BeanTown Jazz Hits the Pavement

No one throws a party like a couple of cats with a sax, or at least so the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival musicians seem to prove. The eighth annual jazz festival, which kicked off this Thursday night, features internationally renowned artists, an eclectic, vibrant crowd, and an array of food from around the world. It’s a party that 70,000 people were projected to attend, some for the jazz, some for the revelry.

“It started out as a small block party,” Berklee publicist Nick Balkin said. “Now it’s grown into a large block party.”

Indeed, the large crowds and abundance of food and entertainment does make the event seem like a street bash in Southie, and originally, it was just that. In 2000, local entrepreneur Darryl Settles decided to organize what was then called the BeanTown Jazz festival in appreciation of loyal customers of Bob’s Southern Bistro. As the festival grew, Berklee College of Music took over its production. The change in management resulted in continued growth and an increase in the quality of performing artists.

Last year’s lineup, for example, included jazz legend Herbie Hancock, while tonight’s indoor performance will feature premier female drummers Terri Lyne Carrington and Cindy Blackman, who have played with Hancock and Lenny Kravitz respectively. Their appearance is part of an annual attempt at innovation.

“It’s not often you see a jazz band led by drummers,” Balkin said. “We’ve never done anything quite like this.”

The indoor component, unlike tomorrow’s performances, is a paid event attracting more serious jazz fans that enjoy a more formal, controlled environment.

“One’s not better,” Carrington said. “But it draws the people that want to sit down and hear a performance.”

In stark contrast, Saturday’s lineup offers different performers on three stages strung along Columbus Ave., a set-up that encourages people to move between shows. Some of the musicians, such as a mixed ensemble of percussionists and vocalists called AfroBrazil, even parade through the crowd.

“It’s a party,” Balkin said. “It’s a free all-day party.”

Still, despite a greater focus on fun, Saturday’s performances still feature high-quality jazz, including Goldsound, a quartet of heavy hitters who will be playing a deconstructive jazz version of music by 90s indie rock band Pavement.

“From a music point of view I think it’s going to be incredibly rich,” executive producer Larry Simpson said.

Though the festival’s main objective is to provide unbridled entertainment, organizers are confident that the bacchanalia it encourages does not hinder the appreciation of the music at the heart of the festival.

“The festival is a big joyous party for the city of Boston,” Simpson said. “It brings together a very diverse group of people in a very festive atmosphere that is fuelled by good music.”

—Staff writer Ama R. Francis can be reached at afrancis@fas.harvard.edu.