We’re back! After a hiatus in 2024 due to health issues, I rallied for additional support by applying for an artist’s grant with the Durham Arts Council to help with the stress of financing and producing the Orchard Park Jazz Picnic. I was pleasantly surprised when, just a short while later, I received an email informing me that I was the recipient of one of the grants.
I hope you will join the Mint Julep Jazz Band on June 14, 2025 from noon to 3 p.m. for an afternoon of relaxing, picnicking, and dancing at historic Orchard Park, near downtown Durham (1000 S. Duke St. at the corner of Duke St. and Cobb St.). Your hosts will perform 3 sets of music from and inspired by the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.Â
This event is free and open to the public. Donations to the band are encouraged.
Parking is along the streets bordering the park and in the adjoining neighborhood.
This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Durham Arts Council local grants administrator.
Being a part of album projects never gets old, so I’m delighted to announce that Keenan McKenzie and the Riffers have released a new album called Lakewood Jump! Recorded in August of 2023 at Magnetic Sound Studios in the Lakewood area of Durham, NC, it’s been more than a year in the making, with some planned and unplanned delays involved in its production.
The album is a mix of originals, classics, and some lesser known gems of the jazz world. It was an absolute pleasure to record this, less than 10 minutes from my house, and with Cocoa Cinnamon coffee across the street to sustain me. Available on Bandcamp, digital and (soon, as of the date of this post) vinyl, I’m singing on 7 tracks – enjoy!
The last time we had a big Lindy Hop workshop in Durham was 2019 and a lot has changed in Durham since that time, in large part due to the pandemic. That said, I still love living here and there will be lots to eat within and near the downtown area where the workshops are held, so here is a non-exhaustive list of some of my favorite places to eat for those of you attending Flying Home:
COFFEE
Cocoa Cinnamon – this is the only one I’m listing because it’s the best and it’s the only one I frequent that’s open on Sunday. Like people don’t need coffee on Sunday…
BREAKFAST/LUNCH
Monuts – delicious donuts, both cake and yeast, and IMO the best sandwiches in Durham. The world is a better place with their focaccia in it.
Loaf – bakery with European and American goodies, their flatbreads are the cheapest lunch downtown. There’s no seating, but you can grab something and walk to the end of the block for a seat in a tiny park or on the swings.
Toast – Italian sandwiches, salads, soups, and accoutrements.
Rise Biscuits and Donuts – great biscuit sandwiches, donuts, and the best apple fritters. No seating here, either, but ideal when you are pressed for time – order online, grab, and go.
Mateo – tapas meets American south, with a stellar cocktail program to boot. Definitely need a reservation.
LATE NIGHT FOOD
Queeny’s – a little something for everyone, spacious and dive-y, this is where the local dancers go after our dances downtown. Open until 2 a.m.
Cosmic Cantina – a short drive away, excellent burritos, open until 4:00 a.m.
COCKTAILS
Alley Twenty-Six – James Beard nominated bar program, my favorite chef is here (my vote for best burger in Durham), and for the summer they have an entire tropical/tiki cocktail menu that is extensive and delightful. If you are eating dinner, I recommend making a reservation.
Kingfisher – across from Alley Twenty-Six, below Queeny’s, they are doing clever and botanical cocktails, along with some nibbles.
The Parlour – our incredible local shop with a mix of regular and seasonal flavors, plus gluten free and vegan options. If there’s a line, it moves quickly.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams – yes, it’s a chain, but as someone who would seek out Jeni’s locations at other dance events, I need you to know that we have one here and it’s lovely.
GROCERY
Bulldega – food, toiletries, whatever you forgot. Also a good place to grab lunch, they usually have prepared foods like sandwiches and salads.
This is just a jumping off point – there are so many other delicious places in downtown Durham that I haven’t mentioned, you really can’t go wrong. So pull up Yelp, see what looks good, and go for it.
We were pleasantly surprised to find our vinyl records were delivered this week, as we weren’t expecting them until May. You can pick up a copy on our Bandcamp page or message us in advance if you’d like to purchase an LP at one of our shows. Thanks again to our Kickstarter backers who made this dream a reality!
