This is a quick dispatch from the Monterey Jazz Festival, where, at ten minutes past midnight, saxophonist Joshua Redman, drummer Brian Blade and bassist Matt Penman were playing a tune called “Identity Thief," sounding like scientists in a laboratory, working with rare mixtures of melody, color and time.
It was quiet music, a little bit strange and extremely engrossing. About 500 people were listening to Redman's trio in a close-to-packed room dubbed the Night Club, one of seven stages where live music happens around the Monterey County Fairgrounds, site of the 51st annual celebration of America's classical music. About 40,000 bodies are expected to pass through the turnstiles before a couple of legends wrap up the festival Sunday evening: pianist Herbie Hancock with his band and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, one of the most mysteriously engaging musicians on the planet, with his quartet, which includes drummer Blade.
Friday night's opening events featured way too many bands, good ones, for any one person to see. Which isn't a bad thing; part of the pleasure of Monterey is puzzling out how to get to a decent portion of what's on your wish list. I did pretty well last night: the young Israeli-born pianist Yaron Herman and his trio played jazz as both meditation and intellectual exercise; bassist Christian McBride and his quartet played power fusion at an almost ridiculously high level of excellence. And it was fun. I'll tell you a lot more in Sunday's paper.
Meanwhile, if you're heading to Monterey today, I can predict that you'll miss more than you see and still wind up feeling happy about it.
This afternoon's acts include James Brown alum Maceo Parker, vocalist Ledisi, the Derek Trucks Band and a festival-sponsored big band of high-school all-stars known as the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. The schedule grows more crowded at night: the Maria Schneider Orchestra; Nancy Wilson; McBride with an entirely different group; drummers Antonio Sanchez and Matt Wilson; guitarist Bill Frisell; trumpeter Terence Blanchard; and the fabulous pianist Marc Cary, a real carrier of the jazz torch, playing three sets with his trio in the intimate Coffee House venue.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
