October 2023—ISSUE 258

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

GEORGE
LEWIS

Weathering and Perseverance

RE:
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RICHA
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TISZIJIMUÑOZMELANIE
CHARLESJOHNETHERIDGE

JAIMIE
BRANCHManaging Editor:
Laurence Donohue-Greene[Co-Founder/Editor Emeritus: Andrey Henkin]

To Contact:
The New York City Jazz Record
66 Mt. Airy Road East
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
United States
Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628

October 2023 – ISSUE 258

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

NEW YORK@NIGHT

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

INTERVIEW: TISZIJI MUÑOZ

Marilyn Lester (Associate Copy Editor)
Advertising:advertising@nycjazzrecord.com

ARTIST FEATURE: MELANIE CHARLES
ON THE COVER: GEORGE LEWIS

Keith Hoffman(Event Calendar Manager):calendar@nycjazzrecord.com
Suzanne Lorge (VOXNews):
voxnews@nycjazzrecord.com

ENCORE: JOHN ETHERIDGELEST WE FORGET: JAIMIE BRANCHLABEL SPOTLIGHT: zOaR

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Staff Writers
Duck Baker, Matty Bannond,
Fred Bouchard, Stuart Broomer,
Daniel A. Brown, Robert Bush,
Marco Cangiano, Brian Charette,
Thomas Conrad, Ken Dryden,
Pierre Giroux, Kurt Gottschalk,
Tom Greenland, George Grella,Andrew Hamlin, Keith Hoffman,
Terrell Holmes, Marilyn Lester,
Steven Loewy, Suzanne Lorge,
Kyla Marshell, Marc Medwin,
Jim Motavalli, Russ Musto,
John Pietaro, John Sharpe,
Elijah Shiffer, Thomas Staudter,
Ken Waxman, Scott Yanow

VOXNEWSFESTIVAL REPORTSPECIAL FEATURE: RICHARD DAVISALBUM REVIEWSEVENT CALENDARCLUB DIRECTORY
IN MEMORIAM

Contributing Writers
George Kanzler
Contributing Photographers
Kwesi Abbensetts, Eileen Barroso,
Clif Hubby, Vera Marmelo,
Christopher McDonald, Karen Muñoz,
Stephan Papandrea, Emily Peragine,
Ben Semisch, Robert Sutherland-Cohen,
Lou Vaccaro, Adrien H. Tillmann
IN CORRECTION (September 2023 issue)
We regret the following error… In the Album
Reviews,
MichelPetrucciani’s
The
Montreux Years is released on BMG
Entertainment (not Storyville)

nycjazzrecord.com

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by jim motavalli
by kyla marshellby kurt gottschalkby daniel a. brownby marilyn lesterby kurt gottschalkby suzanne lorge

by thomas staudter

Letter from the Editor

If you’re a jazz as well as sports fan, there’s bad and good news for us New Yorkers. Sadly no postseason
for either NYC baseball team (not even close), with football not offering much solace. The good news: much lessdistraction to place your undivided focus on concerts and recordings by the musicians we so deeply careabout—starting with those covered in this month’s issue. Stalwart AACM-er George Lewis (Cover Story)
speaks of his shift from trombone to composition, and as Artistic Director of International Contemporary
Ensemble. ICE members will perform new works by Lewis at Roulette this month. Also in Brooklyn, there’s theannual weekend-long BRIC JazzFest under the co-curation of vocalist/flute player Melanie Charles (Artist
Feature), who fortunately plays as part of her programming. Two guitarists of note whose rare NYC appearances
you won’t want to miss: U.K.’s John Etheridge (Encore) is at Iridium for two nights, an album release tour forthe jazz-rock outfit Soft Machine (which he joined almost 50 years ago!); Tisziji Muñoz (Interview) reminisces
about his one-time employer and friend Pharoah Sanders, who is fêted at National Sawdust. TNYCJR
additionally commemorates two musicians who represent unique ends of the jazz spectrum: trumpeter jaimie
branch (Lest We Forget) died just over a year ago (far too young at 39), while legendary bassist Richard Davis(In Memoriam Special Feature) more recently passed (at the ripe age of 93). A Roulette tribute concert honors
branch and a posthumously released album. While a documentary on Davis (whose massive archive and famed
Lion-Head bass are at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) is set to premiere around Easter 2024, what would
have been Davis’ 94th birthday. Enjoy comments and remembrances by 29 bassists from various generations
and from around the world, each who remind us of Davis’ unique contributions from a career that spanned
almost seven decades and all genres. Baseball season may be over, and football may only take a day out of yourweek(end)—but jazz season is year-round and, fact of the matter, there’s much less disappointment. Go team
Jazz! Happy reading and listening, and see you out at the shows…
On The Cover: George Lewis (photo by Eileen Barroso)
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

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10/4: Johnathan Blake Trio
11/1: Nir Felder 3
10/11: Vanisha Gould Trio
11/8: Miki Yamanaka Quartet
10/18: Dabin Ryu Quartet
11/15: Alfredo Colon Quartet
10/25: Nicola Caminiti Quartet
Curated by Rio Sakairi, The Jazz Gallery

NEW YORK @ N IGHT
Since 2003, bassist Eivind Opsvik’s Overseas has been an The well-established pianist-composer Victor Gould and

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his little sister, emerging artist, singer-songwriter Vanisha
Gould, presented a “window into their childhood” at
Dizzy’s Club (Sep. 14). The spotlight was on the latter,
who described herself as a comedian of sorts; the pianist
focused on attentively supporting the vocalist. The opener,“September in the Rain” (H. Warren, A. Dubin), quickly
established her robust vocal tone, mastery of dynamics
and storytelling ability: Vanisha often phrases the melodic
elements of a song as a statement, all of which create mood.
As for comedy, the garrulous singer announced it was
Victor who weaned her from Kenny G. into serious jazz,
particularly the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday,
Louis Armstrong and other vocal powerhouses. Other
standards included solid renditions of “Easy to Love” (C.
Porter) and “The Lady is a Tramp” (R. Rodgers, L. Hart) withlyric adjustments that spoke to her California upbringing.
As a songwriter, her own witty “Cute Boy”, with shortriffs of vocalese, and “Borough Blues”, proved frothy
treats. Her lyric to McCoy Tyner’s soulful “Aisha” (from
Coltrane’s Olé Coltrane) were wise and literate, pointing tostrengths deeper than her ability as a performer. In thisregard, chatter and excessive body movement detracted
from an otherwise strong presentation. Victor, with ample
feature time, eschewed any form of melody throughout.
Marrying influences of classical training and Monk withhis own elevated contemporary improvisational style, this
Gould demonstrated why he is a fast-rising jazz star.
— Marilyn Lester

R.I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN/JAZZEXPRESSIONS.ORG

GRIT & GRACEPHOTO BY ADRIEN H. TILLMANNJENNIFER WARTON’S BONEGASM

organ for his ethereal yet ecstatic compositions. The bandcelebrated its 20th anniversary at Barbès (Sep. 8) in its latest/
longest incarnation: Tony Malaby (tenor), Jacob Sacks(piano), Brandon Seabrook (guitar) and Kenny Wollesen(drums). Drawing from five albums’ worth of material,
Opsvik opened (and closed) the set with a gentle minor
descending melody before Sacks spelled out the harmonies
for “Redford”, Malaby’s operatic tenor filling the snug,
low-lit backroom with the Wayne Shorter-esque theme.
“Youth Hopeth”, a stomping blues, found Wollesen laying
it down deep in the pocket; Seabrook was shrill, sharp andquirky, popping in when/where least expected. “Ginger
Rogers” began and ended with sweeping, dreamlike piano
arpeggios under the bassist’s tremolo-bowed theme. The
leader introduced “Clay Star” with a beautiful extended
meditation, setting up a two-chord rock vamp; Malaby’s
stentorian tone shook sideways, almost breaking apart,
poising colorful tones against the static backdrop. “Breathof Bark” was even skronkier, tenor and guitar goadingeach other to ecstatic plateaus. “Indian Summer” started
innocently enough, until Seabrook introduced someconfrontational electronic gambits. The alt-rock ballad“Neal” preceded “Oslo Opera”, a disco send-up with abass/drums lock-up so tight/loose that it had listeners
bouncing in their seats. Last was “Silver”, romantic, Latintinged, then an outro. But bouncing had felt too good, so
the crowd demanded (and got) more: “opera”, served inthe-pocket and off-the-cuff.
— Tom Greenland

Eivind Opsvik @Barbès

Victor Gould, Vanisha Gould @Dizzy’s Club

Stuyvesant Heights’ shoebox-shaped Bar LunÀtico N ot all jazz singers have a deep feel for jazz; those thatproved a cozy setting for vocalist/trombonist Natalie
Cressman and vocalist/guitarist Ian Faquini’s Monday
duet gig (Sep. 11), its normally chatty clientele shushingas the duo’s sinuous Brazilian music created an irenic
ambiance. First set started with Faquini and Iara Ferreira’s
peppy “Mandingueira”, Cressman harmonizing Faquini’ssmooth spidery vocals and appending a solo. She did
likewise during Dominguinhos’ “Tenho Sede”, where her
expressive bends, slides and vibrato transitioned so easily
back to the final chorus that the audience, not wanting
to break the spell, held back their clapping. A medley ofBaião covers and originals, sung in conversational, almost
whispered harmonies, proved even peppier than theopener, Faquini showing his mettle as a one man rhythm
section. Far down the bar, one server caught the spirit,rattling her cocktail shaker like a ganzá or caxixi, righton time. “Autumn Whisper”, one of several co-written
originals, featured Cressman’s lithe singing over winding
melodic contours shaped by canny twists and tones,
followed by her equally lithe slide work. Energy drooped
a bit on The Beatles’ “Come Together” and “Fool on theHill”. Cressman later confessed the hot, humid air was
pushing her horn pitch sharp, his guitar strings flat, but
rebounded on Dilermando Reis’ “Xodá du Baiana”, andtwo originals, “Benção de Iansa” and “Already There”,
both enriched by strong thematic solos. Best and last of
all was “Ralando Coco”, a slippery but infectious theme
flaunting rhythmic legerdemain.
(TG)

4 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

do, like Lizzie Thomas, project an often ethereal senseof it, a special understanding of the craft. Celebrating
the vinyl release of her new album Duo Encounters(Dot Time) at Arlo NoMad Room 31 (Sep. 8), Thomaspresented an inspired program of standards renewed
and refreshed with creative arrangements (often
counter-intuitive), delivered with a dream-team ofmusicians: Roni Ben-Hur (guitar), Noriko Ueda (bass),
Neal Smith (drums) and Wayne Escoffery (tenor,
soprano). An updated “Love for Sale” (C. Porter)
as a Latin-based swing tune, a bossa-based “Smile”(C. Chaplin, J. Turner, G Parsons) and an effectively
Latinized “Nature Boy” (e. ahbez) were showcases forThomas’ rich vocal tone and fine sense of rhythm andswing. A countrified “Both Sides Now” (J. Mitchell)demonstrated the singer’s mastery of phrasing andtiming, lyrics popping with new meaning. Above all,Thomas is a storyteller. Her interpretations cut to theheart of the lyric. During his lifetime, Billy Strayhorn
guarded “Lush Life” vigorously. It’s a complex tune
with sophisticated lyrics—difficult to put over. Few
singers can do it justice, but Thomas’ intelligent andthrilling rendition would have made “Swee Pea” very
happy. Her addition of blues shading to “Willow
Weep for Me” (A. Ronell) in an inspired duet with
Ueda (the only duo in the set) and closer “Round
Midnight” (T. Monk, B. Hanighen) was powerfully
satisfying.
(ML)“H ow would you want to be remembered in this Celebrating the centennial of bassist Wilbur Ware at The
space?” Jason Moran opened his set, the inauguralperformance in the Louis Armstrong House Museum’s
new Center (Sep. 9), with this question. Legacy was
the central theme of the evening—how could it not
be, sitting so near (directly across the street from) the
house Armstrong built, in Corona, Queens? Featuring
The Bandwagon, his longtime trio of Tarus Mateen(bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums), with special
guest Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Moran took
us through an hour-long set of starkly reimaginedclassics. They opened with Armstrong’s “West End
Blues”, a natural place to start, and yet a tune rarely
performed. Akinmusire played a version of its famoushorn line before the band ambled into a deconstructed
rendition, each musician slow-dragging through his
own pocket of time. On a wistful “Body and Soul”,
they looped one phrase over and over into a kind ofvamp, reflective of hip-hop’s influence on Moran.
Oftentimes, jazz artists struggle to honor tradition
without sounding derivative or self-consciously outré.
Not this band. They paid homage to Armstrong, Fats
Waller and Geri Allen with a clear understandingof each artist’s contributions. The band closed with
“What a Wonderful World”, without a hint of irony.
That’s the kind of performance that comes fromsetting aside ego, with true reverence for the music,
and for the space they occupy within it.
—Kyla Marshell

Jazz Gallery on what would have been the iconic bassist’s
100th birthday (Sep. 8), Dezron Douglas opened his
second set standing solitarily on stage, slowly tappingout a rhythmic pattern on claves for what he called “A
Prayer to the Ancestors”. Then, picking up his bass, hebegan a solo set that started with a stirring reading of
the ballad “When I Fall in Love”, on which he displayed
the warm woody tone and engaging lyricism that havemade him one of the music’s first-call bassists. Segueing
into his own composition, “Octopus”, he picked up the
tempo, revealing a remarkable dexterity and a broad
tonal range. He concluded the set with Burt Bacharach’s“That’s What Friends Are For”, on which he exhibited
appealing melodicism and emotional depth, garnering
wildly appreciative applause. He was then joined byAbraham Burton (tenor), Craig Taborn (piano) and Dan
Weiss (drums). The band launched right into Ware’s“Riff Raff”, a bebop classic first recorded in 1956 withfellow Chicagoan and Monk alumnus, tenor saxophonist
Johnny Griffin. Kicking off with bass and tenor doubling
the seesawing melodic line, it served as fruitful fodder
for no holds barred soloing by all. Noting the recent
passing of bassist Richard Davis, the quartet played his
moody “Déjà Vu Monk”. The trio played pretty on “I
Didn’t Know What Time It Was”, and then Burton wasback for Douglas’ “Bon Gia”, a bouncy Brazilian-flavoredouting. The band finished up jamming Ellingtonially on“C Jam Blues”.
— Russ MustoW H AT ’ S N E W S
Trumpeter and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Managing and Artistic
Director Wynton Marsalis will receive the Praemium Imperiale (inhonor of Prince Takamatsu), the international prize for outstandingachievement in the arts (inaugurated in 1988 and presented by theJapan Art Association). Other 2023 recipients include American
painter Vija Celmins, Icelandic/Danish sculptor Olafur Eliasson,
architect Diébédo Francis Kéré (Burkina Faso/Germany) andAmerican experimental theater stage director/playwright Robert
Wilson. Grants for Young Artists will be presented to NYC’s Harlem
School of the Arts (President/CEO James C. Horton) and Rural
Studio of Auburn, AL (Director Andrew Freear). The awards will bepresented at a ceremony in Tokyo on Oct. 18. For more info visit
praemiumimperiale.org.
The annual Harlem Jazz Club Revival (presented by Harlem
Late Night Jazz, Inc.) takes place Oct. 13-22 at various Harlem
venues (Bill’s Place, Lenox Saphire, NAMA, Patrick’s Place, Red
Rooster, etc.) and will feature Ray Blue, TK Blue, Patience Higgins,
Nate Lucas, T.S. Monk, Endea Owens, Phil Young and manyothers. For more info visit harlemlatenightjazz.org.
Lincoln Center presents “Legacies of San Juan Hill: Jazz in San
Juan Hill” (Oct. 24), a panel consisting of Loren Schoenberg,
Fredara Hadley and pianist Marc Cary. Discover the impact one
Manhattan neighborhood (in and around where Lincoln Center
was built) made on jazz between 1900 and 1950, and how it
became home to many historic venues and iconic musicians such
as James Reese Europe, James P. Johnson, Benny Carter and
Thelonious Monk. For more info visit lincolncenter.org.

PHOTO BY CLIF HUBBYPHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD

The Fillius Jazz Archive at Hamilton College is home to three
decades-worth of nearly 500 videotaped one-on-one interviews
and conversations with jazz musicians, producers and arrangers.
Artists interviewed in this ongoing oral history project represent all
genres of jazz from early swing through the big band era to modern
jazz and present day (e.g. Doc Cheatham to Maria Schneider).
The videos can be viewed on the Fillius Jazz YouTube channel; acorresponding podcast entitled “Jazz Backstory” is also available.
For more info visit hamilton.edu.

Jason Moran @Louis Armstrong Center

Dezron Douglas @The Jazz Gallery

W endy Eisenberg, accompanied by Chris Lightcap(bass) and Matt Wilson (drums), gently swayed witha placid, if sly, look on their face while performing onnight three of the guitarist and vocalist’s residency at
The Stone (Sep. 8). The set mostly featured originals,
and Eisenberg’s lyrics were a captivating blend ofcheeky, wry and haunting, as on “in the pines”: “I’mcharmed to the core by the vastness of my anger,”and from “Urge”, from 2020’s Auto: “There’s no wayof knowing if your plans will go awry / Some of themwill.” Eisenberg’s voice, unassuming, deceptively
sweet, is the perfect vessel for sneaking in the poetic
gut punches of these songs. Apart from their gifts
as a lyricist, Eisenberg is also a terrific guitarist,
and their tunes spanned a wide range of styles andtechniques. “Those Melodies” was built on a bedof intricate fingerpicking, Wilson’s swishy cymbal
work adding an additional layer of texture; the long,
odd-metered intro to “How I Found Out” took asurprising turn into vocals. There was an easygoingenergy among the trio, alternately chewing throughthe hefty parts of the tunes, and just having fun with
it. Eisenberg routinely pushed the limits of their
vocal range, particularly on the set-closer, “SomeOther Time” (Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and
Adolph Green), squeaking a bit on the line “Oh,well!” But it only underscored the tone of the song,and Eisenberg’s ease within the music, where a flair
for playfulness reigns.
(KM)

Seated far stage right at the house piano, next to a Fender

Rhodes keyboard and with his trumpet suspended ona stand behind him, Nicholas Payton opened the final
set of a three-night stand with his Nouveau Standards
group at Blue Note (Sep. 6) playing the soulful groovethat began his “Hangin’ and Jivin”. The band, with
Joel Ross (vibes), Vicente Archer (bass), Bill Stewart(drums) and that evening’s “very special guest”,
veteran guitarist John Scofield, dove right in over the
New Orleans–flavored piano backing, delivering funkysolos before Payton grabbed his horn to take the songout with his own potent statement. Segueing right into
Dizzy Gillespie’s “Woody’n You“, the band showed
off their bebop chops on an uptempo romp that had
the leader riffing rhythmically behind Stewart’s
relentlessly swinging drums, then soaring into thestratosphere to conclude a demonic high velocity solothat recalled Miles Davis’ “Prince of Darkness” days.
The quintet followed with a pair of familiar Scofieldcompositions, “Green Tea” and “Icons at the Fair”. On
the former, a Brazilian-spiced piece, Payton played
trumpet with melodic flair, tastily bookending his solowith Gershwin’s “Ain’t Necessarily So” and Jobim’s“Girl From Ipanema”; the latter was a hard-hittingstraight-ahead swinger. The mood mellowed with anin-the-tradition reading of “Star Eyes”, then ramped
back up on Herbie Hancock’s “One Finger Snap”, withthe band in full Miles-ian mode. The set closed with
Payton’s calming “The Backward Step”.
(RM)

The 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano
Competition (presented by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazzin association with NYC’s new Perelman Performing Arts Center)
will take place this month Oct. 14-15. Past winners include
Jazzmeia Horn, Ambrose Akinmusire, Melissa Aldana, Jon
Irabagon, Jane Monheit, Joshua Redman, Marcus Roberts, Cécile
McLorin Salvant, Jacky Terrasson and Ben Williams. It is free andopen to the public (advance ticket reservations are required andthis event will most likely sell out). For more info visit pacnyc.org.
Opening Oct. 4 at the Whitney Museum of American Art,
“Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Art of Harry Smith (192391)” will be the first solo exhibition of the artist, experimental
filmmaker and groundbreaking musicologist. Visitors will encounter
lightbox projections of his “jazz” paintings, in which the artist
visually transcribed recordings by Dizzy, Monk and Bird onto
canvas. As part of the exhibition, the Whitney will present“Animations and Abstractions: John Zorn Plays Harry Smith”(Oct. 20-21). For more info visit whitney.org/press/harry-smith.
Two TNYCJR contributing photographers have events of note thismonth. Enid Farber presents a solo exhibition through Oct. 14 atGalerie Westerhoff (in Metuchen, NJ). The exhibition will represent
her 45+ years of photography during and in conjunction with the
Middlesex Jazz Festival and will include photos of Sarah Vaughan,
Wayne Shorter, Don Braden, T.K. Blue, Matthew Whitaker, Geri
Allen, Wallace Roney and others. For more info visit enidfarber.com.
Adrien Tillmann will be the featured photographer on
Oct. 22 in the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Seeing Jazz: JJA
Photographer Master Classes”, an interactive online jazz
photography Master Class and Salon. For more info visit
jazzjournalists.org.
After 25 years as Artistic Director of Brooklyn’s Sistas’ Place,
Ahmed Abdullah is stepping down. He will focus on his trumpet
playing and group Diaspora (which plays this month at Mount Morris
Ascension Presbyterian Church Oct. 27), as well as on the
publication of A Strange Celestial Road (Blank Forms), Abdullah’smemoir documenting his long tenure in the Sun Ra Arkestra. Sistas’
Place’s 29th season (under new Artistic Director Omowale Clay)started last month (on John Coltrane’s birthday), featuring tenor
saxophonist James Carter. For more info visit sistasplace.org andahmedian.com.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 5

PHOTO BY KAREN MUÑOZ

I NTERVIEWTISZIJI
MUÑOZ

pharoah guitar shaman
BY JIM MOTAVALLI
L ast month Luaka Bop reissued an expanded version of

Pharoah Sanders’ 1977 record, Pharoah, an important
album that few people heard at the time. The label describes
it as a “much-bootlegged Holy Grail” and “one of the great
works of 20th century jazz.” At the time of its release, it
was an ambitious project for India Navigation, the fledgling
jazz record label headed by attorney Bob Cummins. It
was recorded in an old spring water factory near Hudson,
NY, that Cummins turned into a studio. Cummins was
expecting a small band, maybe a sax and bass duo, butinstead an entourage showed up that day in August 1976.
In addition to Sanders’ then-wife, Bedria, who playedharmonium, there was organist Clifton “Jiggs” Chase(who later worked at Sugar Hill Records and produced“The Message” for Grandmaster Flash), bassist Steve Neil,percussionist Lawrence Killian and drummer Greg Bandy.
And, as a vital part of the music, there was guitarist Tisziji
Muñoz. He was then new to jazz, but would go on to along career as a band leader, player and spiritual teacher.
This and next year, Muñoz will be touring as part of “TheHarvest Time Project: A Tribute to Pharoah Sanders” (theworld premiere is Nov. 12 at the Le Guess Who? festival in
Utrecht, The Netherlands, under the musical direction of
Joshua Abrams).
TNYCJR: You were born in 1946 and I distinctly am
hearing New York in your voice.
Tisziji Muñoz: Brooklyn, yeah.
TNYCJR: Why don’t we start with Pharoah Sanders.
Have you heard the reissued Pharoah album?
Muñoz: I haven’t heard exactly what it is, but perhaps
I’ll have access to the new version eventually. That
piece “Harvest Time” [heard in studio and live versions
on the reissue] was ripe for further exploration. I
remember the melody and the groove of it. Pharoah
might not have appreciated it as much at the time—
he said, “I’m playing rock and roll here.” It’s dreamy,
mantric, a benign piece and beautiful by itself. I
appreciate we could do something of that depth that
Pharoah could play on. I’m happy that the album isback out, for Pharoah’s following and his people. I’m
pleased, and I’m sure I’ll be playing it a lot.
TNYCJR: What do you remember from that session,
because according to the reissue booklet, it was asomewhat uncomfortable recording, even though themusic ended up being great. Bob Cummins of India
Navigation wasn’t used to recording such a large
group, and Pharoah picked up on that.
Muñoz: Oh, yes. Well, I would say that [Cummins’]attempt was ambitious. His intentions were golden.
He wanted to produce music that he had a lot of faithin, the music he loved. I don’t know to what degree
there were issues technically at that time, but I knowthat we pulled it off. It was on the fly, that’s one way

to put it. I know Bob Cummins and his people were
there. The musicians had a great time—it was really agood collaboration between us. Despite whatever elsemight have been going on with other people, we came
together to play.
TNYCJR: How long was that particular band together?
Had you been playing a lot before that session?
Muñoz: I wouldn’t say the band was together very
long. Playing with Pharoah was a revolving process.
We would have, in some cases, two different piano
players a night, or two bass players. So we’d bechanging musicians depending on who showed up
when and where we were playing. In other words, we
didn’t have a permanent drummer, or a permanent
piano player or bass player. So the stability was
between me and Pharoah.

the same thing on Mountain Peak, a double album wemade. He loved that, playing a line and having me
respond to it. We would have melodic conversations,and then go deeper, beyond the form of the line, as
deep as we could go. This was part of the creative sideof our work together. And so I loved playing with him,
and he was part of several projects I produced. We
were very close.
TNYCJR: Do you see a parallel between what you
do as a guitarist and Carlos Santana’s more spiritual
work, inspired by Coltrane?
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 39)

Susie Ibarra & PRISM Quartet“Procession Along the Aciga Tree”

Record Release Concert
Oct. 10, 7:30 PM
DiMenna Center
450 W 37th St, NYC
Tickets $15-$25
www.prismquartet.com

TNYCJR: How long were you with Pharoah?
Muñoz: I’m going to say 1976 until the last time I
talked to him, which was just before he passed [d. Sep.
24, 2022]. We were friends. We had different karmas
and destinies. I had my own music and was playing
my own jazz. But we remained friends. We had agrounded relationship: I knew his people in Little
Rock, Arkansas, he knew my mother, they were closefriends. We were like a family, a really intense family.
I was his astrologer, too, adding even more intensity toit. He depended on me for astrologic insights.
TNYCJR: Pharoah Sanders would seem to be the ideal
band leader for you, because he strongly encouraged
the direction your music eventually took.
Muñoz: Our first meeting happened as a result of a
gig I played in New York. It was a business luncheon
and Calvin Hill, the bass player, was in that band.
Calvin said, “Man, I’m playing with Pharoah at theVanguard.” I didn’t know any Pharoah and I didn’tknow any Vanguard. I mean, I was like a cherry interms of jazz. I was playing a lot of gigs, but they
were like no-big-deal gigs. I didn’t know this cat or
his music. But as it turned out I did meet Pharoah at
the Vanguard that night, just before he went on. And
Pharoah said, “Are you the one who Calvin is talking
about? Where’s your guitar?”Well, my guitar was back in Brooklyn so I had
to take a cab and get my guitar and amp. [After I
returned to the club] we went up to the piano, andPharoah started playing some chords for me, typicalprogressions, simple, modal, mantric. I played
something on top of it, and he said, “You’re with me
now, you’re in my band.” It happens like that.
Pharoah and I had a unique melodic resonance.
If you listen to Spirit World, a record I made with
Pharoah and [drummer] Rashied Ali, you will hear
what I mean. Pharoah and I are trading lines. You hear

6 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

HOCTOBER 3RD - OCTOBER 8THHCÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANTSULLIVAN FORTNER - YASUSHI NAKAMURA - KYLE POOLE
HOCTOBER 10TH - OCTOBER 15THH

JOHNATHAN BLAKE QUINTETDAYNA STEPHENS - JALEN BAKER - FABIAN ALMAZAN - DEZRON DOUGLAS
HOCTOBER 17TH - OCTOBER 22NDHFRED HERSCH TRIO + 1
DREW GRESS - JOCHEN RUECKERT + MIGUEL ZENÓN
HOCTOBER 24TH - OCTOBER 29THHRAVI COLTRANE QUINTETJONATHAN FINLAYSON - LUIS PERDOMO - ROBERT HURST - MARK WHITFIELD, JR.

