Marshall natives Bob James and Mike Henderson took to the stage together for a final performance at the Bob James Jazz Festival Saturday night, May 18, in a historic moment that brought the two artists together on stage for the first time ever.

It was the perfect ending for a two-day festival that brought not only Henderson and James back to Marshall, but also shone a light on the promising talent of local artists.

The evening was full of surprises for those who attended the second day of the festival, held at the Harold L. Lickey Auditorium of Bueker Middle School.

The event began with a performance by Clarence Smith’s Clinic All Stars band, who, with only a few hours of practice, performed two exciting classic jazz pieces: Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Sunflower,” and George Gershwin’s “Summertime.”

“The clinic students were amazing,” said Smith, a Marshall High School graduate, who is the director of the Kansas City Youth Jazz group. “They were all willing to put themselves out there, which is a very difficult thing to do. They were open to different ideas and different teaching methods. I certainly believe it was the best clinic that we’ve had in terms of what students learned.”

Smith’s Clinic All Stars performance was followed by the Liberty Jazz band, which played big band, upbeat, traditional jazz with a hint of southern and gospel music.

Following up Liberty Jazz Band, Marshall-native D.J. Sweeney and her quartet kept the audience captivated with her slow-paced, sensual and romantic jazz tunes.

Before James took to the stage, Marshall city officials had a special surprise for him.

In a gesture that was met with an outburst of cheers, Mayor Mark Gooden read a proclamation declaring May 18 “Bob James Day” as well as renaming Mitchell Street — from Redman Avenue east to Brunswick Avenue — as “Bob James Lane.”

“The Marshall native Bob James has enriched the lives of millions of people around the world with his music,” Gooden read from the proclamation. “Mr. James grew up on Mitchell Street in Marshall and developed as a musician under the direction of Marshall’s music education icon, Harold L. Lickey; and Mr. James has generously provided funds to start a music scholarship program, thereby continuing Mr. Lickey’s legacy of nurturing young musicians; and Mr. James exemplifies Marshall’s tradition of service. The Marshall community is celebrating that tradition and honoring Mr. James’ contributions to music and to the community by hosting the third annual Bob James Jazz Festival…”

James said it was a surprise and an honor to have a street named after him and said he hoped to return to many more future jazz festivals.

“Every year it gets better and that’s what we hope for,” James said. “We are happy to be here on the third year of this festival and I am very, very honored to be back in my hometown. This is a little incredible.”

James and the D.J. Sweeney Quarter then played a few upbeat, improvised jazz songs from James’ own repertoire. The highlight of the night, however, was at the end of the concert, when James called Henderson to the stage to play the blues together in an unplanned performance.

“I need to warn you that we didn’t practice this at all,” James said. “Neither one of us has any idea of what’s coming next, but it’s going to be fun.”

And it was.

Henderson and James played a sultry, improvised rendition of the blues song, “The Highway is Like a Woman,” which kept the audience cheering for more at the end of the concert.

Unfortunately, it was the last song, and Marshall will have to wait until next year for the surprises that may come of the fourth annual Bob James Jazz Festival.

Kathy Green, vice president of the Marshall Cultural Council, which was responsible for organizing the event, said the festival couldn’t have gone better.

“This has just been a fantastic weekend,” Green said. “Everyone has been so excited about it. We’ve got wonderful comments. This is one of those things that you cannot recreate anywhere else in the world. Where else can you come and watch world renowned musicians for $25? People pay hundreds of dollars to see Bob James perform. We are so passionate about it that we hope the rest of Marshall would get behind this in the years to come.”

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