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1993

Renowned jazz vocalist Al Jarreau makes his Playboy Jazz Festival debut: Multi-Grammy Award winner Al Jarreau, acknowledged worldwide as one of the most respected male vocalists in jazz, made his first Playboy Jazz Festival appearance on the Hollywood Bowl stage. Other first-timers included blues superstar Buddy Guy, who left the audience shouting for more, Zawinul Syndicate, headed by keyboard great Joe Zawinul (formerly of Weather Report), the McCoy Tyner Big Band, Patti Austin and Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) and the New Island Social and Pleasure Club. Wynton Marsalis made his sixth appearance at the Playboy Jazz Festival. The trumpet legend showed his staying power by spurring the crowd into dancing in the aisles and the traditional New Orleans "second line."

Host Bill Cosby became special guest star: World-renowned entertainer Bill Cosby helped open the Saturday lineup by sitting in with the young musicians of the Washington Preparatory High School Jazz Ensemble. Multitalented vocalist Patti Austin, whose career has successfully ranged from that of a solo artist to a session singer and a commercial performer—with numerous honors and awards along the way—electrified the capacity crowd with surprise visits to the Bowl stage by her labelmate from Quincy Jones' Qwest label, James Ingram. Ingram joined Austin in a duet on their chart-topping single, "Baby Come to Me." Saturday's first performance was by two extraordinarily talented young musicians from New York's prestigious Juilliard School, trumpeter Mark Inouye and saxophonist Sam Karam. The two were winners of the first Sony ES Fellowship Awards, and Sony ES served as principal sponsor of the nationwide public radio broadcast of the Playboy Jazz Festival. In its second year, this broadcast was carried in whole or in part by some 175 stations coast to coast.

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