COMING IN NOVEMBERHTYSHAWN SOREYH
HKURT ROSENWINKELH
HJOE LOVANOH
HJASON MORANH
HMARK TURNERHMONDAY NIGHTS ARE RESERVED FOR

THE VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA

PHOTO BY KWESI ABBENSETTS

ARTIST F EATURE

Melanie Charles attracts curiosity. As a vocalist andflutist, her chops are evident; but when she performs,
there’s an unexpected element, at least on a jazz
bandstand. Eyes trained on the knobs of her Roland
SP-202 sampler, she triggers bites of standards over
her live band, intermingling her own vocals with
Dinah Washington’s on “Perdido” or Betty Carter’s on“Jazz (Ain’t Nothing but Soul)”. They’re remixes—or,
reimaginings, as she calls them—all over drill and trap
beats.
A Brooklyn native and self-described “New York
City art kid,” she got her start in classical flute andvoice, but by the time she arrived at The New School,
Charles had reoriented herself towards improvised
music. In the 10-plus years since, she’s released threeprojects, including most recently, Hotel San Claudio
alongside Mark de Clive-Lowe and Shigeto and Y’all
Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women.
The jazz remix is still something of an oddity, but
her approach is sincere. She’s not trying to be different
for difference’s sake. What she is trying to do is reunite
Black American music with its original purpose,to reflect the times. “Jazz was always a vehicle forliberation,” she says. “And then with time, it really
started becoming very elitist. The intention behind themusic has totally shifted.” She’s not the first Black artist
to confront this issue—the distance between the music’s
origin and current status, between the demographics ofthe performers and the audience—but she puts it at thecenter of her music.
This intention is on full display on Y’all Don’t(Really) Care About Black Women, an album with sucha provocative title that it begs listening. After hearing
her EP The Girl with the Green Shoes, Verve Records
approached her to produce a remix album, giving heraccess to their extensive archives to flip as she saw fit.
The resulting project is partially inspired by the murderof Breonna Taylor and the pandemic’s racial uprisings.
“When I was putting out the record I was doing a
lot of interviews in [Europe], and they were like, ‘But
we care about Black women. We love Ella Fitzgerald!’
And I’m like, okay, but you appreciate her when she’s
entertaining you. But there’s so much more to ourexistence. And if we’re not entertaining you in thatway, how much do you really care about us?”
Despite the tone of the title (Verve, she notes,
initially considered it “off-putting”), when she talks
about the album, it’s less about the “Y’all”, and more ofa celebration of the legacy of Ella Fitzgerald, Marlena
Shaw, Sarah Vaughan and the others featured. The
themes of the album (there’s an interlude titled “PayBlack Women”) and the music itself have opened up
new conversations, which she appreciates. This was theother aim of the project: to introduce canonical works
to a young audience new to jazz, taking the music outof classrooms and concert halls to reach the people.
Hence the remix.
“It’s like, I’m going to attract you with this beatthat you understand that registers in your ear, andMELANIE
CHARLESmaking jazz trill again
BY KYLA MARSHELL
I’m going to infuse something that you’ve never heard
before, and you’re going to realize how good it is foryou.”Charles’ role is essentially the work of a curator,
someone who’s a fan of what she wants to introduce toaudiences. That’s why it makes perfect sense that she
is co-curator of this year’s BRIC JazzFest (Oct. 19-21)
at BRIC House in Brooklyn. The festival will feature
pianists Miki Yamanaka and BIGYUKI, singer Georgia
Anne Muldrow, saxophonists Isaiah Collier andTerrace Martin, and many more.
Charles wanted to do something different for her
appearance at BRIC, having played there with herband before, and tentatively approached the pianist
Orrin Evans, who was enthusiastic about joining her atthe event for a duo performance. He says, “Sometimes
younger artists are stuck where they are. Everything she
does is about paying homage and respecting the legacy
and tradition of all music. Watching that, I can say, I
feel reassured with the future of this music. But what
also is important is putting musicians and artists in theposition of curating. And I’m really excited about what
she has decided to put together, and how vast it is.”Charles adds, “Sometimes cats that are really doingkilling things may not catch the attention of people
that are creating certain festivals. It’s really given me alook at what happens behind the scenes and how thesedecisions are being made.”
She is animated when she speaks about the lineup she’s assembled, which also includes Haitian vocal
stars Riva Précil and Emeline Michel and fellow genrebending, jazz-sample-beatmakers Ahwlee and Pink
Siifu of B. Cool-Aid. She’s also excited to present the
Trill Mega Jam to close out the festival, a Voltronmashup of New York City jam nights over the last ten
years, including The Lesson from Arlene’s Grocery and
Ray Angry’s Producer Mondays at Nublu. There will
be a rap cypher, a DJ and live band, a mass assemblageof styles, proclivities and gifts. It’s in line with what
Charles does as an artist, and facilitates within her
musical community: collaboration, evolution andinnovation, without boundaries or fussiness over the
tradition—only love and honor.
For more info visit melaniecharles.com. Charles is at BRIC
House as part of BRIC JazzFest Oct. 19. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Nicola Conte—Love & Revolution (Impulse!, 2010-11)• Melanie Charles & The Journey—Introducing(s/r, 2011)• Melanie Charles—The Girl with the Green Shoes(Hot Record Société, 2017)• Reggie Quinerly—Words to Love
(Redefinition Music, 2017)• Mark de Clive-Lowe/Shigeto/Melanie Charles—
Hotel San Claudio (Soul Bank Music, 2019)• Melanie Charles—Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About
Black Women (Verve, 2021)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 7

PHOTO BY EMILY PERAGINEON THE COVER

GEORGE LEWIS
Weathering and Perseveranceby kurt gottschalkIt’s near the end of an interview with composer, professor,

philosopher, advocate and, perhaps occasionally still,trombonist George Lewis that I ask a rather perfunctory
question. We’re sitting in Lewis’ temporary office at
Ostravská univerzita in the Czech Republic, where
he has been a guest lecturer during the Ostrava Days
festival+institute through the latter part of August.
The festival is a long and wide-ranging presentationof contemporary composition founded by composer/
conductor Petr Kotik, an associate of John Cage, Julius
Eastman and Morton Feldman. Lewis worked with theresident composers and performers at the institute andhis 2016 Tales of the Traveler was played by the festival
Ostravská banda during the concert programming. It
was not, to say the least, a particularly jazzy atmosphere.
Undaunted, I ask him if he considers jazz, in some way, apart of his current practice. The question doesn’t appear tointerest him. “Jazz isn’t in my remit now,” he says flatly. “I
did what I could do with it. I have a different task now.”
Lewis’ task, if taken in the singular, is a fairly
monumental one. While continuing his artistic practice—
more as composer than performer—he is addressing headon how notions of diversification play out in the arts. Thatis on top of his role as Edwin H. Case Professor of American
Music at Columbia University, where he serves as Area
Chair in Composition and Faculty in Historical Musicology,
and (as of April 2022) artistic director of the highly-regardedInternational Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).
He speaks like an academic, which is no surprise. His
book A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American
Experimental Music (The University of Chicago Press)
remains the definitive history of the Association for the
Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), the seminal
Chicago organization preaching self-determination andartistic ownership to musicians in the jazz tradition andwhere he began his musical career. More recently, he is coeditor of Composing While Black: Afrodiasporische Neue Musik
Heute / Afrodiasporic New Music Today, a bilingual collectionof essays aimed at journalists, curators, programmers and,
Lewis says, “anyone bringing new music to the public.”
The words “Afrodiaspora” and “Creolization” comeup repeatedly in our conversation, in reference to the forced
relocation of African populations that, he stresses, isn’t auniquely American phenomenon, and to the new culturesthat arise out of the blending of populations. These are
notions that often come up in discussions of jazz marketingand programming as well, and if Lewis says playing jazz isbehind him, the lessons learned through a career that was
launched in the AACM, one of the most forward-thinking
artist collectives jazz has ever known, still seem to inform
his thinking.
I ask Lewis if he ever picks up his trombone anymore.
“I don’t have time and I’m not practicing,” he responds.
“When I was playing trombone, I made a pretty goodaccount for myself. I’m happy to move on and do somethingelse. Now I just sort of write music and write words and talkto people.”
As if by some cue unseen by me, he opens his laptop
and calls up the video for “Kody Blu 31”, a hip-hop groove
with more than a tinge of gospel in it, released by Atlanta
rapper JID last year, and watches it with delight in his eyes:“The pressure makes me, the journey takes me / To places
where history can’t stop or break me / You know it rains
for somethin’, you know the pain’s for somethin’ / I hope achange is comin’, just keep on swingin’ on.” Lewis explainsthat his son turned him on to the track and that he’s now
considering a new piece about perseverance. He’s thinkingof calling it “Weathering”.
Perseverance and weathering difficulties might be
two of the most important job skills for musicians working
outside the mainstream, whether in experimental jazz,contemporary composition or underground hip-hop. With
Composing While Black, Lewis looks to ease the burdens forartists of color by addressing presenters and promoters,
and in his role with ICE, he’s leading in that endeavor by
example in his adopted home of NYC. He put his job goals
with the ensemble succinctly: to try to get concerts andcontinue the Creolization of their programming. “I’m notreally changing their direction, I’m just intensifying it,” hesays. “If I thought they hadn’t been working in that direction
already, I wouldn’t have signed on.”Jennifer Kessler, a singer who plays French horn andguitar and is the ensemble’s executive director, madethe case more strongly. “George is both a great scholar
and activist for changing what gets performed on ourworld’s stages,” she said in reply to an email. “In every
conversation, he stretches us to challenge our old ways ofthinking and imagine new possibilities both for artistic andorganizational planning, and he always offers us something
new to discover, whether it’s a clip of a piece of music weweren’t aware of, or a book or movie recommendation.”
According to Kessler, when the ensemble was looking
for new leadership, Lewis was a natural. “This would be
the first time the ensemble would have an artistic director
coming from outside the group…As part of the recruitment
process, we asked musicians, ‘If you could have a dream
person in this role, regardless of whether you think theywould agree to be considered, who would it be?’ George’s
name came up over and over again. So, we asked him if he’dever consider such a thing. At first he asked, ‘Wouldn’t you
want someone younger to do this?’ But we believed that we
had a deep alignment with George; we’d worked with him
for years (he was on our board and had been a long-timecomposer collaborator); his vision for advancing the music of
Afrodiasporic artists was in harmony with our mission andvalues; we were thrilled to bring to life his vision throughdeveloping and creating concerts under his leadership.”
For Kessler, Composing While Black—which outlinesthat vision through essays by composers representing
different lines in the African diaspora, including Jessie Cox(Switzerland), Yvette Janine Jackson (U.S.), Hannah Kendall
and Elaine Mitchener (Great Britain) and Tania León
(Cuba)—should be “required reading for everyone in theperforming arts.” That might also be taken to include critics.
In an essay on Anthony Davis’ opera Amistad includedin the collection, Lewis writes of what he calls the “threeconsistent tropes in the reception of Afrodiasporic classicalmusic”: that the creators are “out of their place, out of theirdepths and perhaps out of their minds.” It’s barely a stretch
to see how that denunciation might be applied to such
AACM composers as Anthony Braxton, Wadada Leo Smith
or Lewis.

8 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Concert programmers (and, by extension, other music
promoters) aren’t accused of being overtly racist in the
text. The problem, he says, is that they don’t seek new
perspectives when trying to create more inclusive offerings.
“A lot of people who do curation at festivals or at institutions
don’t ask anybody; they feel they can diversify on their own,
and their programs show that,” he said in our interview,and then joked about setting up a telephone service: “Hello,
Diversity Hotline, what’s your emergency?”—before
offering more serious advice for beginning to broadening
programming. “If you’re going to talk about these things,
you also have to produce Creolizing work,” he said. “I’masking people to think about what decolonization sounds
like.”
This month, ICE will present a portrait concert of theirartistic director’s work at Roulette, with four throughcomposed works for varying instrumentation and a fifththat calls for improvisation by mixed ensemble. That final
one, Creative Construction SetTM, has performers follow
instructions on printed cards to guide their improvisations.
It might be seen as a way of bringing practices more common
in jazz into the concert music tradition.
“The cards serve as a kind of toolbox for producing
a range of sounds and forms that will far exceed what thecomposer would imagine,” Lewis said. “For this reason,
there is no canonically correct way for the piece to sound.
Rather than assuming that recorded or live versions of thework might constitute a model for how the work shouldsound, performers should assume the freedom to create
what they want to hear from a combination of the tools
provided and their own creative and cultural standpoints.”
While Lewis’ path has taken his work, at least at facevalue, a bit far afield of his AACM origins, he’s hardly
abandoned the organization’s guiding principles. Nor
has he abandoned the organization itself. A recording of
Afterword, his 2015 opera about the AACM, is being released
this month, and in December, his music—including a newpiece for solo piano set to be played by Cory Smythe—
will be presented in an AACM concert at the Park Avenue
Armory on a double-bill with longtime association member
Amina Claudine Myers.
“I met him early, when he first came to the AACM,
much later than when I joined,” Myers remembered. “He
had this music that was in blocks; it was very creative anddifferent…he could play, to me, anything.”
For more info visit iceorg.org/george-lewis. Lewis’ Hearing
Voices, performed by ICE, is at Roulette Oct. 5. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• George Lewis—Solo Trombone Record (Sackville, 1976)• George Lewis—Homage to Charles Parker(Black Saint, 1979)• Anthony Braxton—Four Compositions (Quartet) 1983
(Black Saint, 1983)• John Zorn/George Lewis/Bill Frisell—
New For Lulu/More News For Lulu (hatART, 1987/89)• Muhal Richard Abrams/George Lewis/
Roscoe Mitchell—Streaming (Pi Recordings, 2005)• Roscoe Mitchell/George Lewis—Voyage and Homecoming(RogueArt, 2018)

THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CREATIVE MUSICIANS
AACM New York City Chapter, Inc.
58 Years Of Artistic Dedication
Presents
AACM CONCERT 2023
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PHOTO BY BERT TREEPENCOREJOHNETHERIDGE

GEARING UP THE SOFT MACHINEBY DANIEL A. BROWN

W hen John Etheridge steers the Soft Machine into

their forthcoming shows at The Iridium this month, themercurial guitarist will be fueled by 50 years of musicalcreativity, humility and adaptivity.
Born in Lambeth, England on January 12, 1948,
Etheridge’s original forays into playing music werehardly pleasant. He studied piano from the ages of five
to seven. “It’s back in the day when you’d be smacked
over the hand with a ruler if you played a note wrong,”
he laughs, from his home in north London. A healthierintroduction was his father, an amateur jazz pianist.
Etheridge first heard things like passing tenth chords
from his dad and cites him as his original influence.
“But there were three big stops on the road for me:
Hank Marvin, Django Reinhardt and Eric Clapton.”
Like many budding post-war UK guitarists, in his early
teens, Etheridge discovered the instrumental stylingsof Hank Marvin & The Shadows. Sporting Buddy Hollyglasses and a three-piece suit, Marvin and his equallydapper band released instrumental hits like “Apache”,
a reverb-heavy surf-style song that was radical in
the pre-Beatles U.K. A paradigm shift occurred after
hearing Django. “His music was quite rare in thosedays and no one really was taking it that seriously.” In
the mid-’60s, Clapton’s electric guitar innovations werea guidepost for countless players, including Etheridge.
“I was there and Clapton just revolutionized the musicscene.”
Etheridge was an adherent of musicians as
disparate as Joe Pass and John Coltrane (“A Love
Supreme appealed to everybody”). Barely out of his
teens, the self-taught guitarist was performing with
progressive rock bands like Warhorse, Curved Air andDarryl Way’s Wolf. Thanks to an introduction fromoutgoing Soft Machine guitarist Allan Holdsworth, in1975 Etheridge joined the storied jazz-rock ensemble,
debuting on the album Softs. When he was hired,
they had already released eight albums of theirsignature jazz-psychedelia, created by a shifting
roster of musicians. Etheridge joined a band that had

a volatile personal dynamic. The band was driven by
the formidable core of Karl Jenkins (piano, keyboards,
flute, oboe, saxophones), Roy Babbington (bass) andJohn Marshall (drums). “The social atmosphere in theSoft Machine wasn’t good,” explains Etheridge. “Theactual de facto leader was Karl Jenkins, because he wasvery quiet yet he was pulling the strings. John was thebloke I related to because on stage he was the mostactive.”As recordings from that era attest, Etheridge
held his own as an intuitive, propulsive improviser.
His soloing on “Huffin’” (Alive and Well: Recorded in
Paris, 1977) finds him matching Jenkins and Marshallin an extraordinarily berserk mash-up of prog-rockand jazz fusion. Etheridge found that the audiences,
particularly in Italy and France, were large andaccepting of the Soft Machine personnel shifts althoughcritics were fickler. He took the band’s history in stride:“It was all so gloomy—but musically it was great.” Yetbefore he could consider his tenure, let alone standing
in the band, Etheridge was offered a surprising
opportunity, tethered to his formative influence. From
1976-81, Etheridge performed with maestro violinist
Stéphane Grappelli, the legendary cohort of Reinhardt,
Etheridge’s early guitar hero. “I was torn about leaving[Soft Machine] and had doubts I could even play with
Grappelli.” Etheridge cites “extra-musical factors” inhis hiring: “Grappelli really liked me, but he simply
liked young people’s energy.” Etheridge quickly
adapted to the nuances of acoustic jazz. “Diz Disley
really held down the tunes when we played. I was
soloing by ear and memory.”In the ‘80s, he pored over bebop transcriptions
note by note. “I learnt a lot of theory back then andin a very conscious way. I became quite good atteaching, because I played intuitively. I attended a
Joe Pass teaching seminar back then; he had difficultyteaching because he embodied jazz; it was in his body.”
Etheridge describes an era of “hundreds” of London
jazz gigs. “I started getting gigs on the jazz scene but
didn’t really know enough. It was a very important
period and in five years I was listening—analyzing
everything.” His increasing knowledge of theory andpassionate playing led to an impressive body of work.
Beginning in the early ’90s, Etheridge performed andrecorded with a diverse group of musicians, including
Elton Dean, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Summers
and Fairport Convention. Etheridge has appeared as aleader or collaborator on almost 200 albums that span
the genres of progressive rock, classical and jazz.

He reenlisted in the Soft Machine for the band’s
1984 farewell shows at Ronnie Scott’s. In 2004, hejoined Soft Machine Legacy, featuring key players
from the group’s lineage. “Half the promoters would
drop the ‘Legacy’ from our name. We finally did aswell.” Released in June, the new album Other Doors(MoonJune) features Etheridge, Marshall, saxophonistflautist Theo Travis and bass guitarist Fred Thelonious
Baker. Two tracks mark the final recordings of the
now-retired Soft in Babbington. The 17-song collection
finds the “Softs” malleable and potent in theirimprovisational shifts.
Travis, who has been a member of Soft Machinefor the past 18 years, shares a deep connection
with Etheridge. “Prior to joining the Soft Machine,
I’d known John for 10 years. He’s an incredibly
enthusiastic, conversational, and aware improviser.
We collectively do a lot of group improvisation in theband, yet John and I also do a lot of trading fours andeights, in the tradition of players like J.J. Johnson andStan Getz.”
The current lineup features Etheridge, Travis,
Baker and new drummer Asaf Sirkis (Marshall had
recently stepped down due to health reasons and sadly
just passed away Sep. 16 at age 82). “I don’t think wequalify as a tribute band,” says Etheridge. “Those bands
do old material as close as they can [to the originals].
We play some old material, but our lineup is so vastlydifferent and we improvise quite a bit.”A half century ago, Etheridge was the new addition
to the Soft Machine when they were in flux. Now
he is both ballast and keeper of the flame of a grouprenowned for fiery prog-fusion improvisations. “Youknow, as the outsider who joined the band, I was castin the role of ‘the cheerful bloke.’ And funnily enough,I think I’ve appeared to have maintained that role.
Which is odd: even when I was young, I never thought
I was that cheerful!”

through boundaries and barriers. branch was known
to her friends as “Breezy,” a larger-than-life, garrulous
presence, with an accent on “presence.” She delved
further into her own brand of spirituality as she
matured. Drummer Chad Taylor recently observed,“What she didn’t play was just as important as what
she did play. She was a master of using space andletting the music breathe.” In those spaces was theineffable that enabled the tangible.
branch was born in Huntington, Long Island;
she began playing piano at age 3, wrote her firstsong, “My Dreams End in the Sky” at six (performedin her church for a retiring pastor) and took up thetrumpet at age nine, the year the family moved to aclose-in Chicago suburb. She played extensively at
New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL, as well as in
the ska-punk group the Indecisives. Yet her choice
was to study jazz performance at the New EnglandConservatory of Music. After graduation, branch
returned to Chicago to become a fixture in the jazzscene there, including forming Princess Princess withbassist Toby Summerfield and drummer Frank Rosaly.
At the same time, branch, a child of her generation,

also began drawing from and cultivating an interest
and participation in rap culture, with a definite punkattitude. Throughout her career she’d appear on
bandstands uniquely dressed—track suits, hoodies,outrageous t-shirts, kimonos, baseball caps or toques—with her forearms displaying vivid tattoos. Among
the rock/alternative bands she collaborated with were
Spoon, Yo La Tengo, TV on the Radio, Wolf Eyes andMedicine Singers. She was featured posthumously on“Assata’s Reprise”, the last track from Talib Kweli andMadlib’s Liberation 2, released earlier this year.
branch left Chicago in 2012 to attend graduate
school at Towson University in Baltimore. There, shefounded the band Bomb Shelter and created her own
label, Pionic Records, to release its music. Her struggle
with heroin and other substances was taking its toll,though, and she dropped out a few credits short ofa master’s degree in jazz performance. In and outof rehab programs, she moved in 2015 to Red Hook,
Brooklyn. She gigged seemingly nonstop, performingwith indie rock groups Never Enough Hope, Local H

For more info visit john-etheridge.com. Etheridge is with
Soft Machine at The Iridium Oct. 6-7. See Calendar.
Recommend Listening:• Soft Machine—Softs (Harvest, 1976)• Stéphane Grappelli—At The Winery (Concord, 1980)• Vic Juris/John Etheridge—Bohemia (Jazzpoint, 1988)• Dick Heckstall-Smith/John Etheridge Group—
Obsession Fees (Green Tree/R&M, 1992)• John Etheridge—Alone! Live (Dyad, 2008)• Soft Machine—Hidden Details (MoonJune, 2017)

PHOTO BY BEN SEMISCHLEST WE FORGET

JAIMIE
BRANCHFLYING ON
BY MARILYN LESTER“W hat if?” Inevitably a question that comes to mind
when a major talent dies young. For jaimie branch,that question still resonates a little more than a year
after her death on August 22, 2022. She was only 39
and already a trumpeter of fierce ability and stunningpotential. Where would that remarkable talent havetaken her had she lived? An innovative player andcomposer, branch exuded a dynamism and force-ofnature quality. Early on in her life, she had the desire
and ability to cross genres, from punk-rock to jazz;she gathered around her a cadre of devoted fans andcolleagues. In her music, her intention was always
to innovate—to experiment, improvise and break

10 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD(CONTINUED ON PAGE 39)

