Since my first experience there in the early 90s, attendance at the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) has been an essential part of my annual travel calendar. That is best exemplified by the fact that once the mid-September MJF date is announced, the calendar is immediately marked for travel and the mind set. Significantly that’s the case regardless of subsequent news of the festival lineup over the succeeding months. The true mark of a successful festival comes when that festival’s constituency cares less about questions of lineup and trusts in the everlasting high quality of the event.

Certainly the Monterey Jazz Festival’s idyllic physical setting is endlessly appealing. The great bassist Ray Drummond, who grew up in the area and is a frequent presence at MJF regardless of whether he’s performing, has used the old label “God’s country”, to sum up the geographic charms of the Monterey Peninsula. After nearly 20 years of practically uninterrupted attendance at MJF, who am I to quibble with Ray’s characterization?

The charms of MJF begin with the journey itself. Granted, what is essentially a long (Friday-Monday) weekend cross-country trip to California might be a bit daunting for some; don’t count this writer in that cadre, nor the legion of others who make the 5-8 hour drive up from the southern parts of the state to what is essentially North-central California, just north of the breathtakingly beautiful vistas of Big Sur.

From DC we generally choose a non-stop flight to either Oakland or San Francisco; yes, San Jose is closer but doesn’t offer the same non-stop flight access from the East as do the two Bay Area ports. From the Bay Area, the chosen routine is the 90-mile drive south to Monterey. A major nuance in that particular segment of the journey: depending upon how much time you’ve afforded yourself, you can make that trip most judiciously via the 101 freeway or take the legendary Pacific Coast Highway, Rt. 1, which has always been our preferred route. The seaside vistas along Rt. 1 are simply incredible, and if surfing is of interest, that stretch of the Pacific is nirvana.

After six hours on a plane, about the last thing I need is the potential driver stresses of the 101; the scenic route it is! Rt. 1 takes you down through tranquil Santa Cruz, home base of Tim Jackson, who I first encountered back in the old Lila Wallace-Readers Digest National Jazz Network days as director of Santa Cruz’s legendary Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Kuumbwa, where Jackson first made his bones as a jazz curator, has long specialized in presenting major touring jazz artists and bands, many of whom come down after stints in San Francisco, on Monday evenings.

Which brings me back to the primary reason why assiduously scanning the Monterey Jazz Festival artist lineup well in advance of the event – and MJF is prolific in its press notices and web updates – is for this writer a largely unnecessary exercise. In Tim Jackson we trust! Tim, who is only MJF’s second artistic director in its storied history, succeeded the legendary founder Jimmy Lyons in 1992. Tim is a man of impeccable jazz tastes, one who is quite savvy at assembling compelling Monterey lineups, so much so that one can always trip plan with complete confidence that the talent lineup will always be stellar. Tim Jackson’s programming acumen was recognized at this year’s 59th annual festival when Berklee College of Music bestowed its George Wein Impressario Award on him, an award presented by Berklee Provost, Dr. Larry Simpson, my old Cleveland homie who is part of our regular MJF crew (seen left, in black jacket, presenting the award to an all smiles Tim Jackson).

That whole aspect of crew, or family, is another of the MJF hallmarks. The festival always feels like a bit of a family reunion, with folks meeting up there annually after years of attendance. A full measure of the dedication many fans feel towards the Monterey experience came to me on my first trip out there. One evening Sonny Rollins was on the Jimmy Lyons stage and my seats in the big Arena (capacity: 5,000) were towards the rear of the facility. If you’ve ever experienced Sonny Rollins in concert you know there’s a distinct visual element to his performances, the way he stalks the stage to emote that big tenor from several sonic vantage points. Seeking a better viewpoint I wandered up close, hugging one of the walls that abut the grandstand area on either side of the Arena. Standing there amidst torrents of tenor madness, I quickly spied an empty aisle seat on one of the first few rows of metal chairs. Easing into that seat while blissfully riding Sonny’s cloud, a few minutes into my revery, an exceedingly polite usher tapped my shoulder to alert me that the woman whose seat I was occupying was walking down the aisle towards said seat, “…and she’s had that same seat for 40 years!” ‘Nuff said, that’s how it is at Monterey; folks just keep coming back and enjoying their annual alliances, friendships, and most of all the great music.

