While most of the crowd was watching Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band on the Jimmy Lyons Stage, a few lucky jazz fans got to see some northern Brazilian jazz on the Bill Berry stage, where Forro in the Dark put on a truly exceptional show.

Forro in the Dark, by Mike Rainey

Though their music doesn’t have the same sound, Forro in the Dark’s music at its core has a boisterous sense of fun best compared to Australia’s Cat Empire. Their music is an interesting fusion of Brazilian and Western sounds, with a little bit of surf guitar thrown in. It may not sound instantly danceable, but Forro in the Dark was the only band on Friday night that had a crowd dancing in front of the stage.

Forro in the Dark, by Mike Rainey

This is a band that truly gets into its music. They couldn’t resist dancing to their own music (nor, as mentioned earlier, could the crowd), and their percussionists practice full-body drumming. They’re electric to watch, and energized the previously sleepy late-night crowd.

Forro in the Dark are touring throughout the rest of the year – keep an eye out for when they’re coming to your area.

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

The Jimmy Lyons Stage seemed hardly big enough to hold all the performers in Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band with Special Guests Randy Brecker and Joe Lovano. Bold and brassy, this band filled the arena.

Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band, by Mike Rainey

At first, like a stew that’s just beginning to simmer, the various elements of the band were bright and beautiful but didn’t quite meld together into a delicious whole. But just like that stew, the audience’s patience was rewarded as the elements eventually combined to produce a top-notch performance.

Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band, by Mike Rainey

Catch Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band Saturday night at the Monterey Jazz Festival on the Bill Berry Stage at 10:30pm.

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

Proving that not all great shows take place on the arena stage at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Global Noize is made up of six people you’d never expect to see in a band together. In a genre where bands pride themselves on their diverse make-ups, this really was off the charts. And every band member seemed to be having a great time.

Adam Deitch of Global Noize, by Mike Rainey

The audience would be forgiven if they were a little skeptical of the band. Technical issues kept them from starting on time, and in between songs they’d chatter back and forth off-mike, as if they weren’t sure what would come next. The occasional private joke would be heard over the sound system, after which keyboardist Jason Miles would invariably say, “Come by later after the show. We’ll explain everything.”

Every piece they played, however, was top-notch, a combination of propulsive jazz, hip-hop working of sampling and turntable decks, and global elements including flute and soaring Middle Eastern vocals. It sounds like it could be an unpleasant hodge-podge, but in their hands it was exciting and memorable. The entire audience nodded along, and several slipped off to the sides to dance to lively numbers like “A Jam 4 Joe.”

Falu and George Porter, Jr. of Global Noize, by Mike Rainey

Note to Thievery Corporation: do your next tour with Global Noize.

DJ Logic appears again from 7pm to 11pm Sunday night in the Lyons Lounge.

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

Many view anything with the term “All-Stars” in it with a healthy dose of skepticism, and no wonder. If you’ve regularly watched baseball’s All Stars game, it often seems like most of the players are phoning it in. So it’s no surprise if the audience was holding their breath with some trepidation, waiting to see if this All-Star “play-off” would be any good.

Kurt Elling of the MJF/52 All-Stars, by Mike Rainey

In a word: extraordinary. These stellar musicians combined to create something that was far more than the sum of its parts. It reminds you of what “all-stars” truly can mean: an opportunity to see musicians perfectly on top of their game band together for a performance that is propulsive and perfectly synchronized. Every song they performed sparked and sizzled with energy.

The name players in this all-star band are vocalist Kurt Elling, guitarist Russell Malone, legendary pianist Kenny Barron, and the standout violinist Regina Carter, and there was not one way in which any of their performances fell short. Everything was perfectly aligned, and the band showed how they could stretch, playing everything from 1930s countrified jazz to the more modern “What If,” which in their hands was edgy, dangerous and a little threatening.

Russell Malone and Johnathan Blake of the MJF/52 All-Stars, by Mike Rainey

Though the all-stars were amazing, the two other members of Kenny Barron’s trio – drummer Johnathan Blake and bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa – deserve lauds for their performances as well. It would be no surprise if a newcomer unfamiliar with the jazz scene assumed that Blake and Kitagawa were more of the featured names on the MJF/52 All-Stars bill. They played exceptionally, and the other performers were generous in giving them time in the spotlight.

