There are two days of “Honoring Billy Hart” at Healdsburg Jazz Festival this coming weekend. This is simply a must-see for jazz fans in the greater Bay area.

June 4 begins with Quest, the classic foursome with Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, and Ron McClure, followed by Enchance, a new edition of Billy’s famous 1977 A&M album with Eddie Henderson, Oliver Lake, Joshua Redman, Craig Taborn, and Dave Holland.

June 5 starts with the current Quartet with Mark Turner, Ben Street, and me, followed by a new edition of the burning working band that lasted a decade and recorded for Gramavision and Arabesque, Oceans of Time, featuring Mark Feldman, Craig Handy, Chris Potter,  David Fiuczynski, David Kikoski, and Cecil McBee.

This is really kind of an unbelievable collection of all-stars. I’ve been involved behind the scenes a tiny bit and have noted approvingly how everyone has dropped other plans and consented to work for a nominal fee in order to honor Jabali.

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“Billy Hart, Honored in Healdsburg, Picks His Five Most Important Recordings” by Andrew Gilbert is a worthy read (I admit I’m quoted as the lead).

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Next week TBP plays on the West Coast, including TBP Josh Redman at the Playboy fest. Sign up for Floyd Camembert Reports for general tour spam and an occasional Easter Egg not found on DTM…