Inaugural Blue Note Jazz Festival 2025 Improves Upon Stylistic Balance of The Hollywood Bowl’s Annual June Concert Weekend

*The Blue Note Jazz Festival made its debut splash at the Hollywood Bowl back on Father’s Day weekend. The 2-Day musical celebration has taken over the annual spot in the past held by first, The Playboy Jazz Festival (1979), followed post-pandemic by The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival (2022). The Blue Note made its mission and branding clear with concerts that were roundly satisfying and eclectic, yet with a greater emphasis on contemporary jazz styles.

In the past, the Playboy and Hollywood Bowl Jazz festivals thrived on a carnival-esque cornucopia of styles. When Hugh Hefner first launched the Playboy Jazz Festival, the billings consisted almost exclusively of legendary and up-and-coming pure Jazz and Blues performers. Back at that late `70s vantage point, many of the music’s legends were still alive so it was a breeze to book the greatest and the latest, then later broadcast the concerts on the local KBCA or KLON FM jazz stations on Labor Day. It was a different time and audience for “pure” Jazz.
However, as the decades rolled by, the Playboy Jazz Festival morphed into additional showcases for exotic performers of African, Latin, Reggae and pan-cultural persuasions, followed by Pop, Rock and R&B artists to fill seats and broaden demographics. It takes a lot of people to fill the Hollywood Bowl’s 17,500 seating capacity. These increasingly eclectic and less Jazz-founded bookings began to alienate lovers of the art form while people with more of a festive party spirit used the festival as more of a place to frolic and mingle than seriously focus and marinate in music deserving of one’s full attention.
Apparently, the folks that book The Blue Note Jazz Festival understand this dilemma and have come up with a fair resolution that seeks to balance the often-divided interests of all involved. Most satisfying is that they have returned the emphasis to Jazz related artists for the first 75% of each day’s 7-hour program – de-emphasizing “exotica” and instead making sure that the global artists have strong ties to Jazz. For each evening’s closing two “headliners,” the festival shifts to big name R&B/Hip Hop artists with solid tenure, fervent followings or the next new big thing.

For the 2025 kick off of The Blue Note Jazz Festival at The Hollywood Bowl, the music got off to a solid start on Saturday June 14 with the Locke L.A. County High School Band. First featuring their vocal ensemble, they performed the harmony standards “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” and “The Night Has 1000 Eyes,” then an a cappella version of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” quoting Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. within. The band was then featured on a pair of stretched out themes from video games which provided a quirky, contemporary aural twist.

This first act revealed two other things. First, the sound was exceptionally good right out of the gate. Second, host Arsenio Hall (carrying over the role from the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival) is a gracious and tuned-in emcee who prepares proper intros for all the acts – great and small – adding just enough humor but keeping things moving.

Next up, The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz played four impressive and intricate original compositions by band members. A standout was the percussively jabbing “Definitely Not Friends” followed by a lovely finale for which a title was never given. Nevertheless, it was nice to see that the institute was emphasizing new material over arrangements of jazz classics.

Trumpeter Brandon Woody proved the metal of his fast-rising status leading a quintet that explored the spaces between Jazz and R&B with a sharp set of vocals and instrumentals from his Blue Note Records debut, For the Love of it All.

Cuban Percussionist Pedrito Martinez’s band was an electrifying stunner. While there were no weak links in his group, trombonist Jose “Xito” Lovell was a marvel whether soloing through effects that made him sound as if he was in outer space to making his one horn sound like an entire section. Dancing did commence!

Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin is a bona fide jazz star now, bringing straight fire in her set dedicated to women in Jazz but not excluding the men. Her selections included Patrice Rushen’s “Jubilation” and an Alice Coltrane piece played in a medley with “My Favorite Things.” The lady even rapped on the intro of her second selection and played an incredible duel with her drummer wailing away in front of him on her knees. She closed her crowd favorite set with The Meters’ Nawlins Funk classic “Cissy Strut” in a jazz organ trio groove, capped by a nod to the infectious “Happy People” penned by her brother in alto sax, Kenny Garrett.

Trumpeter/Singer Keyon Harrold turned in a richly diverse set featuring material from his latest album, Foreverland. Many of the pieces were new original vocal duets. There was also a piece titled “The Intellectual” that opened with ominous piano chords and clanging drums that gave way to film noir-esque trumpet and detours into the optimistic classics “People Make the World Go ‘Round” and “Nature Boy.” Harrold concluded his set with a message piece titled “Grounded” of which he spoke in the intro, “Sometimes you get to a place where there is no place to go but up – the place where we elevate each other from the ground up. We’re claiming peace and understanding.” Harrold’s finale closed with a nod to “Over the Rainbow.”

