New group is bringing jazz to Aiken

Pat Kirk becomes nostalgic as she recalls nights at Gaslight Square, an entertainment district in St. Louis she frequented in the 1960s.

Beatnik poets wore black turtlenecks, and the hip sounds of jazz filled the air, said Mrs. Kirk, a jazz fan who is trying to kindle interest in the music in Aiken.

Her youthful fascination with the art form stuck with her over the years, she said, so she and a handful of others have formed the Aiken Jazz Society.

The organization, which is only months old, will hold its inaugural Aiken Jazz Festival on May 19-20 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.

The group is emphasizing the more soothing sounds of jazz greats such as Dave Brubeck, as opposed to the far-out ways the music can be played, Mrs. Kirk said. She describes their type of jazz as "decent, romantic" rhythms.

Though Aiken is hardly a jazz hotbed, the city has felt the music's presence in recent months. Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis played last year at the University of South Carolina Aiken, and the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra performed at the Washington Center in March.

Karen Gordon, the music director at Second Baptist Church of Aiken, also is a founding member of the jazz society. The former Augusta resident is the sister of jazz trombonist and educator Wycliffe Gordon.

Ms. Gordon is confident Aiken will welcome jazz.

"I think people will come," she said.

Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.

ALL THAT JAZZ

Aiken Jazz Society will hold its inaugural Aiken Jazz Festival at 8 p.m. May 19-20 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets are $25 and can be bought at the center's box office or by calling (803) 648-1438.