FEBRUARY 2023—ISSUE 250

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

Catherine
Russell

Jazz Royalty
Family TraditionBILL
SAXTONIMMANUEL
WILKINSBLACKHISTORY
MONTH
ISSUE

ROGER
HUMPHRIESCEDAR
WALTONManaging Editor:
Laurence Donohue-Greene[Co-Founder/Editor Emeritus: Andrey Henkin]

To Contact:
The New York City Jazz Record
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United States
Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628

FEBRUARY 2023 – ISSUE 250

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

NEW YORK@NIGHT

Nate Dorward (Copy Editor):ndorward@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW: BILL SAXTON

Advertising:advertising@nycjazzrecord.com

ARTIST FEATURE: IMMANUEL WILKINS

Keith Hoffman(Event Calendar Manager):calendar@nycjazzrecord.com

ON THE COVER: CATHERINE RUSSELL

Suzanne Lorge (VOXNews):
voxnews@nycjazzrecord.com
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Staff Writers
Matty Bannond, Dan Bilawsky,
Stuart Broomer, Robert Bush,
Kevin Canfield, Marco Cangiano,
Brian Charette, Thomas Conrad,
Pierre Crépon, Ken Dryden,
Phil Freeman, Pierre Giroux,
Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland,
George Grella, Anders Griffen,
Tyran Grillo, Alex Henderson,
Robert Iannapollo, Marilyn Lester,
Sylvia Levine, Suzanne Lorge,
Marc Medwin, Jim Motavalli,
Russ Musto, John Pietaro,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon,
Thomas Staudter, Anna Steegmann,
Eric Wendell, Scott Yanow
Contributing Writers
Fred Bouchard, Mike Cobb, Jason Gross,George Kanzler, Franz Matzner,
Monique Ngozi Nri
Contributing Photographers
Sandrine Lee, Alan Nahigian, Sherry Rubel,
Robert Sutherland-Cohen , Rog Walker

nycjazzrecord.com

ENCORE: ROGER HUMPHRIESLEST WE FORGET: CEDAR WALTONLABEL SPOTLIGHT: BURNING AMBULANCEVOXNEWS
ALBUM REVIEWSEVENT CALENDARCLUB DIRECTORYOBITUARIES

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by mike cobb
by matty bannondby jim motavalli
by marilyn lester
by sylvia levine
by george grellaby suzanne lorge

by thomas staudter

On February 7th, 1926, Carter G. Woodson (American author, historian, scholar and founder of the
Association for the Study of African American Life and History) inaugurated Negro History Week, aweek-long study and celebration of African American history. That week would turn into a month in someparts of the U.S. as early as the ‘40s, but it wasn’t until decades later in 1976 when Black History Monthbecame officially recognized. Though February is the shortest month of the year, Black contributions to
America cannot be underestimated or undervalued. Along with other overlooked accomplishments by theBlack community, jazz —what many rightfully consider “America’s Classical Music”— should becelebrated all year, as we have made a point of doing in this gazette since its inception almost 21 years ago.
In this month’s issue we tip our hats and pay respect to many past and present Black contributors who
have shaped and help continue to shape this music, from our features to the special front-loaded Black
History Month-related album review section (pgs. 12-17). The jazz lineage of vocalist Catherine Russell(Cover) is undeniable: her parents Luis Russell and Carline Ray are each legendary figures. Russell
returns to Birdland for what has become a Valentine’s week tradition. Veteran tenor saxophonist Bill
Saxton (Interview) honors his forebears every weekend at his Harlem brownstone venue Bill’s Place, thevery same location where Willie “The Lion” Smith and a young Billie Holiday performed; this month healso ventures to another borough, Brooklyn’s Sistas’ Place, where he pays tribute to former mentor, the late
Pharoah Sanders. Alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins (Artist Feature) has taken the jazz world by storm
in a matter of a few years with an acclaimed debut and follow-up (both on Blue Note Records) and curates
and plays a week at The Stone at New School featuring special guests. Some other features to pique yourinterest: the late pianist Cedar Walton (Lest We Forget), an Art Blakey-alumnus and NEA Jazz Master,
will be fêted at Tribeca Performing Arts Center; and in anticipation of becoming an octogenarian, wecaught up with former Horace Silver drummer Roger Humphries (Encore).
— Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor
On The Cover: Catherine Russell by Sandrine Lee
Corrections: Photo credit for Jan. 2023 Cory Smythe Artist Feature should have been — By Peter Gannushkin
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDNEW YORK @ N IGHTCONRAD HERWIG& THE LATIN ALL-STARS
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on opening night (Jan. 12th) to the 19th Winter Jazzfest,
staged almost four hours of compositions by female
jazz artists gleaned from Terri Lyne Carrington’s New
Standards fakebook, many performed by the composers.
The first of five sets featured seven up-and-coming‘young lionesses’—trombonists Kalia Vandever and Lexi
Hamner, keyboardists Alexis Lombre and Anastassiya
Petrova, guitarists Loke Risberg and Keyanna
Hutchinson, drummer Ivanna Cuesta—playing songs
like Emily Remler’s “Blues for Herb”, Bria Skonberg’s“Villain Vanguard” and Cassandra Wilson’s “Broken
Drum”, wonderfully scatted by Hamner. Drummer
Allison Miller played her “Speak Eddie” with pianist
Helen Sung and bassist Rashaan Carter, passing thebaton to pianists Angelica Sanchez, Michele Rosewoman,then Sung, whose “Chaos Theory”, a standout, mixed
sci-fi swing with sturm und drang. The third set featured
vocalists Michael Mayo, Devon Gates and Sara Serpa
layering ideas on Serpa’s “Primavera” and Gretchen
Parlato’s “Circling”. A trio of altos — Tia Fuller, Veronica
Leahy, Caroline Davis—traded and threaded phrases on
Fuller’s “Queen Intuition”, Leahy’s “20/20” and Davis’“Kowtow”, ably assisted by pianist Julius Rodriguez anddrummer Tcheser Holmes. The final quartet was pianist
Kris Davis, bassist Linda May Han Oh, Carrington
on drums and guitarist Mary Halvorson. Sparks flew
as Halvorson’s tremulous spiky runs encountered
Carrington’s promethean drive.
— Tom Greenlandcertain thing”, which in April Varner’s case is a
profound command of deep scat and vocalese. In
her set at Chelsea Table+Stage (Jan. 11th), Varnerdemonstrated both, fully and in snippets, in tunes
from the American Songbook, Broadway and jazz.
Throughout, she proved herself a direct, authentic
singer with the ability to inhabit the core of a song anddeliver it as a straight shot of storytelling. An original
song about cookies, “Red Velvet”, began a cappella,sounding like a call to prayer. When joined by her
musicians, Yonatan Guedj (alto), Gabriel SchillingerHyman (piano), Shimon Gambourg (bass) and Joshua
Green (drums), Varner’s vocalization further createda mystical, Eastern mood. Her vocal dynamism wasdemonstrated most in ballads, such as “Getting toKnow You” (Richard Rodgers, Oscar HammersteinII) and “For Once in My Life” (Ron Miller, Orlando
Murden), with Varner’s solid soprano in jazz-pop mode.
She smartly took the pseudo-jazz Broadway number“Forget About the Boy” (Jeanine Tesori, Dick Scanlan)
to a higher level with her authentic jazz phrasing.
One of her most electrifying numbers was Johnny
Hodges’ fun riff-based tune “Squatty Roo”, where scat
ruled. This performance in particular showcased the
prodigious talents of her young, hip band, which she
generously featured during the set. Varner and hercrew were deep in the groove throughout, together
functioning as a fluid musical unit. — Marilyn Lester

SHERRY RUBEL @SRSTUDIOS-BIZ

Presenting

New Standards Live, one of three events that took place As the song lyric goes, “She’s got that thing, that

SHERRY RUBEL @SRSTUDIOS-BIZ

t
Open a 30 pm!
6:

New Standards Live @ City Winery

April Varner @ Chelsea Table + StageDavid Bowie’s early enthusiasm for John Coltrane,
Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman
led him to take up alto saxophone, incorporate it on
his records and eventually hire jazz musicians Donny
McCaslin, Jason Lindner, Ben Monder, Tim Lefebvre
and Mark Guiliana for his swan song recording,Blackstar. The second annual David Bowie Tribute, a
two-night stand at The Cutting Room (Jan. 6th-7th), wasco-led by guitarist Mark Plati and keyboardist Henry
Hey, with McCaslin (tenor saxophone/flute), Lefebvre(bass), Gerry Leonard (guitar), Brian Delaney (drums),
Everett Bradley (percussion) and five outstanding leadsingers: J. J. Appleton, Jim Boggia, Brian Delaney, GailAnn Dorsey and Catherine Russell—all of whom had
personal connections to Bowie, through recording,touring and/or appearing in his 2015 Off-Broadway
production Lazarus. The second show featured 29
songs over two sets. Most renditions were succinct
and faithful to the original recordings, enlivened by
Leonard’s slow-hand, steely toned solos. McCaslin’s
scorchy tenor upped the jazz factor on “Modern Love”,“Blue Jean”, “Life on Mars”, “Lady Grinning Soul”,“Young Americans”, “Look Back in Anger” and “KarmaMan” (the last featuring an extended solo) with song
themes or obbligatos, doubled guitar riffs and zipping
inside/outside lines, his tenor tone often augmented byelectronic signal processing. Russell, also known for oldtimey swinging blues, revealed her rowdier, trendier
side on “Changes” and “Hang on to Yourself”.
(TG)

I t’s a given that singer-pianist Judy Carmichael’s
music also comes with shtick. Her Lincoln Center/
David Rubenstein Atrium gig (Jan. 5th) was, ofcourse, all about stride—full on and subtle—withwitty patter dotted throughout an eclectic set. She
was accompanied by long-time guitarist Chris
Flory and reed man Dan Block. The trio pumped
up the room’s energy on the opener, Fats Waller’s“Handful of Keys” a la Benny Goodman’s bigband arrangement, which is to say at a slightly
less breakneck tempo than his quartet’s version
or Waller’s own delivery. Later, Carmichael riffed
on Goodman’s “All the Cats Join In” with her
own clever take on the lyric. Her wit emerged yet
again on an original tune written with saxophonist
Harry Allen, titled “No One Can Love You LikeYou”. Its old-school swing style made it easy to
imagine the dapper Fred Astaire making a mealof it. Carmichael’s own “Boisdale Blues” was an
uptempo stride piece that spotlighted the steady,creative Flory as well as providing a wailing clarinet
feature for Block. Carmichael voiced a rarely
performed, sly 1941 Waller tune, “Come and Get
It” (with Ed Kirkeby) in a stride-ified, syncopatedswing. Closing with a rousing instrumental “Lady
Be Good” (George Gershwin), all three players
found fertile ground for improv—sometimes to theedge of discordance—with Block switching out his
clarinet for tenor sax.
(ML)

4 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Studio Rivbea, founded by Sam Rivers in the Loft Jazz
days, remains the stuff of legend. Arts for Art celebrated
it over a five-day period, capturing the revolutionary
brilliance still fulminating within 24 Bond Street.
Creative spirits never die, certainly not at the GeneFrankel Theatre (the location’s current occupant),
which played host to the Studio Rivbea Rivisited
festival. Day five (Jan. 8th) was overflowing in its gifts.
Violist Melanie Dyer’s We Free Strings harbors the raw
radicalism, cultural pride and multi-media sensibilityof the Loft days. Her group swings, burns, sizzles andswoons through the composed and the improvised (andthe seemingly composed but improvised), as heard on
its album from 2022 (Love in the Form of Sacred Things,
ESP-Disk’). But this concert, a thrilling preview of her“Rebecca”, added Dyer’s rich prose, spoken word, film
and photography to the mix. Dedicated to her 90-yearold aunt, the work explored heritage, lineage, the larger
family, the self: “A few poems the love of my youth
never read in a coat pocket full of tacit apologies, actsof hubris, lint.” The texts were as vital as the music,
and Charlie Burnham and Gwen Laster (violins), Alex
Waterman (cello), Rashaan Carter (bass), Newman
Taylor Baker (percussion) and Dyer herself were simply
transcendent. Ensemble Rivbea Revisited, comprisingboth Loft Jazz vets (William Parker, Juma Sultan,
Joe Daley, Daniel Carter, Ted Daniel) and younger
musicians (Ingrid Laubrock, Brandon Lopez), thenplayed a transporting improvised set. — John Pietaro

ALAN NAHIGIAN

The first annual Jazz Camp West Fellowship Award has beenannounced. Jazz Camp West is a one-of-a-kind, professional andartistic mentorship program (taking place Jun. 10th-17th) withdrummer/Founding Mentor/Artist In Residence Ulysses Owens, Jr.
and drummer/Artistic Director Allison Miller. Fellowship applications
are due by Mar. 1st. For more info, visit livingjazz.org.
After 50 years and almost 350 concerts, Highlights in Jazz (“NewYork’s longest running jazz concert series”) founder Jack Kleinsinger
is calling it quits. The final Highlights concert is on Feb. 23rd at
Tribeca Performing Arts Center, featuring vocalist Sheila Jordan,
guitarists Russell Malone, Gene Bertoncini and Roni Ben-Hur,bassists Jay Leonhart and Harvie S, and drummer Danny Gottlieb.
For more info, visit highlightsinjazz.org.
The Jazz Gallery Honors Gala has been announced and will takeplace May 15th. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented topianist Joanne Brackeen, trumpeter Tom Harrell and alto
saxophonist/flute player Henry Threadgill; a Contribution to the Arts
Award to Jazzmobile’s Robin Bell-Stevens; and a Founders Award
to Jazz Gallery Executive Director Janet Luhrs. For more info, visit
jazzgallery.org.
Artists Studio at Park Avenue Armory presents “Jason Moran andHenry Threadgill: AACM Listening Session” on Feb. 18th, an intimate
discussion and listening session spotlighting the over-60-year-old
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) andtheir creative impact on American music. For more info, visit
armoryonpark.org.

Helping to bring jazz to younger generations, The Jazz Loft hasannounced the creation of the Jazz Loft Youth Band, featuring a
coalition of Stony Brook University students involved with the venue,
whose performances will be showcased for the Spring semester. For
more info, visit jazzloft.org.

We Free Strings @ Gene Frankel Theater

John Lee with Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience @ Blue Note

T he absence of its bandleader did not deter the The
Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra fromtaking to the Birdland stage (Jan. 8th) to perform atypically incendiary set of Afro-Cuban jazz. Tenor
saxophonist Ivan Renta stepped out front to direct
the 18-piece ensemble; Gabriel Chakarji took over
O’Farrill’s piano duties in the pulsating rhythm
section, filled out by bassist Liany Mateo, drummer
Vince Cherico and percussionists Carlito Maldonado
and Mariana Ramirez. The band got things started
with Michael Philip Mossman’s arrangement of the
Mario Bauza classic “Sambia”, with features for
Cherico, Berta Moreno (tenor) and Earl McIntyre(bass trombone). The music continued with Papo
Vazquez’ commanding orchestration of Juan Tizol’s“Caravan” featuring McIntyre, Courtney Wright(baritone) and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). Next up,
the group took a page out of the Spanish Harlem
Orchestra’s songbook, playing Oscar Hernandez’“Rumba Urbana” with Ramirez, Chakarji, Seneca
Black (trumpet) and Rafi Malkiel (trombone)shining in the soloist spotlight. The band feted
Birdland’s owner with O’Farrill’s vivacious “Mambo
d’Gianni”, featuring Rachel Therrien (trumpet) andJasper Dutz (alto). The night ended with the band
reaching back into its repertoire from past decades
to play Chico O’Farrill’s soulful guajira “Campina”
and Ray Santo’s spirited mambo “Browsin’ with
Bauza”.
(RM)

W H AT ’ S N E W S

Bloomingdale School of Music has been awarded $40,000 in
grants from the New York Council on the Arts, part of theunprecedented investment of over $240 million to support arts
organizations across New York. The school’s faculty members
include saxophonists Daniel Bennett and Jordan Pettay, guitarists Eli
Asher and Jamie Fox, vocalist Jocelyn Medina and pianist Michael
Cochrane. For more info, visit bsmy.org.

R.I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN/JAZZEXPRESSIONS.ORG

A dvancing the legacy of his old boss, bassist John
Lee led the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experiencethrough a week at the Blue Note that honed in on
the iconic trumpeter’s internationalist vision. Theband began its Thursday night (Jan. 5th) second set
with Cuban pianist Gabriel Hernandez’ “RumbaRoy”, a tribute to Roy Hargrove. Trumpeter Freddie
Hendrix, saxophonist Sharel Cassity and pianist
Abelita Mateus played hard hitting solos propelledby the rhythms of drummer Tommy Campbell andpercussionist Roger Squitero. Moving from the
Caribbean to South America, the band stretched out
on Argentine pianist Lalo Schifrin’s “Long Long
Summer” before settling into a Brazilian groove on
Ivan Lins’ sauntering “Love Dance” (with Hendrix
on flugelhorn), Elis Regina’s swinging samba“Bala Com Bala” (featuring Mateus’ exhilarating
vocal) and Jobim’s classic bossa nova “Desafinado”(showcasing Cassity’s lyrical flute). Two Gillespie
AfroCuban classics, “Tin Tin Deo” and “ConAlma”, were followed by Papo Vazquez’ blazing
arrangement of his Puerto Rican trombonist forebear
Juan Tizol’s Ellingtonian warhorse “Caravan”,
which had Hendrix soaring stratospherically andCampbell and Squitero trading fiery exchanges.
The band closed out with Gillespie’s catchy calypso“Fiesta Mojo”, on which Campbell delighted theaudience by playing an array of squeaky toys on
the drums.
— Russ Mustovery atmosphere within Zürcher Gallery(Jan.10th) suggested community and the thriving of thedowntown scene. “The Art of Counterpoint”, a highpoint in the venue/gallery’s season, featured innervisions of the music via the artwork of several notablemusicians (Bill Dixon, Marion Brown, Oliver Lake) andthe legendary poet Ted Joans. The closing concert fêted
the stunning visuals with a performance by a line-up
headed by cornetist Stephen Haynes and featuring thestring ensemble of Joe Morris, Jessica Pavone, Sarah
Bernstein, Charlie Burnham and Lester St. Louis. Wellbefore the downbeat, the room filled with local visionary
creatives warmly greeting one another with hugs,
laughter, memories and plans for future collaboration.
Once the music began, however, the audience sat
riveted in silence. “Fifty years ago, when I was 18, I
met Bill Dixon,” Haynes began, redoubling the sense ofheritage and family. The ensemble then launched intoa gorgeous mosaic of modal string heterophony, aerial
muted cornet and Morris’ acoustic guitar. Among all
this prodigious musicianship, violist Pavone stoodout for her lustrous, incendiary work, as streams ofmuscular, pulsating bowing threatened to spark a fire.
As Haynes provided soaring, knowing commentary
above and below, Burnham’s and Bernstein’s violins
took flight, suggesting an outsider jazz adaptation of Le
sacre du printemps. Cellist St. Louis deftly captured thehouse with moving, whispery fanfare and a hunter’sbow. Unforgettable.
(JP)

The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University houses theCount Basie Papers, which includes memorabilia from the pianist/bandleader’s professional and personal life. Parts of that collection
have now been made available online and there are plans this year
to add digitized images of family scrapbooks. For more info, visit
libraries.rutgers.edu.
Multi-instrumentalist, Art Ensemble of Chicago (AEC) founder andlongtime AACM member Roscoe Mitchell will have his “Keeper Of
The Code: Paintings (1963-2022)” on exhibit at Corbett vs. Dempsey
in Chicago from Jan. 20th to Mar. 11th. The exhibit surveys his
career, from his beginnings as an ambitious autodidact painter to his
creations over the pandemic when he was homebound rather than
touring. On display will be the paintings used for the album covers ofLester Bowie’s Numbers 1&2 (1967) and AEC’s The Third Decade(1984). A 140-page full-color catalog is being made available,
reproducing over 100 of Mitchell’s works and including an interview
with John Corbett. For more info, visit corbettvsdempsey.com.
We were saddened to hear that legendary jazz vocalist and teacher
Jay Clayton was diagnosed with lung cancer. The octogenarian’s
career has included fruitful collaborations with Muhal Richard
Abrams, Jane Ira Bloom, Jerry Granelli, Fred Hersch, Sheila Jordan,
Lee Konitz, John Lindberg, Bobby McFerrin, Ed Neumeister, Lauren
Newton, Julian Priester and many others. For more info and to help
with her medical and related expenses, visit the GoFundMe page
started on her behalf by her family, friends, students and fans at
gofund.me/e26dc1d4.
Co-presented by Let My Children Hear Music/The Charles Mingus
Institute, the 15th Annual Charles Mingus Festival and High School
Competition will take place Feb. 18th-19th at The New School of
Jazz. Showcasing dozens of high school students from across thecountry. the second day will feature a full day of performances bysmall and large groups, culminating with a concert at Brooklyn Bowl
with soloists from the Competition sitting in with the Mingus Big
Band. For more info, visit charlesmingus.org.
Submit news to ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 5

ALAN NAHIGIANI NTERVIEWHarlem-born Bill Saxton’s jazz career spans the late-’60s
to present day and beyond. After graduating from The
New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), he went on
to appear and/or record with Roy Haynes, Jackie McLean,
Clark Terry, Nancy Wilson, the Duke Ellington Orchestra,
the Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority,
Carmen McRae, Mongo Santamaria, Roy Ayers, Barry
Harris, Tito Puente, Charles Tolliver, Bobby Watson, Hilton
Ruiz, John Hicks and many others. He opened Bill’s Placein Harlem over 15 years ago on 133rd Street, which in its
original location was actually a speakeasy, home to Willie“The Lion” Smith and other luminaries, including an as-yet
undiscovered Billie Holiday. Saxton continues its traditionat the same address, hosting and playing at the weekend jazzsalons at Bill’s Place.
The New York City Jazz Record: What was foundational
for you musically and what did you listen to growingup?
Bill Saxton: I was a baby boomer. We listened to
Smokey Robinson, Little Anthony and The Imperials,
and Aretha Franklin. I had a neighbor who every
Saturday played jazz loud when she was cleaning up
and I started singing with the songs. I’ve always had
an affinity for music since a young age; the instrument
came later when I went to Frederick Douglass JuniorHigh. The teacher put instruments in our hands rightaway and paired stronger and weaker students so they
could learn from each other. I started on clarinet.
Then the ’64 riots came in Harlem. There was a
saxophone in a pawn shop on 137th Street. I tradeda movie projector, and that’s how I got my first horn.
After that, I got in trouble and was sentenced to the
Auburn State Penitentiary for five years. God saw
something else. As I look back, I’m so thankful because
had I not gone there, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
They had a band, and I practiced all day in my cell.
I stayed there for two years. I did a lot of reading. I
learned that everybody in music went to some kindof musical institution. So, I started pursuing college.
I’d gotten my high school diploma in jail; everything
happened in jail.
I knew I needed some classical training like vibrato
and certain articulations. I needed to know more about
the saxophone. I hooked up with Bennie Maupin, whoused to play with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters,
but this was before he got with Herbie. He lived on
the Lower East Side; I lived in the Baruch Projects
and heard him playing at the Lenox Lounge with Roy
Haynes. And I asked to study with him. He introduced
me to classical saxophone. I did everything he told me
to do. Then he got a gig and had to go out of town andtold me to study with Joe Henderson. Joe was exquisite.
He was just what I needed. He could play everything
and opened up my eyes.
I got into a group called The Jazz Prophets with
Sinclair Acey, prior to NEC in Boston. When I went toaudition, he came with me. I was auditioning classically.

BILL
SAXTONby mike cobb
The head of the program, composer Gunther Schuller,
saw him and asked if he wanted to go to school too.
He said yes. We didn’t know it at the time but that was
the start of the jazz curriculum, which now is over 50
years old. And I was in the first group. They didn’t
have anything then. All they had was George Russell– who wrote the book Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal
Organization.
Now they have everything. But they’ve never asked
me to come up there and do anything. They neveracknowledged that I went there, not even to this day.
A lot of musicians came out of there: drummer Harvey
Mason and pianist Cedric Lawson, who played withMiles for a little while. We were all there together. A
lot of musicians wanted to go to the Berklee College ofMusic but couldn’t afford it. They heard they could cometo the NEC for free, so that’s what they did. Trumpeter
Thad Jones was an artist in residence. Kenny Dorham,
the great trumpet player, showed us how to play bebop.
Pianist Jaki Byard and saxophonist Frank Foster cameup and I had a chance to be around them and learn. The
idea was to have major musicians teach at the school, andnow every school across the world has a jazz program.
When I got to my senior year, I had an audition with
Mongo Santamaria, and he hired me. And this is how I
got to the business of playing professionally!
TNYCJR: Can you tell me about playing with Tito
Puente?
BS: I liked playing with him because I like that music.
We’d play nine nights a week, every night with two
gigs on Saturday and three on Sunday. There was acircuit of clubs (and) we’d play one and go to the next
one. People would literally follow the band. Every time
we’d play “Oye Como Va” they’d start screaming. It
was wild and fun. I then got to meet Pharoah Sanders. I
lived on the Lower East Side near Slugs’ Saloon, where
Lee Morgan got killed. I got a chance to play with
Freddie Hubbard for almost a year. I also played withJohn Hicks, Foster, Abdullah Ibrahim, Clark Terry,
Randy Weston and The Mingus Dynasty. I actually
played with Sun Ra, but that wasn’t for me. I needed
more structure, so I didn’t hang around there too long.
I also played with Roy Haynes for three years. He’ll be
98 years old in March.
When I started playing St. Nick’s Pub, it was a
dynamite group: an organ trio with Bobby Forrester.
We could play anything. It was a great thing, and I
took that over to Bill’s Place. I knew that if I started toplay, people were going to come. Now every week it’s
crowded. I have some of the brightest young guys withme, and I am helping them the way I was helped.
TNYCJR: How did you start Bill’s Place?
BS: Well, there weren’t that many places to play. I wasat the end of my stay at St. Nick’s Pub. I knew I had
to start something. I’ve always been that way. So my

6 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

wife and I got busy. She’s one of the smartest people
I’ve ever met. She’s my #1 partner. She found this place
before me, woke me up at 8 o’clock in the morning andsaid I had to see it immediately. We looked at it, madea deal and made major renovations. When we finally
got it going, we were ready and got a piano. Then Roy
Haynes gave me a set of drums, which I have in myclub right now with his name on the bass drum.
TNYCJR: Historically your venue has been an
important place for jazz. Did you know that when you
started it?
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 29)

Hank Roberts 2022 DownBeat
Critics Poll RisingStar Miscellaneous
Instrument (cello)"Roberts is one of thegreat neglected talentsof jazz.” - Stuart Broomer(The New York City Jazz Record)

Hank Roberts Trio with
Aruán Ortiz (piano),Matt Wilson (drums)and Hank Roberts (cello)
Sunday, February 19th (8pm)@The Owl Music Parlor, Brooklyn (theowl.nyc)
Monday, February 20th (9/10:30pm)@Bar LunÀtico, Brooklyn (barlunatico.com)

HJANUARY 31ST - FEBRUARY 5THHJON COWHERDMERCY PROJECTCHRIS POTTER - STEVE CARDENAS - JOHN PATITUCCI - BRIAN BLADE

HFEBRUARY 7TH - FEBRUARY 12THH

WALTER SMITH III

GERALD CLAYTON - MATT STEVENS - HARISH RAGHAVAN - KENDRICK SCOTTHFEBRUARY 14TH – FEBRUARY 19THH

VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRACELEBRATING 57 YEARS OF MONDAY NIGHTSHFEBRUARY 21ST - FEBRUARY 26THH

JOEL ROSS’GOOD VIBESJEREMY CORREN - KANOA MENDENHALL - JEREMY DUTTONHFEBRUARY 28TH - MARCH 5THH

JOE LOVANO & DAVE DOUGLASSOUND PRINTSLAWRENCE FIELDS - YASUSHI NAKAMURA - RUDY ROYSTONCOMING IN MARCHHBEN WENDELHHBRIAN BLADEHHMARK GIULIANAH
HJOE MARTINH

ROG WALKER

ARTIST F EATURE

IMMANUEL
WILKINS

hands of their three-year-old child. But just over two
decades ago, one Philadelphia family took this bold andpotentially excruciating step. Today, that bow-wielding
toddler is the award-winning alto saxophonist andcomposer Immanuel Wilkins. And the 25-year-old is
now gathering a powerful reputation as one of the mostinsightful and emotionally communicative improvisers
on the modern scene.
Wilkins began improvising almost immediately
after getting his mitts on that violin. “My parents were
picking me up from a lesson and the teacher asked if I
wanted to play something for them,” he says. “I realizedthat I’d play better if I just made stuff up than if I tried toplay what was on the page. That was my first experience
improvising. In that moment, I wasn’t confined bytypical parameters around what it takes to create music.
It felt natural. And I thought it sounded way better.”He switched to the saxophone five years later,
after detours via piano, bass and singing. A friend
told Wilkins he could sneak into the local church band
one year early if he had his own horn. Wary of theirson’s tendency to fall in and out of love with musicalhardware, his parents hesitated. “They bought thehorn but didn’t pay for lessons because I already went
through a bunch of other instruments,” he says. “Theywere like ‘Look, you’ve got to show us that you reallywant to do this.’ So I came home from church one day
and could kind of get through one of the hymns they’dsung that morning. That’s when I proved that I was
serious about playing.”
Wilkins’ parents agreed to sign him up forsaxophone instruction, and he started making musicin the church band. Soon after, Wilkins enrolled in
Philadelphia’s iconic Clef Club education program. The
Clef Club dates back to 1966, when the organization was
founded as the social club for Local No. 274, the city’s
African American musicians’ union. Members included
John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone. Its
alumni include Christian McBride and the late Joey
DeFrancesco.
As a result of attending this cultural hotspot,
Wilkins met visionary alto saxophonist Marshall Allenand got invited to visit the Sun Ra House in Philly’s
Germantown neighborhood. “Mr. Allen took me under
his wing and started calling me up for gigs,” Wilkins
says. “Getting to play with him, hearing how creativethat band was and how they accepted everything thateveryone on the bandstand played was really inspiring.
And it sent me running to the practice room.”
Another inspiration, Eric Dolphy, pensively gazesout from a tattoo on Wilkins’ left forearm. Close
listening reveals similarities in tone and phrasing,and the great pioneer’s use of extended techniques
and twisting lines have left a deep-inked and lifelong
impression. “His sound is kind of equally beautiful andgrotesque,” Wilkins says. “That speaks to what we like
about humanity, what we love about art. Some kindof… push and pull.”

For more info, visit immanuelwilkins.com. Wilkins is at The
Stone at New School Feb. 8th-11th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Harish Raghavan - Calls For Action (Whirlwind, 2018)• Joel Ross - Who Are You? (Blue Note, 2019)• Immanuel Wilkins - Omega (Blue Note, 2019)• Johnathan Blake - Homeward Bound (Blue Note, 2019)
Orrin Evans - The Magic of Now (Smoke Sessions, 2020)• Immanuel Wilkins - The 7th Hand (Blue Note, 2021)

BAR BAYEUX

by matty bannondVery few parents willingly press a violin into the sticky

is continuing to step outside of typical parameters forcreating music—and make something that sounds way
better.

