The Best of the Fests

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The New York Sun

Tomorrow kicks off a summer jazz celebration that is a confluence of two independently produced events. There’s the JVC Jazz Festival, which centers around the Kaye Playhouse and Carnegie Hall, and the 11th Vision Festival at the Angel Orensanz Foundation on Norfolk Street, around the corner from Tonic. While JVC features more big stars, Vision – where all the performances take place on one stage – has more of a sense of community.

The JVC organizers’ ill-advised decision to pit performers against the dreadful acoustics of Isaac Stern Auditorium – rather than, say, Rose Hall or even Carnegie’s own Zankel Hall – rankles a little. But the two festivals should be commended for their chosen honorees, and for spacing these two major tributes a week apart. Interestingly, the avant-garde honoree, Sam Rivers, is actually three years older than JVC’s man of the year, the swing-band veteran Bucky Pizzarelli. Here’s a look at some of the festivals’ highlights.

TUESDAY JUNE 13

Both festivals begin with their best feet forward: Vision pays tribute to the recently deceased trumpeter Raphe Malik (7 p.m.), followed by sets featuring pianists Borah Bergman (9 p.m.) and Dave Burrell (10 p.m.). The piano is also the chief attraction uptown, where JVC spotlights the 87-year-old keyboard legend Hank Jones (Kaye Playhouse, 8 p.m.).

WEDNESDAY JUNE 14

If Tuesday is piano night, Wednesday features tenors galore. JVC’s show at Kaye features three butt-kicking saxophonists: Houston Person, Eric Alexander, and Harry Allen (8 p.m.). Downtown at Vision, it’s Sam Rivers night: The 82-year-old saxophonist leads two distinguished ensembles – his 16-piece Rivbea orchestra (7 p.m.) and a trio with multi-instrumentalists Doug Mathews and Anthony Cole (10:30 p.m.).

THURSDAY JUNE 15

Vision Festival celebrates the 80th birthday of John Coltrane with a show starring trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. and two vets of Trane’s bands, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Rashied Ali (8 p.m.). Avant-garde stalwarts Bill Dixon and George Lewis take the late spot (10:30 p.m). JVC brings more pianos: the remarkable Andrew Hill with his trio at the Studio Museum (7:30 p.m.) and a salute to Toshiko Akiyoshi at Kaye (8 p.m).

FRIDAY JUNE 16

Bassist Marcus Miller and trumpeter Roy Hargrove, two younger players who straddle the line between mainstream and electronic jazz, plug in with their bands in a JVC-sponsored event at Irving Plaza (8 p.m.). But the evening’s can’t-miss event features Ornette Coleman’s double-bass quartet, with his son Denardo on drums and both Greg Cohen and Tony Falanga playing the bass (Carnegie Hall, 8 p.m.). Vision is also bringing out some big guns, including violinist Billy Bang and trumpeter James Zollar (9:30 p.m.).

SATURDAY JUNE 17

All the action on Saturday night is downtown. The outstanding Roscoe Mitchell Quartet, along with the power trio of Charles Gayle on reeds, bassist William Parker, and drummer Rashied Ali will be playing on Norfolk Street. As will Jason Kao Hwang’s Edge, a band of Asian-American jazzmen built around cornet and violin.

SUNDAY JUNE 18

The wonderful vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson plays alongside his quartet in a 3 p.m. concert celebrating Father’s Day at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture on 135th Street. That leaves plenty of time to get downtown for the last night of the Vision Festival. The evening will star the avant-garde saxophonist Kidd Jordan; the festival’s producer, Patricia Nicolson, in an interpretive dance set; and the David S. Ware Quartet in what has been advertised as the the 17-year-old band’s final American performance.

MONDAY JUNE 19

This evening features two intriguing tribute shows. “Sweet Lorraine: A Jazz Celebration for the Village Vanguard” (Carnegie Hall, 8 p.m.) pays tribute to Lorraine Gordon, who operates that esteemed club. It’s a stellar lineup: the Bad Plus, the Roy Hargrove Quintet with Bobby Hutcherson, Paul Motian’s trio with Chris Potter, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra with Joe Lovano, and Dr. Michael White’s Original Liberty Jazz Band. But all these acts appear regularly at the Vanguard, so what’s the point of going out of your way to see them in the far less intimate setting of Carnegie Hall? More worthwhile is the 80th birthday celebration of the great swing guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, featuring an outstanding roster of swing players and plectarists: Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Gene Bertoncini, Jay Leonhart, Ken Peplowski, John Pizzarelli, and Kenny Rankin, among others (Kaye Playhouse, 8 p.m.).

TUESDAY JUNE 20

“Clarinet Marmalade: A View of What the Clarinet Has Meant to Jazz” (Kaye Playhouse, 8 p.m.) seems like an odd match of three retro-style virtuosos – Kenny Davern, Ken Peplowski, and Evan Christopher – with Don Byron, a modernist and jazz conceptualist. I’m dying to see how it turns out.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 21

This evening presents a tough choice: Dave Brubeck’s 85th birthday party (Carnegie Hall,8 p.m.) – featuring his overwhelming quartet and the Dave Brubeck Big Band – or “Ragtime to Swingtime” (Kaye Playhouse, 8 p.m.), featuring Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks and the excellent musical-theater singer Nancy Anderson, among others. How’s a fella to choose?

THURSDAY JUNE 22

Every year, JVC has at least one major non-jazz headliner, but this year’s Smokey Robinson concert (Carnegie Hall, 8 p.m.) is the first one I’m actually excited to see. It will be a Miracle to catch this soulful singer songwriter in person.

FRIDAY JUNE 23

“Herbie’s World: Herbie Hancock & Friends” (Carnegie Hall, 8 p.m) is the hottest ticket of the week, and for a good reason. Among the “friends” showing up are Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Brian Blade, Jack De-Johnette, and Ron Carter, plus Mr. Hancock’s current quartet.And it’s all for a good cause, being a benefit for the Thelonious Monk Institute.

SATURDAY JUNE 24

Honoring a recent tradition, the last night of JVC is given over to Latin Jazz. The big event at Carnegie is a salute to the “Master of Mambo,” Israel “Cachao” Lopez, featuring Carlos Valdez, Dave Valentin, Orestes Vilato, Alfredo De La Fe, Jimmy Bosch, plus the wonderful Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The Jazz Standard is also winding up the last of four “Brazil Nights,” a series that begins on June 21.

Vision Festival at the Angel Orensanz Foundation (172 Norfolk Street at Houston Street, 212- 696-6681). JVC Festival at Carnegie Hall (57th Street & 7th Avenue, 212-247-7800), Kaye Playhouse (695 Park Avenue at 68th Street, 212-772-4448), the Studio Museum (144 W. 125th Street, 212-864-4500), Irving Plaza (17 Irving Place at E. 15th Street, 212-307-7171), Schomburg Center (515 Malcolm X Boulevard, 212-491-2200), Jazz Standard (116 East 27th Street, between Park & Lexington Avenues, 212-576-2232). For complete listings, visit www.visionfesitval.com & www.festivalproductions.net


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