Jazz is Back at the Atlanta Jazz Festival

Officials at the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs pleasantly surprised me this week when they let me peek at the lineup for the 34th Atlanta Jazz Festival.

The free Piedmont Park event isn't until May, but as a jazz lover, I was anxious to see what summer had in store for me. Frankly, I've been a bit disappointed at the acts coming to Atlanta for the last few festivals, but this year will most certainly be different.

The artists arriving Memorial Day weekend form an all-star list of jazz musicians.

Violinist Regina Carter, pianist Gerald Clayton and vibraphonist Warren Wolf are brining their respective groups to the park. The festival will also include Stefon Harris, David Sanchez and Christian Scott performing a tribute to Miles Davis; trumpeter Sean Jones; and local singer Audrey Shakir. 

Simply put, this is the best group of artists I've seen slated for the festival since I moved to Atlanta in August 2007, just in time to miss a headlining performance by the living legend Herbie Hancock. (The full 2011 schedule, which will be augmented by the perennial 31 Days of Jazz program and a few educational events, is to be released on the Atlanta Jazz Festival website soon.)  

During the past few years, smooth jazz acts like Spyro Gyra have been front-and-center at the festival, but this more pop-oriented music has been relegated to an entirely different venue in 2011. A paid concert featuring George Duke, Marcus Miller and David Sanborn is scheduled for May 30 at the Chastain Park Amphitheater.

Atlantans who even casually follow national jazz acts who tour through Atlanta may recognize some names slated to perform at this year's festival.

Scott played the 2010 festival; Carter performed at Georgia Tech's Ferst Center last March as part of the Monterey Jazz Festival on tour; and Harris comes to March 18 as part of the SFJAZZ Collective. Jones is a regular Atlanta visitor; he's been here many, many times with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

I'm planning on parking myself in a lawn chair and seeing all the main performers this year because, while none of them enjoy Hancock's name recognition or stature, they are all inventive, thrilling performers who represent the evolving nature of jazz.

Carter will be celebrating her latest CD, "Reverse Thread," which is an exploration of African folk tunes. The project includes her rhythm section, an accordion and a West African harp.

Clayton is a thrilling pianist who, aside from leading a dynamic trio, performs as a sidemen on a ton of records.

Finally, the Warren Wolf Quintet is full of players who are wonderful to watch perform, none more than Wolf's drummer, Gregory Hutchinson.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival has been adrift for a few years. After loosing its presence at Piedmont Park in 2007 due to the drought, officials had to find a suitable venue for the biggest jazz concert in the city.

After unsuccessful stops at Woodruff and Grant parks, the festival moved back to its proper home at Piedmont Park last year. 

Budget cuts have also hurt the event in the past.

In 2008, the festival became a series of concerts focused on local players; while the musicians were deserving and performed at a high level, it just wasn't the same. The performances got a little better in 2009, but upon the event's return to Midtown, officials stacked the program with a jazz lite version of music that no self-respecting fan of the music would call jazz.

This year is the first year that the festival is both back to its original venue and has a true jazz lineup. Hopefully, the 34th Atlanta Jazz Festival is a sign of things to come.