Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Evolving lineup lacks legends

By PHILIP BOOTH
Published October 13, 2005

It doesn't take a jazz critic to figure this out: The Clearwater Jazz Holiday has evolved from a must-see jazz festival packed with poll winners - Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Stan Getz, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck - to a variety show.

That trend continues with this year's lineup, with name smooth-jazz acts (Boney James and Brian Culbertson), a blues heavy hitter (Koko Taylor), several genre-straddling bands and a few locally based artists, including a group of high-caliber teenagers led by bassist - and St. Petersburg Times contributor - Billy Norris. Bona fide jazz legends? Only bassist Stanley Clarke, playing in an intriguing new trio with banjo man Bela Fleck and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, comes close. Jazz fans, and lovers of New Orleans music, breathed a sigh of relief when groups led by trumpeters Kermit Ruffins and Irvin Mayfield were added to the Sunday lineup.

Fred Johnson, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. - The much-loved singer has collaborated with some of the Tampa Bay area's finest jazz musicians. Formerly head of education at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, he now is a partner in the nonprofit World Stage Productions. His music is informed by jazz, R&B and African traditions.

Brian Culbertson, featuring Eric Darius, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. - The smooth-jazz keyboardist emphasizes romantic mood music for It's On Tonight, released in July. His touring band includes saxophonist Darius, a Blake High School graduate and former USF jazz student. Darius, 22, has gained substantial play for last year's Night on the Town, his debut smooth-oriented disc on the Higher Octave label. He is a rising star of contemporary jazz, regularly touring the country and slated to play next month's All Star Smooth Jazz Cruise with Culbertson, Boney James, Rick Braun and others. Darius' next CD is due early next year.

ABCD with Billy Norris, 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. - The gifted acoustic and electric bassist is a 17-year-old senior at Seminole High School who played in the prestigious Berklee College of Music Summer Jazz Workshop Ensemble. Last year, Norris nabbed a highly sought-after position in the Grammy youth jazz ensemble, and while in Los Angeles he played several venues. "Our set will be a mix of straight-ahead jazz, funk and fusion," Norris said about ABCD, which includes Grammy group peers Andrew Carroll (piano), Corey Fonville (drums) and David Palma (saxophone). Nestor Torres, 7:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. - The Puerto Rican-born Latin jazz flutist, a Miami resident, will play music from last year's Sin Palabras CD.

Trio! 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. - These three virtuosos - bassist Stanley Clarke, banjo player Bela Fleck, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty - have variously played bebop, fusion, funk, rock and bluegrass. Fleck calls the lineup "an unholy alliance." The new group, a variation on the Rite of Strings trio with Clarke, Ponty and guitarist Al Di Meola, has tentative plans to record.

Les Sabler and Citiheat, 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. - Sabler, a Montreal-born guitarist based in Florida since the late '70s, has notched commercial success as a smooth jazz artist. Two years ago, he joined forces with the reunited Citiheat, a longtime bay area jazz-funk-fusion favorite. Sabler's Bridge the Gap CD was released in 2003.

Sakesho with Andy Narell, 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. - Steel pans master Narell recorded his first collaboration three years ago with a trio of Caribbean musicians - pianist Mario Canonge, electric bassist Michel Alibo (born in Martinique) and Guadeloupe-born drummer Jean Philippe Fanfant. The quartet's second CD, We Want You to Say, was released in March. According to jazz writer Mike Joyce, "The band uses the beguine's infectious allure as a touchstone, but the group also embraces calypso beats, two-bar vamplike Afro-Cuban montunos, sophisticated jazz harmonies and extended improvisations."

Rayford Griffin, 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Journeyman jazz and smooth jazz drummer Griffin, a busy studio musician, will play music from his 2003 Rebirth of the Cool. The disc, unlike the similarly named classic by Miles Davis, emphasizes funk-edged pop instrumentals.

Koko Taylor, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Taylor, rightfully crowned the Queen of the Blues, is a beloved belter rooted in the Chicago blues tradition. Expect blazing renditions of Wang Dang Doodle, Come to Mama, Let the Good Times Roll and I'm a Woman, all heard on the 2002 compilation album Deluxe Edition. She recently sang for a Chicago Blues Festival crowd of more than 100,000. Boney James, 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. - The reigning smooth-jazz saxophone king has gained a devoted following with his friendly onstage demeanor, cheery melodies and rhythms and textures rooted in R&B. Last year's Pure was nominated for a Grammy as best pop instrumental album.

Clearwater Jazz Holiday/Ruth Eckerd Hall Youth Band, 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. - The group features some of the bay area's most talented high school jazz players, selected by audition.

Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. - A big sound and an even larger joie de vivre characterize performances by the New Orleans trumpeter and singer and his tradition-rooted band. His good-time music and approach, somewhat reminiscent of Louis Armstrong, is celebrated on two CDs released earlier this year: Throwback, a reunion with the Rebirth Brass Band, was released on the Crescent City's Basin Street label. Also available is the compilation Putumayo Presents: Kermit Ruffins.

Liquid Soul, 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. - The Chicago group, originally identified with the acid jazz movement, blends jazz, funk, R&B and hip-hop rhythms with the improvisations of leader Mars Williams on saxophone, guitarist Tommy Klein and trumpeter Hugh Ragin. The band's fifth CD is slated for release early next year, Williams said.

Ramsey Lewis Trio, 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. - The veteran jazz-influenced pianist made his commercial breakthrough four decades with The In Crowd and in 1966 scored a Top 20 pop hit with a newfangled version of old spiritual Wade in the Water. The just-released With One Voice is his first all-gospel album.

Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, 8:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. - Trumpeter Mayfield, the official cultural ambassador for the city of New Orleans, leads a big band featuring some of the Crescent City's finest musicians. For details, see accompanying story.

Clearwater Jazz Holiday Today-Sun., gates open at 4:30 p.m. today, at 4 p.m. Friday, at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, with fireworks at 10:30 p.m., and at noon Sunday. All at Coachman Park, Clearwater. Free. (727) 461-5200.

[Last modified October 12, 2005, 10:18:06]