HARTSVILLE -- South Carolina jazz legend Skipp Pearson will headline the 10th annual Jazz! Carolina Downtown Block Party from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 6, on East Carolina Avenue in Hartsville. The block party features live jazz, food, refreshments and fun for the whole family. The street is closed to traffic, and admission is free.

A native of Orangeburg, Thales Thomas "Skipp" Pearson has been playing jazz since the age of 14. Over the years, his professional career has allowed him to share the stage with a number of renowned musicians, including as Sam Cooke, Patti LaBelle, Chris Potter, Otis Redding, Drink Smalls, Sonny Thronton, Fred Wesley, David Haynes and Wynton Marsalis.

Pearson has performed throughout Europe and across the United States. He received the state's highest artistic honor, the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Award for individual artistic excellence, in 2003. In 2002, the South Carolina State House of Representative presented Pearson with a commendation in honor of his extraordinary contributions to the world of jazz music. In 1998, Pearson was inducted into the South Carolina State University Jazz Band Hall of Fame.

In 2001, Jazz! Carolina was selected the Most Outstanding Festival of the Year by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. For more information, call 843-332-1600 or visit www.coker.edu/jazz2007.

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