The Anthony Cox Quintet offered another opportunity to hear a veteran group of artists who were probably together on stage for the first time. Having established an international reputation early on, it is our great fortune to have Anthony Cox here in the Twin Cities as his home base; on electric (as at the festival) or acoustic, his bass playing is among the world’s elite. For this short set he was joined by Alicia Wiley on keyboards, Jimmy Wallace and Donald Washington on sax, Kevin Washington on drums, and Patrice on congas, with Lamarr Scott providing some interesting accents on what looked like a didigeroo (a long, wood flute-like instrument). Sounding like a flute himself, Kevin Washington took a break from his always-fiery drumming to provide haunting vocalizations. While he provided percussion for many of the groups at the festival, it was with Anthony Cox and company that he really blistered the skins and engaged in free-wheeling repartee with the bass. And it was a great treat to see his father, sax master Donald Washington, who deserves far more recognition as a performer as well as teacher. Recently, citing the senior Washington as one of his primary influences growing up in Detroit, jazz superstar saxman James Carter noted that “he treated every genre of music—every facet of jazz in particular—as equally viable…it was all tradition to him” (Downbeat, July 2004). That eclecticism shone throughout this exciting set. Another highlight was Jimmy Wallace playing just his mouthpiece, creating a vibe much like a bird call, perhaps calling up the spirit of the Bird himself.

Two of the Twin Cities most acclaimed vocalists each provided a lively set of standards: Yolanda Bruce (a quarter of the popular Moore By Four ensemble) presented several tunes in tribute to her late mother, Roberta Davis, including “Round Midnight;” she incited the crowd with her take on “Drink Muddy Water” which also featured some blazing tenor from Jimmy Wallace and funky Fender Rhodes from Thom West. Backed by the “house” rhythm section (Cox, Wiley and Kevin Washington), the ever-elegant Bruce Henry included a dramatic tribute to Nina Simone with “House of the Rising Sun.”

The festival was not just a showcase for established veterans but also a launching pad for some of the areas’s most promising young musicians, and perhaps an opportunity to ignite interest among the youngest generation as well. A new feature this year was “Kids… Jazz Is,” directed by vibist Bill Crutcher and guitarist Cam Muata, area jazz educators. Inviting young children to join them in an open jam, the basics of jazz were explained and the youngsters were offered a variety of simple instruments to try out on a couple of standards, including Turrentine’s “Sugar” and a demonstration of rhythmic variations on “Happy Birthday.” The result was a joyful noise and expressions of delight and discovery on the faces of the participants. And who knows, we may be hearing these young jazz enthusiasts at future festivals!