20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY september 26-october 2, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Kyle Eastwood hasn’t been in Monterey County for two years, instead playing in his favorite places in Europe. He is now returning home with the California premiere of his newest album that local residents have more than one reason to be interested in. Eastwood Symphonic is a tribute to his father’s—that’s Clint Eastwood— filmography. Expect all your favorite themes and tunes from movies such as the Western A Fistful of Dollars (1964) or Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). The album was recorded in September 2023 in the National Symphony Orchestra in Prague, so it didn’t make it to the 2023 Monterey Jazz Festival happening at the same time, but now it will be finally played locally—almost the whole thing. “The tracks are not recorded the same way, but we were faithful to the originals,” Kyle Eastwood says. “Also, some of them were already jazzy.” Kyle Eastwood, who as a child spent time on his father’s movie sets, is a jazzman, and the project is a synergy of jazz and classical music. He has always been convinced that music is an integral part of every film production. The very idea had been planted in his mind years ago when Clint wrote a melody with the piano in the Eastwoods’ living room for Gran Torino, a 2008 movie about a crusty veteran who comes to appreciate his young immigrant neighbor. The melody, with some editing help from Kyle, was used in the movie, performed by English singer Hugh Coltman. Jazz pianist and singer Jamie Cullum wrote the lyrics for the song. Just like “The Bridges of Madison County,” it’s very sentimental, in a good way. But from the opening “Eastwood Overture,” listeners can already feel the cinematic energy of the album that presents us, as the second track, the slick theme from Magnum Force (1973). “Yes, my father likes jazz,” Kyle Eastwood says. There was always music in the house and Kyle played many instruments as a teenager, growing up in California. He has been involved with the Monterey Jazz Festival for years. Later, his path took him to New York, Paris and London, and these days he spends half of each year in Europe, typically working with European musicians. His quintet is assembled from London musicians. The Czech Republic and the Prague Symphony were selected because of their specialization in recording film music. Eastwood was the artistic director of the project, while symphonic staging, arrangements and directing the orchestras was done by Gast Waltzing from Luxembourg, who also happens to be a jazz trumpet player. Jazz and classical music are two different styles, not always easy to gel with one another. “Symphony plays behind the beat, and jazz is on beat or up tempo,” Eastwood says. Sometimes it is hard to incorporate a jazz band into a symphony orchestra. When asked to think of a movie with a good jazz soundtrack, Eastwood decides on 1988’s Stormy Monday with Tommy Lee Jones. When it comes to film composers, his favorite is Argentinian jazz pianist Lalo Schifrin’s composition for Mission: Impossible, written in 1966. “Some are iconic, some are less known,” he says about the tracks on Eastwood Symphonic. Eastwood Symphonic had one American premiere before, at the Detroit Jazz Festival. The album can be pre-ordered now. Eastwood Symphonic will be performed 5-6pm Sunday, Sept. 29 on the Jimmy Lyons Stage. More at eastwoodsymphonic.com. Joshua Redman Joshua Redman has recorded nearly two dozen albums and performed with many in the worlds of jazz and beyond. And to think it might have never been: After graduating from Harvard University, Redman had been accepted to Yale Law School. He took what was supposed to be a year off to move to New York, but five months later, he won the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition in 1991. The rest is history. 1:50pm Saturday, Sept. 28, Jimmy Lyons Stage Hiromi Hiromi’s musical career began when she started studying piano at the age of 6. She’s since released 12 studio albums, has appeared alongside Stanley Clarke (among many others) and was a featured performer during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021. Her style has been described as evolving with every album, and her latest, Sonicwonderland, draws heavily on the sound of funk. 6:45pm Saturday, Sept. 28, Jimmy Lyons Stage Jason Moran Pianist Jason Moran is the Monterey Jazz Festival’s 2024 artist-in-residence, and he’ll be seemingly everywhere throughout the three-day event, performing alongside various other artists on different stages. He will also sit down with historian Ashley Kahn to speak about the 125th anniversary of the birth of Duke Ellington on Sunday, Sept. 29. Pedrito Martinez Hailing from Havana, Cuba, Pedrito Martinez is described as a master of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and the batá drum, having played, sung and danced in dozens of Cuban rumba groups. Recently, Martinez performed with Eric Clapton and was named Jazz Percussionist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. 3:30pm Sunday, Sept. 29, West End Stage presented by Castoro Cellars Mavis Staples The name says it all. Mavis Staples’ career as a chart-topper and civil rights icon is difficult to condense into a brief paragraph. She’s been inducted into both the Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Fames, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and collaborated with countless musicians of all genres. At 85, Staples keeps on singing what’s in her heart. 6:45pm Sunday, Sept. 29, Jimmy Lyons Stage Robert Glasper Pianist Robert Glasper’s career has spanned everything from live touring to film scoring, crossing over many genres. He has earned 12 Grammy Awards, and his success has seen him sought out by other big-name artists, including Kendrick Lamar, where he played keys on “To Pimp A Butterfly.” As the 2024 Commission Artist, he’ll premiere a new song at the festival. Glasper will be joined by singer-songwriter Yebba. 8:15pm Sunday, Sept. 29, Jimmy Lyons Stage Monterey Jazz Festival Jazzy Harry Kyle Eastwood pays tribute to his father’s filmography with an album of iconic themes. By Agata Pop˛eda Kyle Eastwood brings the music of his father Clint Eastwood’s films live on stage. Eastwood Symphonic makes its California premiere at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Francis Vernhet Of Note continued from page 18
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