Jazz Fest Second Weekend and the beat goes on

14th May 2012   ·   0 Comments

By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

Jazz cash advance in south boston virginia Fest’s personality changes year to year, weekend to weekend and day to day while the core of the event remains familiar. The Acura Stage, which old-school fest-goers continue to call the Fess Stage, features super-stars like Tom Petty and the Eagles that draw huge crowds of folks with, generally speaking, little interest in the rest of the festival except perhaps the food. Though the venue is somewhat isolated, the influx affects the usually more care-free demeanor felt around the Fair Grounds. With pumped-up sound, music from the area can also be heard around the infield from what could be described as a festival within the festival.

As mentioned in last week’s column, the first weekend of Jazz Fest at the smaller venues — Congo Square, the Jazz & Heritage Stage, the Fais Do-Do Stage —seemed to particularly and very successfully highlight African music and the accordion. The final four days often put the spotlight on women and drummers.
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The Marlon Jordan Quartet gave the audience at the Jazz Tent what it had been craving: Some straight-up, post bop, hard-hitting jazz. Trumpeter Jordan put together a top-rate group of musicians for the task including saxophonist Tim Warfield, who some might re­member for his past association with Nicholas Payton, pianist Jesse McBride, bassist Max Moran and drummer Joe Dyson. Jordan and Warfield teamed up well on a stunning version of John Coltrane’s “Resolution” with Dyson ably driving the powerful song. Dyson, a member of the Bridge Trio and saxophonist Donald Har­rison’s band, turned up this weekend with bassist Roland Guerin and with the musicians assembled for a wonderful tribute to saxophonist/composer/educator Harold Bat­tiste. He was also in the audience for the mighty McDonogh #35 High School Choir and pianist Herbie Hancock’s electrified set.

Incidentally, though it was great to see Jordan’s father, saxophonist Kidd Jordan, sitting in the crowd, it payday loans anoka would have been far better if he were on the stage for his own set. What gives? As a teacher, he’s influenced so many of today’s jazz artists. As a blower, his talent is recognized around the world.

Speaking of musicians who are educators, Astral Project, which put on its usual, strong set that earned the group a standing ovation, is chock full of them. With his innovative and much appreciated, tasty, light touch Johnny Vidacovich kept the forward drive alive with these vets — bassist James Singleton, guitarist Steve Masakowski and saxophonist Tony Dagradi. Dagradi also turned up blowing a big horn with the group Baritone Bliss featuring drummer Shannon Powell.

Terri Lyne Carrington encompassed both the drummer and women theme of the weekend. Carrington, who has worked with the likes of Hancock and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, played with cool intensity with her all-female (except one young, male trumpeter) group Mosaic. Over at the Economy how to apply for personal loans with bad credit Hall, Herlin Riley, who last year led a set of his own (again, what gives?), was behind trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, who now also plays trumpet and sings.

Drummer Herman LeBeaux jump­ed from playing with pian­ist/vocalist Allen Toussaint, who sported an eye-popping suit at the Acura Stage, to perform with singer extraordinaire John Boutte at the Jazz Tent. It proved just the right setting for Boutte’s quiet yet dynamic style as heard on the classic “Lush Life.” With a full band and an operatic, four-person vocal ensemble, Boutte brought the audience to tears, great joy, goose pimples and elation on his emotion-filled rendition of Leonard Cohen’s secular “Hallelujah.” Afterward, the crowd, now on its feet, would not stop cheering.

Another kind of hallelujah, the more usual gospel style, greeted those arriving early at the Gospel Tent on Sunday. The Rocks of Harmony, a veteran, family-filled, New Orleans gospel institution held old-school, “morning services.” Dignified in their gray suits complete with vests, the members stirred it up with songs like “Can You Feel His Power?” and thrilled the crowd when several of the men came off the stage to testify down front. Kudos go to other gospel giants such as Tyronne Foster & the Arc Singers that incorporated exceptional vocal arrangements and choreography in its energized program.

Where to say good-bye to Jazz Fest on the final Sunday often remains a difficult choice. When Sonny Rollins was blowing in the Jazz Tent at the close last year the answer was easy — be there. Without a major artist at the jazz venue, the options opened up. It was a split between Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, where his “uniform” of a white shirt, white hat and cap, offered up crowd-pleasing tunes like “The Golden Time of Day” and the Neville Brothers hitting hard on “Big Chief.” Both choices were right as the much-loved groups approved cash advance manager salary possess the required one love, end of the Fest attitude.

The Beat Goes On — Bayou Boogaloo

Less than two weeks after Jazz Fest ended, Bayou Boogaloo kicks in from Friday, May 18 through Sunday, May 20. This free, music-, food- and craft-filled event features stages stretched along the lovely banks of Bayou St. John. It’s an after-work kind of affair on Friday with the music beginning at 5 p.m. on two stages with the Brassaholics “Go-Go Brass Funk” trumpeting the evening and Papa Grows Funk holding the stage from 7:45 to 9 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday offer full days and evenings of music on three stages and present such diverse artists as modern jazz saxophonist Clarence Johnson III (Saturday, 1:40) and the Voices of the Big Easy featuring poet Chuck Perkins (Sat. 5:45).

This article was originally published in the May 14, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper