I’m not a fan of jazz.  I can take it for about three minutes, just up to the point where the musicians begin to go off on their own and the melody has been played out.  But that hasn’t stopped me from going to Hilton Head’s internationally-known club, the Jazz Corner.

My first visit was prompted by a friend from Charleston.  He’s an accomplished musician, entrepreneur, composer, and concert promoter.  Some of his friends were playing at the Corner and we went to support the cause.  Great show and dinner,.

The next time was on a Sunday afternoon. It was a benefit for the Art League of Hilton Head featuring pianist Lavon Stevens, ‘thrush’ Louise Spencer, and bassist Clarence Williams.

And this is Clarence Williams too, performing with the island’s Motown-cover band Deas Guyz. Williams not only plays like a jazz bassist, he looks like one, too. Love the flat cap.

I ran into him last week, as I was leaving John’s Music, the island’s outrageously-well-inventoried music and instrument store. Williams was there in the front, kind of noodling around on a guitar. I told him I recognized him from the Jazz Corner and how much I’d enjoyed his performance. Shyly, he kind of denied he was who he is, or that he’d done anything which should be noticed.

Kind of a different attitude these days