Airs Thursday, January 26 at 8:00 p.m. An original production of the Savannah Music Festival, Battle Royale put two rhythm sections on stage (Marcus Roberts Trio and the Clayton Brothers), inviting various instrumentalists to the stage throughout the night for a good-natured cutting contest. The tradition of instrumental competition on the bandstand in jazz goes back to the origins of the music. By the early 1930s, such competitive on-stage battles became known as "cutting contests," and they almost always produced some terrific entertainment for the audience in attendance.
