We can hardly believe it.  Back in February we bought tickets to Peter Frampton Guitar Circus for the 8th day of the Festival and it has come and gone.  But back to the beginning.  Last night (afternoon really) we got in line at Max at 4 under a dripping sky with no shelter to await the 6:15 show of Hilario Duran Trio.  We were joined in line by many friends both from our “other” life and “line friends.” Fortunately the drizzle abated and we were left to stand in the cool damp until the sound check was completed by about 5:30.  Mercifully the volunteers in charge at Max have elected to open the doors as soon as the hall is available, rather than waiting until 30 minutes before which is Jazz Fest Rules.  Of course at venues with food to sell this works to the venue’s advantage as well as those waiting, a true win-win.

Going into the 8th night of music there is a tendency to get a bit jaded.  A group that is “merely” excellent and would be a wonderful show at any other time of year becomes “merely” excellent.  Where is the incredibly superb I was hoping for? This was the case with Duran and his group they really were excellent and a pleasure to listen to, but so were many other shows we’ve heard this festival and we were not totally thrilled as we might have been hearing them in a stand alone show at a club.  Also we were anticipating the Frampton show.  We left about 10 minutes before the show was over to claim our seats in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater (gad I hate that name, especially now that Kodak is a fading memory – how ironic is that?).  We were on the left center aisle in the 2nd row of the Loge with a great view of the performers and of the phone screens of the people in front of us who did not understand the meaning of “no photography/no video/no recording” like so many others all week long.  I haven’t been tempted since I really don’t need a fuzzy dark picture of a performer on stage when I can get online a sharp well lit picture.  —___ stepping down from my soap box.

Robert Cray Band opened the show with thirty minutes of great playing and singing.  There was then a thirty minute break while they reset the stage, removing all of Robert Cray’s equipment and shuffling Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus equipment forward and conducting a swift sound check before bringing on Peter Frampton.  Like so many he has grown older and grayer and balder.  He has also become a more mature performer sustaining a 90 minute show with energy and variety that kept me moving in my seat.  He brought on Don Felder, also from a past that I had not followed but now find I enjoy.  I would complain that the bass and drums were louder than necessary and prevented me from hearing many of the nuances that I am sure were there.  However they were not so loud as to drive me to earplugs or an early departure. Frampton and the other guitar players changed off instruments at every song change in a manner that was balletic.  The change of guitar in each case signaled at different kind of music and it was clear that the instruments were carefully matched to the tune and the genre.  We stayed glued to our seats through the long ovation to be rewarded with a great encore.

We swept out onto the street, having survived long lines at our respective facilities, and headed for Montage and a planned rendezvous with the Towlers.  It was not to be, we got in sight of the door and saw a waiting line 25 minutes into the set and there were smokers.  We veered off and after a stop at Abbots for Almond Chocolate Custard we worked our way to the Big Tent with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.  We arrived in the middle of “The Saints’ and the place was rocking.  We found a place to lean and joined in until the Tent was closed at 11.  We headed immediately to State Street Grill Jam Session which was packed. We found places to stand and heard a wide variety of local talent and Festival Performers.  Janelle Reichman, tenor sax with Five Play, was a standout.  We are determined to hear her group at Max at 10 tonight.  While standing and listening when one set ended some idiot loudly whistled his approval in Carol’s ear causing a lot of discomfort for her for the rest of the evening.  If you must whistle, scream, yodel your approval PLEASE be sure no one’s ear is in line, you could cause pain and hearing loss.  If I knew who the culprit was, I would press charges for assault.  –__ second soapbox in one post, remarkable.

Tonight’s plan, if it can be called that, starts at Kilbourn with Kurt Elling, it is almost time to get in line, it is 1:35 as I write.  Then we are thinking about trying to get into the Little for Amy Lynn and The Gun  Show.  Failing that Christ Church, Gwilym Simcock, and/or Lutheran Church, Tobin Waldorff’s Wah-Wah.  As noted we plan to wrap at Max with Five Play, before heading over to State Street until time to collapse.

I’ll post a wrap sometime tomorrow and then go silent for a bit.