Monterey Jazz: The Music, the Festival, and the Community

Monterey Jazz (00:01)

I can't believe it. I am totally pumped today because joining me, Bobbie Young and Mike Knapek from Monterey Jazz. Bobbie, Mike, welcome to Jazz Piano Skills.

Bobbie Young (00:19)

Thanks, Bob. Nice to be here.

Mike Knapek (00:20)

Thanks, Bob.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (00:21)

Man, super excited to have both of you on. You know what? Before we dive in and start talking about the festival, why don't each of you take a few minutes to introduce yourself—your relationship with Monterey Jazz, what you do there, how long you've been there, and so on—so all the Jazz Piano Skills listeners can get an idea of who we have with us today. Bobbie, let's start with you.

Bobbie Young (00:46)

All right. Hi, I'm Bobbie Young. I'm the managing director of Monterey Jazz. I've been with Monterey Jazz since 2015. I started out as a volunteer coordinator and eventually worked my way up through the ranks, taking on different positions and doing different things for the festival throughout the last 11 years. This is my 12th festival, which is really exciting. For me, it's always been such a joy to be part of this organization and its legacy and history. I did not start out in music education or music programming. I was a YMCA director for 35 years, but basically what that does for you is give you the opportunity to do a lot of different things, and that does help in this position. I'm not a musician. I do not sing. I do not play an instrument.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (01:48)

Well, that's important, because musicians don't know how it all works!

Bobbie Young (01:57)

Everybody asks, "Do you play an instrument?" I'm like, "You don't want me to." "Do you sing?" No.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (02:00)

So what attracted you to Monterey Jazz? How did you get there? What was that connection?

Bobbie Young (02:07)

It's a story—we won't take up the whole time with it—but I actually met my predecessor and another previous employee when I used to volunteer for the Steinbeck Center here in Salinas, California. I became their premium volunteer because, you know, we do things. When they moved to the Jazz Festival at the beginning of 2015, they realized they needed a volunteer coordinator. They called me and said, "Do you want to do this?" I was like, "Yeah, sure. I've never been to the Jazz Festival before." And they said, "Neither have we!" I started as a contractor in April and ended in September. Then I did it again the next year because they asked, "Do you want to come back?" And I'm like, "Well, of course I do. Silly." Then they offered me a full-time job in 2017 as community engagement manager—to get out into the community and explain our education programs. A lot of people don't associate Monterey Jazz with our year-round education programs. That was my job, and that's how I got involved.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (03:24)

Absolutely. That's fabulous. And now look at you—you're the head honcho. You're the one who makes everything happen. Without you, the whole thing collapses.

Bobbie Young (03:37)

Well, that's not true. I've got a good team. Without the team, there would be some major gaps. But they do call me the Swiss Army knife.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (03:50)

I imagine. The most important thing, obviously, is that you're enjoying it.

Bobbie Young (03:56)

I do. I love it. It's a great organization, and I get to work with people like Mike.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (04:03)

Speaking of Mike—Mike Knapek, why don't you introduce yourself and let the listeners know who you are?

Mike Knapek (04:12)

I'm on the board at Monterey Jazz. It's my third year on the board, but before that, Jennifer and I started going to the festival in 2014. We've gone back every year, including the simulcast during the COVID year, and got to know more people connected with the festival. I was asked to become a board member, and this is my third year. Bob, you and I started our lessons in 2015. It was kind of on a lark that Jennifer and I went to our first festival. We were out here visiting, looking around, saw that this was going on in September, and really loved it from the first time. Then you and I hooked up in 2015. I've been taking jazz lessons from Bob since then, so my love of jazz has grown. I didn't know anything about a lot of the performers. Charles Lloyd was at the first Jazz Festival we attended, and I didn't know Charles Lloyd from anybody. We've gotten to meet Monty Alexander, and we've heard great performers like Chick Corea. I'm on the board; Bobbie and the staff run this thing. It's just a great organization and a lot of fun.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (06:01)

Mike, when you say you're on the board, what does that entail? What does a board member like you do for Monterey Jazz?

