Jazz isn’t all that common in Memphis, but Friday night I played a jazz set at Cafe Soul on South Main Street with Cecil McDaniel on bass and George “G-Smoove” Taylor on drums. We also had guest musicians visit, including percussionist and flautist Ekpe Lee, pianist Steven Lee and trumpeter Ralph Collier.
Jazz isn’t all that common in Memphis, but Friday night I played a jazz set at Cafe Soul on South Main Street with Cecil McDaniel on bass and George “G-Smoove” Taylor on drums. We also had guest musicians visit, including percussionist and flautist Ekpe Lee, pianist Steven Lee and trumpeter Ralph Collier.
The Kentucky Headhunters have made a name for themselves combining various indigenous popular music styles of North America in a unique way that somehow remains country, and their new album Dixie Lullabies continues the seamless blend of rock, country, pop, blues and soul for which they are known. Of course there are country songs, but even they have a fairly agressive edge. And there are soul songs like “Tumblin’ Roses”, teenage rock songs like “Les Paul Standard” and even contemporary Christian songs like “Just Believe.” The final tune, “Recollection Blues”, has a 1930’s jazz mood about it, complete with brushes on the drums. Dixie Lullabies is certainly not a record for country purists, but for those who are interested in the ways that country, bluegrass, blues, soul, jazz, gospel and rock are related, it is fourteen tracks of Americana heaven. Dig in!
The Kentucky Headhunters have made a name for themselves combining various indigenous popular music styles of North America in a unique way that somehow remains country, and their new album Dixie Lullabies continues the seamless blend of rock, country, pop, blues and soul for which they are known. Of course there are country songs, but even they have a fairly agressive edge. And there are soul songs like “Tumblin’ Roses”, teenage rock songs like “Les Paul Standard” and even contemporary Christian songs like “Just Believe.” The final tune, “Recollection Blues”, has a 1930’s jazz mood about it, complete with brushes on the drums. Dixie Lullabies is certainly not a record for country purists, but for those who are interested in the ways that country, bluegrass, blues, soul, jazz, gospel and rock are related, it is fourteen tracks of Americana heaven. Dig in!
The Kentucky Headhunters have made a name for themselves combining various indigenous popular music styles of North America in a unique way that somehow remains country, and their new album Dixie Lullabies continues the seamless blend of rock, country, pop, blues and soul for which they are known. Of course there are country songs, but even they have a fairly agressive edge. And there are soul songs like “Tumblin’ Roses”, teenage rock songs like “Les Paul Standard” and even contemporary Christian songs like “Just Believe.” The final tune, “Recollection Blues”, has a 1930’s jazz mood about it, complete with brushes on the drums. Dixie Lullabies is certainly not a record for country purists, but for those who are interested in the ways that country, bluegrass, blues, soul, jazz, gospel and rock are related, it is fourteen tracks of Americana heaven. Dig in!
With a foothold in Chicago blues and traditional jazz, Delmark Records could have stayed in their comfort zone, but as Chicago became a center of avant-garde jazz experimentation, Delmark decided to chronicle the new music, despite its controversy and lack of a mass following. Even more to their credit, Delmark has continued to support experimental jazz from the 1960’s until now. Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra is merely the latest group of experimenters on the label. On their debut album Stars Have Shapes, the fourteen musicians proceed through snatches of melody set against stark and bizarre backdrops of percussion and “found materials”, from recordings of electric eels, tone generators and feedback. The resulting shimmering landscapes are occasionally beautiful, often bewildering, but never without interest. The final “Impression #1” is the only tune to inhabit a familiar location, having been based off of the jazz standard “Footprints”. But like everything else on Stars Have Shapes, the well-known bassline and chord progressions have been distorted and transcended into something completely new and unpredictable. With Stars Have Shapes, Rob Mazurek has challenged the boundaries of jazz.
With a foothold in Chicago blues and traditional jazz, Delmark Records could have stayed in their comfort zone, but as Chicago became a center of avant-garde jazz experimentation, Delmark decided to chronicle the new music, despite its controversy and lack of a mass following. Even more to their credit, Delmark has continued to support experimental jazz from the 1960’s until now. Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra is merely the latest group of experimenters on the label. On their debut album Stars Have Shapes, the fourteen musicians proceed through snatches of melody set against stark and bizarre backdrops of percussion and “found materials”, from recordings of electric eels, tone generators and feedback. The resulting shimmering landscapes are occasionally beautiful, often bewildering, but never without interest. The final “Impression #1” is the only tune to inhabit a familiar location, having been based off of the jazz standard “Footprints”. But like everything else on Stars Have Shapes, the well-known bassline and chord progressions have been distorted and transcended into something completely new and unpredictable. With Stars Have Shapes, Rob Mazurek has challenged the boundaries of jazz.
With a foothold in Chicago blues and traditional jazz, Delmark Records could have stayed in their comfort zone, but as Chicago became a center of avant-garde jazz experimentation, Delmark decided to chronicle the new music, despite its controversy and lack of a mass following. Even more to their credit, Delmark has continued to support experimental jazz from the 1960’s until now. Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra is merely the latest group of experimenters on the label. On their debut album Stars Have Shapes, the fourteen musicians proceed through snatches of melody set against stark and bizarre backdrops of percussion and “found materials”, from recordings of electric eels, tone generators and feedback. The resulting shimmering landscapes are occasionally beautiful, often bewildering, but never without interest. The final “Impression #1” is the only tune to inhabit a familiar location, having been based off of the jazz standard “Footprints”. But like everything else on Stars Have Shapes, the well-known bassline and chord progressions have been distorted and transcended into something completely new and unpredictable. With Stars Have Shapes, Rob Mazurek has challenged the boundaries of jazz.
The Memphis Music and Heritage Festival is held every year in downtown Memphis on the Main Street Mall on Labor Day Weekend. It is a celebration of Memphis music, culture, art and food, and thus amounts to Memphis’ version of the New Orleans JazzFest, with some elements of Ponderosa Stomp thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, each year the event seems to become more precarious, for, unlike JazzFest, the event is free to the public, and organized by the Center for Southern Folklore, a worthwhile organization which has also struggled in recent years. Since other festivals like the Beale Street Music Festival have little to do with Memphis music or culture, it is important for our community that we find a way to keep the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival viable for many years to come.
The Memphis Music and Heritage Festival is held every year in downtown Memphis on the Main Street Mall on Labor Day Weekend. It is a celebration of Memphis music, culture, art and food, and thus amounts to Memphis’ version of the New Orleans JazzFest, with some elements of Ponderosa Stomp thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, each year the event seems to become more precarious, for, unlike JazzFest, the event is free to the public, and organized by the Center for Southern Folklore, a worthwhile organization which has also struggled in recent years. Since other festivals like the Beale Street Music Festival have little to do with Memphis music or culture, it is important for our community that we find a way to keep the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival viable for many years to come.
