The end of the Jazz Festival is not easy. Nine days is a long enough time for a routine to begin to set in. I know I will have to stop myself from thinking about when I should leave for downtown several times tomorrow.

Saturday night was about savoring what was left of the festival. I began at Max's with the Barbara Dennerlein Duo. Dennerlein was the second superb female Hammond B3 organist at this year's RIJF (the first was Lou Donaldson's organist, Akiko Tsuruga.) There's no reason there shouldn't be as many women as men on the instrument, but there are few, so it was great to hear these two.

Scott Neumann was a strong match for Dennerlein on drums, following her every move, in terms of dynamics. And there are few instruments as dynamic as the Hammond B3. When she played an evocative piece like "A Summer Day," Dennerlein was able to conjure up the atmosphere of the season, including, it seemed, a storm.

Early in her set she did something decidedly different: a bass solo with her feet. Dennerlein was showing off an unusual aspect of her organ, bass pedals programmed with samples from an actual contrabass. The tone was beautiful, if a bit strange coming from an organ.

The Lutheran Church was my next stop; I had to get a dose of The Sliding Hammers. The two trombone-playing sisters are both excellent soloists, but I liked them best when they were playing off each other.

My favorite of their tunes was Karin Hammer's energetic "High Altitude Delivery," but the group also played some wonderful covers. I've heard The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" done as a jazz instrumental before, but I was impressed by Mimmi Hammer's ability to sing it as a jazz tune.

The Hammers' veteran drummer Ronnie Gardiner appeared at first to be laid back. But when he finally played a solo, he had more dexterity and power than many of the festival's drummers half his age.

I stopped into Christ Church to catch a bit of The Union Trio. After a couple of jazz tunes revealing yet another formidable pianist, John Escreet (I can't believe how many great ones I've seen this year), the trio threw the audience a curve, playing a theme from the Adagio of Mahler's Ninth Symphony. It was lovely, but then it was back to the break-neck pace of jazz.

I ended the evening at Kilbourn Hall, where I spoke to a very happy John Nugent before hearing Catherine Russell.

To say Russell has style would be a great understatement; she exudes personality. Russell is one of those singers who acts her songs through facial expressions, body language, and vocal inflection. So when she performed "I'm Lazy, That's All" she got the kind of laughs a strong actress would on Broadway. She even found a way to make the blues funny with "My Man's An Undertaker."

Even though this year's headliners may not have compared to those of past years (for me), it was a great festival. I came away exhilarated every night, from Al Foster, Joe Locke, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy's Band, Timo Lassy, and so many more. Jazz legends and newcomers, Americans, Scandinavians, Russians, Japanese; who could ask for more?