Musicians are eager to move on, but the pandemic’s sticky fingerprints can still be seen this weekend at the Monterey Jazz Festival, where the festival isn’t ready to return to the three indoor venues that have long hosted the majority of the acts.
Instead, the music will all take place on four outdoor stages, which makes the mild weather forecast (with a high 69° on Saturday) particularly welcome.
There is no shortage of established stars, from Cuban piano patriarch Chucho Valdés and New Orleans trumpet great Nicholas Payton to singer Kurt Elling, The Bad Plus and Ravi Coltrane.
But there are some comparatively new faces in the lineup as well. Here are four to look out for.
Samara Joy
The winner of the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition, Samara Joy, 22, just released her major label debut, “Linger Awhile” (Verve), and her potential seems limitless. With her crushed-velvet tone and silky phrasing she possesses the poise and presence of an artist at least twice her age. She also performs Oct. 2 at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society.
When & where: 5:30 p.m. Sept. 23; West End Stage.
Fleurine
The Dutch-born New York-based jazz singer and guitarist is well established in Europe and the East Coast, but has been largely unheard in California. Steeped in Brazilian music well beyond bossa nova, she makes her festival debut with a superlative band featuring Vitor Gonçalves on keyboards and accordion, guitarist Ian Faquini, bassist Eduardo Belo and percussionist Rogerio Boccato. She performs with the same group Sunday at the SFJAZZ Center.
When & where: 2 p.m. Sept. 24; West End Stage
Emmet Cohen Trio
A pianist who combines boundless joy with fearsome technique, Emmet Cohen turned the strictures imposed by the pandemic into a thriving live-stream opportunity, performing regularly with contemporaries and veteran masters. His group is one of the best working trios in jazz. The group also performs Sept. 25 at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society.
When & where: 5 p.m. Sept. 24; West End Stage
Brandee Younger Trio
If the harp seems to be claiming more space in jazz than ever before, Brandee Younger is one of reasons. A fluent improviser with a surfeit of projects and ideas, she celebrates and extends the legacies of harp pioneers Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane.
When & where: 2 p.m. Sept. 25; West End Stage
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