Tuesday night, the Tennessee Theatre hosted the Kenneth Brown Quintet as they played both a mix of familiar jazz tunes as well as original pieces from the group. This included jazz standards from their upcoming album, “Love People”.
While the pandemic has seized in-person performances, the Tennessee Theatre continues to host live performances with its “Ghostlight” series. According to the Tennessee Theatre, the ghostlight is when a theatre is empty, a single gaslight is lit on stage until visitors come and take their seats.
Since this is impossible right now during the pandemic, the Tennessee Theatre opts to keep the ghostlight burning while also providing live performances for people at home to watch.
This month, the Tennessee Theatre began its second season of performances as it livestreams these performances online. While these performances are free, patrons can donate during the stream where the donation is split amongst the Tennessee Theatre and the performers.
Kenneth Brown is a drummer, educator and musical instructor native to Knoxville. The son of Donald Brown, a three-time Grammy nominated music producer, Brown grew up in a musical family. From there, he was exposed to a variety of musical types that would also form his musical career. This would include genres like jazz, R&B, blues, funk and rock.
In front of a theatre of vacant seats, the Kenneth Brown Quintet provided an evening of laid-back jazz. According to Kenneth Brown, the one who composed the album, the album “Love People” is meant to be a musical call to “love people” after dealing with the chaos and upheaval of last year.
The performance was a mix of upbeat improvisation with slower, more relaxed tunes also accompanying them. The performances from each of the five musicians were great, with some of their solos being particular standouts during the show.
It should also be noted that three of the five musicians playing had masks on during the performance. The other two did not because they played wind instruments like the trumpet.
The quality of the stream was also well done, providing multiple camera shots. The scene provided felt dynamic, also like you were watching a professional recording of a performance rather than a livestreamed performance. Also, the stream had only a few freezes, but nothing unexpected. Overall, the quality of the stream was excellent and provided a great way to view these live performances.
The Ghostlight series provides a quality experience to watch and listen to a live performance while also staying safe during a pandemic. The stream quality is top notch and, with the asking price of zero dollars, there really isn’t a better way to spend a Wednesday evening.
However, as the Tennessee Theatre pointed out at the end of the performance, many like the Kenneth Brown Quintet have lost a source of revenue from their live performances. Many musicians are struggling to keep up a living during a time when live performances are difficult to host safely.
Because of this, the Tennessee Theatre has also set up a donation page on their Ghostlight series to not only provide support for themselves, but also performers on the Ghostlight series.
