18th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival

 

By Vic Everett LONG BEACH, California -- You couldn't have asked for a better show. Performers who appeared at the 18th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival worked the audience into such a frenzy, you would've thought former President Clinton was scheduled to appear -- what with the hordes of screaming women and all. Held at the seaside setting of Rainbow Lagoon Park on Shoreline Drive, the three day festival featured diverse jazz performers that showcased their combined talent to generations of music fans.	Thousands of jazz music enthusiasts enjoyed the 18th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival in Long Beach, California.
As one of the longest-running annual jazz festivals in Southern California, the Long Beach Jazz Festival became one of the most exhilarating festivals ever, and added an international flavor to its mix of traditional and contemporary jazz.
Members of Hiroshima perform at Rainbow Lagoon Park during the festival.	Hiroshima, the Japanese-American jazz ensemble, brought their unique style of jazz to the festival, followed by popular Japanese pianist Keiko Matsui. Closing the first day of the show was popular saxophonist Everette Harp, Norman Brown and songstress Brenda Russell. And while concertgoers have traditionally swarmed to see artists on Saturday and Sunday, Friday nights have generally been reserved for hardcore jazz fans. This year, however, something changed.
“I've never played a Friday night there before,” said Everette Harp, “and I was thinking it was going to be a slow night, but it was an incredible evening! The Long Beach Jazz Fest is first of all a great setting. I like that the audience is somewhat built-in and they know what to expect. They also have keen musical insight. The Lagoon is very cool too. Overall, it’s a wonderful musical festival. It’s one of a handful of California jazz festivals that are some of the best in the world in my mind. The production is always top notch, and Al Williams and his crew do a wonderful job with taking care of the artist.”     CONTINUED