The Magic Hour with Marshall Isseks

Sunday, December 27th

‘The Magic Hour’

with The Marshall Isseks Quartet

Jazz is the music of amen; of yes, yes, yes; of I hear you!, of That’s what I’m talking about!, of Let’s get to the grits, of I know a place better than this, of All right now! It began in a revolutionary way and has remained revolutionary. The very idea is still astounding. A team of musicians, with very little repetition, can create something right on the spot. Fresh. Pull it out of the air, polishing it as it arrives. Jazz is also the music of hope because it proves that we can count on the human being, we can trust in our collaborators to make the best decision right now and in almost every tomorrow.

–Stanley Crouch, liner notes to Wynton Marsalis’ The Magic Hour.

‘The Magic Hour ‘with Marshall Isseks at The Velvet Note encapsulates this feeling of jazz, of freedom, in its lively and soulful format. Like a child attempting to cram all of the possible happiness into those last minutes before they’re ordered to go to sleep, The Magic Hour begins as a journey into the imagination. It strives, despite or perhaps because of its title, to create an atmosphere away from the strict, literal temporality of the mundane and into the familiar, yet elusive, warmth of swing’s “sweet taste of time.” Destinations along the way include the four major motions in jazz: 4/4 swing, the blues, afro-cuban/latin, and the ballad.

And jazz means we can improvise with individuality and empathy, that we can be ourselves while paying attention to others and by counting on them. We can play. In our playing we can prove that the ultimate human solution is always some kind of elevated creation. So jazz challenges what we mean in an era so dominated by special effects because jazz musicians understand that, when all the hot air of talking is done, the truest special effect in the arts is always the human being. It is this connection to the music and what it stands for that the Magic Hour approaches. Saxophonist Marshall Isseks, one of the bright, young musicians on the Atlanta scene today, brings his fiercely intelligent, engaging sound and philosophical perspective to the Velvet Note for an “hour” not to be missed. Performing with Mr. Isseks is Emmanuel Smith on piano, Ramon Pooser on bass, and Jack Jones on drums.  

Showtimes: 7:00pm and 9:00pm.       Admission:  $22.

FIRST SHOW IS SOLD OUT!!  PURCHASE 9:00PM SEATS BELOW.