by Scott Yanow
THE UPCOMING MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL
Ever since its debut in 1958, the Monterey Jazz Festival has been the premiere annual jazz event on the West Coast of the United States, and one of the great festivals in the world. Since it is under new leadership this year, it is a good time to briefly look at its history before discussing what 2024 promises.
The Monterey Jazz Festival was founded by disc jockey Jimmy Lyons and music critic Ralph Gleason in 1958. Lyons served as its artistic director until 1992. During its early period, which lasted until 1970, Monterey featured all styles of jazz from Dixieland to free jazz. Several artists, most notably Charles Mingus (1964), John Handy (1965), and Charles Lloyd (1966) had their sets recorded and their Monterey performances are still considered among the highpoints of their career.
In the 1970s and particularly in the ‘80s, the festival’s lineups became somewhat predictable with Jimmy Lyons inviting back many of his favorites year after year. That changed after Tim Jackson became the festival’s artistic director in 1992. Jackson increased the number of stages, booked adventurous jazz groups in addition to the veterans, and the festival entered its second golden age. A highpoint was reached in 2018 when the emphasis was on female jazz instrumentalists, featuring many artists not previously at Monterey. COVID resulted in the 2020 festival not taking place and the 2021 edition being drastically cut back, but Tim Jackson’s last two years (2022 and 2023) at the helm of Monterey had many memorable performances.
With Jackson’s retirement, Darin Atwater has taken over as Monterey’s artistic director. In his past positions, he has often been known for blending together different styles of music. While the lineup for the 2024 Monterey Jazz Festival has more r&b and funk than usual, fortunately there is still quite a bit of high-quality jazz to be heard at the festival’s five venues.
What is probably most unusual about this year’s roster is that there are only a handful of veteran artists who have been booked. Among those are the members of the all-star SF Jazz Collective, Joshua Redman, Hiromi, Stanley Clarke (leading N*4ever), the Mimi Fox Organ Trio, Stephane Wrembel (a swing group with Jean-Michel Pilc), Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y, the New Orleans Groove Masters (featuring Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis, and Shannon Powell), Tarbaby with Orrin Evans, Pedrito Martinez, the Tim Green Quartet, David Binney with the Action Trio, and the Miguel Zenon-Luis Perdomo Duo. In addition Jason Moran will be leading three separate groups: Ellington 125, BlankFor.ms and Bandwagon. Also included and mostly jazz-oriented are Samara Joy, Ben Williams, Christie Dashiell, Julia Keefe’s Indigenous Jazz Ensemble, Yuko Mabuchi, James Brandon Lewis’ Red Lily Quintet, the Jahari Stample trio, Joel Ross, Endea Owens & The Cookout, Harriet Tubman, Marquis Hill, Brandee Younger, Gerald Clayton, Ana Popvic & Fantastafunk Big Bank, the Leon Joyce Jr. Quartet, the Sara Jones Trio, Carolyn Sills, G. Thomas Allen, Cory Henry, Keyon Harrold, Sean Mason, the Huntertones, Christian Pepin & Orquesta Bembe, Shayna Steele, Jamison Ross, Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East, Don Was’ Pan-Detroit Ensemble, and Kyle Eastwood with Eastwood Symphonic.
Stretching much more beyond jazz are José James, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Mavis Staples, the gospel of Donald Lawrence, The Soul Rebels, Somi, Lila Downs, Mumu Fresh, Robert Glasper, Jackie Venson, the Monophonics, and Avery Sunshine. One can debate if some of these artists should be at a jazz festival, but Monterey a decade ago regularly featured the blues on Saturday afternoons so under Tim Jackson there were occasional departures through the years.
There will be five stages operating simultaneously at the Monterey Fairgrounds (where the festival has been held every year since 1958) and the music is set to go on pretty much nonstop for 30 hours: 3 p.m.-11 on Friday, Noon-11 p.m. on Saturday and 11:30-10:30 on Sunday. It all takes place during Sept. 27-29. Suffice it to say, anyone with an interest in modern jazz should contact the Monterey Jazz Festival (www.montereyjazzfestival.org) as soon as possible to get tickets.
Sure sounds good to me! I only wish that Southern California had a jazz festival that could approach that of Monterey.
Richard Shelton, who was born and raised in England, is a veteran actor and a superior singer. He portrayed Frank Sinatra in the shows Rat Pack Confidential, Sinatra and Me, and Sinatra: RAW. He is a similar physical build as Sinatra (sharing the same suit size), and can sound close to Sinatra in his singing. However Richard Shelton also has his own likable personality, he can sound individual in his singing whenever he likes, he clearly loves singing, and he is a joy to see perform live.
Recently Shelton performed at the Santa Monica Women’s Club accompanied by pianist Isamu McGregor, bassist Ben Rossman, drummer Kevin van den Elzen, and tenor-saxophonist Bill Todd. The repertoire was mostly taken from the Frank Sinatra songbook and included such favorites as “The Lady Is A Tramp,” “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Old Man River” (a dramatic version with some very impressive low notes), “Almost Like Being In Love,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Angel Eyes,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” “That’s Life,” “One For My Baby,” and the inevitable “New York, New York.” The singer also paid tribute to Nat King Cole with “Unforgettable” and a swinging “L-O-V-E,” and he performed “My Way” as an encore.
