Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » 52nd Monterey Jazz Festival Presents Best of Old and New
52nd Monterey Jazz Festival Presents Best of Old and New
Monterey Fairgrounds
Monterey, California
September 18-20, 2009
Three Generations of Pianists, a celebration of piano jazz, spotlighting a family of greats from 
Jason Moran
pianob.1975
Dave Brubeck
piano1920 - 2012
Pete Seeger
banjo1919 - 2014
As always, Monterey was a movable feast with music taking place in four venues simultaneously. Practically every musician featured on the large outdoor Jimmy Lyons Stage could be seen in other spots on the grounds. Couple this with the fact that many outstanding players are signed to perform only at the smaller indoor spots—Dizzy's Den, Bill Berry Stage and the Coffee House Gallery, as well as the outside Garden Stage, and it becomes a scramble to see even those who are your favorites.
Spalding, Wright Lead Off Festival
Young vocalist/bassist 
Esperanza Spalding
bass
b.1984
Down the way in a packed Dizzy's Den, 
Lizz Wright
vocals
b.1980
MJF All-Stars Shine
The Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars capped off Friday on Lyons stage with a rousing set of mainstream jazz at its best. As happened last year, a group of greats had been assembled to perform at the festival on tour. Fronted by vocalist 
Kurt Elling
vocals
b.1967
Kenny Barron
piano
b.1943
Regina Carter
violin
b.1966
Russell Malone
guitar
1963 - 2024
Those in the know caught the All-Stars' full set Saturday night indoors at Dizzy's Den. (It's always better to hear a small group in a club.) Things started deliciously with Elling and Carter trading licks on the venerable chestnut "When I Grow too Old to Dream." Another gem was a Barron-Carter duo on Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," with the two poetically interweaving the melody. Guitarist Malone, his steady backing always apparent, was particularly impressive with his driving solo on his original "What If."
Kurt Elling's limber tenor, takes Sinatra phrasing, pushing it further into the jazz sphere. His sly surrealistic bent also came out in his spewing of Daliesque visions. This was aural modern art some appreciated, but it did have the band shaking heads in bemusement. Further, Elling introduced what he said was a politically incorrect version of "Soul Food." It was funky, indeed soulful, and it rocked. The group finished in a party moody with a calypso tune. It brought hand-clapping and dancing from the crowd.
Seeger and Friends Wow Crowd
Saturday afternoons in Monterey are normally dedicated to the blues. Mostly true again this year with 
John Scofield
guitar
b.1951
Susan Tedeschi
vocalsPete Seeger
banjo
1919 - 2014
At 90, Seeger is still tall, straight and vigorous. His voice may not have the power of old, but his banjo- picking and guitar-playing seemed good as ever. In charge of the group and reinforcing Seeger's vocal range was grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, a budding star himself.
Along with baby boomers, the crowd was filled with former folkies and old hippies, as was apparent from the get-go, as most cheered and sang along with the opener, "Midnight Special." This was followed by a departure for Seeger—his rapturous rendition of Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies."
No heart in the arena was left un-tugged during the final segment. First, "Guantanamera" brought from Cuba to fame in the fifties, was given a hauntingly beautiful rendering with Tao reciting the humanistic lyrics of poet Jose Marti. Next the finisher—"This Land Is My Land." At its start, the crowd almost rushed the stage in delirious joy.
Later, band member Ruth Unger Merenda confided that Seeger doesn't perform much anymore—much less fly from up-state New York where he lives. It seems Seeger was coming West for a family member's wedding, thus enabling festival general manager Tim Jackson to sign him up. One of Seeger's conditions was that he be scheduled to put on a children's concert. As a result, late Saturday afternoon Bill Berry Stage was jammed with kids, grown-ups in back. The house boisterously sang along as soon as Seeger and friends began with "She'll Be Comin' Around the Mountain."
Lovano Seemingly Everywhere
Saxophonist 
Joe Lovano
drums
b.1952
Hank Jones
piano
1918 - 2010John Scofield
guitar
b.1951
John Patitucci
bass
b.1959
Brian Blade
drums
b.1970
With amazing dexterity of fingering, whether on electric or upright bass, Patitucci's performance was that of a genius, whether cutting-edge, straight-ahead or plain old funky. A highpoint was an excerpt from Rollins' "Freedom Suite." In his raucous solo, Lovano slipped in bits from other Rollins' hits—"Doxy," "Alphy," "Blue 7," among them. Blade's impeccable drumming was always right on, sensitive and at times furious.
