The soul of jazz can not be dwindled by the events in the world. Last week, the beautiful Hostess City uplifted residents with their 39th year of the Savannah Jazz Festival, dubbed the Savannah-Safe Jazz Festival, which was livestreamed for free for the safety of performers and guests. The livestream garnered a record of over 8,000 viewers to come enjoy the southern jazz festival from around the world. With over 16 performances, streamers got a taste from Latin jazz to Zydeco, the Blues and interlude interviews with Dolette McDonald, Chuck Leavell, and Dr. Charles J. Elmore.
Savannah started the five day party with Blues Night, starring Savannah native Willie Jackson and the Tybee Blues Band. Most notable is Jackson’s knack for on-the-spot song improvising and carrying on the music of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. That night, the harmonica’s bellows blended beautifully with the rhythmic drums and guitar in a cover of B.B. King’s, “I Been Downhearted”. Ending Thursday’s performance was another Savannah native, Eric Culberson, with special guest Dolette McDonald who gave a spectacular, goosebump inducing rendition of “Fever” by Peggy Lee and Bob Dylan’s, “Gotta Serve Somebody”. Despite a somber blues night, these moody songs lead into a wonderful next three days of ballads and music that made you want to break dance.
Friday’s Latin and Classical Night starred notable singers and instrumental musicians, particularly the Latin Caravan from South Carolina band in that performs Latin Jazz, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Cumbia, and even a little R&B. Lead by singer David Rodriguez, the trumpet and saxophone became the beat for the dancefloor’s masked dancers, staying six feet apart. The music was like comfort food and bound to put a little light into the viewer’s evening dinners. The Latin Caravan’s performance was notable in its inclusiveness of the many faces of jazz among international cultures which has not been previously seen at the Savannah Jazz Festival. In celebration of Savannah’s classical jazz history, Cynthia Utterbach lead a special performance with the help of the Savannah Jazz Orchestra. Utterbach is a great conversationalist with her witty storytelling of her travel to Savannah and even a greater singer with her range of strong, warm notes. Remarkable renditions of “Early Autumn” written by Johnny Mercer and “Hey John” written by Blossom Dearie and Jim Council created an intimate, normal evening for unusual times.
Spicy Jazz Saturday saw 6 invigorating mostly instrumental performances. Streamers got to enjoy a noon session of instrumental jazz that was perfect for relaxing outside or finishing up the week’s work on a desktop. A young saxist, Jazmin Ghent, stole the spotlight with her covers of Adele’s “Hello” and songs pulled from Ghent’s newest singles, “Heat” and “Amends”. Ghent’s performance was striking in the sense of seeing a younger generation successfully and seriously carrying on the legacy of Jazz. Seeing her performance at the Savannah Jazz Festival is important for the attending youth. Kids develop a sense of connection through representation in musical literacy for the jazz genre that Ghent proudly presents. Emmett Cohen Trio is child prodigy and part of the next generation of jazz performers, a pianist who has won the 2019 American Pianists Awards. Cohen’s nimble, flowing notes offer a glimpse of his ideology on jazz, to him, “performing jazz is about communicating the deepest levels of humanity and individuality; it’s essentially about connections”.
Speaking of legacies, Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. and the Ils Sont Partis Band were the liveliest, undeniably rejuvenating get-on-your-feet performance thus far. Representing the zydeco genre, Buckwheat’s band were one of the only to retain successful recognition by mainstream media. Though this is their first time at the Savannah Jazz Fest, they are Grammy award winners and perform at many other large music festivals. With this unique performance, streamers enjoyed a rowdy accordion complimenting a sassy sax and Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr.’s uplifting voice in a rendition of “Good Rockin’ Tonight”. The last performer of the night, Wycliff Gordan, is a legendary trombone player that uplifts and encourages you to move your body. Gordan cools down in the last half with a tribute to Louis Armstrong’s vocal styling by performing, “[What Did I Do to Be So] Black and Blue”.
Sunday was a celebratory finale with Dave Potter Quartet, Brian Miller, Ike Stubblefield, Stephanie Nakasian and the Savannah Jazz Orchestra All-Stars, David Sanchez, and Pat Bianchi. Stephanie Nakasian gave an astounding performance with her guttural, trumpet vocals and dramatic range in covering Etta James, “A Sunday Kind of Love” and Sarah Vaughan’s, “Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)”. Some instrumental musicians, such as David Sanchez, gave a lovely end to an energetic event. Sanchez smooth sax teleports listeners to Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Brazil with influence of his Latin and Afro-Caribbean tastes. Pat Bianchi kept the electric energy through the end with new techniques of his own on classic jazz organ trio sound.
This year’s performance once again elevates the spectacular opportunity and support to the many cultures in which jazz saturates. The festival offers a week of good music and company in the comfort of our homes rejuvenated spirits, love, and grace to let loose and have fun without caution of crowds, transportation, and sickness. The enrichment of the jazz community within Savannah will only grow with the announcement of the coming Savannah Jazz History and Hall of Fame Exhibit, set to open 2021.
