A perfect example, and one which converted even some skeptical old-timers in the audience, was Sickafoose's original tune "Workshop". Starting with a cool, happy bass-riff strut, the group slowly and lovingly built it up into a huge, confident affirmation. Hirahara's approach seemed to change from minute to minute in a wonderfully complex mélange. Sickafoose's sound was low and intense, as he worked his whole body into the performance. And wrapped around it all was Amendola's drumming, a constant rumble of activity that felt like musical burlap: rough but secure, and somehow not at all abrasive. This band deserves a top spot in the Bay Area scene; I hope to hear a lot more from them in the coming months. [Note: this band is scheduled to make several appearances at Bacar in San Francisco this autumn]

Sunday morning found the Women in Jazz stage much calmer than it had been the previous afternoon. With a smallish but appreciative crowd at the Club Ibex tables, Denine Monet provided a sort of festival within a festival. Monet, a San Jose native, brought along an opening act: an a cappella sextet called Rochambeau, which slid through three tunes including a wonderfully soulful "God Bless the Child". The group would return later in a supporting role.

Monet's own set got off to a slow, somewhat rough start, perhaps because of the early hour. But once she found her voice Monet was daring, diverse, and deliciously cool. Shifting from gentle balladry to "vocalese" excursions and angular mystery grooves, Monet and her fine sextet kept coming up with new ways to surprise, although most of the set's tunes can also be found on Monet's Lady Bird CD (on Shotzi Records). Monet shone brightest on ballads and the more adventurous tunes: the almost completely improvised takes on "Lazy Afternoon" and Monet's own "Mystery" were utterly captivating.

Sonoma County's Michele Munro and Banda de Lua followed up with a floating set of smooth Brazilian jams. The stars of this hour were in the band. Stephanie Ozer's piano playing was wonderful: nimble and groovy, alternately aggressive and gliding. Unfortunately, it didn't translate as well to the electric piano, which was used about half the time and dragged the overall sound into cocktail lounge territory. But Randy Vincent's guitar work was confident and fluid throughout, and the ever-shifting rhythms of percussionist Ronie Santos kept the beat from getting mechanical.

Overall, the San Jose Jazz Festival continues its record of success. But sometimes the old ways are the best. As nice as it is to get out of the sun occasionally, the indoor stages felt cut off from the rest of the music, and discouraged the audience movement that leads to discovery. The outdoor stages were also spread further apart than in previous years, cutting down street crowding but again creating a sense of separation, and somewhat destroying the feeling of community one expects in an all-day festival. And the increase in diversity is a nice gesture, but may have come at the expense of real jazz content. But in the end, none of that really matters. It's all about the music. And the music was all that Bay Area audiences have come to expect from the largest free jazz fest in the nation.

When Forrest Bryant isn't writing about jazz or trying to get Thelonious Monk elevated to sainthood, he can be heard on the Bay Area airwaves as the host of a weekly jazz, world and roots-music show called "No Cover, No Minimum" (on KZSU, 90.1 FM). He also spends too much of his free time looking for things to write about, so if you're a part of the Bay Area jazz scene, drop Forrest a line and let him know what you're up to.