Ertles seek to bring hot jazz to Temple stage

Jul. 21—When Jamie Ferguson Ertle takes to the stage of the Temple Theatre Saturday night, she will be looking for inspiration from legendary powerhouse singers Sophie Tucker and Ethel Waters to transport her audience back to the Roaring 1920s.

As the lead singer of Warren Ertle's Hot Peppers, she said the group is excited to bring their show, The Jazz Age, to the historic Temple for a one-night show, starting at 7 p.m.

"We are excited to be here and to be able to bring this music to Mississippians because so much of this music does come from the South," said Jamie, whose husband, Warren, an award-winning composer and ragtime pianist, leads the group. "He really looks at jazz as American classical music."

Tickets for the show are $45 for the high-top tables and dancing section located on the Temple stage with the band, $40 for general admission seating, and $30 for military personnel.

"Our focus is mostly early jazz, the 1920s, what they call hot jazz or some people call Dixieland jazz," she said.

Created in the early 1900s, hot jazz has its roots in New Orleans. This style of jazz was made by blending blues and ragtime with the brass band marches traditionally found in New Orleans.

"We are really committed to capturing that authentic sound of the '20s, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin," she said. "We want people to feel like they stepped back into the 1920s with the sounds, and the way we dress will certainly reflect that as well."

A passion for jazz isn't what one would expect from Warren, 30, and Jamie, 29.

"We are both from Mississippi ... so we have kind of always grown up with it," she said.

Both went to Mississippi College in Clinton where they studied music. She earned her bachelor's degree in vocal performance and his is in composition. They went on to graduate school at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theater and he received his Master of Music in Composition. Warren has gone on to earn his doctorate in musical arts from the University of Alabama.

Warren is a sergeant with the 41st Army Band, based in Jackson as a part of the Mississippi National Guard. Most of the band members have music degrees and perform across the state.

"Warren has always been into jazz," Jamie said. "He started playing piano very young and was able to study with some great people at Mississippi College when he was there. I think we really got more into jazz when we moved to Boston ... and his interest in stride piano really started taking off."

Warren Ertle's Hot Peppers will be joined by special guests Dan Gabel of Boston and Kimberly Hawley of New York. Gabel is a trombonist, arranger, bandleader, historian, and educator. His popular big band, Dan Gabel and The Abletones, has played throughout the northeast and is featured on numerous recordings and video/ television programs. Meanwhile, Hawkey is the recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award, a Gold Medalist at the American Traditional Vocal Competition in Savannah, Georgia, and a two-time winner of the Cabaret Showdown in New York City.

Jamie encourages anyone who loves jazz or who is just looking for a fun evening to come to the show.

"It's just fun," she said of jazz music. "It makes you want to get up and move your body. If you can listen to this and not move, then something is wrong with you, respectfully," she laughed.

Tickets for The Temple Theatre's The Jazz Age concert are available at www.templetheatre.com or by calling the box office at (601) 693-5353.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.