Gerry Reynolds: Jazz concerts must, will continue

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(Editor's note: Local resident Gerry Reynolds organizes monthly jazz concerts at Community Presbyterian church on Sunday afternoons. He recently wrote to Rim Country jazz fans asking if the concerts should continue considering that recent attendance has been down. Reynolds is a drummer who usually sits in with guest artists.)

Editor:
I've heard from many regarding my recent memo about continuing the jazz performances at the Payson Community Presbyterian Church -- thank you for taking time to reflect and respond to the questions that I had raised.

All said that we must continue with the jazz performances, so we will !! That makes me very happy because I love seeing you and performing with the musicians who come to Payson each month.

Here is what I plan to implement according to the comments that were received:

Performances will continue to be held on the second Sunday of the month in the early afternoon whenever possible.

National and popular Arizona vocal and instrumentalists will be featured, possibly twice a year when feasible.

Popular jazz, swing and show tunes mainly will be performed. One commenter indicated that there are other venues offering variety, so ours should continue being the only one offering jazz in the area.

The question about how the donation affected attendance brought many comments, with most saying that the suggested donation amount was very affordable and had no affect on their attendance. Many suggested that a donation greater than $5 per person be emphasised. One person
mentioned, however, that "freedom of choice" was important to them, and some others observed that a few do not make a donation in the suggested amount.

Now, for November -- there will not be a performance this month due to scheduling problems and competing activities.

For December, however, we have guitar vocalist Pete Pancrazi performing in a "Have a Jazzy Christmas" show scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 12 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. You are invited to a pre-performance light lunch refreshments starting at noon. More information will follow.

Thanks,
Gerry Reynolds