The Kuumbwa Secret, The Kuumbwa Gift
By James D. Houston

Many years ago I came across an ad in a local paper that said Mose Allison and his trio would be playing at a club called Kuumbwa. I was amazed that a jazz and blues legend like Mose could be coming into what sounded like a small-size club in Santa Cruz, which in the jazz world is a rather small-size town. "How is this possible?" I asked the fellow at the door. "It is Monday night," he said, as he stamped the back of my hand. "That is the Kuumbwa secret and the Kuumbwa gift. Ingeniously located between L.A. and the Bay Area, we can book name people who are en route. We can book bands that would never think of playing here on weekends."

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