COCKTAILS, WINE, CRAFT BEER,

The chance to study at Juilliard pulled Wilkins
across New Jersey, when he left Philadelphia to try his
luck in the Big Apple in 2015. He cites pianist/composer
Michele Rosewoman as a key influence. Before finishinghis studies, the saxophonist had toured Europe with
Jason Moran and played in Abu Dhabi with Wynton
Marsalis. Wilkins describes these experiences as a
dream come true. The saxophone player arrived in New
York at the same time as vibraphonist Joel Ross, andthe pair struck up a close friendship and strong musicalconnection. Collaborations include Ross’ 2019 Blue Note
debut KingMaker. Wilkins and Ross recently got togetherat (Le) Poisson Rouge for Ross’ Parables large ensemble
concert as part of NYC’s Winter Jazzfest. “We’ve built areal world around that vibes and alto sound,” Wilkins
says. “I’m thankful for every opportunity I get to playwith him. He’s the bomb.”
In 2020, Blue Note released Wilkins’ debut album
Omega, which was named the year’s “Best Jazz Album”
by The New York Times. It showcased the saxophonist’s
improvisational force while operating within a songbased approach to album construction. It also included
a four-part suite, and Wilkins continued exploring his
interest in suites on his 2022 album release The 7th Hand.
It comprises seven movements that each chip away alayer of compositional constraint until reaching a
final, fully improvised track of spiritual surrender androaring revelation that erupts for 26 breathless minutes.
The momentum that characterizes Wilkins’ output
makes his artistic development fascinating to follow.
It also makes him a highly sought-after collaborator.
Phone calls to recruit bandmates for a four-gig residency
at The Stone from February 8th-11th received positive
responses that left Wilkins pinching himself in giddy
disbelief. The first show brings together vocalist/multiinstrumentalist/performance artist Jen Shyu with Susie
Ibarra (drums) and Bill Frisell (guitar). “Mr. Frisell is
one of those dream musicians I grew up wanting to playwith,” Wilkins says. “We met teaching at a summer
camp in Denmark and we’ve done a fair amount ofwork together since then. Jen Shyu has always been an
inspiration to me and Susie Ibarra is one of my favorite
improvisers. I feel like a kid in a candy store.” Pianist
Micah Thomas is also appearing with Wilkins at The
Stone; the two musicians were classmates at Juilliard,
and Thomas features on both Omega and The 7th Hand.
They regularly perform together within Wilkins’quartet and will share the stage at the Village Vanguard
in a few months (May 2nd-7th); Wilkins also appears
at Dia Chelsea (Mar. 5th) where he will present a solo
saxophone performance as part of collaboration withvisual artist Leslie Hewitt.
Intriguing projects and high-profile new colleagues
like these are opening up fresh avenues for Wilkins toexperiment with musical alchemy. The saxophonist is
an instinctive and resourceful player and writer. Everynote of his compositions, albums and live performances
exposes deep reverence for the possibilities ofimprovisation. And like that preschool violinist, Wilkins

Wednesdays (8/9:30 pm)
Mat Maneri DUST Quartet (Feb. 1)
Otis Brown III (Feb. 8)
Matt Mitchell Trio (Feb. 15)
Allan Mednard +2 (Feb. 22)
Thursdays(5-7 pm) Happy Hour with Marta Sánchez(8/9:30 pm) Adam Kolker, Jeremy Stratton + guests
Fridays (8/9:30 pm)
Vanisha Gould (Feb. 3)
Noah Garabedian (Feb. 10)
Steven Crammer (Feb. 17)
Saturdays(6-7:30 pm) Adam Kolker Duo Series (Feb. 4,11,18,25)(8/9:30 pm) In Flux: Ravi Coltrane/Luis Perdomo/
Drew Gress/EJ Strickland (Feb. 25)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 7

ON THE COVER

SANDRINE LEE

Catherine Russell
Jazz Royalty Family TraditionBY JIM MOTAVALLIIs there a guarantee that a daughter of jazz royalty
would go into the music business? Of course not—Christina Sinatra didn’t have a singing career (thoughFrank, Jr. and Nancy did). But for vocalist Catherine
Russell, who specializes in vintage jazz and blues, themusic was on both sides of the family. Dad was Luis
Russell, the Panamanian bandleader (“The New Callof the Freaks”) who also worked as music director
for Louis Armstrong. Mom was Carline Ray, a multiinstrumentalist and vocalist who has credits with Mary
Lou Williams and the International Sweethearts ofRhythm.
By the time Catherine came along, her father—who
couldn’t get big-band work anymore—was running a
Brooklyn music club called Town Hill and a combined
candy store/soda fountain, but he never stopped
looking for a gig. Ray, a Julliard graduate who lived
to 88, kept working, too, backing Patti Page and Bobby
Darin, worked in choruses conducted by Leonard
Bernstein and, as a bass player, gigged with Sy Oliverand Marian McPartland. As late as 1997, Ray formed
the group Jazzberry Jam with pianist Bertha Hope andpercussionist Paula Hampton.
“My father died when I was very young [in 1963],
but I always heard his music around the house”,
says Russell, who still lives in New York. “My folks
encouraged me to go into any form of the arts. My
mother played for dance classes at the Katherine
Dunham school, and I took classes there and joined thecompany for four years or so when I was a kid … My
mother always supported my doing everything, likerenting instruments for me to play in the school bands
and giving me piano and voice lessons.”
The fix was in. “As a young adult, when I’d comehome from an office job and tell her about it, she’d say,‘That’s good...’ But if I came home with a gig she’dsay, ‘Oh, that’s great!!!’” Ray was also supportive ofRussell’s studies at the American Academy of Dramatic
Arts (class of 1980), “especially when I got a scholarship
one of the years.”
From the earliest age, Russell was drawn toswinging music. “They weren’t playing Bessie Smith’smusic on the radio when I was growing up, but I got
ahold of her records when I was a teenager.” By thetime she was 20, she was dropping by The Cookery
to hear the rediscovered jazz/blues singer Alberta
Hunter. Ruth Brown was another live favorite. “Theyput great shows together with standards and the blues,
and they knew how to put the lyrics over. Brown
infused the blues in the standards she sang. They wereboth great with audiences, and seeing them was always
a fun time.”
Russell’s earliest paid jobs were with Dunham,
performing in a segment of Verdi’s Aida at theMetropolitan Opera House. She was also in the chorusof the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater for “Revelations”,
which premiered in 1960. Soon she was singing at
weddings and other gigs. She recorded songwriters’demos, and got an early break with comedian Robert
Klein’s musical director, Bob Stein (that’s Russell
backing Klein on his HBO specials).

“My early career was me trying to figure out how
to make a living in the music business”, Russell said.
But the singing career took off, and she got work withartists across the spectrum—Steely Dan, David Bowie,
Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Levon
Helm and others. She’s on more than 200 albums.
If Russell had stayed a supporting artist, weprobably wouldn’t know her music today. The
breakthrough was the release of her first solo album,
Cat, in 2006. Sure, she did some familiar standards, butalso unfamiliar tunes like Dinah Washington’s “My
Man’s an Undertaker” (“You better keep your mouth
shut good and tight / Cause my man’s an undertaker/ And he’s got a coffin just your size”) and even the
Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie”. Insteadof recording the greatest hits of the Great American
Songbook, Russell digs deep. A show she heard on
Columbia University’s W-KCR fm was an inspiration—
she’d tape the songs on her cassette machine, thendo the research and find the recordings. “J&R MusicWorld was amazing; they had everything”, she said.
“The artists, sometimes they’d have just the one hit, orno hits.”
Nellie Rose Lutcher, a ‘40s/’50s jazz and R&B
singer who influenced Nina Simone, was the source for“You Better Watch Yourself, Bub” on Russell’s second
album, Sentimental Streak (2008). “All the Cats Join In”,
from Inside This Heart of Mine (2010), was written by
Ray Gilbert, Eddie Sauter and Alec Wilder, and firstrecorded by Benny Goodman, then by trumpet player
Buck Clayton. Peggy Lee had a go at it, too. Russell’scurrent album, Send for Me, includes material sourced
from Billie Holiday, Nat “King” Cole, dad Luis Russell,
Betty Carter, Kay Starr, Joe Liggins, Earl King, Jack
Teagarden, Helen Humes, Sinatra, Dakota Staton,
Henry Red Allen and Louis Armstrong.
Of course, if Russell was just an archivist who
performed dry for-the-record versions of these oldsongs, she’d be of only academic interest. But Russell isa warm, full-bodied singer who fully invests herself inthese vintage tunes. In that way, she resembles Maria
Muldaur who is a pop singer comfortable in just about
every rock, jazz or blues genre. As Larry Blumenfeld
wrote in the Wall Street Journal: “Few singers alive
can express the nuances of blues feeling and swing
phrasing that course through American songs ascorrectly and gracefully as can Ms. Russell, or with asmuch expressive range.”
And like Linda Ronstadt, she doesn’t like to be told
she can’t do something. “Nobody ever told me what to
do—that’s why I’m very thankful for the independent
record labels,” Russell said. Ronstadt was told that
her three standards albums were career suicide, but
together they sold almost seven million copies in the
U.S. alone. Similarly, Russell has found that beingtrue to her inclinations works in the marketplace.
Alone Together (her album preceding Send for Me) was
nominated for a Grammy (“Best Jazz Vocal Album”)
and got her on the JazzWeek year-end charts as thenumber one most played album. Harlem on My Mind
(2016) was also nominated for a Grammy.

8 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Russell’s 2012 Strictly Romancin’ was awarded thePrix du Jazz vocal album of the year by the French
Jazz Academy. She is featured on soundtrack albums
for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and the 2019 featurefilm Bolden (in which she also appears). Just listen to
Russell tear into Send for Me’s cover of “At the Swing
Cats Ball,” which had lyrics by her father circa 1938
and was recorded by Louis Jordan and Don Redman(featuring Coleman Hawkins). With an ace small
band, she puts you right on that sawdust-covered
dance floor.
A labor of love for Russell was producing Vocal
Sides, her mother’s debut album as a singer, released
shortly before Carline Ray passed away in 2013. Ray’ssides with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm
were never released, and aside from a few tracks with
Erskine Hawkins’ band and some solos with Mary Lou
Williams, she had little on record. The album, a mix ofspirituals and standards, corrects that oversight.
A big plus on Vocal Sides is its bonus track,“Lucille”, written by Luis Russell and recorded as ademo for Louis Armstrong in 1961 with Ray’s vocal
and organ accompaniment. Armstrong never cut thesong, but he kept the tape, which was found in theLouis Armstrong Archives at Queens College. “It’s agreat song”, said Russell, who recorded it herself on
Bring It Back. She and her husband (and manager) Paul
Kahn have voluminous archives of unreleased Luis
Russell and Carline Ray material, some of which willsoon be released as The Luis Russell Collection, Volume 1:
At the Swing Cats Ball.
The New Yorker described Russell as “versatile tothe core”, citing her collaboration with David Bowie
just before he retired from the stage circa 2004. Was
that her performing recently as harmony vocalist with
Steely Dan? Indeed it was, and she’s now on the roadagain with a full schedule—from regular quartet gigs toa festival in Panama and a double bill with the guitarist
John Pizzarelli (paying tribute to Billie Holiday andFrank Sinatra). She is hard-working, and protean in her
abilities.
Russell will be appearing at Birdland Valentine’s
week which has become somewhat a tradition for her
and her working group, which includes guitarist/
Musical Director Matt Munisteri, bassist Tal Ronen,
pianist Sean Mason, drummer Mark McLean andsurprise guests.
For more info. visit Catherinerussell.net. Russell is at
Birdland Feb. 14th-18th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Catherine Russell - Cat (World Village, 2005)• Catherine Russell - Inside This Heart of Mine
(World Village, 2009)• Catherine Russell - Strictly Romancin’(World Village, 2011)• Catherine Russell - Harlem On My Mind
(Jazz Village, 2015)• Catherine Russell - Alone Together (Dot Time, 2018)• Catherine Russell - Send For Me (Dot Time, 2021)

NOTESPEAK 12
LISA MARIE SIMMONS &MARCO CREMASCHINI

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Matthew WhitakerFeaturing Clarinetist Julian Milkis &Maxim Lubarsky Trio
“Simply the best clarinetist in the world!”– Nezavisimaya Gazeta (on Julian Milkis)

2.13

Sheila E. & The E-Train

Chrisette Michele(2 shows!)

with Mavis Swan Poole(2 shows!)

1.27

2.06

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Music of Billie Holiday,
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Emilie Surtees

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COURTESY OF ARTIST.

ENCOREROGER
HUMPHRIESBY MARILYN LESTERS ometime in 1947, three-year-old Pittsburgh-born

Roger Humphries sat himself down at a drum set andstarted making music. A year later he sat in with the
Tab Smith Big Band. And thus, at that tender age,
Humphries began the journey that would lead, overseven decades, to his place now as a certified, beloved
jazz legend. His awards, accolades, history anddiscography leave no doubt about that status.
Going back to that small child and his passion for
drumming, Humphries is eager to share the love. Oneof ten children, Humphries’ older brothers Lawrence
Jr. and Norman were musicians, playing saxophoneand drums, respectively. “I’d be sitting on the sofa
and hearing them practicing,” he says. “I got attracted
to, and then attached to, the drums. I always say thedrums picked me, and I’ve been thankful ever since.”
Just once he diverted from that course. He’d alreadybeen playing professionally by age 14, but at Latimer
Junior High School his music teacher, with plenty ofdrummers on hand, was short on trumpeters. “I was
asked to switch, so I did. My uncle Frank played thetrumpet, and my uncle Hildred was a horn player too,so it wasn’t an instrument entirely foreign to me.”Predictably, brass didn’t win him over. “It wasn’t mything. I was happy to get back to drumming.” And that
he did, listening to music a lot, especially Max Roachand Art Blakey, whom he considers mentors, and atage 16 leading his own group at Carnegie Hall.
It was on the threshold of adulthood, in 1962,
that Humphries’ rise to fame began. In August of thatyear he joined fellow Pittsburgh musician, tenorman
Stanley Turrentine, and “Queen of the Organ” Shirley
Scott, for his first major gig at The Hurricane in the
Hill District of their home town. The big breakthrough,though, came in 1964 with an opportunity to travel to
NYC and join pianist Horace Silver’s Quintet. In his
three years with Silver, Humphries piled up a stackof notable experiences. He toured Europe twice andat the Monterey Jazz Festival was interviewed byrenowned jazz writer, Leonard Feather—and was thus

immortalized in The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the 60s. He
also recorded three major albums with Silver: Song For
My Father, Cape Verdean Blues and Jody Grind. Of histenure with Silver, Humphries notes, “I learned how
to truly support a band. I learned that the instrumentsin the group are essentially in a conversation with eachother.” Humphries also credits his time in the quintet
with showing him how to be an effective leader, andespecially in making music exciting and dynamic. With
amusement, he adds, “And I learned not to play loud.”
After Silver, major big band and world-wide
experience followed, first with Ray Charles, andultimately in sideman work with a who’s who of jazz:
James Moody, Lee Morgan, Dr. Billy Taylor, Lionel
Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Clark Terry, Dizzy
Gillespie, George Benson, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton,
Randy Brecker, Joe Williams, Milt Jackson, Jimmy
Smith, Jimmy Witherspoon, Freddie Hubbard—
and this impressive list just scratches the surface.
Humphries’ reputation was growing with each year. So
was his popularity as a mensch as well as a miraculous
talent. Pianist Mark Soskin remembers working with
Humphries on a recording with the late Pittsburghborn guitarist Jimmy Ponder. “Roger played great andmade the date that much more enjoyable,” Soskin says.
“It wasn’t just his professionalism, but his winningpersonality.”
By 1969, Humphries had tired of the road anddecided to anchor himself at home in Pittsburgh. He
felt he owed it to his wife and especially his kids not tobe an absent father. In 1972 he became a leader, forming
his band R.H. Factor, while continuing to selectively
gig as a sideman. Later, in 1996, he expanded thegroup into The Roger Humphries’ Big Band. It wasfrom his encounters in this Pittsburgh-centered worldthat pianist David Budway, also a Pittsburgh native,
recalls Humphries. “When we were kids just learningand discovering jazz for the first time,” he remembers,“we would sneak into a little club on Center Avenue
in Pittsburgh called The Black Magic. It was myself,bassist Dave Pellow and trombonist Frank Mallah. We
couldn’t afford the cover charge so we waited until thedoorman looked the other way—then we would run in.
We just stood there in awe of Roger Humphries, who
could play it all—funk, fusion and straight-ahead. As
young and as ignorant as I was musically, I still knewthat we were witnessing something very, very special.
And then to top it off, eventually Roger asked us
youngsters to sit in and share the stage with his group.”That generosity, by all accounts, is pure Humphries.

“I vowed never to be selfish with my talent or learning”,
he says emphatically. He believes strongly in the powerof the jam session as a sharing and teaching tool, as well
as formal musical education. What’s most important to
him is the passing down of knowledge to “young cats”,
just as it was passed to him by older mentors. Humphries’
strong belief in education led him to teaching. At thePittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing
Arts, as well as at the University of Pittsburgh, and inother initiatives such as the Slippery Rock University
Summer Jazz workshop and Mellon Jazz Masters Class
and Concerts, he has influenced generations of young
musicians. This culture of education, he suspects, may
be the reason that Pittsburgh has historically produced
so many legendary jazz musicians. Budway’s late sister,
Maureen (the namesake of Maureen’s Jazz Cellar jazzclub in Nyack, north of NYC), was one beneficiary of
the Humphries largess. “Roger would hire her to singwith his group,” he says. “I was so very proud of that,and years later both she and I got to record with him.
That’s what Roger Humphries is all about—sharing andspreading his love for music with others.”
Octogenarian Pittsburgh drummer and NEA Jazz
Master Louis Hayes (who precedes Humphries in
Silver’s bands), considers Humphries “jazz royalty…
He is an excellent musician.” Humphries sees the
trajectory of his career as a layering of experience, abroadening that’s yielded continuous growth. “I’m notfinished yet,” he declares emphatically. I’ve been very
blessed in my life and blessed to be a leader. I want to
do more recording. I have dreams that I hope will takeme into other musical zones. There are places to go that
I’ve not yet been.”
In less than a year, Roger Humphries hits themilestone age of 80 (he was born January 30th, 1944).
We hope to celebrate with Humphries’ realization of
those dreams—and perhaps even with an R.H. Factor
gig here in NYC!

reels of tape in those days!) and Walton’s “Holy Land”
from that 1973 Muse recording was what I got. Wow!
The pianist’s first teacher was his mom, and hepaid tribute to her with his composition “Dear Ruth”(“He would play that song for his mother and follow itwith ‘Martha’s Prize’”, Walton’s wife of his last 20 years,
Martha Sammaciccia, told me). His musical persona
was rooted in the post-Bud Powell legacy, establishedand extended by pianists such as Horace Silver, Sonny
Clark and Bobby Timmons, with touches of McCoy
Tyner. He was also a talented composer and arranger,
developing those skills while studying compositionat the University of Denver and on his own. Denver
was where he met Coltrane, Bird and Richie Powell, atafter-hours clubs in town—an inspiration for his move
to New York in 1955.
By 1958, Walton was a sought-after pianist on
the scene; he made his recording debut that yearwith trumpeter Kenny Dorham on This Is the Moment!
(Riverside, 1958). He worked with a host of major
jazz artists from that time forward, early highlights
including stints with J. J. Johnson, Art Farmer/
Benny Golson Jazztet (1958-’61) and Art Blakey’s

Jazz Messengers, a career-defining period (1961-‘64).
Walton contributed many notable compositions toBlakey’s book, among them “Ugetsu” and “Mosaic”, aswell as arrangements of others’ works. On his second
appearance on record with the Messengers, Three Blind
Mice (United Artists, 1962; then reissued on Blue Note),recorded live in L.A., a standout is his arrangement of“That Old Feeling”, which features him mainly in atrio setting and clearly demonstrates his mastery of thehard bop idiom.
In the ‘70s, Walton joined forces with bassist Sam
Jones and drummer Billy Higgins, performing both asa trio and as rhythm section for a variety of leaders. By
the ‘80s, David Williams was in the bass chair—and
it was that group I heard in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s,
most often at the wonderfully classy and warm Village
jazz club of yesteryear, Sweet Basil. That trio also
expanded into the fiery collective Eastern Rebellion(their 1976 recording Bolivia was named for one of
Walton’s best-known compositions), which oftenfeatured trombonist Curtis Fuller and saxophonists
Bob Berg, sometimes Ralph Moore or Harold Land,For more info, visit rogerhumphriesband.com
Recommended Listening:• Horace Silver Quintet Plus J.J. Johnson The Cape Verdean Blues (Blue Note, 1965)• Nathan Davis - Makatuka (Segué, 1971)• Dwayne Dolphin - Portrait Of Adrian(Minor Music, 1993)• Jimmy Ponder - Something To Ponder (Muse, 1994)• Roger Humphries Big Band - Don’t Give Up (s/r, 2003)• Roger Humphries - Keep The Faith (Corona, 2011)

ALAN NAHIGIANLEST WE FORGETCEDAR
WALTONBY SYLVIA LEVINE

My introduction to the music of the great Texas-born
pianist Cedar Walton (1934-2013) was on record in
1980, although I would hear him perform here in New
York many times in the years to follow. It was Live at
Boomers, Vol. 1 (Muse, 1973) on his own composition“Holy Land”—incredibly strong music featuring
tenor saxophonist and co-leader Clifford Jordan andbandmate in many other configurations over their
lifetimes. (Yes, there is a Vol. 2, as well as Art Farmer
Quintet’s At Boomers, with Walton, a few years laterin 1976). I had just met my future husband, guitarist
Peter Leitch, and asked him to put some music on myanswering machine tape (answering machines had

10 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD(CONTINUED ON PAGE 29)

L ABEL SPOTLIGHT

BURNINGAMBULANCEBY GEORGE GRELLA

Depending on your point of view, someone who
decides what to present to an audience is either acurator or gatekeeper—it all depends on whether theygive you what you want. But the single word thatbrings both viewpoints together is “critic”: someone
who has a set of aesthetic values, and advocates formusic that fulfills them.
So it’s natural that Phil Freeman the music critic
has become Phil Freeman the record label head. While
this is not a new phenomenon in jazz—Hugues Panassié
in the ‘30s was perhaps the first dual critic and record
producer—there’s little appreciation for how criticallistening and judgment determines a label’s sound. On
the one hand, one can look at an ECM cover and almost
hear what’s on the record; on the other, Blue Note thesedays is a classic logo but an incoherent sound.
Burning Ambulance started with criticism andflowered through circumstance. “I started it in 2010,”
Freeman says during a recent phone conversation. “It
was originally a print ’zine, which I had meant to doquarterly, and then it became a couple times a year,
and then after seven issues, it became print on demand.
“I set up a blog to post edited portions. Eventually
I just said, the hell with it, it’s going to become aBreath of Air
Breath of Air

Inner Voices
José Lencastre

website, and then I migrated it over to Substack.”
There’s also a Burning Ambulance podcast, featuring
interviews with musicians, with 78 installments goingback to 2017. Freeman’s critical efforts in various
formats then became a record label in 2020. “I think
every music critic dreams of starting a label. And thebarriers to entry are pretty low at this point. Bandcamp[the label’s platform] makes it incredibly easy. We
started with a digital-only compilation, which raised
a little bit of money that I then put towards the firstround of releases. But the real financial investment
for the first round of releases was an SBA Pandemic
Emergency Loan. They were just throwing money atpeople. I formed a tiny LLC and got some money to do
this thing, and that has paid for the first four records.”
Those records—Polarity from Ivo Perelman andNate Wooley, Alkisah by the Indonesian duo Senyawa,Flashtower/Istanbul Gran Prix by Graham Haynes andelectronic musician Submerged, and Matthew Shippand Whit Dickey’s Reels—are four corners of the
Burning Ambulance sound: improvised music that cancome out of jazz but also, as with Senyawa, metal andindustrial music (as a critic, Freeman writes frequently
and avidly about metal). “I feel like our records are notlike anybody else’s,” Freeman says. “We have artists
who have recorded for other labels, but the records
we put out are unique. There’s no other Shipp/Dickey
straight duo album; Perelman and Wooley have neverdone a piece that was just the two of them.”
The catalogue so far has come together througha combination of musicians submitting material andideas and Freeman reaching out with his own concepts.
Flashtower was his idea, Freeman explains: “I was
talking to Kurt Glück-Aeg [a/k/a Sumberged]. I said,

Reels
Matthew Shipp/Whit Dickey

we should do a trumpet and electronics record. And heknew Graham already—it was serendipitous. And we
all connected by email, because Graham was in Brazil
at the time, and Kurt lives in Estonia. Graham recorded
his parts in Brazil, zipped them off to Kurt. Kurt put the
tracks together and I just said, ‘this sounds awesome’.”He describes the Senyawa record as “a big break”.
The group wanted to release the album “on as manylabels throughout the world as possible,” Freeman says,“in order to break the hegemonic grip of the traditional
industry. I had interviewed them for Bandcamp Daily,
and I said, ‘Could I be part of this?’ And so I became
their label for North America.”
Freeman enthuses about the label’s two most recent
releases. The first, Breath of Air, “is the debut of a newgroup—Brandon Ross on guitar and Charlie Burnham
and Warren Benbow on violin and drums. They putthat album together. I listened to the raw version. And
I was like, yeah I will put this out.” The second is Inner
Voices, by Portuguese saxophonist José Lancastre, who“got in touch with me and said, ‘I’m working on thisthing, which is multitrack solo saxophone’. I listened
to a few demos and thought this sounds like Julius
Hemphill!”
The key for Freeman is that “it sounds like analbum. I am not going to be releasing pure documentsof improvisation. I want a thing that reads like analbum. It can’t just be ‘I had this great gig here. Put itout.’ It has to be expressed in a concise and editorially
focused manner.”That’s the critical foundation for Burning
Ambulance, as a critical endeavor and as a label.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 29)

Polarity
Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley

Flashtower/Istanbul Gran Prix
Graham Haynes vs. Submerged

VOX NEWSSINGLESBY SUZANNE LORGE
In the mid-‘40s, musical polymath Billy Eckstine

starred in Rhythm in a Riff, an on-screen musical about adetermined, up-and-coming bandleader. Filmed in New
York City, the movie contains several cuts of Eckstine
conducting his seminal jazz orchestra, with lots of closeups when he turns and sings to the camera in that deep,
elegant voice of his. Astor Pictures distributed the film,
produced for a Black audience, with an all-Black cast.
Films like this—important documentation of early jazz—
are out there, but they’re hard to find. Most of them havebeen lost.
Fortunately, you can watch select clips from Rhythm
in a Riff on YouTube: Eckstine as he scats serenely
through the bebop head of the film’s title song (“I Lovethe Rhythm in a Riff”), holds the band to a snappy pulse
during an instrumental dance section (“Our Delight”), or
looks over his shoulder and flashes a disarming smile atsomeone in the audience (“I Want To Talk About You”).
There’s a surprising immediacy in that smile.
In honor of Black History Month, vocalist Catherine
Russell offers up a single version of “I Want to Talk
about You” via Dot Time Records. Russell’s take on thehistoric ballad is silkier, more modern. But the bones are

the same: honeyed changes and gentle swing in service
to aspirational romance. And smiles all around: proceedsfrom the release, available through the label’s website,
benefit the Jazz Foundation of America. Then, the day
after its launch, Russell and guitarist John Pizzarelli taketo the road with their show honoring Billie Holiday andFrank Sinatra, stopping at Birdland for Valentine’s Week
(Feb. 14th-18th).
The B-side of Eckstine’s “I Love the Rhythm in a Riff”
was the classic Songbook ballad “A Cottage for Sale”,
by lyricist Larry Conley and pianist Willard Robison.
Eckstine’s rendition, arranged for orchestra, rose to the topof the charts in 1945 and remains one of his most popular
recordings. Singer Molly Ryan (who, like Russell, founda wider audience as a contributing vocalist to the HBO
drama Boardwalk Empire) performs the tune on her latest
record, Sweepin’ the Blues Away (Turtle Bay). Ryan excels
at interpreting vocal jazz from the first half of the 20th
century and, on this project, her lyrical understanding of
this jazz niche conveys a much-needed optimism. Yes,
Ryan’s optimism at times plays in contrast to the lyrics, ason the Conley/Robinson ballad and “The Folks Who Liveon the Hill”, both about devolving relationships. But, as
she asserts on the album’s final track, “If You Want the
Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain)”: “Happiness comesdouble after a little pain.” We’re all about due.
Composer/singer/instrumentalist Darmon Meader
also challenges the darker side of things on Losing My
Mind (s/r), his second solo record of a career that spansat least three decades and almost 20 ensemble albums.
A founding member of the New York Voices, Meader
brings a well-calibrated motion to these 12 selectionsof standards, popular hits and originals. Alternating
between trio and large group settings, his arrangements
make for required listening—especially the Sondheim
song that gives the album its title. A seductive Latin feeland dynamic vocals emphasize the still-beating hope that
feeds all unrequited love.
For those celebrating partnership this month, there’s
no dearth of romantic sets available. First, Dianne Reevespresents Love Is In The Air at JALC Rose on (Feb. 10th11th). Gregory Porter returns for his annual Valentine’s
Day Concert at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre (Feb. 11th) andNJPAC (Feb. 18th). Morgan James and guitarist-husband
Doug Wamble stage Valentine’s Day at JALC Dizzy’s(Feb. 14th). Ben Cassara sponsors a heavy-hitting rosterof vocalists in Pangea’s A Jazz Valentine (Feb. 15th), with
Mary Foster Conklin, Jan Findlay, Alex Leonard, Louise
Rogers and Andrea Wolper. Finally, Lezlie Harrison“Valentine’s Day Celebration” is at Smoke (Feb. 14th15th).
A few footnotes: soul/jazz singer Ledisi pays tributeto Nina Simone, born 90 years ago this month, at CarnegieHall (Feb. 23rd). A few days after the Pangea gig, Conklin
will release her latest Songbook collection, These Precious
Days (s/r), at Soapbox Gallery (Feb. 24th). And pianist/
singer Dena DeRose will play Birdland Theater on a raretrip to NYC (Feb. 24th-26th).

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 11

BLACKHISTORYMONTH

ALBUM REVIEWS

Soul Sister
Dexter Gordon (SteepleChase)by Ken Dryden

LedisiThursday, February 23 at 8 PM
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

LedisiSings
Nina
Grammy-winning vocalist Ledisi
returns to Carnegie Hall to pay tributeto Nina Simone. Her 2021 album Ledisi
Sings Nina showcases “both thediversity and depth of Simone’s
musicianship, and the breathtaking
range and reach of Ledisi’s own voice”(The New York Times).

F ebruary 27th marks the centennial of Dexter
Gordon, the legendary tenor saxophonist who
recorded frequently from the early ‘60s until the ‘80s,
when deteriorating health slowed him down before
his death in 1990.
Gordon’s decision to move to Europe in 1962 wasprompted by a number of considerations, including
a desire for a fresh start after wasting much of theprevious decade with several stints in prison for
drug offenses, plus the opportunity for sufficientgigs without having to travel long distances. This
pair of previously unissued recordings made in 1962
and 1963 represent some of his earliest performanceson the continent and find him in good form.
On the latter date (recorded 60 years ago thismonth) he is accompanied by three talented Danes:
the underrated pianist Bent Axen, bass virtuoso
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (still a few months
shy of 17 but already a regular accompanist to
visiting Americans in Copenhagen), and theengaging drummer William Schiöpffe. Gordon is
at home with this trio, as he had been playing withthem almost nightly for a month. Introducing eachtrack with his rich baritone and a touch of humor,
Gordon enraptures his audience with his playing.
All three tracks are extended workouts, highlighted
by the tenor saxophonist’s loping yet forceful “SoulSister”. It’s hard to go wrong with “A Night In
Tunisia”, long a staple of jazz instrumentalists, as
the rhythm section sets up the leader with inspiredbacking, particularly Pedersen.
The 1962 Oslo concert features Gordon withpianist Einar Iversen, bassist Erik Amundsen and19 year-old drummer Jon Christensen. The leader’splayful, swinging rendition of the ‘40s riff tune
“Second Balcony Jump” also showcases his rhythm
section individually. Gordon’s ballad mastery is on
display in his richly textured composition “Ernie’sTune”. The set wraps with Gordon’s punchy blues“Stanley Steamer”, surprising the audience withhis variations in each chorus and whimsical songquotes. While the earlier of the two performances isrougher in sound, both sets are valuable additions
to this rather thinly documented period in Gordon’s
discography and add a new chapter to his recorded
legacy.
For more info, visit statesidemusic.com

Sponsored by Mastercard, Official Payment Partner of Carnegie Hall

carnegiehall.org
212-247-7800 | Box Office
Artists, programs, and dates subject to change.
© 2023 Carnegie Hall. Photo by Ron T. Young.

