Vision Festival- version 2.008

My mind is slipping, otherwise I would have been touting the 2008 edition of New York's finest jazz festival, or maybe it's best annual music festival, period. The Vision Festival is back and this year it's at the Clemente Solo Velez center on the Lower East side. The Kidd Jordan tribute evening has passed and this evening, they had a great line-up with sax man Oliver Lake, James Spaulding's amazing group Swinging Expressions, Hamiet Bluiett 's group Bio-Electric (with Billy Bang) and dancer Kazuko Miyamoto's moving silent piece (sad to say, I missed Whit Dickey and Daniel Carter's new band). Still coming up in the next few days is the Matthew Shipp Trio, Wadada Leo Smith Golden Quintet, Sabir Mateen / Henry Grimes Quartet, William Parker's Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield with Youth Choir and panel discussions. If that wasn't enough, they server wholesome, healthy chow (including humus and fruit salad) to help enjoy the show. You can't go wrong, really.