Berkeley Jazz Festival

D-​e-​a-​a-​o, Daylight come and me want go home… at 80, Belafonte is tireless in his humanitarian efforts as an activist and was the recipient of the first Berkeley Jazz Icon award. And yes, the man graced us with a verse of the song he will eternally be equated with. This tribute was a real treat in the midst of a concert that brought out many artists that we have scarcely seen since the seventies. It was as if time stood still as Randy Crawford belted out ‘Street Life’, accompanied by Joe Sample. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as Roy Ayers, Jean Carne, Lonnie Liston Smith, Wayne Hendersen and one of my favorite singers, Jon Lucien performed, and still has an amazing rich and deep voice. It seems like yesterday, when we would bring the rice balls, chicken, potato salad, and fruit salad, feasting while we drank in the rich sounds of Grover, Donald Byrd, Pieces of a Dream, Miles, Stanley Clarke, and countless other jazz greats over a 3 day lineup sitting high up on the hill overlooking the tower, the San Francisco bay in the background and feelin’ the 420 buzz… yes, those were the days… excuse me while I get out my vinyl and reminisce.
update: we lost another great artist… Jon Lucien passed just a few days after this concert… bless you for your gift to us all… RIP