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Hits, misses Saturday night at Monterey Jazz Festival
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Saturday night's doings at the Monterey Jazz Festival were a good reminder that you never know exactly what to expect with improvised music.
I, at least, had qualms about what might come from putting together two spirits as free as violinist Regina Carter and vocalist Kurt Elling.
Yet the combination was magic. Playing as part of this year's version of the MJF All Stars -- which also included guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Kenny Barron -- the musicians had a grand time working through a bracingly eclectic selection of favorites.
Carter was in particularly fine form, bowing some exquisitely expressive solos, while Malone kept the sound anchored with a steady sense of swing.
Over at the main arena, meanwhile, the seemingly promising combination of saxophonist Joe Lovano and guitarist John Scofield (filling in for Hank Crawford Jones), turned into little more than a grating skronk-fest that provided further evidence for the Coltrane debate.
Fortunately, that was followed by an electrifying set by vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, who has yet to find a style she can't convincingly sing. From James Brown vamps to a smoky Nina Simone number, Bridgewater was always in command of the material. Her set culminated in a rousing rendition of the Eddie Harris -Les McCann classic "Compared to What."
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