Smooth jazz is one of those genre distinctions that evaporates as soon as you try spelling out a precise definition, but there’s no denying the pop appeal of the prettier side of the jazz tradition, especially when it’s given the rhythmic oomph of R&B. Indeed, it turns out that pairing the streamlined sounds of contemporary jazz and R&B is exactly what a large swath of Memphis concertgoers want — just ask Mike Powell, who prides himself on being the first promoter to sell out the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts with a smooth jazz act.
He’s been booking such shows around town for a good three decades, “maybe one- to two-hundred artists, from Al Jarreau on down,” he says, and his approach over the last five years may be his most successful yet. That would be the RiverCity Jazz and Music Festival, an annual gala night at the Cannon Center that brings nationally touring smooth jazz and R&B artists to the Mid-South. As per usual, this year’s concert falls on Labor Day weekend, Sunday, September 3rd, at 6:30 p.m.
This September’s lineup brings some true R&B/neo-soul royalty to town with headliner Lalah Hathaway. Her father, Donny Hathaway, went from being a writer, player, and producer at Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Records in 1967 to becoming an R&B star in his own right with his 1969 single, “The Ghetto, Pt. 1.” His ongoing artistry through the ’70s, including his duets with Roberta Flack, won him a special place in the hearts of soul jazz fans, though he ultimately took his own life after struggling with depression for most of the decade.
His daughter Eulaulah Donyll “Lalah” Hathaway, born in 1968, carries on the family tradition of blending soul, R&B, and smooth jazz, yet in a more 21st-century context. She recorded her 1990 debut while still a student at Berklee College of Music, and the album cracked the Billboard Hot 200 and the R&B/Hip-Hop Top 20 that year. But she had an experimental bent from the start, and her next chart success was with the Heaven 17 side-project BEF (British Electric Foundation). Before the decade was out, she’d collaborated with jazz legend Joe Sample. In 2013, her work with Snarky Puppy on the track “Something” led to her first Grammy for Best R&B Performance.
Memphians may know her best for Self Portrait, her 2008 release on the revived Stax Records imprint, and her first album to crack the R&B/Hip-Hop Top Ten. While she’s clearly forging her own path, she’s well aware of her father’s legacy. “I am his daughter,” she says on her website bio, “and that’s the truth of who I am, every day. When I was 15, and then 20, I didn’t get why people were asking me how I felt about him and his music. But when I turned 25, I began to understand. Like my father, I want to leave a legacy of music that makes people really feel something.”
Powell, for his part, is excited to be bringing Hathaway back to Memphis, having booked her some 20 years ago, but he stresses that there’s much more bang for your buck at this year’s festival, including singer Leela James, saxophonist Paul Taylor (not to be confused with Memphis’ own Paul “Snowflake” Taylor), and jazz guitarist Adam Hawley. “Leela James is one of the great soulful, sultry songstresses. She’s been performing at least 20 years or so in the business and has several records out now. Paul Taylor is one of the godfathers who helped nurture in smooth jazz. And then there’s Adam Hawley, who’s a very good smooth jazz guitarist, performing onstage with his wife, who’s an R&B/smooth jazz singer as well.”
Beyond that, the Cannon Center event is but the culmination of several days of musical and meet-and-greet events. “Starting that Thursday [August 31st], we’ll kick off a whole weekend, and your ticket to the concert will get you in to all those other events free,” Powell says. “For example, one of them will be at the Marriott Hotel in their lobby bar. We’ll have some performances, and they’re planning something of a mixer there, and a meet-and-greet with Paul Taylor and Adam Hawley. It’s going to be the smooth jazz, R&B, and neo-soul event of the fall.”
Tom Caltabiano 
Courtesy Memphis Symphony Orchestra