Playboy Jazz Fest

[Lois Gilbert]

Hancock tops Playboy Jazz Fest lineup
Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:27am EST
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Grammy winner Herbie Hancock is among the headliners slated for the Playboy Jazz Festival, which will take place June 14-15 at the Hollywood Bowl.

The lineup for the 30th annual event also includes Al Jarreau, Tower of Power, Keb' Mo', the James Moody Quartet, Roy Hargrove Big Band and first-time Playboy performer Ryan Shaw.

Festival host Bill Cosby will perform once again with his group, the Cos of Good Music on June 14.

Talking to Billboard.com about his love affair with jazz, the comedian said, "When I heard it, it moved me. Then I wanted to hear it again and we've been friends ever since."

He also applauded Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner's prescience. "Hugh knows and respects jazz. For that (Playboy) banner to be there 30 years ago is fantastic," he said.

[Valerie]

Saturday, June 14:

Cos of Good Music with Ambrose Akinmusire, Billy Harper, Dwayne Burno, Ndugu Chancler, Benny Green, Jerry Peters & David T. Walker

James Moody Quartet
Robert Glasper
Al Jarreau
Diva Jazz Orchestra with Sherrie Maricle
Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band w/Eddie Floyd (i think!)
Rick Braun & Richard Elliot Band
Dr. John's Lower 9/11
Tower of Power
Hiromi
Hamilton High School Academy of Music Jazz Ensemble

Sunday, June 15:

Herbie Hancock
Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Ryan Shaw
Roy Hargrove's Big Band
Plena Libre
Guitars & Saxes w/Gerald Albright, Jeff Golub, Jeff Lorber & Peter White
Keb' Mo'
Ivan Lins & Oscar Castro-Neves
View Park Prep Jazz Ensemble

enuf good stuff for me to attend both days!! i'll just stroll around the Bowl and visit with friends when some of the above folks are playing!!

[Peterdubya]

OK, it's official, we will be there, looking forward to it!

[Valerie]

Originally Posted by Peterdubya

OK, it's official, we will be there, looking forward to it!

excellente!! hopefully we'll be sitting together as usual!

[Peterdubya]

It's my understanding that we will be...... on the ramp.

[Valerie]

Originally Posted by Peterdubya

It's my understanding that we will be...... on the ramp.

it's we three in the handicapped section, baby!!

[Scott Yanow]

I'll be at Playboy as usual. Gotta keep my attendance perfect, since 1979!

So those of you who are making it, tell me where you'll be sitting.

Scott

[Ron Thorne]

Scott, keep your eyes open for someone who looks like a "sourdough" jazz fan.

[Valerie]

Originally Posted by Scott Yanow

I'll be at Playboy as usual. Gotta keep my attendance perfect, since 1979!

So those of you who are making it, tell me where you'll be sitting.

Scott

i'll be in my usual appropriate spot: the handicapped ramp!

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Scott Yanow

I'll be at Playboy as usual. Gotta keep my attendance perfect, since 1979!

So those of you who are making it, tell me where you'll be sitting.

Scott

I'm there as per usual, too. [since 1981]

We are in Sec M2 Row 18.

Stop by if youy get the chance, Scott....always nice to see you.


Tim

[Scott Yanow]

Hi Tim,

I'll drop by and see you sometime between 5-5:30 on Saturday.

Scott

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Scott Yanow

Hi Tim,

I'll drop by and see you sometime between 5-5:30 on Saturday.

Scott

Nice

We'll be there...that is, my best friend John and I. Seats 101-103.

We'll save a glass of wine for you.


Looking forward to it!

[Scott Yanow]

Valerie, what is your section, row and seat number?

[Valerie]

Originally Posted by Scott Yanow

Valerie, what is your section, row and seat number?

first row of back section of ramp seats, stage left.

see you then!

[GoodSpeak]

As always, it was a pleasure to see Scott Yanow and Jazz4Life.

We all sat together as we heard a female vocalist whose name escapes me as she sang a tune and with some serious chops. She sang again on Sunday. Maybe Scott can refresh my memory....such as it is.

[BTW, Scott...our seat mates were mightily impressed that you came to visit. They were all asking me who you were. When I told them, I guess I was celebrity for a day or something. My 15 minutes of fame ]

Al Jarreau was up-staged by a helicopter which hovered for almost 30 minutes.

Tower of Power played for what seemed like 20 minutes and the Playboy folks wouldn't let them have an encore. They were the Saturday closer. Such a disappointment.