Also not lost on the keen observer, particularly those of us who’ve long decried what by all appearances has been a diminishing black audience for jazz over the last few decades, is the fact that MJF consistently attracts a robust African American constituency among its large audiences. The black audience factor at Monterey is so significant that after a few years attendance this observer finally broke down and asked Tim Jackson why MJF enjoys a seemingly larger African American audience than most ticketed jazz festivals (to anyone who foolishly suggests that black folks don’t turn out for jazz, dig the audience at any free-of-charge jazz performance in an urban area, particularly a free festival; economics – along with who’s onstage – often dictates the complexion of a jazz audience). Very simple, Tim explained, MJF founder Jimmy Lyons (not to be confused with the late alto player of the same name who toiled most auspiciously alongside Cecil Taylor) had a long career in jazz radio and was apparently hip enough to be quite a popular voice in the black community. When Lyons started MJF in 1958, it seems he was Pied Piper enough that his black constituents simply followed him to the festival.

Held on the Monterey County Fairgrounds (a very pleasant daily walk from the Hyatt Hotel, the festival’s host hotel where all the musicians stay, making for quite the scene each post-fest night), besides the main venue in the open-air Arena (on what is now the Jimmy Lyons Stage, same stage where Jimi Hendrix immolated his guitar at Monterey Pop), the festival also plays three indoor venues, including the intimate Coffeehouse Gallery, and the spacious Nightclub and Dizzy’s Den. The Garden Stage is the second largest capacity venue, and there’s a small Courtyard Stage suitable for solo pianists or trios, and the Northcoast Brewing Jazz Education Stage, which on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the matinee sessions (which play all the other venues) hosts many exceptional student ensembles. MJF has a major stake in jazz education, including its Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. This kind of 3-ring circus set-up certainly encourages shrewd navigation of the MJF schedule grid, often leaving one scrambling to catch at least a good portion of every set of interest, along with shrugging the shoulders at the occasional missed opportunity.

The availability of such a variety of venues, particularly in the hands of a curator with the acumen of Tim Jackson, conjures endless artistic combinations. For example, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman was the featured Showcase Artist. On Friday evening at Dizzy’s Den he was featured as part of the edgy and engaging Still Dreaming ensemble, featuring trumpeter Ron Miles, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade in an updated echo of Old and New Dreams, the great 70s post-Ornette Coleman band featuring Joshua’s father Dewey Redman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell. On Saturday night at the Arena, Redman played his partnership with The Bad Plus, and on Sunday evening his quartet closed Dizzy’s Den. In a typical bit of Monterey programming, the glorious young vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, opened the Friday night program in the Arena, and later that evening followed Still Dreaming for the closing set at Dizzy’s Den. Her two stints were much to the delight of a visible coterie of women Salvant followers who’ve begun to take up her stylish white frame glasses look as a bit of quirky cult following that is rare for 21st century jazz, yet delightful to see.

The versatile bass master Christian McBride was music director for one of the festival highlights, Friday night’s marvelous Tribute to Quincy Jones (who stayed for the hang all weekend) “The A&M Years”. McBride joined an all-star big band that included Hubert Laws, James Carter, Dave Grusin, Lewis Nash, and cameos by Richard Bona (whose own Afro-Cuban flavored band preceded the tribute) and Gregoire Maret, plus lead vocals by Valerie Simpson, directed by John Clayton. They beautifully reprised selections from Q’s “Walking in Space” era on A&M Records. Another festival high point came the following Saturday evening when McBride’s soulfully swinging trio played the last set at Dizzy’s, with the impressively facile young pianist Christian Sands and Cleveland’s own Jerome Jennings on drums.

CHRISTIAN SANDS DIGS INTO CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE’S SET AT DIZZY’S DEN

Not totally beholden to the firmly established, MJF also offers ample stage to the emerging artists in the music. One notable example, besides the ubiquitous wunderkind pianist Joey Alexander playing to a packed house on the Garden Stage Saturday night, perhaps the most promising young artist of this year’s MJF was the homegrown flutist-vocalist Elena Pinderhughes (mark that name down for future reference). The remarkably poised Ms. Pinderhughes, who matriculated in MJF’s student Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, showed up on the Arena stage Saturday night in the latest edition of drummer and this year’s Artist-in-Residence Terri Lyne Carrington‘s women-centric Mosaic Project, as part of TLC’s “Love and Soul” program, adroitly navigating her flute and voice, and delivering a penetrating poetic expression. Next day Elena led her own band at 6:15 on the Garden Stage. She was not by a longshot the only promising young artist to grace the 2016 MJF stages. Also notable was the Friday night opening set on the Nightclub stage delivered by drummer-vocalist Jamison Ross, whose engaging voice is poised to appeal directly to at least a segment of the same audience that Gregory Porter has captivated. The latter, who never fails to positively thrill the Monterey audience, was featured on the Sunday matinee in the Arena, opposite the rising tenor man of the day, Kamasi Washington.

