Monterery Jazz Festival - the afterglow

It's a week after the festival and I'm still going through withdrawal. So many artist, so many great performances, and so many Monterey Moments get packed into a weekend that just flies by. I wish I could say I caught all the performances. I can say that I covered as much ground as I could, and saw as many artists as possible. There wasn't anything that disappointed me, but then, this is Monterey. There is rarely a disappointing performance.

As I sift through some 1200 images captured over the course of the weekend, I'll be updating my online image gallery. There's an overview gallery this year's festival up now that will grow, and be supplemented with galleries of individual performers.

For the notes and reviews, watch for detailed reviews from my notes on individual performance over the next few week. This is going to take a while to go through, but it's worth giving each artist their due. Plus, there's a selfish aspect to this approach. If 'm trying to push out frequent reviews of the performances, that will force me to get work through all the photos faster. You get a constanct flow of information, and I get my images edited; everybody wins. Okay, I get the big win.
Anyway, the blog will get much more frequent updates, and along the way I'll mix in some CD and DVD reviews, and hopefully some recaps from the San francisco Jazz Festival. We'll see how this goes.

Comments

66th Monterey Jazz Festival - Part 2, New Discoveries

Festivals offer the opportunity to see a variety of artists, within a short period of time, and frequently at the same venue. The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of that presents a well crafted mix ranging from established legends of the music to local fan favorites. Each year I especially look forward to hearing emerging artists that have either been part of groups or recordings from headliners and legends, composing and producing for other artists, part of a collective of artists involved with a variety of collaborations, or, stepping out on their own as a leader. The artist list for the 66th Monterey Jazz Festival is filled with artists I'm very familiar with and plan to hear their latest work. It also contains quite a few I've either heard on other artist's recordings, read about a number of times, heard their current recordings, or are just plain curious about. I know the pattern well. These artists that are less familiar to the festival audience at large frequently find...

68th Monterey Jazz Festival Preview

The 67th Monterey Jazz Festival presented a dynamic musical celebration of jazz which respected traditional music while embracing modern creative approaches. The 2024 festival at the Monterey County Fairgrounds presented Herbie Hancock and Dianne Reeves alongside Samara Joy and Immanuel Wilkins and DOMi & JD Beck in outstanding performances. The festival maintained its inclusive programming and intimate setting which allowed jazz fans from different generations to unite through music. The festival paid tribute to Wayne Shorter through a tribute performance while Terri Lyne Carrington led a jam session between different generations of musicians and the Garden Stage hosted late-night performances that kept audiences dancing until the sun went down. Image Gallery from the 67TH Monterey Jazz Festival The 68th Monterey Jazz Festival scheduled for September 26–28, 2025 will uphold its tradition by presenting a combination of exceptional artistic performances and innovative musical approa...

68th Monterey Jazz Festival: A Weekend to Remember

After all these years, walking through the gates of the Monterey Fairgrounds still gives me chills. There’s something about the mix of salty coastal air, the smell of food stands, the low hum of people tuning up instruments, and the memories of the many "Monterey Moments" of legendary performances. The 68th Monterey Jazz Festival (Sept. 26–28, 2025) brought all the familiar magic — great music, good vibes, and that sense that you’re part of something much bigger than just a weekend of concerts. Friday: The Return of Dizzy’s Den and a Night of Legends Friday kicked off with a beautiful bit of symmetry — a father-and-son duo , John and Gerald Clayton , reopening Dizzy’s Den , which had been closed since the pandemic. That room has always been one of Monterey’s most intimate spaces. The Claytons filled it with warmth and soul. It felt like a reunion — not just for the music, but for everyone who’s missed those small-room moments that make Monterey special. Later that even...

Jazz Currents

Search This Blog