Mike Knapek (06:10)

We help raise money. We help sell tickets. I'm also on the finance committee with other board members, and we try to keep an eye on the finances and where things are going. Bobbie works hard to get information to us so we can figure out how to do things better, identify things that may not be working, and find ways to keep things going. There are various committees on the board. How many board members do we have, Bobbie?

Bobbie Young (06:55)

Seventeen.

Mike Knapek (07:00)

And that's growing. We're getting additional board members, I think, in January. As a board member, I attend meetings and participate in fundraising activities and ideas, including educational activities.

Bobbie Young (07:19)

And they're our advocates for the festival out in the community. We're a small team of full-time staff—only eight of us are there all year long. Our board members are out there talking about us, helping sell tickets, helping raise money, and helping raise awareness. Without our committed board, we'd just be some little thing happening over here that people might not remember—although they do remember because it's pretty phenomenal! The board members are really great.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (07:54)

I can assure you, Bobbie, that Mike is a great advocate for Monterey Jazz because he brings it up often. I'm glad he does, because I think the more people who know about it, the better for jazz. All right, that's all fantastic. But I'm going to speak on behalf of the listeners. As jazz lovers, musicians, and enthusiasts, I'm not sure there's anyone who hasn't heard of the Monterey Jazz Festival. It is a big deal. However, I would venture to say that most listeners, like myself, probably have very little understanding of its history—how it started, who started it, and what the goal was. I'd like the two of you to tag-team and give us the background and history of this incredible festival and the key people involved from the very beginning.

Bobbie Young (09:15)

Sure. Mike and I can tag-team because he's sent me information on some things I didn't even know about, so I appreciate that. The first Jazz Festival was held in 1958 at the exact same place we are now: the Monterey County Fairgrounds. We've been at the fairgrounds for 69 years. Ralph J. Gleason, Jimmy Lyons, Dave Brubeck, Clint Eastwood, and other individuals came together. Ralph and Jimmy were radio DJs, and they had been playing jazz. They felt it was really important to bring a festival to the West Coast. They got together, and—as Mike noted—Dave Brubeck played for the Monterey City Council to help get them to buy into the program. The first festival was held the first weekend in October. They brought out Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Dave Brubeck, and all these phenomenal names in jazz. I don't know if they thought it would hit the mark and keep going as long as it has, but that's part of how it got started. We have wonderful photos from the very beginning. There's a beautiful photo from after the festival at Ricketts Lab in Monterey—Doc Ricketts, part of Steinbeck's stories and Sea of Cortez. There's a group sitting around a piano after the festival. They're still playing, drinking their whiskey, smoking their cigars. It's a really cool historical reference for what we did.

Mike Knapek (11:24)

At our last retreat in January, one of the other board members, David Barnard, told everybody there is still one person alive who performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958, and that's George Coleman. He's a saxophonist. I did some research on Mr. Coleman. He's a self-taught saxophonist and performed with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Chet Baker, Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland, Cedar Walton, and many others. He was a schoolmate of Charles Lloyd's. He still performs, so it's remarkable to me that an individual from the first festival is still performing.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (12:40)

How old is George Coleman?

Bobbie Young (12:43)

He's 91. He was 21 when he first appeared at the Jazz Festival. I went back to look at the original program to see if I could find his name, but I think he was so young that he was kind of just listed as a musician.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (13:02)

Is he performing this year?

Bobbie Young (13:07)

No. When our wonderful musicians start to get to that level of legacy, let's just say, whether or not they choose to travel is always a consideration. We were thinking about it, and I'll talk to our artistic advisor about next year. He'll be 92. John Handy came out a couple of years ago at 92 and performed with our Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. It's always an option. Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter are in their 80s, and they'll be on stage this year.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (13:50)

What a great testament that music is for life—something you can enjoy as a musician forever.

Mike Knapek (14:02)

I want to add something about Jimmy Lyons. Bobbie talked about how he was a DJ. Bob, you and I have talked about Erroll Garner's great album Concert by the Sea. Jimmy Lyons emceed that, if you will. He introduced his friend—"I want to introduce you to my friend, Erroll Garner." That was in 1955 at the Sunset Center in Carmel. Jimmy Lyons was the artistic director from 1958 until 1992.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (14:42)

What year was that album again?

