Michael Donnella remembers, as he grew up in Chicago, his grandmother playing bebop on the record player.
“Michael, get up and dance!” she would say.
The early exposure to jazz and classical music meant Michael soaked up the art form, even if he was more of a fan of pop or R&B music as a child.
“Jazz is in my blood,” he said. “I heard classical and jazz music virtually every day. It just became part of my soul.”
While Michael’s not a musician himself, his artistic side is expressed through his photography. His day job is as the corporate compliance officer for Murphy Oil (and he says he’s heard just about every joke under the sun about a lawyer in charge of ethics). Since coming to El Dorado almost eight years ago, he’s become involved in the local arts scene, serving on the Murphy Arts District board and as the president of the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Before coming to Arkansas, Michael worked in Philadelphia, and there was able to experience a wide variety of impressive jazz performances in famous venues. After taking a break from the live music scene for a bit as he started a family, he visited Zanizbar Blue in Philly, a notable jazz club in the Bellevue Hotel.
“As I sat there, having a great time, I heard this saxophone, and it virtually lifted me out of my seat,” he said. “I’m sitting there, saying ‘Wow, I haven’t heard this before.’”
Michael went up to the band after the concert and discovered the saxophone he had been listening to was Lynn Riley.
“I thought, how have I never heard that sound before?” he said. “Some people laughed, some people cried, others danced. You can tell the difference between someone just playing the correct notes, even accurately in time, versus someone who is putting their soul into it and really drawing you in.”
Now, more than a decade after that first interaction, Riley is coming to El Dorado on Sept. 20 to perform at “An Evening With Jazz Masters,” starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Griffin Restaurant. The event will also feature Rubin Edwards on bass, Harry “Butch” Reed on drums and Adam Faulk on piano. Michael said he’s been working for a while to put the show together, and he’s delighted it all worked out.
“Rubin is magnificent: he can command the stage by himself; Butch can as well,” he said. “I’ve seen him play with all kinds of magnificent people, and a lot of these people have moved on. So this is now our connection to the past and the future of jazz. Adam Faulk is a brilliant pianist, and they’re going to perform one of his original compositions.”
Michael they’re all incredibly fluent in jazz, a truly American art form, but have also been influenced by sounds from South America, Asia and around the world.
“They’re all veteran musicians who have played all over the world and the U.S.,” Michael said. “They put their hearts and souls into what they do. It will inspire people. It will comfort people who want to hear things they’re familiar with, but they’ll be playing some original music as well.”
Michael noted that some people consider jazz to be serious music, but he contends that it can be fun and frivolous (like the bebop his grandmother played), it can be uplifting, and it can be serious.
“This is going to be a great night of music and life,” he said. “I know people are going to appreciate being able to dress up, go out and have a good time.”
Tickets for the event may be purchased online at www.eldomad.com, by phone at the MAD box office 870-444-3007 or in person at 101 East Locust Street in El Dorado. For more details visit www.eldomad.com.