I’m happy to announce that I’m hosting a weekly jazz show at one of the coolest dives in Austin, Texas. The good folks at the Skylark Lounge asked me to turn Wednesday into a regular jazz event, so people know they can come to the Skylark midweek for an excellent show in an intimate setting. This is great especially for folks in the neighborhood, but also for anyone who doesn’t want to mess with the brave new world that is downtown Austin these days.
I love jazz, and if some wealthy benefactor gave me a bag of money to play bebop every night I would jump at the chance. But I know that many people don’t dig it, and also I want to show folks that jazz is a big tent containing many styles and moods. So I decided to use the Wednesday Skylark sessions as a way to showcase the many aspects of jazz, in a way that would be fun and educational for everyone.
So far the shows have been excellent, with great musicians and enthusiastic audiences. Week 1 we featured Soul jazz, Week 2 it was Brazilian jazz. Week 3 will always feature my band Manteca Beat (9/16). For 9/23 we will explore Gypsy jazz, and 9/30 will feature the wonderful singer Sarah Sharp.