Big bands, bass and Bakersfield: Jazz Festival ready to roll
| Tuesday, May 05 2009 02:59 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, May 05 2009 04:11 PM
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Bakersfield Jazz Festival
When and where
7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday, CSUB Amphitheater
Who
Friday: Bob Mintzer Big Band, Kyle Eastwood, Darren Gholston
Saturday: CecIlia Noel and Wild Clams, Brian Bromberg, Alison Brown, Tim Davies Big Band, CSUB Jazz Singers, Bakersfield Jazz Workshop Orchestra, Kern County Honor Jazz Band
Admission
Two-day combo: General $55, Student $35, Children under 12, free
Single day: Advance: General, $35, Student $25; at gate: General, $40, Student, $30
Two-day reserve table for 6: $450.
Tickets available through Vallitix, 322-5200 or vallitix.com.
More information: bakersfieldjazz.com
Images:
Cecilia Press will perform with her 14-piece group The Wild Clams.
Virtuoso bassist Brian Bromberg
Saxophonist and Yellowjackets member Bob Mintzer
Darren Gholston is on the lineup for this year's Bakersfield Jazz Festival.
Bassist Kyle Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood, and his quartet will perform at the festival Friday.
Percussionist Tim Davies will perform at this year's festival.
Bakersfield Jazz Workshop Orchestra
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Talk about no slouches here! The 23rd annual Bakersfield Jazz Festival leans heavy on big bands and bass players, featuring a lineup of composer/performers at the height of their careers.
This year's two-day lineup includes big bands led by saxophonist and Yellowjackets member Bob Mintzer on Friday night, and percussionist Tim Davies on Saturday. Virtuoso bassist Brian Bromberg is also bringing lots of horns for his Saturday performance, and singer Cecilia Noel returns with her 14-piece group The Wild Clams to close the festival Saturday night in full dance mode.
Bassist Kyle Eastwood (yes, son of Clint) and his quartet is also on board for Friday evening's program, which will open with Bakersfield-born saxophonist Darren Gholston.
The most unusual offering is banjoist Alison Brown and her Quartet. Brown has had a storied career from investment banker to award-winning banjoist, combining celtic, blue grass, pop and jazz -- a soft response to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
Friday night opens at 7 p.m. with saxophonist Darren Gholston, who makes regular appearances at the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop while also building a national career. He will be followed by Eastwood, who will have just returned from a tour of Japan. It has been a long time since Eastwood demonstrated he is much more than just a famous name. The bassist, who has successfully blended straight-ahead jazz styles with contemporary influences, is equally adept on electric and upright bass, and will feature original compositions as well as established tunes.
Along with the Clayton-Hamilton big band, Bob Mintzer's big band has inherited the mantel worn by bandleaders Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Mintzer wears it well, writing swinging, driving arrangements that preserve the traditions of those leaders while adding a fresh perspective. Mintzer, also famed for his work with Yellowjackets, is both bandleader and sideman, performing tenor sax in the section.
Saturday's all-day program begins at 2 p.m. with the Kern County Honor Jazz Band, followed by the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop Orchestra and the CSUB Jazz Singers.
The evening entertainment begins at 5:20 p.m. with Australian transplant Tim Davies and his big band. Davies, who writes and arranges all of his music, draws inspiration not only from traditional jazz, but also from hip-hop, fusion, death metal and his own nightmares, adding unusual instruments such as bagpipes and even a didgeredoo.
Brown's acoustic set will be a soothing departure from the high energy of the afternoon. The award-winning banjoist has earned the respect and praise of both the bluegrass and jazz communities. Her performance is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
Bassist Brian Bromberg said he will be performing "some of his older hits," Saturday evening, beginning at 8 p.m. He will also be giving his first live performance of some of the tracks of his latest album, which has working title of "It Is What It Is."
"This record is really funky and really on the groove side," Bromberg said. "I would say this has a lot more teeth than what we've done."
Bromberg, who has helped established the bass as a lead instrument, said he wanted to make a departure from computer-generated "smooth sounds" that have dominated contemporary jazz for so many years.
"I really wanted to make a record that is human," Bromberg said. "There are a lot of humans on this record." Bromberg said he will be performing on several types of basses, including upright, electric and piccolo basses.
Peruvian-born singer and bandleader Cecilia Noel is frequently hailed as the "Queen of Salsoul," her own musical genre. It's a blend of salsa and soul she described as "telling the musical truth."
"The 'truth' was to create something I was honest about," Noel said. "To create my own sound."
That sound came not only from her classical music education, but also from listening to Count Basie and Duke Ellington, as well as Tito Puente and other sounds of Latin America.
"Mambo was very big for me," Noel said. "It was music that rocked by soul."
