Over 50 West Coast jazz musicians will unite to support Nick Mancini, a prominent L.A. jazz influencer, and his family who are facing financial struggles due to their newborn son Max Mancini’s severe heart defect.
A total of 51 musicians will perform at the Jazz to the Max on August 19 from 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. in a private shaded garden in Pasadena. The exact address of the venue will be disclosed to ticket holders upon registration.
The event offers 15 jazz combos, a silent auction, and refreshments. Tickets are $40 for two hours or $100 for a full-day pass. Live streaming is available for a $35 donation. Proceeds will go to Max’s medical expenses.
“Max is getting ready for his second surgery, it’s called the Glenn surgery. It’s the second in three surgeries that he must have because he’s literally outgrowing the shunt of his first open heart surgery, which happened the day after he was born,” Carla Jamie Perez, who is producing the event, told Pasadena Now.
Perez said while Nick has already relocated to Tulsa, they decided to hold the event in Pasadena as Nick remains very instrumental in the LA jazz scene.
“He was very instrumental in the creation of the Blue Whale, which unfortunately did not survive the pandemic, but was a very big source, big center for jazz in LA,” said Perez. “He did a lot of concerts with Jazz ‘N Paz.”
“Nick is so linked to everyone out here, they wanted to do something and let him know that each of us as jazz musicians are thinking about them, are concerned for them, are there for them.”
At the event, each of the 15 combos will play 20-minute sets starting at 11 a.m.
The festival will end with a performance from Grammy award-winning pianist Bill Cunliffe.
Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite at http://tiny.cc/ng79vz or through https://performancesalacarte.org. You can also find more information on the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/performancesalacarte.org and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/performancesalacarte.
For inquiries, call 626-708-3839 or email performancesalacarte@gmail.com.
