Prophecy fulfilled: the future now at jazz fests

The new headquarters of the famed Living Theatre is close enough to be the site of those Vision fest after-jams, and also hosts the three day New Languages Festival, with best unheralded tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby and blogroll entry Darcy James Argue's Secret Society tonight (Friday); Saturday a trio led by saxophonist Aaron Ali Shaikh, who draws on the spirited Southeast Asian Qawwali musical traditions; Totem, a "noise rock free improvisation trio" and a more acoustic but equally freely improvisational trio comprising reedist Chris Speed, bassist Skuli Sverrsen and drummer Jim Black.

Starting on Sunday June 15 (Father's Day), the nominally more mainstream JVC Jazz Festival-New York enfolds into its schedule such avatars of the avant-garde and not-so-abstract soul as Alice Coltrane, Maceo Parker, Marc Ribot, Cecil Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Craig Taborn, Joshua Redman (with SoulLive) and the great Al Green.

But as Ayler knew (his triumphs included acclaimed concert appearances with New York Jazz Festival acts touring Northern Europe and in Paris), the apple ain't all. In Canada the 2009 Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs June 20 - 29 boasting "1800 musicians, 400 concerts, 40 venues" -- including ur-Outsiders Bill Dixon (trumpeter on Cecil T'aylor's classic Conquistador recording), searing alto saxist Tim Berne, multi-percussionist Harris Eisenstadt, violinist Mark Feldman, saxophonist Ken Vandermark, guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Charlie Haden, former downtown keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, and even Ayler-naysayer Wynton Marsalis (who believes another way to play than the 40 acts the fest categorizes as "free, improvised": conservationally, as it were). 

From June 23 through 27 I'm attending the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and looking forward to hearing among its headliners Afropop progressive Salif Keita, the reunion of Chick Corea's fusion to the max Return to Forever Quartet and the Sicilian Jazz Project about which I know nothing, seeking discovery if not enlightenment. I'm participating in three noontime Jazz Matters panel discussions, on "Playing Between the Words," (6/24) "Arts Journalism -- At the Intersection of Artist and Audience," (6/25) and "Fusion at 40" (6/26) at the National Arts Centre Fourth Stage -- please stop by and say hi. 

And then there's the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal -- "29th edition, June 26 - July 6, leading off with Leonard (not jazz -- but Sonny Rollins' solo'd in his company) Cohen, and tenor sax exile David Murray (hear his Flowers for Albert), sax triumverate Joe Lovano-Dave Liebman-Ravi Coltrane, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Public Enemy, McCoy Tyner, Abbey Lincoln, Aretha Franklin, Cassandra Wilson, Daniel Lanois and James Carter among those booked who characteristically stretch conventions, if they don't discard them entirely. 

So jazz inexorable evolves, staking claim to free choice of influences and directions, substantiating its absorption of new material and its expansion into previously uncharted areas of sound and fury -- to the climactic Chicago Jazz Festival, with Sonny Rollins at the Frank Gehry-designed Millenium Park pavillion August 27 and Ornette Coleman at the adjacent Grant Park bandshell on August 31. Free. Free jazz. Right, Albert -- the real blues, the new blues, it's all the rage.