The 62nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in pictures
There’s something magical about Monterey Bay. The dunes. The Aquarium. The glorious trees. The Old Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row. The bright skies and night chills. The Monterey Jazz Festival.
Founded in 1958, the three-day Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest, continuously running festival in the country (the Newport Jazz Festival, which holds the distinction as the longest running festival in the country at sixty-six years, relocated to New York City for eight years from 1972-1980 before returning to Newport, Rhode Island in 1981). From September 27-29, 2019, all twenty acres of the Monterey County Fairgrounds buzzed with melodic sounds as artists from all over the world filled the air and dazzled the crowds. Whether it was a celebration of the music of jazz royalty such as Derrick Hodge and Allison Miller’s tribute to Mary Lou Williams; jazz promoter and journalist Willard Jenkins interviewing NEA Jazz Masters Kenny Barron and Dave Holland; activist and educator Angela Davis moderating a discussion with the widow of the late, great Dexter Gordon about the book she wrote about his life; or an ode to the life and works of one of jazz’s newest ancestors like Christian McBride’s tribute to Roy Hargrove, sharing love for the music and its creators was clearly an element the festival’s Artistic Director, Mr. Tim Jackson, wanted to capture.
Keeping with that theme, the photographs below capture some of jazz music’s newest, oldest, and most celebrated creators to grace last weekend’s festival stages. Enjoy!
