A former Michigan State University football player, Tim Cunningham had an opportunity to sign a $40,000 free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
He wasn’t really interested because football was a means to an education and music was his passion.
“I had 20 credits to finish and if you sign a pro deal, your scholarship is gone,” he said.
Cunningham, a saxophonist who lives in St. Louis, will have two performances with his quartet in the two-day Carmel Jazz Fest. Cunningham will perform from 9 to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 11 at The Tarkington at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. He then returns to play from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at The Tarkington. Cunningham needed an early spot because he has a performance scheduled that night in St. Louis.
Cunningham, whose last season playing for Michigan State was 1983, got a record deal with Atlantic Records and his first album, “Right Turn Only,” came out in 1996. Now 61 years old, he continued working as a full-time musician from 1991 to 1998, when the record label dropped all its jazz artists.
“A lot of the smooth jazz radio stations were dropped,” said Cunningham, an insurance adjuster. “I just went back to work and worked on my own CD projects at home. It was bad that you didn’t have a major label out there to promote you with the big money. But it was good that you own your own (master recordings). I was performing two or three times a month.”
Cunningham had some regular weekly gigs in the early 2000s. Then he started performing his own shows in St. Louis and out of state.
“Most jazz musicians work on the weekends,” he said. “The demand for us to be playing on a Wednesday or Thursday is not the same as a big R&B or pop act. It’s early to hold down a regular job and get out on weekends.”
Cunningham has nine albums, with “Freedom” being released in October 2022. A single, “Enough Said,” with live drum and some piano parts, was recently released.
Cunningham has opened for such jazz standouts as Dave Koz, Norman Brown, Brian Culbertson and George Benson.
Cunningham performs a lot of remixes of his favorite song. His best-known song is “This is the Life,” which he wrote with Culbertson.
“But I have to play songs people will recognize and I sprinkle in a few of my originals here and there,” he said.
Cunningham and Carmel Jazz Fest Executive Director Blair Clark are from Lansing, Mich., and have known each other for years.
Cunningham was going to give up football after ninth grade, but he got talked into playing because the team needed players. He had been playing backup quarterback but got moved to running back because of injuries. He started to get letters from colleges.
“I guess God wants me to play football,” he said.
Cunningham played strong safety for Michigan State, earning a starting spot during his freshman season and remained a starter throughout his college career. University of Alabama coach Nick Saban was Cunningham’s defensive backs coach as a senior.
Aug. 11
GAZEBO STAGE: 5-6:30 p.m.: Brenda Williams & Friends; 7-8:30 p.m.: Tad Robinson Band; 9-10:30 p.m.: The Danny Lerman Band. THE TARKINGTON: 5-6:30 p.m.: The Dave Bennett Quartet; 7-8:30 p.m.: Sarah Scharbrough & Bethany Robinson; 9-10:30 p.m.: Tim Cunningham. STUDIO THEATER: 5-6:30 p.m: Sue Wickliff; 7- 8:30 p.m: Tommy Baldwin; 9-10:30 p.m.: Joe Filipow. CARTER GREEN: 5-6:30 p.m.: PREMIUM BLEND; 7-8:30 p.m.: Jennie DeVoe; 9-10:30 p.m.: The Dave Bennett Quartet. KIDS ZONE/THE ATHENAEUM AT CARTER GREEN: 6:30-7 p.m.: Mr. Daniel, 8:30-9 p.m.: Mr. Daniel. FEINSTEIN’S AT HOTEL CARMICHAEL*: 7:30 p.m.: Harry Allen & Rossano Sportiello.
Aug. 12
GAZEBO STAGE: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Dysfunktion Brass;1:30-3 p.m. Tad Robinson Band; 4-5:30 p..m: The Bottom 40 Band; 6:30-8 p.m.: Blair Clark; 9-10:30 p.m.: Evelyn Champagne King. THE TARKINGTON; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Tim Cunningham; 1-2:30 p.m.: Josh Kaufman; 3:30-5 p.m.: Both Sides of Joni Project ft. Alexis Cole; 6-7:30 p.m.: Steve Allee Big Band; 8:30-10 p.m.: College Professors. STUDIO THEATER: 11 a.m -12:30 p.m.: University of Indianapolis; 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m.: Butler University Jazz Collective; 4-5:30 p.m.: Ball State University Jazz; 6:30-8 p.m.: Indiana University.CARTER GREEN STAGE: 5- 6:30 p.m.: Freddie Fox; 7-8:30 p.m.: Hurricane & The Gang; 9-10:30 p.m.: Pavel & Direct Contact. KIDS ZONE/THE ATHENAEUM AT CARTER GREEN: 2-5 p.m.: Mr. Daniel. FEINSTEIN’S AT HOTEL CARMICHAEL*: 7:30 p.m.: Denise Times. THE PALLADIUM*: CARMEL JAZZ FEST headliner 8 p.m.: Spyro Gyra.
* Tickets sold separately and not included in festival pass pricing. To purchase tickets and add-on experiences, please visit the carmeljazzfest.org.
