A Joyous, Magical Jazz Bash in Monterey, California

My festival reports start with apologies for what I didn’t see. This time, I trust readers will let me to atone in private. The Jazz Bash by the Bay celebrated its 45th anniversary at the Portola Hotel and Conference Center in Monterey, California. The music began on Thursday night and came to a stop Sunday afternoon. I counted 154 sets, usually eight venues at once, half on the hour, half thirty minutes later, so an eager audience could see many performances. And the crowded halls showed that people did. I managed to video-record fourteen sets, and I brought home eight more, thanks to JAZZ LIVES’ Chief of Staff Mark Voitenko, who goes where I can’t. I delight in the lovely surprises he captured. The Bash is a gracious festival: many viewers return regularly to see their musical friends. I chatted with people I know only from festivals, and many of my musical heroes were playing, so there were actual conversations, a luxury. Eddie Erickson, the peerless singer, guitarist, banjoist, and vaudevillian, came out of retirement this weekend, and I was thrilled to have a few minutes with him. There were many working bands: Dawn Lambeth and the Daybreakers, the Chicago Cellar Boys, the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, Dave Stuckey and the Hot House Gang, the El Dorado Jazz Band, Le Jazz Hot, and the Greystone Monarchs. First, some delightful ad hoc combinations. The unfortunately-titled “