Maynard Ferguson

November 7-9, 2008, will mark the Cape May Jazz Festival’s 15th year and 30th celebration presented by Bank of America. Friday night’s opener kicks off with a Tribute to Maynard Ferguson featuring a 16-piece big band led by Ed Vezinho and Jim Ward.  This performance will be held in the theatre at Lower Regional High School. Jon Faddis, internationally acclaimed high-register trumpeter, will solo with the band saluting Ferguson’s music. Ferguson, jazz legend and internationally famous big band leader, was one of the world’s great trumpet and brass instrument players dazzling the world with his high trumpet blasts.  Ferguson, the kid, set the jazz world on its ear with his innovation and the level of musicianship of his “Birdland Dream Band” back in the 50s.

Three time Grammy nominee, Maynard Ferguson, a consistent Downbeat and Playboy Jazz Poll award winner, was a potent force in the world of music education, making time to personally encourage young musicians. An instrument designer, a record producer, composer, arranger, symphonic guest artist, and film soundtrack artist, Maynard Ferguson was a diverse and energetic musician whose talents far surpass trumpet player.

© John Whiting

Someday I’ll figure out how to be in five places at once. That’s what it takes to see every performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Until then, I’ll do what I’ve done for the past four years: study the program, make hard choices, get distracted, see things I want to see, miss other things I should see, kick myself, enjoy, reflect, plan to return. 

What a great festival this is. Seemingly so relaxed, yet brilliantly programmed, with something for everyone from children to twenty-somethings to their grandparents. Legends, up-and-comers, new names and faces. Easy jazz (notice I did not say “smooth”), edgy jazz, brand-new, history-steeped. All in a sylvan setting with really good fair food at hand. We have Jo-Jo’s Ribs for breakfast one day. Sauce on the side. A little plastic cup of potato salad. And one night, ’round midnight, samosas and naan.  

Any concerns about whether the 51st year of this beloved festival would match the excitement and star power of last year’s 50th birthday party fade once the lineup is announced. It takes a bit longer for the arena tickets to sell out, but they do, and by the time the festival starts grounds passes are available only for Sunday. Some 45,000 fans pass through the turnstiles onto the Monterey fairgrounds.  

Craig Taborn©Andrea Canter

The Third Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival (CCAF3) will take place October 1-12, 2008, featuring Chicago-based artists collaborating in performances and projects with artists living in other locations -- both here in the U.S. and abroad. Organized by the Borderbend Arts Collective, a not-for-profit organization, Chicago Calling is part of Chicago Artists Month, the thirteenth annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant visual art community. In October, more than 200 exhibitions of emerging and established artists, openings, demonstrations, tours, open studios and neighborhood art walks take place at galleries, cultural centers and arts buildings throughout the city.  

The Chicago Calling collaborations will be both prepared and improvised; some performances will involve live feeds between Chicago and elsewhere. Among the scheduled projects are: a Chicago-based musician/composer collaborating with a composer from the Philippines, Chicago-based poets connecting over the radio with poets from Hawaii, and a Chicago-based musician collaborating with a British visual artist. Venues for CCAF3 will include Elastic Arts Foundation, The Velvet Lounge, Black Rock Pub & Kitchen, Heaven Gallery, Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center, WNUR (Northwestern University), Peter Jones Gallery, 32nd&Urban Gallery, AV-Aerie, and other locations. Artists involved with CCAF3 work in a wide range of media, including music, painting, video, poetry, dance, and other art forms.