By Grace Sankey-Berman

SAN FRANCISCO—The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival began 10 years ago when billionaire Warren Hellman threw a birthday bash for his wife, an event attended by an estimated 15,000-20,000 people. It went so well that he decided to make it a free annual event for the public. An estimated 600,000 people attended this year’s festival, Oct. 1-3.

It was my first time at the festival, which is held at Golden Gate Park. Access to the venue was easy with a variety of public transportation that takes you right to the site. On opening day, armed with maps, programs and lots of information provided by our good friend and great host Wade Wright, my friends and I road a jam-packed bus to the park, where three of the six stages were already set up and the festival was in full swing with what seemed like an endless sea of people. The Meadows area provided a beautiful setting with ample shade.

With some help from police officers and the very helpful information center, we easily got our bearings and found a great spot at the Banjo stage, where the Dukes of September Rhythm Revue featuring Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs were playing. It was about 6 p.m. and the band was scheduled to end its set at 7 p.m., so we only had an hour to soak up all the music and the great vibe that was everywhere. We heard crowd favorite Boz Scaggs on guitar and vocals, and Michael McDonald on keys and vocals, who wowed the crowd with old favorites like “What a Beautiful World This Could Be,” “Taking It to the Streets” and “Something in the Air,” by Thunderclap Newman. The whole band was swinging, backed by Kathryn Russell and Caroline Lenard who took us to church on vocals. They closed the first night with Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years.”

Sunday was beautiful and we were determined to take in as much music as we could on the festival’s final day. There were many great acts, but we really wanted to see Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Unfortunately, they were scheduled to play on different stages, with Sharon Jones closing the festival at the Rooster Stage. We chose to see Costello at the Star Stage since he and Smith were scheduled to play about the same time. Costello was a huge draw, so it was difficult to navigate the crowd. We managed to find a precious piece of real estate in the shade, but we were too far from the stage to enjoy the music. Before long even the pathway was packed with fans. We decided to relocate to the Rooster Stage to stake out a good spot before Sharon Jones took the stage.

We were lucky to find a picnic table about midway to the stage, where Rosanne Cash was playing. She was not an exception—like most of the bands at the festival, she played and sounded great, performing a moving rendition of “One Too Many Mornings,” a duet recorded by her late father Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. Afterwards she said, “When done right, great songs last forever,” and jokingly said she was pleased the crowd chose to see her instead of Costello. She also had her daughter join her on stage for a chorus.

Next was Nick Lowe. I moved closer to the stage hoping to take a good picture. A gentleman offered me a chair, where I settled down to enjoy the music. This veteran English performer of more than 40 years did not miss a beat. He masterfully delivered some of his great hits including “The Book About My Love,” “I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding,” all to the delight of fans who sang along with him. When he sang “Cruel to Be Kind,” they erupted with applause, and he teased, saying, “Oh, you just came to hear the hits.” Lowe continues to deliver great music that remains as fresh today as it was decades ago.

The closing act of the festival was headliners Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Jones is finally enjoying crossover success after years of hard work in the music industry. For over a decade she worked as a backup singer and studio musician and toured constantly with her band. Despite great critical acclaim, over the years commercial success was limited, but she gained a cult following around the country and especially in Europe. In recent years, Sharon and the Dap-Kings have enjoyed critical and commercial success with their gritty, soulful and funky sound. In 2009, she got a lot of notice when her rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” was featured in the soundtrack of the movie “Up in The Air,” starring George Clooney.

Jones was introduced as “The Fireball of Soul.” Most of the people were on their feet even before she came on the stage and remained standing for the duration of the concert. She strutted and danced all over the stage as if possessed. Her vocals were electrifying, at times sounding and moving like a female James Brown. She delivered the lyric to her songs with conviction, reminding me of the great gospel singer Shirley Caesar, who, like Sharon Jones and James Brown, hails from Georgia. The emotion she displays in her songs makes you hang on every lyric and move along with every beat. Her backup singers harmonized and moved like The Supremes and the rhythm section and horns definitely had a sound that reminded me of James Brown’s band. 

Jones successfully captured soul and funk music as it was back in the ’60s and ’70s, but still making it uniquely her own. I am grateful to Tom Ineck for suggesting that I check out Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. It was worth going to the festival just to discover this musical gem.

