The biggest name to join the 2005 Festival of course was Chick Corea, appearing (not free!) with his latest band, Touchstone, at Orchestra Hall on June 21^st. Taking up the spirit of his famous composition “Spain,” Corea lead Touchstone (including sax/flute, bass, and percussion) through meandering and spinning compositions that recalled more the spirit of European (Castillian) music than Caribbean. The music was lovely, at times too restrained, but a grand percussive finale—with Corea attacking the congas himself—reminded the 1700+ filling Orchestra Hall of the fiery genius who wrote the original “Touchstone.” Perhaps almost as exciting for this local audience was the opening act, Cuban transplant Nachito Herrera, who engaged and awed the crowd with a rare solo set that raised the rafters; teen daughter Mirdalys Herrera showed uncommon poise and fire of her own when she sang with her dad on the last tune.

Local heroes held other piano chairs during the festival—Chris Lomheim with Patty Peterson and Kathy Jensen, Peter Schimke with Charles McPherson and Bruce Henry, Tanner Taylor with Mulligan Stew and the first sets of the Vocalists Showcase, Mary Louise Knutson with Equatis, Viviana Pintado with Seven Steps to Havana, Rick Carlson with the Twin Cities Seven and backing the later sets of the Vocalists Showcase, Lorrie Dokken on stage with The Girls, Mikkel Romstad with The Five, and young Micah Fitch, recent winner of a J-Train/Schubert Club jazz piano scholarship who performed with the student quartet, The Eggz.

And let’s not forget the Hammond B-3, brought to bigger-than-life sound by Chris Foreman of Henry Johnson’s Organ Express and one of the greatest living masters, Dr. Lonnie Smith. Guitarist Johnson’s Memphis gospel days meld well with his Southside Chicago roots and stint with Jack McDuff. Mix that with his Organ Express—featuring the B-3 chops of Chris Foreman, drummer Greg Rockingham, and saxophonist Peter Roothaan and you have a swinging, bluesy set that could easily “Make Someone Happy” as the first tune of their Peavy Plaza set predicted. Actually there seemed to be a lot of happy festival goers on the plaza early Friday evening.

Photo by Andrea Canter

I had really enjoyed Dr. Lonnie Smith when he was at the Dakota last summer, and was not disappointed in his trio set on Peavy Plaza Saturday afternoon. With talented collaborators Peter Bernstein on guitar and Fukushi Tainaka on drums, Smith wasted no time showing why he is one of the most influential B-3 artists of modern jazz. Well-known tunes such as Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” take on an entirely new vibe when translated to organ, yet one that remains true to the quirky rhythm of the original. The trio burned through “Softly As in a Morning Sunrise” and “Willow Weep for Me” before launching into a swinging “Caravan,” enhanced by Smith’s vocalese.

Festival Voices

Photo by Andrea Canter

Leading ladies of song—and a singular baritone—provided a wide range of vocal styles across venues, starting off at Mears Park and winding down at the Millennium Hotel and Peavy Plaza a week later. Two of Minnesota’s most gifted and popular chanteuses were on the bandstand at Mears Park (June 18^th): Lucia Newell and the sextet Departure Point reprised the music of Billy Strayhorn, released last fall on their recording, Steeped in Strayhorn. Led by tenor sax man Pete Whitman, Departure Point includes trombonist Jeff Rinear, trumpeter Dave Jensen, pianist Laura Caviani, bassist Gordy Johnson, and drummer Phil Hey. Newell’s voice has just enough smoke and her rapport with this band is exemplary—plus they clearly have passion for the tunes, from the wistful “Your Love Has Faded” to the swinging “Take the A Train”, to the beautiful original ballad, “Meme’s Love Song,” written by Whitman. Following up a couple hours later, Connie Evingson—famed member of Moore By Four—reprised her latest project, Gypsy in My Soul, with one of her accompanying bands, the Parisota Hot Club. Evingson uses both her voice and her deep knowledge of the music of Django Reinhart to entertain her audience, and the PHC is a perfect foil for this material. And dig those accordion licks from Patrick Harrison! Another Moore by Four veteran, Ginger Commodore, helped husband Bobby and his quartet open the acts on Peavy Plaza last Thursday. With Lee Blaske on piano and Mark Weissburg on bass, Ginger filled the open plaza with a diverse set, from a soulful rendition of “Unchained Melody” to a passionate “My Funny Valentine.”

