As Memorial Day nears and gas prices continue to move upward, the idea of taking a holiday road trip is becoming a financial burden for some people. On the other hand, a positive aspect of living in a bustling metropolis like Los Angeles is that there are always plenty of events going on right in our backyard to help fill the hours of the upcoming three-day weekend. Celebrating its 25th year, the 2011 JazzReggae Festival, on the UCLA Campus in Westwood, will have an eclectic lineup that should satisfy fans of both genres.
Similar to the eclectic, genre-bending artist lineups that grace the stages of the New Orleans Jazz Festival every year, the descriptions of jazz and reggae are somewhat loosely used, in that rock and pop artists have begun to slowly make their way onto the rosters of performers. For example, artists such as Wilco, Cyndi Lauper and Mumford & Sons performed as part of the Big Easy’s annual jazz festival, which for years has gone beyond the traditional format of jazz soloists and vocalists to try to attract the widest possible audiences.
Similarly, this year’s JazzReggae Festival has such acts as rappers Lupe Fiasco, Pharoahe Monch and Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli among the headliners on its Jam Day, on Sunday, May 29. The following day, Reggae Day, promoters have legendary roots reggae veterans Steel Pulse topping the bill, replacing former headliner Sean Paul, who according to his Web site, has canceled dates through July due to complications from knee surgery. This could be a huge bonus to reggae fans in Los Angeles, who remember Steel Pulse as one of the most active and influential reggae bands of all time.
Others performing on Reggae Day, will be veteran Jamaican reggae vocal group, Wailing Souls, emerging Jamaican dancehall star Tanya Stephens and up-and-coming hip hop, reggae and dancehall act Los Rakas, who hails from Panama.
Single-day advance tickets are $29 and a two-day pass is $50. The concerts are on the spacious UCLA intramural field, which will also be filled with crafts, art and food booths to stimulate sensory, auditory and visual palates. More information can be found at jazzreggaefest.com/.
Jazz trumpeter Miles Dewey Davis would have been 85 years old on May 26. One can only wonder what the rest of his recording legacy could have brought forth during the last decade of the 20th century had he lived through the mid-to-late 1990s. Given the fact that he had already covered both Michael Jackson and Lauper during his 1980s recordings, one could imagine Davis collaborating with hip hop acts like Black Eyed Peas or a rock/jazz concept album with Jack White. We’ll never know. However, on Thursday, May 26, the Jazz Bakery will present the Nicholas Payton Trio, who will pay tribute to the birth of the St. Louis-born trumpeter and his lengthy and influential jazz legacy.
Joining the New Orleans trumpeter on the date will be former Tonight Show and Detroit-born bassist Bob Hurst, with former Return to Forever alumnus Lenny White on drums. The concert will be held at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 Washington Blvd. Tickets are $35 for general admission, with students able to get in for $20.
The Jazz Bakery will also continue its concert schedule at the Keyboard Concepts Recital Studio in Santa Monica on Sunday night, May 22, with the Collin Vallon Piano Trio. Vallon is one of the newest artists on the prestigious Munich, Germany-based ECM jazz label, putting out beautiful and meticulously recorded discs by the likes of pianists Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and composer and jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, among many others since the late 1960s. Vallon and his fellow Swiss-born band mates play melodic and serene piano jazz trio music that will be sure to lift one’s heart and mind. Tickets for this intimate performance are $20. More information on venue locations and set times can be found at jazzbakery.org.
The Definiens Project continues its series of Musical Adventures for children and families at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library on Saturday, May 14, with What Kadydid, which will explore the sounds of nature all around us.
Each interactive performance consists of short musical pieces performed by the musicians and accompanied by participation from the audience. All ages are welcome, with elementary school-age children the focus. Admission is free. The performance begins at 2 p.m.
For those into bluegrass music, the 51st annual Topanga Banjo-Fiddle contest and Folk Festival rolls into the northwest San Fernando Valley Sunday, May 15. The event will take place on the Paramount Ranch, near Agoura Hills in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The concert will have three stages, complete with a dance barn and children’s area – all set within movie sets and mountain locations. Musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments for impromptu jam sessions, while local artisans will be displaying their crafts for sale.
While the Dustbowl Cavaliers and The Haberdashery Ensemble might not be household names, the hard-core enthusiasts of bluegrass and guitar picking will be thrilled to hear these dedicated artists ply their trade up close and personal. Come hear inspired music in a spectacular mountainous location this weekend. Tickets are $10 for adults, while children under the age of 10 get in free. More information and location information can be found at topangabanjofiddle.org.
Jonathan Weiss is a Los Angeles-based music supervisor for film, TV and advertising. Email him at jonjaz@aol.com.