The word “unique” is often misused, perhaps most frequently when someone describes something as “rather unique.” It’s either unique—one of a kind—or it isn’t. But here, unique does accurately describe some of the sets at last month’s 39th annual North Carolina Jazz Festival. This was my first time at this festival, and as far as I can recall, it’s the only one I’ve attended where no organized bands were on the card, only individual instrumentalists.
I confess that I am generally not a big fan of mix-and-match groups; I prefer to hear established bands. Their performance is (usually) much more predictable and honed, yet that does not preclude unique solos from individual members. With pick-up groups, the opportunity for uniqueness increases, but the results tend to be much more variable. This preference, along with iffy driving in the winter (the only reasonable way for me to get there), has kept me from attending the NCJF in the past.
But this year I decided to go, having heard good things about the event. I know from the festival ads that there is always an outstanding lineup of musicians, and this year’s was no exception. Fifteen were on the card, plus two special guests, abou
