Monterey Jazz Fest - Sept 17-19

[Mike Schwartz]

3rd day since the conclusion......anybody care to share

[Peterdubya]

I drove down and back on Friday, caught some of the Roy Hargrove BB, who were on fire. Roy was playing at his normal level of greatness.... Caught the end of Mark Levine, and caught the entire Rudhesh Mahanthappa set, which was why we drove down, and they were incredible. I think this band, with Rez Abassi and Dan Weiss is phenomenal. great interaction in the trio, they really react and change with each other. make each other laugh too. A truly great band.

Was sorry to not be there for the whole weekend.

[Ron Thorne]

i know you know that i wish that too!!

trust that there's a chance i'll see you in L.A. though!

That's our wish, Valerie. We've been in California since Saturday evening. We'll talk soon.

I'm anxious to hear from you about Monterey, 2010.

[Lois Gilbert]

I drove down and back on Friday, caught some of the Roy Hargrove BB, who were on fire. Roy was playing at his normal level of greatness.... Caught the end of Mark Levine, and caught the entire Rudhesh Mahanthappa set, which was why we drove down, and they were incredible. I think this band, with Rez Abassi and Dan Weiss is phenomenal. great interaction in the trio, they really react and change with each other. make each other laugh too. A truly great band.

Was sorry to not be there for the whole weekend.

El bummer I didn't know you were there. I agree about Roy Hargrove and I guess you're seeing Septeto @ Yoshis. The whole weekend was infectiously and fondly funky.

Trombone Shorty was simply fantastic. The arena was full and it was perfect on a Saturday afternoon. I posted some pics on http://facebook.com/jazzcorner There were so many highlights - it was an international fest with a down home feel. Loved Dianne Reeves with Romero and Russell Malone. It was as if we were in her living room. I saw Jazz Mafia on Friday night as well - about 50 musicians on stage. Interesting concept of marrying hip hop with strings but I thought the rappers needed some more dynamic words and experience, but they definitely have potential.

When Valerie checks in I know she'll agree one of the highlights of music I have seen in a long time was Billy Childs Quartet with Scott Colley, Brian Blade and Steve Wilson. Each musician a force to be reckoned with and the reunion of Billy and Steve Wilson was utterly enchanting and their synchronicity transcended the music.

I ended the weekend with Les McCann and Lonnie Smith funking fantastic on Swiss Movement Revisited. We were doing the twist in the back of the nightclub.

And how can we forget giving some love to Angelique Kidjo and having Christian McBride and Kendrick Scott infused her with the funk.

Great weekend of music and fun. It's true once you're there, an inexplicable feeling overcomes you and you're home.

[Mike Schwartz]

since few decided to recap and very little at that, here's the wrap-up from the publicist, Tim Orr at MJF





53rd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented By Verizon
Wraps Up Feel-Good, Inspirational, Multi-Cultural Weekend,

September 17-19, 2010



40,000 Celebrate Historic Jazz Performances from Legendary Artists

to Breakout Debuts


Jazz Conversations, Exhibitions, Films, Partner Activities Enhance "World’s Best Jazz Festival"



“The Monterey Jazz Festival…is the prevailing anchor for West Coast jazz pride.”

-- New York Times



"Monterey cemented its place as one of the premier jazz festivals in the world."

-- JazzTimes



“The Monterey Jazz Festival is the best outdoor jazz festival in the nation, bar none…

it feels like a mini-lifetime crammed into less than three days.”

-- San Jose Mercury News



“The 53rd annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon has been nothing less than jazz nirvana.”

-- Oakland Tribune



“Years from now, there will be about 100,000 folks all claiming they were there when Trombone Shorty

kicked some major tail at the Monterey Jazz Festival. But only a few thousand will be telling the truth.

You know who you are…one of the most satisfying of Monterey's festivals I've attended

over the past three decades.”

-- Monterey County Herald



“Roy Haynes…leapt out to steal the show at the very end, bashing away at a lengthy

drum solo…When he ended, just at the stroke of midnight, the applause was thunderous.”

