There are sterile definitions and soulful realities. And nowhere is that more applicable than in characterizing the members of a music ensemble who perform with a headliner. Sidemen are those players that round out the musical ensemble. Few headliners have not also been sidemen. Talent, inspiration, and relationships, along with concert and recording dates (musicians don’t live by music alone), pull together remarkable ensembles of exceptional musicians.
The term sideman is probably most attributable to jazz. In jazz, the technical elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, tone, dynamics and form are important, but soul is the lingua franca. If players–headliners and sidemen both–are soulfully harmonious, the audience will almost surely be jazzed.
At each Monty Alexander Jazz Festival in Easton, MD, on Labor Day Weekend, we feature a video of Monty playing with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977. Monty, as sideman, joined Ray Brown, Jon Faddis, Jimmie Smith, Ray Brown and Milt Jackson. At last year’s Festival on Saturday night, Monty was joined by Frank Vignola, Houston Person and Bobby Thomas among others. Each is a brilliant musician and is often the headliner.
This year, Chuck Redd, who is one of the Eastern Shore’s favorite jazz performers on both the vibraphone and drums, will join an all-star group of sidemen who also are headliners on Thursday night at the Academy Art Museum with vocalist Caterina Zapponi.
On Sunday of this year’s Festival, Alicia Olatuja, who sang at President Obama’s inaugural, will be the headliner. One of Alicia’s sidemen will be Christian McBride who is a three time Grammy award winner and is frequently leading his own trio. Harold Mabern, a wonderful pianist, will be joining the expansive tenor saxophonist, Eric Alexander who will headline the Saturday afternoon Festival concert. Harold is often the headliner of his own trio.
The Tidewater Inn and the Avalon Theatre become jazz central for an extraordinary gathering of musicians over Labor Day weekend. Headliners and sidemen (and women) will all be making the short walk to the Avalon for an exciting lineup of concerts. We hope you will join them. To purchase tickets to the Monty Alexander Jazz Festival, visit ChesapeakeJazz.org.
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