Mike Knapek (14:46)

1955.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (14:47)

And it's still one of my favorite all-time albums. It's a classic. Bobbie, I know you mentioned earlier that you do not play an instrument and you do not sing. However, I hear some singing. Who's singing?

Bobbie Young (15:04)

It's my white turtle dove in my home office. This is her time, and she sings all day long. She's beautiful. At the end of the day, I'm like, "All right already, I heard you!" She's a lovely part of our family. She definitely talks quite a bit, and eventually she'll start to laugh a little bit if she starts jumping around. It's a whole thing. She adds a little melody in the background.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (15:46)

That's awesome. All right, Mike, you mentioned Jimmy Lyons. Hypothetical question: if Jimmy Lyons came to the festival this year, what would he recognize and say, "Yes, this is the Monterey Jazz Festival," and what would surprise him?

Mike Knapek (16:18)

Bobbie, I've got to say something about the chairs. First of all, if you look at old photos and videos of the Jazz Festival Arena, it's virtually the same. Bobbie and I laugh about the metal folding chairs. I promise you, some of those folding chairs are from the early '60s.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (16:54)

Same chairs!

Bobbie Young (16:55)

He'd probably look at it and say, "Same chairs, same stage."

Dr. Bob Lawrence (17:01)

You should tell people, "Erroll Garner sat on this chair. Chick Corea sat on this chair. If you want to sit on this chair, donate such-and-such dollars!"

Bobbie Young (17:18)

Actually, the chairs we have now are about 32 years old. Every 30 years it's time to get new chairs, right? So right as Jimmy was leaving, those chairs came in. He would recognize those chairs. Like Mike said, the arena is virtually the same. The bleacher section of the side box area was built out in 1963, so that would be familiar. He would probably take a look at the grounds and go, "What the heck is this?" because there's so much more. When they first started, the festivals had two stages; now we have five. All the food vendors, where we have them, the RVs that have come in—those things would probably surprise him. But the music is still the music. I think he would be pleased with what's on the stages and the performers who are out there.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (18:30)

What was his initial vision for the festival? Did he envision that it would get to this stature and beyond? What was he thinking?

Bobbie Young (18:45)

I don't honestly know what he was thinking because it's hard to find records. We have some board minutes from way back when. I strongly believe Jimmy brought this in to bring jazz to the West Coast and maintain that—to continue providing live performances by musicians the West Coast wouldn't otherwise have had access to. There wasn't a whole lot of that going on in California. There weren't as many jazz festivals. Every year was a new year. I think they were thrilled to continue, bring out new acts and performers who would surprise people, and stay as true to jazz as they possibly could.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (19:46)

The two of you are obviously involved in carrying on that vision. What are the board and staff envisioning for the next 60 years? What are you hoping Monterey Jazz accomplishes and achieves?

Bobbie Young (20:11)

Mike, why don't you take that first since you're a board member?

Mike Knapek (20:15)

One thing we see is that we have to evolve. If it were up to me, we'd be listening to nothing but the Great American Songbook. But we have younger, more hip audiences. What we envision is: how do we keep it as successful as we've been, and what performers do we bring in who are going to appeal to other audiences? One young person who comes to mind, who likes to play the Great American Songbook but goes beyond it, is Joey Alexander. I met Joey when he came to the festival with Quincy Jones, and he's back this year. I'm also thinking about the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra—the young people and the music they're playing. I enjoy listening to and watching them as much as anyone. Keeping that Next Generation group going every year is important. We've had people like Emmet Cohen and Benny Green in that group, and Bobbie can tell you many others who have gone on to become great performers. I think that's our objective going forward.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (22:14)

Let's talk about that a little more. You mentioned the Next Generation. Let's talk about the education side of Monterey Jazz. This is something a lot of people aren't aware of. When we hear "Monterey Jazz Festival," we immediately think of great musicians, performers, concerts, and the festival. But let's talk about jazz education. Bobbie, fill us in on what Monterey Jazz is doing.

