Mt. Hood Jazz Festival

[MartyJazz]

This New Yorker currently residing in Florida decided to vacation in the Pacific northwest the past week and a half. Got to take in Sunday's show. Arrived close to 3 PM on a hot, clear day at the Main City Park in Gresham, OR where the Mt. Hood JF is currently held.

Since the festivities had begun two hours earlier, I came in towards the end of a jumping, straight ahead set that featured three tenors, Hadley Caliman, Rob Scheps and David Evans. In any event, they cooked on "Lester Leaps In" and "Blues Up and Down".

Following a set by a number of local vocalists, none of which killed me, one of the main acts followed, a group led by the guitarist Charlie Hunter. Too much of a fusion thing for my tastes and the audience response was rather tepid reinforcing my opinion.

Then, an absolute highlight - a duet between Cyrus Chestnut and Frank Morgan. They played a bunch of jazz evergreens, i.e., "K.C. Blues" in tribute to Bird, "'Round Midnight" and "Well, You Needn't" for Monk, "Cherokee", "Nature Boy", "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing", "Georgia on My Mind" after mentioning the recent passing of Ray Charles, and a couple of pieces including a wonderful piano solo of an original by Chestnut. They meshed beautifully and the audience really dug them. I usually prefer the added backing of bass and drums but it definitely was not needed on this occasion.

Finally, an absolutely riveting and terrific performance by Abbey Lincoln with a rhythm section that included Marc Carey on piano. She's older, the pitch wavers more than ever, but damn, that lady has tremendous style and personal magnetism. The audience was bowled over in particular by her performances of her originals including her masterfully insightful "Throw It Away" as well as such standards as "Skylark" and "Runnin' Wild". The last time I had seen her was in '85 at "Smalls Paradise" in Harlem. She knocked me out then, she knocked me out again.

A definite highlight of a conclusion to a memorable visit to a part of the world I had not heretofore experienced.

Sidenote: A hearty thank you to jazzkrow (a fellow jazz lover I "met" on this fantastic board) who, together with his wife, guided me, the wife and my daughter, around the wonderful city of Portland one glorious afternoon.

Edited August 10, 2004 by MartyJazz