Untitled Document
Roger Kimball relocated to Springfield from New
Orleans in 2005, only a few months before Hurricane Katrina hit. His wife
took a position with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine,
and so they just missed the disaster. An all-around musician known for his
saxophone work, Kimball grew up just south of New Orleans, getting a degree
in music education from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., and
studying classical clarinet and jazz-performance saxophone at Loyola
University in New Orleans. Starting in 1978, Kimball had a productive
professional life in New Orleans, playing high-profile gigs and private
dates, making music and making a living. In junior high school he had
befriended bassist Tony Hall, who went on to work professionally with such
notables as Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, Jewel, Harry Connick Jr., and Trey
Anastasio, and Hall uses his old pal on gigs whenever possible. This Mardi
Gras season, Kimball heads home to New Orleans, where he’ll join Hall
for an official show with Connick and sit-ins with other bands, including
Ivan Neville’s group Dumpstafunk. Since his arrival in Springfield, Kimball has stayed
busy, sitting in or playing regularly with the Debbie Ross Band,
Razin’ Kane, Moroccan Soul, Dreaming in Colours, Real Time, and other
local pop and jazz groups. Though Kimball says he’s thrilled to be playing
with other bands, a few months ago he began forming a group to work the
area and expand his personal vision. “I’ve never led a band before. I wanted
to start my own thing,” he says. “I like talking to people in
the audience and making them feel like they are part of the
show.”
He’s working with some local maestros —
Jeff Cunningham on bass, Mike Newbury on drums, and Joe Calandrino on
guitar — plus 21-year old Zac Radwine on keyboards. They perform funk
and jazz tunes, including New Orleans standards, with Kimball’s
distinctive saxophone sound driving it all. “We call it smooth jazz with a funky edge to
it. We’re going out of the box to do challenging stuff,” he
says. “The whole concept is to hit the people with musical knowledge
but play so they can still tap their foot to it.”
Kimball has adapted well to life in the land of
Lincoln. He heads a music group each Sunday at Chatham United Methodist
Church that includes his wife on vocals and hopes to begin teaching at an
area college sometime soon. Other plans include meeting and jamming with
more musicians in central Illinois’ rich and varied talent pool. “People are very friendly here,” Kimball
says. “I’ve found good musicians to work with. For that
I’m very thankful.”
Roger Kimball and the Funky Music Dept. perform at
Jazz Central Station, atop the Hilton Springfield (700 E. Adams,
217-789-1530) from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2007.
