In front of an audience clearly primed for his mix of soul singing and guitar slinging, Cray and his band reminded that the blues is a comfort zone for him, a somewhat narrowly defined happy place of which the quartet pushed the boundaries roughly two thirds of the way through their ninety minute set. It's illustrative of the broad appeal BDJF aimed for in 2017 that bluesman Robert Cray followed the kitschy likes of Pink Martini on the Flynn Center Mainstage. Highlighting of local music stalwarts such as Seth Yacovone and Vorcza thus compared favorably—some might say exceeded—the range of style offered in the cabaret-style venue, now a firmly established bastion of memorable performances, the likes of Bassdrumbone and The VT/NY Collective underscore the fundamental truth of this festival's title 'Discover Jazz.' It's a growing and changing concept, like the very music from which it derives its name. This year, though, it's impossible to under estimate the cachet of must-attends at Nectar's. So, the June 9 Block Party on Church Street, the Long Trail Ale concerts up and down the same thoroughfare and the triple bills at Waterfront Park (featuring headliners Trombone Shorty and Arrested Development) all compel as high a profile as artist-in-residence Terence Blanchard who played two shows within the cozy confines of FlynnSpace. What's different this year and perhaps only subliminally so, is an elevation in significance of events related to, but not formally arranged by, Discover Jazz itself. Over the years, BDJF has come to pride itself on an eclectic take to both style and presentation, but perhaps never more so than this its thirty-fourth year: just look at a Flynn Center MainStage lineup comprised of Pink Martini, Diana Krall, Robert Cray and Kamasi Washington. With multiple popup shows and one on the roof of a local parking garage, in addition to the usual plethora of musical offerings up down and around Church Street at the center of the city, The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival has never seemed more like a merry go round than in 2017.And that's meant as high compliment because each passing day of the ten in the schedule offered a slightly different perspective on the multitude of events taking place throughout the Queen City.
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