I didn't catch every act at the Missoula Jazz & Blues Society's 2008 Jazzoula spring festival. 
Almost! Even though I usually headed wearily for home after about five and a half hours of each night's six-plus hours of wall-to-wall music.
PHOTO: Members of Sky Moose. Bassist Kevin McAuliffe, tenor saxophonist Taylor Herron, guitarist Owen Ross and drummer Jasmine Cove.
Nearly every group my wife and I heard during the four-day (April 21-24) music festival featuring mainly local talent was very, very good. If I could say only one thing about the festival, now in its fourth year and designed to piggy-back with the University of Montana Jazz Festival (April 25-26), it would be that the level of performance has improved by leaps each year.
Certainly every local jazz fan can name a favorite from this year's festival. For my money, the best act by a long shot was comprised of the youngest quartet of musicians in the fest: SKY MOOSE, a combo of two Hellgate High School students, one from Hamilton H. S. and one freshman from UM.
There's nothing cheap about my pick. Because this polished quartet
of energetic young musicians can, and did, play toe-to-toe with the
best of the fest. Two of the musicians – tenor saxophonist Taylor Herron, a junior at Hellgate H. S., and guitarist Owen Ross, a freshman at UM – had appeared, and held their own as sidemen on previous nights.
PHOTO: Leon Slater group leader Slater on trumpet and an accomplished young saxophonist from UM, Sam White.
Since they appeared first (at 6 p.m.) on Thursday's schedule, many of the audience had not yet arrived to catch Sky Moose's raucous interpretation of jazz standards and self-penned funk-jazz tunes. Depending upon where Mr. Herron, bassist Kevin McAuliffe, and drummer Jasmine Cove attend school, local audiences could well bask in the jazz harmonics of these talented musicians for some years.
At any rate, remember the name and, when this group hits the stage again, make certain to catch their act. Herron indicated the group has a solid set or two of music under their belts, and have recorded a few demo tunes already.
The four-day festival – the inspiration of tireless Missoula promoter Bruce Micklus
(photo, left) – was packed with great music and tight group performances. Micklus,
who has footed the bill since the early 1980s for numerous variations
of a local jazz festival, might just have hit upon a successful
formula. The concert venue at St. Anthony's Parish, was packed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.
I also enjoyed the edgy contemporary hard-bop chromatics of the Leon Slater Ensemble. Slater – a music teacher at Big Sky H. S. who"s filling in a temporary music position this year at UM – composed most of the tunes, many of which featured challenging variations in tempo, melody and harmony in high-energy hard-bop forays. Slater's group featured mostly students and faculty at UM, but – most notably to me – also featured Herron capably trading blows on tenor with the best of the combo.
Another group that caught my ear was the Donna Smith Band, which featured a unique instrumental front line and Smith's engaging, though not very traditional, vocal style. Another crowd-pleasing guest was clarinetist Dexter Payne, one of the charter members of the Big Sky Mudflaps who now performs and records in Brazil and visited Missoula as a guest at Jazzoula.
Each year the festival honors longtime Missoula jazz musicians and educators. This year's inductees were: bassist Pete Hand, and longtime secondary music educators Hal Herbig and Fred Nelson. PHOTO: Herbig answers questions from Micklus during his induction.
How about you? If you attended the festival and were struck by one particular group, let us know by adding your vote in the open-thread comments section
Nice post. That is Sam White on the sax in your picture where you say you'll add his name soon.
Posted by: Ed Stalling | May 01, 2008 at 04:57 PM