New York, NY (Top40 Charts) When Alan Segal came out of 13 hours of brain surgery and 33 days in the hospital, he knew that he had a long road to recovery ahead. The path forward that he chose - music - led him to start Philadelphia's most unique non-profit performing arts group - The Jazz Sanctuary.
Now in its 12th year, The Jazz Sanctuary has performed over 750 live events in the Greater Philadelphia region, at churches, community centers, senior residences, rehabilitation centers and other venues, all free of charge to the attendees.
This October, Segal and the organization he founded will celebrate their accomplishments with two special celebratory concerts - on Thursday, Oct, 12in Buckingham, PA and in Philadelphia on Thursday, Oct. 26 - as well as seven other live performances throughout Philly and its suburbs.
Segal, now 82 years old, was diagnosed with a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in December 2006. After a grueling 13-hour surgery and 33 days in the hospital, Segal began outpatient rehabilitation.
"When I came out of the hospital in January 2007, I couldn't walk, talk or read, I had no eye coordination, I was essentially at zero," said Segal, Executive
Director of The Jazz Sanctuary. "I had to learn how to walk, how to speak, how to read all over again. I had decided to learn a musical instrument in my therapy and chose the bass. I re-learned how to move my eyes by reading the music, I re-learned my hand-eye coordination by playing, all through 2007 and well into 2008."
Segal had dabbled in guitar and bass but never pursued either instrument formally. When faced with the devastating effects of his AVM, Segal wanted to incorporate music into his therapy.
Segal's newfound love of jazz bass also came with a renewed promise to give back. He retired from a 50 years as a CPA and used his gift of music to start The Jazz Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings jazz music free of charge to charitable organizations, senior centers, hospitals, rehab centers, community centers and houses of worship.
"Why are we doing two celebrations of our 750th event in October, and two more next month? When we celebrated our 500th event, we had 220 people at Buckingham Church. But it didn't serve all the other communities we have served over the years, so I decided to split it up," Segal said. "The Jazz Sanctuary is the oldest serving jazz group in the Philly five county area. No one has been together longer than us. There are five musicians who have been with us at least 11 years. Other groups don't perform in the venues that we do. We want to celebrate all that we've done for those communities over the past 12 years - we have helped at least 70 churches and other charitable organizations in that time. Helping groups raise money, 750 events, 12 years, all that in itself is something to celebrate. And personally, to have founded this group that has lasted 12 years, and 15 years since my brain surgery, I'm still going strong, I'm still out there playing."
October's big slate of performances for the musicians of The Jazz Sanctuary include:
• An evening of The Jazz Sanctuary's popular "Jazz & Joe," on Wednesday, Oct. 4, with live music, coffee and treats at St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church (689 Sugartown Rd., Malvern, PA 19355). This 90-minute performance, which begins at 7 p.m., features The Jazz Sanctuary Quintet, including
James Dell'Orefice (piano), Leon Jordan Sr. (drums), Randy Sutin (vibes/percussion), Eddie Etkins (saxophone) and Alan Segal (bass).
• The next evening - Thursday, Oct. 5 - a band from The Jazz Sanctuary will perform at the first "Jazz & Joe" event at Memorial Presbyterian Church of Wenonah (202 E. Mantua Ave., Wenonah, NJ 08090). The two-hour concert begins at 7 p.m., and admission is free of charge.
• The first of two celebrations of The Jazz Sanctuary's 750th performance is Thursday, Oct. 12 at
Trinity Episcopal Church (Routes 202 & 413, Buckingham, PA 18912). Free registration for this live celebration of all that that The Jazz Sanctuary has done and is doing is available at https://bit.ly/3Q0ZYby.
• On Wednesday, Oct. 18, "Jazz & Joe" returns to Philadelphia's Main Line with a 90-minute performance which begins at 6 p.m. at St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley (2475 St. Peter's Rd., Malvern, PA 19355). This free concert features The Jazz Sanctuary Quintet.
• The musicians of The Jazz Sanctuary return to Moorestown, NJ on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Moorestown Library's Church Street Recreation Center (111 W 2nd St, Moorestown, NJ 08057). The 90-minute, free concert performance begins at 2 p.m.
• On Sunday, Oct. 22, bassist Bruce Kaminski and
Friends will perform an evening of The Jazz Sanctuary's "Jazz & Joe" at The Church of St. Alban (500 Fairthorne Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19125), beginning at 7 p.m.
• The second of October's celebrations of The Jazz Sanctuary's 750th performance is set for Thursday, Oct. 26 at
Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Episcopal Church (8 Christian St., Philadelphia, PA 19147) beginning at 7 p.m. Free registration is available at https://bit.ly/3t9R1DA.
• Musicians from The Jazz Sanctuary will be on hand Friday, Oct. 27 at
Gloria Dei for a fundraising event, "Boo & Brews," on behalf of the Historic
Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Preservation Corp. The event begins at 7 p.m. Tickets can be reserved at https://bit.ly/3RIDUDU.
• An evening of "Jazz & Joe" is on the schedule for Sunday, Oct. 29, at All Hallows Church (262 Bent Rd.,
Wyncote, PA 19095). This 90-minute performance, which begins at 7 p.m., features The Jazz Sanctuary Quintet.
Additional information about The Jazz Sanctuary is available at https://www.thejazzsanctuary.com.
