Headliners from Russia, Italy and New York, along with a classic South Florida big band: That’s the 18th annual Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival, themed "The Diversity of Jazz Music."
Melton Mustafa
"When you play jazz, you might hear different styles of music from different countries in it, whether it’s Latin style, Haitian or Jamaican style, whether it’s European influenced, Asian influenced; those kinds of things are incorporated,” says Melton Mustafa.
He is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader and educator at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, the festival’s home.
"I’m not going to say that I’m going to take every style. I’m just giving you a little taste of the diversity of the music itself."
Saturday’s players include bassist and festival promoter Askhat Sayfullin of Russia, where Mustafa has played three times.
"He is the one that gets me over there with various jazz musicians from the U.S.," says Mustafa. "In return I bring him here. This will be his third time coming (to Florida); it’s like an exchange-type thing."
Featured on saxophone is Rosario Giuliani.
"His total package of performance, composition, and improvisation is not so much a breath of fresh air as it is a gale-force wind blowing across a landscape littered with Charlie Parker/John Coltrane disciples," C. Michael Bailey wrote of Giuliani at allaboutjazz.com.
From New York comes drummer Darrell Green, who has played with South Florida organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, trombonist Steve Turre, and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, among others.
Starring as usual will be the Melton Mustafa Orchestra, a powerhouse built by Mustafa, an alumnus of the Count Basie Orchestra, to perform his original compositions.
Typical of its South Florida home, the big band includes musicians of many ethnicities.
"We have African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, and we all gel and put this music together," says Mustafa. “The music that I write is very diversified. That’s what we’re going to focus on at this festival."
Before Saturday’s culminating performance, there will be workshops with master classes and a combo competition on Friday. Musicians aged 12 to 25 play for a $300 prize and a spot in Saturday’s show.
"The purpose of this festival was to not just support but continue a legacy and a heritage that was established primarily by African Americans as an art form here in the U.S.," says Mustafa, recently named a winner of the 2015 African-American Achievers awards in South Florida. "We continue that legacy by teaching it to the young generation, teaching them the rich history that we have in jazz."
Tracy Fields is a writer/critic for artburstmiami.com
The Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival’s main event takes place Saturday in the Lou Rawls Center for the Performing Arts at Florida Memorial University, 15800 N.W. 42nd Ave., Miami Gardens; show time 6:00 p.m.; general admission $50; students with ID $25; meltonmustafa.com, 305-623-8219.
