The Monterey Jazz Festival turns 60 this year.
And jazz fans from all over the Golden State, and well beyond, will turn out to celebrate the occasion Sept. 15-17 at the Monterey County Fair and Event Center.
They’ll be joined by some 500 artists, including such well-known musicians as Herbie Hancock, Regina Carter, Kenny Barron, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chick Corea and Brad Mehldau. Yet, it’s not just about the big names. This year’s festival also features Miles Mosley, Joel Frahm, GoGo Penguin, Kandace Springs, Mr. Sipp and many other acts deserving of wider exposure.
Want to get in on the fun? Weekend passes run $52-$410 and single-day tickets are $20-$164; 888-248-6499, www.montereyjazzfestival.org.
Here are some of the top acts to catch:
Regina Carter: The acclaimed jazz violinist is the 2017 Showcase Artist, which means she’ll be really busy during this year’s festival. She performs three times over three days, tackling three different programs. She’s doing an Ella Fitzgerald tribute on Sept. 15, then performs with her quartet on Sept. 16 and revisits 2014’s “Southern Comfort” on Sept. 17. Details: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15, Jimmy Lyons Stage; 8:30 p.m. Sept. 16, Night Club; 8 p.m. Sept. 17, Dizzy’s Den.
Alicia Olatuja: The St. Louis native turned heads in a big way when she performed as the featured soloist with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2013. She has gone on to perform with such jazz icons as Billy Childs and Dr. Lonnie Smith, and now leads her own jazz outfit. She released the solo debut “Timeless” in 2014. Details: 8:30 p.m. Sept. 15, Night Club.
Joel Frahm Quartet: Frahm is one of jazz music’s best kept secrets — a wonderful saxophonist who just keeps doing quality work. Of course, he’s no secret to some of the genre’s biggest stars, including pianist extraordinaire Brad Mehldau, who recorded the 2001 album “Don’t Explain” with Frahm. The saxophonist is leading a 90th birthday tribute to the great Stan Getz, re-imagining the music from Getz’s seminal “Captain Marvel” album (1974) with Billy Childs, Scott Colley and Peter Erskine. Details: 10:30 p.m. Sept. 15, Pacific Jazz Cafe.
Mr. Sipp: Looking to hear some blistering blues guitar? Then make plans to catch Castro Coleman, aka Mr. Sipp, aka “The Mississippi Blues Child.” A longtime Gospel music performer, Mr. Sipp is now one of blues music’s true rising stars. He won the prestigious International Blues Challenge in 2014 and gained fans with the release of his blues debut “It’s My Guitar.” Look for him to garner even more converts when he supports “Knock a Hole in It” with two performances in Monterey. Details: 2:20 Sept. 16, Jimmy Lyons Stage; 5 p.m. Sept. 16, Garden Stage.
Joanne Brackeen Trio: Talk about an artist deserving of wider exposure. Brackeen is a brilliant musician, who those-in-the-know sometimes refer to as “the Picasso of Jazz Piano.” None other than Tony Bennett once reportedly described her as “a visionary of extraordinary depth.” She’s certainly no stranger to jazz scribes, who routinely rank her alongside such top pianists as Keith Jarrett and McCoy Tyner. Fans have three chances to see Brackeen perform in an exquisitely intimate setting in Monterey. Details: 7:30, 9 and 10:30 p.m. Sept. 16, Pacific Jazz Cafe stage.
You are hereby officially invited to Monterey Jazz Festival's 60th anniversay, September 15-17, 2017! https://t.co/uqj3eZxWdI
— Monterey Jazz Festival (@MontereyJazz) February 13, 2017
Leslie Odom Jr.: The “Hamilton” fans will be out in full force to see this actor-singer, who won the 2016 Tony Award for best actor for playing Aaron Burr in that phenomenally popular Broadway blockbuster. It will be interesting to see what ends up on the set list. Of course, most people will be hoping for “Hamilton” hits. But the singer also has his own self-titled album (filled with other material) to promote. Details: 8:50 p.m. Sept. 16, Jimmy Lyons Stage.
A Tribute to Sonny Rollins: The saxophone master is a longtime festival favorite, having appeared at Monterey Jazz many times over the years — including at the inaugural event in 1958. Rollins is now retired, but festival artistic director Tim Jackson — who describes the legendary musician as “one of the Mt. Rushmore artists in jazz” — has organized this amazing tribute with Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Gerald Clayton, Scott Colley and Lewis Nash. That’s a true dream team, featuring no less than four of the top sax men (Heath, Lovano, Marsalis and Redman) in the business. It should be fascinating to hear them combine forces. Details: 10:10 p.m. Sept. 16, Jimmy Lyons Stage.
Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau: It’s an epic pairing of two virtuosos from two wildly different musical realms. Thile is a mandolin giant, best known for his work with the progressive-bluegrass trio Nickel Creek. Mehldau is an extraordinarily talented pianist, responsible for some of the most exciting jazz music of the last 25 years. It should be amazing to see what they accomplish together onstage. Details: 7 p.m. Sept. 17, Jimmy Lyons Stage. (Note: Thile and Mehldau also perform Sept. 16 at the SFJazz Center, www.sfjazz.org.)
Vijay Iyer Sextet: The pianist-composer has been on quite the roll in recent years, with 2012’s “Accelerando,” 2015’s “Break Stuff” and other recordings earning vast amounts of critical acclaim. He has clearly established himself as one of the generation’s greatest jazz musicians. His concerts are equally adventurous and compelling, especially when he’s joined onstage by the type of great players to be found in this sextet. Fresh off serving as music director and performer for the Ojai Berkeley festival in June, Iyer has taken his group on the road in support of the new ECM Records release “Far From Over.” Details: 9:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Dizzy’s Den. (Note: Iyer also performs, in three different musical settings, Jan. 18-20 at the SFJAZZ Center, www.sfjazz.org.)
Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea: Hancock, who is the recipient of the festival’s 2017 Jazz Legends Award, performs twice on the big arena (Jimmy Lyons) stage over the weekend. The first is his regular headlining set on Sept. 15, which should be entertaining. Yet, the one that needs to be circled is his pairing with fellow piano great Chick Corea on Sept. 17, which could be utterly breathtaking. Unfortunately, this set overlaps with the Vijay Iyer Sextet gig. So, maybe split your time between the two? Details: 9:40 p.m. Sept. 17; Jimmy Lyons Stage.
