The StLJN Jazz Roundtable: Jazz festivals, part 3

For some background on this discussion and bios of the panelists, go here.
You can read Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.

From: Terry Perkins

I looked very briefly at my e-mails and saw that Dennis and Steve had already posted responses. And I didn't want to start by responding to their thoughts without at least throwing out something on my own before checking out what they said.

When I look at the spectrum of jazz festivals today in the U.S. & Canada, I see an increasing trend toward fests as "destinations" rather than events that have anything to do with the culture and the music of the fest's location. In other words... throw a few recognizable names out there -- but god forbid you try and represent what jazz is like in the host city by showcasing the best local jazz artists.

As a result, most Jazz Fests (with the exception of San Francisco and Montreal, to a lesser extent Newport (Rhode Island variety) and Monterey -- and an even lesser extent, Chicago and New Orleans) seem geared to lowest common denominator jazz -- i.e., smooth jazz -- blended with music that has no relation to jazz at all. That godawful pairing of Peobo Bryson and Norman Brown at the 2005 St. Louis Fest jumps to mind as being particularly insipid.

But, yes, St. Louis does need a jazz festival. A city that has produced dozens of world-renowned jazz artists should have a festival. The problem to making a good one happen all comes down to community support. The U.S. Bank Fest has a foundation of infrastructure support from the city of Clayton -- and enough corporate support to make it viable on an on-going basis. But what makes S.F., and Montreal such amazing Fests is the major community support behind them. And no, they're not free. But they both still present the best, most consistently interesting and all-encompassing programming I've seen since the N.O. Jazz and Heritage Fest actually used to live up to its name (maybe a decade ago...).

Speaking of which, here's a brief quote from my latest All About Jazz column (not yet up on the site) about the STL Fest's appropriation of the word "heritage"...

"Friday at the U.S. Bank fest begins with local diva Denise Thimes, followed by a tribute to New Orleans featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band followed by Dr. John. (Guess that’s where the “heritage” part of the title – new this year comes from… a tip of the hat to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest. Of course, when you include the word 'heritage' in the title of any St. Louis jazz festival, it implies that your event might actually might have something to do with St. Louis’ illustrious jazz tradition. It’s true that Kirkwood native Sanborn developed his sax style playing with St. Louis area blues, R&B and jazz groups in his teens. And Thimes has been a presence on the local music scene for quite a few years. But amid rumors that the small third stage area that was devoted to presenting local artists at past Fests is now history, one has to wonder what those who book the U.S. Bank Fest actually think 'heritage' means."

I'd like to see a St. Louis jazz fest that had a base camp of outdoor activities (not necessarily at Shaw Park, but at least Clayton is stepping up to supply the venue -- so why not) supplemented by a week's worth of events at clubs and concert halls around the entire metro area. Done in the right way -- and with proper programming to hit a variety of target markets -- I think this could not only bring lots of jazz fans to town -- it could also serve as a major boost for the local jazz scene as well. Then bring on Peabo and Norman... As long as there's something else to choose from, it's fine with me.

From: Dean Minderman

Terry, that's a great point about community support. Clayton does seem to do a good job of getting behind the Shaw Park festival, and Webster seems to do what's needed to support the Old Webster fest, too.

What's missing in St. Louis is a larger community awareness of and support for a jazz festival. The city has always been lax about promoting its musical legacy, in terms of jazz as well as other musics, and if a local festival were to get prominent support across the board from politicians, businesses and community groups, it could make a real difference. And, as you point out, there are potential benefits to the city in terms of economic activity and tourism.

I think we're on the same wavelength with regard to programming, too. In fact, your suggestion for a week of events all over town with an outdoor concert as the hub sounds a lot like the approach I'd favor, as outlined in my last reply, which crossed yours in the mail. (Darn that pesky, inflexible space-time continuum!)

As long as we get some substantive jazz music to balance things out, the likes of Peabo Bryson and Norman Brown don't bother me that much. And in the past, the Shaw Park festival has always had at least one fairly adventurous act on the bill for the dedicated jazz fans, including groups like Dave Holland's big band, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Dave Douglas' quintet.

What's happened this year is that the more commercial elements are still there, but there's precious little "real" jazz to balance things out. It's almost as if the programmers don't really like jazz that much, but just don't want to come out and admit it. And if that's their attitude, I say just call it the Shaw Park Music Festival and be done with it

Or perhaps it's just about choosing the path of least resistance by picking through the booking agents' lists of whoever is on tour during the summer. For me, one of the great things about festivals is the possibility for special programming. Sure, you can buy some good acts "off the rack," so to speak, but original programming ideas can provide a lot of excitement and interest, and St. Louis has a rich enough musical legacy to inspire some good ideas with a distinct local flavor.

Instead of just presenting Dave Sanborn doing his regular concert act, why not team him up with, say Hank Crawford or Fathead Newman, and a younger player like Greg Osby or Eric Person, and do an R&B sax summit? Or put Sanborn in charge of a tribute to Oliver Nelson, a St. Louis native with many wonderful compositions that could be reintroduced to a new generation. Why not build on what Washington University did last month, and stage a full-fledged reunion of the Black Artists Group? Or, speaking of composers, how about a Julius Hemphill retrospective?

Obviously, these kinds of customized programs take time, money and effort to develop, and they'll probably need to be balanced with more commercial fare. But they would at least provide St. Louis with some unique festival content, instead of a bunch of acts that can be seen doing the exact same thing in two dozen other cities over the summer.

(Edited 3/2/06 to correct a typo.)