from The Seattle Times:
The Bellevue Jazz Festival got under way Wednesday, but two of the hottest headliners are still on deck. Booker T. Jones, the Hammond B-3 giant whose funky “Green Onions” was a hit in 1962, plays Friday. Jones has been on the comeback trail with a jazz-inflected album released last year, “The Road From Memphis.”
Flute master Hubert Laws, whose work in jazz, jazz-rock fusion and classical music made him a major star in the ’60s and ’70s, plays Saturday.
Leslie Lloyd, president of Bellevue’s Downtown Business Association, said Wednesday that the Jones concert was nearly sold out. As for the other headliners: “Seattle’s a last-minute town … it’s almost the last minute!”
Only a handful of jazz musicians play flute well, since most are saxophonists who “double” on the instrument. Laws is an exception. His sound has a big, silvery casing and a penetrating ring. Classically trained at Juilliard, Laws played as a young man with jazz leaders such as Mongo Santamaria and Benny Golson and was soon signed to Atlantic. Albums such as “The Laws of Jazz” and “Flute By-Laws” hit the sweet spot with fans and his later efforts for CTI, such as “At Carnegie Hall,” made him a star with a broad public.
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