The Monterey Jazz Festival's 51st year gets underway next month with a special concert by the festival's 2008 artist in residence as part of its fourth Next Generation Festival featuring top youth jazz bands from around the world. Renowned bassist and composer Christian McBride will give his first performance as part of his official role with the festival, performing with the Christian McBride Situation, a combo with keyboard, saxophone, bass and DJ.
The concert takes place April 3 at the historic Golden State Theater in downtown Monterey CA. Details and ticket information is available at the MJF website. The Next Generation Festival runs April 3-6 at the Monterey Conference Center. The festival includes the annual National High School Jazz Competition, which was described by one-time winner Joshua Redmond as "the Super Bowl of California high school jazz competitions."
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Monterey Jazz artist in residence to open season April 3 at Next Generation Festival
Sunday, February 10, 2008
5th Annual Portland Jazz Festival Lineup
Photo Credit: Portland Jazz Festival
This is an excerpt from the press release introducing the program for the Portland (OR) Jazz Festival, running from Feb. 15-24:
A great deal of contemporary mainstream jazz, generally speaking, is risk free. Most jazz festivals in America play it safe, sticking with a successful and predictable stable of artists who rarely take the music beyond its resting place in history.
The fifth annual Portland Jazz Festival, presented by Qwest & The Oregonian A&E, set for February 15-24, dares to go where few jazz festivals in North America have ever been -- moving ever forward. Indeed, any jazz event which opens with free jazz innovator Ornette Coleman and later closes with avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor, is admittedly ‘out there.' But, along with the likes of Parker, Coltrane, Rollins, Monk, Mingus and Miles, these were the players who kept pushing jazz foward; more afraid of standing still perhaps than spinning off the road out of control.
Yet even with the emphasis on the cutting edge art, the 2008 Portland Jazz Festival remains an diverse experience -- a kaleidoscope of sounds and colors going every which way.
When one adds during this 10-day event the names of Joshua Redman, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Maceo Parker, Tord Gustavsen, Nik Bartsch’s Ronin, Jillian Lebeck, Avishai Cohen, Rob Scheps, Glen Moore, Myra Melford, Tim Berne, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Stefon Harris, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Bill Charlap, Nancy King, Fred Hersch, The Bad Plus, Portland Jazz Orchestra, Miguel Zenon, Renee Rosnes, Eric Harland, and the Oregon Symphony,
you’ve got the ingredients for a spicy, yet delicious jazz stew that should please the tastes of just about everybody who claims to be a jazz aficianado.
The rest of the release, which elaborates on the festival's lineup as well as jazz education and outreach programs, can be found here.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tune Up for New Orleans Jazz Fest
Tune up for the festival with our playlist of two songs likely to be played by each major artist at the upcoming New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which takes place April 21-May 4 at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. The playlist is organizaed by festival day and covers headline artists playing the first weekend of the festival. Another playlist covering the second weekend will be posted soon.
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Thursday, January 24, 2008
Jazz Fest lineup covers every genre
New Orleans Jazz Fest rolled out its massive seven-day lineup, covering every major popular music genre with marquee names, standout first timers and long-time festival favorites.
The festival claims it's "deepest overall mix of rhythm & blues, rock, jazz, country, blues, gospel, world beat, and more in the 39-year history of the event." Looking over the names it is hard to argue.
First time performers include Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Tim McGraw, Sheryl Crow, and Keyshia Cole.
Among returning festival favorites, look for The Neville Brothers, Jimmy Buffett, Santana, Widespread Panic, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, and Diana Krall.
Notable collaborations include Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; Elvis Costello and Alain Toussaint; Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea.
Besides the Nevilles, who are returning to the festival for the first time since Katrina, other New Orleans acts include Dr. John, The Radiators, Beausoleil, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and many more.
Despite the festival's name, it has always been strongest in the R&B category. In addition to names already mentioned, R&B performers include Al Green, Keb' Mo', Dianne Reeves. Delbert McClinton, James Cotton, Henry Butler, Irma Thomas and many more.
More names in rock include The Raconteurs, Cupid, Richard Thompson, Derek Trucks and Michael Franti; in roots, John Prine, Del McCoury, The Sparrow Quartet and Carolina Chocolate Drops; and in jazz, Cassandra Wilson, Terence Blanchard, the Count Basie Orchestra featuring Patti Austin, and Randy Newman (since I don't know where else to include him).