L ABEL SPOTLIGHTzOaR

OUTSIDE OF GENREBY KURT GOTTSCHALK
The city of Zoar in the Jordan Valley was slated to be
destroyed by God, the Old Testament tells us, alongside
Sodom and Gomorrah, but was spared after Lot pleaded
that he be allowed to use it as a place of refuge. Thismay or may not have played into the naming of zOaR
Records, the label founded by Elliott Sharp and David
Fulton in 1977, but the story fits. Sharp described thelabel, during a recent conversation in his East Village
studio, as a “greenhouse for mutant organizations that
don’t fit anywhere else.” A greenhouse offers a more
placid picture of refuge than a stronghold against avengeful god, but maybe somewhere between the two
is a haven for music outside the mainstream that mightotherwise succumb to the forces of the industry.
If that origin story is a bit speculative, a moreverifiable inspiration lies in the Zoar Valley in upstate
New York, near the University of Buffalo, where Sharp
and Fulton met and launched the label. The stylization
as “zOaR,” Sharp explains, was meant to stress “OR,”conveying the idea of alternatives to what was popular
at the time.
That’s all ancient history, perhaps. But both stories
have been told before. Sharp and Fulton relocated to
Massachusetts, then Sharp moved the enterprise to
New York City in 1979, where he found a vibrant sceneof musical innovation. The label became a primarysource for documenting his efforts, but closing in on
50 years after its inception, zOaR has of late taken a

SteppeElliott Sharp

Jajouka / New York
Bachir Attar/Elliott Sharp

surprising turn. The label that was a catch-all for Sharpand his friends, and went through periods of attention
and dormancy, has become a well-curated collection ofdiverse music from around the world.
As varied as Sharp’s music can be, there’s a clear
sensibility to the multi-instrumentalist’s pristinework. Across freeform improvisation and inventive
composition, blues, soundtracks and cyberpunk,
there’s a precision, a drive that tags it as his own.
There’s another sensibility to Sharp as well, though,a commitment to community—both to his long-term
connections to the East Village and the Downtown
scene, and to his sense of global citizenship—and that’s
what guides his record label.
During the 2020 lockdown, with performancevenues dark, Sharp began building guitars as “selftherapy,” he says, and selling them to make up forlost income. At the same time, he started looking at
streaming revenue and thinking about how little it
made up for lost income with record sales down andno gigs in sight. “I’d get these statements the size of aphonebook and there’d be, like, a dollar sixty.”
Looking for options, Sharp began considering a
streaming site more popular among the musicians heworks with. “I didn’t like the name ‘Bandcamp’,” hesays. “It sounded infantile, but I decided to try it. I put
in a couple of things and there was a bit of response.”
Now Bandcamp is his favored platform. New zOaR
releases are uploaded there first, a couple of weeks
before going to other streaming services.
The limited risk of digital releases allows oneoff efforts, like tributes to guitarists Jeff Beck and
Pat Martino and renditions of Bob Dylan and Velvet
Underground songs, uploaded as stand-alone, name-Too Many Bullets… Not Enough Soul
Eric Mingus

your-price tracks. The platform allows him to release
work that might not be viable as a physical release.
Soundtrack albums can be a hard sell (“I always loved
them; they were these collections of weird, disparate
music.”) and collecting all of his string quartets in
one package only has so much appeal. But since goingdigital, zOaR can take on such projects. Complete
String Quartets 1986-2014, with performances by
JACK Quartet, Soldier String Quartet, Sirius Quartet,
the Meridian String Quartet and Yellin Quartet, cameout in March—about four hours of music, all newly
remastered and download-only.
“I don’t see the point,” Sharp says of the decision
to forgo a physical release. “Physical distribution islimited. I could conceivably do it, but I don’t know if
it’s worth it, especially with a couple of kids going tocollege.”
The download model also allows him to release
unusual albums from friends and acquaintances aroundthe world. NuovoMondo Symphonies by the Italian duo
of Giovanni Mancuso and Debora Petrina is a charmingcollection borrowing from Chopin and childhood
memories. Oblicuo by the Chilean trio Los Desinhibidos
toys with genre-hopping, jazz-adjacent composition
and the Mexican-Italian duo Xipe builds surprisingsoundscapes on their Nepantleras. Also ensconced
within the zOaR catalog are albums featuring Bachir
Attar, Jin Hi Kim, Christian Marclay, Joanna Mattrey,
Tracie Morris, Bern Nix, Jim O’Rourke and Hubert
Sumlin, as well as a keyboard duo by Steve Beresford
and Pat Thomas and a bass quartet by Che Chen, Dave
Hofstra, Willam Parker and Dave Sewelson.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 39)

Of the Moment
Bern Nix

One or Two Pianos
Pat Thomas & Steve Beresford

VOX NEWS

LIVING LEGENDSBY SUZANNE LORGE

The Ear Inn occupies the street-level floor of a houseon Spring Street (just west of SoHo), a few blocks infrom the Hudson River. Built in 1770 for James Brown,
an African-American aide to George Washington, thecolonial-era building has been in constant service tothe drinking public for more than 250 years! The Ear
Inn also serves the listening public, though this historyis less readily available, which is why Live at the Ear
Inn (Arbors) by trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and his octet
The EarRegulars deserves special attention.
For the last 16 years the horn-based group has helda Sunday-evening residency at the Inn, playing without
rehearsal through the jazz timeline, from traditional
New Orleans and the blues to swing and contemporary.
At just seven tracks, the live recording captures onlya sliver of this output, almost all of it instrumentals.
(Notably, several of the selections first emerged as
early vocal jazz tunes—Donald Heywood/Will Marion
Cook’s “I’m Coming Virginia”, popularized by Ethel
Waters in 1926, for example, and Victor Herbert/Al
Dubin’s “Indian Summer”, a hit for Tommy Dorsey in1939). But on the album’s final track the group does
show off its chops backing a singer: Catherine Russell

joins them on “Back O’ Town Blues”, written by her
father, Luis Russell, and Louis Armstrong. This tune,
first recorded during World War II, later appearedas the B-side to Armstrong’s seminal recording of“Mack the Knife” (pre-Bobby Darin). Listening to
Russell interpret her father’s work today, in a voice so
evocative of that time, it’s easy to imagine the storied
room filled with people from a bygone era. Russell will
likewise conjure other historical figures when she hosts
Family Concert: What Is New Orleans Jazz? at JALC’s
Rose Theater (Oct. 21).
Back in 2007, singer/guitarist Allan Harris released
Nat King Cole: Long Live the King (Love Productions), a
recording of his earlier Kennedy Center tribute to themaster crooner. Sixteen years on, Harris drops his latest
club recording with Live at Blue Llama, a collaboration
between the Ann Arbor jazz venue by that name andHarris’ own production company, recorded in Januaryof this year. Harris delivers a well-balanced set: amongaudience-pleasers including “Sunny” and “The Very
Thought of You“, are two equally engaging Harris
originals, his gritty, guitar-riff-driven “Black Coffee
Blues” and the gently swinging “Shimmering DeepBlue Sea”. Harris is at Mezzrow (Oct. 20) and you cancatch him as he finishes up a run of his Off Broadwayshow Cross That River, a modern jazz song cycle about
black cowboys in the mid-19th century, at 59E59
Theater (through Oct. 8).
Harris’ expert skillset as a musician begs

comparison with singer/guitarist George Benson, oneof the biggest crossover vocal jazz artists of all time.
Benson, who dominated the pop charts in the ’70s-80s(most often produced by vocal jazz visionary Tommy
LiPuma), has headlined at the Montreux Jazz Festival
more frequently than all but a handful of jazz artists.
This past summer, Montreux Sounds/Mercury Studios
released the double-CD George Benson: Live at Montreux
1986 (previously a DVD of the star’s mid-career
Festival performance). Benson sings many of his hits
from the day here—“On Broadway”, “Turn Your Love
Around”, “The Greatest Love Of All”—but his casual
insertion of scats and other vocal improvisations is still
surprising. In live performance he digs even deeper
into his jazz vocabulary, dropping all pop idioms toswing relentlessly on “Beyond the Sea” (post-Bobby
Darin) or growling and sliding spontaneously in a waythat he didn’t in the studio.
More live gigs: Samara Joy returns to JALC toheadline her first Rose Theater show (Oct. 6-7). As alead-up, she recently launched the video of her selfproduced new single “Tight”, a driving version of the
Betty Carter original. Monk Competition finalist Lucy
Yeghiazaryan also plays JALC this month, at Dizzy’s
Club (Oct. 2), offering her tribute to NEA Jazz Master
Shirley Horn. And Arts for Art, the creative music
bellwether, will present singer Ellen Christi (Oct. 7)
and vocalist/percussionist Anaïs Maviel (Oct. 9) aspart of its free outdoor InGarden 2023 series.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 11

F ESTIVAL REPORTChampian Fulton @Litchfield Jazz Festival

BY THOMAS STAUDTER

Endea Owens @JazzFest White Plains

JAZZ
EM AGOSTOBY STUART BROOMERPHOTO BY VERA MARMELO

PHOTO BY STEPHAN PAPANDREABY JIM MOTAVALLIJAZZFESTWHITE PLAINSPHOTO BY LOU VACCARO

LITCHFIELD
JAZZ FESTIVAL

Eve Risser @Jazz em Agosto

Although the phrase “jazz festival” conjures openair stages, it can also mean a nice air-conditioned
auditorium with cushy seats at the private Frederick
Gunn School in rural Connecticut. And so it was forthe 2023 Litchfield Jazz Festival (Jul. 28-30), which
until 2019 was held at the Goshen Fairgrounds. The
festival (which dates to 1996) unfolded over threedays, opening with a Friday evening performancefeaturing the Litchfield Jazz Camp Combo and theBrandon Goldberg Trio with guest saxophonist Don
Braden, and closing with a Sunday brunch featuring
the David DeJesus Latin Jazz Sextet in the school’s
courtyard. In between, though, Saturday proved tobe the main event: four performances back-to-back,starting at noon and ending just in time for dinner—and a torrential downpour. Before, after and in
between performances, visitors got to browse an art
room featuring photographs (many taken at Litchfield
festivals past) by Steven Sussman, as well as surreal
art from Danielle Mailer and posters by Steve Soklin,
whose work celebrates jazz giants of the past.
Opening Saturday’s music was the Ehud Asherie
Trio with Dezron Douglas (bass) and Jason Brown(drums). Pianist Asherie repeatedly noted how lucky
he was to have secured the services of these two indemand aces, and the ensuing set proved his point.
On the set-opener (Sonny Clark’s “Cool Struttin’”), theWestchester-born Brown started dropping Art Blakeystyle press rolls and Connecticut’s own Douglas (whoattended the festival’s jazz camp as a young man)quoted “You Are My Sunshine” in a glistening solo,
which demonstrated why he is a first-call New York
bassist. Asherie, who never over-plays, is a pianist of
great dexterity and diversity. His program included
everything from an original dedicated for his son to
Hoagy Carmichael’s “Heart and Soul”, Irving Berlin’s“What’ll I Do?”, a Dorival Caymmi samba, plus a
rendition of Tony Bennett’s first hit from 1951, theHammerstein/Wilkinson “Because of You”.
Vibraphonist Steve Nelson may be best
remembered for his time with saxophonist David“Fathead” Newman (to whom he dedicated a blues)
and the Dave Holland Quintet, but he’s also made fivesolo albums and appears as a sideman on almost 200
records with the likes of Kenny Barron, Johnny Griffin
and Jackie McLean, among others. As a player, he issomewhere between Milt Jackson and Gary Burton,
although with three and sometimes four mallets he iseven more percussive than the latter. The Steve Nelson

A brutal heatwave and stultifying humidity greeted
the musical artists and attendees at the 12th annual
JazzFest White Plains (twenty miles due north ofManhattan by car or a 40-minute Metro-North trainride from Grand Central). This year’s edition featured
fifteen different acts spread across five days (Sep. 6-10),
with heavy rain plaguing a good part of the finale. No
matter: the entire event was a success, thanks to theenthusiasm and resiliency of all involved. The lineup
for this seemingly modest undertaking gets grander
and more adventurous each year, as the organizers
clearly understand that booking intriguing, well-known
headliners will sell out the ticketed shows. Thereby,a genuine buzz is created by showing appreciation
for younger and local jazz artists, and by featuringperformers who stretch the boundaries of America’s
great musical idiom. The two big headlining acts werea quartet co-led by tenor saxophone titan Joe Lovano
and guitar master John Scofield (a resident of nearby
Katonah)—which performed two sold-out sets—anda duo between vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant andpianist Sullivan Fortner, who played two SRO sets thenext day. These shows were held at ArtsWestchester’sheadquarters on Mamaroneck Avenue in the heart ofWhite Plains, a cozy venue (formerly a bank) that seats
just 140 people.
Most of the shows were free admission, andthough spread out across the city’s downtown, wereeasy enough to walk from one to the other. On opening
day, drummer Aaron Seeber, a graduate of PurchaseCollege’s Conservatory of Music, led his quartet
through two sweat-drenched sets outdoors at the busy
Farmer’s Market on Court Street. Joined by fellow
Purchase grads Bruce Harris (trumpet) and Walter
Stinson (bass), plus Charlie Sigler (guitar), the band
mixed standards including “In a Sentimental Mood”
and “Woody’n You” with selections from the leader’sbrilliant debut album, First Move. Meanwhile, justdown the street at ArtsWestchester, pianist Helen Sung
played an hour-plus solo set to a rapt overflow crowd.
She focused on repertoire by women in jazz, but also
included a powerful, bravura reading of Chick Corea’s“Armando’s Rhumba” and a wild “Carolina Shout”
by stride immortal James P. Johnson as an encore.
Her rhapsodic ballad “Everybody’s Waltz” found
her harmonizing deeply over improvised lines liftedfrom the song’s melody, her playing intensifying andthen drifting back into a more pensive mood. Anotheroriginal, “Elegy in the City”, introduced Geri Allen’s

J azz em Agosto always feels like a special occasion.
Presented by Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundation, thisyear’s edition (Jul. 26-Aug. 6) took place in midtown grounds graced by ponds, extensive gardens, amajor museum and a contemporary art gallery, withnightly concerts held in an open-air amphitheater
amid grasslands and trees made that much more
spectacular with colored lighting. Since the festival’s
inception in 1984 (save for a brief spell in the ’90s),
programming has been the responsibility of Rui Neves,an authoritative advocate with ears attuned to the
cutting edge of jazz and improvised music. In the earlyyears of the festival, he brought foundational radicals
like Sun Ra, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell and Ornette
Coleman and that spirit remains at the heart of jazz inPortugal, where free jazz dovetailed with the country’s
democratic revolution. It was particularly evident thisyear in the gender balance of performers and similarly
with veteran innovators and emerging artists alike,from Evan Parker and Myra Melford to Marta Warelis
and Camille Émaille.
The festival’s opening band, Eve Risser’s Red
Desert Orchestra, possessed both scale and vision.
The pianist’s 12-member ensemble fused musicians
and music from Mali and France and percolateddense rhythms with its engaging collection of soloists,
including the leader, Ophélia Hié and Mélissa Hié(percussion) and Sakina Abdou and Grégoire Tirtiaux(saxophones). Compound visions emerged withvibrant energy, expanding on the group’s recent album
Eurythmia (Clean Feed).
Evan Parker (playing only soprano) appearedin two distinct groups and his continued influence
as a creative inspiration for younger musicians wasevident. The first was a sextet version of Trance Map +,his project with turntablist/electronic musician Matt
Wright who explores and alters Parker’s recorded
archive. The group created a rapidly evolving,
pointillist tapestry in six movements, each beginningwith a different soloist who contributed material
that welcomed collective expansion: trumpeterPeter Evans brought pyrotechnical bravura; cellist
Hannah Marshall richly expressive melodic depth;
percussionist Toma Gouband earth-rooted percussion
with clicking stones and rapid drumming with
branches shedding their leaves. Electronicist Pat
Thomas managed the magical trick of not only leaving
space for his fellow musicians, but creating new
spaces.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 38)(CONTINUED ON PAGE 38)(CONTINUED ON PAGE 38)

12 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

JAZZ

Live

Returns to
LOUNGE“…The most elegant spot in New York City”

Stephen Sorokoff, Broadway World

Antonio Ciacca

October | 4, 5, 6, 7, 25, 26, 27 & 28

Jill McCarron

October | 12, 18, 19, 20 & 21

Eli Yamin

October | 11, 13 & 14
Wednesday through Saturday
6:00pm - 9:00pm
No Cover | No Reservations

TwoE_NYCJazzRcrdADAugust.indd 2

9/14/23 8:36 PM

I N ME MORIAM
It was 1972 when I originally met Richard Davis. My
wife and I were in NYC for the first time, and werewalking around Lincoln Center one morning, when I
saw him in the window of a restaurant having breakfast.
I gestured playing the bass, and he gave that infectious
smile and motioned for us to come in. I knew him fromthe Thad Jones//Mel Lewis Orchestra, and a record
with Richard and Elvin Jones, which I wore out—Heavy
Sounds. I knew we were going to meet someone really“heavy”! He said he was playing an orchestra rehearsal
next door at Alice Tully Hall for a concert that evening,
and invited us to observe the rehearsal and attend theconcert. Then he told us he had to hurry to a record
date in an hour. After the concert, he said he had to be
down in the Village to play a late jazz set. That was all
I could take: I looked at my wife and said, “THAT’S
WHAT I WANT TO DO!” I saw him again two nights
later at Boomer’s where they played to 4 am. Before thelast set, he asked if I wanted to come to the NY Bass
Choir rehearsal: “It’s in Brooklyn at Bill Lee’s house at
10 am, so don’t be late.” That’s when I met Milt Hinton,
Bill Lee, Lisle Atkinson, Michael Fleming. I never heard
a sound like that before. Richard Davis was responsible
for all that experience, and even more participatingin this workshop. Though he has left us physically,
the bass world is definitely a better place with all hehas shown us: how to play, listen and study from hismusical excellence. He was an amazing individual. I
called him “The Pied Piper” and will miss him.
—RUFUS REID (bass)

No other bassist played with the clarity and creativity
that Richard Davis did. And he did so while completely
serving the needs of whatever music he was playing, as
well his own expressive impulses. My first encounter withhis playing was his solo on “Shiny Stockings” from Heavy
Sounds with Elvin Jones. So many incredible recordings,
but that one has always stuck with me. As I began to listen
to more and more music, I quickly discovered just how
integral he was to many of the most important, influential
recordings in jazz.
—MICHAEL FORMANEK (bass)

One of the first jazz albums I ever bought was Richard
Davis’ Fancy Free. I knew nothing about his playing at thatpoint (I was only 11). Even at that young age I could tellthat Davis was no ordinary bass player. I pictured him
playing a big rubber band as his sound and rhythm wereso buoyant and flexible. As I got older and started to heara greater cross-section of his recordings, my admiration
only grew. At the same time he continued to stand out
as an enigmatic bassist. When I heard his earlier playing,
with Don Shirley or Sarah Vaughan, I could hear his strongroots and connection to those bassists who came before
him—but like many musicians from Chicago, there is thisamazing combination of tradition and freedom. Some
records he played on really changed my way of thinking
about the bass and its role in music: Out to Lunch!, Black
Fire, Trompeta Toccata, all Booker Ervin’s records withthe magical rhythm section of Jaki Byard, RD and Alan
Dawson and of course his big band playing with Thad
Jones//Mel Lewis. Who else would have had the balls toplay the way Richard played in a big band! Or the way
he played with Elvin in contrast to Jimmy Garrison, or
when he subbed for Ron Carter in Miles’ band. Davis was
an iconoclastic musician whose soaring technique pairedwith a searching creative soul allowed for some of themost unique bass playing of the 20th century.
—LARRY GRENADIER (bass)

To me, Richard Davis exemplifies the complete bassist. He
had a great sound both playing arco and pizzicato. He wasclassically trained and knew how to follow a conductor.
He was a great reader and played the entire instrument intune, which resulted in his impressive resume as a studiomusician. And on top of that, he swung like crazy andwas a creative improviser and orchestrator in groundbreaking small groups. And let us not forget how many
lives he touched as an educator and equal rights advocate.
One could only wish to leave that kind of a legacy.
—MARTIN WIND (bass)

Richard Davis did it all in a way that uncompromisingly
befitted his musical integrity and sensibility with any
project he graced with his playing, regardless of genre;
he put his undeniable stamp of “Richard Davis-ness”
on display to the highest degree. Of course he’s heard
on countless recordings, but if you want to get an ideaof beautifully executed bass playing that covers the fullscope and spectrum of explorative free improvisation
within the context of compositional structures, just listen
to Eric Dolphy’s Out to Lunch! in its entirety. Thank you,
Richard Davis. RIP.
—BRAD JONES (bass)

Turns out that even though I didn’t make it into the Thad
Jones//Mel Lewis book, I replaced Richard in 1971. WhenI wasn’t working with Elvin, I played on and off with theJones//Lewis band from 1971-73. I have a pic from Elvinand McCoy’s Love & Peace session with Richard for which I
was hired as musical support; they recorded one of my tunes(“Korinna”). And through the years I’d reach out to Richard,wishing him a happy birthday.
–GENE PERLA (bass)

Richard Davis was a giant. His singular sound andinventiveness was married to state-of-the-art virtuosityand musicianship. He had the ability to creatively
surprise and delight, balancing freedom and rootedness,as he crossed boundaries both musical and social. RIP.
—MARK DRESSER (bass)

For a bassist, very few names evoke the admiration, respectand diversity that Richard Davis does. He epitomized theedict of the 3 T’s (tone, tuning, time), as well as adding
to the legacy of his predecessors with a brilliant creative
approach to the double bass. Like some of his classmates,
the journey from Chicago’s scene to New York gave him
a worldliness that few other players achieved. Tradition
and modernity seasoned with a love of classical music
set him apart from the pack. And if that wasn’t enough,he then went to Madison, where he became a fixture
and mentor to countless musicians at the University of
Wisconsin. For me, Davis had a sense of timing, withrespect to interactivity, like a great singer or actor. His
duo work shows off what the instrument can do in skilledhands, lyrically and harmonically. I also appreciatehearing the wood and resonance in his playing. He madethe bass thump, talk, traverse and transmit. Thank you,
Richard Davis, for inspiring so many musicians.
—GREG COHEN (bass)

Once I heard “Summertime”, from Richard Davis andElvin Jones’ Heavy Sounds, I could not stop listening to
it. The depth of Davis’ sound, his phrasing, the interplay
with Elvin and the personal quality of his voice on the
instrument blows me away every time. Then I heard
the albums Iron Man, followed by the masterpiece
Out to Lunch! and the pinnacle, Point of Departure.
His contributions to all this music elevated alreadyremarkable ensembles to the limit. Thank you, Sir Davis.
—MICHAEL BISIO (bass)
When I arrived in New York in 1962, Richard was alreadythe guiding light as to how it’s done. Thank you, Richard.
—BARRE PHILLIPS (bass)

Richard Davis was truly one of the greatest bassists of all
time. His sound was so big and his groove and swing so
deep. Richard was an innovator and did things with the
instrument that had never been done before. He was amusician with boundless creativity and opened doors for
future bassists after him, like myself. Thank you, Richard,for everything you gave us, for everything you taught us
and for showing us the way. Never to be forgotten.
—JOE FONDA (bass)

14 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Richard Davis leaves such a unique and valuable legacy
to the musical community. His playing on Andrew Hill’sBlack Fire and Point of Departure and Eric Dolphy’s Out toLunch! has influenced me deeply. He had the ability totranscend unconventional forms with a tasteful, organic
fluidity and freedom—something I’m always striving to
do as a bassist.
—LINDA MAY HAN OH (bass)
Richard Davis was one of the most incredible, creative
bassists I listened to as a young bassist coming up.
Definitely one of my idols. Back then I used to go theVillage Vanguard on Mondays to hear him with theThad Jones//Mel Lewis Orchestra and, man, he wasjust phenomenal! His approach to the bass was just so
different. And what an incredibly great person he was if
you went to a gig he was playing. He always took the time
to sit and talk with young bassists, which was inspiring
for me. He was also, at that time, one of the few bassists
who could basically play (upright and electric) in any
genre of music: one of my favorite bassists then, and still
now. Thank you, Richard, for all the great music. R.I.P.
Maestro.
—ALEX BLAKE (bass)
I first heard Richard Davis on Van Morrison’s Astral
Weeks. As I later learned would be the case no matter thesetting, he offered not just support but new orbits in themusic, often through an insistent, almost feral counterrhythm. His engagement in diverse musical scenes, alone,
has long been an inspiration, but the reason he will remaina guiding light for me was his deployment of an abundant
technical mastery as merely the point of departure towardlifting the music into the spiritual realm.
—STEPHAN CRUMP (bass)
Richard Davis was a tall gentleman. He seemed likethe bass was appropriate for him and looked the part—like Ron Carter or Sam Jones, unlike myself! He was acomplete double-bass player and was quite special innumerous ways. I heard him play quite a bit with theThad Jones//Mel Lewis Orchestra, and actually subbed
for him in that band a few times. He was also outstandingin smaller group avant garde situations, and orchestral
settings, too. Regardless of the circumstances, however,
his sound was always distinct; he was always technicallywell-prepared. He also seemed bullet proof. Richard
always looked healthy and, of course, he lived to be 93.
That in and of itself showed what great health he was inthroughout his life. He lived a good life and I was sorry
to hear about his passing. I always liked him and got toenjoy his musical side as well as human side.
—EDDIE GOMEZ (bass)
Richard Davis’ discoveries changed how I know music
and the bass, transcending ideas of idiom and inside vs.
outside. He created new paradigms and pathways of sonicnavigation. His sound remains a beautiful amalgam of
tradition, exploration and radical innovation, resonating
onwards into the future. I learn something new every
time I listen to him. With gratitude for the music andinspiration.
—JOSHUA ABRAMS (bass)
Richard Davis was everything all at once. The first of
many times I was overwhelmed by his playing was on
David Murray’s The Hill with Joe Chambers. The basssolo from the first track, “Santa Barbara and Crenshaw
Follies”, is what did it. Absolutely burning, hard swing.
His bow: my lord! As free as can be. He made me realizethat by using the bow I could make my bass sound like
Albert Ayler. The multitude of expression he achieved
was remarkable. Swing as hard and deep as you can dig,while a minute later reaching far beyond using the bow
to find an alternative creativity. What he showed me wasthat you must master both worlds as he so deftly did. It
was and is the foundation for all that I would and stillseek to accomplish as a creative musician.
—ADAM LANE (bass)

