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Summer Concert Series serves up diverse musical fare

By Paul Celmer
Citizen Journalist

“So what happened to all the bluegrass?”

A local couple enjoy the lazy Saturday afternoon at Lake Benson Park as they listen to Freeport Jazz play. BARRY MOORE, GCNT

Many locals were asking that question as they pondered the new schedule of the 2009 Summer Concert Series. For nearly the past decade, the series has featured primarily bluegrass music. But this year the town decided to shake things up.

Sonya Shaw, the new director of Parks and Recreation, says the town had to consider fiscal matters. In the past, PineCone, a Raleigh-based promoter of bluegrass, had provided the bands for the concerts.

“Basically with the economy in the shape it is in, we decide to bring the selection of the bands and the promotion of the events in-house to save money,” Shaw said.

The other consideration was how to better serve Garner’s growing and diverse population, Shaw said. After consulting the town board, churches, businesses and community leaders, the Parks and Recreation Department attempted to identify music that appealed to everyone.

“This year we have gospel, jazz, Southern rock and, yes, we still have bluegrass too,” Shaw said. “And I can easily see us continuing to try to offer more variety, including Latino and country as well as other types of music. ”

Shaw said the town has been receptive to the change.

“The people I have heard from have said an enthusiastic ‘Thank you’ for offering something different.”

Shaw hopes that Garner can continue to offer a variety of music as part of the town’s long-term goals of serving a growing, multiethnic community. The Parks and Recreation Department supports the Music on Main concert series held by the Garner Revitalization Association; Shaw hopes that Garner will one day have a street festival that combines music, crafts and art.

Lazy Saturday

The Saturday, June 20 show, the second of this year’s series at Lake Benson, demonstrated the results of the department’s efforts to offer diversity.

The band that played was Freeport, a four-man jazz ensemble out of Winston-Salem. In the audience were young couples as well as families, toting coolers, umbrellas and sun visors. Kids played on swings while adults sprawled out on blankets and lawn chairs. An impromptu soccer game even broke out.

And despite the searing heat, a good, diverse crowd of about 200 to 300 people turned out, although many decided to lounge in the shade near the playground rather than sit in front of the band.

Freeport seemed ideally suited to the goals of attracting a diverse audience. They played a mix of jazz styles, including smooth jazz and R&B.

“We really try to play music for all people,” said Scott Marvill, the band’s leader. This versatility was proven on tunes like “Tequila,” which the band easily morphed into a highly percussive version of the “Charlie Brown” theme song, much to the crowd’s delight.

The band’s blend of mellow yet up-tempo grooves was best shown in “After the Rain,” a tune from their latest CD. The song began with a grazing of mystical chimes to set a contemplative mood. The clean melodies from Steve Thornton on sax then led the audience down the back alleys of the mind where all is calm and cool, while Malik Graham on keyboards opened up breezy meadows. Herman Sanders on drums and Marvill on bass kept things moving in the right direction.

“We don’t have a set playlist like some bands, so we can adapt to what the crowd wants,” Marvill said.

All in all, Freeport’s performance was the perfect way to stay cool on a hot, lazy Saturday evening.

While the vast lawns of Lake Benson Park could have accommodated more people if the weather weren’t so hot, the concert certainly seemed to fulfill the town’s goal of entertaining a broad sampling of its residents.

With a good mix of solid, professional entertainment like Freeport, the Summer Concert Series is sure to grow in popularity.

The next Summer Concert Series show will feature the Grass Cats, July 18 at Lake Benson Park. Admission is free. For more information, visit the Garner Parks and Recreation Web page about the program.

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