40,000 Celebrate Historic Jazz Performances from Legendary Artists to Breakout Debuts
Jazz Conversations, Exhibitions, Films, Partner Activities Enhance “World's Best Jazz Festival"
“The Monterey Jazz Festival...is the prevailing anchor for West Coast jazz pride."
— New York Times
“Monterey cemented its place as one of the premier jazz festivals in the world."
—JazzTimes
“The Monterey Jazz Festival is the best outdoor jazz festival in the nation, bar none...it feels like a mini-lifetime crammed into less than three days."
—San Jose Mercury News
“The 53rd annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon has been nothing less than jazz nirvana."
—Oakland Tribune
“Years from now, there will be about 100,000 folks all claiming they were there when Trombone Shorty kicked some major tail at the Monterey Jazz Festival. But only a few thousand will be telling the truth. You know who you are...one of the most satisfying of Monterey's festivals I've attended over the past three decades."
— Monterey County Herald
“Roy Haynes...leapt out to steal the show at the very end, bashing away at a lengthy drum solo...When he ended, just at the stroke of midnight, the applause was thunderous."
—jazzobserver.com
“Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews was clearly this year's big, emergent star. The artists featured on Saturday's lineup were part of that [straight-ahead] tradition, but conversant in many others —blues, hip-hop, world music, gospel, even noise."
—East Bay Express
“There's only one word to describe Dianne Reeves' performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival: spectacular."
—blogmonterey.com
“Certainly the emphasis of Monterey Jazz is on the excellent music, but there's more to the festival than that. It's a consistent and reliable celebration of the human spirit, camaraderie and joie de vivre that's more than welcome in our trying times."
—examiner.com
“The Monterey Jazz Festival is the West Coast equivalent of a jazz Stonehenge."
—Good Times Santa Cruz
Weekend Highlights
- Trombone Shorty steals the show and seals his place in MJF history
- Harry Connick, Jr. performs to appreciative full house in the Arena
- 85 Year-Old Roy Haynes wows crowds with youthful exuberance
- Rudresh Mahanthappa, Somi, Sachal Vasandani, Gretchen Parlato, Septeto Nacional de Cuba, Les Nubians, Jazz Mafia make indelible MJF debuts
- Angelique Kidjo rouses Arena crowds to dance on stage
- Ahmad Jamal MJF debut stuns audience in closing Arena show
- Artist-In-Residence Dianne Reeves appears throughout MJF/53 weekend
- Roy Hargrove and Roberta Gambarini pack venues for two appearances with Big Band
- Jake Shimabukuro makes astounding solo debut
- Billy Childs and Kronos Quartet debut challenging “Music for Two Quartets"
- Fred Hersch and Marcus Roberts Trios play masterful sets
The 53rd Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon wrapped up Sunday, September 19 after a weekend of stunning debuts by newcomers and favorites alike and highly-anticipated performances by 500 world-renowned and legendary artists. 40,000 fans came through the gates of the Monterey County Fairgrounds during the weekend of September 17-19, with the Festival welcoming them back with a wide musical palate from classic jazz to world music, from New Orleans to New York, and from around the globe; compelling conversations, engaging exhibits, and wonderfully warm weather.
Musical Highlights: Friday
The thrilling weekend got off to an explosive start in the Arena on a warm Friday night with a high energy set from the Roy Hargrove Big Band featuring Roberta Gambarini, who then upped the musical ante with a repeat performance in Dizzy's Den later that evening. Les Nubians, who looked like they had arrived at the Festival visiting from a distant planet with expressive makeup and thrilling stage show, transformed the Jimmy Lyons Stage into live theater. The Septeto Nacional de Cuba closed out the evening with a set of stately and classic son, generating an unplanned, on-stage visit by a pair of dancing fans.
On the Grounds, New Grooves kept the tradition of cutting edge and barrier-breaking music on the Festival's opening night with the massive and expansive music of the Jazz Mafia's Brass, Bows & Beats in Dizzy's Den. Nellie McKay created her own musical world in the Night Club, as did Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition, as they broke down sonic walls. On the Garden Stage, the House Jacks held court to a packed house with their virtuoso vocal performance, as did Festival opener, the boppish Ben Flocks and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Septet. In the Coffee House, the Marcus Roberts Trio played three masterful sets of classic jazz, and Mark Levine's Latin Tinge celebrated the visionary music of Moacir Santos, both to capacity crowds.
Musical Highlights: Saturday
The Arena's Saturday shows got the day off to a blistering start with Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens. The energy level was elevated by the now-legendary debut of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, who literally got the Arena crowd into a frenzy, a feat that was loudly echoed later in the day by their raucous repeat performance on the Garden Stage. Delbert McClinton laid down what would be the final bluesy afternoon statement in the Arena, in what will be remembered as one of the most epic Saturday shows in Monterey's history.
The Billy Childs Quartet got the evening's Arena shows off to a cerebral start with an original set debuting the Festival's commissioned piece, “Music for Two Quartets," featuring the Kronos Quartet in a swirling, majestic and tranquil piece of music. Dianne Reeves then took the stage with a mesmerizing performance that grounded the audience back to earth. The Freedom Band with Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett, and Roy Haynes, a return to angular modernism, featured the ever-youthful Roy Haynes, in his usual display of genius on the drums. Abandoning his piano several times during the set, Corea came over to observe the unstoppable Haynes, a living legend, in action.
