Although the 56th annual Monterey Jazz Festival roster features an impressive lineup of pre-eminent jazz instrumentalists— Wayne Shorter, David Sanborn, Steve Gadd, Dave Holland, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club—it’s perhaps the vocalists who will be the shining stars this time out. “There was no preconceived notion to present singers per se,” says MJF Creative Director Tim … [Read more...] about A True Jazz Medley
Getting a Break in the Art World
Innovative glass artist Cassandria Blackmore’s life just begs to be made into a movie. A film noir screenplay of the defining moment in her professional life might read something like this: INTERIOR, CHEAP ONE-ROOM INNER CITY APARTMENT – NIGHT Seattle. Of course it’s raining. A cherished black-and-white photograph sits atop a refrigerator whose door hits the bed when opened. … [Read more...] about Getting a Break in the Art World
Where the Well-Known Wed
Carmel residents are inured to celebrity. During major events like the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am, the MotoGP World Championship at Laguna Seca, and the myriad events surrounding the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it’s common to spy someone strolling down Ocean Avenue who’s been on the cover of People magazine—or possibly a checkout-stand tabloid. And quite a few … [Read more...] about Where the Well-Known Wed
Rumble Seat Music
A few pounds of mahogany, maple and rosewood; some metal and plastic bits; a handful of simple electronic parts; a couple of ounces of nitrocellulose finish; several feet of steel wire. There are quite a few gizmos a clever, capable craftsman could bring to life with these basic materials. In the late 1950s, two groups of particularly accomplished artisans—one at Fender Musical … [Read more...] about Rumble Seat Music
It’s Always Sunny in Carmel Valley
There’s a buzz in Carmel Valley. Not too many years ago, that buzz would probably have emanated from the flies hovering around the horses on one of the Valley’s numerous working ranches. Now, in the early years of the twenty-first century, that sound is the vibrant hum of commerce, the buzz of business, the happy hum of people having fun. And it is a happy place; a place of … [Read more...] about It’s Always Sunny in Carmel Valley