Magic City Jazz Orchestra Lawler, trombonist Charlie Ard, saxophonist Neil McLean, arranger Steve Sample, Sr and pianist Ray Reach. SuperJazz has spawned a number of spin-off groups, such as the Night Flight Big Band and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra. In 1998, Ray Reach, then director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble and founding director of the Magic City Jazz Orchestra, contacted New York saxophonist Lou Marini in order to hire him to be guest artist and clinician for the annual "Weekend of Jazz" festival at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Mr. Marini subsequently came to Birmingham, where he conducted jazz workshops and
Annual Charlie Parker Celebration Annual Charlie Parker Celebration The Annual Charlie Parker Celebration is an annual festival held in Kansas City, Missouri since 2014, celebrating legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. It is held for 10 days in August and celebrates all aspects of Parker from live jazz music shows and boot camps, to tours of his haunts in the city, to exhibits at the American Jazz Museum. During the 2nd celebration in 2015 the museum featured rare programs, album sleeves, a pocket watch and cuff links that belonged to “The Bird” himself. In 2016, saxophonist Tivon Pennicott was artist-in-residence at the festival. A 21-sax