JAMISON ROSS SKILLFULLY BALANCES HIS DRUM AND VOCAL EXPLOITS

Additional festival interconnections found Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson joining the great drummer Billy Hart‘s quartet for Hart’s 75th birthday celebration on the Nighclub stage Saturday night. The protean bassist John Patitucci led his Electric Guitar Quartet on the Nightclub Stage, the next night joining Wayne Shorter‘s impeccable quartet on the Arena Stage for the premier performance of Shorter’s latest opus, “The Unfolding,” with the Monterey Jazz Festival Wind Ensemble, as did Brian Blade who’d earlier drummed with Still Dreaming. No wonder Quincy Jones stuck around for the weekend, to his seeming endless delight. Besides the wonderful Friday evening reprise of his A&M recordings, two of his young proteges performed on festival stages, including the young Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and the multi-instrumentalist YouTube sensation Jacob Collier.

One mediocre exception to the raft of rewarding performances was a rather tired performance billed as “The Ultimate Tribute to Ray Charles”, with the ghost band Ray Charles Orchestra and Maceo Parker. The latter quizzically (though fairly skillfully) reprised Charles vocals, yet largely failed to deliver on his own signature alto saxophone. That was the only bobble this observer experienced. There was much to be loved at this year’s MJF edition, including the delightful surprise of guitarist Bill Frisell playing Wes Montgomery’s classic “Bumpin'”! And besides the many exceptional performances, MJF’s humanities component delivered rewarding conversations with Terri Lyne Carrington & Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Quincy Jones & Clint Eastwood (a longtime MJF board member), each skillfully moderated by Ashley Kahn, journalist Dan Ouellette’s annual live DownBeat Blindfold Test (this year with McBride), and screenings of the film Brownie Speaks: The Life, Music & Legacy of Clifford Brown in yet another MJF venue, the Jazz Theater, where those seeking shelter from the evening nip can catch simulcasts of all Arena performances throughout the festival.

All black & white performance photos by Tyrone Kenney, aka The ArtOgrapher; lookout for his Neo Bop project…

Brothers Zaccai and Luques Curtis, from Hartford, CT, spent some of their earliest music matriculation at NEA Jazz Master Jackie & Dolly McLean’s visionary Artist Collective in Hartford. Since that time they’ve played with such notable artists as NEA Jazz Master Eddie Palmieri, Donald Harrison, Brian Lynch, Papo Vasquez, Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache Band, Sean Jones, Orrin Evans, Francisco Mela, Etienne Charles, Cindy Blackman Santana, and Ralph Peterson. Additionally they co-lead their own Curtis Brothers band.

As recording artists they’ve taken things into their own hands, founding and building Truth Revolution as their recording home. Stretching out beyond their own recordings, they’ve engaged both young, emerging and master level musicians to record on Truth Revolution. The Independent Ear is always on the lookout for enterprising artists, so we recently posed a few questions which the brothers answered collectively.

Luques and Zaccai Curtis

There’s a certain sensibility one gets from the name Truth Revolution of your record company. Where and how did you come up with that name?

Originally, the name comes from my publishing company “Truth Revolution Publishing.” When we first started the label I started branding my own compositions with that never expecting it to be anything else. When we started to release other music it was suggested by multiple people that we use the name Truth Revolution as a brand.

Today “Truth Revolution” for us represents a revolution in music. Providing a way for Jazz and Latin Jazz artists to get their music recognized without breaking their banks and backs.

Given both of your busy playing schedules, is this a two-man operation or do you have partners?

We have partners and contractors that we work with heavily. Without them, the daily operations would never be completed in timely fashion. All of our staff here has been doing such an awesome job so shout out to the TRR crew!

How long had you been thinking of launching your own label, and what was your planning process?

When we first thought about it (around 2005) there wasn’t much of a plan. We gathered as much information from our predecessors that had their own labels and formally launched our label in 2009. As time went on we grew and more people became involved. The evolutionary process is not over and we have so much in store for the immediate future.

In your website descriptives, under “Why The Name?” you say your relationship with artists “…is based on a partnership agreement.” Given that agreement of partnership, since you put out the records and those attendant responsibilities, and besides a commitment to great artistry what are your expectations of artists whose recordings you release?

