Good Jazz Featured At Festival
by Georgia Urban, The Times Record, June 25, 1975
Not all of the music was of the highest caliber, but there was some good jazz offered at Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s Second Annual Upstate Jazz Festival. Musically, the most rewarding performances of the three-day event came from Joe Farrell’s quartet and Benny Goodman’s septet.
The festival kicked off last Friday night with Joe Farrell’s group moving confidently through a set of tunes from his CTI albums. With the leader on tenor saxophone, the group opened with “Hurricane Jane,” moving to the Latin “Cloud Cream,” which had the accomplished instrumentalist relaxed and in excellent form on flute. He did “Weathervane” on soprano saxophone, and John McLaughlin’s “Follow Your Heart” featured his melodic tenor horn. With solid support from guitarist Barry Finnerty, bassist Herb Bushler, and drummer Victor Lewis — all played with a lot of drive and energy — Farrell offered a good set of contemporary sounds.
And then, Herbie Mann and The Family Of Mann. The established crowdpleasers opened their set with “Mississippi Gambler” and moved into “Cricket Dance.” The best musical moments of the set came from David Newman, whose tenor saxophone had a good jazz sound. He also had some impressive flute duets with Mann.
With a good deal of rhythm and percussion behind Mann’s flute, the group raised the crowd of nearly 2,300 — mostly excited young people — to an excited pitch. Then vocalists Cissy Houston and The Hijackers worked them up further with “Hijack,” a recent hit. Many in the audience deserted their seats and went to the front of the stage, screaming for more.
Herbie Mann delivers a well-organized and rehearsed set of music, but it lacks inspiration. He, more than anyone else, is responsible for the use of the flute in Modern Jazz and can still produce some melodic passages on the instrument. But Herbie Mann has no place in a Jazz Festival. He has tried everything — jazz, rock, Afro-Cuban and Latin music — and his format now is mostly rhythm and blues.
Saturday’s program drew the smallest audience of the festival — 1,400. Unfortunately, Stanley Turrentine did not appear as scheduled, but Ramsey Lewis brought his quintet on for a long, well-received set in which the pianist was considerably aided by an outstanding percussionist — we missed his name — who succeeded in swinging the group. They played Ramsey’s repertoire of commercial hits, as anticipated.
Lewis is another of the established jazz musicians who has taken his distinct style over into rock acceptance, becoming a pop act and making the charts. He plays mostly Top 40 music — simple melodies backed by a strong beat — with praiseworthy musicianship and rhythm effects. His best work was on acoustic piano, where he displayed he can swing, but he tends to be buried in the lackluster music he now plays. Enjoyment depends on which Ramsey Lewis you happen to like. I feel he did more exciting and creative things in the past.
A crowd of 2,200 — mainly over 40 — greeted Benny Goodman on Sunday night. Looking well and casually attired, the clarinetist opened with three favorites, “I Want To Be Happy,” ”Up A Lazy River,” and “After You’ve Gone,” backed by the first-rate rhythm section of Hank Jones, piano; Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar; Slam Stewart, bass; and Ronnie Bedford, drums.
Benny Goodman continues to play in his established style, unaffected by the fusion of jazz and rock, or amplified instruments. His clarinet still sounds good, and the technique is flawless. Everything he did was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
He then brought out Zoot Sims, Urbie Green and Peter Appleyard. Each of the musicians was featured in a solo spot of his own, and several outstanding moments occurred. Tenor saxophonist Sims offered a stunning rendition of the lovely “Emily,” Green was in full command of his trombone on “How Long Has This Been Going On,” reminding the audience he is a fine ballad player, and vibist Peter Appleyard played a vigorous “Fascinating Rhythm.”
“Big Noise From Winnetka” was an opportunity to hear Slam Stewart do his thing, and Bucky Pizzarelli was impressive on a pretty Django Reinhardt tune with Goodman joining in for a chorus. To wind things up, the group played “Sing, Sing, Sing,” taking the festival to a swinging finale.
Perhaps this is a good time for the Performing Arts Center to take a good look at its artistic shortcomings and develop a program for next year that will satisfy the serious jazz lover and still attract the crowds it needs to stay in business. Jazz can be an economically sound venture if properly handled.
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