October 2011
5 posts
Sunday night MJF: Miles by Blanchard; Sonny...
Sunday night was my night for listening, not thinking about what I was hearing or writing so I’d remember… so this way I heard the most exquisite performance of the music arising from the collaboration of Miles Davis and Gil Evans as an all-star (really!) orchestra played music from Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain. Breathtaking. Vince Mendoza led the orchestra like...
Strollin' MJF Sunday Afternoon
The dappled light spilling through the trees just seemed the perfect filter for a hazy start to the last day of the festival. People seem lazier and laid back, everything slower and a bit less frenetic than Saturday’s jollity. No slowing down the music, though. Listening to KUSP while driving to Monterey, a colossus of sound propelled me down Highway 1 as I listened to the Next Generation Jazz...
Night of the Piano
When night falls at the Festival, the mood changes, the lights of the booths and venues bring everyone into sharper focus while the fog softly hugs the grounds. A good weather day and a not too chilly night blessed this Saturday event and prepared the way for the more cerebral straightahead piano trio of Geri Allen.
The set in the Lyons Arena Stage began with Allen in a slightly somber and...
Afternoon highlights Berklee Flamenco Ensemble
Saturday afternoon was packed with opportunities to hear great music up really really close and to nibble at performances in a half dozen venues, sipping on smoothies or adult beverages or aromatic caffeine drinks while meandering. So I enjoyed Huey Lewis and The News, demonstrating even to the purists that jazz pumps through the heart of rockn’roll. Then I checked in with a fine big band...
Joining a party in progress: Saturday at Monterey...
I arrived Saturday to a party in progress. The strains from the Arena Stage were almost irresistible but first—the atmosphere and a little walk. Delicious people of all races and ages, about 50% over 50 I’d bet, speaking lots of languages, dressed in a smile-inducing panoply of costume, from hipster to resort wear, from ethnic to sportif, from black churchwear to Sierra hiking…and everyone...