A Time For Healing
Kahil El’Zabar Quartet (Spiritmuse)by Phil Freeman

P ercussionist, explorer, spiritual leader and educator
Kahil El’Zabar has been a key figure on the Chicago

12 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

jazz scene for close to half a century. As the leaderof the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble (EHE) and RitualTrio, he’s made dozens of albums, collaboratingwith legends like Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders,David Murray, Billy Bang and Lester Bowie, andappeared on dates led by Murray and Wadada Leo
Smith. This album features a quartet that includes
trumpeter Corey Wilkes (currently a member ofthe Art Ensemble of Chicago as well as the EHE),
saxophonist Isaiah Collier and keyboardist Justin
Dillard.
El’Zabar’s music blends modal and grooveoriented jazz with percussive voicings and rhythmic
methodologies drawn from the African diaspora. This
is not a new approach; jazz and African music aretightly intertwined, and many people combine themin various ways. But El’Zabar has been doing this forhis entire career, and there’s nothing superficial or
starry-eyed about his approach, which values every
element of the music and the ensemble equally anduses music as a vehicle for unity and healing (as thealbum title suggests).
This is a long double LP—at 78 minutes, it
nudges the limits of CD storage capacity. It openswith its longest track, the 13-minute title piece, an
extended one-chord vamp, patient and gentle, on
which Dillard’s keyboard often sounds like a guitarand El’Zabar’s percussion rattles like coins being
shaken in a bag. Collier takes a gruff, crying solothat recalls Pharoah Sanders’ early ’70s Impulse
albums. His playing is biting and harsh throughout,
but also ecstatic. Wilkes is more often heard asa harmony voice. In addition to seven El’Zabar
originals (among them a dedication to Eddie Harris,
who the percussionist praises as “a harmonic

R
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• Art Ensemble of Chicago – The Sixth Decade
From Paris to Paris (RogueArt)• Kenny Barron – The Source (Artwork)• Lakecia Benjamin – Phoenix (Whirlwind)• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers In Concert 1962 (SteepleChase)• Joe Chambers – Dance Kobina (Blue Note)• Isaiah Collier/Michael Shekwoaga OdeI Am Beyond (Division 81)• Andrew Cyrille – Music Delivery/Percussion(Intakt)• Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets –Pan Africa (Impact Jazz)• Graham Haynes vs. Submerged –Echolocation (Burning Ambulance)• Nabaté Isles - En Motion (Ropeadope)• Ahmad Jamal - Emerald City Nights:
Live at the Penthouse (1963-1964 | 1965-1966)(Jazz Detective)• Dave Soldier/William Hooker –LeWitt Etudes (Mahakala Music)• Tyler Mitchell Octet – Sun Ra’s Journey(featuring Marshall Allen)(Cellar Music Group-smallsLIVE)• Oscar Peterson - On a Clear Day:The Oscar Peterson Trio Live in Zurich, 1971
(Mack Avenue/Two Lions)• Phil Ranelin/Wendell Harrison Jazz is Dead 16 (Jazz Is Dead)• Eric Reed - Black, Brown and Blue
(Smoke Sessions)• Matthew Shipp/Mark Helias The New Syntax (RogueArt)• D.B. Shrier – Emerges (Alfa-Omnivore)• Clark Terry Big Bad Band –Live in Holland 1979 (Storyville)• Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade –Dion’s Quest (Sugah Hoof)

BLACKHISTORY
MONTH
genius” in the lyrics), the album includes versions of“Resolution”—the less commonly recorded second
movement of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme—andthe George Gershwin standard “Summertime”. A
Time For Healing is spiritual jazz in its sound as wellas its intention; El’Zabar and company play theirhearts out, and their passion is infectious.
For more info, visit spiritmuserecords.com. El’Zabar’s
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is at Sistas’ Place Feb. 11th.
See Calendar.

UNEARTHED GEM

Tate’s Delight
Buddy Tate & White Label (Storyville)
by Pierre Giroux
Tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate was ajazzman’s jazzman. Born in Texas 110 years
ago this month (he died Feb. 2001 at age 87), heearned his spurs playing in territory bands in theSouthwest in the early ‘30s. In 1939, he was asked
to join the Count Basie Band as the replacementfor Hershel Evans (who had died suddenly). Aftera nine-year stay, he left the band a fully formed
musician with a broad blues-drenched sound,a sturdy vibrato and beautiful timing. These
characteristics epitomized his playing throughout
the balance of his entire career.
Tate’s Delight was recorded live in September
1982 at the Holstebro Jass Festival in Jutland,
Denmark. The tenorman is accompanied by
Danish quintet White Label, comprising Ole
Matthiessen (piano), Niels Præstholm (bass), Ove
Rex (drums), Poul Valde Pedersen (trumpet) andJens Søndergaard (alto).
The seven-tune set features compositions by
Ellington, Basie, Charlie Parker and Lester Young,along with an original by the leader. The session
starts with the Bronislaw Kaper/Ned Washington
jazz favorite “On Green Dolphin Street” with Tateroaring out of the gate, his tenor authoritative andswinging throughout. The rhythm section keeps
the Latin vibe humming, pianist Matthiessen
especially effective.
The two Ellington compositions “In a
Mellowtone” and “Mood Indigo” are a double
treat, Tate covering the numbers on tenor andclarinet. On the former, his broad edgy tenor
takes the first lengthy solo, then followed by hisbright clarinet playing on the second run through.
On the latter, it’s clarinet all the way: he is bothpassionate and gripping.
Not wanting to ignore his time with theBasie band, Tate offers Basie’s “Jumpin’ at the
Woodside” and Lester Young’s “Lester Leaps
In”. Whether accompanied only by the rhythm
section (on the former) or full quintet (on thelatter), Tate’s playing rises to the occasion witha roaring tenor decorated with squeals and wails
in the full Texas tenor tradition. Throughout thissession, Buddy Tate’s playing is compelling andexemplary.
For more info, visit storyvillerecords.com

MARCH SHOWSThe Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism
Tyshawn Sorey + 1 (with Greg Osby) (Pi)by Marc Medwin

It’s one thing to revamp and revitalize the great
American Songbook, and Tyshawn Sorey is far fromthe first to undertake the task. Quite another level of
insight was required to guide Sorey’s Trio + 1 as theyblazed multiple trails at The Jazz Gallery in March 2022,
a residency now documented on this three-album setof old songs made new and musical innovation finallyrendered standard.
At the time, Sorey had just released Mesmerism,
a trio album featuring Aaron Diehl and Matt Brewer
that recategorized the “great American Songbook” inSorey’s typically complex approach to history, form andstructure. In the live set, the drummer, composer andphilosopher ups the ante, retaining Diehl and adding
bassist Russell Hall and guest alto saxophonist andboundary-blurring compatriot Greg Osby. If Mesmerism
was the appetizer, this is the three-course meal, preparedalong similar lines but adding bold new flavors. The
music’s arcs, ebbs and flows are more firmly etchedover longer periods of time, like the first rendition
of “Three Little Words”, which exceeds 20 minutes.
The second lasts only nine and slams headlong into
“Jitterbug Waltz”, a piece intimately familiar to Osby as,
along with Andrew Hill’s “Ashes” (also present here) it
featured on his Invisible Hand album two decades ago.
The group’s instantaneous and stunningly diverse
modes of communication beggar description, especiallyas they stand within and against traditions. Diehl’s
harmonies opening that epic “Three Little Words”
support and thwart the melody’s contour and rhythmic
implications, leading to Sorey and Hall’s sinewy entrance
and Osby’s equally circuitous take on the familiar tune.
Diehl’s bluesy exhortations at 11:00 are complemented
by a nearly non-metric swing as Hall and Sorey pushand pull at pulse without ever abandoning it. “Solar”
offers these elements distilled, tempo often eschewed
in favor of satellite speeds in relative orbits, as when
Sorey and Diehl rhythmically counterpoint during
his solo, Sorey straddling the line between swing andfunky break as Tony Williams might have done. The
confluence puts the album’s title into sharp relief.
Playing of this caliber is impossible without the
deepest immersion in what Cooper-Moore calls theneighborhood of history and influence. Each tune is
implied while somehow also remaining completely
present, a shadow nearly visible as turbulence andreflection jostle for prominence and rebalance.
Repeated audition turns vagaries of suggestion into
brilliant foreshadowings, as when Osby captures“Night and Day”’s melodic essence in his first few
notes. The featured composers’ innovations (Ornette
Coleman, Andrew Hill, etc.) are so pervasive that, likethe tunes themselves, they remain a continual point ofreference. Each set, a unit unto itself, whispers, speaks
and thunders near and away from climaxes beyond
but encompassing the forms it delineates. Similarly,
each tune traverses its formal path while opening onto
the vistas implied by its composition. Three unified
diversities merge into a whole of intense power andimmense dignity.
For more info, visit pirecordings.com. Sorey is at Miller
Theater with Vijay Iyer Feb. 4th and Roulette with Adam
Rudolph Feb. 9th. See Calendar.

MAR 6
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MAR 21–26
MARCUSMILLERMAR 27JAMESFRANCIESRESIDENCY

MAR 28–APR 2TERRACEMARTIN& FRIENDS

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212.475.8592 | bluenotejazz.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 13

BLACKHISTORYMONTH

DROP THE NEEDLE

Live…
Pharoah Sanders (Theresa-Pure Pleasure)by Brian Charette

C onsidered one of the saxophonist’s top ten
albums by many critics, Pharoah Sanders’ Live…
(recently reissued as 180 gram double-vinyl) shows
every interesting side of the Little Rock native,
one of the biggest trailblazers in free jazz. Sanders
was a disciple of John Coltrane and played in his
groups from the mid-’60s and many think Sanders
continued the path of Coltrane with his highly
developed melodic construction and overblown
harmonics.
Album opener “You’ve Got to Have Freedom”
is wild from the start with multiphonic blasts,
modal chords and snappy hits from drummer Idris
Muhammad. After the minimal melody statement,
pianist John Hicks plays a muscular solo with aheavy left hand a la McCoy Tyner. Sanders’ solo ischill and blues-based in the beginning as he slowly
starts to dip in and out of the key before releasing
screams through his horn. Interspersing somegroovy blues riffs, Sanders starts to vocalize witha soulful strut. Bassist Walter Booker holds it down
as Hicks fires blazing arpeggios that shoot up anddown the piano. All fade for Muhammad’s churning
solo: the Nola native hits hard with a near-wipeout
approach. “Easy to Remember” switches gears
as Sanders channels his mentor with a sensitive
melodic rendering. His solo is lyrical and shows
masterful knowledge of playing chord changes, aquality not usually attributed to him. His double
time lines are deep in the pocket with an occasionalsqueaking burst of overblown sound. “Blues for
Santa Cruz” is a medium swinger with Hicks onan opening chorus. The leader echoes the pianocomping rhythm before taking his own bar-walking
solo, peppering rhythm and blues with occasional
sonic mayhem. Muhammad and Booker truck in a
shuffle as the pianist works out a few tinkly blues
riffs on the (given, slightly out of tune) piano. We
really get to hear Booker in his solo, due to the spareaccompaniment. He jams on plucky double stops
and alternate harmony. The audience audibly helps
him out, too, with some on-the-one clapping.
“Pharomba” is a Latin number that begins
with Muhammad’s jungle tom toms and chords
that go up and down in half steps with a swing
release. Sanders’ resonant tone screams and cries,
but always with memorable melodies. Hicks
follows with rapid fire octaves that duel with the
drummer. The tune has a long fade on a lovely freetenor sax/bass duet. “Doktor Pitt” is the major-key
modal equivalent to Coltrane classic “Impressions”.
Muhammad sticks the cymbal, letting everyone
know exactly where the time is, as Hicks two-fists
chordal blocks, Sanders’ climbing solo peaking inthroaty wails. This is a full throttle romp, catching agreat artist in his prime.
For more info, visit purepleasurerecords.com. A Pharoah
Sanders tribute is at Sistas’ Place Feb. 4th with Bill
Saxton. See Calendar.

In the Spirit of Ntu
Nduduzo Makhathini (Blue Note)by Tom Greenland

P ianist/vocalist/composer

Nduduzo Makhathini,a pivotal figure in South African jazz, started a buzzstateside with his 2020 Blue Note Records debut
Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds.
That buzz has only grown louder with its followup, In the Spirit of Ntu, a deeply felt album recallingthe numinous questings of John Coltrane, Pharoah
Sanders and Sun Ra, though Makhathini is sui generis.
Working with Robin Fassie Kock (trumpet), Linda
Sikhakhane (tenor/soprano), Dylan Tabisher (vibes/
marimba), Stephen de Souza (bass), Dane Paris (drums)
and Gontse Makhene (percussion), with cameos by
vocalists Omagugu Makhathini (his wife, on “Mama”)
and Anna Widauer (on “Re-Amathambo”) and alto
saxophonist Jaleel Shaw (on “Emlilweni”), Makhathiniis the kind of leader who shares responsibilities,
letting collective energy circulate and regenerate, anidea embodied in the Bantu philosophical conceptof Ntu, which denotes wholeness, community andresurgence. There are ‘featured’ soloists—Fassie Kock,
Sikhakhane and Makhathini all prove themselves
imaginative and distinctive sculptors of sound—but
such individual statements soon reintegrate into thelarger conversation.
There’s an edginess to the grooves, due in part toMakhathini’s unusually sharp touch on piano, jabbing
keys like a drummer, and in part to Paris’ sinuous Elvin
Jones-style polyrhythms, like a turbine convertinga river’s flow into energy, never dominating but
always part of the collective surge. Mellow flugelhorn
and saxophone float like corks across this ferment ofpentatonic melodies, modal harmonies and twining
rhythms. Makhathini’s overdubbed vocal harmonies,
soft and reverent, add another nuance. A culminationof previous projects, In the Spirit of Ntu is also a
testament to the fertile cross-pollination of South
African and North American jazz cultures.
For more info, visit bluenote.com. Makhathini performs at
JALC Appel Room Feb. 24th-25th. See Calendar.

Dance of the Evil Toys
Tarbaby feat. Oliver Lake (Clean Feed)by Robert BushT arBaby is a cooperative ensemble with a core trioof Orrin Evans (piano, vocals), Eric Revis (bass), andNasheet Waits (drums). They frequently add special
guests, and Dance of the Evil Toys is no exception. The
trio is augmented by the iconic alto saxophonist Oliver
Lake, trumpeter Josh Lawrence and (on the title cut)percussionist Dana Murray.
The album opens with “Blessed Ones The
Eternal Truth”, by the late Trudy Pitts, with Evans

14 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

reciting over sparse bass and drums. By the time
the second chorus rolls around, the tune shifts to amore traditional approach. Things kick up a notch
when Lake enters on his original tune “Bonu”, with adistinctive fat tone and patient distillation of personalideas. Another Lake original, “Bumper” leans heavily
on Revis’ precise rendering of conventional time; itsoon undergoes metric modulation, then becomes
totally free, largely on the shoulders of Waits, who isstupendous throughout.
The breadth of this group is enormous. They can
excel in a post-Cecil Taylor vein at one moment andveer back into a more traditional vibe the next, as on the
excellent Revis original “JRMJ”. Lawrence’s trumpet
emerges on the title track, revealing a confident player
with big ideas (looking forward to hearing more fromhim).
Waits’ original “KE-KELLI” is a highlight,
beginning with a maelstrom before transitioning
into multiple cinematic episodes. At around the twominute mark, Lake takes a beautifully centered solo,
followed by a stunning exposition from Evans.
Revis holds the narrative together on his “Houseof Leaves”, Lake and Evans darting in and out from theedges while Waits pulls the elements together into a
cohesive statement. The collective piece “Paix” brings
together the relentless alacrity of Revis, the gravitas ofLake and a kind of Zen input from Evans.
Another strong moment comes on the Lawrence
original, “Purple”, where he uses the Harmon muteto guide the band into a pensive, mysterious moodthat is reminiscent of the magical ‘60s Miles Davis
quintet.
For more info, visit cleanfeed-records.com. Oliver Lake is at
The Apollo Feb. 18th. See Calendar.

INTERPRETATIONSSEASON 33 2022- 2023
TYSHAWN SOREYSCOTT ROBINSON

FEB
NOV
93
THU
THU
SEP 29THU

PETR KOTIK
80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
WADADAADAM
THOMASRUDOLPHLEO
BUCKNER
SMITH
ROULETTE 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn NY$20: General $15: Members, Students, Seniors.
INTERPRETATIONS.INFO, ROULETTE.ORG
Concert begins at 8:00pm.
6:00pm.

BLACKHISTORY
MONTH

Oasis: The Music of Gregg Hill
Rodney Whitaker (Origin)by George Kanzler

Two distinguishing features of this album are therepertoire and the band. 10 of the 11 tracks were written
by Gregg Hill, who only started composing after retiringfrom a career far outside of jazz. And the quintet led
here by bassist Rodney Whitaker (who celebrates his
55th birthday later this month) is that rarity in jazz, aworking group: one that comes together for gigs andprojects with a rotating leadership of its members. They
are Whitaker, Terell Stafford (trumpet/flugelhorn),
Tim Warfield (tenor/soprano), Bruce Barth (piano) andDana Hall (drums). Also worth noting: this is the thirdalbum of Hill’s compositions by Whitaker’s band.
Joining the quintet on 4 tracks is singer Rockelle
Fortin (the bandleader’s daughter), whose voice ismore memorable than her self-penned lyrics. She
jumps into the opening track, “Betty’s Tune”, kicked
off by the rhythm section at a barnburner tempo, herquicksilver words carrying the melody. The musicians
race through their solos and a short shout chorus caps
things off. Hill’s tunes fall squarely into the post-bop
acoustic mainstream while exploring new avenues andpossibilities. “Puppets” features overlapping meters;

the form of “Sunday Afternoon” is 24 bars, with two
A sections, but not a blues; and “S’Cool Days” is in thefamiliar pop song AABA, but 58, not 32 bars, the A’s
16 bars and B 10 bars. “To the Well” develops like amini-suite, over dominant tom-toms, from drum solo
to rubato horns to modal harmonies ushering in an
exotic, processional rhythm.
That this is a working band is evident in thecohesion and subtle interplay of its members. Stafford
and Warfield sometimes shadow one another’s solos
with obligati, or most notably by intoning the melody
behind the other’s solo, strikingly with muted trumpet
and soprano on “Puppets”. The quintet also meshes
perfectly in grooves like the minor key hard bop wailof “Minorabilia”, the loping swing of “Fan O Gram”
and the greasy backbeat of the title tune. Their rapport
is especially evident whenever they engage in trading
fours.
For more info, visit originarts.com

La Bruja
Lauren Henderson (Brontosaurus)
by Alex Henderson

V ocalist Lauren Henderson has cited Julie London,

Shirley Horn and Anita O’Day as three of her
inspirations. But the Massachusetts-born singer is
not content to simply emulate Cool School vocalists.
Instead, the 36-year-old Henderson has combined cooljazz with R&B (sometimes sounding a bit like Sade)and a wide range of Latin music. She is as expressive
and fluent in Spanish as she is in English, and sticks to
Spanish on La Bruja (“The Witch”).
Latin music is famous for big-voiced female
vocalists, from Cuban salsa icon Celia Cruz to
Mexican ranchera/mariachi favorite Lola Beltrán. But
Henderson is far from a belter, and favors subtlety
and understatement. That approach serves her wellthroughout this self-produced album, whether on
originals such as “Amistad” (“Friendship”), “Así”(“Like That”) and “Deseo” (“Desire”) or well-known
Latin standards such as Rafael Hernández’s “Silencio”(“Silence”) and Maria Teresa Vera’s “Viente Años” (“20Years”).
Henderson also tackles Alberto Dominguez’
1930s standard “Perfidia”, which has been recordedby everyone from Mexican mariachi bands to Glenn
Miller’s swing orchestra to surf rockers The Ventures;its melody was even heard in a scene in the movie
Casablanca (1942). Henderson’s hushed, noir-ish
interpretation combines cool jazz with the bolero (Latinballad) tradition, choosing the song’s Spanish lyrics
over the English lyrics written by Milton Leeds.
The title track is a famous Mexican standard closely
identified with the son jarocho style; Henderson’sinterpretation successfully blends son jarocho withcool jazz. Meanwhile, her own “Amistad” is heavily
influenced by Spanish flamenco.
Henderson’s accompaniment on La Bruja includes
Sean Mason or John Chin (piano), Joel Ross (vibes),
Nick Tannura or Gabe Schneider (guitar), Eric Wheeler(bass) and Joe Dyson (drums) – all expertly sustain
the appealing Latin jazz-noir mood that Henderson isgoing for.
For more info, visit laurenhendersonmusic.com. This projectis at Birdland Theater Feb. 23rd. See Calendar.

UNEARTHED GEM

The Quintet (Mr .BONGO)
Legacies for Our Grandchildren (Dark Tree)
Horace Tapscott Quintet
by Pierre Crépon

The blurb for The Quintet contains the expected archival
release vocabulary: “unearthed”, “lost recording”,“intended to be a follow-up album to the classic The Giant
Is Awakened”, “produced by one of the pivotal figures injazz, Bob Thiele”. Neither the CD nor LP version though
includes liner notes, only indicating that the music wasrecorded at pianist Horace Tapscott’s aforementioned
Flying Dutchman debut session, which would be April
1969.
A first listen leaves the impression that the story
is not as simple. Would the sophomore LP of a group
being tentatively introduced nationally have included
a composition already featured on its debut? Without
this extended version of saxophonist Arthur Blythe’s“For Fats”, it feels like at least another session would
have been needed to complete an actual album. A lookat Tapscott’s autobiography, Songs of the Unsung (Duke
University Press) yields the following: “We recorded The
Giant Is Awakened and part of another album that I neverfinished. Thiele and I had some arguments.” Thiele
denied him creative control on the final product, Tapscottadds, cementing his distrust of record companies. Thissuggests that the distinction between a lost album and an
unfinished project would have mattered to the pianist.
This state of affairs accounts for the spottiness of
Tapscott’s discography in this era—Giant, a Sonny Crissdate, two Elaine Brown LPs—and makes this half hour
valuable. Of particular interest is drummer Everett
Brown Jr.’s “World Peace”. Here, the group departs
from the repetition of rhythmic motifs (the dominant
approach on Giant) for “outer” territories. The soloing
is concise, but it completes the picture of what was thengoing on in Los Angeles.
Attention to the details of Tapscott’s history iswhere French label Dark Tree shines. Legacies for Our
Grandchildren, its fourth Tapscott title, contains anactual unreleased album, recorded live at Hollywood’s
Catalina Bar & Grill in 1995. The story is recounted in
informative liner notes by Los Angeles Times writer Don
Snowden, who produced the sessions to give exposure
to Tapscott’s regular L.A. quintet but was not able tointerest any label.
Tapscott passed just a few years later, 24 years
ago this month, making the project feel like a failure,
Snowden wrote. What remained was a high quality
recording with saxophonist Michael Session, trombonist
Thurman Green and the bass/drums team of Roberto
Miranda and Fritz Wise. Vocalist Dwight Trible guests
on half the numbers. He interestingly brings to mind
Leon Thomas, who, before finding fame with Pharoah
Sanders, advanced his style after encountering Tapscottin L.A.. The version of “Motherless Child” featuring
Trible is likely to be a standout for most listeners.
Taken together, those early and late career documents
underline the plain openness of the music Tapscottplayed. It acquired a greater fluidity over time, and inan alternate universe where it received a contemporary
release, Legacies for Our Grandchildren certainly could
have appealed to a wide spectrum of listeners.
For more info, visit mrbongo.com and darktree-records.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 15

BLACKHISTORYMONTH

UNEARTHED GEM

In Concert
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (SteepleChase)by Jason Gross

During the pandemic, SteepleChase label head Nils
Winther dug up a trove of previously unreleased tapesof jazz masters, recorded in his native Copenhagen.
As part of that series, we have this disc, documenting
cutting-edge hard bop from one of the greatest jazzcollectives of the ’60s.
By 1962, master drummer Art Blakey had
assembled a stunning band of future all-stars: Freddie
Hubbard (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Curtis
Fuller (trombone), Cedar Walton (piano) and Jymie
Merritt (bass). While the Jazz Messengers recorded
often in the fabled Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey,
this disc presents a particularly hot live session at the
Falkoner Centre, a recently opened concert space near
the Copenhagen Zoo.

Just as Coltrane transformed “My Favorite
Things” into something transcendent, here “MoonRiver”, from the then-recent Breakfast at Tiffany’s,
is elevated from a sentimental ballad into a lively
workout featuring a series of lengthy, blazing solos.
Shorter’s “Contemplation” is a sweet bluesy ballad
which picks up its stride mid-way; it is followed byhis classic swinger “Lester Left Town”, on which thecomposer sounds especially buoyant. The band’stake on Monk’s “’Round Midnight” is respectful, andHubbard in particular is beautifully mournful. On a
15-minute workout of ’30s pop standard “It’s Only aPaper Moon”, Blakey lets loose in thunderous style
to round off frantic solos by Shorter and Hubbard.
The centerpiece here is the 16-minute take on Fuller’s“Arabia”, which incorporates parts of Irving Berlin’s“Blue Skies” and Juan Tizol’s “Caravan”; after afrenzied horn battle, Walton delivers a masterful,dexterous solo. The set ends with the triumphantstomp of “Blues March”, written by former Messenger
Benny Golson.
As Hubbard, Shorter and Walton would soonleave the band, this album is a valuable snapshot ofa moment when they and Blakey made some of themost sublime music of the era.
For more info, visit statesidemusic.com. A Cedar Walton
tribute is at Tribeca Performing Arts Center Feb. 18th. See
Calendar.

16 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Live at Smalls Jazz Club
Jesse Davis (Cellar Music Group/smallsLIVE)by Ken Dryden

Alto saxophonist Jesse Davis was a rising star during
his decade recording for Concord Jazz, then he seemed
to pretty much disappear from the jazz scene. Though
Davis didn’t give up music, of course, he has recorded
little since then as he isn’t a big self-promoter like manyof his fellow musicians. Instead, Davis has spent thepast two decades mostly working in Europe and raising
his family in Italy. But make no mistake, the veteranmusician has grown in his prowess as a player andleader. This live session from last year at Smalls Jazz
Club in Greenwich Village, funded by the smallsLIVE
Foundation Living Masters Series, finds him supportedby three seasoned accompanists: pianist Spike Wilner(owner of both Smalls and nearby Mezzrow), bassist
Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth. While
Davis has the ability to overwhelm an audience with afurious bop solo, he’s also skilled at letting the musicbreathe and showcasing his bandmates.
The leader’s solos seem effortless yet swing
mightily and tell a story, as Lester Young was known

BLACKHISTORY
MONTH
for saying. Davis’ treatment of Lee Morgan’s “Ceora”,
a hard bop/Latin jazz favorite, is a perfect example:
he gives plenty of space to his rhythm section, whileletting loose a passionate solo that blends lush lines,
occasional rapid-fire outbursts and well-placed breaks.
Tom McIntosh’s “The Cupbearers”, which dates fromthe early ‘60s, is an overlooked hard-bop gem. Davis
embraces the song’s positive spirit in his expressive
solo, which adds a few amusing song quotes. Theband is afire with their playful romp through Monk’s“Rhythm-A-Ning”, capturing its humor while breaking

fresh ground in their interpretation. The true acidtest for every jazz musician is playing a ballad. The
saxophonist’s thoughtful approach to the old warhorse“These Foolish Things” and vocal-like solo in “Streetof Dreams” suggest that he took Ben Webster’s advice
about knowing a song’s lyric.
Davis clearly merits regular invitations to lead
record dates; in the meantime, don’t miss this lively set!
For more info, visit cellarmusicgroup.com. This projectis at Smalls Feb. 6-7th. See Calendar.

The goal of Ain’t But a Few of Us, according to theintroduction by its editor Willard Jenkins, is to “represent
historic black writings on jazz as well as contributors toour original Ain’t But a Few of Us online series, including
essays that reflect an assortment of viewpoints on jazzfrom a black perspective and especially further inquiry
into the dearth of African Americans writing on jazz.”
His introduction chronicles the story of jazz writing fromhis personal perspective, in his dual career as writer andsocial worker. He recounts meeting the mostly white,male jazz writers of the era (including Dan Morgenstern,
Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler), and pays tribute to themusic that he encountered as a young man at Cleveland’s
Smiling Dog Saloon, from Weather Report and the Thad
Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra to the Sun Ra Arkestra.
The opening roundtable (with Bill Francis, Eric
Arnold, Jordannah Elizabeth, Steve Monroe, K. Leander
Williams, Rashaan Clark Morris and Robin Washington)
tackles questions about the panelists’ original motivation
for writing about jazz; the dearth of African Americans
writing about the music; and the disparity between
practitioners of and writers on the music. The participants
provide useful insights into the career paths and hurdles
for the Black jazz writer.
The second chapter focuses on writers of books about
the music; the authors respond to many of the same issues
raised in the round table. Playthell Benjamin lauds Wynton
Marsalis’ Lincoln Center efforts and spars with Stanley
Crouch and introduces a theme that recurs throughout thechapter: the credentials and approaches of Black folks whowrite about music. There are distinctions made between
the critic and journalist—between those who provide amore general academic analysis, and those who assess
the individual musician and a specific item from his/her
output. Many of the authors point to the stark economics ofjazz journalism and the failure of many publications, Blackor white, to cover music outside of the mainstream. Others
comment on the frequent lack of access to the music as aliving, breathing cultural artifact in the Black community.
Chapter 3 examines journals in more detail,beginning with Jo Ann Cheatham’s Pure Jazz Magazine.
Other publications discussed include Jim Harrison’s
New York-based Jazz Spotlite News, which emerged froma Jackie McLean fan club that he founded and his work
for Jazzmobile; Haybert Houston’s Jazz Now; and The

ALLISON MILLER’S BOOM TIC BOOM
FEB 2–4

AARON DIEHL TRIOIN PRINT

Ain’t But a Few of Us:
Black Music Writers Tell Their Story
Willard Jenkins (Duke University Press)
The Cricket: Black Music in Evolution (1968-69)
A.B. Spellman, Larry Neal and Amiri Baraka(Blank Forms)
by Monique Ngozi Nri

FEB 1

FEB 5

SONGBOOK SUNDAYS: RODGERS & HART

Grackle, edited by Ron Welburn. Chapter 4 covers two
writers who write for Black publications: Robin Smith,
who is one of the few writers to explicitly cite a gender
gap in Black writing, and Ron Scott, who writes for the
Amsterdam News. Chapters 5-7 focus on freelance writers
for newspapers and/or online.
The final section, “The Anthology”, has three sections:“Classics” such as Amiri Baraka’s Jazz and the White Critic;“Essays on Jazz and Race” such as Robin D. G. Kelley’s“Brooklyn’s Jazz Renaissance”; and a section on Blackmusician writers including an essay by Wayne Shorteron creativity and change. Interestingly, the book does
not contain a full chapter on Black jazz musicians writing
about the music, even though many obviously have.
Another notable omission in Ain’t But A Few Of Us
is a detailed discussion of Baraka’s The Cricket. A newcompendium of its brief run from Blank Forms fills
that gap. The Cricket: Black Music In Evolution 1968–69
is, according to the publishers, “a rare document of the
1960s Black Arts Movement featuring Albert Ayler,
Amiri Baraka, Milford Graves, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, andmany more.” In his preface, A. B. Spellman writes of thereintegration of Black intellectuals and artists into African
American communities at the time of the Black Power
movement. That integration meant a change in dress,
language and ideology. Spellman observes that “those of
us who tried to speak for jazz had some very large boulders
to move… We found it intolerable that there were not evena handful of Black critics writing books, articles, reviews,
liner notes, etc. [so we] decided to put out The Cricket.”He credits Baraka and Larry Neal and the trusty Gestetner
mimeograph machine with getting the work done.
The first issue’s editorial states, “The true voices ofBlack Liberation have been Black musicians. They were thefirst to free themselves from the concepts and sensibilitiesof the oppressor”. The first piece is written by Sun Ra;
though no handle appears, the opening lines identify thepiece as his work: “Some people are of this world, others
are not… at last, I can say this world is this unfortunate
planet.” Larry Miller shares some thoughts on Soul Musicof the time and a stringent poem. Milford Graves delivers
a piece in all caps addressing Black musicians and theireconomic choices or lack thereof. In the second issue,
Crouch, in an article on the John Carter/Bobby Bradford
New Art Jazz Ensemble, makes a plea for places in theBlack community where the music can be performed “forMONTHS so that the artists can establish that particularplace as THE PLACE TO BE”. The third issue expands toinclude Cecil Taylor as an advisor and a poem by Sonia
Sanchez. Issue 4, at 65 pages, is by far the most ambitious,featuring articles by Mtume, Ayler and poet/activist
Willie Kgositsile. As Spellman points out, The Cricket
was really beginning to take shape and could have beensomething with a little more money. The dilemma of how
to fund Black creative endeavors without selling out is atheme that unites Ain’t But a Few of Us and The Cricket. In
fact, it is a constant theme in writing on the music that is
informed by the Black experience.
For more info, visit blankforms.org and dukeupress.edu. There is
an Amiri Baraka tribute at The Apollo Feb. 18th. See calendar.