Like I did with all the great bass players—Mingus,
Blanton, Haden, Holley, Slam Stewart, Red Mitchell,
Barre Phillips—I first met Richard Davis’ music throughvinyl. I remember in the ’70s when I bought his duo with
Jayne Cortez (Celebrations and Solitudes, Strata-East),
which was and continues to be such an important album
for me. Later, in 1990, I met him at a festival in Austria.
He was such a beautiful person and great human being.
What an important bass player and teacher: simple, sage.
Thanks, Richard Davis, for all you did. We will miss you.
—JOËLLE LÉANDRE (bass)
Richard Davis was a gentleman. Very calm andstraightforward as a person, very melodic, technically
gifted and highly schooled as a bassist. When I was
director of Jazzmobile, I conceived of and started the
Jazzmobile jazz workshop and hired Richard to be thebass instructor. We had the pleasure of playing together
in Lisle Atkinson’s Bass Choir as well as a big band put
together by Aaron Bell. When Richard left for Wisconsin,
I took his place in the Thad Jones//Mel Lewis Orchestra.
We had a long relationship and I always had a deep
respect for him.
—PAUL WEST (bass)
Richard was a mentor to me over many years and will
be missed. He brought much joy to those of us who
knew him and to everyone who ever heard his music.
As a young student of jazz bass in the ’70s I came acrosshis recording Epistrophy & Now’s the Time. It blew mymind! It draws from such a wide range of musical roots
and grafts them into a unified, adventurous whole anddemonstrates the tremendous breadth of Richard’s
musical mind. This encouraged me to explore the everexpanding sonic palette available to modern bassists.
A few years later I had the good fortune to study withhim at his home in NYC, before his move to Madison. I
was living in Philly and would drive to the Upper WestSide for a lesson every other week. Two things thatstruck me when I first met Richard: his seriousness
about all things music and his sincere concern
for his students. My first assignment was tobuy a copy of the two-volume Hrabe
Etudes for String Bass and prepare
the first volume, Etudes
1-44. I was in a kind ofshock and awe. Shockedthat my assignment was
so extensive and awed withthe conviction of my teacher
that this is how it’s done.
Richard Davis was a masterand expected his students tohave their sights set on mastery.
No questions asked.
—ANDY MCKEE (bass)
The unique capacity of Richard Davis, to exhibit hiscomplex musical self intrinsically, became my guiding
light during the earlier phases of my arrival in NYC.
His physical, harmonic and conceptual approach to thestring bass were inspirational. As manifested by hisown, explosive desire to adventure past the required
boundaries of expectation, in urgent fashion, he openeda clarity of intent for me and I am deeply and forevergrateful.
—CECIL MCBEE (bass)

Richard Davis was the complete bassist: ubiquitous andimpressive in so many ways. I much admired him for his
command of delivering the right notes, always in the rightplace. An object lesson for us all. One of the great ones has
left us.
—BARRY GUY (bass)
When I was coming into my own as a young bassist in
the early ’70s the most prominent upright players wereMiroslav Vitous, Stanley Clarke and Buster Williams.
As I entered college in 1972 my interests broadened andI became interested in who came before and what wasgoing on in the current jazz avant garde. From Ray Brown
to Scott LaFaro, Eddie Gomez, Charlie Haden, Jimmy
Garrison, Dave Holland… and Richard Davis. Davis
could be both sparse and propulsive in the most abstract
harmonic/rhythmic setting. I learned a lot listening to his
approach to improvisation and counterpoint. His post-bop
bass lines set a new standard for younger bass players likemyself. I have long admired his sound and choice of notes,
and accomplishments as a modern musician, reputable inboth jazz and classical worlds. He was a great man who
left a stunning legacy.
—SANTI DEBRIANO (bass)
Richard and I were personal friends, like brothers. All of
us fellow bassists had our own fraternity: Richard, Jimmy
Garrison, Ron Carter, myself… we were all pals
and were like family. We would hang out,
talk on the phone, and we all had our own
style. Richard was a very studious, niceand giving individual. And he could
converse in all different styles of music,from jazz to classical, even folk music.
He was one of the all-time great bass
players and human beings.
—LARRY RIDLEY (bass)

From the first notes I heard when I listened to Booker
Ervin’s The Freedom Book, I was hooked and enamoredwith the musicianship of Maestro Richard Davis. Thelove and discernment he embodied in his concept andnote choice really affected the way I view the role ofthe bass in music as a whole. Whether it was withThad Jones//Mel Lewis, Booker, Coltrane, Hank andElvin, Andrew Hill and the long association with Ricky
Ford and Freddie Waits, I have been obsessed with his
playing. I’m blessed by the notes he gave and left us
to remember him. Richard Davis brought something
special to New York that will forever be what we strive
for as creatives. Thank you, Richard. RIP.
—DEZRON DOUGLAS (bass)
As a young bassist listening to Richard Davis, it always
hit me how different, unique and original his lines andsolos were. They always stood out, catching one off guard,
often making me smile. I will never forget that feeling.
Something I will cherish forever.
—JOHN LOCKWOOD (bass)
Richard transformed me in so many ways. In his words:“I teach character” and that says it all. He had an intense
devotion to his students while being one of the best bassistson the planet. He was a giant
in so many ways—gavemore than he received
and always calledout truth to power.
I will miss him
tremendously. Bass
Regards…
—PETER DOMINGUEZ(bass)

One
of
the
most
creative,
imaginative, powerhouse bassists ofthe modern jazz era. And one of thenicest people ever. He will be missed.
—CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE (bass)

S
I
V
A
D
D
R
A
H
RIC
3
2
0
2
1930-

PHOTO BY R.I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN/JAZZEXPRESSIONS.ORG

The mark of a true artist is one that transcends genre,
avoids categorization and is such an individual that one
can recognize them from just a few notes. Richard Davis issuch an artist. His proficiency on the bass, in all genres ofmusic, his sound, time, feel and creativity can be heard inevery situation he performs. His ability to always soundlike himself whether playing with artists such as Thad
Jones/Mel Lewis, Elvin Jones, Van Morrison or Andrew
Hill is never comprising and always Richard. Thank you
dearly Mr. Davis.
—JOHN HÉBERT (bass)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 15

ALBUM REVIEWS

BetterLarry Goldings/Kaveh Rastegar/Abe Rounds(Ropeadope)
Drop the RockGreg Joseph (Sunnyside)by Brian Charette

Since Maceo Parker shook up everything he had on
Life On Planet Groove (Minor Music, 1992), the organist
from that session, Larry Goldings, has been a jazz
funk juggernaut. Subsequently, Goldings’ renowned
organ trio (with guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer
Bill Stewart) has become thought of in most circles as
the pinnacle of the form. The always interesting but
enigmatic organist/keyboardist is present on both thesegreat new albums and his mastery of the keyboard arts
is unquestionably on full display.
Better is a collective release with Kaveh Rastegar(bass/guitar) and Abe Rounds (drums). Rounds’ drums
hit the tape hard with creamy saturation on album opener“Better”, with percussion and blocks complementing
the spare high hats for a unique groove. Goldings’ solo
is subtle, with ever-changing drawbar settings. Hisclavinet part is just as funky. A piano/conga breakdown
gets hip bass lines from Rastegar, who adds a killer solowith sexy reverb-reflected chord stabs from the leader
on the jam out. Rounds adds to the fun as he flirts in the
pocket with cool, pushed drum fills.
“Bob James” is a nod to the fusion keyboard pioneer,featuring understated organ, chill conga and sweet
Fender Rhodes appoggiaturas. Goldings is constantly
playing gorgeous melodies that he lays back perfectlyin the beat, and the quirky upright piano is a great
production choice. “I Want to Be Happy” has a lounge
feel, with ice-rink organ, kitschy drum machine, flowery
cascades and highly cultivated schmaltz. The organist’s
solo pulls the black drawbars out for a reedy sneer.
“Stockwell” has cool drum machine beats with unusual
plucked synths, a bandoneon supported by atmosphericpops and blips and a rocking distorted organ solo.
Album closer “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s” ring-modulated
reggae bubbles will make you feel “one love.” Tightsidestick anchors the one drop for brilliantly irreverent
breaks, mallets, bells and even a barking dog! This is ahighly creative set, steeped in jazz tradition but with lotsof fun surprises.
Goldings makes another appearance on Greg
Joseph’s Drop the Rock. The drummer/leader, who has
worked with Kevin Hays, Chris Potter and Steve Wilson,
is a NYC veteran. His tight chops and clever beats makethe album a great listen. Goldings’ original “MozamBBQ” has a cool counter-line and blues vamp at theend. Joseph shows off his experienced rudiments anddeep groove on perfect-sounding snare. The organist
chooses the woody 2nd harmonic for his tasteful solo.
The third member of the trio, guitarist Steve Cardenas,
digs in on his choruses as the band morphs into swing
time. Groover “Sauté” (penned by producer Henry Hey)
has a lilt that is funkified by Goldings’ thumpy pedal
bass. Cardenas bends the blues on his tight solo as
Joseph holds things down, while organ weaves in andout of the changes with spitting lines and trademark
tuneful sixth intervals. “Paco’s Theme”, in 5/4 time, hasa Spanish tinge with languid melody and twisty bass
counter. The outro has great hits, which the drummer
and organist take turns blowing over. On a lovely coverof Joni Mitchell’s “In France They Kiss on Main Street”,
the steady rock beat and sustained chords are a great
pad for the guitarist. Goldings sets his organ percussion
on slow decay: he’s tuneful, as always, with memorable,
well-developed melodies and lots of space. Cardenasalso nails the difficult chord changes with aplomb. The
title track has a second line from Joseph on the snare
and clave bass line, with nasal percussion from Goldings
on top. His modern intervals and occasional fast Leslie
speaker tease are answered deftly by the guitarist’s wellspaced comps. Cardenas’ solo is spacy with tremolo andreverb as the band breaks down. Joseph goes in and outof triplets with great control on his solo and seamlessly
works his way back to the second line.
With so much experience in so many musical genres
and in a multitude of contexts, Larry Goldings is one of
the leading Hammond organists and these great albums
are a must for the organ corner in your collection.
For more info visit ropeadope.com and sunnysiderecords.com.
Goldings is at Smoke Oct. 12-15. See Calendar.

Intensive Care: Prescriptions Filled(The Billy Bang Quartet Sessions 1983/1984)
The Jazz Doctors (Cadillac)
by John Sharpe

Tenor saxophonist Frank Lowe, who died 20 years ago

last month, never quite received his due. Although hebegan as a firebrand in the rarefied company of Rashied
Ali, Alice Coltrane and Don Cherry, a growing reverence
for older styles gradually emerged, resulting in an
idiosyncratic approach, which looked both forwards
and back. That can be clearly heard in this reissue of
Intensive Care by The Jazz Doctors, a band he co-led withviolinist Billy Bang. While the return of this 1983 date tocirculation is welcome, what is truly noteworthy is the
addition of unissued material from a proposed followup titled Prescriptions Filled, recorded during a tour of
the U.K. the following year.
Lowe had an ear for an interesting tune throughout
his career, and the band covers four during the 1983
session alongside one each by the saxophonist andBang. The angular free bop of Jackie McLean’s “Little
Melonae” gives them lots to work with. Lowe’s shortphrases nod to the theme but hover and jerk across thebeat. Echoes of Ben Webster sit alongside a controlled
stream of abrupt plosives, liquid squeals and chokederuptions. Bang’s flowing lines, irrepressible energy andmelodic bent ensure an attractive contrast, and his Latin
inflections supercharge the standout rendition of Butch
Morris’ “Spooning”. Denis Charles’ responsive, less-ismore drumming figures as another major asset, heard
to great effect in tandem with Bang on the brooding“Ballad With One L” and at the outset of the wonderful
Ali number “Blood on the Cross”.
For the later date, bassist Wilber Morris (brother of
Butch) replaces Rafael Garrett, while Thurman Barker
occupies the drum stool. The two parts of Bang’s “Suite
for Gamma”, totalling 21 minutes, constitute the heart ofthe session and frame notable contributions from Lowe,both unaccompanied and in duet with Barker, and a
spacious and resonant pizzicato outing from Morris.
Completing the additional material are three nods to the
tradition, including a frankly odd account of Monk’s “I
Mean You”. Everyone sounds much more comfortableon the relaxed lope of Coltrane’s blues “Mr. Syms”
and a straightforward take of Sonny Rollins’ “Pent Up
House”. Those familiar with the first album will know
just how good it is and want more, while for those new
to the party, a real treat awaits.
For more info visit cadillacrecords77.com

16 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Celebration
Rufus Reid Trio with the Sirius Quartet (Sunnyside)by Ken Dryden

Rufus Reid is one of the premiere jazz bassists, known

for his work with many jazz icons. In recent years,
however, he has focused more on composing andarranging jazz for small groups and large ensembles,in addition to writing chamber music and symphonies.
The bassist has also led several outstanding bands inthis period, usually featuring Steve Allee (piano) andDuduka Da Fonseca (drums) from his Out Front trio. All
but three tracks of Celebration were previously issued
on the 2017 Newvelle LP Terrestrial Dance, though themusic has been re-sequenced, remixed and remastered.
The Sirius Quartet, a classical string quartet, is added
for six songs.
The beauty of these selections, with or without thestrings, is the focus placed on the music produced: there
are no egos on display by these music veterans. Both of
the newly recorded tracks feature drummer Kenneth
Salters, starting with the upbeat opener, “Celebration”.
The other new track is Allee’s engaging “The Rise of
the Row”, an extended piece with Reid’s sublime solo
as its centerpiece. The trio arrangement of bassist Sam
Jones’ “One for Amos” (evidently previously recorded

James Argue’s Secret Society—R • Darcy
Dynamic Maximum Tension (Nonesuch)
Centennial All Stars—Celebrating Bix!
e • Bix(Turtle Bay)
Moran/Marcus Gilmore—c • BlankFor.ms/Jason
Refract (Red Hook)
Clark—Kosen Rofu with Eddie Hendersono • Mike(Wide Hive)m • Scott Clark—Dawn & Dusk
Of Your Head)m • (Out
Adriano Clemente—The Coltrane Suite andImpressions (Dodicilune)e • Other
Johnny Hunter/Mark Hanslip/Olie Brice—(Discus-Music)n • Divisions
Steve Lehman Orchestre National De Jazz—d Ex Machina (Pi Recordings)
Mohler—Ultraviolet (Contagious Music)e •• Billy
Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns—Weejuns
Grammofon)d • (Rune
Simon Moullier Trio—Inception(Fresh Sound New Talent)

Position (Nikolaus Neuser/Silken • Pool
Eberhard/Sunk Pöschl)—The Munich Concert
In The East)e • (Trouble
Mark Pospieszalski—No Other End of the
w World Will There Be (Clean Feed)

r
e
l
e
a
s
e
s

• Mark Reboul/Roberta Piket/Billy Mintz—
Seven pieces. / about an hour / saxophone,
piano, drums (ESP-Disk’)• Pharoah Sanders—Pharoah(India Navigation-Luaka Bop)
• Helen Svoboda—The Odd River(Earshift Music)• Mark Turner Quartet—Live at The Village
Vanguard (Giant Step Arts)• Hein Westgaard Trio—First as Farce(Nice Things)• Alan Wilkinson/N.O. Moore/John Edwards/
Eddie Prévost—Do Disturb (Matchless)• Bobby Zankel Wonderful Sound 8—
A Change of Destiny (Mahakala Music)

for Newvelle but unissued) is a welcome bonus, with thetrio feeding off the leader’s inventive groove. The latepianist Cedar Walton’s hip “Cedar’s Blues” is perfectfor the trio: it’s elevated by Allee’s deft playing, Reid’s
imaginative bass lines and Fonseca’s driving percussion.
The Sirius Quartet introduces the leader’s buoyant
samba “This I Ask of You” with an intriguing pizzicato
line and interweaves with the trio throughout thepiece. The reflective ballad “Tranescape” is a virtual
masterclass in interplay, as the lead floats seamlessly
between Allee and Reid, supported by Da Fonseca’s
sensitive brushwork. Victor Feldman’s “Falling in Love”
is not one of his better-known works, though Reid hasrecorded it more than once before. His integration ofstrings into the arrangement brings a new dimension tothis neglected composition. This release is a welcome
addition to the legendary bassist’s discography.
For more info visit sunnysiderecords.com. Reid and Friends
are at Dizzy’s Club Oct. 17, as part of “Celebrating Eddie
Harris”. See Calendar.

Be Still
Jalen Baker (Cellar Music)
by Andrew Hamlin

Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Houston,vibraphonist Jalen Baker studied classical music andjazz before swinging definitively to the latter. Trust an
opening track to set the tone—but Be Still’s “Twas” plots
out the tones, plural. Baker’s vibes, intimately mic’d,pling and reverberate at the forefront; Paul Cornish’s
piano sits solidly underneath, as support and/or foil.
Bassist Gabe Godoy sits slyly beneath that layer; Gavin
Moolchan’s drums span the spectrum, two cupping
hands.
This reviewer is also partial to “There’s Beauty inFear”, both for its provocative title and for its cascading
lines that fall like droplets in a storm that becomes ahurricane. Two standards furnish clues as to how Baker
works. “Body and Soul” settles into lush coolness, withthe famously distinctive bridge cannily underplayed.
Godoy takes a midpoint solo, sounding like someone
remembering a lost loved one, the sad smile under his
strings. Baker chimes in after with a respectful nod—
for a few seconds come nothing but his own notes, until
they ring out no more.
“Jinrikisha”, in the hands of its composer Joe
Henderson, had an exotic feel back when “exotic”
conveniently handled anything from beyond Yankee
shores. Baker’s quartet knocks the original melody
down to himself, as Cornish comps. Godoy comes tothe forefront again, faster and more cheerful this time, aspirit then picked up by Baker.
The leader takes the other three through sometimesconvoluted changes, but the rhythms always cook.
Baker calls this album “an album about reflections
and new beginnings.” He’s got swing and subtlety on
his side, but one thing he’ll definitely leave you withis the human presence. The musicians hum, grunt andcall to each other off-mic. This hardly disrupts theproceedings—indeed, it works like an extra headphonelayer. Amidst the slam, bang, crunch, grind and greaseof the day-to-day urban world, they’ve dug in, and dug
down, to an oasis.
For more info visit cellarlive.com. Baker is at Village
Vanguard with Johnathan Blake Oct. 10-15. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 17

UNEARTHED GEM

Bish at the Bank
Walter Bishop Jr. (Reel to Real)by Pierre Giroux

Bish at the Bank is a remarkable album by pianist Walter

Bishop Jr. (born 96 years ago this month), accompanied
by Harold Vick (tenor and soprano sax, flute), Lou
McIntosh (bass) and Dick Berk (drums). Released
earlier this year by the archivist label Reel to Real, it isa limited-edition, hand-numbered 180-gram 2-LP (or2-CD) set that captures the essence of Bishop’s uniquestyle and his ability to blend traditional and modern jazz
elements seamlessly. The album was recorded live at theMadison Club in Baltimore on August 28, 1966, and at theFamous Ballroom in Baltimore on February 26, 1967, andshowcases Bishop’s mastery of the piano and his skillful
improvisational technique.
The music features a mix of popular and classic jazzstandards, all interpreted with Bishop’s signature touch.
His playing is characterized by its intricate phrasing, richharmonic choices, and a deep sense of swing that keeps

the music engaging and energetic. Side A opens with “My
Secret Love”, which hustles along at a medium uptempo,
Vick (on tenor) weaving in and out of the melody withextended runs. When Bishop jumps in, he demonstrates his
technical mastery while maintaining his strong connection
to the emotional core of the number and pulling theaudience into his flow. The follow-on track, “Blues” of an
unknown provenance, is a swinging number nonetheless.
With the rhythm section providing a solid foundation,
Vick and Bishop, anchored in the bebop tradition, are free
to soar and explore various sonic landscapes.
Side B offers two popular standards: “The Daysof Wine and Roses” and Jobim’s bossa nova hit “Quiet
Nights”. This latter number may be the more interesting
as it is unusual fare for a bop-oriented group. Bishop has
found a groove that is front and center with a solo that’s
technically impressive and full of surprises. Vick delivers
an accomplished turn on flute in keeping with the bossa
vibe.
Sides C and D contain four tunes, three of whichreference Miles Davis: “If I Were a Bell”, “So What”,
and “Pfrancing (No Blues)”. Like the other tracks on thisrelease, these compositions are like a musical journey;
regardless of the tempo, the listener rides through various
moods and emotions. Bishop and Vick deliver expressive
playing that engages the audience from start to finish.
For anyone who appreciates exceptional piano
playing, Walter Bishop Jr. delivers a master class deeply
rooted in the bebop tradition.
For more info visit cellarlive.bandcamp.com

18 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDThe Classic Quartet
Thelonious Monk (Candid)by Duck Baker

It seems logical to refer to the Monk-led quartets thatfeatured Charlie Rouse as the “Classic Quartet”, giventhat Rouse was the regular tenor saxophonist in the bandfor over ten years, starting in 1959. With the addition ofJohn Ore (bass) in 1960 and Frankie Dunlop (drums) in
1961, the personnel solidified just as the pianist’s career
was taking off. A triumphant European tour in early 1961
reflected this change in his fortunes, as did the recordingof his first Columbia album Monk’s Mood the following
year. Triumph followed triumph throughout 1963. The
Classic Quartet was recorded during the Japanese tour
that produced the better-known Monk in Tokyo. The
bassist on the tour was Butch Warren (he and Ore sharedbass duties that year) and by 1964 Warren had replaced
Ore. More importantly, after this period, Ben Riley
would take over for Dunlop, whom many consider theperfect drummer for Monk, the likes of Shadow Wilson
and Art Blakey notwithstanding. No slight is intended
on Riley, a great drummer who drove the quartet in his
own way on many of the group’s best recordings, but
Dunlop with Monk was pure magic, especially live.
Rouse continues to have his detractors, thoughthese days there seem to be more people willing toclaim that he, too, was perfect for Monk (whose 106thbirthday would be Oct. 17). When he’s inspired, Rouse’stone, attack and melodic sense do feel exactly right.
But we can admit that he had a much more limited
vocabulary than three of Monk’s previous tenor men,
who happened to be the greatest tenors of the hardbop era—John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Johnny
Griffin—and one can be weary of certain phrases Rouseoverworks. If, like Rouse, Coltrane or Rollins had madeseveral dozen live records with Monk, collectors would
want them all. But most Monk fans will pick and choose
when it comes to the classic quartet. That being the case,how does this record compare to other live records ofthe Dunlop edition of the group? There’s a lot to likehere: excellent sound (but not ideal balance—Warren isa bit loud), Rouse in fine form (though he was perhaps
even better on Monk In Tokyo), Monk and Dunlop bothmagnificent, and superb group interplay. If you want tohear this group at its absolute best, with sound to die for,start with the Gearbox release Mønk. But no real Monk
fan is going to be disappointed with The Classic Quartet.

rhythm among each of the voices, dispersing them tothe wind. By the album’s 20-minute mark, once Grdina’smournful electric guitar is lamenting, all bets are off. At
points, the music is reminiscent of King Crimson’s Larks’Tongues in Aspic era, when Messrs. Robert Fripp andDavid Cross matched not only axes but wits under a rainof percussion. Yet the Berlin-based Lillinger, even morethan Randy Peterson on Ash, thrives on lengthy momentsof silence. By the second track, “Ballistic”, the drummer’s
throbbing, arrhythmic pulsations and rapid snare drum
fills become active contrapuntal forces. Maneri’s viola isclean and engaging, a gentle accompaniment that ranges
from dissonant dyads to emotional runs. The album
closer “Communion” showcases Grdina’s haunting oud
playing, fleet, aerial, yet almost percussive. No need tocall this “world music”: this is the sound of all time.
For
more
info
visit
sunnysiderecords.com
andcleanfeed-records.com. Maneri’s Ash album release concert is
at The Jazz Gallery Oct. 4. See Calendar.

For more info visit candidrecords.com. Monk birthday
tributes this month include: Misterioso Quartet at Birdland
Theater Oct. 13-15; and Miles Okazaki at Bar LunÀtico Oct.
16. See Calendar.

The experts enjoy pointing out the reasons why certain

instruments just don’t cut it in jazz: the viola, apparently,
is too soft in its tone, but all too often what’s overlookedis the power inherent in the player. Mat Maneri stands
tall among improvising violists, as one who revels in
the instrument’s dark, lush timbre, crafting a body ofwork full of rich charcoal greys, dim blues and dusky
rainbows.
With Ash, the violist leads a quartet which includes
frequent associate, pianist Lucian Ban, a musician who,
like Maneri, exploits the spaces between the notes asmuch as that which is readily audible. The pair are neartelepathic; they blur the lines between the written andthe improvised, the viola melding with the piano. But
this entire set boasts such qualities, as do John Hébert
(bass) and Randy Peterson (drums). The compositions,largely by Maneri, are atmospheric and somewhat ECMlike. A lengthy Ban piece, “Dust to Dust”, explores slow
melodic phrases that stem from no tradition, but his“Glimmer” is built on a gorgeous extended harmony,with an arrhythmic spaciousness that almost sounds
backwards, Maneri’s ghostly viola smears conjuring
Stuff Smith. Maneri’s “Moon” brims with a compelling
loneliness, and “Cold World Lullaby” is a study inwhispers and expression well beyond the concept of
tempo.
Live at the Armoury is freely improvised music by
the wholly different trio of Gordon Grdina (oud, guitar),
Christian Lillinger (drums) and Maneri. On “Conjure”,
the lengthy opener, the viola often functions akin to achordal instrument, with double-stops offering quasiharmonies against Grdina’s plectrum-driven guitar oroud. If Ash defies form and dynamic, this album is built
on the remaking of every rule squeezed into music theory
texts. This is a music which, in the best harmolodic sense,
shifts the roles of melody, counterpoint, harmony and

Presenting

NEXT GENERATION JAZZ
Monday Nites ft. Up & Coming Talent!