On Sunday, Herbie Hancock was a HUGE disappointment with that hand-held synth BS he tried back in the mid-70's. I walked out on his performance in 1979 at UCLA's Royce Hall. It didn't work then, it doesn't work not now.

We left early....right after the Peter White, and crew launched into a smoothie orgy of female demographic formula. We put up with Herbie's synth...but we weren't going to put up with smoothie ear pabulum, too.

On Saturday, James Moody [with Terrance Blanchard] stole the show. Poncho Sanchez and Tower of Power were close seconds, IMHO.

On Sunday, Roy Hargrove's Big Band stole the show....Keb' Mo' was a close second.


All in all, the 30th Playboy was a disappointment.



Patron since 1981.

[Peterdubya]

I thought it was a good weekend. The Cosby band was the best Cosby band ever, Glasper and Hiromi both did good sets, The Hargrove Big Band was some pretty hip stuff (in spite of a terrible mix), Dee Dee Bridgewater was fantastic, Keb Mo, always good.....
But that's the great thing..... all different opinions.

[Valerie]

Originally Posted by Peterdubya

I thought it was a good weekend. The Cosby band was the best Cosby band ever, Glasper and Hiromi both did good sets, The Hargrove Big Band was some pretty hip stuff (in spite of a terrible mix), Dee Dee Bridgewater was fantastic, Keb Mo, always good.....
But that's the great thing..... all different opinions.

just to highlight the differences of opinions, i totally agree with you, Peter, except Hiromi and Dee Dee are much too "theatrical" for my taste. i also loved the Diva (all woman) Jazz Orchestra. they kicked big butt! Amy Keyes who sang with Herbie's group was astoundingly good and i had never even heard of her before!

and you and Chelsea were the best act of all!!!

[GoodSpeak]

Amy Keyes...thank you, Valerie!


I couldn't for the life of me remember her name. Great voice.

[Valerie]

Originally Posted by GoodSpeak

Amy Keyes...thank you, Valerie!


I couldn't for the life of me remember her name. Great voice.

if you're referring to a female singer who sang both days, it must have been Roberta Gambarini.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Valerie

if you're referring to a female singer who sang both days, it must have been Roberta Gambarini.

I thank you again.

Like I said, I could not remember her name. However, I will be looking for her on up coming CDs, to be sure.

'Preciate it, Valerie

[Ron Thorne]

Roberta's debut album should not be missed . . .

[jaz4life]

I had a great time both days at the festival. I enjoyed mostly everything except Al Jareau. Why didn't they pull him off the stage? Tower of Power were really fun. I was so happy to get to see Roberta Gambarini both days. Scott and I aren't sure why she doesn't have her own billing. I'd love to see her with her own trio. I don't understand why Roy never talks to the audience, at least give the names of the songs. He is doing a real disservice to himself. Herbie's music was mostly great for the crowd. I thought 1 of the singers with Herbie was great. Which one was Amy? It was great to see Tim and Valerie again and meet Ron and his wife and son.

Tim, We were going to stop by your seat again on Sunday but the time passed waaaay too quickly!

Ron, I hope your son's wedding was wonderful!

Roberta Gambarini's cd that Ron displayed is fantastic fantastic fantastic!

By the way, Scott wrote all the bios for the groups and also did the discography at the back of the Playboy Jazz Festival book.

Dory
Jaz4life

[Ron Thorne]

Originally Posted by jaz4life

It was great to see Tim and Valerie again and meet Ron and his wife and son.

It was very nice to finally meet you and Scott, Dory. What a chance meeting, made possible in large part by Valerie.

Ron, I hope your son's wedding was wonderful!

Our son's wedding is actually on Monday, and we have a rehearsal tomorrow, so we're hoping for a break from the brutal heat. It's a little cooler now than yesterday . . . only 105°.

[Scott Yanow]

Here is my review of the Playboy Jazz Festival. This will appear next month in the Los Angeles Jazz Scene. Overall, I liked the festival but I try never to take it too seriously because it really is a big party.

THE 2008 PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL
by Scott Yanow

The 30th annual Playboy Jazz Festival was better than usual, with a strong jazz-oriented lineup along with bits of World Music, blues and r&b. As usual the June weekend at the Hollywood Bowl was a big party with jazz, rather than a jazz party, with the music serving as mere background ambiance for many of the partiers. But despite the crowd noise, there were many strong musical moments.

