Blues and Jazz Fest hits A2

Tradition is a fine thing. Perhaps even the best of things. It gives consonance to the dissonant and direction to the lost and formless. In music, so much of what is popular and regularly performed depends on the fussy and unpredictable winds of mass culture.

PREVIEW
	Blues and Jazz Festival September 4-7, 1997 Various locations

Tradition is hard to form. Grunge one day, punk-pop the next, trip-hop sometime next week.

The Ann Arbor Jazz and Blues Festival exists as a monument against short attention spans and T-shirt rock 'n' roll. This weekend, gloriously spanning tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, the venerable festival beast celebrates its 25th birthday.

With music festivals these days breeding like Mormon rabbits, it is easy to forget what an outdoor concert should be like. But this festival changes all that.

From the delicate smoke of the Mr. Rib tent to the Schoolkids Records outpost to the frisbee-chuckers to the kids in the Ann Arbor Art Association, the stream of acts and artists feels less like a harangue to sell $18 CDs and more like a blessing.

This year, traditional blues artists like the 82-year-old Honeyboy Edwards and Big Jack Johnson represent the festival's more traditional roots, while folks like Beau Jocque and Don Byron (fresh from the "Kansas City" soundtrack) carry the torches of world music and exploratory jazz.

Headlining the festivities this year are Buddy Guy, tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Michigan Theater. Anyone who doubts that modern blues has urgency and fire needs to get hit with a few inches of the Buddy Guy stick.

Saturday and Sunday boast uber-hipsters Medeski, Martin and Wood and Marcia Ball, respectively. Sunday's lineup also includes local boys Transmission and Ann Arbor staples The Paul Keller Sextet. On the classier tip, Kurt Elling and his group will be playing at the Bird of Paradise on Ashley Street tomorrow and Saturday.

Tickets are available at TicketMaster outlets, Schoolkids Records and PJ's Used Records.

Blues lovers, jazz fans, purists, anarchists, sun-worshippers, dope fiends and those who wish to start off the year with a righteous, funky good time are advised to attend.

Buddy Guy (left) and Beau Jocque (right) will appear at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival this weekend. Guy headlines tomorrow night's lineup at the Michigan Theater, and Jocque will play with the Zydeco High Rollers at Gallup Park on Sunday.

09-04-97