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Jazz Festivals
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Written by Pamela Espeland
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Tuesday, 19 September 2006 |
It’s still light when we enter the
Arena on the final night of the Monterey Jazz Festival. Actor Clint
Eastwood introduces the first of two giant headliners: Dave Brubeck.
Eastwood is a jazz buff, passionate Festival supporter, and lifelong
Brubeck fan; in 2002, he told CNN, “I
have been following Dave Brubeck since the Burma Lounge on Lakeshore
Avenue in the mid '40s, but I was here in 1958, which was the first
year of the festival. And Dave was there then. So I have been kind of
a groupie for a lot of years.”
 Dave Brubeck © Milken Family Foundation At
85 years old, Brubeck has a touring schedule that would make most of
us tired just reading about it. In the past three months, he’s
played 22 dates including Carnegie Hall, the Toronto Jazz Festival,
the Montreal Jazz Festival, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, the
Newport Jazz Festival, and Tanglewood. He’s here in Monterey to
premiere a new work commissioned by the Festival, a tribute to
American author John Steinbeck called “Cannery Row Suite.”
But
first, Brubeck and the other members of his quartet—Bobby Militello
on alto sax and flute, Michael Moore on bass, Randy Jones on
drums—warm up with an appropriately bright and cheerful “Sunny
Side of the Street.” Brubeck opens “Stormy Weather” with a
tender solo; in comes Militello with the melody and we’re off. The
big screen flashes close-ups of Brubeck’s hands, sculpted by the
gods and blessed by the muses. A wistful “Over the Rainbow” is
the perfect song for the Festival’s last night. |
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Written by Pamela Espeland
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Sunday, 17 September 2006 |
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In one of the most highly anticipated
events of this year’s
Monterey Jazz Festival,
Charles Lloyd reprised Forest
Flower, the recording he made at Monterey in 1966 that sold a
million, catapulted him to fame, became the soundtrack of the Flower
Power movement, and drove him into the woods at Big Sur for more than
a decade. It wasn’t until the 1980s that he came out of musical
retirement, and he has graced us with numerous recordings since, most
recently Sangam, recorded live in Santa Barbara.
 Charles Lloyd © John Whiting Earlier on Saturday, journalists and
photographers were treated to a private Q&A with Lloyd. Moderated
by Andrew Gilbert, a freelance writer whose articles about jazz
frequently appear in the San Francisco Chronicle, the conversation
proved as freewheeling and adventuresome as Lloyd’s playing.
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Written by Pamela Espeland
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Sunday, 17 September 2006 |
 Kurt Elling and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra © John Whiting
Now in its 49th year, presented by Verizon, the three-day festival
boasts an impressive lineup of revered elders. Hank Jones, Oscar
Peterson, Dave Brubeck, McCoy Tyner, and Charles Lloyd are all
scheduled to appear starting on Saturday night. As we made our way down
the fairgrounds, peering into various venues—Dizzy’s Den, the Night
Club/Bill Berry Stage—we stopped at the open-air Garden Stage, where
Eldar was blazing through Oscar Peterson’s “Place St. Henri.”
Backed by Sicilian bassist Marco Panascia and Brooklyn-via-Texas
drummer Kendrick Scott, the 19-year-old prodigy from Kyrgyzstan
continued with an original composition, “Daily Living,” a blend of
thundering chords and lightning-fast runs. Eldar exudes strength; if
you ever shake his hand in greeting (as we did at the Dakota in
Minneapolis when he played there in November 2005), watch out. Yet he’s
also capable of sweet delicacy and restraint. We stayed through a
bluesy version of Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’,” whose center belonged to
bassist Panascia. At times, Eldar’s playing sounded like piano, twelve
hands. |
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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Tuesday, 12 September 2006 |
 Robin Eubanks © Don Berryman
September 23rd. Featuring two stages of free outdoor music with over 21
jazz artists including, Archie Shepp, Stanley Cowell, James
Spaulding, Jymie Merritt, Allen Nelson, Sumi Tonooka,
Stanley Wilson, Sid Simmons, Robin and Duane Eubanks and more to appear
on the John Coltrane Jazz Stage on Saturday, September 23, 2006 at
Awbury Arboretum in Philadelphia for jazz homecoming celebration.
Staging Areas in Awbury Arboretum are in Germantown in an area roughly
bounded by 800-1000 blocks of East Washington Lane, 5900-6200
blocks
of Arleigh Street, 800-1000 blocks of Haines Street and 5900-6200
blocks of Chew Avenue/Clearview Street.
THE JOHN COLTRANE JAZZ STAGE
The Awbury Arboretum – The Wetlands/Meadows
Beside Washington Lane R-7 SEPTA Train Station
800 block East Washington Lane (near Chew Avenue)
Schedule:
2:00 to 3:15 PM - SEARCH FOR THE NEW LAND QUINTET
- A Tribute to Lee Morgan
- Duane Eubanks – Trumpet, Jymie Merritt – Bass
- Ronnie Burrage – Drums, Sid Simmons - Piano
- Stanley Wilson - Tenor Saxophone
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 04 September 2006 |
 David "Fathead" Newman © Andrea Canter
The 25th Savannah Jazz Festival will be a celebration of all the
types
of jazz that has been performed at the festival over the last
quarter
century, with a wide range of music, from Dixieland, traditional swing,
straight-ahead and bop to melodic standards, Latin rhythms and funky
downhome “gutbucket” blues. The festival promises to feature the best
in international, national, regional and local jazz talent. The
Savannah Jazz Festival is sponsored by the City of Savannah's
Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information go to:
www.savannahjazzfestival.org
JAZZ WEEK starts September 24
-National Acts are September 28th thru the 30th
Schedule
- Sunday, September 24, 2006--- 5:00PM-9:00PM
-The Festival Kick-Off featuring the area's finest
musicians/artists @ Cobblestone Conch House*, ( Sponsored
by Annie's Guitars and Drums)
- Monday, September 25, 2006---
8:00PM-11:00PM Alex Nguyen Quintet
@ Cobblestone Conch House
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 Thursday, 04 December 2008
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