J&R MusicFest Spotlight: Jazz

Jazz. The music conjures up all kinds of images — from big bands in tuxedos making well-dressed couples move on the dance floor, to smoky dives where crazed musicians try out new ideas for a tiny audience of avant-garde artists, beatniks and outsiders. The music’s influence permeated 20th-century America; not just the music itself, but the theories behind the music and their effect on other artists. Jazz had an effect on almost every form of music that came after it — along with painting, sculpture and other arts. Not knowing any jazz is kind of like not knowing anything about American culture.

The Cotton Club Harlem New Orleans is the recognized home of jazz, but it should share the credit with New York. Our city’s musical tradition played a major role in its beginning. For example, a piano-playing style called “stride” began uptown, in Harlem; it later became a crucial part of the jazz sound. So did “Tin Pan Alley,” a section of West 28th St. between Broadway and 6th Ave. It was a stretch of songwriters’ offices, music publishers and music stores where performers met, worked together and developed some of the first jazz groups. Then there were the New York clubs — from the legendary Cotton Club to the influential Blue Note, which later started its own record label. There’s also the long-term residencies of jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong and more, in those and other local clubs. Long story short, New York is a hometown for jazz — and New Yorkers deserve to know it.

WBGO Jazz To help make that happen, J&R is working with WBGO, Jazz 88, for a live broadcast of jazz greats performing at our MusicFest. Saturday at 1:00pm, jazz fans and curious Real New Yorkers can either head to City Hall Park or tune in to 88.3 FM, to hear some of the best jazzmen alive. We’ve got the Marc Cary Trio, who should be heard by anyone looking for something different and moving. With a unique jazz vision that combines Native American, classical Indian and Chinese folk influences iinto a new sound, the Marc Cary Trio captures the energy of these separate styles and passes it along to the crowd.

We’ve also got Mike Stern, one of the top jazz guitarists around. His grounded, angular playing has its own personality that adds to any sound while standing out. Mike has added his unique sound to the music of Miles Davis and Jaco Pastorius, among others — now he’s bringing it to us, and we’re glad to have him. Adding to the mix are Roy Haynes and Joe Lovano. Roy’s jazz drumming is one of the most expressive in music, enhancing the explosive power of jazz while maintaining a kind of elegance. He earned his rep by touring with the legendary Charlie Parker; now he brings his incredible energy and experience to the MusicFest. Joe’s daring improvization on sax and clarinet has earned him tons of recognition and a Grammy award. We’re looking forward to seeing what happens when these new jazz legends share a stage together.