MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL PART 1

SEPTEMBER 27- 29, 2024

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY TOM EHRLICH ©

This years report on the Monterey Jazz Festival is presented late due to problems with the timba.com web site.

The report will focus on the Afro-Caribbean Muisc groups at the festival and some time in the future a feature story on the Pedrito Martinez Group by Kevin Moore will be posted. 

Traditionally the Afro-Caribbean Music presented at the festival has been either jazz groups or orchestras which play dance music for listening such as Tito Puente.  This year for the first time I am aware of, the festival had a salsa dance group every night where the audience was encouraged to dance.  The group was Christian Pepin &. Orquesta Bembé, a Bay Area All Star group which played every night of the festival, each night being a different set of music.  Pianist Jonathan Montes was the only musicain who was not from the Bay Area - originally from Puerto Rico now residing in Los Angeles.

Friday's group consisted of:

Christian Pepín  - leader, percussion and coros

Karl Perazzo - percussion and coros

Ernesto Mazar-Kindelán - bass an coros

Jonathan Montes - piano and coros

Christelle Durandy - vocals

Braulio Barrera - vocals

Bill Ortega - trumpet

Oscar Soltero - percussion and coros

Christian Pepín leader, percussionist and coros

Ernesto Mazar-Kindelán bass and coros

Karl Perazzo percussion and coros

Christelle Durandy vocals

Braulio Barrera vocals

Jonathan Montes piano and coros

Bill Ortega trumpet

Oscar Soltero percussion

The band added two more horns on Saturday and Sunday - Tony Peebles on sax and Ora Folen on trombone.

What follows are images for the band's performances on Saturday and Sunday.

Dancers and band

Christelle Durandy and Braulio Barrera

Christian Pepín

Christelle Durandy and Braulio Barrera

Christelle Durandy and Braulio Barrera

Jonathan Montes, Karl Perrazo,Ernesto Mazar-Kindelán, Christian Pepín and horns

Dancers

Bill Ortega

Bill Ortega

Braulio Barrera and Christian Pepín

Christelle Durandy and Christian Pepín

Chriistelle Durandy

Christelle Durandy

Ernesto Mazar-Kindelán

Ernesto Kindelán

Jonathan Montes

Karl Perrazo and Christian Pepín

Dancers

Karl Perrazo

Karl Perrazo

Karl Perrazo

Dancers

Ora Folden

Ora Folden

Oscar Soltero

Oscarf Soltero

Tony Peebles

Each concert was well attended and the audiance enthusiastically enjoyed the music.