FEB 6

SHEDRICK MITCHELL
FEB 7

ROY HARGROVE BIG BANDFEB 8MCCOY MRUBATA QUARTETFEB 9–12

NILSON MATTA’S BRAZILIAN VOYAGE QUINTETFEB 13

VICTORY IS ASSURED:
AN EVENING IN HONOR OF STANLEY CROUCH
FEB 14

VALENTINE’S DAY WITH MORGAN JAMESFEB 15RACHEL T. LATIN JAZZ PROJECTFEB 16AMINA FIGAROVA SEXTET: “JOY”
FEB 17–19

CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIOFEB 20JUILLIARD JAZZ ENSEMBLES: THE MUSIC OF BUD POWELL
FEB 21–22

ALPHONSO HORNE’S GOTHAM KINGS:
MARDI GRAS CELEBRATIONFEB 23–24

SEAN MASON QUINTETFEB 25

PHILIP HARPER QUINTETFEB 26

BILL CROW & FRIENDSFEB 27

MAKOTO OZONE TRIOFEB 28WAYNE ESCOFFERY QUARTET

JAZZ.ORG/DIZZYS
7:30PM & 9:30PM
SUNDAYS 5PM & 7:30PM

212.258.9595
BROADWAY AT 60TH ST.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 17

Bravery of the Brave/Pogum pogumnih
Zlatko Kaučič (s/r)
Kataklisma
Disorder at the Border Plus Tobias Delius –Kataklisma (Fundacja Słuchaj)by Stuart Broomer

It would take several recordings to suggest the creative
range of Slovenian percussionist/composer Zlatko
Kaučič (who becomes a septuagenarian this month),but consider the Jubileum Quartet’s A UIŠ ? (Not Two)
where he matches subtlety and invention with otherimprovisers at the peak of the art: Joëlle Léandre,
Agustí Fernández and Evan Parker. Kaučič is also athome leading his own ensembles. These two albums
provide other views of him: one as a member of the
improvising collective Disorder at the Border, the otheras composer and director of a Slovenian student group,
Combo C, with three guest soloists, playing his Braveryof the Brave.
Disorder at the Border is the trio of Kaučič, bassist
Giovanni Meier and saxophonist/clarinetist Daniele
D’Agaro. They first recorded in 2013 and have sincerecorded a program of Ornette Coleman compositions.
Kataklisma adds tenor saxophonist/ clarinetist Tobias
Delius for this set from the Brda Contemporary Music
Festival, held in Šmartno. The musicians find an ideal
analogue for the exploratory voyage of collective
improvisation in Homer’s Odyssey. “Šmartno

Odyssey”, the 40-minute opening track, presents aband that simultaneously presses ahead yet holds fast,with Kaučič and Meier feeding the fire and adding
apt commentary. Kaučič’s solo conveys eons, with aspeech-like use of hand drumming on a regular kit.
Though the form is free jazz, there are moments herethat can suggest the great two-tenor bands of the ’50s,
one saxophonist holding an upper-register whistle
and the other punctuating rhythmically, evidenceof the closest listening. Three brief tracks continue
the Homeric theme with Meier coming to the fore
on “Polyphemus” and Kaučič’s rapid-fire phrases
pressing through the band on “Kataklisma”, a finedemonstration of a drummer positively leading acollective improvisation.
Bravery of the Brave/Pogum Pogumnih is a tensegment, 66-minute suite that’s “inspired by healthworkers who fought heroically to save lives inpandemic time, by people protesting against autocrats,
by people helping refugees, by people fighting against
climate change and by all of those wanting better forthis planet! This suite is dedicated to all of them.” A
montage mixes photos of band members with Gandhi
and Martin Luther King and the suite includes the
speech of Greta Thunberg, Pope Francis and George
Floyd. The 11-member band includes three drummers,
three electric guitarists, electric and acoustic bassists,
and three guests, reed players Marco Colonna andIvan Pilat and trumpeter Flavio Zanuttini. The musicmight suggest the circa-’68 Mothers of Invention forsheer force and precision, though with more intensity
and less political ambiguity. It’s impossible to sort out
Kaučič’s student brigade, but they’re all fine musicians,
and the wind players have remarkable turns, including
Pilat’s strangled baritone saxophone and Colonna’s
polyvocal bass clarinet. Political empathy may help,

18 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

but this is work of galvanizing force and complexity
with instruments as articulate as the speakers.
For more info, visit kaucic-zk.si and fsrecords.net

Live at the Café Bohemia
Matt Wilson Leap Day Trio (Giant Step Arts)
by Jim Motavalli

The music fits the space. Café Bohemia, where thisalbum was recorded in 2020, has a rich history. Charlie
Parker offered to play there for free drinks, but died
before he got a chance. Performers who played orrecorded there from 1955–‘60 (its original lifespan)
include Art Blakey, Miles Davis (with John Coltrane),Charles Mingus and Max Roach. The Greenwich Village
club reopened a bit before the pandemic hit, just in time
for the trio of drummer Matt Wilson, tenor saxophonist
Jeff Lederer and bassist Mimi Jones to record there overtwo days (February 28-29th, of course).
“The Dewey Spirit” is for Wilson’s guiding light,
saxophonist Dewey Redman, and it starts with gonglike percussion. Lederer enters with little squeals andhonks, soon building with Jones’ help into an earworm
melody that could have come from Albert Ayler’s pen.
Lederer’s authoritative solo is more out of Ornette

Coleman, though. “Gospel Flowers,” delivered at acontrolled boil, was previously recorded by Ledererwith Jeff Cosgrove and John Medeski. But the album
notes don’t credit individual composers, and the music
was, for the most part, collectively developed for thelive date. There were only two rehearsals, and playing
live all three musicians are equally up front.
“Leap of Faith” is led by Lederer’s spare, staccato
sax melody, and shifts rapidly between poignant
balladry and mid-tempo, with a Jones solo pitchedbetween them. On “The Dream Weaver”, Wilson andJones work hard to support passionate blowing from
Lederer that ventures into the tenor’s upper register.
Here, as throughout the album, the improv is enhanced
by solid themes. “Ghost Town” has one of those, plus
lonely-side-of-town work from Lederer, just-right
percussion accents from Wilson and commanding solo
space from Jones. “Yeah, baby”, someone yells after
a particularly striking Lederer phrase (Joe Lovano,
Allison Miller and Judi Silvano were in the audience).
“Strival for Survival” has a great messed-up bebop
head, then some eruptive playing haunted by Ayler’s
ghost. It develops right into another great Jones
bass solo backed by Wilson’s light-touch on gongs
and brushes; Lederer sneaks back in at the end. “For
Friends”, a big-hipped swinger, rounds out the date.
The sound is aces throughout, with each
instrument clearly delineated. Kudos to photographer/recording engineer Jimmy Katz, who recorded, mixed
and mastered. Musically, this album could have beenon ESP-Disk’ back in the day, but the sound quality is
at a whole other level.
For more info, visit giantsteparts.org. This project is at Café
Bohemia Feb. 10th-11th. See Calendar.

Assembly
Jacob Garchik (Yestereve)by Stuart Broomer

J acob Garchik is a jazz trombonist in a classic mold,or rather, molds, a flexible musician who can movereadily and authentically, as occasion might demand,from crisp and rapid bop phrasing a la J.J. Johnson to
the broad bluster, traditional to free Roswell Rudd.
That range suggests a trombonist might literally needdifferent musical personalities to address different
material. It continues to his recordings, where he isoften a distinct conceptualist, approaching material
from skewed angles. On his debut as leader, The
Heavens: The Atheist Gospel Trombone Choir, heoverdubbed up to eight trombone parts, sousaphone,baritone horn and slide trumpet into joyous, if godless,gospel music.
Assembly may be in part a product of COVID
isolation, but clearly the solitary studio auteur is arole that Garchik relishes. The music began as a studiorecording, in which Garchik, Sam Newsome (soprano),
Jacob Sacks (piano), Thomas Morgan (bass) and Dan
Weiss (drums) improvised without heads. Garchikthen began cutting, looping and overlaying the results,
with some additional thematic recording, to create
Assembly, the title at once describing his method andlikely punning on the transcendent collective, his own
and others’ instruments here turned into sections for
fanfares and orchestral passages. A brass choir appears
over the jazz band of “Collage”; a piano loop becomes
the basis of the obsessive “Idee Fixe”; “Homage”, basedon McCoy Tyner’s “Contemplation”, approaches a Phil
Spector “wall of sound” with four pianos, four basses
and three drummers.
Garchik isn’t just manipulating his sidemen here,
but interacting with them, responding to their creativity.
The loop of Sacks’ piano on “Idée Fixe” is triggered by
the pianist’s original imitation of a skipping record.
According to Garchik’s notes, Newsome’s bizarre
saxophone sound on “Fantasia” isn’t the result ofa digital harmonizer but the effect of a plastic hose
attached to the instrument’s neck to lower it to the bass
range. Eccentric, playful, evasive, Assembly ultimately
reveals dream-like states that suggest larger meanings
and strange resonances.
For more info, visit jacobgarchik.bandcamp.com. Garchik is
at The Jazz Gallery Feb. 4th with Ethan Iverson and Barbès
Saturdays with Banda de Los Muertos. See Calendar.

FEB 10 – 11 ROSE THEATERDIANNE REEVES: LOVE IS IN THE AIR
NEA Jazz Master vocalist Dianne Reeves returns forher annual Valentine’s Day concert in Rose Theater.
The ultimate storyteller, Reeves will take audiences
on a journey of love—fulfilled, unrequited, carnal,
and spiritual.

FEB 16 –18 THE APPEL ROOMJOURNEY THROUGH JAZZ PART III
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis returns to the Appel Room forthe third installment of their intimate concert series,
Journey Through Jazz. An unbeatable view ofCentral Park and Columbus Circle serve as the
backdrop for this interactive and special explorationof the timeless traditions of jazz.
This program is presented as part of the Lynne andRichard Pasculano Jazz Series.

FEB 24–25 THE APPEL ROOM
Verdant Valley
Art Hirahara (Posi-Tone)by Phil Freeman

P ianist Art Hirahara has a deep catalog at this point,

thanks to his long relationship with the Posi-Tonelabel: eight albums as a leader, and appearances on
about two dozen others by trumpeter Alex Sipiagin;saxophonists Nick Hempton, Tom Tallitsch and Sarah
Manning; vibraphonist Behn Gillece, and others. Overthe course of his last five albums, in particular, he’s
really come into his own as a composer and player.
This time out, he’s joined by saxophonist Donny
McCaslin, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy
Royston. The saxophonist and drummer both appearedon his Central Line (2017) and Sunward Bound (2018),
though Linda May Han Oh played bass on both of those.
But Hirahara, Kozlov and Royston recorded as a unit
several times in 2020-2021, as record label co-founder
Marc Free asked them to become a musical “pod”
during the pandemic and work together on multiple
sessions, backing Gillece, Sipiagin and saxophonists
Alexa Tarantino and Diego Rivera, as well as releasing
albums under the pianist’s and the bassist’s names.
First Things First, the Kozlov disc, featured the sameband heard here, with McCaslin up front.
Verdant Valley is a stylistically varied album,
but its pieces—eight of which Hirahara wrote (theexceptions are Kozlov’s “Danza por Arte”, Royston’s“I Used to Love Her” and a version of Wayne Shorter’s“Lost”)—have a shared spirit. This is big, sweeping,broad-canvas acoustic jazz, produced with the polishand gloss of late ’70s albums by McCoy Tyner, Woody
Shaw, Dexter Gordon and the like. “Symbiosis” is so
widescreen it could be a lost V.S.O.P. track. Royston’s
drums are thunderous on uptempo numbers and crispon ballads; McCaslin sounds like he’s playing in an
outdoor stadium; and Hirahara’s piano (occasionallydoubled by organ, as on “Sphere of the Muses”) islush and romantic. Mercifully, Kozlov’s bass is a thick,organic boom, not the rubber-band spring of ’70s
infamy. No one holds back or shies away from florid
gestures, and when they swing hard, like on “Escherian
Steps”, you’ll find yourself bouncing in your chair, or
walking faster.

For more info, visit posi-tone.com. Hirahara is at Ibeam
Brooklyn Feb. 25th and Soapbox Gallery Feb. 26th, bothwith Arun Luthra. See Calendar.

NDUDUZO MAKHATHINIAND HAMILTON DE HOLANDASouth African pianist-composer Nduduzo Makhathiniand Brazilian 10-string mandolin (bandolim) wizard
Hamilton de Holanda share a bandstand for the firsttime. They’ll mix their respective traditions in aunique exploration of the diaspora of African musicalculture, from the slave trade and colonization until
the present day.

MAR 10–11 ROSE THEATER

THE MUSIC OF TOSHIKO AKIYOSHIFEATURING THE JLCO WITH WYNTON MARSALIS AND LEW TABACKIN
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton
Marsalis celebrate iconic pianist/composer and NEA
Jazz Master Toshiko Akiyoshi, whose music combines
swing, bebop, classical, and elements drawn from her
Japanese heritage. Music directed by JLCO saxophonist
Ted Nash with special guest saxophonist Lew Tabackin.

Wynton Marsalis by Lawrence Sumulong

212.721.6500
BROADWAY AT 60TH ST., 5TH FL.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 19

We Jazz Reworks, Vol. 2
Carl Stone (We Jazz)by George Grella

A re you, like so many other listeners, tired of remix
albums that do the same thing every time? Re-mixes
that replace the original rhythm track with something
more dance-heavy and predictable (and mechanical),that tweak the EQ and sweeten the harmonies withelectronic timbres but dumb them down with, well,
simplistic chord changes? Well then, my friend, do I
have the answer for you!
Asking the great electronic musician and composer
Carl Stone (who turns 70 this month) to remix musicfrom the We Jazz catalogue, with “carte blanche towork with any materials”, as Stone says, from the ten
albums he selected, was a brilliant idea. Stone has
made a career out of what is fair to call deep remixing,taking recorded music from Thai pop to Schubert andtransforming it into something entirely new. And
that’s what this record is. The source material will be achallenge to identify, but that’s beside the point. Stone
will take a fragment of an original track, repeat it while
also folding it over itself, turning it into a loop thatis sometimes longer and sometimes starts repeating
before it reaches its end, then pushes it through somany sonic reconfigurations that it turns into a kind of
pulsing, ambient cloud. He’ll keep a steady beat while
pushing the original rhythmic ideas of a cut into a kindof spinning, pixelated top.
One remarkable thing about all this is that while
the original music was made to have a start and an end,a direction, Stone turns everything into sonic objects,
Rubik’s cubes of sax, drums and bass, with individual
patterns combining and recombining into new ones
that keep shifting into even newer ones. “Omar”,
which uses something from Jonah Parzen-Johnson, isperhaps the most straightforward, perhaps becauseof the original’s magnificent simplicity, but even thisturns an older track into a new instrument with which
composer Stone makes something extraordinary.

of “November” to get a taste of his skill and madcap
sensibility). The just-turned 53-year-old Rantala has
won many honors for his work as a classical soloist,
jazz pianist and composer of music for plays, dance
performances, musicals and films. His solo career took
off just over a decade ago with his album Lost Heroes,a tribute to musicians who inspired him, which earned
him the Echo Jazz prize (German Grammy) for bestinternational pianist.
Potsdam, recorded live in Potsdam, Germany,is his twelfth release as a leader and an excellent
showcase for a fiercely emotional approach toplaying piano. He composed six of the nine tracks.
The opener “Twentytwentyone” makes for a great
start: gorgeous tone, beautiful melody, alternating
tempo and moving between light and dark moods.
Listeners know immediately they are in the hands ofan enormously gifted pianist who plays with great
clarity and passion. “Time of Rag” is fast-paced,
comical and dexterous. It would work very well aslive accompaniment for silent movies. “Peace” isunhurried, introspective and warm. Is it jazz, or is itclassical music? You might ask, then conclude, that itreally doesn’t matter as long as the playing has sucha powerful emotional pull. “Freedom”, inspired by
Jonathan Franzen’s novel of the same title, showcases
the great clarity in his playing. Rantala is known to
put soft items into the piano to create sharp sounds
that mimic the plucking of strings. “Freedom” is an
example of this method, featuring both an intense
rhythm and an upbeat melody. “Woman”, a moving
interpretation of the John Lennon song, starts in a
tranquil mood but then becomes darker, troubled
and more improvisational. “November” is sadand beautiful, with a bluesy touch and wonderfulimprovisational moments. The last two tracks are
lively sparkling jazz adaptions of Leonard Bernstein’s“Candide Ouverture” and “Somewhere”.
Rantala’s North American fans look forward tolive concerts by this brilliant, amusing musician. Why
should the Europeans have all the fun?
For more info, visit actmusic.com

For more info, visit wejazzrecords.bandcamp.com
Paraphrase
Nicki Adams/Michael Eaton (SteepleChase Lookout)
by Dan Bilawsky

S axophonist Michael Eaton’s liner notes for this duo

PotsdamIiro Rantala (ACT Music)
by Anna Steegmann

F innish pianist and composer Iiro Rantala studied
jazz piano at Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy andclassical piano at the Manhattan School of Music. For
18 years, he was part of Trio Töykeät, which ACT, hisrecord company, calls “one of the weirdest, funniest
and most visionary trios in international jazz.” Wellknown and beloved as a seasoned live performer in
his native Finland and abroad, especially in Germany,
audiences find his astonishing technical ability andsense of humor irresistible (watch the YouTube clip

project with pianist Nicki Adams offer an illuminating
discourse on how their mutual understanding isgrounded in their personal development at a particular
moment in time. Both were born in the ’80s—the ageof the neoclassicist Young Lions and the expansive,
innovative M-Base Collective—and each began tofind his way near the turn of the millennium as jazz
became an ever more syncretic artform. So this pair’s
music, logically, speaks to an embrace of history anda desire to both honor and adapt it. As Eaton explains,“Paraphrase is a title that reflects the jazz tradition; it
refers to taking known or classic material—the well ofmodern jazz repertory, in this case—and reworking it
harmonically, rhythmically, and texturally.”
On the opener—a jagged, sweeping reading of
Herbie Hancock’s “The Sorcerer”—Adams draws
on Debussy’s “Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest” and its
attendant gales. The same composer’s “La sérénade
interrompue” and Franz Liszt’s “Liebestraum” play

20 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

into the creation of the wondrous undergrowth on
Thelonious Monk’s “Criss Cross”. Directly followingthat offering, Wayne Shorter’s “Iris” recalls Béla
Bartók’s second piano etude, in moves that give themusic a unique footing and an inky allure. Each of
those numbers nod to Adams’ classical connections
and show how these musicians leverage them in theact of creation.
Throughout the rest of the album the pianistand saxophonist mine new possibilities both within
and beyond the canon. Andrew Hill’s infrequently
performed “Flea Flop” deals with enhanced clarity
before widening its outlook. Coltrane’s “Like Sonny”
is given an odd-metered treatment, with Eaton
accentuating the piece’s Middle Eastern flavor. And
Tim Hagans’ “Love’s Lullaby” gracefully wafts along.
In addition to these choice selections, the program
includes Adams’ disquieting “No One” and a pair ofEaton originals—a jovial tribute to harmolodic guitar
hero Bern Nix (“Blues for Bern”) and the serialistleaning “Phenomenology”. These tracks further
illuminate the duo’s take on jazz history and where
things might be headed next.
For more info, visit statesidemusic.com. Eaton is at Main
Drag Feb. 22nd. See Calendar.

Songs of Ascent: Book 1 - Degrees
Dave Douglas Quintet (Greenleaf Music)
by Monique Ngozi Nri

T rumpeter Dave Douglas’ Quintet, featuring
saxophonist Jon Irabagon, pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist
Linda May Han Oh and drummer Rudy Royston, hasbeen together for over a decade —a sustained dialog
that can be felt in the music. These compositions were
written during the isolation of the pandemic andwere inspired by the Songs of Ascent, a collection of
Psalms traditionally sung by Hebrew pilgrims as they
ascended to Jerusalem. As Douglas hints in the title ofhis earlier album Secular Psalms, the Songs of Ascent isboth sacred and secular.
Arguably the strongest track is the opener, “Never
Let Me Go”, which nods at the jazz standard of thesame name and additionally offers a strong assertionof the project’s upward, joyful trend. “Deceitful
Tongues” begins with a series of tricky musicalintervals reminiscent of the torrent of political lies wehave become unfortunately accustomed to hearing.
“Peace Within Your Walls” is a somber, slow tune
where the trumpet and sax interweave over a steadybass rhythm. One has the impression of sound reachingup and over the walls; in contrast, “A Fowler’s Snare”
is a brief uptempo romp. “Enthroned” has a stately
melody, and Douglas’ mellifluous solo is reminiscentof Freddie Hubbard’s First Light (CTI, 1971) era. Sweet
music. The final track, “Mouths Full of Joy”, literally
has the music in ascent, running up a series of major
scales.
To listen to Book 2 – Steps, you will need tosubscribe on Bandcamp to support Douglas’ Greenleaf
label, which distinguishes itself with a 50/50 profitsharing model with musicians and subscriptions forfans. You will be in for a treat.
For more info, visit greenleafmusic.com. Sound Prints with
Douglas and Joe Lovano is at Village Vanguard Feb. 28th Mar. 5th. See Calendar.

Lotus Blossom Days
Vicki Burns (ViBu Jazz)by Scott Yanow

Few songs composed since 1990 have become jazzstandards. The days when there was a steady streamof superior songs written for Broadway shows, movies,
pop groups and touring bands that could be adopted
by jazz singers are long past. Today’s jazz vocalists
constantly face the dilemma of what to sing. Some try toturn singer-songwriter material into jazz, while others
dig up underplayed songs from the Great American
Songbook.
Vicki Burns tries a different approach on Lotus
Blossom Days, by singing classic jazz pieces that wereoriginally instrumentals: Sam Jones’ “Del Sasser”, Lee
Morgan’s “The Sidewinder”, John Coltrane’s “Equinox”,
Thelonious Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” and two by Billy
Strayhorn. Her performances showcase an adventurous
spirit and a flexible voice with a wide range that is
attractive in all of its registers. Burns also contributes
two originals, sings a piece by the contemporary vocalist
Tessa Souter and includes fresh interpretations of threestandards.
She is joined by the top-notch rhythm section of
pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Sam Bevan (who also
contributed the arrangements) and drummer Billy
Drummond. Many of the tracks add horn players:
trumpeter Josh Deutsch is excellent on “Close Your
Eyes,” and tenor/baritone saxophonist Dayna Stephensstands out on three selections.
Burns’ joyful reading of “Del Sasser” (renamed “If
You Never Fall In Love With Me”, with lyrics by Donald
Wolf) makes a case for its inclusion in more singers’
repertoire. “Lotus Blossom Days” is an example ofsuperior ballad singing, and Burns also shines as a scatsinger on several other tracks. The album’s carefully
varied tempos and moods ensure that Lotus Blossom Days
holds one’s interest throughout. It is easily recommended
as one of the better jazz vocal albums of recent years.

For more info, visit vickiburnsjazz.com. This project is at
Birdland Theater Feb. 2nd. See Calendar.

Consider The Stars Beneath Us
Noah Garabedian (Outside In Music)
by Marco Cangiano

Noah Garabedian may be a relatively unfamiliar name,but he has a solid record as a bass player, composer andeducator. His new album, his second as a leader, picks
up from where his 2020 Where Fables Meet left off, butsounds more coherent and mature. This may reflect
the more programmatic approach to the music and thereplacement of Raffi Garabedian, Noah’s brother, with
Dayna Stephens, who has been a mentor and teacher toboth brothers. The piano/drums duo of Carmen Staafand Jimmy Macbride provides continuity. The overall

atmosphere is dreamy, and Samuel Adams’ electronics
are an almost subliminal element.
The music is a mélange of post-Coltrane aesthetics,
Middle Eastern influences and even Baroque music. It is
dedicated to Garabedian’s father, who passed away inthe early days of the pandemic. Despite the overarchingmelancholic atmosphere, the tunes vary considerably inmood and structure. Each member provides heartfelt
solos. Garabedian’s deep, warm bass sound seems toinspire Stephens: his saxes twirl and twist from a soft,
almost breathy end to a raucous shout in a highly
personal post-Coltrane synthesis. Staaf’s piano blends
beautifully with Macbride’s supple drumming.
“RR” is an homage to Ravi Coltrane and Ralph
Alessi, two of the leader’s mentors. His solo is majestic,
with a sound recalling Charlie Haden, while Stephens
and Staaf dance around the main theme. “Expectation.
Regret” picks up the pace and features Stephens’ soaring
tenor. Adams’ “Pendulum” starts with a minimalist
approach, but then unleashes Stephens’ tenor, atop
ominous piano and electronic chords. “Salt Point” isopenly influenced by Middle Eastern rhythmic cycles, anideal backdrop for Stephens and Staaf. “Petty Thieves”
recalls the complexity of Baroque music, and Staaf
makes an especially strong contribution here. “Alice”,
an homage to Alice Coltrane, concludes the album ina post-Coltrane modal vein, though Staaf seems to be
taking her cues more closely from McCoy Tyner. This isan album rich in nuances, one that keeps revealing itself
after each listen.
For more info, visit outsideinmusic.com. Garabedian is atBarbès Feb. 10th, Owl Music Parlor Feb. 14th with Ember Trioand Bar Bayeux Thursdays with Marta Sánchez. See Calendar.

Wave in Gravity
Simona Premazzi (PRE)by Anna Steegmann

Ben Ratliff called Simona Premazzi’s piano playing“modern without ever being airless and swing-deficient,
open without getting lost in harmony and sentimentality.”
Listeners will find out just how special her work is bylistening to her sixth recording and first solo piano
album, Wave in Gravity. A native of Italy, Premazzi
moved to New York in 2004. Since then, she has worked
with Jeremy Pelt, Victor Lewis, Billy Drummond and Ben
Allison, to name a few.
Wave in Gravity contains ten tracks, six of them byPremazzi. Each is brilliant and stylistically distinctive;
each demands a different skill set. She travels fromcounterpoint to swing to abstraction, and interprets
standards and a Bach cantata. Although she is a modernist,her piano work has an accessible poetic quality.
The album opens with Cole Porter’s “In the Still of
the Night”. With each crystal-clear note, the pianist takes
the listener on an otherworldly excursion, deconstructing
the melody, her improvisations wandering away fromit and returning to it periodically. “G minor/Wachet
Auf” starts slow and tender, and becomes more lively
and free before returning to the melody. Andrew Hill’s“Smoke Stack” is upbeat, quirky, full of surprises andfades out beautifully. Both “Between Spheres” theshortest track on the album, and “I’ll Take a Spaceship
and Try to Go and Find You”, the longest, would makegreat soundtracks for a science-fiction film. Both include
wild segments, smoothly graceful passages and sudden
unexpected turns. Monk’s “Monk’s Mood” is remarkablefor its ruminative quality and her skillful playing. The
title track delights with its cascading improvisational
vibe. “Back Seat” starts in a slow, melancholy moodthen turns energetic and upbeat. The last track, Loesser’s“On a Slow Boat to China”, is the perfect ending to an
excellent album.
For more info, visit simonapremazzi.com. The Nasser/Premazzi
Quartet performs at Room31 Feb. 11th and Smalls Feb. 26th.
See Calendar.