Russell Malone and Regina Carter of the MJF/52 All-Stars, by Mike Rainey

Regina Carter was unquestionably the performer that truly sent this set into the stratosphere. Where many violin performances always seem edged with sorrow, in Carter’s hands the violin becomes an instrument of joy. The violin is often said to be the instrument that is closest to the human voice, and Carter proved that statement. At times, it seemed as if Elling was singing a duet with her violin.

The MJF/52 All-Stars play again Saturday night at 8pm in Dizzy’s Den. If you’ve been considering attending the Monterey Jazz Festival and needed one more good reason, this is that reason. If you’re in San Francisco, get in your car and drive down now. If you’re on the East Coast, you still have a few minutes to get to the airport and hop on the next flight to Monterey. Tonight’s show will be a can’t-miss event.

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

The John Patitucci Trio were warmly received at the Monterey Jazz Festival on Friday night. Their straight-ahead jazz had the enthusiastic crowd nodding their heads throughout the set.

John Patitucci by Mike Rainey

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

Lizz Wright and Robin Mactangay, by Mike Rainey

As evidenced by the throngs of people outside Dizzy’s Den at the Monterey Jazz Festival Friday night, hoping that if they’d wait just long enough they’d get in, Lizz Wright is phenomenally popular. Many in the crowd compared her to Anita Baker, but Wright is both more sultry and more raw.

Wish you’d seen the concert? This clip from NPR will give you a taste of what you missed.

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

Esperanza Spalding is overwhelmingly talented. You probably already know her story: self-taught violinist, youngest faculty member ever at Berklee, self-produced first album widely celebrated. But can she live up to the hype?

Esperanza Spalding by Mike Rainey

In a word: yes. Not only does she have a smooth voice that ranges from sweet and soulful to echoes of a pre-pubescent Michael Jackson, but she plays one heck of a bass. Her bass playing doesn’t just happen with her fingers; Spalding leans in with her whole body, leaning in and twisting as if her motion can wring extra life out of the notes. And perhaps that’s her secret. Her bass-playing leads the way in her music; the trumpet acts as a hot exclamation point at the end of every musical phrase.

Richard Vogt, Esperanza Spalding and Otis Brown, by Mike Rainey

Esperanza Spalding’s music is the sort you’d hear at a great wine bar on a perfect sunshiny afternoon as you watched the world walk by. Her music is fresh and exciting, but still draws from traditional sounds. She was a perfect choice to open Friday night’s Jimmy Lyons Stage program at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Esperanza Spalding by Mike Rainey

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

The Berklee-Monterey Quintet is made up of five of Berklee College’s finest musicians, many of them already noted performers in their own right.

Michael Sachs of the Berklee-Monterey Quintet by Mike Rainey

This band plays straight-ahead classic jazz, the sort you’d expect to hear in a smoky bar. All five members looked very serious, intense and focused – possibly so focused they didn’t even notice how much the audience at the Monterey Jazz Festival was enjoying their music.

The Berklee-Monterey Quintet by Mike Rainey

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.

Around 7pm or so, as we were scouting the Monterey Jazz Festival to re-acquaint ourselves with the layout (bathrooms? check! hot cocoa station wagon? check!), we happened to overhear the following conversation in front of the Best Buy booth:

“Oh, hey, who are you playing with tonight?”

“Scott Amendola.”

“I’d better get in line right now!”

The musician in question was John Shifflett, bassist for the Scott Amendola Trio, and the conversation was an immediate reminder that many in the crowd aren’t just fans of jazz – at some point or another, they’ll be up on stage.

Scott Amendola and Jeff Parker, by Mike Rainey

How best to describe the Scott Amendola Trio?

“Welcome to Difficult Listening Hour. The spot on your dial for that relentless and impenetrable sound of Difficult Music.” – Laurie Anderson

The first piece started as jazz with a funk edge and a serious groove. As it progressed, each instrument gradually slid more out of sync with each other, moving from something traditional into something experimental and unpredictable, like a piece by Zeena Parkins. Then, just when the audience expected the piece to fragment entirely, the disparate elements coalesced again into a coherent and driving finish.

The band obviously enjoys playing together, and Amendola makes drumming look easy. His wrists are so loose that it seems that he’s merely patting the skins, a visual that belies the intense sound emanating from his kit.

This song was the warm-up for the much more avant-garde pieces to come. The next song kicked off like the intro to the song Iron Man – on speed. It quickly became faster and louder – like heavy metal without the structure – and trailed off into experimental electronic sounds.

The Scott Amendola Trio are not for the faint of heart. But if you’re truly ready for jazz on the edge (or even a little past it), you’ll find them a rewarding listen.

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.