More often than not, one of the great aspects of the jazz festival format is a listener’s opportunity to hear fresh talent - players who for one reason or another have not yet reached their musical radar. It's a chance to hear how these voices - perhaps fresh talent, perhaps from another region, are carrying forward the music.
One of this year’s most interesting newcomers at Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., during the last weekend in June figures to be trumpeter Mario Abney. Attendees on Saturday, June 26 have a chance for a double dose of Abney’s sextet (actually billed as a quintet plus one).
The band will be featured early in the day on the SPAC Main stage, and later in the afternoon closes the more intimate Gazebo stage up the hill.
Not a bad gig for a 32-year-old player who doesn’t have his own Web site yet, a CD in distribution, or even a computer. He does have talent, a tight band - and a quality horn that was partly subsidized by Wynton Marsalis. There is a CD in the works called Spiritual Perception.)
Freihofer’s Jazz Festival Artistic Director/Co-Produc
er Dan Melnick, who developed his production chops as part of George Wein’s Festival Productions team, now runs his own firm called Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC.
Melnick first heard Abney last year while working as backstage manager at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival’s Jazz Tent. (Abney photo by Reed Hoffmann)
“Mario opened the tent there last year and completely tore it up. He is exciting, intense, beautiful and leads a great, great band. As soon as he got off the stage (I had no idea who he was or what he was about when he arrived), I literally bear-hugged him and told him he was coming to Saratoga this year,” Melnick said. “He's from Chicago, lived in Ohio for a few years, and has been in New Orleans for a few years. He plays hard-bop/funk/modern jazz all wrapped up into one high-fueled package.”
Abney leads three different bands [The Avante Garde, The Abney Effect and The Mario Abney Quintet], and gigs with other bands. The Abney Effect has been performing at all-night sessions in New Orleans at the headquarters of the Mardi Gras Indians Brothers & Sisters Association owned by Ivory Holmes.
His band at Saratoga will include Kaliq Woods on clarinet, Josh Atkin on alto saxophone, Jessy Morrow on bass, Jason Butler on piano and keyboard,s and Julian Addison on drums. You can get a little taste of his music here…
The lineup at this year’s 33rd annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival also includes Gladys Knight, Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio, Taj Mahal, Al Di Meola, Ramsey Lewis and Ahmad Jamal. More than half of this year’s bands are performing at the festival for the first time.
Here is the full lineup: (performing generally in reverse order of listing)
Saturday, June 26, 2010 (noon to 10:30 p.m.)
Main Stage
Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio
Sax for Stax - Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum
Ahmad Jamal
Taj Mahal
Al Di Meola - World Sinfonia
Evan Christopher
Mario Abney Quintet
Gazebo Stage
Tomasz Stanko Quartet
Alyssa Graham
JD Allen Trio
Steve Kroon Sextet
Mario Abney Quintet
Sunday, June 27, 2010 (noon to 8:30 p.m.)
Main Stage
Gladys Knight
Juan De Marcos and The Afro Cuban All Stars
Ramsey Lewis Trio
Ann Hampton Callaway
Stefon Harris and Blackout
Trio of Oz featuring Rachel Z and Omar Hakim
Gazebo Stage
Linda Oh Trio
Kendrick Scott Oracle
Ralph Lalama Quartet
Hailey Niswanger
Trio of Oz featuring Rachel Z and Omar Hakim
Jazz festival regulars at Newport and its longtime progeny, in upstate New York can start figuring out their challenging dance between multiple stages.
George Wein’s team today released the full CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival schedule for the August 6 to 8 weekend in the Rhode Island resort city. It’s a wide-ranging musical agenda – from mainstream jazz to Latin, tr
aditional swing, instrumental pop, the avant-garde and a jazzy take on hip-hop. The lineup is peppered with a lot of up-and-comers. See the link for a full schedule, but I will note some groupings of interest.
By the way, ticket sales start on Friday, March 26 – and there is a great discount for something new – advance walkup sales at the Newport Convention and Visitors Bureau downtown before April 9 ($50 per day instead of the usual $69).
George Wein... >
So here’s my take on the Newport schedule:
English piano jazz poster Jamie Cullum is the Friday night headliner at Newport Casino, with teenage alto sax phenom/vocalist Grace Kelly opening. Cullum is also back at Fort Adams on Saturday afternoon. Let’s hope he avoids the 2008 Chris Botti faux pas – when the trumpeter played the exact same se
t in both venues, right down to the stage patter. And let’s hope Botti brings some new music and conversation for his Sunday appearance rather than rehash 2008.
Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride and Roy Haynes headline Saturday as the Freedom Band. The main stage opens with Jazz Mafia's Brass Bows & Beats - a 45-piece Hip Hop Symphony. Ahmad Jamal and the Maria Schneider Orchestra complete the main stage on day one. There is lots to savor on the two supplemental stages, including the trio Fly, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society big band with special guest Bob Brookmeyer, and saxophonist J.D. Allen’s trio. Wein also performs Saturday with his Newport All-Stars.
Now here’s something cool for Sunday. Herbie Hancock closes out the afternoon with his band. Earlier in the afternoon on the Harbor Stage, Conrad Herwig’s band presents the “Latin Side of Herbie.” The day also includes a return appearance by Ken Vandermark, whose trio tore up the Harbor Stage two years ago, as well as Jason Moran, Matt Wilson and Ben Allison and their always-interesting bands. As I noted earlier, check out the lineup for much more to appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
Looking west
Also this week, producer Danny Melnick released the lineup for the 33rd annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, which is scheduled June 26 and 27 at the scenic Saratoga NY Performing Arts Center. Headliners include Gladys Knight, singer Al Jarreau & The George Duke Trio, Taj Mahal, Al D
i Meola, Ramsey Lewis, Ahmad Jamal, and Juan De Marcos & the Afro Cuban All Stars. Full details and the lineup are at here.
Bettye Lavette at Saratoga, 2009... >
Wein created the festival at SPAC in 1978, seven years after rowdies sent the Newport Jazz Festival packing – and he found a 10-year exclusive home in Manhattan. It was a move that kick-started Wein’s career as a global jazz impresario. (Wein returned to Newport in 1981.)
Saratoga’s atmosphere has made it an annual must-do for loyalists who arrive year after year with their coolers, blankets, tents, umbrellas, friends and families. Melnick has been its artistic director and producer since 1999 - for most of that time as a member of Wein’s team.
Like Newport this year, Freihofer’s Jazz Festival has a nice mix of established and rising talent. The latter includes the bands of J.D. Allen, singer Alyssa Graham, trumpeter Mario Abney and bassist Linda Oh. While Grace Kelly shows off her talent at Newport as one of the Berklee College of Music’s prominent undergrads, at Saratoga, the showcase falls to 20-year-old saxophonist Hailey Niswanger (pronounced “NICE–wonger”), another Berklee student getting significant attention.
Two dandy weekends. I can’t wait.
er Dan Melnick, who developed his production chops as part of George Wein’s Festival Productions team, now runs his own firm called Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC.
