45th Annual Tri-C JazzFest

45th Annual Tri-C JazzFest
Playhouse Square
Cleveland, Ohio
June 20-22, 2024

It has become somewhat of a reoccurring quip on social media to lament that so many so-called jazz festivals have booked acts that stray far from the jazz genre to keep these events afloat financially. Cleveland's Tri-C JazzFest has certainly felt the need to consider this strategy, especially considering the scope of the three-day event that takes over Playhouse Square, one of the largest theater districts in the country.

For the past several years, the festival has strategically planned its genre-bending shows as the end caps of the event and this year was no different. A Thursday evening opener featured Take 6 and a gala of awards and annual fundraising endeavors. The closing set on Saturday night would feature the decidedly r&b-tinged grooves of New Orleans native Ledisi. In between these events would be a healthy dose of performances that hit on a wide selection of jazz styles in a way that marked this year's offerings as some of the best in recent years.

The Friday night festivities got underway with pianist Jason Moran and The Bandwagon, featuring bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits. One of the rare instances of a working group that has logged in over 20 years of experience together, the trio functioned as one well-oiled machine. A sagacious mix of gospel overtones and high-octane wailing, "Gangsterism" displayed all the technique that encompasses Moran's kaleidoscopic approach. By contrast, "Body and Soul" put pure emotion at a premium and a Thelonious Monk tribute featured Waits' highly-musical stick work while the trio seamlessly navigated the shifting tempo.

Having presented media darling Samara Joy at last year's festival, it was a logical choice to allow Cecile McLorin Salvant to grace the Ohio Theater stage as she has been making headway with her unique methodology. Her mastery of the jazz lexicon and the range of her voice is undeniably intoxicating, even as her muse tends to the more dramatic end of what could be termed musical theater. With pianist Sullivan Fortner in tow, Salvant's backing trio responded to her every move, although they did so in a somewhat subdued fashion.

During her performance, Salvant's persona shone through her engaging banter and story-telling. Her profound experience at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame prompted a rollicking take on Bessie Smith's "Back in Black Mountain." A re-framing of the Nancy Wilson showpiece "Guess Who I Saw Today?" was tailor-made for Salvant's charismatic way of telling a story. While all too brief, an up-tempo duet with bassist Yasushi Nakamura on "Runnin' Wild" brought down the house and rounded out a well-received recital of vocal excellence.

Calling northern Michigan his home most recently, iconic pianist and producer Bob James continues to ply his trade at the ripe young age of 84 with the aid of a cast of young up-and-coming musicians. The opening gambit of a two-show performance at the larger Palace Theater, which concluded with Marcus Miller, James' set would embrace many of his familiar hits including "Feel Like Making Love" and "Westchester Lady."

Having been a mainstay of James' ensemble for several years now, bassist Michael Palazzolo anchored the grooves, while also contributing some exceptional solo moments. Drummer James Watkins certainly came to life during his time in the spotlight, although his accompaniment was decidedly low—key and somewhat uninvolving. Ukrainian native Andrey Chmut seemed to be the darling of the show as far as the audience was concerned, especially after James told the backstory of how he befriended the saxophonist around the same time that war broke out in Ukraine. Nonetheless, his highly processed sound seemed a bit too derivative of the styles of artists such as David Sanborn and Dave Koz.

Following a lengthy pause to strike the stage, bassist Marcus Miller wasted no time getting to his signature style of hammer-ons, slapping, and effervescent single-note runs on the opening "Panther." Although the funkier strains of soul and r&b seem to be the fodder of Miller and his crew, the jazz element was strengthened by the presence of trumpeter Russell Gunn and drummer Anwar Marshall. Miller's winning personality also serves as another spirited element to his success as a performer, a fact easily gleaned by a resume that runs the gamut from Luther Vandross to Miles Davis.

With Miller's generous set, which included a cameo from Bob James, going overtime by some thirty minutes, the "late show" moniker was particularly apropos for the delayed start time of Scary Goldings' closing gambit. For the uninitiated, this mash-up formed back in 2018 when the Los Angeles-based band Scary Pockets hooked up with organist Larry Goldings. The results inspired the new group to hit their groove literally, making weekly videos during the height of the pandemic.

