Monterey Jazz Festival in full swing this weekend

With names like Wynton Marsalis and Norah Jones on the list, the 61st Annual Monterey Jazz Festival is sure to bring the swing back to the Central Coast.

This year, there is a special focus on the women of jazz, and the music remains a big part of people’s lives.

“It kind of gives me the positive feeling and attitude. There are many things that happen in life, but when I listen to melodious music especially the high tones and the fast playing, I feel very good,” said Tadatoshi Takahashi, a festival goer.

Thelonious Monk, the famed American jazz pianist, said the piano does not have any wrong notes, and that is what draws people to jazz.

“I was just listening on the headphones to Miles Davis’ ‘So What?’ And I felt like all of a sudden, I was transported from the world that I live in to something like extremely ephemeral and exciting,” said Susan Scheidt, another festival goer,

The jazz festival is being held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, and in a traditionally male-dominated genre, the extra focus on women artists this year gives them a chance to be in the spotlight.

“A lot of genres in music have been male-dominated over the years, but what I think about jazz is inherently a very democratic music,” said Tim Jackson, the artistic director of the Monterey Jazz Festival. “I think that women are making some incredible contributions to the art form now, and we’re doing our best to get their voices out there.”

“I love that we’ve got more women here this year, I think it’s exciting and just like we’ve got more women in politics, we’ll have more women musicians,” said Cory Bispo, a festival goer.

Over 20 women are headlining at the festival. For more information, click here.