Jazz Under the Stars presents The Man with the Golden Arm at the Nickelodeon For the past six years the Skipp Pearson Jazz Foundation has filled the Statehouse lawn with topnotch jazz tunes for Jazz Under the Stars. In its first year the event brought in about 175 people who camped out on blankets and lawn chairs to hear the music. This past year, 3,700 people showed up over the course of two nights mak- ing it one of the most popular free events in Columbia.

“It was important to me to find a medium of trying to give back,” Skipp “Pops” Pearson said. “Having a free concert brings people from all walks of life into a setting where it doesn’t cost them anything. They can bring their coolers and their lawn chairs and sit out and enjoy listening to good musicians from across the map.”

However, this year the foundation is struggling to meet their financial goals to put on Jazz Under the Stars, which is actually a weeklong series of events that begins May 23.

Skipp Pearson Shirley Martin minces no words when pointing out that the foundation has fully funded the event each year without support from the City of Columbia or Richland County.

This year’s shortfall is around $3,000 which would not only help pay for the bandstand and sound equipment for the Statehouse but also for other smaller events during the week such as a

showing of the film The

Man with the Golden Arm

at the Nickelodeon. It is the 50th anniversary of the film starring Frank Sinatra as a musician dealing with drug addiction. The foundation had scheduled a screening of the film in order to jump start a discussion of the rampant problem of substance abuse among young musicians.

“It’s something that adults should see and discuss so that we could help our young people in the profession” Martin said. “It’s one of those times that I hope different segments of the community will come out and share with each other.”

The theme for this year’s Jazz Under the Stars is The Ar t of Bebop—a subgenre of jazz developed in the early to mid–1940s that featured the musical talents of stars like John Coltrane and Dizzy Gille- spie. Guest artists for the Fr iday and Saturday evening 7 p.m. free concerts are saxophonist Wade Dean and his jazz ensemble. A native of Orangeburg, Dean graduated from USC with a bachelor’s degree in music education. Currently, he is a jazz combo director in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Music and performs with his band The Wade Dean Enspiraday tion.

Other events during the week include Coffeetime Jazz and Listening Monday and Tuesday evening at the Starbucks on Gervais Street, a Jam Session and Spoken Word event on Wednesday evening, and a performance by Pearson at the Hunter Gatherer on Thursday at 9 p.m. Free swing dance lessons are offered at 6 p.m. prior to the Fri- and Saturday performances.

Mar tin is emphatic that the free concerts will take place no matter what but hopes that companies or individuals will come forward to help fund the remaining events.

“One of the things that have happened in not just our state but all states that are struggling is they forget the arts are a human service, a service that allows people to continue to function during hard economic times,” Martin said. “If we can’t see that in Columbia, we are going to have a difficult time as we move forward while we are waiting for the economy to get better.”

For more detailed information about Jazz Under the Stars or to learn more about the Skipp Pearson Jazz Foundation visit www.skpfoundation. org.