Media contact: Shannon Thomason
Savor the holiday spirit Sunday, Dec. 20, with guitarist Eric Essix in a virtual holiday performance on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus. The show was originally set for Dec. 13 as a drive-in concert, but due to inclement weather it was rescheduled. Now it will be presented in a virtual format.
“Eric Essix and Holiday Soul” is presented by UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. The concert is at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 per device. Ticket holders will receive a YouTube link to the performance following the event so that they may enjoy it for the next 48 hours. For full event information, or to purchase tickets, visit AlysStephens.org or call the ASC Box Office at 205-975-2787.
Chez Fonfon is the official drive-in restaurant partner for the ASC’s concert series.
Through more than 30 years and 25 full-length album releases, Essix has maintained a steady flow of new music that continues to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz, and he has no intention to stop. That is evident with the most recent album release, “Songs from The Deep,” nine compositions all written, arranged and produced by Essix. This latest effort revisits the artist’s favorite theme, his Birmingham, Alabama, Southern roots. It is a project that reveals the soul of the man and his music as he continues to reconcile love for his homeland, its culture and people with its history, according to his artist’s bio. He takes pride in his Southern roots, which inspire a lot of his compositions. His music reveals his life’s many passions: faith, celebration of heritage and culture, and racial and gender equality. Essix draws on the power of his faith and music to create moving, spiritual jazz.
For the last 24 years, his primary melodic voice and trademark sound have emerged from his red Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion model guitar. Essix is a graduate of Berklee College of Music.
“My mindset has shifted dramatically and is light-years away from when I was a young guitarist, focusing on being flashy and showing people how fast I could play,” Essix said. “But as I have grown as a musician and especially as a person, I have developed as a composer and songwriter of maturity and depth as well as a guitar player.”