The festival runs seven days, April 25-27 and May 1-4, at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. Performances take place on 11 stages running from 11 am to 7 pm each day.
A full list of performers by festival day is here at the festival web site. The precise stage schedule will be released later.
Monday, November 19, 2007
San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival
This annual Thanksgiving festival has served as the flagship event for the America's Finest Dixieland Jazz Society since 1980, giving birth to monthly concerts, workshops, and an adult jazz camp, among other programs. This year, there are over 30 bands, which won't just be playing traditional jazz, but rockabilly and blues, among other styles. Tickets for this collection of nationwide talent range from $75 for a three-day badge to $85 for a five-day badge.
Video by tdub1941
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Nevilles returning to Jazz Fest
The Neville Brothers will return for their traditional festival closing role at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. The festival will also return to its prior format of presenting seven days of music over two long weekends, April 25-27 and May 1-4, 2008. The two post-Katrina festivals had been cut back to six days.
In an announcement of the 2008 festival highlights, producer Quint Davis said, "The return of Aaron, Art, Charles and Cyril Neville to New Orleans and to Jazz Fest is as powerful a statement as possible about the return of our culture to the city. They're back, which means we're back."
The full artist lineup will be announced in January. Today the festival announced only a few names. In addition to the Neville Brothers, country music star and Louisiana native Tim McGraw and New Orleans soul group Maze featuring Frankie Beverly were named as 2008 performers.
The festival also announced its ticket pricing, including introducing a new category of VIP ticket called a Grand Marshall VIP Pass. Individual day passes are $35 per day if purchased before January 23, $40 after that, and with the gate price to be announced. Admission for the added seventh day of the event, Thursday, May 1, is less—$25 early bird and $30 thereafter.
The festival has been offering a special Big Chief VIP package in recent years. It includes access to raised and covered private viewing areas at the two main stages, semiprivate viewing areas at three other stages and a VIP hospitality lounge with beverage service. This year, Big Chief passes are priced at $750 for the first weekend and $800 for the second weekend, or $50 per day more for each with daily reserved parking.
For VIPs who want to get as close to the stagefront as possible, a new ticket option this year is the Grand Marshall VIP Pass, which allows exclusive access to standing room only areas directly in front of the three main stages. Grand Marshall pricing is $450 for the first weekend and $500 for the second weekend, or $50 per day more with reserved parking.
All tickets went on sale today and can be purchased online at www.nojazzfest.com and Ticketmaster, or at the Jazz Fest ticket office at the Louisiana Superdome.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Video: FP reports from Monterey Jazz
Festival Preview's Dan Ruby reports from the grounds of the Monterey Jazz Festival. After the rain let up Saturday morning, MJF musicians and attendees had clear skies for the rest of the 50th anniversary weekend. Among those featured: Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Terence Blanchard, Nnenna Freelon and more.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Jason Moran
There's definitely a method to Jason Moran's ivory-jumping madness, but it's hard to figure out exactly what it is. The pianist, hailed by the New York Times as "one of jazz's greatest new artists," and his ensemble, the Bandwagon, jump from bluesy-numbers to ballads, all marching to some abstract beat, but they keep that secret shrouded under skippy chords and ambushing rhythms, which makes for less boredom, and therefore more listening. Thus, Moran's strategy makes him even more suitable for his exploration of a 1959 concert given the master of planned unexpectedness, Thelonious Monk, at this year's SF Jazz Festival.
Personnel (w/the Bandwagon): Jason Moran (pianist), Nasheet Waits (drums), Tarus Mateen (bass), Marvin Sewell (guitar)
Upcoming: San Francisco Jazz Festival October 17-November 30, Earshot Jazz Festival October 19- November 4
Some Advice From Jason About What It's Like To Be Jazz Musician
Video by SESAC1
Earshot Jazz Festival
October 19- November 4, Seattle WA
Various Venues
The Earshot Jazz Festival has been described as "Seattle's most important annual jazz event," and this year's edition will no doubt add tons of critical weight to that assessment. There will be over 50 performances spread throughout Seattle during the festival's run this year, in addition to films, master classes, panel discussions, and other goodies to go along with the music. It's fine if none of these features seems to be a novel idea considering the fact that we're talking about a jazz festival-- Earshot simply does things bigger and better than about 95% of jazz festivals in the U.S. today.
