The Friends of the Southfield Public Library will sponsor the 200th Jazz & Blues @ Your Library concert featuring the Paxton/Spängler Septet on August 17 from 6-8 p.m. at the Southfield Public Library, 26300 Evergreen Road. The concert will be held indoors in the Library Meeting Room. The concert is free; however, donations to the Friends of the Southfield Public Library will be accepted.

The Paxton/Spängler Septet is strongly influenced by pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim, formerly known as Dollar Brand, as well as South African jazz masters Hugh Masekala, Miriam Makeba and Chris McGregor. The beauty of South African jazz has always spoken to T-bone Paxton on trombone and R J Spängler on percussion. Band members Kasan Belgrave on the alto sax and flute, Dan Bennett on the tenor sax, Phil Hale on the keys, Sean Perlmutter on drums and Damon Warmack on bass each bring plenty of energy, Detroit soul and depth to the tribute.  

“When I started the series I had no idea that it would go this long, but one of the things that make it possible is there are so many incredibly talented artists in the metro Detroit area,” commented Jazz & Blues @ Your Library founder and coordinator Don McGhee. “Of the 200 concerts we haven't repeated more than 10 bands and we haven't come close to running out of bands to feature. The musicians love to perform in this series as the audience is always interested in their music. At almost every concert, I stand up front and look at the audience as they are reacting to the music – tapping feet, swaying, snapping fingers. It makes me feel good to put together the musicians and the audience. This is my payment - I'm the best paid volunteer with the audience reaction as my reward.”

The next Jazz & Blues @ Your Library will take place on September 21 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. featuring Motor City Josh. Advanced tickets are available for $8. Limited tickets will be available at the door for $7 general admission or $5 for Friends of the Southfield Public Library members. No charge for children under 12.

About the Southfield Public Library

The Southfield Public Library is located on the Donald F. Fracassi Municipal Campus at 26300 Evergreen Road. The Library serves the communities of Southfield and Lathrup Village with a book collection of over 250,000 volumes in addition to numerous print magazines and newspapers subscriptions. The Library also offers a large collection of audio books, DVDs, videocassettes, music CDs, electronic books, and downloadable audio books in addition to over 120 public computers and wireless access throughout the building. The Southfield Public Library also hosts numerous educational and informational programs such as story times, Jazz & Blues @ Your Library, Humanities group, book discussions and more special programs. Additionally, the library features four different exhibit areas with rotating exhibits and a Small Business Start Up Center provides resources for businesses and non-profits.

For more information, call Southfield Public Library at (248) 796-4200 or visit www.southfieldlibrary.org.