Bobbie Young (22:44)

That's something that has been going on from the beginning. It was one of the reasons Jimmy and Ralph applied for 501(c)(3) status: they were providing education to students here. We currently have 15 different programs in our education area. We have our Regional All-Star Big Band, Regional All-Star Vocal Ensemble, and a Middle School Combo. Students from across Monterey County send in videos and audition. They come together twice a month to rehearse. They start in November, rehearse and rehearse, and then they get to perform. We have about 44 performances over the summer where our education students are out in the community performing music and jazz. The middle school group is our feeder group for the high school group, because you need to keep that going. Then we have our national programs. The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra started in 1972 as the California All-Stars. That was also an audition program. Back then, students had to come in because there wasn't video or another way to audition. Now we have more than 200 students from across the United States auditioning for 21 seats in the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra big band. That orchestra has produced individuals like Ambrose Akinmusire, Emmet Cohen, Benny Green, Patrice Rushen, Joshua Redman, Donny McCaslin, and Elena Pinderhughes. It goes all the way back. Individuals who were part of our program became professional musicians and are spreading that joy and supporting education. In 2019, we started the Women in Jazz Combo. Through our Next Generation Jazz Orchestra auditions, we found that a lot of young high school women were having a hard time getting into jazz bands. We heard that, so we began the Women in Jazz Combo. We have six young women who apply, audition, get chosen, and work with our Women in Jazz Combo director, Katie Thiroux, who in her own right is a phenomenal composer, bassist, and vocalist. Katie works with Berklee College of Music, and the women get to go back in January for workshops, performances, and all this information. They also receive scholarships to that program. Before COVID, our Next Generation Jazz Orchestra used to travel and tour. They spent many years going to Japan to MJF in Noto, a sister program with us, and also to Montreal, Vancouver, and other locations. Post-COVID, of course, that slowed to a stop. Our current director is Gerald Clayton, a phenomenal pianist and composer whose family has a long history with Monterey Jazz. We're thrilled to have him. That's the band portion of what we do in education. In the fall, we take jazz to our community in North County and South County in Monterey and bring a jazz band out. This year it's Corbin Jones's group. We put on concerts for anywhere from 1,300 kids in one auditorium to 500 kids in a basketball court down in South County. We bring them concerts because these are kids who might never otherwise hear jazz. Then we have a traveling musician who comes in and does workshops with the same group of kids. In the spring, we have a traveling musician who works with high school music teachers here in the county, to give back to our county and our kids and keep them interested in what we're doing. We kicked off two programs this year that I'm really proud of. One is a collaboration with Guitars United to provide a guitar program for 13 North County elementary school students. They signed up and were given a guitar that they get to keep. They took guitar lessons for eight weeks and recently put on a performance. It was amazing to watch them blossom. We love that and will be doing it again. We also started a music therapy program for a high school where the students are managing PTSD in some form. We began the program in hopes of providing them a little respite from their general days. Since 2019, we've also been working with HBCUs. We started with Texas Southern University as our first HBCU partner, giving students opportunities to come to the Jazz Festival and perform. They bring their ensemble and choir, and sometimes production students who want to learn production or communications students who want to work with marketing. We're looking to expand and change that program a little in the coming year.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (30:08)

You just blew me away. I did not anticipate the depth of what Monterey Jazz is involved with and committed to when it comes to education and serving people. I think that speaks volumes about everybody working there and the vision you have for the festival and Monterey Jazz. I'm the director of the Dallas School of Music, and one of the things I remind faculty about all the time is this: the people we serve are much more important than the music we teach. I love music. I love jazz. But it's what music can do for people and how it can help people. I'm so thrilled to hear that Monterey Jazz is committed to that as well. Again, everybody listening thinks of Monterey Jazz and thinks of concerts and the festival. They're not necessarily aware of all this great work you're doing with education—helping people be exposed to jazz, learn how to play, and be involved in jazz in some way, shape, or form. I'm speechless. Mike, you've never told me about all this!

Mike Knapek (31:29)

Well, I'm learning some myself as I'm sitting here. A lot of people initially think about the Monterey Jazz Festival. In fact, we've stopped calling the offices "Monterey Jazz Festival." I've got a shirt on that says, "Monterey Jazz: Timeless Since 1958."

Dr. Bob Lawrence (31:51)

You know what? I picked up on that since we started this show. I've heard Bobbie reference "Monterey Jazz" and then say "the festival."