DROP THE NEEDLE

Combobulate
Michael Blake (Newvelle)by Eric Wendell

The brass band has a long tradition in jazz, from the
Eureka Brass Band and Onward Brass Band to more
modern-sounding ensembles such as Kinfolk BrassBand and Lucky Chops. On Combobulate (a vinyl +digital download-only release), saxophonist Michael
Blake expands the possibilities of the format to great
effect. In his years performing with everyone fromJohn Lurie and The Lounge Lizards to guitarist
Charlie Hunter to bassist Ben Allison and the Jazz
Composers Collective, Blake has honed his craft.
The present album displays this in a tried and true
instrumentation that honors past examples while
pushing the ball forward.
Combobulate benefits from its all-star line-up:
downtown mainstay Steven Bernstein (trumpet), jazz
veteran Bob Stewart (tuba) and musical polymath
Clark Gayton (trombone). The addition of saxophoneand drums (Allan Mednard) gives the ensemble a
funky, fresh sound while retaining the sheer brawn
of a brass band.
“Henry’s Boogaloo” opens with a funky riffshowing off the brilliant counterpoint between
Stewart and fellow tubaist Marcus Rojas; Blake’s solo
is marked by fun, freewheeling phrasing. The title
track, a deep, relentless groove, is a great feature for
Gayton’s perfectly controlled bursts and slides. Theband is at its most focused on “Focus Pocus” with its
strong dynamics and creative interplay.
While Combobulate as a whole beautifully
encapsulates Blake’s vision, there are a few obstacles
that stand in the way of the album being otherwise
completely successful. “Cuyahoga Valley” falls
short due to murky tuba lines; and its short run time
doesn’t allow the theme to truly make an impact.
Luckily, Blake and Co. course-correct with “Strange
Affair”, perfectly highlighting the subtleties of thegroup. Another standout, “Bills in the Bell”, has a Gil
Evans-esque arrangement that emphasizes low tubasonorities. The richly emotional “The Parting Glass”
ends the album on a surprisingly somber note.
A beautiful showcase of what a modern jazz band
can achieve, Combobulate is, admittedly, perhaps not
the best demonstration of Blake’s talents; as soloist heseems somewhat held back by the instrumentation.
Nevertheless, here’s hoping that Blake continues toexpand on this project in the near future.
For more info, visit newvelle-records.com. Blake is at
Rizzoli Bookstore Feb. 19th. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 21

Lichter on “Nicknames” (epithets like “loneliest
Monk” and “Melodious Thunk” recited deadpan over
“Little Rootie Tootie”) and a funereal “Reflections”;
Mela’s gritty incantations on a spooky rumbafied“Bemsha Cubano”. Both dates exhibit a deep reverence
for Monk’s canon.
Monk on Viola
George Dumitriu (Evil Rabbit)
Reflections 1952
Frank Carlberg Trio (577 Records)
by Fred Bouchard

For more info, visit 577records.com and evilrabbitrecords.eu

Mi Hogar
Rachel Therrien (Outside In Music)
by Anna Steegman

W e see him still—hunched improbably in a kiddie

cart, decked in Sunday suit, shades and golf cap,poring over a score. Thelonious Sphere Monk, whodied 41 years ago this month, still somehow widens
his circle to inspire our puckered globe. Joining theranks of monastic obsessives (Steve Lacy, Carmen
McRae, Hal Willner) who continually refine Monk’s
craggy nuggets are George Dumitriu—a Rumanianborn, Amsterdam-based guitarist, here on solo viola—and the inventive pianist Frank Carlberg, in focused
meditations with drummer Francisco Mela and bassist
John Hebert.
On Monk on Viola, Dumitriu takes an austerely
minimalist approach. Emphasizing repeated gestures
and Bartokian techniques, he scratches out Zen koans
col legno on a dour “Locomotive” and spins sprightly
loops to celebrate “Boo Boo’s Birthday”, with atouch of “Jackie-ing”. Minor-second chords abound.
High harmonics and snap-pizzicato weave into thegalactic infinitudes of “Round Midnight” and bowstutters off the bridge mix with glissandi on “Trinkle
Tinkle”. More overtly ‘jazzy’ are “Four in One” (with
its terminal squeaks), a lean, soulful read on “Ask Me
Now”, and a gruff, syncopated “Humph”. Drama—
pizz! gliss!—jolts the listener on “Crepuscule with
Nellie”. Altogether, this is a singular—taxing but
memorable—tribute, which mixes sad-clown whimsy
with dashing virtuosity.
Carlberg casts a wide, dreamy net on Reflections
1952: he draws loosely on Monk’s early trio sessions
at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio (with Gary Mapp and
Art Blakey or Max Roach), applying wry titles tohallucinatory reimaginations of Monk originals
and favored standards. The opening mix “SphericalNightmares” sets the scene like a shimmeringaquarium. Best in show are a playful, deft “Sweet
and Lovely”, a line-by-line reassembly of “Getting
to Trinkle”, a wistful solo “These Foolish Things”,
and “Azure Sphere”, a bathyspheric dive into theocean-trench groove of “Blue Monk”. Vocal spots add
narrative texture but little substance: Priya Carlberg’s
ecstatic mewls on fey visions of “Just a Gigolo”; PaulAre You Ready?
Maggie Nicols (OTOROKU)And John
Maggie Nicols/Mark Wastell (Confront)
by Tyran Grillo

S ince early 2020, many have framed the pandemic

as “unprecedented”. However, this characterization
ignores the traumas of generations past andromanticizes our current sufferings. Singer Maggie
Nicols’ Are You Ready? is rare for recognizing this.
Tempting as it is to attribute her insight to the wisdomof age and experience (she turns 75 this month),
the vocalist’s astonishing back catalog reveals an
unwavering depth of self-awareness throughout
her career. The present solo effort Are You Ready?,on which she accompanies herself at the piano, isa two-disc culmination of her art. From the forced
jauntiness of “Slow Within the Urgency”, there is afeeling of having been here before as Nicols speaks in
our common emotional tongue. Although she makes
use of coherent words rather than abstract vocalizing(including poems by Vicky Scrivener and Rainer Maria
Rilke), she cups them like flames on the verge of dying.
There are also occasional spoken word passages, suchas the moving paean to social justice pioneers “Steady
Eddie and the Firefly”.
Thealbum’ssecondhalf
consistsof“Whatever Arises”, an eight-part collection offree improvisations. With brilliant honesty, Nicols
frontloads fears we’d rather not entertain, ranging
from self-harm and bullying to the vulnerability ofsacred spaces—positioning herself at the intersectionof what she calls “clarity and clutter”. In the process,she breaks down our dominant language to rebuild it
again. This is hard going—not because it is musicallychallenging but because it challenges music itself. It’sa wakeup call that makes us aware we are dreaming
still.
Listening to Nicols’ collaboration on And John
with percussionist Mark Wastell evokes a kindred
spiritual dichotomy. The album’s two pieces, recorded
last year at London’s Hundred Years Gallery, arededicated to Spontaneous Music Ensemble founderJohn Stevens, who invited Nicols to participate in the
groundbreaking collective. The first piece unfolds
with ritualistic care, courting metaphysical energies
through physical gestures. Ranging from pointillism
to drone (and various permutations in between), itwalks a tightrope over a chasm of self-expression thatis, ultimately, selfless. Nicols breaks decorum as if itwere a bottle of ink, creating on-the-spot calligraphy,
while Wastell gives her plenty of paper on which topen her messages. On the 39-minute “Such a Beautiful
Place”, spoken word, sustained tones and hymnal
gestures spin until they are dizzy with their own
deconstructions of historical violence. This leaves us,
the listeners, to pick up the brushes she leaves behindto add whatever validations we can before the ink runs
dry.

For more info, visit cafeoto.co.uk and confrontrecordings.com

22 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Rachel Therrien, 35, has made a name for herself as atalented trumpet and flugelhorn player, composer andbandleader. A key player in the Montreal jazz scene,
she is now primarily based in New York City, working
with Anat Cohen, Arturo O’Farrill and Paquito
D’Rivera, to name but a few.
Therrien has a deep love for Latin jazz. More than adecade ago, she studied music in Havana and the spell
was cast. Mi Hogar (“My Home”) is her sixth album.
Assembled from a series of international recording
sessions and featuring more than twenty musicians,
the seven tracks show the listener how much at home
she feels with Latin jazz. The album is mellow andseduces like a Caribbean breeze. Aside from Therrien,
drummer Michel Medrano Brindis is the only musician
present on each track.
In her three original compositions, she demonstrates
her gift for creating riveting melodies; on the covers,
she displays her talent as an arranger and bandleader
who allows individual musicians to shine. The opening
Francisco Tarrego-composed track, “Capricho Arabe”,
features captivating interplay between Alex Bellegarde(bass), the leader and Miguel de Armas (piano). The lush
backdrop of timbales, bongos and congas transports thelistener back to the ‘40s. Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice” isan excellent example of Therrien’s gift for mesmerizing
arrangements, starting with percussion before trumpet
and piano join in. Her take on Gillespie’s “Con Alma”,
as a brisk Cuban rumba, is energetic and exhilarating.
“Mojo” (Gabriel Chakarji) is noteworthy for its shifting
harmonies and Therrien’s dazzling flugelhorn playing.
Her composition “The Wizard” features excellent solos
by John Benitez (bass), Roman Filiu (alto) and Chakarji(piano). ”Odesa”, dedicated to the Ukrainian city, openswith Magdelys Savingne’s bata drumming and seduces
the listener with its alluring melody. The last track,“Porcelanos”, is upbeat, infectious, and danceable.
Overall, a great album.
For more info, visit racheltherrien.com. This project is at
Dizzy’s Club Feb. 15th. See Calendar.

Zodiac Suite: Reassured
Jeong Lim Yang (Fresh Sound New Talent)by Stuart Broomer

F ew figures of her generation loom as large incurrent jazz circles as Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981).
In 2021, the European Umlaut Orchestra released
Mary’s Ideas (Umlaut), a well-researched recreation ofher compositions and orchestrations with distinctly
contemporary soloists, and fellow pianist/composer
Deanna Witkowski published Mary Lou Williams:
Music for the Soul (Liturgical Press), the most recent
book devoted to her life, career and spiritual journey.
While Williams arranged for some notable big bands
and mentored Monk and Bud Powell, her greatest
individual moment came with her Zodiac Suite (1945),
a 12-part work (of course), introduced as a largely
improvised trio piece, then performed by a chamberorchestra at Town Hall, then by a full symphonyorchestra at Carnegie Hall. It represents perhaps thefirst genuine synthesis of jazz and classical elements,
and remains an astonishing achievement for an artist
dealing with the period’s racial and gender prejudices.
Bassist Jeong Lim Yang is joined on Zodiac Suite:
Reassured by pianist Santiago Leibson and drummer
Gerald Cleaver. The three work their way around thezodiac, from “Aries” to “Pisces”, assuring a listenerthey’re approaching Williams on their own terms.
Leibson’s approach to “Pisces” is both pianistic andencyclopedic, mixing stride, boogie and blues withsplashes of chromatic color; she’s clearly a devoteeof Williams’ original conception. On “Aries”, Yangasserts herself with enough percussive lyricism tosuggest Mingus. The trio’s dialogues develop withthe suite: the musicians combine styles but assert theirown identities, Leibson’s virtuoso shifts in step with
Yang’s melodic intensity, and all of it propelled byCleaver’s inventive enthusiasm. The trio balances theidentity of each component with a sense of the work’s
larger form.
The recording ends with Yang’s own “Madam,Thank You, Madam”, a sweetly playful piece that has
its own complexity, matching her bass improvisation
against the elliptical theme played by Leibson andCleaver. What at first could seem an unusual project
for a bassist ultimately makes a whole lot of sense.
For more info, visit freshsoundrecords.com. Yang is at Ibeam
Brooklyn with Mike McGinnis Feb. 3rd and Lowlands Feb.
23rd with Kevin Sun. See Calendar.

Sky Continuous
Noah Preminger Trio (Criss Cross)by Ken Drtyden

N oah Preminger has been one of the most adventurous

and least easily categorized tenor saxophonists of
his generation; he’s also a versatile composer. Stillin his mid-30s, Preminger has recorded prolifically,
though this record date is a rare opportunity tohear him leading a trio with just bass and drums
accompaniment. His frequent collaborator Kim Cass(bass) was a natural choice for the session, as they
have also toured extensively together, while veteranBill Stewart (drums) was suggested by the late Gerry
Teekens (founder of Criss Cross Jazz) prior to his
death in 2019. Each of Preminger’s originals has aunique character that inspires the trio to great heights.
As the leader’s compositions are not heavily arranged,
instead they provide frameworks for exploration thatgives Cass and Stewart plenty of freedom to workwith.
The acronym “FTGOP” hardly needs to be spelled
out for anyone who follows recent U.S. politics, and its
turmoil and twists within it are handled with finesse,
highlighted by Stewart’s off-center drumming, making
it sound like part of the repertoire of a working band.
The loping, laconic “High Or Booze” finds Preminger
in a wistful mood, incorporating Cass’ brooding bass
and Stewart’s dynamic drumming.
The
haunting“Iris”
honorsPreminger’s
grandmother who succumbed to COVID early in the
pandemic. The tenor saxophonist’s emotional playing
elegantly conveys his sense of loss; as Cass keeps
vigil with his pensive bass, they both are buoyed by
Stewart’s adept percussion. Preminger’s breezy “SkyContinuous” summons the imagery of the open roadon a beautiful day. The title of “Jamz” suggests anuptempo setting, but surprisingly has more surprises
with its deliberate gait. Despite that, it simmers withoccasional rapid fire outbursts in Preminger’s solo
followed by an intricate Cass bass feature.
The final track is a wild interpretation of the latealto saxophonist Jackie McLean’s “Little Melonae”, adecades-old bop classic recast in a totally new light by
the trio.
It is a safe bet that Noah Preminger will return tothe format of tenor/bass/drums trio format in the near
future, given the outstanding performances producedon this record date.
For more info, visit crisscrossjazz.com. Preminger is at Café
Bohemia Feb. 25th with Max Light. See Calendar.

Perchance to Dream
John Zorn (Tzadik)
by Tyran Grillo

J ohn Zorn always seems to be walking the line between
aggression and tenderness. In this case, we are treatedto a heavy dose of the latter mode, as he navigates aborder shared with darkness. While track titles like
“Introit” and “Midnight Vespers” (and the moods
evoked therein) suggest an orthodox mass, others (e.g.
“Hekate”) indicate a pagan fascination just beyond thestained glass windows of our imagination. The music’s
cinematic framing articulates a ghostly presence thatserves the characteristically eclectic philosophies
woven throughout. These varied associations coalesce
in key passages like the surf-tinged warmth of “A Secret
Twilight”, which recreates the sweeter turns of Naked
City’s 1993 classic, Radio. Such continuities abound forthe avid Zorn listener, whose ears are sure to delight inthis hall of sonic mirrors.
Guitarist Bill Frisell is the voice of reason from start
to finish. Ever the reliable narrator, he stuffs our crawwith plenty of chewy melodies to sustain us throughJohn Medeski’s dreamy organ, Brian Marsella’s
haunting piano and Fender Rhodes and Kenny
Wollesen’s unobtrusive yet propulsive drumming.
Whether in the blissed-out visions of “Eventide” or the
confessional musings of “Lacrimosa”, the quartet beats
like a living heart from each motif to the next, offering
two exhalations for every inhalation in search of a bodyto contain their cyclical relationships. These evocative
bleed-throughs are the life blood of what we encounteron Perchance to Dream, each drop more precious thanthe last.
For more info, visit tzadik.com. Bill Frisell is at The Stoneat New School Feb. 8th with Immanuel Wilkins. See
Calendar.

ON SCREEN

Greetings from…
Lajos Dudas (RaRecords & Film)by Anna Steegmann

Lajos Dudas, one of the most important European
jazz clarinetists, grew up in Hungary, where hestudied at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and theFranz Liszt Academy in Budapest. He has lived
in Germany since 1964. His output is enormous,
spanning almost 70 recordings. In time for his 82ndbirthday this month, the hour-long Greetings from…
shows highlights from TV appearances and live
concerts of the past three decades. Whether he isplaying mainstream or free jazz or classical music,
Dudas is always imaginative, skillful and ingenious.
He is comfortable in a wide range of settings,
including solo, in duo with guitarist Philipp vanEndert (his collaborator for 20 years), in the Lajos
Dudas Quartet, or in other configurations; in total,
twenty musicians appear across these twelve clips.
His love for classical music has always coexistedwith his passion for jazz. The film opens with his
elegant take on Bach’s “Gavotte en Rondo”. Joining
him are Ali Haurand (bass) and Janos Szudy (drums).
His solo performance of the standard “My One
and Only Love” is sensual, moving and gorgeous.
His composition “Change of Time” is an excellent
example of his light touch and ability to improvise
freely. His clarinet takes center stage, while Harvey
Wainaple (alto), Hans Sparla (trombone), Vitold
Rek (bass) and Vladimir Tarasov (drums) support
his creative flights. In “What’s Up Neighbor?” hefreely improvises with pianist Hubert Bergmann.
For Charles Tolliver’s “Suspicion” (recorded at theInternational New Jazz Meeting in Baden-Baden),he joins eleven musicians from nine countries.
Covers of his albums appear on screen to thesoundtrack of his composition “Vehicle”. The last
track, Charlie Chaplin’s beautiful “Smile”, shows
images of Lake Constance and his hometownÜberlingen. All other segments are high-quality
clips of live performances or TV appearances.
Unfortunately, the presenters’ introductions will belost on a non-German-speaking audience, because
no subtitles are provided.
For more info, visit el-dudas.de

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 23

Boiling Point
Gordon Grdina’s Nomad Trio (Astral Spirits)
Pathways
Gordon Grdina/Mark Helias/Matthew Shipp(Attaboygirl)by George Grella

These two 2022 releases from guitarist Gordon Grdina(who turns 46 this month) are a fascinating contrast.
Whether or not they satisfy the listener will depend
a great deal on taste. Both are high level examples ofimprovised music, and also of two very different styles.
The Nomad Trio includes pianist Matt Mitchell anddrummer Jim Black (Grdina and Black released Martian
Kitties in 2021, also on Astral Spirits), and Grdina also
plays oud on this and Pathways. The playing is on thefree side but the idiom is closer to prog-rock than jazz.
The opening title track is an announcement of intent,with ideas that sway back and forth between metal
and more complex, talkative phrases. “Shibuya” isessentially an instrumental rock song, and the headsolos-head arrangement builds into a gripping slowburn dirge; the closing track, “All Caps”, reinforces therock mood.
The three contrasting voices—Grdina’s rubato
guitar, Mitchell’s complex rhythms at the piano, Blackpushing and pulling the beat—come together throughGrdina’s compositions, which alternate slow passages
with the kind of flurried, angular activity that forcesmore beats and rhythmic complexity into the music.
Along with the music’s attitude, the rock feel comesfrom the basic addition of harmony and a strong beat.
This is close to a power trio, even when Grdina bringsout the oud for a more delicate timbre, as on “Calilacs”.
The Pathways trio album with pianist Matthew
Shipp and bassist Mark Helias is more of a classic freejazz outing, collaborative in every way—the tracks are
credited equally to all three musicians. Lead voices
are incidental—it all depends on what idea is coming
to the fore—and there is less traffic and more spaceand listening than on the Nomad Trio album. The
structures are built around response, conversation andespecially dynamics, which cover a broad range andare expressive in and of themselves.
Clichés are near inevitable in free jazz, and thisalbum is refreshingly light with them. Only “DeepDive” indulges in the kind of busy runs that one canfind on pretty much every free jazz album of thelast couple of generations. The three musicians are
imaginative in the details, finding judicious spots tofill with sound and then doing something to mark thearticulation of each note with a personal stamp. Helias
shines for his responsiveness, not just in the notes but
how he moves to the fore and back again in the middle
of a passage. Shipp plays with a fresh touch, finding allsorts of subtle levels and styles of attack.
This is beautifully recorded, with a sound like thelistener is in the room with the musicians. Both aresuperb records, but the latter one might have more
staying power.
For more info, visit astralspiritsrecords.com andgordongrdina.bandcamp.com. Grdina is at Nublu Feb. 5th.
See Calendar.

24 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Live in Italy
John Patitucci Trio (Three Faces)by Dan Bilawsky

Bassist John Patitucci and his drumming colleague Brian

Blade were an extraordinary rhythm team in saxophonist
Wayne Shorter’s quartet, and their partnership extends
well beyond that outfit. The drummer is on a number
of Patitucci’s leader dates, too, including Remembrance(2009) with Joe Lovano, and Brooklyn (2015) with guitarists
Steve Cardenas and Adam Rogers. They have also graced
albums by Edward Simon, Norah Jones, Dave Stryker
and Jon Cowherd, and worked in the collective Childrenof the Light trio with their fellow Shorter bandmate,pianist Danilo Pérez. Here they deliver the goods again
on a dynamic trio album with tenor saxophone heavy
Chris Potter, documenting a 2021 tour of Italy.
Opening on Charlie Parker’s “Visa”, featuringa pizzicato intro and grooving ostinato, and closingwith Vincent Youmans’ “Without a Song” – these threedemonstrate the depth and breadth of their art withinfamiliar historical contexts. In three Patitucci originals
and a collective piece they work further wonders. “OutWest” pairs horn and bass for a rubato melody; on “Three
Pieces of Glass” Potter’s soprano works an enchantment;“Mali” is an electric delight; and “Echoes of Scarlatti:

In Memory of Chick Corea” ties the late jazz great to
his love of the Baroque master. Patitucci’s powers as
a leader, teammate, soloist and composer are on full
display throughout this stellar offering.
For more info, visit johnpatitucci.com. Patitucci is at Village
Vanguard through Feb. 5th with Jon Cowherd’s Mercy Project.
See Calendar.

Berlin Baritone
Kurt Rosenwinkel (Heartcore)by Tom Greenland

Berlin Baritone, Kurt Rosenwinkel’s fourth album on

his Heartcore imprint and his second solo effort (after
2021’s Plays Piano), is, like Pat Metheny’s One Quiet
Night, an intimate outing revealing yet another sideof this polymathic artist. Here, instead of picking astandard-sized electric guitar, Rosenwinkel is plucking
a baritone acoustic guitar, its wider frets and heavier
strings mandating fresh technical approaches, its warm
resonances inspiring deeper ruminations.
Unlike Metheny’s album, Rosenwinkel’s is almost
all freely improvised (only “Under It All” was precomposed). But the tracks still sound like songs, becauseof the persuasive forward motion of his harmonicprogressions. Though he always seems to know exactly
where he’s going, often lingering in recognizable key
centers, he is equally likely to make seamless pivots on
ambiguous chords, heading off towards a tangential
tonal center that becomes a new ‘home away fromhome’. “Mellow D”, for example, winds through murky
harmonic territory before arriving at D Major, then E
Major, F-sharp Major, E-flat Major, and finally back to D
Major; yet none of these excursions feel forced. His lowstring bass notes aren’t used so much as anchors or pedal
points but to suggest inversions or alternative directions.
The record displays a variety of attitudes: “Peace
Please”, the opener, and “Improv…Japan”, the closer,
nod to Bill Frisell-esque Americana; “Just Chillin’”,though composed in the moment, suggests a songbook
standard; “First Impression” recalls Radiohead’s altrock; “Life of a Flower” contains the album’s mostexperimental, border-crashing ideas, though it ends
with a lilting, slackening two-chord vamp; and therhythmically monotonous “Metro City” is a paradigmof counterpoint: melody, harmony and bass motion arejuxtaposed and juggled. Despite its intimacy, the album
is just as intense as Rosenwinkel’s other work.

For more info, visit heartcore-records.com. Rosenwinkel is at
Smoke Feb. 9th-12th. See Calendar.

Octet and Originals
Antonio Adolfo (AAM Music)
by Marco Cangiano

Antonio Adolfo is a highly regarded Brazilian pianist,composer, arranger and educator who deserves wider

recognition in the U.S. Celebrating his 76th birthday
this month, Adolfo’s background proves quite diverse,
having studied with the likes of Eumir Deodato on one
side of the ocean and the legendary Nadia Boulanger on
the other. He has toured with Flora Purim, Elis Regina
and Milton Nascimento, among others; recorded with
Sergio Mendes, Stevie Wonder and Dionne Warwick;and released more than 25 albums under his own namesince 1977 on his Antonio Adolfo Music (AAM) label,
many of which have been nominated for Latin Grammyand Grammy Awards.
The title of his most recent effort, Octet and Originals,
is self-explanatory in terms of the instrumentationand the repertoire. The ten originals are dedicated toBrazilian music in its many shapes and forms—samba,
baiao, bossa, partido alto, quadrilha, toada, calango andmaracatu. Yet this is a most successful fusion between
Brazilian tradition and modern jazz, in which Adolfo has
a strong tradition (listen to his 2017 Hybrido—From Rio toWayne Shorter). The group here is as tight as it gets andincludes wonderful musicians who, like Adolfo, may not
be well known outside Brazil. Of note are Danilo Sinna’s
sinuous alto sax and Rafael Rocha’s slightly hoarse
trombone. The arrangements could not be more elegant
and sophisticated, leaving ample space for the soloists todeliver their performances. “Teletema” is a case in point.
Following a Bill Evans-esque piano intro by Adolfo,
the piece recalls Maria Schneider’s best Brazil-inspired
pages, such as “Concert in the Garden” and “WinterMorning Walks”. There is an underlying joy to Adolfo’s
music, well encapsulated in “Zamumbaia”, which iscarried by Marcelo Martins’ delightful flute. Boogie(“Baiao”) and blues/funk (“Feito”) are also integral toAdolfo’s rich mélange. “Toada Moderna” rounds out awell-conceived program on a somber note showcasing
the leader’s delicate touch at the piano and Jesse Sadoc’s
dramatic sound on trumpet. One final word should
go to the outstanding rhythm section which sustains,
drives and floats at the same time, below and above themusic, providing an elastic yet firm anchor. Overall, thisis music that could not be more pleasing to the ear.
For more info, visit antonioadolfomusic.com

Unjust
Ben Wolfe (Resident Arts)
by George Kanzler“I really love the overall process and purity of being inthe studio”, says bassist Ben Wolfe in his notes for his new
album. He’s referring to a very special studio experience:
the music here was recorded in one room with no
isolation booths or headphones. The results suggest thatmusicians can be a lot more subtle and empathetic when
they have to pay close attention to actual dynamics.
Most affected by the intimate studio setup is
drummer Aaron Kimmel, who aside from Wolfe is the
only musician who appears throughout the album. His
attack, whether with sticks or brushes, is measured andsubtle, favoring snare and high hat over louder drums
and crash cymbals. Also contributing to the warm, lush
overall sound are the voices of particular instruments.
Wolfe favors the lower, resonant end of his bass, andtwo other musicians: vibraphonist Joel Ross and tenor
saxophonist Nicole Glover employ full, reverberant
vibratos.
Ross, appearing on 8 of the 12 tracks, is especiallyevocative when comping, letting evanescent chords float
under the soloists. He also shines on 3 tracks sans horns:“The Corridor” (a 16-bar tune by a vibes/bass/drumstrio), “Eventually” (a somber ballad with telling silences)and “Reprise (Credits)” (a heartbeat-tempo piece, whichevokes the Modern Jazz Quartet).
The leader’s compositions range far and wide, fromthe modal “Hats Off to Rebay”, with fine interplay
between vibes and Immanuel Wilkins (alto sax), to“Unjust”, an Ornette-ish number by an Old and New
Dreams lineup of trumpet (Nicholas Payton), tenor,
bass and drums. The two numbers employing sextets
contrast strongly, from the racing barnburner of “TheHeckler” on which trumpet and alto eventually collide
to “Sparkling Red” which features two saxophones in alanguorous theme, cradling Wolfe’s pizzicato bass solo.
For more info. visit benwolfe.com. This project is at Birdland
Theater Feb. 3rd-5th. See Calendar.

IN PRINTADAM RUDOLPHSONICELEMENTS
Matrices, Cosmograms, & Ostinatos of Circularity

Sonic Elements: Matrices, Cosmograms,& Ostinatos of Circularity
Adam Rudolphby Tom Greenland

In half a century of creative discovery, composer/

percussionist Adam Rudolph, leader of Moving
Pictures, Hu Vibrational and Go: Organic Orchestra,has developed an innovative system of notation andconducting. In Sonic Elements: Matrices, Cosmograms &Ostinatos of Circularity he expands on the concept of“cyclic verticalism” which he introduced in Pure Rhythm(2006). The earlier book’s approach to combining
rhythmic cycles and polyrhythms is now applied to
Rudolph’s exploration of “signal rhythms” (balanced
combinations of even/male and odd/female pulses)
and “ostinatos of circularity” (longer cycles of shorter
elements).
Rudolph replaces traditional music notation
with “matrices” and “cosmograms”, because (ashe argues) the former encourages dogmatic, linear
attitudes towards music-making, whereas his graphic
scores mandate omnidirectional thinking and motion.
The book’s first half considers matrices in all theirpermutations: forwards, backwards, upside-down,
backwards-and-upside-down; in 5-, 6-, 8- and 9-note
strings; and in various intervallic sequences—therein
providing myriad raw materials for the creation of
spontaneous melodies and harmonies. Cosmograms,
which are shaped like clovers, flowers, spirals, webs,
gardens or galaxies, provide further points of departure
for tonal organization and invention. The second partof the book focuses on rhythm, and specifically on
ostinatos of circularity, which are notated as Tibetanstyle mandalas that layer whole or partial signal
rhythms into longer cycles of 12s, 15s, 21s, 33s and otherbeat cycles with shifting internal rhythms.
Interlaced between these precisely diagrammedmaterials are Rudolph’s equally important spiritual andphilosophical musings on the transcendental aspects ofmusic-making, as gleaned from his immersion in global
music cultures. These discussions probe music’s role asa physical manifestation of the metaphysical—as a wayof connecting sounds and silences, timbres and tunings,
craft and intuition, into “a system of orderly anarchy”.

For more info, visit metarecords.com. Interpretations presents
Rudolph and Tyshawn Sorey at Roulette Feb. 9th. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 25

Grow
Kaja Draksler/Susana Santos Silva (Intakt)
In Otherness Oneself
Kaja Draksler (Unsounds)
by John Sharpe

O ne of the rising stars in the European creative music
firmament, Slovenian pianist Kaja Draksler (whocelebrates her 36th birthday this month) covers a lot ofground both figuratively and literally. She crisscrosses
the continent as part of the collective acclaimed trio
Punkt. Vrt. Plastik, yet at the same time helms her own
Octet, a genre-shredding ensemble which furnishes
diverse settings for poetry texts. But she also explores
more intimate terrain too, as evidenced by the two
recent releases here.
On Grow, Draksler joins Portuguese trumpeter
Susana Santos Silva in an enthralling duet. They
already have one album together, This Love (Clean Feed,2015), as well as appearing as part of the co-operative
Hearth, but this time out, unlike those occasions, theydispense with charts entirely. That proves no obstacle
to either simpatico music making or timbral variety, as
they embark on a continuous 40-minute journey, diced
into four tracks, in which both mode and direction
constantly morph. Each is totally attuned to themoment, with the talent to ensure endlessly surprising
results. Draksler makes extensive use of preparations
and other implements to modify her instrument’s sonicsignature, while Silva’s tonal command and quicksilver
imagination show just why she has been touring
Europe with Anthony Braxton since lockdown eased.
“Moonrise” flirts with the outskirts of melodicism,
before bleeding into the gnarly exchanges of “Close”,
a magical realm in which Silva’s multiphonic circularbreathed waves lap against Draksler’s chimes andstring shimmer. Unafraid of melody, Draksler
introduces a throbbing undertow on “Liquid Rock”
which, when she modulates, nudges Silva from white
noise into elegiac fanfares, a feel which recurs after
yet more extreme shenanigans on the title cut with anunderstated, soothing finale of stately piano chords
and wavering trumpet blurts.
Draksler performs alone on In Otherness Oneself,
her second solo outing. Well, almost alone, as she
incorporates a playback of Robert Frost reciting
his titular poem at the start of “Away!” which she
accompanies in a reflective frame, gradually dissipating
into dissonance, until the piece ends sampling thevoices of Björk Níelsdóttir and Laura Polence from her
Octet reprising the lyrics in aching song. Similarily
on “Tenis Stołowy”, she superimposes a chatty
recitation by Polish author Witold Gombrowicz on
correspondingly chatty and nimbly-stepping piano.
On each track, Draksler chooses a specific sound world
to remain within. “Downward & Inward” toggles
between ostinato bursts and wafting romanticism, likea butterfly alternately surging and flitting, while in the
final “Toward” she likewise contrasts two different
approaches: dark bottom end set against treble
rejoinders. Like Cory Smythe, whose supplementary
MIDI keyboard setup inspired her, Draksler chafes atthe piano’s rigid tonality. Thus on “Prst, Roka, Laket”
she enlists an electronic arpeggiator to give every notean astonishing trilling quality; vinegary microtonal

26 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

shifts also color the more somber, halting “Pika” and thestaccato “Stratonutki”. The album represents a singular
addition to an already rich and daring discography.
For more info, visit intaktrec.ch and unsounds.com

Isla
Simon Moullier (s/r)
by Thomas Conrad

Those of us who love the vibes are ever on the alert for
new mallet talent. Whereas an interesting new pianist
seems to pop up every month, only a few vibraphonists
join the scene in a typical year. With his 2019 debut
Spirit Song, Simon Moullier announced that a new
vibraphone badass was in town. (In New York, that is,though he hails from Nantes, France.)
What vibraphone devotees love most about the
instrument is its sonorous beauty. In this respect
Moullier is an outlier. He’s fleet and fluent, moreinterested in rhythmic urgency than lush romanticism,and has his own ideas about how his instrument should
function in a jazz ensemble.
Isla, his third album, has the instrumentation madefamous by the Modern Jazz Quartet: vibes, piano (LexKorten), bass (Alexander Claffy), and drums (JongkukKim). But the band is more aggressive, its textures
more dense, its energy more unpredictable. Like MJQ,
this band can swing, but it doesn’t move in a straight
line: its preferred idiom is shifting meters, sharp turns
and stutter steps.
Moullier’s one shortcoming to date is that hiscomposing lags behind his improvising. The two covers
here are the high points of the album, which suggeststhat more standards and fewer originals would havemade Isla stronger. “You Go to My Head” is intricately
structured, yet floats like a dream. The vibraphonist
turns it into an insistent quasi-bolero, rethinking thesong’s modulation from major to minor. He rescues“Moon Mist”, a lovely Mercer Ellington ballad, fromobscurity: the results are poignant, taking advantage ofthe vibraphone’s ability to make notes linger in the air
until they haunt the listener.
For more info, visit simonmoullier.com. This project is at
The Jazz Gallery Feb. 17th. See Calendar.

