Top-notch jazz musicians plan benefit in Salt Lake Friday

Monte Alexander. John Clayton. Jeff Hamilton. Holly Hofmann. In the jazz world, these names are as good as it gets.

These four artists — along with Dee Daniels and Mike Wofford — will join forces May 22 to help raise funds for the Game Foundation, a nonprofit, music loving, community enrichment program that has brought live jazz performances to Utah since 1994.

After nearly 200 concerts featuring more than 500 of the greatest jazz musicians around, the series is in trouble. Hard economic times have left the all-volunteer organization wondering if the series can go on, even with a strong lineup announced for next season.

Hofmann, a formidable promoter as well as one of the premiere flutists in the field, spoke with the Deseret News about the May 22 event, which she helped organize.

"We just value this series so much," she said. "It's something you need to do."

Hofmann was having a promoter-to-promoter talk with GAM's co-founder and producer Gordon Hanks when she learned the Salt Lake series was in peril.

She asked Hanks to "let me talk to a few of the regulars, let me just see what I can do."

What she did was put together a world-class lineup, with each of the artists donating their time.

"We don't do this. We get asked for free performances 100 times a year, and it's what we do for a living, so we can't accommodate," Hofmann said. "But this is different. We do it for a foundation and the people in the foundation that have kept it going for so many years and are serious about the artistry."

It is nearly impossible to talk to any of the musicians featured in the series without their mentioning Hanks and his team. Often the same sentiments are echoed from the stage during live performances.

According to Hofmann, the Salt Lake series is a consistent favorite among musicians, and the strong lineup seems to bear that out.

"They are some of Gordon's closest musical buddies," said Hofmann. "They have come a lot of times, and they love the series, like everybody does."

Some of the musicians scheduled for Friday's concert play together often, such as Hofmann and pianist Wofford (to whom she's married), and Hamilton and Clayton form one of the best-loved rhythm sections in the field.

But Friday's two-hour performance promises to feature interesting new combinations.

"We are going to do solos, duos, trios and quintets. We will take turns and put ourselves together in all sorts of combinations," Hofmann said.