You may not think of Knoxville, Tennessee as a real bright spot on the jazz scene map, but as it turns out… there is some real talent walking around this city of ours, and they can put on a great show!  For the fifth year in a row, Merrill Lynch has sponsored the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra’s “Swing’n Christmas” at the Tennessee Theatre in downtown Knoxville.  Special guests this year included; Knoxville’s own, Hallerin Hilton Hill (yes, the man can sing as well as talk!), the “Celebration Choir” from the Community Evangelistic Church, and out-of-towner trombonist Ron Westray… it was an impressive line-up to go along with the already outstanding 17 piece big band.  The concert itself features jazzed up Christmas classics like “O Holy Night” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raindeer”, as well as other tunes you might not initially recognize, but that will have you bob’n your head and moving in your seat. 
    Something about the group that always impresses me is not only the talent that is in the band itself, but the talent they are able to bring in as guests.  This year’s guest, Ron Westray, spent a lot of time touring with the great Winton Marsellus, and was an absolutely ridiculous player… and I’m not really a trombone fan.   Other’s who have stopped by to play with the band are people like Donald Brown, Jimmy Heath, and Stefon Harris.  Pretty neat stuff.  If you haven’t made the concert part of your family’s Christmas tradition yet, you should come out next year… and see what you’ve been missing!  The Albino Bowler says, “I dig it”.

– Dan Thompson

Tags: , , , , , ,