As the summer of 2024 heats up, The Jazz Sanctuary, continues its mission of bringing jazz to the community with four free live concerts in Philadelphia and its suburbs, including two in Bucks County.
The concert in Doylestown will take place Sunday, July 14, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 301 N. Main St., Doylestown. The 10:30 morning services will include music performed by The Jazz Sanctuary Quintet: Eddie Etkins (tenor saxophone), Leon Jordan Sr. (drums), Randy Sutin (vibes/percussion), James Holton (piano), and Alan Segal (bass).
The concert in Morrisville will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 1505 Makefield Road, Morrisville. The “Jazz & Joe” concert will feature live music, coffee and treats, with The Jazz Sanctuary Quintet: James Dell’Orefice (piano), Leon Jordan Sr. (drums), Randy Sutin (vibes/percussion), Eddie Etkins (tenor saxophone), and Alan Segal (bass).
The inspiring story of The Jazz Sanctuary begins with its founder, Segal, now 82, who faced a life-changing diagnosis of brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in December 2006. Following a grueling 13-hour surgery and 33 days in the hospital, Segal embarked on a challenging path to recovery through outpatient rehabilitation.
“When I came out of the hospital in January 2007, I couldn’t walk, talk, or read – I was essentially at zero,” Segal recounted. “I had to relearn how to walk, speak, and read. I decided to incorporate music into my therapy and chose the bass. By reading music, I re-learned how to read; by playing, I re-learned my hand-eye coordination, all through 2007 and well into 2008.”
Segal’s newfound passion for jazz bass came with a commitment to give back to the community. In 2011, he founded The Jazz Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization that brings the joy of jazz music free of charge to charitable organizations, senior centers, hospitals, rehab centers, community centers, and houses of worship throughout Philadelphia and the neighboring Pennsylvania and New Jersey suburbs.
To support their mission, The Jazz Sanctuary continues to seek additional funding and corporate sponsorships.
For information, visit https://thejazzsanctuary.com.
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