The Bad Ass Pulse

December 2010 | No. 104
Your FREE Monthly Guide to the New York Jazz Scene
aaj-ny.com
THE
bad
PLUS
The
Bad Ass
Pulse
Mulgrew Miller • Microscopic Septet • Origin • Event Calendar
Many people have spoken to us over the years about the methodology we use in
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6
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10
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12
13
14
38
40
45
47
New York@Night
Interview: Mulgrew Miller
by Laurel Gross
Artist Feature: Microscopic Septet
by Ken Dryden
On The Cover: The Bad Plus
by Martin Longley
Encore:
Bill Smith
Lest We Forget:
Johnny Griffin
by Marcia Hillman
by Donald Elfman
Megaphone
VOXNews
by Scott Robinson
by Suzanne Lorge
Label Spotlight:
Origin Records
Jamire Williams
by Alex Henderson
& Charenée Wade
Listen Up!:
Festival Report: Belgrade • Berlin • JAZZUV
CD Reviews: Ches Smith, Conrad Herwig, Freddy Cole,
Helen Sung, William Hooker, Paquito D’Rivera, John Escreet and more
Holiday Gift Ideas
putting someone on our cover. We at AllAboutJazz-New York consider that to be
prime real estate, if you excuse the expression, and use it for celebrating those
musicians who have that elusive combination of significance and longevity (our
Hall of Fame, if you will). We are proud of those who have graced our front page,
lamented those legends who have since passed and occasionally even fêted
someone long deceased who deserved another moment in the spotlight.
But as our issue count grows and seminal players are fewer and fewer, we
must expand our notion of significance. Part of that, not only in the jazz world, has
been controversy, those players or groups that make people question their strict
rules about what is or what is not whatever. Who better to foment that kind of
discussion than this month’s On The Cover, The Bad Plus, only the third time in
our history that we have featured a group. This tradition-upending trio is at
Village Vanguard from the end of December into the first days of January.
Another band that has pushed the boundaries of jazz, first during the ‘80s but now
with an acclaimed reunion, is the Microscopic Septet (Artist Feature). The group
will celebrate the release of a new album of Monk repertoire at Birdland and the
Gershwin Hotel. And while Mulgrew Miller (Interview) may not go down in
history as a radical, jazz needs pianists like him, ones who give their all in the
celebration of jazz as a communicative art form. Check out Miller in December
leading his own group at Dizzy’s Club or with the Golden Striker Trio at Smoke.
Innovation comes in many forms, whether it be clarinetist and composer Bill
Smith (Encore), late firebrand saxist Johnny Griffin (Lest We Forget), genrehopping omni-instrumentalist Scott Robinson (Megaphone), Seattle-based Origin
Records (Label Spotlight) or the many artists featured in our CD Reviews.
Happy Holidays from AllAboutJazz-New York and check out pages 38-39 for
some jazzy gift suggestions, musical and otherwise.
Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor
Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director
On the cover: The Bad Plus (©johnrogersnyc.com)
Event Calendar
In Correction: In last month’s Interview with Danilo Pérez, the pianist referred to
something “totally improvised” on his new album Providencia; he was in fact talking
about “The Maze” parts 1 and 2.
Club Directory
Miscellany: In Memoriam • Birthdays • On This Day
Submit Letters to the Editor by emailing [email protected]
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AllAboutJazz-New York
www.aaj-ny.com
Managing Editor: Laurence Donohue-Greene
Editorial Director & Production: Andrey Henkin
Staff Writers
David R. Adler, Clifford Allen, Fred Bouchard, Stuart Broomer, Thomas Conrad,
Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman, Sean Fitzell, Graham Flanagan, Kurt Gottschalk,
Tom Greenland, Laurel Gross, Alex Henderson, Marcia Hillman, Terrell Holmes,
Robert Iannapollo, Francis Lo Kee, Martin Longley, Suzanne Lorge,
Wilbur MacKenzie, Gordon Marshall, Marc Medwin, Russ Musto, Joel Roberts,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon, Jeff Stockton, Celeste Sunderland, Andrew Vélez
Contributing Writers
George Kanzler, Scott Robinson
Contributing Photographers
Jacob Blickenstaff, Scott Friedlander, Sergei Gavrylov, Olympiad Ioffe,
Lars Klove, Stanislav Milojkovic, Alan Nahigian, John Rogers, Anna Tello
To Contact:
AllAboutJazz-New York
116 Pinehurst Avenue, Ste. J41
New York, NY 10033
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Laurence Donohue-Greene: [email protected]
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ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
3
N EW YO R K @ NI GHT
The trumpet/drum duo has been coming into fashion In its earlier years, jazz was not always so - dare I say
it? - serious. On Nov. 6th, conducting his big band for
an intimate gathering of family and friends at
University of the Streets, Andrew D’Angelo made it
clear that, in addition to his considerable talents as a
composer, arranger and improviser, he is serious
about having fun. Abetted by an A-team of musical
‘character actors’ that included, among others, Bill
McHenry, Josh Roseman, Dan Weiss and Kirk Knuffke,
the alto saxophonist’s charts revealed a highly
accessible if somewhat unconventional approach to
big-band writing, marrying catchy unison lines to
punchy riffs and dense, ‘bonky’ chords. The thickly
textured ‘shout’ sections of charts like “Egna Ot
Waog”, “Free Willy” and “Red Line” never
overpowered the essential melodic ideas while the
lush chorale voicings of “I Love You” and rock-funk
bluster of “Big Butt” were equally compelling.
Wearing a loud, yellow-gold shirt while delivering
keening, soulful solos, D’Angelo was an eye- and earmagnet, engaging even the most complacent listeners
with his no-holds-barred approach to performance,
which included running around the room during
solos, teasing the teenagers and, most importantly,
playing as if his life depended on it, whether it was a
torchy reading of “Felicia”, a swinging solo on “Free
Willy” or the full-throttle future-funk of “Egna Ot
Waog”, the finale to a most impressive and - dare I say
it? - fun evening of jazz.
- Tom Greenland
Kenny Wollesen/Kirk Knuffke @ Downtown Music Gallery
Andrew D’Angelo Big Band @ University of the Streets
H enry Threadgill’s three-night stand at Roulette
might not have been the event initially planned - a
scheduled collaboration with percussion ensemble and
a newly commissioned work didn’t come to pass - but
the concerts he gave Nov. 11th-13th still proved to be a
flexing of muscle for Zooid, a band that may have
taken a while to find itself but is now a powerful unit.
The second night was a typical, if fired up, set by his
standing group of over a decade. Zooid has gone
through
various
changes
in
lineup
and
instrumentation, but finally gelled with the return of
Stomu Takeishi, who played in Threadgill’s previous
band, Make a Move. The cohesiveness of the group
was all the more apparent on the third night, when the
sextet played without a setlist, the leader listening
intently, directing the band and calling each
composition. It was a remarkably slow ramp-up, quiet
and taut for the first 20 minutes, but at the same time
confident and exhilarating. The last night might have
been the most satisfying, but the first was the
important one. Zooid has always orbited around
acoustic strings, with Takeishi’s hollow-body bass
guitar in the current lineup and oud and dual cellos in
the past. The cello seat has recently and very ably been
filled by Christopher Hoffman and for the opening
night a full string quartet was added for Threadgill’s
concert-length In Frontispiece. Beginning as a backand-forth, the piece came together in one, beautiful
tentet.
(KG)
Chris Speed and Jim Black, co-veterans of Bloodcount,
©johnrogersnyc.com
Photo by Scott Friedlander
lately. Before the past few years there were only a
handful of examples, but lately Wadada Leo Smith has
been exploring the pairing as has Nate Wooley, Taylor
Ho Bynum and a number of others. At Downtown
Music Gallery Nov. 14th, Kirk Knuffke (actually
playing a cornet) and Kenny Wollesen accepted the
horn/drum challenge while at the same time
performing a small feat of engineering: they took two
trios and compressed them into a duet. Knuffke and
Wollesen have recorded together separately with
bassist Lisle Ellis and clarinetist Doug Wieselman and
it was primarily from those two songbooks that the
pair drew the material for their early evening set. With
Wollesen’s drums seemingly pitched low and
Knuffke’s naturally mellow tone, they delivered a
breezy but thoughtful set. They played from scores but
passed effortlessly into improvised sections that were
exploratory but still easy-going inventions, neither of
them looking to push too hard, too fast or too long.
One piece began with a basic statement (four notes
ascending, three descending) repeated by Knuffke
several times before the dots were connected to reveal
a smart, jazzy melody. Knuffke swayed lazily with his
horn, more like a saxophonist than a bugler playing
“Taps” while Wollesen rolled comfortably behind his
kit. The pieces they played were tuneful even while the
structures seemed slight, making for a lightly perfect
set of songs.
- Kurt Gottschalk
4 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
Pachora, yeah NO and AlasNoAxis, unveiled
Endangered Blood, a project with Oscar Noriega and
Trevor Dunn Nov. 11th at Littlefield, a converted
warehouse near Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal. The
event’s hipster ambience was heightened by two
muralists working in the lounge and the starkly-lit
performance space with scattered chairs and a lonely
festoon made from spiral-cut plastic bottles, six-pack
holders and Christmas lights. The music began
fashionably (an hour) late with Sküli Sverrisson’s solo
set of electronically-enhanced bass, a 30-minute
montage of looping soundwashes peppered with
scratchy static, evoking radar blips, humpback whale
songs, wind-blown sheets, muffled alarm clocks or
rainy pavement, creating an overall effect that was
eerily soothing. Speed and Co. opened their set with
“Plunge”, a 7/4 rocker that established their signature
sound: Dunn’s cranked-up acoustic bass anchoring
Black’s unpredictable but inevitably emphatic beat,
together propelling a relatively laid-back frontline of
Speed’s offhandedly charismatic tenor in dialogue
with Noriega’s buoyant alto and bass clarinet. Along
with an odd-time cover of Monk’s “Epistrophy” were
compelling originals: the chorale-like “Vibing France”,
a bopping “Uri Bird”, a slow-swaggering “Iris” and
the night’s highlight, “Elvin Lisbon”, a free
association of groaning drones, lock-step lines and
futuristic ‘calypso’.
(TG)
Is it laziness or inevitability that any saxophone-drum
duo performance is discussed in terms of John
Coltrane-Rashied
Ali’s
soon-to-be
45-year-old
recording Interstellar Space? Almost half a century is a
long time and thus the format has absorbed as many
paradigms as proponents. The only constant in this
‘genre’ is a commingling of roles: sax becomes
percussive as drums emphasize their melodicism.
Such was the case with Matana Roberts and Ches
Smith at The Stone (Nov. 7th) but that only told part of
the story. As often as Smith unleashed ferocious snare
and tom rolls, he also worked with the decaying
resonance of small gongs and utilized a miniature
xylophone for atmospheric effect. And Roberts
displayed a subtlety that makes her a complete player;
not that she was shallow before but she tended more
towards the straightforward and uncompromising
earlier in her career. Sitting in the small black box
theater, a listener’s thoughts could wander to other
sax-drum duos that have graced the space - Evan
Parker and Milford Graves one of the more recent and
energetic examples. Roberts and Smith, across four
longish improvisations, recalled that mighty pairing
only slightly. If the first and third pieces were highly
emotive, the second and fourth were more cerebral.
Some might apply the American versus British schools
but even those dissimilar styles have bled into one
other over time. So for 50 minutes, one was simply
taken with how fresh the form still is. - Andrey Henkin
WHAT’S NEWS
Celebrating the recent release of his latest CD, Circles
(Furthermore), pianist Benito Gonzalez brought an
incendiary quintet featuring saxists Azar Lawrence
and Myron Walden, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer
Jeff “Tain” Watts into Jazz Standard (Nov. 2nd) to play
music from his fiery recording. Opening with the
disc’s closer, “Journey’s End” - a McCoy Tynerish-type
of outing reminiscent of the leader’s work with Kenny
Garrett - the band immediately evinced a type of
intensity not often heard on bandstands these days.
With Gonzalez pounding percussive left hand chords
over Reeves’ fast walking bass and Watts’ relentlessly
flailing drumming, the horns played the appealing,
slightly dissonant melody that hearkened to the
spiritual nature of the music, Lawrence’s Coltraneinspired tenor excursion referencing that master in his
own voice, as did Walden, who quoted from “A Love
Supreme” in his solo. Gonzalez, whose admiration for
Tyner is well known, showed that he is just as much
his own man, displaying a distinctly personal
melodicism, reflected in both his playing and
composing. Watts kicked things off on the leader’s
“Elvin’s Sight” - a quartet feature for Lawrence - with
a drum solo distinguished by an intriguing call-andresponse pattern between cymbals and drums. A most
original arrangement of “Blues On The Corner”
followed, where the pianist offered an engagingly offkilter bluesiness. The set closed with Gonzalez’ Latinrooted tour de force “Taurus”.
- Russ Musto
After a two-year, seemingly positive, relationship, the
healthcare company CareFusion has ended its
sponsorship of George Wein’s New York Jazz,
Newport and Chicago Jazz Festivals. Large losses
were reported by the company in August and its CEO
recently announced his retirement. Wein is now
looking for new partnerships and interested parties
can email [email protected].
In a first celebration of pure jazz, Google devoted its
homepage icon to the birthday of Dizzy Gillespie on
Oct. 16th. On Jan. 23rd of this year, it did the same
for the Centennial of Django Reinhardt. To see the
logos, visit google.com/logos.
The Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz
Festival is now accepting applications from student
big bands, combos, vocal ensembles, composers
and individual musicians. Applicants will be
competing for slots in the 54th Monterey Jazz
Festival, to be held in September 2011. The deadline
is Jan. 21st. For more information, visit
montereyjazzfestival.org.
Photo by Olympiad Ioffe
Photo by Jacob Blickenstaff/www.33-13.com
Benito Gonzalez @ Jazz Standard
Matana Roberts @ The Stone
A short walk from the block that once housed the
legendary club Slug’s, The Fringe presented a set of
music (Nov. 6th) that would have fit in quite nicely
with that venue’s aesthetic. It has been many decades
since Slug’s closed and Alphabet City (or East Village
to newer arrivals) is a much different locale but
progressive music still has a place there, particularly
during Nublu’s annual jazz festival. That club is
known for its eclecticism and its festival reflects that:
prior to the Fringe’s set, percussionist Adam Rudolph
presented his Moving Pictures group and waiting in
the wings was trumpeter Lew Soloff’s allstar Cuban
band. Saxist/de facto leader George Garzone began
the trio’s set by saying, “We used to be in New York
but they kicked us out.” Perhaps this is a bit of
blowback from the Big Apple-Beantown sports rivalry
but has led to fewer appearances by the group,
unfortunate because few do what The Fringe do or as
well. Garzone may have been referred to above as
leader of the 35+ year group but that belies its true
nature: a masterful control of his instrument is the
easiest thing to pick out - and as is usually the case
with Fringe concerts, the first few rows of listeners
were intent students getting an intimate master class but much has to be said of drummer Bob Gullotti’s
pliant, forceful timekeeping and bassist John
Lockwood’s firm pulse. Part freeform skittishness,
Coltrane-esque spirituality and academic focus, The
Fringe, but not the Red Sox, are welcome anytime.(AH)
Well
known for his piano work with the barrierbreaking unit The Bad Plus, Ethan Iverson brought a
more tradition-oriented, but no less exciting trio with
exceptional young bassist Corcoran Holt and master
drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath into Smalls (Nov. 1st)
to explore richly musical straightahead jazz repertoire.
Opening with Charlie Parker’s bebop anthem
“Confirmation”, the band displayed a quiet fire and
intense attentiveness to nuance that immediately made
it evident that this was going to be more than an alltoo-typical evening filled with the breathless running
of chord changes. On “Con Alma” Holt’s richly
bottomed bass took center stage for a medium-tempo
version of the Dizzy Gillespie classic, Heath’s ultra hip
rhythmic embellishments and Iverson’s melodically
informed comping subtly surrounding the soloist in a
way that made the reading revelatory. On the ballad
“These Foolish Things”, Iverson’s harmonic genius
came to light, as he utilized a series of well-chosen
chord substitutions to breathe new life into the
venerable standard. The band fired heatedly on an
uptempo rendition of Parker’s rarely heard “Visa”,
Heath growling encouragement to his younger
colleagues. The drummer revealed his unparalleled
mastery of the tambourine on an Eastern-tinged
introduction to “Speak Low” and then showed equal
skill playing New Orleans Second Line rhythms on
“Perdido”,
as
Iverson
exhibited
a
spirited
Monkishness on the closer.
(RM)
The radio program JazzSet, hosted by Dee Dee
Bridgewater, has been named the recipient of a
$50,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation. The money is intended to support two
years worth of programming that will feature new
music created under the auspices of Chamber Music
America’s New Jazz Works: Commissioning and
Ensemble Development program. For more
information, visit jazzset.npr.org.
The offspring of famed bandleader Artie Shaw and
Doris Dowling, Jonathan, a well-known tattoo artist,
was recently arrested in New York for weapons
possession. When removing items from storage to
ship to Los Angeles, a cache of guns, including an
AK-47 assault rifle, a shotgun and nearly 100 knives,
was discovered by employees of a Manhattan MiniStorage. Shaw was released after posting bond.
Highlights in Jazz, at one point the longest
continually running jazz series in New York, has
returned after what was called its last season last
spring. The 38th and “final” year will begin in January.
For more information, visit highlightsinjazz.org.
Clint Eastwood’s new Dave Brubeck documentary,
Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way, premieres on
Turner Classic Movies Dec. 6th, part of the cable
channel’s celebration of the pianist’s 90th birthday.
Also to be screened are Richard Bradley’s Southern
Crossing (1981) - Australian performances by the
Dave Brubeck Quartet - and All Night Long (1962), a
reimagining of Othello starring Brubeck. For more
information, visit tcm.com.
The Jazz Journalists Association is seeking
applicants for a four-month program of training in
video jazz journalism. A strong interest in jazz and
journalism are required, as well as easy access to a
computer, as most training will be online. For more
information, visit EyeJazz.tv.
Applications are being accepted for the fourth edition
of Camp MMW, a chance for musicians, ages 16 and
up, to live and study with the band in the Catskill
Mountains from Jul. 31st-Aug. 5th. For more
information, visit mmw.net/campmmw.
Submit news to [email protected]
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
5
INT ER VI EW
photo by Alan Nahigian
Mulgrew
Miller
Boogaloo to play piano. I hesitate to say this, but I’d
play electric bass (laughs). I knew where some of the
notes were (laughs again). And had ears good enough
to hear the chord changes to the songs. But technically
speaking I wasn’t much of a bass player. Sometimes I’d
get to play piano, as I knew some R&B songs and then
there’d be a real bass player.
AAJ-NY: Since Oscar Peterson was such a big
influence on you, did you get to meet him?
MM: The first time was very scary. I was with Betty
Carter and we were playing in Berkeley, California at a
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 37)
by Laurel Gross
W hether he’s playing as a leader of his own groups or as a
sideman, virtuosic pianist Mulgrew Miller is a savvy,
inventive improviser with the impressive technical prowess
to back it all up. He can be counted on to offer plenty of
surprises and challenges that will engage astute jazz
listeners as well as those just starting to explore the music.
Originally from Mississippi, he attended Memphis State
University and in the following years distinguished himself
with such groups as Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the
Woody Shaw Quintet, Mercer Ellington Orchestra and
Tony Williams Quintet as well as his own bands, including
Wingspan, which appears at Dizzy’s Club this month.
AllAboutJazz-New York: Some people today have the
impression that jazz is an intimidating music, that it’s
too difficult a music to listen to and that they need a lot
of special knowledge to appreciate it. What do you
think of this, in terms of your own music?
Mulgrew Miller: I don’t think a person should have to
have a Master’s Degree in music or theory to
understand what’s going on. Hopefully the music
should be accessible on a number of levels. For
example, I don’t think the music should be 100%
progressive. There should be an accessible element
that I refer to as the folk element, something that
reaches people where they live. In this music, jazz, for
me blues is the folk element. It’s also a storytelling
element; a storytelling element has to be there...
But my feeling is that the listener should be
prepared to meet the artist halfway. They should be
prepared for any kind of the unexpected. You don’t
want to go to a concert and know exactly what you’re
going to hear and not somewhat be challenged as to
what you can appreciate. And the musician has an
obligation to meet the audience halfway. It goes both
ways. The listener shouldn’t be expected to be
spoonfed every little thing. And they shouldn’t be
patronized.
AAJ-NY: Speaking of the blues as an important
element in your music, you grew up in the heart of
blues territory. While you don’t have to be from the
Delta to appreciate the blues, your roots were there.
Where specifically did you grow up and what was it
like?
MM: A small town called Greenwood, Mississippi.
Greenwood is supposedly where [legendary blues
guitarist] Robert Johnson lived for a while, in that area,
and I’m told he died there. He was poisoned I think
somewhere else, but died there. [14-year-old] Emmett
Till was lynched a week or two after I was born [in
August 1955], a few miles from Greenwood actually.
And the guy who shot [Civil Rights activist] Medgar
Evers [in June 1963] was from Greenwood.
AAJ-NY: When you talk about racism, it must have
been a pretty heavy place in those days.
MM: Especially in the time I grew up. I was a child of
the ‘60s and early ‘70s. I saw a lot of it, you know. I was
in 10th grade, about 15, before I went to a school that
was fully integrated. Or in other words, I never came
in close contact with a white person until that point,
until I went to school with them … You know, growing
up “in” it, especially being so young, you don’t realize
all of the implications until you kind of mature,
advance, travel the world and then think about, you
know, those times. I learned things after I left that I
didn’t know when I was there. My parents were
mostly involved in protecting me. They tried to make
sure that you stayed in your place, because that’s what
you did growing up at that time. You stayed in your
place.
AAJ-NY: As Greenwood and the surrounding area
wasn’t much of a jazz scene, how were you introduced
to jazz? And then decide to be a jazz musician?
MM: I heard Oscar Peterson on the Joey Bishop Show on
television. First of all, I never imagined that a piano
could be played like that. I had never seen nor heard
anybody do that live. It was like something from
another planet really. I had heard concert pianists on
TV but I hadn’t heard anybody play the piano telling
the story I could relate to, with that kind of technique
and sophistication. When I heard that I said that’s
what I want to do. I was a completely different child
the next day. I knew what I wanted to do from then on.
AAJ-NY: Were there any local influences?
MM: I never had any formal lessons. But there was a
guy in Greenwood called Boogaloo Ames, an
interesting figure for me, an older fellow who kind of
played in the style of Nat King Cole and Erroll Garner.
Many years later he surfaced on a Cassandra Wilson
record (Belly of the Sun) on one or two tunes as a blues
piano player but I had known him long before as a jazz
player. He played in this almost prebop style and
knew every standard ever written. He worked at
Baldwin, tuning pianos, and every Saturday when he
was off I’d pick him up and drive him downtown to
the piano store where we’d sit for hours and I’d watch
him play songs and different runs and things like that.
AAJ-NY: Did he influence your playing?
MM: Initially I would say so. In fact, some of the
townspeople called me “Little Boogaloo” because I
was the young kid who played piano around,
everybody knew me. I did school and church functions
and dances and everything. I don’t think I would have
had as much of an appreciation of him had I not
already seen Oscar Peterson. I met Boogaloo a year or
so after that. Boogaloo befriended my high school
bandleader who was a saxophone player and a caterer.
So when he catered parties sometimes he’d hire
6 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
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AR T IST FEAT UR E
Photo by Lars Klove
Microscopic
Septet
by Ken Dryden
The
Microscopic Septet is the brainchild of soprano
saxophonist Phillip Johnston and pianist Joel
Forrester. Their quirky music has been a cult favorite
among many jazz fans (Forrester’s theme for NPR’s
Fresh Air, as performed by the Micros, is heard daily,
nationwide, in hundreds of markets) though the band
has never been a full-time group. The sound of
surprise and humor are integral components of the
Micros’ music, which defies being classified into any
one style. Forrester mused, “Duke Ellington would say
that Ben Webster was ‘beyond category’, which was
his highest form of praise. Both Phillip and I have been
aiming for ‘beyond category’ for a long time.”
Forrester and Johnston remembered the origins of
the group somewhat differently. Forrester recalled,
“I’ve told the story so many times that I can’t vouch for
its accuracy. The real genesis of the band probably was
around 1974, when I was walking up St. Mark’s Place
in New York City and heard Thelonious Monk’s ‘Well,
You Needn’t’ coming from a building. That was really
odd at the time, not because his music had fallen into
disfavor, but not many people were playing bebop
then. I had always been a Monk nut, so I decided to
follow the sound and managed to talk my way into the
building, went up to the right floor and to the door of
Phillip Johnston, who had been practicing it on
soprano sax. Phillip invited me in and I listened to him
for about 20 minutes. It turned out Phillip was leaving
for the West Coast the next morning, so he and I got
together at 8 am over at my pad on Tenth Street. I don’t
remember what we played but it convinced us that
there was a future in playing together. Awhile after
that, the Microscopic Septet came into being.”
Forrester credited Johnston with the band’s
instrumentation: “Phillip formed the idea of having a
saxophone band and then thought of adding a rhythm
section. He knew that by bringing me in that he’d be
bringing in my music, because at that time I was really
strict about playing my own music. His idea was to
have a little big band that gave off the aura of a big
band.”
Johnston recalled its roots in this way: “I
originally intended for the Micros to be a big band. I
loved Ellington’s ‘jungle’ band, the big bands of
Fletcher Henderson and Jelly Roll Morton, the modern
big bands of Charles Mingus and Sun Ra, along with
the arrangement-oriented bands of Tadd Dameron and
Gil Evans. But organizing a big band seemed
impossible, so I started with the sax and rhythm
sections. Another inspiration was Noise R Us, a punkfunk band where I played in the horn section with
Dave Sewelson and George Bishop. We wanted to do
something else together, so I invited John Zorn on alto.
He was one of my oldest friends and had previously
played with Joel and I and that became the original
Micros frontline.”
The first recorded lineup included Johnston and
Forrester, Zorn, John Hagen (tenor), Sewelson
(baritone), bassist Dave Hofstra and drummer Richard
For more information, visit microscopicseptet.com. This
group is at Birdland Dec. 2nd and Gershwin Hotel Dec.
11th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:
• Microscopic Septet - The History of the Micros,
Vol. One: Seven Men in Neckties
(Press/Osmosis - Cuneiform, 1982/1984/1990)
• Microscopic Septet - The History of the Micros,
Vol. Two: Surrealistic Swing
(Osmosis/Stash - Cuneiform, 1981/1986/1988/1990)
• Microscopic Septet - Lobster Leaps In (Cuneiform, 2007)
• Microscopic Septet - Friday the Thirteenth
(The Micros Play Monk) (Cuneiform, 2010)
Junior Mance
… Jazz pianist
Dworkin. Though several people have since held the
tenor chair (Danny Nigro, Paul Shapiro and now
Michael Hashim) and Zorn departed early on
(replaced by Don Davis), the band is remarkable for its
stability. The pianist laughed, “People were fighting to
get into the band. When John Zorn, the original alto
player, announced he was leaving, we knew we could
easily replace him with Don Davis, because Don would
come to our gigs and announce that ‘I can cut that guy
Zorn.’ I like that kind of attitude. It was a band that
had new compositions written not only for the saxes
involved but for the personalities and strengths of the
people playing the saxes.” When asked about the
benefit of not having producers pushing pop tunes and
standards, Forrester replied, “We were never tempted
with success. No one ever told us you could make it,
but only if you play someone else’s music.”
With the exception of the newest CD, the
compositions on a typical release are roughly split
50/50 between Forrester and Johnston. Forrester is a
prolific composer. “Right now I’m up to 1,565 pieces.
It’s a nice challenge to decide which ones to perform.
What I’ve found, and that’s what has been the
energizing force behind the Microscopic Septet, is
when you have really good players, they like
constantly being challenged. This band was always in
the process of looking at new music, finally being
satisfied with the way we were playing older music
and trying to remember music we used to play.”
Johnston explained, “I write Micros tunes specifically
for the Micros. When I’ve tried it the other way, it
hasn’t worked very well.”
Cuneiform’s two recent double-CD compilations
(Seven Men in Neckties and Surrealistic Swing) restored
all of the Micro’s earlier recordings to print and added
previously unissued performances as well. This helped
stimulate new interest in the group, which had not
recorded since 1990. They reunited to produce Lobster
Leaps In in 2007, followed by the just-released Friday
the Thirteenth (The Micros Play Monk).
Forrester noted, “Phillip had long proposed we do
an all-Thelonious Monk CD and I had resisted the
notion. Even though both of us are Monk babies, it
seemed incestuous to me to do a compilation strictly of
his music. What we liked to do when the band was
happening was to sneak Monk tunes and our strange
arrangements of them into the middle of a set instead
of songs by Phillip and me. Suddenly there was
something somewhat recognizable to people. I finally
agreed to a Monk CD and couldn’t be happier.
Phillip’s arrangements take Monk far afield yet never
lose sight of the origins of the music.”
After this month’s gigs, the group will be in
hiatus, with Johnston temporarily living in Australia
and Forrester at work with his other projects. But the
Micros will reunite for a tour next year and perhaps,
another record date. Forrester remarked, “Now we’re
all involved in other things, but we’re still willing to
drop everything when we get together once a year. K
Hide Tanaka….Bassist
at
Café Loup
EVERY SUNDAY
6:30 - 9:30 pm
Junior Mance Quintet
first Sunday
of each month
NO COVER, JUST AWARD WINNING JAZZ AND FOOD
105 West 13th Street 212-255-4746
www.juniormance.com
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
7
O N T HE C OVER
©johnrogersnyc.com
THEThe BAD
PLUS
Bad Ass Pulse
by Martin Longley
J ust as when they are playing music onstage, The Bad
Plus have their roles within the interviewing chamber.
So it transpired, in the dressing room during their last
NYC residency at Blue Note. There are degrees of
natural chemistry in operation, with equal rights for
glint-eyed humor and uncompromising seriousness.
As with their performing existence, it’s difficult to
gauge how much pianist Ethan Iverson is being
urbanely ironic or whether he’s a genuinely studious
old-school gentleman. Drummer Dave King is more of
an open japer, but this doesn’t prevent him from
making highly pertinent observations, as expected
from all good japers. Meanwhile bassist Reid
Anderson is the quiet Plusser, but he too will step in
with a pointed observation, when the moment is right.
This month, The Bad Plus are returning for
another week at Village Vanguard. It will be the third
year that they’ve played the post-Yule-into-the-New
Year run - an appropriate booking for a trio that melds
entertainment with thoughtful gristle and the
nostalgic glow of popular songbook reinterpretation
with a forward-looking, innovatory spirit. Given that
their new album, Never Stop, contains entirely selfgenerated compositions, maybe there’ll be less of the
Ornette, Aphex and Queen this time around and more
of the Iverson, Anderson and King. This has lately
been an increasing tendency: to move away from the
cover versions and more towards an embrace of their
substantial original material.
The album opens with the classical pomp
statement of “The Radio Tower Has A Beating Heart”,
extreme in its frilled majesty, like a minuscule suite,
passing straight into the glam disco stomp of the disc’s
title track, a tune which the Scissor Sisters could easily
cover. The Bad Plus range effortlessly from rubbery
funk to stately poise. They sound like they dig
progressive rock, but they’re roughing up that
influence, breaking it apart with improvisatory
ruggedness.
After a decade together, the three members have
formulated a unique bond, both as musicians and
friends. Spending so much time on the road, they have
to be friends. The interplay is obvious, even just
hearing them talk together, away from their
instruments.
“Our last record was a special project with a
singer,” King reminds us of 2009’s For All I Care, with
the guesting Wendy Lewis. “So, after that, we wanted
to celebrate 10 years of the band with what we do
most. It’s a result of touring a record that was all
interpretations for a year and a half. It’s almost like we
want to clear the palate.”
“The sound of The Bad Plus is just the sound of the
three of us playing together,” states Iverson. This
might sound superficially simple, but we’re talking
about the entwining of three massively individual and
complex stylists.
“We didn’t go with our longtime engineer and
collaborator Tchad Blake,” says King. “We did three
records together for Columbia and he also mixed our
last album. We went with an engineer who engineered
the last record, but didn’t mix it, the relatively
unknown Brent Sigmeth. We played live, with no
overdubs or edits, so in that way we kind of got back to
the basic elements. We’d always made records with
some kind of production. We decided to let the songs
be the production and just to play.”
The Bad Plus seem to be a band of contradictory
elements. Yes, they all have their writing personalities,
but yes, also, once filtered through the threesome’s
entangled interpretations, all works are subject to the
combo’s innate stylishness.
“All three of us take composition seriously,” says
Iverson, seriously. “We all write our pieces, then
present them to each other. They do change a bit, of
course. Everyone always has to make up their own
parts to some extent. One thing that’s important to all
three of us is that our music is diverse. There’s no one
way for us to do anything. Some pieces have a very
specific feel, a very specific melody. And then another
song might be completely free.”
“I think that the composer tends to have the right
of way,” says Anderson. “Sometimes, you do
something very specific, that has to happen and people
just honor it. And other times, you hand it over and the
idea becomes so much better when somebody’s
allowed to hear it in a different way.”
“Maybe the common ground of the writing is that
all three of us have a different writing style that we all
believe in,” decides King. “We all guard the aesthetic
of the music. That’s why we assembled this band.
There’s a trust that we’re going to try and make the
best music we can out of these ideas. We might write
separately, but we own it together. We share all the
writing royalties. We end up owning each other’s
music, not only literally, but we own it on the
bandstand.”
One moment King is called upon to keep rickety,
swaying or marching time, then he will disintegrate
himself into minute introspection of small-tinkering,
relishing the micro-possibilities of his drumset. “Beryl
Loves To Dance” is like an entire movie soundtrack
compacted into four minutes of dynamism. “We’ve
refined our techniques,” says King. “The core of the
band is still absolutely the same as when we started.
The joy of playing. It ebbs and flows in the normal way
a 10-year relationship would. We’re all about it getting
better. We’re not a band that’s just gonna have our riffs
and then just keep going. We’re always trying to figure
out a way to push, from new types of material,
different places to play, different things to reinterpret.
There’s always a huge volume of ideas.”
Anderson’s “Snowball” floats with a luminous
calm.
King: “There’s no two musicians [not to turn this
into a love-fest!] that I have felt more accepted by,
ever, in my entire playing career. The idea that what
I’m doing over there is fine by these two. It doesn’t
matter what night it is and where it’s going, there’s a
total acceptance. I have never heard from Ethan, like,
‘when you shoved that floor tom up my ass during my
solo, I really didn’t like that so much!’ He’s just
looking over there and going ‘yes!’, y’know?”
Iverson wants to be a concert pianist. He also
wants to play in the corner of a bar until 5 am. As well,
Iverson would be equally happy in a house of
experimental music.
“I worry that in post-jazz education culture there’s
not enough idiosyncratic musicians,” Iverson reveals.
“And I think that the three of us are pretty
idiosyncratic. Three guys that were not going to fit in
every situation. I know that all of us spent moments on
bandstands with other people where it was awkward.
Where we were the wrong guys. I moved to New York
in 1991. I didn’t have a single jazz gig until basically I
was playing The Village Vanguard with The Bad Plus
all of a sudden. I couldn’t fit in with a lot of people and
I still can’t. Monk, his whole life, had fewer gigs than
The Bad Plus have already had. He really fought
against the current, despite being Thelonious Monk.
He’s a great example of someone who was absolutely
not accepted.”
Iverson’s “Bill Hickman At Home” rambles with a
Monk-ian barrelhouse wit.
I inadvertently pronounce the dreaded term
‘piano trio’. “I think it shouldn’t be a piano trio,” says
Iverson. “It should be a piano-bass-drums trio. I don’t
want to name these guys, but I’ve seen a few younger
cats have some breaks in the last five years, who have
put their name on it and they’ve had the opportunity
to do something else and they didn’t.”
King’s “Super America” is a trim gospel bounce.
“A lot of piano trios are collaborative,” says King.
“If we think about what the piano trio was before 10
years ago, versus the last 10 years, we’re talking about
an evolution in jazz, from Jason Moran to Vijay Iyer
and back to Brad Mehldau. Brad’s name is on that, but
that’s Brad and Larry [Grenadier] and Jorge [Rossy]
and now Jeff [Ballard] and that’s their sound. These are
super-collaborative situations, the ones I’ve just
named. Whatever you call it, in the last 10 years, the
drummer hasn’t necessarily politely comped along.
It’s more integrated in the bands I’ve just mentioned.
“This band is already an intense collaboration,”
says Iverson, who always admires the ongoing, stable
outfits, where languages develop over time, enabling a
house sound.
“That being said, we’re kicking Ethan out of the
band,” warns King. “And Brad’s coming in! It’s gonna
be The Brad Plus!” K
For more information, visit thebadplus.com. This group is
at Village Vanguard Dec. 28th-Jan. 2nd. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:
• The Bad Plus - Eponymous
(Fresh Sound-New Talent, 2000)
• The Bad Plus - These Are The Vistas (Columbia, 2002)
• The Bad Plus - Give (Columbia, 2003)
• The Bad Plus - Blunt Object (Live in Tokyo)
(Columbia, 2004)
• The Bad Plus - Prog (Heads Up, 2006)
• The Bad Plus - Never Stop (E1 Entertainment, 2010)
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
9
E NC OR E
Bill Smith
by Marcia Hillman
In the world of musical
Smiths there is Bill
Smith - jazz clarinetist,
composer and arranger.
Then there is William
Overton
Smith
‘50s
‘00s
classical clarinetist and
composer. And, yes, they are the same person. Born in
Sacramento, California on Sep. 22nd, 1926, Smith
started playing the clarinet at age ten. He also started
his double life in his teens by putting together a jazz
group at 13 and joining the Oakland Symphony
Orchestra at 15. “As a kid, I wanted to be like Benny
Goodman,” Smith relates. “He was a great inspiration
for me. He could play Mozart or he could play blues. I
only knew jazz when I was a kid, but finally in my late
teens I heard Benny Goodman’s classical recordings of
Mozart and I thought there’s a whole world.”
