Jazzin' it up

Jazz and blues fest rocks A2

"No matter where you go - even overseas - if you sing the blues, you'll get a reaction," said Thornetta Davis following her performance Saturday afternoon at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival in Gallup Park.

Innovative trombone player Steve Turre said jazz has similar influence on audiences.

"Jazz is the original world music," he said.

"It combines so many different elements. It's inclusive rather than exclusive," he added.

MICHELLE SWELNIS/Daily Members of C.J Cehnier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band play the the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival at Gallup Park on Saturday.

Audience response to their favorite artists this weekend seemed to affirm Davis and Turre's theory on their music.

More than 1,000 advance tickets were sold to Saturday's show alone.

While most lounged on blankets and lawn chairs in the park, taking in the sound, fans came to life between sets when they bombarded the musicians for autographs on everything from CD covers to denim jackets to scraps of torn paper.

"You made such an impact on me when I first saw you two years ago," a fan said to Steve Turre. "I wouldn't have missed you for anything. I just wanted to say thank you."

Although it was only revived six years ago, the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival manages to draw some of the most respected musicians to the grassy field in the back of Gallup Park each year.

"Our mission is to present blues and jazz in an appropriate setting. Listening to this music is all about having a good time," said Joe Tiboni, member of the festival's Board of Directors and host of a blues show on WEMU, Eastern Michigan's radio station.

"I think people take it for granted. The atmosphere of the show is like nothing you could find in a club or concert hall," Tiboni said.

"This is something special, something thrilling," he added.

While the music festival first sashayed into Ann Arbor in 1972, as one of the first of its kind in the nation, it lasted only two years before being forced to close.

Money troubles, combined with the City of Ann Arbor not reissuing the Gallup Park permit after the festival left it in "a bad situation" sent the show to Windsor, Canada in 1974 where, Tiboni said, it "crashed and burned."

"But the early shows were unbelievable - they featured every artist that was or would be major figures in the music world," Tiboni said. Billings for the 1972 and 1973 festivals included Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Count Basie and Muddy Waters.

Peter Andrews, a force in creating the first Ann Arbor festivals, "never let go of the idea of resurrecting" the show. And, after 18 years, Andrews teamed up with a University student group called Eclipse Jazz Series to create a non-profit corporation with the mission of making the festival happen again, Tiboni said.

Backed by the new Prism Productions, the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival took over Gallup Park once again in 1992, headlining Reba McIntyre and Al Green.

Tiboni said a hallmark of the festival is making memories.

"I remember meeting Count Basie myself," he said. "I remember introducing Charles Brown in 1993, even though I lost my voice before the show."

The 1999 musicians have ties to the festival as well.

In a rather appropriate circle, Muddy Waters' son, Big Bill Morganfield swept the stage at the 1999 festival. Muddy Waters helped christen the inaugural Ann Arbor festival.

"Ann Arbor has a long tradition of major musicians. They keep coming here because of city support and the reputation of our music festival," said Tiboni. Ann Arbor ends up with the "best mix of what people want to see."

What's next for the show? According to Tiboni, everything from making the concerts free to expanding into the night to indoor shows have been considered.

Despite possible changes, one constant will be the musicians' dedication.

"I wasn't a blues fan at first," said Davis. "I always thought of it as 'Mama's music.' But then I started living life. Once you start living life, you can appreciate the blues."

Jimmy Dillon told about how he got his first guitar when his mom matched the money he made after a summer of mowing lawns. Since then, he says, he's had fun experimenting with songs.

"I'm a songwriter first and a blues artist second," he said. "My music isn't blues only; it combines a lot of things."

Steve Turre said his philosophy on music is one others of his kind can relate to.

"I'm a musician," he said. "This is my life. I'm here. I've got to play."

09-20-99