Jade Adams: Jackson Musician Blending Blues, R&B, and Flute

Flutes aren’t common in blues music, but Jackson’s own Jade Adams embraces the unexpected.

With a smooth woodwind sound and a warm, soulful voice often compared to Tracy Chapman, Adams brings a fresh, emotive style to Jackson’s music scene. Her performances—often heard at Hal & Mal’s—blend blues and R&B with unmistakable depth.

CREDIT: Ryan Sayles

Early Roots in Jackson’s Church Music Scene

Adams was introduced to music at just two years old through Pearl Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jackson. She’s been a member of the Pearl Street Instrumental Ensemble for nearly two decades. In addition to the flute and vocals, she plays piano, violin, African drum, and guitar. Singing and flute are her preferred choices on stage, but she often uses piano to guide her preparation.

“It’s comforting to me to spend my weekends playing the song I plan to perform on the piano first, then playing it on the flute,” she says. “It allows me to truly hear what every little run will sound like. Although I improv a lot on stage, it’s like my security blanket.”

A Defining Moment in Philadelphia, Mississippi

Adams' first solo performance came at just seven years old at Morningstar Missionary Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where her grandfather was pastor. That same year, she was chosen to sing at a memorial for civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner.

“That whole experience of singing, ‘Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Jesus,’ at Morningstar is my first true core memory of me and music,” she says. “Singing there and getting to sing at that memorial is what lit that musical fire in me.”

Blending Genres with Soul and Skill

“I play anything blues and R&B,” says Adams, a graduate of the Mississippi School of the Arts. “Although I’m classically trained, I’m not a fan of playing classical music. I like being able to be loose and feel the music. So the blues is my favorite genre so far. But I play it all—country music, whatever.”

Over the years, a series of music teachers and band directors—including a blind piano teacher—shaped her multi-instrumental talent. Adams credits them with helping her explore genre-blending and musical freedom.

Adams takes center stage with the Central Mississippi Blues Society at Hal & Mal's

Credit: Ryan Sayles

The Live Music Experience in Jackson

“The music scene in Jackson is honestly a big melting pot,” she says. “At an open mic night, you don’t know what you’re going to get. You might hear Caribbean-based music, jazz, gospel. There’s so much happening.”From churches to clubs, Jade Adams continues to perform across Jackson, Mississippi, as a blues musician who makes room for the flute in every set—and does so with pride.

Author

Crystal McDowell

Crystal McDowell is the CEO of Marketing Maven Management, a marketing and communications firm created to ensure accurate and positive storytelling that includes people of color. She has a Mass Communication degree from Jackson State University and an MBA from Belhaven University. She has 18+ years of journalism, PR, and marketing skills, which she obtained working across the country. Her hobbies are traveling and storytelling.