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Jazz Fest a chance to see stars, up-and-comers

By John Kenyon

Those who have attended the Iowa City Jazz Festival for a few years know that the event is a good place to see established stars as well as up-and-comers.

This year is no exception. They don’t get much bigger than Dave Holland and Bill Frisell, but years from now festival-goers may be bragging about having seen artists like Chris Potter and Lionel Loueke before they became big stars.

This year’s performance by guitarist Frisell will be his first in Iowa City since headlining a night of the 2000 festival. He returns with a dozen more albums from which to draw, including one with fellow headliner Holland. Given that history, it’s likely the two will play together at some point Sunday night. Holland follows Frisell to close the festival.

Frisell’s latest project involves a suite of songs inspired by the Depression-era photography of Michael Disfarmer. An album is due July 21, and it would be a safe bet to assume the guitarist will let the jazz fest audience sample a couple of these shorter tracks.

He performs as part of the Bill Frisell Quartet with bassist Tony Scherr, drummer Rudy Royston and trumpeter Ron Miles (Miles led his own group at the festival in 2003).

Bassist Holland, meanwhile, will perform with his long-established quintet: trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibes player Steve Nelson, drummer Nate Smith and saxophonist Chris Potter.

Holland has been performing even longer than Frisell, and seems to have played with everyone at one time or another. In recent years, he assembled and recorded a big band, adding another facet to his already-impressive compositional skills.

Here, he is more likely to play the more adventurous work he has recently recorded with this quintet, or reworked versions of songs found on 2008’s Pass It On, recorded with a sextet that included pianist Mulgrew Miller.

Potter has a busy weekend in store. Before backing Holland on Sunday, he’ll lead his own quarter, Underground, earlier in the day. That group includes Holland drummer Smith, guitarist Adam Rogers and keyboard player Craig Taborn, who will play a Fender Rhodes. That promises to be one of the more swinging, eclectic sets of the festival.

That brings us to the artist you’ll likely brag about having seen in years to come. Loueke is an African guitarist who made his name as a sideman for Herbie Hancock and Terrence Blanchard. On his own as a band leader just since 2004, Loueke took a big step forward last year with the release of his first album on fabled jazz label Blue Note Records. That disc, Karibu, finds Loueke playing smooth songs driven by African rhythms and his own playful, sensual guitar work. He accompanies himself at times with wordless vocals that nudge the melodies along.

His usual band, Gilfema, which includes drummer Ferenc Nemeth from Hungary and bassist Massimo Biolcati from Italy, will join him in the headlining spot Saturday night. The three musicians met as students at the Berklee School of Music, Loueke says.

Playing as a sideman is different from leading your own band, but Loueke says the differences aren’t necessarily artistic.

“I like the challenge in music and I always push myself very far so that I can get to the unknown zone where the magic happens,” he says. “I adjust my playing to different situations but it's me at the end with my own sound and personality. Being a leader gives you some extra work to do — not musically, but in terms of business.”

He says he grew up listening to Blue Note albums, from Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue and John Coltrane’s Blue Train to several from Wayne Shorter’s fertile mid-60s period, and adds that he never thought he would join them on the label.

As his career grows, Loueke will have the opportunity to mix more intimate club dates with large, outdoor festivals like this weekend’s in Iowa City. He says he likes both types of venues, and tailors his sets accordingly.

“I love playing outdoors at Festivals because that means it is summertime — the  mixture of the many musicians and the different types of music certainly influences me and excites me,” he says. “I always love to hear what other talented people are up to. My choice of tunes is different when I play outdoor gigs because the vibe is so different than at an indoor venue or small jazz club. For outdoor gigs, I always make my decision after the first or second tunes because the audience gives me the direction of the set, if people are really listening or if they are there for the party. Both options are OK with me.”

Friday, July 3
4:30-5:30 p.m. United Jazz Ensemble
6-7:30: The Des Moines Big Band
8-9:30: David Sanchez Quartet

Saturday, July 4
2-3:30 p.m. Diplomats of Solid Sound
4-5:30 p.m. Orquesta Alto Maiz
6-7:30 p.m. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
8-9:30 p.m. Lionel Loueke Trio

Sunday, July 5
2-3:30 Bob Levy and the J.O. Trio
4-5:30 Chris Potter's Underground
6-7:30 Bill Frisell Quartet
8-9:30 Dave Holland Quintet