“After losing a year to COVID’s live music-slashing sword, this great American institution — which rightly touts its legacy as the world’s oldest continuous jazz festival — reconfirmed its cultural commitment, to inspiring ends.” —Allaboutjazz.com
“…the 64th Monterey Jazz Festival (Sept. 24–26) somehow pushed all the buttons its faithful audience has come to expect: knockout shows by established stars, appearances by up-and-coming artists, a commissioned new work, the traditional boogie-down Saturday afternoon and you’ll-hear-from-this-one high school talent.” —DownBeat
“In my experience attending and covering the event over the past 30 years, I’ve never seen so many standing ovations. Almost every act got at least one. Truly, the music was exceptional. But it also demonstrates how excited those present were to hear the music live again and to be part of what will go down in history as one of the more interesting and unique episodes in the Monterey Jazz Festival’s long and storied career.” —Monterey County Herald
“More than ever before, after attending Monterey religiously for nearly three decades, I experienced this year’s festival as a glimpse into the music’s future, and the view was often enthralling. From preternaturally poised high school students to age-defying veteran masters surrounding themselves with brilliant upstarts, the talent displayed by millennial and Gen Z musicians was positively inspiring.” —San Francisco Classical Voice
“The festival is back and so was a sense of normalcy. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the festival to go dark last year for the first time in its history. This year, longtime fans had something to celebrate again.” —KSBW, Channel 8
“The music on opening night was superb, starting with guitarist Fox and her organ trio greeting jazz lovers as they entered the festival grounds … Metheny and his wonderful new trio project — Side-Eye — delivered the first bits of music played on the Jimmy Lyons Stage in two years. The tunes were bold and ambitious…” —San Jose Mercury News
“Herbie Hancock has not lost an ounce of his artistry over eight decades. Who else, at 81 years old, is so confident in his musicianship that he begins a festival-headlining set by telling the audience something to the effect of: I don’t know what we’re going to play … It’s the equivalent of watching a team of master painters paint. Herbie and his band painted a masterpiece on Friday night.” —Monterey County Weekly
“Singer-songwriter Ledisi proclaimed her East Oakland roots and her extended history as a Monterey Jazz Festival performer early in her Saturday night headlining set, and dancers partied up front about halfway through George Benson’s festival-ending performance on Sunday as he delivered hit after hit…” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Miho Hazama and her 13-piece M_Unit’s artistry on the Lyons Stage nearly rivaled the sun in brilliance. She unquestionably was a perfect choice for MJF64 Commission Artist, premiering the enthralling three-movement Exoplanet Suite.” —JazzTimes
Monterey, Calif., October 12, 2021; The Monterey Jazz Festival wrapped its 64th edition on Sunday, September 24 with a weekend that brought live jazz to the Monterey County Fairgrounds for the first time in two years and was a true celebration from start to finish. The festival, scaled down to 50% capacity in the Arena and with one Grounds stage, welcomed 7,500 fans throughout the weekend of September 24-26. Keeping patrons safe was a priority, as MJF required proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for entry, and to date there have been no reported instances of COVID from the festival attendees.
“We are so grateful for the opportunity to bring our jazz community back together after such a long absence” said Colleen Bailey, MJF Executive Director. “There was a renewed appreciation for the power of live music to lift the human spirit.”
Friday night kicked off with the Mimi Fox Organ Trio on the Yamaha Courtyard Stage for three sets, and on the Jimmy Lyons Stage, MJF Board President Laura Zehm and MJF Artistic Director Tim Jackson introduced Pat Metheny Side-Eye, who revisited classic material and new compositions with his youthful band of James Francies and Joe Dyson. Herbie Hancock also revisited some of his most requested hits, including “Cantaloupe Island” and “Chameleon,” which brought many fans in the crowd into the grassy area in front of the stage to dance.
Saturday’s shows began with four post-modern sets from the Giveton Gelin Quartet on the Yamaha Courtyard Stage. Miho Hazama, conducting her chamber group, m_unit began the afternoon on the Jimmy Lyons Stage, debuting her MJF commission piece, Exoplanet Suite.
“A Gerald Clayton Experience” had been quickly assembled mid-festival week to replace Las Cafeteras, who had to cancel their MJF64 appearance due to multiple COVID infections within the band. The resulting ensemble of Gerald Clayton, Immanuel Wilkins, Matthew Stevens, Kaveh Rastegar, and Eric Harland, fused a contemporary update of jazz fusion and soulful funk.
Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, featuring Debo Ray, Kassa Overall, Matthew Stevens, Aaron Parks, and Morgan Guerin, performed music from Waiting Game, incorporating hip hop, spoken word, musique concrète and contemporary jazz, brought a deep and complex message of unity and social conscience. Ledisi closed out Saturday, bringing audiences to their feet once more with her funky R&B.
Sunday’s music on the Yamaha Courtyard Stage included MJF’s Women in Jazz Combo, directed by Katie Thiroux, and four shows with the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet. Wilkins was a kind of unofficial Showcase Artist for MJF64 (performing at least seven times) as he also would soon appear with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and Kandace Springs.
The Jimmy Lyons Stage presented the 2021 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra conducted by Gerald Clayton. Reminiscent of a young Duke Ellington, Clayton was clearly in his element. The 2021 NGJO, one of the most diverse bands in the group’s history, was applauded by the audience for their moving versions of classic repertoire, including a show-stopping version of Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” which featured raucous baritone saxophone from Bay Area musician Noa Zebley.
After the NGJO show, Congressman Jimmy Panetta, representing the 20th District of California, gave Congressional Certificates of Recognition to Gerald Clayton and Katie Thiroux. “It’s my absolute privilege that I get to recognize people who are ensuring that we get to continue to hear this type of music on this very stage,” said Congressman Panetta. “[J]azz music is about improvisation,” he continued. “And boy, have we had to improvise for the last 18 months in one way or other. You’ve done that by wearing your masks, social distancing, staying at home, and yes, getting vaccinated. And because you played your part, were able to be here today … You deserve this jazz festival this year.”
The Christian Sands Group, Kandace Springs and George Benson all were crowd pleasers, with the audiences soaking in Sands’ bluesy version of “I Can’t Find My Way Home,” Springs’ emotional take on “Wild is the Wind” and “I Put a Spell on You” and George Benson’s hit-after-hit set that again brought people to dance in front of the stage.
All weekend, after shows ended on the Fairgrounds, MJF also arranged or coordinated live music on the Monterey Peninsula with its “Jazz After Hours” program, with official shows at Estéban at Casa Munras and Cal State University Monterey Bay with the Women in Jazz Combo, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, and the Texas Southern University Jazz Quartet. Other live jazz events took places at music venues in Monterey, Seaside, Carmel, and Pacific Grove.
The 65th Monterey Jazz Festival will take place September 23-25, 2022. Details about the festival, including the lineup, scope and stages will be announced in the spring of 2022. For more information, visit montereyjazzfestival.org.
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