The 51st annual Monterey Jazz Festival ended Sunday, shortly before midnight, with a set by Herbie Hancock that felt straight out of a Vegas casino. Too bad that Herbie, given the place of honor at the nation's best jazz festival, didn't close things out with something a little bit special or ambitious. Instead, he strapped on his keytar and played “Chameleon" for what must have been the 10,000th time.
It was a glib finish to a festival that was anything but glib. For me, Monterey, rich with great performances, illustrated a couple of basic things about jazz and this venerable festival's commitment to it.
No. 1, the music is just so vast; seeing and hearing that vastness spilling out across multiple stages over the weekend was an awesome thing. As an example, the festival kicked off Friday with a set by saxophonist George Young, who's been around since the late '50s; he played an un-fancy, loving set of Billy Strayhorn's incomparable tunes. Book-ending Young was saxophonist Wayne Shorter, also around since the late '50s, who, Sunday night (just before Hancock), traveled the space-ways with his virtuoso quartet: intuitive, at times free-form music with few clear melodic signposts.
No. 2, jazz still celebrates the cults of individual players — and keeps generating players worth celebrating. Two are alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon, 31, a player of stunning passion and discipline who blazed through a couple of Saturday-night sets; and drummer Brian Blade, 38, who, aside from being one of the real innovators on his instrument over the past 15 or so years, has never lost the irrepressible glee he so obviously feels with every flourish across his kit. He led his own group Sunday afternoon and performed with Shorter that night.
It was a glib finish to a festival that was anything but glib. For me, Monterey, rich with great performances, illustrated a couple of basic things about jazz and this venerable festival's commitment to it.
No. 1, the music is just so vast; seeing and hearing that vastness spilling out across multiple stages over the weekend was an awesome thing. As an example, the festival kicked off Friday with a set by saxophonist George Young, who's been around since the late '50s; he played an un-fancy, loving set of Billy Strayhorn's incomparable tunes. Book-ending Young was saxophonist Wayne Shorter, also around since the late '50s, who, Sunday night (just before Hancock), traveled the space-ways with his virtuoso quartet: intuitive, at times free-form music with few clear melodic signposts.
No. 2, jazz still celebrates the cults of individual players — and keeps generating players worth celebrating. Two are alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon, 31, a player of stunning passion and discipline who blazed through a couple of Saturday-night sets; and drummer Brian Blade, 38, who, aside from being one of the real innovators on his instrument over the past 15 or so years, has never lost the irrepressible glee he so obviously feels with every flourish across his kit. He led his own group Sunday afternoon and performed with Shorter that night.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
