Photo copyright David Leonnig
Since 1966, premiere jazz players from across the nation have made an annual pilgrimage to Odessa for the West Texas Jazz Party—a series of performances focused on traditional jazz and swing music. May 20–22, the West Texas Jazz Society hosts the 50th edition of the party at the MCM Eleganté Hotel. The event includes four-hour performances on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon—broken into ensemble sets—as well as a Thursday swing dance and a Saturday brunch show. Twenty-three musicians are scheduled to attend, among them pianist Johnny Varro from Florida, and from New York, cornetist Ed Polcer and clarinetist Ken Peplowski.
