Monterey Jazz Festival

Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane is a second-generation performer following his legendary father, John.

Monterey Jazz Festival tour brings stellar lineup of Clayton, Coltrane, Payton, Sanders, Midon and Hutchinson

Shaun Brady, For The Inquirer
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2016, 1:08 AM

Launched in 1958, the Monterey Jazz Festival now stands as one of the longest-running jazz festivals in the world and has become one of the flagship events of the jazz calendar. It would be difficult to name a legend of the last six decades who hasn't played the festival; its lineups have boasted the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, and countless others.

To celebrate the festival's 50th anniversary in 2008, a supergroup of contemporary jazz greats was assembled to carry the spirit of the fest on the road as the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour. Since then, the idea has been reprised several times, and the latest incarnation of the all-star ensemble will perform at Princeton's McCarter Theatre on Friday.

Led by musical director and pianist Gerald Clayton, the current lineup features saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, guitarist/vocalist Raul Midón, bassist Joe Sanders, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Everyone in the band has been featured at the festival over the years, and Clayton and Coltrane are second-generation performers: Coltrane following his legendary saxophonist father, John; Clayton his father, bassist John Clayton, and uncle, saxophonist Jeff Clayton.

The band represents a cross-section of contemporary mainstream jazz, respected but recognizably tethered to the tradition, on the forefront without being forbiddingly avant-garde. In that sense, the members make ideal ambassadors for the California festival, which routinely hosts the leading lights of the moment, offering a full-spectrum snapshot of the state of the jazz art with hints of where it might be heading.

Clayton and Sanders first came to the Monterey County Fairgrounds as part of the Next Generation Jazz Festival, MJF's 45-year-old student competition. "I have a lot of personal memories of being up there in my developmental years, seeing the fairgrounds and some really inspiring shows, and getting to meet some of my heroes," Clayton reminisces.

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