A-Town Get Down brings in Andrae Murchison
Photo courtesy of A-Town Get Down’s Facebook Page
Written by Emilie Kefalas
Savannah will be feeling the music this weekend at the sixth annual A-Town Get Down Music Festival which promises 12 hours, 25 musical performers and “infinite inspiration” according to the event’s website. The festival will take place Saturday, Feb. 27, with nonstop music and performances happening from 12 p.m. through midnight at the Charles Morris Center on 10 East Broad St.
Every year, A-Town Get Down, Inc. strives to inspire potential artists through various forms of creative expression. In addition to musical guests and performances, the festival will include free activities for families from noon to 5 p.m.
Nationally acclaimed trombonist Andrae Murchison will be one of the 25 performers playing the festival Saturday. Murchison is a native of Savannah, and this weekend will mark his premier performance in the festival.
Murchison got involved with the A-Town Music Festival with the help of Margo Parks, whom he met while working at Kaleidoscope Sound, a recording studio she books in New Jersey, Murchison said.
“When I told her I’m from Savannah, she told me about the festival and invited to play it this year,” Murchison said. “I’m honored.”
The musician hopes his inaugural performance at the festival will be the first of many more performances at the place he calls home.
“I’m looking forward to performing for the home crowd: my family, friends, teachers/mentors, school mates and anyone who has taken part in my development,” Murchison said. “It’s a very special gig for me because this is my first time playing home with my own band and playing some original music.”
Murchison says his style is rooted in the soul of gospel music, and he enjoys playing spirituals and preserving the music of his ancestry, Murchison said.
“My vision is to mix my gospel roots with my two favorite genres, jazz and reggae.”
Murchison’s third and newest album, “Return Home,” is a continuation of his first two projects, “Morning Time” and “In the Spirit.”
“It’s a gospel experience from a soul, jazz, reggae perspective,” Murchison said. “I’m also working on a new ska big band project in NYC, as a composer, arranger and trombonist. It’s all a work in progress. I’m always writing and preparing for new projects.”
A versatile trombonist, Murchison says he plays his music directly from his heart and soul. According to him, he composes and arranges songs about his life with influences from family, love and spiritual impact.
“I tend to play very bluesy, and when I play my horn, speaking with a sweet tone is key to me. Some of my innovators are J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller, John Coltrane, Otis Redding, and Bob Marley.”
For Murchison, the greatest thing music can do is save lives and heal the world.
“It’s the universal language that unites mankind and brings us all together. It can bring peace, love and unity.”
The two things Murchison wants his audiences to leave with after his show are good vibrations and uplifted spirits.
“I want folks to take home some joy, peace of mind, and some soul food for the spirit,” Murchison said.
“The music I’m going to perform this weekend will reflect black history and the current time. The band is going to be grooving hard. We have Delbert Felix on bass, Eric Jones on piano and John Lumpkin on drums.”
Murchison and his band will play original compositions along with tributes to some of the artists who impacted his career such as Duke Ellington, Curtis Fuller and The Skatalites.
“I would like to say to the students to come witness some music you can’t learn in school,” Murchison said. “To the community, I would like to say come witness an original freedom sound of Savannah, Georgia. I’m blessed to play music around the world as a sideman, but this weekend will be a special return home as a leader thanks to Margo Parks and the A-Town Get Down.”
Murchison will perform this Saturday Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in the patio tent at the Charles Morris Center.