Throughout the festival I was impressed with the diversity of music and the caliber of musicians who played to tens of thousands of appreciative fans at each stage. The name of the event says it all: the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival featured country, jazz, blues, rap, and rock ‘n’ roll—with a wide range of acts that included the unconventional Patti Smith,  Emmylou Harris, Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, Lyle Lovett, the Ebony Hillbillies, the sensational Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and even MC Hammer.

The musicians clearly enjoyed being part of this phenomenal festival. Some sat in to play as guest artists, even if they were not scheduled to do so. One of those instances was when The Punch Brothers played with Elvis Costello and Steve Earle. Sometimes they just stood backstage to simply appreciate each other’s performances. Highlight acts included festival founder Warren Hellman himself playing the banjo and Steve Martin, the actor, who played banjo with his band, the Steep Canyon Rangers.

The crowd was friendly, eclectic and sometime colorful. From hippies to yuppies, young and old people, families with kids and even pets, some dancing, laughing, and sharing food and drinks. It was heart-warming to see people share their space, their blankets and their chairs. Occasionally, there was too much smoke in the air, but you could easily get away from it if you wanted to.

The festival food was great, the kind of healthy fare you will find at a farmers market. I had artichoke hearts with white sauce, crabmeat and shrimp that was not like any typical festival food—fresh and delicious. And if you didn’t want to buy from the vendors, you could bring your own food and beverages, even alcohol.

Go to the festival early to find a good spot and stay at one stage. Because of the large crowds, it takes too much time to move from one stage to another and you miss out on great music in the process. There is so much great music, but you can’t hear it all. And whatever stage you choose to stay at, you will hear plenty of good music.

Thanks to Warren Hellman for giving the gift of great music to everyone. It was also refreshing to not see any obvious business ads.

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Faces of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—When trumpet great Wayne Bergeron appeared with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra a year ago, he was sidelined by a serious lip injury that required the help of a capable young protégé who traveled with him. On Bergeron’s return for an Oct. 15 performance with the NJO at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, no one in the audience of 600 could have doubted that he had fully recovered his embouchure, a trumpeter’s most valued possession.

In two dynamic sets of high-note, high-speed virtuosity, he wowed the crowd with his dazzling technique and a set of big-band charts that challenged everyone in the 17-piece ensemble. From the downbeat of Allen Carter’s “Ridin’ the ‘E’ Train,” Bergeron jumped in with the melody then soloed in a cluster of bright high notes played with astounding power and precision. A Bill Liston arrangement of “Waltz of the Flowers” turned the classical “Nutcracker” favorite into a swinging jazz waltz, featuring fellow Maynard Ferguson alumni Bergeron on trumpet and Matt Wallace on tenor sax.

“High Clouds and a Chance of Wayne” is the comical title for a mid-tempo blues composed for Bergeron by friend Tom Kubis. It began with five trumpets wailing in a breathtaking soli passage and also featured Scott Vicroy on baritone sax and Mark Benson on alto sax. Of course, Bergeron turned in some stunning variations during his solo, ending the first set with a typically grand flourish.

On Bergeron’s return to the stage in the second half of the show, he chose another popular favorite, “Friend Like Me,” from the Disney movie “Aladdin.” Originally arranged for trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, it received a Latin treatment with a beat established by Tom Harvill’s persistent piano riffing. Bergeron contributed another solo of diamond-hard clarity, and other notable solos came from Wallace on tenor and Todd Thatcher on trombone.

A Tom Kubis arrangement of “You Go to My Head” featured five flutes setting the mood for Begeron’s mellow lead on flugelhorn, which he then alternated with trumpet for a soli passage with the sax section as the tune accelerated. After an incisive tenor sax solo by Paul Haar, Bergeron returned to the theme on flugelhorn, traded to Haar for another statement, then came back on trumpet for a mind-boggling, high-altitude cadenza. After a brief respite while the NJO performed Benson’s bebop waltz “Donn Lee,” the trumpeter returned for perhaps the most astonishing performance of the evening, a complex, rocking arrangement of “Besame Mucho” in which the ensemble excelled with great facility as it kept pace with Bergeron.

“Rhythm Method,” another uptempo Kubis arrangement, had Bergeron essaying a slightly more subdued sound using a Harmon mute. Ed Love on soprano sax joined the trumpeter for a unison passage then soloed, followed by solos from Bergeron and Haar on tenor sax. The band returned to the theme with Bergeron on open horn joined by the saxes, leading to a fine drum solo by Greg Ahl. The encore was a trumpet face-off between Bergeron and Bob Krueger on the bluesy “Maynard & Waynard,” an obvious tribute and stylistic nod to the late master of the high-note trumpet.   