Richard Shelton told humorous stories between songs (he speaks with a British accent but sounds American during his singing) and put on a show that was both quite musical and charming. He is at the top of his field among Sinatra-inspired singers and it would be quite interesting to hear him perform more material in the future that is not so closely associated with Sinatra. With his strong and highly appealing voice, he deserves to be much better known in the jazz world and should definitely record more often.
TWO REISSUES FROM FRESH SOUND
The Fresh Sound label from Barcelona, Spain has during the past couple of decades put out hundreds (probably thousands at this point) of superior jazz reissues, most from the 1945-65 period. Thanks to the diligence of Jordi Pujol, a countless number of sessions have been saved from obscurity and been given the attention and packaging that they deserve.
Recent reissues include a pair of box sets featuring American saxophonists who first emerged during the classic bebop era. Charlie Mariano (1923-2009) was a talented alto-saxophonist who was born, raised and often based in Boston. The two-CD set Boppin’ In Boston 1947-1953 has most of the highpoints from the first part of Mariano’s career. Starting with a ballad feature on “What’s New” with the Ray Borden Orchestra, Mariano is heard with groups (including a big band) led by pianist Nat Pierce and at the head of a variety of bop-oriented combos. Among his sidemen are the forgotten but colorful bebop trumpeters Gait Preddy (whose career should have gone much further), Joe Gordon, Dick Collins, and Herb Pomeroy, trombonist Sonny Truitt, and pianists Roy Frazee (another talented but forgotten great), Dick Twardzik, Richard Wyands, and Jaki Byard. Mariano was clearly influenced by Charlie Parker, particularly during this era, but his own individual voice is heard gradually emerging. He would later spend time as a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, be part of the West Coast jazz scene in Los Angeles, and explore avant-garde jazz and fusion during his later years in Europe. Boppin’ In Boston shows that he was a very skilled player from the start.
Everyone loved James Moody (1925-2010). He was a lovable character on stage, playing tenor, flute and (earlier in his career) alto in a forward-looking bebop style. He worked with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band during 1946-48 and was in Europe for a few years where his recorded alto solo on “I’m In The Mood For Love” became the basis for Eddie Jefferson’s vocalese classic “Moody’s Mood For Love.” Moody was part of the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet for a long period in the 1960s and spent his later years as a leader and freelancer.
Often overlooked is that Moody, after returning from Europe, led a regular septet during 1951-55. While the 1950s are thought of as one of jazz’s golden eras, Moody would not have been able to keep his group together if he did not pay close attention to what his audiences wanted. In addition to bop-oriented jams, he caressed the melodies of ballads, included some spirited riff-based romps inspired by early rhythm & blues, and keep solos short, particularly those of his sidemen.
The three-CD set James Moody Septet 1951-1955 has all of Moody’s recordings as a leader during that period of time. Originally released by Mercury and Prestige, these sessions feature Moody leading a group consisting of his tenor and alto (flute would come slightly later), trumpet (usually Dave Burns), trombone, baritonist Pee Wee Moore, and a rhythm section that sometimes included Argonne Thornton or Jimmy Boyd on piano. There are also two vocals from Babs Gonzales, three from Eddie Jefferson, and one from the long-forgotten Iona Wade. Among the arrangers are Quincy Jones and Benny Golson. The music alternates swinging numbers with ballads and features James Moody (the dominant soloist) very much in his early prime whether on tenor or alto.
Both the Charlie Mariano and James Moody sets have extensive and definitive liner notes from Jordi Pujol along with superior sound. They are highly recommended and available from www.freshsoundrecords.com.
Every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography, every CD (and even downloads) deserves informative liner notes, and important events benefit from press releases. I write all of these and more at reasonable rates. Please contact me at 661-678-3542 or at scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com for further information about my services. My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com
I have a new book that is available from amazon.com. Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist. It is subtitled My Jazz Memoirs and is my 12th book and first in a few years. I discuss in an often-humorous fashion my early days and discovery of jazz, my period as the jazz editor of Record Review, the story behind my involvement with the All Music Guide, and I reminisce about some of my adventures as an amateur musician. Included are vintage interviews with Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, and Maynard Ferguson, encounters with Clint Eastwood, summaries of the Monterey and Playboy Jazz Festivals (including a full-length review of the 1985 Playboy Festival), memories of other events (such as the IAJE Conventions), and brief snapshots of many memorable club and concert performances. There is also background information about my other books, evaluations of the jazz critics who inspired me early on, and my thoughts on jazz criticism which includes advice to up-and-coming jazz journalists. Rounding out the book is a chapter on how the jazz writing business has changed over the past 50 years, and appendixes that include the jazz greats of the past, 86 jazz giants of today, 21 young performers to look for in the future, jazz books and DVDs that everyone should own, and a dozen enjoyable Hollywood jazz films.
Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist, a paperback book, sells for $26 through Amazon.com Signed copies (which will take 2-3 weeks) are also available for $30 (which includes free postage) by sending the money via Pay Pal to scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com and by sending your mailing address to that E-mail.