McCray's passion for jazz 'burns brightly'

Writer's weekly column to explore the heartbeat of Charleston

Greetings.

Within the best spirit I can offer, this space will be devoted to people, places and things jazz.

As one who has been involved with musicians, composers, producers, events and venues for several decades now, I welcome the opportunity to share with you experiences, insights, lessons, joys and disappointments this wonderful art form has shown me.

It's been a light in my life for more than 50 years. It is a passion that continues to burn brightly, something like an ever evolving solo by a horn player on the path to enlightenment.

Writing this column, I hope, will help me fulfill myself in my craft as well as inform and entertain you.

I also will be sharing with you significant events and developments on our local jazz scene, which, by the way, is growing by leaps and bounds.

This is a great time and place to be involved in jazz.

We're in a part of the cycle worldwide that has the music's popularity steadily increasing. Charleston is a cradle of this noble American music, and the town is fast becoming more aware of itself as a longtime creative force in the midst of a renaissance.

We have great players, young and old, especially when you consider that we're not a large metropolitan area, which is what jazz usually has been associated with.

Jazz music is becoming the soundtrack of modern life. It's everywhere — whether it's audio, video or live.

It's almost matter of fact now. For instance, jazz can be heard as aural wallpaper in all kinds of public buildings.

One of the hippest soundtracks can be heard at the Meeting Street Piggly Wiggly. That's right, a grocery store. I don't mean just Louis Armstrong or some other easily accessible player, either. Most of what you hear is post-modern stuff by the likes of John Coltrane and Dave Brubeck.

Many, if not most, of the area's fine dining restaurants feature live jazz, typically in their lounges with no cover.

All the schools teach it, from middle schools to colleges and universities.

As I write, there are at least three high-quality live series being offered at low cost to jazz listeners in the area. Mellow Mushroom puts on bands Monday nights, Voodoo Lounge on Saturdays and Huger's on Wednesdays and Thursdays. They're turning people away, too. Although it's winter, the jazz scene here is hotter than July.

Another cool thing is that organizations have sprung up that are devoted to researching America's classical music, advocating for it as well as presenting it. This is important work, too, because one of the long-running questions about jazz is whether it's art or entertainment. Answering that is a work in progress, and a lot of that work is being done in our hometown.

There's a lot going on, and I'm going to do my best to keep track of things in this space.

Stick with me.

It's going to be a fun ride.

Jack McCray, author of "Charleston Jazz," can be reached at jackjmccray@aol.com.