KMA Alive After Five Spring Series In Full Swing

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

The Knoxville Museum of Art hosts a series of concerts in the fall and spring each year called Alive After Five. It is hosted by the delightful and ever-positive music lover Mr. Michael Gill. Its a great chance to hear artists playing genres ranging from swing and jazz to blues, world music and pretty much anything else. The emphasis is on the danceable varieties and many people come to do just that.

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

Friends catching up while listening to cool tunes

It's different from other venues in many respects in that it is smoke-free, starts early (6:00 PM) and includes free admission to the museum. Food is also catered by local vendors and beverages are available for purchase. Tickets are generally $10 or less and children are welcome and are free (up to age 17). In other words, it's a cheap date. For around $40 a couple may see the museum, dance to a great band and have dinner. Pretty nice.

Swing Dancing at the KMA

Never too old to rock and roll

Swing Dancing at the KMA

The whole affair is over by 8:30 which leaves plenty of time to move your party down the road or make it home for an early night after your long work week. It's a pretty simple matter to catch a great artist in this venue and then walk into the heart of downtown or the Old City for late evening fun.

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

The photographs in this blog are from the spring kick-off with Christabel and the Jons a couple of weeks ago and they were fantastic, as usual. Their cool swing had people flying all over the dance floor - which is a big part of the entertainment value of the series, to me. I love to watch lovely couples dancing and I wish I had the nerve.

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

Christabel does some of the best jazzy versions of Hank Williams songs you'll ever want to hear and she did several that night. She was also joined on stage by regular band members Taylor Coker on bass, Jon Whitlock on drums and Amanda Cagle on multiple instruments. She has a new album coming soon and the vocals are shared with a lovely lady who joined her for much of the show, but whose name I failed to catch.

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012 

Christabel and the Jons, KMA, Knoxville, March 2012

Tonight, the series resumes after skipping a week with Jenna and the Accidentals. This is Jenna Jefferson getting her funk on with the likes of Keith and Kenneth Brown and Sevan Takvoryan and Dave Slack. Think a little less blues than the Cool Friends and a little more Sly and the Family Stone. It should be great fun and I'd love to see you there. Introduce yourself if you spot me and the camera.

You can find the complete schedule of spring shows here.

Streamliners, RB Morris, Jenna and her Cool Friends, Blue Mother Tupelo and Fred Eaglesmith

Jazzman RB Morris with the Streamliners, Knoxville Museum of Art

KMA swinging to the Streamliners

I'll start with a few pictures of the KMA from a couple of weeks ago and then I'll launch into what promises to be an amazing weekend for music in the city. Today's post begins with Alive After Five two weeks ago. The show is hosted at KMA by Michael Gill and features superb music, beverages for purchase and a reasonably priced catered meal, admission to the museum and free popcorn for a very modest price. It's a very cheap, but classy date. What could be better than that?

Streamliners at Alive After Five, Knoxville 2012

The music generally veers toward jazz and blues with a healthy sprinkling of other genres. Two weeks ago the featured artists were the Streamliners who play big band style jazz music. Most, if not all, of the members also play in the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra which, if you haven't figured it out from this blog, provide our city with all sorts of excellent musicians playing every shade of jazz in the known world.

Streamliners at KMA, January 2012

RB swings with the Streamliners at the KMA

The kicker this particular night was a promised guest slot for R.B. Morris which, on the face of it, seems like an odd mix, but for the two songs they performed, it was really excellent. One was a standard and the other was "Copper Penny," the classic, clever RB song. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to hear RB sing Marty Robbins songs know what RB can do with his voice when he's of a mind to. And he was definitely of a mind to that night.

RB Morris with the Streamliners

RB Morris sings at the KMA

He rocked, moved about the stage like a slick jazz man, bopping to the rhythms of the band and simply looked like this was his main gig. It was as if this swing man had simply idled away the years as this singer-songwriter while holding this secret passion for the big band world. In any case, he seemed to have a blast and so did, always present, crowd of dancers and diners.

