Summer 2023

At 19, San Jose native Tim Jackson was already involved in music production (with Half Moon Bay’s Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society), while also actively gigging on flute and saxophone. He took up residence in Santa Cruz with his wife Lori in the 1970s and co-founded the Kuumbwa Jazz Center where he has served as executive and artistic director. Interestingly, he never attended the jazz festival going on every September just 42 miles south.“You would think that being a musician and an industry profes- sional that I would be down at Monterey every year,” Jackson says. “I had no reason; I just never went. I had nothing against it, I just had other things to do.” He befriended MJF board mem- ber Ruth Fenton, who eventually invited him to a festival as her guest. “We had great seats. I remember seeing Ray Charles and the Timeless All Stars with Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land. I really had fun.” In 1989, Lyons was putting together a Latin program and wanted a local group.“I was play- ing in Sofrito, a Salsa band, and Jimmy hired us. Now, I was able to see the festival both as a performer and as a patron. I enjoyed it as a patron, but not so much as a performer. To be honest, I was surprised by how low the pro- duction values were. I thought, ‘Wow, we do a much better job at Kuumbwa.’ I stored that information from a musician’s perspective.” That would come in handy later. Shortly thereafter, Jackson heard that Lyons was planning to step down. “I mentioned it to my wife, and she said, ‘why don’t you apply?’ I thought that surely there was a succession plan in place, but she replied, ‘you don’t know that.’” So, he wrote to Fenton, stayed busy at Kuumbwa and forgot about it. Months later Fenton called, and Jackson was hired in 1991. “I thought I’d have to leave Kuumbwa and go to work for MJF full time.” But he stayed at Kuumbwa. “I could have the value of having my feet on the ground and hearing the music week in and week out. That would help me in pro- gramming Monterey.” Jackson says it was an interesting time. Lyons’ roots and musical taste reached back to the Big Band Era. “By the time I got here, he was in his 70s. He started to get cold feet.” An agreement was reached in which Lyons would program the 1991 MJF and Jackson would take over in 1992. “I give Jimmy full marks for developing the festi- val. In the ’60s, all the greats were there. MJF was even the precursor to the Monterey Pop Festival. Jimmy booked the Jefferson Airplane, and other rock bands.” But by the late 1980s, the 118 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 (Above) Jazz superfan Clint Eastwood at the festival with Quincy Jones and Jackson in 2016. (Below) Lyons with official MJF photographer Will Wallace and Jackson. Photo: Monterey Jazz Festival/Tomas Ovalle Photo: Will Wallace Jackson’s opening Friday night featured the then upcoming Roy Hargrove, the Yellowjackets, Arturo Sandoval and a Miles Davis tribute featuring Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams.