Kool & the Gang brought crowds to their feet during their Thursday night opening performance. Ryan Lely
Memorial Day weekend’s jazz festival turned out to be a plus for the town as streams of music lovers flowed into event venues, retail shops, hotels and restaurants for the long holiday weekend. An abundance of food and wine was available to the nearly 3,000 nightly concertgoers. For the first year, Sonoma Valley wines were poured exclusively, which gave smaller wineries a chance to shine at a major event.
Totally “Kool” open to 2008 festival
Kool and the Gang provided a “get-up-and-dance” kickoff to the entertainment on Thursday, with a well-oiled performance. The almost 4,000-square-foot dance floor was pulsating to the sounds of hits like “Jungle Boogie” and the rousing “Celebration.”
Friday brought “the Reverend” Al Green to the stage. “I love you,” he said. “I love you. I love Sonoma.” The love was returned by a responsive crowd that undulated as one to the familiar songs, including a transcendent duet between Green and the audience of “Amazing Grace” and a climactic version of the mega-hit, “Love and Happiness.”
Pianist and bandleader Herbie Hancock, who was honored recently as the first jazz artist since 1965 to win the Grammy award for album of the year, capped off the evening with a brilliant spectrum of material from his iconic “Watermelon Man” to avant-garde numbers from the Grammy-winning “River: The Joni Letters.”
Wine & Song on the Plaza
Even an unseasonable rain did not deter crowds who filled the Plaza area for the festival’s “Wine & Song” on Saturday, and Sunday proved a perfect weather day. Approximately 500 people per day strolled, sipped wines, sampled appetizers and swayed to live music from Bay Area bands in five venues.
Local businesses reported brisk business from the revelers, as did restaurants and hotels. “We saw mostly visitors from out-of-town at “Wine & Song,” said Sarah Anderson of Chateau Sonoma. At The Red Grape, Brad Yoell of Blackstone Winery was pleased with the Saturday turnout and at Meritage Restaurant, first-time participant Michael Muscardini of Muscardini Cellars was surprised at how many people showed up on Sunday. “I’m amazed at the lines,” he said, “but it’s a great way for a small-production winery like us to get in front of new people.”
Musical mega-stars take the stage Saturday and Sunday
Opening for Diana Krall was two-time Grammy nominee, 23-year-old pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti and his quartet. They were joined by Sonoma-born guitarist Julian Lage, a 19-year-old prodigy, for a mesmerizing set including material from Eigsti’s new Concord Jazz CD, “Let It Come to You.”
Krall wowed the adoring audience despite a bout of bronchitis, assisted for most of the 90-minute set by guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton – each of whom shone together and in occasional solos. The main tent’s near-capacity crowd punctuated with wild applause a 90-minute set of jazz standards and a scorching rendition by Krall of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.”
On Sunday, fans were treated to two stellar artists: Al Jarreau and Bonnie Raitt. Jarreau, the only vocalist in history to win a Grammy Award in three different categories – jazz, pop, and R&B – turned in a sophisticated performance to a packed house. Bonnie Raitt brought the festival to a close with a sold-out show. Trading slide guitar licks with North Bay guest star Roy Rogers, the red-headed star performed crowd-pleasing tunes like “Angel From Mongomery” and a range of funky R&B including “Walking Blues” with Rogers and New Orleans-inspired romps with piano player John Cleary, then ended with a stunning rendition of her hit song “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
The festival, now in its fourth year, is the companion to the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival in Colorado and was conceived by Jim and Stephanie Pugash. Jim Pugash, an accomplished pianist, envisioned a world-class festival of music, food and wine that would also raise funds for the community. Following his death in 2006, Stephanie Pugash has continued as chairman of the non-profit organization, which donates festival proceeds to the Sonoma Valley school system for a variety of music programs including classroom instruction, instruments and college scholarships for promising young musicians.