The partnership differs between each artist/project but isn’t limited to us working on just CD releases. All of the artists on our label have our trust and we have theirs. Working on live shows, videos, building a fan base or recording is mutually beneficial toward both us and the artist. We are invested in them and trust them to carry the brand while they trust us to keep fighting for their music to be heard.

Talk about some of the artists you’ve recorded and why you chose to record those particular artists.

We have been lucky enough to be trusted with the production, distribution and branding of the greatest musicians of the Latin Jazz idiom like Mitch Frohman and Ray Vega. Working with them is such a blessing because we learned so much from their releases and their patience will be forever appreciated. Our earliest releases(besides our own Curtis Brothers music) by Kris Allen and Giovanni Almonte were for sure trial by fire and they are still working with us in many respects. Our latest releases by legendary percussionists Little Johnny Rivero and Ralph Irizarry have been very well received by Latin Jazz fans around the world and allowed us to connect to that network which we love being a part of. Vocalist, Orice Jenkins as our youngest artist, brings such a bright light to our catalogue. There are so many great recordings on the label currently and we could write about each one but the pride and joy of the company is the amazing release by [bass master] Andy Gonzalez ‘Entre Colleges.’ He’s been one of our mentors as young students of the music and has, in recent years, become ill. That kind of collaboration is what we live for and I know 2017 will be even better!

HERE’S A PARTIAL STROLL THROUGH THE TRUTH REVOLUTION CATALOGUE.…

Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson
by Benny Golson and Jim Merod
Temple University Press

Saxophonist-composer Benny Golson exemplifies the jazz life well-lived. He developed a distinctive sound on the tenor saxophone, one that has become more smoke-infused and slightly burry with age. He has written a compact but potent body of jazz standards (think “Whisper Not,” “Stablemates,” “Along Came Betty,” etc.). He successfully crossed over to television and film scoring. He has avoided some of the pitfalls of the jazz life; scandal has thoroughly whiffed in attaching itself to one of the true gentlemen of jazz. Now in his 8th decade he continues to be a vital presence on the recording and performing scene, picking and choosing his opportunities wisely. And that life is well-chronicled in this informative new volume that is more memoir than traditional autobiography. Benny and his collaborator Jim Merod have chosen not the traditional cradle-to-maturity autobiographical approach, but the approach of detailing key touchstones in Benny’s evolution, detailed with great humor and with no obvious bitterness or axe to grind, in a way that his intimates will recognize as the reflections of one of the more genteel masters to have ever addressed this music.

At first reading one might be tempted to point fingers at his writing collaborator for a tendency towards the occasional (but forgivable) florid language, as exemplified by Benny’s rather over-the-top detailing of his endearing, head-over-heels reaction to meeting and subsequently courting his beloved wife Bobbie. But if you know Benny, recognizing his conversational style and his gentlemanly demeanor, you recognize that’s pure Benny Golson. (I recall an email I received from him once in which he prefaced his note by saying “I was thinking of you in a most intense way today.”) Here’s an example from his loving recollections of his dear friend John Coltrane. In a chapter recalling two whom the chapter refers to as “Unrivaled Aces” (Sarah Vaughan and Bill Evans), recalling Miles Davis‘ monumental “Kind of Blue” recording and his saxophonist-compadre’s participation, is this somewhat wistful passage: “There was a time in my life when I wondered what might have transpired if, in some counterintuitive but angelic way, Philly Joe Jones had recommended me instead of my dear pal John for Miles’ quintet. I am deeply, ironically aware that despite the world’s absurdity and evil, most of the important events that define reality are shaped with rare tact and surprising finesse.” That’s pure Benny Golson, a man who in a different incarnation might have been an English language professor at Yale.

Though he takes – at the very most – only modest credit for it, Benny Golson is definitely one of the architects of the jazz institution known as Art Blakey‘s Jazz Messengers; if for no other reason than his indelible contributions to the Blakey book, “Whisper Not,” “Along Came Betty,” and particularly his touchstone “Blues March.” The passage on how he convinced Blakey that he needed a march – of all things! – in his book is priceless. Here’s another example from Golson’s first week with the Messengers: “During our week at Cafe Bohemia I noticed that Art’s repertoire didn’t include any strong, self-identifying arrangements. I also noticed other things that bothered me. After a few days, I decided to talk to him about my concerns. Looking back, I cannot believe I said the things I decided to say to him.