The most traditional Jazz set of the day followed with singer Dee Dee Bridgewater (in her yellow and white Versace dress) joined by pianist Bill Charlap showcasing songs from their duo only LP, Elemental, on which they have their way with gems from the American Songbook. The duo has been performing together off and on for several years now. They beautifully finished each other’s musical sentences with glee and panache on classics such as “I’m Beginning to See The Light,” “Caravan,” “Mood Indigo” (in a deep blues interpretation), “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Love for Sale” (an old favorite of Dee Dee’s), “S’Wonderful,” and the day’s second rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” Highlight for this writer was “In the Still of the Night” which opened dreamy then they kicked it up several notches for Dee Dee to do some serious vocal comping in support of Bill’s piano solo. Turn around proved exceptional play!

Bassist Derrick Hodge would be the proverbial bridge between the previous duo and the Hip Hop group that followed. He opened his set with an original followed by a Miles Davis classic penned by Wayne Shorter. Then he brough out rapper D Smoke for a trio of contemporary numbers, the finale being a duet with his wife titled “Nah Nah Nah.”

New York Hip Hop legends De La Soul worked overtime to bring some east coast love to politically battered Los Angeles playing a selection of hits from their early albums (which they have only just recently regained rights over). It was bittersweet to see the once-trio down to rapper “Posdnuos” and “DJ Maseo.” Adding extra spark to their set was guest rapper Talib Kweli. Hits performed included the P-Funk spiked “Me, Myself and I,” “Buddy,” “Potholes in My Lawn” and the apropos “Saturdays.”

The first night of The Blue Note Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl concluded with 6 decades of greatest hits set by legendary R&B group The Isley Brothers. Technical difficulties delayed the start of their set by over 5 minutes. Then surviving members lead singer Ronald Isley and guitarist Ernie Isley descended the regal stage staircase wailin’ their crossover Rock smash, “Who’s That Lady.” The whole affair was like a Las Vegas extravaganza.

Their latest show takes great pains to reveal the tenure and influence of The Isley’s brand. The next two songs, “Between the Sheets” and “Footsteps in the Dark,” included references to the rap songs that sampled them by The Notorious B.I.G. and Ice Cube, respectively. Next, a stool was brought out for Ronald Isley (84) so he could set his cane down and take his throne. And Ernie Isley (73) is now sporting for real seeing eye glasses. No worries, however, as the siblings got down to business on a string of ballads that had the Bowl swooning. Their cover of Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” included hilarious references to diet aids Jenny Craig and Ozempic (as in, ‘Baby you don’t need ’em – I love you thick as you are’)! Ronald’s wife Kelly was then featured ona medley of “Smooth Sailing (Tonight)” with Rufus f/ Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing.” The ‘70s boudoir sheets-rumpler “Groove with You” and the ’80s “Choosey Lover” gave way to interludes of their ’90s and 2000’s drama fests “Contagious” and “In the Closet.” Then it was time for the erotic emotions of “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” and “Voyage to Atlantis” into “Summer Breeze” (with a searing guitar solo by Ernie), the anthemic “Fight the Power,” and a spirited closing trilogy helmed by their `50s golden age of Rock & Roll classic “Shout,” with tributes to recently departed Sly Stone (“I Want to Take You Higher”) and James Brown (“Doin’ it to Death”). Saturday nights don’t get much hotter than that!
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Sunday’s edition of The Blue Note Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl began with a student ensemble showcasing the vocal “Alakazam” and the Sonny Rollins instrumental “St. Thomas.”

Los Angeles’ DC6 Singers Collective delivered a knockout set featuring different members on a broad range of repertoire. The members were Ayo Awosika, Sha’Leah Nikole, Aretha Scruggs, Tia Simone, Eric “ELYN” Lyn, David Saul Lee, Jared Jenkins, and Ronnie O’Hannon. The selections included Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” Stevie Wonder’s “Loves in Need of Love Today,” Lennon & McCartney’s “Blackbird,” Phil Spector’s “River Deep, Mountain High” (including a band intro) and The Clark Sisters’ “You Brought The Sunshine” which they sang through the swing of the stage for the next act. Outstanding!

