Review: Longtime Bay Area music festival transforms into something new
SFJAZZ is trying something new And so far so good The organization s longstanding San Francisco Jazz Festival which specific Bay Area music lovers seemingly didn t even known was still a thing has adopted a more traditional single-weekend festival format for This is a big change from its old format where shows were held over the discipline of nearly two weeks For instance the festival featured concerts stretched out across days That previous model was intriguing before the SFJAZZ Center opened in since it utilized a wide variety of venues in San Francisco and sometimes beyond In the years that followed however it s just felt like a really busy period of programs for the building rather than a traditional festival That all changed this weekend as the acclaimed arts presenter unveiled the new concept featuring selected three dozen performances across three different stages in and around the SFJAZZ Center This is something we ve been dreaming about doing SFJAZZ Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard stated The three-day shindig opened in triumphant fashion on Friday with a bill highlighted by legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd and the multi-talented Don Was Related Articles SFJAZZ unleashes mammoth lineup for - concert season San Francisco Jazz Festival will have a very different look in Jazz master will have specific really special company during Bay Area run Legendary jazz pianist is set to perform in San Francisco Santa Cruz Jazz great returns to delight fans in San Francisco and Santa Cruz It was set to continue on Saturday with a lineup that included the pairing of bassist-extraordinaire Stanley Clarke and Cuban jazz piano maestro Gonzalo Rubalcaba as well as Grammy-winning vocalist Lisa Fischer with New York City fusion act Grand Baton On Sunday third and final day of the run brings acclaimed keyboardist Patrice Rushen the pairing of bass master Dave Holland and guitar wiz Lionel Loueke Afro-Cuban act Cimafunk and others to the SFJAZZ stages For San Francisco Jazz Festival tickets and other information visit sfjazz org Gates opened at p m on Friday and the music ran right up to until p m Sat-Sun hours were - p m People queued up outside the main SFJAZZ Center entrance to pick up their tickets i e wristbands at a box office area assembled specifically for the festival From there they were able to catch live music at the venue s two regular spots the intimate downstairs Joe Henderson Lab and the all-world performance space known as Miner Auditorium So far so normal right The biggest change was the temporary performance space erected specifically for the festival in a tent located kitty-corner and down Franklin Street a bit from the SFJAZZ Center entrance Not surprisingly that was the least inviting of the three options with everything about it shouting makeshift and the sound cranked up way too loud If you are going to the festival make sure to bring earplugs especially if you plan to spend time at the festival tent There are several food trucks parked near that stage which makes makes for a nice way to get certain nourishment between jazz courses In general however you ll want to spend majority of your time at SFJAZZ Center s two regular performance spaces and in all likelihood focus mainly on Miner Auditorium and just grab a bite at one of the multiple good Hayes Valley restaurants located within easy walking distance The two Miner Auditorium sets I caught on Friday were both excellent First up was Don Was the six-time Grammy-winning musician producer composer who several still best remember from the s dance-pop funk act Was Not Was On this afternoon the talented bassist who is also the president of prestigious jazz label Blue Note Records was leading his Pan Detroit Ensemble in a preview of the band s forthcoming debut album due out sometime this summer The group is built from musicians hailing from Was hometown of Detroit including Blue Note recording artist Dave McMurray on saxophone and Eminem collaborator Luis Resto on keyboards The barefoot Was who seemingly owns no shoes was a masterful presence on bass as he led the funky fantastic troupe through a -minute set that included a groovy cover Shakedown Street by the Bay Area s own Grateful Dead Was who had been honored the night prior with the lifetime achievement award at the SFJAZZ Gala also took the time to give a shout out to SFJAZZ s executive artistic director Terence Blanchard has been like an angel in my life Was narrated the audience Every time I ve needed him over the last years he s been there Following Was set Blanchard took the Miner Auditorium stage to introduce the Day headliner We are doing everything we can to bring you the best entertainment on the planet he revealed We ve saved the best for last And Lloyd would the greater part definitely prove Blanchard right as he took the stage right around p m with his glorious Sky Quartet featuring pianist Jason Moran bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Eric Harland and settled into a breathtaking version of the Beach Boys God Only Knows in honor of the lately departed Brian Wilson The -year-old saxophonist flutist sounded otherworldly as he went on to lead this troupe of A-plus players in an absolute jazz master class The musicians talents coalesced around the music and spirit of the double-album The Sky Will Still Be There The subsequent day a towering achievement that brought four of the genre s finest voices together for the first time Moran who has collaborated with Lloyd for years was nothing short of a genius on the piano bringing a smile to the bandleader s face as he exhibited his mastery over the keys Grenadier a Bay Area native and Stanford graduate evidenced once again that he s among the most of complementary musicians in the contest Longtime Lloyd contributor Harland wasn t featured on the album which uncovered the great Brian Blade on the drum throne but he brought such vibrant gratification to the music in the live setting Collectively we re talking about what may well be the finest quartet in all of jazz in the current era And there s no saxophonist in the world who I d rather hear play than Charles Lloyd Bay Area music lovers can see and hear what I mean when the Charles Lloyd Sky Quartet performs two shows at and p m at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz on Sunday June kuumbwajazz org