After high school, Smith toured cross-country
briefly with a dance band and soured on the idea of
being on the road as a jazz musician. He settled in New
York City to begin his formal music studies at the
Juilliard School of Music in the daytime and playing at
jazz clubs at night. One of the most significant impacts
on Smith’s education and life came in 1946 when he
forsook the East Coast and headed back to California
to study music with Darius Milhaud at Mills College in
Oakland. It was there he met fellow classmate Dave
Brubeck and began a lifetime of friendship and
musical collaboration. He recalls, “The first guy I
recorded with was Brubeck. It won the DownBeat
award for small band for that year in the early ‘50s.
The earliest thing on it is my ‘Schizophrenic Scherzo’
and that was my first experiment with trying to marry
what I knew of classical music and jazz.” (This
integration was later given the name “Third Stream”
by Gunther Schuller.)
Continuing his studies, Smith went on to study
composition with Roger Sessions at the University of
California, Berkeley, earning his Bachelor’s and
Master’s degrees. Then came a succession of awards
that offered him the opportunity to study in Europe.
The Prix de Paris in 1951 gave him two years of study
at the Paris Conservatory. In 1957, he was awarded the
Prix de Rome. “That took me to Rome for a year to the
American Academy in Rome,” he explains. “In 1960 I
had a Guggenheim thing which took me to Rome for
two years again and then I stayed on for four years
playing in a group with John Eaton. We had a group
called the American Jazz Ensemble and we toured all
over Italy and throughout the United States actually.”
Back in the US, Smith began his teaching career at
the University of Southern California and went on to a
30-year teaching stint at the University of Washington
in Seattle in 1966. But it wasn’t all teaching. He was
constantly writing - both classical and jazz
compositions - recording and performing as well. “For
ten years I was with Brubeck steady in the ‘80s,” he
remembers. “I was teaching at the same time and it
was a killer flying into the East Coast for weekend
gigs. It was great playing with Dave. We’ve played
and recorded together throughout the years. And
during the ‘60s he commissioned me to write an album
a year for him for his quartet to play with him.”
Based in Seattle, Smith continues to teach
privately. (He is Professor Emeritus at the University
of Washington.) The clarinetist continues to write,
record and perform. Smith states, “Every summer I go
to Rome and to Italy and I play a concert every week or
a couple of times some weeks throughout Italy. I play
locally around Seattle with a trio, but there’s not much
happening there. I performed with Brubeck a couple of
years ago and when he comes to Seattle, I play with
him,“ he goes on. Smith has a new CD, TramJAZZ
(Trambus, 2008) with clarinetist Paolo Ravaglia.
Smith recently performed at the Symphony Space
premiere of his jazz opera Space In The Heart. Written
in 2008 (and first performed in Seattle), the work has a
libretto by Peter Monaghan and is written for three
voices and a group composed of clarinet, piano, bass
and drums. The performance was done in concert style
(without sets) and featured singers Rachelle Fleming,
Nicole Pasternak and Dominic Infererra with Smith,
pianist John Eaton, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer
Alan Bergman. The story is ‘the eternal triangle’
among astronauts and takes place mostly in outer
space. Smith comments, “My opera tries to combine
basically what I love about Monteverdi and jazz. I
heard an opera of his about two years ago and the lines
were simple and direct and the music was improvised
by the baroque continual players. I thought if baroque
musicians can improvise, why couldn’t I do that with
jazz musicians?”
Bill Smith, aka William Overton Smith, always
“wanted to compose music and play music when I can
and be connected with universities.” And this
renaissance man is still doing all of that. K
Recommended Listening:
• Dave Brubeck - The Dave Brubeck Octet
(Fantasy, 1953)
• Red Norvo - Music to Listen to Red Norvo By
(Contemporary, 1957)
• Bill Smith - Folk Jazz (Contemporary, 1959)
• Dave Brubeck - Near-Myth (Fantasy, 1961)
• Various Artists - Dedicated to Dolphy (1928-1964)
(Cambridge, 1966)
• Dave Brubeck - Moscow Night (Concord, 1987)
December 7
Frank Perowsky and the
Cats and Jammers
December 14
Mike Longo Funk Band
Concerts Resume
January 11, 2011
For more information, visit faculty.washington.edu/bills
LEST W E FOR GET
Johnny Griffin (1928-2008)
by Donald Elfman
J ohnny Griffin was one of the true masters of bop, and
later hardbop, saxophone. He was known as “The
Little Giant” due to his stature and extraordinary
talent. His facility and control with tempos and deft
harmonic perception made him one of jazz’ finest
players.
John Arnold Griffin III was born in Chicago on
Apr. 24th, 1928 and grew up on that city’s South Side.
He studied music at the legendary DuSable High
School and by age 15 was playing with T-Bone Walker.
Alto sax was his instrument when, almost immediately
after graduation, he joined the big band of vibist
Lionel Hampton. Hamp urged him to play tenor and
he did, next to Arnett Cobb in the reeds section.
In 1947, Griffin and trumpeter Joe Morris (also
from the Hampton band) had started a sextet that
lasted for several years. Griff can also be heard on
some early R&B recordings on the Atlantic label. The
saxophonist was soon based in New York but was
often on the road and then spent two years in the
army, eventually returning to Chicago. Thelonious
Monk urged Orrin Keepnews to sign him for
Riverside, but Blue Note beat him to it. (In that same
period in the late ‘50s, he recorded with Art Blakey’s
Jazz Messengers and also several times with Monk.)
Griffin’s career as a leader started, for Blue Note,
in 1956. Introducing Johnny Griffin and then The
Congregation and A Blowin’ Session (with John Coltrane
and Hank Mobley) introduced this dynamic player
with great speed and perfect intonation to the jazz
world. He made recordings as a sideman as well and
soon switched to Riverside where, from 1960-62, he
and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis led their own quintet.
In 1963, Griffin moved to France and stayed in
Europe through the ‘60s-70s (he moved to the
10 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
Netherlands in 1978.) He recorded throughout this
period - with Dizzy Gillespie, the Kenny ClarkeFrancy Boland Big Band, Monk, Nat Adderley, Stan
Getz, Toots Thielemans and many others.
During the ‘90s he recorded with an American
group that featured pianist Michael Weiss and
drummer Kenny Washington. Griffin’s sound had
mellowed some but his extraordinary musical sense
stayed intact. On Jul. 25th, 2008 Johnny Griffin died of
a heart attack in France, where he’d lived for the
preceding 24 years.
It’s a study well worth pursuing - getting to know
the music of Johnny Griffin. Strongly recommended
are the aforementioned Blue Notes, Art Blakey’s Jazz
Messengers with Thelonious Monk (Atlantic) and The Cat,
from 1990 on Antilles. K
A Johnny Griffin Tribute/The Big Soul Band 50th
Anniversary with Houston Person and others is at Jazz
Standard Dec. 14th-15th. See Calendar.
MEG APHONE
Sameness is the Enemy
by Scott Robinson
You know the feeling: you’re just arriving in a part of
the US you’ve never visited and looking forward to
seeing what it has to offer. Your plane touches down
and, like magic, Muzak switches on. In the airport, the
insipid music (or another version of it) is again your
unwanted companion, following you even into the
bathroom. You wend your way past the same Chili’s
Express, Cinnabon and Miller Brewhouse you saw in
the airport you departed from 2,000 miles ago and pick
up your car keys at the rental desk. Out in the lot, the
music continues to follow you as you make your way
to your car, through speakers mounted every five feet
in the canopy overhead.
You hit the road, looking forward to the local
scenery on the way to your hotel. You’re on a highway
and it looks disturbingly like a lot of other highways in
a lot of other places you’ve been, nowhere near this
one. You pass shopping centers, malls and large
swaths of housing developments just like the ones
back home. These bear evocative names that recall
whatever was destroyed in order to put them there:
Fox Run Woods, Turkey Glen Estates. Nervously you
turn on the radio, thinking, “maybe I’ll catch some
local music.” But up and down the dial is a seemingly
endless supply of the same pop/rock you were
subjected to back at the airport, along with a hefty dose
of right-wing talk and a smattering of news.
Near a big intersection you find your hotel, one of
a giant chain (aren’t they all nowadays?). Your spirits
fall as you look around and realize that this highway
interchange is indistinguishable from all the others
you’ve seen all across this continent. Wal-Mart,
Wendy’s, Home Depot... you are in the center of a
giant ocean of unrecognizable conformity. Where
Indians once hunted bison is now no different than
where steamy Floridian jungle once stood. Those
worlds have been removed and replaced with... this.
You step into the hotel lobby (yes, the pop music
is playing there, too) and make your way to the checkin desk, passing by the hotel bar. Maybe you’ll drop in
later for a good local beer! Quickly you scan the taps:
Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light... no luck there. As
the perky young gal at the desk hands you your key,
you ask, “Where can I get some good local chow?”
“Well, there’s a Denny’s next door,” she answers
cheerfully, “and an Applebee’s just across the
highway. I like Applebee’s, ‘cause you know what
you’re gonna get - it’s always the same!”
This scourge of sameness has somehow
permeated nearly every part of our landscape and
every aspect of our culture. And it isn’t just here at
home. Thanks to globalization, multinational
corporate behemoths now bring us Kraft cheese in
France, Coca-Cola in Chad, McDonald’s in Moscow
and Starbucks in Beijing’s Forbidden City. Where
America’s jazz once fired the imagination of the world,
now her bland, pitch-corrected pop has stultified the
cultures of other nations, driving out their indigenous
music like an invasive species. In cafés from Kowloon
to Cameroon, I’ve had to endure the same stuff that I
would in my local New Jersey bar. What’s disturbing is
the tyranny of it, the ubiquity. We are not allowed to
escape it - it is required listening wherever we go.
The forces of sameness are at work in education,
too, where the push is toward ever more
standardization and away from innovation in
teaching. Even the world of jazz, supposed bastion of
unfettered imagination, is susceptible (theme-solostheme formats, formulaic endings, the dreaded
“everybody wear all black”). And thanks to
deregulation and corporate greed, jazz has virtually
disappeared from radio along with almost anything
that isn’t pop or talk. Radio stations once had live
orchestras; now many of them don’t even have local
DJs, as programming is prerecorded from a prescribed
playlist and piped in from corporate headquarters.
This trend began in the ‘90s with test marketing: test
groups determine playability based on just 10 seconds
of music. Playlists shrink, songwriters start “writing to
the test” and sameness wins the day. Today, any sort
of DJ autonomy has vanished from most radio, as
corporations decide what gets played. There’s big
money in sameness!
What about the Internet? There’s been much to be
thankful for, with independent musicians finally out
from under the yoke of record labels and distributors
who decide which music is worthy of release. But I see
an ominous new trend coming: subscription services,
which many say will soon replace downloads. For a
monthly fee, listeners can access an entire library of
music... but only whatever music the company chooses
to provide. Even more unsettling are the new “acoustic
personalization” services, which provide listeners
with music matching the acoustical profile of whatever
they listened to last - a virtual recipe for sameness!
How would someone listening to Coltrane discover
Art Tatum by such a method, let alone Bartók’s string
quartets? The joy of discovering new sounds will be
forever lost if we start allowing our listening choices to
be made by a computer program whose sole criterion
is that the next piece must sound the same or nearly
the same, as the last.
Why does uniformity have such a hold over us?
Why do humans, those most creative of animals (in
America, that most creative of nations), seem so eager
to prostrate themselves before the altar of sameness? I
have a theory: perhaps, like brute physical strength,
creativity is becoming less critical for day-to-day
survival. Where early humans had to use brawn and
brains to find a way to stay alive, now most (in the
developed world, at least) can simply pick up a pizza
or buy groceries. Could we be in danger of losing our
creative edge? Certain species of birds have, through
the centuries, lost the ability to fly. Consider the
ostrich: does not such a flightless bird seem somehow
less a bird, absent such a distinguishing characteristic?
And would not a diminishment of our own creative
powers make us, in some immeasurable but crucial
way, less human?
If there is an answer to this dilemma, at least for
musicians, perhaps it cannot be stated more simply or
more passionately than what Anthony Braxton said to
me years ago: “We have to keep playing music like our
life depends on it - which it does!” He was speaking, of
course, of creative, far-reaching music, music that
elevates the imagination and transforms the listener.
We musicians are often told that we must “give the
audience what it wants”... but an audience can only
want what it already knows. I believe that part of an
artist’s job is to find that which the audience never
knew it wanted, that which it was not even equipped
to imagine. This way, the music is allowed to evolve
and grow and perhaps take us humans along with it.
Indeed, creativity - and creative music in particular may be the most powerful weapon we have against the
creeping tide of sameness and uniformity. Let us wield
it often and well. K
like music boxes and pebbles and wind chimes and
little bells. Keith plays piano and Julie adds voice. The
impressionistic musical portraits they create rely less
on an established vocabulary or a recognizable tonal
center than on inspiration in the moment. But their
new CD, Couple in Spirit: Live at the Purcell Room
(Ogun), is a recording of their improvised performance
at the 2008 London Jazz Festival, so you’ll find it
tagged as a jazz product on Amazon. A strong
recommendation to free improv buffs to look for it.
Will Friedwald is an accomplished music
journalist with plenty of welcome insight into the art
of singing. In his intelligent new book, A Biographical
Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers (Pantheon), he
focuses on singers who made careers out of the Great
American Songbook, no matter what section of the
record store their LPs ended up in. (The book
catalogues singers primarily from the middle of the
20th century.) He lays out his selection criteria for a
singer’s inclusion quite clearly and details each
singer’s musical contribution fairly and respectfully.
The hefty amount of research that went into the book
(more than 800 pages!) is astounding.
End-of-year headliners: Perennial favorite John
Pizzarelli will be at Birdland Dec. 14th-18th, followed
by Freddy Cole Dec. 21st-25th. Manhattan Transfer
takes the stage at Blue Note Dec. 8th; Dianne Schuur
returns to Jazz at Lincoln Center Dec. 10th-11th and
Dena DeRose and Dee Cassella both play The Kitano,
Dec. 17th-18th and 29th, respectively. And don’t miss
Cilla Owens in her tribute to the great voices of jazz at
Brooklyn Central Library on Dec. 2nd.
Season’s greetings: Holiday-related jazz offerings
this year include the Berlin Voices’ Jazz Christmas, 13
traditional Christmas songs arranged for the tight
vocal quartet, on the Hänssler Classic label. And on
Dec. 23rd you can attend the annual Jazz Nativity with
vocalist Amy London at BB Kings and/or Roseanna
Vitro’s Christmas Celebration Concert with the NJCU
jazz singers at Miles’ Café. K
For more information, visit mysite.verizon.net/smoulden/
scott.html. Robinson is at Brooklyn Lyceum Dec. 8th, gives
a seminar at The Stone Dec. 13th and is at Littlefield Dec.
15th with Ron Horton/Tim Horner. See Calendar.
Multi-instrumentalist/composer Scott Robinson has been a
highly-active presence on the New York-based jazz scene for
more than 25 years, appearing on some 200 CDs. He has
been heard with Frank Wess, Bob Brookmeyer, Maria
Schneider, Anthony Braxton, Hank Jones and more and
toured 11 African nations in 2001 as a US Jazz Ambassador.
This year, Robinson’s ScienSonic label has released its first
two CDs of “worlds of tomorrow through sound”.
VO X NEW S
by Suzanne Lorge
In the liner notes of Silver Pony (Blue Note), Cassandra
Wilson’s latest album, is a photo of a four-year-old girl
in cowboy regalia sitting atop a brown and white
pony. On her first release since the 2008 Grammywinning collection of standards, Loverly, the team is
nearly the same (guitarist Marvin Sewell, bassist
Reginald Veal, drummer Herlin Riley, percussionist
Lekan Babalola, co-producer John Fischbach) and the
disc opens with a redux of “Lover Come Back to Me”,
which also appeared on Loverly. The content here is
different, though: Wilson is still exploring her New
Orleans roots, but this time through more blues tunes
and instrumental solo sections. And this time, instead
of heralding a return, she’s telling us how she saddled
up and took to the road. It was all those songs out
there, you see. The world owes a lot to that pony.
In their improvs Keith and Julie Tippett use lots
of fun things that you might have around the house,
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
11
LABEL SPOT LI GHT
a trio called Scenes, which has recorded two albums
for the label. And Stowell says that one of the things he
appreciates about Bishop is the fact that he thinks
creatively but also knows how to run a business.
Stowell explains: “John has good ears, musical
integrity and taste and is easy to deal with. You know
very quickly if a project submitted to the label will be
accepted. John puts out uncompromising - in the best
sense of the word - music and creates great covers and
packages as well. I’m really happy that John has given
so many musicians, around 175 and counting, a chance
to document their work and, in my case and some
others, create a small body of work.”
Vibist Joe Locke also describes Origin as a
company that understands both the business and
creative sides of music. “Having done several projects
with Origin as a leader,” Locke comments, “I can attest
to the fact that John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen are
about the music 100%. Not only can I do what I want
artistically with these guys, it is what’s encouraged at
the label. This plus the fact that they are very savvy in
their marketing approach - keeping up with current
trends in worldwide promotion - makes me return to
them when I am looking for an outlet for my various
projects.”
Although Origin has given exposure to an
abundance of Seattle-based artists, Bishop stresses that
having a Seattle address is hardly a prerequisite. He
estimates that “maybe 120” of the roughly 300 CDs
Origin has put out since 1997 are by artists from the
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 37)
Touch
Jessica Williams
Bobby Broom
Plays for Monk
Nextep
Benny Powell
F or many years, when musicologists think of Seattle
and its music scene, they typically think of a long list
of rock ‘n’ rollers. But Seattle has also had plenty of
jazz activity over the decades and these days Origin
Records is recognized as the Pacific Northwestern
city’s busiest, most prolific independent jazz label.
2010 marks the 13th anniversary of Origin, which was
founded by jazz drummer John Bishop in 1997 and is
very much a musician-run operation; Bishop’s partner,
Matt Jorgensen, is also a jazz drummer and Artist
Relations
Manager/Production
Manager
Chad
McCullough (who came on board in 2006) is a jazz
trumpeter.
Origin has grown a lot since 1997; Bishop
estimates that the company has released around 300
CDs along the way and the Origin umbrella now
includes not only Origin proper but also OA2 Records
(founded in 2002) and Origin Classical (founded in
2008). The Origin Records team also runs the Ballard
Jazz Festival, which has been held annually in Seattle
since 2003.
According to Bishop, the fact that Origin is run by
honest-to-God jazz musicians - not Ivy League MBAs
or investment bankers - has had a major impact on the
way the label has been doing things. “Origin was an
offshoot of what we were already doing as musicians,
E Pluribus Unum
Hal Galper
by Alex Henderson
which was going out and making records and then
selling enough records to make the next record,”
Bishop asserts. “Thinking like musicians is built into
our DNA.”
Bishop adds that as much as Origin has grown and
expanded in the last 13 years, the company has never
adopted a corporate mindset. “Most record companies
are set up in a way that they need to make a lot of
money in a hurry, but that isn’t how we’re set up,”
Bishop explains. “If you’re signing some young singer
and are trying to make her into the next Diana Krall or
the next Jane Monheit because you have to satisfy an
investor who invested 300 grand in your company,
you try too hard - which ruins everything. Origin has
never been run that way. Our approach has been to put
out a quality record and build from there.”
Pianist Darrell Grant, who has recorded for
Origin, says that for him, the fact that Bishop and
Jorgensen are actual musicians is a definite plus. Grant
remembers: “I went to Origin after running my own
label for eight years... After doing the work of
producing, duplication, marketing, promotion,
managing and distribution myself, I was ready to pass
some of those jobs onto someone else. But I wanted it
to be someone I could trust to do what they said they
would do. Because John and Matt are musicians, it was
easy to talk to them.”
Guitarist John Stowell, who has been playing with
Bishop since the early ‘80s, has had extensive dealings
with Origin; Stowell has been associated with the
company for about ten years and plays with Bishop in
Straight Ahead
Hadley Caliman
Origin Records
LISTEN UP!
J AMIRE WILLIAMS is a thriving drummer, producer
and composer on the New York City scene. A native of
Houston, TX, Williams is a graduate of that city’s
Grammy-Award winning High School for the
Performing & Visual Arts. After moving to New York,
he received his BFA in Jazz and Contemporary Music
from New School University and was chosen as
recipient of the university’s Young Beacon of Music
Award. Recently named in DownBeat Magazine’s 2010
Critic’s Poll Rising Star Drum category, he’s definitely
one to keep your eye on. Williams has worked with
Roy Hargrove, Jason Moran, Pharoah Sanders, Kenny
Garrett, Terence Blanchard, Bobby Hutcherson, Stefon
Harris and Gretchen Parlato, to name a few.
Teachers: Michael Carvin and Charli Persip.
Influences: Anwar Sadat, James Baldwin and JeanMichel Basquiat.
Current Projects: Recording my own band ERIMAJ’s
debut record. I also work regularly with Christian
Scott, Robert Glasper, Jacky Terrasson and Dr. Lonnie
Smith.
By Day: Probably on a flight to the next show.
I knew I wanted to be a musician when... I heard my
mother singing and playing the piano as a little boy.
Dream Band: Me, Jimi Hendrix, Charles Mingus, Eric
Dolphy, Herbie Hancock (with the afro), Larry Young
and commission Wayne Shorter to write the music.
Did you know? I sleep with my eyes open…
For more information, visit myspace.com/erimaj. Williams is at
Village Vanguard Dec. 7th-12th with Robert Glasper and Jazz
Standard Dec. 28th-31st with Dr. Lonnie Smith. See Calendar.
Jamire Williams
Charenée Wade
C HARENÉE
WADE graduated from Manhattan
School of Music with a Master’s degree and has
performed at Jazz Gallery, Dizzy’s Club, Smalls and
Zinc Bar. Her debut CD, Love Walked In (s/r), was
released in July 2010. Wade recently placed 2nd in the
2010
Thelonious
Monk
International
Vocal
Competition.
Teachers: Peter Eldridge, Luciana Souza,
Griffith, Cecil Bridgewater, Bob Stewart.
12 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
I knew I wanted to be a musician when... I went away
to a music summer program called NYSSSA School of
Choral Studies in high school. The program was
rigorous: choir practice in the morning, then
theory/ear training class, voice lesson, lunch, choir
practice again, then our elective, then dinner. We ate,
drank and slept music. I remember one day, I was
sitting on the bridge/overpass working on some
music. I looked up for a moment at the sunset and I
suddenly thought I could do this. I could be a musician
everyday, perform, practice, master my craft and
really be happy. Soon after, I got one of the teachers to
allow me to lead a Jazz Vocal Ensemble as one of the
elective courses.
Dream Band: This is hard for me to say because the
musicians that I work with now are so amazing. I love
playing with them. But if I had to choose, I would love
to play with Christian McBride, Gene Jackson and
Herbie Hancock.
Miles
Influences: Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Carmen
McRae, Dianne Reeves, Shirley Horn, Abbey Lincoln,
Nina Simone, Cassandra Wilson.
Current Projects: Promoting my debut CD.
By Day: I teach at various schools including The Aaron
Copland School of Music (Queens College), Brooklyn
Charter School, The Jazzmobile Vocal Workshop, as
well as private students.
Did You Know? When I was in high school, I used to
always be mistaken for being one of the teachers; I
wore business suits and heels to school.
For more information, visit chareneemusic.com. Wade is at
Tribeca Performing Arts Center Dec. 11th as part of Monk
in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz. See Calendar.
F ESTIV AL R EPOR T
Belgrade Jazz Festival Berlin Jazz Festival
JAZZUV
by Thomas Conrad
by Russ Musto
Photo by Ana Tello
Photo by Sergei Gavrylov
Photo by Stanislav Milojkovic
by Fred Bouchard
Wayne Shorter
Joachim Kühn
Francisco Mela
F rom Kalemegdan fortress above the old town of
Belgrade, Serbia, you can see where the Sava and
Danube Rivers meet and across the former you can see
the stark architecture of Novi Beograd, New Belgrade.
Even pretty views in Belgrade are austere, especially in
the pale hazy light of late October.
The gray concrete of the city is covered in graffiti
and the streets are gritty. Occasionally you come upon
the shocking ugliness of buildings with their guts
exposed, hit with one of the bombs that NATO
dropped in 1999. An American can feel very far from
home here. The streets signs are in Cyrillic. But there is
something about Belgrade that draws you back. There
is an edgy energy here that makes more romantic
destinations feel too tame. The people seem more real
than those in more prosperous and fortunate places.
The Belgrade Jazz Festival began in 1971, but went
dark between 1991 and 2004 because of the wars in the
former Yugoslavia. The 2010 edition (Oct. 28th-31st)
was the 26th. After years of repression and isolation
and war, audiences in Belgrade embrace jazz with an
intensity not often equaled elsewhere. Wayne
Shorter’s quartet played on the first night in Sava
Centar, the largest music venue in Serbia. At least twothirds of its 3,500 seats were occupied. The other six
events of the festival were at or very near capacity. The
city government supports the festival and keeps ticket
prices low, around ten euros on average.
Historically, Shorter’s appearance was significant
because no one of his stature had appeared in Belgrade
since the festival resumed in 2005. Artistically, it was
the same strange stream-of-consciousness marathon
that Shorter’s group offers these days. They played 80
minutes without pausing. The individual components
of the music were often startling, especially John
Patitucci’s powerful bass rituals and Brian Blade’s
curse-like drum eruptions. But the whole was a
continuum of inconclusive gestures. Shorter’s
contributions were mostly brief flurries or trills,
presumably meant to splash paint on the greater
canvas but the music felt like an endless preamble to a
work that perversely refused to begin.
Charlie Haden’s Quartet West appeared in Dom
Sindikata, an old auditorium in downtown Belgrade.
They performed plaintive noir music so perfect they
must have played it many times before, yet it was
resonant with new emotion. Ernie Watts is one of the
great unsung tenor saxophone players in jazz. Haden’s
ballad “First Song” was a vast, convoluted tale told by
Watts in clarion, harrowing calls interrupted by
blistering runs. Watts is the star of Quartet West, but
few bass soloists can tug at your heart like Haden and
Alan Broadbent is a fascinating, unpredictably lyrical
Berliners seeking to illuminate November gloom
consider several bright options: a luminous ascent
inside the Reichstag’s glass dome, a stroll along
Kudamm to KaDeWe’s tinsellating Christmas
windows or basking in the aural brilliance in and
around Festival House during JazzFest Berlin. In JFB’s
46th edition and Swedish trombonist Nils Landgren’s
third as musical director, 27 bands with nearly 200
musicians from 20 nations were summoned to the
swinging synod.
Big bands ruled the week, classically-trained
ensembles playing concept programs, not blaring
hard-driving bop or postbop as we usually know it.
Jazz Bigband Graz (Austria) combined spacey,
sensuous charts and airy solos, notably Heinrich von
Kalnein’s bluesy soprano, with grainy black/white
film and texts by Buzz Aldrin and Paul Simon to
transport a full house via the moon’s Sea of Tranquility
to a unison singularity. Zeitkratzer (Berlin), with guest
guitarist Terje Rypdal and trumpeter Palle
Mikkelborg, scraped Nordic beach gravel in a thinatmospheric, melancholic tribute to a tidal Miles
Davis. Studio Dan (Vienna), 19 youths led by
trombonist Dan Riegler, plied Zappa-esque charts of
breathtaking wind unisons and ironic humors, served
in a bloodless precision that squelched solos, except
the playful mewlings of pert singer Nika Zach.
With a wide-cast net embracing tolerance in
today’s backlash, some bands fused Arab-Western
connections in memorable encounters. After clearing
dusty Wagner-ian brass blasts from hr-Bigband, avant
icon pianist Joachim Kühn’s charts warmed to the
Maghreb sands and intersected with Berber Majid
Bekkas’ hearty vocals, guembri and oud. Sparks flew
when Macedonia’s Kocani Orchestar, astir with
flamenco and klezmer brass, engaged the mid-Adriatic
with Municipale Balcanica, a marching nonet from
Bari, Italy. Conducted with Chaplin-esque flair by
accordionist Livio Minafra, this flamboyant 20-man
coalition flowed across the footlights to involve its
affection-starved audience with Roma gypsy dance
and jittery shenanigans from Bollywood to Shanghai.
Another multi-kulti coup linked two Indias:
Kinsmen altoists Kadri Gopalnath and Rudresh
Mahanthappa ululated and swooned, the former on
his mat with violin and mridangam (tuned drum)
playing dryly formal and decorative, the latter, afront
electric guitar and rhythm, lithe as a mongoose and
spicier than currywurst, as drummers Poovalur Sriji
and Dan Weiss locked eyes and grooves.
Landgren’s taste for bass-clef instruments
continues to lend the fest a sonorous and vibrant air.
Excluding string bassists, the informal tally ran to
“N ow I realize why I was born. I was born to be
here,” a jubilant McCoy Tyner told the audience at his
sold-out Saturday night concert in Xalapa, Mexico’s
Teatro del Estado. The legendary pianist had just
finished playing three original compositions - “Fly
With The Wind”, “Ballad For Aisha” and “Walk Spirit,
Talk Spirit”, usual choices from his repertoire, but his
performance this evening was anything but typical.
Inspired by the placid setting of the beautiful
mountainside city, as well the exciting presence of his
new drummer Francisco Mela, who recently joined the
trio that also features stalwart bassist Gerald Cannon,
the pianist played with a joyous spirit, which filled the
old songs with rhythmic and harmonic surprises that
continued throughout the concert.
The many musicians from north of the border that
performed during the weeklong musical celebration
echoed Tyner’s blissful assessment of the atmosphere
of the Festival Internacional JAZZUV (Nov. 8th-14th).
Fellow headliner Jack DeJohnette was as effusive in his
praise of the festival’s unique quality, which was
typified in his two-hour-long SRO concert with a
hastily-assembled sextet that included US artists trumpeter Jason Palmer, saxophonist Grace Kelly and
guitarist Nir Felder (each of whom also led groups and
gave master classes during the week as part of the
festival), along with Mexican players, pianist Edgar
Dorante - Director of the jazz program of Universidad
Veracruz, which sponsors the festival - and Emiliano
Coronel, the phenomenal 18-year-old bassist, who
stood out as an astonishing testament to the school’s
educational
achievements.
Performing
an
uninterrupted set that included compositions by Joe
Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Ornette Coleman,
Dorante and DeJohnette, the group played with
incendiary
verve
ignited
by
the
leader’s
uncompromisingly creative drumming.
Dorante and Coronel teamed up with festival
Artistic Director Mela to form Trio DCM, a ubiquitous
presence throughout the festival, playing as a tight
threesome and accompanying various others,
including Kelly, Palmer, Felder and Cubana sonera
Noila Carrazana. Other Cuban artists who added fire
to the fest included pianist Osmany Paredes and
percussionist Mauricio Herrera, both of whom - like
fellow expatriate Mela - currently reside in New York,
making major contributions to the city’s Latin and jazz
scenes. Canadian soprano saxophonist/flutist Jane
Bunnett, whose groups have introduced many Cuban
artists to the United States in the past, performed her
personal brand of AfroCaribbean jazz with Xalapa’s
stellar resident conguero Miguel Cruz joining Herrera
in her exciting band’s percussion section.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 46)
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 46)
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 46)
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
13
C D R EVI EW S
Fables
Hear You Say
Marty Ehrlich
Anderson/Ehrlich
(Tzadik)
Quartet (Intuition)
by Jeff Stockton
Marty Ehrlich has been around a while, with roughly
25 albums of his own compositions to his credit and
appearances on nearly 75 as a collaborator. Fables
marks his second release among John Zorn’s Radical
Jewish Culture series. This music is lyrical and elegiac,
dominated by Ehrlich’s lilting clarinet (as well as bass
clarinet, flute and soprano and alto saxes) with
accompaniment from renowned Klezmer musician and
scholar Hankus Netsky on piano and accordion.
Numbered compositions entitled “Scroll” mark the
moment when the Torah is opened; the music is
appropriately
luminous
and
awestruck.
The
surrounding tunes, embellished here and there by
Marcus Rojas’ tuba, are “fables” telling stories that
occur outside the mystery. Jewish liturgical music is as
emotional and heartfelt as any gospel or blues and
Ehrlich’s playing overflows with radiant beauty and
soulful commitment.
The Ray Anderson-Marty Ehrlich Quartet took 30
years to come together, the pair having first played
together in an Anthony Braxton band. If only due to
sheer longevity, the pair has risen to the tops of their
respective lists for instrumental mastery and Hear You
Say (recorded live at the Willisau Jazz Festival)
documents what they do best. Along with bassist Brad
Jones and drummer Matt Wilson, Anderson growls,
grumbles and mumbles and roars to the heavens while
Ehrlich answers him on rough-hewn alto and cajoles
on clarinet. The pair audibly inspire each other, fueling
each other’s creativity, sparking ideas and disarming
one another - and the audience - with humor and brio.
Accessible yet challenging, knotty yet straightahead,
the music on this CD gets more listenable, surprising
and admirable with each spin.
For more information, visit tzadik.com and intuitionmusic.com. Ehrlich is at Roulette Dec. 2nd with Muhal
Richard Abrams and Cornelia Street Café Dec. 11th with
Mario Pavone. See Calendar.
Finally Out of My Hands
Ches Smith & These Arches (Skirl)
by Sean Fitzell
Drummer Ches Smith has steadily earned a
reputation as a resourceful player within creative
music, powering projects led by guitarist Marc Ribot
and saxophonist Tim Berne, among others. With
Finally Out of My Hands, Smith establishes his
credentials as a leader and composer, though he’s
previously written percussion works and contributed
to collectives in which he’s participated.
The title reflects his group’s strategy: his material
provides direction but he expects the musicians to
elaborate. Tony Malaby’s husky tenor sax injects the
blues for grounding while the slashing lines and
distorted tones of guitarist Mary Halvorson provide an
avant rock edge. The consistently engaging Andrea
Parkins is the wild card, using combinations of
accordion, organ and electronics to color the music or
cover the low end, when Halvorson doesn’t. With this
unique blend of instruments and personalities, the
music covers expansive territory.
The vaguely Middle Eastern “Anxiety Disorder”
exemplifies the approach. Opening with a dramatic,
tight ensemble passage boasting frenetic drums and
emotive sax, the piece careens into chaos. Malaby’s
wails and Halvorson’s picked lines pierce the din,
before Smith reestablishes the theme. Malaby starts the
title track with a jaunty repeating line that is soon
contrasted by dirge-like drums and guitar, devolving
to a freer section. The pace subsides for “One Long
Minute”, its tender, warbling tenor line supported by
high-pitched accordion drones and impressionistic
percussion. Smith’s skittering drums and clacking rims
pace “Conclusion”, the group playing off the groove to
develop a line with percussive accordion accents. A
crashing flourish leaves Smith alone for a break, until
he uses his tympani-like tom to reinvite the band. The
episodic “It Rained and the Tent Fell Down” begins
with sax squalls then alternates between amorphous
sections and a repeating formal theme, which becomes
more intricate in the final round, as guitar and sax
double the rhythmic phrase.
refreshed and recharged for a strong finish.
“From the Abyss”, the longest cut, is also the
disc’s most abstract. Even here, though, a metal-stomp
guitar interrupts a dry rubato intro and the trio twines
its lines into an exuberant granny knot. Midway
through the piece, a lone guitar introduces a slow,
sweet, lyrical melancholy theme, soon joined by the
others, another surprise in an album that keeps on
surprising, succeeding in this game even when the
strategy becomes patent.
For more information, visit bensyversen.com. This trio is at
Café Orwell Dec. 3rd, University of the Streets Dec. 7th and
Freedom Garden Dec. 11th. See Calendar.
For more information, visit skirlrecords.com. Smith is at Jazz
Gallery Dec. 2nd with Tim Berne, Downtown Music Gallery
Dec. 5th, Zebulon Dec. 6th and 8th, The Stone Dec. 10th
with Raz Mesinai and 14th solo and Littlefield Dec. 16th
with Aarses. See Calendar.
RECOMMENDED
NEW RELEASES
Cracked Vessel
Ben Syversen (s/r)
by Gordon Marshall
The
best contemporary artists are both ironists and
archaeologists. Ben Syversen is no exception. On his
debut Cracked Vessel, he digs and he digs. The first
track, “Frontman”, opens with a trumpet line like
something out of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Salt Peanuts” and
is soon crossed with a Jimmy Page-style guitar riff, as
if straight from “Whole Lotta Love”. Of course, Dizzy
and Jimmy were overshadowed in their day by more
powerful - or at least more flamboyant - frontmen in
Charlie Parker and Robert Plant. Hence the notion
immediately inferred is that Syversen is going to
challenge that idea of leadership in this project.
It isn’t so much a homogenization that ensues, as
a tension among members on questions of style and
direction. On the next number, “Weird Science”, the
trumpeter is still waxing bebop while guitarist Xander
Naylor is funking out. Likewise “Bad Idea”’s subdued
start gets complicated through competition, as
drummer Jeremy Gustin asserts his identity like a rebel
teen, bringing the album again into rock-ish territory.
Drive and decision - and precision - are established.
“Krazzle” is the sort of thing that might blare
from a band in a military barracks, with march time
going gleefully awry. Syversen applies a mute on “End
of Time”, to which Naylor responds with a hard fuzz
guitar. Guitar and drums drop out halfway through to
give Syversen a chance to show what he can do
without props - which is, simply put, hold his own yet
not go on too long to let the tension lapse. Instead, it is
14 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
• Luis Bonilla - Twilight (Planet Arts)
• Avishai Cohen - Introducing Triveni (Anzic)
• Patrick Cornelius - Fierce (Whirlwind)
• Benoît Delbecq - Circles and Calligrams (Songlines)
• Herculaneum - Olives and Orchids (EF)
• SFJazz Collective - Live 2010: The Works of
Horace Silver (SFJazz)
David Adler
New York@Night Columnist
• Jason Adasiewicz - Sun Rooms (Delmark)
• Daniele D’Agaro/Alexander von
Schlippenbach/Han Bennink - Fingerprints
(Artesuono)
• Benoît Delbecq - Circles and Calligrams (Songlines)
• Red Mitchell/Warne Marsh - Big Two (Storyville)
• Potsa Lotsa - The Complete Works of Eric Dolphy
(Jazzwerkstatt)
• Tiziano Tononi/Daniele Cavallanti Nexus Plays Nexus (Splasc(H))
Laurence Donohue-Greene
Managing Editor, AllAboutJazz-New York
• Atipico Trio - Eqqueqqua’ !!! (Leo)
• Michael Blake - Hellbent (Label of Love)
• Blob - Earphonious Swamphony (Innova)
• Joe McPhee/Ingebrigt Håker Flaten Blue Chicago Blues (Not Two)
• Parker/Guy/Lytton + Peter Evans Scenes in the House of Music (Clean Feed)
• Terje Rypdal - Crime Scene (ECM)
Andrey Henkin
Editorial Director, AllAboutJazz-New York
Roots & Grooves
Jowee Omicil (Bjuiss)
by Elliott Simon
Roots
& Grooves is an expansive musical statement
from saxophonist Jowee Omicil reflecting a universal
spirit. This is new millennium music that comes out of
a worldly mindset and speaks to a coming together,
not in a globally homogenized way, but in a manner
that is respectful of the roots.
