May 29, 2007
Hamiett Bluiett at Ivory Perry Park
I believe it was in the winter of 2005 that I had my mind blown at Mad Art while watching Hamiett Bluiett play alto sax. I have the flyer still, but it's buried in my filing cabinet. Doesn't matter, because the sentiment is the same. I always have my eyes open for Bluiett gigs, so I was pleased as all get-out to see that he's opening the Ivory Perry Park Concert Series on June 24 (bear with me, this is a while off, but this is how excited I am about it). I know about three or four Canadians who would beat me about the head and shoulders if they knew that St. Louisians had the chance to grab a cooler and lawn chair and see this man play in the park, for free. If I knew any Europeans they would probably beat me about the head and shoulders too. The show starts at 6pm, and for those who aren't familiar with Ivory Perry Park, it's located at 800 Belt. They have some other swell concerts lined up, including a jazz interpretation of Porgy & Bess as a cap-off to a production of that show, a collaboration between Black Rep & Union Avenue Opera, in mid-summer. For all the details on the series, you can hop on over to Union Avenue Christian Church's website.