A2 Jazz Fest
The ninth annual A2 Jazz Fest was held on September 28 and 29 at First Congregational Church and The Raven’s Club in downtown An
n Arbor. There was no charge to anyone attending, but donations were accepted and a portion of the profits from a food and an aroma oil vendor went to the festival. A2JF continued its commitment to educating and supporting young jazz enthusiasts with workshops for middle and high school students on Saturday with Sean Dobbins and Rob Bickley on Sunday. Learn more at a2jazzfest.com.
We saw the Dobbins session, and he is an inspired teacher to watch as he playfully prompts students to “pick two notes in the blues scale,” echo and repeat. This exercise sets up a call-and-response rhythm to encourage listening to each other to create an active, unified sound. Quartet leader, bass player and Saturday performer, Laura-Simone lent her support. They used songs like “Moanin,” “Caravan,” and “C Jam Blues” by Duke Ellington. The two groups of a half dozen students were from Accent Pontiac (accentpontiac.org), led by Tia Harvey and Sarah Cracknell. Another piece of advice Dobbins passed along was “if you can sing it you can play it,” as a way to generate ideas and have fun jamming at one another’s homes on a weekend.
On Sunday Rob Bickley advised students from Ann Arbor Community High School, “move your attention around, and wait for something to move you,” and “include the audience in the back of the room.” The students looked like they really enjoyed working with the veteran musicians, even though they might have been a bit nervous. Dave Sharp and Anna Gersch produce this festival with eduction of young players as a prime focus.
After the student performances on Saturday afternoon, bassist Laura-Simone, who studies with Rodney Whitaker at MSU performed, followed by the Rick Roe Trio, featuring Whitaker and Ali Jackson. Sunday, prior to Theo Croker rocking an SRO audience, the Jeff Haas Quartet took the stage. Three pieces stood out: “Longetivity” [sic] began with a piano solo with long riffs up and down the keyboard, then transitioned into a broad pulsating rhythm throughout. Haas explained that the title reflects the struggle that people are facing now. The next piece was “Tsuris” — a Yiddish word meaning trouble or worries — though Haas described it also as the courage being displayed in response. The last piece was called “Shakeed,” referring to someone who’s watching over you. Haas’ sense of humanity is clearly reflected in his music. His caring is also shown by the 30 years he’s spent on the Building Bridges with Music program that have reached 700 schools, first in Detroit, and now in his home of Traverse City. Talking to him afterwards Haas told us, “Music is what ties us together. Right now it may be the only thing.”