Paul Robicheau
The 76-year-old Carlos Santana didn’t need to dominate with guitar showmanship to make his two-hour-plus concert fly without any lag in energy and spirit.
The real magic of the 2023 Newport Folk Festival didn’t arrive via high-wattage cameos but by way of the quality and quantity of collaborations from its homegrown community of musicians — as well as the cultural diversity of its lineup.
As a major destination fest only a short ride south of Boston, Levitate still remains true to the reggae/jam culture of its surf-shop community.
WasFest was a unique spread of mostly Blue Note artists covering classic albums of either their own or their inspirations, and the first two nights offered a range of jazz permutations.
Perhaps more impressive — though too late to evolve further given the group’s impending finale after eight years and more than 200 shows — was the growing roles and comfort level shown by Dead & Company’s younger charter members.
At New Hampshire’s just-christened Nashua Center for the Arts, 68-year-old jazz guitarist Pat Metheny shared a wily sidelong glance at his own broad compositional and improvisational history.
Boston Calling reached some highs this year, sealed by perfect weather.
The saxman and his usual band (including vocalist Patrice Quinn instead of the billed Ami Taf Ra) easily adapted to the 200-seat venue, barely modulating their visceral delivery while also highlighting their softer dynamics and a personal rapport.
The Town and the City Festival honors the “spirit of [Jack] Kerouac, a celebration of exploration, discovery, love of life, those things that he wrote about.”
Goose has seen its stock in the jam-band world soar at a pace unseen since… well, Phish.
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