The marathon, a pair of 8 1/2 hour concerts, began with the Hamilton High School Academy Of Music Jazz Ensemble “A” which was directed by Dan Taguchi. The 19-piece high school band fared quite well particularly on the opening “Claxtography” which had fine solos from Thaddeus Brown on tenor and trumpeter Marcus Paul. Pity that the orchestra, which featured their excellent saxophone section on “Blues And The Abscessed Tooth,” was only given 20 minutes.

Pianist Robert Glasper did fine playing with his trio, but his comments to the audience were actually more memorable than his playing (although the witty “Silly Rabbit” was a highlight). At the end of his opening number which was met by decent applause, he said, “All of you weren’t listening, so don’t clap now. If you were listening, then you can clap.” Knowing that many of the 18,000 in the audience did not know who he was, he said humorously, “Thanks all of you for coming out to see me. I wasn’t expecting all this.”

Each year the emcee Bill Cosby leads a “Cos Of Good Music” all-star group, which gives him an excuse to play percussion and display a silly conducting style. This year he let the group play and the results were rewarding. After organist Jerry Peters and guitarist David T. Walker had a feature, a quintet featuring tenor-saxophonist Billy Harper, the up-and-coming trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist Benny Green performed John Coltrane’s “Dear Lord,” the swing standard “Marie” and “Moanin’” with spirit; Harper in particular sounded great.

The main star of Saturday was pianist Hiromi, a really outstanding player who has great showmanship and apparently limitless energy. While some of her set was funky or fusionish, featuring guitarist David Fiuczynki, the repertoire was wide-ranging, from an inventive reworking of “Caravan,” to Debussy’s “Clare De Lune.” On an unaccompanied “I Got Rhythm,” Hiromi took six remarkable choruses in which she sounded like George Gershwin at triple the speed. At other times, she used her elbow on the piano to punctuate chords, played both piano and Fender Rhodes simultaneously, and showed that she is as adept with her left hand as with her right.

Veteran tenor-saxophonist James Moody proved that at 83, he remains quite ageless. He led a quintet featuring trumpeter Terence Blanchard and pianist Renee Rosnes (who could not help sounding sober and polite after Hiromi) on such numbers as “Last Train From Overbrook,” “Bebop,” “St. Thomas” and of course “Moody’s Mood For Love.” Guest singer Roberta Gambarini did her vocalese version of “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” but she would have fared better with the audience (which was under the barrage of 30 beach balls) if she had sung a lowdown blues instead.

The all-female big band Diva, which was driven by its leader drummer Sherri Maricle, performed a well-rounded set that included Janelle Richman swinging on clarinet a la Benny Goodman on “Rachel’s Dream,” a tribute to Slam Stewart on “Slambo” (with some outstanding bass playing by Jennifer Leitham), a high-powered version of Leonard Bernstein’s “America” with Maricle in the forefront, and “Three Sisters And A Cousin” (which was inspired by “Four Brothers”). Looking at Hugh Hefner in the audience, Sherri Maricle said, “If you ever decide to do an all-woman big band issue for Playboy, we’d like to be the centerfold!”

After six straight rewarding sets, it was time for the music to become much more erratic. R n R teamed together trumpeter Rick Braun and tenor-saxophonist Richard Elliot. While they played well on their first number (giving it everything they had) and were okay on “Down And Dirty,” the music soon became much more predictable; smooth without soul, funky without any creativity. The audience was hungry to dance and stole the show, relegating the band to background music for their dance party.

Dr. John kept the spirit going, playing one funk number after another during a set that climaxed with “Right Place But The Wrong Time” although he also scored some points with the plea “My People Need A Second Line.” If Dr. John had cut his horns loose and extended his final number, he would have really gotten the crowd.

Poncho Sanchez had no trouble keeping the audience’s attention with his brand of accessible Latin jazz. Trumpeter Ron Blake often took solo honors. Two numbers were change of paces that featured the veteran soul singer Eddie Boyd: “Knock On Wood” and “Raise Your Hand.”

Easily the strangest set of the weekend was performed by Al Jarreau. Although Jarreau’s voice sounded as strong as ever, his verbal monologues between songs were so aimless, meandering and overly dramatic that they sounded like outtakes from a bad Broadway show. He even ranted that Dave Brubeck should give him royalties because he recorded “Take Five,” not apparently realizing that Paul Desmond wrote the song, that it has been a giant hit since 1960, and that the royalties go to the Red Cross. Jarreau’s version of “My Funny Valentine” was corny, his use of a mediocre female singer on many of the numbers was distracting, and his scatting was eccentric to say the least. Al Jarreau needs to rethink his career. His set bombed, leading one to speculate, “If only his great talents could be used for the good of mankind.”

