Crook heats up the Fort Smith Jazz Festival

 

story and photos by Joel Rafkin
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Question: Which was hotter, the music or the weather? That’s a tough one to answer but judging by the crowd, or the lack thereof, the weather was the winner Saturday afternoon at Ross Pendergraft Park for the Fort Smith Jazz Festival.

The annual event is sponsored by The City Wire, Arvest Bank, Kirkham Systems, Halliburton, Frost Oil Co., Kevin Minks (Shield of Shelter), Classic Cleaners and Arkoma Services.

Those who did brave the century-mark temperatures were treated to the sounds of the Northside High School Jazz Band at 3 p.m.. A local group, After 5, snuck in an unscheduled performance at 4 p.m. and was followed by the Don Bailey Jazz Combo. The lineup continued with Scott McQuade, who performed at last year’s festival; Tommy Crook and the last act of the evening, The Pidgin Band from Norman, Okla.

Crook teamed up with long-time friend Jim Bates on bass and wowed the crowd that steadily increased as temperatures decreased. Crook put a unique jazz twist on songs familiar to most people. The mark of genius possessed by Crook was evident in his effortless playing of complicated passages and impeccable timing.

A Cort 6-string guitar donated by Southtown music was presented to raffle winner Steve Heinrichs prior to the last act. The raffle was done differently this year. Instead of selling tickets, every $15 t-shirt purchased included a raffle entry. Guitar picks with the Fort Smith Jazz Festival logo were also available for $1 each.

Pidgin took the stage at 9 p.m. and shook things up a bit with a blend of fusion jazz. The 9-person group blends fuzz funk, psychedelia and jazz into what they call "sonic Pidgin language."

Cara’s Mobile Kitchen was onsite selling tacos, nachos, BBQ sandwiches, watermelon, ice cream, popsicles and lemonade. The festival coincided with the start of the farmer’s market season which is held downtown every Saturday morning and will feature omelets from Cara’s using locally grown produce and eggs.