Live at Lucille’s: Great Performances from the World of Jazz

Live at Lucille’s brings the tradition of exciting and innovative PBS music programming right here to East Tennessee. Featuring local, regional and national jazz artists performing in an intimate setting, these shows are taped in front of a live audience at East Tennessee PBS’ studios near downtown Knoxville. Live at Lucille’s is a co-production of East Tennessee PBS, the Audio Production Engineering program at Pellissippi State Community College and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra.

Episode One: Bobby Broom’s Organi-sation

Watch Now
Guitarist Bobby Broom cut his teeth performing with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and Dr. John and has amassed a substantial body of work as a leader over the years. Broom formed his latest group, Organi-Sation, in 2014 at the request of Steely Dan, who then took the band on as the opening act for their “Jam a Lot Ever After” North American tour of 52 cities.  In this special performance, the trio plays music from their first CD release Soul Fingers.  Featuring Hammond organist Ben Patterson and drummer Kobie Watkins.

This production was made possible in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission

Episode Two: Kenneth Brown Quintet

Watch Now
Drummer and composer Kenneth Brown got some of his first professional experience playing with his father, pianist Donald Brown at Lucille’s jazz club in the late 1990s. He has since performed across the country and around the world as both a leader and a sideman. For this special show, Brown plays music from his latest recording 2nd Chances with an outstanding quintet that includes trumpeter Joe Gross, saxophonist William Boyd, pianist Keith Brown and bassist Darryl Hall.

Episode Three: Christian Sands Trio

Watch Now
Not yet 30, Christian Sands is one of the most in-demand pianists working in jazz. In the last few years he has toured around the world as a bandleader and appeared as a sideman on records by Christian McBride and Gregory Porter. In this special performance, Sands presents music from his latest release Facing Dragons with bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Jerome Jennings.

Episode Four: Mark Boling Trio Life

Watch Now
Guitarist Mark Boling and drummer Keith Brown have been mainstays of the jazz scene in Knoxville, TN for many years. Along with pianist Donald Brown, the pair performed every Saturday night at Lucille’s jazz club (the now-defunct establishment that inspired the concept of this series) for more than a decade. Boling and Brown serve on the jazz faculty at the University of Tennessee School of Music and are joined in this performance by the newest member of that faculty, bassist Jon Hamar.

Episode Five: Bill Frisell and Greg Tardy

Watch Now
Guitarist and composer Bill Frisell is nothing short of a living legend in the world of jazz. His career has spanned more than 40 years and has included countless awards and accolades. His musical rapport with saxophonist Greg Tardy has been well-documented. Tardy was a member of at least two of Frisell’s globe-trotting ensembles, and the pair have recorded albums together on more than one occasion. However, this show captures their first live performance as a duo.  Special thanks to the Big Ears Festival for making this episode possible.

Episode Six: Thomas Heflin/Mitch Butler Quintet

Watch Now
Trumpeter Thomas Heflin and trombonist Mitch Butler met and began playing music together in Austin, Texas more than a decade ago. The pair now reside in different parts of the country, but their musical bond remains as close as ever. They are joined by an exciting rhythm section comprised of pianist / vocalist Ariel Pocock, bassist Steve Haines and drummer Xavier Ware.

Episode Seven: Greg Tardy Trio

Watch on East Tennessee PBS: Friday, December 27, 11pm
Saxophonist Greg Tardy, bassist Sean Conly and drummer Jaimeo Brown began making music together in New York City in 2001. They have since recorded about a dozen CDs together and played many of the jazz world’s most prestigious venues. The deep musical connection that the three have formed over the years is on full display during this performance which features Tardy’s original compositions.

The Story

Long time Knoxville residents fondly remember Lucille's Jazz Club in the Old City. The club was in operation throughout the 1990s and played host to local, regional and national talent. When the club closed in 2001, East Tennessee PBS production manager Chris Smith bought the neon sign that hung in the window at the business' estate sale. He also secured the rights to the name Live at Lucille's in hopes of one day being able to create something that built on that legacy. Now some seventeen years later, his dream is becoming reality.