2 Sets of Shows—7:30pm & 10:30pm Every Week!
SUN
10/1

Jed Levy Quartet
Cameron Campbell Trio

6:30pm
9:30pmMON
10/2

Raphael Silverman Quartet
Jackson Potter Quintet

7:30pm
10:30pm

TUE Conrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars 7:30pm
10/3 Conrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars 9:30pm

The Depths of Memory
Kevin Sun (Endectomorph)
by Elijah Shiffer
Ash
Mat Maneri Quartet (Sunnyside)
Live at the Armoury
Gordon Grdina/Mat Maneri/Christian Lillinger(Clean Feed)by John Pietaro

eek!

Open 7 Days a W

With The Depths of Memory, tenor saxophonist Kevin Sun
continues to establish himself as an extremely ambitious
composer. This new release, on his own Endectomorphlabel, is a sequel to his 2019 album The Sustain of Memory;both monumental double albums consisting of threeextended, multi-movement compositions. Both also havethe same personnel, with Sun joined in various quartet
and quintet lineups by Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), Dana
Saul (piano), Simón Willson and Walter Stinson (bass),and Matt Honor and Dayeon Seok (drums).
The leader’s music can be convoluted and esoteric,but all players do a great job of supplying the vitality
and sensitivity that these pieces deserve. The leader
gives everyone plenty of opportunities for individual
expression. Saul is perhaps the most striking soloist,
unleashing some impressive pyrotechnics in the firstpiece, “From All This Stillness”. Each composition is astory that draws the listener in through well-paced shiftsof tempo and mood. The episodes of “From All This
Stillness” seem to progress in a non-linear order, while thenarrative is more direct in “The Depths in Slow Motion“,
which takes up all of the second disc. The former piecehas a nocturnal, perhaps subterranean feeling, driven by
the gentle velvetiness of Sun’s sound on tenor.
The middle piece, “Eponymous Cycle”, is acontinuation of <3 Bird, Sun’s stunning 2021 tributeto Charlie Parker. Here, Parker’s solo from a live
recording of Ralph Burns’ “Keen and Peachy” getscompletely reconstructed into a maze of interlocking
melodies, sometimes slowed to a suspended animation.
The source material is often difficult to discern, but the
beauty of Parker’s lines comes shining through even inthis distant setting. At the end of the fifth movementof “The Depths in Slow Motion”, arpeggiated phrases
spring up in a close reflection of similar lines in “FromAll This Stillness”. This section adds a striking extra
level of continuity, revealing the album as not just acollection of compositions but also an overarching,exquisitely constructed work.
For more info visit endectomorph.com. Sun’s album release
concert is at The Jazz Gallery Oct. 26; Sun is also at Lowlands
Oct. 3, 10, 24 and 31. See Calendar.

WED
10/4

Yvonnick Prené Quintet
Eric Person Quartet

7:30pm
10:30pm

THR
10/5

CLOSED FOR A PRIVATE EVENT

People Of Earth

7:30pm
9:00pmFRI
10/6

Ron Jackson Trio
Ben Stivers Quartet

7:30pm
10:30pm

SAT
10/7

Tommy Campbell Trio
Freddy Deboe Band

7:30pm
10:30pm

SUN
10/8

Alexander Claffy Quartet
Ray Gallon Trio

6:30pm
9:30pmMON
10/9

Zach Adleman Quartet
Rico Jones Quartet

7:30pm
10:30pm

TUE Conrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars 7:30pm
10/10 Conrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars 9:30pm
WED
10/11

Manuel Valera And New Cuban Express

Jihee Heo Trio

7:30pm
10:30pm

THR
10/12

Spike Wilner Trio
Mark Whitfield

7:30pm
10:30pm

FRI
10/13

Erena Terakubo Quartet
Helio Alves Quintet

7:30pm
10:30pm

SAT 10/14 IS CLOSED FOR A PRIVATE EVENT

SUN
10/15

Joe Farnsworth Quartet
Gabrielle Stravelli Quartet

6:30pm
9:30pmMON
10/16

Nick Di Maria Quintet
Tyreek Mcdole Quartet

7:30pm
10:30pm

TUE Conrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars 7:30pm
10/17 Conrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars 9:30pm

See The Line-Up AND Reserve At
THEDJANGONYC.COM
DINNER, LIBATIONS & LIVE JAZZ!
IN THE OF TRIBECA

2 AVE OF THE AMERICAS

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 19

DROP THE NEEDLE

Dreamtime
Mats Gustafsson/Steve Swell (Idyllic Noise)
by John Sharpe

T he limited edition, vinyl-only release Dreamtime

is like one of those conversations between two
accomplished raconteurs that feels like a blessing
to overhear. Recorded live April 2022 at St. Johann
in Tyrol, Austria, this album brings together two
musicians whose orbits have revolved around eachother for many years, but only rarely coincided.
Reedman Mats Gustafsson, as one-third of the
Scandinavian power trio The Thing and a fixture
in the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet, has earned
a reputation as a ferocious flamethrower, but inhis small group improvisational work he often
reveals a more nuanced, timbrally-curious aspectin his playing. Here he furthers his explorations
by wielding not only his customary baritone
saxophone, but also flute, slide flute, fluteophoneand slide sax, which dramatically alter his sonicfingerprint. Alongside him stands Steve Swell, oneof the leading trombonists of the New York avant
scene, and a partner of choice for musicians such as
William Parker, the late Jemeel Moondoc and Jason
Kao Hwang.
The exposed duet format allows both men to flex
their muscles as well as demonstrate their sensitivity.
They call on all manner of expressive techniques tocreate a litany of unconventional sounds: percussive
plosives, breathy chunters, choked cries, fluttering
murmurs and buzzing overtones. While Swell utilizes
such strategies alongside the normal range of thetrombone, the closest Gustafsson comes to convention
is the visceral baritone sax blurts emitted during
the ironically named “No More Melodies, Please”.
He spends much of the 42-minute running time on
his various flutes, and proves himself to be a fine
exponent with a distinctive approach, notably so on
the opening title track. The musicians’ interaction
proceeds with a hair-trigger responsiveness—notworking in direct relationship, but more obliquelyin terms of matched density, volume and pace. They
avoid either melodic or rhythmic agreement until thevery end when, during the nicely judged “Song for
Another Time”, Gustafsson introduces a slow baritone
bass-line over which Swell expounds a blues-inflectedmoan to round off an absorbing set.
For more info visit idyllicnoise.com. Swell is at Mis-EnPlace with Eli Wallace Group Oct. 6 and Freddy’s Bar withJames Paul Nadien Oct. 18. See Calendar.

Coming to America for a short
but sweet tour:
October 13 – 23, 2023
Listen for yourself and find out!
ericandwill.info

ERIC VLOEIMANS (trumpet) &WILL HOLSHOUSER (accordion)
Performing at Barbès in Brooklyn on
Saturday, October 21st (8-9:30 pm)
Two for the Road
(V-Flow/Challenge)on Bandcamp& streaming platforms“An accordion and a
trumpet. They broughta sold-out house . . . toecstasy.” — JazzNu (NL)
20 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDIn My Prime
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers(Timeless-Tidal Waves)by Fred Bouchard

Dutch producer Wim Wigt released this solid studiotwofer of Art Blakey’s Messengers on his Timeless label
in 1977. His countryman Sebastiaan Putseys has now
reissued this date, plus other bop on even juicier vinyl.
Bu (who was born this month 104 years ago and diedthis month 33 years ago) had a then-current lineup ofalto saxophonist Bobby Watson (some tunes and many
charts), tenor saxophonist David Schnitter, trumpeter
Valery Ponomarev, trombonist Curtis Fuller and bassist
Dennis Irwin. Pianist/educator James Williams (Donald
Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie) makes his Messengers debut here,
and conguero Ray Mantilla adds Latin spice. Williams
left Berklee College to replace long-time Messenger
Walter Davis, Jr., settling in for a stellar tenure: four
years, ten albums, bright moments.
Davis’ two strong tributes to women in his life
bookend this 80-minute octet session. “Jody” opens
startlingly: churchy piano intones “Abide with Me” (an1847 hymn famously adopted by Thelonious Monk);
Blakey snaps us to attention with a brisk solo; the band
finally kicks off the rousing tune, inserting complex

statements with piano breaks between all four hornsolos. Irwin’s tight bass has great upper register clarity
and Mantilla’s lively congas boost the poppin’ rhythm.
“Ronnie’s a Fine Lady” closes the set thrillingly: Bu’s
rattled-off choruses set up ensemble jousts with alert
piano; each horn grabs a pair between recapped horns.
Wowser!
Williams’ optimistic “1978” (quoting “I Hear
Music”) bristles with orchestral dynamics. The composer
showcases himself with breaks and tags, a scampering
sped-up solo, and a montuno break that ushers in an
extended coda of a four-horn free-for-all! Watson’sloping, complex “Hawkman” gives stop-time breaks tothe boss, shifts uptempo for horn solos. A tasty Watson/
Irwin duo builds with traps and congas. Williams,
exceptionally well-mic’d throughout, solos with sparkles
aplenty. A lengthy percussion duo takes off.
“To See Her Face” is a Latinized “Moanin’” inwhich musclebound voicings dwarf horn solos. Stretch
track “Kamal” opens with atmospheric rhythm thenmoves into a dotted modal line, jangling percussion,
decent solos and overlong out-vamp. Slide Hampton’s“People Who Laugh” bounces along with staccato intro
and coda, and alert solos. “Time Will Tell”, a minorkey philosophical melody with a bright B section,
features strutting trombone, two-fisted piano and sage,
unfettered bass.
In My Prime stands as a Messengers landmark,as seasoned elders welcome exuberant youngsters(Watson, Irwin and Williams were in their early 20s) andshowcasing a well-crafted midsize ensemble book.
For more info visit tidalwavesmusic.com. Art Blakey tributes
are at Dizzy’s Club with Mission Eternal Oct. 6-8, and atBlue Note with Robert Glasper Oct. 25-26. See Calendar.

Perpetual Motion
Satoko Fujii/Otomo Yoshihide (Ayler)
Torrent (Piano Solo)
Satoko Fujii (Libra)
by Marc Medwin

These two discs featuring pianist Satoko Fujii evokethat wonderful passage from Emerson’s essay on selfreliance, where he states that history serves best as
parable of his “being and becoming.” That bomb-blastin microcosm circumscribes every aspect of Fujii’smusicianship, which, as both these albums attest,
cannot be caged by dualities of improvisation versus
composition. Whether alone or in duo with the equallygifted Otomo Yoshihide, she demonstrates that thesedualities are fluid moments of being in the musicalcelebration of becoming.
Both musicians reinvent themselves in the proverbial
moment. On Perpetual Motion, the blinding rush of soundvibrates with excitement as electric guitar and piano
coagulate, thrum and roar headlong into a maelstrom
encompassing the entire pitch spectrum. Who, after that
hurly-burly, would ever expect the staggering beautyof the evolving counterpoint that emerges from it? As
the stream of notes moves by, memories arise of an evensmaller-scale event, the percussive exchange that opens
the disc. Yoshihide’s guitar alongside piano innards
rings out with clarity and finality, though their varied
and acoustically inflected sustains look forward toward
the next statement. When the thunderous elements
return with renewed vigor near track’s end, they are
revealed to consist of many similarly microcosmic
gestures. The second section picks up the pieces, melody
and timbre finally coexisting in fraught unity.
Torrent is Fujii’s ninth solo album, from a 2018

performance. “Wave Crest” gives us multiple takes on
the whirlpools, eddies and breakers of various tonal
centers colliding and fragmenting. Encapsulating oreschewing history, take your choice, Fujii digs deep
into those low C’s and spreads differently articulated
octaves like magic carpets above them, a rare moment of
harmonic stability just as quick to dissolve. If shades of
Debussy and Messiaen, channeled through Ives, imbue“Light on the Sea Surface”, Fujii stretches modality far
beyond itself into a future of her own devising, eachfiercely present gesture embracing a kaleidoscopic but
never distant musical past.
Fujii (who turns 65 this month) remains remarkably
inventive as a pianist, and her invention is both immediate
and inclusive. Her vocabulary is vast, her ideas precise.
Her narratives have never been more unified and hercompositional approach to each spontaneous moment
never more engaging.
For more info visit ayler.com and librarecords.com

OCT 1

SONGBOOK SUNDAYS: HAROLD ARLEN
OCT 2

LUCY YEGHIAZARYAN: CELEBRATING SHIRLEY HORN
OCT 3–5

STEVEN BERNSTEIN BIRTHDAY FESTIVAL
OCT 6–8

MISSION ETERNALOCT 9

DOMINICK FARINACCIOCT 10

NEAL CAINE TRIO AND FRIENDSOCT 11–13

JONES & CANNON: IN THE SPIRIT OF ROY
Zodiac Suite
Aaron Diehl & The Knights (Mack Avenue)by George Kanzler

This recording is a profound reclamation project,unearthing what may well be the first Third Stream
musical composition. Third Stream music bloomed in
the mid to late-’50s, and is best represented by Birth of
the Third Stream (Sony Legacy). Its goal was the meldingof jazz with European classical music, but it sputteredas rock and fusion and electric jazz came to the fore in
the next decades. Zodiac Suite, composed by Mary Lou
Williams, predated it, premiering in 1945.
Unfortunately, the chamber ensemble andsymphony premieres of Zodiac Suite, at Town Halland Carnegie Hall, respectively, were fiascos, underrehearsed and poorly executed. Williams ended uprecording it with her piano trio, and never attempted topresent another orchestral version. Enter pianist Aaron
Diehl, who has revived the suite in its full, technicolor
orchestral version. For this recording with his trio he’s
enlisted the 18-member chamber orchestra, The Knights,
as well as guest artists Evan Christopher (clarinet),
Nicole Glover (tenor), Brandon Lee (trumpet) andsoprano singer Mikaela Bennett.
Zodiac Suite is a kaleidoscopic, highly impressionistic
piece, the twelve tracks presented as one longer work,with no pauses between the movements. Orchestralsounds, from strings and woodwinds, dominate, withinterludes from Diehl’s piano and the guest soloists.
Williams brings Boogie-woogie piano strains andswinging clarinet into “Gemini”, and “Cancer” is a
showcase for Glover’s lush tenor saxophone playing,but orchestral sounds and voicings dominate the overall
texture, which ranges from 19th-century symphonicmusic to the lushly romantic music that dominated
Hollywood films of the ’40s. Williams strove toincorporate every gesture and texture of orchestral music
into her suite while simultaneously celebrating the jazzand Black folk traditions she was also referencing.
The results are enthralling, but like the Third Streamthat followed, the music, though well worth hearing,seems destined to occupy only a small, but important,niche in jazz history.
For more info visit mackavenue.com. Diehl is at Village
Vanguard with Tyshawn Sorey Oct. 31-Nov. 5. See Calendar.

OCT 14–16

ROY HARGROVE BIG BAND: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROY!
OCT 17

CELEBRATING EDDIE HARRISOCT 18KENYA’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
OCT 19–20

DENISE THIMES EXPERIENCE
OCT 21–22

STEVE WILSON AND LEWIS NASH
OCT 23JUILLIARD JAZZ ENSEMBLES
OCT 24JULIUS RODRIGUEZ
OCT 25

ASHLEY PEZZOTTIOCT 26–29

WYCLIFFE GORDON & FRIENDS
OCT 30LOU DONALDSON’S 97TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONJAZZ.ORG/DIZZYS
7:30PM & 9:30PM
SUNDAYS 5PM & 7:30PM

212.258.9595
BROADWAY AT 60TH ST.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 21

IN PRINT

Singularity Codex: Matthew Shipp on RogueArt
Clifford Allen (RogueArt)
by John Sharpe

How do you write about the music of someone asprolific as pianist Matthew Shipp, who appears on over
300 recordings? One solution is to narrow the focus down
to some readily defined aspect of their artistry. That’s
the route chosen by Clifford Allen on Singularity Codex.
His chosen lens is the 25 albums Shipp has recorded for
the Paris-based RogueArt imprint (as well as one bookissued by the label that Shipp co-authored with poet
Steve Dalachinsky). The pianist is a willing and active
partner in the venture and the text is peppered withextracts from discussions with the author.
This neat 207-page volume in RogueArt livery
breaks down into three sections. The first introduces
Shipp, his music and the context within which it
developed. It touches on his time in Boston as a New
England Conservatory student as well as his significant
relationships founded in the fertile ground of New York

City’s Lower East Side, including his sojourn with tenor
saxophonist David S. Ware. Especially informative are
the interviews with William Parker, Rob Brown, Whit
Dickey and Joe Morris, all of whom feature on multiple
discs with the pianist from his early days on the scene.
In the second section, Allen interrogates Shipp’s use oflanguage and the exchange between his spiritual andmystical beliefs and his music.
However, the final section is where the meatlies. Here Allen looks in detail at not only each of the
25 releases, but also, through further illuminatinginterviews, the interface with label boss Michel Dorbon
and engineer Jim Clouse, in whose Park West Studioten of the sessions were recorded. Allen supplements
Shipp’s insights with those of other participants, suchas saxophonists Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall and John
Butcher, bassist Michael Bisio and brass players Nate
Wooley, Steve Swell and Kirk Knuffke. In describing
each date, Allen’s accounts are particularly successfulwhen teasing out wider points rather than taking deep
dives.
If the success of such an overview is whether thewriting makes you want to hear the music, then Allenscores handsomely. Having read the book, it made me
dig in again to those discs I’m already fortunate enoughto own, and perhaps even more pertinently, want toinvestigate further those I don’t.
For more info visit roguart.com. Shipp is at Greenwich
House Music School Oct. 14, as part of the Progressive
Chamber Music Festival See Calendar.

Visa for Aliens
Taulant Mehmeti Trio with Peter Bernstein (s/r)
Dust Settles
Pete Zimmer (Tippin’)
by Scott Yanow

A major jazz guitarist since at least 1990 when hestarted working with Lou Donaldson, Peter Bernstein
has led over two dozen albums since 1994. However, he
has also appeared as a sideman on scores of recordings
with a who’s who of jazz, including Sonny Rollins,
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Diana Krall and Lee
Konitz. While his style is based in the swinging andbluesy modern mainstream of jazz, Bernstein is alsoquite versatile and not shy to stretch himself.
Guitarist Taulant Mehmeti is originally from Kosovo,
though now based in New York. His early mentor was
guitarist Armend Xhaferi, and Mehmeti displays in his
playing both his knowledge of jazz and Balkan heritage.
Visa for Aliens teams him with Bernstein, Marius vanden Brink (organ) and Connor Parks (drums). The two
guitarists are quite complementary and their interplay
and tradeoffs are a consistent joy on the Charlie Parker
blues “Visa”, Vic Juris’ riff tune “Mama Luke” (in 5/4time), Xhaferi’s “Aktash Tea” and van den Brink’s
swinging “Nightwork” (which has a good samplingof van den Brink’s blazing organ facility). Mehmeti,
who contributes effective vocals on “My Ideal” and“Summertime”, is the only guitarist on his atmosphericDavid Mann • Steve Wilson • Matt Hong • Andy Snitzer • Troy Roberts • Charles Pillow • Sam Dillon
Frank Basile • Nick Marchione • Tony Kadleck • Jim Hynes • Scott Wendholt • Maneco Ruiz
Zaq Davis • Mike Rodriguez • Judy Yin-Chi Lee • Michael Davis • Marshall Gilkes • Ryan Keberle
Bill Reichenbach • Andy Ezrin • David Finck • Cole Davis • Jared Schonig
Produced by Michael Davis and Cole DavisLIVE
Hip-Bone Big Band
Sunday, October 15th
5:30 to 7pm
Birdland NYC

MICHAEL DAVISHIP-BONE BIG BANDOPEN CITY
available at hip-bonemusic.com and hip-bonemusic.bandcamp.com
22 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

“For Aliens” and Wayne Shorter’s “United”, showingthat he is on Bernstein’s level and deserves much more
recognition.
Drummer Pete Zimmer has been a busy part of the
New York jazz scene since 2001, working with suchnotables as Jeremy Pelt, George Garzone, Joel Frahm
and Champian Fulton. He started Tippin’ Records in
2004, and Dust Settles is his sixth album on the label. His
quintet again includes Bernstein, Stacy Dillard (tenor
and soprano), Miki Yamanaka (piano) and Yasushi
Nakamura (bass). This hard bop–oriented set starts with
“Smooch the Pooch”, a calypso a bit like Blue Mitchell’s“Fungii Mama”. The mood is nicely varied across thealbum. “Dust Settles” is an introspective medium-tempo
waltz; “Bush Walked In” is a romping contrafact of “In
Walked Bud” (dedicated to a bush in Chicago, not toGeorge W.). Dillard, on tenor, is showcased on a very
slow and restrained version of “Speak Low”, while“Judgment” is taken at a racehorse tempo and gives thequintet an opportunity to burn. Bernstein is well featured
on a slow and quietly soulful version of Duke Pearson’s“Idle Moments” and takes rewarding solos across thealbum, including a couple of original blues and Woody
Shaw’s “Sweet Love of Mine”. While Zimmer takessome drum breaks along the way, he gives each of his
sidemen plenty of chances to shine throughout this very
enjoyable release.
For more info visit taulantmusic.com and tippinrecords.com.
Bernstein is at Smoke with Larry Goldings Oct. 12-15. See
Calendar.

She Sees
Erik Friedlander (Skipstone)
by Ken Waxman

Medical science is partially responsible for this new

program from Erik Friedlander’s Sentinel band. Deepbrain stimulation surgery last year meant that the New
York-based cellist is now able to control the Parkinson’s
disease-induced tremors he has had to cope withsince 2016. A musical as well as a medical addition is
responsible for She Sees’ forcefulness. Stomu Takeishi(electric bass), who also plays with Myra Melford, has
joined Sentinel, adding energy to what was alreadya power trio completed by Ava Mendoza (guitar) andDiego Espinosa (percussion).
It’s not that the quartet has become a metal band.
Friedlander has never been a conventional cello player.
This new flexibility and new partner allow him to stretch
performances into more pliable forms. Able to advanceromantic coloration, hoedown-like breaks and rhythmic
pacing with the same facility, he can now introduce orchallenge Mendoza, whose speedy chording and slurredfingering frequently approach rock music’s volume
and intensity without any excesses. Double bass stops
and drum smacks along with gravelly guitar licks also
project heaviness on “Ache, Air”. But when the cellist
completes a warm arco interlude, grace is mixed withgrunge. “Heatwave” and “Summit” play up the quartet’s
looser side, with the latter based around finger-picking
guitar tones, while “Heatwave” is quietly shaded.
With bass and drums cementing the groove, balanceis established between Mendoza’s pedal-driven echoes
and Friedlander’s straight-ahead thematic elaboration.
These diversions into formalized and folksy on thecellist’s ten compositions doesn’t mean that the band
can’t (jazz) rock out on other tracks. On “Soak! Soak”,

Friedlander’s swift arco stops cut across the guitarist’s
note flanges, which she projects with plenty of reverb.
Overall, it appears that an expanded musical paletteand a medical breakthrough together contributed to thecreation of a stronger than usual session. One hopes arelapse never occurs in either case.
For more info visit erikfriedlander.com. Friedlander is at The
Stone Oct. 25-29. See Calendar.

CHRIS
BOTTI
HOLIDAY RESIDENCY

Other DoorsSoft Machine (MoonJune)
by Jim Motavalli

Soft Machine’s double album Third (released on CBS in1970) established the jazz-rock sound they’ve pursued
in the band’s various incarnations (e.g. Soft Machine
Legacy) ever since. The group, part of the Canterbury
scene in the U.K., attained a modest following in the
U.S. during the same period that electric Miles Davisand the Mahavishnu Orchestra were developing theirown take on jazz-rock fusion. The band’s new release,
Other Doors, may have been recorded more than 50
years later, but shows that the Softs’ musical approachremains intact.
Here, John Etheridge (who joined in 1975) is on
guitars, joined by drummer John Marshall, who goes
all the way back to 1972 (this marks his last recording,though, as he retired before passing away last monthand has since been replaced by Asaf Sirkis). The lineup
is completed by Fred Thelonious Baker (joined in 2020)
on fretless bass and Theo Travis (2015) on saxes, flutes,
Fender Rhodes and electronics. Bassist Roy Babbington,
who left in 2021, features on two tracks.
Many of the tunes here are brief, such as flute-led“Careless Eyes” (Travis/Etheridge), which leads right
into Karl Jenkins’ attractive “Penny Hitch” (originallyfrom Seven, 1973). Babbington is heard, but Baker’s
fretless bass tackles the main melody. Etheridge has atasteful solo, with echoes of Carlos Santana. The title
track (composed by the guitarist) starts out rockier, thenbecomes meditative: such changes in tempo and moodare a Soft Machine signature. Etheridge is again to thefore, though Travis’ sax has a solo spot before the theme
returns prior to the abrupt ending. “Crocked Usage”(Travis) is pretty, though a bit meandering. Kevin
Ayers/Mike Ratledge’s “Joy of a Toy” goes back to1968 and later became the title song of an Ayers album.
Soft Machine was more of a rock band in their earlier
days, but this short version adds swing, highlighting
the distinctive melody. “The Stars Apart”, almost
somnolent, is an Etheridge and Baker feature. Travis’“Fell to Earth” goes through several abstract changes,
with swirling flute high in the mix; his “The Visitor
at the Window” has an attractive though short-lived
melody, while another Travis original, the album closer“Back in Season”, is noticeably longer and features avery ‘70s sinuous Soft Machine melody carried by thecomposer’s fluttering flute.
Third featured side-long compositions by each of
the bandmembers. CBS was indulgent about what wasthen called a “double-pocket set.” Half a century later,
this new album is far more economical, though it could
actually use at least one long(er) number to let everyone(musicians and listeners) stretch out.

