The annual Freihofer Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY—a 2-day event at the venerable Saratoga Performing Arts Center, was tinged with elements of music other than jazz in its 29th edition, perhaps most notably R&B.

While some opined it was music that fell under a broadening jazz definition, clearly this was not the case for many things. Etta James performed the R&B she has been known for years, music that has her entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Smokey Robinson's Las Vegas style, greatest hits show was pure pop and circumstance, a stroll down memory lane for those who like it. Sleepsville for others. But hardly jazz. Similarly Catherine Russell, who was an R&B hit on the venue's back stage. She put across that style with class and a strong flexible voice. Sonya Kitchell played modern folk music.

But there was plenty of jazz to go around, as always, on two stages through more than 34 hours of music.

One could say, however, that the "jazz€ guys did cover a gamut of music.

James Carter's organ trio could get as funky as James Brown at times, and then soared into outer stratosphere at others as he hurled sound across the theater with his mammoth sound like Zeus hurling bolts from the sky, at times. Herbie Hancock was also funky with dashes of R&B, but his band veered off into world music for much of its set. Dave Brubeck was right in the pocket, as one would expect, with thoughtful improvisations and steady swing. Stanley Clarke and George Duke, as well as the Grover Washington tribute band (Kirk Whalum, Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, et. Al.) served up the poppier side of the music.

Arturo Sandoval carried the Latin banner, and the music of New Orleans was carried by the emblematic Preservation Hall Jazz Band and a "Clarion Call€ group of trumpeters giving tribute to the Crescent City's jazz roots.

Vocalists like Tierney Sutton, Jamie Cullum and Sarah Pedinotti served up different styles; Sutton more traditional, but stellar, and the latter two youthful singers giving their own modern interpretive zest to their vision of jazz.

Robin Eubanks band was futuristic, and youngsters Christian Scott (trumpet) and Edmar Castaneda (harp€¦ yes, harp€¦ not James Cotton blues harp; Harpo Marx harp) wowed the crowed with their energy and modern approach to the music—each vastly different.

And Susan Tedeschi played the shit out of the blues, she of the soulful voice and strong guitar chops.

For jazz fans, Scott, a 22-year-old trumpet player from New Orleans, his new CD Rewind That doing well on the charts, was something to see. The music is modern, with elements of funk, hip-hop, jazz and whatever that springs from Scott, who is composer and arranger. The beats never hit what one would call mainstream jazz, but they were provocative and the music vibrant. A gracious leader, he often acquiesced to Matt Stevens on guitar before he would step in for his statement. Both excelled. Stevens is modern with an edge, but also melodic with a style that may develop into something special. So too with Scott, whose chops are sweet, but who often slows to tell a story with a fat and burnished tone. They played the CD's title cut and "Rejection.€ A fine ballad was a song he said he called "My Ladies Eyes,€ that is, until he broke up with her. Now he's calling it "If€¦,€ he quipped. They ended with a burner from the Big Easy, "Cissy Strut,€ which heated up the already scorching day with burning solos. The saxophonist, whose name slipped away, (turned out it was Louis Fouche) was also a fine young firebrand who played with heart.

Marty Ehrlich's quartet was also superb, playing selections from his latest News from the Rail recording. His playing on both clarinet and alto was sweet, perfect intonation and outstanding chops, but also fresh and flowing ideas that matched, for example, the odd time signatures and moods of "Seeker's Delight€ every step of the way. "Hear You Say€ and "Hymn€ each had moments that veered away from the mainstream, happily so, and constantly held interest. Each tune helped grandly by the varied and hot rhythms of drummer Allison Miller, who played her trap drum set differently to suit each different nuance. Pianist James Weidner also excelled, including dabbling with the melodion, a keyboard the player blows into like a woodwind instrument.

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