Common, Marcus Miller and Bobby Hutcherson tribute lead Playboy Jazz Festival lineup
With the steady rains of winter drifting into the city’s rearview mirror, the L.A. Philharmonic has issued a reminder amid rising temperatures that summer is coming, and with it the lineup for 39th annual Playboy Jazz Festival.
Casting its traditional wide net of familiar faces, jazz-informed pop heavyweights and up-and-coming talent, this year’s festival also features a Saturday tribute to the late Bobby Hutcherson, which includes fellow vibraphonists Stefon Harris, Warren Wolf and Roy Ayers.
Bassist and former Miles Davis collaborator Marcus Miller also leads the weekend’s bill along with Common, whose 2016 album “Black America Again” featured contributions from Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins. Sunday’s lineup also includes soulful Grammy-winning vocalist Gregory Porter, singer (and fellow Glasper collaborator) Lalah Hathaway and saxophonist Kenny Garrett’s quintet.
Saturday includes sets from Corinne Bailey Rae, a blues summit between Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ dubbed TajMo’ and the Arturo Sandoval Latin Big Band. Also on board is recent buzzy British jazz prodigy and Quincy Jones protege Jacob Collier, gypsy jazz from the Django Festival Allstars and an intriguing jazz supergroup called Hudson, which brings drummer Jack DeJohnette with bassist Larry Grenadier, keyboardist John Medeski and guitarist John Scofield.
Sunday features a performance by L.A. bassist and bandleader Miles Mosley, who was heard as part of Kamasi Washington’s zeitgeist-capturing album “The Epic” and recently released the funk-heavy debut album “Uprising” with many of the same musicians. Snarky Puppy’s keyboardist Corey Henry, drummer Carl Allen’s tribute to Elvin Jones, Brazil’s Hamilton de Holanda and the all-women big band the DIVA Jazz Orchestra round out the day’s bill.
The festival is scheduled for June 10 and 11 and will be opened on both days by student ensembles in the CSULB Pacific Standard Time Vocal Jazz Ensemble on Saturday and the LAUSD/Beyond the Bell All-City Jazz Big Band on Sunday. George Lopez again will host.
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ALSO:
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Appreciation: Bobby Hutcherson connected some of the highest points in jazz
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