Free jazz concerts keep the good times rolling
Free jazz and good vibrations are flowing at North Main Street and Court Avenue.
Sunset Jazz at Court Square is hosting its second concert of the summer on Sunday, June 22. Concerts are held on the second Sunday, from May through October.
The free concert will feature jazz pianist and organist Keenan Shotwell. Shotwell was originally slated to perform on May 11, but the concert was canceled due to weather.
This is the sixth year that Sunset Jazz will be held, as it took two years off due to COVID-19.
Sunset Jazz creator Deborah Swiney, who sang with Al Green from 1992 to 1997, began the series as a set of three pop-ups in 2018.
Swiney had wanted to use the gazebo in Court Square as a concert venue for years, and she said the release of her album months prior inspired her to host the pop-up.
Deborah Swiney, the creator of Sunset Jazz, is also a jazz performer. Swiney sang backup vocals for Al Green and released her debut album, “I Remember Rio,” in 2017. (Credit: Jamie Harmon)
“When I first started ... it was just kind of like word of mouth,” Swiney said. “I’m going to guess maybe about 150 to 200 (people) showed up.”
Swiney said that after her initial pop-ups, the Downtown Memphis Commission asked her to make it an annual event.