Possessing a horn that can be sweet as well as
sharply cutting, Omicil uses this to great advantage
and the cadre of musicians and vocalists that he has
assembled from different quarters fit with him
perfectly. Opener “Introducing Roots and Grooves”
sets the stage in Mother Africa while closer “Gospel
Medley” reverently pairs Omicil’s alto with pianist
Johnny Mercier.
The cheerful anthem “You Know That’s Right” is
constructed by Omicil’s forward-thinking soprano
leading a unique blend of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and
guitarist Nir Felder with bassists Kona Khasu and
Patrick Andyantsialonina and drummers Francisco
Mela and Manny Laine. The funky relaxer “4 My
People” is a wonderfully hopeful testimonial to the
Haitian people featuring Felder’s electric guitar
alongside Omicil’s soprano while acoustic guitarist
Mawuena Kodjovi pairs with Omicil’s resonant alto on
the chill-out masterpiece “Emily’s Groove”.
Lionel Loueke adds his expressive lead guitar to
several cuts with beautiful results; he elegantly
renders the Haitian Creole prayer “Mesi Bon Dié” as a
positive and poignant statement. While jazz classicists
may shy away, Roots & Grooves is music that rouses
memories, fosters brotherhood and heralds an
optimistic future.
For more information, visit myspace.com/joweeo. Omicil is
at Blue Note Dec. 3rd. See Calendar.
The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock
Conrad Herwig (Half Note)
by Joel Roberts
V eteran
trombonist Conrad Herwig has hit on a
winning, if somewhat predictable, formula with his
widely-acclaimed “Latin Side” series. After earning
three Grammy nominations for his Latin jazz
treatments of John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Wayne
Shorter, it’s no surprise that Herwig should turn to the
music of another seminal figure from the ‘60s-70s for
his latest release.
On The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock, Herwig and
his co-arranger Bill O’Connell have dreamed up fresh,
imaginative and hard-driving charts for eight
compositions drawn from Hancock’s early solo career
(while he was still a member of Davis’ legendary
quintet) as well as his groundbreaking ‘70s electric
funk and fusion outings. Recorded live at the Blue
Note in the summer of 2008, the album features
Herwig’s superb septet plus guests Randy Brecker on
trumpet and Eddie Palmieri on piano.
Some of Hancock’s tunes are obvious choices for
‘Latinizing’, most notably “Watermelon Man”, which
Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria turned into a
big pop hit in the early ‘60s. But instead of following
Santamaria’s well-known groove version, Herwig
delivers a daring new take with rousing call-andresponse horn parts and an explosive turn from
Palmieri. The pianist’s montuno vamps and incendiary
solos also propel a wide-open reading of another early
Hancock classic, “Cantaloupe Island”.
The Latin rhythms aren’t built in quite as readily
on other Hancock tunes, but Herwig and O’Connell
are resourceful in digging them out. “The Sorcerer”
becomes an exhilarating descarga jam for Brecker and
Herwig while “One Finger Snap” is expanded from
hardbop into a sizzling AfroCuban workout featuring
Herwig and trumpeter Mike Rodriguez. Other
highlights include bassist Ruben Rodriguez and
drummer Robby Ameen laying down some heavy
Head Hunters-era funk on “Actual Proof” and Craig
Handy’s gorgeous flute work (he’s also heard on sax
and bass clarinet) on “Maiden Voyage”. Together it
adds up to another fine addition to Herwig’s growing
catalogue of consummate Latin jazz.
For more information, visit halfnote.net. Herwig is at 92nd
Street Y Dec. 4th with Eddie Palmieri. See Calendar.
alto and trumpet fanfares. Ultimately the piece ends
up in the same exalted place as the first with swirling
horns over churning drums. This session owes much to
the extended energy playing trailblazed by Cecil
Taylor; separately from Edwards, Levin also played
with the legendary pianist. A final cathartic workout
for tenor sax and drums contrasts with a more
conversational closing coda, but if the cobwebs need
blowing away look no further than this for a healthy
blast of no-holds-barred purification.
For more information, visit nowave.pair.com/ugexplode.
Walter is at University of the Streets Dec. 4th and 6th with
Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen. See Calendar.
UNEARTHED GEM
Swiss Radio Days:
Jazz Live Trio Concert Series, Vol. 21
Sal Nistico/Tony Scott (TCB)
by George Kanzler
The 21st volume in TCB’s Swiss Radio Days series is
Blood of the Earth
Marc Edwards/Weasel Walter Group (ugEXPLODE)
by John Sharpe
J ust one of the two leader’s names on the marquee
would warn the listener that entrance presages an
uncompromising full-blooded free jazz session. Both
drummers
together
promise
apocalyptic
consequences. Marc Edwards may be best known for
his ‘70s tenure with pianist Cecil Taylor’s Unit,
documented on Dark To Themselves (Enja, 1977) and
subsequently with David S. Ware, but he has
consolidated his powerhouse style even more in the
meantime, albeit through a slight discography. Weasel
Walter formed the Flying Luttenbachers with Chicago
iconoclast Hal Russell in the early ‘90s and thereafter
continues to blend no wave, hardcore and free jazz in a
bellicose amalgam. At Walter’s invitation the pair
collaborated and since 2007 this is the third album to
feature both in tandem.
In support they have assembled a potent cast of
firebreathers to achieve their aims. This disc opens at
the level where most sets climax and just stays there,
with powerhouse drums and shrieking horns
sounding like the world’s worst traffic jam in the
middle of an industrial zone without noise restriction.
When the maelstrom does occasionally still it reveals
more nuanced interplay. These can be some of the
most interesting episodes, but each mode benefits
from the contrast: there needs to be light and shade.
Darius Jones’ full rich alto saxophone squawk
blasts in train with Elliot Levin’s squalling tenor
saxophone and Forbes Graham’s lacerating trumpet to
visceral effect. Even a bassist as strong-toned as Adam
Lane struggles to be heard during the louder sections,
but acquits himself well in the breaks. “Black Earth”,
the second of two lengthy pieces, starts with Levin’s
breathy flute over sparse drumming and arco bass
scrapes, before picking up momentum with unfurling
actually a compilation of two separate sets recorded
months apart, featuring reedmen Sal Nistico and
Tony Scott individually with the same rhythm
section (pianist Klaus Koenig, bassist Peter Frei and
drummer Peter Schmidlin), who were known as the
Jazz Live Trio.
Nistico, who worked in the big bands of Woody
Herman, Count Basie, Don Ellis and Buddy Rich, as
well as leading his own groups, is heard first.
Though the tenor saxophonist’s set is brief and
consists of just three numbers, he meshes nicely
with the rhythm section, gradually building steam
in a lengthy, bop-filled exploration of “The Song is
You”, saluting many of the giants of his instrument
who emerged in the ‘50s-60s, followed by Koenig’s
potent hardbop solo. “The Day Before Yesterday” is
a less familiar ballad by Swiss composer Victor
Burghardt, Nistico suggesting the lyricism of Getz
in his majestic opening statement and Coltrane in
his forceful solo cadenza. The leader’s “Grooving
Sal” is little more than a thinly-disguised reworking
of “Cherokee”, though both Nistico and Koenig
shine with their respective solos.
Scott’s set is a bit more eclectic. Opening on
tenor sax with a robust yet gritty medley of
“Sophisticated Lady” and “Things Ain’t What They
Used to Be”, he switches to clarinet for a captivating
interpretation of “Loverman”, incorporating both a
soft, feather-like vibrato and an explosive, bluesy
touch, well-accompanied by Koenig’s shimmering
piano. Scott sings an effective interpretation of
“Lush Life” backed solely by Koenig, then
accompanies himself on piano as he sings his
original “Lady Day” (dedicated to Billie Holiday,
who he accompanied on records). Its lyrics have a
very personal touch and reinforce his claim that she
was a close friend. Scott returns to clarinet (joined
by the trio) for a playful, unpredictable romp
through “Perdido”, full of twists and some wild
scatting as well. Like the earlier volumes in this
series, these rewarding concert performances are
warmly recommended.
For more information, visit tcb.ch
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
15
GLOBE UNITY: FINLAND
together in some true straightahead swing. And for
ballads, among several is the mysterious, introspective
and utterly lovely “I Sit and Then I Wonder”. So the
runner slows down and ponders the race.
For
more
information,
visit
petemalinverni.com,
jazzlegacyproductions.com and steeplechase.dk. Malinverni
is at Sofia’s Dec. 4th. Chestnut is at Dizzy’s Club Dec. 13th
and 27th-31st. Johnson is at Dizzy’s Club Dec. 11th with
Nasar Abadey. See Calendar.
Primal Mind: Live in Helsinki 1991
UMO Jazz Orchestra (UMO)
3rd Version Eero Koivistoinen & Co.
(RCA Victor - Porter)
Conclusions Juhani Aaltonen Quartet (TUM)
by Marc Medwin
There
is actually only one new recording in this
batch of avant garde music from Finland. That says
nothing about the content, which is fresh and
exciting, and continued vitality, as all these
musicians are still active. Taken together, this trio of
discs speaks to an astonishingly diverse history and
development, from the early ‘70s to today.
At a concert in May 1991, the UMO Jazz
Orchestra recorded Raoul Björkenheim’s nine-part
suite, Primal Mind. It rollercoasters through highvoltage scree and splatter, descending into valleys
of near silence punctuated by brass exhalations or
maybe a bass dialogue. Guitarist Björkenheim has
many opportunities to shred his way through his
multi-genre epic and, occasionally, his playing
borders on the prosaic. Those moments of invention
are so striking that they save the rest from the
mundane. UMO’s sound ranges from sinewy
transparency to clouds of brick-like density that
threaten overload and the meager applause seems a
bit anticlimactic after such a wild performance.
Porter Records complements its Heikki
Sarmanto reissues with 3rd Version, a 1973 RCA
album by saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen. In fact,
both Sarmanto brothers (pianist Heikki and bassist
Pekka) are present on this high-powered session,
Koivistoinen’s seventh album as leader and one that
demonstrates European fusion’s debt to “India”-era
Coltrane. There’s also a fair amount of Latin
influence, to which the first and final tracks attest.
Yet, none of these categories describe the music
accurately. The percussion-heavy textures groove
and slide along with alternate ease and power,
modality vying for prominence with myriad
percussives in evidence throughout.
Late-period Coltrane is a palpable influence on
saxophonist/flutist Juhani Aaltonen’s new quartet
album Conclusions, but the leader’s work conjures
Ellington in that it is beyond category. It eases into
life with deceptive simplicity, “Shimmer of Fallen
Stars” in ballad territory, but Iro Haarla’s pianism
touches on the vast harmonic implications realized
throughout the disc. Her work is stunning and her
approach to piano and harp is as sensitive as it is
complex. “Ronda” raises the stakes, bassist Ulf
Krokfors’ solo increasing the tension from the start
of this slow burner. On this tune and overall, the
gentler side of late Coltrane pervades the music, but
Aaltonen’s gentle fluttering and whisperings are
tempered with Ayler’s vibrato. Aaltonen can also
turn up the heat when necessary and even his flute
work on the brief but pithy “Rautapallo” is high in
energy and miles deep. His disc is the best of these
three and one of the best in TUM’s catalogue.
For more information, visit umo.fi, porterrecords.com
and tumrecords.com
A Beautiful Thing! Pete Malinverni Trio (Saranac)
Journeys Cyrus Chestnut Trio (Jazz Legacy Prod.)
Battle Grounds
Richard Doron Johnson (SteepleChase)
by Donald Elfman
It’s a constant and delightful surprise that the piano
trio format remains vital and open to invention. Here
are three players who would never let their music drift
into the cocktail lounge, despite the fact that some of
their tunes are from the popular repertoire. Each is a
deft master at the keyboard, a wise and sensitive
bandleader and a fine selector of material.
Pete Malinverni takes his working trio - Lee
Hudson on bass and Eliot Zigmund on drums through the paces of a terrific and varied set on A
Beautiful Thing!. There are originals, standards from
the Great American Songbook (“My Shining Hour”,
“Sweet and Lovely”), a spiritual (“Go Down Moses”)
and even two tunes from the pop music hit parade (“A
House is Not a Home” and “And So it Goes”). For
dazzling invention, we can go directly to “My Shining
Hour”. Malinverni uses the changes to present a most
musical exercise in both invention and counterpoint.
The tune is hinted at and even, in a small way, quoted
and it swings, rocks and blows through its astounding
two minutes with no rhythmic accompaniment. Also
noteworthy is the beautiful Billy Joel ballad “And So it
Goes”. The leader has wisely identified a song from
the popular canon with melodic and harmonic riches
worthy of inclusion in the repertoire of improvisers.
Cyrus Chestnut brings a powerful blues, jazz and
gospel sensibility to his volcanic playing. The program
on Journeys includes all Chestnut originals except for
the Rodgers-Hart classic “Lover”. Speaking of this
tune, it’s a gas with the flavor of the best trio
renditions so that we know its language but Chestnut
somehow gives it a new spin. It’s perfectly lovely and
his bandmates - Dezron Douglas (bass) and Neal Smith
(drums) - could not be more simpatico. For “Yu’s
Blues”, the pianist plays down his considerable
technical prowess for some simple yet deeply rich
melodic statements and Douglas takes an equally
moving solo. Chestnut’s spiritual background is
evident throughout but, perhaps, nowhere so much or
so subtly as in the closer “Goliath”. It has a gospel feel
but also works beautifully as a medium tempo jazz
waltz with particularly pointed playing by Smith and
an in-the-groove solo by Douglas.
Battle Grounds marks the debut as a leader by
pianist Richard Doron Johnson. Born in Pittsburgh, he
came to the attention of Wynton Marsalis and played a
number of formative gigs with the trumpeter. As
revealed by the first notes, Johnson is in full command
of the keyboard in its many colors and already adept at
creating music rich in tradition but always looking
forward. That opener, “It’s Been a Long Road”, is
meant to express the feelings of a marathon runner Johnson is one - after he’s crossed the finish line. The
music is propulsive and exhilarating and also
descriptive of the challenges of improvisation. Johnson
has listened to the pianists of his day and his past, but
made of them something he can call his own. He comes
through as a composer, too - in the way he uses color,
tempo and dynamics. His version of “Pent-Up House”
uses a kind of ‘oriental’ intro to lead into a taut reading
of the theme. Bassist Kengo Nakamura pushes and
drummer Jason Marsalis shuffles but the three come
16 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
Camera Obscura
Ran Blake/Sara Serpa (Inner Circle Music)
by Ken Dryden
Ran Blake is a well-known pianist and jazz educator
who has previously worked with singers, including
the late Jeanne Lee and Christine Correa. Vocalist Sara
Serpa studied piano and voice in her native Portugal,
then came to the US to study jazz. Blake and vocalists
Dominique Eade and Theo Bleckmann were among
Serpa’s most influential teachers.
Although Camera Obscura has a surprisingly short
running time of under 30 minutes, the magical blend of
Blake’s piano with Serpa’s voice proves captivating.
The chosen songs they had played together over the
past two years, yet there is a freshness that makes them
sound as if they were only briefly discussed. Blake’s
often-sparse accompaniment frequently incorporates
sudden changes in key or tempo, keeping the vocalist
on her toes.
Eade’s influence upon Serpa is apparent in her
adventurous spirit and haunting held notes. Blake’s
wild backdrops in the standard “When Sunny Gets
Blue” work well with Serpa’s clear voice and she sings
Monk’s “Nutty” in a straightahead manner, never
allowing Blake’s quirky chords to throw her. Serpa’s
moving vocalese accompanies Blake in his poignant
“The Short Life of Barbara Monk” while she is also up
to the challenge of Blake’s dark ballad “Vanguard”
(with lyrics by the late Jeanne Lee). Their closing
treatment of “April in Paris” is unusually dissonant,
featuring Blake’s sparse, striking chords and Serpa’s
compelling blend of wistfulness and raw emotion.
For more information, visit innercirclemusic.net. Serpa is at
The Local 269 Dec. 6th. See Calendar.
Scenes in the
Live in Lisbon
House of Music
Peter Evans
Parker/Guy/Lytton +
Quartet
Peter Evans (Clean Feed)
(Clean Feed)
by Stuart Broomer
Peter
Evans may be best known as the virtuosic
trumpeter of Mostly Other People Do The Killing,
bassist Moppa Elliot’s simultaneous tribute to and
deconstruction of jazz traditions. Meanwhile, though,
Evans has other dimensions, both as a free improviser
and as a bandleader. Each aspect is emphasized in one
of the contrasting bands heard here.
Since the early ‘80s, the trio of saxophonist Evan
Parker, bassist Barry Guy and drummer Paul Lytton
has developed a profound level of interaction,
virtually redefining both the rate of musical
information exchanged and the expressive potential of
free jazz. Through the years, the group has welcomed a
few distinguished guests, including George Lewis and
Marilyn Crispell; for Scenes in the House of Music, Evans
joins for a concert in the Casa da Musica, a gem-like
concert hall in the Northern Portugal city of Porto. It’s
tribute to the trumpeter’s intrepid creativity that he
fits so well with the group, matching the sonic
exploration of his solo performances to the rapid-fire
shifts - in texture and in the alternately fragmentary
and tumultuous rhythmic language - that in part
define the Parker Trio. Each of the five improvised
episodes is around 13 minutes long, identified by just
“Scene” and number, and develops a shape of its own,
often contrasting solos and duets with intense group
dialogues. The interplay of the two horns is
remarkable. At times Evans’ singular blasts and
flurries can recall Don Cherry’s role as foil to some of
the great tenor saxophonists of the ‘60s while at other
moments he and Parker match one another’s timbres in
a way that’s uncanny.
Evans’ own band conception, as heard with his
quartet at Lisbon’s Jazz em Agosto festival in 2009, is a
radical mashup that layers the chord changes of
standards like “All the Things You Are” and “What Is
this Thing Called Love” with atonal and free elements,
at times creating dense stacks of contradictory
structures. These are sometimes employed freely by
the band while at other times diverse parts will
suddenly reassemble on a beat. Just as Anthony
Braxton has in the past, Evans seems to reinvent the
jazz crisis of the early ‘60s when chord changes were
literally breaking up before one’s ears. If the most
technically-gifted trumpeters of that era had a
reluctant relationship with free jazz, it’s a joy to hear in
Evans a trumpeter with the brash virtuosity of Lee
Morgan or Freddie Hubbard who has embraced a
radical freedom. His quartet here - pianist Ricardo
Gallo, bassist Tom Blancarte and drummer Kevin Shea
- tears into the special challenges of this music with
rare aplomb. While descriptions of Evans’ hybrid
music can suggest a bizarre stunt, it’s much more than
that. It’s often genuinely beautiful, at times in a
traditional way and also moving, in a way that seems
quite new.
While these bands are very different in their forms
and textures, both CDs are among the most
accomplished releases of 2010.
For more information, visit cleanfeed-records.com. Evans is
solo at The Stone Dec. 4th and University of the Streets Dec.
19th with Mostly Other People Do The Killing. See Calendar.
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
17
Here There…
Bossa Brasil & Mauricio de Souza Group
(Pulsa Music)
by Marcia Hillman
This CD really sounds like a group of talented
musicians got together with songs that they liked,
went into the studio and had a lot of fun. Drummer
Mauricio de Souza spearheaded the project and
enlisted Mike Stern (guitar), Andrew Beals (alto
saxophone), Gregory Rivkin (trumpet/flugelhorn),
Noah Haidu or Carl Viggiani (piano), Jerry Weir
(vibraphone) and Morrie Louden (bass) to deliver a
wide variety of material choices. De Souza is a talented
drummer and the driving engine on this album, able to
play in many styles with a delicate touch on the snare
contrasting the heavy bottom of his bass drum.
The familiar Brazilian songs, Jobim’s “Chovendo
na Roseira” and Baden Powell-Vinicius de Moraes’
“Consolocao”, have a fresh new look. The former is
given a “Take Five” time feel, building up to a spirited
dialogue between Viggiani and de Souza. The latter is
a fast samba featuring Viggiani and some interesting
bass and drum statements. But the opening “Bebe” is
an immediate attention-getter, a rousing samba that
highlights the fluid sound of Weir’s vibes powered by
de Souza’s deft drumming.
But this CD is not all Brazilian favorites. Joe
Henderson’s “Inner Urge” brings together Stern’s
vibrant sound, Haidu’s flying fingers and Louden’s
melodic bass playing. Rivkin’s horn is heard in a
soulful rendition of the standard “I Can’t Get Started”
while also notable is the work done on Cedar Walton’s
“Firm Roots” by Beals. Each of the tracks on this album
is a little gem and since there is enough variety to suit
many tastes, this CD will probably garner much play.
It is an exciting offering that is good for the ears and
the spirit.
For more information, visit mauriciodesouzajazz.com. De
Souza is at The Garage Dec. 5th and 16th. See Calendar.
Native American chief of the Sauk Tribe who made his
home in the middle of the country, near where the
guitarist grew up some 200 years later. The music is far
from the vocal-and-drum ritual the title might suggest,
but then his previous album didn’t sound much like
banshees, either.
Musicology and political correctness arguments
might be made, but if it doesn’t quite evoke tribal life
before European expansion, it’s still a sound portrait of
the prairie. Oceans and mountains may carry themes
and activity, but the flatlands have breadth: not a lot of
activity but still an enormous stage. This is how
DuBois’ music strikes: it’s not so much what’s going on
as the swathe of space he creates within which
something might happen. There’s room to move.
Key to bringing this about, oddly enough, is a
German horn player. Ullmann shares with DuBois an
uncanny ability to suggest that he could go out
without often needing to prove it. There’s something
in his tone (on tenor and soprano saxophones and bass
clarinet) that says, “Just because I’m not screaming
doesn’t mean I can’t.” Rarely does he, or does DuBois
for that matter, step in front of the rhythm section.
Rather, they contain an easy contentment, Morgan and
Osgood as well keeping pace rather than pushing it.
That pattern holds until the final five minutes of
the record. “Louis Frederic” finds the band amping up,
DuBois pushing his hollow-body guitar through a
distortion pedal. It’s strangely disjointed, especially
given the 50 minutes that preceded it, and interesting
that it was placed at the end rather than as a midpoint
apogee. Here, perhaps, the band is saying, “We’re
screaming, but we don’t need to.”
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. DuBois is at
Miles’ Café Dec. 4th and Tea Lounge Dec. 18th. See Calendar.
December 2010 Jazz Schedule
____________________________
Sundays Lafayette Harris Jazz Open-Mic
7:00pm-11pm $10 Cover/$16 Drink Min
____________________________
Mondays – December 6th & 13th
Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Quartet
December 20th & 27th Eric Wyatt Jam Session
9:30pm-2:30am $10 Cover/$16 Drink Min.
____________________________
Tuesdays – Joey Morant 8:00pm-12am
$10 Cover/$16 Drink Min.
____________________________
Wednesdays – Nate Lucas Organ Trio 8:00pm-12am
$3 Table Cover per person/$16 Drink Min.
December 22nd Comedian Paul Mooney Live In Harlem
8pm $30 advance/$40 at door $16 Drink Min
____________________________
Black Hawk Dance
Scott DuBois (Sunnyside)
by Kurt Gottschalk
G uitarist Scott DuBois’ first release for Sunnyside, the
2008 quartet album Banshees, showed him to be a
refreshingly individualistic composer and bandleader,
capable of creating adventurous music that somehow
didn’t need to push too hard. Without overusing
energy, speed or dissonance, DuBois crafted a set of
tunes that were at once unique and quite listenable.
DuBois seems to have found his own classic quartet
with Gebhard Ullmann (reeds) and Kresten Osgood
(drums), retaining bassist Thomas Morgan from the
previous band. That quartet is back now with Black
Hawk Dance, a set of seven new compositions that
rarely act as if they have something to prove.
DuBois takes the name of his album from the
18 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
Blues Thursdays
Thursdays December 2nd & 9th Good Home Cookin’
November 16th & 23rd Sam Wayman
8:00pm-12am $3 Table Cover per person/$16 Drink Min
____________________________
Zebra Room: weekends – 3 Shows 9:00 pm 10:30 pm 12:00 am
$20 cover per set plus $16.00 drink minimum per set - per person
Rochelle Thompson, Vocalist
Mal Davis, Organist
December 10th Johnny O’Neal Trio
December 11th Ghanniya Green, Vocalist
December 17th & 18th Danny Mixon Quartet
December 24th Alex Lane Quartet
December 3rd
December 4th
Bring back Harlem’s famous Late, Late Night Jam Session
Every Friday and Saturday Nights 12am to 4am
serving up Jazz and Wells’ Chicken’ and Waffles
Featuring Gerald Hayes Quartet
Moment to Moment
Houston Person (HighNote)
by Alex Henderson
Soul jazz (both with and without organists) has, for
many years, represented an exciting link between
hardbop and R&B - and Houston Person has reigned
supreme as one of its tenor titans. So many of his peers
(from Gene Ammons and Stanley Turrentine to Illinois
Jacquet, Arnett Cobb and Jimmy Forrest) are no longer
with us but Person (76 this year) is still going strong.
Recorded in June 2010, Moment to Moment finds Person
in fine form as the leader/producer of a session that
employs Terell Stafford (trumpet), John Di Martino
(piano), Randy Johnston (guitar), Ray Drummond
(bass) and Willie Jones III (drums).
Person’s more recent albums on HighNote have
found him in a generally laid-back mood and Moment
to Moment is no exception; this session emphasizes
ballads and relaxed medium-tempo performances.
There are no real barnburners here, but that isn’t to say
that Person has lost anything in the way of chops,
emotion or feeling. Person’s big, gruff tone is as
appealing as ever on a diverse collection of songs that
ranges from Henry Mancini’s title track and the Billie
Holiday-associated “I Cover the Waterfront” to the
Durval Ferreira-Lula Freire bossa nova “E Nada Mais”
(“And Nothing More” in Portuguese).
Person has never been one of those myopic jazz
snobs who automatically cuts himself off from all rock
and R&B material; his perspective has always been
that quality popular songs are appropriate vehicles for
jazz expression whether they come from Tin Pan Alley,
Motown or the Lennon-McCartney songbook. So it
isn’t surprising that on this 56-minute CD, Person has
no problem transforming Billy Joel’s “Just the Way
You Are” and the Philly soul ballad “Love Won’t Let
Me Wait” (a big hit for ex-Delfonic Major Harris in
1975 and covered by the late Luther Vandross in 1988)
into improvisatory instrumental jazz. Unlike the
smooth jazz automatons who record saccharin notefor-note covers, Person doesn’t let his creative
mentality fall by the wayside.
Person would have gone down in history as an
important figure in hardbop and soul jazz even if he
had retired 30 years ago. But thankfully, the tenor
veteran has kept busy and Moment to Moment is an
engaging addition to his sizable catalogue.
For more information, visit jazzdepot.com. Person is at
Dicapo Opera Theatre Dec. 10th with Ted Rosenthal and
Jazz Standard Dec. 14th-15th. See Calendar.
Triple Play
Russell Malone (MAXJAZZ)
by Laurel Gross
W hile guitarist Russell Malone has made three earlier
recordings for MAXJAZZ and numerous CDs on other
labels as a leader since his recording debut for
20 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
Columbia in 1992, Triple Play is his first trio outing and
one wonders why he hasn’t done it sooner. It suits him.
And it’s not like this versatile musician doesn’t have
experience in the format, for instance as a regular
member of the Golden Striker Trio with bassist Ron
Carter and pianist Mulgrew Miller.
Giving originals prominence can be tricky - record
companies can’t be sure how listeners will respond to
unfamiliar songs. But nobody need have fussed here.
Malone’s tunes are the standouts of these 11 tracks,
well played by bassist David Wong and drummer
Montez Coleman. “Sweet Georgia Peach” is the
showstopper. First recorded in 1998 on a CD of the
same name but freshly reinvisioned here, it’s a
rousing, infectious, bluesy romp that merits many
hearings simply because it’s so enjoyable and
engaging. It’s not a dance number but can feel like it.
Malone’s narrative of sparkling, insistent guitar lines
soar over Coleman’s driving - but never overpowering
- rhythms and Wong’s on-the-mark support. Oliver
Nelson’s highly effective, uptempo “Butch and Butch”
is tastily sandwiched between two winning, more
gently-paced originals, “Honeybone” and “Pecan Pie”.
The rest of the material thankfully is not the
ubiquitous standards populating many jazz CDs.
Quincy Jones’ “The Witching Hour”, Ron Carter’s
“Tail Feathers” and Bergman-Grusin’s “The Kind of
Girl She Is” clearly display Malone’s inventiveness,
superb technique, respect for melody and soulful
warmth. Wong gets nice play in a compelling solo on
John Hicks’ “Mind Wine” while Malone conjures a
gorgeous, almost harp-like ‘classical’ effect for
“Unchained Melody”.
For more information, visit maxjazz.com. Malone is at
Smoke Dec. 10th-11th. See Calendar.
Chamber Songs (Music for Nonet and Strings)
Alan Ferber (Sunnyside)
by George Kanzler
F orget about comparisons to traditional “with
strings” jazz recordings or even jazz ensembles/big
bands that add strings. This combination of a nonet whose impressive 2007 CD, The Compass (Fresh SoundNew Talent) is a harbinger of this project - and strings
is an addition to and advancement of the Third Stream
movement begun in the mid-20th Century as well as,
at times, an expansion of concepts originally expressed
in the 1961 Stan Getz-Eddie Sauter jazz-and-strings
recorded collaboration Focus (Verve).
Trombonist-leader-arranger
Ferber’s
wellthought-out album traces a very discernible arc from
largely through-composed pieces at the beginning and
end to increasingly jazz-oriented ones in the middle.
That the opening and closing tracks are the most
classical sounding, right down to rubato time feels, is
only surprising when you realize the composers are
both nominally jazz musicians: Keith Jarrett and Ben
Monder, respectively.
Jarrett’s “The River” and Ferber’s short
unresolved “Interlude” (Bryn Roberts’ piano with
ensemble) serve as preludes to the first of two Third
Stream highlights - and potential landmarks - on the
CD: “Paradox”, a composition by nonet saxophonist
Jon Gordon. Arranged by Ferber to contrast drum
tattoos with an urgent string riff - think the opening of
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or “I’m Late, I’m Late”
from Getz’ Focus - it opens out into full ensemble and
jazz solos from Gordon (alto sax) and three traded
rounds from Ferber, tenor saxophonist John Ellis,
trumpeter Scott Wendholt, guitarist Nate Radley and
violinist Zack Brock.
After three atmospheric/impressionistic pieces
ranging from romantic (“Magnolia”) to eerie (“Ice
Caves”) and the Mingus-ian blues sans strings “Union
Blues” (the nonet at its best), comes the album’s
culmination, the fully-realized melding of nonet and
strings on Ferber’s “Sedona”, a triumphantly episodic
Third Stream piece reminiscent of 20th Century ballet
music, with cogent solos from Ellis and Radley. It ends
with an all-strings coda, setting up the album finale:
Monder’s “In Memoriam”, pairing strings and a horn
choir.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Ferber’s
nonet is at Jazz Gallery Dec. 16th (with strings), Tea
Lounge Dec. 20th and Smalls Dec. 22nd. See Calendar.
Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B
Freddy Cole (HighNote)
by Andrew Vélez
F or over 50 years singer Freddy Cole has been making
audiences comfortable. He has always been notable for
both his expressive phrasing and the unhurried ease of
his delivery. Those are qualities he shares with the
admired object of this release, what Cole calls “a
celebration of my friend, Billy Eckstine.” It was in the
‘30s that he first met the vocalist and bandleader,
whom he calls “Mr. B”, and other jazz luminaries
through his brother, pianist Nat King Cole.
The songs chosen for this set are from a repertoire
closely associated with Eckstine and range from a pop
movie hit, “Tender is the Night”, to an eroticallycharged “Jelly, Jelly”. Happily and wisely Cole avoids
the pitfall of attempting to emulate his mentor’s sound
in any way. The easy, elegant and straightahead jazz
style of both is commonality enough. Those qualities
are complemented by the addition of Houston Person
on tenor saxophone, who joins Cole’s regular group.
The aforementioned “Tender is the Night” opens with
a masterfully thoughtful duet between Cole and
guitarist Randy Napoleon before the group swings in
and ultimately Person blows in with his customary
pithy perfection.
One of Eckstine’s biggest hits, “I Apologize”, gets
a limpidly uncluttered interpretation. John Di
Martino’s piano accompaniment is especially sensitive
on this number before Person’s sax echoes the gentle
depth of Cole’s reading. “Mister, You’ve Gone and Got
the Blues” and “Pretty One” are further testimony to
what a fine songwriter Eckstine was, but nothing tops
his and Earl Hines’ “Jelly, Jelly”. Although it’s atypical
of what Cole usually sings, in that classy way of his
and with more swell backing from Napoleon and
Person, they grind their way into every down and
dirty nook and cranny of this gem. Oh yes, they do.
Like both Mr. B and Mr. Cole, this set is classy all the
way.
For more information, visit jazzdepot.com. Cole is at
Birdland Dec. 21st-25th. See Calendar.
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
21
French Suite
Thomas Savy (Plus Loin Music)
by David R. Adler
Thomas
Savy’s French Suite is a bass clarinet trio
album and right away this gives it a certain
uniqueness. But the disc’s standout qualities come
equally from the rapport of the group and the strength
of the music itself. “I didn’t write for a bass and a
drumset,” Savy declares in his illustrated, Frenchlanguage liner notes. “I wrote for him and for him,” he
continues, referring poetically to bassist Scott Colley
and drummer Bill Stewart. So one can speculate that
Savy also didn’t write for bass clarinet, nor pick the
horn just to be different. It so happens that he plays the
instrument with uncommon agility, expressive range
and sheer lung power.
Given the American rhythm section and the
presence of hard-hitting trumpeter David Weiss in the
producer’s chair, it makes sense that French Suite
would pulse with an unmistakable, hard-swinging
New York energy. It’s most evident, of course, on the
uptempo “My Big Apple”, the fifth movement of a
seven-part suite that fills most of the program.
“Ouverture”, “Ignition” and “Atlantique Nord”, the
earlier movements, establish a theme of spry unison
lines, elastic rhythm and open harmony. “E & L” and
“L & E” offer contrasting takes on midtempo C blues,
prompting some of the richest horn-bass dialogues of
the session. “Ballade de Stephen Edward” is too
multifaceted to be a ballad in the strict sense, but Duke
Ellington’s “Come Sunday” and John Coltrane’s
“Lonnie’s Lament” slow things down, highlighting
Savy’s bass clarinet at its most lyrical and most tenor
sax-like. By turns solemn and ecstatic, his
improvisations show a remarkable control and purity
of tone across all registers. They’re something to
behold.
For more information, visit plusloin.net
personalized sound to the following discs.
Rodrigo Amado is a Portuguese sax player
(mainly tenor and bari) with a big, rough-hewn sound.
He’s released five previous albums under his own
name and three as a member of the Lisbon
Improvisation Players. His favored mode of
expression seems to be free improvisation and he
always commands attention. On Searching for Adam
he’s enlisted three American players: Bynum, bassist
John Hébert and drummer Gerald Cleaver. Sharing the
frontline with Bynum makes for a study in contrast;
Amado’s big blustery lines mesh nicely with Bynum’s
spiky, cleanly delineated cornet. If there’s a precedent
for this, it’s the Sonny Rollins/Don Cherry group of
1962-63, which shared a similar mixture of heft and
grace. The rhythm section, both consummate outsideinside players, work together to keep things
interesting and at a high energy level. Even on the epic
title track, which is a ballad for most of its 21 minutes,
there are no sagging moments. While this is an ad-hoc
assembly of musicians, this quartet sounds like a
working group.
A year later, Bynum, Hébert and Cleaver
reconvened for Book of Three, a set of nine pieces (five
improvisations and two compositions each by Bynum
and Hébert). The influence of Bill Dixon on Bynum’s
trumpet playing is all over these tracks. This is
measured music, proceeding at a pace almost similar
to a classic Paul Bley piano trio, organically
developing in a thoughtful deliberate fashion. That’s
not to say there aren’t some satisfying energetic
passages in this music but it’s the slow, languorous
passages that stand out.
The OtherTet finds Bynum collaborating with one
of his mentors, trombonist Bill Lowe. Rounding out the
band are Joe Morris (on bass) and Ghanaian drummer
Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng. On their self-titled debut
they make music that hearkens back to free
improvisation’s early days. The music sounds like a
modern descendant of the New York Art Quartet with
Bynum’s cornet in the place of John Tchicai’s alto.
Obeng’s drumming functions much like Milford
Graves’ did in that band, providing a polyrhythmic
accompaniment (at times a barrage) for the soloists.
The program consists of three free improvisations and
two compositions each by Lowe and Bynum. Once
again, it’s this contrast that works, Lowe’s burly bass
trombone complementing Bynum’s cornet. It’s
particularly effective on Bynum’s “Dream Sketch”,
where the deep, dark lines Lowe essays support
Bynum’s joyous shouts and muted bluesy phrases. The
recording quality is less than optimum, with an almost
muted quality, but the music still shines through.
For more information, visit nottwo.com, web.roguart.com and
espdisk.com. Bynum is at The Stone Dec. 12th. See Calendar.
