If you like free events and jazz music, then get ready. Starting March 9th at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library free jazz concerts will be held at 6:30pm for 5 consecutive weeks.

This is a third-year collaborative effort with the Levitt Shell and the Memphis Public Libraries, Memphis Library Foundation, and Friends of the Library. All concerts are free and open to the public. A cash bar by TapBox will be on site, as well as food available to purchase from Kaleidoscope Kitchen.

Who’s cooking the food?

Chef Eli (Southern French/Asian:)

AROMA Kitchen (East African)

Ibti’s Soup and Catering (Sudanese)

Indra’s Dumplings (South Asian)

Inspire Community Cafe (American Healthy Eats)

Jazz Schedule:

The World Soul Project is a group of musicians who celebrate the wealth of music traditions from around the world by blending them into a brilliant collage. The result is – at times exhilarating, at other times soothing – but always soul stirring music that draws heavily from Brazil, Africa and the Southern US.

Clayburn’s funky saxophone, flute chops, and soulful vocals have given her the opportunity to play with prestigious musicians such as James Brown, The Allman Brothers Band, Maceo Parker, and the North Mississippi Allstars. She came back to Memphis after European tour in 2009 with The Dynamites.

Carl Seitaro Maguire & Alan Shutaro Maguire, were born in Tokyo on March 19, 1996. They grew up in Hong Kong going to a British international school.

At age 15, they moved to Memphis. There they joined Stax Music Academy, found jazz and met Kirk Whalum, a Grammy winning saxophonist. They also met Donald Brown, who later became their teacher, mentor and producer. At age 18, they recorded their first album, ‘The Sound of Music’ produced by Brown and Whalum as a guest artist.

The Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra has a long reputation of musical excellence at the University of Memphis. The group is comprised of 17 outstanding full-time university student musicians ranging from undergraduates through doctoral candidates. The ensemble performs a wide range of styles from composers Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington to modern composers such as Jim McNeely and Bob Brookmeyer.

A rare appearance by Ekpe Abioto and the African Jazz Ensemble, a 10-piece band made up of some of Memphis’ finest musicians. The core of the band began in the early 70s as the soul group the Exotic Movement, and later changed their name to Galaxy. They’ve played together for over 40 years, and members have toured the world with Michael Jackson, Al Green, BB King, Eric Clapton, the Dells, Luther Allison, and Rufus and Carla Thomas. They formed the African Jazz Ensemble as a way to incorporate African influences into more traditional jazz, soul and R&B.

Go here for more info.

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