For the third year, after the festival concluded, the pianos used at Ravina were the centerpiece for Karnes Music's annual sale on the Ravinia grounds at the Steans Institute. According to Karnes Director of Retail Services Marty Hahnfeld, "The response has been wonderful, the festival is the real connection. Some people will only buy pianos that have been used at Ravinia."

Monterey: More Than Just a Festival

or the 42nd year in a row, the longest running jazz festival in the world served up a vast variety of continuous entertainment at the annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Held in the magnificent forest setting of the Monterey Fairgrounds in Monterey, CA last fall, the event drew over 42,000 enthusiastic jazz lovers.

     Furthering jazz education was a pledge Jimmy Lyons made in 1958, when he founded the non-profit corporation that produces the Festival. The Monterey Jazz Festival education program sends musicians into the schools, sponsors tours to Japan, and conducts a two-week summer jazz camp during which students get one on one instruction with professionals.

     It also sponsors high school jazz competitions, whose winners perform with the Monterey Jazz Festival High School All-Star Band during the Festival's Sunday afternoon concert.

     Yamaha, a long standing supporter of the Festival, assisted by supplying various pianos in conjunction with Yamaha Peninsula Music Center of San Jose, CA. Two CFIIIS and four other Yamaha grand pianos, two uprights, a Disklavier® DC3, and two Disklavier® GranTouch™ pianos were brought in for the main Jimmy Lyons Stage, the Garden Stage, Night Club, Dizzy's Den, Coffee House Gallery and the Courtyard Stage.

     A new venue, The Courtyard Stage, showcased Yamaha Specialist Sue Downs and the Yamaha Disklavier® DGT7 piano in performances entitled "Music and Technology." Downs and fellow Specialist Dan Rodowicz dazzled the audience with their talented playing and the instruments' technology.

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     More than 60 different acts performed on the Festival's six stages, along with live closed circuit broadcasts of the Jimmy Lyons Stage Concerts and select jazz videos presented in the Jazz Theater, providing continuous entertainment for three nights and two days.

     This year's Festival presented a salute to jazz in film, including "Eastwood at Monterey," with Clint Eastwood hosting his favorite musicians performing jazz classics from his films. The Terence Blanchard Group, appearing with a 23 piece orchestra, performed works from his recently released CD, "Jazz in Film," featuring his interpretations of classic movie themes.

     The Festival's stages saw great jazz performances by Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, Terence Blanchard Group, Chucho Valdes Quintet, Poncho Sanchez Latin-Jazz Band, headliners Los Van Van, Diana Krall, Kenny Barron Trio, Russell Malone Quartet, Los Mocosos, Medeski Martin & Wood, Ruth Brown, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Uri Caine Trio, Johnny Nocturne Band, Shemekia Copeland, Lucky Peterson, Asian American Jazz Orchestra, Kyle Eastwood Quintet, Regina Carter Quintet, Clark Terry & Swing Fever, Anton Schwartz Quartet, Tin Hat Trio, Stefon Harris Quartet, Marcus Shelby Trio, Wayne Krantz, Robert Stewart featuring Ed Kelly, Patti Waters, Kitty Margolis & Her Quartet, Dmitri Matheny, and the Manhattan Transfer.

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