What a wonderful, musical summer (north and south)! I ended the spring semester with the Down and Derby Event with Tony Wilson aka "Young James Brown". Left for the Carolinas early May 16th and thanks to God, JetBlue, my Dad, and Check Fatback and the Crew, I was on stage that evening at The Joint at 1710 Main. Geez, it was great to be back home and just in time for Coolie G and Lion Soul's CD Release Party.
I wanted to perform at the Fenway Porchfest on June 15th, but I was at home in Carolina; however, not to despair, Godis Tanisha invited me to share the stage with her at Juneteenth and at the SC Caribbean Carnival. June 16th (Father's Day), I was blessed to perform in my Mom's hometown in Camden, SC. Camden hosted its 2nd Annual Summer Series at Kirkwood Park and I performed with J Montage & The Groove Band.
June 21st, the first day of summer ushered in the "Make Music Day, USA". Columbia celebrated music in many different locations. I was able to perform at the Richland Library (Assembly St.) and at Tapp's Art Center. Attending Exclusively Independent Presents: The Music Business Industry Fix Seminar gave me a lot of insights into the inner workings and legal aspects of the music industry.
One highlight of the summer was being able to perform with Eboinramm at the Doko Meadows Amphitheatre in my hometown, Blythewood during the Rockin' Red, White & Blue 3rd of July celebration. I was also blessed to perform at Reggae Grill, Red Beans and Rice, The Joint at 1710 during my time in Columbia. I was especially delighted to perform with Margaret Knight and Friends at Jazz on Dargan in Florance, SC. An added bonus was being able to perform with Margaret's daughter Tiffany Pollack, the 2019 Independent Music Awards winner for her Blues song: "Blues in My Blood".
I arrived back in Boston just in time for the 2Getherness Caribbean Boat Cruise (July 13). As the summer continued, I was blessed to perform at Herter Park, The BeBop, Wally's Jazz Cafe' and with the Boston Minstrels as well as being able to "busk" at the train station. I enjoyed the opportunity to relax and enjoy the musicians at the Cambridge Jazz Festival and a couple of Shakespeare plays. I had thought about attending the Newport Jazz Festival; oh! Overall, it was a great summer.
Blessed!!!