Fresh from keeping the crowd moving at TABLE Magazine’s annual Cocktail Shake-Off, Selecta shares his list of can’t-miss concerts coming to Pittsburgh in late February and March.
Pittsburgh Concert Calendar February/March 2026
Lyndsey Smith w/ NASH.V.ILL
February 20, Pittsburgh Winery
Mercy! A night of truly captivating voices coupled with top-notch musicianship. Smith is back from a stint in NOLA to bless the ’Burgh with her amalgamation of all things soulful as well as sultry. Her presence wins the crowd over prior to the belting of a single, solitary (booming) note. NASH.V.ILL, the perfect complement of a quartet, is led by guitar luminary Byron Nash (hence the band name) and lead vocalist Jacquea Mae. Jacquea has the kind of voice that doesn’t require amplification.
Gary Bartz
February 24, City Winery
My social media accounts have one quote listed that succinctly sums up my musical mindset: “Music Is My Sanctuary.” That phrase is comes from the legendary saxophonist Gary Bartz’ 1977 masterpiece of a tune. Bartz has a Pittsburgh connection since he played with the Hill District’s very own Art Blakey & His Jazz Messengers. At 85, he’s still going strong on both the touring and academic circuit, moving from city to city while holding down a teaching residency at Oberlin College. Don’t miss this interdisciplinary great in the most cozy of settings.
Delena Flowers
February 26, City of Asylum at Alphabet City
I’ve borne witness to Flowers’ rising career trajectory over the past two decades — from spoken word at the beloved, bygone melting pot of a venue, The Shadow Lounge, to her beautifully interwoven gospel, neo-soul and jazz stylings all across the city in various ensembles. In Delana Flowers Quartet Gives Flowers to Ernest McCarty, her 4-piece honors Pittsburgh transplant Ernest McCarty, a former Errol Garner collaborator who directed and co-wrote Dinah! Queen of the Blues about the life of Dinah Washington. We lost McCarty back in December at 84; this show, which will feature Washington’s music, is Flowers’ way of paying homage to one of her musical mentors.
Endea Owens & the Cookout w. Michael Mayo
February 28, MCG Jazz Hall
I was introduced to both Owens and Mayo through their respective NPR Tiny Desk offerings — only to be re-introduced to them, in the flesh, at the ’24 and ’25 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festivals. Owens’ bass work two years back (she’s affectionately known as “thebassbae”) was masterful — and she’s a graduate of the prestigious Julliard School. Mayo performed at the festival last year, bringing an almost vocalese-esque approach to his original compositions. His educational background isn’t shabby, either; a decade ago, he was accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at UCLA, also one of only three vocalists accepted at that juncture. These two bright stars shine together; the night will surely be a showcase of their ever-evolving bodies of work.
Rakim
March 14, City Winery
This one is a no-brainer: my G.O.A.T. MC. This man single-handedly changed the lyrical game upon his entry into what was still a relatively new genre in the mid-’80s. Rakim introduced a causal flow that was relaxed yet in-your-face at the same time. Quite the dichotomy of cadence and diction. Rakim released four stellar LPs with his partner Eric B. before embarking on his own solo venture in the late ’90s. It sounds cliche to give anyone the descriptor “a rapper’s rapper,” but ask his contemporaries and you will find how very spot-on that designation is.
Meshell Ndegeocello
March 28, City Winery
A master of bass, guitar, drums and keyboards — and she has vocal chops for days! I’d say that classifies Ndegeocello as almost a Prince Rogers Nelson level multi-instrumentalist. (She certainly packs as much musical might in an equally small frame.) Her career has now spanned the greater part of four decades. Never one to be pigeonholed into a singular sound, her discography has consistently approached new levels of experiment with very little regard to fitting in a box. My favorite work of hers is the 2018 collection of covers Ventriloquism, on which she tackled selections from a vast array of artists. She makes every track her own, both in the recording studio and in her stage show; watch in awe as she sits back in the pocket and eloquently lets each member of the band take front and center while simultaneously orchestrating the overall groove.
Story by By James Scoglietti
Photos Courtesy City Winery Pittsburgh
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