At Monterey, a Memorable Set From Singer Al Jarreau

Sprawling events like the Monterey Jazz Festival often achieve their special qualities via unexpected, star-quality turns by lesser-known artists. And this year’s 41st installment of the festival--which is considered by many to be America’s premier jazz event--had plenty of sterling performances by performers with little, if any, national visibility.

But Sunday’s long schedule, despite its wide collection of impressive appearances, was dominated by an extraordinary afternoon presentation in the Jimmy Lyons main stage arena by a well-established, major artist: singer Al Jarreau.

There has never been any doubt about Jarreau’s ability to generate a galvanized performance. But this outing, his debut appearance at Monterey, was something unique. His current group, a strikingly supportive ensemble that prominently features keyboardist Freddie Ravel, added a tinge of Latin rhythms somewhat different from the more funk-driven character of his earlier bands. And their musical settings clearly fit well with Jarreau. His final number, in fact, was a superbly blended medley of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and Chick Corea’s “Spain” in which he moved easily from the soaring, passionate melody of the Concierto to the rapid-fire rhythms of Corea’s tricky melody.

That was only the climax of a set in which Jarreau clearly illustrated that--despite his various flirtations with pop and rhythm & blues--he is one of the finest jazz singers of his generation. Nowhere was that better evidenced than in his remarkable rendition of the off-center rhythms of “Take Five.” Jarreau cruised brilliantly through the tune, improvising in a fashion that would have challenged an instrumentalist, while also drawing his fervently enthusiastic, overflow audience into the piece. It was, individually and in sum, a performance that deserves a prominent position in Monterey’s lexicon of memorable outings.

The evening program in the Lyons arena featured a well-crafted appearance by guitarist Pat Metheny and his trio, also making a Monterey debut, and a festival-closing, rhythmically rousing set by the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine (with powerful trombone contributions from Robin Eubanks). The showcase event was the presentation of a commissioned composition from bassist-composer Ray Drummond, a “five movement suite” that was actually a string of jaunty melodies connecting long, improvised solo sequences.

Sunday’s events also included unexpected surprises. Violinist Johnny Frigo has been around for decades, but his gorgeous tribute to legendary violinist Stephane Grappelli was a reminder that longevity alone does not always guarantee the attention a performer deserves. As a contrast, the superb drumming of relative newcomer Allison Miller with the Virginia Mayhew Quintet and impressive soloing from saxophonists Dave Binney and Donny McCaslin with the group Lan Xang revealed that high-quality talent continues to flow into the jazz mainstream.

In the more eccentric area, the day’s highlights also included an edgy, instrument-scouring performance by the Rova Saxophone Quartet, and a foot-tapping program from the swing revivalist group Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.

Finally, in testimony to the festival’s continuing support of jazz education, much of the afternoon program in the Dizzy’s Den venue was dedicated to impressive performances by an array of well-trained high school jazz ensembles.