The energy was infectious at a ‘magical weekend’ of the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Last night, Trombone Shorty, aka Tony Andrews, had a persistent question for the Monterey Jazz Festival audience at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.

“Are we having a party, Monterey?”

The answer was an emphatic “yes.”

Pam Marino here, after one of the most memorable and epic closing act performances at MJF in recent years. 

Andrews, in his third MJF appearance, energetically marched onto the stage, dressed in a bejeweled white jacket and jeans, with a trombone in one hand and a trumpet in the other, hoisted above his head, his backup band creating a wall of incredible sound.

We watched as Andrews held a single note on his trumpet for a few minutes straight on one song, and later came off the stage into the stadium and then up into one of the stands playing his trombone, leading a New Orleans-style second line of parading audience members. 

It was a triumphant ending to what was a solid festival, in part thanks to bookings by Bruce Labadie, the San Jose Jazz festival and artistic director, who came in to pinch hit after MJF parted ways with former MJF artistic director Darin Atwater after only one year for reasons never made public. Several artists this weekend thanked Labadie by name for inviting them to MJF.

From here the artistic direction is in the hands of Gerald Clayton, who was introduced from the main stage on Friday night as MJF’s new artistic adviser by Monterey Jazz Board President Ken Gordon. 

A few hours earlier at the very start of the festival, it was standing-room-only inside Dizzy’s Den, aka the fairgrounds’ Salinas Room, to see Clayton, a Grammy-nominated piano player, and his father, legendary bass player and Grammy winner John Clayton, play together. It was a beautiful set of jazz to begin the weekend with.

In between that opening set and Trombone Shorty, there was a mix of great jazz, blues and Latin music. More than one artist talked about the good energy they were feeling at the festival. 

That good energy was captured well by Christian Sands, the commissioned artist of the 68th MJF, in six original songs performed Sunday afternoon with his bass player and drummer and three students from the Next Generation Orchestra—Allie Molin on trumpet, Khalil Childs on alto saxophone and Ryan Kaplan, tenor saxophone—representing jazz’s future. It started with “SPARK 1958,” representing the creation of the festival. It included an evocative piece about Monterey and the festival itself called “Cypress Nocturn,” and ended with “Speak on it,” about the community formed between the musicians, audience and all the fans that have made MJF a success for 68 years.

Some artists reminded us how music can be a form of protest. 

Gregory Porter took us to church on Friday night with his 2016 song “Take Me to the Alley,” with lyrics apropos of the time, about the people who prepare for the “coming of the King,” by gilding their houses and lining the sidewalks “with every sort of shiny thing,” but will be surprised when Jesus says to take him to the afflicted and the lonely who need help. 

Porter followed with his 2013 song “Musical Genocide”—a protest song about the death of classic blues and soul music—leading the stadium audience in singing the line, “I do not agree,” over and over again. At one point Porter sang in between, “And I don’t mean the music.”

Singer Dianne Reeves similarly encouraged the audience to “hold onto your peace,” and to remember there are more than 300 million of us, so “stand strong, no one is wrong, fight for justice.” In her song “Peace” she improvised about not needing social media or Amazon: “You don’t need to shop, you just need to be together.”

As the weekend drew to a close, Clayton made the introduction to Trombone Shorty, calling it a great way to end a “magical weekend.” Clayton was joined on the stage by Monterey Jazz Managing Director Bobbie Young and music producer Jason Olaine, who will be assisting Clayton in the coming year with bookings for MJF 69. Olaine promised they have some great plans.

“It’s going to be off the hook,” Olaine said.

From “SPARK 1958” to 2026, the long tradition of the Monterey Jazz Festival lives on.