Scullers Jazz Club

Musician follows Trail home

SAGINAW — It’s a different man returning to the Great Lakes Bay Region this weekend for the Michigan Jazz Trail Festival.

In 2007, Morgan McMillon said, he and Richard Baskin had hit the top, winning top honors with “Summertime” at the Showtime at the Apollo in New York City.

Then the Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy graduate started his jazz studies in earnest, “and it opened my eyes,” said the saxophonist, who is wrapping up some post-graduate classes at the Berklee School of Music in Boston before heading to Michigan State University to work on his master’s degree.

“There’s so much more; I learned a lot about playing and writing. I’ve experienced new sorts of music, just from what I’ve been exposed to since moving to Boston. And I’m still finding out more every day.”

That promises some good vibes Saturday when he joins the Michigan Jazz Trail Festival Big Band and his old friends in the ACT-SO Jazz Ensemble during Jazz at the Tridge in Midland.

The music fest, beginning at 4 p.m. on the grounds behind the H Hotel, features John Pizzarelli and several other local and national performers.

It’s part of the Michigan Jazz Trail Festival, three days of music in three cities, beginning at 5 p.m. today with Bettye LeVette at Bay City's Wenonah Park for Blues on the Bay, and ending at 4 p.m. Sunday with Kevin Cole and Heart and Soul at the Temple Theatre in Saginaw.

Tickets are $15 per show, or $30 for all three.

After his high school graduation, McMillon headed for Central Michigan University to study with Rob Smith and John Nichol, both respected jazz educators. After a year, McMillon was off to Berklee and a world of opportunity.

“It was a huge, shocking experience at first,” he admitted. “I never heard playing as it was there, and it matured me as a musician, playing with so much talent. The more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know.”

The jazz clubs around Boston offered renowned musicians performing new music every day, providing still another sort of education, McMillon said. Wally's Cafe was a favorite, though it was Scullers Jazz Club that brought an experience he’ll never forget.

“The first night, I was there to see Roy Hargrove, a trumpet player I’ve always looked up to, and the second night, I got to meet him. He invited me back for a lesson, and I learned a lot about great players and the history of the music.

Scullers Jazz Club: Enjoy an Evening of Live Entertainment ...

Looking for a place to listen to Latin, contemporary jazz, blues, soul, R & B, cabaret or world music? Then look no further than Scullers Jazz Club where you can find something going on almost every night of the week. Located in the Doubletree Suites near Harvard Square, the lounge has hosted some of the top musicians in the business including Harry Connick, Jr., Chris Botti, Jamie Cullam, David Sanborn, Michael Bublé, Arturo Sandoval and Tony Bennett.

The 200-seat lounge sits high atop the hotel offering spectacular views of the Boston skyline and Charles River. Make your night out on the town even more special by booking a dinner and a show package and staying over after.

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