|
SAVANNAH,
Ga. This warm, lazy Southern city of
90,000 people seemed like a good place to
celebrate the first half of my 50th
birthday week, marking the March milestone
(or is that millstone?) with a few days of
sightseeing in Savannah before moving on
to Charleston, S.C.
With all
its vaunted history of well-preserved
antebellum mansions and numerous
pedestrian squares with commemorative
statuary and meticulously groomed gardens,
Savannah's chief claim to fame (and
tourists) in recent years is the success
of John Berendt's best-selling book
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Known to locals as simply The Book, the
true murder story sheds a fascinating and
rather uncomplimentary light on Savannah's
wealthy elite.
Considering
the city's preoccupation with all things
pertaining to The Book, I had no real hope
or intention of hearing live jazz here.
Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to
discover that Savannah's premier jazz club
the Adagio is partly owned by the
underrated and unappreciated keyboard
artist Doug Carn, who also performs
regularly at the club, conveniently
located at the edge of the downtown
historic district.
The club
has hosted such big-name artists as
saxophonist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Eddie
Henderson, pianist Ellis Marsalis,
trombonist Frank Lacy, flutist Kent
Jordan, guitarist Tony Purrone and
vocalist Giacomo Gates, but on the
Wednesday night that we visited, Carn
himself was sitting at the Hammond B-3
organ, leading a trio that also featured
trumpeter Willie Matthews and young
drummer Brandon Kumka.
A
versatile composer and musician who also
sings and plays piano, oboe and assorted
reed instruments, Carn attained notoriety
in the 1970s for writing lyrics to classic
jazz tunes, such as "Infant Eyes," "Adams
Apple" and "Revelation." After completing
his education at Georgia State College in
1969, he worked briefly with saxophonists
Lou Donaldson and Stanley
Turrentine.
|
He
achieved a too-fleeting popularity in the
mid-'70s with recordings on the Black Jazz
label, including Infant Eyes, and Spirit
of the New Land. His wife at the time,
Jean Carn, was a featured vocalist who
went on to a solo career as an R & B
singer.
I still
own a beat-up LP copy of Spirit of the New
Land, and I still enjoy its optimistic,
liberating message of love and world
peace, however dated it seems in the
violent first decade of the 21st century.
Adagio was
nearly empty the night of our visit, so we
were treated as special guests by the
management and by the affable Mr. Carn
himself. After the trio played a couple of
standards, including a cookin' uptempo
version of "Summertime" and a mid-tempo
take on "Satin Doll," he asked for
requests. I asked him to play "Infant
Eyes," a suggestion that seemed to
surprise and please him.
Singing
his original lyrics while playing the
organ, Carn's soulful rendition was a
delightful throwback to a bygone era of
hope for future generations. He sang
"Transformation" before returning to the
standards "Almost Like Being in Love," "C
Jam Blues," "I'll Remember April," "Blue
In Green" and "My Funny Valentine."
Only a few more
listeners joined us at the next table, but
Carn seemed oblivious to the small
audience, thanking us for our warm
reception as though we filled the large,
candle-lighted room. From the stage, he
said it was nice to see some real fans,
and during the break he came over to the
table to chat and thank us again for
stopping in.
When in Savannah, do
yourself and the proprietors a favor and
visit the Adagio club in the Savannah
Steakhouse at Martin Luther King Boulevard
and West Congress Street. Visit the club's
website at www.adagiojazz.com, and for
reservations, call (912) 233-1394.
Carn also wants his
fans to know that some of his Black Jazz
records are now available on CD. Visit
www.blackjazz.com
and www.dougcarn.com
for more information.
|