1. CDs! We have them! If you would like a physical copy of our new album Watch the Birdie, you can order one from our Bandcamp page, in all its glory. We splurged for the eco case and we have actual liner notes for you to read about the making of this album. Shout out to CIH Studios for the incredible album artwork, it’s thematic perfection.
It’s finally here! After much pandemic and the regular trials and tribulations of creating a studio album, the Mint Julep Jazz Band’s 3rd album Watch the Birdie takes flight today, Halloween 2022. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. Available wherever you get your digital music – if you’d like for the most money to go to the band, we encourage you to pick up a copy on our Bandcamp page.
Though I do love Art Deco buildings, I don’t think anyone would hear my name and associate it with anything related to architecture. So imagine my surprise when US Modernist Radio reached out to me about being a guest on their podcast. They regularly feature jazz musicians at the end of the episodes and I must say, in looking at their list of past guests, I am in excellent company.
Click here to enjoy the episode, released on October 10, 2022.
I had a few gigs on the calendar in the fall of 2021 that quickly evaporated once the COVID Delta variant hit. One of these was a Saturday gig with Keenan McKenzie and the Riffers, which left us without a gig and with a wide-open Saturday. Keenan decided to make lemonade with those lemons and set up a recording session for us at Butler Knowles’ studio, Worry Less Music, in Raleigh. We recorded three of Keenan’s arrangements and I’m singing on “When My Sugar Walks Down the Street” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
The three recordings are available for purchase on Keenan’s Bandcamp page and you can watch the live footage on YouTube.
TL/DR: The Mint Julep Jazz Band is recording our third album, Watch the Birdie, and the Kickstarter launched today for pre-orders and swag!
Our incredible album artwork for Watch the Birdie by Durham-based artist Darius Quayle’s
When I was young, I wondered why each subsequent band album seemed to have more and more years between albums, but now I understand. When a band does well, they are busy, then the members are busy contributing to other endeavors, and then people need a break after being so busy, so the thought of a new album is definitely lower on the priority list, particularly when other work is steady.
In 2020, we decided that 5 years was enough time gone by since the release of Battle Axe and that we should record another album. You know how the rest of this story goes with the global COVID-19 pandemic essentially putting a halt to life as we knew it.
We scheduled this recording a couple of times during the pandemic and had to keep pushing it back, but we believe it’s for real this time, so we are launching a Kickstarter today for album pre-orders and swag. I know some of you have told me that you need a new tee shirt, so we got you! I’m also excited to add enamel pins, Burt’s Bees, a sponsorship option, and some quality time noshing with yours truly as rewards, in addition to some of our recurring rewards.
What will this album be? It’s a dance album, of course, but it’s also the culmination of efforts aggregated just prior to the pandemic that still feel new to us, plus some new-to-us arrangements created during the pandemic, and some old favorites that should be put on tape. The project feels fresh to us, so we hope you enjoy it as we slowly re-open our jazz dance and music community.
It’s also a celebration of our 10th anniversary as a band! Our first gig was in February of 2012 at the (now defunct) Hot Club of Durham weekly swing dance in the Trotter Building in Durham’s DIY district. I look at videos of that night and think about how far we’ve come, but also how we did a respectable job for a very first gig. It’s been a wild ride and we thank you for all the wonderful musical experiences we’ve shared since then.
Visit our Kickstarter page for more information about the tracks on the album, swag, and how to get your copy/copies of our recordings – we’re offering digital, CD, and vinyl this time!
Fresh off the presses this past Friday, May 7, 2021, Michael Gamble has released a new EP of the tunes his regular lineup and the Rhythm Serenaders Orchestra recorded for CalBal Live. Featuring a lineup of incredible swing musicians from around the US (nay, the globe, if you’re counting Noah Hocker, expat in Beijing), I’m singing on three tunes – Born to Swing, Without Your Love, and When You’re Smiling. Bring a smile to your face this week and head over to Bandcamp to pick up a copy! 🙂
Laura Windley 