Focusing on short and catchy originals that managed to explore a very wide range of styles and moods, the other key element to the success of this music was that of humor. Both guitarist Ryan Lerman and Goldings filled the set with jokes and comical stories. After throwing down a catchy "Dale's Sox," Goldings quipped, "You can smell the funk on that one!" Furthermore, Goldings explained how the tune "Lurch" related to his involvement in writing music for The Addams Family film. Delivered with a true sense of comedic timing, he came back with, "What I really want to do is direct." Further jubilance came with audience participation on "Mike the Sneeze" and bassist Tim Lefebvre getting assistance with hydration from Lerman.

Saturday's full schedule was dominated by a duo of two-set performances, the extra spell needed for set changes making for little downtime between shows. Flying Home: A Trumpet Summit would be a way to honor three decades of trumpeters who have matriculated through the Tri-C Jazz Academy under the auspices of retired educator Steve Enos. Dominick Farinacci, Sean Jones, Tommy Lehman, and Curtis Taylor reveled in the healthy camaraderie of the moment. After a fiery round of solos on "Cherokee" Jones would enthuse, "It does my heart good to come home and hear this excellence."

A storied tradition of the jam session, as practiced regularly by producer Norman Granz for his Jazz at the Philharmonic shows, the climax of the set was an extended ballad medley that allowed each trumpeter to shine in a way that underscored their individual temperaments. After up-and-comer Tommy Lehman's mature and burnished statement, Jones would embrace him with an encouraging hug. The closing "Crisis" put all hands on deck for a swashbuckling send-off featuring drummer Gabe Jones and percussionist Patrick Graney.

Gracing Northeast Ohio for the second time this year, the supergroup Artemis enthralled with their book of originals and strong soloing from each member of the ensemble. Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen offered a range of textures and half-valve effects on pianist Renee Rosnes' "Galapagos," with drummer Allison Miller adding to the drama via rumbling toms and crisp snare drum accents. Tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover had "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing" basically all to herself and she made the most of the moment, including a double-time stretch in the middle.

Miller's original "Bow and El" brought to the fore her rhythmic skills as the piece modulated through diverse grooves, with Rosnes inspired by the form as she heated up the moment significantly with her exquisite solo. Jensen's "Timber" started with wind sounds and other effects generated by the trumpeter's reserved use of electronic effects. The closing Thelonious Monk tune "Hackensack" put forth another fine solo from Glover and found Miller and bassist Noriko Ueda trading fours.

The smallest of the three theaters used for the festival, the 500-seat Allen hosted a two-fer tapping the music of Brazil and Cuba, the close-to-capacity crowd gifted abundantly with the results. First, guitarist Diego Figueiredo dazzled with a solo recital chockful of equal strains of humor, virtuosity, and emotion. With a range of material that ran from "Besame Mucho" to Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," Figueiredo capped off his generous set by asking audience members to shout out a key and rhythmic groove which he then used to build a striking and improvised solo. Equally winning, pianist Harold Lopez-Nussa tapped into his catalog of original material that bristled with excitement and made the most of the talents of harmonica virtuoso Gregoire Maret.

One of the esteemed elders still plying his craft with beautiful results, Charles Lloyd first made a splash in the '60s offering his cosmic take on jazz to the hippy crowd of the period. In the early '90s, his next developmental stage would come with a visionary set of albums for ECM Records. Lloyd has continued to grace stages around the world with a rotating coterie of like-minded musicians. The Ohio Theater hosted Lloyd's Ocean Trio II featuring pianist Gerald Clayton and guitarist Marvin Sewell and the results were beyond expectations, likely due to the drummer-less configuration.

Alternating between tenor saxophone and flute, Lloyd locked in tight with Clayton and Sewell on a hypnotic journey that was less about distinct songs and more about establishing a mood. Clayton switched temperaments on a dime, from ruminating chords to quicksilver bop runs. Sewell dug deep into blues territory, his bottleneck sound on Telecaster blending with Lloyd's yearning tone to recall Son House and other prophets. It made for yet another healing and vitalizing offering in what proved to be a nourishing festival.

Comments