Jazz Crusaders Grab Spotlight at Pasadena Festival

There were times, on Saturday afternoon, when it seemed as though much of Los Angeles had turned up in Pasadena.

The Women’s World Cup soccer contest--with its victory by the U.S. women’s team before a record crowd--was the headline event, of course.

But there was another program taking place that also drew an overflow audience to downtown Pasadena: the opening of the two-day 1999 Old Pasadena JazzFest. The fourth installment of the annual event, held in Central Park in sweltering heat, was an amiable, well-planned production, again establishing its position as one of the important showcases for contemporary-style jazz acts.

Interestingly, the most compelling performance of the first day was provided by the program’s most seasoned act, the Jazz Crusaders. The group, whose history traces back to 1961, has returned to its original title after more than a decade as the Crusaders, with saxophonists Wilton Felder and trombonist Wayne Henderson as the key members. (Differences reportedly continue with one of the original members, keyboardist Joe Sample, who was not present.)

There wasn’t much doubt about what to expect from the group, with Felder and Henderson delivering their trademark blend of blues tunes, spirited improvising and, galvanizing the entire proceedings, an irrepressible surge of funk rhythms. Although the Jazz Crusaders were programmed, inexplicably, in the middle of the concert, it was their set that brought the afternoon to life.

Keiko Matsui had the unenviable task of following, and it was only in the final moments of her set, when she slung a hand-held keyboard instrument over her shoulder, that she finally began to approach the vitality of the Jazz Crusaders. Most of the balance of her performance was dedicated to the airy, floating instrumentals--many tinged with the exotic sound of koto samples generated from her keyboards--that are Matsui’s stock in trade.

The evening’s final act was singer-songwriter Michael Franks, happily riding a new album on a new record label, his popularity also revived by Diana Krall’s inclusion of his quirky “Popsicle Toes” on her latest release. Franks’ most appealing quality is an ability to combine imaginative wordplay and lyrical melodies with foot-tapping rhythms. And he did precisely that in a song-filled set that provided the perfect climax for the evening.

Performers earlier in the day included the twin Braxton Brothers, the atmospheric “Gypsy boogaloo” of Willie & Lobo, and a set of dueling guitar and saxophone encounters between Chuck Loeb and Kim Waters.