By Barbara Smith

You don’t have to go to Sedona to get the vortex,” shouted emcee and KJazz radio jock Bubba Jackson at the conclusion of Saturday’s Jazz in the Pines concert in Idyllwild last weekend. “You just have to come right here.” Levitated by great vibes, over 3,000 music lovers imbibed some of the greatest jazz sounds in one of the most idyllic settings to be found right here in southern California. In its 17th year, the Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines is a mere hour’s drive from the Inland Empire and boasts a stellar lineup of fine artists year after year.

Set in the beauty of Idyllwild’s lofty green forest and mountain blue sky, the 2-day fest with its 3 talent-filled stages is the perfect way to retreat back to the simple pleasures of nature and soak up a satisfying potpourri of sound. Featured this year were Tom Scott, Kenny Washington, Oscar Hernandez and David Benoit among many others.

Sax man Tom Scott headlined the Main Stage Saturday with a beautifully assembled set highlighted by several numbers from his Grammy-nominated “Cannon-Reloaded” CD, a tribute to the legendary Cannonball Adderley. Joined onstage by trumpet great Gilbert Castellanos, their ensemble gave fine renditions of Cannonball classics including “The Chant,” “Stars Fell on Alabama,” and “Jive Samba,” which was punctuated by a brilliant drum solo from Clayton Cameron. “All Blues,” another classic, this from the iconic Miles Davis Quintet, showcased a crack rhythm unit with Hamilton Price on bass and Philippe Saisse on keyboards.

Vocalist Kenny Washington gave a cool playful performance that met with awed audience approval.  He mixed it up with sweet ballads like “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” along with “What a Difference a Day Makes,” “Desafinado,” and “Bye Bye Blackbird.” His supple scat-enhanced vocal arrangement of Miles Davis’ “All Blues,” showcasing his 4-octave range, added an exuberant counterpunch to Tom Scott’s brilliant earlier instrumental.

A short distance from the Main Stage was the French Quarter, where all the party people assembled for a lineup of Motown, R & B and hard-hitting blues. The Greg Jones Band rocked the house big time with their rhythm-inspired tribute to Motown with an added New Orleans flavor. Leggy vocalist Ariah “Firefly” Velasquez along with Jones and Gene Thorpe on bass and vocals, delivered hard-driving rhythms and had the dance floor jammed in a booty-shaking exhibition. Tables strewn with colorful mardi gras beads and confetti added to the revelry. The Chuck Alvarez Band, a foursome of gritty guitar, bass, keyboard and drums, followed suit in a festival-closing set that left fans screaming for more.

But partying, albeit a happy byproduct, is not what Jazz in the Pines is all about. Produced by the Associates of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation, the festival is a major scholarship fundraiser benefiting deserving students at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and Summer program, a daring and pioneering arts innovation that began as a dream in 1946 to establish a remote place where people of all backgrounds could come together to experience the arts. Today, the Idyllwild Arts Academy has grown to become the first independent boarding high school for the arts in the western United States and is a fully accredited college preparatory school that prepares artists for conservatories and professional companies as well as colleges and universities. The Academy and Summer program now attract some of the most talented young artists from around the world, providing instruction in music, theatre, dance and other fine arts.

One such student, Jacob Scesney, set festival goers on fire with an explosive performance with the Harry Pickens trio at the Stephens Recital Hall. A multi-talented 17-year-old who plays sax, flute, clarinet and piano, Scesney is excited about the training and performance experience the school provides as he pursues his dream of becoming a professional jazz musician. Fielding congratulatory post-performance hoots and hollers from an appreciative audience, the young lion shared his excitement about the art form he loves. “Jazz is always changing. It gives you a way to always be creative, to preserve the old and bring in what’s new.”

Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines fulfills that bold mission of honoring legends and blazing new trails in the world of jazz.