Headliners: Ahmad Jamal, John Zorn, Cedar Walton, Toots Thielemans, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jean-Michel Pilc
Jay Thomas & The East/West Jazz Alliance Performing At The 2006 Festival
Video by PonyBoyRecords
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Monterey honors its roots in 50th anniversary festival
In the hip bebop jazz world of the 1950s, a new cool jazz culture was forming in California. Musicians like Dave Brubeck and Stan Kenton led bands that embodied the new style out of San Francisco and Los Angeles, but it was somewhere in between--Monterey, Calif.--that became the place most closely identified with that school of jazz.
Opening October 3, 1958, the first Monterey Jazz Festival brought together luminaries from New York like Louis Armstrong and Billy Holiday with Brubeck and others from the West coast. Last week, the festival celebrated 50 years in the same location in a blowout festival that broke attendance records and brought back many old favorites.
Among those who had been at both the first and the fiftiest Monterey festivals were Brubeck, the epitome of West coast jazz, saxophone legend Sonny Rollins, vocalist Ernestine Anderson and comedian Mort Sahl.
For the first time ever, the festival sold out of all arena and grounds tickets before the opening night. The festival reported that 45,000 people attended the three-day event at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, in the same location since the beginning.
The weekend got off to a soggy start, when a rare September rainstorm doused the grounds. Umbrellas went up in the fairgrounds arena, while John McLaughlin and Isaac Delgado carried on. Many fans made for the two main covered venues, The Nightclub, where artists like Jim Hall, Terence Blanchard and Anthony Wilson were playing their first of several festival sets, and Dizzy's Den, where New Orleans night was underway with the great brass band Bonerama and Ivan Nevelle's group Dumpstaphunk.
The excursion to New Orleans was one of several subthemes in the program meant to expand the festival's appeal beyond pure jazz. Saturday afternoon was blues day, with British blues rocker James Hunter, the Otis Taylor Band, and Latin rockers Los Lobos taking over the arena. Sunday had a family day theme with an emphasis on young talent. 
On the main stage, the theme was ensemble playing and special collaborations. Guitarist Jim Hall was the featured soloist with the Brubeck Quartet. Kenny Burrell was special guest with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra. Opening the Sunday night program, the MJF All-Stars featured vocalist Nnenna Freelon.
Overshadowed in all the festival highlights was an exuberant set by another jazz legend, Ornette Coleman, playing in an unusual three bass ensemble. That left all the highs for Coleman's saxophone and violin. With the violin, it was an electric swing band, not unlike a Bela Fleck and perfectly accessible.
The two big headliners were Diana Krall on Saturday and Sonny Rollins on Sunday. This was this first time back for Krall in seven years, and one of her first performances since recently having twins. She pleased the crowd with her stylish piano and vocal chops, and with a mini three-song Nat King Cole tribute.
Sonny Rollins closed the festival on Sunday night and he did not disappoint. He's still a hip cat with his shades and beard, and he still delivered that richly lyrical tone from his saxophone that makes him instantly recognizable.
Two special compositions were showcased. The festival's commissioned work was Gerald Wilson's song suite "Monterey Moods," which he performed in the arena Saturday night with his orchestra and special guest Kenny Burrell.
The second, by 2007 MJF artist-in-residence Terence Blanchard, was a moving "Requiem for Katrina," his search for the soul of his home city, performed with his quintet and a jazz chamber orchestra. After the solemn tone of the Katrina suite, I was glad Blanchard ended with an upbeat "Congo Square," celebrating the birth of jazz in New Orleans.
The festival introduced several innovations in its layout this year. A new dance tent dubbed Lyons Lounge became the ninth program venue, with DJ Logic and Vinnie Esparza working the turntables. Another new feature named for the festival founder was Lyons Lane with informational displays about the history of the festival.
In addition to lots of great music, the festival included a focus on jazz films and on panel discussions with figures associated with the festival. Comedian Mort Sahl, who emceed in 1957, was featured as in a staged interview format. Filmmakers Clint Eastwood and John Sayles sat on a panel to discuss jazz in movies. Eastwood, who has been associated with MJF for many years, was also honored with the presentation of an honorary doctorate from Berklee School of Music.
