Music at the Playboy Jazz Festival always has been inextricably connected to the sun, the wine and the partying, and this year was no exception. But what was particularly interesting about the 30th anniversary event at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday and Sunday was the youthful energy on display--though, unfortunately, the younger performers received less attention than they deserved.
The performance of 27-year-old pianist Robert Glasper on Saturday, for example, took place at the very beginning of the afternoon, when seats were only half-filled, and audience members were paying far more attention to getting situated for the long day ahead than they were to the music. Which was a shame, since Glasper played with fire and imagination, as adept with straight-ahead mainstream playing as he was with contemporary, postmodern methods of improvisation.
Singer Ryan Shaw, 26, placed in a similarly early slot Sunday, also sang to a sparse crowd. But his set was fascinating nonetheless for its revival of a time when jazz, rock music and the blues had a much more intimate relationship than they do today.
Her performance, however, was a marvel--an impressive display of creative development well beyond what she presented a year or so ago in a local club date.