“I confronted Art during an intermission with a series of extremely presumptuous observations. I began something like this: “Art, you should be a millionaire.” How’s that for a bold opening? It got his attention. Somewhat taken aback, Art responded openly. “A millionaire, what do you mean?” Never could there be a less defended chin for my next jab. “With all your talent, you should make much more money.” (Somehow I learned how much this group received for the week at Cafe Bohemia; the money was terrible.) Next, I told him his lack of punctuality was atrocious. “You leave the bandstand for a fifteen-minute intermission and disappear sometimes for an hour. At the beginning of the night, you and other members of the group are frequently late… in fact almost always.” Art was totally attentive, so I plowed ahead. “You’re undependable and unreliable. Art, you’re a risk for anyone who hires you.”

“Art’s eyes widened in disbelief. “This green upstart punk is saying these things to me,” he must have been thinking. “Who is this kid?” But he let me go on. “I heard Small’s Paradise never wants you to work there again, because you were late all the time. Is that true?” A pause and then his admission: “Yeah-h-h, I guess so.” I pressed on with my lecture. “Procrastination cannot be a way of life,” I informed him. “In the long run it makes things more difficult and hinders aspirations. It is selfish, since other musicians are almost always involved.” I blathered on, assuming Art would be aghast at my remarks. But he was looking at me with interest, apparently unoffended. Did I really say such a preposterous, self-inflated thing to this giant of an artist? But Art took my critique absolutely seriously, and meekly asked me, “What should I do.” Art Blakey wisely took Golson’s good counsel!

Other rich chapters in this book include Benny’s vivid recollections of his difficulties, and ultimate delights, in breaking into the Hollywood studio scoring world, as well as his admiring reflections on film and television personalities who played important roles in his odyssey, including a particularly warm chapter on Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and his lovely experience with them making their film “The Terminal.” Chapters 21-25 comprise Part V of the book, titled Amazing Friendships on his key relationships with Quincy Jones, Harry “Sweets” Edison and Dizzy Gillespie, his homeboy Philly Joe Jones, plus chapters on Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, and Dinah Washington (including a hilarious passage on the oft-married diva’s unsuccessful effort at seduction, and Curtis Fuller and The Jazztet.

Whisper Not is deeply complimentary of these and a plethora of jazz greats and personalities who’ve touched Benny Golson’s life, from his Philly homies Coltrane and Jimmy Heath, to Peggy Lee, Mickey Rooney, and Redd Foxx, to Sonny Rollins and Muhammad Ali. Benny Golson is definitely not one to tell tales out of school; there’s nothing remotely gratuitous in his recollections. This is a warmly enjoyable, humor-laced jazz memoir that thoroughly eschews any sense of linear approach, and in this case that’s not a bad thing.

Recently we published Ron Scott’s review of the 2017 Cape Town International Jazz Festival (scroll down). Ron was able to extend his journey into the heart of jazz in South Africa and here he shares his insights into jazz in the country which we have long held as possessing one of the deepest, richest jazz musician cultures of any country in the evolution of the music.

CAPE TOWN JAZZ TOUR
By Ron Scott
While recently visiting Cape Town, South Africa I had the unique experience of going on a “jazz safari”. It was listed as one of the tourist attractions that one could book and pay for online. Seemed like the perfect opportunity for a curious New York City jazz writer.

The cost was only $99 which included meeting two of Cape Town’s prominent jazz musicians at their homes, having a home-cooked dinner with one, as well as two private concerts by each, and a discussion. Ironically, after paying for this tour, the notice popped up that I would be emailed the address of where to meet my guide on the specific date. Hmmmmmm.

As the day of my jazz safari grew closer, I still had no address or time to meet. Well, I became a little nervous and called the number at the bottom of the website. They checked my information and gave me all the necessary information.

The next evening, I took a cab from the hotel to the meeting destination about 10-15 minutes away. I met the tour guide Michael Letlala. He was very cordial and definitely knowledgeable about the Cape Town jazz scene. Oddly, there isn’t much of a jazz scene in the bustling city but he knew all the musicians and where the live shows took place.

Our first stop was to the home of pianist and composer Hilton Schilder. His wife had prepared a delicious traditional dinner for the three of us. While eating we discussed his career as a musician living in Cape Town. Schilder’s music connection began with his great grandfather, who was a gypsy guitarist during the 1800s in Cape Town. His father was also a musician and had the distinction of backing such artists as Peaches & Herb, Oscar Brown, Jr. and Percy Sledge. “All my cousin’s kids and my grandchildren also play,” Shilder proudly stated.

