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"PIEDMONT
STRUT" A SMASHING SUCCESS
Bricolage
Arts Festival Showcases Artists' Country Blues/Jazz
Connections
This past
November, audiences in Mocksville and in Asheboro
experienced a unique musical performance, as
Mel Jones
and
Joe Robinson
—along with other area jazz, country blues, and
bluegrass musicians—performed an original, one-of-a-kind
program, "Piedmont Strut".
The
performance took the audience on a musical journey
through time. Through a series of musical numbers
featuring music, song, and dance, "Piedmont Strut" gave
the audience a greater appreciation of the region's
rural roots of urban jazz.
The
Musicians: "Piedmont Strut"
featured some of the area's finest performers. In
addition to Mel Jones on harmonica, vocals, and drums
and Joe Robinson on trumpet and vocals, "Piedmont Strut"
featured Danny Wicker and Don
Story on guitar, Kip Snow on
mandolin, Calvin Johnson and
Jason Foreman on bass, Bernard Wright
on piano, Michelle Bellanger on vocals
and dance, and Larry Draughn on drums.
Audience Wowed by Performance:
After the Mocksville show, one audience member was heard
to say to his wife, "We were there!" That sentiment
summed up the thoughts of a lot of audience members.
The evening was entertaining and educational, the kind
of program several audience members remarked they could
imagine seeing on UNC-TV. It was a program that begged
for a future, so that more people can enjoy and learn
from the experience.
Plans for School Program:
With that in mind, Carolina Music Ways is looking ahead
to bring "Piedmont Strut" to area school children. The
organization will be applying for grants to bring a
condensed, adapted version of the program into area
elementary schools in the upcoming years.
CMW Thanks Bricolage: CMW salutes
the Bricolage Arts Festival for granting the talented,
dynamic entertainers pictured at right the opportunity
to create and perform together. The festival enhanced
the current-day Triad arts scene by encouraging the
cross pollination of art forms and talents. This cross
pollination has been part of the region's musical
heritage for centuries, and programs like "Piedmont
Strut" serve to spotlight the area's unique, multi
cultural, and interconnected musical heritage.
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PHOTOS
by
Marshall
Tyler ©2007
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Joe Robinson
"Piedmont Strut"
Don Story
Bernard Wright
Kip Snow
Jason Foreman
Danny Wicker
Michelle Bellanger
Larry Draughn
Calvin Johnson
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