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🎶 Join Us for an Unforgettable Afternoon of Music! 🎶
📅 Sunday, October 11 | 🕑 2:00 PM
The Payson Jazz Series welcomes an outstanding group of Arizona musicians for an afternoon of live jazz featuring guitarist Pete Pancrazi, pianist Claudia Bloom, bassist Vic Kottner, and drummer Gerry Reynolds.
🎸 Pete Pancrazi — Guitar
A longtime favorite on the Arizona jazz scene, Pete Pancrazi is an accomplished jazz guitarist, vocalist, composer, and educator. A graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Pete also earned a master’s degree in jazz performance from Arizona State University.
Since making the Phoenix area his home in 1990, Pete has developed a loyal following with his warm vocals, nimble guitar work, and engaging performances. DownBeat magazine has recognized him as a guitarist “deserving greater attention,” and Arizona jazz fans voted him Jazz Guitar Player of the Year in AzJazz Magazine’s 2000 Readers’ Poll.
Pete’s music ranges from straight-ahead jazz and Latin favorites to his own original compositions. He has released four albums and, in addition to performing throughout Arizona, has shared his knowledge with generations of musicians as a teacher and clinician.
🎹 Claudia Bloom — Piano
Claudia Bloom brings an adventurous and creative voice to the piano. Classically trained and holding a degree in piano pedagogy from the University of Colorado Boulder, Claudia made the transition to jazz early in her professional career and has since performed extensively in the Phoenix area and beyond.
Her musical background is remarkably diverse, including jazz fusion, rock, pop, smooth jazz, and salsa. Her career has also taken her on Department of Defense tours, to hotels and resorts, and even aboard a cruise ship.
Claudia is also an arranger and composer with a special interest in highlighting the work of women in jazz. She received a Research & Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts for a project exploring new approaches to composing, arranging, and performing jazz. She has also helped encourage the next generation of musicians through her work with Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising.
🎻 Vic Kottner — Bass
Vic Kottner is a veteran bassist who has been part of the Arizona jazz community for decades. His name appears alongside many of the Valley’s respected jazz musicians, and he has performed with Pete Pancrazi on numerous occasions, including appearances at Phoenix jazz venue The Nash.
A seasoned rhythm-section player, Vic brings the foundation every great jazz group needs — supporting the melody while giving the music its pulse, movement, and swing. His long history of performing with Arizona jazz ensembles makes him a familiar presence to longtime followers of jazz in the Valley.
🥁 Gerry Reynolds — Drums
Gerry Reynolds has deep ties to jazz in Arizona’s Rim Country and has been helping bring live jazz to Payson audiences for many years.
As a drummer, Gerry has performed with a wide variety of Arizona jazz musicians and ensembles, from intimate trios to larger traditional jazz groups. His past performances include appearances with the Payson Jazz Trio as well as concerts alongside Pete Pancrazi and other well-known Arizona musicians.
Beyond his work behind the drum kit, Gerry has played an important role in supporting and promoting live jazz in the Payson community, helping keep this wonderful American art form alive in the Rim Country.
As always, the doors of the church are open to everyone who would like to attend. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, every concert in the Payson Jazz Series remains free of charge.
💙 Invite your friends and join us for an unforgettable afternoon of great music!
📅 Sunday, October 11 | 🕑 2:00 PM
Concert Location:
Mount Cross Lutheran Church (across from Safeway)
601 East Highway 260
Payson, Arizona 85541