Schilder is a multi-instrumentalist, who plays guitar, bass, percussion,drums, cello and flute. “All of my cousins and grandchildren play instruments,” said Schilder. He performed with Blood, Sweat & Tears in the 1960s and played at the prestigious London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s. He says he was inspired by Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Donald Fagan (of Steely Dan), and Brazilian musicians. He was also an active member of the District 6 Museum Band (which performed in Hong Kong).

After dinner he stepped a few feet away from the table to the piano and began playing one of his original compositions written for his wife. During their 53 years of marriage, he has composed 40 pieces for her. He playedy’Cannonball Adderley’s “One for Daddio” (from his Something Else album on Blue Note). His three-part composition “Dwarf, Giant” is a haunting piece of a conversation between a dwarf and giant with two instruments, the flute and violin as the giant’s voice.

He introduced me to the clarytone, a small instrument also known as a nose flute that he often brings into his varied performances. Hilton Schilder has recorded 38 albums as a leader and sideman with three solo piano albums. Most recently, he performed in Orbits the only full-pledged jazz club in Johannesburg (which is similar to the New York City jazz clubs Birdland and the Jazz Standard).

Following, a great home cooked dinner, a jazz conversation that stretched from America to Cape Town, and a live performance it was time to leave for my next jazz rendezvous.We were off to visit another Cape Town jazz musician, the trumpeter and composer Fezekile Tempi aka “Blackie” as his many friends call him. I was immediately introduced to his wife (who had so kindly set up snacks and drinks for us), and his friend who stated, “I just came to hear the music,” and his cousin the guitarist Latch Mdingi, who would later accompany him during a performance.

Like his musician friend Schilder, Tempi was happy to meet a brother, who happened to be an American journalist and jazz fan. He explained that he was self- taught.”When I was young I always watched musicians playing and when they stopped to eat I would go up and touch their instruments,” said Tempi. “Sometimes they chased me away but sometimes they talked to me about their instruments and showed me their techniques.” He explained it was the spirituality of Pharoah Sanders’ album Karma (Impulse!), with the now legendary song “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” “[that] moved me to jazz.” During apartheid and Hugh Masekela’s self-exile, his albums were banned in South Africa.

“My first love was Dizzy Gillespie, then Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, and Clifford Brown was a master,” said Tempi. “But I really like Wynton Marsalis. Personally, I am still trying to discover myself as a musician.”

Due to a lack of jazz clubs in Capetown musicians have to be flexible. Tempi has played in a host of theater company productions that included tours of Denmark, France and the Netherlands. The trumpeter has two bands; a jazz band and an afro pop band. “Here in Capetown it is expensive to keep a band,” said Tempi. “The life of Capetown musicians is the most difficult in the country.”

Tempi’s cousin Mdingi is also self-taught and began playing guitar at age 12. He says his main influences were Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and George Benson. The first tune the duo played was the CD title tune “Love & Peace,” an original by Tempi. It had jazz rhythms with a traditional Capetown flow, mid-tempo in the spirit of Hugh Masekela with guitar flurries.

“Writing songs isn’t the problem it’s recording them,” said Tempi. His recording Love And Peace “Ta Blaques” (his own independent recording) is an impressive voyage of Cape Town rhythms with a jazzy flow. Throughout he plays with bold flavored tones.

Upon visiting South Africa it had never entered my mind I would have the honor of interviewing Schilder and Tempi two well-respected jazz musicians on the Capetown scene and beyond. And their live performances were incredible. It was a unique experience that I will always remember.

Our recent experience at the 44th annual Umbria Jazz reaffirmed the excellence of this annual event, as reported in this review in DownBeat magazine: http://downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=3368

But the experience was so excellent we simply couldn’t leave it at that! This was our fourth experience at Umbria Jazz, though the earlier trips had come in the late 80s/early 90s, certainly time for significant change in the event. It should be noted that Umbria Jazz founding artistic director Carlo Pagnotta has consistently been a tall, stoic, keenly observant spectator at many of the great festivals in the U.S., including Newport, Monterey, and Chicago. Just how keen his observations was apparent as soon as we arrived at the top of the hill in Perugia, the lovely old provincial capital of the Umbria region.

