Music at the Soul Kitchen

Music is one of my passions in life, especially live music. I truly enjoy watching talented musicians and singers practice the craft they love. So last week when I learned that The Rebirth Brass Band was appearing at the Soul Kitchen I decided it was time to finally check out this popular music venue.


Located in downtown Mobile at 219 Dauphin Street, the Soul Kitchen has a reputation for booking great bands and I must say that Rebirth Brass Band was awesome! This group's music has the feel of a New Orleans second line band with a dash of jazz, funk, and hip hop added for fun. The music was great and the crowd had a great time. There was a genuine Mardi Gras feel to the night.

That being said, Soul Kitchen is in a building that once housed Woolworth's and I'm willing to bet that the place hasn't been cleaned since Woolworth's occupied the building. This place is a filthy dump. I've seen some nasty bathrooms at convenience stores and gas stations but the Soul Kitchen takes top honors for disgusting bathrooms. My daughter asked for an ashtray and was told to throw her cigarette butts on the floor. The employee actually said "that's why we pay a guy to sweep up." Looking around I would guess that the "sweep up guy" doesn't come very often.

The beer is cold and the bartenders are talented and friendly. All of the staff was very affable. There are two stage areas in the club, a large stage and bar in the back part of the building for big crowds and a smaller more intimate bar and stage at the front. Neither area provides tables or chairs so wear comfortable shoes because you'll be standing all night. Rebirth Brass Band played on the front stage, I assume because the audience was only about 100 people. I didn't mind standing since my daughter forewarned me to wear flat shoes, but really, if I shell out $15 for a ticket and another $2 for a membership card I think I should have the option of sitting if I want to.



The bands don't start at Soul Kitchen until very late. The doors opened at 9:00 but the band didn't begin until 11:30. We made the mistake of showing up at 9:00 and had to sit through an hour long sound check with the first band. This is a major annoyance of mine. I think sound checks should be done before opening, not in front of the audience. The opening band was the Revitalists from New Orleans and their music sounded good but I couldn't understand any of the lyrics because the sound was turned up too loud. Everything was distorted beyond recognition. In fact, when we left at the end of the night my hearing was severely impaired. It didn't return to normal until noon the next day. Apparently this is the normal volume level because the bar staff all wear ear plugs. The management needs to learn that louder does not equal better, it just equals louder.

Lest anyone think my poor review of the Soul Kitchen is a by product of my advanced age let me point out that I spoke to many, many people that night who were my daughter's age (early 20's) and they had the same complaints I am voicing now. The fact that this age group continues to return to the club, in spite of their complaints, shows they're more forgiving than I am. I have no problem with dive bars and this place has all the makings of a great dive bar. Just clean it up!

Catt's Brown Bag Concert Series

The 92 ZEW radio station offers a series of concerts in the park every fall. The series, dubbed "The Brown Bag Concerts", occurs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of each week from 11:30 to 1:30. A different local artist(s) performs live in the park. There are a variety of music genres offered which reflects the eclectic format of the radio station. Wednesdays concerts are held in Bienville square in downtown Mobile, Thursdays are performed in May Day Park in historic Daphne, and Fridays are located in front of Faulkner State in Fairhope (at the corner of Bancroft and Fairhope Ave).

With the weather cooling off it was a real treat for me to take my lunch down to May Day Park and listen to Jimmy Robinson play his acoustic 12 string guitar. Mr. Robinson played a variety of instrumental pieces and sang a few songs as well. My co-worker and I enjoyed his talent. There are picnic benches and grills near the playground area if you want indulge in a cookout or picnic. The amphitheater area where the performance is located is down the hill from the playground which helps prevent the sounds of small children squealing on the swings from drowning out the music. Many attendees brought their own folding chairs. The afternoon was sunny but the concert area is shaded by enormous oak trees so no need for sun screen. There was a lovely tiny breeze blowing and a gorgeous view of Mobile Bay in the background. In short, it was a great way to have lunch and take a break from the work day.

May Day Park also features a fishing pier, boat ramp, rest rooms and a board walk. There's a small sandy beach that is very popular with kids. I have taken my grandson down there and he has a wonderful time wading in the water. A quick note about playing in the water here. First, it gets deep quickly so make sure you stay close to small children. I wouldn't let mine get more than six feet from the shore line. I also discovered, while doing research for this post, that there have been warnings issued stating that the bacteria levels in the area were too high to go swimming. The warnings were for brief periods of time but I will admit that we may not use this as a swimming hole in the future.

The concert series runs from Sept. 2 through Oct. 30 so there are only a few weeks left to enjoy it. Winter will be here before we know it and our warm weather will be gone. If you work close to any of the three parks or you are lucky enough to be off during the week, gather up some co-workers and plan a quick lunch in the park. It's a great solution to the work week blues.

Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Fesitival

Did you know Mobile has a Jazz Festival every year? I didn't and no one I work with did either. But we do and it's in its 11th year. The Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival is a series of events that occur over four days every summer. It kicked off Thursday night with a celebration of the spoken word. An Evening of Poetry was hosted by Theola Bright at the Museum of Mobile. It included readings by local writers and a Poetry Slam. Admission was free.

Friday morning was the Jazz Music Workshop which was opened to musicians of all ages and levels of training. Quoting the festival's brochure:

"The workshop will introduce music lovers of any age to rudimentary jazz in a casual atmosphere and by using a variety of formats. Participants need not have any musical background nor does a participant need to be proficient on any musical instrument.. Participants do not need to be able to read music in order to participate in the workshop. Participation is the word. The workshop is not a spectator event."

I wish this information had been on the web site. Although I don't currently play any instruments, I do have a music background so I would have liked to attend. I of course assumed it was for more serious musicians. Next year I will be there. Clinics were taught by Art Sherrod, Jr., Shane Philen and Clifton Thomas, Jr. Again the cost of this event was free. If you're a musician that missed out on Friday morning you're probably kicking yourself. A free clinic taught by musicians with this level of experience just doesn't come along very often.

Last night was the main event - Jazz in Bienville Square. You've probably guessed by now that admission was free. The event was moved from the Square to Club 351 because of the rain and even though it took place in a club folks brought their kids. There was alcohol at the event but it was still very family friendly. I was looking forward to an evening of jazz under the stars but I have to admit there were a lot of advantages to moving indoors. Things like chairs, air conditioning, real bathrooms as well as the noticeable lack of mosquitoes. My only complaint would be that it was noisy. This year's theme was An Evening of Sax and was hosted by Kevin Lee, President of the Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed also known as MOJO. If you weren't at Club 351 I am very, very sad for you because you missed an awesome music event.

The evening began at 4:30 with the Sharon Woodruff Ensemble. I am sorry to say we missed this act because we weren't aware that the concert had moved it's location. Consequently we arrived late. The festival's website description of Ms. Woodruff says that,

"Sharon has established herself as an outstanding vocalist, psalmist, musician, actress, recording artist and composer-arranger by performing at numerous events and concerts. Even at an early age, Sharon's phenomenal, mesmerizing, unique, soulful vocal skills have been compared to an angelic mixture of some of the greatest female artist of the world, such as, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holliday, Mahalia Jackson, and the Divine Sarah Vaughn."

Next up was Rebecca Barry, a.k.a. D'eva D'luxe. Rebecca grew up in Fairhope and studied sax in New Orleans with Ellis Marsalis and sax guru Ed Petersen. Her sound is described as having a "jazzy, funky, rocking, r&b flavor" and I believe that description is spot on. Ms. Barry plays in venues all over the Gulf Coast so I look forward to hearing her again either in Mobile or New Orleans.

Rebecca Barry and her band "Bust" were followed by Shane Philen and his quartet. Mr. Philen is a professional saxophonist who works as a performer, instructor, band leader and arranger. According to his website he has recorded numerous projects for Integrity Media, Inc. and has performed and/or recorded with Louis Bellson, Big Daddy Weave, The Coasters, Travis Cottrell, Darrell Evans, Ken Folberg Big Band, 4Him, Group 1 Crew, King Pelican, Mandisa, the Moscow Sax Quintet, Aaja Nachle, New Song, Sharmane Adams, Bob Shultz Big Band, The Temptations, TRUTH, Veggie Tales, Ayiesha Woods and various local artists and ensembles.

The headliner of the evening was Art Sherrod Jr. Art is an incredible saxophonist. His music is the kind of sultry, sexy sound that makes us women swoon. He is a native of Texas and now lives in the Baltimore area. He has co-headlined shows with Natalie Cole, Angie Stone, Will Downing, Marion Meadows, Norman Connors, Najee and Roy Ayres. He's even played at the White House. His first CD "All 4 Love" was a huge success and his new CD "Seasons" is currently available for purchase or download at his web site.

The festival ends tonight at 6:30 with a Jazz Jam Session at the Gulf City Lodge at 601 State Street. Admission is $7.00 to the general public or free to any musicians who want to participate. This is your last chance to get in on this event until next year so plan to be there.

By the way, the "Fest" has a different poster every year and they're all fabulous. The artist behind this year's poster is Brian Brown a tattooist and artist. I believe they were selling copies at the performance last night but I forgot to check on the price. I've checked the website to see if there was a way to order one on-line but didn't see anything. You can probably contact the hosts through the site if your interested in making a purchase.

So, now that you know that Mobile has a Jazz Festival put the link for it in your favorites and mark your calender so that you don't miss a single moment next year.