credit: Jazztrax.com
On a clear or mist free day in Southern California stand or drive up a hillside in Long Beach, Signal Hill or the Palos Verdes Peninsula and look beyond the shoreline and THUMS Oil Islands to see the exotic silhouette of Santa Catalina Island, or just Catalina. The City of Avalon and rustic Two Harbors (on the Isthmus side) are the two towns where just about 4,000 residents live and work – along with some buffalo and horses in the interior. But thousands of years ago this rugged, hilly 22 mile long strip of land was first inhabited by the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe until 1542 when Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered the place and changed their destiny.
During the next centuries the island changed ownership and land grants from the Spanish Crown and Mexico to various investors like Chicago-based chewing gum entrepreneur William Wrigley who bought the island in 1919 and with son Philip turned it into a unique hometown base for residents and storied getaway for visitors. The Catalina Island Conservancy is now the majority owner and strict protector of a nouveau Shangri-La atmosphere in which there is a 25 year wait list to own a car. But no worries – just do what the islanders do and drive a golf cart or walk, hike, swim, scuba dive or hoist the sails.
Catalina’s seeming isolation then and now is both intriguing and a little mind boggling. But how can you not be fascinated by an island that was settled by indigenous people, occupied by Russian otter hunters (so sorry little critters), pirates, gold miners, U.S. Navy and Coast Guard during WW II, filters 40% of its water through desalination and until 1899 used pigeons to send and receive mail. Nowadays, boats from the mainland (Long Beach, San Pedro included) deliver supplies to the island - but the most practical ways to get there are by taking the Catalina Express or IEX Helicopters company.
Avalon has a small but bustling center and hillside filled with souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels, Catalina Museum for Art and History, Memorial Botanical Gardens and Catalina Casino – a magical community invigorated by up to a million tourists per year. Completed in 1929 under sponsorship and construction supervision from Wrigley and “DM,” the place in its hayday was hopping to the sounds of the most famous big bands, best movie showings in its theater, dancing in the world’s largest ballroom in the round and concerts from a sizeable 4-manal pipe organ – while visitors walked through an interior adorned in Art Deco style.
All of this represents a treasure trove of Catalina’s cultural and historical moments which continues with JazzTrax, celebrating its 35th season as a festival for seasoned, break out and cross over artists primarily associated with the smooth jazz genre – which makes it a unique and totally user friendly listening experience. This year’s performances are scheduled for two consecutive weekends – October 13-16 and October 20-23 at Catalina Casino’s Avalon Ballroom and Thursday’s Unplugged Under the Stars concerts at Descanso Beach Club. Smooth Jazz has been described as a kind of mellow soundscape devoid of on the spot improvisational flourishes - of which the musical form took off in the 1980’s around the time that JazzTrax founder and producer Art Good was the host of a nightly radio program on KIFM in San Diego that promoted the smooth sound. He is now disk jockey of a weekly JazzTrax Radio Show based in Palm Springs. In this year’s JazzTrax program booklet he says, “We’re back – You’re here – for a 35th October – 26 miles across the sea. You – yes you have once again turned Catalina Island into a center of the Smooth Jazz Universe.”
And the lineup reflects this comment. In past years the festival featured artists such as Grover Washington, Jr., Boney James and The Rippingtons. This year, the assortment of venerables and trending musicians include Lee Ritenour with Dave Grusin (winner of ten Grammy Awards), David Benoit with his 12 piece Rendezvous Band (featured on the A Midnight Rendezvous CD), funk-pop-jazz band Peet Project, Damien Escobar, a bunch of standout saxophonists like Dave Koz, Jazmin Ghent, Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot, Eric Darius and guitarists Paul Jackson, Jr., Blake Aaron - and the beat goes on.
Apparently tickets for the upcoming JazzTrax are almost sold out but the website offers a variety of suggestions about how to order, where to stay and how to get there and get back, most likely via Catalina Express. If chilling to jazz on an island seems like an intriguing way to spend a couple of weekends in October, then JazzTrax is the place to be.