Celebrating Blue Note Records
Album Release: VOL. 1

DEC 11
thru
thru
JAN 7

For more info visit moonjune.com. Soft Machine’s album
release concerts are at Iridium Oct. 6-7. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 23

Refract
BlankFor.ms/Jason Moran/Marcus Gilmore(Red Hook)by George Grella

Jazz has always been a modernist genre. From its

beginnings the music has always taken elements ofother sources and made them new. And since the first
generation of players, the best jazz has simultaneously
renewed previous compositions and music innovations
while developing new ideas for other musicians to buildon.
A dedication to modernism has made pianist Jason
Moran one of the most important jazz musicians of the
21st century, and it’s right there in the title of his 2002 solo
album, Modernistic. This new album is a collaboration
with electronic musician BlankFor.ms (Tyler Gilmore)and drummer Marcus Gilmore. BlankFor.ms’ audio
processing and soundscapes may make this seem
like a departure for Moran, but in essence this is justthe pianist doing his thing with technology and that’s
different for him.
What BlankFor.ms brings to the table is an ambientquality—a shimmering that is simultaneously gentle
and abraded. “Onset I” gathers itself together fromnothing: Moran plays hyperactive lines, which have thetension of music busy defining its own form. A direction
appears with “Onset II”, not least through Moran’s
trademark minor key harmonies and cadences.
Throughout the album, the electronic activity is
as sympathetic to the pianist’s playing as any acoustic
effort could be. Drummer Gilmore has a much smallerrole, playing tight march-funk against a witty loop on“Tape Loop A” and offering a sinuous groove on “Eighth
Pose”. But this is an album with a strong ambientsensibility—mallets on toms and cymbals provide color
on “Tape Loop B I”. The pianist is the lead voice, andeven at his most active the expression comes throughin timbres and waves of sound. This is more like a
Ryuichi Sakamoto album than anything else in Moran’scatalogue. It’s modern, and excellent, but is it “jazz”? It
will be when jazz catches up to it.

and the full-tilt burner that follows proves this trio isa formidable rhythm section. The cautionary title cut
features Piket providing an earnest lead vocal, while
the pianist’s “Remorse and Acceptance” closes the disc,a tune that, owing to its open structure, lends itself tofree improvisation.
Whether improvising freely or working withinstandard jazz structures, Roberta Piket and Billy Mintz
show that there is no genre that they cannot conquer.
For more info visit espdisk.com and sunnysiderecords.com.
Piket and Mintz are at Bar Bayeux Oct. 21; Piket is at Smallswith Virginia Mayhew Oct. 13-14; Mintz is at Main DragMusic with Adam Lane Oct. 4 and with Josh Sinton Oct. 25.
See Calendar.

For more info visit redhookrecords.com. The album release
concert is at Public Records Oct. 6. See Calendar.

Seven pieces/about an hour/saxophone, piano, drums
Mark Reboul/Roberta Piket/Billy Mintz (ESP-Disk’)You’ve Been Warned
Roberta Piket/Harvie S/Billy Mintz (Sunnyside)
by Terrell K. Holmes

Roberta Piket and Billy Mintz, a pianist and drummer

who are integral to the New York jazz scene, play on apair of albums, recorded nearly two decades apart, that
display their impressive talent and versatility.
In 2004, in a trio with saxophonist Mark Reboul,
they recorded Seven pieces/about an hour/saxophone, piano,
drums. The song titles reflect the lengths of the songs
and underscore the improvisational nature of the album.
“7 ¾” begins with Reboul blowing into his mouthpiece,
and from there he, Piket and Mintz develop a spare andvaried sonic palette that grows as gradually as sunrise.
Piket supports the saxophonist’s brooding tones withwell-spaced single notes that gradually coalesce into
insistent arpeggios, while Mintz’ shimmering cymbals
add depth and color. The drummer pushes the action on“10” via persistent bass drum pulses and is eventually
given the floor for a solo that is equally inquisitive andintelligent. The key element of “13” is silence; the quiet
spaces here speak volumes and show why listening is
as important in jazz as playing. The solo piece “3” is anarresting “duet” where Reboul plays a series of pensive,
searching phrases, then answers them with the samekind of unpitched blowing that opened the album. “9”,a duet between Piket and Mintz (on mallets) is a lovely
ballad. The overall talent and daring of this outstanding
trio make this album both a challenge and pleasure tolisten to.
Fast forward eighteen years to a different but
equally engaging trio, featuring Piket and Mintz
with the nonpareil bassist Harvie S, on You’ve Been
Warned, an album of straight-ahead tunes penned byeach member. The wiry “Pyramid” sets the pace, withthe composer, Harvie S, soloing deftly, the pianist
showing off her versatile chops and Mintz providing
vigorous responses. Harvie S’ bass sings on Piket’sballad “A History”. The drummer’s infectious “Billy’s
Bop” sounds like he pinched the sheet music fromsomething Charlie Parker left unattended on his desk.
A pair of tunes share samba simpatico, Piket’s tri-toned“A History” and Harvie S’ “Yukimi’s Song”, whose
intricate construction the trio negotiates effortlessly.
The bassist’s arco solo on Mintz’ “Beautiful You” is so
dolorous that it sounds like he is crying through his
instrument. There are two versions of the drummer’s“Flight”: the first, a ballad, is garlanded with brushes;

24 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDInternal Melodies
Miguel Zenón/Dan Tepfer (Main Door Music)
by George Kanzler

Alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Dan

Tepfer have been playing sporadically as a duo foralmost a decade, but this album represents their firstformal duet recording. It chronicles an ambitious
musical adventure embarked upon by the twomusicians, wherein they push each other to technicallydemanding and creative heights. For instance, the title
track began, according to composer Tepfer, “as a fourvoice chorale reminiscent of Bach.” It has a “melody
line going through four voices: soprano, alto, tenor
and bass,” he explains. “The alto and tenor parts areinternal melodies, as in Bach, and here Miguel is kindof excavating them one by one.”
Another Tepfer piece, “A Thing and Its Opposite”,
puts the traditional Bembé clave rhythm, usually 6/8,
into 5/8 time to heighten the feeling of tension andrelease. It features rolling piano chords; Zenón expands
the parameters of the melody in a logically spun solo.
Tepfer also contributes the album’s most affecting, lyricalpiece, “Solstice”, a memorial to his late mother, whichfeatures some of Zenón’s most heartfelt, songful playing.
The Puerto Rican alto saxophonist’s four
contributions include a trio of pieces he originallywrote as duets with Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez.
“Izquierda Latina Americana (The Latin-American Left)”is both literal and figurative, as Tepfer’s pounding left
hand dominates the theme and accompaniment behind
Zenón’s solo. “Centro de Gravidad (Center of Gravity)”
is a slow burn piece that alternates between 3/4 and 4/4
time. “La Libertad” finds both musicians in meditativemode in a flowing rubato framework.
Tepfer extensively worked with the late alto
saxophone legend Lee Konitz, and Zenón has cited
Konitz as a major influence, so it is not surprisingthat this collaboration is reminiscent of Konitz’ many
duo recordings. Suitably, they tackle “317 E 32nd St”
by Konitz musical guru Lennie Tristano, a serpentine
contrafact on “Out of Nowhere”.
The album begins and ends with collaborative soundexplorations: wavy sax lines and wiggly piano tinkles
mark the opener, “Soundsheets”; Tepfer conjures deep
drum sounds (from inside his piano?) behind Zenón’ssaxophone on the closer, “Freedrum”.
For more info visit dantepfer.com. Zenón and Tepfer’s album
release concert is at The Jazz Gallery Oct. 6-7. Zenón is also
at Village Vanguard with Fred Hersch Oct. 17-22 and at
Birdland Oct. 1. See Calendar.

nov 3 – 19

Gladys Knightwith Davell Crawford

Christian McBride, Jazz Advisor
Take 6
with Hillary-Marie

Dee Dee Bridgewater& Bill Charlap

Fri, Nov 3 @ 7:30PM
The legendary vocalist and brilliant
pianist unite for a cabaret of jazzstandards and American Songbook
classics, from Duke Ellington to Cole Porterto Stephen Sondheim and beyond.

Grupo Niche &Héctor Acosta “El Torito”
Tropicaliente

Sat, Nov 4 @ 8PM
Dance the night away with the hottropical sounds of Colombian salsa band
Grupo Niche and Dominican merengue andbachata singer Héctor Acosta “El Torito.”Ranky Tankywith very special guest
Ms. Lisa Fischer

Nov 9 @ 7:30PM
Get in a Gullah groove with
GRAMMY®-winning band Ranky Tanky
and very special guest Ms. Lisa Fischer(Twenty Feet from Stardom).

Omara Portuondo

Fri, Nov 10 @ 7:30PM
An original member of the Buena
Vista Social Club, the legendary
Omara Portuondo performs
a retrospective of her life in music.

Take 6 with Hillary-Marie

Sat, Nov 11 @ 7:30PM
A cappella vocals, beatbox and tap
dance unite in this compelling showcaseof the human instrument and all its
creative possibilities.

Abdullah Ibrahim Trio

Sun, Nov 12 @ 3PM
An intimate performance with the
Abdullah Ibrahim Trio, South Africa’s mostdistinguished pianist and NEA Jazz Master.

Gladys Knightwith special guest
Davell Crawford

Sun, Nov 12 @ 7PM
National treasure Gladys Knight sharessongs and stories from her incredible
50+ year career. Opening the show is singer
and pianist Davell Crawford, the “Piano
Prince of New Orleans.”

The Sound of (Black) Music

Nov 16 @ 7:30PM
The Sound of (Black) Music reimagines
Rodgers & Hammerstein through an
Afrofuturistic lens combining jazz,soul, funk and hip hop starring vocalists
Brianna Thomas and Chareene Wade andmusical director Vuyo Sotashe.

NJMEA All-Star Jazz Bandand All-Star Jazz Choirwith Stefon Harris

Fri, Nov 17 @ 7PM
Hear the next generation of jazz artists
perform with special guest Stefon Harris.

Omara
Portuondo

Dave
GrusinWhen You Wish Upon a StarA Jazz Tribute to
100 Years of DisneyFri, Nov 17 @ 7:30PM
The new National Jazz Museum in Harlem(Artistic directors: Jon Batiste and Christian
McBride) lends its house band to this jazzy
Disney extravaganza. Featuring pianist
Sean Mason, singers Kim Nalley and
Sasha Dobson, and more.

Dave Grusin
A Life in Music

Featuring Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour,Jane Monheit, Will Downing, Randy Brecker
and the New York Voices
Fri, Nov 17 @ 8PM
The jazz pianist and award-winning
film/TV composer (St. Elsewhere,
On Golden Pond, Tootsie) performs
with an all-star ensemble.

Dorthaan’s Place Jazz Brunch
The Steve Turre Generations Sextet
Sun, Nov 19 @ 11AM & 1PM
Join us for Dorthaan’s Place, the legendary
jazz brunch series at NICO Kitchen + Bar —with The Steve Turre Generations Sextet.

Sarah Vaughan International
Jazz Vocal Competition

Sun, Nov 19 @ 3PM
Hear the next generation of powerhouse jazz
vocalists with judges Jane Monheit,
Christian McBride, Madeleine Peyroux,
Al Pryor and Lizz Wright.

Buy tickets today at njpac.org or call 1.888.MY.NJPAC! • For full jazz lineup visit njpac.org/jazz
New Jersey Performing Arts Center • One Center Street • Newark, NJ

A Beautiful Blue Moment
Carsten Dahl/Tim Hagans/Johnny Åman/Jukkis Uotila(Storyville)
The Solo Songs of Keith Jarrett
Carsten Dahl (Storyville)by Ken Dryden

Carsten Dahl (who celebrates his 56th birthday thismonth) is a Danish pianist who merits wider recognition,
but he typically performs in Europe and records almost
exclusively for European labels, which means that many
American jazz fans are unfamiliar with his work. Tworecent releases reveal the depth of not only his playing,
but composing and arranging, too.
A Beautiful Blue Moment began to take shape when
Dahl was teaching with trumpeter Tim Hagans in 2019at the same jazz college and they discovered similarities
in their musical approach. Three evenings of live musicensued at the JazzHus Montmartre with Dahl, Hagans
and a rhythm section of Johnny Åman (bass) andJukkis Uotila (drums) who had never worked together,producing outstanding music. So they entered thestudio for a six-hour session of spontaneous creation.
The pianist’s “Old Voyage”, a hard-charging opener,
explodes with fiery trumpet playing and Dahl’s darting
chords. The introspective “A Beautiful Blue Moment”(credited to the quartet) features the free-spirited
rhythm section supporting Hagans’ ethereal trumpet.
The group improvisation “Ugly Transitions” gets into

free jazz territory with Dahl’s dissonant chords andHagans’ jagged, blurred notes, leading to a rather
understated conclusion. The free pieces, “The Starting
Tim” and “Behind Silence”, are a study in contrasts,
yet reveal the potential of this brand new quartet. The
theme to Dahl’s “Monk-Keys” has the jaunty flavor andjagged lines typical of Thelonious Monk, though here
the pianist’s decidedly post-bop solo takes the piece ina different direction. “New Voyage” might be described
as an alternate take of “Old Voyage”, though Dahl’slate entrance and the bass introduction give it a distinct
character of its own. “A Beautiful Moment” closes thealbum with a sorrowful air, Uotila’s aggressive brushes
and Dahl’s vocalizing (à la Keith Jarrett) leading to asurprisingly unresolved conclusion.
The Solo Songs of Keith Jarrett is not strictly an
exploration of Jarrett’s compositions; instead, it invokes
the spirit of the now-retired pianist, showcasing originals
by members of Dahl’s superb nonet, in addition to Jarrett
compositions and standards he recorded. The assembled
tracks feel like a suite with a natural flow, partly froma concert but evidently all performed on the same
day in Copenhagen’s the Black Diamond. Dahl varies
his instrumentation, utilizing various combinationsof Fredrik Lundin (saxophone), Palle Mikkelborg(trumpet), Nils Bo Davidsen (bass) and Stefan Pasborg(drums), augmented by a string quartet. There are manyhighlights, including the leader’s haunting “Opening”,
Mikkelborg’s lush treatment of Victor Young’s timeless“When I Fall in Love” and Dahl’s “Allentown Blues”,
which really captures the spirit of Jarrett’s music. The one
fusion track, “Evil Speak & Adonis” (penned by Dahl and
Mikkelborg) pays homage to Jarrett’s tenure with Miles
Davis, incorporating Fender Rhodes and electric bass
with some rapid-fire funk. Jarrett’s melancholy “OctoberSong” features the string quartet, plus Davidsen andDahl, in a masterful arrangement, segueing into thelatter’s free-spirited “October Thoughts”. The album
ends as softly as it begins, with a dreamy, all too brief
setting of “Over the Rainbow” that almost floats away.
For more info visit storyvillerecords.com

FragileIngrid Laubrock/Andy Milne (Intakt)
by George Kanzler

This is the third in saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock’s

series of duo recordings with pianists, following albums
with Aki Takase and Kris Davis. Laubrock contributed
all ten compositions and/or concepts for the project,undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two pieces, “Fragment” and “Splinter”, feature
prepared piano and Laubrock using false fingering andpushing her soprano sax into weird, flute-like ranges
and sounds. Otherwise, the music here seems more an
exploratory extension of the traditional piano-sax duo
tradition than anything “out”. Maybe that’s because
Laubrock has a robust, centered, appealing tone on tenorsax, which wouldn’t be out of place in a swinging big
band. She employs that sound to advantage in a largely
a capella solo on the title track, one favorably recalling
Sonny Rollins.
Laubrock and Milne employ space and silence as
collaborators in their duets here. “Equanimity”, thefirst track, has a gorgeous opening piano solo, each notereverberating and vibrating through the surrounding
silence. When Laubrock’s tenor enters at 1:40, the26 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

feeling persists as both musicians step carefully throughthe open space. They are more blunt and abrupt on theaptly titled “Unapologetically Yours”, sax splutteringand piano probing. Laubrock’s circular-breathing tenorsolo on the wry “Illusion of Character” seems to engage
in an internal dialogue with itself.
Milne returns to prepared piano on “Shard”,
variously conjuring up a koto or drum pads, all under
Laubrock’s ethereally high-pitched soprano. The
album’s longest track, at just under 10 minutes, is “Antsin My Brain”, a soprano/piano duet reminiscent of thepairing of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Milne
begins alone and is joined eventually by Laubrock’s
slyly commenting soprano, her solo in the instrument’s
altissimo register. The piece concludes with a long,tandem melodic line.
For more info visit intaktrec.ch. Laubrock is at Bar Bayeux asleader Oct. 5, First Street Green with Tom Rainey Oct. 8 andMain Drag Music with Kenneth Jimenez Oct. 18. See Calendar.

PulsesElsa Nilsson’s Band of Pulses (ears&eyes)by Matty Bannond

What is America today? Can people unite to institutetrue freedom in the republic’s future? These themes
animated the work of Dr. Maya Angelou. Her poem On
the Pulse of Morning has now inspired Swedish flutist
Elsa Nilsson to produce a suite of tone poems—with
Angelou’s voice featured throughout. The music andwords join together in an investigation of America’s
difficult past and precarious future.
Three musicians join Nilsson for this bold task.
Argentinian Santiago Leibson (piano) and Chilean
Rodrigo Recabarren (drums) work alongside American
Marty Kenney (bass). Nilsson contributes electronic
effects, as well. Across eight tracks, they explore
compositions and free improvisations that respondto the music within Angelou’s recitation. The leader’sflute sticks skin-close to the poet’s syllables on “TheRiver, Rock, Tree”. When Angelou’s voice leaves themix, a whirlwind improvisation roars into the open
space. Shaky vibrato gives the flute an agitated, evenangry character. “Root” splits four instruments into two
branches: scurrying flute and thumping bass follow thepoet’s first pronouncements; after Angelou returns andretreats, piano and drums take over. This moment ofdivision comes before “The River, Rock, Tree Reprise”,
which introduces a more hopeful tone. An upwardtugging bass solo suggests climbing, striving. The final
track, “Up and Out”, includes the heaviest use of effects.
Angelou enters after a four-minute improvisation. Whenthe poet speaks the word “pulse”, Nilsson’s flute begins
playing the melody from “What a Wonderful World”.
Is it cynicism or optimism? That will depend on eachlistener’s unique experience.
Pulses interrogates freedom in America via freeplaying and free interpretation of Angelou’s seminal
poem. Against a backdrop of political disorientation,
Nilsson’s quartet attempts this ambitious projectby combining hope with hard work. That spirit is aprerequisite for the change they seek. And this album
offers a fresh comment on the path ahead.
For more info visit earsandeyesrecords.com . Nilsson’s Bandof Pulses album release concert is at National Sawdust Oct.
6. See Calendar.

CRAIG HARRISTONGUES OF FIRE
(in a harlem state of mind)
Friday, October 20 – Saturday, October 21 | 7:30PM
Harlem Stage presents sonic shaman and renowned trombonist,
Craig Harris, in TONGUES OF FIRE (in a harlem state of mind).
It’s an exploration of the Harlem community from the mid-seventies
to the present day with an all-star lineup of Harlem-based artists
that span three generations. Join us for an evening of music,
poetry, and movement.

Get Tickets at harlemstage.org

Metamorphoses: Variations on Lutosławski
Michael Bates & Lutosławski Quartet (Anaklasis)
Book Nine
Michael Bates/Samuel Blaser Quintet (Blaser Music)
by Steven Loewy

These two albums are a good introduction to thework of Canadian-born bassist/arranger Michael
Bates. Creativity is a mission for him: his website,
outsidesources.org, is a font of advice about “discovering
the perfect hobby,” including learning to play jazz.
The work of Witold Lutosławski, one of the greatcomposers of the 20th century, can have a special appeal
to jazz musicians for its incorporation of improvisational
elements. For Metamorphoses: Variations on Lutosławski,
Bates has combined two separate groups: his own
Acrobat, an eclectic jazz quintet of Bates, Marty Ehrlich(clarinet), Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon), Fung Chern
Hwei (violin) and Michael Sarin (drums); and Poland’s
accomplished Lutosławski Quartet. In the leader’shands, the arrangements address all the musicians as
an integrated whole, and the results are a sophisticated,
accessible and thrilling blend. This recording is a natural
cousin to Uri Caine’s remarkable past interpretations of
Mahler, Bach and Beethoven, and Bates offers a tip of the
hat to Ornette Coleman’s double quartet’s Free Jazz album.
Metamorphoses points to one way in which the jazz andclassical traditions can evolve together. There are dense,
often surprising harmonies, solo improvisations from the

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claudediallo.com

visit dottimerecords.com to order

string players, swirls of sounds and gorgeous melodies
that derive from Lutosławski but are given wildly new
life. The eerie voice of Anna Lobedan is memorablyfeatured on “The Sea”. This is a special album, one that
additionally benefits from a handsome 30-page booklet
featuring useful commentary by Kevin Le Gendre.
Book Nine is a co-led session by Bates and trombonist
Samuel Blaser who, with Michael Blake (saxophones),
Russ Lossing (piano) and Jeff Davis (drums), performa set of eclectic jazz compositions by the co-leaders.
This is an edgier album than the same group’s release,
One from None, from over a decade ago. Lossing here
adds sometimes thoughtful, sometimes wild solos onelectric piano, while Blaser’s solos show off his range
and technical prowess. Bates’ “The Fallen One” has adark and brooding atmosphere, and he also contributes
some excellent bass work on his “Brithdir Memorial”,
followed by raunchy sax and trilling trombone. Book
Nine is another solid contribution to the growing
discographies of each Blaser and Bates.

intro leads into Wharton’s vocal. Though she says, “I’mnot a singer,” she’s too modest. Wharton does just fineas she exuberantly lists the eatery’s hot sauces, ketchup,mayonnaise, mustard, etc. The lively tune, with
Mayland featured again, is reminiscent of Ellington’s“C-Jam Blues”. “Uncertainty” is from Colombian pianist
Carolina Calvache, depicting moments of indecisionin her life, and it’s like program music—restless andunsettled. The pace picks up with Fedchock’s trombone
and some shimmering piano—maybe headed to that
deceiving resolution?
Grit & Grace is a mature work of composing,arranging and playing and Wharton’s work proves here
she deserves greater recognition.
For more info visit sunnysiderecords.com. Wharton’s
Bonegasm album release concert is at The Jazz Gallery Oct.
25. See Calendar.

For more info visit anaklasis.pl and samuelblaser.com. Bates
is at Owl Music Parlor Oct. 8. See Calendar.

Song For Mother E
Amina Claudine Myers (Leo)by Kurt GottschalkTo the degree that it’s known, and should be known
Grit & Grace
Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm (Sunnyside)by Jim Motavalli

New York’s Jennifer Wharton hits the low notes withher bass trombone, and the high notes with her releases
under the Bonegasm moniker. This one, Grit & Grace,is the third in an evolving series, getting her out of her
usual big band context and out front with a small group.
The band features Wharton’s trombonist husband, John
Fedchock (who also produced the album), along withfellow ’bone specialists Nate Mayland and Alan Ferber.
The group is rounded out by Michael Eckroth (piano),
Evan Gregor (bass), Don Peretz (drums) and, on half the
tracks, Samuel Torres (percussion).
The album’s repertoire is mostly by femalecomposers. The opening track, “Be Normal” (by Wharton)is a straightforward, engaging bop tune tracked by thetrombone ensemble and leading into Fedchock’s solo
(he also contributed the tricky arrangement) backed byriffing horns. Ferber’s touch is gentle, underscoring thereturn of the massed horn section. Australian composerand conductor Vanessa Perica provided the downbeatof “In Our Darkest Hour”, which considers theconsequences of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol
building. Wharton leads, and the ensemble voices aplea for political civility. This is what Charlie Haden’s
Liberation Orchestra would sound like if it featured alltrombones.
“Anita” (by Dick Oatts and Garry Dial) is anotherballad with a sad theme—the death of a close friend’s
daughter. Arranged by Wharton, it weaves thetrombones into an enveloping net of grief. Mayland’s
playing is a master class in restraint, which Ferberbrightens ever so slightly. Miho Hazama’s “Norhala”
is inspired by a 1920 Sci-Fi novel and has a kind of
Metropolis tick-tock energy to it—a look forward toa mechanized future from the silent film era. Natalie
Cressman contributed “Menina Sozinha” (“A girl on
her own”). It’s the interaction between Wharton’slow, low tones and the ensemble that makes this edgy
piece work so well. “Coop’s Condiments”, a tribute to
the New Orleans restaurant Coop’s Place, comes from
Australian trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis. Its pensive

28 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

much better than it is, Amina Claudine Myers’ recording
career started to gain traction with 1983’s The Circle ofTime (Black Saint). That album set a formula she would
by and large follow to this day: her organ and piano
paired with bass (usually a bass guitar) and drums ina mixture of instrumental and vocal pieces. It’s a good
recipe; Myers can hold an audience in rapt silence,even at a free, outdoor concert, as she did in Tompkins
Square during the 2018 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. In
the ensuing 40 years, her performances and recordings
have been consistently gripping.
The Circle of Time was her fourth album following
a slow but steady ramp-up. She paid tribute to othermusicians with her 1979 debut Poems for Piano: The Piano
Music of Marion Brown (released by Brown’s Sweet Earthand in sore need of reissue) and on 1980’s Salutes Bessie
Smith (Leo). Sandwiched between those two was theremarkable Song For Mother E, issued by Leo on LP in
1980 and only now making it to CD. It’s a bold album
from the outset, following in the tradition set by the
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians(Myers was an early member) for pursuing unusual
instrumentation. She’s heard, again and of course, on
piano, organ and vocals, as well as a sound-making toy
called the “giggle stick.” (As it happens, the giggle stick,which was similar to the popular moo box, was recalled
as a choking hazard the same month Myers made useof it in the studio.) Her session-mate here is Pheeroan
akLaff, matching her drama and groove with drums andpercussion.
As the only melodist on the record, Myers’
exceptional instrumental technique is well displayed
across the eight tracks. Notably, only one of the pieces
includes vocals, but at nearly 11 minutes it’s the longestof the set. That song, “Have Mercy Upon Us/Chant”,
remains a part of her set lists today. The rest mightsurprise listeners only familiar with the arc that started
with The Circle of Time. It’s an album full of glory, fromaffirming rhythms to haunting abstraction—none ofwhich is a surprise coming from Myers, but all of which
deserves to be heard, and heard again.
For more info visit leorecords.com. Myers is at BRIC House
Oct. 21, as part of BRIC JazzFest. See Calendar.

