By Rosine Alleva – Rock At Night EU Editor
How exciting for Rock At Night to attend this internationally renowned Festival for the first time! In an open-air venue, with a huge stage, amazing sound and a warm welcome from the organization, everything was absolutely perfect!
The San Javier Jazz Festival had an eclectic range of fantastic artists. Marcus Miller, Judith Hill, Kenny Barron Trio and D.K.Harrell were phenomenal! What a beautiful, thrilling and emotional experience!
Kenny Barron trio
Lineup:
Kenny Baron – Piano
Kiyoshi Kitagawa – double bass
Jonathan Blake – drums
Tyreek McDole – singer
There was something very touching when Kenny Barron, the 82-year-old piano legend, arrived on stage walking slowly.
The Kenny Barron Trio concert was an intimate, relaxing setting, showcasing the quality of the trio! Kenny Barron’s exceptional talent was beyond question! The special guest Tyreek McDole on vocals added to the success of the performance with his remarkable presence.
Judith Hill
Lineup:
Judith Hill: vocals, guitar and piano.
Robert “Peewee” Hill: bass
Michiko Hill: keyboard
Shadrack Oppong: drums
Judith Hill is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist. With an amazing musical career, she worked with famous artists such as Michael Jackson on his last tour, Stevie Wonder and Prince, who co-produced her debut album “Back in time” in 2014. 2024 marked the release of “Letters from a Black Widow” her fifth studio album. It’s also last year that Judith Hill joined The Revolution as a special guest vocalist, reunited in Minneapolis to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Prince’s Purple Rain album.
The artist was indeed highly anticipated and gave an astonishing performance! Surrounded on stage by her mother Michiko on keyboard, her father Robert “Peewee” on bass and Shadrack on drums, Judith Hill’s powerful vocals and known for her versatile musical style blended with absolute perfection soul, R&B, funk, and rock. The concert ended with a standing ovation from the audience. The performance of a pure diamond shining on stage, with soulful power and magnificent passion!
D.K Harrell
Lineup:
D.K. Harrell: guitar & vocals
Andrew Moss: bass
Orlando Henry: Hammond B3 & keyboard
Brandon Jackson: drums
Russ Bryant: saxophone
John Dennis Dupre: trumpet
This last day of the Festival was sold out with Marcus Miller and D.K. Harrell. And what a festive evening it was!
It’s with D.K.Harrell that the party started. The talented and already famous young blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter is a fabulous artist. From Louisiana, highly influenced by BB King, D.K Harrell is one of the best young artists of the next blues generation. With 2 albums “The Right Man” in 2023 and “Talkin’Heavy” freshly released last June, he already won a Blues Music Award for the Best Emerging Artist Album in 2024.
D.K. Harrell has a charismatic presence on stage. His outstanding guitar playing, his powerful, slightly hoarse voice, the energy of the band, it all made it a great show. The way he was moving, dancing on stage wasn’t only a performance but a genuine reflection of his passion and connection to the music. Harrell loved interacting with the public and spreading his enthusiasm. You couldn’t miss that he was happy to be there! Leaving his guitar on stage, the blues artist joined the crowd singing and dancing and in less than a second the venue turned into a big fiesta! Beautiful, intense, sensational! We love you!
Marcus Miller
Lineup:
Marcus Miller: bass
Xavier Gordon: keyboard
Donald Hayes: saxophone
Anwar Marshall: drums
Russell Gunn: trumpet
Marcus Miller’s sold-out concert closed the 27th of the San Javier Jazz Festival. The venue was packed as the giant musician was highly anticipated. The excitement was palpable, all eyes riveted to the stage to see him appear. And there he was, to thunderous applause! Marcus Miller was connecting with the audience sharing stories about some of the pieces he was about to play. “Bunny’s dream” was composed for his mother in law, who he was very closed to, when she passed away 5 years ago. Or “Mr. Pastorius” dedicated to the legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius. When Russell Gunn was playing, he really captured the essence of Miles Davis’s style. For having had the privilege of seeing Miles Davis a few times live, Gunn’s solos did catch me. Another excellent moment was the interaction between Marcus Miller and the saxophonist Donald Hayes, when the bass notes were replicated by the saxophone. Marcus Miller regularly greeted his musicians during the concert, introducing them to the audience, which was much appreciated!
At the end of this wonderful performance, the master received an award given by the Councilor for Tourism, Culture for the Region of Murcia, Carmen Conesa, and the director of the Festival, David Martínez. A fantastic fireworks show closed the Jazz Festival 27th edition. An explosion of love for the music, the atmosphere, the extraordinary artists, the great organization and warm audience!
After this unforgettable concert, Rock At Night had the great opportunity to interview Marcus Miller for the second time, after nine years meeting him at the Baloise Session in Switzerland. San Javier interview here
A huge thank you to David Martinez, to Mati for her warm welcome and precious help and to the rest of the team!
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From Belgian and Italian parents, I grew up with music, dance and big fun! I love singing since I'm a little girl, I still am, haha. When I was 14, I saw my first concert: T-Rex. Later it was FrankZappa, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Fela, Canned Heat, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Earth, Wind and Fire ....
I dreamed to have a chat with each of them 😀 Before interviewing bands, I used to sing (and still do) and met lots of great musicians. I had the chance to be the support band to Joe Cocker in 2007. I love to communicate and meet people (Italian blood).
Working for magazine, a few years ago, l met José Oliveira! We were working at the same festival in Colmar. 2 people from the South with the same passion just recognized each other...and we stayed in contact since then. Here I am! Enjoying concerts, covering interviews and articles with José for Rock at Night!!
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