After crossing the Atlantic from JFK to Rome, and a two hour bus ride to Perugia, the first stop was our eagerly anticipated residence for the ten days of Umbria Jazz. Previous trips to the festival included lodging in the comfort of Hotel Brufani, one of two hilltop Umbria Jazz headquarters hotels. Breathtaking hilltop vistas on all sides is part of the experience of Perugia, and here we’re talking about a city to rival Pittsburgh and San Francisco in its elevation. For this trip we had carefully selected an Airb’nb residence, one that we hoped would provide a more expansive sense of the city and more of a “home” environment than most hotels can offer. Once we met our very agreeable host landlady, we were delighted not only to find that our Umbria Jazz residence was a mere 5-minute walk (albeit uphill with loaded suitcases and carry-ons – burdens lightened by a quickly-hailed taxi) from the bus station, which itself was just steps away from the escalator over the hill to the center of Perugia. Even more delightful, our residence was in a beautiful secure building in a quite lively but quiet neighborhood chock full of inviting cafes, good restaurants (is there a bad restaurant in Italy?), and enticing boutiques. Once inside our doors we quickly surmised that we had indeed bowled a strike with this residence; spotless, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, full kitchen, living room area and balcony-with-a-view… all for less than the price of a hotel night!

The immediate impulse was to climb on that escalator and experience anew the anticipated delights on Corso Vannucci, the beautiful pedestrian street at the top of Perugia which serves as Umbria Jazz central. But first let’s check out our little balcony, with its inviting folding chairs and small table perfect for some relaxing arrival beverages! Needless to say the surrounding hill vistas were splendid, with a birds eye view of the surrounding streets, and the hilltop Etruscan-era architecture. Not to mention the fact that upon opening the balcony doorway we were greeted by the agreeable sounds of jazz wafting down from the garden stage at one end of Corso Vannucci above; so clear and resonant was the music that it became apparent upon hearing a lead singing voice that we were experiencing the agreeable sounds of our old friend and soulful baritone Allan Harris, whose band was slated for a festival-long residency. Here’s that view:

Gazing up the hillside at the distinctive Etruscan-era doorways of an ancient building just off the Corso, the mind wandered back to part of the original motivation for coming to Umbria Jazz back in 1987. I recalled having been charmed by a deeply poetic account in the Village Voice of Stanley Crouch’s mid-80s Umbria Jazz experience, vowing immediately to add this festival in the fabled “Green Heart of Italy”, a part of the country about which I knew little – compared to age-old tales of Rome – but which sounded so splendid in Crouch’s telling. Adding to that motivation, my mother in-law is a first generation American born of Sicilian parents who’d landed at Ellis Island. So the motivation towards Italy seemed inevitable. And now here we were on our fourth occasion, this time more deeply imbedded into the actual community courtesy of our comfortable rental.

Climbing the escalator to the top on day one, the eyes inexorably wandered all ’round taking in whatever unimagined changes had occurred in the ensuing years to the wonderful vista of Corso Vannucci. Befitting such an old place, thank goodness the changes were purely cosmetic – a new boutique here, a couple of street side cafes there, and mainly a number of Umbria Jazz alterations since our previous journey. It didn’t take long to be impressed by changes Carlo Pagnotta and his colleagues had made to the overall Umbria Jazz design. As I remarked in that DownBeat review, Umbria Jazz has now fully embraced the sensibility of a true people’s festival. Corso Vannucci had always been a teeming pedestrian street during festival time in our experience, but the effect has been heightened by several aspects. In addition to the nightly concerts, now there was a stage in the garden park area right at the top of the escalator. Additionally the park had been invitingly festooned with refreshment vendors, one of two Umbria Jazz merchandise boutiques on the Corso, a midway with a historic retrospective of Umbria Jazz posters, with the performance stage at one end of the garden park, Hotel Brufani at the other. At the other end of the Corso, in the piazza adjacent to its striking, ancient fountain, was another free stage with afternoon and evening performances for the people. Not certain how long this evolution had been underway but the change of feeling was remarkable from our most recent visit in the mid-90s.

In our past experiences each early evening – which in those times was the start of Umbria Jazz concert time – had been ushered in by a strolling brass band, including several traditional imports from New Orleans. As evolution will have it, Umbria Jazz now has its own Italian brass band for those daily 6:30pm marches, a raucous unit known as Funk Off. And when they weren’t parading, entertaining buskers were playing sets at several ports in and around the Corso, keeping the street vibe lively throughout the day and evening.