It was a stop on our First Friday tour, but it happens most Friday nights and this one is no exception. Jenna and  Her Cool Friends will rock the house with their mix of blues and more blues. I've written about Jenna playing Alive After Five before. This is a band to see if you have any interest at all in that genre. Jenna Jefferson can belt and croon, make you dance and make you swoon. Watch out - her husband is in the band!

Seriously, Jenna has an encyclopedic memory for the details that make the music come alive. She can spin stories about the artists and the songs all night long. And they can play. Seriously play. They are headed for Memphis soon for a blues version of the Battle of the Bands where they have done very well in the past. The band is popping and I would not lead you wrong on that front. They practice just outside my home, so I can testify. You can't hear them on Sunday afternoons like I can, so Friday night is your chance: 6:00 - 8:30 at the KMA.

She's got some great competition across town. The lovely Bijou Theater will be the site of an outbreak of all things Donna the Buffalo. This excellent touring band from parts to the north is always great fun and the uplifting lyrics, groovy organ and general hipness will not leave you frowning.

But wait, there's more! This weekend, if you aren't in bed dying from an exotic disease, you have no excuse for not hearing great music. Saturday at noon WDVX hosts Fred Eaglesmith for the Blue Plate Special. I wrote about it the last time he appeared. It was amazingly good. I immediately bought his album "Cha Cha Cha" and have enjoyed it every since. He's back and he'll also perform at the Shed this weekend, touring in support of his latest album, "Six Volts," to be released in download form next week and physically in about three weeks. Be there early if you want to see the stage.

Saturday night Boyd's Jig and Reel has outdone themselves by booking Blue Mother Tupelo. This power duo with their intricate harmonies and country-rock, southern twang are just the ticket for a great evening of music. Pick up dinner at the Jig and Reel and have music for desert. It's an amazing deal. These people should be playing to thousands of people at a time and you get them in an intimate setting for this free show. What's not to love?

So, there you go: a great weekend of music and much of it free. It's about as good as a musical weekend in the city could be for my tastes. I hope to see you at the shows!

Jenna and her Cool Friends at KMA

Jenna belting out the blues.

Cool friends backing up Jenna Jefferson, KMA, Alive After Five

 One of the longest running and coolest music shows in Knoxville is Alive After Five presented by the Knoxville Museum of Art. It's a steal at $8.00 per ticket and several groups get in for $4.00 - including teachers. The price of admission includes full access to the current art exhibits along with most excellent extras.

One of the largest crowds of the season was on hand.

Detroit Dave Meer wails on a solo.

 Food for dinner is offered at a very low cost. The night I was there barbecue sandwiches and fried fish sandwiches were available for five dollars and that included beans or cole slaw! Both sandwiches were delicious. Beverages are available at a modest cost and include soft drinks, water, wine and beer. Free popcorn prepared perfectly permeates the premises with its buttery odor.

And then there is the main feature: The music. Usually featuring jazz or blues, and always in a danceable form, the night is booked, planned and hosted by Michael Gill a blues and jazz aficionado. This particular night featured Jenna (Jefferson) and her Cool Friends (“Detroit” Dave Meer on guitar, Keith Ford on guitar, Michael Crawley on harmonica, Larry Joe Dunsmore on drums, and Glyn Loyd on bass). The program was entitled "Wild Women Don't have the Blues."

Dancers took to the floor early and often.

The music provided a time-trip through the various forms and sub-genres of the blues with Jenna as the guide. And what a guide! Her encyclopedic knowledge of the blues provided the back-drop to her considerable vocals and flashy style. She and the band performed songs from Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Little Walter and even as far afield as Stevie Wonder. The band was spot-on all night, each had great chops, but a word has to go out about Michael Crawley on harmonica. His playing is absolutely stunning. I'd heard him once before, but I'd forgotten the sheer power he brings to the instrument.

Just when you thought she'd run out of new clothes!

All of this was delivered to a danceable beat and the packed house of several hundred danced into the night. I found it very inspiring to realize that this many people do the slow-jam to the blues in Knoxville, Tennessee. You might want to check out the upcoming shows at the link above. Maybe I'll see you there.