Last week in Sound Bites, I remarked that folks reading the paper the day it hit newsstands would be doing so while I was attending a press conference announcing the lineup and sponsors of this year’s Discover Jazz Festival, and that it was a sure of spring. It seems I was only half right.

Since that column ran, the weather has been undeniably spring-like. Eat your heart out Tom Messner. Unfortunately, I got my dates mixed up. Last Wednesday, I strolled into the Amy Tarrant Gallery at the FlynnCenter only to “discover” . . . a completely empty room. D’oh! The conference was actually yesterday, not a week ago.

I did end up attending, and I’m glad I did. The food was really, really good. Oh, and the lineup is pretty sweet too.

In particular, there was a lot of buzz around an up-and-coming R&B singer named Ledisi, who was recently nominated for two Grammys — Best R&B Album and Best New Artist, the latter of which she lost to Amy Winehouse. Hailed by pundits who hail such things as a blend of Ella Fitgerald and Erykah Badu, Ledisi is one sultry soul siren, equally adept at delivering slinky R&B and smoky jazz. Should be a great show.

The following is a clip from her appearance on PBS’ “Great Performances: We Love Ella!” There’s kind of a lot of talking — and the second half of the video features jazz a cappella ensemble Take 6. But the music in between is a tantalizing taste of what we can expect in a couple of months. Enjoy!

You can check out the rest of this year’s lineup here.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uAyv4nQYhxk%26hl%3Den

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Dan Bolles is a culture coeditor at Seven Days. He joined the paper in 2007 as its music editor, covering Vermont's robust music, comedy and nightlife scenes for a decade before deciding he was too old to be going to the Monkey House on weeknights to...

6 replies on “The Jazz(wo)men Cometh”

  1. That’s right — this was your first year hanging out in Tarrant, getting the BDJF skinny. They still have those miniature Pepsis?All in a days work.

  2. I’m pretty sure they upgraded to full sized cans, actually. Though I have several vices, soda ain’t one of ’em — unless of course there’s whiskey involved. Otherwise, that shit’ll kill you.I’ve never been much for schmoozing, so beyond the unnecessarily lengthy artist presentation, I can’t say press conferences are among my favorite pastimes. Still, I’m pretty excited for this year’s lineup, especially Ornette Coleman.

  3. ORNETTE COLEMAN!!!!!!can’t wait to hear him play.apparently his group is a drummer and 3 bassists.should be great.

  5. It’s too bad that Greg Cohen isn’t touring with him, though. He recorded on his last album with the double, double bass configuration. Also, it’s too bad the cheapest ticket is $37. Oy.

  6. should be all basses. They could do a jazz version of “Big Bottom.”Re: scmoozing: I used to jet out of there as soon as the last act was announced. Now I have to do more glad-handing then ever. But I like it a LOT more. Something about B-town schmoozing felt so insular. But then again, everything is, in its own way. OK, that’s enough philosophizing for one comment. Jazz hands!

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