Mike Knapek (32:01)

It's more than a three-day festival. That's everybody's initial reaction: "What do you mean you have to get ready for it? Isn't it just a three-day deal?"

Bobbie Young (32:15)

I wish it was that simple!

Mike Knapek (32:19)

Going back to a previous question you asked, I'm not sure Jimmy Lyons envisioned this much. Bobbie and the staff—it is a year-round job. It blows me away to listen to what they do and the number of people they reach. That's an important thing to convey to potential donors. It's a message we try to get out and probably don't do a sufficient job of getting out: if you think it's just a three-day festival bringing in people from around the world or country to perform, it's much more than that, and your dollars are going to much more than that.

Bobbie Young (33:30)

We host the festival so we can have education programs. That's basically what we want to do. The band and vocal groups I talked about all perform at the festival. That's part of the big jump for them—to be able to perform. The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and Women in Jazz perform because they're national bands, but our regional groups also get to come in and perform. There's one program we didn't even talk about because it's an adult program. We have an adult music program called Trading Fours for people who are interested in jazz as adults but may not know exactly how to go about it. We have an instructor, they have classes, and they get to perform a couple of times a year as part of our educational programming. It's pretty cool to see all of that. And Mike's right—it never stops. That's okay.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (34:36)

It's fabulous. Mike, as a board member—and Bobbie, you're a witness to this—take this to the board: start talking about what Monterey Jazz can develop online with regard to education, so it can reach people who don't live in California. Think of the educational value for people whether they live elsewhere in the United States or abroad. That would be fantastic.

Bobbie Young (35:13)

We've actually had that conversation with the staff. We have talked about how we go about that. Again, remember, we're a team of eight. I have one education director, so we think about things like that: how can we do it?

Dr. Bob Lawrence (35:32)

That's a huge opportunity. You already have the Monterey Jazz brand, but a lot of people aren't aware of the education side. It could add incredible value to people around the world, who might then actually travel to come to the festival.

Bobbie Young (35:53)

They could travel and come out and visit with us. I did forget about summer camp!

Dr. Bob Lawrence (36:00)

You have a jazz summer camp for students? That's fantastic.

Bobbie Young (36:03)

We do. We have jazz camp.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (36:11)

Is that open for all ages or just children?

Bobbie Young (36:13)

Middle school through high school. Next year it'll be a week, and we're talking about bringing back an overnight camp so kids from outside the county can come in, stay at camp, and get the full experience.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (36:36)

What about an adult summer camp?

Bobbie Young (36:39)

Wouldn't that be fun? We'd have to figure out a way to do that.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (36:42)

I'd come! I'd be part of the jazz summer camp. I'd learn a lot and get to play. That'd be fun.

Bobbie Young (36:50)

We'll have the high schoolers teach technology!

Dr. Bob Lawrence (37:00)

Tremendous. Let's talk about the festival itself. You're in the throes of preparing for it right now. When is it happening this year? What are the dates?

Bobbie Young (37:13)

September 25th through the 27th. In about 33 or 34 days, it happens. On Friday, the gates open at 3:00 and close at 10:30. Saturday and Sunday run from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (37:34)

How fun is that? For listeners who've never been to the Monterey Jazz Festival, if they said, "I'm jumping on a plane, going out there, having a little vacation, and going to the festival," describe the Monterey experience.

Bobbie Young (38:05)