Part of our routine on several evenings included attending 5:00pm performances at Teatro Pavone (including a couple of rich performances by the 13-year old piano phenom Joey Alexander and the brilliant Italian trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso, and a rewarding Italian conservatory orchestra performance of Duke Ellington‘s “Such Sweet Thunder” suite (all reported in my DB review), replete with some strikingly dramatic Shakespearian readings. Following the 5:00 concerts we’d cop a table at the street side cafe just outside the theater entrance for some refreshments (highly recommended on a summer evening: Campari & soda), just in time for Funk Off’s promenade. Two of the Corso’s traditional venues were the venerable Teatro Pavone, a post-war era opera house seating about 500 midway down the Corso, and Teatro Morlachi at the other end. Added to those two familiar Umbria Jazz venues are not only the two free stages at each end of the Corso, but also matinee museum performances and assorted restaurant performances, including at the highly-recommended Ristorante Taverna (order the ravioli with truffle sauce), which hosted a couple of Tuck & Patti’s week of performances.

The afternoon/evening free offerings represented a delightful Umbria Jazz people pleasure, with inviting performances which engendered quite the joyous daily/nightly scene. Early one evening a group of us following one of his week of performances, vocalist-guitarist Allan Harris and his lovely wife-manager Pat, and his fine drummer Shirazette Tinin joined us at Dempsey’s tavern for some refreshment. As we were leaving one of the bartenders, who’d been introduced to us as an Afghan immigrant, told us he couldn’t wait to get off work so he could experience the festival, shoot some video and post it to friends & family back home in Afghanistan. Asked who he planned on seeing that evening, he said it didn’t really matter, on the street it was all good; the glories of a free jazz festival experience!

The next day, exiting our exceedingly pleasant rental, instead of heading slightly down the hill to climb the escalator to the Corso, we determined to take a back street, encountering numerous inviting shops, restaurants and scores of afternoon strollers climbing the ancient steps of the street. We quickly made a mental note to check out one particularly inviting restaurant full of street side tables, happy patrons and lovely plates of food. Here’s that restaurant – which has a literary theme, replete with menus craftily inserted in antique books, and just below that one of its scrumptious dishes: since we were in prime truffle region, several plates of pasta with truffle sauce were consumed on this trip!

Much love emanated from the music, as reported in my DownBeat report (link above), most of which detailed exceptional nights at the Arena Santa Giuliano. The Arena, a 6,000 capacity open air space which in ambience resembled the feeling, though not in terms of the physical space, of being in the Arena at Monterey Jazz Festival. In fact, the evening billed as “Funk Night” and featuring George Clinton and Cory Henry & the Apostles followed the only downpour of the week, eliciting chill winds that carried one back to equally brisk nights in the Arena on the Monterey Fairgrounds. Each evening’s main event was a ticketed 9:00pm hit on the Arena stage, a mere five minute stroll down the hill from our rental. Highlights, again as reported previously in DownBeat, included a Ron Carter-Pat Metheny duo performance, the trio of John Scofield, Brad Mehldau and percussionist Mark Guilliana, blues night with Buddy Guy, Kamasi Washington, Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling, Cory Henry (the skies were threatening and sans umbrellas we missed George Clinton), and a Chick Corea performance billed as “Homage to Heroes” with a heroic quintet featuring Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney, Christian McBride, and Marcus Gilmore, and we were quite impressed with the Nigerian-British vocalist Ola Onabule, who opened for Diana Krall. Here’s the Arena scene in between nightly sets (that’s Suzan Jenkins standing to the right in the foreground).

Meanwhile, just up the escalator on the Garden Stage a rotating cast of bands and artists kept the revelers happy. Performing on that and the huge stage on the piazza at the other end of the Corso were such bands as the Italian ensemble Sticky Bones, the Dutch singer-guitarist Vincent Van Hessen (who was actually granted an Umbria Jazz stage shot after impressing as a street busker), and of particular note were Fred Wesley and his funkateers the New JB’s, and the 21st century Afro-Cubano of conguero Pedrito Martinez. For his part Allan Harris proved a consistent crowd-pleaser. No stranger to Umbria Jazz audiences, Harris has been afforded the opportunity to build up a strong following at this festival, bolstered by his daily performances on the garden stage and in the piazza, with sets that varied from his funk infused intro to a fresh arrangement of “Fly Me to the Moon”, to his guitar slinging blues exploits, to a bit of reprise from his black cowboy saga “Cross That River.” One of the real treats on this splendid Umbria Jazz experience was returning from the nightly performances at the Arena and enjoying nightcaps on our balcony while catching Pedrito, Fred, or Allan’s late sets wafting down from the garden stage as if we were right there in the thick of the action. Umbria Jazz… you owe it to yourself to experience this event!

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Allan Harris delivered a sophisticated brand of jazz & soul through his voice and guitar work, and a touch of his black cowboy immersion to the people on the Umbria Jazz free stages. (photo by Tim Keller)