Electric bass sensation Mohini Dey (from Mumbai, India] poignantly dedicated her set to her father (it was Father’s Day Sunday) donned in a striking purple bikini top, patchquilt shorts, and sparkling calf high boots. She led her bass/drums/sax power trio through six virtuosic original Jazz Funk Fusion jams including “Introvert Dancer” (which she wrote at 13), “Meat Eater” (which had the vibe of Bay Area soul band Tower of Power and included lovely solo expressions) and “In N Out” (a homage to her favorite hamburger spot).

Weedie Braimah & Hands of Time is a party band straight out of Ghana by way of St. Louis that features two percussionists, drums, bass, guitar, and two keyboards. Their eclectic and energized set kicked off with a song in a Santana vein – a smooth groove and intricate turnarounds. It also included a piece titled “Bimbos in Space,” a trumpet feature, and a final explosion of euphoria that insured they will be invited back again soon.

Saxophonist Joe Lovano co-led the Paramount Quartet with drummer Will Calhoun, the latter best known as a founding member of the Black Rock band Living Colour. Also featuring Julian Lage on guitar and Asante Santi Debriano on bass, their set was all jazz all the way with deep expanses of improvisation and swing.

Next was The Soul Rebels collective which kicked up the groove quotient with a pair of party starters before they began introducing special guests. First was electric harpist Brandee Younger on two songs (one which sounded like an outtake from an Isaac Hayes film score). Singer Goapele joined next with a cover of Bootsy Collins’ “I’d Rather Be With You” (featuring guitarist Erroll Cooney), her own chill lounge classic “Closer,” then a cover of dearly departed Roy Ayers’ California anthem, “Everybody Loves The Sunshine.” They closed with an empathetic shoutout to beleaguered Los Angeles via a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.”

All-around electric/acoustic bass pioneer Stanley Clarke leading an all-star band he calls Forever opened with a whirlwind medley in case some folks had forgotten how much great music this man has made since his early `70s debut. His band was anchored by session drummer supreme John Robinson and second bassist Armand Sabal- Lecco (recently of drummer Stewart Copeland’s Police Deranged ensemble). Highlights of Clarke’s set included “Duke in Rio” (an acoustic tribute to his departed partner in music George Duke featuring a fine violin solo by Evan Garrett), the Soul-Pop hit “Sweet Baby” sung in an aching falsetto by a cat named ‘Stefano’), the warhorse “School Days” (with horns), the P-Funk jam “Mothership Connection,” and the Afro-futuristic Hip Hop Jazz groove “1-2 to The Bass.”

Singer/Songwriter WILLOW (Willow Smith, daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, who sometimes performs with a full orchestra) came through with a stripped-down all female quartet anchored by the return of Mohini Dey on bass and drummer Taylor Gordon, a.k.a. “The Pocket Queen.” WILLOW earnestly shared some rather esoteric vocal material which she sang over some impressive rhythmically intricate music. It was a challenge to follow her lyrically… But she did share that her final song, “Big Feelings,” was a railing against all injustice and, specifically, anti-ICE (the brigade wreaking havoc in Los Angeles under the guise of immigrant deportation).
Like the night before, there was an even longer gap leading to the headliner, this time global upstart Grace Jones. Arsenio was not as prepared to kill time, so this was the only time his comedy fell flat. I imagine he was ready to go but was pulled in for some emergency stalling tactics.

Nevertheless, once Grace’s stage was ready, the grand diva made a dramatic intro sitting on a stool singing “Nightclubbing” set to special FX, blue lighting, and neon headgear. Though this was clearly NOT her crowd (she sold out The Bowl a few years before in her own set), the audience was quite transfixed for this golden opportunity to catch her act. Grace slayed with an effortless cruise through her greatest hits “Private Life,” “Demolition Man,” “My Jamaican Guy” (donning a wild Rasta wig), “I’ve Seen that Face Before” (dressed in black and whipping a red cape around regally), the interlude “William’s Blood” (for her minister father), a straight reading of “Amazing Grace,” followed by “Love is the Drug” (in a total freakout ensemble of illuminated feathers).

Grace closed with the surprise guest of her new friend, provocateur singer Janelle Monae, joining her in ribald fashion for the naughty “Pull Up To The Bumper” (and the crowd went bananas) then closed with her anthem, “Slave to the Rhythm.”
The Blue Note Jazz Festival is off to a very strong start for sequencing and pacing a weekend of Jazz-focused music by day…and seats filling Soul by night.
– A. Scott Galloway
Ascottgalloway.net
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