There’s something about music festivals that make George Wein smile.
It’s a total immersion, like jumping into a swimming pool; totally covered by the music. You’re not just going to a concert for two hours, you’re there all day and just enjoying the entire atmosphere, said Wein.
Wein is considered by many to be the `father` of modern music festivals, coordinating hundreds of festivals of various genres around the country and most familiarly, bringing the Saratoga Jazz Festival to SPAC.
`I’d started a great urban festival in New York City in about every location in the city. I loved that festival but after four or five years, I missed the country feeling of Newport,` said Wein. `I was riding by Saratoga one day and said ‘This place is fantastic, it could be another Newport.’`
That was back in 1978 and the rest, as they say, is history. The jazz festival was an instant hit and soared to new heights once it become the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival.
`It was a great success,` said Wein.
Wein will be honored by SPAC at this year’s festival on Saturday, June 25, with the dedication of a bronze star in SPAC’s Walk of Fame.
`In 1978, George Wein took a chance by making Saratoga the second location for his ‘Newport Jazz Festival`New York.’ It proved to be a brilliant move,` said SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia J. White. `That year kicked off a tradition that has only grown richer with time.`
Wein is far from arrogant, but he said he wasn’t the least bit surprised at the festival’s success.
`I wasn’t surprised at all. There’s a large population area up there and a focus on what happens in Saratoga. I knew if you put in a great jazz program between Vermont and Rochester and Albany and Utica, there’d be a lot of jazz fans,` said Wein.
The Saratoga Jazz Festival was the `roots` of the Montreal festival, which Wein later established, too.
`There wasn’t a Montreal festival, so we used to draw a lot of people from Canada,` said Wein.
Besides an ideal demographic and geographic area, Wein said a large-scale jazz event was something the region lacked.
`It was a relaxed music. You had great classical festivals up there with the orchestra and ballet, but I think it was a change of pace,` said Wein. `The same people that went to those other events also came to the jazz. It enriched their lives and added something to their lives.`
Saratoga Jazz Festival has boasted the biggest names in jazz, making it a festival renowned around the world. Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillepsie, Lionel Hampton, Chick Corea, Diana Krall and dozens of other greats graced the SPAC stage each summer.
Wein said the festival has been around so long that he’s been able to witness how jazz changed`and stayed the same`over time.
`Jazz was affected by the rock generation. At one time, jazz was the music of those people who didn’t accept pop music. Jazz changed when rock came in because society accepted pop culture then,` said Wein. `That changed the dimensions of jazz. In one respect, it became more involved with soft and electronic jazz, but it also became a more personal art form of people playing music and not worrying too much about the public.`
Wein is a jazz pianist and has found himself playing alongside some of the biggest icons. Following his star dedication on June 25, he’ll take the stage and perform for the crowd with his touring group, the Newport All-Stars.
`I am looking forward to performing with Howard Alden, Lew Tabackin, Randy Brecker, Anat Cohen, Lewis Nash and Peter Washington and sharing my 85th birthday celebration with SPAC and the wonderful Saratoga audience,` said Wein.
Though he’s practicing, practicing, practicing for his moment in the spotlight again, Wein said the honor comes with mixed feelings.
`I’m very humble about it but at the same time I honestly feel like I deserve it,` said Wein. `It’s humility mixed with respect for your own career. Sometimes you don’t realize what you’ve done and when other people acknowledge it, it gives it a different feeling.`
Wein made history throughout his career, but he said when he was doing it, that’s not how it seemed.
`In the years we were pioneering, I never thought we were making history because we were just so busy being alive with business and keep going,` said Wein. `Now it’s a warm feeling.`
If he didn’t consider himself a prominent part of Saratoga before, once Wein’s star is unveiled on the Walk of Fame, his role in the local music scene will be undeniable.
`I have such a respect for what happens up at Saratoga. To be enshrined there on a permanent basis is really a great honor, it really moves me,` said Wein. `It has a significance, even this late in my life, and I’m very proud of it.`
The Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26. A full line-up of performers is available online at www.spac.org/jazzfest.
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