All jazz is local

One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read is Robert Gottlieb's "Reading Jazz." It's a compendium of memoirs, articles, book excerpts, reviews and all other manner of printed materials published over the course of the 20th-century history of the music.

It's called "Reading Jazz: A Gathering of Autobiography, Reportage, and Criticism from 1919 to Now" and was published in the fall of 1999 by Vintage.

At the time, Gottlieb was former chief of the Alfred A. Knopf and Simon & Schuster publishing houses as well as former editor of the New Yorker magazine. His brother, the late William Gottlieb, was a famous jazz photographer who turned Robert on to jazz.

The book is a treasure trove of information, stories and insights from musicians, writers, critics, producers, jazz groupies and other types who, like myself, have loved this music since first being exposed to it.

One of the features I love the most about the book is the last chapter, a section devoted to local jazz in communities around the world. It is not only a fitting end to such a monumental work, it also provides a revealing look into jazz and why people play it, like it, write about it and are always looking to share it with others, just like the author's brother had done with him.

The point of that section is that almost everywhere you go, there are local jazz musicians who play more for love of the art form than for the money.

The best of these unheralded but important players are usually part-time professionals. These folks, Gottlieb contends, are the basis of the music being presented and staying alive.

They play small clubs, restaurants, private parties, receptions and the like, collectively reaching more people than the celebrities do even though they do not tour or make records.

A glowing example of that in our area is pianist Franklin Ashley.

He's playwright-in-residence in the theater department at the College of Charleston where he is still teaching part-time as professor emeritus after working there for many years.

His lifelong love affair with jazz started in high school in Columbia.

He earned money while a student at Newberry College by playing with the Newberry College Quintet, managed by the Newberry College band director who scheduled various gigs for the band members.

At the University of South Carolina, Ashley earned his M.A. and Ph.D., and played with a trio at the well-known Purple Onion Club near the USC campus. Later, as a professor at USC, he played for 15 years on Wednesday nights as the Franklin Ashley Trio or Franklin Ashley Quartet at Griff's, a restaurant/club in Columbia where members of the S.C. Legislature often visited.

He loves what he does and he's very good at it. He and his students have won numerous awards, including his being named Teacher-Scholar of the Year in 2004 at C of C.

But he loves jazz just as much and he's very good at that, too.

For instance, for the past four years, Franklin's quintet has entertained on one of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Harbor Cruises to a sold-out boat.

I've known Franklin for many years and I've had a lot of opportunities to hear him play and otherwise express his admiration for jazz. A couple of years ago, he did a lecture-demonstration at Circular Congregational Church's Jazz Vespers that was as good as I've ever seen, talking informally but effectively about jazz and playing musical examples that illustrated his words.

Another cool thing about Franklin is that he has great jazz stories. He has traveled extensively and met all kinds of people. He has Duke Ellington stories, Dizzy Gillespie stories, Tony Bennett stories, some of them sad, some of them lighthearted and almost all of them with a large dose of humor.

His tales are expansive, just like the long, clean lines he plays on the piano.

He's great in the settings he plays in, offering something for everyone. He's proficient in all the styles, but I think he's a bopper at heart. He loves Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, players like that.

Franklin, who also sings, has done some high profile things, such as playing solo at a Jimmy Carter inauguration party in Washington, D.C., in 1977 and performing at one of former President Bill Clinton's Renaissance Weekends on Hilton Head Island.

But he's most comfortable playing here at home for friends, colleagues and anyone else interested in plain old good jazz. That's his element.

Celebrities come and go, but players like Franklin are the mainstays and underpinnings of keeping jazz alive.

SOA benefit

Charleston County School of the Arts has set its third annual Swinging Good Time dinner and dance for Saturday in the atrium at Blackbaud headquarters on

Daniel Island. This semi-formal, adults-only event, which runs 7-11 p.m., will feature a festive Mardi Gras theme with live music, dancing, a dinner buffet, cash bar and silent auction. All funds raised will benefit the SOA band program.

Music will be provided by the award-winning SOA High School Jazz Band, a 26-piece ensemble, and will feature jazz, Latin, rock and funk. Special guest Congdon and Company will provide entertainment during the breaks.

Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door the night of the event. Two complimentary drinks are included in the price of each ticket. Corporate tables are also available for businesses and organizations.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.soabands.com or www.myticketportal.com or call 813-2853.

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