Trumpeter, composer, and Nashville Jazz Orchestra (NJO) director Jim Williamson is now playing weekly with the group at Nashville's French Quarter Cafe. Williamson comments about the Nashville jazz scene. "While under no illusions about the state of jazz in Nashville after playing here many years, Williamson is nonetheless enthusiastic about the growth potential of the NJO series. He also views the club shows as a major part of the group's mission to continue exposing audiences to jazz and showing them its connections to other idioms.
"One of the things people don't realize about jazz musicians is because of their training in music theory and technique, they're familiar with many other genres, and that versatility stems from their jazz heritage," Williamson says. "R&B and rock get the whole big beat thing from the swing era. The Kansas City shuffle is the underlying rhythmic foundation of hip-hop. Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel and other Western Swing bands clearly have jazz roots. Even funk and soul can be linked to the groove element of jazz.
"I think when people hear and see the music, they discover it is a lot more diverse and enjoyable than they thought, and there are a lot more things to like than dislike, especially in a club venue. One other thing, [the French Quarter] is a lot nicer than the Village Vanguard, even if it doesn't have that legacy."
Check out the Nashville Jazz Orchestra's website at www.nashvillejazzorchestra.org where you'll find listings of their upcoming concerts, recordings, and biographies of the members. The NJO (practically a who's who of musicians in Nashville) is made up of Jim Williamson, George Tidwell, Mike Casteel, Steve Patrick, Barry Green, Chris Dunn, Roy Agee, Prentiss Hobbs, Cole Burgess, Matt Davich, Denis Solee, Doug Moffet, Robby Shankle, Steve Kummer, Todd Parks, Bob Mater, and Annie Sellick. Something you also may not know is their relationship with the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. In the fall of 2005, they took up residency there and have provided the students with valuable access to clinics, sectionals, and performances.
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