Criss Cross Jazz latest releases

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NEW FROM THE MICHAEL MUSILLAMI TRIO

block party
CELEBRATING
20 YEARS AS
A WORKING TRIOMICHAEL MUSILLAMI – guitar
JOE FONDA – bass
GEORGE SCHULLER – drums

SCAN FOR VIDEO

Available at:playscape-recordings.com,
amazon.com,
all digital download outlets

BLOCK PARTY (2023) PSR# 071322

PRIDE (2014)

PSR#121802
MUSILLAMI TRIOFROM SEEDS (2009)
PSR# 070111
MUSILLAMI TRIO, RALPH ALLESSI,MARTY EHRLICH, MATT MORANDACHAU (2005)
PSR# 020505
MUSILLAMI TRIO,PETER MADSEN,DAVE BALLOU,TOM CHRISTENSEN

OLD TEA (2010)
PSR# 091009
MUSILLAMI TRIOZEPHYR (2015)
PSR# 040115
MUSILLAMI TRIO

BEIJING (2003)

THE TREATMENT(2007)
PSR# 070111
MUSILLAMI TRIO,MARK FELDMAN

PSR# 112613
MUSILLAMI TRIO, KRIS DAVIS,JIMMY GREENE, MARK FELDMANMETTLE (2012)

PSR# 070111
MUSILLAMI TRIO,NED ROTHENBERG,
RUSS JOHNSON, JEFF LEDERER,
MATT MORAN

LIFE ANTHEM 2018
PSR# 091717
MUSILLAMI TRIO, KIRK KNUFFKE,JASON ROBINSONPithTomas Fujiwara’s 7 Poets Trio (Out of Your Head)by George Grella

Drummer Tomas Fujiwara’s 7 Poets Trio is completed
by cellist Tomeka Reid and vibraphonist Patricia
Brennan, one prismatic refraction away from theubiquitous keyboard–bass–drums instrumentation,
which maybe accounts for the sheer beauty of thisgroup’s music. The sound of the cello is generally more
vocalized and lighter than a bass, and the vibraphone
has the fascinating quality of having a luscious, resonant
timbre, relying heavily on the choice of notes and how
they’re strung together to help distinguish the musician.
The intriguingly askew instrumentation meets thebest material here, like “Swelter”, with a result that ismore punk jazz than one has ever heard, even from thelikes of Bill Laswell and John Zorn. It’s nothing to dowith volume or skronk, but a kind of stripped-down
determination, an expression that has an extroverted
force yet also a confrontational facelessness. The album
doesn’t sound anything like Green Day, per se, but it
feels like the look Billy Joe Armstrong gets when he’s
singing, passionate and stone-faced.
This is a deeply compelling quality, but it comes andgoes on the album as a whole. “Resolve” and “Other”

Santi Debriano's
Arkestra Bembefeaturing special guests George Garzone (tenor)
and Jack Walrath (trumpet)
at
Iridium Jazz Club (1650 Broadway at 51st St.)
October 21st (8:30 pm)
For tickets go to theiridium.com

Arkestra Bembe is:Andrea Brachfeld (ﬂute), Ray Scro (baritone), TK Blue (alto),
Tommy Morimoto (tenor), Mamiko Watanabe (piano),
Adrian Alvarado (guitar), Robby Ameen (drums) andSanti Debriano (bass/compositions)“At its core, Ashanti is the product of commitment, abanner of sympathy and understanding between
musicians born from a crossroads.”—Bass Magazine

Fo r m o re i n f o v i s i t
jojorecords.com

are skillful improvisations, one slow and spacious, theother jittery, but they seem part of another album: solid
but unsurprising, compared to the refreshing aloofnessof this group when they’re playing what would
normally be conventional material, like the Monk-ish“Josho”. One-third of Pith is a solid free-improv trio
record; two-thirds of it is something else entirely: jazztranslated through the playful, ironic faux-roboticism
of Kraftwerk, jazz played by Buster Keaton, jazz as a
retrospective soundtrack to Ernie Kovacs’ experiments.
One both wishes for more and wants to relish how
unlike anything else this is.
For more info visit outofyourheadrecords.com. Fujiwara’s 7
Poets Trio’s album release concert is at The Jazz Gallery Oct.
11. See Calendar.

John Zorn: 444
Chaos Magick: John Medeski/Brian Marsella/Matt Hollenberg/Kenny Grohowski (Tzadik)
by Fred Bouchard

When a fan requested “Milestones” at a DavisElectric Quintet show, Miles winced, croaked: “We
don’t play that shit no more.” John Zorn, Liszt-ian
magus of Gens Y, Z and Alpha, espouses that creed:
never repeat yourself—move way ahead and keep ’em
guessing. So, no surprise—surprise! Zorn’s amazingly
protean, peripatetic palette once again draws us into
an imaginative time-and-outer-space joyride, as here hecomposes for and conducts an electric, eclectic, mystic
quartet.
This listener found himself reeling with fearful
glee after a few tracks: No horn? No solos? Slick, silky
electrified textures! WTF? Yes, I’d erred in having
anticipated (hah) something resembling Zorn’s prolificpast works: thrash sax-pop (Naked City) or non-kosher
seething klezmer jazz (Masada) or deliciously edgy,
sophisticated Masada String Trio or avant-sax-metal(Painkiller) or one of 30 film scores or any biz-as-usualfrom freshly-minted septuagenarian Zorn’s 50-ish years
and 400+ recordings as player and/or composer. I’dalso missed Masada Guitars, 250 pieces featuring solo
guitarists and trios with arch-ally Bill Frisell (Gnostic,
The Terribles). Background check: Chaos Magick was
spawned in 2020 when Brian Marsella plugged his
e-piano into Simulacrum, the heavy-metal trio of John
Medeski (organ-ics), Matt Hollenberg (e-guitar) and
Kenny Grohowski (percussion).
In Kabbalistic numerology, “Angel 444” signifies aphysical move or psychic shift, and Zorn engages thistight squadron to navigate charts that skirt shoal-filledatolls of funk, bop, ‘new’ music, precision-cut phrases,
neo-minimalism and founts of breathless spiritualism.
Strap in and firmly grip your roll-bar as this infused
foursome frisk us through a fun-house flip-deck ofmirror-warped snapshots evoking Larry Young, Terry
Riley, Frank Zappa, The Who, JZ (Zorn himself), DJ
Spooky, Chick Corea, Reich-ian loops—what’d-I-miss?
There are bits of Motown, snappy guitar licks,
chill drum breaks, slick protean keyboard wizardry,hard-driving metal, shuddering bass, chattering snares.
Crystal silences meet Mothers of Detention; Fauré
meditation speeds up into a Mays/Metheny gallop.
But before halfway, we see in “Astral Projection”
shards of heaven-sent brilliance shining amid the smokeand dark mirrors, even though demonic montuno
and quick-cut relapses of “Civil Disobedience” lead

30 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

to outrageous explosions that bloom into lightning
strikes of…is it actually…improvisation? Back to the
few-chah!
Sustained melody on rising modulations again
buoys us through “With Blood I Summon Thee” and, yes,
Medeski does indulge in delightfully relaxing Hancockian modal legerdemain. “Salt and Mercury” applies
a poultice of bright 6/4 merry-go-round snippets thatrun off the rails into speedy, sneaky swing and we takea spin round Holst’s outer Planets; there’s more atonal
funk but we’re soon settling into a comfy orbit.
At the consummation, “Tay Al Ard”—a mystical
Islamic concept expressible as “traversing the earth
without moving”—the organ lifts us onto a magic
carpet of undulating eight-bar glissandi (Messiaen on
quaaludes, with cymbal-brush aspersions). In anotherrealm, the nine minutes of meditative waves mightserve as closing credits to the shattered patrons of ahorror film. But Zorn meticulously steers the craft of his
cosmic turmoil to induce a splash-down of our uneasily
brokered inner peace. To quote Mark Murphy quoting
Jack Kerouac: “Whew, what a ride!”
For more info visit tzadik.com. Zorn is at Village Vanguardwith New Masada Quartet through Oct. 1 and at Miller Theaterwith Simulacrum (John Medeski, Kenny Grohowski, Matt
Hollenberg) and New Masada Quartet Oct. 19. “Zorn Plays
Harry Smith” is at The Whitney Oct. 20-21. See Calendar.

Connection
Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog (Knockwurst)
by Ken Waxman

This latest offering from guitarist Marc Ribot’s CeramicDog unit is best described as psychedelic protest music.
The session, with associates in percussionist Ches Smithand bassist/electronics whiz Shahzad Ismaily, bolsters
the musical textures with contributions by various guests
as well as Ribot’s own vocals. Over thick, robust andsometimes claustrophobic rhythms he half-shouts, halfmumbles lyrics about hardships and inequality with askewed collection of sloganeering mixed metaphors andsimiles.
There’s no question of the guitarist’s sincerity in
angling for social change, but Connection’s real appeal is
instrumental. As always, Smith’s pacing is unbeatable,
while Ismaily hard pumps and buzzing stops interact
nicely with the guitarist’s pressurized note stabs andfolksy strums. He also adds Mellotron-like oscillations
alongside Ribot’s dobro whines on “Swan”, as sampled
sounds and voices buttress other tracks. Anthony
Coleman’s organ patterns slink and squirm on a coupleof tracks, while Greg Lewis’ Hammond B3 undercurrents
on “Order of Protection” provide a relaxed bluesy
contrast to the leader on slide guitar, which at points
threatens to build up to arena rock-like excess. James
Brandon Lewis’ tenor saxophone playing is also featured,
his tough reed ejaculations adding to the shaking bassthickened exposition of “Swan”. Lewis’ vibrations joinwith Smith’s percussion to ground Ribot’s stream-ofconsciousness vocalizing on “Heart Attack”.
Ceramic Dog has carved out a unique musical niche,
at times suggesting everything from ’60s Bob Dylan topunk and Black Metal.
For more info visit marcribot.bandcamp.com. Ribot’s Ceramic
Dog album release concert is at Public Records Oct. 24. See
Calendar.

UPTOWN NIGHTS LATIN MUSIC SERIESDAFNIS PRIETOFEATURING LUCIANA SOUZACANTAR

Friday, October 27 | Set 1: 7PM & Set 2: 9PM
Harlem Stage presents GRAMMY Award-winning drummer,
composer, and bandleader, Dafnis Prieto, in the New York debutof his heralded 2022 album, Cantar. Don’t miss this electrifying
evening of music featuring Prieto, who JazzTimes calls “one of
the most multidimensional artists working today.” Joining him
on stage are pianist Martin Bejerano, multi-instrumentalist
Peter Apfelbaum, bassist Ricky Rodríguez, and GRAMMYAward-winning Brazilian-born singer Luciana Souza!

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CaribúKenneth Jimenez/Michaël Attias/Francisco Mela
(577 Records)
by John Sharpe

A lthough it’s largely a free blowing date, there’s no

shortage of either melody or meter on Caribú, evidenceof the fruitful meeting of minds between Kenneth
Jimenez (bass), Michaël Attias (saxophone) andFrancisco Mela (drums). Such a simpatico encounter
doesn’t happen by chance. This debut recording arose
following regular improvising sessions in Attias’
Washington Heights apartment where the trio honed
its collective chops.
The opening “Eco” immediately makes clear how
well attuned they are, presenting a masterclass in
structure on-the-fly. Recurring elements, such as Attias’
two-saxophone siren blare and Mela’s combined voice
and drum exhortations, give a satisfying whiff of form
to the flow without ever becoming rote repetition. It
also demonstrates just what a wonderful asset Attias is
to any band. Even in the absence of material he defines
his own parameters, offering poised variations on
unstated themes, following an unassailable internal
logic. On alto he sometimes lightly etches the melodic
contours in ways recalling Ornette Coleman, whileon other occasions his tumbling phrases alternatewith expressive squawks and suggestive smears,
which indicate a more outside sensibility. But his
scope is wider still, as evidenced by a shakuhachi-like
calmness on the meditative “17 White Street”, which
together with Jimenez’ flinty picks and Mela’s cymbal
shimmer, conjures an impressionistic chamber-music
feel.
Mela and Jimenez prove ever ready to slip intoloosely demarcated but no less propulsive time. The
drummer in particular exudes rhythm from his pores.
It’s always there, whether in short electric bursts orsustained ticking grooves, sometimes allied to vocal
incantations, which evoke his native Cuba. Jimenez’
throbbing pulse and astute commentary underpin
the momentum throughout, but he really comes tothe fore on “Festejo”. With bow in hand, his creaking
abrasions and darkly-hued swipes lend a faintly
menacing air to the fragmented interplay. Then ona somber rendition of Paul Motian’s “From Time toTime” (its inclusion perhaps a nod to Attias’ stint withthe drummer back in the 2000s), he imbues his lines
with a gravitas worthy of Charlie Haden. The aching
tune, part threnody and part “Sophisticated Lady”
disillusion, neatly rounds off a set that manages to beboth experimental and approachable.

by Sully. As a “reaction to a troubling, traumatic
event,” deep layered vocalizations and a prominent
low, almost growling tuba provide a disturbing
basis for reflection. On a happier note, “Liberation”,
described as “ancient color tonalities to free one’s
mind and soul,” is light and airy with harp-like tones
that imply heavenly grace. “Better Days” is purehomage to the New Orleans second line ethos, “toassist one in moving forward in life.” Following an
arc from somberness to joy, a mix of horns, brass anddrums creates uplift and feel-good textures. The most
melodic composition comes with the closer, “Ode to
Life…a profound reflection by Don Pullen”. The pieceis intensely meditative, a basis for ruminating on themusical journey undertaken from track one.
The Tuba Trio Chronicles Volume II is for anyone
who enjoys improvisations involving seasoned
instrumentalists who share a vision with the project’s
leader. Yielding to the flow of the various soundscapes
takes the listener on a highly expressive journey that’s
as thrilling as it is fascinating.
For more info visit jodamusic.com. Daley’s album release
concert is at Children’s Magical Garden Oct. 1, presented
by Arts for Art. See Calendar.

For more info visit 577records.com. Kenneth Jimenez is at
Main Drag Music Oct. 18. See Calendar.

What the World Needs Now
JD Walter (Arkadia)
by George Grella
The Tuba Trio Chronicles Volume II
Joseph Daley (JoDa Music)
by Marilyn Lester

W hen Joseph Daley released Tuba Trio Chronicles in

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2015, the composer/arranger and low brass specialist
enlisted Scott Robinson and Warren Smith in an
homage to composer, saxophonist, flautist and pianist
Sam Rivers. This was a variation of the original Tuba
Trio, which featured Rivers on tenor, soprano, fluteand piano, Smith on drums and a dozen instruments
more, and Daley on tuba and euphonium. Tuba Trio
Chronicles 2 expands on the first album, with Daley(tuba, euphonium, piano drone, flute, percussion,voice), Scott Robinson (tenor, bass, contra saxes,
flute), Warren Smith (MPI vibraphone, marimba,
tympani, percussion), Bill Cole (Chinese sona, Indiannagaswaram, didgeridoo, Ghanaian flute), Craig
Harris (trombone, didgeridoo, flute, voice percussion),
Althea Sullycole (kora) and Sarah Sully (voice). All
nine compositions are by Daley, and dedicated to
Wanda Daley (Joseph’s late wife) and Evelyn Kirnon.
Because each member of the group is a multiinstrumentalist, the permutations of sound can seemendless. And mostly what this album is about is anarray of soundscapes. The concept is most clearly
expressed in the opener, “Affirmation”, meant to
explore “infinite tonal possibilities.” That it does;
it’s a free-form meditation with layered musicalstatements stretched over nearly 19 minutes. The
sounds constantly shift, bringing the listener on ajourney of inspired improvisation. The much shorter“Reality” echoes the theme, aimed to convey a “soundportrait on the complexities of one’s life experiences.”
Appropriately, “Reality” begins with a certain clarity,
which transmutes into intentional cacophony.
One of the most striking compositions is “MoreIo to Maledico”, read in Italian, translated and voiced

32 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

V ocalist JD Walter is an experienced musician,with this his twelfth release as a leader to add to thesubstantial sideman credits on his resume. So thetransitional, at times unfocussed quality, of this new
album may come as a surprise. As a whole, this is a finecollection of standards, some pop tunes (he opens with
Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady”) and well-constructed
originals. There are also contributions from someterrific guest musicians, including saxophonist Dave
Liebman and guitarist Gilad Hekselman. But there’s
inconsistency in the details.
Though the rough spots aren’t enough to break
the album, they can be distracting. There are times
in “Golden Lady” and other tracks that Walter andthe musicians seem slightly at odds over the feel ordirection of the music (there are five total pianists on
the album; Walter pairs best with Steve Rudolph, for
two tunes). The vocalist’s improvisations elicit thesame response: many times the first chorus feels likehe’s tossing out ideas, looking for something to workwith, and it’s only with the second chorus that his
improvising becomes more purposeful.
All that said, Walter is unquestionably a terrificsinger. His warm, bright tenor sounds almost
youthful, and he’s skilled at adjusting timbre andarticulation in the middle of phrases and words. Thiscan be deeply expressive (as heard on “Beautiful
Moons Ago” and “Tell Her I Said Hello”), but there’s
always the danger of overdoing it, and Walter crosses
that line on a few occasions. The arrangement of the
Lennon/McCartney “And I Love Her” is prosaic, but
the title track and the concluding original, “Now It’s
Time To Go”, are especially satisfying listens andalbum highlights.
For more info visit arkadiarecords.com. Walter’s album
release concert is at Chelsea Table + Stage Oct. 7. See
Calendar.

Open City
Michael Davis (Hip-Bone Music)
by Tom Greenland

Over a hundred years old, the traditional jazz big band,
comprising saxophones, brass and rhythm section, isalive and well under the baton of composer/arranger/
trombonist Michael Davis, as heard on Open City, his
fourteenth release as leader. With a four-decade careerbacking everyone from Sinatra to the Stones, Buddy Rich
to Beck, Davis is a well-rounded craftsman, excellingin lead section playing, soloing and composing/arranging. If he lacks the distinctive personal stampof a contemporaries like Darcy James Argue or Maria
Schneider, he compensates with the consistently highquality of his output. Open City swims midstream in the
big band tradition, creating wide dynamic contrasts—
as did Count Basie and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis
Orchestra—via dramatic alterations of lush sonic
thunderstorms and sparse, intimate improvised sections
in which a soloist is backed only by piano trio.
Recorded over two successive days, the album
features a star-studded ensemble (too many names tolist—Ryan Keberle, Scott Wendholt, Steve Wilson, etal.), with saxophonist/flutist David Mann, trumpeter
Nick Marchione, and Davis as section leads. The rhythm
section is Andy Ezrin (piano), Davis’ son Cole (whowrote three of the charts) or David Finck (bass) andJared Schonig (drums). Ezrin is a huge asset: answering
ensemble phrases, filling in holes, making connections,driving soloists. Schonig is another: not a showboater, henevertheless maintains a plateau of rhythmic/emotional
excitement that begs your attention.
Davis’ writing, not surprisingly, favors low
brass, and he knows just how to blend trumpets andtrombones to capitalize on their natural propensities.
The saxophone section, elsewhere exploited for its
intervallic agility, is here used as a rhythmic/melodic
counterpoint to the brass: answering, padding, arguing.
Davis’ themes can be catchy, but the tuttis and shout
choruses, especially on “Cole Henry”, “Underdog”,“Dark Horse” and “Lady”, tend to steal the show with
their intricate layers and punchy countermelodies.
Ironically, the strongest track, “Bone Man Walking”,
doesn’t even use the rhythm section, proving thatthe saxes and brass, with more than a little help from
Davis’ pen, can stand tall on their own.

modern forms. The tenor saxophonist comes credibly
to the project. Raised in a religious family, he played inchurches before dedicating himself to jazz. This quintet
includes Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Chris Hoffman (cello),
William Parker (bass) and Chad Taylor (drums).
On “Go Down Moses”, the melody is suspended
over Taylor’s loping beat, then speeds up as Knuffke’s
brassy smears meet Lewis’ textures. Completing thehorns’ face-off are Parker’s tough stops, which preserve
the rhythm. “Swing Low” includes tambourine slaps,
yet the thematic elaboration includes screeching cornetand Ayler-esque saxophone. “Wade in the Water”
begins with a reggae beat projected by cello slices anddrum pops, then horns introduce the head. The blend
reflects Ornette Coleman, not orthodox Christianity.
That tune and “Deep River” have “Focus on Sanity”
interpolations, while another has a reprise of “A Love
Supreme”. Lewis demonstrates how gospel enriches
other tunes when, in his reading of “Precious Lord”, hequotes “Go Down Moses”.
The leader’s commissioned composition These Are
Soulful Days is on the second disc. The multi-part suitefor tenor saxophone and Poland’s Lutosławski Quartet
demonstrates his facility in the European tradition.
Echoes of his roots sneak through, as a “Wade in the
Water” quote is prominent on “Movement III”. This isalso when the quartet’s members —violinists RoksanaKwaśnikowska and Marcin Markowicz, violist Artur
Rozmysłowicz and cellist Maciej Młodawski—double
down on rhythm, slapping their instruments’ woodas Młodawski plays a walking bass line. By then,Lewis has challenged the quartet’s harmonizing withaltissimo screams. That discord is absent at the suite’s
beginning as Lewis uses counterpoint to embed reed
textures within the quartet’s melodic movements. But
the program’s second half has Lewis intensifying his
emotional commitment with reed bites. As the tempo
speeds up, quartet interaction loosens, with string
rubs and bow slaps marking acceptance of discordant
motifs without losing the theme. By the epilogue, reed
multiphonics and string swipes draw back to confirm
this project’s sonority and strength. Reverting to hisroots, Lewis’ encore is a solo saxophone version of“Take Me to the Water”.
Separation of church and state is ideal. However
this set confirms that musically one can excel in both.

lot with drummer Tim Angulo, just improvising andlistening to each other. These sessions went on for
more than a year. What emerged was a commitment
to relative simplicity. Akinmusire’s latest release is theunadorned solo project Beauty is Enough.
Perhaps the most accomplished trumpet virtuosoof this era (he has topped the DownBeat Critics’ Pollfor 11 years running), Akinmusire has attained hisgoal. The album was recorded by just one engineer inParis, at the cavernous Église Saint-Eustache, with nooverdubs and no effects, just the natural reverberationof a huge, ancient Gothic Church. Many of the tracks(“To: Taymoor”, “Carvin”, “Olusiji SR”) rely ongorgeous long tones. But when your technique isvirtually unlimited, you can also consider fast lines tobe just another form of simple beauty, as Akinmusire
proves with his staccato attack on “Achilles” and the
bop-inspired “Wallace”.
The two dedication pieces form the emotional heartof the work. The first, “To Shabnam”, was written forhis partner, the poet Shabnam Piryaei. The second,“To Cora Campbell”, was written for his mother. One
imagines that the simple four-note motif Akinmusire
develops could represent the steadiness of her love andhow it allowed him to believe in himself while so young.
Next up for Akinmusire? Working with the king ofrestraint, guitarist Bill Frisell, in a guitar–horn–drums
trio with Herlin Riley, for the planned December
release of Owl Song. Oh, and becoming Artistic Directorof the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA. So
while his music might be turning toward simplicity,
Akinmusire’s work ethic has definitely not changed.
For more info visit ambroseakinmusire.com. Akinmusire is
at Roulette as part of the jaimie branch tribute Oct. 2. See
Calendar.

For more info visit taoforms.com. Lewis is at Public Records
with Alan Braufman Oct. 31. See Calendar.

