBGO’s “Singers Unlimited” show. She is an accomplished songwriter and arranger, as well, and has worked with many well-known artists, including Aretha Franklin, U2, Peter Gabriel, Celia Cruz and Clifford Jordan. She was a featured lead singer and musical arranger with New Voices of Freedom, the singers who appeared in U2’s documentary film Rattle & Hum and then later shared the stage with the famed Irish rock band at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Washington was also featured in a Special Olympics live telecast and the “Give Peace a Chance” video with Lenny Kravitz. In 2008, Washington paid tribute to Nina Simone at a solo performance held at Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall. She is currently touring in the Off-Broadway production of Regina Taylor’s Crowns. Washington has released three CDs to date—Smoky Dawn, Live! At the Kennedy Center and Long, Long Ago.

The PJS Jazz Society presents the best in jazz every Second Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church, September through April. Area music fans know well enough that the PJS offers one of the best jazz “hangs” in Westchester. Held in the parish hall of the First Presbyterian Church, there is a decent break in the proceedings after the headliner finishes the first set, and often during the second set, many of the jazz musicians in attendance make their way to the bandstand for a jam session.

Each April the PJS Jazz Society honors a particular jazz artist or two at its special “Tribute to a Legend” concert, and the 2012 honoree will be pianist Barry Harris. Last month’s concert featuring rising Hammond B-3 organ star Akiko Tsuruga included trumpeter Joe Magnarelli and tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon.

Additional parking for the PJS Jazz Society concerts is available at the Holmes School adjacent to the First Presbyterian Church. PJS concerts are made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with support from Westchester County.

Who: Jazz Vocalist Lynette Washington

What: PJS Jazz Society’s Second Sunday Jazz Series concert

Where: First Presbyterian Church
199 North Columbus Ave.
Mount Vernon, NY

When:  Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 5:15-9:00 PM

Tickets: $10 members; $18 non-members; $15 students

For more information call Greg at (914) 793-7179 or visit www.pjsjazz.org