Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what day of the Monterey Jazz Festival is my favorite. Often, though, it’s day 3, and this year was no exception. Hearing the band formerly known as the Monterey Jazz Festival High School All Star Big Band (which I played in for two years) with the artist in residence is always a lot of fun. It seems like they get better every year. And there’s usually a good show closer in the afternoon (we opened for Chick Corea and Branford Marsalis the two years I was there). And the Sunday night show… they do tend to save the best for last. Again, this year was no exception.
The winning big band this year in the high school competition comes from Fresno … errr Clovis. The Buchanan High School A band was already playing when we arrived. After hearing the last couple of tunes, it’s not surprising they won. They were outstanding. I was particularly impressed with one of their drummers. He must have been one of Brenda’s kids 🙂
This year, the artist in residence for the MJF was Christian McBride (see yesterday’s entry). He joined the band for several tunes, laying down solid bass lines and fantastic solos. Maybe more impressive (sorry Christian) was vocalist Richard Saunders, who I later learned is going to Manhattan School of Music now. This guy… kid… (he’s 18?) was outstanding. There’s not much more to say there other than if he ever comes to a neighborhood near you, check him out. You’ll be happy you did. The rest of the band was great, too (as usual). Since Bill Berry’s passing, Paul Contos (formerly the assistant director during the years I was there) has taken up the job of directing the band. He did a great job as usual, and the band sounded wonderful.
Jamie Cullum closed the afternoon set with his trio. In addition to just plain great music, he kicked up the entertainment level several notches. He’s got a great sense of humor, huge stage presence, and a personality that completes the music. Now if he’d just quit standing on the piano (ack!)… 😉
We … I should clarify who we is… This is the second year that Steve and Angel have come with us to the jazz fest. They are the other two of our friends who are involved in the club project, should it ever materialize. This year, they were able to get Arena tickets which was a big improvement from last year. Anyway, we all had a huge dinner together. Note to self / us: don’t order four entrees again at Caruso’s…
Kurt Elling kicked off the Sunday night show. I’m not normal a big fan of jazz vocalists, but he really did give a nice performance which also featured saxophonist Ernie Watts. He had a fairly young rhythm section and they did him well.
I hate to be so honest, but the second act didn’t impress me. The amazing thing is that the lineup for that act had me drooling as soon as I read about it. It was Wayne Shorter (sax) leading a band that included Danilo Perez on Piano, John Patitucci on Bass, and Brian Blade on drums. Talk about all-star, these are some of the greatest musicians anywhere. It was clear from their set that they know how to play, and play they did. The real question I was left with at the end of the set was, exactly what did they play? It was one long piece of … ahh … playing. Occasionally there was rhythm (John seemed to be most often interested in rhythm), and there was clearly some organization, but I think Ornette Coleman played more recognizable music last year than this group.
With that backdrop, I was a bit concerned that Herbie Hancock would leave me hanging at the end of the evening, too. He’s done some pretty oddball stuff at the MJF before. Fortunately, his set exceeded my expectations even more than Wayne Shorter’s set failed to meet them. It was the best set I’ve ever heard from Herbie, and in no small part due to the unbelievably talented band he brought with him. His guitarist, from Benin, Lionel Loueke, was quite different, previously unknown to me, but clearly very talented. But I’m very familiar with both Nathan East (bass) and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums). They’re both stellar musicians. Amy Keys also joined on vocals for a few (grammy winning) tunes.
During the course of the evening, the band played in 17 (hello?), and Loueke played an African-style solo which included layering multiple parts live in 10 along with tripled vocal chords of himself… it was sort of a you-had-to-be-there moment. And despite the show of technique and creativity, there were instantly recognizable and extremely groovy (Colaiuta and East grooving? yeah, imagine that) renditions of Cantaloupe Island, Watermelon Man, and Chameleon. It was a beyond fantastic finish to yet another fantastic Monterey Jazz Festival.
Until next year…….
V-