Like everyone else in the area I love July and August in this area but this year I'm beginning the think September might be the best month of all.  So far this year I've enjoyed the wine and food festival at SPAC, the Greek fest in Schenectady and the Irish fest in Ballston Spa.

Now I think I might have a new favorite.  On Sunday I went to Lake George and spent a couple of hours at Jazz on the Lake at Shepard Park and had one of the most mellow and enjoyable days of the summer.

Jazz on the Lake is a two-day event that brings great music to the area. Admission is free and it is as low-key as the music it presents.  I arrived a little after one and sampled a bit of John Tank and the Palace Reunion Band.  It was traditional jazz that went  off into its own world in a nice way.  He closed with "Canadian Sunset" and you might recognize about half of it as the traditional number.  The other half was a pleasant journey to places on jazz can take you.

I came up for Steven Bernstein and the Millennial Territory Orchestra.   The draw was this great trumpeter (and slide trumpeter) was leading featuring the songs of Sly.    It was a superior set that went everywhere in one of the fastest 90-minutes on record.    It was jazz at its best as it used coentemporary tunes to engage the audience while making each song its own

Not every number was a Sly standard.   In fact the final number was a new improvisation.  Bernstein explained to the audience it was a number new to the orchestra as he felt without risk it wasn't jazz.   It was pure jazz in the best possible sense of the term.

My only regret about the day was I didn't allow myself time to stay longer  I would have liked to hear
at least some of the John Benitez set with Donald Harrison Jr. but I had to leave. 

I did so promising to come back for two days next year.