New Orleans musician breathes life into Fort Worth jazz scene

by Sarah Crisman

“Fort Worth may be the hottest downtown scene outside of New Orleans or New York,” said Adonis Rose over hash browns and eggs before a thoughtful pause. “Well, in Texas, anyway.”

Since Rose is a world-renowned jazz musician who moved to North Texas from NoLa after Hurricane Katrina, one is wont to pay attention to such a claim. He did travel with Harry Connick, Jr, after all. Rose suffers from an incurable case of potentiality – he can envision on the South side of downtown Fort Worth something that others haven't quite picked up on yet; be that as it may, it is hard to deny the changes that have happened in Fort Worth over the past four years since his arrival.

When Rose and his wife relocated to Texas, he didn't find much of a jazz scene to speak of. It wasn't until he fell in with the University of Texas at Arlington crowd that he began to see the possibilities of the unassuming urban district. Facing a new life in a new city, Rose was ready to make a lasting contribution to a burgeoning scene.

“Katrina makes you look at things differently,” he said. "What's here today could very well be gone tomorrow.” With those thoughts in mind, he decided to take a more active role in bringing the potential of downtown Fort Worth into fruition.

Has he had a noticeable impact? Since landing in North Texas, Rose founded the Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra, a nonprofit organization committed to the preservation, teaching, and performance of roots jazz. The orchestra itself includes a few faculty members of UNT and UTA's jazz programs (a revered crew among jazzies), and the result is polished and refined musicianship. The organization quickly became a go-to for the jazz lovers and discerning party planners around town.

The tight-knit big band has rallied the earnest support of the civic community: A quick peek through the liner notes of their new self-titled album reads like a city council roster. Apparently, the public officials of Keller and Fort Worth alike have championed Rose's projects in ways we don't always see from our community leaders. It holds as a testament to the power of civic and artistic cooperation. Five years ago, you couldn't find jazz in Fort Worth hotels, tickling the ears of convention goers and tourists -- and there was no Scat Lounge to speak of. Now there are a number of clubs in Cowtown featuring jazz on a regular basis.

“If we support the scene, it will be around ... When you support jazz, you attract jazz lovers to your business -- and they often range from the ages of 25-65.” A pretty decent bracket to shoot for, as there aren't many genres that can tempt such a diverse following.

Rose feels the key to building on this budding scene is to keep the focus on jazz, the way it is in New Orleans. He hopes to bring the reverence of musicians that flourish in his hometown and transplant that feeling in Fort Worth. It seems the city is right in step with this idea. One example, this year's Jazz by the Boulevard, boasts headline performances by mainstream jazz artist Chris Botti, legendary "P-Funk" George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, and The Blind Boys of Alabama. (Rose will be also be appearing during the festival). With clubs like Embargo and Scat Lounge offering a regular fare of local and touring jazz acts, it's easy to see what Rose sees.