Thursday, November 4, 2010

I Heart Charleston Jazz

I've loved jazz as long as I can remember. I gained a closer connection with it when I realized in scholarly research (for teaching my American Studies 1920s class) that Charleston was just as much a hotbed of jazz as New Orleans.


And I live here. Woo hoo.

The "hotbed" really centers around the Jenkins Home for Children, and a concert this weekend centers around a benefit for that Charleston institution. Still in existence more than 100 years later, its legacy is much more than just music.

The great trumpet prowess of Joey Morant and the elegant saxophone of Lonnie Hamilton, III are just two legends that are part of that Jenkins legacy, and two names that have worked for years in their respective fields. Their thoughts on jazz are just as important as their music, and I was thrilled to get to talk to them one-on-one.