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Music with a message coming to Montalvo
By Michele Tjin
There will be more than music coming from Villa Montalvo this summer. There will also be a message behind the notes.
With the appointment last year of Robert Sain, the organization's new executive director, Montalvo is switching directions, and the summer performances will reflect this change.
"We're in the process of rolling out a mission-driven agenda, not just concerts," said Becki Fowler, public relations manager.
New this summer is a thematic focus around which all the musical performances are built. The underlying notion that unites all the appearances is that music is dialogue. The artists all have a vision and have something to say, such as a message about the civil rights movement and protest songs, Fowler said.
"We want to highlight just how different it is," she said. "We want people to come out for something different, not focus on the hype but focus on discovery."
The genres that are represented in this year's lineup are an eclectic mix, ranging from jazz to reggae to world music. Performers include groups that are not well-known in the United States, such as Toumani Diabate and Vieux Farka Toure, two groups from Mali that are masters at playing the African harp. Such well-known performers as Los Lobos will also be making their way to the stage in Saratoga this summer.
"[Sain] wanted to make it more than a concert venue," Fowler said. "What people need to know is that it's all about discovering. It's an experience all by itself."
Some of the performers have agreed to hold conversations with small groups of people before they play, and the venue at Montalvo lends itself to an intimate feel, Fowler said. The performances are held at the Garden Theatre, which seats 1,200 people.
"It's surrounded by the forest, and people can bring food and eat on the lawn or a bench. It's a great place to see a concert. It's a nice setting, and you can't hear the sounds of the city."
Other areas that Montalvo has been headed toward as a result of its thematic focus include an artist residency program, an arts education program and a teen council, in which creative teenagers work with renowned artists in a 10-week workshop.
The summer lineup for this season at Villa Montalvo:
July 8, 8 p.m.--An Evening with Dianne Reeves: jazz/smooth jazz
July 13, 8:30 p.m.--Herbie Hancock Trio: jazz/smooth jazz
July 16, 7:30 p.m.--Toumani Diabate/Vieux Farka Toure: world music
July 20, 7:30 p.m.--Mavis Staples/Bill Frisell: jazz/smooth jazz, rhythm and blues
July 22, 7 p.m.--Los Lobos: rock
Aug. 2, 7:30 p.m.--Lee "Scratch" Perry with Dub Is a Weapon/Charlie Hunter Trio: jazz/smooth jazz
Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m.--Steel Pulse: world music
Aug. 16, 8:30 p.m.--Summer Gala: An Evening with Patti LaBelle: pop, rhythm and blues
Aug.17, 7:30 p.m.--Bruce Cockburn with special guest Ron Sexsmith: folk/country/bluegrass, rock
Aug. 26, noon--Fourth annual Songwriters Festival: folk/country/bluegrass, rock
Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m.--Blind Boys of Alabama with David Lindley: blues, folk/country/bluegrass
Sept. 7, 7 p.m.--Loudon Wainwright III/Allison Moorer opens: folk/country/bluegrass
Sept. 19, 8:30 p.m.--An Evening with Chris Botti: jazz/smooth jazz
Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.--An Evening with Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood: jazz/smooth jazz
For more information on performers and tickets, visit www.villamontalvo.org.