Patty Peterson and Minnesota’s First Family of Music brought vocals and more to Peavy Plaza and the Dakota. Thursday afternoon was billed as the “Family” set, but it is always Family whenever a Peterson takes the stage. With Ricky on keys, Russell on alto, Tommy on tenor, and “adopted” cousins Terry Burns on bass and Joe Pulice on drums, Patty put a lot of passion into her rendition of “Nature Boy” before inviting sister Linda to the stage. Linda treated the audience to a beautiful vocal/piano version of “Don’t Misunderstand.” Then it was matriarch Jeanne Arland Peterson who stole the show, sitting next to Ricky for some hot four-handed piano, and while Linda and Patty traded off on vocals. Patty with family and friends moved to the Dakota stage for the weekend, and those of us who wandered into the late set Friday (with Chris Lomheim on piano, Michael Pilhofer on drums, and Tommy Peterson on sax) were treated again to some special family moments---mother Jean accompanying Patty on “I Only Have Eyes for You” and “Prelude to a Kiss,” then leading the rhythm section on “Put on a Happy Face”—which seems like a pretty easy thing to do when you’re 80+ and surrounded by your own family band! Jerry Weldon wandered in and joined Patty on “Just in Time” (see above). As always, a Peterson Family event is full of surprises!

Kicking off Saturday on the plaza was popular band Doug Haining and the Twin Cities Seven, featuring yet another hot area vocalist, Charmin Michelle, stunning on “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.” (Trombone wizard Dave Graf nearly stole the show, though on “Multicolor Blue.”)

The Girls Photo by Andrea Canter

Sunday was truly a Vocal Showcase: The Girls (Lori Dokken, Debbie Duncan, Erin Schwab, and Judi Donaghy) with some additional instrumental backing drew a large crowd to the Dain Rauscher Stage at 10 Street, and their trademark banter and R&B flavored repertoire filled the Mall for a full city block. On the plaza, Bruce Henry provided the male counterpart to the long list of songstresses, and with his dynamic quintet (Peter Schimke, Jay Young, Joe Pulice, Dean Magraw, and Daryl Boudreuax) and his velvet baritone warming up the audience in anticipation of his evening “vocal jam” at the Millennium. The Millennium Lounge, however, was already heated to boiling following the Minnesota Chapter of the national Jazz Vocal Coalition “Vocalist Showcase” which ran all Sunday afternoon, featuring short sets from a long list of area chanteuses—Lucia Newell, Rhonda Laurie, Connie Dussi, Lila Ammons, Sue Tucker, Vicky Mountain, Katie Gearty, Christine Rosholt, Connie Olson, and Maud Hixon. In this sea of talent, most notable perhaps was Lila Ammons, a relative newcomer to town who has made the transition from opera and classical music to jazz—and very effectively as she proved on a soulful, bluesy, and bring-down-the-house version of “The Nearness of You.” Vicky Mountain was also outstanding, particularly engaging in her vocalese duet with drummer Mac Santiago on “Teach Me Tonight.” Among the rhythm section collaborators, Tanner Taylor nearly upstaged his leading ladies. I admit to missing two of the vocal highlights of the festival, New York vocalists Teri Roiger at the Millennium and Roseanna Vitro, who closed the festival on Peavy Plaza Sunday night.

Great Ensembles

Departure Point Photo by Andrea Canter

With all the star-studded soloists and bandleaders, it is important to note the many fine ensembles and big bands of the festival, from Kelly Rossum’s quartet and Chill 7 at Mears Park to the amazing duo of John Patitucci and Adam Rogers at the Dakota to the innovative small bands—John Penny’s Equatis, Mulligan Stew, Roundtrip, The Five, Red Planet, Yohannes Tona Band, and Eric Kamau Gravatt’s Source Code. Latin vibes filled the plaza with Doug Little’s Seven Steps to Havana and the ever-popular Salsa del Sol (which turned the concrete expanse into a hip-hoppin’ dance floor. Big Bands—The Wolverines and Duluth’s Big Time Jazz Orchestra—were hits on the Dain Rauscher 10^th Street Stage, as was an afternoon of swing music—starting with a swing dance competition at the Dakota backed by Steve Clarke and the Working Stiffs, followed by swing sets on the 10^th Street Stage. Hot Clubs were popular as well, from Mears Park wit the Parisota Hot Club to Peavy Plaza with the Twin Cities HC. And probably the biggest draw of the festival was the Yellowjackets, who, after more than 25 years, remain true to their mission of making improvised music accessible to everyone while retaining their trademark fusion swing.

