KUAF Summer Jazz Series Kicks Off

ON THE COVER Courtesy Photo
Kenny Washington, a jazz vocalist virtuoso, will be playing with the Claudia Burson Trio as a part of the KUAF Summer Jazz Concert Series.

It’s been said rock musicians play three notes to 3 million people while jazz musicians play 3 million notes to three people. The Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society works to even the playing field.

While jazz used to be one of America’s most popular musical styles in the past, it has since become a fringe genre, accumulating 1.4 percent of music sales today, according to a Nielsen 2014 report. In an effort to keep jazz alive in Northwest Arkansas, The NAJS was founded in 1992 in Fayetteville by Executive Director Robert Ginsberg as a non-profit, 501(c)3 membership organization dedicated to present, preserve, promote, and celebrate the innovative American art form.

“When you ask people to define rock ‘n’ roll, with most you’ll get the same definition. Jazz, you’ll get hundreds of different definitions and experiences. It doesn’t fit neatly in a box,” Ginsberg said. “It’s really like food. Everybody understands a McDonalds cheeseburger. But if you talk about an Indian dish with curry and spices and all these complexities, that might turn some people off. You develop a palate for it. Some might not get jazz the first time. It’s part of our mission that there’s exposure for it.”

Courtesy Photo
The Claudia Burson Trio consists of (from left to right) Claudia Burson on piano, Drew Packard on upright bass and Steve Wilkes on drums. The trio will be performing with Kenny Washington this Sunday at 21C Hotel in Bentonville.

This year marks the 17th anniversary for the NAJS Summer Jazz Concert series, with two concerts coming up this Sunday, July 19, and the next on Aug. 13. The first concert this Sunday will be at 21C in Bentonville at 3 p.m. with local jazz legends Claudia Burson Trio providing the rhythm for acclaimed jazz vocalist Kenny Washington.

Having grown up playing saxophone and performing gospel in church before moving on to jazz, R&B and pop, Washington has become a renown scat singer. With a four-octave range and influences from Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Washington is known as a virtuoso. This weekend will be his second visit to Northwest Arkansas.

“(Jazz scat) gives you a feeling of being free,” said Washington about the wordless, improvised singing style. “You’re learning along the way with the other musicians. Every time I jump into scatting I try to do something different and try not to repeat myself too much. Of course, you will do that live. I try to be more creative along the way.”

The NAJS started the Summer Concert Series in 1998 when University of Arkansas music professor Jim Greeson called to discuss the idea of utilizing a local rhythm section as a basis for guest soloists from around the country to perform a series of concerts during the summer. The series continued to expand to include a showcase of the area’s jazz players performing their new original compositions and arrangements; the Composer’s Showcase.

The Composer’s Showcase will be Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.

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Bobby Watson, a renown saxophone player, is one of the many soloist musicians the Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society has brought in for their KUAF Summer Jazz Concert Series throughout the years.

In addition to keeping jazz in the now, the NAJS also provides scholarships for future jazz musicians to study improvisation and technique with National Endowment for the Arts “Jazz Master” inductee Jamey Aebersold at a week-long intensive workshop in Louisville, K.Y. Throughout the course of the 17 years, the organization has granted more than 60 scholarships to music students wishing to further develop their jazz chops. Proceeds from the Summer Jazz Concert series help fund the scholarships.

“The workshop is just 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. of just jazz. It puts you through the run of of everything it takes to be a professional and how to improvise better,” said Matt Beach, a trombone player who received the jazz scholarship. “It re-solidified a lot of things I know I needed to work on. It’s great to have someone to tell you what you need to work on. It was the highlight of my summer, probably this year.”

The Jazz Society is an open membership organization, with annual, tax-deductible membership fees from $10 to $250. Members receive discounted rates to NAJS events, as well.

“I’ve been deeply entrenched in trying to support this music,” Ginsberg said. “It used to be few jazz events in Northwest Arkansas that I wasn’t involved with, and now we’ve got a lot more. It’s going to get nothing but better. At the end of the day, if music isn’t pushing me into new horizons I’m going to get bored. That’s the place I want to be.