Searching for Adam
Rodrigo Amado/Taylor Ho Bynum/
John Hébert/Gerald Cleaver (Not Two)
Book of Three
Taylor Ho Bynum/John Hébert/Gerald Cleaver
(Rogue Art)
Eponymous The OtherTet (Engine)
by Robert Iannapollo
Cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum has carved quite a niche
for himself in the jazz/improvised music sphere.
Emerging from the tutelage of Anthony Braxton in the
late ‘90s, he set out on his own path as a composer and
musician. What’s impressive about Bynum is how,
despite his own projects (of which there are many), he
seems more than willing to lend his talents as a
sideman. He’s a member of Jason Kao Hwang’s Edge
and Myra Melford’s Be Bread. And he adds his own
22 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
Going Express
Helen Sung (Sunnyside)
by Terrell Holmes
H elen Sung has a prominent place in the vanguard of
excellent pianists who have emerged on the jazz scene
in recent years. Her new CD will do a lot to solidify
that position. This set, recorded live at Jazz Standard,
captures Sung’s quartet at their finest with an inspired
song list that blends the timeless and the new.
The mercurial title cut, a Sung original, sets the
tone. Bassist Lonnie Plaxico, drummer Eric Harland
and Sung keep a pulsating groove brewing for
saxophonist Seamus Blake’s passionate soprano.
Sung’s beautiful embroidery enhances Me’shell
Ndegeocello’s sad lullaby “Bitter”; Blake’s earthy
tenor, punctuated with harmonics, deepens the song’s
poignancy. There’s nothing fancy or clever about the
band’s decidedly funky take on “Love For Sale”. If it
weren’t for the statement of the theme at the beginning
and the end one might not know that this was the
Porter classic. Plaxico’s pizzicato lays the foundation
for Blake’s ever-soaring soprano and Sung’s vibrant
musing on her song “Hope Springs Eternally”.
The rhythm section shines on a pair of Monk
tunes, having a delightful time with a splendid and
appropriately off-center approach to “In Walked Bud”
while only Sung and Plaxico duet on “Eronel”. Piano
and bass mesh with perfect tenderness and Plaxico
plays masterfully on what is the set’s best moment.
Sung’s last excursion into the book of standards is Billy
Strayhorn’s “Lotus Blossom”, a duet with Harland.
She plays with a lighthearted touch and Harland’s
sotto voce percussion gives the song perfect texture.
One key to the band’s synergy is that Sung’s
arrangements frequently use ostinatos, whose
centrifugal force builds tension and drives the soloists.
The most important factor, though, is the boundless
talent of the leader. Whether she’s absorbed in a ballad
or working out on a blistering uptempo tune, her
dynamism and musicianship are enviable. The band
feeds off this joyful energy and all listeners, at home or
in the club, are richly rewarded.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Sung is
at Smalls Dec. 10th and Saint Peter’s Dec. 12th, both with
Carol Morgan, Jazz Standard Dec. 21st with this band and
Saint Peter’s Dec. 29th with Linda Ciofalo. See Calendar.
Arc Suite t/pi t/po
Mario Pavone Orange Double Tenor (Playscape)
by Jeff Stockton
There are no ballads on this CD. Yes, there are a few
interludes (under two minutes each), but the other
tracks careen along on the momentum of Mario
Pavone’s driving bass, pianist Peter Madsen’s
exploding note clusters and Gerald Cleaver’s stormy
drumming. The music is tightly composed in the usual
melody-solo-melody style, but as the interpretations
24 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
expand out from the core trio, the quantity of musical
information becomes overwhelming. Pavone’s writing
begins with the bass, invites the piano and drums in,
then wraps the horns around them. Jimmy Greene and
Tony Malaby blare on saxes and newest bandmember
Dave Ballou smears the canvas with his trumpet, the
three sounding much bigger than they are.
Malaby’s tenor is the darker of the two, infusing
“West of Crash” with a hardness and gravity that just
about manages to keep the tune earthbound. Sex
Mob’s Steven Bernstein sits in on “17 Note”, yet
another headlong rush, this one riding on the tireless
glide of his slide trumpet. On “East Arc”, Greene
shades the composition with pithy runs before Ballou’s
trumpet blows them both away thanks to a searing
solo statement. Here, Malaby’s weightiness on tenor
complements and counterbalances the trumpet’s light;
on “Poles” his soprano snake-charms while Cleaver
works the cymbals and Pavone plucks feverishly. It’s
in these moments, when Ballou, Malaby or Greene
solos on top of the bass and drums, that the Arc Suite
truly becomes special.
In what is often a mature-man’s game, Mario
Pavone at 70 is as vital as ever. He surrounds himself
with top people and provides them with music that
hearkens back to his avowed influences (Coltrane,
Ornette, Mingus, Cecil), but is filtered through his own
compositional
originality
and
contemporary
vocabulary. Pavone and his Orange Double Tenor
band make music the old-fashioned way, marked by
tight ensemble performance and bruising interplay,
but never let you forget that this group is playing the
music of today.
For more information, visit playscape-recordings.com. This
group is at Cornelia Street Café Dec. 11th. See Calendar.
Foreign Legion
Causing a Tiger
Tin Hat
Kihlstedt/Bossi/Ismaily
(BAG Prod.)
(Victo)
by Sean Fitzell
V iolinist
Carla Kihlstedt is an omnivorous musical
personality: conservatory-trained with an improviser’s
daring, she retains an appreciation of and ability to
deliver simple folk songs convincingly. Two typically
disparate releases demonstrate a continued growth
and reveal her as a bold contemporary conceptualist.
Foreign Legion is the first live release by Tin Hat
and draws material from their entire oeuvre. It’s also
the first recording to feature their current quartet
lineup, trumpeter/keyboardist Ara Anderson joining
founders Kihlstedt and guitarist Mark Orton and
longtime clarinetist Ben Goldberg. Known for creating
lush orchestrations in the studio, Tin Hat’s concert
recordings are necessarily rawer, stripping away
layers to focus on the essence of the compositions and
the musicians’ improvisatory interplay.
Orton sets the off-kilter swaggering of “Helium”
while Kihlstedt takes the Roma-esque melody, later
shaded by Goldberg for added heft. During her
soaring bowed feature, he switches to contra-alto
clarinet for a deeper anchor. He uses this horn for his
own whomping solo on “Company”, after Anderson’s
torrid growls and brass flourishes break from the
ascending violin melody and repeating guitar line.
Orton’s loping guitar rhythm and sound is apropos for
“The Last Cowboy”, supporting subtle violin vibrato,
doubled by clarinet. Anderson’s turn is subdued at
first but becomes more playful with trombone-like
vocalization. Adept at evoking atmospheres, on “New
West” trumpet and violin entwine for a Spaghetti
Western/Mariachi vibe over the guitar’s stuttering.
More surrealist aural travelogue than typical
record, Causing a Tiger finds Kihlstedt collaborating
with Matthias Bossi and Shahzad Ismaily to create
music around location recordings she gathered. The
musicians all play multiple instruments, from the
usual violin, drums and guitar to exotics like
charango, saw blade gamelan and Armenian doubleflute, along with the source samples. It’s best
experienced by letting go of the analysis and joining
their journey.
Kihlstedt’s lilting vocal twang over minimal
strumming evocatively conveys the story of a traveling
life on the steeped-in-Appalachia opener “No Funeral
At All”. Pealing church bells and dissonant violin saws
begin “Three Suitcases” and as a beat is established,
the anguished wordless wails segue to the industrial
repetitions of “A Swish of Nylon”. After a spoken
word introduction, the piece erupts with aggressive
neo-tribal drum breaks and distorted guitar shreds
aping the mechanistic loop. The languorous “Hills
Made of Wool” showcases Kihlstedt’s Björk-like
singing and roughly maintains song form, as opposed
to impressionistic pieces like “Bicycle Brigade” and “A
Goose is a Goose” that are enmeshed with the location
samples. Returning home for “Still No Funeral at All”,
guest Fred Frith adds throbbing electric bass and
fiddle for a rollicking instrumental conclusion.
For more information, visit bagproductionrecords.com and
victo.qc.ca. Kihlstedt is at University of the Streets Dec.
15th with Matthias Bossi and The Stone Dec. 17th with
Bossi and Shahzad Ismaily. See Calendar.
Hooker drops down a string of bombs to Smith’s
walking bass line. Walter adds an electrical storm.
Each in his own kind of world, nonetheless they orbit
around one another, shifting each other’s paths and
transmitting cosmic influence. The power intensifies to
the breaking point, but the broken parts again, like
meteors, obtain their own orbits. The activity becomes
ever more varied and interesting.
“And next comes the love, with a bash button,
push button rhythmic tick,” Hooker recites a ways into
the introductory poem on Yearn for Certainty. David
Soldier accompanies this fierce verse with a slow,
lyrical mandolin. The poem itself, well into its reading,
seems random and scattershot. However, as it climaxes
with the percussive sounds and imagery, again the
dynamic directive that defines Hooker as an artist
becomes clear.
Soldier, who also plays banjo and violin, brings a
folk feel to it. Sabir Mateen plays sax, flute and clarinet
and at times is just as gentle as Soldier. Elsewhere he is
in high-energy mode. All told he is a bridge between
Hooker and Soldier, who both are too thoroughly
present and voluble as musicians ever to take a back
seat to the ostensibly more dominant horn. Hooker is a
radically surprising leader, even shocking, taking the
trio in sharp spins and hairpin turns.
“What is this funk again? Where is this
entertainment mode stuck to the system - stuff,”
Hooker begins on the final track. This poem is great all
the way through and deserves to be quoted in full.
Hooker can be harrying, but in the way of a stern
professor, who wants to drive home certain points. He
drives them home - down home and beyond.
For more information, visit nobusinessrecords.com and
espdisk.com. Hooker is at The Local 269 Dec. 6th. See Calendar.
U
SE
EW
D
N
236 West 26 Street, Room 804
New York, NY 10001
Earth’s Orbit
Yearn for Certainty
William Hooker
William Hooker Trio
(NoBusiness)
(Engine)
by Gordon Marshall
William
Hooker is a dynamic drummer, powerful
and concerned with tonal contrasts in force and speed.
He has learned this from rock, with the
loud/soft/loud patterns that make for an impression
of ever-growing sonic strength, and from concert new
music. His work, however free and defined by sheer
energy it may get, is always characterized by
architecture and orchestration.
His Bliss (East) trio, with Darius Jones (alto sax)
and Adam Lane (bass), is a tower of power. Jones plays
his instrument with the fury of a tenor sax, combining
passion with cerebral cogency. Lane is no less a force,
supporting Hooker’s heady drumming with highminded percussive plucks and stops of his own.
Hooker is all over the map, but the map is of his own
making - and it is precise and accurate, both in terms of
the latitude and longitude of radical music history.
Bliss (East) make up Disc 1 of his two-disc release
Earth’s Orbit, Disc 2 of which is played by his Bliss
(West) quartet, consisting of Aaron Bennett (tenor sax),
Weasel Walter (guitar) and Damon Smith (bass).
Bennett opens with a stream of overblowing and
Monday-Saturday, 10:00-6:00
Tel: 212-675-4480
Fax: 212-675-4504
Email: [email protected]
Web: jazzrecordcenter.com
LP’s, CD, Videos (DVD/VHS),
Books, Magazines, Posters,
Postcards, T-shirts,
Calendars, Ephemera
Buy, Sell, Trade
Collections bought
and/or appraised
Also carrying specialist labels
e.g. Fresh Sound, Criss Cross,
Ayler, Silkheart, AUM Fidelity,
Nagel Heyer, Eremite, Venus,
Clean Feed, Enja and many more
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
25
Celebrations
Eugene Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble
(MEII Enterprises)
by Elliott Simon
Look, Stop and Listen
(featuring Johnny Griffin)
Philly Joe Jones’ Dameronia (Uptown)
by Joel Roberts
Interchanges among jazz, Jewish and Latin music have
resulted in everything from novelty one-off LPs to
serious new music with an avant-worldly tilt. In the
midst of this eclectic mix comes pianist Eugene
Marlow’s
Celebrations.
His
in-depth
musical
understanding of the jazz form and superb arranging
skills, combined with the expert musicianship of his
Heritage Ensemble, provide in-the-pocket grooves and
reverent soulful performances just in time for
Chanukah.
Marlow has assembled a wonderful rhythm
section for Celebrations, the second release from this
project that rearranges Jewish melodies into
traditional jazz forms. Drummer Bobby Sanabria, in
tandem with percussionist Cristian Rivera, is up in the
mix and this ‘Nuyo-Rican’ duo serves their latkes and
hamantaschen with healthy dashes of salsa piquant.
Frank Wagner is a powerful yet poignant bassist and
enables the band to stretch out while maintaining a
decidedly solid bottom. Saxophonist Michael Hashim
is a very expressive alto and soprano player and his
horns can both wail and tenderly caress. Paired with
Marlow’s confident touch, a simple festive melody like
“Chanukah, O Chanukah” is turned into a funk-bop
jazz foray whose middle surprises with a delicate
sax/piano chamber duet.
While most of these pieces are taken from the
festive Chanukah and Purim songbooks, Marlow
includes elegant piano interpretations of the
liturgically-based “Halleluyah” and his own selfpenned “Yotvata”. The latter, a paean to Israeli
pioneers who turned the desert into a successful
Kibbutz, opens and closes with a graceful piano solo
by Lebanese classical pianist Nada Loutfi.
Celebrations succeeds on multiple musical levels
without sacrificing its jazz ethos at the expense of
worldly chic. Its message is not only a festive holiday
one but a celebration of jazz spirituality as fertile
common ground.
P hilly Joe Jones is best remembered as the drummer
For more information, visit meiienterprises.com. This group
is at Baruch College Dec. 16th. See Calendar.
for Miles Davis’ first classic quintet in the mid ‘50s. But
before he joined Miles, Jones spent some formative
years with the legendary bebop composer and
arranger Tadd Dameron. Near the end of his career, in
the early ‘80s, Jones started Dameronia, a small big
band dedicated to keeping the music of his too-often
neglected old friend alive.
Look, Stop and Listen is a reissue of Dameronia’s
second and final album, recorded in 1983. It features
Jones and a stellar lineup of veteran players including
trombonist Benny Powell, alto saxophonist Frank
Wess, baritone master Cecil Payne and pianist Walter
Davis Jr., along with guest soloist Johnny Griffin on
tenor sax. Trumpeter Don Sickler served as the group’s
musical director (and also made a rare appearance on
tenor sax) and transcribed some of the long-lost
Dameron charts by ear from the old LPs.
The tunes covered include some of Dameron’s
better-known fare, like the classic ballad “If You Could
See Me Now” and the bebop workout “Our Delight”,
as well as obscurities deserving wider attention, like
the lovely “Theme of No Repeat”, which Dameron first
recorded with Clifford Brown in 1953. All the tunes are
performed beautifully by the ensemble and offer a rare
chance to revisit Dameron’s sophisticated and
nuanced original arrangements.
According to the exhaustive and revealing liner
notes by writer Bob Bernotas, Griffin had planned to
sit in on only a couple of numbers, but he played up
such a storm that the rest of the band asked him to
stick around. He’s heard on six of the ten tracks here,
including a couple of gorgeous solos on “If You Could
See Me Now” and a rousing turn on “Killer Joe”, the
Benny Golson tune that Philly Joe used as his theme
song (and the only non-Dameron composition on the
album). As for Jones, his fills and solos are at turns
explosive and subtle, but always hip and right on the
money.
Meticulously remastered by the session’s original
engineer, the great Rudy Van Gelder, this is one of the
more valuable reissues to come along in a while.
For more information, visit uptownrecords.net. A Johnny
Griffin Tribute/The Big Soul Band 50th Anniversary with
Houston Person and others is at Jazz Standard Dec. 14th15th. See Calendar.
KERRY
POLITZER
QUARTET
Blue in Blue
available at
piloorecords.com
LIVE
AT
SMALLS
December 17th
7:30 pm
kerrypolitzer.com
Eponymous
Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House (Intakt)
by John Sharpe
Since moving to New York City from London in 2008,
German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock has fallen in
with a like-minded coterie of musicians adept at
26 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
shifting between the preordained and the inspired.
Evidence has come in a slew of splendid discs
including drummer Tom Rainey’s Pool School and the
collective Paradoxical Frog with drummer Tyshawn
Sorey and pianist Kris Davis (both Clean Feed). Now
to add to that roll of honor we have the saxophonist’s
Anti-House on the Swiss Intakt imprint. Rainey is a
holdover from her fine Sleepthief on the same label, but
this time out the cast also comprises everyone’s
favorite guitarist Mary Halvorson and accomplished
bassist John Hébert, with Davis along for half of the 14
cuts.
Laubrock’s writing is imbued with an open-ended
immediacy, so that away from the occasional driving
lines (the title track and “Oh Yes”), it can occasionally
be hard to tell where the charts stop. Primarily she
frames a group music with little soloing in the
conventional horn-and-rhythm-section mold. Rather
individual voices emerge from the discourse naturally
before engaging in two-, three- or even four-way
debate. The leader’s expressive range continues to
grow as shown by the choked galumphing tenor sax,
reminiscent of the late Bill Dixon’s tonal experiments,
which opens “Funhouse Glockwork”. Halvorson’s
guitar thickens the ensembles, switching between
urgent palpitations, single-note runs and slurred
deconstructions with insouciant ease. Rainey is
unshowy to a fault, blurring the distinction between
time and no time, ably abetted by Hébert.
Four of the pieces are fragments clocking in at less
than two minutes: of these “Big Bang” does what it
says on the tin while the mysterious “Is Life Anything
Like This” is full of breathy foghorn and booming bass
notes. On the longer tracks Laubrock sometimes
explores stark juxtapositions. Introduced by Rainey’s
glockenspiel and Halvorson’s asymmetric guitar,
“Tom Can’t Sleep” boasts a saxophone-and-bass
counterpoint evoking smoky Parisian bars (think the
soundtrack to Jules et Jim) while “Quick Draw” opens
with a duet for arco bass and wildly bent guitar notes
before Laubrock’s jaunty tenor kicks in for one of the
album’s highlights. Another comes on the title track
where rippling piano and guitar set the scene for a
knotty staggered beat, the leader’s yelping soprano sax
and a bravura display by Davis. One oddity arises in
the opaque “Mona Lisa Trampoline”, where a 35second silence separates the opening interplay and the
stuttering improv which follows before a gradually
coagulating riff periodically emerges to close out the
album. There’s a lot to choose from in the 72-minute
program and while not all of it quite comes off, the hits
far outweigh the misses.
For more information, visit intaktrec.ch. Laubrock is at
Cornelia Street Café Dec. 30th with Tom Rainey and Mary
Halvorson. See Calendar.
When I Was Long Ago
Rebecca Martin (Sunnyside)
by Donald Elfman
Rebecca Martin’s new recording is a bold, daring and
beautifully successful approach to standards. With no
chordal instrument as an anchor and a live-to-two
track recording, this exceptional singer has made what
feels like a revolutionary approach to song and
imbued the tradition with life in a new way. Martin
honors every song by doing the verse, by crediting - in
digital notes - the first performance of each and by
finding tunes that we know and some that we might
never have heard.
Right from the start we know we’re in special
territory. “For All We Know” comes to us
harmonically with Bill McHenry (tenor sax) and Larry
Grenadier (bass) playing around the changes. Then
comes the verse and the trio gets to the question
therein - “Why should we waste a night like this?” So
there’s no age-old moss hanging around here and no
waste of a single moment as they get to the here-andnow of the song. Martin’s voice here and throughout is
breathtakingly pure and in perfect complement to the
saxophone and bass.
There are further surprises in the choice of tunes,
especially when it comes to the lesser-known ones.
Julie London did the first recording of “No Moon at
All” and it was covered by Ella Fitzgerald and Doris
Day among others. But when did we hear it last and
when was it ever done this intimately? Grenadier’s
walking bass is atmospheric and McHenry’s
saxophone swirls and breathes underneath and it
creates a shimmering picture.
As an introduction to another rare gem, Rebecca
sings the verse of “Cheerup Charlie”, from 1971’s Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with young Charlie
Grenadier, son of the bass player. Then comes the
lovely tune, which Martin makes into a personal,
intimate, almost-lullaby.
And there’s a vocal debut of an old tune. Martin
has written lyrics for the Ellington-Strayhorn “Low
Key Lightly”, music from Duke’s score for the film
Anatomy of a Murder. She calls it “Lucky in Love” and
makes it a wispy and romantic ballad. In fact, all of
these songs, even the uptempo ones, feel like ballads in
the best sense - rich and heartfelt stories.
with Ingrid Jensen, Marcus Strickland, David Sanchez
and Jaleel Shaw, among others. Lund’s second Criss
Cross CD focuses on his compelling originals, with the
potent support of pianist Edward Simon, bassist Ben
Street and drummer Bill Stewart.
The guitarist’s strengths as a composer are on
display throughout the date. His pieces are a varied lot
and despite his considerable technique, Lund doesn’t
use his music solely to show off his chops, as many
young musicians do. A perfect example is the opening
cut, “Swagger”, which has a rather misleading title, as
there is nothing overtly flamboyant about it. Instead
this is a harmonically rich ballad with a tantalizing
finale that adds a degree of mystery. Lund adds a bit of
distortion to his guitar in portions of his jagged
“Folly”, which is full of unexpected twists in its
melodic line. Street’s bass suggests a Brazilian rhythm
in the otherwise postbop vehicle “12 Beats”, with
Lund’s effervescent guitar buoyed by Simon’s hip
chords.
Unaccompanied guitar introduces the lovely
“Truck Stop Queen” (named for the leader’s wife’s
joking reference to herself), an understated yet multifaceted melody that resists predictable paths. Slowly
the other musicians are added, with adept brushwork,
introspective bass and soft piano backing providing
the perfect backdrop for the leader. The veteran Simon
provides a special spark to the date, though the
synergy of the entire quartet produces outstanding
music throughout the session.
As he gets more worldwide exposure, Lund will
rise in stature to be acknowledged as one of the top
talents of his generation.
For more information, visit crisscrossjazz.com. Lund is at
Miles’ Café Dec. 9th with Will Vinson. See Calendar.
Michael Blake
"Hellbent" (Label of Love)
Available at CD Baby
www.cdbaby.com/cd/MichaelBlake1
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. This
group is at Jazz Standard Dec. 16th. See Calendar.
Michael Blake - tenor saxophone
Steven Bernstein - trumpet
Marcus Rojas - tuba
G Calvin Weston - drums
Unlikely Stories
Lage Lund (Criss Cross Jazz)
by Ken Dryden
"Mr. Blake, on tenor
especially, is an endlessly
engaging improviser,
and an inquisitive one."
- New York Times
O nly in his early 30s, guitarist Lage Lund has already
built a hefty resumé. Winner of the 2005 Thelonious
Monk Guitar Competition, the Norway native studied
at both Berklee and Juilliard (the first electric guitarist
to attend the latter college) and has played or recorded
28 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
michaelblake.net
michaelblakemusic.blogspot.com
Dancing with Johnny
Linda Ciofalo (Lucky Jazz Music)
by Marcia Hillman
J ohnny Mercer is the name on vocalist Linda Ciofalo’s
dance card as she sings her way through 13 of the
songwriter/lyricist’s songs on her current CD. The
tunes are all familiar but are given fresh and
contemporary treatment - designed (according to the
liner notes) to “personalize the music with a rhythm
developed from phrasing Mercer’s lyrics.” The result
is an album that is both listenable and danceable.
Providing the music for Ciofalo’s vocalizing is a stellar
group: pianist John Di Martino, bassist John Benitez,
drummer Ernesto Simpson, percussionist Little Johnny
Rivero, guitarists Paul Meyers (nylon string) and
Chieli Minucci (electric), Joel Frahm on saxes and
Bryan Lynch on trumpet.
The teaming of Ciofalo’s voice and Mercer’s lyrics
has produced a great match. Mercer’s flow of words
and images goes well with Ciofalo’s lyric-driven
approach. Mercer’s “Tangerine” (a big band hit in its
first incarnation) is served up with a little salsa coming
up bright with Lynch’s trumpet coloring (he also
highlights the “Early Autumn” track with his sensitive
phrasing). Most of the rhythms on the album are on the
Latin side - samba, mambo, cha cha and bossa.
However, they are interspersed with other rhythmical
treatments which add to the pacing. Ciofalo delivers
“Skylark” as a blues featuring guitar effects by
Minucci; “Moon River” is done dreamily with a fitting
guitar solo by Meyers and Ciofalo sings “One For My
Baby” as the torchiest standard ever written. Di
Martino’s piano is evident on every track with tasteful
fills and solid solos. Frahm lends his magic to most of
the tracks, especially in “I’m Old Fashioned” where he
adds to the sweetness of Ciofalo’s vocal.
But foremost this is a vocalist’s CD and Ciofalo
has widened her repertoire with Mercer selections
delivered with care, sensitivity and warmth especially in the lower range of her voice. She
continues to display her storytelling skills in a most
listenable and smooth manner. And if you are going to
choose a dance partner, Mercer is a good bet. Keep on
dancing, Linda!
For more information, visit lindaciofalo.com. Ciofalo is at
Saint Peter’s Dec. 29th. See Calendar.
New from
RUSSELL MALONE
"TRIPLE PLAY"
Featuring: David Wong, bass & Montez Coleman, drums
Tango Jazz (Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center)
Paquito D’Rivera (Paquito-Sunnyside)
by Alex Henderson
The
term Latin jazz is generally used to describe a
mixture of jazz and AfroCuban music, but not all Latin
music is AfroCuban. Latin music also includes
everything from Mexican norteño to Dominican
merengue and bachata to Colombian cumbia.
Argentinean tango is another form of Latin music
and an integral part of what Cuban alto
saxophonist/clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera does on
Tango Jazz (Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center). This excellent
CD documents a March 2010 concert, where a 61-yearold D’Rivera joins forces with the ensemble of
Argentinean bassist Pablo Aslan - and the title is quite
accurate because their performances are, in fact, a
combination of jazz and tango. Aslan handles most of
the arrangements, which aren’t just slightly tangominded; they are very tango-minded. Aslan’s
bandoneón player, Michael Zisman, has a prominent
role in the ensemble, a definite plus as the accordionlike instrument is so closely identified with the genre.
And Aslan’s drummer is Daniel Piazzolla, grandson of
the late Astor Piazzolla (who has been exalted as “The
Charlie Parker of Tango” because he ushered in a
whole new era of tango in much the same way that
Bird and his allies ushered in a whole new era of jazz).
D’Rivera, of course, has long been a major figure
in AfroCuban jazz, going back to his days with Irakere
when he was still living in Cuba. But the Havana
native/New York City resident obviously appreciates
other forms of Latin music as well and his enthusiasm
for tango is impossible to miss on material that ranges
from Astor Piazzolla’s “Verano Porteño” (Spanish for
“Buenos Aires Summer”) to his own “Bandoneón” to
an intriguing jazz-tango arrangement of Gordon
Jenkins’ “Goodbye”. D’Rivera, however, doesn’t forget
about AfroCuban music during this concert; Aslan’s
“Tanguajira” successfully blends jazz, tango and
AfroCuban guajira. But tango is the dominant Latin
influence here, a consistently absorbing demonstration
of the fact that great Latin jazz doesn’t necessarily
have to be AfroCuban jazz.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. This project
is at Dizzy’s Club Dec. 20th-24th and 26th. See Calendar.
"Russell Malone reasserts his
stature as a prime guitarist in the
jazz mainstream." - New York Times
See Mulgrew Miller and Wingspan at
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola Nov. 30-Dec. 5
MULGREW MILLER
AND WINGSPAN
"THE SEQUEL"
"One of the most in-demand
pianists in jazz." -New York Times
See Russell Malone and
Mulgrew Miller with Ron Carter's
Golden Striker Trio at Smoke Jazz &
Supper Club-Lounge Dec. 10-11
Visit us online at www.maxjazz.com
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
29
Delicious and Delightful
Stick With Me
Steve Turre
Peppe Merolla
(HighNote)
(PJ Prod.)
by George Kanzler
Wed Dec 1
BRAD SHEPIK QUARTET 8:30PM
Tom Beckham, Jorge Roeder, Mark Guiliana
Thu Dec 2
SCOTT LEE GROUP 8:30PM
Billy Drewes, Gary Versace, Jeff Hirshfield
Fri Dec 3
GERALD CLEAVER GROUP 9PM & 10:30PM
Jean Carla Rodea, Andrew Bishop, Dave Ballou, Chris Lightcap
Sat Dec 4
Sun Dec 5
JOELHARRISON SEPTET: SINGULARITY 9PM & 10:30PM
Zach Brock, Donny McCaslin, Dana Leong,
Gary Versace, Stephan Crump, Clarence Penn
Sun Dec 5
SERIALUNDERGROUND 6PM
Jed Distler, host
Mon Dec 6
MONOLOGUES & MADNESS 6PM
Tulis McCall, host
AMRAM & CO 8:30PM
David Amram, Kevin Twigg, John de Witt, Adam Amram
Tue Dec 7
THEO BLECKMANN & BEN MONDER DUO 8:30PM
Julie Hardy, Host
Wed Dec 8
POST FOLK: BB GUN 8:30PM
Ben Davis, Bridget Kearney
POST FOLK:THE FUNDIES 10PM
Rachael Price, Margaret Glaspy, Brittany Haas, Bridget Kearney
Curated by Becca Stevens, host
Thu Dec 9
MICHAELATTIAS SEXTET 8:30PM
Ralph Alessi, Mark Taylor, Matt Moran, Sean Conly, Nasheet Waits
Fri Dec 10
MALABY/MOTIAN/SANCHEZ/MONDER 9PM & 10:30PM
Tony Malaby, Paul Motian, Angelica Sanchez, Ben Monder
Sat Dec 11
ORANGE DOUBLE TENOR CD RELEASE
AND 70TH BIRTHDAYCELEBRATION 9PM & 10:30PM
Mario Pavone, Tony Malaby, Marty Ehrlich,
Dave Ballou, Peter Madsen, Gerald Cleaver
Sun Dec 12
JAMES SHIPP’S NÓS NOVO 8:30PM
Jo Lawry, Gilad Hekselman, Rogério Boccato, Special Guest: Doug Wamble
Mon Dec 13
INSIDE/OUT 8:30PM
Tim Ferguson, Rob Henke, Diane Moser
“WORDS AND MUSIC” THE NEW SCHOOLFOR
JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARYMUSIC 10PM
Mika Harry, Tristan Cooley, Faiz Lamouri, Diederik Rijpstra,
Daniel Galvano, Rachel Housle, Kiril Orenstein, Diane Moser
Tue Dec 14
JAZZ AND LOVE SONGS.. MICHAELLYDON AND FRIENDS 8:30PM
Ellen Mandel, Curtis Fowlkes, Dave Hofstra,
Rudy Lawless, Gennaro Kravitz, Amy Fitts
Wed Dec 15
IDEALBREAD 8:30PM
Josh Sinton, Kirk Knuffke, Sean Conly, Tomas Fujiwara
Thu Dec 16
SAM TRAPCHAK’S PUT TOGETHER FUNNY 8:30PM
Tom Chang, Michael Attias, Arthur Vint
Fri Dec 17
Sat Dec 18
REZ ABBASI’S INVOCATION 9PM & 10:30PM
Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Johannes Weidenmueller, Dan Weiss
Sun Dec 19
JONI & JOHANNES 8:30PM
Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, Simon Mulligan, Jessica Molaskey,
Mary Beth Peil, Randy Landau
Tue Dec 21
CAMERON BROWN AND DANNIE’S CALYPSO 8:30PM
Tony Jefferson, Russ Johnson, Lisa Parrott, Jason Rigby
Wed Dec 22
MIKE & RUTHYFOLK CITY:THE PEARLYSNAPS 8:30PM
Stephanie Jenkins, Rosie Newton
Thu Dec 23
MATT WILSON’S CHRISTMAS TREE-O 8:30PM
Jeff Lederer, Paul Sikivie
Sun Dec 26
ERI YAMAMOTO TRIO “ THANK YOU, 2010” 8:30PM
Dave Ambrosio, Ikuo Takeuchi
Tue Dec 28
BLUE TUESDAYS Julie Hardy, Host
LOSABRES QUARTET 8:30PM
Tammy Scheffer, Hadar Noiberg, Daniel Ori, Keita Ogawa
LOLADANZA 10PM
Wed Dec 29
PETE MCCANN 8:30PM
John O’Gallagher, Henry Hey, Matt Clohesy, Jordan Perlson
Thu Dec 30
TOM RAINEYTRIO 8:30PM
Mary Halvorson, Ingrid Laubrock
Fri Dec 31
NINAMOFFITT 8:00PM
PAULSHAPIRO’S FOOTSTOMPING RIBS AND BRISKET REVUE
returns for the 7th New Year’s Eve in a row 10:30PM
Cilla Owens, Glenn Turner, Dan Rosengard, Brad Jones, Tony Lewis
Both of these albums, though firmly in the jazz radiofriendly mainstream, open with the exotic, arresting
tonal cries of conch shells from Steve Turre. But his
primary instrument is, of course, trombone and he is a
rare master of all aspects of the slippery horn, as
comfortable in traditional swing as modern bop.
Delicious and Delightful’s quintet pairs his
trombone in the frontline with the chainsaw timbre of
Billy Harper’s authoritative tenor sax and leavens the
results by contrasting the horns with the slyly lyrical,
ruminative piano of Larry Willis. Aiding and abetting
them is the punctiliously-swinging drummer Dion
Parson and a young newcomer on bass, Corcoran Holt.
Six of the nine tracks are Turre originals, ranging from
his “African 6” rhythm “Dance of the Gazelles”, with
guest Pedro Martinez on African hand drums, to the
boogaloo title track, with down-home contributions
from guitarist Russell Malone, also a guest on the
equally bluesy “Ray’s Collard Greens”. The leader’s
open horn is featured on two ballads, Harper’s
affecting “Speak to Me of Love, Speak to Me of Truth”
and “Tenderly”, the latter gorgeously buttery. A
definite highlight is the “Cherokee/Ko-Ko” contrafact
“Blackfoot”, with all the requisite forward momentum
and crisp solos that make bop a perennial joy.
Hardbop is the focus of drummer Peppe Merolla’s
debut Stick With Me. Also an Italian pop singer and
classical trumpeter, Merolla has assembled a top-notch
cadre from the Smoke/Smalls axis for his sextet: Jim
Rotondi (trumpet), John Farnsworth (tenor sax), Mike
LeDonne (piano), Lee Smith (bass) plus Turre,
Farnsworth writing six of the nine tracks. Merolla is a
magnetic drummer with sharp swing and a deft,
rolling command of his kit. Surprisingly, although
Turre is not featured as heavily as on his own CD, here
his versatility is showcased even more. He gets to
samba-sway with open horn on “Marbella”; close
waltz with a Harmon mute on “Princess of the
Mountain” and display his evocative plunger-mute
technique on “Crazy”. That Willie Nelson ballad, with
Farnsworth’s tenor on the A-melody and Turre’s wahwahs on the bridge, plus Rotondi’s trumpet in the
coda, is an indelible take on a classic pop song.
For more information, visit jazzdepot.com and
peppemerolla.com. Turre is at Flushing Town Hall Dec.
10th with Demetrios Kastaris and BB King’s Dec. 23rd with
A Jazz Nativity. See Calendar.
You Are There: Duets
Hilary Kole (Justin Time)
by Andrew Vélez
You Are There is all about celebrating how special the
pairing of voice and piano can be. Singer Hilary Kole
30 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
joins forces here with 11 of the best. With just voice
and piano, it’s definitely about delivering the goods
with no place to hide.
The set opens on a very high level with the late
Hank Jones and “If I Had You”. Kole floats in easily
after Jones’ laid-back intro, typical of his distinctive
yet subdued style. Their approach is just as simple and
as true as the sweet old song itself. On a second turn
together with “But Beautiful”, Jones is limpidly
understated and as always Kole is carefully attentive
to the lyrics.
The only accompanist who also sings with Kole is
Freddy Cole on “It’s Always You”. Their playful
warmth makes for a glowing, mellow duet. Dave
Brubeck also accompanies Kole twice on the set: his
own “Strange Meadowlark” manages to be both
haunting and swinging while on “These Foolish
Things”, he takes a beautiful, meditative solo.
Especially on Sondheim’s “I Remember”, shared
with Mike Renzi, Kole evinces a similarity to the
clarion vocalizing of the young Barbra Streisand. But
it’s just an echo of that sound, because Kole is very
much herself throughout. On his own “How Do You
Keep the Music Playing?”, Kole is joined by Michel
Legrand, with a light touch that does not obscure the
passion of his music.
The title tune is a gem by Dave Frishberg and
Johnny Mandel. With Alan Broadbent at the piano it’s
simply superb. Kole may well record a great deal
during her career, but this flawless collection, on
which she is paired with giants, seems destined to hold
a very special place of its own.
For more information, visit justin-time.com. Kole is at
Birdland Dec. 20th-25th and 28th-31st with the Birdland
Big Band. See Calendar.
723 7th Ave. 3rd Floor, New York, NY. 10019
212-730-8138 Store Hours: 11-7 Monday-Friday & 11-6 Saturday
Owner: Steve Maxwell Manager: Jess Birch
Steve’s cell: 630-865-6849 Email: [email protected]
Visit us on the web at: www.maxwelldrums.com
NEW YORK'S ONLY TRUE VINTAGE AND CUSTOM DRUM SHOP
Our philosophy for the shop is to create an inviting atmosphere where players and collectors alike can visit and see wonderful vintage and custom drums
and cymbals that you can't find anywhere else; enjoy listening to some jazz vinyl while hanging in the drummer's lounge area of our museum; and
exchange ideas and information with friends. We even have sound proof rooms for testing cymbals, drum sets and snare drums. Our sets, snares and
cymbals are set up and ready for you to play. We believe in the highest level of personal, professional service and we have the experience you need when
considering vintage and custom drums and cymbals. Call Steve on his cell anytime, or email him at [email protected]. He wants to hear from you.
Our shop includes:
• Craviotto: World’s largest selection of Craviotto one-ply snares and drum sets. We are the largest Craviotto dealer in the world.
