Chicago Daily Trbune, Friday January
20, 2006
2 jazz fests in Chicago this weekend or 2 weekend festivals to
showcase outstanding musicians
Later
in the evening, at the Jazz Showcase, another jazz celebration was getting
under way: the 13th annual Marshall Vente Jazz Festival (that name has got to
go). As always, pianist-bandleader Vente has assembled a long roster of Chicago
and visiting musicians for the evening, which also runs through Sunday.
If
the opening attraction wasn't quite as venturesome as the Gailloreto event at
the Chicago Cultural Center, there was no denying the straight-ahead, unpretentious
nature of music by the Nick Tountas Trio. Joined by drummer Rusty Jones and
guitarist Zvonimir Tot, bassist Tountas offered elegantly honed versions of
standard tunes, plus a few solid originals. The vigor and drive of his work
merit further hearings.