Jumping and Jiving at the Jazz Jubilee!

And a little bit of wailing too! What a fantastic Labor Day weekend celebration at the 11^th Annual Hot Jazz Jubilee in Sacramento—great bands, venues, audiences and guest musicians with dozens of volunteers and attentive sponsors!

The Thursday jam session is not scheduled on the program but depends on which musicians arrived as planned via plane, train or automobile. Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi ran on stage only moments after arriving from the airport. With suitcases in hand, they did a 3 or 4 hand piano set with time to spare. Local musicians are also available to fill in and create the atmosphere for the coming weekend. Katie Cavera (bs,gtr,bj) and theLost Boys featured Tim Metz (dr), Dan Barrett (tb), Clint Baker (cnt), Lauryn Gold (sax), Jason Wanner (p), Festival Co-Director Bob Williams (tb) with Scottish songstress Ali Affleck on several tunes. Dave Bennett and Parker Weis did a dual clarinet piece with Groovus aka Danny Coots (dr), Steve Pikal (bs), and Brian Holland (p). Versatile board member Ron Jones (dr) had a number including Todd Morgan (p,gtr).

Friday starts off after breakfast and Arizona’s own Cheryl’s Vintage Jazz Band featured Howard Miyata (tb), Pieter Meijers (cl), Steve Pikal (bs), Justin Au (tp), Clint Baker (bj) and Tim Metz (dr). The Crescent Katz again had Justin Au (tp) with his brother Brandon Au (tb), Parker Weis (cl), Priscilla Ornelas (tuba), Patrick Skiffington (wash) and Devan Kortan (bj) filling in for an absent Greg Sabin.

Carl Sonny Leyland grabbed Dan Barrett (tb) and Nate Najar (gtr) for his set together with his trio with Marty Eggers (bs) and Gareth Price (dr). Carl does a mean boogie-woogie and is something to hear!

Groovushad a set with vocalist Meloney Collins and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Cunningham. Adrian was on the final set Monday and played a flute like no other. It had so many different sounds and Adrian is a master at the sax too!

Katie Cavera took to the stage again with guest artist and former West Coast revivalist John Gill (bj). Her drummer Crystal Lynn Holloway dons a washboard too and Katie had former youth band members Mia Garcia (bs) and Yash Saini (reeds) up for a tune. We saw them last year and I was very impressed with their level of skill and enthusiasm.

The West Coast Revival period was showcased throughout the weekend, not only with John Gill but with guest artist Bill Dendle too. When Lu Watters, Turk Murphy and Bob Helm got together in the ‘40s to promote New Orleans style jazz in Northern California—a second genre was born. Utilizing a tuba vs the string bass and often featuring double instrumentation in the front line, the sound was a bit different, crisper and slightly less bluesy. And what is better than one banjo? – two banjos!! Turk and his band often played on the beach at night and waded out in the water in the San Francisco Bay, a legacy born!

I love the Crescent Katz and their fun antics especially their tributes to theFirehouse 5 + 2! Of course theShakey’s pizza parlor theme song must be with audience participation and I fondly remember the Shakey’s in Tucson in the mid-’60s. With its trad band on stage, I was there weekly enjoying the music and the fare!

Getting to hear all of the Au brothers was a real treat – Gordon (tp), Justin and Brandon are a remarkable trio and we were fortunate to see all three of them on stage at the finale, otherwise they played individually in many different sets all weekend. Their uncle, Howard Miyata (tb), is a musical role model for these young men.

Parker and the Weis Guys also had William Chan (gtr), Dexter Williams (s), Chuck Bond (tp,cnt), Gabe Carpenter (dr), Bob Williams (tb) and Jason Wanner (p). Dan Barrett and Bob Williams did a terrific trombone duet with Chuck Bond caught in the middle!

A special banjo set had John Gill, Bill Dendle and Devan Kortan with Jason Wanner (p)—three plectrums on one stage was a sight to behold and hear. Lots of smiles from the musicians and lots of kudos from the audience!

Todd Morgan and the Emblemsare a retro ’50s band and a true Rock & Roll ensemble. Channeling Elvis, Jerry Lee and other greats from that era, Todd plays several guitars while singing, dancing and gyrating—and tickles those ivories too!

Dave Bennett is an incomparable clarinetist and with John Hill (dr), Mike Karloff (p) and Alex Leite (bs gtr), forms a memorable quartet. Steve Goff (sax) from High Street Party Band joined in a few tunes. Steve and his wife Linda, will be managing the Sun Valley Festival this coming October 15-18th so they have lots on their plates!

Katie Cavera is part of another group—San Lyon—a Parisian Gypsy Swing group with Jenna Columbet (vln,bs,snare,v), Itimar Ben Zimra (cl), Paige Herschell (kazoo,snare,v) and Dani Varags (gtr). Paige created a unique instrument that lends itself to this style—a kazunnel—it is a funnel attached to a kazoo and it provides that “megaphone” sound reminiscent of the early jazz recordings.

Kyle Rowland and his multiple harmonicas honor the traditions of R&B, Soul and Gospel. With Mike Phillips (bs), Justin MacCarthy (gtr) and Myles Silveira (dr), the band rocks away!

Meloney Collins is more than a vocalist, she embodies the spirit, style and heart of the female jazz singers of the past era. She doesn’t imitate but translates their soul into her rendition. She voices their emotions in their signature songs and creates her own new standard. She is remarkable in every way.

Yves Evans (p,v) with Ricky Taylor (bs gtr) and Larry Washington (dr) are a dynamite trio. Their gospel set is a must do on Sunday morning and catching any of her sets is a thrill all weekend!

After Midnight is based in Denver and with Roger Campbell (cl) the group is modeled after the Benny Goodman Sextet. With Mike McCullough (gtr), Dwight Thompson (bs), Andy Weyl (p), Jim Moore (dr) and Rick Weingarten (vibes) their tribute is fantastic. As a Benny Goodman fan, I really enjoyed their sound and focus!

Sacramento has the most noted youth bands in the country and it was mentioned that many of the current New Orleans musicians hailed from the area and were part of the SacJEF programs– The Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation. We know several musicians that called this northern California area home and are now working full time in New Orleans and New York.

The Sacramento Youth Band Jazz Ensemble, Demo 3, The Syncopating Sea Monkeys and TNT (Boom!)—The New Traditionalists—all performed this weekend and their professionalism is outstanding. As nonprofits, the parents of these young musicians are the volunteers for many of their events. Felicia Weatherly and Bob Williams (tb) currently direct their endeavors and proudly revel in their accomplishments. Donations are always accepted for these fine musicians learning improvisation, leadership, performance etiquette and love of early jazz!

Since there are four or five sets per session there were a few bands we didn’t get to see. The Alpha Rhythm Kings, High Street Party Band, Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums and the Cajun two-step king—Tom Rigney and Flambeau all had well received sets and have many followers. Did I mention that there were three dance floors (?) so yes, there was lots of jumping and jiving and a bit of delightful wailing all over the Doubletree Hotel this weekend! You should have been there!