The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival was a two-day celebration of multiple music styles that diverge wildly from traditional jazz. The famous Los Angeles venue hosted stars from the worlds of jazz, soul, funk, fusion, and hip-hop. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association celebrated 43 years of the festival over Father’s Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 17-18 while about 35,000 attendees basked in the early Summer entertainment.
Two jazz superstars, one a legend and the other a legend in the making – Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington co-curated the lineup. While Hancock did not perform, Washington led sets on both days. Well-known comedian and talk show host Arsenio Hall reprised his role as this year’s host. Over the course of the weekend, there were shout-outs by Hall and several of the musicians for Juneteenth, hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Black Music Month, and Pride Month. The Bowl uses a massive revolving stage for the festival, so acts played back to back with only Hall’s one-liners and introductions to break up the music.
While some of the name acts are big draws, several of the lesser-known performers were treated as background music as attendees dug into all types of food and booze which they set up picnic style at their seats. The Bowl’s liberal policy allowed fans to haul in pretty much anything except weapons. We saw people enjoying elaborate feasts, bubbly, and cocktails while the music played. The party atmosphere extended to attendee attire – in addition to nattily dressed patrons, we saw a variety of stylish hats, light flashing tiaras, and multi-colored rabbit ears (a throwback to when the festival was hosted by Playboy). There was even an element of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras as many wore beads and threw them generously to each other.
Hancock and Washington made sure that a wide variety of music styles, with both newcomers and established veterans, were represented at the festival. It is always encouraging to see youngsters like members of the LA County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles Unified School District Beyond the Bell All District Jazz Big Band, and the Cardinal Divas of University of Southern California drum line get the experience of a lifetime performing at the famous venue. Well-known acts like Bell Biv DeVoe, Digable Planets, and Butcher Brown had big fan support over the weekend, but we were particularly impressed by the following performances:
Samara Joy is a 23-year-old New Yorker who recently burst onto the Jazz scene, winning Grammys for Best New Artist and Jazz Vocal Album. Her voice and style are reminiscent of legends like Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billy Holiday. Joy was visibly emotional during her Bowl appearance and expressed thanks to Hancock and Washington for the opportunity. The audience was blown away by her incredible pipes, vivacious stage presence and rock solid backing band. She sang a few of the songs from her Grammy-winning album including the title track, “Linger Awhile” and “Sweet Pumpkin.” She also did a beautiful version of Benny Carter’s “A Kiss From You” which was originally recorded by Shirley Horn.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones have been mainstays on the festival circuit and their lead singer Paul Janeway knows how to grab an audience. At the Bowl, the band ran through several of their soul and funk-infused songs. “Fire and Brimstone,” “Bright Light” and “Wolf in Rabbit Clothes” showed off the band’s chops with great horn arrangements and passionate singing by Janeway. The former accountant got his groove on and stunned many in the crowd by writhing on all fours at the front of the stage while singing passionately.
The wildest moment of the weekend took place when Janeway stretched the limits of his wireless mike by trekking deep into the crowd. He high-fived and hugged audience members along the way, ending up adjacent to bleacher seats and on the edge of the roof for a sound engineer’s booth. While belting out a song on that roof edge, one over-excited female fan decided to join him from the bleacher seats. She was dancing with Janeway and stepped out beyond the edge, falling through the canvas roof. Janeway miraculously continued to sing as the concerned crowd became quiet. A security guard and Janeway helped the woman up and sent her, unharmed, back to the bleacher seats as the crowd cheered enthusiastically. Safely back on stage, Janeway and the band finished with fine versions of “Like a Mighty River” “Broken Bones” and “Call Me.”
Kamasi Washington has done an amazing job of turning on jamband and rock festival audiences to the improvisational crossover appeal of jazz the past few years. The former UCLA Ethnomusicology student has played at the Bowl several times and his band put on a stellar performance on Saturday night. His incredible group ripped through songs that spanned traditional jazz, hard bop, funk and hip-hop.
Washington’s tenor sax was roaring from the opening notes. For “How I Became a Madman,” the bandleader brought out North African singer Ami Taf Ra, his significant other and the mother of his daughter, to join the band. She, along with regular vocalist Patrice Quinn added a nice element to the mostly instrumental set. The band closed with a powerful three-song medley – “Street Fighter Mas,” “Re Run” and “Fists of Fury,” Washington’s cover of the main theme from Bruce Lee’s 1972 film, Fist of Fury.
The Soul Rebels brought their unique New Orleans brass band sensibility that blends jazz, funk, soul, and hip-hop, to the Bowl audience. With six horns, including Manuel Perkins Jr.’s booming sousaphone, the crowd enjoyed several high-energy songs by the band. “Turn it Up,” “Rebelosis” and “Greatness” featured amazing horn arrangements, solos and impassioned raps. Bounce rapper Big Freedia joined the band for a few songs and added to the animated performance. Dancers from the Cardinal Divas group joined Big Freedia for some impressive twerking during “I Heard,” “N.O. Bounce” and “Gin in My System.”
R&B and jazz vocalist Ledisi, with her outstanding, four-octave soprano voice, wowed the Bowl audience. She has been nominated for fourteen career Grammy Awards, winning her first in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category in 2021. Talking about her early struggles in the industry, the defiant singer told the crowd, “They told me I’m not good enough and I’m not pretty enough. Well after 30 years I’m still here.”
Her performance included fabulous versions of her “Add to Me,” a scat-filled “Alright” (during which she quipped, “It’s a jazz fest so you’ve got to have some scatting”), and the autobiographical “Pieces of Me.” Her latest single “I Need to Know” got big applause and a passionate ballad called “Anything for You,” which was the Grammy winner, also was a crowd favorite.
West Coast Get Down had the honor of closing the festival. The all-star lineup includes Kamasi Washington, Miles Mosley, Tony Austin, Cameron Graves, Ryan Porter, Ronald Bruner, Brandon Coleman, and Patrice Quinn. The members of the group grew up together in Los Angeles and several are part of Washington’s main band that performed the day before. Pianist Cameron Graves led a powerful medley of songs that included “Spaceship is Leaving,” “Adam and Eve” and “Zelda.” Upright bassist Miles Mosley sang lead on a jazzy version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child.” Vocalist Patrice Quinn sang a very passionate “Blackman” that included marvelous piano and tenor sax solos.
When Washington introduced soul singer Leon Bridges, he told the crowd it was an honor to play with him for the first time. The Grammy winner came out from the wings and led a three-song medley that included powerful versions of “Born Again,” “Bad Bad News” and “Kings and Queens.” The interplay between Bridges’ vocals and Washington’s sax was wonderful. Once Bridges departed, Washington and the other horns went on a journey with a couple of Joe Henderson compositions.
Washington eventually introduced Raphael Saadiq, who came out playing electric bass. The dynamic, multi-Grammy-winning singer and producer pranced around the stage as he sang lead on a four-medley mini set. They opened with Herbie Hancock’s “Come Running To Me,” then launched into Saadiq’s “You’re the One I Like,” “Sunlight” and “Skyy, Can You Feel Me.” Saadiq departed to loud applause and West Coast Get Down wrapped up the festival with Mosley’s super funky “Abraham” and John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” which had another mind-bending solo by Washington.
It was an invigorating conclusion to two pleasurable days of music and fun in SoCal’s most magnificent venue. Arsenio Hall conveyed the feelings of the crowd when he said, “Are you kidding me?”
Photographs taken by Craig T. Mathew/Mathew Imaging at the Hollywood Bowl,
provided courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