-- jazzobserver.com



“Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews was clearly this year’s big, emergent star. The artists featured

on Saturday’s lineup were part of that [straight-ahead] tradition, but conversant in many others

— blues, hip-hop, world music, gospel, even noise.”

-- East Bay Express



“There’s only one word to describe Dianne Reeves’ performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival: spectacular.”

-- blogmonterey.com



“Certainly the emphasis of Monterey Jazz is on the excellent music, but there’s more to the festival

than that. It’s a consistent and reliable celebration of the human spirit, camaraderie and joie de vivre that’s more than welcome in our trying times.”

-- examiner.com



“The Monterey Jazz Festival is the West Coast equivalent of a jazz Stonehenge.”

-- Good Times Santa Cruz



Weekend Highlights

Trombone Shorty steals the show and seals his place in MJF history
Harry Connick, Jr. performs to appreciative full house in the Arena
85-year-old Roy Haynes wows crowds with youthful exuberance
Rudresh Mahanthappa, Somi, Sachal Vasandani, Gretchen Parlato, Septeto Nacional de Cuba,
Les Nubians, Jazz Mafia make indelible MJF debuts

Angelique Kidjo rouses Arena crowds to dance on stage
Ahmad Jamal MJF debut stuns audience in closing Arena show
Artist-In-Residence Dianne Reeves appears throughout MJF/53 weekend
Roy Hargrove and Roberta Gambarini pack venues for two appearances with Big Band
Jake Shimabukuro makes astounding solo debut
Billy Childs and Kronos Quartet debut challenging “Music for Two Quartets”
Fred Hersch and Marcus Roberts Trios play masterful sets


October 13, 2010, Monterey, CA: The 53rd Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon wrapped up Sunday, September 19 after a weekend of stunning debuts by newcomers and favorites alike and highly-anticipated performances by 500 world-renowned and legendary artists. 40,000 fans came through the gates of the Monterey County Fairgrounds during the weekend of September 17-19, with the Festival welcoming them back with a wide musical palate from classic jazz to world music, from New Orleans to New York, and from around the globe; compelling conversations, engaging exhibits, and wonderfully warm weather.



Musical Highlights: Friday
The thrilling weekend got off to an explosive start in the Arena on a warm Friday night with a high energy set from the Roy Hargrove Big Band featuring Roberta Gambarini, who then upped the musical ante with a repeat performance in Dizzy’s Den later that evening. Les Nubians, who looked like they had arrived at the Festival visiting from a distant planet with expressive makeup and thrilling stage show, transformed the Jimmy Lyons Stage into live theater. The Septeto Nacional de Cuba closed out the evening with a set of stately and classic son, generating an unplanned, on-stage visit by a pair of dancing fans.



On the Grounds, New Grooves kept the tradition of cutting edge and barrier-breaking music on the Festival’s opening night with the massive and expansive music of the Jazz Mafia’s Brass, Bows & Beats in Dizzy’s Den. Nellie McKay created her own musical world in the Night Club, as did Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition, as they broke down sonic walls. On the Garden Stage, the House Jacks held court to a packed house with their virtuoso vocal performance, as did Festival opener, the boppish Ben Flocks and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Septet. In the Coffee House, the Marcus Roberts Trio played three masterful sets of classic jazz, and Mark Levine’s Latin Tinge celebrated the visionary music of Moacir Santos, both to capacity crowds.



Musical Highlights: Saturday

The Arena’s Saturday shows got the day off to a blistering start with Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens. The energy level was elevated by the now-legendary debut of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, who literally got the Arena crowd into a frenzy, a feat that was loudly echoed later in the day by their raucous repeat performance on the Garden Stage. Delbert McClinton laid down what would be the final bluesy afternoon statement in the Arena, in what will be remembered as one of the most epic Saturday shows in Monterey’s history.