The Heavy Hitters
Mike LeDonne, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Vincent
Herring, Kenny Washington, Peter Washington(Cellar Music Group)
by Alex Henderson

A lthough Mike LeDonne is a skillful organist, on The
Heavy Hitters he sticks to the acoustic piano in a sextet
that also includes big-toned trumpeter Jeremy Pelt,
tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, alto saxophonist
Vincent Herring, bassist Peter Washington anddrummer Kenny Washington. Recorded at the Van
Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ in May 2022,
The Heavy Hitters recalls Blue Note sessions of the‘60s, even if the material comprises all originals (byLeDonne and Alexander) rather than tunes from thatera.
The influence of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers,
Horace Silver and other Blue Note artists is alive andwell on aggressive swingers like “This Is Something
New” and “Hub” as well on the more relaxed“Silverdust” (LeDonne’s tribute to Silver). LeDonne’s“Cedar Land” is based on “Holy Land” by pianist
Cedar Walton, a Jazz Messenger from the ‘60s and oneof LeDonne’s primary influences.
LeDonne’s colleagues aren’t shy about showing
off their Blue Note inspirations, whether it’s Herringdrawing on Jackie McLean on the Latin-flavored “Un
Día Es un Día” or Pelt’s Freddie Hubbard-like moves
on “A New Day” and “Bluesit”. Guitarist Rale Micic
joins the sextet on the funky “Chainsaw” and adds
touches of another Blue Note favorite, Grant Green.
The ballad “Big Richard” forgoes the Blue Notesound and instead finds Alexander channeling themellower side of Coltrane who could be a firebrand,
especially after he took the free jazz plunge circa
1965. But on “Big Richard”, it is the lyrical Coltrane of“Central Park West” and his Ballads album that serves
as Alexander’s touchstone.
The Heavy Hitters offers few surprises and doesn’t
claim to be groundbreaking, but LeDonne andcolleagues are clearly enjoying themselves on this solidcelebration of ‘60s post-bop.
For more info, visit cellarlive.com. Alexander is at The
Django Feb. 8th; Herring is at Smoke Feb. 23rd-26th;
LeDonne is at Zinc Bar Feb. 21st. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 27

G100650 years of jazz recordings
Complete catalog: www.steeplechase.dk

LOST JAZZ SHRINES
Celebrating Boomers
Remembering Cedar Walton

Helen
Sung

new
releasesCD - download - streaming

SCCD 31940

SCCD 31941

SCCD 31942

SCCD 36503

SCCD 36504

SCCD 36505

QuartetSaturday February 18
at 8:30PM; $30
Award-winning pianist-composer
Helen Sung’s newest album
Quartet+ is on DownBeat’s “Bestof 2021 Albums” list. Joining
HELEN SUNG is JALEEL SHAW(sax), REUBEN ROGERS (bass)
and KENDRICK SCOTT (drums).
The Lost Jazz Shrines series isdedicated to bringing legendary
NYC jazz clubs back into theconsciousness of the world witha thorough remembrance andcelebration. Boomers was ajazz club in Greenwich Village
where Cedar Walton recorded thealbums, A Night at Boomers, Vol.
1 and Vol. 2.

199 Chambers St., NY, NY I tribecapac.org I (212) 220 - 1460

180g Audiophile Vinyl

G1082

US distribution:

G1434

www.statesidemusic.com email: info@statesidemusic.com

G1443

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
BS: Hell no! I had a neighbor who told me that the place
had history and to find out about it. I found out that Fats
Waller and Willie “The Lion” Smith played at where
my club is. 133rd Street was the original “Swing Street”
before 52nd Street. Everybody would come. There wasa lot of interracial mixing; there weren’t any rules. The
club was originally run by a woman named Tillie Fripp
who came from Philly in the ‘20s with $3, which wasn’t
bad at all back then. She started cooking chicken andwaffles in the club, which was called Tillie’s Rib Shack.
She made so much money that she bought the building.
The next owner was Monette Moore who used to sing at
the Harlem Opera House and on Broadway. She called
it Monette’s Supper Club. She was popular and people
came. It was at her club that Billie Holiday, whose realname was Eleanora Fagan, was discovered by John
Hammond. Monette invited her onstage to sing andHammond wanted to manage her.
The block was filled with speakeasies like The Nest,
The Palace, Club Mexico, The Clam House and The Log
Cabin. The only place that’s left today is the Log Cabin
and Tillie’s, which is Bill’s Place.
TNYCJR: Do you feel the history there?
BS: Oh yeah, that’s why people come!
TNYCJR: You’ve had a long career. What’s your secret
to longevity?
BS: I took my time to get myself together. The Lord justsays, “He needs to be around me.” I’ve been fortunate.
I’ve had my lumps and bumps, but I keep going.
Somebody asked me about wrong notes. There reallyare no wrong notes. It’s just bad connections, not wrong
notes.
TNYCJR: You’ve played many different styles. Is there
one you feel most rooted in?
BS: I’m a hard bopper. But I like love songs and ballads
too. I play what I feel, and what I feel from the people
too. You create the energy, the mood, and the color of
the music. You build it up, but you can’t start off red
hot. And just because you wrote it doesn’t mean it’s thebest thing to play at that time, maybe later in the set
or another day. Timing is everything. As musicians, wehave got to be sensitive to that. Pharoah Sanders wasvery sensitive to that, the mood of the room. I feel lucky
to have known him. He was a master of the color ofsound.
TNYCJR: You have a show in honor of him coming up
at Sistas’ Place in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Whatmaterial will you be presenting?
BS: Most of what he played was what John Coltrane
played, which is in my vein, but I’m going to be playing
more in his spirit than his material… I’ve got Jordan
Williams, a young piano player from Philadelphia, Tarik
Shah (bass) and Darrell Green (drums). Sistas’ is one of
my favorite places to play. I haven’t played there in 20
years, though, so I’m really looking forward to it. (And)I’m always at Bill’s Place: I’ve created my own place toplay and play there all the time!
TNYCJR: Any words on the state of jazz today andabout the future?
BS: Well, you’ve got to be honest with it and on top ofthings. If you take care of it, it will take care of you on alllevels. Music speaks to that. I’m glad to be doing what
I’m doing and that people are still interested. I’m trying
to help move this culture and music forward and to keep
it real. We all can leave something better than what we
found. I think that’s the purpose of life.

For more info, visit billsplaceharlem.com. Saxton is at Sistas’
Place Feb. 4th and at Bill’s Place Fridays and Saturdays. See
Calendar.

[and] I am delighted to have been asked to do this, andhope to present music that ties into what I love mostabout him and his artistry.”

Recommended Listening:• Roy Haynes - Jazz A Confronto 29 | Equipoise(Horo | Mainstream, 1975)• Frank Foster’s The Loud Minority Band - Well Water(Piadrum, 1977)• Dannie Richmond Quartet - Ode To Mingus(Black Saint, 1979)• Alvin Queen - Ashanti (Nilva, 1981)• Bill Saxton - Beneathe The Surface (Nilva, 1984)• Bill Saxton Quartet - Atymony (Jazzline, 1994)

A Cedar Walton tribute featuring Helen Sung takes place at
Tribeca Performing Arts Center Feb. 19th. See Calendar.

(LABEL SPOTLIGHT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
Freeman is both fan and critic, releasing musicfrom artists he admires but in a way that satisfies his
critical advocacy and that, he hopes, will endure. “Ifeel there’s a clear vision behind every record we’vereleased; that’s key to me. They all exist for a reason.
“When I was a magazine editor, one of the things
that I told my writers was, don’t pitch me a feature.
Pitch me a story. Tell me why I care. And when you
look at the idea behind a given release, you can tell why
you should care right away. Only a small number ofpeople are going to love these records. But that’s goodenough, those are the people that I want to reach. I feellike if you like one of our records, you’re going to likethe rest, even though they’re very different from eachother – because they have a spiritual commonality.”
For more info, visit burningambulance.com. Artists
performing this month include Matthew Shipp and Whit
Dickey at 411 Kent Feb. 8th. See Calendar.

Recommended Listening:• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Mosaic(Blue Note, 1961)• Joe Henderson - Mode for Joe (Blue Note, 1966)• Cedar Walton Trio (with Clifford Jordan) A Night at Boomer’s, Vol.1 & 2 (Muse, 1973)• Ron Carter/Cedar Walton Duo Heart & Soul (Timeless, 1981)• Cedar Walton - The Trio (Vol.1,2,3) (Red, 1985)• Cedar Walton - Underground Memoirs(HighNote, 2005)

ALBUM RELEASE PARTYDIZZY’S CLUB | FEB 15
7:30PM ET

9:30PM ET

www.RACHELTHERRIEN.com(LEST WE FORGET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10)
and recorded for Timeless and MusicMasters. But itwould be sheer lunacy to try to list all the importantgroups Walton was part of. One highlight was him
working as Etta James’ arranger/collaborator for her
1995 Grammy-winning Mystery Lady. “Cedar loved
arranging”, Sammaciccia remembers. “I recall one
time when he was recording with Etta James, we hada suite near the studio. He was working on thosearrangements around the clock. The pencil sharpener
went all night long!”
My own most intense musical Cedar Waltonmemories are of his stunning duo with bassist Ron
Carter. They played at the Knickerbocker in the Village
for entire weeks in the ‘80s, with little-to-no covercharge; many a night, we stood nursing our bourbons
in the little bar niche right behind the piano, inchesfrom the bass, totally enraptured by the music. Luckily,
the duo recorded one album, Heart & Soul (Timeless,1981). The track ”Back to Bologna” might refer to his
fib on meeting his Italian-born future mother in-law,
who was so enamored (he played standards on thefamily piano for hours, making a game of “What’s That
Tune?”), he had to be Italian! “Where in Italy do youcome from?”. “Bologna!,” the Texan said. He claimed
to be Cedarito Waltoni from Bologna.
Jazz fans are unlikely to mistake 2010 National
Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Cedar Walton
for anyone else or ever forget the music he gave us.
Award-winning pianist Helen Sung will pay tributeto him (and to Boomers) this month, performing with
her quartet for TriBeCa Performing Arts Center’s“Lost Jazz Shrines” series. “Cedar’s compositions andplaying are quintessentially jazz at its most swinging,soulful, musical, and intelligent”, she said to me. “I
loved going to hear him at his annual Vanguard run

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 29

CALENDAR
Wednesday, February 1êMonte Croft Trio

333 Lounge 7:30, 9:30 pm• Ian Douglas-Moore, Eric Wong, Dominic Coles; Seth Cluet					411 Kent 8 pm $15
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Eri Yamamoto Trio
• Matt Maneri DUST with Lucian Ban, John Hebert, Randy Peterson					
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Andy Statman Trio with Larry Eagle, Jim Whitney						Barbès 8 pm $20• Mamady Kouyate and his Mandingo Ambassadors						Barbès 10 pm $15êMike Stern with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers 						Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band						Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30• Frank Vignola Guitar Night with Rubens De La Corte						
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30• Keyon Harrold/Weedie Braimah Duo with Ms. Lisa Fischer					Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Willerm Delisfort TrioêAllison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom with Dayna Stephens, Myra Melford, Scott Colley 				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45
êChampian Fulton Trio; Fima Ephron Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Cameron Campbell, Conway Campbell, Jaleel Shaw, Kendrick Scott					
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êAsher Herzog, Nick Saia, Neel Ghosh; Daniel Blake, Brian Chase, Mariel Roberts;
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; Yoni Kretzmer, William Parker, Juan Pablo
Carletti; Elijah Shiffer, Richard Lenz, Christian Cail						
Main Drag Music 7 pm $20• Brian Charette Trio with Jochen Rueckert, Alex Claffy; Mike Camacho				
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-35• Trina Basu, Arun Ramamurthy National Sawdust 7:30 pm $25
Alon
Yavnai;
JosephLeporeOrnithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm•
• John Zweig Quartet with Jan Findlay, Tomoko Ono, Rick Crane					Pangea 7 pm $25
The Porch 9 pm
• Marcelino FelicianoPeter
BraininandFriends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $12-40•
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Davy Mooney• Nava Dunkelman Residency with gabby fluke-mogul 						The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJon Cowherd Mercy Project with Chris Potter, Steve Cardenas, John Patitucci,
Brian Blade
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Thursday, February 2• Richard Cortez; Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band						Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pmêMárta Sanchez
Bar Bayeux 5 pmêMike Stern with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers 						Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Vicki Burns with Art Hirahara, Sam Bevan, Curtis Nowosad					
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Greg Glassman Quartet; James Austin Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $5• Sylwester Ostrowski “We Are the Jazz Brigade”						
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Aaron Diehl Trio, Sylwester Ostrowski and The Jazz Brigade 					Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-50
êLauren Sevian Quartet; Nick Hempton Band, Kyle Koehler, Fukushi Tainaka,
Peter Bernstein
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Alexander Claffy, Matt Chalk, Troy Roberts, Rasmus Sorensen, Simon Moullier,Jochen Reuckert
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-35• Craig Brann; Ray Gallon
LaurieAnderson&
Tiokasin
Ghosthorse
				
•
		
National Sawdust 7:30 pm $30
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Dida Pelled; Richie Vitale
Patrick’s Place 7 pm
• Phil Young
Yvonnick
Prene
The Porch 9 pm•êMark Dresser Telematic
Roulette 8 pm $25
êJennifer Wharton Bonegasm
Silvana 7 pm
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Darryl Yokley
StefonHarris+Blackoutwith
Casey
Benjamin, Christian Sands, Dezron Douglas,•
Terreon Gully
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60• Nava Dunkelman Residency with Maria Takeuchi						The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJon Cowherd Mercy Project with Chris Potter, Steve Cardenas, John Patitucci,
Brian Blade
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, February 3êMarshall Allen with Darius Jones-Isaiah Collier, Sam Newsome, Patrick Holmes,

Gwen Laster, Brandon Lopez, Fay Victor, Juan Pablo Carletti, et al					
411 Kent 7 pm, 9 pm $25-30
54 Below 7 pm $35-85• John-Andrew Morrison• Johnny O’Neal Trio; Bobby Harden with Off Da Hook						Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pm• Mamie Minch, Dean Sharenow Barbès 8 pm $20
êOscar Noriega Quartet, with Márta Sanchez, Chris Tordini, Jason Nazary				Barbès 5pm $20
Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30• The Birdland Big BandêMike Stern with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers 						Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40êBen Wolfe, Michael Rodriguez, Grant Stewart, Kendrick Scott					Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êVictor Gould Quartet; Ai Murakami Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Kristen Lee Sergeant with Jeb Patton, Hannah Marks, Jay Sawyer, Jody Redhage Ferber,
Abdias Armenteros
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $25-35• Dave Taylor, Gene Pritsker, Erik T. Johnson						The Delancey 6 pm $10• Sylwester Ostrowski “We Are the Jazz Brigade”						
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Aaron Diehl Trio, Sylwester Ostrowski and The Jazz Brigade 					Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-50• Mike DiRubbo Quartet; Helio Alves Quintet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êMike McGinnis with Dana Lynn, Sara Schoenbeck, Brian Drye, Harris Eisenstadt				Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $15êEthan Iverson Trio with Buster Williams, Billy Hart: “50th Birthday Concert”				
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Tammaso Perazzo, Kimon Karoutsos							Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pmêKen Peplowski; Marc Devine
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-40
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Joe Strasser; Ralph Lalama
Patrick’s Place 8, 10 pm• Patience Higgins
Nightwatch
The Porch 9 pm•
• LipTalk + Seven + Ex Wiish, Dorothy Carlos						
Public Records 7 pm $23.69
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $15-45• Alex Laurenzi; David GibsonêWendy Eisenberg
Roulette 8 pm $25
êGeorge Garzone
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Stefon Harris + Blackout with Casey Benjamin, Christian Sands, Dezron Douglas,
Terreon Gully
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60

Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• DO’A and James Fernando• Nava Dunkelman Residency with Shayna Dunkelman						The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJon Cowherd Mercy Project with Chris Potter, Steve Cardenas, John Patitucci,
Brian Blade
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, February 4

54 Below 7 pm $35-85• John-Andrew Morrison• Axel Tosca; New York Gremmies with Noé Socha						
Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pmêAnthony Coleman
Barbès 6 pm $20
êBanda de Los Muertos with Oscar Noriega, Jacob Garchik, Chris Speed, Ben Holmes,
Justin Mullens, Curtis Hasselbring, Brian Drye, Rachel Drehmann, Jim Black,
Mireya I. Ramos
Barbès 10 pm $20• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano						Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30êMike Stern with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers 						Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40êBen Wolfe, Michael Rodriguez, Grant Stewart, Kendrick Scott					Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30• James Burton Quintet; Kyoko Oyobe Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Sylwester Ostrowski “We Are the Jazz Brigade”						
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Aaron Diehl Trio, Sylwester Ostrowski and The Jazz Brigade 					Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-50• Neal Caine Trio; Richard Cortez Band							The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
The Flatiron Room 9 pm
• Kelly Green Trio
• Michel Gentile, Anders Nilsson, John Hebert, Tom Rainey					Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $20
êEthan Iverson Septet with Jonathan Finlayson, Sam Newsome, Jacob Garchik,
Rob Schwimmer, Simon Willson, Vinnie Sperrazza: “50th Birthday Concert”				
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Tammaso Perazzo, Mikey Migliore Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
Ken
Peplowski;
JimGreeneMezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-40•
êVijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey						Miller Theatre 8 pm $10-45
Neir’s Tavern 12:30 pm• Green Soul Duo
Yuval
Amihai;Richard
Grilli
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm•
• AC Lincoln and his All Star Jazz Band 							The Porch 9 pmêSheila Jordan Trio
Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 7:30, 9 pm
• Mixology: Bergsonist, Miho Hatori, Peter Burr						
Roulette 8 pm $25
êBill Saxton: “Pharoah Sanders Tribute”							Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
êGeorge Garzone
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Stefon Harris + Blackout with Casey Benjamin, Christian Sands, Dezron Douglas,
Terreon Gully
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60• Nava Dunkelman Residency with Amma Ateria						The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
The Sultan Room 7 pm $24.14• Stephen Ulrich and Big Lazy
Sunny
Jain,
Ganavya,
Grey
McMurray,Shahzad Ismaily			•		Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia 7:30 pm $20-30êJon Cowherd Mercy Project with Chris Potter, Steve Cardenas, John Patitucci,
Brian Blade
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, February 5

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Creole Cookin’ Jazz Band
Barbès 8 pm $20• Stephane Wrembel• Uptown Jazz Tentet with Brandon Lee, James Burton III, Willie Applewhite				
Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30• Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra						
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40êBen Wolfe, Michael Rodriguez, Grant Stewart, Aaron Kimmel					Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30• Jason Prover with Alex Raderman, Sam Raderman, Dylan Shamat, Jonathan Beshay		Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $20
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Jon Davis Trio
Matthew
Whitaker
City Winery 8 pm $30-48•• Songbook Sundays: Rodgers and Hart with Emily Skinner, Kenita Miller, Jarvis Manning,
Ted Rosenthal, Houston Person Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $25-55• Alexander Claffy Quartet; Michael Weiss Quartet with Alexander Claffy		
		
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êChampian Fulton
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Oran Etkin: “Timbalooloo Jazz for Kids”							National Sawdust 11 am $20
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2:15 pm• Kate Baker, Ben Cassara• Julian Milkis & Maxim Lubarsky Trio: “Benny Goodman, The Original King of Swing”
		On Stage at Kingsborough 3 pm $45• Adam Frumkin; Joe Magnarelli Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
Patrick’s Place 12 noon
• Boncelilla Lewis and FriendsêTommy Campbell
The Porch 7 pm
BessieandThe
Rainbowkids
withRussellHall				
•
		Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 7:30, 9 pm
• Marcus Goldhaber; Mimi Jones and Friends						
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 9:30 pm $12-42• Mixology: Qasim Naqvi, Mirovaya Liniya, Peter Burr Roulette 8 pm $25
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Tad Shull• Stefon Harris + Blackout with Casey Benjamin, Christian Sands, Dezron Douglas,
Terreon Gully
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Arianna Neikrug Duo• Yotam Ishay, Harshitha Krishnan St. Peter’s Church 5 pmêJon Cowherd Mercy Project with Chris Potter, Steve Cardenas, John Patitucci,
Brian Blade
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, February 6

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Grove Street Stompers• Jason Nazary, Illusha Tsinadze, Gosha Tsinadze						Barbès 7 pm $15
Birdland 7 pm $45• Julie Benko, Jason Yeager
Birdland 9:30 pm $20-30• Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $45-75• Mark MacKillop
Bruce
HarrisTrio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5•
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-35• Shedrick Mitchell• Cameron Campbell Quartet; Brian Richburg Quintet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• David Bryant• Ray Angry and The Council of Goldfinger						
Nublu 151 10, 12 pm $22.66
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Lex Korten; Asaf YuriaêJesse Davis
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Yotam Silverstein Trio with Alexander Claffy, Anwar Marshall					
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 $25-30

Tuesday, February 7

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Moses Patrou
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Diego Voglino Jam SessionêLucian Ban’s Elevation with Abraham Burton, John Hebert, Eric McPherson				Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10

30 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Barbès 7 pm $20• Tamar Korn
Barbès 9 pm $20• Slavic Soul Party
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Gunhild Carling
Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30• John DiMartino and Friends• The Lineup with Susie Mosher Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30
Talib
Kweli
with
Bob
James,
Guest
DMC					
•		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45-65
êJeff “Tain” Watts
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Our Delight• Elena Bennett and Fred Barton Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $25-35
êRoy Hargrove Big Band
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-40êConrad Herwig and the Latin Side All-Stars: Alex Norris, Craig Handy, Bill O’Connell,
Ruben Rodriguez, Robby Ameen, Camilo Molina						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Dustin Carlson, Kenneth Jimenez; Marco Cappelli, Hans Tammen					
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Kevin Sun Trio with Walter Stinson, Kayvon Gordon						
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm• MSM Jazz Orchestra: “A Celebration of Jim McNeely”						
Manhattan School of Music Neidorff-Karpati Hall 7:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Michelle Walker
HannahMarks;Ben
Solomon
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm•êJesse Davis
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35
êWalter Smith III, Gerald Clayton, Matt Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Kendrick Scott				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Cesar Orozco with Gabriel Vivas, Pablo Bencid						Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30-35

Wednesday, February 8

333 Lounge 7:30, 9:30 pm• Vinny Valentino TrioêMatthew Shipp, Rob Brown, Whit Dickey; Marco Cappelli, Elliott Sharp, JT Lewis				
411 Kent 8 pm $15
Arthur’s Tavern 10 pm• Nick Hempton BandêOtis Brown III
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Mamady Kouyate and his Mandingo Ambassadors						Barbès 10 pm $15
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Gunhild Carling• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band						Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30êFrank Vignola Guitar Night with Rodney Jones 						Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30• Talib Kweli with Bob James, Guest Slick Rick						Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45-65
êBrandi Disterheft Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5êMcCoy Mrubata Quartet with Gary Wittner, Shakeel Cullis-Lumanyano 				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-35• Joe Strasser Quartet; Eric Alexander Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Rasmus Sørensen, Ben Tiberio, Miguel Russell						
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Chris Pattishall, Vuyo Sotashe Joe’s Pub 7 pm $20
êKen Kobayashi, Adam Lane, Ayumi Ishito, Eric Plaks; Patrick Golden, Jim Clouse,
William Parker, Dave Sewelson; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton;
Caroline Davis, Qasim Naqvi, Grey McMurray; Greg Sinibaldi, Jeff Davis,
Jon Goldberger, Andrew Dow
Main Drag Music 7 pm $20
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-35• Anat Cohen; Stefan Vasnier• Augustine Grasso; Ed Cherry Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
Pangea 7 pm $25• Mark Wade Trio
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $12-40• Peter Brainin and Friends
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Alex LoreêImmanuel Wilkins Residency with Jen Shyu, Bill Frisell, Susie Ibarra					The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $30
êWalter Smith III, Gerald Clayton, Matt Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Kendrick Scott				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Thursday, February 9• Seydurah & Her Avecmoi Band of Blues; Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band				Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pmêMárta Sanchez
Bar Bayeux 5 pm
Peppe
Voltarelli
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10•• Miss Maybell and The Jazz Age Artistes 							Barbès 8 pm $20
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Gunhild Carling
NicolasKing
QuartetBirdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30•• Talib Kweli with Bob James, Guest Rakim						
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45-65
êDuane Eubanks Quintet; Simona Premazzi Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $5
David Rubenstein Atrium 7:30 pm• Claudia Acuña
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Jason Clotter Sextet
NilsonMatta’s
Brazilian
VoyageQuintetwith Brian Lynch, Vitor Gonçalves,•
Felipe Galganni, Rafael Barata
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45• David Gibson Quartet; Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Drom 7 pm $15• Secret TrioêMarcus Gilmore
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 8 pmêSun of Goldfinger with Tim Berne, David Torn, Ches Smith		
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm “Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Chico Pinerho• Nathan Bellot; David Berkman Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
Patrick’s Place 7 pm
• Phil Young
The Porch 9 pm
• Danaya BandêTyshawn Sorey, Adam Rudolph Roulette 8 pm $25• Mike Fahn Group with Mike McGuiness, Jim Hershman, Peter Brendler, Vinnie Sperrazza		Silvana 7 pm
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Sam DillonêKurt Rosenwinkel/Peter Bernstein Quartet						
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
êImmanuel Wilkins Residency with Micah Thomas, Simon Martinez, Taja Cheek				The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $30• Sunny Jain, Yamini Kalluri, Adam O’ Farrill, Eva Lawitts 					Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia 7:30 pm $20-30”êWalter Smith III, Gerald Clayton, Matt Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Kendrick Scott				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, February 10êBrandon Lopez Trio

411 Kent 8 pm $15• Johnny O’Neal Trio; Bobby Harden with Off Da Hook						Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pm• Noah Garabedian Trio with Mark Shim, Allen Mednard						Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Percy Jones MJ12 with Stephen Moses, Chris Bacas, David Phelps					Barbès 8 pm $20• Nikhil P. Yerawadekar and Living Language						Barbès 10 pm $20
êOscar Noriega Quartet with Márta Sanchez, Chris Tordini, Jason Nazary				Barbès 5pm $20
Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30• The Birdland Big Band
Gunhild
Carling
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40•• Melissa Errico Noir Romance with Tedd Firth Quintet feat. Russell Malone				
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $20-35• BJ The Chicago KidêMatt Wilson with Jeff Lederer, Mimi Jones 						Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Wayne Tucker Quintet; Mariel Bildsten Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10
Chelsea Table & Stage 9:30 pm $20-25• Joe Pino Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Jason Clotter Sextet• Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage Quintet with Brian Lynch, Vitor Gonçalves,
Felipe Galganni, Rafael Barata
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-55• Stella Katherine Cole; Ty Bailie B3 Trio							The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êJohnathan Blake, Chris Potter, Gilad Hekselman, Kanoa Mendenhall					
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $10-40• Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, Darcy James Argue conducting: “21st Century Compositions
for Jazz Orchestra”
Juilliard School Peter Jay Sharp Theater 7:30 pm $20
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Hyuna ParkêJoanne Brackeen; Jonathan Thomas							Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-40
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Corentin Le Hir; Mike Troy
Patience
Higgins
Patrick’s Place 8, 10 pm•
The Porch 9 pm
• Francesca Polsa• Georgia Heers; Kaisa Maisenvu Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $15-44
DianneReeveswith
EdwardSimon,
Reuben Rogers, Terreon Gully			•		Rose Theater 8 pm $40-180
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Josh BruneauêKurt Rosenwinkel/Peter Bernstein Quartet						
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
êImmanuel Wilkins Residency with Nasheet Waits and a guest					The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $30• Guy Barash, Nick Flynn, Frank London, Eyal Maoz, and Kathleen Supové				
Tenri Cultural Institute 7 pmêWalter Smith III, Gerald Clayton, Matt Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Kendrick Scott				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, February 11

411 Kent 8 pm $15• Elliott Sharp, Zafer Tawil• Anderson Brothers Quintet; JT Bowen and Mighty Kings Of Soul					
Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pm• Kenny Warren’s Sweet World with Christopher Hoffman, Nathan Ellman-Bell				
Bar Bayeux 8 pmêAnthony Coleman
Barbès 6 pm $20
êBanda de Los Muertos with Oscar Noriega, Jacob Garchik, Chris Speed, Ben Holmes,
Justin Mullens, Curtis Hasselbring, Brian Drye, Rachel Drehmann, Jim Black,
Mireya I. Ramos
Barbès 10 pm $20• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano						Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40• Gunhild Carling• Melissa Errico Noir Romance with Tedd Firth Quintet feat. Russell Malone				
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $20-35• BJ The Chicago KidêMatt Wilson with Jeff Lederer, Mimi Jones 						Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Richard Clements Quintet; Tad Shull Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10
City Winery 6, 9 pm $40-60• Sheila E. and the E-Train
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Jason Clotter Sextet• Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage Quintet with Brian Lynch, Vitor Gonçalves,
Felipe Galganni, Rafael Barata
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-55• Stella Katherine Cole; Mariel Bildsten Septet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• James Ilgenfritz, Sandy Ewen, Michael Foster; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton;
James Nadien, Brenna Rey, Cosmo Gallaro; 						Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm
The Flatiron Room 9 pm
• Kelly Green TrioêJohnathan Blake, Chris Potter, Gilad Hekselman, Kanoa Mendenhall					
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $10-40• Gregory Porter: “Annual Valentine’s Day Concert”						Kings Theatre 8 pm $40-80
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Hyuna ParkêJoanne Brackeen
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-40
Neir’s Tavern 12:30 pm• Green Soul Duo
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Peter Watrous
Carol
SylvanThe Porch 9 pm•
• Simona Premazzi and Kyle Nasser Group						
Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 7:30, 9 pmêDianne Reeves with Edward Simon, Reuben Rogers, Terreon Gully					Rose Theater 8 pm $40-180êKahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble						
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Josh Bruneau• Kurt Rosenwinkel/Peter Bernstein Quartet						
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
Soup & Sound 8 pm
• Lee Odom with J. D. ParranêImmanuel Wilkins Residency with Laraaji 						The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $30
êWalter Smith III, Gerald Clayton, Matt Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Kendrick Scott				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, February 12

Monday, February 13
54 Below 7 pm $45-90• Alton Fitzgerald White
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Grove Street Stompers• Steve Ross: “Falling in Love…Again”							Birdland 7 pm $40
Birdland 9:30 pm $20-30• Jim Caruso’s Cast Party• Melissa Errico Noir Romance with Tedd Firth Quintet feat. Russell Malone				
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30êJames Francies Trio with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Burniss Travis II, Jeremy Dutton				Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Chris Beck Trio
Dizzy’s Club 7 pm $25-50• Stanley Crouch Tribute• Hiruy Tirfe Quartet; Aaron Seeber Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Ray Angry and The Council of Goldfinger						
Nublu 151 10, 12 pm $22.66
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Itay Goldberg; Grant Stewart• Marius Ven Den Brink Quintet Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 7:30, 9 pm
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Ari Hoenig
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Steve
Cardenas
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $25-30•

Tuesday, February 14

Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Diego Voglino Jam Session
Barbès 9 pm $20• Slavic Soul PartyêCatherine Russell
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40-50• Melissa Errico Noir Romance with Tedd Firth Quintet feat. Russell Malone				
Birdland Theater 5:30, 8:30 pm $20-30êSamara Joy
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $30-45êAkiko Tsuruga Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Valentine’s Day with Morgan James with Doug Wamble, Riza Printup, Ron Blake,
Julius Rodriguez, Philip Norris, Sarah Gooch						
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $60
êConrad Herwig and the Latin Side All-Stars: “Latin Side of Mingus” with Alex Norris,
Craig Handy, Bill O’Connell, Ruben Rodriguez, Robby Ameen, Camilo Molina				
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êSun of Goldfinger with Devin Hoff, Tim Berne, David Torn, Ches Smith				
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Alvaro Torres
Nick
Masters;Dan
Weiss
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm•
• Ember Trio with Noah Garabedian, Caleb Wheeler Curtis, Vinnie Sperrazza				The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10• Yaala Ballin +1: “A Valentine’s Day Special”						
Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 9 pm
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Danton Boller• Lezlie Harrison: “Valentine’s Day Celebration”						
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
Sony Hall 7:30 pm $55-100• Lalah Hathaway
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