• Vintage: Extensive inventory of high end vintage snare drums, sets and cymbals. We have vintage Gretsch, Rogers, Slingerland, Ludwig, Leedy, Camco and more!
• Player’s Specials: Snares, sets and cymbals focused on the needs of players • Gretsch: USA Custom drums in bebop sizes made famous by the 60s era jazz greats
• Leedy: Our Leedy USA Custom Shop drums will debut in NYC later this year • Ludwig: specializing in the USA-built Legacy series
• George Way: We are your source for Ronn Dunnett’s great new George Way snares • Maxwell: Our Maxwell line of custom drums includes small bebop sets and more.
• Heads, hardware, sticks, bags and more
Cymbals: We have Istanbul, Bosphorus, Zildjian, Old As, Old Ks, Spizzichino, Sabian, Paiste, Dream and more! New and vintage cymbals galore.
Stop in and see our museum section with original sets, snares and cymbals owned by Elvin, Buddy, Krupa, Mel Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Louie Bellson and many more!
Recording Studio Support:
Enormous selection of vintage and custom drums to suit the needs of any recording studio looking for that special, unique sound. Need that “vintage” drum or cymbal sound?
Come see us. We have what you need. Need a versatile but unique custom drum sound? We have that as well with our Craviotto solid shell drums. None finer in the world.
NYC DRUMMERS, WE HAVE DRUM SET PRACTICE. SPACE AVAILABLE FOR RENT ON AN HOURLY BASIS.
CALL JESS AT 212-730-8138 FOR DETAILS. TEACHING STUDIO IS OPEN
Deep Drink
Elderflower (s/r)
by Gordon Marshall
Elderflower is Loren Stillman (alto sax) and Ryan
Ferreira (guitar) and on Deep Drink they produce
liquid, almost steam- or smoke-like tones. Sax could be
mistaken for flute and guitar for viola. Style-wise, it is
aerial or ethereal, much like the ECM titles of the ‘70s.
It is darker though and more romantic - romantic, to be
precise, in the sense of 19th century Romanticism, with
gothic tinges and plangent emotions. Sounds drift by
one another like ships on a night sea or interplanetary
movements seen through clouds.
Stillman is reedier and Ferreira picks up his
plectrum for the second of the seven tracks. This one
has a little angularity to it and involves chromatics and
atonality. That said, Ferreira is very gentle to his
guitar, though firm, and Stillman is likewise soft and
lyrical. He even guides the piece back into tonal,
melodic territory halfway through, so what is on offer
is a blissful panoply of tonal contrasts. Not a study
exactly: the duo stays clear of dry academicism,
however close it drifts.
Tracks are so closely aligned that it comes to
appear they should all be taken as a whole. Again, the
titles are indicated by some sort of number system,
with some recursion, adding to that conclusion.
Stillman is quite unique stylistically, not immediately
to be pegged as a blend of Charlie Parker, Ornette
Coleman and their alto disciples. Perhaps Jan
Garbarek is an influence, as the chilly beauty of such a
place as Norway comes to mind. Still, there is a
definite infusion of both bebop and harmolodics.
Stillman introduces harmonics in his solo intro to
Track 6. Ferreira bends notes in a eerie yet somehow
cheery way here and sticks in some harmonics of his
own, to which Stillman responds with some
understated circular breathing. Ferreira turns up the
volume and crunches some rock chords and Stillman
exits with just a trace of a Coltrane-style overblowing.
They are back in space or at sea, again, in the final
track, but beautifully harmonized, like foghorns and
bell buoys in unison the morning after a storm when
the ships have reached port.
For more information, visit elderflowermusic.com. This duo
is at Barbès Dec. 29th. See Calendar.
Light Shade Shadow
Hayes Greenfield Quartet (Dots & Lines)
by Elliott Simon
In the ‘50s and early ‘60s, though operating in a
decidedly different discipline than Miles or Trane,
architects William Krisel and Donald Wexler were
equally significant social change agents. They realized
the future by creating modern desert “houses of
tomorrow” with striking use of light, shade and
shadow. Saxophonist Hayes Greenfield’s own Light
32 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
Shade Shadow cleverly uses the cool jazz of this same
time period as a foundation for an integrated program
of new musical structures. His compositions stand tall
on their own and also serve as soundtracks to
individual films about the lives of Krisel and Wexler.
Greenfield is no stranger to using his pen, alto and
a healthy respect for those who came before him to
construct beautiful takes on the jazz icons of past eras.
But while his Duo + One (Dots & Lines, 2007) with late
drummer Rashied Ali veered several Monk and Trane
classics toward a freer existence, Light Shade Shadow
has him eschewing alto for the rare C-melody sax and
rebirthing the cool into a sophisticated skyline of very
listenable modern jazz.
The C-melody, with its slightly nasal tone, gives
these tunes a relaxed feel that blends well with Neal
Kirkwood’s laid-back piano comping. Whether it is a
tender ballad like the touching “Best Friends”, the
Latin nugget “Brazilian Dream”, the sprightly
piano/sax thrust-and-parry of “Steel House Blues” or
the pensive far away thoughts that come to us during
“Lonely Nights” leading into the gentle awakenings of
“Early Days”, there is always a pleasant whimsical air
about things.
Even when Greenfield wails (and he sure can
wail) or Kirkwood gets Monk-ish as he does on opener
“Candy Apples” and the intriguingly coy “One Bar
Rip”, there is a wonderful attention to melody present.
Bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tony Moreno
provide a perfectly understated rhythm that allows
that to happen and confirm that revisiting yesterday’s
vision of the future can be a very pleasurable
experience.
For more information, visit hayesgreenfield.com. Greenfield
is at Smalls Dec. 4th. See Calendar.
Top Shelf
Warren Vaché/John Allred Quintet (Arbors)
by Marcia Hillman
Warren Vaché is a cornet player who can play in any
style, with anybody, at any time with brilliance and
taste. Top Shelf features him with trombonist John
Allred, pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Nicki Parrott
and drummer Leroy Williams and is the second album
he and Allred have done as co-leaders. The choice of
material here is mostly bebop standards with a couple
of ballads and an original (“Aussieology”) by Parrott.
The two horn players work beautifully in tandem.
Allred has the ability to play trombone in fast tempos
so the quicker bebop material doesn’t faze him a bit.
The two can hold a musical conversation with each
other in an antiphonal style, especially on Monk’s
“Tiny Capers”. Solo, Allred delivers a sensitive
rendition of the ballad “Moonlight In Vermont”.
This offering is an ensemble effort with equal
opportunity playing time for everyone. On “The Best
Thing For You”, each player has fun trading fours with
Williams who talks back with his drums. Also notable
is Hammer’s swinging piano work on this track.
Vaché’s presence is felt on every track through his
clear tone and creativity but his phrasing sometimes
takes your breath away.
Vaché’s horn of many colors and styles provides
enjoyable listening and encourages relistening to savor
every note.
For more information, visit arborsrecords.com. Vaché is at
BB King’s Dec. 23rd with A Jazz Nativity. See Calendar.
Don’t Fight The Inevitable
John Escreet (Mythology)
by Alex Henderson
Sectarianism and dogmatic thinking have inspired
quite a few heated arguments in the jazz world. But
many jazz improvisers reject the rigid sectarian path
and John Escreet is one of them. After hearing his
acoustic pianism, some listeners have asked, “Is he
avant garde or is he postbop?” The answer is that
Escreet is both of those things and has no problem
integrating them on Don’t Fight The Inevitable. Escreet
would rather contrast the inside and the outside than
be a totally outside player. And thankfully, he has a
supportive team that appreciates his perspective.
The cohesive quintet that Escreet leads on this
session is practically the same one he led on his 2006
session Consequences; the pianist is joined by alto
saxophonist David Binney (with whom he coproduced the album), trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire
and acoustic bassist Matt Brewer, although Nasheet
Waits is on drums instead of Tyshawn Sorey. Saying
that Don’t Fight The Inevitable integrates the inside and
the outside is not to say that the material goes out of its
way to be accessible. An angular, cerebral, abstract
approach prevails on Escreet’s own compositions
34 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
(including “Trouble and Activity”, “Avaricious
World” and the opener “Civilization on Trial”) as well
as a passionate interpretation of Muhal Richard
Abrams’ “Charlie in the Parker”. The CD’s least avant
garde offering is “Gone But Not Forgotten”, a plaintive
ballad Escreet co-wrote with Binney.
Don’t Fight The Inevitable is not easy to absorb on
the first listen; Escreet obviously isn’t going for the
quick musical fix. But listeners who are patient enough
to go along for the ride will find that Escreet has a lot
going for him as both a pianist and a composer.
For more information, visit johnescreet.com. Escreet is at
55Bar Dec. 17th-18th. See Calendar.
IN PRINT
Paul Bley: The Logic of Chance
by Arrigo Cappelletti (Vehicule Press)
by Francis Lo Kee
At first glance, this book’s reader may be confused
as it’s published by the same company (Vehicule
Press) that released Stopping Time, Paul Bley’s 1999
autobiography. It is also approximately the same
length with discography (arguably one of the most
important parts of any book on a jazz musician) and,
while adding recordings, doesn’t add details (for
instance, track titles). Yet, Arrigo Cappelletti’s book
(translated into English by American pianist
Gregory Burk) strives for something more than a
standard biography and he presents, within a very
unique structure, a poetic way of describing the
experience of listening to the pianist’s music.
For instance, the first chapter is entitled,
“Thirty-two Little Variations on Paul Bley” (a
playful reference to another great Canadian
musician: “Thirty-two Short Films about Glenn
Gould”), with the subdivisions having titles like
Silence, Stopping Time, Necessity, Contamination,
etc. However abstract they might sound, contained
within are some very unique perspectives. For
instance, in the subdivision called Minimalism,
Cappelletti states, “For Paul Bley minimalism is a
kind of availability - by remaining prudent,
polyvalent and mysterious, his music never moves
in only one direction - it is always ready to receive
new input and maintain the capacity to express
everything, thanks to its infinite potential for rich
expression.” There is also a section in which the
author briefly describes some of the compositions
that Bley has played over the years.
In the segment entitled A Musical Biography,
Cappelletti groups Bley’s recordings and analyzes
them. In a duos section, he describes, at length,
recordings made with Chet Baker as well as with the
lesser-known George Cross McDonald (drums) and
Tiziana Ghiglioni (vocalist). Because Cappelletti
praises Bley’s music with McDonald and Ghiglioni
as well as acknowledged masterpieces like 1974’s
Open, To Love (solo piano), he accomplishes what all
good music books should do: inspire a listener to
search those great recordings out and in doing so
makes Paul Bley: The Logic of Chance the ideal
companion book to Stopping Time.
For more information, visit vehiculepress.com
Norwegian Invention
Julian F. Thayer/Jarmo Savolainen/
Scott Robinson/Klaus Suonsaari (KSJazz)
by Gordon Marshall
Norwegian
Invention takes some patience. An eightpart suite lasting an hour, it really picks up pace
midway in Part III or 20 minutes in, when what started
as a dry, tempoless abstract weave segues into a basspropelled pedal point supporting a sonic adventure.
Such a strategy, involving a slow start and a surprise,
has become a (good, I think) trend in recent jazz.
Deferred gratification, if you like, it makes for more
cohesion and conceptually satisfying wholes.
Part IV brings another slow-down. It is a lyrical
piece, tinged with humor and the blues. It is pleasant
in itself and also more energy to come can be expected.
Still, the mellow mood is seductive and the track
settles into a slow swinging dance tempo. Jarmo
Savolainen (who died in June 2009 and to whom the
disc is dedicated) holds down the fort, like a
melancholy cocktail pianist no longer to be ignored,
ready to bare his true soul to the gathered patrons.
Klaus Suonsaari’s drums open Part V. He
manages to blur the line between swing and
abstraction, with rubato sweeps of the snare giving
way to staccato pokes. As he builds tension, he even
starts to suggest a kind of soft-shoe Elvin Jones, with
heavy but somehow muffled syncopation. Finally at
midpoint bassist Julian F. Thayer ratchets his way into
the action along with Savolainen. The latter’s playing
on this track has the fleet, birdlike quality of an early
Chick Corea.
Thayer opens Part VI with some intermittent
honks on sax from Scott Robinson - and some shaken
bells. This one has an African feel to it, haunting,
mysterious, with a heavy beat that breaks quickly after
two minutes and gives way to the soprano sax solo that
starts Part VII, on which Thayer booms out on banjo.
Savolainen takes this as a cue to pluck the inside
strings of the piano as Robinson develops his
scattershot motif.
The final Part VIII is the most exciting of the lot.
What’s more, it concludes the suite (recorded as one
continuous performance with intentional pauses
included) with impeccable logic. The rhythm section
interlocks like pieces of a wooden jigsaw puzzle and
three minutes in Robinson cuts into the mesh with
driven, midtempo sheets of sound: seemingly random
but highly considered recombinations of offbeat
arpeggios. However overstated this may seem, this
conclusion gives us an idea of what it might have been
like to hear Cecil Taylor, Max Roach, John Coltrane
and Charlie Haden play a dream date.
and cohesive instrumental excursion as the rhythm
section supports and joins Politzer’s explorations of
these varied shades of blue while the pianist is at her
pensively chordal best with the all-too-short “Left
Unsaid”. Special mention goes to “Sing”, whose breezy
perky rhythms are presented with and without voices
in two separate versions.
Blue in Blue’s strength lies in Politzer’s obvious
emotional attachment to these original compositions
and her ability to share this depth with her bandmates
on this very personal material.
For more information, visit ksjazz.com. Robinson and
Suonsaari are at Brooklyn Lyceum Dec. 8th. See Calendar.
Solos: The Jazz Sessions
Andrew Hill (MVD)
by Ken Dryden
For more information, visit myspace.com/piloorecords.
Politzer is at Smalls Dec. 17th. See Calendar.
ON DVD
This
Blue in Blue
Kerry Politzer Quartet (Piloo)
by Elliott Simon
An
emotive piano tugs at your heartstrings while
making you feel all warm and fuzzy at the same time.
Blend that into the context of a rhythm section not
afraid to take chances and you have the depth needed
to do justice to these beautifully rendered artistic
compositions from pianist Kerry Politzer. Politzer’s
fifth offering is a solid return to this jazzwoman’s roots
and showcases her instrumental leadership and
compositional depth in the context of this superb
rhythm section.
Although pianist Bill Evans’ influence can be
heard on many of these intellectual and introspective
pieces, these Blue in Blue shades are not the kind of
blue that necessarily instantly bring him to mind. This
is due in no small measure to Donny McCaslin, who
turns the trio into a quartet and contrasts with
Politzer’s warm chords and precise delicate lines on
both tenor and soprano saxophone. McCaslin’s tonal
mastery and inventive soloing allow his sprightly
soprano to soar through the quickly “Shifting Clouds”
elegantly portrayed by Politzer’s deft runs. He
likewise contributes both emotions to “Desolation or
Hope”, adds the right amount of breezy Latin lilt to
“Brazilian Accents” and sparks up what would
otherwise be a stark “November” day.
It is however as a piano trio that Politzer’s
elegance is best experienced and also where she really
gels with bassist Paul Beaudry and drummer George
Colligan (himself usually a pianist). “Early Spring
Chill” has its frosty yet pretty melody warmed up by
Beaudry’s gorgeous extended solo before he
aggressively leads the way through what becomes a
Latin-tinged “Washington Park”, courtesy of
Colligan’s rhythms. The title cut is a contemplative
remarkable date features Andrew Hill
performing in Toronto’s Berkeley Church, filmed in
HD video for broadcast by Bravo! Canada, circa
2004, just a few years prior to the pianist’s death
from cancer in 2007. Producer Daniel K. Berman
utilizes imaginative multiple camera angles,
dramatic lighting, superb audio and video, along
with creative editing (sometimes superimposing
different views) to interpret Hill’s intriguing
performances. Although Hill makes a few brief
comments to the camera at times, there is no
audience, aside from the discreet, unseen
production staff.
Hill made his mark in the ‘60s as a forwardthinking composer/pianist who stretched the
perceived boundaries of jazz without losing sight of
melody, bridging the worlds of bop and avant garde
jazz. Throughout his four selections (three of which
he evidently never recorded for CD), Hill appears to
be reading his sheet music, yet each song sounds
simultaneously improvised and fully composed.
There isn’t a lot of variety in tempo and overall
feeling between the four songs, though that isn’t
really a problem, as the pianist seems to be more
interested in establishing a mood and building upon
it, rather than playing entertainer to a television
audience of the future. “East 19th Street” is a
brooding, ruminative work with a very
introspective flavor, its often-sparse essence adding
to its dramatic air. “Bent Forward” has a definite
Thelonious Monk influence with its choppy theme,
though resemblance ends there, as Hill casts an
ominous air while occasionally working in a Latin
rhythm. “Unsmooth” is a jagged, dissonant work
that has some brief flashes of pop-like snippets. An
earlier solo piano version of “Tough Love”
appeared on Hill’s 2000 Palmetto CD Dusk, yet this
later effort has a more melancholy air to it.
Likely one of the few (if not only) times that
Andrew Hill performed on television, this
rewarding solo piano session serves as a moving
coda to his brilliant career.
For more information, visit mvdb2b.com. A Hill tribute
by Ron Horton and Tim Horner is at Littlefield Dec.
15th. See Calendar.
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
35
BOXED SET
The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings
Henry Threadgill (Novus/Columbia - Mosaic)
by Clifford Allen
2010
might be the year in which reedmancomposer Henry Threadgill returns to the greater
jazz consciousness, on the heels of new recordings
for the Pi label and reissues of his discs for Black
Saint, Novus and Columbia. This is an important
notion, as the current creative-composition
environment contains more than a few nods to
Threadgill’s oeuvre. While musically an outgrowth
of the AACM, Threadgill’s art subscribes to different
textural principles and has grown ever more
rigorous in its attention to structural detail and
sweeping gesture. Like Anthony Braxton before him,
Threadgill’s major label recordings have now
received the Mosaic treatment, spanning eight discs
that cover the years 1978-96 and a number of
different ensemble configurations.
Threadgill’s name is usually synonymous with
Air, a cooperative trio also consisting of bassist Fred
Hopkins and drummer Steve McCall that seemed to
symbolize the Chicago-New York connection bred in
the lofts of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan from the
mid ‘70s through the early ‘80s. The trio’s work was
well-represented on disc with recordings for Why
Not, India Navigation, Nessa, Black Saint, Antilles
and Novus, the latter being the focus of the first two
discs of this set. While disassembling the power-trio
mode into explorations of space and ‘play’ is
certainly a major textural/aesthetic point in the
music of Air, that relationship isn’t only sonic.
Threadgill’s work has always played with words
and their meaning, even if sung/spoken parts aren’t
included in the music per se. Open Air Suit, which
comprises disc one, begins with “Card Two: The Jick
or Mandrill’s Cosmic Ass”, Threadgill’s gutsy tenor
working through choppy, almost baroque rhythms
rather than plowing ahead, yet retaining a clear
bluesy lineage. The title track builds from spare,
alto-keyed chatter to a bucking and yawing,
resoundingly physical beast, Hopkins’ maddeningly
liquid pizzicato and McCall’s dry insistence
merging around popping alto flutter. Montreux
Suisse Air is a remarkable live date from the summer
of 1978; on “Let’s All Go Down to the Footwash”,
Threadgill’s unfettered alto bubbles over furious
arco and McCall’s waves of fine, pulsing
particularities. Following the laconic, syrupy blues
of “Abra”, Air launch into the improvisation “Suisse
Air”, featuring Threadgill’s hubkaphone, a
percussion instrument built from hubcaps.
Though Threadgill worked in other contexts
throughout the periods covered by this set, such as
the string, reeds and voice ensemble X-75 (here
augmented with nearly an album’s worth of extra
material) and Make a Move (a direct precedent to his
36 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
current unit Zooid), the Sextett was his most
consistent expressive vehicle. In addition to three
still-in-print LPs recorded for the About Time label,
the Sextett cut a like number of significant discs for
Novus between 1986-88. Mostly centered around the
strings of Hopkins and cellist Deidre Murray and
twin drummers Reggie Nicholson and Pheeroan
akLaff (or Newman Taylor Baker), the leader’s reeds
were augmented by trumpet and trombone and in
this sense, the Sextett was a lead-in to his later brassdirected writing. In reality, the group consisted of
seven musicians, though the drummers tended to act
as one organism. You Know the Number seems to pick
up where Air leaves off and while displaying poise
less attributable to postwar academic composition
than a thinner abstraction on Ellingtonia, things get
positively jaunty on “Theme for Thomas Cole”.
While certainly all of Threadgill’s music is written
for specific participants, the writing on this
particular piece shows a clear understanding of
interdependent components while retaining the
burnished personality of each individual. Frank
Lacy’s trombone slices yet holds true as Rasul
Siddik’s trumpet natters across volatile, boxed
waves, an agitated ebullience. While the ‘80s are
often considered - especially in American jazz - the
dark years of musical conservatism, the jubilant
power and wry complexity of Henry Threadgill’s
music and the sway which it holds are testimony to
the fact that, then as now, many ears remain open.
For more information, visit mosaicrecords.com.
Threadgill is in conversation with Brent Hayes Edwards
at 301 Philosophy Hall, Columbia University Dec. 1st.
Visit jazz.columbia.edu.
(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
jazz festival. She would often feature her trio before
she came on and I was onstage with them. We got into
this instrumental feature and I looked up into the
wings and there was Oscar Peterson, kind of with his
arms folded and listening. And I’ll tell you I couldn’t
play another note after that.
AAJ-NY: Besides Oscar Peterson, were there other
musicians you looked up to?
MM: There were guys like Ahmad Jamal, whom I still
admire and love, and Bud Powell. And then there were
horn players like Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown and
Miles Davis. Certainly Charlie Parker.
to hire musicians who had a broad scope on the music
and on all music, period. I like to think that even
though the musicians have changed since the first
recording, with the exception of [vibraphonist] Steve
Nelson who’s been in the band all these years, almost
25 years, our perspective is an expansive view of what
music is and what jazz is. K
For more information, visit maxjazz.com/miller. Miller and
Wingspan are at Dizzy’s Club Dec. 1st-5th. Miller is also at
Smoke Dec. 10th-11th with the Golden Striker Trio of Ron
Carter and Russell Malone. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:
• Woody Shaw - Lotus Flower (Enja, 1982)
• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - New Year’s Eve
at Sweet Basil (ProJazz-Evidence, 1985)
AAJ-NY: You’ve played over the years with so many
top groups and sometimes for quite a run. Art Blakey,
Tony Williams, Woody Shaw come to mind, though
there were several others. What did you learn from
any of these leaders that proved useful to you?
• Tony Williams - Mosaic Select 24
(Blue Note-Mosaic, 1985-91)
• Mulgrew Miller - Wingspan (Landmark, 1986)
• Mulgrew Miller - With Our Own Eyes
(Novus, 1993-94)
• Mulgrew Miller - Live at the Kennedy Center,
MM: Most of them didn’t assertively teach you
anything, they didn’t talk much about what they
wanted you to learn. Art and Tony certainly didn’t.
And neither did Woody Shaw. You just learned a lot
from just being around them.
But one thing I learned from every leader I had is
how the music should be presented. I think that’s an
important lesson for musicians to learn. Especially if
you’re going to become a leader yourself. Generally
speaking, unless you have had that experience, the
tendency is sometimes to get on the bandstand and
kind of have a shabby presentation of the music as if
it’s a jam session or something. But with Blakey and
those guys, music was always rehearsed and arranged.
So have the presentation a little bit neat. Not that it has
to be overorganized, but you do want some
organization.
AAJ-NY: What’s the idea behind your own group, the
sextet Wingspan?
MM: I made a record called Wingspan and the title
song had a kind of beboppish melody that would
remind one of Charlie Parker. Actually the opening
line of the song is a very Parker-ish type of line. So the
song was a kind of tribute to him and his legacy and all
that... I thought that would be a good name for a
group. I guess initially you could say that it was a
tribute to Charlie Parker but in the years since it was
formed I’d say the meaning of the name of the band
has been enlarged - in terms of flying, you know
“wings”, and a certain kind of freedom. It was
originally intended to be a jazz group. But my idea was
TED ROSENTHAL TRIO
Ted Rosenthal - piano, Noriko Ueda - bass, Quincy Davis - drums
"Impromptu" CD release event
December 3rd & 4th
Kitano Hotel - 38th St. & Park Ave.
www.kitano.com
Jazz at Dicapo -
3rd season
Ted Rosenthal - Artistic Director
Sunday December 5th at 11 am
A JAZZ HOLIDAY FOR KIDS
Ted Rosenthal - piano, Martin Wind - bass, Quincy Davis - drums,
Holli Ross - vocals, Mark Ettinger and Stephen Bent
of The Flying Karamazov Brothers
Friday December 10th at 8 pm
A JAZZ HOLIDAY
Ted Rosenthal - piano, Martin Wind - bass, Quincy Davis - drums,
Houston Person - sax, Joel Frahm - sax
Dicapo Opera Theatre
184 East 76th St NYC 212-288-9438
www.dicapo.com Tickets - $25; $10 Students
www.smarttix.com
Vol. 1 & 2 (MAXJAZZ, 2002)
(LABEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)
Pacific Northwest. “Early on, Origin was more
Northwest-centric,” Bishop explains. “But we all know
people from other regions and it didn’t take long to
expand all over the country.”
Bishop doesn’t buy into the notion that a jazz
improviser has to have a New York address in order to
be legitimate. “One of the things we’ve tried to push at
Origin is local jazz, whether it was local jazz from
Chicago, local jazz from Denver or local jazz from San
Francisco,” Bishop emphasizes. “There’s been an
illusion in jazz that if it isn’t made in New York, it
doesn’t count. That’s part of the illusion of New York:
we want magical things to happen in New York and
we want magical things to happen in jazz. That’s the
illusion: go to New York and if you can make it there,
you must be the shit. But I miss the old days of local
jazz, when you had people talking up New Orleans,
Kansas City, Chicago, Minneapolis and San Francisco.
In the old days, you always had a local newspaper guy
or a local radio guy in every town who was a
cheerleader for their place - and I think we’ve lost that
in jazz. It would be nice to really build up those local
jazz communities again. I think that’s the only thing
that’s going to save jazz in the long run: having local
jazz communities.”
Origin’s releases have not only been applauded
for how they sound, but also, for how they look. Locke
says: “The first thing that struck me about the Origin
label was the great aesthetic of their CD designs. I’ve
always thought that high-quality music that is artistic
and creative should be packaged in a way that reflects
that. Origin definitely brings that to the table.”
Bishop points out that many of the great indie jazz
labels of the past were known for attractive art work as
well as for exciting music - and with the Origin, OA2
and Origin Classical labels, the company has set out to
build a catalogue that is both aurally and visually
pleasing. “Being a musician myself, I want the same
feeling I always got when I walked into a record store
and found a new record that had a cover I liked,”
Bishop notes. “That’s what I want from this label: a
collection of records that look good and are records
that I would want to listen to myself.” K
For more information, visit origin-records.com. Artists
performing this month include Roy Assaf at Smalls Dec. 9th
with Michael Dease; Tim Green at Miles’ Café Dec. 15th
with Soren Moller and Glenn White at Zinc Bar Dec. 15th.
See Calendar.
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
37
H O LID AY GI FT I DEAS
MILES DAVIS BOXED SET
Arguably the most significant
album in jazz history (name another
that caused as much controversy),
Bitches Brew celebrates its 40th
anniversary this year. In addition to
the original album (both on CD
and audiophile 180-gram vinyl with
gatefold sleeve) plus several
alternate takes, this set comes with
previously unissued material (a live
CD recorded in August 1970 and a
DVD of a 1969 concert), a book of
essays, producers’ notes, interviews and rare artwork and photographs
and a number of memorabilia reproductions, such as concert tickets,
a Rolling Stone article, Teo Macero correspondence and a poster.
JAZZ SOCKS
You like jazz, you’ve
got feet, seems like
all you need is a
pair of jazz socks!
(in white or grey)
$7.99-9.95
soxeteer.com
$121.68, legacyrecordings.com
SAX TABLES
You are not dressed
for a night out on
the town without
these sterling silver
or enamel accessories
(available as trumpet,
sax, drums or piano)
Maybe a jazz
musician can’t feed
a family of four
but now no more
complaints about
not having a dining
table that let’s
you serve up a
love of jazz along
with some fine
food. Made from
glass and bronze,
two options
are available:
single: 22” high
double: 22’ high
by 42” long.
$45-150 per pair
cufflinks.com
$5,750-7,500
itsablackthang.com
CUFFLINKS
ALEXANDER
VON SCHLIPPENBACH
LIVE IN BERLIN DVD
The father of European avant garde
jazz celebrated his 70th birthday
in 2008 with a major concert, playing
solo, with longtime trio of Evan Parker
and Paul Lovens and with his seminal
Globe Unity Orchestra. This DVD
contains the entire evening.
11.99 euros, records-cd.com
BENNY
GOODMAN
BOOK
MP3 player-phone-eReader Case
Make sure everyone knows how much you love
jazz with these hep protective cases for your
portable electronic devices and phones.
MP3 Player: $14.95 - iPod classic; iPod touch
Phone: $14.95 - Blackberry Curve & Bold;
iPhone; Motorola Droid; Palm Pre
eReader: $19.95-29.95 - Nook; Kindle; iPad
gelaskins.com
JAZZ CALENDARS
Never miss another important date again while
letting roommates, coworkers and loved ones
know where your mind really is.
Themes: Jazz Designs; All That Jazz; Jazz History
38 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
$13.95
calendars.com
Jazz history has
had numerous
famous shows,
including that
of clarinetist
Goodman at
Carnegie Hall
in January 1938. This small tome
dissects the history of that concert
- featuring such legends as Count
Basie, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa,
Lionel Hampton, Cootie Williams
and Bobby Hackett - with
exhaustive research, rare photos,
the complete program from the
performance and an introduction
by Goodman’s daughter.
$39.95, jazzrecordcenter.com
MONK WATCH
Always know when its ‘round midnight with this
classy watch celebrating the iconic pianist.
Swiss-made, water-resistant, titanium case.
Comes in a commemorative hat-shaped box
with a bonus solo Monk CD.
$495, partners-in-time.com
Hooray for Christmas!
John Sheridan’s Dream Band (Arbors)
Have A Crazy Cool Christmas!
Kermit Ruffins (Basin Street)
Christmas Tree-O Matt Wilson (Palmetto)
by Fred Bouchard
SONNY
ROLLINS
BOOK
GIFT CARDS
Support your local music merchants!
downtownmusicgallery.com • academyannex.com
jazzrecordcenter.com • othermusic.com • jr.com
JON
HENDRICKS
DVD
Many musicians
served in the
military but this
film by Malte
Rauch explores
vocalist Jon
Hendricks’ terrible
experiences during World War II in
Germany. A victim of racism by the
US Army, Hendricks deserted, ending
up in a prison camp. This powerful
documentary features music by
Emil Mangelsdorff and Thilo Wagner.
A t this time of year, we’re hearing groups not
Legends still
walk among
us, none
more
significant
than saxist
Sonny
Rollins. This
fine book
fêtes him with
pictures by John Abbott and text by
Bob Blumenthal. The former’s
amazing photos - live, in the studio
and portraiture, taken during the last
two decades - show the humanity of
Rollins while also adding to his
stature as one of the music’s great
practitioners and personalities.
$35, abramsbooks.com
bluesmarch.strandfilm.com
USB TURNTABLE
Take your favorite LPs and convert them directly
to MP3 files, transferred into a docked iPod.
$260, ionaudio.com
TEDDY WILSON BOXED SET
Teddy Wilson was one of the first stars
of jazz piano, working with everyone
from Bennys Carter to Goodman as
well as singers like Billie Holiday.
One of Storyville’s lush boxed sets,
included are over 150 tracks from
1939-83, Wilson playing solo or
leading big bands and small groups,
along with a short bonus DVD.
$84.98, storyvillerecords.com
content to ring in dem same ol’ changes on
holiday heartwarmers and Yule drools.
For Hooray for Christmas! , pianist John
Sheridan assembles a sturdy swing dectet Warren Vaché, Dan Barrett and Scott Robinson
on the frontline - and handsome charts of
unusual Xmas goodies. Rebecca Kilgore crisply
honors seldom-heard lyrics that convey jovially
upbeat sentiment and wonderment, both
seasonal (“Cool Yule”, “A Song For Christmas”)
and general (“Plenty to be Thankful For”, “I
Know Why and So Do You”). Seems like Sheridan
just wanted a platform to script some happy
post-depression Pollyanna gems and a snowy
rooftop sleigh happened by. Santa’s the
chubby subject of “The Man With The Bag” and
that much-anticipated “...Is Coming To Town”.
Jolly solos pepper the date, even duos: mellow
trombones (Russ Phillips, Dan Barrett) on
“Pocketful of Miracles”. For a merry old blowby-blow, read Russ Firestone’s 16-page booklet.
Nawlins trumpeter Kermit Ruffins brings us
down-home for a gritty Crescent City
experience on Have A Crazy Cool Christmas!.
There’s
parade-march
“Drummer
Boy”,
Superdome Superbowl wishes, Dixie “Comin’ to
Town” and a funky “Silent Night”. Ruffins’ rough
Ray Charles/Satchmo baritone revisits “Baby,
It’s Cold Outside” with Michaela Harrison as
Betty Carter and testifies on “Silver Bells” to
good effect. Rebirth Brass Band joins for rousing
closers on Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas”
and bouncing “Jingle Bells”. Serve up my oyster
po’ boy with eggnog!
Drummer Matt Wilson, infamous for his
irreverence, enjoins his jolly elves to don whitetrimmed red mini-suits, cotton-wool beards and
bang in gay abandon on sax and bass in a Ms.
Claus’ cookie-dozen (14) of favorites. Christmas
Tree-O’s wide choices tap kids’ anthems
(Chipmunks, Grinch, Peanuts), Yule carols
(French, German, English), classics (Handel),
jazz (Ayler, Thornhill) and Tin Pan Alley (“Winter
Wonderland”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”).
Treatments open eyes as wide as hearthwatching moppets: “Hallelujah Chorus” goes
metal, John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is
Over)” socks with bells, “Angels” groove on high
and “Grinch” on low (bass, bass clarinet) and
“Drummer Boy” bops hard. Wild and sweet
stocking-stuffers all!
For more information, visit arborsrecords.com,
basinstreetrecords.com and palmetto-records.com.
Ruffins is at BAMCafé Dec. 3rd-4th with Red Hot +
New Orleans. Wilson’s Tree-O is at The Kitano Dec.
9th, Barbès Dec. 22nd and Cornelia Street Café Dec.
23rd. See Calendar.
