Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1233225
4 0 MACONMAGAZINE.COM | D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 I RECENTLY CAME ACROSS A VIDEO ONLINE of a woman singing jazz in a nightclub. Her voice was soulful and sultry and at once resonated with that blue, unresolved feeling of coping with life and learning to love through the struggle that jazz expresses so well. Upon closer look, I realized this video was not captured in some big city, but was filmed at Macon's own JBA just a few nights before my viewing. The singer was none other than a mysterious woman I encountered months previous at a social event but hadn't spotted since. That is, until she appeared with me on the gallery wall of The Macon Music Project by photographer Dsto Moore. As I listened to her sing, I connected the dots. This was Kelley Dixson, a Maconite who had recently returned to town after many years in New Orleans. Moore's depiction of her for the gallery captured her with flute in hand, perched whimsically atop a wooden speaker. But as I heard her crooning, I realized that being a classically trained flutist was only a fraction of her musical talents. Kelley at once exudes joy and melancholy in a manner that instantly connects with the paradox of life. Initially coming to Macon to study music at Mercer University, Kelley quickly fell in love with the energy and acceptance she felt here. Upon graduating in 2008, academic pursuits took her to New Orleans. Once there, several areas of her life began to unravel and she decided to give up music, which included giving up her master's program at Louisiana State University. But in New Orleans, escaping music was not possible. Her musician friends continually pushed her to join them on stage during jazz nights, but the thought intimidated her. "Just watching how brave they were to get up on the stage and be boldly vulnerable, it seemed terrifying. At that point, I had never sang before. So, I went to this jazz camp where we learned five or six songs and at the end we performed at Preservation Hall," she said. Through that experience, Kelley began to find her voice. She rededicated herself to music, ultimately recording a jazz album and joining several bands. But after having her daughter, she wanted to relocate somewhere that felt more like home; Macon was the clear choice. Kelley recalled that Macon had showed her what it felt like to belong somewhere, a feeling she wanted her daughter to experience. "The people are what makes Macon home to me. I feel accepted and wanted. CHOOSING MACON Kelley Dixson PART OF A SERIES THAT FEATURES INDIVIDUALS FROM OUR COMMUNITY WHO, AFTER SOME TIME AWAY, HAVE RETURNED TO SHARE THEIR SKILLS AND TALENTS HERE. BY RACHELLE WILSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARYANN BATES m