TGR: Final Jazzy Summer Nights: The End of an Era
(BALTIMORE – August 31, 2009) – Now what? Odell’s is no more. Michael Jackson’s gone. Bernie Mac’s gone. And Levert. I’m so tired of funerals.
Now? Now? Another one: The end of Jazzy Summer Nights. I can only wonder how many people ended up married because of the incredible East Coast entertainment institution that attracted folks from up and down started by none other than LaRian Finney, CEO of Visionary Marketing Group. (Thanks, LaRian!)
It was the thing so many of us looked forward to, waited for with incredible anticipation like a child on Christmas Eve. In a majority black city where the establishment targets young black males at the Inner Harbor when they look “gang-related”, this event put our stamp on downtown ... kind’a like the City Fair used to be. No foolishness. No guffs. No beefs. Just love … and happiness … and sometimes a little go-go.
And now, now – this icon of an event that blessed the first Thursday of the warmer months in Baltimore is coming to a halt like the knockers doing a frisk on Pennsylvania Avenue in the middle of rush hour traffic.
It just ain’t right! The end of an era is upon us.
The food – especially Jimmy Britton’s, the crowd – folks with their FlyWire gear on, the camaraderie, the warm-hearted rapport between homies and honeys is all about to end. What’s a cat to do now?
Chuck Brown. Raheem DeVaughn. And we better not forget the soothing, healing sounds and rhythms of Fertile Ground, Finney’s baby.
I don’t know about you, but I’m sure planning on being at the last shindig of the millennium this Thursday from 6 to 10 down at Hopkins Plaza.
After all, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Encore! Encore! Encore!
What does the great one have to say about a decade of providing the finest in LIVE! entertainment to his hometown?
Finney said, “It’s been ten years and somebody else has got to pick up the torch. I want folks to understand that this is – and has always been our giveback to the city. And it’s never been about money. This wasn’t a profit-oriented event."
He added, "Instead, it was about providing a quality event that was respectful of African Americans, in general, and in the city as a whole. We are very fortunate to have had ten great years. Raheem DeVaughn, Kindred Family Soul, Bilal, Julie Dexter – the artists who have come through this venue are just mind-blowing. People have come from as far north as Phillie, Jersey, New York – as far south as Richmond, Fredericksburg … that’s a two to three hour hump. People came and ended up starting their weekend here. I don’t take it lightly. I just believe in going out on top like Jim Brown when he retired at the age of 29.”
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