Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Tour

This jazz is a bit too far out for me. Also, the acoustics in the Landmark tend to be overbearing. I have attended both the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee and Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree a number of times and prefer the traditional jazz played there.

The musicians were world-class. The vocalist was not. The "program" was not structured well. A much, much too long piece in the second act as a tribute to New Orleans. The elder reed player sang better melody then the vocalist. Every one of the musicians were absolutely terrific.

Bill Dixon (submitted via e-mail)

Once again, you guys have hit gold! The Monterey Five was fabulous. 83 year old James Moody is a legend and we were lucky to see him in prime form. Pianist Benny Green is a swinging pianist and Neena was lovely, both in song and statue. Suggestion: Please consider bringing Benny Green, Christian McBride and Russell Malone to the Modlin Center. This is a superb trio that is scheduling dates now for the next two years. You would sell out for sure. Thanks and congratulations - again!

Paul (via e-mail)

thanks for another great show..............prefer Modlin the most

The Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All Star Band (MJF50) overcame two significant obstacles to deliver a very enjoyable night of music.

First, they played as a band. This is no small feat for an ad-hoc assembly, even one with as much talent as this one. Benny Green did an admirable job of welding together a big fragment of Terence Blanchard's band with octogenarian jazz giant/comedian James Moody and Neena Freelon. The bebop opener came off as just another turn-taking blowing session, but from then on the band was focused and very tight. That said, the high points of the evening were the most individualistic- Moody's crazy mutation of "Pennies from Heaven," the "Levees" section of Blanchard's freshly Grammy-awarded suite (with just his bandmates accompanying him) and the bass-vocal duet on "Skylark." (The latter was one of the few times that Freelon actually seemed free, for the most part her singing was technically correct but unexciting. She engaged more with the structures than the songs.)

The second major obstacle was the Landmark Theater itself, a venue that has swallows sound and spits it back well chewed. The space- once mystifyingly referred to as "The acoustically perfect Mosque"- is very hard to get a good mix in. Where we sat everything was clearly audible, a rare occurrence in that room.

Again, a good night for Richmond music and the Modlin Center. As for the earlier respondent who thought this music was too far out... well... a lot has happened since the mid-50s, but I doubt this music would have sounded over-radical to the first Monterey attendees in 1957. Not that it was old fashioned, just that it was timeless.

jus 3 words... Fan Tas Tic

thanks for a great night, very much enjoyed the music/performance

Overall, a pretty good show. The numbers chosen by the band were quite eclectic and sometimes they seemed to be plugging their latest work but they all played well. I didn't care for the first number; bebop at it's noisiest! But I enjoyed the Coltrane and Gillespie numbers and I loved Blanchard's tribute to New Orleans. Moody is amazing!

I want to say how much I admire their musicianship. Granted that Richmond was not the first stop of their 53 city tour, I assume that they have played, or sung, each of the tunes many, many times. But jazz is jazz and their individual solos must differ at every performance. I wish I understood more about music and how to improvise; it's like each one is painting a different picture each time. Where does the inspiration come from?

I'm a few years younger that James Moody and I have trouble remembering my own telephone number. How can anyone fault James Moody or anyone else in this group when they each presented so much creativity to us mere mortals?

The Monterey Jazz Festival concert was one of the very best programs you have had in the last three years. Each performer was a star in their own right and all played together as a real jazz team. Please ask them back.

Dave Hubbard (via e-mail)

Loved it. Even my wife loved it and she didn't fall asleep during the show which is testament to the music and the virtuosity of the talent. Ms Neena Freelon was tremendous. I particularly enjoyed her voice and stylistic renditions of the songs. James Moody was as good as ever, a true legend. Terence Blanchard's horn was smooth, clean and clear.

The majority of the tunes were on a mellow theme with gentle rhythms and mostly soft tones. While delivered well I would have preferred a few more up tempo and rhythmically complex tunes in one of the sets. The first tune of the night was more bebop oriented which I liked. All in all a night well spent. I would love more of the same.