The Vision Festival is held every year in an old synagogue on the lower east side of New York City. This synagogue, which is now known as the Angel Orensanz Arts Center, is a beautiful sanctuary which has housed many exhibits and performances in the past, including concerts by Philip Glass, Lou Reed, and the Kronos Quartet. For more information, visit their website.

Planning a jazz festival (or any festival for that matter) is no easy task. Both Patricia Nicholson and William Parker spent several months booking musicians, artists, dancers, and poets. Although groups like the Sun Ra Arkestra were not able to perform (as originally planned), the Parkers were still able to bring together a diverse group of musicians including such legends as Jaki Byard, Marion Brown, and Roscoe Mitchell.

The third annual Vision Festival ran from May 18 through May 25, 1998. I worked for 6 of the 8 nights, as a volunteer, and I have to say that this year's festival was even better than last year's. The turnout was much better, with 100 - 200 people turning out each night. Beginning at 7:00 pm each evening and running until well after midnight, the sets were packed at least five per night, with dance and poetry interspersed throughout.

Highlights for me include the Milford Graves/ William Parker/ Charles Gayle/ Kidd Jordan quartet. Unf*cking believable!! This group demonstrates the truly endless possibilities of improvisation. Kidd Jordan is an under-exposed horn player and educator from New Orleans. His playing is phenomenal. Milford was in rare form -- during one solo he leaped over his drums, intentionally fell from the stage, rolled into the audience and started squirming around *Screaming J Hawkins* style--all the while speaking in tongues!!! Incroyable!!!!

As always, the David S. Ware Quartet packed a powerful punch, emphasizing the sheer energy with which the New York Free Jazz scene has long been associated. David Ware has one of the most monstrous rhythm sections in the world - Susie Ibarra on drums, Matt Shipp on piano, and William "the great" Parker on bass. This group, which recently signed with Columbia, promises to be the leading creative-jazz group of the 21st century.

As a sidenote, I am still flippin' over the fact that Ornette Coleman showed up for the first night of the series. I was lucky enough to notice him sitting quietly in the corner, and was able to go up and talk to him. He is such a gentle man. Of course, he was not scheduled to play or anything; he said that he came out to support a few friends who were performing at the festival. He was pleased with the performance space and with the vibe of the festival. It's nice to have people like Ornette support the festival.

Juni Booth was there for a few of the nights, walking around, talking with everyone. Another great guy. He was a little disappointed that the Arkestra (whom he's played bass with on and off for years) were not able to make it. I wholeheartedly agreed with him. Frank Lowe was there for most of the festival, walking around in quite a jovial mood and sharing left-handed cigarettes with everyone. His set on Monday night was superb, featuring Walter Booker and Jack Walwrath.

What did people think about the Peter Kowald set with the violin player, Japanese harp and the Korean musician? I was truly amazed by the musical exchanges going on up on the stage. Kowald has such a presence on bass and his friendliness is rather contagious. I also enjoyed Roscoe Mitchell's set with Borah Bergman, though Buckner's vocal stylings didn't do much for me. Tim Berne's Paraphrase put on a good set, and even John Zorn made a special appearance one evening.

Other highlights: Joseph Jarman's set with Myra Melford, Other Dimensions in Music with guest Matt Shipp, Jason Hwang's Far East Side Band, Billy Bang's outstanding solo set, Jim Black & Andrea Parkins, Rashid Ali's Prima Materia, Little Huey Orchestra (which I unfortuantely missed), Marion Brown's reflective set with dancer Maria Mitchell, Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble, and last but not least, Cooper-Moore's amazing set with guest appearances by Assif Tsahar and Susie Ibarra.

The last night of the festival, which intentionally fell on Memorial Day, featured a Big band dedication to the late, great Jimmy Lyons. This group featured Karen Borca, William Parker, and Sabir Mateen, among others.

I hope more people will realize the importance of the Vision Festival and come out next year for eight days of pure energy. Many thanks to William Parker and Patricia Nicholson for arranging this monumental event and for maintaining an important VISION FOR THE 21^st CENTURY.

Marc Minsker
Department of English, Graduate Studies
University of South Carolina
(803)777-5063

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