It would be impossible to convey what it is like to attend the Monterey Jazz Festival. This year's 50th rendition was wonderful in spite of rain on Friday night's show -- only the second time in the Festival's history that it rained. Here are some of my random thoughts about it, in no particular order:
** Come on, is there anyone cooler than Sonny Rollins? The man literally tore the place up as the last act of the Festival on Sunday night. He performed at the very first festival in 1958 and he's still going strong, now at age 77. It was a true honor to see and hear that set along with 10,000 savvy jazz fans.
** Gerald Wilson rules. At age 89, with band members who have been playing with him for 40 to 50 years, the man is so elegant it's as if he's ready to ascend into heaven at any moment. He composed "Monterey Moods" for this 50th festival, and I can only say his big band is the best I've heard in many years.
** The Otis Taylor Band is a force to be reckoned with, playing something they call "Trance Blues." I was totally wowed by Otis' 20-year-old daughter, Cassie, playing a truly mean bass and singing with a smoky voice beyond her years.
** Ornette Coleman - a quintet with three (count 'em) basses! Yep, Ornette is still Ornette.
** Hearing Terence Blanchard play is always heaven for me. But hearing him play many songs from his moving new album "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)" with the Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra backing him up brought tears to my eyes.
** Getting to hear John Sayles talk about his new movie, with audience Q&A was so cool. We also got to see several clips from the film, "Honeydripper."
** John McLaughlin playing straight electric guitar ala Mahavishnu Orchestra days. The dude can still outplay just about any rock guitarist.
** Brubeck at 86. Still bringing it.
** Mort Sahl hosting the Sunday night show. "I heard Bush was born again. Why would anyone want to come back as George Bush?" Huge, huge cheer from the crowd.
I could go on, but you get the picture. Being at the Festival for three days is like going to another planet where all ages and races are mellow, intelligent, and just basically COOL.
~ Tom
P.S. Is there any sound cooler than trumpet and tenor sax playing together as the front line in a quintet?
4 comments:
Never been to the MJF, but so nice to know that it still attracts such a lineup after all these years. If you missed it, good show this a.m. on Tom Ashbrook's On Point show out of WBUR on a new book about John Coltrane. Assuming the link comes through, check it out. John Coltrane's Sound
tom
Here's another link that might get you there.
http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/date.asp?m=9&y=2007
tom
Tom, Wish I'd been there. You know I ain't big on crowds though, so grateful for your take on it all, and the answer to your questions are all obvious, Sonny Rollins is definitely the coolest musician, or maybe human, alive on the planet right now, and give me that trumpet and sax fronting any combination and I'm there with you. Happy to know you got to dig all that and more man, and to share it with the rest of us. Thanks, Lal
Tom - Thanks for pulling my coat to the Ashbrook show. The link works and I'm gonna listen to it when I have "quality time."
Lal - Yeah, I was thinking of you quite often while listening to the music. Like that great Lord Buckley riff on the power of laughter and how it often makes you think fondly on those departed or far away. But then there really isn't much difference between laughter and music, is there?
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