A giant of jazz will be making his way to Southwest Missouri in mid-February as Joplin native Charles McPherson and his band are scheduled to perform as part of Connect 2 Culture’s Curtain Up series. Throughout his career, McPherson has released 23 albums as a leader and many more when he played with jazz legend Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1974. McPherson says that he hasn’t been back to visit Joplin in several decades. “I haven’t been there in years. I left in 1948 when I was about nine years old, and I moved to Detroit, spent most of my childhood in Detroit afterward I moved to New York City around 1959 or ‘60.” McPherson will perform a ticketed concert on Friday, February 18 at Joplin Empire Market and a free show the following night at Central Christian Church. Reservations are encouraged for the free concert. Visit Connect2Culture.org for more information