Bergeron’s wacky, deadpan humor emerged several times during the performance, as when he responded to the band’s tuning up with, “It’s close enough for jazz.” After thanking NJO music director Ed Love for a wonderful dinner and drinks at a local eatery the night before, he said, “I don’t want you to think we had too much to drink, but it sure feels good to be back in clothes.”

Before Bergeron took the stage for the first set, the NJO warmed up with “Slauson Cutoff, a Tom Kubis tune that featured Haar and Wallace on tenor saxes, and a medley of familiar Henry Mancini melodies expertly arranged by guitarist Peter Bouffard, including “The Pink Panther,” “A Shot in the Dark,” “Moon River” and “Peter Gunn.” Using a guitar synthesizer to great effect, Bouffard added the sounds of vibes, accordion and harmonica to the mix. The abundant use of flutes gave much of the medley a light, airy quality, at least until the entrance of the horn-rocking juggernaut “Peter Gunn,” which featured a swaggering Matt Wallace tenor sax solo.

The NJO brought a little levity to the occasion by beginning the second set with a swinging Eric Richards arrangement of “Dear Old Nebraska U,” jokingly referred to by Ed Love as “the national anthem.”

With its high-profile concert performance at the Lied Center—a more prestigious venue than the band’s usual hotel ballroom setting—the NJO began its 35^th year with great flair and a level of respect its history and its veteran players deserve. Salute!

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By Tom Ineck

CRETE, Neb.—The Berman Music Foundation appeared to be the only music or news organization interested in the return of the world-class Valerie Capers Quintet to Doane College on Oct. 9, and if it hadn’t been for a couple of e-mail alerts just two days before the concert, we might have missed it, too.

This was the fourth time the BMF has covered Capers in concert at Doane, in addition to appearances in February 1998, February 2000 and September 2003. The latest performance had all the hallmarks of the band’s typical, well-rehearsed repertoire—with one unfortunate exception. Still capable of holding her audience spellbound with her dazzling piano technique, Capers was suffering from a bad case of laryngitis and was barely able to speak, let alone sing. When in good health, she has a voice reminiscent of Shirley Horn or Ella Fitzgerald in her later years, and she sings in French and Portuguese as convincingly as English.

The absence of vocals forced the quintet to rely on longer instrumental passages and to drop some of the stronger tunes that used to provide variety in the show. There were no “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” “The Man I Love,” “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” or “Always You,” a beautiful ballad of Capers’ own. It is fortunate for her that Capers has a longtime ensemble of players she can trust to make up the difference—reed virtuoso Alan Givens, guitarist Mark Marino, bassist John Robinson and drummer Earl “Boom Boom” Williams. They all were in top form on Oct. 9 at Heckman Auditorium.

As always, the band began with a rousing “Take the A Train,” with Givens taking the lead on tenor sax and quoting from “Exactly Like You.” Marino’s solo reminded us how much his style owes to Wes Montgomery, using his leaping octaves to heighten the excitement level. Robinson’s briskly articulated bass solo reflected his classical background. Capers continued with a bluesy, swinging rendition of the Bobby Timmons classic, “Moanin’.” We especially missed Capers’ romantic vocalizing on Leonard Bernstein’s ballad “Some Other Time,” which was ably handled by the trio of Capers, Robinson and Williams, who exhibited his taste and skill on brushes.

One of the highlights of the evening was Capers’ recognition of the civil rights movement and its impact on John Coltrane, whose compositions typically remained apolitical. By way of introduction, Capers, who is blind, read (in Braille) of the 1963 bombing of a Baptist church in Alabama that resulted in the deaths of four young girls. Coltrane was inspired by the incident to write his profoundly moving “Alabama,” and the Capers ensemble did it justice, beginning with a solemn and powerful opening statement by Givens on tenor, followed by a mournful bowed bass solo, Capers’ gospel-flavored piano and a guitar solo that segued back to Givens on tenor. It was a stunning performance.

The mood brightened for a brisk arrangement of Juan Tizol’s “Caravan.” Piano and bowed bass created an exotic ambience, soon joined by Williams using mallets to great effect. His swinging percussion solo ranged from cymbals to tom toms, picking up the pace for Capers’ dazzling, fleet-fingered piano solo. Marino on guitar and Givens on soprano sax added to the urgency of the performance and brought the first set to a raucous close.

