January 10, 2010 -
Last night’s Winter Jazzfest in New York City was a great experience. A big THANK YOU to all the fans who came out to see us and support live music! All the venues were packed beyond capacity.

It was exciting and gratifying to have such positive creative energy in my home neighborhood of  Greenwich Village. Fans, musicians, promoters, press, and the newly jazz-curious passed each other on the streets as they hurried from venue to venue, eager to see a band that intrigued them. There were over 50 to choose from, each with their own sound and approach to modern music — all this without the typical jazz festival fare of George Benson, Herbie Hancock, the Allman Brothers, or Sting.

I’m a fan of most of these artists, but the Winter Jazzfest felt more like what I think a jazz festival should be. What I heard and felt was the creative pulse of a city, that in my somewhat biased opinion, is one of the centers of the music world. The venues were cleared of tables and chairs. People stood, packed together. It was hot and sweaty inside (despite the sub-zero temperatures outside). People talked and laughed and yelled in appreciation of the music, hanging on every note. They applauded not just at the end of solos like they were taught in “jazz appreciation class,” but whenever they felt like it — during interesting transitions, when a cool groove emerged, when the intensity of a performance changed. It all felt very organic, very musical.

Violinist Jenny Scheinman rocked hard during our set and then took it way down to an extremely intimate dynamic with pianist Jason Moran, captivating the crowd. Hamid Drake, drummer with bassist William Parker’s quartet, played a seemingly endless variety of grooves, carving musical forms out of thin air. Guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke led his trio through a set of tunes incorporating sounds from his native Benin. My Palmetto label-mate, B3 master Dr. Lonnie Smith, brought the house down with his particular brand of ultra-dynamic-ultra-groove. Rudder, Darcy James Argue, Todd Sickafoose, Vijay Iyer, Matt Wilson — all did their thing, moving the music forward and generating new audiences for jazz.