The Billy Childs Quartet got the evening’s Arena shows off to a cerebral start with an original set debuting the Festival's commissioned piece, “Music for Two Quartets,” featuring the Kronos Quartet in a swirling, majestic and tranquil piece of music. Dianne Reeves then took the stage with a mesmerizing performance that grounded the audience back to earth. The Freedom Band with Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett, and Roy Haynes, a return to angular modernism, featured the ever-youthful Roy Haynes, in his usual display of genius on the drums. Abandoning his piano several times during the set, Corea came over to observe the unstoppable Haynes, a living legend, in action.



Saturday’s Garden Stage took off with John Firmin and the Nocturne Band, followed by Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens, and another legendary set from Trombone Shorty. Jake Shimabukuro kicked off Saturday evening’s Garden Stage program with an exhilarating solo set on ukulele, shattering all pre-conceived notions of the instrument, followed by the explosive Chris Potter Underground. The popular DownBeat Blindfold Test featuring Fred Hersch kicked off Saturday’s sets in Dizzy’s Den, which was followed by sonic surprises and stellar sets from the Septeto Nacional de Cuba, vocalist Somi, and the Billy Childs Quartet; with Liza Mezzacappa’s Bait & Switch, Ritsuco Endo, and Gretchen Parlato all making spectacular debuts in the Night Club. Kyle Eastwood and the Kronos Quartet also made return visits to packed crowds. The Coffee House Gallery audiences were treated to the Hristo Vitchev Quartet, the second appearance of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Septet, and three sets from the Gerald Clayton Trio, all making their unique stamps on the jazz tradition. On the West Lawn, Mo’Fone played two sets to the patrons visiting the Festival’s food vendors.



Musical Highlights: Sunday

Sunday’s Arena shows began with a bang with the winner of the Next Generation Jazz Festival, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, making their third appearance on the Jimmy Lyons Stage in the last four years, followed by the exuberant Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, which featured the country’s finest high school student musicians. Dianne Reeves made a special appearance with the NGJO, and also appeared in a duet with the afternoon’s closing act, the dynamic Angelique Kidjo, who literally merged the stage and audience together when she invited twenty-five people up on stage to dance along with her infectious blend of jazz-tinged afro-pop. The evening’s performances in the Arena included the incredible debut of Harry Connick, Jr., whose performance alternated between stately arrangements of jazz classics and barrelhouse, lowdown New Orleans music, complete with Bourbon Street-style dances and jokes that kept the audience on its feet until the end. The living legend and NEA Jazz Master, Ahmad Jamal, closed out the Festival’s Arena shows with a feisty, timeless set of classic jazz with a percussive edge in his Monterey debut.



Sunday’s Grounds performances began with insightful talks and panel discussions in Dizzy’s Den, including a conversation with the ageless Roy Haynes, and a presentation by Sam Stephenson from the Jazz Loft Project. Evening shows in Dizzy’s Den began with Dianne Reeves making her fourth appearance of the weekend in her lush performance with “Strings Attached,” followed by Roy Haynes’ Fountain of Youth, in a virtuosic display of musicianship and boundless energy. The Night Club was also filled with a fountain of youth, with seven bands from the Next Generation Jazz Festival making their voices heard, followed by a sonic supernova from the Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio and the Javon Jackson Band with Les McCann. Sunday’s Garden Stage had a more classic jazz feel with performances by the Cal State Northridge ‘A’ Band with special guest Chris Potter; the youthful Le Boeuf Brothers, and NEA Jazz Master and pianist George Wein. On the West Lawn, patrons were treated to the exotic Nice Guy Trio. The vocalist Sachal Vasandani turned heads in his own MJF debut, with vocalist Kim Nalley closing out Sunday’s Garden Stage program with special guest, Houston Person. The Coffee House Gallery featured the kid-friendly Banana Slug String Band and the youthful Josiah Boornazian Group, followed by two mesmerizing sets from the Fred Hersch Trio.



All weekend long, fans were treated to the multi-media presentation of the Jazz Loft Project with photographs and tapes of W. Eugene Smith; films from Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense; Judy Roberts on the Yamaha AvantGrand with Greg Fishman on saxophone, greeting fans as they visited the Festival's Food Court, and DJ Harry Duncan playing intermission music on the Garden Stage.