by KIM HILSENBECK
No need to head to Austin for great live music this weekend. Instead, drive to downtown Buda and hear the sultry sounds of the Kim Kafka Quartet’s “A Cole Porter Tribute” at Buda Grocery and Grill’s Gaslight Courtyard.
Kafka, who lives in Kyle, said this weekend’s gig is a prelude to her upcoming performance in the Buda Jazz Festival, slated for this October. But Kafka said she also wanted to do something to help out local businesses. In fact, she will be wearing a 1950s style vintage outfit on loan from Dupre Emporium, just down the street from the Gaslight Courtyard in historic downtown Buda.
Most will recognize Porter’s music when Kafka sings signature tunes such as “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
“I love the challenges of the Porter tunes, the drama, the whimsical content and the musical quality,” Kafka said. “Some favorites of mine are the ballads, “Miss Otis Regrets,” “Get Out of Town” and the lovely “Everytime We Say Goodbye.”
Porter also won a 1948 Tony Award for Best Musical for his Broadway musical “Kiss Me, Kate.”
Growing up in Indiana in the 1950s and ‘60s, Kafka said her parents only had a few records; the few they had included Cole Porter’s music. Porter was also from Indiana.
Kafka said as a child she listened to and imitated Porter’s music.
“I love the classic upbeat songs that have been arranged often for big bands like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” said Kafka. “I also like ‘Too Darn Hot.’”
She moved to Albany, New York, and joined a jazz and bebop trio, The New Moon Swing Band. With that group, Kafka made appearances on National Public Radio’s, A Prairie Home Companion, and a Greenwich Village nightspot. They also traveled the country playing colleges, jazz festivals and clubs.
So how did this singer who Texas Monthly magazine described as “a small woman with one huge bluesy voice” end up in Austin, Texas, in 1984?
Kafka said she moved back to Indiana after performing in upstate New York. It was winter and she drove by a bank with a time and temperature sign; it said minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kafka said to herself, “Next year by this time I will be gone.”
Before the year was up, she was on her way to Texas where she already knew several musicians playing the Austin music scene. Plus, it was a whole lot warmer.
Kafka, accompanied by Freddie Mendoza on trombone, will play on the patio of the Gaslight Courtyard at 7 p.m. this Saturday. The performance is free.
And the burgers, while not free, are delicious.