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
39
CALENDAR
Wednesday, December 1
ÌFrank Wess Quintet with Kenny Barron, Roni Ben-Hur, Santi Debriano, Victor Lewis
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
ÌMulgrew Miller and Wingspan with Steve Nelson, Duane Eubanks, Ivan Taylor,
Rodney Green
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Dezron Douglas Trio
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• John Scofield and Robben Ford Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
• Peter Bernstein Quartet with Mike LeDonne, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
ÌFred Hersch solo
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Miguel Zénon Quartet
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌAnthony Coleman/Shelley Hirsch University of the Streets 9 pm $10
• Brad Shepik Quartet with Tom Beckham, Jorge Roeder, Mark Guiliana
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Marina Rosenfeld; Raz Mesinai The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• Allison Miller’s Honey Ear Trio with Erik Lawrence, Rene Hart
Barbès 8 pm $10
• Jon Davis solo; Andrew Beals Group with Rick Germanson, Dwayne Burno,
Joe Strasser; Jeremy Manasia Trio with Jason Brown, Joe Lepore
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• Nancy Marano Quartet with John Di Martino, Steve LaSpina, Joel Frahm
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
ÌGrupo Los Santos
Brooklyn Lyceum 8, 9:30 pm $10
• Maynard Ferguson Tribute: Ryan Resky, Chris Donahue, Dan Voss, Sam Dillon,
Matt Townsend, Gary Pickard, Mike Rubenstein, John Brierly, Joe Boardman,
Damien Pacheco, Steve Barbieri, Ed Leone, Frank Hall, Justin Comito,
Vinny Loccosani, Gregg Rai, Lou Dura, Ian Patillo; Diego Barber
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Eric Wyatt Quartet; Dario Boente’s Proyecto Sur
Zinc Bar 7:30, 9:30, 11 pm 1 am
• Dalton Ridenhour Quartet with John Ritchie, Dan Loomis, Jared Schonig
Caffe Vivaldi 9:30 pm
• Yuko Yamamura Trio
Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm
• Aki Yamamoto Trio
Flute Bar 8 pm
• Noriko Tomikawa Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Jonathan Batiste
Jazz Museum in Harlem 7 pm
• Mark Devine Trio
The Garage 6 pm
• Kenji Yoshitake; Willerm Delisfort Shrine 6, 7 pm
• Sherrie Maricle, Jennifer Leitham, John Colianni
Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7
Thursday, December 2
ÌMuhal Richard Abrams 80th Birthday Celebration with Adam Rudolph, Tom Hamilton,
Jay Clayton, Marty Ehrlich, Brad Jones
Roulette 8 pm $15
• Tango Meets Jazz Festival: Pablo Ziegler Quartet with Claudio Ragazzi,
Hector Del Curto, Pedro Giraudo and guest Prometheus Jenkins
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌTim Berne and Los Totopos with Oscar Noriega, Matt Mitchell, Ches Smith
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $15
• Ikue Mori; itsnotyouitsme: Grey McMurray, Caleb Burhans, Theo Bleckmann,
Skúli Sverrisson
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
ÌJoanne Brackeen/Cecil McBee
Knickerbocker Bar and Grill 9:45 pm $5
• Larry Ham solo; Kendrick Scott’s Oracle with John Ellis, Taylor Eigsti, Mike Moreno,
Joe Sanders; Carlos Abadie Quintet with Jonathan Lefcoski, Luca Santaniello,
Joe Sucato, Jason Stewart
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
ÌAlexis Cuadrado Trio with Donny McCaslin, Jason Lindner
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• Rodriguez Brothers
Zinc Bar 8, 9:30, 11 pm
• Stevie Wonder Tribute: Bill Warfield and the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra with
Bob Millikan, Danny Cahn, Joe Mosello, John Owens, Tim Sessions, Sam Burtis,
Mark Phaneuf, Dave Riekenberg, Dave Richards, Ed Xiques, Vic Juris, Tim Harrison,
Gene Perla, Scott Neumann
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $25
• Tony Jefferson Quartet with Bennett Paster, Paul Beaudry, Jerome Jennings
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Scott Lee Group with Billy Drewes, Gary Versace, Jeff Hirshfield
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Devin Gray Trio with Kris Davis, Chris Speed
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica with Geni Skendo, Noriko Terada, Jason Davis;
Mika Hary Group with Nir Felder, Shai Maestro, Sam Minaie, Ziv Ravitz
Caffe Vivaldi 7, 9:30 pm
• Marc McDonald Quartet with Adam Asarnow, Karl Spicer, Gene Lewin;
Pablo Masis with Alex Terrier, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Sam Harris, Linda Oh,
Christian Coleman
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Jo-Yu Chen Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Beaumont: John Beaty, Joe Beaty, Aki Ishiguro, Kevin Smith, Tomo Kanno
Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm
• Jong-hun Song
Tutuma Social Club 10:30 pm
• Field Vision: Anna Webber, Can Olgun, Desmond White, Martin Kruemmling
Gershwin Hotel 8 pm $10
• Lonnie Gasparini Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm
ÌMicroscopic Septet: Phillip Johnston, Joel Forrester, Don Davis, Mike Hashim,
Dave Sewelson, David Hofstra, Richard Dworkin
Birdland 6 pm $20
ÌFrank Wess Quintet with Kenny Barron, Roni Ben-Hur, Santi Debriano, Victor Lewis
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
ÌMulgrew Miller and Wingspan with Steve Nelson, Duane Eubanks, Ivan Taylor,
Rodney Green
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Dezron Douglas Trio
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• John Scofield and Robben Ford Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
ÌFred Hersch solo
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Harlem Speaks: Mike LeDonne Jazz Museum in Harlem 6:30 pm
• Ryan Anselmi Quartet; Alex Stein/Matt Brown Group
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
• Teriver Cheung; Meinhart/Momoi Quartet
Shrine 6, 7 pm
Friday, December 3
ÌTerell Stafford Quintet with Tim Warfield
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
Littlefield 8 pm $10
ÌTed Rosenthal Trio with Noriko Ueda, Quincy Davis
The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25
• Don Braden Trio with Joe Cohn Piano Due 8:30 pm
ÌAndy Laster’s Yiash with Curtis Hasselbring, Erik Friedlander, Kermit Driscoll and
Recent Music for Strings with Erik Friedlander, Stephanie Griffin, Jennifer Choi
Roulette 8:30 pm $15
• Gerald Cleaver Group with Jean Carla Rodea, Andrew Bishop, Dave Ballou,
Chris Lightcap
Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10
• Arturo O’Farrill Quartet
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $12
ÌKen Thomson’s Slow/Fast with Russ Johnson, Nir Felder, Adam Armstrong,
Fred Kennedy
First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn 8 pm
• Particle Ensemble: Thomas Buckner, Earl Howard, Mari Kimura, JD Parran
Greenwich House Music School 8 pm $15
• Bow vs. Blow: Zentripetal: Jennifer DeVore/Lynn Bechtold; B3+: Franz Hackl,
John Clark, David Taylor
Goethe Institut 8 pm
• Shauli Einav; Tim Ries with Chris Potter, Kalman Olah, John Patitucci, Billy Drummond;
Lawrence Leathers
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• Derrick Hodge
Drom 8 pm $15
• Minerva: JP Schlegelmilch, Pascal Niggenkemper, Carlo Costa
I-Beam 8:30 pm $10
• Sean Smith Trio with John Hart, Russell Meissner
Rubin Museum 7 pm $20
• Paul Bollenback Trio with Steve LaSpina, Rogerio Boccato
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
ÌAmbrose Akinmusire
• José James and guests
• Red Hot + New Orleans: Davell Crawford
BAMCafé 10 pm
• Rochelle Thompson
Lenox Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 12 am $20
• Strike Anywhere Ensemble: Donna Bouthillier, Rob Henke, Michel Gentile,
Nolan Kennedy, Damen Scranton, Rolf Sturm, Leese Walker
Brecht Forum 8 pm $10
• Jazzheads Holiday party: Chris Washburne, Ole Mathisen, Randy Klein
Klavierhaus 7:30 pm $15
ÌCracked Vessel: Ben Syversen, Xander Naylor, Jeremy Gustin
Café Orwell 9 pm
• Marsha Heydt and the Project of Love with Norman Pors, Trifon Dimitrov,
Rossen Nedelchev, Renato Thoms; Carlos Cuevas Trio with Alex Hernandez,
Vince Cherico
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Matt Haimovitz solo
Apple Store Upper West Side 7 pm
• Evan Schwam Quartet
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Nicole Zuraitis Group
Shrine 9 pm
• Tango Meets Jazz Festival: Pablo Ziegler Quartet with Claudio Ragazzi,
Hector Del Curto, Pedro Giraudo and guest Prometheus Jenkins
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30
ÌJoanne Brackeen/Cecil McBee
Knickerbocker Bar and Grill 9:45 pm $5
ÌFrank Wess Quintet with Kenny Barron, Roni Ben-Hur, Santi Debriano, Victor Lewis
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
ÌMulgrew Miller and Wingspan with Steve Nelson, Duane Eubanks, Ivan Taylor,
Rodney Green
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35
• Dezron Douglas Trio
Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20
• John Scofield and Robben Ford Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
• Electric Safari: Francisco Mela, David Gilmore, Jowee Omicil, Kona Khasu
Blue Note 12:30 am $10
ÌFred Hersch solo
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
• Nick Moran Trio; Kevin Dorn and the Big 72
The Garage 6:15, 10:45 pm
Saturday, December 4
ÌEddie Palmieri Octet
92nd Street Y 8 pm $25-70
ÌThe Group (Redone) Marion Brown Tribute with Ahmed Abdullah, Billy Bang,
Andrew Cyrille, Bob Stewart, DD Jackson
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌOren Ambarchi, Keith Rowe, Crys Cole; Loren Connors
Littlefield 8 pm $15
ÌPeter Evans solo; Mark Dresser/Raz Mesinai Duo
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
ÌJim Staley with Kyoko Kitamura, Ikue Mori, Nate Wooley
Roulette 8:30 pm $15
ÌWeasel Walter/John Blum; Anicha: Jean Rohe, Mariel Berger, Mark Small,
Sebastian Noelle
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• Kenny Wessel Trio with Matt Pavolka, Russ Meisner
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
• Joel Harrison’s Singularity with Zach Brock, Donny McCaslin, Dana Leong,
Gary Versace, Stephan Crump, Clarence Penn
Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10
ÌKirk Knuffke/Brian Drye; Terrence McManus solo
Prospect Series 8, 9 pm $10
• Dan Blake/Leo Genovese Quartet with Dmitry Ishenko, Mike Johnson; Jeremy Udden,
Ben Monder, Ziv Ravitz
Douglass Street Music Collective 8 pm $10
ÌPete Malinverni, Michael Kanan, Tardo Hammer, Larry Ham with Lee Hudson,
Eliot Zigmund
Sofia’s 7 pm
• Red Hot + New Orleans: Big Sam Williams’Funky Nation
BAMCafé 10 pm
ÌMonk in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz: Cécile McLorin Salvant
Tribeca Performing Arts Center 7 pm $25
• Randy Johnston Trio
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $12
• Mel Davis
Lenox Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 12 am $20
• Parias Ensemble: Daniel Reyes Llinas, Adrian Mira, James Ilgenfritz, Luis Ianes,
John O’Brian, Mariel Roberts
I-Beam 8:30 pm $10
• Claude Diallo Situation with Luques Curtis, Massimo Buonanno; Roscopaje:
Scott DuBois, Robin Verheyen, Pascal Niggenkemper, Jeff Davis; Ori Dakari
Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Mayu Seiki Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Dale Kleps Quartet
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• NOOK
Rockwood Music Hall 1 am
• Hayes Greenfield Group with Dean Johnson, Adam Nussbaum, Roger Rosenberg;
Tim Ries Group with Chris Potter, Kalman Olah, John Patitucci, Billy Drummond;
Stacy Dillard Trio with Diallo House, Ismail Lawal
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
ÌTerell Stafford Quintet with Tim Warfield
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
ÌAmbrose Akinmusire
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌTed Rosenthal Trio with Noriko Ueda, Quincy Davis
The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25
• Tango Meets Jazz Festival: Pablo Ziegler Quartet with Claudio Ragazzi,
Hector Del Curto, Pedro Giraudo and guest Regina Carter
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30
ÌFrank Wess Quintet with Kenny Barron, Roni Ben-Hur, Santi Debriano, Victor Lewis
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
ÌMulgrew Miller and Wingspan with Steve Nelson, Duane Eubanks, Ivan Taylor,
Rodney Green
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35
• Dezron Douglas Trio
Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20
• John Scofield and Robben Ford Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
ÌBurnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber Blue Note 12:30 am $15
ÌFred Hersch solo
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
• Nick Di Maria
Shrine 6 pm
• Larry Newcomb Trio; Evgeny Lebedev; Virginia Mayhew Quartet
The Garage 12, 6:15, 10:45 pm
Sunday, December 5
• The Music of Bob Dylan and The Band: Steven Bernstein, Larry Campbell,
John Medeski, Rob Burger, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen and guests Jolie Holland,
Wesley Harding, Laura Cantrell, Nicole Atkins, Matt Friedberger
Le Poisson Rouge 8:30 pm $35
ÌMarcus Strickland Quartet with David Bryant, Ben Williams, Justin Falkner
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌJoel Forrester solo
Gershwin Hotel 7 pm $10
ÌNate Wooley, Reuben Radding, Harris Eisenstadt meet Sam Kulik, Adam Caine,
James Ilgenfritz
University of the Streets 8 pm $10
• Jennifer Choi, Ikue Mori, Marco Cappelli
Roulette 8:30 pm $15
• Tribute to Ruth Bisbane with Fred Staton, Art Baron, Zeke Mullins,
Michael Max Fleming, Buddy Henry
Cobi’s Place 7:30 pm $25
ÌGato Loco
Bowery Poetry Club 9 pm $8
• Peter Leitch/Ugonna Okegwo Walker’s 8 pm
• Russ Flynn Large Ensemble
Brooklyn Lyceum 9, 10:30 pm $10
• Spike Wilner Trio
Smalls 10 pm $20
• Willerm Delisfort Project; Martin Loyato Quartet with Eriko Nagai, Ben Brewer,
Jim Mansfield; George Petit 5 with Mark Small, Jeremy Beck, Phil Palombi,
Eric Halvorson
Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Jon Lundbom and Big Five ChordGoodbye Blue Monday 8 pm
• Andy Gravish Quintet
Sycamore 8 pm
• TriOletta!; M2Duo
The Blue Owl 7 pm $10
• 9 Volt Circuistry
Shrine 8 pm
• Secret Architecture: Wade Ridenhour, Julian Smith, Zach Mangan, Fraser Campbell
Caffe Vivaldi 9:30 pm
• Joel Harrison’s Singularity with Zach Brock, Donny McCaslin, Dana Leong,
Gary Versace, Stephan Crump, Clarence Penn
Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10
• Drillbaby: Brad Henkel, Dustin Carlson, Sean Ali, Booker Stardrum; Pet Bottle Ningen:
Nonoko Yoshida, David Scanlon, Dave Miller
ABC No Rio 7 pm $5
40 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
• Tango Meets Jazz Festival: Pablo Ziegler Quartet with Claudio Ragazzi,
Hector Del Curto, Pedro Giraudo and guest Regina Carter
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌMulgrew Miller and Wingspan with Steve Nelson, Duane Eubanks, Ivan Taylor,
Rodney Green
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• John Scofield and Robben Ford Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
ÌFred Hersch solo
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
ÌPrester John; Lorin Benedict, Jen Shyu, Ches Smith; Michael Thieke solo
ÌMatt Haimovitz solo
Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm
Rubin Museum 6 pm
• Saint Peter’s Quartet + Voices with Rob Mosher
Saint Peter’s 5 pm
• Tony Moreno NYU Ensemble Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50
• Ted Rosenthal’s Jazz Holiday for Kids with Martin Wind, Quincy Davis, Holli Ross
Dicapo Opera Theatre 11 am $25
• Alicia Svigals Trio
Flushing Town Hall 2 pm $16
• Roz Corral Trio with Dave Stryker, Paul Gill
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• John Colianni Quintet; David Coss and Trio; Maurício de Souza Trio with Carl Viggiani,
Debbie Kennedy
The Garage 12, 7, 11:30 pm
Monday, December 6
• NYU Jazz Big Band with guest Joe Lovano
ÌMingus Big Band
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Landmarc: Marc Mommaas, Tony Moreno, Nate Radley, Vic Juris
The Stone 8 pm $10
ÌTim Berne/Ches Smith; Bizingas: Brian Drye, Kirk Knuffke, Jonathan Goldberger,
Ches Smith; Jacob Sacks Saloon Band with Eivind Opsvik, Mike McGinnis,
Dan Cords, Vinnie Sperrazza, Geoff Kraly
Zebulon 8:30 pm
ÌSara Serpa with Andre Matos, Ben Street, Adam Cruz; William Hooker with
Chris DiMeglio, Dave Ross, Adam Lane; James Ilgenfritz with Nate Wooley, Josh Sinton,
Chris Welcome, Jeff Davis
The Local 269 7 pm $10
• David Amram and Co. with Kevin Twigg, John de Witt, Adam Amram
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
ÌLenore Raphael/Mike Longo
Steinway Hall 7 pm
• Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen with Dan Peck, Tom Blancarte, Brandon Seabrook,
Weasel Walter
University of the Streets 10 pm $10
• Avi Rothbard; Ari Hoenig Group; Spencer Murphy
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
ÌAmanda Monaco Holiday Trio with Michael Attias, Sean Conly
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Red Light Growler; Mike Gamble’s Second Wind
Bar 4 7, 9 pm $5
• Greg Wall’s Later Prophets with Shai Bachar, David Richards, Aaron Alexander
Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10
• Joshua Shneider Easy-Bake Orchestra
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Elizabeth! with Miles Okazaki The Castello Plan 8 pm
• Sian Pottok with Adam Stoler, Fima Ephron, Brahim Fribgane
55Bar 7 pm
• The Magic Trio: Chris McNulty, Paul Bollenback, Andrei Kondokov
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• Joni Paladin
Zinc Bar 7 pm $7
• New School Presents: Yacine Boularès Quintet with Philip Dizack, Can Olgun,
Alexis Cuadrado, Arthur Hnatek; (U)nity: Amaury Acosta, Axel Tosca Laugart,
Maxwell Cudworth, Micheal Valeanu, Chris Smith and guests Pedrito Martinez,
Mike Rodriguez, Lucas Pino
Fat Cat 8:30, 10:30 pm
• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Ben Cliness Trio
The Garage 7, 10:30 pm
Tuesday, December 7
ÌRoy Haynes Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Arturo O’Farrill with John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Ivan Renta
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Willie Martinez Y La Familia
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
ÌRobert Glasper Trio with Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
ÌNiels Lan Doky Trio with Larry Grenadier, Jeff “Tain” Watts
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
• Manhattan Transfer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Doug Acosta Orchestra
Iridium 10 pm $25
• Frank Perowski and the Cats and Jammers
NYC Baha’i Center 8, 9:30 pm $15
• Ehud Asherie solo
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
ÌDoug Wieselman solo; Trio S: Doug Wielselman, Jane Scarpantoni, Kenny Wollesen
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• Theo Bleckmann/Ben Monder Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Jack Jeffers’New York Classics Zinc Bar 9:30, 11 pm 1 am
Ì5 for Marion: Randy Borra, Marcus Cummins, Sam Kulik, Gene Janas, Federico Ughi;
Cracked Vessel: Ben Syversen, Xander Naylor, Jeremy Gustin
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• Chris Cheek Band
The Fifth Estate 10 pm
• Tarras Band: Pete Sokolow, Michael Winograd, Ben Holmes, David Licht
Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10
• David Lopato Trio with Ratzo Harris, Tom Rainey
Korzo 9:30, 11 pm
• Arlee Leonard/Art Hirahara; Adam Kolker Trio Plus
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Yaala Ballin/Pasquale Grasso; Adam Birnbaum Trio with Yasushi Nakamura,
Rodney Green; Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
ÌJack Wilkins/Bucky Pizzarelli
Bella Luna 7:30 pm
• Yuko Okamato Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Valery Ponomarev Big Band; Justin Lees Trio
The Garage 7, 10:30 pm
• Eric Plaks Band
Shrine 6 pm
Wednesday, December 8
ÌScott Robinson/Klaus Suonsaari Brooklyn Lyceum 8, 9:30 pm $10
ÌNate Wooley Quintet with Josh Sinton, Matt Moran, Eivind Opsvik, Harris Eisenstadt
Barbès 8 pm $10
• Ches Smith’s Congs for Brums; Matthew Welch’s Blarvuster; Dave Crowell Ensemble
Zebulon 8 pm
• Maurice Brown Effect with Chelsea Baratz, Chris Rob, Solomon Dorsey, Joe Blaxx
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
• Lainie Cook Quartet with Tedd Firth, Martin Wind, Matt Wilson
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Eric DiVito Group with Moto Fukushima, Alyssa Falk; Jamie Baum Septet with
Taylor Haskins, Doug Yates, Chris Komer, George Colligan, Johannes Weidenmueller,
Jeff Hirshfield
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Conal Fowkes solo; Jon Cowherd Trio with Obed Calvaire; Craig Wuepper Trio with
Jeremy Manasia, Chris Haney Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• Erik Deutsch Band with Brandon Seabrook, Ben Rubin, Marc Dalio; Andy Stack Trio
with Ben Rubin, Zach Jones
Rose Live Music 9 pm
• Rob Duguay’s Low Key Trio
Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm
• Tyler Blanton Trio
Flute Bar 8 pm
• Danny Weller Group
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:15 pm $6
• Jason Cady
University of the Streets 9 pm $10
• Aryeh Kobrinsky Project; Anna Webber Quartet with Matt Holman, Fred Kennedy,
Owen Stewart-Robertson
Douglass Street Music Collective 8:30 pm $10
• Koran Hasanagic Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Justin Wert Trio; Matthew Albeck Group
Goodbye Blue Monday 8 pm
ÌRoy Haynes Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Arturo O’Farrill with John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Ivan Renta
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Willie Martinez Y La Familia
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
ÌRobert Glasper Trio with Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Manhattan Transfer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Enoch Smith Jr. Trio; Anderson Brothers
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
• Vinnie Zummo/Cameron Brown Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7
Thursday, December 9
ÌDavid Fiuczynski Group with John Medeski, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Skoota Warner,
David Ginyard
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $25
ÌMatt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O with Jeff Lederer, Paul Sikivie
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
ÌRed Hot Holiday Stomp: Wycliffe Gordon with Aaron Diehl, Victor Goines, Niki Haris,
Sherman Irby, Marcus Printup, Herlin Riley, Joe Temperley, Don Vappie, Reginald Veal
Rose Theater 8 pm $10-120
ÌMichaël Attias Sextet with Ralph Alessi, Mark Taylor, Matt Moran, Sean Conly,
Nasheet Waits
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
ÌTyshawn Sorey and guests
SALT SPACE 8 pm $10
ÌAngelica Sanchez Trio with Chad Taylor; Jesse Stacken with Robin Verheyen,
Ziv Ravitz; Michael Bates Quintet with Dave Ballou, Curtis Hasselbring,
Angelica Sanchez, Tom Rainey Douglass Street Music Collective 8 pm $10
• Jean-Michel Pilc Trio with Noah Garabedian, Shareef Taher
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• John McNeil Quartet
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $12
• Patricia Barber with Neal Alger, Larry Kohut, Ross Pederson
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Ehud Asherie solo; Michael Dease Quartet with Roy Assaf, Belden Bullock,
Ulysses Owens; Dwayne Clemons Quintet with Josh Benko, Sacha Perry, Murray Wall,
Jimmy Wormworth
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
• Jason Palmer and the Public Option with Michael Thomas, Greg Duncan, Lim Yang,
Lee Fish
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $15
• Yoko Miwa Trio with Greg Loughman, Scott Goulding; Will Vinson with Lage Lund,
Aaron Parks, Matt Brewer, Marcus Gilmore
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Nico Soffiato Quartet with Nick Videen, Giacomo Merega, Zach Mangan
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Aki Ishiguro Trio with Pascal Niggenkemper, Nick Anderson
Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm
• Brian Adler’s Helium
Tutuma Social Club 7 pm
• German Gonzales Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Shai Maestro
Caffe Vivaldi 8:15 pm
• Michika Fukumari Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm
• Sergio Salvatore
Birdland 6 pm $20
ÌRoy Haynes Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Arturo O’Farrill with John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Ivan Renta
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Willie Martinez Y La Familia
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
ÌRobert Glasper Trio with Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Manhattan Transfer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Champian Fulton Trio; David White Quintet
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
Friday, December 10
ÌJunior Mance Quartet with Hide Tanaka, Kim Garey, Ryan Anselmi
The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25
ÌTony Malaby, Paul Motian, Angelica Sanchez, Ben Monder
Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10
ÌEric Revis, Orrin Evans, Nasheet Waits
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
• Diane Schuur and Trio with Randy Porter, Scott Stead, Reggie Jackson
and guest Lew Tabackin
Allen Room 7:30, 9:30 pm $55-65
• Ches Smith/Raz Mesinai; Sergei Tcherepnin
• Curtis Macdonald Group
Rose Live Music 10 pm
• Andreas Arnold Trio
Rockwood Music Hall 12 am
• Secret Architecture: Wade Ridenhour, Julian Smith, Zach Mangan, Fraser Campbell
Caffe Vivaldi 9:30 pm
• Jacob Varmus; Matt Snow
The Blue Owl 7 pm $5
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
ÌBucky Pizzarelli, Russ Kassoff, Jay Anderson
Knickerbocker Bar and Grill 9:45 pm $5
• Golden Striker Trio: Ron Carter, Mulgrew Miller, Russell Malone
Smoke 8, 10, 11:0 pm $30
• Jazz Band Classic with guest Steve Wilson
Leonard Nimoy Thalia 7:30 pm $15
• Carol Morgan’s Case Study with Mike Moreno, Helen Sung, Ike Sturm, Richie DeRosa;
Eric McPherson/Abraham Burton Group with David Bryant, Dezron Douglas;
Eric Wyatt Group
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• Matt Stevens Trio with Ben Williams, Eric Doob
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
• Latin-Jazz Coalition Big Band led by Demetrios Kastaris with guest Steve Turre;
Theofilos Katechis/Yiannis Economides; Kathari’s Gospel Salsa
Flushing Town Hall 8 pm $15
• Johnny O’Neal Trio
Lenox Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 12 am $20
ÌTed Rosenthal’s Jazz Holiday with Martin Wind, Quincy Davis and guests
Houston Person, Joel Frahm
Dicapo Opera Theatre 8 pm $25
• Joe Cohn Quartet
Piano Due 8:30 pm
• Deanna Witkowski Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Julian Waterfall Pollack with Chase Baird, Billy Buss, Nir Felder, Chris Tordini,
Evan Hughes
I-Beam 8:30 pm $10
• Steven Husted Quartet with Eric Schugren, Lars Pottieger, Allan Mednard
Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10
• Richard Benetar Quartet
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
ÌDavid Fiuczynski Group with John Medeski, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Skoota Warner,
David Ginyard
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $25
ÌRed Hot Holiday Stomp: Wycliffe Gordon with Aaron Diehl, Victor Goines, Niki Haris,
Sherman Irby, Marcus Printup, Herlin Riley, Joe Temperley, Don Vappie, Reginald Veal
Rose Theater 8 pm $10-120
• Patricia Barber with Neal Alger, Larry Kohut, Ross Pederson
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30
ÌRoy Haynes Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Arturo O’Farrill with John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Ivan Renta
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35
• Willie Martinez Y La Familia
Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20
ÌRobert Glasper Trio with Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
• Manhattan Transfer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Tessa Souter/Ron McClure
55Bar 6 pm
• Jonas Ganzemuller Quintet
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 6 pm $6
• Evan Schwam Quartet; Dre Barnes Project
The Garage 6:15, 10:45 pm
• Emily Wolf/Pedro Tsividis
Caffe Vivaldi 6 pm
• Diederik Rijpstra; Claudio MarquezShrine 6, 7 pm
Saturday, December 11
ÌMicroscopic Septet: Phillip Johnston, Joel Forrester, Don Davis, Mike Hashim,
Dave Sewelson, David Hofstra, Richard Dworkin
Gershwin Hotel 8 pm $25
ÌMario Pavone 70th Birthday Celebration with Tony Malaby, Marty Ehrlich, Dave Ballou,
Peter Madsen, Gerald Cleaver
• Bill Charlap/Sandy Stewart
Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10
Grace R. Rogers Auditorium 7 pm $45
ÌMonk in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz: Charenée Wade
Tribeca Performing Arts Center 7 pm $25
• National Jazz Museum in Harlem Allstars
Dwyer Center 7 pm $15
• Para Quintet: Laurence Cook, Forbes Graham, Jim Hobbs, Steve Lantner, Jacob William;
Kelly Roberge’s All of Us
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• Sean Wayland Quintet; Alex Blake Quartet
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 6, 9 pm $6-12
• Rick Stone Trio with Marco Panascia, Tom Pollard
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
• Ghanniya Green
Lenox Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 12 am $20
• Dwight West
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
• Ty Stephens & SoulJaazz! with Richard Cummings, RT Taylor, Ron Monroe
ÌDavid Fiuczynski Group with John Medeski, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Skoota Warner,
David Ginyard
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $25
• Patricia Barber with Neal Alger, Larry Kohut, Ross Pederson
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Arturo O’Farrill with John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Ivan Renta
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌRobert Glasper Trio with Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Manhattan Transfer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Ben Gerstein/Garth Stevenson Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm
• Melissa Stylianou Quartet; Carol Morgan Quintet with Helen Sung, Mike Moreno
Saint Peter’s 5, 7 pm
• Jennifer Leitham Trio
Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50
• Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi
City Winery 10 am $10
• Roz Corral Trio with Roni Ben-Hur, Santi Debriano
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Lou Caputo Quartet; David Coss and Trio; Dylan Meek Trio
The Garage 12, 7, 11:30 pm
Monday, December 13
• Cyrus Chestnut Quartet with Stacy Dillard, Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III
ÌMingus Orchestra
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Les Paul Trio with guests Jane Monheit, Frank Vignola
Iridium 8, 10 pm $35
ÌEvil Eye: Johnathan Moritz, Ben Gerstein, Ken Filiano, Mike Pride; Matt Nelson
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• Pasquale Grasso solo; Ari Hoenig Group; Spencer Murphy
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
• Sarah Bernstein’s Unearthish with Satoshi Takeishi; Mossa Bildner Quartet with
Hill Greene, Steve Swell, Daniel Levin; Roy Campbell solo; Timucin Sahin Group
The Local 269 7 pm $10
• Edom: Eyal Maoz, Brian Marsella, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Yuval Lion; Rashanim:
Jon Madof, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Matthias Kunzli
Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10
• JC Sanford Orchestra
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Kaoru Watanabe Trio
Zebulon 9 pm
• Inside/Out: Tim Ferguson, Rob Henke, Diane Moser; Words and Music Ensemble:
Mika Harry, Tristan Cooley, Faiz Lamouri, Diederik Rijpstra, Daniel Galvano,
Rachel Housle, Kiril Orenstein, Diane Moser
Cornelia Street Café 8:30, 10 pm $10
• Deanna Witkowski Trio with Dave Ambrosio, Scott Latzky
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• WSMB; Mike Gamble’s Second Wind
Bar 4 7, 9 pm $5
• Douglas Bradford’s Atlas Obscura with John Beaty, Pascal Niggenkemper,
Nick Anderson
Spike Hill 8 pm
• Ben Tyree solo
Rose Live Music 9 pm
• Seung-Hee SoRieN Project
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Elizabeth!
