The 13th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival starts today. And guess what: It’s an actual jazz festival. Not just in name, but in the artists booked to perform. And not just the artists who will play on the main stages, but those being featured at other downtown St. Paul clubs during the festival.
It seems that everyone is on board with the idea of throwing a real jazz party, not a so-called jazz party fronted by rock-and-roll bands. Our headliners are Danilo Perez (playing with John Patitucci and Adam Cruz) and Gary Burton (Scott Colley, Antonio Sanchez, Julian Lage). Heavy hitters and respected jazz musicians.
It’s our own little miracle. If I were wearing a hat, I’d tip it to festival president/executive director Steve Heckler and his board. Since I’m not wearing a hat, I’ll blow them all kisses.
Admittedly, ours is a small festival. Just one weekend in a small city park (Mears Park is the size of a city block). And yet, it must have been tempting to the festival organizers to see what big names outside of jazz might be available. Why not? Everybody’s doing it. The Montreal Jazz Festival recently added Prince to its lineup and announced it would give this year’s Spirit Award to Robert Plant.
