Charles Lloyd Among Honorees At Stellar Jazz Foundation Of America Event
A stellar line-up of attendees and contributors included Jimmy Jam, Jackson Browne, Lee Ritenour, the Doors’ John Densmore, and musical director Steve Jordan.
Saxophonist Charles Lloyd, pianist Dave Grusin, and music executive Clarence Avant were all honored on Sunday night (25) by the Jazz Foundation of America in a star-packed Hollywood event.
In a fundraiser for those in need among the jazz, blues and R&B musician community, held at Herb Alpert’s jazz club Vibrato Grill in the Hollywood Hills, a remarkable line-up of attendees and contributors included Jimmy Jam, Jackson Browne, Lee Ritenour, the Doors’ John Densmore, and musical director, drummer, producer, and latter-day Rolling Stones member Steve Jordan.
Scheduled host Quincy Jones was unable to attend, as was Avant, the trailblazing founder of Tabu Records. Jam, who among his many achievements was, with Terry Lewis was the co-writer and co-producer of many of the label’s greatest recordings, accepted the award on the executive’s behalf, said, as quoted by Variety: “Nobody would know who we were if it wasn’t for Clarence and the path that he gave us and the things that he taught us and, to this day, continues to teach us.” There were tribute performances by Davell Crawford and Kori Withers, the daughter of Bill, in whose early career Avant was instrumental.
In the tribute to Lloyd, Densmore introduced stellar performances by saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Patrice Rushen, bassist Alex Al, and Jordan himself, celebrating the saxophone great’s career from his emergence with drummer Chico Hamilton at the turn of the 1960s and his reemergence in the 2020s on Blue Note Records. Now 85, Lloyd accepted his award from singer-songwriting great Browne.
Grusin, the ten-time Grammy winner and celebrated film composer, was feted by longtime collaborator and guitarist Ritenour, who also revealed that Ritenour and Grusin have just finished a new album recorded in Brazil. He and saxophonist Tom Scott performed the main theme from Three Days of the Condor before Jordan led an orchestrated medley of some of Grusin’s other best-known film scores, including The Firm and “It Might Be You,” the theme from Tootsie, written with Alan and Marilyn Bergman. As Variety reports, Alan Bergman, now 97, also played an original song in his own tribute.
Grusin, who turned 89 yesterday (26), then played a medley of his compositions and a “Happy Birthday” wish to Toto’s David Paich, before a video clip showed keyboardist Greg Phillanganes performing the same song to Grusin himself.
Buy or stream Charles Lloyd’s Trios: Sacred Thread album.
