Oscar Rivers To Receive Tip of the Hat Award from Charleston Jazz

Oscar Rivers (Credit: JB McCabe)

Charleston Jazz today announced that Oscar Rivers has been named the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Tip of the Hat Award. Named in honor of Charleston Jazz’s Co-Founder, Jack McCray, and his famous hats, the award is the region’s highest honor given to individuals who have made significant contributions to jazz performance and education in the Holy City and beyond.

Rivers is very deserving of this special recognition, as he has sown into the lives of so many young musicians and has become one of the most beloved jazz musicians in town. The award will be presented at the Charleston Jazz Gala on Friday, November 3rd, at the Harbour Club at West Edge, and tickets are available at charlestonjazz.com.

Hailed as Charleston’s Jazz Patriarch, Rivers made a name for himself in 1970’s Chicago, playing with everyone from Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Stevie Wonder, BB King, the Temptations, and the Quincy Jones Orchestra. Rivers is featured in An Encyclopedia of South Carolina Jazz and Blues Musicians, which documents South Carolinian musicians from the 19th century to the present. Over the years, he has excelled in both jazz piano and saxophone, being compared to Sonny Stitt himself in skill.  Rivers is also one of Charleston’s most dedicated and revered jazz educators who has committed his life to uplifting other musicians both in the classroom and on the stage.

In Charleston, many people fondly remember the long-standing residency the Oscar Rivers Quartet held at the now-closed How Art Thou? Cafe on James Island. He currently headlines Barsa on King Street every Monday night, where locals and tourists will often sing or play-in.  Those who live across the Cooper River enjoy Saturday evenings with Oscar and his bandmates at the Indigo Inn in Mount Pleasant. In April, Oscar and his band performed to a sold-out house at Forte Jazz Lounge for the 2023 Charleston Jazz Festival.

If you would like to be in attendance at this historic event, join Charleston Jazz and leaders of the arts and cultural community at the Charleston Jazz Gala on Friday, November 3rd, at the Harbour Club at WestEdge. Seating is limited, and a sell-out is expected. The evening will include an elegant dinner, an intimate concert with renowned pianist Demetrius Doctor, a live auction, and, of course, the presentation of the Tip of the Hat Award. For details, visit charlestonjazz.com

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