By Kristin Satterlee
“Jazz is the Black American experience,” says Rodney Bowe, an Albuquerque upright bassist and jazz musician. “Very simply put, jazz came from us. We played it from the soul.”
According to Bowe, Albuquerque is “a great ground to get your feet wet.” Artists and listeners both benefit from jazz jams around town. Bowe, who teaches a class to prepare adult students to play in a jazz jam, says, “A jazz jam is open. It’s open to the public and, at the same time, it’s open to a novice as well as a master.”
Some of Bowe’s favorite local, regular jams include:
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- Ben Michael’s Restaurant on Tuesday nights from 7 to 10pm: 2404 Pueblo Bonito Ct NW, in Old Town
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- Kaktus Kats Blues Jam at Kaktus Brewing Co., Sundays from 2 to 5pm (check Facebook for rotating guest hosts): 471 South Hill Rd in Bernalillo
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- QBar Lounge at Hotel Albuquerque with saxophonist Alex Murzyn and pianist John Funkhouser, Fridays and Saturdays 6 to 10pm: 800 Rio Grande Blvd NW, in Old Town
Outpost Performance Space, located at 210 Yale Blvd SE, is a gem. Outpost hosts a jazz festival each summer, jazz shows throughout the year (like Diane Richardson’s Ella Fitzgerald tribute on April 18), and educational jazz programming. Check out their schedule at outpostspace.org.
For jazz in your own home, don’t miss the “All That Jazz” radio show on KUNM 89.9 FM at noon on Mondays. Listen online at kunm.org.
“You cannot be safe playing jazz because jazz is experimentation,” Bowe reminds us. “If you’re being safe in playing jazz, you’re not playing jazz.”
