by Jim Hanas & Mark Jordan
Ah, the big post-holiday letdown. Given the mild winters of the
region, it has been said that the early settlers of the Mid-South
were forced to take into consideration more than the seasons to
determine the time of year. Mostly, they relied on the ebb and
flow of live music. If nothing unusual or at all out-of-the-ordinary
is going on, and clubs are more or less booking the usual suspects,
then it must be January. Or so goes the quaint folk-wisdom.
PHOTO © CENTER FOR SOUTHERN FOLKLORE
Kelley Hurt
That’s pretty much the story this week. RuPaul’s coming to Ebony
& Ivory and there are a few other out-of-town acts sprinkled here
and there, but not many. In a week of usual suspects, my hands
are tied: Oblivians at Barristers Friday with Dallas’ Mullens
and New Orleans’ Persuaders. – Jim Hanas
The line is that Memphis isn’t a “jazz town.” And to be sure,
local audiences have never been as enthusiastic about supporting
local jazz acts as they have been about their rock and blues brothers,
which explains why jazz in town has for the most part been relegated
to Sunday afternoon brunches, where it can remain as innocuous
as possible. But despite all this, jazz does persevere here in
the form of a few but dedicated artists. This Tuesday, the local
chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
will recognize the city’s jazz community with a showcase and jam
at Elvis Presley’s Memphis, an intimate venue that lends itself
well to this kind of music. Jazz It Up, as the evening is being
called, will feature the awesome Kelley Hurt, the Gary Johns Jazz
Group, the Memphis Jazz Orchestra, the Memphis Jazz Players, and
the Carl Wolfe Quintet. Admission is $5 (free to NARAS members).
n – Mark Jordan