New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Yamaha has been the longest-term major partner to the festival, having provided the pianos and drum sets for all festival stages for more than four decades.
John Clayton, Christian McBride and John Patitucci perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival (c) Monterey Jazz Festival-JimStone
"Inspiring young musicians is at the core of what we do, as we work to improve the music experience for both the artist and the audience. Jazz is a uniquely American art form that will remain vital for years to come, particularly as more and more kids get involved," said
David Jewell, Yamaha.
The Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) recently completed its 61st event, with nearly 40,000 visitors enjoying a stellar lineup of 500 artists performing more than 120 shows on eight stages.
Held
September 21 through 23, MJF is the longest running annual gathering of jazz enthusiasts, and Yamaha has been the longest-term major partner to the festival, having provided the pianos and drum sets for all festival stages for more than four decades.
"We are incredibly grateful for the 42 years of partnership with Yamaha," said MJF Managing
Director Colleen Bailey. "Together we are making an indelible mark on the music industry by continuing to support the development of the next generation of musicians and music lovers."
Addison Frei, a 2013 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program winner and current Yamaha Artist, delighted audiences at the festival with his performances on a Yamaha AvantGrand N3X hybrid piano.
On Saturday night, Yamaha Artist John Patitucci joined fellow bass players Christian McBride and John Clayton for "Remembering Ray Brown," a tribute to the legendary jazz double bassist best known for his work with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald. Patitucci, who has been at the forefront of the jazz world for the last 30 years and is a three-time Grammy award winner, was also on stage for Sunday night's "Celebrating Michael Brecker," featuring fellow Yamaha Artists Randy Brecker and Antonio Sanchez, along with Gil Goldstein, Donny McCaslin and Adam Rogers.
"It was a huge honor to be part of a tribute to Ray Brown, someone who deeply inspired Christian, John and me, and raised the bar for all bass players and for music in general," said Patitucci. "As for honoring Michael Brecker, he was such a close friend who had a huge impact on my life. To play with the other musicians, who also loved Michael, was a very emotional moment for all of us."
Yamaha Artist
Norah Jones closed the festival, performing with Brian Blade and
Christopher Thomas on the Jimmy Lyons Stage.
Other Yamaha Artists in the spotlight at the festival included drummers Terri Lyne Carrington, Marcus Baylor and Jamison Ross, as well as saxophonist Keith Loftis.
During the festival, Yamaha invited young attendees to the Yamaha Musical
Experience Tent, where they were able to try out the company's professional-quality instruments including the Xeno trumpet,
Custom Z alto sax, BB bass guitar and DTX electronic drum set.
"One of the best parts of the festival was seeing our tent packed with high school and college kids playing jazz on our instruments," said
David Jewell, marketing communications manager, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Inspiring young musicians is at the core of what we do, as we work to improve the music experience for both the artist and the audience. Jazz is a uniquely American art form that will remain vital for years to come, particularly as more and more kids get involved."
For more information about the Monterey Jazz Festival, visit https://www.montereyjazzfestival.org. For more information about Yamaha, visit https://usa.yamaha.com
