It’s Tri-C JazzFest Week And The Sun Still Shines

There’s no point in burying the lede: if you’re a jazz fan living in Northeast Ohio, Tri-C JazzFest is a circle-the date event. And now it’s here.

At 46, JazzFest is in the middle of comfortable middle age, a time when self-identity begins to solidify, and the weight of responsibilities accumulates. So it should come as no surprise to jazz fans that this year’s edition follows a familiar template: a core lineup of thoroughly mainstream presentations, a few big keystone acts with brand names whose appeal that extends beyond the traditional jazz audience (whatever that is these days) and a concert or two for specialist tastes.

We’ll get to the ticketed events in a moment, but anyone who’s read my stuff knows that I am devoted to the care and feeding of the local scene, the people and places (because places are important) that make the music happen. So I want to lead by pulling your coat about some of the local bands appearing on the outdoor stages.

All sets are 45 minutes long, and given the logistical complications of a large event, start times should be treated as approximations.

Abstract Sounds
Friday, June 27 5:30 – 6:15 p.m.

Saxophonist Jevaughn Bogard is all in with his self-described jazz/fusion/funk band Abstract Sounds, and if you’ve lost track of him since his relocation to Columbus, this Tri-C set will get you caught up fast. The band is Formula 1 tight and powerful too. Listen to new music that they’ve dropped on Bandcamp for a preview.

Nathan-Paul & the Admirables Friday, June 27 9:15 – 10 p.m.

My morning line favorite for High Energy Gig of the weekend is this one. N-PD always brings it; call this Fast & Furious 11, as in the energy level turned up to 11. I’ll be at an indoor show and will miss this one, but look for the Admirables to give this week’s heat wave a run for its money.

Hello! 3D
Saturday, June 28 5:30 – 6:15 p.m.

When Joe Tomino told me that he was in a band that played Peruvian psych-rock, I thought he was playing me. But no, Hello 3D is a thing. Now I would pay money to hear Tomino play the Charley Wilcoxon rudiment book, but Peruvian psych-rock? I’ve gotta hear this.

Birth
Saturday, June 28 8 – 8:45 p.m.

Every time this iconic Cleveland trio takes a local stage it’s an event and this appearance is their first in three years. That would have been occasion enough for a ticketed event. So the opportunity to see these three intrepid improvisors live under the stars for free is not to be missed.

And there’s more: Ernie Krivda’s big band and the CJO, the tomorrow sounds of Black Voltron, ritmos calientes con Sammy DeLeon, riddim and vibes with Carlos Jones and the P.L.U.S. Band—all free and all for you. What a gift!

Now on to the ticketed shows, specifically the three I will be covering for my side hustle at All About Jazz you can see the complete schedule here).

Sun Ra Arkestra
Friday, June 27, 9 p.m.
Mimi Ohio Theatre

Fellow jazz nerds: this is the one we’ve been waiting for, but don’t expect to see an intimate audience of your outcat friends. Afrofuturism is a thing, and the Arkestra is it’s OG advocate in sound. There’s been a lot of speculation about whether the incredible 101-year-old Marshall Allen will be on board when Rocket Number 9 touches down in Playhouse Square, I’m taking the under. Still, this edition of the Arkestra has an undiminished ability to lift off for unknown worlds as their latest release, Lights On A Satellite (In And Out Records, 2024) proves.https://youtu.be/H1ToFXHW5pg

Dominick Farinacci & Friends+Taylor Eigsti and Christian Tamburr Celebrate Chick Corea and Gary Burton
Saturday, June 28, 2 p.m.
Mimi Ohio Theatre

This is one show two acts and is a kind of bridge between the local and touring-bands parts of the festival. That’s because Dom’s “Friends” just happen to be some of the most accomplished young players on the local scene: bassist Jordan McBride, drummer Gabe Jones and percussionist Patrick “Duke” Graney. Vocalist Shenel Johns and pianist Richard Johnson will also be on hand and vibraphonist Christian Tamburr will drop in too. Farinacci and Tamburr have a special rapport, musically and personally as I learned when I interviewed them about their TRIAD project with accordionist Michael Ward-Bergeman. Tamburr is a great spirit and a monster technician and as anyone who was at BOP STOP for the concert by Ben Wendel can attest, Taylor Eigsti can burn up a keyboard. It’s been years—okay, decades—since I’ve heard the music that Gary Burton and Chick Corea made in the early days of the ECM label 52 (can it be?) years ago. I’ve got some catching up to do.

Pedrito Martinez Group
Saturday, June 28, 9:30 p.m.,
Mimi Ohio Theatre

There is perhaps no more exciting moment in music than when a Cuban rumba group summons the spirits, locks in and achieves escape velocity. Havana-born Pedrito Martinez is a master of this powerful and ancient music and short of wearing asbestos clothing to the Ohio Theatre, prepare for an incandescent and transcendent celebration of rhythms, the ancestors and tradition.

There’s much more to see and hear and the full schedule is up at this link. A programming note: Due to a death in the family, Dianne Reeves has canceled her appearance with Romero Lubambo and the Baylor Project has graciously agreed to take that festival slot. Condolences to Ms. Reeves and her family.

A final note: while Tri-C JazzFest understandably dominates the news cycle this week, there’s another great band coming to town. Ember, the cooperative trio of saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis, bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer/Chronicler Vincent Sperazza, will be at The Treelawn on Thursday, June 26 (I previewed their 2022 gig at BLU Jazz+ here). This is a band with deep knowledge and big ears that would be the feature concert during just about any other week. If your jazz budget isn’t already blown, this concert demands—and will reward–your attention.

And a postscript: It wasn’t easy to gather thoughts about JazzFest–or even the music I love–given the events of the past few days, month and years. There are times when the weight of so much cruelty, carelessness and malignity seems intended to extinguish the light. And then I saw that Tri-C has chosen to give the last word at this year’s festival to a Black man from a Latin American nation–and a Communist nation at that. So the lights are still on. The gift of music is the gift of common understanding, vast and limitless as the sky. Even when it’s obscured by clouds, the sun still shines. Thank you, Tri-C.

See you there.