Transition

We're ushering at the 61st Monterey Jazz Festival, "the oldest continually running jazz festival in the world." Right now you're seeing the most tender moment of the day: sun's just going down, the murders of crows are peppering the sky as they fly who knows where, the arena is ready, everyone's waiting for the gates to open, it feels like I'm holding my breath.

As it turned out, this was a night filled with tap dancing! Well, they call in jookin and hip hop/street dance nowadays. Call it what you will, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featured astonishing footwork from dancers Lil Buck, Jared Grimes and Ron Myles. Earlier in the evening we heard from Dianne Reeves. I especially liked "Whatcha gonna do in November??  VOTE VOTE VOTE!!"  I don't think that's the real name of the song, but it was thrilling to hear someone in her position using her talent to wake people up, with the audience on their feet and chorussing: Vote Vote Vote!

Ushering's a hard gig as I get older. It's not the duties--my eyesight's still good enough to read the seat numbers--but it's the standing and the late hours that do me in. The music, though, is splendid. There's still magic in live performances, still some surprises left, still the sound of a horn that can break your heart even while you're surrounded by thousands of people.