On Friday, July 7, we had the first of hopefully many meetings with the jazz artists who are making Columbia, SC and its surrounding areas culturally rich, musically vibrant and simply an exciting place live and create. Mark Rapp invited jazz musicians around town to a group meeting to discuss our state of affairs, what … Read more
Pops was my mentor, my friend, and like a second father to me. Many years ago, he told me that if I wanted to be a better singer, I should listen to more horn players. He gave me my first Sonny Rollins record and my first Shirley Horn record. He was a musical force of … Read more
Proving that musical diversity is alive and well in the Carolinas, musicians like legendary saxophonist Skipp ‘Pops’ Pearson and trumpeter Mark Rapp are working to boost a burgeoning jazz scene in Columbia, S.C. Pearson, a Palmetto state native whose career spans more than 50 years collaborating with musical greats like Otis Redding, Wynton Marsalis and … Read more
Seven years ago, local saxophone legend Skipp Pearson did an interview for NPRs Tell Me More. Near the end” after Pearson talked about touring as a black man during the time of Jim Crow, about working with Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Wynton Marsalis ” the host asked her guest what he would like his … Read more