It was a beautiful
day in the neighborhood where Jazz first flourished in Oakland when Portfest,
a World Music and Jazz Festival took over the Port of Oakland's Middle Harbor
Park at the end of Seventh Street. July 30, 2005, was the day: perfect weather,
immaculate lawns, fresh breezes, children frolicking in the sun all against
a backdrop of the San Francisco skyline and the gantry cranes and cargo
containers of Oakland's working port.
Khalil Shaheed's
Oaktown Jazz Workshop led off the festival. Khalil did not play in this
group as he usually does. As the organizer of this event, he must have been
busy elsewhere, but somehow Khalil always gets the best out of these young
musicians, nurturing the stars of the future.
Dave Ellis, himself
a product of the Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble from a few years back, provided
a goal to shoot for. His group started out mellow and sensuous, and then
became more heard-edged, always perfectly in tune with the day.
However, Kenny
Garrett disappointed me a bit. This was high-energy, outdoors Kenny, not
at all as subtle and interactive as he was when I heard him at Yoshi's last
year.
The Mo' Rockin'
Project served as the world music portion of the festival, and to my ears
proved to be the most intriguing. Opening with Yassir Charly's oud solo,
the set was co-led by Khalil Shaheed on trumpet and African talking drum
and featured Moroccan music against a rockish beat laid down by a traditional
Jazz rhythm section. Don't ask me how, but it worked.
At sunset, the
star attraction, Hugh Masekela, came on. The signature South African beat
and signature brightness of Hugh's trumpet lit up the park. Although the
anti-Apartheid lyrics are now blessedly a bit archaic, their message of
joy and freedom swept over the park as the crowd danced joyfully in the
waning sun
A few minor quibbles:
lack of publicity, confusion over transportation (the festival provided
a shuttle, and AC Transit's 13 line serves the park on weekends, but neither
of these facts was mentioned anywhere), and lawn chairs were allowed (but
this policy was not announced). But all of this will be corrected next year,
I hope, at the Second Annual.
Thank you Khalil. Thank
you Oakland.
By Nina J. Hodgson
Back to: August 2005 Vol. 15 No. 4 Table of Contents
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