By Bryant Paez | TCC Talon Social Media Editor
Florida State University student Kaleb Thompkins started performing music in the seventh grade. Growing up surrounded by jazz music, he has a strong passion for the genre and has been inspired by many artists including the Adderley Brothers – Nathaniel and Julian, otherwise known as “Cannonball.”
Thompkins plays double bass and is majoring in Jazz Performance at Florida State University. He was invited to be a featured jazz performer at the 2022 Word of South Festival, which will include a tribute to the Adderley Brothers, two influential jazz musicians who made their musical debut in the late 1950s.
“I’ve been here all my life so being able to bring music to my city and to be a part of this moment, I don’t even have all the words,” Thompkins said.
Thompkins has lived in Tallahassee his whole life and is excited to be performing at an event like Word of South, which means so much to the people of his community. Word of South is a free festival celebrating literature and music with a diverse lineup of performers, authors, and vendors. Word of South has been organized by Tallahassee Community College since 2015 and this year’s event will take place April 8-10 at Cascades Park. Free parking can be found in the parking garage on the corner of Bloxham and Calhoun streets, just north of the park.
TCC Assistant Professor of Education Sara Marchessault is the director of the festival. Marchessault said students should be excited for this year’s festival events with its impressive lineup of creators.
“Our goal is to be a regionally and nationally recognized festival,” Marchessault said. “If we’re going to be regionally and nationally recognized, we need to draw big names that are going to get people who will come from out of town.”
The artists performing come from all around the country. The Adderley Tribute Performance is one amongst a long and diverse list of authors, R&B singers, and jazz musicians. Being Tallahassee natives, Nat Adderley Jr. and his sister Alison will be at the festival. Nat Adderley Jr. will have his own performance that is a part of the tribute to his father and uncle.
Marchessault said she enjoys the event’s “mu-aushups”: where authors and musicians appear together (some of whom have never met) on panels and other forms of entertainment.
Mark Mustain is the festival’s founder. With the goal of blending the lines of artistry and performance, Mustain said the festival is really something special.
“If you Google book and festival, you don’t come up with very much,” Mustian said. “So the artists have been really excited about doing something different.”
This year’s festival begins with a performance by Jamey Johnson on April 8 at the Capital City Amphitheater at Cascades Park. Tickets are being sold on the Word of South website. Saturday and Sunday is when the festival begins. There is no cost to participate in the events at the festival, however the vendors will each have their own stands with items that they will be selling.
More information about the festival can be found on the Word of South website.
