June
2023

IN THIS ISSUE:

Jam Session for Michael G

Silvio’s Trattoria Pizzeria in Canton graciously opened its doors on April 30 for a celebration of the life of Michael G Nastos, who passed away in early November of last year. SEMJA published an obituary for MGN in our December issue. Silvio’s had held a special place in Nastos' heart since he organized music there in the last years of his life.

The celebration took the form of a jam session featuring a long line of musicians, including drummers Bob Sweet and Gayelynn McKinney, pianist Tony Ruda, percussionist Aron Kaufman, tenorist Paul VornHagen, trumpeters Ingrid Racine and Ken Kozora, bassist Kurt Krahnke and the duo of vocalist Deanna Relyea and saxophonist Piotr Michalowski. Relyea took the Nastos obit as her basic text to improvise on, and Michalowski wove patterns around her. It was a powerful idea — and you can see it here.