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East Austin music venue needs help
For several years, Harold McMillan, director of the nonprofit DiverseArts, has used an outdoor space on 1106 East Eleventh Street as a dynamic venue for the Austin Jazz and Arts Fest, the East End Summer Music Series, SoulFest and the Backyard Blues Series. Called Kenny Dorham’s Backyard, the venue — just three blocks east of Interstate 35 and right next to the historic Victory Grill — is named for the legendary jazz trumpeter and East Austinite and is just down the street from Dorham’s last home in Austin.
The bulk of DiverseArts’ live music programming honors the traditional African American music community — jazz, blues, rhythm and blues and gospel — that once anchored Austin’s East Eleventh Street.
[Donald “Duck” Jennings at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard]
But DiverseArts is having a venue-threatening money crunch. And so McMillan is launching ‘Mid-Summer World Carnival’ Friday and Saturday night to raise much-needed funds to keep Kenny Dorham’s Backyard going.
The event runs 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $5-$10 (kids under 12 free).
Friday will kick off with San Antonio’s rock-soul-funk-fusion band Sexto Sol followed by shipwrecked-carnival-gypsy-punk band WinoVino performing with the acrobatic hula dancers Red Teasers, belly dancer Salome Shockadelica and fire dancer Baruzaland. For some improvisational soul-jazz-blues there’s spoken word group word/jazz lowstars. Brazilian martial arts group Capoeira Evalucao will thrill with their daring.
Saturday it’s local favorite DrumJam, performance group and rising local hiphop star Franco B — both top-five qualifiers in FameCast.com. Also on the roster is international Spanish rock-mariachi-funk band Kalua, improv comedy troupe Austin Improv Collective and the exotic Ararat Bellydancers.
Louisiana creole-style food by Gene’s Po’Boys will be served on Friday. Saturday it’s Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food by Ararat.
Both nights will also include a kid’s corner with arts activities.
Local art vendors and retail vendors include A Jay 2 Personal Care’s body oils, Miranda Mueller’s art and caricatures, Cynthia Brown’s handmade dolls and jewelry, Sandy Lopez fine art, Myo Massage and African Visions’ tribal art imports.
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