www.montereycountyweekly.com september 21-27, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 21 says. “[During that] forced isolation for an extended period of time, I had a lot of soul-searching to do and the extra weight I was carrying emotionally was part of the process that began the songwriting.’’ But even self-interrogations have a wry side, as in the double-edged “Unsightly Room,” an admonition to a significant other that venturing beyond his “kitchen so clean, every counter pristine’’ of the rest of his house comes at her own risk. Asked if he was addressing his own inner hoarder, Cato laughs: “There might have been another level to that metaphor.” His joyful experimentation extends into live covers of everything from to George Benson’s “Give Me The Night,” to the Beyoncé staple, “Love On Top” and Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight.” He returned to his home turf in Isla Negra, Portugal, in 2020 to record Mirrors, a spirited collaboration with Justin Stanton and Michael League of Snarky Puppy, indie rocker Becca Stevens, Elizabeth Ziman and the celebrated Portuguese fado chanteuse Gisela João. Despite his many years in the Late Show band—including a stint filling in for Batiste when he had Covid-19— taking on the lead role required some adjustments. “There’s only a few jobs like this in the music industry, which require a combination of so many things,” he says. “I had a front-row seat to how Jon developed that role…but there’s nothing like actually doing it.” He had the chance to talk about the challenges of the position with David Letterman sidekick Paul Shaffer at a gig they both played in Brooklyn. He said Shaffer was supportive and approachable, but at the end of the day, he knows he’s on his own. “After our first full day of production, I was more zonked than I’d ever been in my life—and that’s saying a lot, since I’m used to being tired. I asked [Shaffer] how he managed the energy of the show. He said, ‘Man, I don’t know,’” Cato recalls. “Thanks a lot.” Monterey Jazz Festival takes place Friday, Sept. 22-Sunday, Sept. 24 at the Monterey County Fair and Event Center. $70-$95 per day; $30/day youth ages 2-12. montereyjazzfestival.org. Louis Cato plays 12:301:20pm Saturday, Sept. 23 on the Jimmy Lyons Stage and 3:30-4:30pm on the West End Stage. For 65 years, the Monterey Jazz Festival has hosted giants and upstarts alike from across the wide, varied world of jazz. This year is no exception—from totemic icons, to contemporary vanguards, to promising talents, the festival’s 2023 lineup once again shows why Monterey Jazz has become synonymous with both Monterey and jazz. Here are some of the acts to catch at this year’s edition. Herbie Hancock He needs no introduction, but allow us to indulge: Herbie Hancock’s career has straddled the stylistic expanses of modern jazz—from his 1960s work with the Miles Davis Quintet, to his later forays into funk, electronic and fusion— while crossing the rubicon into mainstream success and becoming a living legend of American music. Hancock is no stranger to Monterey Jazz, having first performed at the festival in 1963 and at least 10 times since, by our count. Now 83, none should take for granted this master’s presence. 8:45pm Friday, Sept. 22, Jimmy Lyons Stage John Scofield A true guitar great of modern jazz, Scofield has worked with virtually everyone—Miles, Herbie, Pat Metheny, the list goes on—since bursting on the scene nearly 50 years ago. Deservingly the festival’s Showcase Artist this year, Scofield is all over the bill: he’ll appear with Scary Goldings on Friday night, hit the main stage with his Yankee Go Home band Saturday afternoon, and perform a solo guitar set at Pacific Jazz Café on Sunday evening. (There’s also a Sunday noon screening of Inside Scofield, a 2022 documentary about the man himself, at Pacific Jazz Café.) Swinging Slate Performers to look out for at this year’s Monterey Jazz Festival. By Rey Mashayekhi Randy Tunnell So Mitsuya continued on next page Top left: Sunday Gospel with San Francisco jazz veteran Tammy L. Hall returns this year, on Sunday, Sept. 24; top right: Jazz vocalist Samara Joy won this year’s Grammy for Best New Artist—an award that, in recent years, has gone mainly to pop stars like Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo; bottom left: festival-goers dancing; bottom right: Bassist and singer Stephen Lee Bruner, better known as Thundercat, melds jazz stylings with R&B and soul sounds; far left: Louis Cato, bandleader on The Late Show. Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
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