Thanks to the Jordan Lawrence and the FreeTimes for the write-up on our inaugural ColaJazz Fest! Please visit the original post: https://www.free-times.com/music/chris-potter-to-headline-inaugural-colajazz-festival/article_125ebe3c-c0bd-11e7-aef4-1fa54932a2e4.html
Jazz in Columbia is doing pretty good. With local artists taking over last night’s First Thursday on Main art crawl with a mini jazz fest and finding their way into new rooms (Chayz Lounge, the new jazz-dedicated space attached to Nonnah’s in the Vista; the Main Street Public House, which now hosts jazz shows at least once a week), excitement in and around the scene seems to be mounting.
A big part of this recent push has been the efforts of trumpeter Mark Rapp and ColaJazz, an organization that looks to push and unify Columbia’s jazz community, providing a calendar of upcoming events and presenting concerts after releasing a compilation featuring local players in late 2015. Come February, Rapp’s brainchild will look to push things further, mustering their first ColaJazz Festival at the Music Farm.
And they’ve already got one hell of a headliner. Chris Potter, the Grammy-nominated multi-reedist who grew up in Columbia and attended Dreher High School, will bring his world-renowned sax chops to town for the Feb. 3 event. In demand since his late teens, Potter’s work continues to be celebrated — Karl Ackerman of All About Jazz calls the saxophonist’s 2017 album The Dreamer is the Dream “a testament to Potter’s composing as much as to his multi-reed instrumentality. He penned each of the compositions here and they all speak to a deeper sense of mortality, portrayed through lyricism and emotive performances. Potter’s responsiveness as a leader shines through in the beautifully orchestrated work of this quartet.”
Please visit the original post: https://www.free-times.com/music/chris-potter-to-headline-inaugural-colajazz-festival/article_125ebe3c-c0bd-11e7-aef4-1fa54932a2e4.html