6:30 p.m. Sunday, with Tracy Hamlin, part of lineup at Preserve Jazz Festival, 601 Preserve Way, Hoover, $34 advance, $38 at the gate, general admission, 390-3800.
Have guitar, will travel. That's far from a cliche for Birmingham musician Eric Essix, who just spent a week performing and teaching in Szekeshfehrevar, Hungary.
The jazz guitarist, 49, was a cultural ambassador of sorts, participating in an arts festival as part of program sponsored by the Birmingham Sister Cities Commission.
Remnants of jet lag -- if there are any -- won't stop Essix from fulfilling another duty this weekend: playing at the Preserve Jazz Festival. He's a primary organizer of the festival, along with Jason Henderson, an insurance salesman and resident at The Preserve community in Hoover.
The jazz event, in its third year, has been successful in several ways -- selling tickets and attracting sponsors, offering music grants and providing performers with an opportunity to increase their audiences.
Although Essix stayed on the sidelines in 2008, he'll be back on stage for Sunday's lineup, responding to popular demand and the desire to showcase his latest CD, "Birmingham." It's been a stellar performer on the indie charts at SmoothJazz.com, and sits at the No. 3 spot this week.
The first single from the disc, "Shuttlesworth Drive," has received national attention, as evidenced by its spot on Radio & Records' smooth jazz indicator chart, which tracks smaller stations.
Essix discussed his latest projects via e-mail from Hungary, squeezing in laptop sessions during the wee hours and on his rehearsal breaks.
Q: You've been doing well with "Birmingham" on the indie charts at SmoothJazz.com. What does that mean, in practical terms and for your career?
A: It's great to once again have a presence on the airwaves on a national level and be on these charts, both SmoothJazz.com and R&R, because it means the music is being heard by the masses.
Years ago the amount of airplay I am getting now would have directly impacted sales in a huge way, but now with the demise of "brick and mortar" record stores and the rise of online download sites, CD sales have not risen as sharply. But the album is holding its own. My career as a recording artist has been revitalized as a result and hopefully that will lead to bigger and better things in the future.
Q:
Give us an overview of the "Birmingham" disc. What were your aims and goals for this recording? How is it similar to your previous records? How is it different?
A: My past three recordings have been about the South and the influence of the region on me as an artist. With "Birmingham," I am just continuing that theme but this time focusing on the people and places that have influenced me, not only as a musician but as an individual. It's different in that the connection is more focused and the subjects much more personal and direct, I think.
From a production perspective, I worked with Grammy-nominated producer and multi-instrumentalist Kelvin Wooten from the Huntsville area, to help me get the sound and soul I was after on this recording. He has worked with everyone from Anthony Hamilton to Jill Scott, Raphael Sadiq, the Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire and was nominated for a Grammy for a song he wrote for Mary J. Blige. I like to say this record has his soul in it.
Q: How did the city's past provide inspiration for the music? What did you want to say about your hometown? Are all the tracks about Birmingham, or just the ones with city-centric names, such as "Steel," "Brother Bryan" and "Shuttlesworth Drive"?
A: I just wanted to highlight some of the things about Birmingham that people outside the city don't typically associate with our history. With "Shuttlesworth Drive," I dedicated this song to the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth because I felt he never gets the attention he deserves for his part in the civil rights movement, and he has always been a personal hero of mine. I admired his courage, his toughness and determination. I talked to him briefly some years ago at a function where he was the keynote speaker and I was playing. It was a very emotional moment for me.
Same thing with "Brother Bryan." Not many people know what a kind man he was to the downtrodden in this community, and that he was a soldier for civil rights long before there was a movement.Other songs, like "Imogene" and "Miles Away," have very personal connections. "Hard Work" and "We Shall Overcome" are about our tenacity as citizens to evoke change. I believe the majority of people in Birmingham strive to do this.
Q: Tell us about the arts festival in Hungary. What's it been like to perform in Birmingham's sister city?
A: I just finished the first of two performances, and I did a workshop for students and a meeting with several members of the media (print and television). The people here are really into music in general and have a great appreciation for jazz, as well. I have never been here before and I am honored to have the opportunity to represent the city and state that I love in Szekesfehervar.
It has been a blast meeting young people who are earnestly trying to learn and play jazz music, and have great respect for the tradition. I explained to them that my background is rooted in gospel, country and soul music, and that what I do does not represent the tradition of jazz in the truest sense of the word. It's more like a mixture of many styles which are all rooted in the blues. I did not bring my band (wish I could have) but I collaborated with some great Hungarian musicians here. I love how jazz brings people together who have never met, and instantly bonds their spirits. The audiences have been so supportive and really appreciative.
Q: You're a co-founder of the Preserve Jazz Festival, along with Jason Henderson. What are your goals for the third edition of the event, as an organizer and a performer?
A: We really want to get better at bringing this event to our community. That is our main goal: to provide quality music and a positive experience for all who attend. As a performer, primarily I am playing this year because I do have a new album out that is doing well, and of course I want to promote that and my record label. But also because some people were not happy with me when I didn't perform last year, and let me know while I was working the gate.
I was flattered that people in Birmingham still want to see me play after 20 years, but I truly don't want this festival to be about me, I think it should be an outlet for all the artists in the community and region, to be a part of it. It is my goal to get as many of those artists on our stage as possible as the event continues. That is why Tracy Hamlin (an R&B singer from Atlanta) is performing with me this year, so that people here can be exposed to her great talent, and then Birmingham can become a destination for her to come and perform more often.
Also, our mission is to continue to provide instruments and opportunity to young people who seriously want to learn music. I really want to see our contribution to this part of our event grow each year. Last year we gave a grant to the Redmont School and one other school, and we want to impact the lives of even more young people this year through Preserve Jazz Festival grants.
Q: It rained last year during the festival, and that's every organizer's nightmare. What impact did weather have on the event?
A: Obviously the rain was a factor in last year's festival, but I was very impressed with the dedication of our jazz fans in Birmingham! I met up on the road with Jeff Golub of Guitar & Saxes (one of last year's headliners) and he said the people in Birmingham, hanging in there through the weather, touched him. He just wanted to go out that night and give them his best performance. It was his first time in Birmingham, and now he can't wait to come back. That made me so proud of our folks here! In spite of the rain we still had a bigger turnout than year one. We hope it continues to build to the point where we sell out the venue every year.
One very interesting thing Jason and I have noticed from analyzing the sales data is that we have a sizable number of people outside the city in South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, a big Atlanta contingent and smaller numbers in other states that are coming to the Preserve. That means people are taking notice.