Banjo Jim’s 9 pm
• Emily Braden
Zinc Bar 7 pm $7
• Amanda Baisinger
Rockwood Music Hall 8 pm
• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Michael O’Brien Trio
The Garage 7, 10:30 pm
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• The Oulipians
Shrine 6 pm
ParlorJazz 9, 10:30 pm $30
ÌCracked Vessel: Ben Syversen, Xander Naylor, Jeremy Gustin
Freedom Garden 10 pm
• Jeremiah Lockwood; DROID: Adam Holzman, Amir Ziv, Jordan McLean
Cameo Gallery 9 pm $10
• Daniel Glaude Quintet with Tristen Napoli, Noah Kellman, Walter Stinson,
Pat Morrison; Hiromi; Jason Yeager Trio with Michael Gleichman
Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Danny Walsh Trio with Joe Cohn Piano Due 8:30 pm
• Daniel Bennett Group
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Joonsam Lee Quartet
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
ÌJunior Mance Quartet with Hide Tanaka, Kim Garey, Ryan Anselmi
The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25
• Diane Schuur and Trio with Randy Porter, Scott Stead, Reggie Jackson
and guest Lew Tabackin
Allen Room 7:30, 9:30 pm $55-65
ÌBucky Pizzarelli, Russ Kassoff, Jay Anderson
Knickerbocker Bar and Grill 9:45 pm $5
• Golden Striker Trio: Ron Carter, Mulgrew Miller, Russell Malone
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
• Jazz Band Classic with guest Steve Wilson
Leonard Nimoy Thalia 7:30 pm $15
ÌNed Goold Trio; Eric McPherson/Abraham Burton Group with David Bryant,
Dezron Douglas; Ian Hendrickson-Smith
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
ÌDavid Fiuczynski Group with John Medeski, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Skoota Warner,
David Ginyard
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $25
ÌRed Hot Holiday Stomp: Wycliffe Gordon with Aaron Diehl, Victor Goines, Niki Haris,
Sherman Irby, Marcus Printup, Herlin Riley, Joe Temperley, Don Vappie, Reginald Veal
Rose Theater 2, 8 pm $10-120
• Patricia Barber with Neal Alger, Larry Kohut, Ross Pederson
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30
ÌRoy Haynes Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Arturo O’Farrill with John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Ivan Renta
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35
• Willie Martinez Y La Familia
Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20
ÌRobert Glasper Trio with Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
• Manhattan Transfer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• The JT Project
Blue Note 12:30 am $10
• Britton Brothers Band
Shrine 6 pm
• Nasar Abadey’s Supernova with Richard Doron Johnson, Joe Ford, Corcoran Holt
Dizzy’s Club 12:30 pm
• Gypsy Jazz Caravan; Brooks Hartell Trio; Akiko Tsuruga Trio
The Garage 12, 6:15, 10:45 pm
Sunday, December 12
ÌDave Schnitter Quintet with Spike Wilner, Ugonna Okegwo, Anthony Pinciotti
Smalls 10 pm $20
• Guillermo Brown; Abraham Gomez/Taylor Ho Bynum
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• James Shipp’s Nos Nuvo with Jo Lawry, Gilad Hekselman, Rogério Boccato
and guest Doug Wamble
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Courtney Bryan
University of the Streets 8 pm $10
• Peter Leitch/Dwayne Burno
Walker’s 8 pm
• Dan Block
Brooklyn Lyceum 9, 10:30 pm $10
• Nick Finzer Quintet with Alex Wintz, Kris Bowers, Dave Baron, Bryan Carter;
Deborah Latz Quartet with Daniela Schaechter, Oleg Osenkov, Elisabeth Keledjian;
Yuka Tadano Quintet with Brian Girley, Sylvester Onyejiaka, William Tatge,
Nick Anderson
Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
41
Tuesday, December 14
ÌThe Big Soul Band 50th Anniversary: A Tribute to Johnny Griffin with Houston Person,
Eric Alexander, Bobby Porcelli, Jason Marshall, Mike Ponella, Don Sickler,
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Barry Cooper, Norman Simmons, Bob Cranshaw, Lewis Nash
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Cedar Walton Trio with David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Samba Jazz and The Bossa Nova Years: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves,
Maucha Adnet, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lubambo, George Mraz
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌNeal Smith Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• John Pizzarelli Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Karen Mason
Iridium 8, 10 pm $30
• Mike Longo Funk Band
NYC Baha’i Center 8, 9:30 pm $15
• Marianne Sollivan; Grant Stewart Quartet with Ehud Asherie, Joel Forbes, Phil Stewart;
Alex Stein Quintet with Matt Brown, Marc Devine, Paul Sikivie, Lawrence Leathers
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
• Gary Morgan’s Panamericana! Zinc Bar 9:30, 11 pm 1 am
• Ehud Asherie solo
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Ches Smith solo; Pete Fitzpatrick The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• Matt Mitchell’s Central Chain with Tim Berne, Oscar Noriega, Mary Halvorson,
John Hébert
Korzo 9:30 pm $10
• Chris Cheek Band
The Fifth Estate 10 pm
• Di Tsvey: Pete Rushefsky/Steven Greenman
Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $15
• Nick Lyons, Lorenzo Sanguedolce, Adam Caine, Adam Lane, John Wagner;
Charlie Rauh
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• aRAUz Quartet: Alicia Rau, Adam Lomeo, Marcus McLaurine, Bruce Cox;
Aaron Irwin Group with Rich Perry, Sebastian Noelle, Thomson Kneeland, Jeff Davis
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Diana Wayburn Ensemble with Justin Wood, Nathan Bontrager, Ryan Kotler,
Dikko Faust
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30 pm $6
• Michael Lydon and Friends with Ellen Mandel, Curtis Fowlkes, Dave Hofstra,
Rudy Lawless, Gennaro Kravitz, Amy Fitts
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
ÌJack Wilkins/Gene Bertoncini
Bella Luna 7:30 pm
• Lou Caputo Not So Big Band; Paul Francis Trio
The Garage 7, 10:30 pm
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Yvonnick Prene Group; Jung Min Lee Quartet
Shrine 6, 7 pm
Wednesday, December 15
ÌBrooklyn Jazz Wide Open: Joseph Jarman, Works: Michel Gentile, Daniel Kelly,
Rob Garcia and guest Joseph Jarman; Ron Horton/Tim Horner Andrew Hill Project
with John O’Gallagher, Marc Mommaas, Scott Robinson, Nate Eklund, Alan Ferber,
Mark Sherman, Frank Kimbrough, Martin Wind
Littlefield 8, 9:30, 11 pm $20
ÌPoncho Sanchez
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $37.50
ÌIdeal Bread: Josh Sinton, Kirk Knuffke, Sean Conly, Tomas Fujiwara
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
ÌPeter Bernstein solo; Joe Sanders’Infinity with Logan Richardson, Luis Perdomo,
Justin Brown; Simona Premazzi and Trio with Stacy Dillard, Ryan Berg, Jason Brown
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• Mercedes Hall Quartet with Glafkos Kontemeniotis, Gaku Takanashi, George Mel
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
ÌNow You: Carla Kihlstedt/Matthias Bossi
University of the Streets 9 pm $10
• Nate Smith’s The Wink and The Gun with Jaleel Shaw, Nir Felder, Fima Ephron
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $15
• York College Big Band
York College Performing Arts Center 8 pm
• Jean Carl Rodea with Darius Jones, Joe Morris, Pascal Niggenkemper, Gerald Cleaver
Barbès 8 pm $10
• Soren Moller Group with Tim Green, Luques Curtis, Obed Calvaire; BJ Jansen’s
Conjura with Marcus Persiani, Daud El-Bakara, Jonah Jonathan, Kenneth Salters
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Glenn White’s Time in Transit; Misha Piatigorsky Septet
Zinc Bar 7:30, 9:30, 11 pm 1 am
• Melissa Stylianou Quartet
55Bar 7 pm
• Jonathan Batiste
Jazz Museum in Harlem 7 pm
• Bryan and the Aardvarks: Fabian Almazan, Chris Dingman, Bryan Copeland, Joe Nero
Sidewalk Café 10 pm
• Melanie Marod Trio
Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm
• Tobias Meinhart Trio
Flute Bar 8 pm
• Marsha Heydt and the Project of Love
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
ÌThe Big Soul Band 50th Anniversary: A Tribute to Johnny Griffin with Houston Person,
Eric Alexander, Bobby Porcelli, Jason Marshall, Mike Ponella, Don Sickler,
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Barry Cooper, Norman Simmons, Bob Cranshaw, Lewis Nash
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Cedar Walton Trio with David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Samba Jazz and The Bossa Nova Years: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves,
Maucha Adnet, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lubambo, George Mraz
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌNeal Smith Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• John Pizzarelli Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Bernal/Eckroth/Ennis; Austin Walker Trio
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
• Igor Lumpert; Jennifer Vazquez Shrine 6, 8 pm
• Janice Friedman/Gary Wang
Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7
Thursday, December 16
• 31st Annual Winter Solstice Celebration: Paul Winter Consort with
Arto Tunçboyaciyan, Theresa Thomason, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre,
Paul McCandless, Eugene Friesen, Paul Sullivan, Jamey Haddad, Bill Cahn,
Tim Brumfield
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine 8 pm $35-80
ÌCraig Harris’God’s Trombones
The Gatehouse 7:30 pm $35
ÌAarses: David Torn, Tim Berne, Ches Smith
Littlefield 8 pm $12
• Eugene Marlowe’s Heritage Ensemble with Bobby Sanabria, Michael Hashim,
Frank Wagner, Cristian Rivera
Baruch College 7 pm
• Alan Ferber Nonet with Strings Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌRebecca Martin with Bill McHenry, Larry Grenadier
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
• Richie Flores
Zinc Bar 9:30, 11 pm 1 am
• Miya Masaoka
The Stone 8 pm $10
ÌSam Trapchak’s Put Together Funny with Tom Chang, Michael Attias, Arthur Vint
Cornelia Street 8:30 pm $10
• Fahir Atakoglu Trio with Anthony Jackson, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez
Drom 9 pm
• Spike Wilner/Ned Goold; Jill McCarron Quartet with Vincent Herring, Essiet Essiet,
Joe Strasser; Carlos Abadie Quintet with Jonathan Lefcoski, Luca Santaniello,
Joe Sucato, Jason Stewart
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
• Ben Wendel Trio with Joe Sanders, Kendrick Scott
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• David Weiss Group
Fat Cat 10 pm
• Nicole Zuraitis Group with Jeff Miles, Craig Akin, Dan Pugach, Akil Davis;
Michael Bates’Outside Sources with Russ Johnson, Quinsin Nachoff, Jeff Davis
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• LaRe Quartet with Art Hirahara The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Grupo Los Santos: Pete Smith, David Ambrosio, William “Beaver” Bausch,
Paul Carlon
Barbès 8 pm $10
• The Dymaxion Quartet: Gabriel Gloege, Dan Fabricatore, Mike Shobe, Mark Small
Caffe Vivaldi 9:30 pm
• Holger Scheidt Quartet with Rich Perry, Michel Reis, Anthony Pinciotti
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Aki Ishiguro Trio with Linda Oh, Ronen Itzik
Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm
• Melissa Aldana
Tutuma Social Club 10:30 pm
• Roberto Poveda
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 11:30 pm $10
• Keith Ingham Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm
ÌPoncho Sanchez
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $37.50
• Cedar Walton Trio with David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Samba Jazz and The Bossa Nova Years: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves,
Maucha Adnet, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lubambo, George Mraz
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌNeal Smith Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• John Pizzarelli Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Harlem Speaks: Greg Osby
Jazz Museum in Harlem 6:30 pm
• Rick Stone Trio; Maurício de Souza Trio with Noah Haidu, Mike Karn
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
• Emily Wolf; Cameron Mizell Organ Trio
Shrine 6, 7 pm
Friday, December 17
• Edward Simon Trio with John Patitucci, Brian Blade
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30
• Eric Reed Quartet with Ben Wolfe, McClenty Hunter
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
ÌMatana Roberts/Raz Mesinai; Causing A Tiger: Carla Kihlstedt, Matthias Bossi,
Shahzad Ismaily
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
ÌRez Abbasi’s Invocation with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer,
Johannes Weidenmueller, Dan Weiss
Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10
ÌDena DeRose Trio with Martin Wind, Matt Wilson
The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25
• Kerry Politzer Quartet with Tom Guarna, Paul Beaudry, George Colligan;
Tim Armacost Group with Yutaka Shiina, Ugonna Okegwo, Ali Jackson;
Lawrence Leathers
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
ÌJohn Escreet, David Binney, Wayne Krantz, Marcus Gilmore
55Bar 10 pm
• Danny Mixon Quartet
Lenox Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 12 am $20
• Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra with Dennis Lichtman, Andy Laster,
Petr Cancura, Curtis Hasselbring, Mazz Swift, Ron Caswell, Rob Garcia
Barbès 10 pm $10
• Peter Hess Trio with Matt Mitchell, Jeff Davis; Jesse Stacken, Kirk Knuffke,
Simon Jermyn, Jeff Davis
I-Beam 8:30 pm $10
• Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
• Warren Chiasson Trio with Joe Cohn
Piano Due 8:30 pm
• Jason Domnarski Trio with Aaron Nevezie, David Mason
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Matt Slocum Trio with Dayna Stephens, Massimo Biolcati
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
• Zach Brock and The Magic Number with Matt Wigton, Fred Kennedy;
Mala Waldron Group with Michael TA Thompson, Mimi Jones, Steve Salerno
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Paula Jaakkola
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Masami Ishikawa Quartet
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• 31st Annual Winter Solstice Celebration: Paul Winter Consort with
Arto Tunçboyaciyan, Theresa Thomason, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre,
Paul McCandless, Eugene Friesen, Paul Sullivan, Jamey Haddad, Bill Cahn,
Tim Brumfield
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine 8 pm $35-80
ÌCraig Harris’God’s Trombones
The Gatehouse 7:30 pm $35
ÌPoncho Sanchez
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $37.50
• Cedar Walton Trio with David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
• Samba Jazz and The Bossa Nova Years: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves,
Maucha Adnet, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lubambo, George Mraz
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35
ÌNeal Smith Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20
• John Pizzarelli Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Champian Fulton Trio; Kevin Dorn and the Big 72
The Garage 6:15, 10:45 pm
• Asako Takasaki; Bomi Choi
Shrine 6, 7 pm
Saturday, December 18
ÌJoe McPhee, Joel Freedman, Ras Moshe; Dogon Duo: Andrew Lamb/Warren Smith
Brecht Forum 8 pm $10
• Dafnis Prieto Proverb Trio with Jason Lindner, Kokayi
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌEddie Allen’s Jazzy Brass for the Holidays with Cecil Bridgewater, W. Marshall Sealy,
Clark Gayton, Kenny Davis, Carl Allen
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌScott DuBois Quartet with Jon Irabagon, Pascal Niggenkemper, Jeff Davis
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30
ÌSenor Vasques: Jon Irabagon, Dan Blake, Brian Settles, Josh Sinton; Tomas Fujiwara
and The Hook Up with Jonathan Finlayson, Brian Settles, Mary Halvorson,
Danton Boller; Irene Aebi and Friends with Josh Sinton, Kirk Knuffke, Tomas Fujiwara,
Jeremy Udden, Dan Blake play Steve Lacy
Douglass Street Music Collective 7:30 pm $10
• Kato Hideki/James Fei; Sleepwalker: Raz Mesinai, Jonathan Gandelsman,
Shahzad Ismaily
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• George Colligan Trio with Josh Ginsburg, EJ Strickland
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
ÌMonk in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz: Cyrille Aimée
Tribeca Performing Arts Center 7 pm $25
• York College Blue Notes
York College Performing Arts Center 8 pm
• SARIS: Harris Eisenstadt/Sara Schoenbeck
Prospect Series 8, 9 pm $10
• Michael Sperone
I-Beam 8:30 pm $10
• Jazzy Christmas with Yumi K, Ian Duerr, Danny Zanker; Kenny Wessel Trio;
Bruce Arnold Trio with Dean Johnson, Tony Moreno; Jung Min Lee Trio
Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $10
• Kenji Yoshitake Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Irini and the Jazz Mix
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Nico Soffiato
Goodbye Blue Monday 8 pm
• Edward Simon Trio with John Patitucci, Brian Blade
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30
• Eric Reed Quartet with Ben Wolfe, McClenty Hunter
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
ÌRez Abbasi’s Invocation with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer, Dan Weiss
Johannes Weidenmueller
Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10
ÌDena DeRose Trio with Martin Wind, Matt Wilson
The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25
• Chris Flory Trio with Lee Hudson, Chuck Riggs; Tim Armacost Group with
Yutaka Shiina, Ugonna Okegwo, Ali Jackson; Stacy Dillard Trio with Diallo House,
Ismail Lawal
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
ÌJohn Escreet, David Binney, Wayne Krantz, Marcus Gilmore
55Bar 10 pm
• Danny Mixon Quartet
Lenox Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 12 am $20
• 31st Annual Winter Solstice Celebration: Paul Winter Consort with
Arto Tunçboyaciyan, Theresa Thomason, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre,
Paul McCandless, Eugene Friesen, Paul Sullivan, Jamey Haddad, Bill Cahn,
Tim Brumfield
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine 2, 8 pm $35-80
42 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
ÌCraig Harris’God’s Trombones
ÌPoncho Sanchez
The Gatehouse 7:30 pm $35
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $37.50
• Cedar Walton Trio with David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
• Samba Jazz and The Bossa Nova Years: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves,
Maucha Adnet, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lubambo, George Mraz
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35
ÌNeal Smith Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20
• John Pizzarelli Quartet
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Colin Cannon Quartet
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 6 pm $6
• Iris Ornig Quartet; Mark Marino Trio; Virginia Mayhew Quartet
The Garage 12, 6:15, 10:45 pm
Sunday, December 19
ÌMostly Other People Do The Killing: Peter Evans, Jon Irabagon, Moppa Elliott,
Kevin Shea
ÌDan Weiss/Ari Hoenig
University of the Streets 8 pm $10
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
• Dezron Douglas and Friends with Steve Davis, Spike Wilner, Jason Brown,
Cyrille Aimee
Smalls 10 pm $20
Mary Beth Peil, Randy Landau
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Joni & Johannes: Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, Simon Mulligan, Jessica Molaskey,
• Peter Leitch/Harvie S
Walker’s 8 pm
• David Smith Quintet
Sycamore 8 pm
• Ryan Sawyer Experience
Zebulon 9 pm
• Al Street
Brooklyn Lyceum 8, 9:30 pm $10
• Eleonora Bianchini with Eric Kurimski, Andres Rot, Franco Pinna;
Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble with Zach Brock, Jody Redhage, Martin Urbach;
Dan White with Angelo Di Loreto, Cameron Kayne, John Hubbell
Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Aidan Carroll Trio
Rockwood Music Hall 11 pm
• Evan Gallagher Ensemble; Restless Motion: Bill Stevens, Rich Russo, Gary Fogel with
Praxis: Brainard Carey, Delia Bajo ABC No Rio 7 pm $5
• Os Clavelitos; Yuko Ito
The Blue Owl 7 pm $5
• Edward Simon Trio with John Patitucci, Brian Blade
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌPoncho Sanchez
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $37.50
• Cedar Walton Trio with David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Samba Jazz and The Bossa Nova Years: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves,
Maucha Adnet, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lubambo, George Mraz
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Secret Architecture: Wade Ridenhour, Julian Smith, Zach Mangan, Fraser Campbell
Caffe Vivaldi 6 pm
• Ras Moshe, Shayna Dulberger, Andrew Drury
Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm
• Marc Copland/Ike Sturm
Saint Peter’s 5 pm
• Trios to Remember: Oscar Perez, Matthew Ribicki, Ulysses Owens Jr.; Donald Vega,
Essiet Essiet, Leroy Williams
Creole 5 pm $20
ÌCraig Harris’God’s Trombones
The Gatehouse 3 pm $35
• Misha Tsiganov and guests
92nd Street Y 4 pm $35
• Aaron Diehl Trio with David Wong, Rodney Green
Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50
• Roz Corral Trio with Paul Meyer North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• John Colianni Quintet; David Coss and Trio; Ryan Anselmi Quartet
The Garage 12, 7, 11:30 pm
Monday, December 20
Tuesday, December 28
• William Tatge Trio with Craig Akin, Nick Anderson
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
ÌCharles Evans/Neil Shah; Jon Irabagon Foxy Trio with Peter Brendler, Barry Altschul
• Bryan and the Aardvarks: Fabian Almazan, Chris Dingman, Bryan Copeland, Joe Nero
ÌThe Bad Plus: Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, Dave King
ÌPaquito D’Rivera Tango Jazz Celebration with Pablo Aslan and Company
• Douglas Bradford Trio with Pascal Niggenkemper, Ronen Itzik
ÌDr. Lonnie Smith Trio with Jonathan Kreisberg, Jamire Williams
• Camila Meza
Tutuma Social Club 7 pm
• Ray Parker Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm
• 4 Generations of Miles: Mike Stern, Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams, Jimmy Cobb
• Improv Benefit: Raz Mesinai, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ned Rothenberg and
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
ÌMingus Big Band
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Bucky Pizzarelli/Jay Leonhart Trio; Ari Hoenig Group
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
ÌAlan Ferber Nonet
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Paul Harding’s Juju Seahorse; ExPosed Blues Duo: Fay Victor/Anders Nilsson;
Brad Farberman Group; Pet Bottle Ningen: Nonoko Yoshida, Dave Scanlon,
Dave Miller
The Local 269 7 pm $10
• The New American Quartet: Greg Wall, Takashe Otsuka, Jonathon Peretz,
Mitch Schechter
Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10
• Jessica Lurie Ensemble; Mike Gamble’s Second Wind
Bar 4 7, 9 pm $5
• Geoff Vidal
Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10
• Andrea Wolper Trio with Michael Howell, Ken Filiano
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• Lezlie Harrison
Zinc Bar 7 pm $7
• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Kenny Shanker Quartet
The Garage 7, 10:30 pm
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• A Birdland Christmas with Jim Caruso, Hilary Kole, Billy Stritch, Aaron Weinstein
Birdland 6 pm $20
Tuesday, December 21
ÌThe New Mellow Edwards: Curtis Hasselbring, Chris Speed, Trevor Dunn,
John Hollenbeck; Kevin Shea with Sam Kulik, Tim Dahl, Ron Stabinsky, Tom Blancarte
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• A Birdland Christmas with Jim Caruso, Hilary Kole, Billy Stritch, Aaron Weinstein
Birdland 6 pm $20
• Freddy Cole
Birdland 9, 11 pm $30
• Cedar Walton Quartet with Vincent Herring, David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Cameron Brown and Dannie’s Calypso with Tony Jefferson, Russ Johnson,
Lisa Parrott, Jason Rigby
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Helen Sung Quartet with Seamus Blake, Lonnie Plaxico, Eric Harland
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
• Cyrille Aimee/Spike Wilner; Brian Charette Group with Joel Frahm, Mike DiRubbo,
Jay Collins, Jochen Rueckert; Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
ÌPaquito D’Rivera Tango Jazz Celebration with Pablo Aslan and Company
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Alex Brown Band
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• Phoebe Legere Quintet
Iridium 8, 10 pm $25
• Ehud Asherie solo
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Joan La Barbara; Shahzad Ismaily
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• Sean Smith Quartet with John Ellis, John Hart, Russell Meissner
55Bar 7 pm
• Brad Linde Quartet with Ted Brown, Murray Wall, Taro Okamoto; Dan White with
Angelo Di Loreto, Cameron Kayne, John Hubbell
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Klezmerfest! with Greg Wall
Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10
• Douglas Detrick Quartet with Josh Sinton, Christian Coleman
The Local 269 8 pm $10
• This Sporting Life: Owen Stewart-Robertson, Jacob Wick, Myk Freedman, Josh Sinton
Sycamore 10 pm $10
• Scot Albertson/Dr. Joe Utterback Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• Lena Bloch Band
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30 pm $6
• Jack Wilkins/Howard Alden
Bella Luna 7:30 pm
• David White Jazz Orchestra; Fukushi Tainaka Trio
The Garage 7, 10:30 pm
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
Wednesday, December 22
ÌMatt Wilson Christman Tree-O with Jeff Lederer, Paul Sikivie
Barbès 8 pm $10
ÌAdam Lane’s Full Throttle Orchestra
Brooklyn Lyceum 8, 9:30 pm $10
• 4 Generations of Miles: Mike Stern, Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams, Jimmy Cobb
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
ÌFrancisco Mela Trio with Vijay Iyer, Larry Grenadier
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
ÌAlan Ferber Nonet with Scott Wendholt, Jon Gordon, Ben Wendel, Douglas Yates,
Nate Radley, Bryn Roberts, Matt Clohesy, Mark Ferber; Todd Herbert Trio
Smalls 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
ÌJames Fei solo; Joan La Barbara, Shahzad Ismaily, Marina Rosenfeld
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• A Sam Kulik Christmas with Jon Irabagon, Nathan Kuruna, Moppa Elliott, Kevin Shea
University of the Streets 9 pm $10
• Abigail Riccards Quintet with Peter Bernstein, Michael Kanan, Neal Miner, Tom Melito
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Alexander Clough Trio; Hironobu Saito Group
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Pyeng Threadgill
Rockwood Music Hall 9 pm
• Tim Kuhl Band
Zebulon 9 pm
• Ryan Meagher with Ralph Alessi, Sam Minaie, Caleb Dolister
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30 pm
• Russ Nolan Trio
Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm
• Dorian Devins Trio
Flute Bar 8 pm
• Champian Fulton Trio
Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10
• A Birdland Christmas with Jim Caruso, Hilary Kole, Billy Stritch, Aaron Weinstein
Birdland 6 pm $20
• Freddy Cole
Birdland 9, 11 pm $30
• Cedar Walton Quartet with Vincent Herring, David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
ÌPaquito D’Rivera Tango Jazz Celebration with Pablo Aslan and Company
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Alex Brown Band
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Jean Caze Trio; Michika Fukumori Trio
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
• Flow Trio
Shrine 6 pm
• Yuletide Celebration: Daryl Sherman, Joyce Breach, Jann Parker, Alex Leonard,
Ronny Whyte, Boots Maleson, David Silliman
Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7
Thursday, December 23
• A Jazz Nativity: Steve Turre, Warren Vaché, Max Pollak, Candido, Lew Soloff,
Slide Hampton, Jon Gordon, Bob Kindred, Art Baron, Frank Wess, Arturo O’Farrill,
Amy London
BB King’s 7:30 pm $35
ÌMatt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O with Jeff Lederer, Paul Sikivie
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Massimo Biolcati Trio with Lionel Loueke, Ferenc Nemeth
Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20
ÌSpike Wilner/Ned Goold; Rick Germanson Quartet with Abraham Burton,
Gerald Cannon, Steve Williams; Alex Hoffman
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• John McNeil Quartet
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $12
• Ben Monder Trio with Ben Street, Adam Cruz
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• Tobias Gebb and Trio West with Ugonna Okegwo, Eldad Zvulun; Roseanna Vitro
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
ÌFrancisco Mela Trio with Vijay Iyer, Larry Grenadier
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• A Birdland Christmas with Jim Caruso, Hilary Kole, Billy Stritch, Aaron Weinstein
Birdland 6 pm $20
• Freddy Cole
Birdland 9, 11 pm $30
• Cedar Walton Quartet with Vincent Herring, David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
ÌPaquito D’Rivera Tango Jazz Celebration with Pablo Aslan and Company
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Alex Brown Band
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Ted Kooshian Trio; Dave Kain Group
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
Friday, December 24
ÌSteve Turre Quintet
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
• Sacha Perry Trio; John Marshall Quintet with Johan Horlen, Tardo Hammer,
David Wong, Jimmy Wormworth; Shimrit Shoshan with Aidan Carrol, Eric McPherson
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• Ronny Whyte Trio with Boots Maleson, David Silliman
The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25
• Yotam Silberstein Trio with Massimo Biolcati, Ulysses Owens
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
• Alex Lane Quartet
Lenox Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 12 am $20
• Keiki Kurito Quartet
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• 4 Generations of Miles: Mike Stern, Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams, Jimmy Cobb
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
• A Birdland Christmas with Jim Caruso, Hilary Kole, Billy Stritch, Aaron Weinstein
Birdland 6 pm $20
• Freddy Cole
Birdland 9, 11 pm $30
• Cedar Walton Quartet with Vincent Herring, David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
ÌPaquito D’Rivera Tango Jazz Celebration with Pablo Aslan and Company
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35
• Alex Brown Band
Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
Saturday, December 25
ÌTzadik Label Festival: Hasidic New Wave; Midnight Minyan; Pitom; Ayn Sof Arkestra
and guests
Sixth Street Synagogue 7 pm
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
ÌSteve Turre Quintet
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
• Dwayne Clemons Quintet with Sacha Perry, Josh Benko, Murray Wall; John Marshall
Quintet with Johan Horlen, Tardo Hammer, David Wong, Jimmy Wormworth;
Anthony Wonsey
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
• 4 Generations of Miles: Mike Stern, Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams, Jimmy Cobb
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
• A Birdland Christmas with Jim Caruso, Hilary Kole, Billy Stritch, Aaron Weinstein
Birdland 6 pm $20
• Freddy Cole
Birdland 9, 11 pm $30
• Cedar Walton Quartet with Vincent Herring, David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Eve Silber Trio; Evan Schwam Quartet
The Garage 6:15, 10:45 pm
• Yoshiko Iwata
Miles’ Café 5:30 pm $10
• Katsuka Tanaka Quartet
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
guests
The Stone 8, 10 pm $20
• Birdland Big Band directed by Tommy Igoe with Hilary Kole
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Terese Genecco Little Big Band Iridium 8, 10 pm $25
• Yuko Kimura/Roberta Piket; John Farnsworth Quartet; Alex Stein Quintet with
Matt Brown, Marc Devine, Paul Sikivie, Lawrence Leathers
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
• Ehud Asherie solo
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Clarino with Thomas Heberer, Pascal Niggenkemper; Improv Night: Speed Dating
University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• Losabres Quartet : Tammy Scheffer, Hadar Noiberg, Daniel Ori, Keita Ogawa
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Vicki Burns Trio with Vladimir Katz; Greg Skaff Trio with Pat Bianchi, Ralph Peterson
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Cecilia Coleman Big Band
The Garage 7 pm
• Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Green, Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Antonio Madruga
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
Wednesday, December 29
• Mike Stern Band with Victor Wooten, Dave Weckl, Bob Malach
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
7 pm $30
ÌReBirth Brass Band with guests Le Poisson Rouge
ÌElderflower: Loren Stillman/Ryan Ferreira
Barbès 8 pm $10
• Dee Cassella Quintet Birthday Bash with Steve Slagle, Mark Soskin, Bill Moring,
Marcello Pellitteri
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Birdland Big Band directed by Tommy Igoe with Hilary Kole
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
• Andrea Parkins
University of the Streets 9 pm $10
• Pete McCann with John O’Gallagher, Henry Hey, Matt Clohesy, Jordan Perlson
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
ÌPeter Bernstein solo; Sean Smith Quartet with John Hart, John Ellis, Russ Meissner;
Josh Davis Trio
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20
• Will Sellenraad
Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10
• Skyline Trio
Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm
• MLS Trio
Flute Bar 8 pm
• Erika Dagnino/Blaise Siwula
Goodbye Blue Monday 9 pm
ÌThe Bad Plus: Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, Dave King
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
ÌDr. Lonnie Smith Trio with Jonathan Kreisberg, Jamire Williams
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Improv Benefit: Raz Mesinai, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ned Rothenberg
and guests
The Stone 8, 10 pm $20
• Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Green, Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Antonio Madruga
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Andrew Hadro Quartet; Kyoko Oyobe Trio
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
• Linda Ciofalo/Helen Sung
Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7
Sunday, December 26
• Raz Mesinai Ensemble with guests; BADAWI
The Stone 8, 10 pm $10
• Eri Yamamoto Trio with Dave Ambrosio, Ikuo Takeuchi
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Edmar Castañeda Trio with Itai Kriss, Eric Doob and guest Andrea Tierra
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Johnny Butler
University of the Streets 8 pm $10
• Ryan Keberle
Brooklyn Lyceum 8, 9:30 pm $10
• Joe Magnarelli Quartet with Rick Germanson, Ugonna Okegwo, Anthony Pinciotti
Smalls 10 pm $20
• Peter Leitch/Sean Smith
Walker’s 8 pm
• LaRe/Bertha Hope
Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10
• Nana Yamakawa; Meg & Aki
The Blue Owl 7 pm $5
• David Coss and Trio; Ai Murakami and Friends
ÌSteve Turre Quintet
The Garage 7, 11:30 pm
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30
• 4 Generations of Miles: Mike Stern, Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams, Jimmy Cobb
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
• Cedar Walton Quartet with Vincent Herring, David Williams, Willie Jones III
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
ÌPaquito D’Rivera Tango Jazz Celebration with Pablo Aslan and Company
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Alex Brown Band
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Rob Silverman Trio
Saint Peter’s 5 pm
• Carolyn Leonhart Group with Wayne Escoffery
Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50
• Vicki Burns Trio with Saul Rubin, Boris Kozlov
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Margo Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys
City Winery 10 am $10
Monday, December 27
ÌLamy Istrefi; Long Island City Jazz Alliance: Amanda Monaco, Josh Deutsch,
Peter Brendler, Christian ColemanUniversity of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10
• Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Green, Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
ÌMingus Orchestra
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
• Jimmy Bruno solo; Ari Hoenig Group; Spencer Murphy
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
• Vocal Improv Session #7: Nora McCarthy, Andrea Wolper, Nicole Peyrafitte,
Francois Grillot; Erika Dagnino, Steve Dalachinsky, Jason Mears, Ken Filiano,
Harris Eisenstadt; Sean Conly Quartet with Darius Jones, Alex Harding, Chad Taylor
The Local 269 7 pm $10
• Ayn Sof Arkestra & Bigger Band Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10
• Jon De Lucia/Hironobu Saito; Mike Gamble’s Second Wind
Bar 4 7, 9 pm $5
• Joe Giglio Trio with Rob Thomas, Ratso Harris
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Sweet Diane
Zinc Bar 7 pm $7
• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Kurt Bacher Quartet
The Garage 7, 10:30 pm
• Swingadelic
Empire State Building Lobby 10 am
• Antonio Madruga
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
43
Thursday December 30
ÌDr. Lonnie Smith Big Band with Kyle Wilson, John Ellis, Logan Richardson,
Clark Gayton, Anne Drummond, Corey King, Josh Roseman, Keyon Harrold,
Miki Hirose, Phil Dizack, Jonathan Kreisberg, Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
ÌGeorge Coleman Quartet with Harold Mabern, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm
ÌTom Rainey Trio with Mary Halvorson, Ingrid Laubrock
Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10
• Scot Albertson Quintet with Daryl Kojak, Cameron Brown, Anthony Pinciotti,
“Sweet” Sue Terry
The Kitano 8, 10 pm
• Ehud Asherie solo; Mike LeDonne Group; Carlos Abadie Quintet with
Jonathan Lefcoski, Luca Santaniello, Joe Sucato, Jason Stewart
Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20
• Akiko Pavolka’s House of Illusion with Nate Radley, Matt Pavolka, Bill Campbell
Barbès 8 pm $10
• Joe Deninzon Trio with Steve Benson, Jon Price
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• Matt Garrison; Deborah Davis and A Few Good Men
Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Uri Gurvich Group with Asen Doykin, Pascal Niggenkemper
Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm
• Ben Tyree 3 with Theo Harden, Lawrence Qualis
Rose Live Music 9 pm
• Aki Ishiguro Trio with Chris Lightcap, Nick Anderson
Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm
• Josh Gilgoff’s Glow in the Drum Metropolitan Room 7 pm $10
• Roberto Poveda
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 11:30 pm $10
• Burt Eckoff Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm
• Mike Stern Band with Victor Wooten, Dave Weckl, Bob Malach
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
• Birdland Big Band directed by Tommy Igoe with Hilary Kole
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30
ÌReBirth Brass Band with guests Le Poisson Rouge 7, 11:55 pm $30
ÌThe Bad Plus: Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, Dave King
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Improv Benefit: Raz Mesinai, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ned Rothenberg
and guests
The Stone 8, 10 pm $20
• Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Green, Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
• Antonio Madruga
Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
• Nick Moran Trio; Andrew Atkinson Trio
The Garage 6, 10:30 pm
NEW YEAR’S EVE 2010
• Nilson Matta’s Samba Meets Jazz with Helio Alves, Roni Ben-Hur, Amy London,
Nilson Matta, Portinho; Jazz Legends Of The Guitar: Gene Bertoncini,
Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Laub
The Kitano 9 pm $85, $25 minimum, party favors
and champagne toast at midnight
• Jack Wilkins, Harvie S, Vanderlei Pereira
Bella Luna 9 pm $69 full menu,
complimentary glass of champagne and music
• Ed Cherry Trio with Jared Gold, Chris Beck
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12
• Birdland Big Band directed by Tommy Igoe with Hilary Kole
Birdland 8, 11 pm $50-75, $20 minimum
• Paul Shapiro’s Ribs and Brisket Cornelia Street Café 10 pm $55-100
• Johnny O’Neal
Smalls 8 pm $40, includes champagne toast
• Smalls All-Stars and Jam session Smalls 12 am $20
• Bruce Harris Quartet
Cleopatra’s Needle 9 pm $20,
includes champagne toast
• David White Quintet
The Garage 7:30 pm
ÌDr. Lonnie Smith Big Band with Kyle Wilson, John Ellis, Logan Richardson,
Clark Gayton, Anne Drummond, Corey King, Josh Roseman, Keyon Harrold,
Miki Hirose, Phil Dizack, Jonathan Kreisberg, Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams
Jazz Standard 7:30, 10:30 pm $125-195, first set
includes three-course dinner; second set also
includes champagne toast
ÌGeorge Coleman Quartet with Harold Mabern, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth
Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm
• Mike Stern Band with Victor Wooten, Dave Weckl, Bob Malach
Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $40-125, includes
three-course dinner and champagne toast
ÌThe Bad Plus: Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, Dave King
Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $125
• Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Green, Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III with guests
Jimmy Heath, Nicholas Payton Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 11 pm $150-250,
includes three-course dinner
• Antonio Madruga
Dizzy’s Club 1 am $20
• Chris Botti
Blue Note 7, 10 pm $125-175
• Puppet’s New Year’s Eve Extravaganza with Arturo O’Farrill, Jim Seeley,
Alex Blake, Bill Ware, Jaime Aff and guests
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 5 pm - 4 am $25
R E G U L A R
E N G A G E M E N T S
MONDAYS
• Tom Abbott Big Bang Big Band Swing 46 8:30 pm
• Ron Affif Trio
Zinc Bar 9, 11pm, 12:30, 2 am
• Sedric Choukroun and The Brasilieros Chez Lola 7:30 pm
• Pete Davenport/Ed Schuller Jam Session Frank’s Cocktail Lounge 9 pm
• Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band The Carlyle 8:45 pm $75-100
• Smoke Big Band; John Farnsworth Quartet Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm
• Mike Gamble Trio
Bar 4 7, 9 pm $5
• George Gee Swing Orchestra Gospel Uptown 8 pm
• Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks Sofia’s 8 pm (ALSO TUE)
• Patience Higgins Sugar Hill Quartet Lenox Lounge 9:30 pm $10
• JFA Jazz Jam
Local 802 7 pm
• Roger Lent Trio Jam
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm $10
• John McNeil Jam Session Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm
• Iris Ornig Jam Session
The Kitano 8 pm
• Les Paul Trio with guests Iridium 8, 10 pm $35
• Stan Rubin All-Stars
Charley O’s 8:30 pm
• Emilio Solla y la Inestable de Brooklyn Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10
• Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30
