Overview: Blues artists shine on Day 2 of Monterey Jazz Pageant

It was a giant day for the blues on the Monterey Jazz Pageant on Saturday.

Mr. Sipp, the Missippi blues belter who received the The B.B. King Entertainer of the 12 months trophy on the 2025 Blues Muisc Awards, opened up the competition’s large Jimmy Lyons Stage on Day 2 of the this three-day competition on the Monterey County Fairgrounds and had followers totally grooving alongside to his guitar-drenched tunes.

“Can we turn this place into a juke joint real quick?” Sipp requested the group. “In a juke joint, they don’t sit down. Get up! Everybody get on up!”

He didn’t have challenge that command a 3rd time, as folks rose to their ft and acted as in the event that they weren’t in Monterey, however slightly at  Po’ Monkey’s or another cool juke joint within the Mississippi Delta.

Though Sipp had pushed the bar sky excessive, San Jose’s personal J.C. Smith Band managed to clear it with its personal rough-and-rowdy hourlong set a bit later within the day on the Tim Jackson Backyard Stage.

Smith, who’s blessed with a muscular singing voice and is an absolute beast on the guitar, introduced an actual celebration ambiance to the often-quite-sedate Backyard Stage space. It began with the seashore balls — one thing you’re presumably extra prone to see at a Los Angeles Dodgers sport than a jazz competition — which have been tossed out into the group throughout, appropriately sufficient, the Albert King favourite “Let’s Have a Natural Ball.”

Smith is a charismatic frontman, who simply eats up the brilliant lights and large moments. But, he’s additionally a beneficiant one, offering loads of house for his gifted bandmembers — drummer Tim Richard, bassist Stevie Q, On Bass, saxophonist Noel Catura and pianist Scott Porter — to shine.

Smith closed his successful set with a screaming model of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” which introduced the guitarist, bassist and saxophonist down from the stage and out into the group for some prime boogie-woogie time with the followers.

“I had a great time,” Smith on the conclusion of the set. “This is the most fun I’ve had with my clothes on in 20 years.”

It was one other triumph for the San Jose bluesman, who has been on fairly a roll currently and, notably, carried out on stage with Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow earlier this month.

San Jose’s J.C. Smith Band rocks the group at Monterey Jazz Pageant on Sept. 27, 2025 (Jim Harrington, Bay Space Information Group). 

Dianne Reeves additionally delivered the products on Saturday, enjoying a glorious cowl of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and, generally, illustrating all of the the explanation why she’s a five-time Grammy winner. Like just about all the opposite artists in attendance, Reeves sounded thrilled to on the stage at this excellent music competition.

“When I leave here, and I go into the next place, it’s all going to be good,” she instructed the group. “I feel the healing in this place.”

The competition was anticipated to proceed on Sunday with Rene Marie, Christian Sands, Pete Escovedo and lots of different artists. For extra info, go to montereyjazz.com.