John Koutsakis, also known as J-Kruz, was the voice of Pittsburgh urban radio at WAMO 106.7FM for several years. After the station was sold Kruz applied to Clear Channel, Radio One and anything he could find. He was sending his resume once and sometimes twice a week to different radio stations across the country and landed a job in Dallas at 97.9 The Beat as a full-time on-air radio personality. He will be starting later this month.

J-KRUZ

He is excited about the new opportunity ahead of him. It will be pretty similar to what he was doing here in Pittsburgh at WAMO.

Thursday 2

Jazz jam

CJ’s Restaurant & Lounge presents “The Roger Humphries & RH Factor Jazz Jam Session” at 8 p.m. at 2901-2911 Penn Ave., Strip District. There will be live jazz and fun every Thursday night. Must be 30 years or older and there is a dress code that will be enforced. No tennis shoes, sweats, or athletic gear. For more information, call 412-642-2377.

This week I visited the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum in Homewood, Melange Bristo Bar and Lounge in Downtown Pittsburgh, Robert Williams Park in the Hill District, Ava Lounge in East Liberty and Tim’s Bar in the Hill District.

My first stop was at Ava Lounge in East Liberty where DJ Vex was on the 1s and 2s doing his thing. Ava is the place to be on a Friday night, so come check it out.

Hill District residents getting their party on at the Terrace Village Hill District reunion at the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum.

AUGUSTA, Ga.—The rumors are running rampant throughout many major cities in the nation—live (traditional) jazz is just about dead.

Well, during a recent Smooth Jazz” show at the William Bell Auditorium in the heart of Augusta, Ga.’s entertainment district, a lineup of jazz stars headed by virtuoso guitarist Norman Brown, vocalist Phil Perry, keyboardist Alex Bugnon and rising sax superstar Eric Darius, provided jazz lovers with arguably the finest-ever jazz performance in recent times.

NORMAN BROWN

Billed as the “3rd Annual CSRA Jazz Festival,” the show featured several of the world’s premier jazz men who are predominant when it comes to the nouveau jazz category called Smooth Jazz.