Downtown Knoxville/Knoxville, Tennessee/Urban Living
Friday, April 13, 2012
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.
Jenna and Her Cool Friends, Knoxville Museum of Arts, January 2012
You don't have to take my word for how good Jenna and Her Cool Friends are. Of course, if you've heard them, you know. If you haven't, consider this: the won the Smoky Mountain Blues Challenge and have the honor of representing Knoxville in Memphis starting today at the International Blues Challenge. It is set up like a battle of the bands and the winner gets a large boost towards a career on the national stage.
The pictures accompanying this post are from their most recent appearance at KMA's excellent Alive After Five series. On this particular night the group had added Ben Maney on keyboards and included a drummer new to the group. They sounded as if they had played together for years.
Jenna and Her Cool Friends, Knoxville Museum of Arts, January 2012
Jenna Jefferson, KMA, January 2012
Both sets were excellent. In the first, the death of Etta James was noted with a fitting tribute version of "I'd Rather Go Blind," and Jenna never sounded better. The difference in her and other singers who may have sung a tribute to Etta that day is that Jenna has always incorporated her music. She also tipped the hat to various other female blues singers and continued her excellent tradition of teaching a little about the history of the singers and songs as the set moved along. Always interesting and never disruptive to the flow of the show, I look forward to what I might learn almost as much as I do to the music whenever I see them. Almost.
Jenna and Her Cool Friends, Knoxville, 2012
Jenna and Her Cool Friends, Knoxville, 2012
The music is just too good. Keith Ford keeps the rhythm steady along with an excellent bassist and drummer whose names have thus far evaded me. Ben Maney is, of course, one of the finest keyboard players in our city and is a much sought after side-man by musicians from all genres. He joins a band which already prominently features Michael Crawley who is, without question, one of the finest harmonica players in the city. Jenna is, obviously for anyone with ears, an amazing blues singer. So, how could you beat a band like that?
Ben Maney with Jenna and Her Cool Friends
Michael Crawley with Jenna and Her Cool Friends
Detroit Dave Meer with Jenna and Her Cool Friends
I'll tell you how: Add Detroit Dave Meer on guitar. I've always enjoyed his playing, but for some reason it seemed to me he launched into a whole different level that night. He may not be the fastest or the loudest guitar player. He doesn't strut about on the stage and sneer like a rock star. All he does is lay down one tasty lick after another. Tasty and tasteful, with just enough nastiness to hit you below the belt, but enough style to be served in the finest venues. The guy is just crazy good.
While both sets were excellent, Jenna told me later she felt the second set really stood out and I agree, though admittedly, who am I to disagree? Sometimes in a concert something takes over that is just bigger than the music and the band. It's similar to a basketball player who has a night when they can't miss or a writer who simply serves as a conduit for some other force. It was that kind of night.
Jenna and Her Cool Friends, Knoxville Museum of Art, January 2012
Jenna and Her Cool Friends, Knoxville Museum of Art, January 2012
I've listened to them practice in the days since the show and they simply get tighter and tighter, working on every small component of what makes for great blues songs. It is some of the most soulful music you'll ever hear, but each song has also been worked hard to find the jewel beneath its surface. So you have great art, stunning talent and hard, hard work. They practiced so long last weekend I just knew Dave's fingers must be bleeding.
Detroit Dave Meer with Jenna and Her Cool Friends
So now they are on the road and I'm hoping they win the competition in Memphis. I told Jenna they would win unless the judges simply got it wrong. I also told her I felt they really need to record this band right now and she assured me they are heading into the studio in February. My Ipod can't wait. Welcome them home like the great band that they are whether they win, lose or draw in Memphis. Find them when they play at a venue near you and look out for that CD. You'll be very glad you did.
For now, I'll leave you with a video from last year of Jenna performing "I'd Rather Go Blind," which I mentioned above. The first time I heard this song was in the Bijou sometime back in the 1980's performed by the great KoKo Taylor. Here Jenna shows why it's one of her signature songs.
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!
This past Friday night was set to be a night one might enjoy the talent and personality of Phil Pollard at the Knoxville Museum of Art's Alive After Five show. His "Band of Humans" was set to play the show and it promised to be a special event. As it turned out, it was to be a night of tributes, memories, collecting money for his children's education and saying goodbye to a larger-than-life and much loved figure within the local arts community.
