If you decide to attend the Lowcountry Jazz Festival at Charleston’s Gaillard Center Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, spare a thought for Tony Clarke. Because as acclaimed and award-winning jazz artists like Samara Joy, Incognito, Brian Culbertson and Art Sherrod (among many others) play onstage, Clarke will see little to none of it, even though he’ll be on site.
And that’s because he’s the producer of the Lowcountry Jazz Festival and has been for the last few years. He’ll be far too busy to take in the performances.
“I unfortunately don’t get to see the shows I produce,” Clarke said. “I’m always in the production office. I’m always having conversations with the artists prior to going on stage. I’m almost like the mother of the bride, but I’ve never seen the bride go down the aisle.”
Which is fine with Clarke, because after two decades as an event producer, curator and artistic director, he’s learned that the best part of the experience of the Lowcountry Jazz Festival for him is the audience.
“The most rewarding thing is sitting in the corner of the stage and looking out at the crowd,” Clarke said. “It’s seeing the enjoyment of the people that are very satisfied with the ticket purchase that they’ve made. It’s looking at the happiness — looking at the people having a great time and seeing recurring faces at the Lowcountry Jazz Festival.”
Expect to see
Audiences will have plenty to take in at the festival: The event opens with performances from saxophonist Art Sherrod, trumpeter Lin Rountree (who’s scored multiple No. 1 hits on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart), and flutist Ragan Whiteside. Night two features The Braxton Brothers, soprano sax player Marion Meadows, pianist and composer Alex Bugnon, and two-time Grammy-award winning vocalist Samara Joy.
The festival wraps up with some acid jazz from Incognito and jazz-funk from dazzling singer/multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson.
It’s one hell of a lineup — and it’s one that Clarke sweated over a lot.
“The festival planning starts the day after the previous year’s festival ends,” Clarke said. “I travel the world looking for what would move the needle with people and create excitement. We always try to do something different annually so that you don’t get complacent. The festival’s never stale.”
Once Clarke has found the artists he wants to play the festival, another game begins.
“The game of producing is almost like a chess match,” he said. “You have to continue to move things around on the board so that you can always win and also give the patrons and ticket buyers something that they can look forward to. We’ve got a great lineup in a great city at a great venue. You can’t go wrong with that.”
Held at the Gaillard
The “great venue” is as much a part of that chess game as anything else Clarke does, and he took a moment during the interview to praise the Gaillard Center, where the festival will take place for its fifth year.
“It’s so perfect for music, arts and entertainment,” he said. “It’s just a world-class venue, and I think if anyone hasn’t had the chance to go and see a show they should. Once you get to the Gaillard Center, it takes you to a totally different place.”
The Lowcountry Jazz Festival is also a fundraiser for Closing the Gap in Health Care, an organization whose mission is to decrease health disparities and increase the health literacy of African Americans and the underserved communities throughout the Carolinas — Which means that Clarke has to think about ticket sales even more than the average event producer.
“You’ve got to look at the overall finances and at what the pockets of our organization will bear to bring in these artists,” he said, “Because the festival is a fundraiser. So there’s a large weight on my back in making sure that each year we’re profitable.”
Ultimately, when the Lowcountry Jazz Festival ends on Sunday, Clarke simply wants the audience to leave feeling satisfied.
“I want them to walk away knowing that they got their money’s worth,” he said, “to know that they are contributing to a worthy cause, and to know that they came to a world-class city to which they will soon return.”
The Lowcountry Jazz Fest runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. Find tickets and more info at lowcountryjazzfest.com.
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