The Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience began Thursday night and continues through Sunday, with dozens of concerts from jazz, blues and funk music legends at multiple venues in Aspen. Festival passes grant access to many of the shows; some concerts also offer standalone tickets.
This year’s lineup includes many artists who have collaborated with Jazz Aspen Snowmass in the past, including Lisa Fischer, Christian McBride, Jon Cleary and Acute Inflections. The festival is also honoring some major musical milestones with a 25th anniversary show for The New Mastersounds and a 50th anniversary show for The Headhunters.
Jamming and dancing with The New Mastersounds
The New Mastersounds will play two sets at The Belly Up on Friday night, with an early show at 7:15 p.m. and a late show at 10 p.m.
The group from Great Britain has been playing jazz, funk and blues music for 25 years. They draw inspiration from vinyl 45s, so many of their recordings run just a few minutes, but the band has also been known to experiment and play longer songs on stage.
Guitarist Eddie Roberts says that performance style comes from the “jam band” scene here in the U.S.
“We started understanding that the crowd really wanted us to stretch out and jam more,” Roberts said. “And … their kind of faithful following and support that you get from that scene out here in the U.S., it really shaped the way that we ended up playing them for the next 20 years.”
The New Mastersounds have often shared the bill with DJs as well, leaning into the energy of those concerts. For their sets at The Belly Up, Roberts said people should expect a “dance party.”
‘Love and music’ with The Headhunters
The Headhunters will celebrate five decades of music with a concert at the Wheeler Opera House on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
The band released their first album in 1973, with Herbie Hancock at the helm. And over several different iterations of the group, The Headhunters developed a reputation for music with a groove — and a positive outlook.
Percussionist Bill Summers has been with the Headhunters since the beginning.
“The music reaches out to every community, and we have no malice in our hearts,” Summers said. “It's a bunch of love and music.”
That love extends to his fellow bandmates: In a joint Zoom interview with saxophonist Donald Harrison, Summers was quick to praise Harrison’s technical skills and willingness to embrace different styles of performance.
Harrison, for his part, said the band’s philosophy of goodwill is the “secret sauce” to their success.
“That's part of the magic, that we all love each other and love the people so much,” he said.