Wednesday, February 15• Lafayette Harris Trio

333 Lounge 7:30, 9:30 pmêEri Yamamoto Trio
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pmêMatt Mitchell Trio with Kim Cass, Kate Gentile						
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêCatherine Russell
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40-50
David
Ostwald’s
Louis
Armstrong
EternityBand				
•
		Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30• Frank Vignola Guitar Night with Tessa Lark, Ted Rosenthal 					
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30êSamara Joy
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $30-45
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Ehud Asherie QuartetêRachel Therrien with Gabriel Chakarji, John Benitez, Keisel Jimenez, Carlos Maldonado,
Michael M. Brendis
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-35êJoe Magnarelli Quartet; Brian Charette Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êAliya Ultan, Kevin Murray, Tete Leguia; Rich Rosenthal, Guillermo Gregorio, Ken
Filiano,Lou Grassi; Stephen Gauci,Adam Lane,Colin Hinton; Yoni Kretzmer& Juan Pablo
Carletti’s BIGGISH; Marc Edwards, Takuma Kanaiwa, Erin Rogers, Ayumi Ishito, David
Tamura, Aliya Ultan, Laura Cocks Main Drag Music 7 pm $20• Hendrik Meurkens; Steve Nelson								Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-35
êPete Malinverni Trio with Ugonna Okegwo, Aaron Seeber; Fat Cat Big Band				
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Mary Foster Conklin, Jan Findlay, Tim Horner, Alex Leonard, Boots Maleson,
Louise Rogers, Andrea Wolper Pangea 7 pm $25
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $12-40• Peter Brainin and FriendsêSteve Carrington
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Lezlie Harrison: “Valentine’s Day Celebration”						
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
êJen Shyu with Lesley Mok, Kalia Vandever, Kenny Barron					The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Thursday, February 16• Creole Cookin’ Jazz Band; Stew Cutler and Friends						
Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pmêJALC Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: “Journey Through Jazz Part III”		
Barbès 8 pm $20• Stephane Wrembel		
The Appel Room 7, 9:30 pm $45
Olli
Soikkeli,Paul
Sikivie,
Dani
Danor					•êTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Arthur’s Tavern 10 pm
		Barbès 10 pm $15êMárta Sanchez
Bar Bayeux 5 pm
• Ben Markley Band with Ari Hoenig Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Orange Julius• Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra				The
Pre-War
Ponieswith
Daria
Grace,
J. Walter Hawkes, Jim Whitney, Willie Martinez•		Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40
		Barbès 8 pm $15• Melissa Errico Noir Romance with Tedd Firth Quintet feat. Russell Malone		
Barbès 10 pm $15• Rumba de la Musa		
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êCatherine Russell
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40-50
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Joe Strasser Trio
MargotSergent
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30•• Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage Quintet with Brian Lynch, Vitor Gonçalves,êLogan Richardson and Friends, with James Francies, Burniss Travis, Nazir Ebo		
Felipe Galganni, Rafael Barata
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $20-45
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35• Chris Beck Quartet; Michael Kanan Trio					• Darrell Green Quartet; Matt Martinez Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
		Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $5
Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $25• Svetlana and her Big Band
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Caili O’Doherty• Kendra Shank Trio with Gary Versace, Dean Johnson				• Amina Figarova Sextet with Bart Platteau, Wayne Escoffery, Luques Curtis,		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35
Rudy Royston
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-40• Judy Niemack, Paul Bollenback, Paul Gill				• Joe Farnsworth Trio; Mark Whitfield							North Square Lounge 12:30, 2:15 pm
		
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
JonRoche;
Grant
StewartOrnithology
Jazz
Club
6:30,
9
pm
•
• Kevin Sun Quartet with Christian Li, Walter Stinson, Eliza Salem			• Gregory Toroian’s Jazz Brunch with Sue Matsuki						
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm
		Pangea 7 pm $25
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35
Patrick’s Place 12 noon
• Mike Eckroth• Boncelilla Lewis and Friends
JustinSalisbury;
Guillermo
Klein
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
RodrigoBonelli
The
Porch
7
pm
•
•
Patrick’s Place 7 pm
• Phil Young• Marcus Goldhaber; Mimi Jones and Friends				The Porch 9 pm		Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 9:30 pm $12-42• Moon Soulê
Ralph
Alessi
Trio
with
Matt
Mitchell,
Dan Weiss				
Nick
Hempton,Kyle
Koehler,
FukushiTainaka,Peter
Bernstein			•		
Seeds 8 pm
		
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35
Silvana 7 pmêKurt Rosenwinkel/Peter Bernstein Quartet				• Paul Francis
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35
		
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60• Jerome Sabbagh
WilliamHooker,David
Soldier
St.
Peter’s
Church
5
pm
ê
Louis
Hayes
CannonballLegacyBand
with Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring		•êSara Serpa, Márta Sanchez et al.: “Benefit for Ukraine” 					
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJen Shyu Residency with Ben Monder, Reggie Workman			êWalter Smith III, Gerald Clayton, Matt Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Kendrick Scott				The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, February 17êBrandon Lopez Trio
411 Kent 8 pm $15êJALC Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: “Journey Through Jazz Part III”				
The Appel Room 7, 9:30 pm $45• Johnny O’Neal Trio; Bobby Harden with Off Da Hook						Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pm• Alex Asher Quartet with Joel Matteo, Julia Chen, Kyle Miles					Barbès 8 pm $15êOscar Noriega Quartet with Márta Sanchez, Chris Tordini, Jason Nazary				Barbès 5pm $20
Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30• Birdland Big BandêCatherine Russell
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40-50
Miki
Yamanaka
QuartetBirdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30•êLogan Richardson and Friends, with James Francies, Burniss Travis, Nazir Ebo		
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Jim RotondiêMilton Suggs Quartet; Sarah Hanahan Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Caili O’DohertyêCyrus Chestnut Trio
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-55• Rachel Z and Omar Hakim’s Ozmosys							The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êSimon Moullier Quartet with Lex Korten, Alexander Claffy, Jongkuk Kim		
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Marc Devine
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Yotam Silberstein
Patrick’s Place 8, 10 pm• Patience Higgins
The Porch 9 pm
• Bianca Love
• Dan Montgomery; Anthony Ware Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $15-44
AdamO’Farrill
with
XavierDel
Castillo,
Walter Stinson, Zack O’Farrill			•		
Seeds 8 pm
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Mike MorenoêLouis Hayes Cannonball Legacy Band with Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring				
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
êJen Shyu Residency, Solo
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, February 18êRussell Gunn and Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra with Jazzmeia Horn, Stefon Harris,

Craig Harris, Oliver Lake, Weedie Braimah, Davell Crawford, Jessica Care Moore:“The Blues and Its People”
Apollo Theater & Music Café 8 pmêJALC Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: “Journey Through Jazz Part III”				
The Appel Room 4, 7 pm $45
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Axel ToscaêAnthony Coleman
Barbès 6 pm $20
êLucian Ban, Mat Maneri Transylvanian Concert						
Barbès 8 pm $20
êBanda de Los Muertos with Oscar Noriega, Jacob Garchik, Chris Speed, Ben Holmes,
Justin Mullens, Curtis Hasselbring, Brian Drye, Rachel Drehmann, Jim Black,
Mireya I. Ramos
Barbès 10 pm $20• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano						Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30êCatherine Russell
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40-50
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30• Miki Yamanaka QuartetêLogan Richardson and Friends, with James Francies, Burniss Travis, Nazir Ebo		
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Jim Rotondi• Jade Synstelien Quartet; Courtney Wright Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Caili O’DohertyêCyrus Chestnut Trio
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-55
RachelZ
andOmar
Hakim’s
Ozmosys					•		The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
The Flatiron Room 9 pm
• Kelly Green Trio
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Marc Devine
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Yotam Silberstein
Green
Soul
Duo
Neir’s Tavern 12:30 pm
•
PAKT
with
Percy
Jones,
Alex
Skolnick,
Kenny Grohowski, Tim Motzer		•		
Nublu 151 7 pm $22.66
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Ned Goold; Steve Nelson
The Porch 9 pm
• Wayne Tucker
Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 7:30, 9 pm
• Uri Gurvich and E-Folk
Brian
Charette
QuartetThe Roxy Lounge at Roxy Hotel 8 pm•êEric Wyatt: “Tribute to Roy Hargrove and Gerald Hayes”			
		
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Mike MorenoêLouis Hayes Cannonball Legacy Band with Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring				
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
êJen Shyu Residency with Val Jeanty, Sumi Tonooka						The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êHelen Sung Quartet, Jaleel Shaw, Reuben Rogers, Kendrick Scott:“Remembering Cedar Walton” Tribeca Performing Arts Center 8:30 pm $20-30êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, February 19
440Gallery 4:40 pm $10• J. Granelli solo
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Creole Cookin’ Jazz Band
Stephane
WrembelBarbès 8 pm $20•
Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30• Sam Blakeslee Big Band
• Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra						
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30• Mimi Yamanaka Quartet• Mardi Gras Brunch with Calvin Johnson and Native Son					Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $25
êLogan Richardson and Friends, with James Francies, Burniss Travis, Nazir Ebo		
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Saul Rubin TrioêCyrus Chestnut Trio
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $25-50
Tim
Ries
Quartet;
Neal
Miner
Trio
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25•
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Arianna Neikrug• Marilyn Kleinberg, Saul Rubin, Yoshi Waki						North Square Lounge 12:30, 2:15 pm
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Tardo Hammer; Chris Byars
êHank Roberts Trio with Aruán Ortiz, Matt Wilson 						The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10
Patrick’s Place 12 noon
• Boncelilla Lewis and Friends
The Porch 9 pm
• Marcelino Feliciano• Chroma Nova: Michael Blake, Guilherme Monteiro, Mauro Refosco, Rogerio Boccato,Skye Steele, Chris Hoffman, Michael Bates						Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm
• Marcus Goldhaber; Mimi Jones and Friends						
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 9:30 pm $12-42
êLouis Hayes Cannonball Legacy Band with Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring				
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
St. Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Willerm Delisfort soloêVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 31

Monday, February 20
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Grove Street Stompers
Birdland 7 pm $30• Lina Koutrakos
Birdland 9:30 pm $20-30• Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
EstebanCastroTrio
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30•
Eric
Wheeler
Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5•• Juilliard Jazz Ensembles: “Music of Bud Powell”						
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-40• David Yee Quartet; Marcos Varela Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Ray Angry and The Council of Goldfinger						
Nublu 151 10, 12 pm $22.66• Mario Scamuzza; Giuseppe Cucchiara 							Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Joe FarnsworthêVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Rodney Jones with Kyle Koehler, E. J. Strickland						Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $25-30

Tuesday, February 21• Jennifer Holliday• Diego Voglino Jam Session• Mardi Gras Party With Tubby• Tamar Korn
• Slavic Soul Party• Jane Monheit• John DiMartino and Friends• The Lineup with Susie Mosher

54 Below 8:30 pm $300-475
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10-30
Barbès 7 pm $20
Barbès 9 pm $20
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40
Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30êJeff “Tain” Watts
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Brazilian Grooves• Alphonso Horne’s Gotham Kings: “Mardi Gras Celebration”					Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-50êConrad Herwig and the Latin Side All-Stars: “Latin Side of Horace Silver” with Alex
Norris, Craig Handy, Bill O’Connell, Ruben Rodriguez, Robby Ameen, Camilo Molina
			 The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Nick
Fraser; Aaron Rubenstein Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm•êTim Berne, David Torn, Devin Hoff, JT Bates						
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Itamar BorochovAi
Murakami;
StefanoDoglioni
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm•êJoel Ross Quartet, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Mike LeDonne Trio with Alexander Claffy, Joe Farnsworth					Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $25-30

Wednesday, February 22

333 Lounge 7:30, 9:30 pm• Wine and Jazz Trio
54 Below 8:30 pm $300-475• Jennifer Holliday• Yuichi Hirakawa Jazz Group; Emily Braden Quartet						Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pm• Allan Mednard + 2 , with Carmen Rothwell, Santiago Leibson					
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Jane MonheitêDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band						Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30êFrank Vignola Guitar Night with Sheryl Bailey						Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30
êEd Cherry Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Alphonso Horne’s Gotham Kings: “Mardi Gras Celebration”					Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-50• Eric Jacobson Quartet; T.K. Blue Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Centennial Gardens; Elliott Sharp and Eric Mingus						Fridman Gallery 8 pm $20-25• Lolivone de la Rosa Organ Quartet with Brian Charette, Ned Goold, Samuël Bolduc
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Michael Eaton, Brad Whiteley, Daniel Ori, Shareef Taher; Caleb Duval, Michael Larocca,
Luke Rovinsky; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; Nick Fraser, Darren Johnston,Michael Bates; Ascend!: Dave Miller, Daniel Carter, Robert Boston, Tom Kotik				Main Drag Music 7 pm $20
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Kenny Wessel
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Hillai Govreen; Peter SlavovêEd Neumeister Quartet with Neal Kirkwood, Drew Gress, Tom Rainey				Pangea 7 pm $25
The Porch 9 pm
• Marcelino Feliciano
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $12-40• Peter Brainin and Friends
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Bernell Joes II• Dither plays Laurie Spiegel, The Expanding Universe: Taylor Levine, Josh Lopes, James
Moore, Brendon Randall-Myers The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJoel Ross Quartet, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Thursday, February 23

54 Below 8:30 pm $300-475• Jennifer Holliday• Jr. Mack with Noé Socha Duo; Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band					
Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pmêMárta Sanchez
Bar Bayeux 5 pm
Jane
Monheit
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40•êLauren Henderson Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30êKarl Denson, Keyon Harrold, James Francies, Burniss Travis, Blaque Dynamite				Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
êAbraham Burton Quartet; Miki Yamanaka Quartet						
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $5
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Gabrielle Cavassa• Sean Mason Blue Engine with Chris Lewis, Felix Moseholm,Tony Glausi, Chris Lewis,
Domo Branch
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-40• Jason Tiemann Quartet; Lee Taylor							The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• H31R; Irreversible Entanglements Fridman Gallery 8 pm $20-25êRoy Hargrove Big BandThe Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Sheree Sano
• Kevin Sun Quartet with Christian Li, Elijah Shiffer, Jeonglim Yang					
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• James Austin• Ben Meigners; Gilad Hekselman Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
Phil
Young
Patrick’s Place 7 pm•
Silvana 7 pm
• Sara Jacovino
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Troy Roberts
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60• Emmet Cohen QuartetêLedisi: “Sings Nina Simone”
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 8 pm $30-150• Dither, Brian Chase and Lee Ranaldo with Taylor Levine, Josh Lopes, James Moore,
Brendon Randall-Myers, Brian Chase							The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êSheila Jordan, Gene Bertoncini, Russell Malone, Roni Ben-Hur, Jay Leonhart, Harvie S,
Danny Gottlieb, Dylan Meek, Steve Frieder: “Highlights in Jazz 50th Anniversary”		
		
Tribeca Performing Arts Center 8 pm $50
êJoel Ross Quartet, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, February 24êBrandon Lopez Trio

411 Kent 8 pm $15
54 Below 8:30 pm $300-475• Jennifer HollidayêNduduzo Makhathini, Hamilton de Holanda						
The Appel Room 7, 9:30 pm $65-80• Johnny O’Neal Trio; Bobby Harden with Off Da Hook						Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pmêMichael Bates Acrobat with Marty Ehrlich, Mazz Swift, Sara Schoenbeck, Michael Bates,
Michael Sarin
Barbès 8 pm $20”
Barbès 10 pm $20• Big LazyêOscar Noriega Quartet with Márta Sanchez, Chris Tordini, Jason Nazary				Barbès 5pm $20
Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30• The Birdland Big Band
Jane
Monheit
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40•êDena DeRose
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30• Karl Denson, Keyon Harrold, James Francies, Burniss Travis, Blaque Dynamite				Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Max Light, Noah Preminger
DudukaDa
Fonseca
Quartet;JamaleDavis Quartet				•		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Gabrielle Cavassa• Sean Mason Blue Engine with Chris Lewis, Felix Moseholm,Tony Glausi, Chris Lewis,
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-55
Domo Branch• Ed Cherry Quartet; Akiko Tsuruga Quartet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êMichela Marino Lerman, Russell Hall, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Charenee Wade, Ebban Dorsey,
Miki Yamanaka: “Max Roach’s We Insist! Freedom Now Suite Reimagined” 				Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7:30 pm $25-35
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Sheree SanoêMarc Ribot, Greg Lewis, Chad Taylor 							Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $32.96
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Billy DrummondMusic Hall of Williamsburg 9 pm $40• Rachel and Vilray• Faten Kanaan; JJJJJerome Ellis National Sawdust 8 pm $20• Jonathan Beshay; Todd Herbert Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
Patrick’s Place 8, 10 pm• Patience Higgins
The Porch 9 pm
• Willerm Delisfort• Helio Alves: “Brazil Night” with Gili Lopes, Alex Kautz						
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 10 pm $20-50
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Jared GoldêEmmet Cohen Quartet
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60• Mary Foster Conklin with John diMartino, Sara Caswell, Ed Howard, Vince Cherico,
Guilherme Monteiro
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Dither, Brian Chase and Amirtha Kidambi with Taylor Levine, Josh Lopes, James Moore,
Brendon Randall-Myers, Brian Chase							The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJoel Ross Quartet, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, February 25• Jennifer Holliday

54 Below 8:30 pm $300-475êNduduzo Makhathini, Hamilton de Holanda						
The Appel Room 7, 9:30 pm $65-80• Michelle Walker Quartet; KJ Denhert and NY Unit						Arthur’s Tavern 7 pmêAnthony Coleman
Barbès 6 pm $20• Sanda Weigl: “Lost in The Stars (Music of Kurt Weill)” 						Barbès 8 pm $20• Banda de Los Muertos with Oscar Noriega, Jacob Garchik, Chris Speed, Ben Holmes,
Justin Mullens, Curtis Hasselbring, Brian Drye, Rachel Drehmann, Jim Black,
Mireya I. Ramos
Barbès 10 pm $20• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano						Birdland 5:30 pm $20-30
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40• Jane MonheitêDena DeRose
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30• Karl Denson, Keyon Harrold, James Francies, Burniss Travis, Blaque Dynamite				Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Max Light, Noah Preminger• Zaid Nasser Quartet; Jinjoo Yoo Quartet							Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $15• Gabrielle CavassaêPhilip Harper Quintet
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-50
êTommy Campbell Trio; Sarah Hanahan Quintet						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
The Flatiron Room 9 pm
• Kelly Green TrioêMichela Marino Lerman, Russell Hall, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Charenee Wade, Ebban Dorsey,
Miki Yamanaka: “Max Roach’s We Insist! Freedom Now Suite Reimagined” 				Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7:30 pm $25-35• Arun Luthra’s Konnakol Jazz with Art Hirahara, Noriko Ueda, Jonathan Barber 				
Ibeam Brooklyn 8:30 pm $15
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Billy Drummond
Neir’s Tavern 12:30 pm• Green Soul Duo
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Peter Watrous; Steve Slagle
The Porch 9 pm
• Lee Hogans
SeawindofBattery
and
Jon
Camp
Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 7:30 pm•êReggie Woods Quintet with Gil Defey, RJ Woods, Anthony Wonsey, Lonnie Plaxico,
Winard Harper
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Jared GoldêEmmet Cohen Quartet
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60
Dither
plays
John
Zorn:
TaylorLevine,Josh Lopes, James Moore, Brendon•
Randall-Myers and special guests The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJoel Ross Quartet, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, February 26

54 Below 8:30 pm $300-475• Jennifer Holliday
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Creole Cookin’ Jazz Band
Stephane
WrembelBarbès 8 pm $20•• Adrien Chevalier and the Sedi Donka Balkan Band						Barbès 10 pm $15• Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra						
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30-40êDena DeRose
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30
Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $25• Benny Benack III• Karl Denson, Keyon Harrold, James Francies, Burniss Travis, Blaque Dynamite				Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Ned Goold TrioêBill Crow with Ryo Sasaki, Carl Maraghi, Tomoko Ohno, David Jones, Justin Poindexter,
Jake Blasini
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $25-45• Jed Levy Quartet with Billy Drummond, Adam Birnbaum, Peter Slavov;Pete Malinverni Trio, Ugonna Okegwo, Aaron Seeber						
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Lucy Yeghiazaryan• Erli Perez, Leandro Pellegrino, Yoshi Waki						North Square Lounge 12:30, 2:15 pm
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Nick Green; Don Hahn
Patrick’s Place 12 noon
• Boncelilla Lewis and Friends
The Porch 7 pm
• Josiah Boornazian• The Lit Revue Poetry and Music Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 7:30 pm

32 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Marcus Goldhaber; Mimi Jones and Friends						
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 9:30 pm $12-42
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $25-40• Jay Hernandez
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $25-60• Emmet Cohen Quartet
Arun
LuthraKonnakol
Jazz
Projectwith Art Hirahara, Noriko Ueda, Jonathan Barber•		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
St. Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Willerm Delisfort TrioêJoel Ross Quartet, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, February 27

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Grove Street Stompers
Birdland 7 pm $40• Amanda Green
Jim
Caruso’sCast
Party
Birdland 9:30 pm $20-30•• Karen Oberlin: “Bewitched: The Life and Lyrics of Lorenz Hart”					
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êMelanie Charles
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Vanderlei Pereira TrioêMakoto Ozone Trio
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-35• Sean Hong-Wei Quartet; Luther S. Allison and Poesis						The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $25-35• Ehud Asherie• Band Of Pulses with Elsa Nilsson, Santiago Leibson, Marty Kenney,
Rodrigo Recabarren; Ray Angry and The Council of Goldfinger					
Nublu 151 8, 10, 12 pm $22.66
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Akira Ishiguro; Jon ElbazêVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• David Gilmore with Mark Lewandowski, Victor Gould, Rudy Royston					Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $25-30

Tuesday, February 28• Wayne Tucker and The Bad Mothas					

		Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Diego Voglino Jam Session
Barbès 9 pm $20• Slavic Soul PartyêJames Carter Quartet with Kahil Kwame Bell, Gerard Gibbs, Hilliard Greene:“Music of Eddie Lockjaw Davis” Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks							Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30-40êHiromi, Michel Camilo
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45-65
Cellar Dog 7 pm $5• Ehud Asherie TrioêWayne Escoffery Quartet with David Kikoski, Ugonna Okegwo, Mark Whitfield Jr. 		
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-40êConrad Herwig and the Latin Side All-Stars: “Latin Side of Joe Henderson” with Alex
Norris, Craig Handy, Bill O’Connell, Ruben Rodriguez, Robby Ameen, Camilo Molina
		
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Ty Citerman, Jen Baker, Shayna Dunkelman; Kyle Motl					
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pmêMárta Sanchez Trio with Savannah Harris, Chris Tordini; Chris Byars					
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $25-35• Daniel Bereket; Andrew Wagner Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Christian McBride and Special Guest: “Jazz House Kids Benefit”					
Ralph Pucci International 6 pm $250-1000êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Soundprints with Lawrence Fields, Yasushi Nakamura,
Rudy Royston
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Silvano Monasterios with Ricky Rodriguez, Jimmy Macbride					
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30-35

100 MILES OUT
CONNECTICUT
2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24 (7 pm) Bill’s Allstar Jazz Band
Bill’s Seafood (Westbrook, CT) www.billsseafood.com
2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22 (7 pm) Hartford Jazz Society presents Black-Eyed Sally’s Jazz JamBlack-Eyed Sally’s Southern Kitchen & Bar (Hartford, CT) www.blackeyedsallys.com
2/18 (7 pm) Waberi Jordan with Ron Acosta, Michael Scott, Doug Long
Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center (Middletown, CT) www.buttonwood.org
2/1 (8 pm) Bill Nace
Café Nine (New Haven, CT) www.cafenine.com
2/5 (3 pm) Ken Serio Quartet
Center Church - First Church of Christ (Hartford, CT) www.centerchurchhartford.org
2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27 (7:30 pm) Hartford Jazz Orchestra
Elicit Brewery (Manchester, CT) www.elicitbrewing.com
2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26 (2 pm) Larry Ham Trio with Dave Santoro, Tom Molito
Gilson Café & Cinema (Wilsted, CT) www.gilsoncafecinema.com
2/19 (3 pm) Alden Hellmuth Quintet with Josh Evans, Lucas Kadish, Tyrone Allen, Tim Angulo
Hartford Public Library (Hartford, CT) hartfordjazzsociety.com
2/26 (8 pm) The Bad Plus with Ben Monder, Chris Speed, Reid Anderson, Dave King
Infinity Hall (Hartford, CT) www.infinityhall.com

2/11 (8 pm) “For The Love Of It”: Camille Thurman with Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin’s
Jazz Vocal Collective
Princeton University McCarter Theatre (Princeton, NJ) music.princeton.edu/events/

2/24 (7 pm) Buddy Merriam, Steve Salerno, Tom Manuel
2/25 (7 pm) Nicole Zuraitis with Steve Salerno, Tom ManuelJazz Loft, The (Stony Brook, NY) www.thejazzloft.org

2/9 (7:30 pm) Fred Hersch/Esperanza Spalding
Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall (Princeton, NJ) richardson.princeton.edu

2/2 (8 pm) Tad Shull with David Childs, Mark Minkler, Steve Johns
2/3 (7 pm) Quintin Harris Trio
2/4 (7 pm) Seth Kibel Trio “Klezmer & Swing”
2/9 (8 pm) Hiroshi Ya-Mazaki Piano Trio
2/10 (7/9 pm) Bill Wurtzel/Jay Leonhart + Carolyn Leonhart
2/11 (7/9 pm) Vanessa Racci Quartet with Glafkos Kontemeniotis, Marcus McLaurine,
Kenny Hassler
2/14 (7 pm) Beatriz Malnic/Don Wilner Quartet “Falando de Amor” with David Janeway,
Tim Horner
2/16 (8 pm) HV Jazz Quartet with Steve Rubin, Joe Vincent Tranchina, Rick Savage,
Robert Kopec
2/17 (7/9 pm) Oleg Frish with Isaac Ben Ayala, Howard Britz, Bruce Cox, Mark Lopeman
2/18 (7 pm) Rob Garcia 4 feat. Noah Preminger
2/23 (8 pm) Kathleen Hart Quintet with Sarah J Cion, John Lang, Art Lillard, Joey Berkley
Jazz on Main (Mt. Kisco, NY) jazzonmain.com

2/1 (7 pm) Warren Vache Trio with Earl Sauls, Eddie Monteiro
Shanghai Jazz (Madison, NJ) www.shanghaijazz.com
2/2 (7 pm) Mark Wade Trio with Tim Harrison, Scott Neumann
2/3 (7 pm) Champian Fulton Trio with Fukushi Tainaka, Hide Tanaka
2/4 (7 pm) Dave Stryker Trio feat. Pat Bianchi
2/9 (7 pm) Alex Laurenzi Trio
2/11 (7 pm) Saron Crenshaw Band
2/18 (7 pm) Nilson Matta’s Samba Night with John Snauwaert, Marcello Pellitteri,George Dulin
2/25 (7 pm) Helio Alves Piano Trio with Sam Minaie, Alex Kautz
Shanghai Jazz (Madison, NJ) www.shanghaijazz.com
2/26 (4 pm) Freddie Hendrix Experience with Bruce Williams, Steve Carrington,
Brandon McLure, Joseph Lapore, McClenty Hunter
Shea Center for the Performing Arts @William Paterson University (Wayne, NJ)
www.wpunj.edu/wppresents/jazz-room-series/
2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25 (6 pm) Joel Zelnik Trio
Steakhouse 85 (New Brunswick, NJ) www.steakhouse85.com

2/1 (6 pm) Mike Leventhal Quartet with Mike Nunno, Bob Leonard, Chris Morrison
2/8 (6 pm) Jeff McGill Quartet with Ken Gioffre, Lou Pappas, Tom Devino
2/15 (6 pm) Birth of the Cool Big Band
2/22 (6 pm) Rodney Jones Guitar Trio with Nat Reeves, Carmen Intorre
La Zingara (Bethel, CT) www.lazingara.com

2/2 (7/8:30 pm) Najwa Parkins Quartet
2/7 (7/8:30 pm) John Pachnos Quartet
2/9 (7/8:45 pm) Michelle Lordi Quartet
2/14 (7/8:30 pm) Frankie Midnight Quartet
2/16 (7/8:45 pm) Richard Cortez Quartet
2/21 (7/8:30 pm) Donald Solomon Quartet
2/23 (7/8:45 pm) Johnny O’Neal Trio
2/28 (7/8:30 pm) Andrew Wagner Quartet
Tavern on George (New Brunswick, NJ) www.tavernongeorge.com

2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26 (11 am) Jeff Fuller & Friends
Lobster Shack, The (East Haven, CT) www.lobstershackct.com

2/4 (8 pm) Sun Ra Arkestra with Marshall Allen
White Eagle Hall (Jersey City, NJ) jctcenter.org

2/24 (8 pm) Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis “Songs We Love”
Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts (Storrs, CT) jorgensen.uconn.edu

2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22 (9 pm) Hawkins Jazz Collective
Owl Shop (New Haven, CT) owlshopcigars.com
2/3 (7/9 pm) Philippe Lemm Trio
2/10, 2/11 (7/9 pm) Debra Khan-Bey “Alone With Nina Simone”
2/24 (7/9 pm) Vanessa Racci Trio
Palace Theater Poli Club (Waterbury, CT) www.palacetheaterct.org/shows/jazz/
2/12 (2:30 pm) Wadada Leo Smith/Joe Morris
Real Art Ways (Hartford, CT) www.realartways.org/
2/3 (8:30 pm) Michael Weiss Quartet with Eric Alexander, Vince Dupont, Pete Van Nostrand
2/4 (8:30 pm) Joe Chambers Trio
2/10 (8:30 pm) Marianne Solivan Quartet
2/11 (8:30 pm) Loston Harris Trio
2/17 (8:30 pm) Steve Davis Quintet with Rick Germanson, Nat Reeves, Jonathan Barber,
Abena Koomson-Davis
2/18 (8:30 pm) Ronnie Burrage Holographic Ensemble with Michal Wierba, Nimrod Speaks
2/25 (8:30 pm) Alex “Apolo” Ayala
Side Door (Old Lyme, CT) thesidedoorjazz.com
2/10 (7:30 pm) Red Door presents: Nat Reeves & Friends
St. John’s Episcopal Church (West Hartford, CT) www.reddoormusic.org
2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23 (6 pm) TMT Trio with Ted Zarra, Myron Yousman, Tim Larson
Toho Lounge (Torrington, CT) m.facebook.com/toholoungect
2/3 (7:30 pm) Jesse Hameen II & Elevation with Rodney Jones, T.K. Blue, Nat Reeves, Zaccai
CurtisYale University Morse Recital Hall (New Haven, CT) music.yale.edu
NEW JERSEY
2/19 (3 pm) Thaddeus Exposé “Mardi Gras Celebration” with Ayana Lowe, Oscar Perez,
Gordon Lane, Marty Eigen, Peter Lin, Randel Haywood
Bickford Theatre at Morris Museum (Morristown, NJ)
morrismuseum.org/theatre-information/
2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27 (7:30 pm) “Monday Night Jazz at Brightside”
Brightside Tavern, The (Jersey City, NJ) www.brightsidetavernmenu.com
2/3 (7:30/9:15 pm) Antoine Roney
2/10 (7:30/9:15 pm) George Gray
2/17 (7:30/9:15 pm) Joe Ford
2/24 (7:30/9:15 pm) T.K. Blue “Shades of Blue”
Brothers Smokehouse (Ramsey, NJ) www.brotherssmokehousenj.com
2/4 (3:30 pm) Audrey Welber
2/11 (3:30 pm) Elijah Cole
2/18 (3:30 pm) Victor North
2/25 (3:30 pm) Keith Chasin
Candlelight Lounge (Trenton, NJ) www.candlelighteventsjazz.com
2/8 (7 pm) Tom Angello with Behn Gillece, Brian Betz, Lee Smith
Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar (Somers Point, NJ) gregorysrestaurantandbar.letseat.at
2/5 (2 pm) Tri-State Jazz Society presents: Hot Marmalade with Bob Rawlins, Danny Tobias,
Pat Mercuri, Nancy Rawlins, Bruce Campbell, Jim Lawlor
Haddonfield United Methodist Church (Haddonfield, NJ) tristatejazz.org
2/16 (6 pm) PJ Keiter Sextet
Kaycee Ray’s (Vineland, NJ) www.kayceerays.com
2/4 (6 pm) Lew Tabackin
New Jersey Performing Arts Center @Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, NJ)
www.njpac.org
2/18 (8 pm) Gregory Porter
New Jersey Performing Arts Center @Prudential Hall (Newark, NJ) www.njpac.org
2/5 (2 pm) Michael Pedicin Quintet feat. Paul Jost
2/12 (2 pm) Michael Pedicin Quintet with Jim Ridl, Andy Lalasis, Stacy Schweigart
2/19 (2pm) Michael Pedicin Quintet “Music of Cannonball and Nat Adderley”
Ocean City Library (Ocean City, NJ) southjerseyjazz.org

