Musical trio headlines Live@5
On a partly cloudy Friday evening in downtown Pine Bluff, the cool sounds of saxophone, drums and keyboard wafted across the back lawn at the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas during the Live@5 concert.
With train horns and ambulance sirens occasionally providing accompaniment, the Wine and Roses trio performed for more than 50 attendees in the recently opened ART Yard at The ARTSpace on Main.
The three instruments blended perfectly together to provide a full, rich sound beneath the green canopy of nearby trees.
The band covered a variety of songs, from Stevie Wonder to Bill Withers and Louis Armstrong.
“Even when you are doing other people’s songs, you’re putting your own heart, soul and expression into it,” Saboor Salaam, sax player and band leader explained.
Adapting to as much as it had to through 2020, ASC made some rapid last minute changes to bring together an agreeable evening of community and quality entertainment.
With the Dell Smith Experience slated to provide the evening’s music, a communication breakdown caused ASC to scramble for a replacement group. Even on such short notice, the two-hour show came off without a hitch and proved a hit with the attendees.
Adding to the festivities, one of ASC’s local sponsors, MK Distributors, provided wine, beer and pretzels for guests.
This is the second live Live@5 event in 2021. The monthly musical event has occurred on the first Friday of each month except January, for the past 10 years. Before relocating to the newly opened ART Yard, it previously took place next door in the 22,000 square foot ASC, 701 S. Main St.
With the onset of covid-19, Live@5 went virtual from March of last year until this April when live performances returned.
“Our new space was originally the main Pine Bluff firehouse, built in 1930,” ASC’s Facilities Manager Martin Carty said. “It also served for a while as a dairy and as an auto repair shop. We tried to preserve as much of the original structure as possible, including much of the original tin ceilings as well as utilizing the second story wooden flooring and downstairs concrete floors.”
Other events at the new venue include an exhibit of paintings by Torri Richardson, a senior at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, that opened May 6 and a pottery class from 6:30-8:30 p.m. June 28 through July 2.
The newly opened facility includes a 65-seat black box theatre where Shakespeare’s Macbeth will appear for the October Halloween season.
Details: ASC701.org.