My visit to the San Diego Jazz Party (February 21-23 of this year) was a real pleasure: good music proliferated in comfortable surroundings among very nice people.
But a special delight was seeing guitarist Mundell Lowe in action: melodic, gentle, compelling without raising his volume or playing one superfluous note.
And his graceful playing belies his birthdate: April 21, 1922, which means he was two months shy of 92 when these videos were done. Ponder that. Music keeps him young. And listening to Mundell will surely have the same salutary effect on us.
After these performances, Party founder Dave Cooper presented Mundell with the SDJP Jazz Legend award; it seemed to all of us that Mundell had generously awarded all of us the gift of unforgettable yet unpretentious music.
In this he had some masterful assistance and comradeship: Bucky Pizzarelli, Dave Stone, and Ed Metz — superb embodiments of swinging melodic improvisation.
WHAT AM I HERE FOR?:
A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE:
PUT YOUR DREAMS AWAY:
I’LL NEVER BE THE SAME:
LESTER LEAPS IN:
Please notice: the love of melody, of sweet sound, of floating medium tempo, of taking-your-time ballad playing. These players know how to tell unforgettable stories in one solo chorus. Masterful and memorable.
The 2015 Party will take place at the Hilton San Diego / Del Mar in Del Mar, California, on the weekend of February 20-22, 2015. Details here.
May your happiness increase!