Carlsbad Jazz in Park Series Starts Today

Some people say jazz doesn’t have much of a following anymore. Tell that to the 600 or so people who showed up each week last summer for Carlsbad’s “Jazz in the Parks” series.

Young and old, male and female, people of all shapes and sizes spread out blankets, unfolded lawn chairs and dug into their ice chests as the sun went down and top San Diego County jazz players delivered good sounds.

This year’s Friday series opens with a 6 p.m. concert tonight at Stagecoach Park featuring the Blazing Redheads, an all-female jazz band from San Francisco. And the upcoming lineup reflects the city’s desire to keep up the musical quality and make the program more diverse.

In doing so, the series strays from its original jazz mission, but the caliber of musicians looks excellent.

Things have come full circle in the talent department since the series began in 1986. San Diego promoter Rob Hagey, best known for producing the annual fall Street Scene music festival downtown and a variety of prestigious jazz concerts over the years, is back booking Carlsbad’s summer jazz for the first time since he helped the city launch the series.

Hagey has broadened the scope of the program with the addition of blues, rhythm and blues and World Beat, adding to the established blend of straight-ahead and Latin jazz.

In addition, several of this year’s bands are better-known than in past years. And, although it’s not always a sign of quality when a band gets recorded, it can be evidence of musical maturity. Many of this year’s artists have viable recording careers.

Coming to Carlsbad after the Redheads are Tobacco Road (traditional jazz), Hollis Gentry’s Neon (funky electric jazz), Common Ground (straight-ahead jazz), Peter Sprague & the Sonic Wizards (eclectic electric jazz), Bitoto (African soukous), Juan Carlos Quintero (Latin jazz), Earl Thomas & the Blues Ambassadors (blues), Reel to Real (pop jazz), B Natural (jazz), Bill Thompson and the Mighty Penguins (rhythm and blues), Bob Eike (blues) and an as-yet-unnamed swing band.

The Carlsbad Arts Office selected Hagey over Ira Liss, who booked the talent the last two years, for several reasons, according to Colleen Finnegan, the city’s community arts coordinator.

“It’s a competitive bid process and we really want to keep it that way because we always want to get the best we can for Carlsbad,” she said. “We thought Rob could do a little more, pull in bands from out of the region. Part of our decision was to get a broader variety of artists.”

Hagey’s Festival Foundation Inc., which takes profits from his Street Scene and channels them into San Diego County arts events, will donate $100 per show to the city’s $10,000 series budget, which includes a $5,000 donation from the Fieldstone Co.

In 1986, the inaugural Carlsbad summer series consisted of just four shows, spotlighting Hollis Gentry’s Neon, Fro Brigham, Charles McPherson and Tomcat Courtney. Of these, Gentry is the only one performing this year.

The increasing role of Latin music in the series suits Carlsbad’s changing demographics. Since 1980, the city’s Hispanic population nearly quadrupled and now represents 14% of the total of 65,661.

These days in the world of music, “Latin” connotes a range of sounds, from B Natural’s Latin-ized jazz to Sprague’s liberal use of Brazilian rhythms to the Redheads’ affinity for Latin, Afro-Cuban and reggae beats.

Although many music lovers will be excited by this year’s expanded musical agenda, fans of the pure straight-ahead jazz may feel some sadness at the exclusion of some top local performers featured in past years. The most notable casualties from the 1991 lineup are internationally known San Diego saxman Charles McPherson, the Mellotones (all- Ellington music) and Gary LeFebvre, an under-appreciated local saxman who plays with singer-pianist Mose Allison when he comes to town.

Regardless of their musical preferences, citizens of Carlsbad will find the summer series convenient, since the city spreads the concerts among three public parks, each with a distinct personality.

Stagecoach Park, site of the four June shows, was once a stagecoach stop, and a crumbling adobe building still remains from those days. Music is presented in a grassy bowl, and added attractions include a playground and a nature trail. The park is off Rancho Santa Fe Road.

Magee Park, where the four July shows will be presented, is in downtown Carlsbad, west of Interstate 5, and also has a historic flavor because of the presence of the Victorian-era Magee House and several other old downtown buildings nearby. The ocean is a bonus, only a block away.

Calavera Hills Fields is a pair of baseball fields on a mesa in the northeast corner of town where the four August concerts will take place.

The Blazing Redheads concert promises to launch the series with flair.

The six band members’ backgrounds range from rock ‘n’ roll to jazz and world music, and the group’s material is quirky, including both original songs and wacky, retooled versions of such gems as “The Addams Family” and “I Love Lucy” themes.

None of the Redheads is actually a redhead. They chose the name when the band assembled in a hurry to play a party six years ago, then they stuck together.

The Redheads’ first two recordings show promise. Their initial, self-titled 1988 release, co-produced by percussionist Airto Moreira, sold 30,000 copies. Their second, “Crazed Women,” came out last year and has received favorable reviews.

In Carlsbad, the summer jazz series is just one of many arts and cultural activities that have given the city a reputation as a healthy place for the arts since then-Mayor Mary Casler created the Carlsbad Arts Office in 1986.

With a budget of $285,000 this year, the office’s agenda includes $15,000 in grants to local arts groups and service agencies, plus art exhibits and a “Visiting Artists” program that gets artists out into the community.

The good news for music lovers is that, although the Carlsbad Arts Office’s budget for next year will drop by 17%, the summer music series will continue.

Schedule for ‘Jazz in Parks’

Here’s the schedule for this year’s “Jazz in the Parks.” All shows start at 6 p.m. For more information, call 434-2920:

STAGECOACH PARK

June 5: The Blazing Redheads.

June 12: Tobacco Road.

June 19: Hollis Gentry’s Neon.

June 26: Common Ground.

MAGEE PARK

July 10: Peter Sprague & the Sonic Wizards.

July 17: Bitoto.

July 24: Juan Carlos Quintero.

July 31: Earl Thomas & the Blues Ambassadors.

CALAVERA HILLS

Aug. 7: Reel to Real.

Aug. 14: B Natural featuring Peggy Dodson.

Aug. 21: Bill Thompson and the Mighty Penguins (Bob Eike to open).

Aug. 28: Swing band (to be announced).