Jazz Education Network Convention...Day Two...Getting my feet wet!

O.K. So I am better known for my writing then for photography but this ensemble goes by the name of the Tennessee State University Jazz Collegians and while only catching the last part of their set - they swing hard!

The first full day of activities are a critics worst nightmare! You can not hear everyone and you can not attend ever seminar. It is a jazz buffet from which to sample some of the very best. The Jazz Collegians from Tennessee State prove without a doubt that jazz is far from dead! Under the direction of James Sexton since 1992, stellar arrangements and versatility are indeed this ensembles high notes! With soloists of incredibly high caliber and the willingness to explore the vast reaches of big band and jazz literature in general their artistry and command of the stage was certainly not lost.

Special Guest Rahsaan Barber was featured and is the tenor play pictured at the microphone. Fate smiled upon my mailbox when his publicist sent me Barber's latest release Everyday Magic and I would invite you to click the link below to get a feel for a tenor player whose musical stock is an arrow pointing straight up!

http://www.criticaljazz.com/2011/08/rahsaan-barber-everyday-magic-jazz.html


I'll have another report early tomorrow morning on some conversations/interviews that I was so blessed to have with some artists from Motema.

Back to the subject at hand, Tennessee State swings hard and Rahsaan Barber is a name to remember!
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Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer talks about the history of jazz in this great city. Quoting Plato, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”

If our Mayor is so hot for jazz then why will he not discuss a proposed jazz festival? The Mayor ran on a campaign promise about building Louisville to be a cultural mecca for the arts. I have contacted the Mayor's office for a response.

More soon!