• Melvin Vines Kortet with Kay Mori St. Nick’s Pub 10 pm
TUESDAYS
• Evolution Series
Creole 9 pm
• Irving Fields
Nino’s Tuscany 7 pm (ALSO WED-SUN)
• Joel Frahm
Bar Next Door 8 pm $12
• George Gee Swing Orchestra Swing 46 8:30 pm
• Loston Harris
Café Carlyle 9:30 pm $20 (ALSO WED-SAT)
• Art Hirahara Trio
Arturo’s 8 pm
• Yuichi Hirakawa Trio
Arthur’s Tavern 7, 8:30 pm
• Sandy Jordan and Larry Luger Trio Notaro 8 pm
• Mike LeDonne Quartet; Dan Christensen Trio Smoke 7, 9, 10:30, 11:30 pm
• Long Island City Jazz Alliance Jam Session LIC Bar 8 pm
• Joey Morant
Lenox Lounge 8 pm $10
• Iris Ornig Quartet
Crooked Knife 7 pm
• Annie Ross
The Metropolitan Room 9:30 pm $25
• Robert Rucker Trio Jam Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm $10
• Dred Scott Trio
Rockwood Music Hall 12 am
• Slavic Soul Party
Barbès 9 pm $10
WEDNESDAYS
• Astoria Jazz Composers Workshop Waltz-Astoria 6 pm
• Bill Cantrall Trio
718 Restaurant 8:30 pm
• Sedric Choukroun and the Eccentrics Chez Oskar 7 pm
• Walter Fischbacher Trio Water Street Restaurant 8 pm
• Jeanne Gies with Howard Alden and Friends Joe G’s 6:30 pm
• Frank Lacy
St. Nick’s Pub 10 pm
• Les Kurz Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm $10
• Jazz Jam Session
Sucre Café 7:30 pm
• Jonathan Kreisberg Trio Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
• Guillaume Laurent Trio
Bar Tabac 7 pm
• Jed Levy and Friends
Vino di Vino Wine Bar 7:30 pm (ALSO FRI)
• Nat Lucas Organ Trio
Lenox Lounge 8 pm $3
• Jacob Melchior
Philip Marie 7 pm (ALSO SUN 12 PM)
• Arturo O’Farrill solo
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 7 pm $10
• Alex Obert’s Hollow Bones Via Della Pace 10 pm
• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Centennial Band Birdland 5 pm $10
• Stan Rubin Big Band
Swing 46 8:30 pm
• Bobby Sanabria Big Band FB Lounge 7:30, 9:30 pm $10
• Alex Terrier Trio
Antibes Bistro 7:30 pm
• Vocal Wednesdays
Zeb’s 8 pm
• Justin Wert/Corcoran Holt Benoit 7 pm
• Bill Wurtzel/Tony Decaprio American Folk Art Museum Lincoln Square 2 pm
• Jordan Young Group
Bflat 8:30 pm
THURSDAYS
• Eric Alexander and Joe Farnsworth Ibiza Lounge 8, 10 pm $10
• Jason Campbell Trio
Perk’s 8 pm
• Sedric Choukroun
Brasserie Jullien 7:30 pm (ALSO FRI, SAT)
• Claude Diallo
Domaine Wine Bar 9 pm
• Aki Ishiguro Jam Session Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm
• Jazz Vocal Workshop
University of the Streets 8:30 pm $5
• Edward Perez Afro-Peruvian Collective Tutuma Social Club 8:30 pm
• Gregory Porter
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm
• Eri Yamamoto Trio
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm (ALSO FRI-SAT)
FRIDAYS
• Gabriel Alegria Sextet
Tutuma Social Club 8, 10:30 pm (ALSO SAT-SUN)
• Steve Blanco Trio
Domaine Wine Bar 9 pm (ALSO SAT)
• Deep Pedestrian
Sintir 8 pm
• Charles Downs’ Centipede The Complete Music Studio 7 pm
• George Gee Swing Orchestra Swing 46 9:30 pm
• Kengo Nakamura Trio
Club A Steakhouse 11 pm
• Open Jazz Jam Session University of the Streets 11:30 pm $5 (ALSO SAT)
• Albert Rivera Organ Trio B Smith’s 8:30 pm (ALSO SAT)
• Brandon Sanders Trio
Londel’s 8, 9, 10 pm (ALSO SAT)
• Bill Saxton and Friends
Bill’s Place 10 pm 12 am $15
• Donald Smith
St. Nick’s Pub 10 pm
SATURDAYS
• Jesse Elder/Greg RuggieroRothmann’s 6 pm
• Guillaume Laurent/Luke Franco Casaville 1 pm
• Johnny O’Neal & Friends Smoke 12:30 am
• Wayne Roberts Duo
City Crab 12 pm (ALSO SUN)
• Jeremy Siskind Trio; Lea DeLaria Smoke 11:30 am, 1, 3 pm (ALSO SUN)
• Skye Jazz Trio
Jack 8:30 pm
• Michelle Walker/Nick Russo Anyway Café 9 pm
• Bill Wurtzel Duo
Henry’s 12 pm
SUNDAYS
• Bill Cantrall Trio
Crescent and Vine 6:30 pm
• Marc Devine Trio
TGIFriday’s 6 pm
• Noah Haidu Jam
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm $19
• Ear Regulars with Jon-Erik Kellso The Ear Inn 8 pm
• Marjorie Eliot/Rudell Drears/Sedric Choukroun Parlor Entertainment 4 pm
• Sean Fitzpatrick and Friends Ra Café 1 pm
• Enrico Granafei solo
Sora Lella 7 pm
• Lafayette Harris
Lenox Lounge 7 pm $10
• Stan Killian Trio
Ocean’s 8 8:30 pm
• Bob Kindred Grouo
Café Loup 12:30 pm
• Lapis Luna Trio
Bocca 7 pm
• Alexander McCabe Trio
CJ Cullens Tavern 5 pm
• Junior Mance/Hide Tanaka Café Loup 6:30 pm
• Peter Mazza
Bar Next Door 8 pm $12
• Tony Middleton Trio
The Kitano 11 am
• Zack O’Farrill Quartet
Puppet’s Jazz Bar 12 pm $6
• Rose Rutledge Trio
Ardesia Wine Bar 6:30 pm
• Gabrielle Stravelli Trio
The Village Trattoria 12:30 pm
• TC III’s Singer Workshop St. Nick’s Pub 10:30 pm
• Jason Teborek Quartet
Smoke 11:30 pm
• Cidinho Teixeira
Zinc Bar 10, 11:30 1 am
• Jazz Jam hosted by Michael Vitali Comix Lounge 8 pm
• Brian Woodruff Jam
Blackbird’s 9 pm
44 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
CLUB DIRECTORY
• 5C Café 68 Avenue C (212-477-5993)
Subway: F to Second Avenue 5ccc.com
• 55Bar 55 Christopher Street (212-929-9883)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street 55bar.com
• 718 Restaurant 35-01 Ditmars Boulevard
(718-204-5553) Subway: N, Q to Ditmars 718restaurant.com
• 92nd Street Y Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
(212-415-5500) Subway: 6 to 96th Street 92y.org
• ABC No Rio 156 Rivington Street (212-254-3697)
Subway: J,M,Z to Delancey Street abcnorio.org
• American Folk Art Museum 45 W 53rd Street (212-265-1040)
Subway: E to 53rd Street folkartmuseum.org
• Antibes Bistro 112 Suffolk Street
(212-533-6088) Subway: J, Z to Essex Street antibesbistro.com
• Antique Garage 41 Mercer Street (212-219-1019)
Subway: N, Q, R, W to Canal Street
• Anyway Café 34 E. 2nd Street (212-533-3412)
Subway: F to Second Avenue
• Apple Store Upper West Side 1981 Broadway at 67th Street
(212-209-3400) Subway: 1 to 66th Street apple.com
• Ardesia Wine Bar 510 West 52nd Street
(212-247-9191) Subway: C to 50th Street ardesia-ny.com
• Arthur’s Tavern 57 Grove Street (212-675-6879)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street arthurstavernnyc.com
• Arturo’s 106 W. Houston Street (at Thompson Street)
(212-677-3820) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street
• BAMCafé 30 Lafayette Ave at Ashland Pl, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
(718-636-4139) Subway: M, N, R, W to Pacific Street; Q, 1, 2, 4, 5 to
Atlantic Avenue bam.org
• Bflat 277 Church Street (between Franklin and White Streets)
Subway: 1, 2 to Franklin Streets
• BB King’s Blues Bar 237 W. 42nd Street (212-997-2144)
Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd Street/Times Square bbkingblues.com
• Banjo Jim’s 9th Street and Avenue C
Subway: L to 1st Avenue; 6 to Astor Place banjojims.com
• Bar 4 15th Street and 7th Avenue, Brooklyn (718-832-9800)
Subway: F to 7th Avenue, N, M, R, D to Prospect Avenue
bar4brooklyn.com
• Bar Next Door 129 MacDougal Street (212-529-5945)
Subway: A, C, E, F to W. 4th Street lalanternacaffe.com
• Barbès 376 9th Street at 6th Avenue, Brooklyn (718-965-9177)
Subway: F to 7th Avenue barbesbrooklyn.com
• Barnes and Noble 86th Street at Lexington Avenue
(212-369-2180) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street bn.com
• Bella Luna 584 Columbus Avenue Subway: B, C to 86th Street
• Benoit 60 W. 55th Street
Subway: F to 57th Street, N, Q, R,W to 57th Street
• Birdland 315 W. 44th Street (212-581-3080)
Subway: A, C, E, to 42nd Street birdlandjazz.com
• Blackbird’s 41-19 30th Avenue (718-943-6898)
Subway: R to Steinway Street blackbirdsbar.com
• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Street at 6th Avenue (212-475-8592)
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street bluenotejazz.com
• The Blue Owl 196 Second Avenue (at 12th Street)
(212-505-2583) Subway: L to First Avenue
• Bocca 39 East 19th Street (212-387-1200)
Subway: 4, 5, 6, L, N, R, Q, W to Union Square
• Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery (212-614-0505)
Subway: 6 to Bleecker Street bowerypoetry.com
• Brecht Forum 451 West Street (212-242-4201)
Subway: A, C, E, L, 1, 2, 3, 9 to 14th Street brechtforum.org
• Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue (718-857-4816)
Subway: R to Union Street brooklynlyceum.com
• Buona Sera 12th Street and University Place
Subway: 4, 5, 6, L, N, R, Q, W to Union Square
• CJ Cullens Tavern 4340 White Plains Road, Bronx
Subway: 2 to Nereid Avenue/238th Street
• Café Carlyle 35 East 76th Street (212-744-1600)
Subway: 6 to 77th Street thecarlyle.com
• Café Loup 105 W. 13th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
(212-255-4746) Subway: F to 14th Street
• Café Orwell 247 Varet Street
(347-294-4759) Subway: L to Morgan Avenue
• Caffe Vivaldi 32 Jones Street between Bleecker and W. 4th Streets
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, Q to W. 4th Street-Washington Square
• Cameo Gallery 93 N. 6th Street Subway: L to Bedford Avenue
• Casaville 633 Second Avenue
(212-685-8558) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street casavillenyc.com
• The Castello Plan 1213 Cortelyou Road (718-856-8888)
Subway: Q to Cortelyou Road thecastelloplan.com
• The Cathedral of St. John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Avenue
(212 316-7490) Subway: 1 to 110th Street stjohndivine.org
• Charley O’s 1611 Broadway at 49th Street (212-246-1960)
Subway: N, R, W to 49th Street
• Chez Lola 387 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn (718-858-1484)
Subway: C to Clinton-Washington Avenues bistrolola.com
• Chez Oskar 211 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn (718-852-6250)
Subway: C to Lafayette Avenue chezoskar.com
• City Winery 155 Varick Street
(212-608-0555) Subway: 1 to Houston Street citywinery.com
• Cleopatra’s Needle 2485 Broadway (212-769-6969)
Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Street cleopatrasneedleny.com
• Club A Steakhouse 240 E. 58th Street (212-618-4190)
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 59th Street clubasteak.com
• Cobi’s Place 158 West 48th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues
(516-922-2010) Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street
• Comix Lounge 353 W. 14th Street Subway: L to 8th Avenue
• The Complete Music Studio 227 Saint Marks Avenue, Brooklyn
(718-857-3175) Subway: B, Q to Seventh Avenue
completemusic.com
• Cornelia Street Café 29 Cornelia Street (212-989-9319)
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street
corneliastreetcafé.com
• Creole 2167 3rd Avenue at 118th Street
(212-876-8838) Subway: 6 th 116th Street creolenyc.com
• Crescent and Vine 25-01 Ditmars Boulevard at Crescent Street
(718-204-4774) Subway: N, Q to Ditmars Boulevard-Astoria
• Crooked Knife 29 East 30th St between Madison and Park Avenue
(212-696-2593) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street thecrookedknife.com
• Dicapo Opera Theatre 184 East 76th Street at Lexington Avenue
Subway: 6 to 77th Street
• Dizzy’s Club Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor (212-258-9800)
Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle jalc.org
• Domaine Wine Bar 50-04 Vernon Boulevard
Subway: 7 to Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue
• Douglass Street Music Collective 295 Douglass Street
Subway: R to Union Street myspace.com/295douglass
• Downtown Music Gallery 13 Monroe Street (212-473-0043)
Subway: F to East Broadway downtownmusicgallery.com
• Drom 85 Avenue A
(212-777-1157) Subway: F to Second Avenue dromnyc.com
• Dwyer Cultural Center 259 St. Nicholas Avenue
(212-222-3060) Subway: D to 125th Street dwyercc.org
• The Ear Inn 326 Spring Street at Greenwich Street (212-246-5074)
Subway: C, E to Spring Street
• Empire State Building Lobby 350 5th Avenue
Subway: 6 to 33rd Street
• FB Lounge 172 E 106th Street (212-348-3929)
Subway: 6 to 103rd Street fondaboricua.com
• Fat Cat 75 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue (212-675-6056)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square fatcatmusic.org
• Fetch 1649 Third Avenue between 92nd and 93rd Streets
(212-289-2700) Subway: 6 to 96th Street
• The Fifth Estate 506 5th Avenue (718-840-0089)
Subway: F to 4th Avenue fifthestatebar.com
• First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn 124 Henry Street
Subway: 2, 3 to Clark Street
• Flushing Town Hall 137-35 Northern Boulevard, Flushing
(718-463-7700) Subway: 7 to Main Street flushingtownhall.org
• Flute Bar 205 W. 54th St.between 7th Avenue and Broadway
(212-265-5169) Subway: B, D, E to 7th Avenue
• Flute Bar Gramercy 40 E. 20th Street
(212-529-7870) Subway: 6 to 23rd Street
• Frank’s Cocktail Lounge 660 Fulton St. at Lafayette, Brooklyn
(718-625-9339) Subway: G to Fulton Street
• Freedom Garden 294 Troutman Street Subway: L to Jefferson Street
• Galapagos 16 Main Street, Brooklyn (718-782-5188)
Subway: F to York Street galapagosartspace.com
• The Garage 99 Seventh Avenue South (212-645-0600)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street garagerest.com
• The Gatehouse 150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street
(212-650-7100) Subway: 1 to 137th Street harlemstage.org
• Gershwin Hotel Living Room 7 East 27th Street
(212-545-8000) Subway: 6 to 28th Street
• Goethe Institut 1014 Fifth Avenue (212-439-8700)
Subway: 4, 5,6 to 86th Street goethe.de/ins/us/ney/enindex.htm
• Gospel Uptown 2110 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard
(212-280-2110) Subway: A, B, C, D to 125th Street
gospeluptown.com
• Grace R. Rogers Auditorium 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
(212-570-3949) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street metmuseum.org
• Greenwich House Music School 46 Barrow Street (212-242-4770)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street greenwichhouse.org
• Greenwich Village Bistro 13 Carmine Street (212-206-9777)
Subway: A,C,E,F,V to W. 4th Street
• Henry’s 2745 Broadway (212-866-060) 1 to 103rd Street
• I-Beam 168 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Subway: F to 4th Avenue ibeambrooklyn.com
• Ibiza Lounge 220 W. 242nd Street, Bronx
(646-256-9968) Subway: 1 to 242 Street ibizany.com
• Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Street (212-582-2121)
Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street iridiumjazzclub.com
• Issue Project Room 232 Third Street (at the corner Third Avenue)
Subway: M to Union Street issueprojectroom.org
• Jack 80 University Place Subway: 4, 5, 6, N, R to 14th Street
• Jazz 966 966 Fulton Street (718-638-6910)
Subway: C to Clinton Street illbrew.com/Jazz966.htm
• Jazz Gallery 290 Hudson Street (212-242-1063)
Subway: C, E, to Spring Street jazzgallery.org
• Jazz Museum in Harlem 104 E.126th Street between Park and
Lexington Avenues (212-348-8300) Subway: 6 to 125th Street
jazzmuseuminharlem.org
• Jazz Standard 116 E. 27th between Park and Lexington Avenue
(212-576-2232) Subway: 6 to 28th Street jazzstandard.net
• Joe G’s 244 West 56th Street (212-765-3160)
Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
• Joe’s Pub 425 Lafayette Street (212-539-8770)
Subway: N, R to 8th Street-NYU; 6 to Astor Place joespub.com
• The Kitano 66 Park Avenue at 38th Street (212-885-7000)
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to Grand Central kitano.com
• Klavierhaus 211 West 58th Street
(212-245-4535) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
klavierhaus.com
• Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 33 University Place at 9th Street
(212-228-8490) Subway: N, R to 8th Street-NYU
knickerbockerbarandgrill.com
• Korzo 667 5th Avenue (between 19th and 20th streets), Brooklyn
(718-285-9425) Subway: R to Prospect Avenue
eurotripbrooklyn.com/info.html
• LIC Bar 45-58 Vernon Boulevard
(718-786-5400) Subway: 7 to Vernon-Jackson Boulevard
• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street (212-228-4854)
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street lepoissonrouge.com
• Lenox Lounge 288 Lenox Avenue between 124th and 125th Streets
(212-427-0253) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Street lenoxlounge.com
• Leonard Nimoy Thalia 2537 Broadway at 95th Street
(212-864-5400) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 9 to 96th Street
symphonyspace.org
• Littlefield 622 Degraw Street
(718-855-3388) Subway: M, R to Union Street littlefieldnyc.com
• The Local 269 269 East Houston Street at Suffolk Street
Subway: F to Second Avenue rucma.org
• Local 802 322 W. 48th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues
(212-245-4802) Subway: C to 50th Street jazzfoundation.org
• Londel’s 2620 Frederick Douglas Boulevard between 139th and
140th streets (212-234-6114) Subway: 1 to 145th Street
londelsrestaurant.com
• Metropolitan Room 34 West 22nd Street (212-206-0440)
Subway: N, R to 23rd Street metropolitanroom.com
• Miles’ Café 212 E. 52nd Street, 3rd floor (between Second and
Third Avenues) (212-371-7657) Subway: 6 to 51st Street; E to
53rd Street MilesCafe.com
• NYC Baha’i Center 53 E. 11th Street (212-222-5159)
Subway: 4, 5, 6, N, R to 14th Street-Union Square bahainyc.org
• New School 55 W. 13th Street
(212-229-5488) Subway: F, V to 14th Street jazz.newschool.edu
• Nino’s Tuscany 117 W. 58th Street (212-757-8630)
Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
ninostuscany.com
• North Square Lounge 103 Waverly Place at McDougal Street
(212-254-1200) Subway: A, B, C, E, F to West 4th Street
northsquarejazz.com
• Notaro Second Avenue between 34th & 35th Streets (212-686-3400)
Subway: 6 to 33rd Street
• Nublu 62 Avenue C between 4th and 5th Streets (212-979-9925)
Subway: F to Second Avenue nublu.net
• Ocean’s 8 at Brownstone Billiards 308 Flatbush Avenue
(718-857-5555) Subway: B, Q to Seventh Avenue
• Parlor Entertainment 555 Edgecombe Ave. #3F between 159th and
160th Streets (212-781-6595) Subway: C to 155th Street
parlorentertainment.com
• ParlorJazz 119 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn (718-855-1981)
Subway: G to Clinton-Washington parlorjazz.com
• Piano Due 151 West 51st Street (212-399-9400)
Subway: 1 to 50th Street pianoduenyc.net
• Prospect Series 363 Prospect Avenue, ground floor between
Sixth and Seventh Avenues Subway: D, N, R to Prospect Avenue
• Puppet’s Jazz Bar 481 5th Avenue, Brooklyn (718-499-2622)
Subway: F to 7th Avenue puppetsjazz.com
• Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street (212-477-4155)
Subway: F to Second Avenue rockwoodmusichall.com
• Rose Live Music 345 Grand Street between Havemeyer and Marcy
(718-599-0069) Subway: L to Lorimer Street liveatrose.com
• Rose Theater Broadway at 60th Street, 5th floor (212-258-9800)
Subway: 1, 2, 3, 9, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle jalc.org
• Roulette 20 Greene Street (between Canal and Grand Streets)
(212-219-8242) Subway: 1 to Franklin Street roulette.org
• Rubin Museum 150 West 17th Street (212-620-5000)
Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street rmanyc.org
• St. Nick’s Pub 773 St. Nicholas Avenue at 149th Street
(212-283-9728) Subway: A, C, B, D to 145th Street
• Saint Peter’s Church 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street
(212-935-2200) Subway: 6 to 51st Street saintpeters.org
• SALT SPACE 1158 Broadway at 27th Street, 5th floor
Subway: F to 23rd Street saltspacenyc.com
• Showman’s 375 West 125th Street at Morningside) (212-864-8941)
Subway: 1 to 125th Street
• Shrine 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (212-690-7807)
Subway: B, 2, 3 to 135th Street shrinenyc.com
• Sintir 424 E. 9th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue
(212-477-4333) Subway: 6 to Astor Place
• Sistas’ Place 456 Nostrand Avenue at Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn
(718-398-1766) Subway: A to Nostrand Avenue sistasplace.org
• Sixth Street Synagogue 6th Street between First and
Second Avenues (212-473-3665) Subway: 6 to Astor Place
eastvillageshul.com
• Smalls 183 W 10th Street at Seventh Avenue (212-252-5091)
Subway: 1,2,3,9 to 14th Street smallsjazzclub.com
• Smoke 2751 Broadway between 105th and 106th Streets
(212-864-6662) Subway: 1 to 103rd Street smokejazz.com
• Sofia’s 221 W. 46th Street Subway: B, D, F to 42nd Street
• Solo Kitchen Bar 1502 Cortelyou Road (between E 16th and
Marlborough Road) (718-826-0951) Subway: Q to Cortelyou Road
• Sora Lella 300 Spring Street
(212-366-4749) Subway: C, E to Spring Street soralellanyc.com
• Spike Hill 184 Bedford Avenue Subway: L to Bedford spikehill.com
• Steinway Hall 109 W. 57th Street (212-246-1100)
Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
steinwayhall.com
• The Stone Avenue C and 2nd Street
Subway: F to Second Avenue thestonenyc.com
• Sucre Café 520 Dekalb Avenue (718-636-2000)
Subway: G to Bedford-Nostrand Avenues
• Swing 46 349 W. 46th Street (646-322-4051)
Subway: A, C, E to 42nd Street swing46.com
• Sycamore 1118 Cortelyou Road (347-240-5850)
Subway: B, Q to to Cortelyou Road sycamorebrooklyn.com
• Tea Lounge 837 Union Street, Brooklyn (718-789-2762)
Subway: N, R to Union Street tealoungeNY.com
• Tomi Jazz 239 E. 53rd Street (646-497-1254)
Subway: 6 to 51st Street tomijazz.com
• Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers Street
(212-220-1460) Subway: A, 1, 2, 3, 9 to Chambers Street
tribecapac.org
• Tutuma Social Club 164 East 56th Street 646-300-0305
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 59th Street TutumaSocialClub.com
• University of the Streets 130 East 7th Street (212-254-9300)
Subway: 6 to Astor Place universityofthestreets.org
• Via Della Pace 48 East 7th Street and Second Avenue
(212-253-5803) Subway: 6 to Astor Place
• The Village Trattoria 135 West 3rd Street (212-598-0011)
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street thevillagetrattoria.com
• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South at 11th Street
(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street villagevanguard.com
• Vino di Vino Wine Bar 29-21 Ditmars Boulevard, Queens
(718-721-3010) Subway: N to Ditmars Blvd-Astoria
• Walker’s 16 North Moore Street (212-941-0142)
Subway: A, C, E to Canal Street
• Waltz-Astoria 23-14 Ditmars Boulevard (718-95-MUSIC)
Subway: N, R to Ditmars Blvd-Astoria Waltz-Astoria.com
• Water Street Restaurant 66 Water Street (718-625-9352)
Subway: F to York Street, A, C to High Street
• York College Performing Arts Center 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.,
Queens Subway: E to Jamaica Center york.cuny.edu
• Zeb’s 223 W. 28th Street Subway: 1 to 28th Street
• Zebulon 258 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn (718-218-6934)
Subway: L to Bedford Avenue zebuloncafeconcert.com
• Zinc Bar 82 West 3rd Street (212-477-8337) Subway: A, C, E, F,
Grand Street Shuttle to W. 4th Street zincbar.com
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
45
(BELGRADE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13)
(BERLIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13)
(JAZZUV CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13)
pianist. On Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman”,
Watts’ dramatic hovering out-of-time introduction
made you sit very still in your chair.
Enrico Rava’s new quintet, with exciting
trombonist Gianluca Petrella and brilliant young
pianist Giovanni Guidi, played an incandescent set in
a full-to-overflowing Kolarac. It is a 78-year-old
concert space with approximately 900 seats and, like
everything in Belgrade, looks its age. But its acoustics
are extraordinary. Most of the pieces were slow burns,
Rava’s trumpet veering sideways to make revelatory
melodic breakthroughs. In live performance, Rava’s
poetic persona, so dominant on his ECM recordings, is
more likely to diversify into shattering trumpet spikes
soaring straight up. He and Petrella often soloed
simultaneously and created complex contrapuntal
synergies. Guidi is the perfect pianist for Rava because
he can allocate single notes into cryptic disembodied
designs or smash the keys with the flats of his hands
and make turgid heaving layers, as the moment
requires. Don Cherry’s “Art Deco” was one of the few
recognizable themes.
On the last night Jason Moran’s Bandwagon
played the Student Cultural Center. The crowd was the
youngest and loudest of the festival and filled all the
seats and stood around the edges of the large twostory room and spilled out into the smoky foyer.
(Cigarette smoke is the national plague of Serbia.)
Perhaps in response to the party atmosphere, Moran
played more Fender Rhodes and more funk than usual.
But he did offer “Study No. 6” by Conlon Nancarrow
on acoustic piano, a rapt, slow melody searching to
coalesce in halting notes. And he did confirm that he is
the strongest living interpreter of Monk with a ringing
“Crepuscule With Nellie”.
Because of the insightful decisions of Artistic
Director Vojislav Pantic and Program Manager Dragan
Ambrosic, the Belgrade festival always offers
opportunities for important discoveries. The crosscultural trio of outcats led by trombonist Reut Regev
rocked the Student Cultural Center. So did Zerkman
Big Bang. They played electrified thunder through
which trumpeter Zoran Erkman interwove improbable
haunting melodies. Sinne Eeg, from Denmark, is a
singer with the whole package: looks, height, pipes,
range, control and the ability to both scat and tell a
story. She also writes nice songs in English like
“Waiting For Dawn”, a poignant set of reflections on a
long-distance love affair.
The people of Serbia are in the process of rejoining
the world community. One of the best ways ever
devised to bring people together is jazz. K
three dozen bass-clef players. Several proved major
soloists: Céline Bonacina on irrepressible bari and
Denis Colin, Ulrich Drechsler, Per “Texas” Johansson,
all on bass clarinet.
Tributes to Charlie Parker went literal and
subliminal; octogenarian altoist Emil Mangelsdorff’s
opening set dimly enshrined “Confirmation” and
“Night In Tunisia” while Django Bates’ Beloved Bird
piano trio fractaled “Billie’s Bounce”, tripped “Little
Suede Shoes” over Latin lines from 4/4 to 7/4,
lockhanded “Star Eyes” in the George Shearing style
and atomized “Ah-leu-cha” into wispy Ravel cirrus.
Billie Holiday’s book got punk’d by Orchestre
National de France, when singers Karen Lano and Ian
Siegal unfurled a noirish “Strange Fruit”, ac/dc “My
Man” and rocked-out “You’ve Changed”, with nice
alto flute by Joce Mieniel. The audience at first
appeared outraged (some walked out) but later settled
into amused, or at least grudging, surprise.
Rock inflections rang out as frequently as black
turtlenecks, often as bold backbeats or guitar cameos,
like Peter Rom’s violin-like finesse or Pierre
Perchaud’s blistering riffs or perky mandolin and were
greeted with cheers in this hall that airs classical acts
most of the year. Electronica surfaced regularly in
supporting roles, but was prime in Heavy Rotation’s
loops-n-patches at Quasimodo and Peter Bolte’s alto
wired to Jim Campbell’s laptop jungle in the Side
Stage’s comparatively cozy confines.
Experimental vocals, a ripe mix of improvised and
carefully scripted, were noted from Nika Zach, Studio
Dan’s pixilated pixie, and Little Red Suitcase’s stark,
seriocomic duos. Paavo, co-led by bold pianist Cecilia
Persson and crystalline singer Sofia Jernberg, were
midnight showstoppers at JFB’s black box sidestage.
Their witty, brilliant chamber miniatures, with agile
reeds and trumpet, danced on pinheads with utter
unpredictability - ever playful yet purposeful.
Statesiders were few but iconic. Vocal group Moss
broke out with Neil Young’s “Old Man” and Tom
Waits’ “Take It With Me”. Tony Malaby ripped lusty
tenor treads opposite Denis Colin’s refined bass
clarinet. And Jazz-Institut Berlin’s concert featured a
percussion ensemble led by John Hollenbeck and
singer Judy Niemack’s Chillida Project.
An ‘intriguing instrument award’ goes to
Matthias Loibner for mastery of the hurdy-gurdy, a
medieval Tyrolean hybrid of accordion, fiddle and
crank organ; his turns wove exotic skeins in Jazz
Bigband Graz’ astonishing ‘rhythm section’ with
Barbara Buchholz’ theremin, Uli Rennert’s lap-steel
guitar and Christof Dienz’ e-zither. K
Dorante also performed with the fine trio led by
bassist Ray Drummond, with Boston-based drummer
John Ramsay (two more master class presenters),
playing a concert of both standards and originals,
including Drummond’s own “Ballade Poetique” and
“Maya’s Dance”, with a combination of fire and taste.
Ramsay’s fellow Berklee instructor, saxophonist
Daniel Ian Smith did a fine job rehearsing the student
Big Band JAZZUV through a difficult songbook of
arrangements of both familiar and not-so-familiar
compositions - “Monk’s Mood”, Ralph Burns’ “Early
Autumn”, Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Moments” and
Dizzy Gillespie’s “I Waited For You” among the
former while those from the latter category, Nat
Adderley’s “Sweet Emma”, Jaki Byard’s “Aluminum
Baby”
and
Herb
Geller’s
“Geller’s
Cellar”
demonstrated the veracity of Smith’s declaration that
the aggregation was as capable as any student band
getting off the bus in New York City. A tour de force
performance of the guest conductor’s “Dynamic Duo”
backing his tenor sax in a heated dialogue with Jason
Palmer’s virtuosic trumpet (that would continue
subsequently on Smith’s own daring club set) put an
exclamation point on the revelatory concert.
Numerous members of the young orchestra
regularly proved themselves to be equally excellent
soloists (joined by a few fine songstresses) in the
nightly jam sessions that followed each evening’s main
events, ending long days that often began with
morning master classes and continued with afternoon
jazz-related theater and films and free outdoor
concerts. Utilizing myriad venues, each with its own
individual charm and character, the festival afforded
listeners (many coming from different Mexican locales,
but very few from other countries, including the
United States) the opportunity to partake in the beauty
of one Mexico’s greenest cities, strewn with
spectacular landscapes, parks and mountain views.
With a temperate climate often described as
“perfect” and a thriving music scene of its own,
featuring both local musicians and students and
teachers from throughout Mexico, as well as Cuba,
Xalapa and its Festival Internacional JAZZUV may
well become an international destination. But as with
its grand finale, a free great hall concert featuring the
JAZZUV Big Band (under the direction of the fine
Cuban altoist Raúl Gutiérrez) playing its regular Latin
repertoire - with guests Herrera, Paredes, Bunnett,
Smith and Mela (singing) that had many of the
estimated 5,000 attendees up and dancing for an hour
long-encore - it is already, in its third year, one of the
best places in the world to hear music. K
For more information, visit belgrade-jazzfest.org
For more information, visit berlinerfestspiele.de
For more information, visit jazzuv.com
Dancing
with Johnny
available
at cdbaby,
iTunes &
Amazon
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“Ciofalo interprets Johnny Mercer beautifully,
capturing the joy and irony he intended in ‘Tangerine’,
the ache in ‘Early Autumn’, the tenderness of
‘I Remember You’. This is a theme album worthy
of its inspiration...” - Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
See Linda at Saint Peter’s
54th & Lex Dec. 29th at 1 pm
LindaCiofalo.com
46 December 2010 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
IN MEMORIAM
by Andrey Henkin
GARY BANNISTER - Seattle’s place among jazz cities would have been much lower without the
efforts of the promoter/producer. After moving to the city in 1974, Bannister had a radio show and
ran a record label but most importantly was the booker for Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley and co-founded
the Earshot Jazz Festival, one of the United States’ most important avant garde music festivals.
Bannister died Oct. 18th at 61.
JACK BROKENSHA - The vibraphonist truly had an international career, getting started in the ‘50s
as part of the Australian Jazz Quartet then Quintet before moving to Detroit and joining that city’s
jazz and soul scenes, recording often for early Motown sessions. Brokensha died Oct. 28th at 84.
DICK BUCKLEY - Radio listeners in the Windy City from the mid ‘50s to 2008 knew the voice of
Dick Buckley, the elder statesman of jazz broadcasters, whose knowledge and bass-baritone voice
were famous. Buckley died Jul. 22nd at 85.
HOTEP IDRIS GALETA - A contemporary of Abdullah Ibrahim and Chris McGregor, the South
African pianist also left his native country to pursue jazz, ending up in the United States and in the
groups of such players as Hugh Masekela, Jackie McLean and Mario Pavone and on the faculty of
the Hartt School of Music. Galeta died Nov. 3rd at 69.
BRIAN GRICE - The son of French hornist Maurice Grice, the drummer moved from his native
Chicago to New York City in the ‘80s and worked with Oscar Brown, Jr, Charles Earland and in
Broadway pit orchestras. Grice died Jul. 17th at 57.
CARL HENDRIX - The pianist got his start in army bands during the ‘40s, worked with the Dorsey
Brothers in New York after the war and then was a fixture in Florida during the past decades.
Hendrix died Aug. 3rd at approximately 85.
TITO BURNS - The accordionist was one of the first British beboppers, leading groups that
included such future stars as Johnny Dankworth, before shifting his attentions to rock and roll in the
role of manager and impresario. Burns died Aug. 23rd at 89.
WALTER PAYTON - The bassist should be known as more than father to trumpeter Nicholas. The
elder Payton was one of the linchpins of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a famed traditional New
Orleans ensemble, as well as a music educator, both in schools and leading the youth band at New
Orleans’ Jazz and Heritage Festival. Payton died Oct. 28th at 68.
VINCENT DAVIS - The percussionist was an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music but
made his name as a free-thinking drummer for a number of Chicago ensembles stemming from the
AACM world like those of Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors. Davis died Aug. 25th at 53.
HARVEY PHILLIPS - He was responsible for getting the tuba respect as a solo instrument and as a
destination for commissioned works. Though primarily working in the classical field, he also
performed jazz in clubs and recital halls. Phillips died Oct. 21st at 80.
BILL FITCH - Who helped shape the Latin jazz sounds of Cal Tjader and Vince Guaraldi during the
‘60s? Conga player Bill Fitch, that’s who. An older contemporary of Gary Burton and Chick Corea at
Berklee College of Music, Fitch died Aug. 29th at 91.
SID SIMMONS - The pianist worked early on with the famed Grubbs brothers of Philadelphia, was
part of Locksmith, a famed local band of future stars like Tyrone Brown and John Blake, and became
a mainstay of the city of Brotherly Love, being part of a first-call rhythm section for visiting
musicians. Simmons died Nov. 5th at 63.
S. NEIL FUJITA - While he may have gotten more exposure for his cover design of Mario Puzo’s
novel The Godfather, the graphic artist, while working for Columbia Records, was also responsible
for running the team that produced some of the most iconic jazz album art of the ‘50s, including
Dave Brubeck’s Time Out and Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um. Fujita died Oct. 23rd at 89.
WALLY “GATOR” WATSON - The drummer had a few sticks in the pop world but also worked
with the large tribute ensembles of Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Cab Calloway
as well as being on faculty at York College. Watson died Sep. 4th at approximately 60.
BIRTHDAYS
December 1
†Ike Isaacs 1919-96
†DickJohnson 1925-2010
Ted Brown b.1927
Hadley Caliman b.1932
†Jimmy Lyons 1933-86
Carlos Garnett b.1938
†Jaco Pastorius 1951-87
December 2
†Charlie Ventura 1916-92
†John Bunch 1921-2010
†Wynton Kelly 1931-71
†Ronnie Mathews 1935-2008
Jason Rigby b.1974
Tal Wilkenfeld b.1986
December 3
†Corky Cornelius 1914-43
†Herbie Nichols 1919-63
December 4
†Eddie Heywood 1915-89
Frank Tiberi b.1928
Jim Hall b.1930
†Denis Charles 1933-98
Andy Laverne b.1947
Cassandra Wilson b.1955
Andrew Drury b.1964
December 5
†Art Davis 1934-2007
Enrico Pieranunzu b.1949
Anders Bergkrantz b.1961
December 6
†Ira Gershwin 1896-1985
Dave Brubeck b.1920
†Bob Cooper 1925-93
Frankie Dunlop b.1928
†Eddie Gladden 1937-2003
Jay Leonhart b.1940
Miroslav Vitous b.1947
Harvie S b.1948
Jason Stein b.1976
December 7
†Teddy Hill 1909-78
Sonny Phillips b.1936
Mads Vinding b.1948
Matthew Shipp b.1960
December 8
Sol Yaged b.1922
†Jimmy Smith 1928-2005
Tim Armacost b. 1962
December 9
†Matty Malneck 1903-81
†Bob Scobey 1916-63
Donald Byrd b.1932
Jimmy Owens b.1943
December 10
†Irving Fazola 1912-49
†Ray Nance 1913-76
†George Tucker 1927-65
Bob Cranshaw b.1932
Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky
b.1933
December 11
†Perez Prado 1916-89
McCoy Tyner b.1938
Mara Rosenbloom b.1984
December 12
†Eddie Barefield 1909-91
†Frank Sinatra 1915-98
†Joe Williams 1918-99
Bob Dorough b.1923
†Dodo Marmarosa 1925-2002
Toshiko Akiyoshi b.1929
Juhani Aaltonen b.1935
Michael Carvin b.1944
†Tony Williams 1945-97
Bruce Ditmas b.1946
December 13
†Sonny Greer 1895-1982
Ben Tucker b.1930
Borah Bergman b.1933
Reggie Johnson b.1940
December 14
†Budd Johnson 1910-84
†Spike Jones 1911-64
Clark Terry b.1920
†Cecil Payne 1922-2007
†Phineas Newborn 1931-89
†Leo Wright 1933-91
Jerome Cooper b.1946
December 15
†Stan Kenton 1911-79
†Jimmy Nottingham 1925-78
†Gene Quill b.1927-89
Barry Harris b.1929
Curtis Fuller b.1934
†Dannie Richmond 1935-88
Eddie Palmieri b.1936
Toshinori Kondo b.1948
Kris Tiner b.1977
December 16
†Andy Razaf 1905-73
†Turk Murphy 1915-87
†Steve Allen 1921-2000
†Johnny “Hammond” Smith
1933-97
†Joe Farrell 1937-86
Radu Malfatti b.1943
John Abercrombie b.1944
December 17
†Ray Noble 1903-78
†Sonny Red 1932-81
†Walter Booker 1933-2006
John Ore b.1933
Vyacheslav Ganelin b.1944
Chris Welcome b.1980
December 18
†Fletcher Henderson
1897-1952
†Willis Conover 1920-96
†Harold Land 1928-2001
†Nick Stabulas 1929-73
Wadada Leo Smith b.1941
December 19
†Erskine Tate 1895-1978
Bob Brookmeyer b.1929
†Bobby Timmons 1935-74
Milcho Leviev b.1937
Lenny White b.1949
Kuni Mikami b.1954
Quinsin Nachoff b.1973
December 22
Ronnie Ball b.1927
Joe Lee Wilson b.1935
†Nick Ceroli 1939-85
John Patitucci b.1959
December 23
†Chet Baker 1929-88
†Frank Morgan 1933-2007
John McAll b.1960
December 24
†Baby Dodds 1898-1959
†Jabbo Smith 1908-91
†Henry Coker 1919-79
Ray Bryant b.1931
†Chris McGregor 1936-90
†Woody Shaw 1944-89
Ralph Moore b.1956
Paal Nilssen-Love b.1974
December 20
†John Hardee 1918-84
Sam Falzone b.1933
Larry Willis b.1940
Ehud Asherie b.1979
December 25
†Louis Cottrell 1878-1927
†Kid Ory 1886-1973
†Big Jim Robinson 1892-1976
†Cab Calloway 1907-94
†Oscar Moore 1912-81
Pete Rugolo b.1915
†Eddie Safranski 1918-74
†Don Pullen 1941-95
Ronnie Cuber b.1941
December 21
†Marshall Brown 1920-83
Rita Reys b.1924
†Hank Crawford 1934-2009
†John Hicks 1941-2006
Cameron Brown b.1945
December 26
Butch Ballard b.1917
†Monty Budwig 1929-92
Billy Bean b.1933
Brooks Kerr b.1951
John Scofield b.1951
December 27
†Bunk Johnson 1889-1949
†Booty Wood 1919-87
Bill Crow b.1927
Walter Norris b.1931
TS Monk b.1949
Pablo Held b.1986
December 28
†Earl “Fatha” Hines 1903-83
†Al Klink 1915-91
†Moe Koffman 1928-2001
†Ed Thigpen 1930-2010
Bob Cunningham b.1934
†Dick Sudhalter 1938-2008
Ted Nash b.1960
December 29
†Cutty Cutshall 1911-68
†Irving Ashby 1920-87
Jan Konopasek b.1931
Joe Lovano b.1952
George Schuller b.1958
Danilo Pérez b.1960
Reuben Radding b.1966
George Colligan b.1969
December 30
†Jimmy Jones 1918-82
†Jack Montrose 1928-2006
Wolfgang Dauner b.1935
Jerry Granelli b.1940
Lewis Nash b.1958
Frank Vignola b.1965
December 31
†John Kirby 1908-52
†Jonah Jones 1909-2000
†Peter Herbolzheimer
1935-2010
JEROME COOPER
December 14th, 1946
Drummer Jerome Cooper
may have spent the last
few decades concentrating
on his solo performance,
including the recent A
Magical
Approach
(Mutable), but his biggest
contribution, apart from
sideman work with figures
like Cecil Taylor and
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, was
as
one-third
of
the
Revolutionary Ensemble.
With
violinist
Leroy
Jenkins and bassist Sirone,
the
trio
created
the
concept of ‘chamber jazz’,
releasing
six
albums
during the ‘70s and two
acclaimed discs in 2004
and 2008 after a reunion
concert at the Vision
Festival. Cooper’s pliable,
multi-layered drumming
was integral to the group’s
sound.
- Andrey Henkin
ONbyTHIS
DAY
Andrey Henkin
All Night Long
Prestige All Stars (Prestige)
December 28th, 1958
Alternately credited to Donald Byrd
and Kenny Burrell, this session was
actually one of the Prestige label’s
mixed roster sessions that began
earlier in the year (and would
continue through early 1959). This
particular edition featured both the
trumpeter and guitarist, along with
saxists Hank Mobley and Jerome
Richardson, pianist Mal Waldron,
bassist Doug Watkins and drummer
Art Taylor (the sole holdover from the
earlier recording) filling out the
rhythm section. Mostly member
originals make up the program.
The Call
Henry Grimes (ESP-Disk)
December 28th, 1965
Part of what made Henry Grimes’
rediscovery in the early 2000’s
compelling was that prior to his
disappearance he was one of the more
prolifically recorded bassists of the
late ‘50s-mid ‘60s, working across
genre with many seminal musicians
(Sonny Rollins and Cecil Taylor,
anyone?). By the time of this album,
his leader debut, he had established
himself firmly in the burgeoning
avant garde, and this session, six
tunes with clarinetist Perry Robinson
and drummer Tom Price, showed a
potential cut off for decades.
Call
Michael Naura (MPS)
December 28th, 1970
MPS Records was responsible for
releasing albums by a wide swathe of
the European jazz scene, players who
would go on to international success
and those whose fame was limited to
the continent. Pianist Michael Naura
is of the latter category though he
continues to perform. As with all of
his albums, the real draw is his
sidemen: here we have an appearance
by bassist Eberhard Weber along with
regular bandmate Wolfgang Schlüter
(vibes) and drummer Joy Nay for a
session of eight compact Naura
originals.
AIR Mail
AIR (Black Saint)
December 28th, 1980
After debuting in 1969 on a Muhal
Richard Abrams disc, saxist Henry
Threadgill didn’t record again until
1975 with the newly formed trio AIR
(with bassist Fred Hopkins and
drummer Steve McCall). That group
worked off and on for seven years in
its original incarnation before changes
in the drumming chair during the mid
‘80s. This disc, the group’s eighth, was
recorded in the group’s adopted
home of New York City and
demonstrates the trio’s cooperative
nature: three tunes, one by each
player, 36 minutes in total.
Cubism
Ronnie Cuber (Fresh Sound)
December 28th, 1991
Ronnie Cuber has been a mainstay on
that burliest of horns, the baritone
sax, for over 40 years, working with
everyone from George Benson and
Dr. Lonnie Smith to Idris Muhammad
and Eddie Palmieri. Cuber has also
released a number of albums as a
leader, the obviously titled Cubism his
seventh. The lineup for the session is
an interesting mix of NYC musicians:
Joe Locke (vibes), Bobby Broom
(guitar), Michael Formanek (bass),
Ben Perowsky (drums) and Carlos
“Patato” Valdes (congas), playing
mostly the leader’s originals.
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | December 2010
47