2008 Sedona Jazz on the Rocks
features perfect mix
by Steve Carr
What makes Sedona Jazz on the Rocks so special?
It's more than the music, although that's reason enough for many jazz fans to circle the last week in September, year after year.
Dom Moio
It's more than the red rocks, whose magnificent vistas and vortex-charged views aren't any more breathtaking that week than the week before or after.
And, it's more than the lure of the Saturday JazzFest, where like-minded jazz veterans sit side-by-side with scat rookies, to collectively inhale the emotion-infused rifts and creative juices that cook for six hours from the stage.
But, that is exactly what makes Sedona Jazz on the Rocks so special: the entire experience. The combination transcends' at the same time it blends' the music, the views and the camaraderie into a memory.
"If you ask the jazz fan who comes back every year, and those who have been at the festival since it began 27 years ago, they will tell you that there is no single reason they come back," said SJOR Executive Director Carol Golden.
One thing: knowing that they're also helping ensure music education programs and scholarships for young people across Arizona.
"Our mission is to preserve jazz for the next generation,' Golden said.
'For us, that's more than a group of words strung together."
Beyond the youth jazz band members who showcase their talents all summer leading up to the festival, Sedona Jazz on the Rocks has provided a performance platform for many musicians who, at the time of their appearance in Sedona, were just getting started in their careers.
They were the next generation who today serve as role models and inspiration for the young musicians: Artists like Diana Krall and Sedona's own Michelle Branch.
"We're seeing tomorrow's stars today," Golden said.
This year will be no different, particularly during the all-day Saturday JazzFest on Sept. 27, when the SJOR Youth Jazz Band opens the show at 10 a.m.
At the other end of the schedule is Bobby Hutcherson (3:45 p.m.), whose influential 50-year career has earned him the 2008 Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented at the festival.
His diverse, often freewheeling vibraphone style, which swings from soulful blues to
'thoughtful intensity,' started developing when he gave up the formal piano training he found stifling, even at age nine.
Bobby Hutcherson
Born in Los Angeles in 1941, he decided to take up the vibraphone after hearing a Milt Jackson record and, for the most part, is self-taught. Today, when jazz' greatest vibrists are mentioned, Hutcherson's name rolls out alongside those of Jackson, Lionel Hampton, Ray Ayers and Gary Burton, with whom he is inextricably linked through their use of four mallets rather than the traditional two.
Hutcherson's career began at local high school dances, playing later with Les McCann and Charles Lloyd. His influence and presence over the next 40 years included an impressive array of recordings with an equally impressive array of artists, all-star bands and musical styles. Among the highlights is his involvement with the San Francisco Jazz Collective, which has toured every spring since 2004 featuring compositions by band members and one
'jazz giant.'
In Sedona, he'll be preceded by celebrated Hammond B-3 jazz wizard Tony Monaco (10:50 a.m.), who began playing the accordion keyboard at the age of eight. Like Hutcherson, he switched instruments after hearing another artist, Jimmy Smith, who later became Monaco's mentor.'
Tony Manaco
Monaco has a lot in common with Sedona Jazz on the Rocks. With six albums, world tours and the cover of Keyboard Magazine among his successes, he is committed to education and awareness of music to young people around the world.
Salome
At 12:25 p.m., Phoenix-based Cinco de Moio & Salome make their main stage appearance. Band namesake Dom Moio is doing triple duty at this year's festival, leading the Cinco de Moio band, as well as performing with the Tony Monaco Trio. Salome, born in the Azores, lived part of her life in Montreal, where she developed her unique musical style that combines the vocal traditions of Europe with the contemporary sounds of Brazil.
At 2:10 p.m., Giacomo Gates brings to the stage his authentic jazz vocals, steeped in the traditions of original vocal improvisers from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to Betty Carter and Leon Thomas. Although he didn't
really dedicate himself to his musical career until age 40, his style is
uniquely his own, translating great instrumental solos into 'vocalese,' where his voice becomes the instrument from trombone and flute to bass and drums.
Giocomo Gates
Individual tickets start at $65 for lawn seating and $85 for chair seating. Seats in the VIP Tent are $125 for SJOR members only.
The 2008 festival begins Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., with the screening of the documentary film, Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon, at the Harkins Theatre, in Sedona. The story of trumpeter-vocalist-actor comedian Sheldon is told using his own words and through interviews with a star-studded list of friends, colleagues and associates: from Clint Eastwood, Billy Crystal, and Merv Griffin to trumpeter Chris Botti, Oscar-winning composer Johnny Mandel, and producer Frank Marshall.
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, Sedona Celebrates Sedona, a series of free jazz concerts, and run from noon to 6 p.m. at Tlaquepaque and at restaurants across town.
On Thursday, Sept. 25, Gates headlines the Jazz Circle Party, an evening of wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres and music, from 7-10:30 p.m., at a private Sedona home. Tickets are $100 each.
Kenny Werner
Pianist Kenny Werner will perform Friday, Sept. 26 at 5 and 7:30 p.m., at the Creative Life Center, and vocalist Jeff Baker closes out the weekend at the Jazz Brunch, at the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa.
Gates, Werner and Baker also will conduct educational programs and master classes during the week.
More than 20 regional bands will be playing at various venues and locations throughout the week. Many of the musicians are also taking part in three jam sessions: Friday (9-11 p.m.) and Saturday (8-11 p.m.) at Bistro Bella Terra in the Hyatt Plaza, and Saturday, (8-11 p.m.) at Relics in West Sedona. Cost is $20 per ticket. Jazz dinner shows and jazz dancing shows also are planned at Relics and a Winemaker's Dinner is scheduled at Bistro Bella Terra.
A range of weekend ticket packages are available, beginning at $175 for the Werner concert, the all-day JazzFest and the Sunday brunch, up to a total package including all concerts, the Jazz Circle Party and access to the VIP Tent for $550.
For complete information and to order tickets, go online (sedonajazz.com), or call (928) 282-1985.