My Sunday night at the Jazz Fest was one of extremes. I took in three groups
that couldn’t be further apart musically, yet all brought together under banner
of this year’s festival. That’s one of the things I enjoy most about the XRIJF,
as the festival is really a grab bag filled with new talent waiting to be
discovered every year. Here’s who I got to sample tonight.
First up was the 78 RPM Big Band, a Western New York-bred
group that’s been playing for more than 30 years. There’s a reason that the
songs we call classics have become so revered in modern repertoire, and with so
many groups at the festival that focus on original material, it can be nice to
hear some familiar tunes here and there. For its show in the Big Tent, the group
went through a wide mix of classic jams, including a very cool Latin-themed
chart as well as Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana.” It was a good time, even
for someone who wasn’t around for the heydays of 78s.
They say music is the universal language, and Eivor Palsdottir on the Nordic stage at Luthern Church is a great example of how true that can
be. It didn’t matter if Palsdottir was singing in English or her native
Faroese: it was the same transcendent, beautiful voice either way. Performing
songs about rivers, gardens, and even a traditional bed time song about
fairies, Palsdottir had a mesmerizing voice that gripped me in both serenity
and grace. She possesses a soft, mystic, whisper-like quality, yet can also
sing big enough to steal a whole room’s attention. Hauntingly
beautiful by all accounts.
From there things got hot hot hot with Monophonics under
the Big Tent. The group blends psychedelic rock with funky, funky funk, and just
enough soul to really keep things hopping. The group was loud – very loud – but
that was the way the musicians wanted it: the trumpet and saxophone player just
kept telling the sound guy to bring the instruments up, and roar they did.
With soaring psych-inspired electric guitar solos, a tight horn section, and
that lovely spin of the organ (a reminder of how much I enjoy that organ when
it’s played right), Monophonics had the crowd up and dancing in no time. I
can’t remember the last time I saw a dance pit at a Jazz Fest show, but
Monophonics lit fire under people’s seats. Hot damn.
Monday night I’m heading a little south of the border, with Afro-Cuban
percussionist Pedrito Martinez at Montage, local salsa band Calle Uno on the
Jazz Street stage, and then Jeff Lorber Fusion at
Harro East.
Looking for more of City’s Jazz Fest coverage? Click
here for City’s 2012 Jazz Fest Guide, click here for
our Jazz Blog landing page, or Like City on Facebook or
follow us on Twitter @roccitynews.
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