A chilly weekend in early November did not keep an encouraging number of traditional jazz fans from attending the 32nd annual Arizona Classic Jazz Festival in Chandler. While not quite back to pre-Pandemic attendance, director Helen Daley reported that all the venues were full on Saturday, adding “it’s been a while since we could say that.”
With temperatures ranging from the low 40s to a high of 70, one visiting musician attired in summer shorts and a straw hat recalled performing at the 2020 festival when the temperature registered 99 degrees.
Local bandleader Cheryl Thurston put an all-star lineup together for the Festival, with a front line of Marc Caparone, Dan Levinson, and Howard Miyata, and a rhythm section of Danny Coots, Katie Cavera, and Evan Dain. The indefatigable Coots was the drummer for all nine sets on Saturday. At the age of 65, he said that December 9th will be the ninth anniversary of his donating a kidney to superfan Danny Matson of Columbus, Wisconsin, who continues to enjoy good health at the age of 85.
A successful by-pass operation kept Pieter Meijer from being one of the featured artists at the Festival. Old friend Igor Glenn was on hand Sunday, sans the Jazz Cowboys, but with his banjo at the ever-ready to sit in with any willing band. Pat Bergeson again demonstrated his virtuosity on the harmonica. Still the songbird for Denver’s Queen City Jazz B