The concert’s brief second half began with “If I Had You,” a feature for Marino, Robinson and Williams in which the guitarist took full advantage of the tune’s lush chord changes. Then it was time for Robinson to deliver his tour de force bass solo on “Mood Indigo,” compete with a quote from “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” and some heartfelt blues progressions. “Bye Bye Blackbird” had Givens on flute and Robinson on sopranino recorder taking flight on a piercing exchange of high notes in close harmony, a bit disconcerting for canines and audience members with sensitive ears.

Kenny Dorham’s classic “Blue Bossa” proved an excellent way to end the two-hour concert and act as a showcase for the entire band. Givens gave the tune a mellifluous samba feel on tenor sax, then switched to flute for a saucy salsa beat. Marino again demonstrated his fret board skills with climbing octaves, Capers added a very percussive piano solo, Robinson bowed the bass with great precision and Williams laid into the drum kit with fervor.

We extend our thanks to friends Peter and Jane Reinkordt of rural Denton and to Andy Rowan, Capers’ manager in New York City, for alerting us to the return of this fine ensemble of veteran players.

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By Jesse Starita

OMAHA, Neb.—Doyle Tipler stands behind the stage, carefully considering his words. The Omaha trumpet player has just finished playing the last notes of this year’s Jazz on the Green series when he thinks back 16 years ago to his first encounter with Luigi Waites, the late Omaha jazz legend and subject of the Aug. 12 evening tribute concert.

“I was a snot-nosed kid who thought he could play and he gave me a chance.” Tipler, like everyone else at Midtown Crossing, the city’s new urban development diamond, is sweating up a storm in the 92-degree heat. “He did crazy things to me and for me,” Tipler continues, “all in an effort to teach me.” Waites, a drummer and vibraphonist, who toured Europe with the likes of Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie, was 82 when he died in April. Buoyed by a crowd of several thousand, Luigi Inc.—a tribute band comprised of local and national talent—further cemented Waites’ legacy as Omaha’s jazz patriarch for the duration of their animated, two-hour engagement.

With a much shorter history, Turner Park at Midtown Crossing is already enjoying Waites-like popularity. City officials estimate that 50,000 people attended the six Jazz on the Green concerts at Midtown Crossing—its first year taking over hosting duties after Joslyn’s illustrious 25-year run. Three high-rise condominiums encircle the park’s west side and, more importantly for spectators, help suppress the ferocious heat of an August sun. And a large elliptical lawn smoothly slopes downward to the stage, so finding a bad seat takes effort. 

Tipler opened the evening on a farcical note. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to get hotter weather for you tonight.” Pacing back to his trumpet, he carved the introduction to “Fuse This,” a playful, irreverent cut from Luigi Inc.’s debut CD, released earlier this year. Tipler, saxophonist Curt McKean, guitarist Jeff Scheffler, bassist Steve Gomez and drummer Steve Knight forge Luigi Inc., owning a sound that’s molded in Luigi’s spirit, but not beholden to it. Throughout the evening, the quintet displayed a striking ability to deliver originals, like Scheffler’s Latin-dipped “New England Suite,” and standards, such as a pensive interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints,” with equal care and nuance.

Back in his day, Waites tirelessly encouraged younger musicians to sit in with him and cultivate their skills. He incubated talent with tough love, good humor, and his own exquisite play, like Art Blakey with his Jazz Messengers. Luckily for Omaha, four returning apprentices—conguero Michael Pujado, saxophonist Dave Polson, trombonist Rick Brown and guitarist Brad Thomson—came on board for set two. Each new player enlivened the engagement with unique contributions; Polson’s big city growl on Thelonious Monk’s “Well, You Needn’t” and Thomson’s serenely punctuated guitar solo on “On Green Dolphin Street” were two admirable examples.

A sure way to define legacy is to measure the lives one touched. Luigi’s legacy revealed itself on stage, as the band’s infectious facial expressions—smiles, approving nods, the discovery of a high note—spoke even louder than their music. Sometimes, the opportunity to play is more important than the playing. Behind the bandstand, as the evening wound down, Tippler toweled his brow and grabbed his trumpet case, reflecting on Luigi. “He gave so many musicians a chance.”

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