"My grandmother Violet Taylor was a photographer at Currie’s Club Tropicana back in the day. That was one of three major black nightclubs in town, and they brought in acts like Louis Armstrong, Isaac Hayes, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and a whole lot of others. My grandmother had pictures of everybody and always had stories to tell. She also had a very good jazz collection and that warmed my interest in jazz, but I grew up liking all kinds of music. She bought me a drum set for Christmas when I was 9, and my mother got me a bass guitar for my birthday when I turned 11. So that was the beginning.
"My sister attended Manassas High School, and that’s how I came to know the band director there, Emerson Able, who was just a consummate musician. He was part of the Isaac Hayes band in its heyday, and he played everything---like so many of the best musicians in Memphis history. That impressed me. That, and his interest in jazz.
"I’ve been in every kind of band through the years. I play jazz, blues, R & B, country; I play it all. One Thursday a month I play bass at a club on Beale. Music is so important for us to have in schools, but a lot of times that’s what gets cut. Kids need that outlet, especially black children in a city like Memphis where music is such an important part of their heritage. Memphis has a great musical history. You can find anything here."
"My sister attended Manassas High School, and that’s how I came to know the band director there, Emerson Able, who was just a consummate musician. He was part of the Isaac Hayes band in its heyday, and he played everything---like so many of the best musicians in Memphis history. That impressed me. That, and his interest in jazz.
"I’ve been in every kind of band through the years. I play jazz, blues, R & B, country; I play it all. One Thursday a month I play bass at a club on Beale. Music is so important for us to have in schools, but a lot of times that’s what gets cut. Kids need that outlet, especially black children in a city like Memphis where music is such an important part of their heritage. Memphis has a great musical history. You can find anything here."
RELATED LINKS ---
- Emerson Able, Jr. on his time at Manassas High School (YouTube, 02/20/2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNidqO19c5U
- Emerson Able Jr. taught and played with Isaac Hayes (The Commercial Appeal, 6/29/2015): http://archive.commercialappeal.com/news/emerson-able-jr-taught-and-played-with-isaac-hayes-ep-1164695573-328244171.html
- Legacy: Emerson R. Able Jr. (The New Tri-State Defender, 07/02/2015): http://tsdmemphis.com/news/2015/jul/02/legacy-emerson-r-able-jr/
- The Rebirth of Jazz on Beale Street at the Blue Note: A Tribute to Emerson Able (The Front Line): http://thefrontlinemusic.com/tag/emerson-able/
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