Closing the night was Tower Of Power. While having no real connection to jazz, Tower Of Power put on a great show. Their five-piece horn section was very tight, musical and soulful, singer Larry Braggs was charismatic, and the program moved fast, including “We Came To Play,” “Get Your Feet Back On The Ground,” “I Still Be Digging On James Brown,” and of course “What Is Hip?”

Sunday began with the View Park Prep Jazz Ensemble. Directed by Fernando Pullum, the 19-piece outfit was most notable for having a seven-piece saxophone section and for performing music that was reminiscent of Oliver Nelson in the 1960s.

Drummer Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet is a fine pianoless group that features trumpeter Don Sickler (who was probably responsible for most of the arrangements and transcriptions), altoist Bruce Williams, Wayne Escoffery on tenor and baritonist Jay Branford. They sounded excellent on such Monk songs as “Brake’s Sake,” “Bemsha Swing” “Bright Mississippi” and a lengthy chart on “Rhythm-A-Ning” although no real surprises occurred.

Soul singer Ryan Shaw has a strong voice and really dug into such numbers as “Try A Little Tenderness” (which was not too tender), “Let It Be” and “We’ve Got Love.” He sounded at his best on the quiet “I’ve Got Many Rivers To Cross” although he was very much out of place at a jazz festival.

Brazilian composer, vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Lins put on a jazz-oriented program that included “Velas Sails,” strong saxophone playing (particularly on soprano) by Marcelo Martins, and memorable guest appearances by guitarist-singer Oscar Castro-Neves on “The Waters Of March” and “Dindi.”

My favorite set of Sunday was by the Roy Hargrove Big Band. Although Hargrove did not say a word to the audience (other than a perfunctory introduction of guest Roberta Gambarini), he sang quite effectively on “September In The Rain,” displayed a range on trumpet that has widened in recent years (he now hits impressive high notes), and looked quite happy with his orchestra’s performance. He provided most of the arrangements which included boppish pieces, some that were more reminiscent of John Coltrane’s “Africa” project, and a few dramatic numbers. Gambarini was fine on two numbers (including “Something Happens”) but she deserves to be more extensively showcased. The trumpet section (Ambrose Akinmusire, Greg Gisbert, Frank Greene and Darren Barrett) was featured during the exciting closer.

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s most recent Red Earth project is a tribute to Mali and Africa in general. Joined by a strong rhythm section that included the great pianist Edsel Gomez, Mamdou Cherif Swoumano on kora, and several other singers, Dee Dee combined together African music with her scat singing, often dancing happily. The colorful set included “Afro Blue,” “The Breeze,” “Compared To What” and some recent originals.

Unfortunately I missed the performance by Plena Libre, a Puerto Rican group that mixes together plena rhythms with dance grooves and is dominated by vocalists, trombonists and percussion.

Keb’ Mo’, a longtime Playboy Festival favorite, inspired a lot of dancing with his mixture of blues ballads, catchy r&b grooves and an occasional blues. “Give Me What You Got” particularly excited the audience.

One of the most interesting sets of the weekend was put on by Herbie Hancock, who switched between piano and electric keyboards while being joined by a great deal of talent. His quintet included tenor-saxophonist Chris Potter, guitarist Lionel Loueke (who can apparently play in any style), Dave Holland (sticking to electric bass) and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. After they played “Actual Proof,” they were joined by singers Amy Keys and Sonya Kitchell for songs from Hancock’s award-winning River CD. Keys impressed everyone even if most of the music was outside of jazz. The musicians performed “Watermelon Man” in 17/4 time and really excited the crowd with a lengthy “Chameleon.” Wayne Shorter was a surprise guest, adding his soprano to two numbers although he was underutilized. As a climax, electric bassist Marcus Miller, C-Minus on turntables and 41 young dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy joined in for a spectacular and rather wild version of “Rock It.”

Although they tried their best, Guitar & Saxes was anti-climatic as the 20th and closing group of the Playboy Jazz Festival. Keyboardist Jeff Lorber played well, altoist Gerald Albright showed once again that he should be playing more adventurous music since he is quite talented, and guitarist Peter White was in fine form. On the minus side, saxophonist Jessy J. made one wonder if she knew how to do anything but stick to the melody (her posing got annoying) and guitarist Jeff Golub seemed to think he was at a rock show. But Guitar & Saxes served its purpose, clearing the place so the traffic jam leaving the Bowl was not quite as bad as it usually is.

