The 2024 Atlanta Jazz Festival brings a world of talent to Piedmont Park

Something Else Herring Set! it’s all crunchy berries. The soul-jazz septet, dedicated to the danceable rhythms of the hard bop era, is on the bill for the first day of the Atlanta Jazz Festival, which takes place over three days, from Saturday, May 25 to Monday, May 27 at Piedmont Park and is one of the largest free festivals. jazz festivals across the country. The Herring Band appears at 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 25.

The name Something else! comes from a deeply groovy 1958 Cannonball Adderley LP on Blue Note, and betrays Herring’s appreciation for Adderley and for the music that spices up Herring’s breakfast.

Jazz began a hundred years ago as dance music, Herring points out, and in the 1950s it was the religious, funky sounds of musicians such as Adderley, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Bobby Timmons and Lee Morgan that brought back club crowds on their stage. feet.

The tunes played during this era — Pee Wee Ellis’ “The Chicken,” Nat Adderley’s “Work Song,” Bobby Timmons’ “Moaning” and even later soul jazz like Eddie Harris’ 1969 “Cold Duck Time” — are the main course at Something Else! directory.

Herring, 59, grew up in Northern California and moved to New York in the 1980s. His soulful sound on alto saxophone was influenced by Cannonball Adderley, who died in 1975 at age 46. The similarity caught the attention of Cannonball’s brother and musical partner, cornetist Nat Adderley, and Nat Adderley worked with Herring for nine years and nine albums. Herring also played with pianist Cedar Walton for over 20 years.

A professor of music at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey (he also taught at the Manhattan School of Music), Herring said one of his responsibilities was to broaden his students’ frames of reference in jazz. And sometimes that means injecting a little soul jazz.

“I have to shape their listening regime because I already know that nine times out of ten their listening regime is incomplete,” he said. The students all spun John Coltrane records, but few heard Earl Bostic, a major influence on musicians such as Coltrane and Charlie Parker.

“Few people paid attention to Eddie Harris,” Herring said, “who, although not considered an innovator, possessed immense musical talent.”

Favoring innovation over feeling and style can lead to an unbalanced student. Rather than seeking a unique niche, the greatest musicians immersed themselves in the music of their predecessors, Herring said. “Look at Coltrane, who tried very hard as a young musician to sound like Sonny Stitt and Dexter Gordon,” before developing his own unequivocal approach.

The way to pursue your own vice, Herring said, is to know the legacy of music and then evolve into what you can.

In Atlanta, the rotating ensemble of musicians from Something Else! will include Vincent Herring, alto saxophone; Jeremy Pelt, trumpet; James Carter, tenor saxophone; Paul Bollenback, guitar; Dave Kikoski, piano; Essiet Okon Essiet, bass; and Lewis Nash, drums.

The 47th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival is presented by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, funded by corporate donations and the nonprofit Atlanta Jazz Festival Inc. It caps a month of events in the city ​​also presented by Atlanta Jazz Festival Inc. called 31 Jazz Days.

Other artists appearing at Piedmont Park during the three-day Jazz Festival weekend include:

Credit: Peter Lueders

Credit: Peter Lueders

New Jazz Underground: This trio of young Julliard graduates — Abdias Armenteros, saxophone; Sébastien Rios, bass; and TJ Reddick, drums – learned their trade playing with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Their respect for the masters is tempered by a touch of irreverence (considering song titles such as “They May Hate But We Still Swing” and “Modern Jazz, But It’s Good”). 1 p.m. Saturday May 25.

Credit: Karolis Kaminskas

Credit: Karolis Kaminskas

Cécile McLorin Salvant: Singer Salvant performs in several languages, including French, Occitan, English and Haitian Kreyòl. She explores vaudeville, blues, folk traditions, theater, jazz and baroque music. 7 p.m. Saturday May 25.

Credit: Ksenija Hotic

Credit: Ksenija Hotic

OKAN: Led by Cuban-born violinist and singer Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and singer Magdelys Savigne, Okan has been nominated for Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards. It takes its name from the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria. 1 p.m. Sunday May 26.

Credit: Laetitia Macé

Credit: Laetitia Macé

Jacques Schwarz Bart: Born in Guadeloupe, raised in France, Schwarz-Bart is a pioneer of two new approaches to jazz: one, Gwoka, invoking the Guadeloupean tradition of responsive singing and the rhythms of ka drums; and the other which he calls Voodoo jazz, bringing together jazz music with its Afro-Caribbean and spiritual origins: 5 p.m. Sunday May 26.

Credit: Lane Pederson

Credit: Lane Pederson

Paquito D’Rivera: Born in Havana, D’Rivera was a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna and the United Nations Orchestra, founded by Dizzy Gillespie. 9 p.m. Sunday May 26.

Credit: KELS

Credit: KELS

KELS: Originally from Pittsburgh, KELS has been based in Atlanta for the past two years and recently held their first headlining show at Smith’s Olde Bar. 3 p.m. Monday May 27.

Credit: Dexter Navy

Credit: Dexter Navy

Andrew 3000: Also known as André Lauren Benjamin, this hip-hop star surprised his fans last year by releasing an album of ambient flute music, which saw moderate success. 7 p.m. Monday May 27.

Credit: Hollis King

Credit: Hollis King

Liz Wright: The Georgia native’s voice has been described by the New York Times as “a smooth, dark alto possessing qualities one might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or buttery-soft leather.” Metaphors aside, Wright actually augmented her singing career with a venture into fine dining, opening Carver 47 Food & Wellness Market on Chicago’s South Side, a cafe and market, in 2020. 9 p.m. Monday 27 may.

MUSIC OVERVIEW

Atlanta Jazz Festival

Saturday, May 25 – Monday, May 27, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily, at Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta. Free. Additionally, there will be a ticketed celebration of jazz radio station WCLK at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24, $25-$50, at Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St.; and a late-night performance by singer Lauren Henderson at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 25, $50, Park Tavern, 500 10th St. NE. For the complete program: atljazzfest.com