I do not go to Jazz at the Mary-Lou because I like free wine (though I do, mos def). I go not because I'm short on things to do. I go not because of the orgasmic lemon squares or palatable cheese selection. I go not because I'm secretly in love with saxophonist Andy McKee.
Nope.
Andy's on hiatus, anyway.
I go because J@ML is effing cool. It is happening, it is off the chain, it is hot, it is a weekly music-and-liquid-sweetness distribution. No matter which dialect of collegiate English you speak, this remains fact.
And all for the low, low price of-go ahead, Bob Barker, tell our audience what it rings up to... $0.00.
Being singularly uncool myself, it's therapeutic for me to be in such a cool environment. If I want the modifier "hep jazz cat" to apply to me, I'm going to have to learn a thing or two.
Things I have learned so far:
No. 1: John Brown is revered by those who know him, but for those of you who don't, the man is a genius. Yes, he's been nominated for a Grammy. Duh, he's done the whole Carnegie Hall thing. And yeah, that's really him fronting the house band every week. Ooh, ahh.
No. 2: Duke has some talented kids-and not just talented at turning grant money into all-expenses-paid vacations and 10-page papers. Because the original premise of J@ML was to have humble music students jamming alongside jazz greats, there's an impressive up-and-comer turnout. UNC music students, N.C. State music students, N.C. Central music students and unaffiliated Triangle residents make the weekly pilgrimage to jam. So come catch the next big names in Carolina jazz before they truck off to Lincoln Center.
No. 3: Dim lighting makes you look instantly hotter. Who needs make-up in the dark? And when you're hot, you feel cool. And when you're cool, you pick up hot chicks/dudes.
Moral of the story? Just go.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.