All in all, 2008 was one of the best Playboy Jazz Festivals in recent memory.

[Valerie]

excellent review, Scott. MUCH better than Heckman's, that's for sure! his even prompted me to e-mail him, listing all the people he completely left out (see below)!!

my only "correction" to yours would be re: Wayne Escofferey, whom i do not think was there. unfortunately, i forget who took his place in Ben Riley's group.

wish i could agree that Cosby wasn't goofing around as much as usual. i think his "playing" drums while the screens showed a picture of Max Roach was a major insult to the jazz legend!

good seeing you and Dori, as always.

the following was sent to the Times the other day. unfortunately, i was rattled and it was off the top of my head but i hope it reached him:

"It was with great frustration that I read Don Heckman's "two-in-one review" of last weekend's Playboy Jazz Festival. Ordinarily, the two days of the Festival are reviewed separately. Putting them together is fine as long as it is complete, which this definitely was not. I cannot fathom why when the headline of the article spoke of the young performers that Heckman would have completely left out the performances of the sensational View Park Prep and the Hamilton Academic of Music ensembles. These kids played their hearts out and should have at least received a mention. The Debbie Allen Dancers (all youngsters) who were accompanied by Herbie Hancock's group provided some of the most uplifting moments of the two days. Another unexpected highlight was the singing of Amy Keys who blew everyone's minds and ears with her astounding talent. She sang with Herbie's group which included the fabulous Lionel Loueke, Dave Holland, Chris Potter and Marcus Miller (who were also not mentioned). And on the other end of the age spectrum, the legendary drummer, Ben Riley played with his usual level of excellence but received nary a word. Since this "review" was published, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people asking, "Was Don Heckman at the same Festival we attended"?!? I'm wondering!"

btw, if i remember correctly, Heckman thought (annoying) Jarreau was one of the highlights of the two days!! OY!!

[Mike Schwartz]

10 years ago at San Jose Jazz Festival, I got to interview Jennifer Leitham, when she was John, prior to Diva Big Band eligibility

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by jaz4life

It was great to see Tim and Valerie again and meet Ron and his wife and son.

Tim, We were going to stop by your seat again on Sunday but the time passed waaaay too quickly!

It was nice to see you and Scott again this year as well, Dory. The hug and kiss were pretty nice, too

And not to worry about Sunday...my buddy John and I were busily enjoying the company of our seatmates plus an old friend of John's dropped by, too.


The weekend always flies by. The standing comment we make is, [after we perform a time honored tradition of popping a champagne cork when the first pro act comes on stage Saturday] "Well, the Playboy will be over in ten minutes from now."

Here's hoping your visit to our humble seats will become another Playboy tradition.




Cheers!



Tim

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Scott Yanow

Here is my review of the Playboy Jazz Festival. This will appear next month in the Los Angeles Jazz Scene. Overall, I liked the festival but I try never to take it too seriously because it really is a big party.

THE 2008 PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL
by Scott Yanow

The 30th annual Playboy Jazz Festival was better than usual, with a strong jazz-oriented lineup along with bits of World Music, blues and r&b. As usual the June weekend at the Hollywood Bowl was a big party with jazz, rather than a jazz party, with the music serving as mere background ambiance for many of the partiers. But despite the crowd noise, there were many strong musical moments.

The marathon, a pair of 8 1/2 hour concerts, began with the Hamilton High School Academy Of Music Jazz Ensemble “A” which was directed by Dan Taguchi. The 19-piece high school band fared quite well particularly on the opening “Claxtography” which had fine solos from Thaddeus Brown on tenor and trumpeter Marcus Paul. Pity that the orchestra, which featured their excellent saxophone section on “Blues And The Abscessed Tooth,” was only given 20 minutes.

Pianist Robert Glasper did fine playing with his trio, but his comments to the audience were actually more memorable than his playing (although the witty “Silly Rabbit” was a highlight). At the end of his opening number which was met by decent applause, he said, “All of you weren’t listening, so don’t clap now. If you were listening, then you can clap.” Knowing that many of the 18,000 in the audience did not know who he was, he said humorously, “Thanks all of you for coming out to see me. I wasn’t expecting all this.”

Each year the emcee Bill Cosby leads a “Cos Of Good Music” all-star group, which gives him an excuse to play percussion and display a silly conducting style. This year he let the group play and the results were rewarding. After organist Jerry Peters and guitarist David T. Walker had a feature, a quintet featuring tenor-saxophonist Billy Harper, the up-and-coming trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist Benny Green performed John Coltrane’s “Dear Lord,” the swing standard “Marie” and “Moanin’” with spirit; Harper in particular sounded great.

