I had no real destination for the last night of the festival other than an inkling that I might want to catch Kenny Garrett. That didn't pan out as I ended up catching dinner and hanging out on the corner of East and Chesnut during the Dicky Betts show with a gang of friends: Seth, Chris, Stacy, Adam, Jane, plus new friends Greg and Deb. East Ave was jam-packed for the free concert and we were content to hang out close enough to the stage to hear the music, but far enough away to hold a conversation (plus, close enough to the beer truck for a quick refill or three).

By 10:30 we had had enough of the Allman Bros jam and we decided to head over to the Crowne Plaza for some of the jazz festival's definitive jam venue, hosted by Bob Sneider. As usual, the band and guests were awesome. The climax of the night occurring when the Sliding Hammers took the stage with Kenny Garrett's rhythm section and saxophonist Magnus Lindgren. By this time, of the original group, only Jane had stayed out to enjoy this awesome set, but we had been joined by Greg who filled me in on the Kenny Garrett show he saw earlier in the evening (can't wait for his post on that one) and we got a chance to compare notes from previous nights. We stuck it out 'til the grand finale, provided by WXXI classical radio DJ Mordecai Lipschutz, who, in what's becoming a jazz fest tradition, brought the house down with his own personal rendition of "We'll Be Together Again."

And we certainly will. Same time next year. Thanks to all the artists and thanks to John Nugent for putting on another wonderful festival.