jazz festival . . . lost weekend
| Whoa . . . didn't realize I had so many readers. Starting to get emails requesting my festival wrapup. Well, two emails. I started writing it up but found I was being like some kind of jazz critic, which was never the intent. Ah well . . . here goes. Jazz fest ended three days ago . . . seems like three years now . . . when the next one rolls around it'll seem like the last one was only three weeks ago. Tempus fugit, babies! By late Sunday afternoon I was hot and dehydrated from having sat in Festival Hall at the Roundhouse all day. I went home to rest up for the evening but never recovered. I hadn't planned to take in any more concerts but wanted to go by the Cellar to give bearhugs to  Cory and Alana who've announced their engagement, head over to O'Doul's for the last jam of the fest and then go for a Siegel's latenight smoked meat with Mike Allen and Julian MacDonough, and anyone else we could drag along. As it turned out I lay on my couch reading till I fell asleep. (memo to self: next year drink more water)Aside from whatever performances I've enjoyed throughout the festival, my favourite event is the free weekend a  t the Roundhouse. Always much great music to hear and the best hang of the fest, friends and co-conspirators everywhere, and multiple schmooze opportunities. Some quick notes, and then I have to get on with my life:Saturday Every year I thank my Mom for having me on July 1. I never had to go to school or work on my birthday, being as it was Dominion Day – eventually, and stupidly, renamed Canada Day. And for the last couple of decades there's been the bonus of all day free jazz concerts on Granville Island. I can't imagine a better birthday party. Some years, and this was one, Canada Day falls during the Roundhouse weekend so this time I had to choose (no longer into whipping back and forth between venues as in previous years) so spent a few hours at the Roundhouse. Caught the Sharon Minemoto Quintet and the Tony Wilson Sextet - two of my absolute favourite bands in town so it was more than satisfactory. Barbara and I wandered over to the merch tents – she loves that shit but I was done after a minute and decided that if I was going to be at the Centre by seven I'd better go home for my midday nap, the best part of my day usually. Sunday My daughter Johanna came by with the kids, Jack and Sasha – we all headed down to Festival  Hall for the 12:30 "High School Jazz Intensive" band, which exceeded any expectations I might have had. This was the first I'd heard of Nicole Mitchell who came in from Chicago to work we these kids. She did an absolutely amazing job, as did the students who had to play what I'm sure must have been really tough charts for them. The music covered a range of styles including some very advanced pieces. The show opened with Sun Ra's Brainville, for gods sake! It was just great! Nicole played a brief flute solo herself that was hot and beautiful and I can tell you I'll be checking her out some more! Peggy Lee's band followed with some incredibly beautiful and intricate music, another set I enjoyed thoroughly and then Ugetsu hit the bandstand, which - although I didn't expect it to be the last thing I'd be hearing at this year's festival - turned out to be the capper and a perfect closing for me. I always dig this band's fiery hard-bop evocation of the fifties and sixties jazz I love so much. There's nothing retro about it, though, believe me.Just these two days alone would have been a great jazz festival for me - and I only heard a tiny fraction of the music available. And that's very true of the entire festival. I know I missed a ton of great stuff. But the point is, what I got to, I dug. I had a ball, as usual, heard a lot of great music, saw a lot of great people. But despite that, I keep wondering what the point is. There are fewer jazz clubs now than at any time in the last seventy years. Interest in all creative, inspired art forms decline. It doesn't seem too hard to whip the masses into a frenzy for big, hyped-up events, but in the normal course of daily life, where's the beef? Just wondering. Photos, top to bottom: Havin' a smoke with Tony Wilson before his sextet's gig. Sharon Minemoto, whose band followed Tony's Barbara checkin' out the merch at David Lam Park Nicole Mitchell, after the High School Jazz Intensive concert Peggy Lee after Peggy Lee Band concert Ugetsu, (Jon Bentley, André Lachance, Sharon Minemoto subbing for Ross Taggart, Brad Turner, Dennis Esson, and Bernie Arai) I'll be posting more of the many pictures I took during the festival some time soon. Jazz Festival posts |