Jazz Aspen: The Sweet Sounds of June.

Click for Info about JAZZ ASPEN SNOWMASSFor the 23rd year in a row JAS / Jazz Aspen Snowmass presented a stellar musical line-up in June. The Benedict Music Tent on the campus of The Aspen Institute is probably the best venue ever. The indoor / outdoor acoustically perfect Bedouin-style, semi underground concert hall under the big top is an Aspen treasure. The headliners of the 3-Day June Fest were Jackson Browne w/ Sara Watkins,  Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite and Tedeschi Trucks Band w/ Naturally 7. The ongoing mission of Jazz Aspen Snowmass is to present and preserve jazz and related music forms through world-class festivals, performances and education programs.  So the bands played on.

Click 4 pix:  THE SWEET SOUNDS of JUNE

Both the VIP Patron's tent and the free lawn party were bustling with bars, food stations and world music from Mezcla-Afro Cuban All Stars and Tizer a jazz rock fusion trio. Locals and tourists were dancing side by side both inside and outside the tent.  The VIP area was a decadent scene as it always is for all Jazz Aspen Snowmass events.  The food and drinks flowed copiously.  The guys looked mountain ca$h and the ladies chic and sexy. Chef Martin Oswald and the team from Pyramid Bistro created an eclectic and delicious nutrient packed menu. If I had to pick a last meal it might just  be Bryan Nelson's Garlic Shrimp chased by Pyramid's blueberry cobbler ala mode.  The lawn party was free and open to the public with food from local vendors and a large tequila bar.  While the lawn has an obstructed view, the tunes were flowing freely.  The lawn party certainly offers a less VIP experience...it's still a great vibe and open to everybody.  In fact...the lawn party is my favorite part of JAS because it makes the music accessible to all... free and open to the public.

Jackson Browne captivated the crowd at Jazz Aspen SnowmassFriday night felt like 1977 again as Jackson Browne kicked off the fest with a sweet sounding set.  A. Party had a serious flashback while shooting pix in the front row.  The Pretender, Running on Empty, Doctor My Eyes and Somebody's Baby were highlights.  Take It Easy...made famous by the Eagles and co-written by Browne & Glen Frey brought the house down.  But JB was not finished yet, as he closed it out with a rowdy rendition with My Redneck Friends.  Sara Watkins the fiddle player from Grammy winner Nickel Creek and a full band provided support.  Browne sounds great...his voice resonates a time gone by.  Even the patron's section was standing & swaying in the aisles.  If you closed your eyes...and you didn't look too closely at Jackson's youthful, but almost 65 year old face...it was a flashback to the 70's...and it felt soooo niiiice.

Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite rocked the tent.Saturday Ben Harper the Grammy winning singing song writing blues, folk, soulful, rocker teamed up with harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite to "almost" blow the roof off the music tent.  Harper and Musselwhite are touring behind their new album Get Up!.  Musselwhite known for his harp is a member of the Blues Hall of Fame.  The undisputed peak was the rousing cover of Led Zeppelin's...When the Levee Breaks.  The fairly docile crowd up front erupted in a frenzy during the crescendo of this classic rock ballad.

Sunday capped it all off with the husband & wife team of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks and their tightly knit Tedeschi Trucks Band or TTB.  With Allman-esqe guitar licks and a long musical heritage including Grammy's, TTB did it's thing to the delight of the full house and even more packed lawn party.  Opening for TTB was Naturally 7, a group of seven vocalists who replicate instruments to such a degree, that they have you looking for the actual band.  Naturally 7 are known as the "first vocal play group ever".  They received a standing O from the JAS Festival crowd.

Spectacular June weather and an undeniably awesome venue at the Benedict Music Tent made JAS's June Festival a huge success.  Whether you enjoyed the shows from the lawn or you were in the big money front row at JAS's June Festival, it crystal clear that the music , the overall vibe and the community scene was very sweet indeed.

