Patrick McCurry Quartet To Perform Jazz at Museum (12/2013)

Me. Photo by Lesley Foote.

On Sunday, December 15, at 2:00 PM I'll be bringing my quartet to the new Sunday programming effort at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Joining me will be Taylor Pierce on guitar, Sidney Simmons on bass and David Zuwiyya on drums. We'll be doing an hour-or-so concert in the museum's Martin-Perricone Auditorium. Admission is free. Here is a link to the Eventbrite page for the concert. The Sunday programs at the museum have actually been pretty well attended lately, so if you're going, click that Eventbrite link to reserve a seat.

Three days before, on December 12, Taylor and I will play without Sidney and David for the museum's Thursday after-hours activities (event page). For that, we'll be out in the lobby area playing for the café diners and other visitors. The food at the Museum Café is comforting, delicious and surprisingly affordable for the quality.

Jazz's definition is pretty hotly contested among people who care, which is not really a lot of people. But for me, it means improvisation, personal expression through composing and arranging, and groove, all with an ear to the gumbo of musical traditions that have developed since the early 20th century. Jazz is an art form and also a dance music. And since people figured out that it is, in fact, art, it has become something equally appropriate, and as such equally awkward, in the club as in the concert hall.

What I bring to the table promises to continue that awkwardness, and I hope appropriateness. I'm developing a book of works with music that crosses over and borrows from other genres. There is one piece I've marked "psychedelic gospel rock" and another "country jazz waltz," and we're figuring out how to bring it all together with the perspective of the jazz musicians in this community.

On April 23 of this year, we performed at The Gnu's Room when it was still in Auburn. Below is a recording from that date of the first performance of my piece, "Two Live Oaks." It is dedicated to the Toomer's Oaks that were cut down earlier that day. Personnel on the recording is the same as the upcoming December 15 concert except that Patrick Bruce played guitar.


When you come, expect jazz standards for sure, especially on Thursday. Also know that, especially on Sunday, we'll be bringing new music to the table, born and nurtured here on the plains and informed by our collective culture.