The Sound of Surprise

By John Basile

From the 2006 Provincetown Pocket Book

In a town that knows something about entertainment, the Provincetown Jazz Festival looks like a standout summertime event, not only for it’s lineup of talent, but for the relaxed settings it offers. The jazz festival promises to deliver soul-satisfying music with a healthy dose of fun.

In only its second year, the jazz festival has gone from a one-day event to three days, Friday to Sunday, August 11 – 13.

Singer Lea DeLaria headlines the Friday night concert at Provincetown Town Hall. Called “every inch a star” by The New York Times, DeLaria, due out soon with a CD featuring jazz versions of David Bowie tunes, says she loves performing for Provincetown audiences. “The Audience is so appreciative; they just can’t wait for the music!”

Saturday Night, Zoe Lewis – a Brit raised on the music of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald – takes the Town Hall stage. Jazz has been called “the sound of surprise,” and that just about sums up Lewis’s act. Expect to hear a jazz ukulele tune among standards, swing, and Latin sounds.

Provincetown’s resident diva Suede was such a hit at the first Provincetown Jazz Festival that a return engagement seemed only natural. Describing herself as “a cross between Ella Fitzgerald and Bette Midler, with a dash of Louis Armstrong,” Suede accompanies herself on piano, guitar, and trumpet, backed by her stellar band.

Carol Wyeth, also a big part of the first Provincetown Jazz Festival, will be back and performing with a band led by drummer Bart Weisman, who is also the jazz festival’s producer and driving force. The debut recording by Wyeth and Weisman was described by The Cape Codder newspaper as “a lovely mélange of sound that enhances Wyeth’s rich vocals.” More of the same is expected when they hit the stage at this year’s festival.

The festival wraps up with a Sunday Afternoon Jazz Jam Brunch at the Cape Inn in Provincetown. Saxophonist Bruce Abbott will lead a revolving cast of players from all over the Cape. On alto, tenor, or soprano sax, Abbott is a star and a thoughtful, intense player. His task for the Jazz Jam will be to keep more than thirty musicians into various combinations. A different rhythm section will play each hour of the four hour session.

The jazz festival will bring some back to the time, now long gone, when Provincetown was a regular stop for many top-name jazz artists. But, it will also point toward the future. “Twenty years from now, as the festival matures, we can look back on this and say we all participated in something that is a big, ongoing musical event for the town,” says Weisman.