There’s a place I always return to. A sound, a space, a spirit. For me, it’s always been jazz.
Not the smooth or polished stuff—but the kind that breathes. The kind born in smoke-filled rooms and sharpened on the edge of a trumpet solo at midnight. The cool jazz of the ‘60s. The improvisational heart of a song that bends and reshapes itself in the moment. That’s where my love lives.
After more than 50 years as a musician, I’ve heard and played it all—but jazz remains the soundtrack I never get tired of. Sure, pop songs wear thin. But jazz? It stays wild. It stays alive.
So, after years of playing quiet gigs across the region, I’m finally stepping out with a name. The David Cate Trio. And I couldn’t be more grateful for the musicians who stand beside me: John Grayson and Charlie Aesque—two of the finest players you’ll hear anywhere. Their talent alone gives me the confidence to bring this night to life.
We’ll be performing on June 19th—Juneteenth—at Capone’s in downtown Johnson City. There’s something poetic about playing this music on a day that celebrates freedom. Jazz, after all, is born from liberation—rhythms that rise from pain and joy and everything in between.
Johnson City has its own jazz roots, too. They call it Little Chicago, and over the years, musicians like Bill Perkins have kept the scene pulsing. From his own band Friot Puente to organizing jazz festivals and weekly gatherings, Bill has built a space for the music to thrive.
And talent? We’re swimming in it. Grammy-winning Justin Stanton of Snarky Puppy once walked the halls of ETSU not so long ago. Young bloods like Colton Fenner, Isaac Ratliff, and Joshua Cavinder are shaping the next wave of this town’s sound. It’s alive. It’s happening. It’s here!
My own jazz journey started back in the ‘80s with a radio show called “A Taste of Jazz” on WQUT. Since then, I’ve played parties, fundraisers, and chamber dinners—suiting up in tuxes and filling the room with wallpaper music that moved in shadows.
But we never took ourselves too seriously—until now. This time, we decided to step out and own the name. To dress the part. And to finally take a real photo.
We brought in Aundrea Wilcox—a creative force in Kingsport, known for her work at KOSBE and now building her own photography studio, Yevette Lynn Photography. Her studio sits inside the old Kingsport City Hall, part of the co-working hub Create Appalachia. No train tracks. No gimmicks. Just clean lines, high contrast, and a little bohemian swagger.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon, we suited up. John and Charlie in black. Mirrors, ties, jazz playing softly in the background. Aundrea lit the room and gave us the space to become our best selves under her lens. And she nailed it.
Now the photos are out. The gig is booked. And I want you to be part of it.
Our first set is a celebration—a collection of songs that have shaped us:
- In Walked Bud – Thelonious Monk
- Night in Tunisia – Bud Powell
- Moanin’ – Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
- Take Five – Dave Brubeck
- Lilacs in the Rain – Junior Mance
- Caravan – Medeski, Martin & Wood
- Home At Last – Steely Dan
- Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – The Police
- Watermelon Man – Herbie Hancock / Headhunters
- Afro Blue – Robert Glasper inspired arrangement
- Four on Six – Wes Montgomery
We’ll play from 7 to 8 p.m., then jam through another hour with musicians who show up and want to create in the moment.
If jazz means something to you—if you crave music that lives in real time, that never plays the same way twice—then come share this night with us.
The David Cate Trio. JuneTeenth. Capone’s. Little Chicago.
Let’s make a little noise.
