by Barbara Smith

Photos: Earl Edwards

Carmen Lundy

Jazz and joy converged in a celebration of sound and spirit at this year’s Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF). Now in its 68th year, the 3-day September fete once again fulfilled its founding mission to elevate jazz, connect a diverse community through America’s cultural heritage, and inspire young musicians to carry the torch forward. Across five dynamic stages, festivalgoers were treated to a dazzling array of legendary icons and emerging stars. Among the headliners: Gregory Porter, Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Carmen Lundy, John and Gerald Clayton, and Delfeayo Marsalis, alongside rising contemporary voices including Dominique Fils-Aimé, Ledisi, Cory Wong, Keyon Harrold, and rising saxophone phenom Grace Kelly.

Vocalist Gregory Porter’s opener on Friday was clearly a crowd favorite. The multiple Grammy winner displayed his powerful musicianship, performing many of his beloved favorites including “Be Good” and “Take Me to the Alley.”

Saturday ignited early with Mississippi bluesman Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman), affectionately known as “the Mississippi blues child.” “Can we turn this place into a juke joint?” the charismatic guitar slinger yelled to the obliging crowd. To everyone’s delight, the International Blues Challenge winner jumped off the stage, dancing his way through the Arena, belting out Deep South blues that kept the joint jumping, and finishing with the gorgeous “A Change is Gonna Come.”

Song stylist Dianne Reeves followed, her voice a beautiful instrument and her message, as always, laden with promise. “I feel the healing in this space,” her deep throaty tone offered, with a standout melodic delivery of “Lazy Afternoon.”

Keyon Harrold, who Wynton Marsalis has heralded as “the future of trumpet,” affirmed the prediction in a sparkling set highlighted by a medley tribute to John Coltrane, both reverential and refreshingly modern, featuring classics “In a Sentimental Mood” and “A Love Supreme.”

The return of MJF’s indoor venue Dizzy’s Den hosted one of jazz’s vocal treasures Carmen Lundy. Commanding and radiant, the self-described “truth teller” showcased her incredible vocal range in an exquisitely rendered set.

Rounding out what some have called “the year of the diva” were numerous other stellar female vocalists including Nnenna Freelon (“Black Iris” was a standout), René Marie (her tribute to Harry Belafonte drew cheers and tears in nostalgic remembrance), Lisa Fischer (stepping back into the spotlight from “20 Feet from Stardom” as a backup singer to so many greats), and Ledisi (bold, jazzy, sultry, offering a master class in self-love, which she dedicated “especially to Black women”).

Trombone Shorty

“Tribute to the Buena Vista Social Club,” with the Jorge Luis Pacheco Trio was a crowd thriller. The piano surely needed re-tuning after the phenomenal workout this virtuoso pianist/singer/composer Pacheco threw down in the Pacific Jazz Café. He is, with good reason, one of the leading musicians of the new generation of jazz in Cuba.

At Trombone Shorty’s high-octane closing spectacular, it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the performers or the fans. Decked out in sequined denim, the multi-talented New Orleans mega-star took the stage, leading the packed audience in a nonstop second line parade through the Arena with his party-perfect band, which included a very pregnant powerhouse vocalist Tracci Lee, who never missed a beat.

Each year MJF faithfully offers a soul-filling experience. New leadership with artistic programmer Bruce Labadie served up the jazz that longtime MJF patrons cherish and first-timers thirstily soak up. “I truly loved the ambiance surrounded by plush green trees and people showing up with their hearts,” shared educator Dr. Kimberly Tharpe, a Pomona schools graduate, who traveled with friends Jim Tanner (Rowland Heights) and Perette Lear (Rancho Cucamonga) for their maiden Monterey Jazz Festival voyage. “The Monterey Jazz Festival has filled my heart, and I look forward to returning next year.”

Other highlights: Texas Southern University Cadence Chorale, who brought church to the Garden Stage on Sunday; guitarist/songwriter Cory Wong, whose extraordinary jam featured blues, funk, rock and jazz; and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and Women in Jazz Combo, composed of talented high school students from across the country, once again keeping the promise of jazz alive.

Introducing his elegant composition, “Reflections from the Shore: A Monterey Suite,” MJF Commissioned Artist Christian Sands offered, “This is an escape by the shore from the noise of the outside world, a place to free your ears and soul with the life affirming energy and joy music brings.” And with that, the Monterey Jaz Festival once again delivered what it always has: a sacred, joyful space where jazz lives, breathes, and continues to evolve with soul, community and purpose.