Michael Gill hosts Alive After Five, November 2011
Lydia Sainikova at KMA, November 2011
Phil died unexpectedly earlier this month and the music community reacted strongly (see Wayne Bledsoe's article). When news of his illness first broke, Facebook was filled with pleas for prayer, hopeful updates and ultimately word that he had passed at an early age leaving a family shocked and without a father and husband. Bernadette and Scott West chartered a bus to take anyone who wanted to go to the funeral, which seemed to me to be about as thoughtful a gesture as I've seen in a long time.
Collection Hat in front of Stage
The tribute at the KMA was billed as featuring "Jack Rentfro and the Apocalypso Quartet with Lydia Sainikova, Black Atticus and Ben Maney." Michael Gill emceed and, appropriately, a stove-pipe hat was turned upside down in front of the stage for donations to an education fund for Phil's girls.
Ben Maney performs at KMA Phil Pollard Tribute
The opening set by Lydia Sainikova who, contrary to promotional materials, was not joined by Black Atticus, which was disappointing, highlighted her range as a performer from a pop standard (the name of which evades me) to a Russian folk song and several others which I assumed must be personal compositions. She is a very talented musician and singer from Russia, who now calls Knoxville her home.
Beautiful version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Next on the stage was Knoxville keyboard stalwart, Ben Maney. He performed several songs including several solo and several with various musicians. The highlight of his set was a heart-felt rendition of a great song by Tom Waits, "The House Where Nobody Lives," one of my all-time favorites.
Assembled musicians perform "Empire" at KMA Phil Pollard Tribute
I wish I knew the names of the musicians who joined him on stage, some of whom are pictured here. The young lady who played cello added a beautiful touch to the music. I was able to thank her when I saw her at the Market Square Farmer's Market the next morning. The woman who fronted the group and performed vocals on "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and brought the house down. Next various members of the ensemble traded verses on R.B. Morris' "Empire," which has to simply be one of the best songs ever written by a Knoxville artist. It's one of my favorite songs by anybody.
I had other places I needed to be on a First Friday night, so I headed out into the night with thoughts of a very special person who is no longer with us, but who made everyone around him a little better with his wit and humor. I'll leave you with a recording of the Tom Waits song mentioned above. Take time to listen to it, look at the photographs and to ponder things missing.
I recently enjoyed another round of Alive After Five at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Alive After Five actually starts at 6:00 and is easily confused with the former Live at Five on WBIR, which has now become "Live at Five at Four," which makes absolutely no sense, but this has nothing to do with that. Got it? Me either, but several Fridays each Spring and Fall the Art Museum rocks, which isn't something you necessarily expect of an art museum.
Friday before last the doors opened to Kaziques, a Nashville band with featuring "a dynamic Pan-Latin, Afro-Cuban mix of salsa, meringue, cumbia, bachata." Got that? Neither do I, but the Latin rhythms filled the night and filled the dance floor. I recognized some faces from the Hola Festival, which is likely because volunteers from that event got into this event without charge. The dance floor was filled with denizens of Casa Hola moving to the Salsa and more.
Scottish-Latino Dancing at the Knoxville Museum of Art
Kaziques at the Knoxville Museum of Art
As is the case at each of these events, Michael Gill co-ordinated, hosted and emceed the gathering. The entire museum with all its public collections is open, a cash bar and food for sale (very inexpensively) from selected vendors are also offered. For ten dollars anyone may walk through the door. The cost is six dollars for students and free to members. It's an incredibly cheap date and is usually packed, though there is room for you. The music rolls on this Friday night with Boys Night Out.
Beautiful Belinda was ever present
Lovely, smart and talented singer jams with the band
Late in the evening the band was joined by a young woman whose name evaded me, but I gathered she is working her way through law school (smart) while occasionally displaying her amazing vocal skills (talented). If life was fair she would at least be ugly. Life isn't fair.
I hope you enjoyed these photographs of the beautiful dancers. Imagine yourself to be one of them next time around.
I'm a person who is interested in documenting urban life as I experience it in Knoxville, TN, from the fun to the tragic, from the silly to the profound. If you have a thought you'd like to share privately, you can contact me at KnoxvilleUrbanGuy@gmail.com.
