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By FRANK BRUNI
Distinguished jazz musicians will visit Carolina's
campus on Sunday, Sept. 19, under the banner of
"Jazz for the Fun of It."
The second annual Carolina Jazz Festival, spon
sored by the Carolina Union, offers an entire afternoon
of jazz performed by some 30 of the area's leading
musicians. The free program will run from 2 to 6 p.m.
in the Pit. Headlining the jazz jam are keyboardist
"Brother Yusuf" Salim, vocalist and guitarist Bus
Brown, and steel drum percussionist Mickey Mills. All
three boast impressive experience as professional mu
sicians and have made Durham and the Triangle Area
the base for their musical endeavors.
Other performers joining Yusuf, Brown and Mills
for Sunday's program are the Wilmington Three, a
jazz ensemble showcasing the talents of alto saxo
phonist Rod Thomas, Jr.; The Moon Brothers, a group
featuring the sounds of reed instruments and fleshing
out the vocals of Duke divinity student Connie Prince;
Ray Codrington, a trumpet player who resides in Fay
etteville; Al Doctor, a Greensboro based tenor saxo
phonist; Earl "Goldfinger" Wilson, an acoustic guitarist
who left his native Baltimore to make a home in Ra
leigh; and Miguel Pomier, a percussionist originally
from Cuba. All of the performers, with the exception
of Pomier, appeared on campus last year for the first
incarnation of this jazz jam.
These musicians will bring with them various back
up players and will each play for approximately 30
minutes. The structure and schedule of the program is
flexible, said concert coordinator Larry Thomas.
Larry Thomas, a WDBS disc jockey, rs one of the
principal organizers of musical events connected
with the Triangle Jazz Forum, a group of North Caro
lina jazz musician and fans who are concerned with
spreading the magic of jazz throughout the state. Mu
sicians like Yusuf, Brown, and Mills would like to
make Durham the center of jazz for North Carolina.
Thomas sees no reason why this is not possible. He
notes the large population of college students in the
Triangle Area is conducive for jazz.
If the impressive lineup of jazz musicians for Sun
day's program is any indication of the Triangle Jazz
Forum's progress thus far, this group of jazz connois
seurs is taking successful strides toward accomplishing
their purpose. At the core of this success lie the efforts
of Sunday's three most renowned musicians Brother
Yusuf Salim, Bus Brown, and Mickey Mills.
Salim. originally from Baltimore, started the jazz
renaissance in North Carolina when he moved to
Durham In 1974. By that time, the professional career
he had begun at age 17 included work with such jazz
greats as Charlie Parker, Sammy Davis Jr., and Johnny
Mathis. His Carolina career, and the tremendous
growth of area jazz which ensued, took off when
WUNC-TV aired the jazz music series Yusuf and
Friends.
Bus Brown came to Durham to collaborate with
Salim on that series then decided to stay. Like Salim,
the septogenarian has played guitar with many jazz
greats, including Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk,
and Charlie Parker. He also knew Biilie Holiday well,
and claims the Diana Ross film of Holiday's life, Lady
Sings the Blues, derived its title from a composition of
his own.
Brown's concern for the growth of jazz and its ap
preciation has inspired his efforts to create both a
workshop for young talent through the Sallam Cultu
ral Center and a booking agency for jazz talents in
Durham.
On Sunday, Brown will perform with singer Frankie
Alexander, an alumnus of Chapel Hill and a radio an
nouncer for WDBS radio.
See JAZZ on page 5
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Drumming it up at Jazz Festival