Saturday's Garden Stage took off with John Firmin and the Nocturne Band, followed by Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens, and another legendary set from Trombone Shorty. Jake Shimabukuro kicked off Saturday evening's Garden Stage program with an exhilarating solo set on ukulele, shattering all pre-conceived notions of the instrument, followed by the explosive Chris Potter Underground. The popular DownBeat Blindfold Test featuring Fred Hersch kicked off Saturday's sets in Dizzy's Den, which was followed by sonic surprises and stellar sets from the Septeto Nacional de Cuba, vocalist Somi, and the Billy Childs Quartet; with Liza Mezzacappa's Bait & Switch, Ritsuco Endo, and Gretchen Parlato all making spectacular debuts in the Night Club. Kyle Eastwood and the Kronos Quartet also made return visits to packed crowds. The Coffee House Gallery audiences were treated to the Hristo Vitchev Quartet, the second appearance of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Septet, and three sets from the Gerald Clayton Trio, all making their unique stamps on the jazz tradition. On the West Lawn, Mo'Fone played two sets to the patrons visiting the Festival's food vendors.
Musical Highlights: Sunday
Sunday's Arena shows began with a bang with the winner of the Next Generation Jazz Festival, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, making their third appearance on the Jimmy Lyons Stage in the last four years, followed by the exuberant Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, which featured the country's finest high school student musicians. Dianne Reeves made a special appearance with the NGJO, and also appeared in a duet with the afternoon's closing act, the dynamic Angelique Kidjo, who literally merged the stage and audience together when she invited twenty-five people up on stage to dance along with her infectious blend of jazz-tinged afro-pop. The evening's performances in the Arena included the incredible debut of Harry Connick, Jr., whose performance alternated between stately arrangements of jazz classics and barrelhouse, lowdown New Orleans music, complete with Bourbon Street-style dances and jokes that kept the audience on its feet until the end. The living legend and NEA Jazz Master, Ahmad Jamal, closed out the Festival's Arena shows with a feisty, timeless set of classic jazz with a percussive edge in his Monterey debut.
Sunday's Grounds performances began with insightful talks and panel discussions in Dizzy's Den, including a conversation with the ageless Roy Haynes, and a presentation by Sam Stephenson from the Jazz Loft Project. Evening shows in Dizzy's Den began with Dianne Reeves making her fourth appearance of the weekend in her lush performance with “Strings Attached," followed by Roy Haynes' Fountain of Youth, in a virtuosic display of musicianship and boundless energy. The Night Club was also filled with a fountain of youth, with seven bands from the Next Generation Jazz Festival making their voices heard, followed by a sonic supernova from the Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio and the Javon Jackson Band with Les McCann. Sunday's Garden Stage had a more classic jazz feel with performances by the Cal State Northridge 'A' Band with special guest Chris Potter; the youthful Le Boeuf Brothers, and NEA Jazz Master and pianist George Wein. On the West Lawn, patrons were treated to the exotic Nice Guy Trio. The vocalist Sachal Vasandani turned heads in his own MJF debut, with vocalist Kim Nalley closing out Sunday's Garden Stage program with special guest, Houston Person. The Coffee House Gallery featured the kid-friendly Banana Slug String Band and the youthful Josiah Boornazian Group, followed by two mesmerizing sets from the Fred Hersch Trio.
All weekend long, fans were treated to the multi-media presentation of the Jazz Loft Project with photographs and tapes of W. Eugene Smith; films from Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense; Judy Roberts on the Yamaha AvantGrand with Greg Fishman on saxophone, greeting fans as they visited the Festival's Food Court, and DJ Harry Duncan playing intermission music on the Garden Stage.
2010 MJF Partners Add Excitement to the Weekend
MJF partners provided activities and events throughout the Festival weekend to enhance the Festival experience for fans. Everyone entering the Fairgrounds gates was given a digital music sampler, featuring fifteen free songs from Monterey Jazz Festival artists, compliments of iTunes. In addition, fans were greeted at the gates on Saturday with a comfortable seat cushion, compliments of Verizon. At the center of the MJF Midway, fans could relax, watch Arena simulcasts, and enjoy a “Festival Fizz" offered by Gloria Ferrer, Official Sparkling Wines of the Monterey Jazz Festival. Inns of Monterey, Official MJF Hotels, offered fans a chance to win two-night stays at their Monterey properties. North Coast Brewing Company, celebrating their fifth year as Official MJF Beers, offered Brother Thelonious merchandise on the Midway and beer tastings on Lyons Lane. They were joined on the Lane by a variety of foods and beverages also available for sampling throughout the Festival weekend, including offerings from Ruiz Foods, Silver Moon Desserts, Maido Sushi, Tres Classique Gourmet Oils, and LaCroix Sparkling Water.
At the center of the MJF Midway, Best Buy reprised their on-site store featuring meet and greet sessions with MJF artists. Carmel Road Winery, Official MJF Wines, offered tastings in the Festival's new Premier Access Club, joined by MJF partners from the Cayman Islands in the Festival's new VIP Chalet. MJF media partner KGO hosted a tent on the Midway with a visit from popular KGO afternoon host Gil Gross. DownBeat, another Festival media partner, hosted a booth on the Midway as well. In addition to providing instruments for the Festival's needs, Yamaha hosted the popular Instrument Petting Zoo featured during Sunday's Family Day. Throughout the Festival weekend, throughout the Festival grounds, MJF saluted their 26-year Presenting Partner Verizon for their contributions to the Festival's year-round series of Jazz Education Programs, totaling more than $3,500,000 to date.
The announcement of 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival Arena and Grounds artists will be made on March 28, 2011, when tickets for MJF/54 will be available for purchase.
The 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented By Verizon will take place on the Monterey Fairgrounds, September 16-18, 2011, with over 500 artists performing on 8 stages for 3 nights and 2 days of the world's best jazz. The Festival is pleased to announce that award-winning saxophonist, Joshua Redman, has been named the 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival Artist-In-Residence.