Click 4 pix:  THE SWEET SOUNDS of JUNE

Tedeschi Trucks Band jammed at JAS at the Benedict Music Tent in Aspen. Click 4 pix.Everybody had a blast at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Fest. Click 4 pix.Mezcla, Afro Cuban All-Stars chillin' after 3 days of fun & music at the Free JAS Lawn Party. Click 4 pix.Ain't no party like a JAS Lawn Party. Free & Open to the Public. Click 4 pix.

Jamming in style at Jazz Aspen Snowmass. In the VIP Patron's tent. Click 4 pix.

Aspen / Snowmass BLOWS up for Jazz Fest

Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival, 2011Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) found the right formula for all ages at the 2011 Labor Day Festival.  JAS presented 3 days of fun and music to a large and well behaved audience at Snowmass Village Park over the holiday weekend.  Over 23,000 music fans, spanning generations took in an extremely diverse line-up of performers (see entire line-up below) on 3 stages in Snowmass.

Aspen's beautiful (and usually unpredictable) mountain weather provided a glorious backdrop for this years JAS Labor Day Festival.  JAS in it's 21st year partnered up with entertainment and  music powerhouse AEG to book a vast array of musical talent that had something for everyone. Friday night's kick-off show appealed to a younger demographic featuring progressive trip hoppers THIEVERY CORPORATION and mash-up artist GIRL TALK.  There was a mellow but upbeat vibe throughout the park with plenty of room for dancing and chillin'.  The few raindrops that fell didn't inhibit anyone from having a blast...and the sick rainbow was an added feature.

CLICK for PIX  JAS DAY 1

Good times at JAS. Michael FrantiSaturday's main stage featured RODRIGO y GABRIELA, an acoustic guitar duo who set the place on fire.  While they really don't fit into a particular genre, Rodrigo y Gabriela are quickly becoming a force in world music and the Aspen audience responded to their set with fervor.  70's rock icons STEELY DAN took the headline spot on Saturday beinging their A-game to Aspen/Snowmass.  Walter Becker and Donald Fagen displayed their eclectic, sophisticated and distinctive sound flashing the audience back to the late 1970's.  Steely Dan attracted lots of parents (and grandparents) to JAS.  The almost sold-out show got a rave reviews from the Aspen / Snowmass faithful.  AspenSpin had one pet peeve...no Rikki don't lose that number??  C'mon, son??  Saturday night included an awesome and very exclusive after party in the JAS VIP tent that allowed some of the geezers and their trophy wives to "shake it" until midnight....and they did.   

CLICK for PIX   JAS DAY 2 (VIPs gone WILD)

Sunday's show was SOLD OUT.  11,000 people, man Brush Creek Road is closed.  Sunday's musical offerings appealed to everyone.   MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD performed their brand of good-time music and got the capacity crowd into that good-time zone.  Franti and his band mates spread their love, peace and social justice throughout the fest.   ZAC BROWN BAND is simply the hottest group in Country Music today.  Brown and his band of country rockers based in Georgia have paid their dues and are finally getting their just rewards...including a Grammy for best new artist in 2010.   There was not an empty swatch of grass in Snowmass, as every inch was packed. 

CLICK for PIX   JAS DAY 3 (Git 'er Done)

The 2011 JAZZ ASPEN SNOWMASS LABOR DAY FESTIVAL was a huge success.  Measure it any way you want to... BIG Fun, BIG Fans, a lively but well behaved crowd and no DUI's recorded.  Congratulations to JAS, AEG, the musicians, the Town of Snowmass and RFTA  for doing a great job presenting top flight entertainment in a festive, grooving holiday atmosphere.   TIA/S.  This is Aspen / Snowmass.

Donald Fagen of Steely Dan at Jazz Aspen Snowmass

Zac Brown Band sold out show Jazz Aspen Snowmass 2011Zac Brown Band members kicking it out in Aspen