Natchez Festival of Music – From Basin Street to Carnegie Hall: A Bud Scott Jazz Legacy Concert

PART OF THE 2027 SEASON OF THE NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

MAY 8, 2027
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
NATCHEZ CIVIC CENTER – 215 FRANKLIN STREET
TICKETS $35

On Saturday, May 8, 2027, we will celebrate 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.
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.