By Kevin Lee Associate Editor

First things first; this is the BayFest issue after all.

This year’s line-up is more exciting personally simply because of a greater jazz presence. The Radio Avalon/WHIL stage features a majority of jazz acts every day on its stage to the north of Bienville Square and my interest is piqued by several things they offer.

On Friday, Oct. 5, nouveau flamenco group Roman Street christens the stage at 6 p.m. This young local ensemble’s Latin grooves have proven infectious and they are popping up everywhere. If you haven’t seen them, make sure to at least catch a few songs as they’re unlike anything you expect from this area.

They’re followed by the Tom Cherry Trio at 7:30 p.m. Cherry was musical director for legendary musician Boots Randolph for many years and built his own reputation with his sax and guitar playing. Ill health over the last few years threatened Cherry’s ability to gig and it will be interesting to see him perform again.

Saturday’s highlights come from a trio of sets that close out the day.

The Jazzin’ in the Schools clinicians set boasts some of the region’s best musicians and are led by the ever-unpredictable and always-versatile Dr. Joseph Mitchell. Mitchell has collaborated with standout bassist Harry Anderson for years with Anderson commuting from his day gig as a professor of music at Southern University in Baton Rouge. They begin at 3:30 p.m.

Following at 5:00 p.m. is Vibration Configuration, a stellar Mobile trio boasting talent so rich West Coast trumpeter Carlos Washington booked them as his backing combo for a tour. Their forays can start down a Wes Montgomery or John Coltrane avenue, then depart into a number of adventurous side streets before resolving back on the path where it all began. They boast a notable command of dynamics and intensity in addition to outright fluency.

Saxophonist Shane Philen brings his latest quartet up at 7:30 p.m. to close out the day. Philen is noted for his magical mystery tour, a woodshedding experience playing on a cruise line that vastly accelerated his learning curve to the point it astonished folks back home. Philen went to Big Apple for a while, hung out guys like Branford Marsalis and soaked it all in. When he came back to Mobile, his sax playing was light years ahead. He now passes all he can on to students and surfaces in gigs here and there.

Ideally, we’d get a chance to hear all three of these bands mixing and mingling in a jam session, but the three back-to-back are plenty.

Sunday starts off with the next generation as the Murphy High School Jazz Band begins at 2 p.m. They’re followed by deceptively fluid guitarist Jim Armstrong and the day closes out with Joe Occhipinti’s Big Band from Pensacola, a brassy group featuring a musical style prominent in the recent Ken Burns documentary about Mobile.

With rumors of a future jazz bar going in next to Mobile’s new arthouse theatre in LoDa, things might be finally looking up for area jazz buffs and solid support at BayFest could only hasten things.

More Windy City news

If you’ll recall, Artifice told readers of Mobile native and actor Steve Evans whose move to Chicago seems to have paid off well. Evans’ comic play “My Life with the Shawnee” premiered in the Abbie Hoffman Died For Your Sins theatre festival and first news is glowing.

Artifice received reports from attendees who described the crowd as “in stitches” and at least one Chicago writer passed along brief but encouraging words.

No word on whether Evans will be stage a performance of his work during one of his holiday trips home, but we’ll keep you posted on anything further from this “hometown boy done good” in the Big City.

Opera fundraiser in black and white

The Mobile Opera hosts Black & White Ball Celebrating Verdi on Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m. at the Battle House Hotel on Royal Street. Entertainment will be provided by Washington D.C.’s Rory Partin Orchestra for the fundraising event, the first formal event for the renovated hotel. Tickets are $175 per person.

For further info, call Mobile Opera at 432-6772.

Can’t resist…

Let your inner abstract expressionist free!

If you have a few minutes, get some ya-yas out making a clean mess. First, make sure your Quicktime player is up to date. Then go to the www.jacksonpollock.org and start flinging away. (Hint: clicking the left mouse button changes colors)

I’ll give odds you’ll be astonished at how engrossing it is.

We’re wondering about similar attempts in other veins. If they make a Dali version, does your computer melt?

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.

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