To me, one of the most special parts of the Monterey Jazz Festival is the community you feel the minute you walk onto the grounds. We have patrons who have been coming since 1958, and they will tell you they've been coming since 1958. It is a family atmosphere. If you've never been before and want to give it a shot, you can do grounds and just get a feel for it because you've got four different stages. We hear this a lot: the minute we say Monterey Jazz, people say, "No, I don't care for jazz." And I'm like, "Are you sure?" There are so many different genres of jazz. Even I can walk through the grounds, hear something on one stage, and think, "Hmm," and keep walking. Then I'll hear something somewhere else and think, "Okay, now that's..." It is a very communal gathering where you're going to make fast friends with somebody you're standing or sitting next to. Then you want to see them every year, and it becomes a family reunion. We have patrons who say, "This is the only time I get to see my friends because we all come together for this every year." And then, of course, you have Monterey itself. In September, the weather is beautiful. It's still light until about 7:00 or 7:30 at night, the breeze is cool, and the ocean is literally a mile away from the fairgrounds. It's that whole family or communal feel—walking in and knowing you're going to find a friend. Everybody's happy to be there. Jazz makes people happy. One of the things we tell people when they think, "Meh, jazz," is that you're listening to jazz a lot if you really think about it. You may not recognize it, but if you're on hold on a phone, you're most likely listening to some jazz tune. If you're watching TV, between commercials there's going to be jazz somewhere. You may be listening to Latin jazz and not realize it's Latin jazz, or blues and jazz. Either way, you're going to find something that brings you in. On top of that, we have 50 arts-and-crafts artisans selling what they make, 28 food vendors with a variety of international offerings, and a merchandise hall with all of our logoed merchandise. Artists also go there to sign CDs, albums, or whatever they've brought for patrons. There's always something going on.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (41:36)

That's fabulous. Somebody can come, make a vacation of it, enjoy the music and all kinds of arts and crafts. That's fabulous.

Mike Knapek (41:49)

Jennifer and I figured this out the first time we went: it is the most interesting people-watching place you will ever see. Beyond the festival itself, the Hyatt Regency is less than a mile—maybe a mile—from the fairgrounds, and that's where a lot of the artists stay. The happening place after the festival ends each day is to go back to the Hyatt. It's jammed, and the artists go back there and play. They have good old-fashioned jam sessions. Years ago, I was up at 1:30 in the morning at the Hyatt, and Hubert Laws was performing. I got my picture taken with Hubert Laws. Chris Botti will come and perform. There are local performers in the area who also perform. David Morwood is a drummer—he's a heart surgeon by day and a drummer by night—and he performs in the area regularly. They come and perform. Bob, throughout the years I've sent you photographs. I'll take pictures at the festival of performances or people walking around. I'll text Bob constantly during the festival.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (43:53)

My phone is blowing up when the festival's going on because Mike is sending me everything. I get all kinds of pictures and videos.

Bobbie Young (44:00)

You need to come out then, Bob. Just saying.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (44:04)

I do. It's been on my list. I definitely want to come out, be a part of it, witness it, and enjoy the festivities. I think it would be fantastic.

Bobbie Young (44:17)

It's really a lot of fun. We talked earlier about where we see it going. We have patrons who've been coming since 1958. We have seasoned ticket holders—renewable ticket people—who've had their seats forever and are going to hold on to them. The interesting part is that they put them in their wills to their kids or their best friend because you don't want to lose those seats. One of the things we think about as we evolve into the next 70 years is: what is that going to look like? I cannot imagine that in 1958 Ralph, Jimmy, and Dave Brubeck were sitting there saying, "Well, in 70 years you're going to need to be doing..." I don't think anybody was doing that. For us, it's a matter of how we keep it alive and bring in that younger crowd—people in their 20s through 40s. Every now and then, we've got to put some jazz-adjacent musicians out there who may not exactly hit that jazz-savvy person, but who will carry a younger crowd into the festival. Because, like Mike said, once you come in, you're hooked. That's the great part about it. It's lovely.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (45:53)

"Evolve" is a great word. Push the boundaries of jazz. That's what jazz musicians do—they push boundaries. As I was listening to both of you talk, a thought came to my head: jazz needs Monterey.

Bobbie Young (46:16)

Thank you. We feel the same.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (46:19)

I really do. Jazz needs Monterey, so you must keep it going. Let's talk about this year's festival. Bobbie, if somebody is going to jump on a plane and come enjoy the weekend, who are some of the great artists we're going to hear?

Bobbie Young (46:40)

First off, we still have some really good seats left in the arena. People can go to our website and click "Get Tickets," and it'll take them where they need to go. There are arena tickets. Arena tickets give you full access to the whole festival grounds. We also have a lawn section at the back of the arena for people who like to move around a little more and don't want to sit in a chair. And we have a grounds package if you're not really wanting to sit still. For the arena this year, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra open for us.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (47:33)

Stop right there. I'm buying a plane ticket.

