Music to My Pallet

Berklee Jazz Festival

September 26, 2009

I’ve always had a soft spot for jazz. I was the flautist who wished she played saxophone so that she could jam out with the “cool kids” in the jazz quartet. That didn’t happen but I did try to find the jazz heart of every city I’ve lived in.  That gets expensive after a bit though, so you can imagine my euphoria when I found out there would be a free jazz festival on Columbus Avenue.

Before I even parked my bike, I could hear a saxophone ringing clear into the warm Saturday air. It was Donald Harrison on the Dunkin Donut’s Stage; his fingers moved so quickly up and down the keys that I almost didn’t notice the ridiculous aromas rising from the street vendors.

Some staple Boston fooderies had pitched tents for the event and were pumping their goods out to the masses like clockwork. From Thai Cuisines with a line at least 70 strong, to Wally’s Café offering baked goods and coffee, great local food was in abundance throughout the festival.

Two more stages sponsored by Berklee and Target added flavor to the air with artists like Ashanti Munir and the Defenders of Groove. I fell asleep in the grassy field as the musical stylings of Joe Lois Walker washed over the crowd. I awoke to some guy’s shiatsu puppy licking my face, and quickly made my way over to where the Vietnamese tent was giving out free samples. Not a bad way to spend a bean town afternoon, and definitely something to look forward to next summer.