Stride pianists extraordinaire Stephanie Trick and husband Paolo Alderighi presented “A Supreme Evening of Jazz” at a scholarship benefit concert for the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute on the downtown Phoenix campus of Arizona State University in late January. The retired Supreme Court associate justice was seated in the front row taking it all in and enjoying the music.
This was not the first time that jazz artists have performed at an event involving Justice O’Connor. She has a legendary reputation for bringing people together in an informal setting to build friendships and working partnerships to advance civil discussion and civic action.
John Cocuzzi, who performed at several of her parties in Washington, D.C. when she was a sitting justice, recalled a 2008 event when he was part of a band that included Bob Schulz, Pieter Meijers, Richard Simon, Ray Templin, Eddie Erickson, and Jim Armstrong that shared a meal with the retired Justice before their performance. She mentioned how impressed she was in the way musicians interact and communicate to produce quality music.
In a letter (which is posted on Cocuzzi’s website) thanking the