2/12 (7 pm) The Jazz Dispatch
Madiran Wine Bar (East Setauket, NY) www.thejazzloft.org
2/3 (8 pm) Andrew Beals Organ Quartet with Pat Bianchi, Elijah Atkins
2/4 (8 pm) “Clark Terry/Bob Brookmeyer Project” with Scott Reeves, Freddie Hendrix,
David Janeway, Bill Crow, Eliot Zigmund; (10 pm) David Budway
2/9 (8 pm) Mojo Hand with Steven Bernstein, Mike Manuel, Fred Scholl, James Kiernan,
Cherie Lambiase, Todd Weiss
2/10 (10 pm) Dawn Meloday with Alex Gressel, Mark Capon
2/11 (8 pm) David Hazeltine Trio with Pete VanNostrand, Neal Miner; (10 pm) David Budway
2/17 (8/9:30 pm) John Patitucci, David Budway, Adam Cruz
2/18 (8 pm) Sheila Jordan/Cameron Brown; (10 pm) David Budway
2/19 (8 pm) Tanya Garzia with David Budway, Cameron Brown, Ron Affif, Tony Jefferson
2/24 (8 pm) Michael Wolff Trio
2/25 (8 pm) Mark Soskin/Jay Anderson
Maureen’s Jazz Cellar (Nyack, NY) www.maureensjazzcellar.com
2/11 (8 pm) Louis Prima, Jr. and The Witnesses
Paramount Hudson Valley Theater (Peekskill, NY) paramounthudsonvalley.com
2/5 (5 pm) Sherry Winston
PJS Jazz Society at First Presbyterian Church (Mt. Vernon, NY) pjsjazz.org

NEW YORK
2/3 (7 pm) Victor LaGamma Quartet with Dylan LaGamma, Jon Doty, Matt Garrison
2/11, 2/25 (7:30 pm) Leslie Pintchik Trio with Scott Hardy, Michael Sarin
Alvin & Friends (New Rochelle, NY) www.alvinandfriendsrestaurant.com

2/6 (8:30 pm) David Torn/Dean Sharp
Quinn’s (Beacon, NY) www.facebook.com/QuinnsBeacon

2/26 (2 pm) Art Lillard’s Heavenly Big Band
Bethpage Public Library (Bethpage, NY) www.bethpagelibrary.info

2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25 (3 pm) Hal Galper Trio
Rafter’s Tavern (Callicoon, NY)
www.facebook.com/pages/category/Bar---Grill/Rafters-Tavern-894552874038817/

2/5 (1 pm) Mitch Schecter Trio with John Arbo, Steve Rubin
2/12 (1 pm) Gabriele Tranchina Quartet with Tim Regusis, Lew Scott, Steve Rubin
2/19 (1 pm) Mike Jackson Trio with Tony Jefferson, Rave Tesar
2/26 (1 pm) Robert Kopec Trio
The Cove Castle, (Greenwood Lake, NY) covecastleny.com
2/2 (7:30 pm) Paul Connors Organ Groove feat. Chris Vitarello
2/4 (7:30 pm) International Orange
2/9 (7:30 pm) Paul Connors Organ Groove feat. Dave Kain
2/16 (7:30 pm) Paul Connors Organ Groove feat. Jesse Lewis
2/18 (7:30 pm) Art Lillard’s Blue Heaven Swing Sextet with David Caldwell, Lew Pappas,
Kate Anderson, Doug Remine
2/23 (7:30 pm) Paul Connors Organ Groove feat. Matt Dickey
Elk’s Lodge (Ossining, NY) www.jazzatthelodge.com/shows
2/19 (7 pm) Don Byron Quartet with David Gilmore, Dezron Douglas, Jeff “Tain” Watts
2/23 (7 pm) Larry Moses’ Latin Jazz Express “Music of the Masters”
2/25 (7 pm) Ed Palermo Big Band
2/26 (7 pm) Joe Farnsworth #timetoswing Quartet with Sarah Hanahan, Tyler Bullock, Jason
Clotter
The Falcon (Marlboro, NY) www.liveatthefalcon.com
2/2 (8 pm) Dawn Melody with Mark Capon, John Lang, Andy Pasternak
2/9 (8 pm) Nicole Pasternak with David Janeway, John Lang, Andy Pasternak
2/16 (8 pm) Bob Arthurs with Steve Lamintina, John Lang, Andy Pasternak
2/23 (8 pm) Chris Byars with John Merrill, John Lang, Andy PasternakFirst Name Basis at Divino Cucina (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY)
www.facebook.com/FNBhastingsny
2/5 (2 pm) CCC Pro-Am Ensemble
Hendrick Hudson Free Library (Montrose, NY) henhudfreelibrary.org
2/17 (7 pm) Sarah Elizabeth Charles’ SCOPE
2/18 (7 pm) Marquis Hill New Gospel Revisited
2/19 (3 pm) Michael Mayo
2/23 (7 pm) Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y
2/24 (7 pm) Lucy Yeghiazaryan/Vanisha Gould
2/25 (7 pm) Aaron Parks/Samantha Rise (7 pm)
2/26 (3 pm) Endea Owens & The Cookout
Hudson Jazz Festival @Hudson Hall (Hudson, NY) hudsonhall.org
2/3, 2/4 (7/9:30 pm) Tierney Sutton with Tamir Hendelman
2/5 (4/6 pm) Hendrik Meurkens Samba Jazz Quartet; (8 pm) David Janeway Trio Jam Session
2/6 (5:30 pm) Jazz Forum Student Ensemble
2/10, 2/11 (7/9:30 pm) Jeremy Pelt Quintet with Victor Gould, Leighton McKinley-Harrell,
Joe Dyson
2/12 (4/6 pm) Tessa Souther “My Brazilian Heart”
2/14 (6 pm) Kathryn Farmer Trio “Valentine’s Day Celebration”
2/17, 2/18 (7/9:30 pm) Gerald Cannon Quintet “The Music of McCoy Tyner & Elvin Jones” with
Joe Lovano, Eddie Henderson, Dave Kikoski, Lenny White
2/19 (4/6 pm) Mafalda Minnozzi “Fotogrammi” with Paul Ricci
2/24, 2/25 (7/9:30 pm) Bill Charlap/Renee Rosnes
2/26 (4/6 pm) “Celebrating Brasil!” with Mark Morganelli, Eddie Monteiro, Nanny Assis
Jazz Forum Arts (Tarrytown, NY) jazzforumarts.org
2/1 (1 pm) Young At Heart Trio
2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22 (7 pm) Jazz Loft Jam Session
2/2 (7 pm) Jazz Loft Big Band with Tom Manuel
2/9 (7 pm) Mala Waldron with Mike Hall, Tom Manuel
2/10 (7 pm) Houston Person with Steve Salerno, Tom Manuel
2/11 (7 pm) Valentine’s Day with Jazz Loft Allstars: Chris Donohue, Steve Salerno, Tom
Manuel, Ray Anderson, Dean Johnson, Ellis Holmes
2/16 (7 pm) Rich Iacona’s Bad Little Big Band feat. Madeline Kole
2/23 (7 pm) Interplay Jazz Orchestra with Joe Devassy, Gary Henderson

2/26 (7 pm) Eric Mingus/Elliott Sharp duo, Lea Bertucci solo
Tubby’s (Kingston, NY) tubbyskingston.com
2/4 (8 pm) Bruce Katz Band
2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27 (8pm) Monday Jazz Sessions with John RichmondTurning Point Café (Piermont, NY) piermont.club
2/4 (6 pm) Ahlfabet Jazz Swing Band
2/11 (6 pm) Alexis Cole Ensemble
2/17 (6 pm) Kristen Mather de Andrade Band
2/18 (6 pm) Yayoi Ikawa Trio
2/25 (6 pm) Patrick Stokes Quartet
Bean Runner Café (Peekskill, NY) www.beanrunnercafe.com
PENNSYLVANIA
2/1 (8/9:30 pm) Andy Kahn with Doug Drewes
2/2 (8/9:30 pm) Dave Wilson Quartet with Kirk Reese, Gene Perla, Adam Nussbaum
2/3, 2/4 (8/10 pm) “Celebrating Sinatra” with Benny Benack III Sextet feat. Anai Reno
2/7 (8/9:30 pm) InSlide Job
2/9 (8/9:30 pm) Keith Chasin Trio
2/14 (7/9 pm) Valentine’s Day with Joanne Pascale Band
2/15 (8/9:30 pm) Tony Miceli Trio
2/17 (8/10 pm) Adam Moezina Trio feat. Pat Bianci
2/18 (8/10 pm) Tim Brey/Behn Gillece Quartet feat. Martina Barta
2/21 (7/8:30 pm) Hoppin’ John Orchestra
2/22 (8/9:30 pm) Eddie Bruce/Tom Adams
2/23 (8/9:30 pm) Susie Meissner Sextet with John Swana, Larry McKenna, Don Monaghan,
Lee Smith, John Shaddy
2/24 (8/10 pm) Russell Malone Quartet
2/25 (8/10 pm) Willie Jones III Quintet
2/28 (8/9:30 pm) The Chronicles Fusion Night with Featherbird + Atomic Fizz
Chris’ Jazz Café (Philadephia, PA) www.chrisjazzcafe.com
2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27 (5:30-9:30 pm) Tony Williams Jazz Quartet with Dave Posmontier,Mike Boone, Craig McIver
La Rose Jazz Club (Philadelphia, PA) jazzclublarose.com
2/9, 2/10 (8 pm) ArsNova presents: Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble with
Corey Wilkes, Alex Harding
2/19 (8 pm) ArsNova presents: PAKT with Percy Jones, Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski,
Tim Motzer
2/23 (8 pm) ArsNova presents: Marc Ribot’s The Jazz Bins with Greg “Organ Monk” Lewis,
Chad Taylor
Solar Myth (Philadelphia, PA) www.arsnovaworkshop.org
2/3, 2/4 (6:30/8:30 pm) Terell Stafford Quintet with Tim Warfield, Bruce Barth, David Wong,
Johnathan Blake
South Jazz Club (Philadelphia, PA) southjazzkitchen.com
2/25 (8 pm) Ulysses Owens, Jr. & Generation Y
University of Pennsylvania Penn Live Arts (Philadelphia, PA) pennlivearts.org
2/18 (8 pm) Artemis with Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Alexa Tarantino, Nicole Glover,
Noriko Ueda, Allison Miller
Williams Center for the Arts (Easton, PA) williamscenter.lafayette.edu
2/9 (8:30 pm) Emmanuel Ohememeng III & Perpetual Motion “Jazz Jam”
2/18 (8:30 pm) Jamison Ross
World Café (Philadelphia, PA) worldcafelive.com
2/4 (8 pm) Lehigh University Jazz Faculty Concert feat. Bill Warfield“The Great American Songbook”
Zoellner Performing Arts Center (Bethlehem, PA) music.cas.lehigh.edu

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 33

C LU B D I RE C TO RY• 333 Lounge 333 Flatbush Avenue(718-399-8008) Subway: B, Q to Seventh Avenue
333lounge.com• Harlem Stage Gatehouse 150 Convent Ave. at W. 135th Str.
(212-650-7100) Subway: 1 to 137th Str.
harlemstage.org• Public Records 233 Butler Street
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R to Atlantic Avenue
publicrecords.nyc• 411 Kent 411 Kent Avenue
Subway: J, M, Z to Marcy Avenue
411kent.org• Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Str. btwn. Second and Third Ave.
Subway: F to 4th Ave.
ibeambrooklyn.com• Ralph Pucci International 44 W. 18th Street(212-633-0452) Subway: F, L, M to 14th Street/Sixth Avenue
ralphpucci.com• Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 161-04 Jamaica Ave.,
Queens (718-658-7400) Subway: E to Jamaica Centerjcal.org• Rizzoli Bookstore 1133 Broadway(212-759-2424) Subway: R, W to 28th Street
rizzolibookstore.com• Jazz Gallery, The 1160 Broadway, 5th fl(212-242-1063) Subway: C, E, to Spring Str. ; 1, 2 to Houston Str.
jazzgallery.org• Room 31 at Arlo NoMad 11 E. 31st Street(212-806-7000) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street
arlohotels.com/nomad• 440Gallery 440 Sixth Ave., Brooklyn(718-499-3844) Subway: F, G to Seventh Ave.
440gallery.com• 54 Below 254 W. 54th Str.
(646-476-3551) Subway: N, Q, R to 57th Str.;
B, D, E to Seventh Ave.
54below.com• Apollo Theater & Music Café 253 W. 125th Str.
(212-531-5305) Subway: A, B, C, D, 2, 3 to 125th Str.
apollotheater.org• Appel Room The Broadway at 60th Str., 5th floor(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
jazz.org• Arthur’s Tavern 57 Grove Str.
(212-675-6879) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str.
arthurstavernnyc.com• Joe’s Pub 425 Lafayette Str.
(212-539-8770) Subway: N, R to 8th Str. -NYU; 6 to Astor Pl.
joespub.com• Juilliard School Peter Jay Sharp Theater 155 W. 65th Str.
(212-769-7406) Subway: 1 to 66th Str.
juilliard.edu• Kings Theatre 1027 Flatbush Avenue(800-745-3000) Subway: 2, 5, Q to Beverly Road
kingstheatre.com• Bar Bayeux 1066 Nostrand Avenue(347-533-7845) Subway: 2, 5 to Sterling Street
www.barbayeux.com• Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 33 University Pl. at 9th Str.
(212-228-8490) Subway: N, R to 8th Str. -NYU
knickerbockerbarandgrill.com• Bar Lunàtico 486 Halsey Str.
(917-495-9473) Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Ave.
www.barlunatico.com• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Str.
(212-228-4854) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Str.
lepoissonrouge.com• Barbès 376 9th Str. at 6th Ave., Brooklyn(718-965-9177) Subway: F to 7th Ave.
barbesbrooklyn.com• Birdland 315 W. 44th Str. btwn. 8th and 9th Ave.
(212-581-3080) Subway: A119
birdlandjazz.com• Birdland Theater 315 W. 44th Str. btwn. 8th and 9th Ave.
(212-581-3080) Subway: 7, A, C, E, F, N, Q, R, to 42nd Str.
birdlandjazz.com• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Str. at 6th Ave.
(212-475-8592) Subway: A, B, C, D, E to W. 4th Str.
bluenotejazz.com• Café Bohemia 15 Barrow Street
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street
cafebohemianyc.com• Cellar Dog 75 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue(212-675-6056) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str. /Sheridan Sq.
cellardog.net• Chelsea Table & Stage Hilton Fashion District Hotel,
152 W 26th Street(212-434-0499) Subway: C, E to 23rd Street; R, W to 28th Street
chelseatableandstage.com• City Winery 25 11th Avenue (at 15th Street)(646-751-6033) Subway: A, C, E, L to 14th Street
citywinery.com• David Rubenstein Atrium Broadway at 60th Street(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
atrium.lincolncenter.org• Delancey, The 168 Delancey Street(212-254-9920) Subway: F to Delancey Street
thedelancey.com• Dizzy’s Club 33 W. 60th Str., 11th floor(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
jazz.org• The Django 2 Sixth Ave.
(212-519-6600) Subway: A, C, E to Canal Str. ; 1 to Franklin Str.
thedjangonyc.com• Downtown Music Gallery 13 Monroe Str.
(212-473-0043) Subway: F to East Broadway
downtownmusicgallery.com• Drom 85 Ave. A(212-777-1157) Subway: F to Second Ave.
dromnyc.com• Flatiron Room, The 37 W. 26th Str.
(212-725-3860) Subway: N, R to 28th Str.
theflatironroom.com• Fridman Gallery 169 Bowery(917-262-0612) Subway: F, J, M, Z to Delancey Street/Essex Street
fridmangallery.com• Lowlands 543 Third Avenue, Brooklyn(347-463-9458) Subway: R to Prospect Avenue
lowlandsbar.com• Main Drag Music 50 S. 1st Street between Kent and Wythe
Avenues (718-388-6365) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue
maindragmusic.com• Manhattan School of Music Neidorff-Karpati Hall
Broadway and 122nd Street(212-749-2802) Subway: 1 to 116th Str.
msmnyc.edu• Mezzrow 163 W. 10th Str.
(646-476-4346) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str.
mezzrow.com• Miller Theatre 2960 Broadway and 116th Street(212-854-7799) Subway: 1 to 116th Str. -Columbia University
millertheater.com• Music Hall of Williamsburg 66 North 6th Str.
(718-486-5400) Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
musichallofwilliamsburg.com• National Sawdust 80 N. 6th Str.
(646-779-8455) Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
nationalsawdust.org• Neir’s Tavern 87-48 78th St, Queens(718-296-0600) Subway: J, Z to 75th St - Eldert’s Laneneirstavern.com/• North Square Lounge 103 Waverly Pl. at McDougal Str.
(212-254-1200) Subway: A, B, C, E, F, V to West 4th Str.
northsquareny.com/about-jazz.php• Nublu 151 151 Ave C• On Stage at Kingsborough 2001 Oriental Blvd.
(718-368-6686) Subway: Q to Brighton Beach
OnStageAtKingsborough.org• Ornithology Jazz Club 6 Suydam Street, Brooklyn(917-231-4766) Subway: J, M, Z to Myrtle Avenue
ornithologyjazzclub.com• Owl Music Parlor, The 497 Rogers Avenue(718-774-0042) Subway: Subway: 2 to to Sterling Street
theowl.nyc• Pangea 178 Second Ave.
(212-995-0900) Subway: L to First Ave.
pangeanyc.com• Room 623 at B2 Harlem 271 W. 119th Street(212-280-2248) Subway: B, C to 116th Street
b2harlem.com• Rose Theater Broadway at 60th Str., 5th floor(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F
to Columbus Circle
jazz.org• Roulette 509 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn(917-267-0363) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Ave.
roulette.org• Roxy Lounge at Roxy Hotel, The 2 Sixth Ave.
(212-519-6600) Subway: A, C, E to Canal Str. ; 1 to Franklin Str.
roxyhotelnyc.commorgan@njfpr.com• Seeds 617 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn
Subway: 2, 3, 4 to Grand Army Plaza
seedsbrooklyn.org• Silvana 300 W. 116th Str.
(646-692-4935) Subway: B, C, to 116th Str.
• Sistas’ Place 456 Nostrand Ave. at Jefferson Ave., Brooklyn(718-398-1766) Subway: A to Nostrand Ave.
sistasplace.org• Smalls 183 W 10th Str. at Seventh Ave.
(212-252-5091) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str.
smallsjazz.com• Smoke 2751 Broadway btwn. 105th and 106th Str.
(212-864-6662) Subway: 1 to 103rd Str.
smokejazz.com• Soapbox Gallery 636 Dean Str., Brooklyn
Subway: 2, 3 to Bergen Str.
soapboxgallery.org• Sony Hall 235 W. 46th Street(212-997-5123) Subway: N, R, W to 49th Street
sonyhall.com• Soup & Sound 292 Lefferts Ave. btwn. Nostrand and Rogers Ave.,
Brooklyn Subway: 2 to Sterling Str.
• St. Peter’s Church 346 W. 20th Str.
(212-563-5124) Subway: A, C, E to 23rd Str.
matafestival.org• Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 881 Seventh Ave.
(212-247-7800) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th- Seventh Ave.
carnegiehall.org• Stone at The New School, The 55 West 13th Street(212-229-5600) Subway: F, V to 14th Street
thestonenyc.com• The Sultan Room 234 Starr Street(612-964-1420) Subway: L to Jefferson Street
thesultanroom.com• Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th Street(212-864-5400) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Str.
symphonyspace.org• Tenri Cultural Institute 610 W. 56th Str.
Subway: F to 14th Str.
tenri.org• Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers Str.
(212-220-1460) Subway: A, 1, 2, 3 to Chambers Str.
tribecapac.org• Patrick’s Place 2835 Frederick Boulevard(212-491-7800) Subway: B, D to 155th Street
patricksplaceharlem.com• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Ave. South at 11th Str.
(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Str.
villagevanguard.com• The Porch 750A St. Nicholas Avenue(646-895-9004) Subway: A, B, C, D to 145th Street
theporchnyc.com• Zinc Bar 82 W. 3rd Str.
(212-477-8337) Subway: A, B, C, D, E Shuttle to W. 4th Str.
zincbar.com

34 FEBRUARY 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDI N ME MORIAM
KEIKO OKUYA JONES (April 8, 1937 – Sept. 26, 2022)
The widow of jazz drummer Elvin Jones died at age 85
in New York City following a stroke. Born in Nagasaki,
Japan, she studied piano, shared a love of jazz with herfather and in 1966 helped organize a tour of Japan for
Art Blakey, Tony Williams and Jones, which is how she
met her future husband. She served as Jones’ business
manager for several decades until his death in 2004,
and wrote a number of compositions for his recordingssuch as “Mr. Jones” (Poly-Currents, 1969), “Shinjitu”(Coalition, 1970) and “The Children’s Merry-Go-RoundMarch” (Merry Go Round, 1971).
GAL COSTA (Sept. 26, 1945 – Nov. 9, 2022) One ofBrazil’s pre-eminent and beloved singers died at age 77
in São Paulo, Brazil. Born Maria da Graça Costa Penna
Burgos in Salvador, Bahia, she began performing
as a teenager, gaining renown in the mid-’60s as aprogenitor of the transformative tropicalia movement
along with her friends Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil,
Maria Bethânia and Tom Zé. Costa collaborated withmany famed Brazilian musical artists throughout
her long career, and took inspiration from othersongwriters; her 1980 album Aquarela do Brasil centeredon the mid-20th century compositions of Ary Barroso.
She received a Latin Grammy for Lifetime Achievementin 2011, having recorded over 40 albums. The 1981
song “Festo Do Interior” (from the album Fantasia) wasa multi-platinum hit.
JACK VAN POLL (Nov. 29, 1934 – Dec. 4, 2022)
Leading Dutch pianist-composer and mainstay of theBelgium jazz scene died at age 88 in Antwerp. Born inRoosendaal, a city in southern Netherlands, his family
owned a prominent publishing firm which he ran until
selling the business in 1979. He started on piano atfour and by the end of World War II was smitten withbebop thanks to V-discs and Armed Forces Network
radio. As a teenager he led a jazz trio, and in the ’50s
accompanied touring artists like Ben Webster, Don
Byas, Clark Terry, Johnny Griffin and Buddy DeFrancoin Holland and Belgium. In the ’70s he opened theSeptember Jazz Club in Antwerp, accompanying thelikes of Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lionel Hampton andDizzy Gillespie. Afterwards, he taught music in CapeTown, South Africa, for many years before moving
back home.
BRIAN BLAIN (Dec. 5, 1929 – Oct. 9, 2022) The
influential journalist and enthusiastic supporter of jazzin the United Kingdom for nearly seven decades diedat age 92 in a Hampstead, London hospice. Originallyfrom Manchester, where he taught primary school,
leaning on his interests in jazz and socialist politicaltheory, Blain began writing music reviews in the early’60s. After moving to London, he served as a promotions
officer for the Musicians’ Union while continuing towrite and edit various music journals. He chaired the
Jazz Centre Society until 1982 and later showcased
contemporary jazz artists weekly at Lauderdale Housein North London.
MARK FELDMAN, (Oct. 9, 1940 – Dec. 6, 2022) The
producer/founder of Reservoir Records in 1987
(with wife Kayla Abelove Feldman) died at age 82 inKingston, NY. A graduate of the Faculté de Médecine,
University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, Feldman wasa practicing gastroenterologist for nearly 50 years until
his retirement in 2014. His abiding love for jazz led
him to produce recordings for Uptown Records in theearly ’80s, earning three Grammy nominations, before
opening the doors at Reservoir in his native Kingston.
The label released 97 albums including dates by Valery
Ponomarev (his Means of Identification was the label’s
debut), Joe Puma, Pepper Adams, Nick Brignola,
Claudio Roditi, Gary Smulyan, Ralph Moore, Kenny
Barron, Steve Kuhn, John Hicks, Helio Alves and Pete
Malinverni.

EDWARD “EDDIE” BAYARD (August 1, 1934 – Dec.
11, 2022) The trad jazz cornetist, bandleader and nightclub owner died at age 88 in New Orleans, LA. A
Crescent City native, Bayard started playing trumpet
early in life and studied with Manuel “Fess” Manetta, amulti-instrumentalist who had toured with Kid Ory in
1919. Bayard joined the U.S. Air Force after high school,
and while stationed in Ohio he formed Eddie Bayard
and the Bourbon Street Five which released their firstalbum, Blues & Stomps (1963). Years later he worked inBill Coburn’s Jazz Band in Dayton, OH, and played on
Mississippi River steamboats. Bayard appeared at theinaugural New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1970
and moved back to his hometown permanently in 1979,
opening up a night club, Bayard’s Jazz Alley, in the
French Quarter. His New Orleans Classic Jazz Orchestra
released The Owls’ Hoot! in 1986, paying tribute to the
New Orleans Owls, the fabled mid-’20s dance band.
JAMES “JABBO” WARE (Nov. 16, 1942 – Dec. 29,2022) The saxophonist, composer and big band leaderof the Me We & Them Orchestra died in Poughkeepsie,
NY at age 80 following a stroke. Ware was born inRome, GA and raised in Chattanooga, TN, both in theAppalachian foothills, before moving to St. Louis, MO,
in 1960. He soon discovered jazz and began studying
music, joining a student band with friends JD Parranand Alfred Netterville. Work as a music copyist
led to composing for St. Louis’ Black Artists Group(BAG), which included Parran, Julius Hemphill andOliver Lake. Encouraged by another St. Louis friend,
Hamiet Bluiett, Ware moved to New York City in thelate ’60s, studied with George Coleman and worked
with Charles Mingus, Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp, Gil
Evans, Muhal Richard Abrams, Jimmy Heath, Tito
Puente, Frank Foster and Jaki Byard. After 28 years ofexistence, Ware’s Me We & Them Orchestra released
its first live album, Vignettes in the Spirit of Ellington.
He also founded Y’All of New York, a nonprofit that
presented concerts and hosted jazz workshops forstudents throughout the city.
HARRY SHEPPARD (April 1, 1928 – Dec. 27, 2022) The
vibraphonist and inventor died in Houston, TX at age
94 from complications from shingles. Originally fromWorcester, MA, he started on drums in grade school,spurred by an older brother’s practicing on the drum kit
and love for jazz. Sheppard enlisted in the U.S. Navy at
17, and after his discharge attended the Berklee Collegeof Music where he began studying vibes. Lessons
with Lionel Hampton led to work with clarinetist Sol
Yaged’s quintet. Along with his then-wife, the vocalist
Betty Sheppard, he recorded “Cha Cha Cha in Blue”
on a 1954 recording led by José Curbelo, thought tobe the first cha-cha sung in English. In 1958, Sheppard
joined Holiday, Hawkins and Lester Young onstage forthe television show Art Ford’s Jazz Party. Subsequent
years found the vibraphonist working steadily with
Benny Goodman, and in the ’70s invented the electric
vibraphone for the Deagan Company. Sheppard moved
to Houston in 1984 where he became deeply involvedin the Houston-area jazz scene, recording a number ofalbums for local label Justice Records.
AYŞE GENCER (Jan. 11, 1956 – Dec. 30, 2022) Daughterof pianist/singer İlham Gencer and singer Ayten
Alpman, the Turkish jazz vocalist and songwriterdied in Istanbul, Turkey, at age 66 after a long boutwith cancer. Her musical education began with her
grandmother, a pianist and singer. At age 20, Gencer
won a competition organized by TRT Istanbul Radioand then began her professional career in Bodrum,
Turkey. She married trumpet player İmer Demirer in1988 and released her first album, But Beautiful, in 2011.
WOLFGANG GÜTTLER (1945 – Sept. 18, 2022) The
Romanian-German double bassist and esteemed
educator, who was awarded the Concours de Genève,

died at age 77. Born in the Transylvanian city ofBrașov, Romania, he graduated from the Bucharest
College of Music before joining the Transylvania
State Philharmonic Orchestra of Cluj-Napoca (thenthe Bucharest Radio Orchestra). His long careeralso included stints with several major Germanorchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1969,
Güttler performed with Romanian composer Richard
Oschanitzky’s jazz ensemble, which paved the way for
his own Cologne, Germany-based Trio Basso. A teacher
at German music schools, he eventually traveled to the
U.S. to teach master classes at the Juilliard School andManhattan School of Music. One of his students wasesteemed bassist Martin Wind.
ANDREW SPEIGHT (March 23, 1964 – Dec. 1, 2022) The
Sydney, Australia-born saxophonist who was based in
California’s Bay Area died at age 58 when his car was
hit by a train near his home in Burlingame, CA. Born
into a musical family, he gravitated toward jazz earlyon. After jazz studies at the Sydney Conservatorium,
he moved to New York City and placed in the firstever Thelonious Monk Institute’s International Jazz
Competition in 1981. Turning toward education, he
directed jazz studies at Michigan State University
before moving to San Francisco State in 2001. He
released a quartet date as a leader in 1998 and can also
be heard on Jimmy Cobb’s Marsalis Music Honors Series(2005).
DAN PATIRIS (Nov. 12, 1930 – Dec. 19, 2022) The multireed player, who had separate and successful careers in
San Francisco and New York City, died at age 92 inPomona, NY. Smitten with Coleman Hawkins’ “Bodyand Soul”, he decided to be a saxophonist and in highschool he led the Stan Kenton Juniors. Working with
Woody Herman and Virgil Gonsalves’ sextet, Patiris
backed a number of jazz notables at the Black Hawk
and Jazz Workshop. He performed with Tony Bennett,
Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dinah
Washington as well as Boz Scaggs, The Temptations
and New Riders of the Purple Sage. After moving to
New York City, he played in Broadway pit bands andtoured with Frank Sinatra and Barbara Cook. For many
years he helped organize acts for the Rockland County
Jazz & Blues Society gatherings.
BOBBY NAUGHTON (June 25, 1944 – Dec. 3, 2022)
The vibraphonist and pianist, who founded Otic
Records in 1969, died at age 78. Raised in Milton, MA,
he started playing piano at age 7. After serving in
the U.S. Army, he played organ in a blues band andstudied painting before taking up the vibraphone. His
early work on vibes was with Sheila Jordan and Perry
Robinson before scoring a film for avant-garde director
Hans Richter, playing in the Jazz Composers Orchestra
and collaborating regularly with Wadada Leo Smithand Anthony Braxton.
GRETCHEN CARHARTT VALADE (Aug. 27, 1925
– Dec. 30, 2022) The Detroit-area business leader andphilanthropist known as the “Angel of Jazz” died atage 97 in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, where she resided
her entire life. The granddaughter of the founderof Carharrt, a manufacturer of heavy-duty workand hunting clothes, she would become chair of thecompany in 1998 following her husband’s death. With
the influence of her older siblings she became interested
in jazz, especially Billie Holiday. When she moved to
New York City to further her education she focused
mostly on jazz clubs and in 1999 founded Mack Avenue
Records, which has since won 11 Grammy Awards.
She also created a foundation to ensure the abiding
survival of the Detroit Jazz Festival and opened the
Dirty Dog Jazz Club in her hometown. Last year, sheendowed the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne
State University.
- by Thomas Staudter

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2023 35

Diverse Artists. Transformative Art.

UPTOWN NIGHTSNIKARA WARREN
PRESENTS BLACK WALL STREETFEBRUARY 11, 2023 | 7:30PM
Nikara Warren’s debut album, Black Wall Street,
represents a convergence of her personal,
cultural, familial, and musical journeys. Here,she explores abstract sound-collage, hip-hop,
jazz, neo-soul, Afro-Latino and Afro-Caribbean
rhythms, and more. The through-line here being
for Nikara — it’s all dance music. Her vision iscohesive but eclectic — just like how people’s
identities are a product of their varied heritage
and associations. Join us at Harlem Stage foran evening of rare and exceptional talent.
TICKETS AT HARLEMSTAGE.ORG

Alone Together. Wear BlackThe Last Word
31-30 Ditmars Boulevard
Astoria, Queens

Tickets online & at the door.
Open the QR code or visit the site for details.

AntiValentineLounge.eventbrite.com