Bobbie Young (47:37)

We're excited to have him join us. As everyone knows, he's announced his retirement from Jazz at Lincoln Center, so he's in a kind of goodbye-tour mode—not that that's officially what he's calling it. The night before, he's our Jazz Legend at our gala on Thursday night. We present a legend each year. Chick Corea was one, Quincy Jones was one, Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves—they're all over the place. He opens Friday with Cécile McLorin Salvant singing with him that evening. We end Friday night with the Eddie Palmieri Experience. Eddie Palmieri Jr. is going to come up and perform his dad's music. On the grounds that night, we have Nick Finzer doing a tribute to J.J. Johnson. We have the Melissa Aldana Quartet. Ron Carter is performing on the grounds with his Foursight Quartet. That's going to be a phenomenal show. Kate Kordmeier will be there. Katie Thiroux gets to do a performance. Saturday, we open with Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, the young blues guitar phenom. He was with us in 2019, and we brought him back and put him on the main stage. I'm really excited about that. Then we have David Sánchez. We have Ravi Coltrane coming on because his father, John, would have been 100 years old this year, so he's doing some work. We have Reggie Watts. Our artistic advisor decided to bring some comedy back to jazz because Mort Sahl was our MC back in 1958 and brought comedy into the mix. We have a commissioned piece by Meshell Ndegeocello. She's doing our America 250 commission. Then Cécile McLorin Salvant closes out that night. Sunday, our Next Generation Jazz Orchestra performs on the main stage with Rufus Reid, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Gerald Clayton. We have Brittany Davis making her debut on the main stage in the arena. Aja Monet, a spoken-word artist, will be with us Saturday afternoon. Then Charles Lloyd comes on to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Forest Flower. We end Sunday night with a Herbie Hancock/Miles Davis tribute performance featuring Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter. The arena itself is amazing, and through all of that there are about 50 other performances. The Bad Plus is coming back for their farewell tour. Ambrose will be playing on the grounds. We have Amy Tan and Joey Alexander. Amy Tan, the author of The Joy Luck Club and The Backyard Bird Chronicles, and Joey are best friends, so they're coming out to do a performance based on The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Kanoa Mendenhall, a West Coast bassist, will be performing as well. Gregory Hutchinson is going to be on stage. Saturday and Sunday we're doing the Bulldog Bass Jam. Ray "Bulldog" Drummond, a great bassist and performer who grew up here, recently passed away. So we're doing a bass jam, and all the bassists at our festival are going to be on stage performing with Sylvia Cuenca on drums. Rufus Reid is going to be here, Brian Blade is coming, Reuben Rogers is going to be here. There are so many—you can't even begin to think about the list.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (52:05)

What a lineup.

Mike Knapek (52:08)

Bob, every year the festival comes out with a lineup—particularly when I was just starting to go—and I would print it out, hand it to Bob, and say, "Who should I not miss?" He would always tell me, "You've got to see these people." I'll add something about the Ron Carter/Herbie Hancock performance. It's been a long time since they've done something like this together.

Bobbie Young (52:55)

They performed, I think, the last time here—or maybe the last time with Miles. I know Miles performed in 1991, I believe. I don't want to get that wrong. My archival manager would say, "Dude, you should have checked with me first." Our marketing manager and archivist is an incredible historian. You can ask him, "Who played on the stage in 1962 at three o'clock in the afternoon?" and he'll tell you. He's the stat guy, and he'll correct me if I get it wrong. Ron and Herbie did perform just a couple of days ago at the Hollywood Bowl with their groups. This time, it's just the two of them. That's how we end Sunday night.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (54:00)

How special is that? What a great opening and a great ending. You can't do any better. All right, Bobbie, I'm going to challenge your memory. Just start naming some of the big names in jazz who have played at the Monterey Jazz Festival. You've already mentioned Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck. These are big-time hitters.

Bobbie Young (54:36)

Okay: Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hargrove, Cal Tjader, Sarah Vaughan, Ornette Coleman...

Dr. Bob Lawrence (54:55)

Ella Fitzgerald?

