Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1152518
Saturday Night Bassist and Showcase Artist Christian McBride is certainly no stranger to MJF. He's performed many times, both on his own and in support of others. This Grammy-winning Philadelphia native is seemingly everywhere in the jazz world, and rightfully so. He brings his Big Band to the stage. "We lost the great Roy Hargrove last year," Jackson says. The legend- ary trumpeter succumbed to kidney disease at the too-soon age of 49. "I asked Christian to write a piece to honor this great friend of the festival." McBride will debut this year's MJF Commission piece "Roy Anthony: The Fearless One" to begin the evening. Brazilian native triple threat pianist/vocalist/composer Eliane Elias has earned multiple Grammy awards during a career that has produced nearly 30 albums, selling more than 2.2 million copies. She will be showcasing her virtuosity while performing selections from her latest offering, "Love Stories" to the MJF audience, featuring an all-star cast of instrumentalists. Saturday's headliner is one of the hardest-working jazz musicians in the world today. "I've averaged 250 days a year on the road in the last 17 years," says trumpeter Chris Botti. "We're dedicated to keeping up this touring schedule. It's a harsh mistress, the trumpet, but Doc Severinsen is 92 and still going." Botti lays claim to the title "America's largest-selling instrumental artist" with more than 4 million albums sold. Botti has worked at the heights of the music business for decades. "My first pro gig was with Frank Sinatra when I was 21," he recalls. His leap to stardom came via a collaboration with vocalist/bassist Sting. "I was playing with [English progressive rock drummer] Bill Bruford's band and someone from Sting's organization heard me," Botti says. "I was subse- quently hired to play on a version of his song 'Roxanne.' Sting made me a promise that he would expose my trumpet to the world. And that's what happened." Later, Botti wanted Sting to add his voice to a cover of a signature Sinatra song "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." "He said 'yes,' and we've been friends ever since," Botti says. He is pleased about playing MJF. "It is the jewel of American jazz festi- vals," he enthuses. "It's got to be the most prestigious in North America. The people are so passionate, and it's so well run. It's an honor to be invited back." 194 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 9 The Jimmy Lyons Stage is ground zero for MJF performances and a Mecca for audiences. The greatest names in jazz have trod these boards in the past six-plus decades and the 2019 edition is no exception. Photo: Fred Arellano/vintagerockphotography.com Ending the 2019 MJF is the 19-piece Snarky Puppy, led by bassist Michael Teague.