Gold Medal Moment: Jazz Legend Don Aliquo Shines at Con Alma—Crowned 'Best of Pittsburgh' for Musical Excellence and Soulful Nights Downtown!

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Venue: Con Alma 613 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Phone: 412-932-2387 Website: www.conalmapgh.com

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The Revolutionary Spirit of Jazz

Jazz is more than a style—it's a movement that sent shockwaves through the cultural bedrock of the 20th century, born from the defiant spirits of African American musicians in New Orleans and soon echoing across the world. What began in hushed after-hours clubs, and strained through a mix of spirituals, blues, and ragtime, became the most revolutionary form of musical expression—one that challenged mainstream conventions and upended the norms of musical order through improvisation, spontaneity, and collaboration.

Jazz titans like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Charles Mingus made the genre a vessel for social protest and anthems of liberation—Ellington called jazz a “barometer of democracy,” using it to challenge the nation’s failings and to celebrate its ideals. Ellington, for instance, imbued his compositions with bold messages against segregation, demanding justice through music when dialogue faltered. Jazz thrived because it pushed back—against classical rigidity, against racial injustice, and against the confines of what music should or could be, forging an art form that was as unpredictable and freeform as the American experiment itself.

Jazz Cityscapes: New York, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh

While New Orleans and New York are mythic in jazz lore for their bustling scenes—the Crescent City as the birthplace, Harlem and 52nd Street as epicenters—Pittsburgh is a city that has always belonged in the same breath. Immigrants and southern migrants who sought work in Pittsburgh’s mills and rail yards brought their music with them, stirring blues, swing, and bebop into the city’s cultural stew. The proximity of world-class institutions such as Duquesne University, Pitt, and Carnegie Mellon further fertilized this creative soil, graduating legions of jazz innovators who shaped the sound of America.

Pittsburgh’s jazz scene coursed with energy—legends like Art Blakey and Billy Strayhorn made Pittsburgh an incubator for talent and a key stop for musicians on the road. Even pop culture icons like Andy Warhol were drawn to jazz’s bohemian pulse and used the genre as a form of artistic rebellion, blurring lines between genres and generations.

Con Alma: Downtown Jazz, Food, and Soul

Just steps away from the legendary Heinz Hall, Con Alma stands as Pittsburgh’s love letter to jazz’s rich legacy. With live jazz lighting up Downtown six nights a week in a venue that pulses with both history and forward-thinking energy, Con Alma delivers more than a performance—it offers a genuine immersion. The menu is a journey in itself, reflecting culinary excellence with global influences and pairings as artful as any jazz interplay, turning every visit into a celebration for the senses.

Don Aliquo: A Living Legend

96 year old Don Aliquo, Gold Medal Winner. Best Saxophone. Best of Pittsburgh

Few embody Pittsburgh jazz like the legendary Don Aliquo, now 96, the son of Sicilian immigrants whose sound resonates with the city’s soul. We spoke with Mr. Aliquo after he rocked the house. Don recalls the vibrant 1940s scene as pure Americana: playing a lunchtime performance for President Truman, only to headline a D.C. underground club that night as its only non-Black musician—a vivid memory of jazz as a bridge between worlds and a force for inclusion.

For generations, his saxophone has been a torchbearer, illuminating the city’s permanent place in America’s jazz conversation.

If jazz is America’s gift to the world, Con Alma is Pittsburgh’s stage for that gift—alive, unfiltered, and gloriously “with soul.”

HIGH PRAISE: New Reporting Confirms Best of Pittsburgh has NEW PUBLISHER That unforgettable night at Con Alma was truly “on the T”—that is, business was handled at the highest level, as they say in Black culture when something gets serious.

Among those elevating the vibe was local social media dynamo Praise, sometimes known as Perfecta—or, in true hybrid Pittsburgh fashion, Praise Perfecta (also praisleyperfecta) She was spotted mingling with the Best of Pittsburgh media staff, stirring the buzz even higher.

Rumor is swirling that Praise will soon be running the show at "Best of Pittsburgh," thanks to her magnetic influence across music, arts, literature, food, culture, and the entire self-care movement.

When Praise is in the building, you know Pittsburgh’s scene is on the T for real.