Still going strong, Lovano's US FIVE performed Sunday night at Dizzy's Den in what could be called a "rhythmic binge." Two drummers encouraged the spree: 
Francisco Mela
drums
Otis Brown III
drums
Bridgewater and Marsalis Take Charge
Dee Dee Bridgewater
vocals
b.1950
Sometimes she was soothing, though, with her soulful "Besame Mucho," and sometimes fiery as in her fierce condemnation of prejudice, "My Name Is Aksara." Her audience was with her all the way, particularly when she finished off with a fervid version of Les McCann's "Compared to What." Much appreciation goes to 
Edsel Gomez
piano
b.1962
Late Saturday, on Lyons Stage, the great Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with 
Wynton Marsalis
trumpet
b.1961
Sunday night, one more person could not be shoe-horned into Dizzy's Den to see Marsalis and the Orchestra—it was that crowded. Monk's music was featured again with the sax section taking honors. (NOTE: It seemed like there were Ellington and Monk tributes daily from different groups.)
Student Musicians Star
Sunday afternoons in Monterey are given over to student performances. On Lyons Stage, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra was featured. The band was made up of high school student finalists who came to Monterey last spring from throughout the country to compete for spots. The band is always impressive, playing crisp arrangements, led by Paul Contos—leaving ample room for student soloists.
This year Marsalis made a guest appearance and held forth in a gospel-powered rendition of Charles Mingus' "Better Get I In Your Soul." The afternoon sun was warm, but this tune was hotter, with the blistering trumpets of Marsalis and the student horns leading the way.
At the other venues, college and high school groups played all afternoon. It was heartening to see this swarm of students mingling with Marsalis and other jazz stars and listening to the music in the venues. The fine musicianship of these youngsters augers well for the future of jazz.
Moran, Brubeck, Akiyoshi: A Trio of Greats
Jason Moran
piano
b.1975
Jimi Hendrix
guitar, electric
1942 - 1970
Known for exploring the boundaries of jazz, the prodigiously talented Moran rewards listeners' close attention. In his set, several numbers were preceded by audio tape. Very effective was a piece that began with a recording by Billie Holiday of Bernstein's "Big Stuff." After a couple minutes, her voice fades, and Moran and his men come in, taking the tune to another level. Lifting it one era to the next, one might say.
However far out Moran goes, he keeps a toehold in the mainstream. He may be pounding away with crashing atonal chords, then a few seconds later, say, a hint of Monk is heard. Then at the finish it dawns—yes, I think that's "Bemsha Swing."
The last bit was the best. The segment started with an old recording of King Pleasure re-creating a James Moody sax solo in vocalese. After a bit, Moran comes in and improvises over Pleasure's improvisation. Here, we didn't ponder the possible paradox; just fascinated, we enjoyed. His cohorts, Tarus Mateen, bass, and 
Nasheet Waits
drums
b.1971
Following Moran, Brubeck came on Lyons Stage with his usual group: 
Bobby Militello
saxophone, alto
b.1950
Michael Moore - Clarinet
clarinet
b.1954
Across the fairgrounds on Bill Berry Stage another veteran pianist, 
Toshiko Akiyoshi
piano
b.1929
Mark Taylor
composer / conductor
b.1961
Peter Washington
bass
b.1964
Cutting-Edge Pianists at Gallery
In the intimate Coffee House Gallery, piano is king. In all years, this is the place to see exciting new artists with each grouping having the stage for the full evening. This year, we managed to at least catch a segment each evening.
Not to over-praise, but we were blown away by 23-year-old Jonathan Batiste. Wonderfully talented, with technique to spare, his influences seem to encapsulate jazz history from Scott Joplin to Oscar Peterson to Monk. With his group—two saxophones, bass and drums—each tune turned into a suite with various movements. For example, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," went from a jazzy beginning, into a swirling atonal middle, winding up in a haunting evocation of America's pastime. Everyone was moved. Then, leaving the audience beaming, he took Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" rag through several movements. We should be seeing a lot more of Batiste.
In the Gallery Saturday, we took in a few minutes of the very tasty music of the 
Peter Erskine
drums
b.1954
Alan Pasqua
piano
b.1952
Vijay Iyer
piano
b.1971
As said before, when one comes down to it, a lot of great sounds are necessarily missed over the weekend. On the Garden Stage, for example, people urged us to see the Alfredo Rodriquez Trio from Cuba and the New Orleans All-Stars, featuring Cyril Neville. And, last but not least, on Sunday influential pianist 
Chick Corea
piano
1941 - 2021
Stanley Clarke
bass
b.1951
Lenny White
drums
b.1949
Photo Credits
Gail Taylor
Tags
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
Go Ad Free!
To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.Showcase
Buy Now
Featured
Darwin AI: Surivior Choice
By Alex Otey buy
Carnaval - The Songs Were So Beautiful
By Antonio Adolfo buyGiveaway
