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Friday, June 15, 2007
If you don't think it's already "too darn hot," check out the JVC Jazz Festival taking place in Manhattan -- and soon you'll feel "Fever in the morning/fever all through the night."
The lineup this year for the annual gathering of jazz minds -- which begins Tuesday and runs through June 30 -- includes big names like Keith Jarrett, Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis (brother of Wynton) and Kenny Barron. The list reads like a who's who, like always.
Ron Carter, courtesy of kaufman-center.org.
But the story this year is big birthdays.
Bassist Ron Carter and chanteuse Nancy Wilson celebrate their 70th years, while saxophonist Lee Konitz and singer Eartha Kitt hit high notes for their big 8-0s. Each of the legendary performers will be having a Carnegie Hall bash under the auspices of the JVC festival.
"We did a little research and just found those special moments that we really wanted to celebrate," said Dan Melnick, festival programmer. Konitz's and Carter's nights will feature them playing in various formats with different collaborators. Kitt will be appearing with her band and singing duets with three Tony Award-winning singers. Wilson will sing with her own band as well but receive salute performances from other jazz artists instead of singing with them.
Lee Konitz, courtesy of jazzaction.co.uk
Konitz, who celebrates his real birthday in October, says he has more gigs than ever. "The 80th year is kind of a magical time," he said. "They want to get it before it's too late. ... When I look at the list [of engagements], I wonder how I'm going to make it. I am getting older."
Jazz fest info, tickets
Main events for the JVC Jazz Festival will take place at Carnegie Hall. For those performances, buy tickets online at carnegiehall.org or call 212-247-7800.
For information on all performances, go to festivalproductions.net, and click on "JVC Jazz Festival, New York." A full schedule is available on the site.
Carter commented that he relishes the opportunity to play with old friends. In one concert configuration, he will be playing in a quartet with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Billy Cobham -- "I haven't played with those guys for 25 or 30 years," he said.
Alternately, in a touring trio with drummer Russell Malone and pianist Mulgrew Miller, the audience can "hear me try to manipulate their sounds to match mine." Carter also plays a few string duets with guitarist Jim Hall and swings with a new quartet -- "new" meaning a mere 10 years old.
Although the Carnegie Hall engagements are the centerpiece of the festival, smaller events at various venues give vastly different audience experiences. Sarah Partridge, an actress turned jazz singer who lives in South Orange, will be singing a weeklong engagement in the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel, an intimately small space in contrast with the grand hall.
Sarah Partridge, courtesy of sarahpartridge.net
"This room will be a little formal, and you can hear a pin drop," said Partridge, who sang there last year. "People are there really to hear the music."
She performs with pianist Allen Farnham, bassist Bill Moring and drummer Tim Horner, all from Teaneck. "We call them the 'Teaneck Trio,' " said Partridge.
A diverse lineup has always been central to the festival's mission, said programmer Melnick. Part of that objective has been to feature emerging jazz artists from around the world. West African Lionel Loueke, Israeli Avishai Cohen and Anat Fort, Cape Verde native Cesaria Evora, and Indian-Americans Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa are among the many artists bringing their own musical heritage to the melting pot that is jazz.
"There is a lot of musicians all over the world who are attracted to jazz and play jazz," said Melnick, adding, "There might be more young jazz musicians who are living in New York now from other countries."
But some things about jazz never change. "If you think about it, jazz is usually in the basement," said Konitz, who will be playing in the lower level Zankel Hall at Carnegie. "If you play softly, you can hear the subway."
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
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