Salisbury Post, September 28, 2000
If the first dose of the Rowan Blues and Jazz Society’s Jam didn’t cure what ailed you last year, here’s a chance to schedule a follow-up visit.
Appointments for the society’s second annual Blues and Jazz Jam on the back lot of Rowan Health and Fitness Center are being taken for Saturday from noon until the last patron is cured.
In-house practitioners will include Ken Carroll and the Brothers, Rebecca Stinson, Tom Smith and Larry Davis.
"The reason I like Larry is that you can just yell out songs to him and he’ll start playing," says jam coordinator Eleanor Qadirah.
Fusion and Mighty Mojo Men also will be on hand. And guest attendants will be Higher Ground Jazz Band from Winston-Salem.
Though Qadirah simply describes them as "three guys and a girl … she’s the blonde one, "these musicians are experts in their field.
The seven-year-old group brings together the diversity of styles found in jazz, the swing of blues, the electricity of fusion and the explosive rhythms of be-bop and Afro-Latin jazz.
You might need to bring a respirator.
Group leader Randy Johnson, a native of Rural Hall, has been a member of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company Musical Division for about 10 years and has performed during the National Black Theatre Festival. He has worked with the likes of Billy Paul and Millie Jackson and delivered the national anthem for Bill Clinton during his visit to Winston-Salem. Most recently, he has toured with Ataallah Shabazz, daughter of the late Malcom X, in "Stepping into Tomorrow."
On the band’s keyboards will be Reggie Buie, who has opened for The Manhattans and Kool & the Gang and performed with Timmy Thomas and Nicole. He received writing credits for "What About Me" by Nicole in 1986.
Percussionist James Stowe, who received his musical training at Winston-Salem State university, is also a member of The Triad Jazz All-Stars, a group that performs at the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem. He has performed with such artists as Third World, Skyy, Chuckie Booker, Gerald Albright and Janice Price.
And "the blonde one,"is saxophonist Karen Greene, who moved from Pittsburgh to North Carolina in 1983 after years on the road with bands such as The Glenn Miller Orchestra. She performs in with her own jazz group, The KGB, and has opened for The Rippingtons, David Benoit and Santana.
While veteran jammers will administer just what the doctor ordered, it will be the "interning" musicians who provide the sugar to make the medicine go down in the most delightful way.
Opening the show will be the jazz bands from Knox Middle and Salisbury High schools.
Sam Kyzer, instructor for Knox’s "two little big bands,"says Qadirah probably heard about the budding musicians from Smith.
"He heard about us, and then he dropped in on our spring concert last year," he says.
The 7th and 8th-grade bands, known as "Blue Eclipse" and "24/7,"respectively, will come together — complete with five saxes, a full drum set, bass guitars and electronic piano — to perform some jazzy favorites, including "At the Hop," "Get Ready," "Twist and Shout" and Glenn Miller’s "In the Mood."
But the bands haven’t gotten all geared up for just this performance; they also will perform at their school’s annual fall concert Oct. 3.
"We’re going to shake off the cobwebs Saturday and then get down and serious Tuesday night," Kyzer says.
Seniors, freshmen, sophomores and juniors will share the stage with middle schoolers under the direction of Jill Wilkerson, who is in her first year at Salisbury High.
"I have seen a steady improvement along the way, which makes me very happy," Wilkerson says. "I have a lot of kids who are very enthusiastic … things have been going great."
She does admit "there have been moments "with the students, but then again, it’s not typical to make the transition from being a French horn player in groups like the Brevard Chamber Orchestra to instructing middle school jazz band classes.
But being in music education, in which she earned her degree from Mars Hill College, she says, "you have to learn every instrument and all the different styles a band can be called on to perform. You have to be flexible."
Wilkerson plans to prove just how flexible she and her students, who are admitted to her bands by audition, can be.
She wants the students to shine for Qadirah, who heard them perform during an AIDSbenefit event, and Saturday’s concert goers, so their repertoire will include Bob Russell and Duke Ellington’s "Do Nothin’, "Issac Hayes’ "Soul Man," "I Feel Good"by James Brown and "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel.
"I want the Salisbury community to get to know the talent of the youth," says Qadirah, adding that she hopes the RBJS will soon be able to take music history into local schools. "And I want them to be able to have a place where they can jam."
Qadirah also says she is still seeking a blues and jazz enthusiast who would be willing to donate a house to the society to be turned into a "blues and jazz house."
"This is historic Salisbury, we’re in the preserving business," she says. "So we need a house so we can preserve this music. We’re just trying to bring people together from all walks of life through music."
The Rowan Blues and Jazz Society’s 2nd Annual Blues and Jazz Jam will be held at Rowan Health and Fitness, 313 S. Main St., beginning at noon, through performances at 9 p.m. by Blue Smoke Blues Band with an open jam following. The event is free and open to the public. Bring comfortable chairs. RBJS T-shirts will be available, and there will be vendors and a silent auction. For more information, call 636-3277.