The main star of Saturday was pianist Hiromi, a really outstanding player who has great showmanship and apparently limitless energy. While some of her set was funky or fusionish, featuring guitarist David Fiuczynki, the repertoire was wide-ranging, from an inventive reworking of “Caravan,” to Debussy’s “Clare De Lune.” On an unaccompanied “I Got Rhythm,” Hiromi took six remarkable choruses in which she sounded like George Gershwin at triple the speed. At other times, she used her elbow on the piano to punctuate chords, played both piano and Fender Rhodes simultaneously, and showed that she is as adept with her left hand as with her right.

Veteran tenor-saxophonist James Moody proved that at 83, he remains quite ageless. He led a quintet featuring trumpeter Terence Blanchard and pianist Renee Rosnes (who could not help sounding sober and polite after Hiromi) on such numbers as “Last Train From Overbrook,” “Bebop,” “St. Thomas” and of course “Moody’s Mood For Love.” Guest singer Roberta Gambarini did her vocalese version of “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” but she would have fared better with the audience (which was under the barrage of 30 beach balls) if she had sung a lowdown blues instead.

The all-female big band Diva, which was driven by its leader drummer Sherri Maricle, performed a well-rounded set that included Janelle Richman swinging on clarinet a la Benny Goodman on “Rachel’s Dream,” a tribute to Slam Stewart on “Slambo” (with some outstanding bass playing by Jennifer Leitham), a high-powered version of Leonard Bernstein’s “America” with Maricle in the forefront, and “Three Sisters And A Cousin” (which was inspired by “Four Brothers”). Looking at Hugh Hefner in the audience, Sherri Maricle said, “If you ever decide to do an all-woman big band issue for Playboy, we’d like to be the centerfold!”

After six straight rewarding sets, it was time for the music to become much more erratic. R n R teamed together trumpeter Rick Braun and tenor-saxophonist Richard Elliot. While they played well on their first number (giving it everything they had) and were okay on “Down And Dirty,” the music soon became much more predictable; smooth without soul, funky without any creativity. The audience was hungry to dance and stole the show, relegating the band to background music for their dance party.

Dr. John kept the spirit going, playing one funk number after another during a set that climaxed with “Right Place But The Wrong Time” although he also scored some points with the plea “My People Need A Second Line.” If Dr. John had cut his horns loose and extended his final number, he would have really gotten the crowd.

Poncho Sanchez had no trouble keeping the audience’s attention with his brand of accessible Latin jazz. Trumpeter Ron Blake often took solo honors. Two numbers were change of paces that featured the veteran soul singer Eddie Boyd: “Knock On Wood” and “Raise Your Hand.”

Easily the strangest set of the weekend was performed by Al Jarreau. Although Jarreau’s voice sounded as strong as ever, his verbal monologues between songs were so aimless, meandering and overly dramatic that they sounded like outtakes from a bad Broadway show. He even ranted that Dave Brubeck should give him royalties because he recorded “Take Five,” not apparently realizing that Paul Desmond wrote the song, that it has been a giant hit since 1960, and that the royalties go to the Red Cross. Jarreau’s version of “My Funny Valentine” was corny, his use of a mediocre female singer on many of the numbers was distracting, and his scatting was eccentric to say the least. Al Jarreau needs to rethink his career. His set bombed, leading one to speculate, “If only his great talents could be used for the good of mankind.”

Closing the night was Tower Of Power. While having no real connection to jazz, Tower Of Power put on a great show. Their five-piece horn section was very tight, musical and soulful, singer Larry Braggs was charismatic, and the program moved fast, including “We Came To Play,” “Get Your Feet Back On The Ground,” “I Still Be Digging On James Brown,” and of course “What Is Hip?”

Sunday began with the View Park Prep Jazz Ensemble. Directed by Fernando Pullum, the 19-piece outfit was most notable for having a seven-piece saxophone section and for performing music that was reminiscent of Oliver Nelson in the 1960s.

Drummer Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet is a fine pianoless group that features trumpeter Don Sickler (who was probably responsible for most of the arrangements and transcriptions), altoist Bruce Williams, Wayne Escoffery on tenor and baritonist Jay Branford. They sounded excellent on such Monk songs as “Brake’s Sake,” “Bemsha Swing” “Bright Mississippi” and a lengthy chart on “Rhythm-A-Ning” although no real surprises occurred.

