Johnson City Jazz Festival / In Support of JFA NC Relief

SPYRO GYRA TO PERFORM AT THE ETSU MARTIN CENTER,
PRESENTED BY THE JOHNSON CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL

To Benefit The Jazz Foundation of America’s

Musicians’ Emergency Fund

February 11, 2025

….JOHNSON CITY, TN. – The Johnson City Jazz Festival proudly presents the iconic jazz supergroup Spyro Gyra at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts on Tuesday, April 1 2025 at 7:30pm, as part of the 7th Annual Johnson City Jazz Festival.

The performance marks a pinnacle in the 2025 Johnson City Jazz Festival, which also features events on March 28 and 29. In 2024, Jay Beckenstein and band observe the 50th anniversary of what started as a diversion, something that was just for fun (and twenty-five cents at the door). It began inauspiciously when Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo, NY, organized a get together on their shared night off from working in bands that actually made money. It was a simple, humble idea with a name that was likewise simple and humble, “Tuesday Night – Jazz Jam”. Fast forward 50 years and this jazz super group has released over 30 albums, garnering gold and platinum along the way. They’ve played over 10,000 concerts on six continents. Spyro Gyra has maintained its standards of excellence and that has sustained them on the “A list” of live attractions in jazz for 50 years.

This year’s Johnson City Jazz Festival will also be part of a major fundraising effort for regional jazz musicians impacted by Hurricane Helene. Working with the Jazz Foundation of America, a non-profit focused on assisting Jazz, Blues, and Roots musicians impacted by America’s natural disasters, and the ETSU Martin Center, Spyro Gyra has generously agreed to donate $5 for each ticket sold for their concert to the Jazz Foundation of America, for a fund that will be directed specifically to Asheville’s jazz community. Tickets range from $34.50 to $49.50 (+ tax & fees). Tickets for the show go on sale to the public on Friday, January 24. Pre-sale for Friends of the Martin Center begins Wednesday, January 22, at 10:00 a.m. For more information on how to become a Friend for early access to tickets, see link below.

For more information on Spyro Gyra, visit spyrogyra.com. For more about the Martin Center or to purchase tickets, visit ETSUMartinCenter.org or call the Martin Center box office at 423-439-2787. For more information about the Johnson City Jazz Festival, visit JohnsonCityJazzFestival.com, and for more information on the Jazz Foundation of America, visit jazzfoundation.org.

About the Martin Center for the Arts: The 93,000 square foot ETSU Martin Center for the Arts, located at 1320 W. State of Franklin Road, Johnson City, features three venues, as well as three rehearsal/meeting rooms. Construction on the center began in early 2018 and was completed in fall 2020. The ETSU Foundation Grand Hall can seat nearly 1,200.

Your purchase supports the JFA’s Musicians’ Emergency Fund