Yellowjackets Photo by Andrea Canter

Worthy of special mention is the two-night stand by two of modern jazz’s most innovative and versatile string masters, bassist John Patitucci and guitarist Adam Rogers. Their four sets at the Dakota were filled with original compositions, sublime interplay, and swinging performances. Both musicians proved to be equally adept on electric and acoustic instruments, with highlights including Patitucci’s elegant acoustic solo tribute to Ray Brown (“Ray’s Idea”), their duet on Rogers’ bluesy original “Purpose, ” and their beautiful all-acoustic teamwork on De Falla’s “Nana.” Patitucci comes as close to a ballet dancer as one can imagine via the bass, his artistry in his motion as much as his sound.

Also important to mention are the pulsekeepers who drive the ensembles—the bassists and drummers who are often taken for granted in the shadows of the horns, keyboards and vocalists. Often these musicians do double and triple duty within a given day’s schedule. The Twin Cities boasts some of the nation’s finest talents, and the busiest at this festival included master bassists Gordy Johnson and Tom Lewis, and dynamic drummers Phil Hey, Joe Pulice and Kevin Washington. Pulice even subbed on vibes as part of Source Code.

Young Talent

MITY Photo by Andrea Canter

One of my favorite parts of the HSJF is the emphasis on young performers and jazz education. The best of youthful talent was given plenty of stage time, from the (well deserved) high profile sax of Alex Han (see above) to the sets from teen musicians Killer Dolphins, Second Nature, The Eggz, and the Chris Graham Trio. At Mears Park, the urban festival kicked off with a showcase of middle school students from the Walker West Academy; the Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) Jazz Band played an early set on Peavy Plaza, their core including musicians who independently make up Killer Dolphins. The personnel of Second Nature and The Eggz overlap at the drum kit, where South High student Miguel Hurtado keeps time like a veteran. Micah Fitch, recent winner of a J-Train/Schubert Club Jazz Piano Scholarship, sat in with Second Nature and has been managing the piano chair for the Eggz— is maturing into a very engaging pianist. I have seen Eggz leader Owen Nelson grow as an alto sax player over the past three + years, now well able to keep up with his mentor Kathy Jensen on the bandstand (see above). And bassist Chris Smith is on his way to joining the top echelon of area bassists.

Area youth had further opportunities to learn and perform through the clinics offered at the McPhail tent—led by such artists as the Yellowjackets, Jerry Weldon, and Butch Thompson. Scanning the crowds at Mears Park and Peavy Plaza, it was exhilarating to see toddlers to teens enjoying the music.

The Rest of the Fest

Music at the festival venues was the centerpiece but there was a lot more to the Festival. Jazz Night Out on June 23^rd raised funds for the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and Project Pride in Living, while offering live music at 14 clubs linked by a continuously running trolley. The annual Visual Arts show took place this year at the Joan of Art Gallery in south Minneapolis, while a variety of crafts and unusual items were for sale in booths along Peavy Plaza. Radio KBEM and the Twin Cities Jazz Society offered CDs, festival gear, and a lot of information about the local jazz scene, while vendors offered everything from roasted corn and brats to crawfish coleslaw and jambalaya. If you didn’t get enough music from noon to dark, there was always a late set or jam session at the Dakota or Millennium.

Final Reflections

Photo by Andrea Canter

Jazz Festivals are a lot of fun for those of us who attend but a lot of work for those who raise funds, organize the events, and keep it all running smoothly. An illuminating glimpse of big-time festival production is offered by the one and only George Wein in his recent biography, Myself Among Others. It’s a great read about a half century of jazz and jazz festivals, but also helps one appreciate what goes into producing such an event year after year. And this year, perennial producer Steve Heckler managed to not only put together a great festival under not-always-easy circumstances, he also took time out at noon Friday to get married—at the Dakota, of course! A Big Band salute is due to Steve and his crew, to the gang from KBEM who managed sound and many other functions, to the very essential festival sponsors, and to the many artists who shared their talents over the two-week gig.

To the artists not mentioned in this article, I apologize—time and scheduling did not allow me to get to every set or every venue; and space does not allow me to mention every great tune or artists that I did hear. But I do offer a personal summary of festival highlights—singer Lila Ammon’s interpretation of The Nearness of You; watching Jerry Weldon and Benny Golson together watching young lion Alex Han; pianist Giacomo Aula’s fleet-fingered forays through his original compositions, John Patitucci and Adam Rogers’ interpretation of Manual De Falla, Jon Weber doing whatever, hearing the wealth of talent of the many young jazz musicians who participated in the festival; seeing my old fifth grade classmate John Penny (Equatis) on stage with some of the best of the Twin Cities musicians. And then there was the perfect jazz festival food, Dixie’s Crawfish Coleslaw—a creative, tangy blend of healthy ingredients, full of spice and surprise. Just like jazz.

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