Soul singer Ryan Shaw has a strong voice and really dug into such numbers as “Try A Little Tenderness” (which was not too tender), “Let It Be” and “We’ve Got Love.” He sounded at his best on the quiet “I’ve Got Many Rivers To Cross” although he was very much out of place at a jazz festival.

Brazilian composer, vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Lins put on a jazz-oriented program that included “Velas Sails,” strong saxophone playing (particularly on soprano) by Marcelo Martins, and memorable guest appearances by guitarist-singer Oscar Castro-Neves on “The Waters Of March” and “Dindi.”

My favorite set of Sunday was by the Roy Hargrove Big Band. Although Hargrove did not say a word to the audience (other than a perfunctory introduction of guest Roberta Gambarini), he sang quite effectively on “September In The Rain,” displayed a range on trumpet that has widened in recent years (he now hits impressive high notes), and looked quite happy with his orchestra’s performance. He provided most of the arrangements which included boppish pieces, some that were more reminiscent of John Coltrane’s “Africa” project, and a few dramatic numbers. Gambarini was fine on two numbers (including “Something Happens”) but she deserves to be more extensively showcased. The trumpet section (Ambrose Akinmusire, Greg Gisbert, Frank Greene and Darren Barrett) was featured during the exciting closer.

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s most recent Red Earth project is a tribute to Mali and Africa in general. Joined by a strong rhythm section that included the great pianist Edsel Gomez, Mamdou Cherif Swoumano on kora, and several other singers, Dee Dee combined together African music with her scat singing, often dancing happily. The colorful set included “Afro Blue,” “The Breeze,” “Compared To What” and some recent originals.

Unfortunately I missed the performance by Plena Libre, a Puerto Rican group that mixes together plena rhythms with dance grooves and is dominated by vocalists, trombonists and percussion.

Keb’ Mo’, a longtime Playboy Festival favorite, inspired a lot of dancing with his mixture of blues ballads, catchy r&b grooves and an occasional blues. “Give Me What You Got” particularly excited the audience.

One of the most interesting sets of the weekend was put on by Herbie Hancock, who switched between piano and electric keyboards while being joined by a great deal of talent. His quintet included tenor-saxophonist Chris Potter, guitarist Lionel Loueke (who can apparently play in any style), Dave Holland (sticking to electric bass) and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. After they played “Actual Proof,” they were joined by singers Amy Keys and Sonya Kitchell for songs from Hancock’s award-winning River CD. Keys impressed everyone even if most of the music was outside of jazz. The musicians performed “Watermelon Man” in 17/4 time and really excited the crowd with a lengthy “Chameleon.” Wayne Shorter was a surprise guest, adding his soprano to two numbers although he was underutilized. As a climax, electric bassist Marcus Miller, C-Minus on turntables and 41 young dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy joined in for a spectacular and rather wild version of “Rock It.”

Although they tried their best, Guitar & Saxes was anti-climatic as the 20th and closing group of the Playboy Jazz Festival. Keyboardist Jeff Lorber played well, altoist Gerald Albright showed once again that he should be playing more adventurous music since he is quite talented, and guitarist Peter White was in fine form. On the minus side, saxophonist Jessy J. made one wonder if she knew how to do anything but stick to the melody (her posing got annoying) and guitarist Jeff Golub seemed to think he was at a rock show. But Guitar & Saxes served its purpose, clearing the place so the traffic jam leaving the Bowl was not quite as bad as it usually is.

All in all, 2008 was one of the best Playboy Jazz Festivals in recent memory.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Scott.

As per always, another asute observation of the Playboy. Diva and James Moody were just plain good music. Loved Roy Hargrove's Big Band. Seeing Wayne Shorter was a real treat, but I wished he had played more of the show it might have made Herbie's hand held synth [ugh] more tolerable.

Guitar & Saxes sent us packing, too. Easier to catch a cab ride back to our hotel Sunday


Let's keep the tradition alive...see you next year, Scott!



Tim

[Ron Thorne]

Well, it's nice to see that Scott was at the same show that Patti, Justin and I attended on Father's Day, unlike Don Heckman.

One of the first things we heard on the shuttle bus from a dedicated Saturday attendee was that Al Jarreau purely stunk the night before, and that the 1st evening would have been much better with just Tower of Power closing things out. So, when I read that Heckman felt that Jarreau "stole the show" on Saturday, it caused me to raise an eyebrow, even though I wasn't there.

