Donald Brown still seeks a permanent home for his hardcore jazz

Photo by Brian Wagner

Donald Brown

Photo by Brian Wagner

Donald Brown

KNOXVILLE — In many cities local music greats find permanent homes. Clubs become known for the acts - Bobby Short at the Cafe Carlyle and Les Paul at the Iridium Jazz Club, both in New York, Professor Longhair at Tipitina's in New Orleans and Pinetop Perkins at Nuno's on Sixth in Austin. Knoxville's Donald Brown, though, sometimes seems like the city's most talented squatter. He'll find a nice warm atmosphere for a few months and then the venue will close or switch to a different musical format.

Brown is Knoxville's highest profile jazz artist. Wynton Marsalis, who performed with Brown in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and nicknamed Brown "Silk" for his keyboard prowess, has said Brown might be "a genius." Old giants Joe Henderson and Dave Brubeck have praised Brown's artistry, and, he has been influential a whole set of young lions as a teacher and an influence.

However, the last time that Brown managed to find a long-term gig where he felt comfortable presenting original music was probably Lucille's, which gave up on jazz in 2004 to become Patrick Sullivan's Back Room.

"I feel good about the musicians in Knoxville," says Brown. "All the musicians we already have here and the program at UT. It's the strongest group of students I've had in terms of potential in 21 years of teaching. I just feel bad that there's no outlets for them to play or even to see jazz outside of Mark (Boling with Keith Brown and Rusty Holloway) at Baker-Peters and Purada."

Boling, Brown and Holloway have had a regular gig at Baker-Peters Jazz Club for several years and Brown has a regular gig at Purada from 7 to 10 p.m. on Fridays. Until recently, Brown could be found on Thursdays and Saturdays at Sobu, but, he says, he was never sure from week to week if the gig would continue. At the moment, he says that's still up in the air.

Earlier in the year, Brown sat at the restaurant musing about the potential for venue.

"I'd love it to turn out like Yoshi's in San Francisco. The potential is there," he said. "I'm looking for a place to play jazz and to not have to compromise."

Brown generally performs jazz and R&B standards at shows because that's what lighter-jazz crowds want. He says working up originals means the band needs to rehearse the new tunes and the hardcore jazz venues have been too uncertain from week to week to make the commitment. In addition, few clubs are willing to rent or buy an acoustic piano. To hear Brown perform originals, audiences generally have to wait for a rare Brown concert or catch him on tour out of town.

Brown says clubs have rarely made a serious point of promoting the music. Sometimes it's even hard to just get a placard in a restaurant with the music schedule.

"They think people are just magically going to show up," says Brown. "If you don't put it up on a marquee or a billboard you couldn't have Oscar Peterson there and have people just drift in."

Brown remains in demand. He recently returned from performing a series of shows and festivals in Europe. He'll perform a series of college concerts and clinics in the spring, including events at the Berklee School of Music, where he once taught. He's also considering recording a new album later in the year, possibly his first in Knoxville. He recently finished producing the debut album by Knoxville sax great Rocky Wynder.

It would be good for local legends, like Wynder and Brown, to mingle with younger players.

"Who knows," says Brown. "Maybe in the next month or two a place will open up."

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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