The Winter JazzFest has come and gone, with more firsthand
testimonials than anyone could hope to digest. You’ve probably already read Ben
Ratliff’s excellent
review, which captures some of the weekend’s heady excitement. (I was lucky
enough to make it inside for that sardine-packed Claudia Quintet set. Amazing
stuff; hoping for coverage from Jim Macnie and Hank Shteamer, whom I saw there.) I took an unpressured, leisurely approach to the festival, which
was a nice indulgence. Heard the Vijay Iyer Trio, which met high expectations, and
the duo of Jenny Scheinman and Jason Moran, which exceeded them. Had my first,
satisfying taste of Mike Reed’s People, Places and Things. And while I was
sorry to miss a lot of stuff -- including a late set by Jamie Saft’s Whoopie
Pie, pictured above (in a photo by Greg Aiello)
-- there was plenty of music to go around.
And plenty of hang time, which was what really made the
Winter JazzFest feel, y’know, festive. Maybe my recent introduction to the
Twitterverse is playing some role here, but the weekend felt extremely connected to me. (This is one reason I’m sorry to have missed
a pertinent APAP / Jazz Journalists Association panel on Sunday. It was
squarely on my agenda, but other plans interfered.) In any case, I’m not just
talking about virtual connections. It was the whole vibe, which bassist Ben
Allison hits on in a blog
recap:
The venues were cleared of tables and chairs. People stood,
packed together. It was hot and sweaty inside (despite the sub-zero temperatures
outside). People talked and laughed and yelled in appreciation of the music,
hanging on every note. They applauded not just at the end of solos like they
were taught in “jazz appreciation class,” but whenever they felt like it -- during interesting transitions, when a cool groove emerged, when the intensity
of a performance changed. It all felt very organic, very musical.
I’d echo those sentiments exactly. So now, a question: how to
sustain this high? There’ll be no less jazz around the city next week, and the week
after that. (OK, maybe a little less.) I’d love to see the energy and passion of Winter JazzFest all year-round. Could happen.