My wife and I have been jazz aficionados for more years that we wish to make public. We have attended countless live performances and own an exhaustive collection of recordings. Since the late 1990s, we have traveled from Mount Pleasant SC to the annual North Carolina Jazz Festival. This festival is fun! You don’t have to be a jazz buff to enjoy it. You need only to like music interpreted by virtuoso musicians who love playing.
Every festival was a marvelous experience and the 31st in 2011 was no exception. In our opinion, it was the best. The joyous spontaneity shared by world-class musicians was contagious on and off the stage as players and listeners were inspired by the remarkable creativity of virtuosos playing “from the heart”. The musicians’ age span was incredible, ranging from the exciting 15-year-old jazz violinist, Jonathan Russell, to legendary 85-year-old Bucky Pizzarelli, one the world’s foremost guitarists. Their duets were creative, beautiful and heart-warming to witness. Sixteen all-star musicians, whose ages varied widely between those limits, represented four countries and included three women. The “jazz party” format allowed each player to lead a set by choosing the songs, the keys, the rhythms and the tempos. Their great variety in age, background and experience, resulted in an eclectic mixture of standards and styles reflecting half a century of jazz evolution.
It was an exciting festival from beginning to end, in an ideal venue, with appreciative, considerate listeners thrilled by musicians who obviously liked and respected one another as they enthusiastically shared their prowess with fellow peers. Simply stated, improvisations were extraordinary! We look forward to the 2012 festival with eager anticipation.
R.E.N.
Mount Pleasant, SC
April 2011
