Plan for the night

The weather in Philly today is pretty grim- dark, rainy, and windy. Yuck.  I had intended to take a spin class at my gym after work, but right now a power nap and a nice bubble bath is sounding so much more appealing. :)

Tonight I am seeing Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey perform at the Tritone.  I'm excited for two very specific reasons.  1) The Tritone is 3 blocks away from my apartment, and 2) one of my good friends from high school is in the band!  Chris plays the lap steel for JFJO- he is incredibly talented and I know how much he loves being in this band.  In college, Rhett and I would go to venues in Norman, OK to see JFJO perform, so its pretty cool to have a friend in it now. 

This will be the second time Chris and I have met up in Philly for one of JFJO's gigs.  Three years ago, they performed in Fishtown, and I went to see him with ANOTHER good friend from high school, Ashley.  It was a Tulsa reunion!

Ashley, Chris and me

Chris was my date to my sophomore fall homecoming dance :)

I'm really excited to catch up with Chris, but also to hear Jacob Fred's latest album, The Race Riot Suite. Being from Tulsa, I instantly recognized the reference to a very dark part of the city's history, one which unfortunately is rarely talked about or taught in classrooms.

A bit about the album from the band's website:

For its 21st album, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey reaches into the dark annals of its hometown’s history and emerges with a masterwork: The Race Riot Suite.  Written, arranged and orchestrated by Chris Combs, the album is a long-form conceptual piece that tells the devastating story of the 1921 Tulsa race riot-- a real estate-driven ethnocide occurring under the guise of citizen-dispensed justice. The oil-elite, civic government and local press colluded to take advantage of a racially tense climate in Jim Crow-era Oklahoma, resulting in the death of hundreds of black Tulsans and the destruction of an entire city district.

Through jittery, propulsive rhythms and melodies, the album reflects an onlooker’s journey through the night that changed Tulsa’s landscape and nearly destroyed the country’s most thriving black community. The music is at times nostalgic, bombastic, anguished and mournful, yet ultimately a celebration of the Greenwood community and its unflinching resiliency.

All in all, it should be a fun night of friends and good music!