By Michael T. Solomon

The 68th annual Monterey Jazz Festival closed out the end of September as another resounding success. The longest-running, three-day jazz festival in the world, this year’s go-around included 15 concerts on the main stage and over 50 more performances on the Monterey Fair Grounds. The music entertained more than 25,000 fans.

Sunday morning opened with Grammy recognized pianist Tammy Hall, leading her gospel troupe along with the Texas Southern University Cadence Chorale. Hall’s opening remarks explained how the Gullah people, descendants of West and Central Africans, enslaved in America, developed a culture and heritage of music “from the bottom of ships to the plantation fields.” Gospel developed in this early era of our country and became the root of all American musical genres including jazz, country, ska, soul, blues, rhythm & blues, funk, rock, hip-hop and more.

Hall’s gospel set got the crowd’s blood running with its energetic, spiritual and soulful bent.

Friday night featured the Grammy award-winning jazz songwriter and singer Gregory Porter. His beautiful voice and deep, compassionate lyrics seemed to mesmerize the crowd, especially when singing his compositions like “Take Me to the Alley,” which stresses empathy for the downtrodden and his spiritual hope for those in need.

Porter was followed that night by the inimitable bassist, Christian McBride, along with his band, Ursa Major. This year’s MJF Jazz Legend recipient and nine-time Grammy winner, McBride and his quintet dazzled the audience with his tight and glowing performance.

Saturday’s concerts included Castro Coleman, a.k.a. “Mr. Sipp,” a Mississippi blues and gospel singer-songwriter who energized the audience with a dance-inducing set. Coleman won the 2025 Blues Music Award as the “B.B. King Entertainer of the year.” Mr. Sipp’s bluesy, danceable sounds got the crowd going when he came out into the 5000-plus audience with that charismatic “Buddy Guy” style.

Five-time Grammy winner, jazz vocalist Diana Reeves followed with her unique jazz and R & B touch. Reeves’ wide, five-octave singing range defines her vocal expertise. With her accomplished jazz quartet, she kept the audience enchanted.

Keyon Harrold – trumpeter, vocalist and songwriter – proved he was also a soulful performer of jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul. This young brass man evinced memories of Miles Davis while his songs, and optimistic talks, kept an uplifting vibe going for the festival. Harrold has played with numerous other jazz greats, including Gregory Porter. His song “Let the Sun Shine In” promotes hope, joy, truth and seeking a positive outlook on life. While not a political event, many of the artists at this year’s festival recommended optimism in our country’s shadow of “darkness, despair and gloom,” yet another illustration of the gospel sentiment.

Many jazz fans have heard the Marsalis brothers, Wynton, Jason, Branford and Delfeayo, known in New Orleans as “the first family of jazz.” All are recognized, dedicated and highly respected musicians who generally play alongside of other accomplished greats. Delfeayo, the second youngest of the Marsalis musical brothers, wowed Monterey’s audience by playing trombone and leading his Uptown Orchestra comprising five trumpets, four saxophones, and three other trombones, not to mention drums and bass. Delfeayo’s set exemplified his mastery and talent as a musician, conductor and composer.

The day was rounded-out by sets from Cory Wong and Ledisi.

Minneapolis-born Cory Wong – playing wild guitar, blues, funk, rock and jazz – had the audience on their feet almost from the first note. Wong has charm, energy and chops that are a little reminiscent of Prince.

Multi-talented Ledisi capped the evening with a set of jazz and R & B songs, some from her current album, “The Crown.” Ledisi’s soulful voice and spiritual songs evoke those of Diane Washington and Nina Simone. She also digs down into her roots in gospel. Not surprisingly, Ledisi portrayed the renown gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the films “Selma” and “Remember Me.”

Supporting, nurturing and discovering the next generation of jazz musicians is among Monterey Jazz’s main missions. The festival offers many educational programs for young musicians by selecting the most talented high school students from the entire country, offering scholarships and creating performing ensembles on a local and national basis. The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra conducted by Gerald Clayton, and the Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo, presented outstanding performances this year. Individual standouts included vocalist Declan Cashman, with a silky, powerful voice, and stellar pianist Evan Wiederanders. Both of these performers we will surely hear more from. All the young musicians in these bands played extraordinarily.

Christian Sands, this year’s MJF Commission Artist, followed the Next Generation performances with his orchestra, including three incredible horn players from the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. Sands is a regular virtuoso pianist at Monterey. His premier piece this year, “Reflections from the Shore: A Monterey Suite,” showcased his superb composing and piano skills in combination with some the young musicians accompanying him.

Ninety-year-old percussionist, Pete Escovedo, and his Latin band – including his two percussionist sons, Juan and Peter Michael Escovedo – got the audience into some serious stand-up salsa with their hot, rhythmic set.

Pete, who toured with, and recorded three albums with, Santana in the 1970s, has also played with many notable artists such as Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin, Arturo Sandoval and others. Not without a sense of humor, he quipped: “My wife recently asked me if I wanted to come upstairs and make love.  I responded, ‘I can’t do both.’”

 But he can still beat out the rhythm on those congas.

The R & B and Jazz vocalist, Lisa Fischer, performed a lovely set entitled “Echoes of an Era.”  A Grammy-winner in the 1990s, Fischer also sang back-up for several artists including Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, Sting and the Rolling Stones. Her band for this performance included the very accomplished Javon Jackson on sax, and John Patitucci on bass.

Rene Marie & Experment in Truth performed a stirring tribute to Harry Belafonte. Marie’s Belafonte covers, sometimes with her own modified lyrics, brought back fond memories of the wonderful melody, creativity and activism of Harry Belafonte. It was all further brought to life by Maria’s excellent band hitting notes and Jamaican rhythms in perfect cadence.

Marie not only sang Bellafonte, but she also explained much of the lyrical meaning of his songs, thus giving the audience a reminder of his great pieces, personality and perspective on life in America.

Troy Andrews, a.k.a. Trombone Shorty, capped off the festival with his incredible, energetic funk, jazz and hip-hop performance. Andrews plays trombone and trumpet, and sings with so much energy, that the crowd stood and danced for the entire concert. The charismatic lead man came into the audience playing his funky bone slides to the crowd’s overwhelming delight. Andrews, a 39-year-old New Orleans native and icon who starred in the HBO series Treme (and was born in Treme), began performing trombone at age 5.

With his extraordinary talent and energy, Andrews and his band Orleans Avenue, will likely be wowing crowds for years to come.

For further information about the Monterey Jazz Festival, its schedules and educational programs, go to www.montereyjazz.org.