by Manuel Gonzales

What would happen if we took Fred Sanders, Earl Harvin, and Marchel Ivery, threw them into the same jazz club, turned the lights down real low, and let them play all night long?

Bliss. Smiling ivories. Grooving drums. Growling sax. The only thing that might be better is if the three of them performed with their own trios and quartets. Not just three brilliant young (and not so young) Texas jazz musicians, but 10 or 15. What then?

Well. Then, we'd have South By Southwest, is what. The first Friday night of the SXSW Festival, Leaning House Records controls the Elephant Room's main (and only) stage, bringing together the Fred Sanders Quartet, the Earl Harvin Trio, and the Marchel Ivery Trio. I suggest that rather than follow in the footsteps of every other Austinite and non-Austinite greedy for 10 seconds of this band, 15 seconds of that band, that rather than pay 50 dollars for a cab from 4th and Lavaca to 6th and Neches (back and forth, back and forth), that rather than snacking on questionable musical talent, that you sit yourself down for one night in the cool confines of the Elephant Room, grab a pint of Guinness and help yourself to a well-deserved musical feast.

Friday night's performance showcases Leaning House Records, a small, Dallas-based record label devoted to Texas Jazz which has so far released six recordings (two Marchel Ivery, two Earl Harvin, a Fred Sanders, and a Shelley Carrol) of clean, crisp, traditional, inspired jazz. None of your KennyG - sopranosax - send - in - the - clowns - smooth jazz hits, but the good stuff. Porter, Davis, Getz, Parker, Rollins, Adderly. Your heavy hitters hit by your heavy hitters. Earl's heart never skipping a beat, Fred's fingers never missing a step, and Marchel's sax lifting you off your feet. You can't go wrong with these fellas. Old school musicians, all of them, playing from a time when jazz was more than just experimental, but soulful. Filled with the blues. Broken backs and sore feet and restless minds.

So if by Friday you have grown tired of the angst-driven pulse of SXSW Rock n' Roll, if you've grown tired of ten bands in one night, tired of musical chairs and musical soundbites, tired of the too-big crowds packed into too-small space, head to the Elephant Room. That's where I'll be, drinking my Guinness, listening to the sweet sounds of Fred Sanders' smile, the inspired rhythm of Earl Harvin's heartbeat, and the low growl of Marchel Ivery's horn.