Newport bop

Paul Saitowitz

This weekend, woven between the white stoplights, BMWs and

cellphones, the sound of swing beats, upright bass lines and spastic

fingers crawling along the neck of oh-so-buttery jazz guitars will be

heard emanating from the Newport Beach Marriott.

More than 40 musicians and two big bands will be in town,

recalling the jazz clubs of Harlem and New York City in the late

1940s, as part of the fourth annual Newport Beach Jazz Party.

The man behind the event since its inception has been Joe Rothman,

who grew up in New York and witnessed the likes of band leader Count

Basie, trumpeter Earl Gardner and pianist Billy Taylor firsthand at

famous haunts like Birdland and the Hickory House.

“I love jazz for a lot of reasons,” Rothman said. “There’s just

something about it that gives me a certain feeling that can really

lift the spirit when I’m feeling depressed.”

Rothman, although he does not play an instrument, will emcee the

show. He expects more than 400 people per night to participate in the

four-day event, which will feature tributes to Cannonball Adderley

and John Coltrane, as well as Wes Montgomery and Harold Land.

Pre-sale tickets have been bought by people from England, Germany,

Canada and 27 states.

“It’s great to see that people from that far away are willing to

come here and enjoy this show,” he said. “We sold more tickets to

people in England than we did in San Francisco. I think we might have

to change our marketing plan.”

The night performances will take place in one of the ballrooms at

the Marriott, which has been transformed into a tiered amphitheater,

replete with a large stage with an arch above it and a

state-of-the-art sound system. Day-time performances will be out by

the hotel’s pool.

“It’s hard to imagine how they do this, but by the time the show

starts, the venue looks like it’s ready for a Broadway extravaganza,”

Rothman added.

Although larger jazz parties have expanded their lineups to

include the soulless, white-bread genre of smooth jazz, the John Tesh

crowd will not find what they are looking for this weekend.

“I just don’t like that type of music, or Jacuzzi jazz as it’s

called, and since I’m the one in charge here, we’ll focus on

straight-ahead jazz,” Rothman said.

One of the standout performers this weekend will be tenor sax

player Houston Person, who played with Johnny Hammond and Etta Jones.

Also performing will be Dena de Rose, who will lend her

honey-soaked vocals and piano prowess to the Newport stage.

“I spend about a year going to see different performers in live

settings, so I can get a feel to see if they’d be right for our jazz

party,” Rothman said. “The people that come out to the show are

serious jazz fans and we want to provide them with a first-class

music experience.”

* PAUL SAITOWITZ is a news editor. He may be reached at (949)

574-4295 or by e-mail at [email protected].