I quite agree that Ryan Shaw did not belong on this bill and even said as much to Scott Yanow when we met. He has some strong pipes and can be soulful, but his posing and prancing was pretentious and his understanding of lyrics came into question.

Dee Dee Bridgewater left me cold, frankly. Her supporting musicians were outstanding, however, and kept me engaged.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sunday's opening View Park Prep Jazz Ensemble, followed by the Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet. Unfortunately, both groups were disadvantaged by what was a sparse audience at the time.

Roy Hargrove's Big Band was probably the highlight of the day for me, including the all-too-brief appearance of Roberta Gambarini. Roy certainly is confident in his role as a bandleader, because his sidemen soloed far more than he after the opening piece. What a well-rehearsed, passionate ensemble!

Ivan Lins and special guest Oscar Castro-Neves played a truly inspired set, leaving me with goose bumps much of the time. I was lucky enough to shake hands and share a few words with Mr. Castro-Neves backstage, and he was gracious and charming.

Keb' Mo' delighted the full house, causing many to get up and dance. I felt that he turned in a very predictably strong set and enjoyed it tremendously.

Although not previously familiar with them, Plena Libre was a pleasant surprise, especially enjoyable for this drummer/percussionist.

To be perfectly honest, while I was very pleased to finally see and hear Herbie Hancock in person, I felt that his set was uneven and somewhat disappointing, frankly. I must admit not washing my right hand for a while after meeting Herbie, however.

My memory was that Dave Holland did play acoustic bass, but only on one piece — a mistake in my opinion. Wayne Shorter's unexpected appearance was a pleasant surprise, but he could have been used to much better advantage, in my estimation. Vocalist Amy Keys was amazing!

Patti, Justin and I also took full advantage of heading for the shuttle buses as soon as Guitar & Saxes began the last set. The "syrup" was flowing heavily from the stage as we descended the hill from our first visit to the remarkable Hollywood Bowl.

What a lovely way to spend Father's Day.

Thanks again to Valerie Bishop for her many kindnesses.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

Well, it's nice to see that Scott was at the same show that Patti, Justin and I attended on Father's Day, unlike Don Heckman.

One of the first things we heard on the shuttle bus from a dedicated Saturday attendee was that Al Jarreau purely stunk the night before, and that the 1st evening would have been much better with just Tower of Power closing things out. So, when I read that Heckman felt that Jarreau "stole the show" on Saturday, it caused me to raise an eyebrow, even though I wasn't there.

I quite agree that Ryan Shaw did not belong on this bill and even said as much to Scott Yanow when we met. He has some strong pipes and can be soulful, but his posing and prancing was pretentious and his understanding of lyrics came into question.

Dee Dee Bridgewater left me cold, frankly. Her supporting musicians were outstanding, however, and kept me engaged.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sunday's opening View Park Prep Jazz Ensemble, followed by the Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet. Unfortunately, both groups were disadvantaged by what was a sparse audience at the time.

Roy Hargrove's Big Band was probably the highlight of the day for me, including the all-too-brief appearance of Roberta Gambarini. Roy certainly is confident in his role as a bandleader, because his sidemen soloed far more than he after the opening piece. What a well-rehearsed, passionate ensemble!

Ivan Lins and special guest Oscar Castro-Neves played a truly inspired set, leaving me with goose bumps much of the time. I was lucky enough to shake hands and share a few words with Mr. Castro-Neves backstage, and he was gracious and charming.

Keb' Mo' delighted the full house, causing many to get up and dance. I felt that he turned in a very predictably strong set and enjoyed it tremendously.

Although not previously familiar with them, Plena Libre was a pleasant surprise, especially enjoyable for this drummer/percussionist.

To be perfectly honest, while I was very pleased to finally see and hear Herbie Hancock in person, I felt that his set was uneven and somewhat disappointing, frankly. I must admit not washing my right hand for a while after meeting Herbie, however.

My memory was that Dave Holland did play acoustic bass, but only on one piece — a mistake in my opinion. Wayne Shorter's unexpected appearance was a pleasant surprise, but he could have been used to much better advantage, in my estimation. Vocalist Amy Keys was amazing!

Patti, Justin and I also took full advantage of heading for the shuttle buses as soon as Guitar & Saxes began the last set. The "syrup" was flowing heavily from the stage as we descended the hill from our first visit to the remarkable Hollywood Bowl.

What a lovely way to spend Father's Day.

For once....we agree, Ron Thorne.

Well said.


Maybe next year we can meet, eh?