Saturday at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival was a full one, to be sure. I started the day with a three hour rehearsal for the tribute to Count Basie on the afternoon concert. With John Clayton at the helm, and Byron Stripling and Carmen Bradford added to the usual mix, I have to say that this was by far the most pain-free rehearsal we've ever had up there. What's the lesson? Good music copying work + seasoned frontman and conductor = pain-free rehearsal.
Some friends from Seattle came up just before the afternoon concert, and all of us got our share of good music. Christian McBride's band was stellar as always -- this is a band that can play nearly any style of music out there related to jazz music, and make you think that each "thing" is the one thing that they do best. I never get tired of hearing this group; from Weather Report and Jaco to Bobby Hutcherson and the Spinners, it's all at the highest caliber with the Christian McBride Band. Kenny Barron and Regina Carter played a great duo program for the middle set; while not necessarily my "cup of tea", these two are definitely at the top of their respective games. The big band portion went off as the rehearsal did -- without a hitch. The perfect blend of vocals, solo features, Basie classics, and newer tributes, the tribute band couldn't have been more fun for either the listener or the performers.
After a quick buzz out to Beckett Point for a beachside dinner moment, we made it back to the McCurdy Pavilion to hear Benny Green and Russell Malone get into their duo thing, and while Russell Malone is certainly a tasty performer, Benny Green is a piano playing monster. I remember hearing Benny Green 15 years ago at Jazz Alley, and his playing continues to grow both technically and musically, while also getting more refined and controlled. From Charlie Parker to Roberta flack, I can only imagine that their recordings reflect the beautifully mellow sound and variety of tune choices we heard on the Mainstage that night. The Clayton Brothers Quintet finished out the evening concert with a full dose of Cannonball, Blakey, blues, and swing -- make no mistake! When it comes to quintet precision, arrangements, and craftsmanship, it sure can't get much better than this; Terrell Stafford and Jeff Clayton certainly recall the Cannonball Adderley Quintet frontline, and the diverse band-contributed compositions were equally suited. But for me, the real highlight was Emily, featuring beautifully melodic statements on bowed bass and alto. To be honest, I've rarely felt as moved when listening to live music as I was in those moments. I'll be going home to find this on a recording somewhere...
My friends and I decided to try and start the night at Ingrid Jensen and Terrell Stafford, only to find it already full! Before Terrell was even there yet! So we tried Pete's Place to hear my brother and the horn extravaganza, and again -- full! After our third miss, we jumped in the Surf, scarfed down a drink, and went to try and catch George Cables at the Upstage. Thankfully -- outdoor seating. The trio finished their set about the time we arrived, and by the time one of our group had to head back to Seattle, we were heading inside to catch the third set. George Cables, Carl Allen, and John Clayton were billed as Trio Magic, and I can't think of a more apt way to describe this trio. From Cables originals to It Could Happen to You and Over the Rainbow, Cables and Company are always a festival favorite, and with people filling every square inch of space in the room, this year was no exception in my book and anyone that heard them.
John Clayton spoke often this weekend about the musical family that is the Port Townsend Jazz Festival and Workshop. Never have I seen that feeling more openly on display than at the festival this year. To John Clayton, Becca Duran, Gregg Miller, and everyone else involved with making this year's festival a success -- bravo!
Since the end of July, I've been teaching out on Whidbey Island at Langley Middle School, thanks to music educator Chris Harshman. Every other Friday, Steve Korn, Mark Taylor and I head up on the ferry to teach private lessons on our respective instruments. In the fall, we will be moving to the high school and injecting older students to the mix. SO -- if you know any junior high or high school students on Whidbey Island interested in jazz-based instrument lessons, be sure to let them know there is now a high-caliber option available for them.
Going to hear Mark Taylor is always a pleasurable experience for me, and tonight was no exception. I've played with Mark off and on since I was 13, and he justs keeps on keepin' on -- his versatility across the saxophones still is a marvel to me. His quartet included Seattle stalwarts Phil Sparks on bass and Matt Jorgensen on drums, plus guitarist Chris Spencer. Now, truth be told, I really went down to hear Chris because, sadly, I've only heard about his playing and not actually heard him. The words of praise for his playing were certainly deserved: he's a thoughtful, interesting, and focused player who isn't afraid to play outside of the box. Their third set (the one I heard) consisted of: After Hours by Mark Taylor, Sweet Little Maia by Jimmy Garrison, Sugar Cliff by Brad Shepik and Golden Gaze by John Scofield -- great variety and tons of quality playing. Be sure to find out where Mark is playing on his 
This is a recruiting message: I want YOU! to come out and see this trio play at the Ballard Oddfellows Hall next Sunday, August 7th, from 8-10pm. Why would I start my post this way? Because, sadly, it was a tiny crowd for the second set tonight by this great trio of Rick Mandyck, Jeff Johnson, and Reade Whitwell. How tiny? Me.
Centrum's 2005 Port Townsend Jazz Festival seems to have returned this year with the energy and diversity that have characterized the festival and workshop in years past. New Artistic Director -- and long-time teacher at the workshop -- John Clayton has helped to bring the "glory" back to this festival in a big way. As an eight-time participant in the workshop (1989-1996), a past teacher at the workshop and regular festival performer, I can't begin to tell you what a treat it was to walk around Friday night and visit the various clubs and great music.
I started the night at the Landfall, with Dave Peck, Dean Hodges, Dave Captein, and added horn player Steve Tressler on saxophones. I heard them play 
My next stop was Pete's Place, with the "Horns A Blazin" group featuring Bill Ramsay (alto), Jay Thomas (tenor), Claire Daly (bari), and Thomas Marriott (trumpet) with John Hansen, Russ Botten and D'vonne Lewis. As one of the band members said to me, they might have "shot themselves in the foot" by trying to play a ton of arrangements with no rehearsals, but the music ended up being an nice mix of the full group (
I wandered down to Jazz Alley tonight to hear Stanley Jordan -- somebody who over the years has definitely helped to expand the technical possiblities of the guitar, both within and outside of jazz music. I've listened to his playing quite a bit over the years, particularly his album 
With all that said, the set I heard left me a little cold. Without question, Jordan is a monster on his instrument and is certainly capable of a great deal, but I still found something missing. At times, I felt like certain ideas just came off sloppily, and the endings of most of the tunes were disjointed and ineffective. The highlights of the evening -- on a positive note -- were his collaborations with visiting tap dancer Roxanne Butterfly, where they weaved in and out of each others' rhythms and accents to create a great set of duets, including Miles Davis' 
I headed down to The Musicquarium to check out some old friends and a "New York heavy" in a straight-ahead organ trio setting. Now, I've been living in New York for the last five years (now back in Seattle), and certainly have heard my fair share of super-serious, ultra-heavy playing, especially on the guit-fiddle. The guitar playing I heard tonight was -- well, 
I returned to my old chair in the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra as a sub this afternoon for the All-City Street Dance up at the Garfield Community Center. It is nice to know that some things never change! While the band still has the same litany of pros and cons from a performer's perpective, the audience always seems to turn out in excited droves to see this group of players.