Sunday came far too quickly and it was arguably the best day on the lineup. It began with a parade through the streets of Telluride lead by The Stooges. They all met up at the entrance to Town Park for a jam in the street before Boulder’s own Springdale Quartet started the show. Fresh off of the release of their new album Heist, which was produced by Alan Evans, Springdale has been performing all over Colorado. They won the band contest three years prior and were invited back to play in 2013 at Telluride Jazz. For this special set they decided to play all of Heist for the crowd. It was an excellent chance to see all of the new tracks live. Their performance was absolutely stellar with “IBM 22” and their instrumental version of Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” really demonstrated how this band has evolved. Tight bass lines from Jordon Roos accented by Chase Terzain’s keys made for a stunning set. They closed with “Noise Factory” off their first album.
Although I’m highly familiar with Mike Dillon’s work with Garage A Trois and various projects over the years, this was my first chance seeing his new solo group. It’s a percussive collision of the best kind. The band consists of Dillon on vibraphone, Carly Meyers on trombone and percussion, Adam Gertner on drums, Patrick McDevitt on bass, and they also added Johnny Durkin on percussion as well. Their set in Telluride ran from playful to downright sinister. The focal point was an energetic Meyers who bounced around the stage between solos. There were several all out drum and percussion jams that punctuated an incredible performance of music. One jam featured a sit in from Dillon’s Garage A Trois bandmate Stanton Moore before Dillon declared “We’re gonna end with 10 minutes of punk rock.”
The Stooges Brass Band continued the New Orleans vibe, which would be the theme for the remainder of the evening. They are a bold new addition to the NOLA brass tradition. The Stooges engaged the crowd with their song “Wind It Up” and subsequent dance of the same name. Their energetic stage presence and strong musical ability are truly worth seeing live. They closed with a funked out version of “Hey Baby.” The New Orleans Suspects followed and just as the night before they shredded through a long set that was utterly reminiscent of all things Louisiana. This band seems to distill that Mardi Gras sound down to it’s root elements and just play with them in every tune. Everything about the band is fun. They have a familiar sound without being nostalgic. The New Orleans Suspects are another fresh approach to music with a very long history.
Galactic appropriately headlined the last night with their set starting right around 7 PM. They invited Mike Dillon to sit in on percussion for the entire show while Corey Glover who has been touring with the band for the last couple years was there to add his prodigious vocals to the mix. Their performance sparked an all out dance party as the stars became visible in the sky. Galactic invited members the Mike Dillon Band, The New Orleans Suspects, and The Stooges Brass Band to close out their set and the musicians passed around solos and simply jammed it out for the very attentive audience. This was the true highlight of the weekend; witnessing stellar collaboration happening on the fly in Telluride. Galactic finished around 9 PM and the field slowly emptied.
As the eclectic audience headed back to their tents I was struck with a feeling of gratitude to be in Telluride. It’s good to know that festivals like this have a special place. Telluride Jazz Festival is truly a unique experience. It’s a slightly older crowd. There seemed to be more locals in attendance. It is by far one of the most family-friendly environments I’ve ever seen at an event. Children ran around in the backfield and played throughout all three days. There were no overlapping sets, so everything felt relaxed. There was plenty of time to head back to the tents, which were only a few steps away from the gate. Security was lax and friendly. As I drove back the next day I was hard-pressed to think of one bad thing about the weekend. If a chill festival experience with some top rate musicians is what you are looking for, get to Telluride Jazz.
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