Bobbie Young (54:56)

Ella actually never played the festival. She played at the Sunset Center in one of the pre-concert situations, so she never actually played at the festival. I know—we're all like, "Wait, what? That doesn't seem right." Miles played numerous times. Charles Lloyd has played numerous times. Oscar Peterson played. Dexter Gordon played. Erroll Garner came out. Dave Brubeck played many, many years. We have a beautiful picture of him standing behind the arena with horses in the background because it was the fairgrounds. Bill Evans played. Charles Mingus. Monty Alexander. There's a great album out that the Charles Mingus estate re-released of his performance at Monterey Jazz. It has an opening by Jimmy Lyons, and it's amazing. I could pull up the whole list, but anybody who's anybody—the Who's Who—has been here.

Mike Knapek (56:22)

Did John Clayton play? Gerald's dad?

Bobbie Young (56:24)

John has played numerous times. John Clayton has played with his big band. He and Jeff Hamilton have come out. Chick Corea, for goodness' sake. Quincy Jones. Chris Botti has been out here. Jacob Collier has played on our stage. Emmet Cohen has played.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (56:55)

It's an all-star lineup, no doubt. That's a testimony to how important Monterey Jazz—the festival and the organization—is to jazz, because of all these performers supporting it, coming out, playing, and being part of it. The history and legacy are phenomenal.

Bobbie Young (57:15)

And they still say it was their dream to play at Monterey Jazz, or their honor to play at Monterey Jazz. To me, that's the driving force for this organization: that legacy people still hold for this festival.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (57:38)

It's certainly been enlightening today. Everybody has heard of the Monterey Jazz Festival, but what a treat to have both of you on today and hear about all the other great things Monterey Jazz is doing for jazz and jazz education. Truly eye-opening. With that being said, closing remarks. Here's your last chance, Mike and Bobbie: what do you want everybody to walk away knowing about Monterey Jazz and the festival? Did you notice how I did that? Monterey Jazz and the festival. Did you catch it?

Bobbie Young (58:19)

I did. Thank you. The festival is just part of the overall umbrella. I want people to know, one, there are still good tickets available. Two, it's an experience you will never forget. Three, there are people there who are going to love you when you walk through the gate, and you're going to hear some of the most phenomenal music you'll ever hear in one of the most historic settings anywhere. We've been there for 69 years. We love it. People can always reach out and say, "So what do I do?" and we'll be happy to tell them how to do the Jazz Festival—how to MJF, as we call it.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (59:10)

That's tremendous. Mike, any last words?

Mike Knapek (59:15)

You walk around the grounds, and sometimes it's difficult to see everything you want to see because there are so many great performances going on. You'll be at one stage enjoying what you're watching and listening to, and then you'll hear somebody else performing in the background. You'll pull out the lineup and say, "We're going to have to leave this early and go over there." There's music every second of the day. Just experience it. The first time we went, it was kind of, "We've never done this before." We've gone every year since.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (1:00:13)

You won't miss it.

Bobbie Young (1:00:14)

And you're on the board now!

Mike Knapek (1:00:18)

I won't miss it. Once you do it once, you're coming back. That's the message I'd give people: do it one time and you'll be back.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (1:00:31)

That's fantastic. I can't thank the two of you enough for coming on Jazz Piano Skills, educating us, and sharing Monterey Jazz with all the listeners. I told you before we started recording that we'd go about an hour, but it would feel like five minutes. It certainly has. Would you mind coming on again next year and giving us an update?

Mike Knapek (1:01:04)

I'll do it on one condition: that you're live with us.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (1:01:08)

All right. I would love that. We'll make that happen. That would be fantastic. It would be so much fun. There's no better way to close. I mentioned this a little earlier in the show, and I truly mean it: after listening to the two of you, jazz needs Monterey. Thank you for all that you do for jazz and for jazz education. It's truly a blessing. I know I speak on behalf of everybody who loves the music, every musician who performs it, and everyone who studies it. Thank you.

Bobbie Young (1:01:46)

Thank you, Bob, for the opportunity.

Mike Knapek (1:01:47)

Thank you.

Bobbie Young (1:01:50)

Thanks.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (1:01:50)

Thanks for coming on Jazz Piano Skills, Bobbie and Mike. Appreciate it.

Bobbie Young (1:01:53)

Thanks.

Mike Knapek (1:01:54)

Thank you for having us.