With smooth tunes and spiritual lyrics, Lovey’s Jazz Café in Murfreesboro is bringing music from the heart, for the soul.
“We promote Christ through the means of jazz,” founder Melanie Winn says.
Guests are scattered around the auditorium of Journey Pointe Church, home to the unique jazz venue. Many are seated at tables, eating chips and salsa as Winn sings an opening song. Her voice fills the auditorium with the same passion as a preacher on Sunday mornings. The message is similar too, although it’s delivered through the soulful sounds of jazz. She finishes and proclaims how good the Lord is. Amens echo through the room.
On a recent Saturday, jazz keyboardist Jim Clarke performed at Lovey’s. During his hour-long set, Clarke played through a variety of his work, mixing traditional jazz with contemporary sounds and effects.
Lovey’s opened its doors in 2012 to provide this jazz show like no other. The first Saturday of every month, Lovey’s dedicates a night to rising artists like Shelly Massey, Charles P. Walker and Ernest Newsom. Sets begin at 8 p.m. and run for an hour. Winn purposely books only one singer per evening. “It gives the audience a chance to find out who the artist is,” she says.
Winn is a colorful woman with a soulful voice as big as her personality and ambitions. She has performed on the Good Day Alabama show, the African Street Festival in Nashville and several NAACP festivals. Audiences labeled her a jazz singer, although that’s not how she sees it.
“For me it’s just music from the heart from some experience from my life,” Winn says.
Winn gigged around for more than a decade and noticed most audiences were unfamiliar with Christian jazz. She resolved to lead the crusade for the genre herself. “There’s 25 different styles of jazz. I want to make Christian jazz number 26,” Winn says.
After experiencing hesitation from several producers and organizers, Winn decided to create her own platform. She searched around Murfreesboro for three months until she stumbled upon Journey Pointe Church during a late-night worship service.
“I didn’t know what I was walking into. They had it set up like a café,” Winn says. Winn contacted Journey Pointe’s Pastor, Ron Bevels, and proposed her idea. Bevels welcomed Winn and she got to work.
While worship is the focus of these events, Winn joyfully invites guests from all walks of life to come and experience Lovey’s.
“You don’t have to be a Christian to come here,” Winn says. “We have secular artists too. Do what you do. I’m not going to talk against you.”
The shows take place in the auditorium of Journey Pointe, which is redecorated for the night. Rows of chairs are lined up in front of the stage, while tables, available for reservation, flank to the right and left. At the end of the auditorium is a free snack table loaded with treats and refreshments that change as often as the artist lineups. There are also non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase. The other side of the room has a table for artists to sell CDs and other merchandise.
Lovey’s is advertised mostly by word of mouth, but has an online presence on Twitter and Facebook. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite. For more information, Lovey’s can be contacted at loveysjazzcafe@yahoo.com.
