From Basin Street to Carnegie Hall: A Bud Scott Jazz Legacy Concert 

Celebrating the legacy of Bud Scott through the music of the Kimble Funchess Band

From Basin Street to Carnegie Hall celebrates one of the city’s most remarkable musical legends with a special concert honoring Clarence “Bud” Scott, Sr., the celebrated bandleader, composer, arranger, and entertainer whose music helped define the sound of Mississippi for nearly four decades. Born in Natchez around 1856, Bud Scott became one of the South’s most admired African American musicians. Beginning around 1900, he led an acclaimed orchestra that evolved from a ragtime string ensemble into a sophisticated dance band performing jazz, blues, swing, and popular music throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. His orchestra entertained audiences at grand hotels, riverboats, military balls, civic celebrations, political rallies, fairs, and elegant society dances, and even performed for three U.S. presidents. Although his influence has long been recognized by historians, his story remains unfamiliar to many. This performance celebrates him as one of Mississippi’s pioneering musical ambassadors and honors a hometown artist whose legacy continues to resonate more than a century after he first took the stage.

Presented by the dynamic Kimble Funchess Music Group, this special concert will recapture the energy and excitement of the music that made Bud Scott a regional legend. Audiences will experience the rich musical traditions that flourished along the Mississippi River, where ragtime, blues, gospel, and early jazz blended into a uniquely American art form.

Saturday, May 8, 2027 at 7 pm

Natchez Civic Center
215 Franklin St., Natchez, MS

Tickets Available Soon