THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 29, 1994 TAG: 9408290034
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
There were the hot jazz lovers and the cool jazz lovers.
The hot ones sat in full sun, directly in front of the stage, moving their shoulders to the beat of saxophonist Boney James at Sunday's Town Point Jazz Festival.
The cool ones were further back, clustered under trees that you could have sold tickets to had shade been for sale.
But wherever you sat, the music of the 12th annual jazz festival matched the 90-degree temperature. Hot.
The crowd pulsated to a visual rhythm: shoulders swayed, heads nodded, toes tapped, and the occasional dancer strutted through the crowd. Meanwhile, James bounced to the rhythms of his own music, lifting his sax skyward as the music peeled off the stage.
Sunday was the finale of a festival that featured such headliners as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Richard Elliot, Noel Pointer and Roy Ayers. For the first time, the festival also had a second stage where singers dressed in their Sunday best sang gospel music.
On this last day of the three-day festival, the serious listeners had come prepared. Umbrellas. Coolers full of drinks. Towels for the head. Towels for the neck. Lawn chairs. And to get it all there, wheeled carriers that you usually see people lugging baggage with at airports.
``To tell you the truth, I've gotten used to the heat after a couple of days here,'' said Lorrene Walker of Virginia Beach. She was sitting front and center on a lawn chair, a cooler full of drinks at her feet. ``We were at the mercy of the venders yesterday,'' she said.
Back in the cool jazz section were Tracy and Tom Chandler, also of Virginia Beach. With 11-month-old Taylor and 3-year-old Thomas in tow, trees were a priority, even if it meant not seeing the sweat drip from James as he belted out tunes. ``We came early just to find shade,'' Tracy Chandler said, spooning chunks of watermelon into Taylor's mouth.
Deb Hickman, who works for Festevents, can characterize one fest crowd from another. ``These are serious concertgoers,'' she said. ``They came prepared.
They also match the music. Relaxed. Laid-back. ``They just sit and soak it in,'' she said. ``Rock is generally more frenzied. But these guys are very, very relaxed.''
Not to mention hot, or cool, depending on where they sat. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Richard L. Dunston
Boney James, right, and a member of his band perform Sunday at the
Town Point Jazz Festival. James was one of the event's many featured
acts.
by CNB