Proving that great things come from nurturing early displays of talent, 18-year-old Paris Strother and her trio provided an outstanding set. Hot off gigs at the Blue Star and Dakota, and heading soon to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Strother has rapidly grown into a formidable pianist, composer and arranger, validating her early education at Walker West Academy, the Ramsey School of Fine Arts (Minneapolis Public Schools), and McPhail Center for the Arts. On the festival bandstand, she was joined by her talented compatriots, 16-year-old Chris Smith on bass and 19-year-old Hollis Rose on drums. While I have heard Paris a number of times on piano, this was the first occasion to hear her on the Fender Rhodes, giving the trio more layers of sound but not doing justice to her artistry. The vaporizing of sound at an outdoor venue may reduce the effectiveness of the electronic keyboard in this format. Nevertheless, very enjoyable were the trio’s renditions of “Autumn Leaves” and Guaraldi’s “Great Pumpkin Waltz.”

Also enjoyable, and in a very different mood, were the sounds of “Johannes and Friends,” a jazz funk sextet lead by guitarist Johannes. With the backing of a young cast, the band found an infectious groove on “Afro Child” and morphed into an effective R&B beat featuring vocalist Amy Bryan on “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” Another youthful band, JOTO (featuring Stokely, Hill, and Serge), offered a funky “I Will Wait For You.” Billed as “Afro Cuban Funk,” this group seemed more straight ahead than funk, but never mind, it was good swinging stuff.

And there was a lot more before the festival closed Saturday evening, from the African drumming of Patrice and Kevin Washington, to the mainstream Work in Progress headed by vibist Bill Crutcher, classic jazz from the McRae Park Jazz Workshop, and the annual all-comers Open Jam Session—an at-large improvisional set open to anyone with an instrument, in the true spirit of community that is the foundation of the Freedom Jazz Festival. A special moment mid-afternoon was the awarding of the 2004 Sam Favors Award to trumpeter and educator Melvin Carter, Sr. This award honors the legacy of Sam Favors, one of the founders of the Freedom Jazz Festival who died in 2002. Given annually to an African American artist, the award “exemplifies the sharing of history, music, and community created by jazz.”

And in sum, the 2004 Freedom Jazz Festival also exemplifies the sharing of history, music, and community, across genres and across generations.

For information about performing at, volunteering or supporting the Freedom Jazz Festival, see www.freedomjazzfestival.org or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it