Preserving a Cultural Legacy: Kenny Dorham’s Backyard
A Vision for Kenny Dorham’s Backyard
Words by Abby L. Johnson Photos by Eric Morales
Harold McMillan is the proprietor, curator, and director of the outdoor music venue and community gathering space named for legendary East Austin jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham. The bebopper called the Eastside home and solidified his legacy and musical prowess when he played with the likes of Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie.
As it stands today, Harold’s nonprofit music venue sits on the lot beside the historic Victory Grill. The space is a vibrant, eclectic backyard that’s settled in the heart of the African American Cultural Heritage District (a designation that Harold himself played a part in establishing in 2007). The grassy nook is dotted with picnic tables and food trucks of varying cuisines, casual and familial to regulars. The stage that sits in the far-left corner from East 11th is lit up by jazz cats, blues connoisseurs, and other performers.
The vision for the growth of Kenny Dorham’s stretches far beyond the confines of the lot owned by the most current iteration of the City of Austin’s Urban Renewal Agency. Historically, the relationship between the URA and the predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods of East Austin has been a fraught one.
But Harold, a talented bassist in his own right and jazz enthusiast, has consistently worked to preserve the cultural, historical, and musical importance of this historically Black art form. Before Kenny Dorham’s existed, he put together an annual jazz festival (hosted under various monikers), and after many years, he found a home for his project to curate and produce more consistent programming in Kenny Dorham’s Backyard as we know it today.
To ensure the continued preservation of Black heritage and culture, to further the legacy of Kenny Dorham, and to create something that can be passed on and built upon by future generations, Harold is working with the newly-founded East Austin Creative Coalition to build a cultural center for the district in the space where the Backyard currently resides. To ensure his efforts, Harold calls upon his community to support the legacy of Kenny Dorham by continuing to show up for events, invest in the community, and build community by supporting the preservation.
Blue Monday Blues Jam, a music tradition a decade in the making! Every Monday from 7-10pm, join Harold and friends for an informal blues jam. Come jam yourself, or simply enjoy listening or dancing along at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard.
Who is East Austin Creative Coalition?
Harold McMillan, Founder/President/CEO (DiverseArts/Kenny Dorham’s Backyard), Clifford Gillard, Co-Founder/Chair (Capitol View Arts), Tonya Pennie, Vice Chair (Dance Africa Fest/Lannaya Drum and Dance), Jessica Sager, Secretary (Nonprofit organization/operations business consultant), Jacqui Cross, Treasurer (actor, singer, Spectrum Theater founder), and members: Danita Nelson, Stacie Williams, Roxanne Evans, & Stephanie Lang
Contact:
1106 E 11th St.
@KennyDorhamsBackyard
African American Cultural Heritage District
East Austin Creative Coalition