For more info visit hip-bonemusic.com. Davis’ album release
concert is at Birdland Oct. 15. See Calendar.
Beauty is EnoughAmbrose Akinmusire (Origami Harvest)
by Keith Hoffman

For Mahalia, With Love
James Brandon Lewis/Red Lily Quintet (TAO Forms)
by Ken Waxman

Although it is part of the bedrock of jazz, spiritual
music is rarely emphasized. But here James Brandon
Lewis reconstitutes venerable gospel songs into

Discovered by Steve Coleman at 17, within the year
trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire had toured Europe
and recorded on Coleman’s Resistance is Futile in France.
And he has since not looked back. In 2007 he won boththe prestigious Thelonious Monk and Carmine Caruso
competitions. In 2008, he released the first of his genresmashing leader efforts, which have mostly been on
Blue Note, each more complex and ambitious than thelast, culminating in 2020’s On the Tender Spot of Every
Calloused Moment.
Then Akinmusire decided he wanted something
more. And the “more” that he wanted was less. Not
unlike Sonny Rollins under The Bridge, Akinmusire
practiced almost every day in an Oakland parking
THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 33

Heat & Between Reflections
Brew (Masaoka/Workman/Hemingway) (Clean Feed)by Stuart Broomer

T he New York City-based trio Brew came into being
in the late-’90s when the duo of Miya Masaoka (koto,electronics) and Reggie Workman (bass, percussion)
added Gerry Hemingway (drums, electronics). The
group played together with some regularity until
2009, when Hemingway assumed a teaching positionin Switzerland. This is a two-CD set with two front
covers. Heat presents early work, with two tracks from1998 and six from 1999; Between Reflections is from2019.
Listening to the trio’s earlier incarnation, it’s
hard to imagine that this is a 25-year-old recording.
Heat presents a radically democratic trio music that’s
consistently imaginative as well. There is something
about the koto that contributes to this, whether it’s
the timbral flexibility or its elision of pitches, but
it’s also the liberated brilliance of all three members,
here creating highly complex, almost orchestralmusic. “Whirling” combines eerily unidentifiablehigh pitches, distinct scratchy upper-register bowing(the former likely Masaoka, the latter possibly
Workman), lower-register pizzicato and arco bass, andHemingway’s own maze of high-pitched percussion,
including snare and cymbals. The music is largely

collectively-credited group improvisation, with the
exceptions of Masaoka’s “Serenade” and Workman’s“Recall”, which possess distinct melodic structures but
also become collective creations.
On the more recent Between Reflections, eachmusician has an expanded palette: Masaoka adds danbau (a Vietnamese one-string zither played through aguitar amplifier) and percussion; Workman, musicalsaw and didgeridoo; Hemingway, voice and vibraphone.
Individual pieces are acts of sonic transformation. The
title track, suggesting lament, has tremendous depth.
Workman and Hemingway add sparse elaboration to
Masaoka’s melodic gestures until the music is radicallyreshaped by alien elements, including Hemingway’s
muffled, echoing voice. On “Cutting by the Pound“,
Workman and Hemingway construct a funk groovethat ignites Masaoka’s microtonal wail on dan bau.
The brief, shimmering “Morning” couldn’t be more
touching. “One for Walt Dickerson” initially suggests
the late, great vibraphonist, before growing increasingly
evanescent, while the expansive “Sun Shadows” playswith ambient electronica.
Brew is a trio of masters who continue to refine
their collective art.
For more info visit cleanfeed-records.com. Miya Masaoka is
at e-flux Oct. 19. See Calendar.

Alula: Captivity
Caroline Davis (Ropeadope)by Matty Bannond

T here’s a big, wide world of sounds and melodic
patterns on Caroline Davis’ new record—but ironbars and chains inspired it: the saxophonist’s seventh
album as leader focuses on incarceration. A portionof the sales revenue goes to Critical Resistance,
which aims to end the prison industrial complex, andeach track features the voice of a person currently
incarcerated.
Davis plays synthesizer and adds vocals alongside
alto saxophone, Val Jeanty (turntables and samples),
Chris Tordini (bass), Tyshawn Sorey (percussion) andguests Qasim Naqvi and Ben Hoffmann (additional
synthesizers). It’s a dizzying mix at times, with
raging sections of improvisation. Saxophone and bass
frequently offer gentler moments between lacerating
passages of free playing.
“a way back to myself [for Keith Lamar]” starts
out lullaby-smooth. A male voice enters, describing
incarceration and its impact on faith. Chains begin
to rattle, perhaps shackles or a jailer’s keys. Effects
swoosh and spin. Davis’ saxophone returns, dispirited,and dead-tired. “[i won’t be back, ms. Susan Burton]”is shaped by screams and scrambled thoughts. A
trapped-inside panic emerges. There’s despair inthe saxophone’s howl and pain in the percussive
dizziness. “[the malignity of fate]” is the shortest track
and provides respite, perhaps reverie. Davis sings anangelic vocal note. A pulsing siren or alarm almostinterrupts midway through—but not quite. Listeners
are permitted to cling to the prettiness despite thestrident clamor.
The group’s free improvisation shines a bright
light on the shrouded truth about modern prison
systems. Alula: Captivity is often uncomfortable but
always musical. Compassion is conveyed throughtender warmth and furious heat. The album welcomes
34 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

listeners into its world—but a flawed world, one thatneeds to heal.
For more info visit ropeadope.com. Davis’ album release
concert is at Roulette Oct. 24. See Calendar.

Skip to My Lou
Neil Caine (s/r)
by Marco Cangiano

T his album is a delightful dedication by bassist

Neil Caine to his native St. Louis. Perhaps not asadventurous as his 2015 debut Backstabber’s Ball,
Caine’s long-awaited sophomore album is a swinging
affair featuring two very congenial partners: Andrew
Fisher (piano) and Henry Conerway III (drums).
Caine is a known yet emerging presence on the New
York jazz scene. An alumnus of Tulane University,
he has a distinguished resume that includes tenureswith the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, Diana Krall,
Betty Carter, Nicholas Payton and various membersof the Marsalis family. He is currently an Adjunct
Professor at the New York’s New School for Social
Research.
The music showcased here is pure pleasure.
This is a bass-led trio, where Mingus’ legacy is loudand clear, particularly in Caine’s large and roundsound. The way he often introduces and at times
even carries the tune, as in the somewhat angular title
track and Frank Foster’s anthem “Shiny Stockings”,
is very Mingus-like. The whole set is a pleasant mixof originals and fresh interpretations of well-known
standards, such as “Chim Chim Cheree” and “NatureBoy”, and less visited ones, such as the lovely “If I Had
a Brain” (from The Wizard of Oz). Caine shows a knackfor composing tuneful pieces like “At Your Leisure”,
and this reviewer’s favorite, “Laclede Town”. Thereis also a funkier side present in two brief interludes(“White Castles” and “St. Paul Sandwich”) and in“Skulduggery”, which features Fisher on Fender
Rhodes. The highlight, though, is a heartfelt versionof Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” in which Caineshows an uncanny ability as a bass player to make his
instrument cry.
Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another eight
years for Caine’s next installment.
For more info visit nealsugarcaine.com. Caine’s album
release concert is at Dizzy’s Club Oct. 10. See Calendar.

Daydream and Halting
Dan Clucas/Kyle Motl/Nathan Hubbard (FMR)
by Robert BushW est Coast-based free improvisers often receive lessrecognition than they deserve, but make no mistake
about it—these cats are for real. Cornetist Dan Clucas
is among the finest players to emerge from Vinny

Golia’s enormous tent of top-notch players. Here heteams up with a dangerous rhythm section of young
bass virtuoso Kyle Motl and veteran percussionist
Nathan Hubbard for a free-wheeling session thatharkens back to the radical advancements of the ’70s.
The disc opens with “bridges arrayed discant”,
featuring elliptically orbiting voices. Clucas’ cornet
is fat, tart and always game for a striking volley inthe upper register. As a contemporary rhythm section,
Motl and Hubbard lean toward a relentlessly violent
aesthetic. These guys don’t abide many lulls in theproceedings. Things do chill for a minute on thereflective “driftscape reversal”, a remarkably peacefulpiece with Clucas on the South American aerophone
known as the moxeno. He’s got an exquisite touchon this rarely heard instrument. Motl slips into somewild, David Izenzon-inspired arco work on “arboreal
incandescent”, sawing away while Clucas traverses
a centered path over the roiling drums of Hubbard,
whose playing is stunning throughout the album.
Finally, “zephyr summoning: west” finds thecornetist summoning post-Miles Davis Harmon-mutedelicate tones while the bassist bows in a subterraneancellar, Hubbard lightly intoning on gongs, cymbals
and assorted percussion. There is a long conversation
between Clucas and Motl that ultimately yields to acinematic essay from the percussionist, who notably
navigates the post-Rashied Ali/Sunny Murraylandscape exceedingly well.
For more info visit fmr-records.com. Kyle Motl is at
Greenwich House Music School Oct. 13, as part ofProgressive Chamber Music Festival. See Calendar.

“The Wandering Song”, and the trio dives into themas if they had long been a part of their repertoire. Hey
wraps the session with his “The Gardener (for JaneHey)”, a heartfelt solo piano ballad that conveys its
message without the need for a lyric.
Henry Hey may continue to have a diverse career,
but this inventive trio deserves further documentation.
For more info visit henryhey.com. Hey’s album release
concert is at Smalls Oct. 12. See Calendar.

Sonicwonderland
Hiromi (Telarc)
by Scott Yanow

H iromi burst upon the jazz scene just over 20 years

ago. A brilliant acoustic pianist whose wondrous
technique is on the level of an Art Tatum, she isarguably at her best when playing unaccompanied
solos, as heard on the superb albums Place To Be (2009)
and Spectrum (2019), as well as the gem Silver Lining
Suite (2021) which teams her with a string quartet.
However, Hiromi has also frequently recorded

and toured with fusion groups, playing both electricand acoustic keyboards. Her recently released album
Sonicwonderland features a new quartet with Adam
O’Farrill (trumpet), Hadrien Feraud (bassist) andGene Coye (drums), performing ten of the pianist’s
originals. One waits in vain for Hiromi to step out
and really show what she can do throughout thealbum: she is rarely in the spotlight for too long. The
songs are pleasing enough, particularly “Polaris” (a10-minute exploration that sounds a bit like a Chick
Corea production number), the playful “Go Go”
and the feel-good “Wanted”. The musicianship ofHiromi’s sidemen is top-notch and creative within
the genre, and there are some adventurous stretches,such as during O’Farrill’s trumpet solo on “Trial andError“. But bassist Feraud (who constantly uplifts themusic on this album) has nearly as much solo spaceas the keyboardist, an exception being the closing andquite hyper “Bonus Stage” (which is mostly played forlaughs anyways). Otherwise, one would never guessfrom this music, which includes a forgettable vocal by
Oli Rockberger on “Reminiscence”, that Hiromi is oneof jazz’ top pianists.
If one can forget that this is her album and leaveany expectations for explosive solos by the leader,
Sonicwonderland can certainly be enjoyed by fusionfans one and all, many of whom will particularly
delight in discovering the brilliance of Feraud, who
has also worked with John McLaughlin and Chick
Corea.
For more info visit telarc.com. Hiromi’s album release
concert is at Sony Hall Oct. 13-14. See Calendar.

ON SCREEN

trio: ri-metos
Henry Hey (s/r)
by Ken Dryden

H enry Hey may not be a familiar name to jazz fans,likely because his career has involved recording andtouring with pop stars such as Rod Stewart, David
Bowie, George Michael and Vanessa Williams, inaddition to work in film soundtracks and theater. But
Hey’s roots are in acoustic jazz: he was a member of
the University of North Texas Two O’Clock Band in
the early ‘90s and made his debut as a leader in an
acoustic trio with Watershed (2003). The unusual titleof the new album concerns the primitive stick charts
created by Polynesian sailors as ocean maps long
before modern technology.
With Joe Martin (bass) and Hey’s old friend
Jochen Rueckert (drums), trio: ri-metos is a cut
above many piano trio releases because of its highlevel of interactivity, and the creative originals
and arrangements. It is music that rewards focused
listening; there are no casual performances present.
The opener, the leader’s “Season of the Thicket”, finds
the trio working their way through a dense, repeatedvamp that finally breaks loose into furious post-bop,with a surprisingly unresolved ending. The bassist’s“Étoile” is many-faceted and glistening, fueledby Rueckert’s nimble brushwork. The drummer’s“Weekly Benefits” is a whirlwind of ideas, constantly
shifting direction. The sole standard is the ’40s ballad“If I Should Lose You”, an oft-recorded favorite ofjazz instrumentalists, though the trio here makes it
their own. Vince Mendoza shared two unrecorded
compositions with the pianist, “Live by Love” andRewind & Play
Alain Gomis (Grasshopper Film)by Kurt Gottschalk

The story of how an hour of lost, awkward French
television footage of Thelonious Monk (whose 106thbirthday would be this month) came at last to be
seen was well and often told as Rewind & Play madeselect-screening rounds in recent months. Director
Alain Gomis requested footage of the 1970 program
Jazz Portrait: Thelonious Monk while doing research
for an in-progress narrative film and, astonishingly,
was given a full, unedited reel that he released almost
untouched. It’s a fascinating piece of jazz history.
What perhaps hasn’t been stressed enough, andmaybe can’t be stressed enough, is how uncomfortableand just plain weird the footage is. Any chance towatch Monk play is a gift, of course, and here we’retreated to the master playing a concert grand in a
television studio at the end of a 1969 European tour.
That alone is worth the price of admission—which
for the time being is nothing. The full film can befound on YouTube via AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural
Exchange from Black Public Media and WORLD.
It is, in short, a sensationalist, even voyeuristic
portrait. Monk is shot in tight frames, his chin and the
top of his head clipped from view, his pores glistening
with sweat under the lights. Host and fellow jazzpianist Henri Renaud speaks in both French andEnglish and translates Monk’s answers for the viewing

audience. Monk sometimes seems lost, unsure if he’s
expected to understand everything being said, andthe questions seem deliberately provocative. “Yourmusic was a little bit too avant garde for the French
audience,” Renaud asks: “What do you say to that?”
When Monk complains about treatment on a previous
trip to France, Renaud tells his engineer to erase it,calling the comments “derogatory.” We’re privy tosuch asides with the benefit of English subtitles; Monk
could only sit and force a smile. When he tries to leave,
saying he wants to go to dinner, he’s cajoled into
staying and asked if he had studied classical piano.
It’s difficult to determine what to make of theexchanges Monk is forced to endure, but it’s not hard
to make suppositions. Maybe the structure of theinterview was made clear to him but he failed to keep
it in mind. Maybe the producers were keen to present
a genuine American eccentric, a savage genius, toportray their subject as an idiot savant. But what isclear is that no efforts were made while the cameras
were rolling to put the guest at ease. And as it happens,
Renaud was involved in booking the appearance at the1954 Paris Jazz Festival that, 15 years later, he terms“too avant garde.” Unlike Gerry Mulligan and Jonah
Jones, Monk wasn’t given a budget to bring his band to
the festival. Renaud seems deliberate, even vindictive,
in digging up old bones. Monk comments about thelowball payment and seems visibly confused why thiswas even being raised.
Eventually, the interview is abandoned andMonk is allowed to just play. It’s the music, not theconversation, that in the end made it to the original
30-minute broadcast. He ends his brief solo set with aspirited “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, getting, morethan 50 years later, the last laugh.
For more info visit blackpublicmedia.org. Monk birthday
tributes include Misterioso Quartet at Birdland Theater
Oct. 13-15 and Miles Okazaki at Bar LunÀtico Oct. 16.
See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 35

B OXED SE T

Vinyl Box
Bengt “Frippe” Nordström (NI VU NI CONNU)
by Stuart Broomer

O utside Scandinavian improvised music circles
and devoted advocates, saxophonist Bengt “Frippe”
Nordström is little known. He is perhaps mostfamiliar as the first person to record Albert Ayler,with Swedish musicians in Stockholm, for 1962’s
Something Different!!!!!! (Bird Notes). Nordström also
appears on a few commercial releases under his own
name or with Don Cherry or Sunny Murray. That’s asituation that’s changing with the release of Vinyl Box,a remarkably detailed and inviting compilation of
Nordström’s self-released solo saxophone recordings,
assembled and documented with great devotion by his
distinguished friends, saxophonist Mats Gustafsson
and writer Thomas Millroth.
Nordström (who passed away 23 years ago thismonth) was born July 13, 1936 (the same day as Ayler)
into an affluent Stockholm family. His mother diedwhen he was six, his father when he was eleven. So
he moved in with two aunts. He discovered jazz at 14,
began studying clarinet and was soon devoted to themusic in all available forms, from traditional to bop,later embracing free jazz with the arrival of Ornette
Coleman. As his interest developed, his inheritancemeant he could do things out of the reach of mostyoung musicians. He had professional recording
equipment and a record lathe in his apartment, andstarted recording in 1958, sometimes cutting only
single copies of records, often just ten, including
radio broadcasts of Miles Davis and, in 1962, theextraordinary novelty of two 45s that consisted of him
playing alto four different times over a segment of
Ornette Coleman’s recording of “When Will the Blues
Leave?” To give a sense of the completeness of Vinyl
Box, these are separately documented on a floppy disc
included in this set.
While one might note Nordström’s eccentricity
first (he would sometimes join bands on stage without
invitation or simply play from the audience), it’s hismusic here that counts, and it’s substantial. He might
have been the first saxophonist to be influenced by
Ayler, but he was also among the first saxophonists
to focus intensely on developing and documenting
extended solo improvisations. The heart of Vinyl
Box is four LPs of mostly solos, variously recorded
between 1964 and 1968 and including pieces on alto
(an English-made plastic Grafton, the same model
used by Coleman), tenor and soprano. Given therange of dates and instruments, there are certain
stylistic differences, but they’re alike in Nordström’sskill in developing extended works and generating
thematic materials. The characteristic form of theserecordings is a single side-long piece, though oftenwith pauses.
The first LP reproduces Nordström’s Natural
Music (“Total Improvisation!!!! Creative Spirit!!!!
Spontaneous Composing!!!!” declares the subtitle),
recorded in 1967 and 1968. Side One is devoted to
an intermittent duet with bassist Sven Hessle called“Bird Notes and Folk Tunes”, with Nordström
playing his Grafton alto. At the outset, Nordström’s

phrasing involves something of Ayler’s lyric form—
the keening wail, the sweetness, the broad vibrato—
but Nordström is generating melodic materials andinserting fragments rather than playing a melody,something that’s generally true of his work here.
He’s highly inventive, sometimes making continuousmusic from minimal materials, at other times
touching on folk melodies, with Hessle following
him closely and effectively. Nordström ends witha continuous imitation of laughter. “Spontaneous
Creation”, a tenor solo, has the quality of reverie, alyrical continuity apparent even in lengthy pauses,
sometimes sounding like remembered melodies
rather than improvisations. He seems to allow themusic to come to him, intervening silences having
their own weight, revealing a special recognition on
his part that reflection privileges player and listeneralike. There’s a stateliness here as well, at times a kindof throwback to certain popular forms of the early
20th century. One feels Sidney Bechet’s influence attimes as well as Coleman and Ayler.
Drastic Plastic, from 1964, is the earliest material
here. Side One presents three short works, “Corsica
1”, “2” and “3”, ranging from four to eleven minutes.
Each balances harsh fragments with longer, gentler
phrases, from complaint to blues, with a gathering
sense of raw emotion matched to an innate structuralsense. “Drastic Plastic”, the side-long title workbalancing similar materials with intense split tones,
helps date Nordström’s significant originality bothin his materials and the development of a coherent
solo language, emotional force welding form andintuition.
These characteristics are all apparent in Discs
Three and Four, the 1968 soprano saxophonerecordings of Någonting (translatable as “anything”
or “something”) and the 1965 and 1968 tenor
recordings of Reality. Nordström’s initial exposure
to earlier jazz forms becomes fully integrated, withmodels in Bechet and Coleman Hawkins as apparent
as Coleman and Ayler. Similarly, emotion andinvention are indivisible: in a sense, this music is both
nakedly human and formally perfect, with nothing
to detract from, or to distinguish, form and content.
Those silences are absolutely telling as invitations toreflection and regathering, opening up critical space
to the appreciative listener.
The set contains numerous supplements,
including Gustafsson’s detailed discography ofNordström’s Bird Notes label and a 40-page book withperiod documents and Thomas Millroth’s detailed,moving memoir and appreciation of Nordström’s life
and work. His significance is further documented ona 10” LP of solo homages by reed players of different
generations who match his focused emotional
intensity on several brief pieces, including four by
Isak Hedtjärn, two by Jörgen Adolfsson and threeeach by Dror Feiler and Anna Högberg. Sven-Åke
Johansson, a Nordström collaborator, plays drums
and sings an old pop song, “Flickorna I Småland”,
a Nordström signature, following the saxophonist’s
own recording.
Mats Gustafsson’s “RRRHHMMMMMMMMRRRRRRRHHHHMMMMM!” is a delicate piece
played on a Grafton alto saxophone. Often at thelevel of a whimper or a gasp, with pad clicks as
loud as articulated notes, it has a sense of reflection,
continuity and mystery.
Where once there was one, there are now many.
These contemporary recordings resonate profoundlyas parts of this inquiry into, and celebration of,
Nordström’s distinctive and enduring music.
For more info visit ni-vu-ni-connu.net

36 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

From Union Pool
Susan Alcorn/Patrick Holmes/Ryan Sawyer(Relative Pitch)
Electric Telepathy Vol. 2
Daniel Carter/Patrick Holmes/Matthew Putman/
Hilliard Greene/Federico Ughi (577 Records)
by John Pietaro

Clarinetist Patrick Holmes arrived within our
downtown community a quarter-century back, by
way of Texas. His NYC years have been well-spent: hedeveloped into a master improviser through studies
with the late Connie Crothers, and immediately,
it seemed, fell into the company of Sabir Mateen,
Nick Lyons, Jason Nazary, Michael Evans and manyothers. More recently, his work with James Brandon
Lewis’ Resilient Vessels and the neo–No Wavers Five
Dollar Priest have carried justifiable street cred. Now,
with these two albums, Holmes’ place in this avant
continuum is established.
The trio of Holmes, Susan Alcorn (pedal steel
guitar) and Ryan Sawyer (drums) enflamed the hip
Brooklyn venue Union Pool, their vexing soundscapespilling onto Williamsburg’s streets like an audio drip
painting. Alcorn creates restless thickets suggesting
electronics, particularly when in tandem with Holmes’chalumeau (low) register. Their pairing initially seems
impenetrable, but with selection two, “Naar”, theirinterlocking fully opens and Sawyer’s drum explosions
shred any somberness. Alcorn’s ax conjures Hendrix
and Fripp, as Holmes’ clarinet emits long growls andsnapping percussive accents. By the 13-minute mark,pedal-steel and clarinet are moving through swirling
feedback-like effects. Sawyer, a drummer of uniqueand prodigious talent, deserves close listening here.
Few can whisper across drumheads and cymbals withhis speed, drive and swing. While this isn’t a regulartrio, in a perfect world it would be.
The intimacy of the Alcorn trio can only occasionallybe translated to a larger ensemble, and this feat was
realized in the latest edition of the Telepathic Band.
With Electric Telepathy Vol. 2, multi-instrumentalist
Daniel Carter reunites clarinetist Holmes with Matthew
Putman (keyboards), Hilliard Greene (bass) andFederico Ughi (drums). This ensemble, often describedas 577 Records all-stars, have several prior releases;
this album was recorded in 2018 but was only recently
released. The quintet functions almost orchestrally.
Carter moves from saxophones to flute and trumpet inthis recording, and the blend of voices—with Holmes’
clarinet and Matthew Putman’s organ-like keyboard—
is often immense. From the first notes of “Celestial
Electrical”, one is reminded of Alice Coltrane’s soundjourneys. The rhythm section of Greene and Ughi
continually bends, twists and reshapes the layers before
them. “Monastic Stereo” harkens back to Miles Davis’
modal period, with Holmes almost swimming throughthe piece, doubled by Carter’s soprano saxophone.
The pair glide over Ughi’s bouncing, dancing rhythm
and Greene’s unceasing lines, which groan across the
speakers when he’s not tossing out lead lines in his upper
register. Throughout this set, the ensemble celebrates
the entire spectrum of what some dare call “fusion”.
These tracks propose a one-world music beyond any
solar system, a jazz that never was and a film score forthe interplanetary noir yet to be produced.
For more info visit 577records.com. Patrick Holmes is
at Main Drag Music Oct. 4 with Jeremy Slater and at
First Street Green, presented by Arts for Art, Oct. 8. See
Calendar.

A Change of Destiny
Bobby Zankel Wonderful Sound 8 (Mahakala Music)
by John Sharpe

A t the core of alto saxophonist Bobby Zankel’s A

Change of Destiny lie four pieces written for a dance
project exploring the practice of slavery in George
Washington’s Philadelphia abode. Indeed, on “Naming
Names” vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd declaims theidentities and roles of all nine slaves in the Presidential
household, including the two who managed to escapeto find freedom. It’s a weighty subject, which lends
the music here an undeniable heft. The eight-pieceensemble gives the reedman enough colors to realize
his multi-layered compositions, yet allows sufficienttransparency for the interplay between soloist andensemble to shine through.
Though fellow alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw andtrombonist Robin Eubanks give sterling service, it says
much that Zankel (who studied with Cecil Taylor andJimmy Lyons) remains the most vital and distinctive
soloist. With his tart tone, sense of form and fondness
for capping his lines with multiphonic shrieks, heimbues his solos with passion and excitement. Pianist
Sumi Tonooka also shows herself to be a fine player,
both individually and in support of the others. Bassist
Lee Smith (Christian McBride’s dad, incidentally)
likewise deserves mention, especially for his freeranging commentary under the surface in “Destiny”.
Completing the outstanding ensemble are drummer
Pheeroan akLaff and violinist Diane Monroe.
Zankel avoids the easy options of riffs and vamps,
but nonetheless creates driving settings, fuelled bypunchy horns and a pulsing rhythm section. Floyd
melds the lyrics to the intricacies of the themes withassurance, helped on “To Be a Human Being” by
the oratorical cadence of el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz’(Malcolm X) call to arms. The barnstorming “Ring
Shouting” is indicative of the way in which the charts
make unexpected shifts: Monroe’s violin fronting ahoedown, a stop-start beat for Eubanks’ elegant turnand then an ambiguous inside/outside section overwhich Zankel emotes (one of the set’s highlights).
Zankel and his crew take on a topic that isunspeakably painful and shameful, yet the music they
have created is ultimately hopeful and uplifting.
For more info visit mahakalamusic.com. Zankel’s album
release concert is at Mt. Morris Ascension Presbyterian
Church Oct. 20. See Calendar.

Do We Muse on the Sky or Remember the Sea? Problem
was, when Allen heard the finished mix, he was
perturbed to hear his horn placed in an electronic
soundscape he never authorized. But his initial anger
was replaced by curiosity and then appreciation. He
dug it. So when it came time to follow up his brilliant
2022 album, Americana II, Allen decided he would
zag, rather than produce more of the same—because
he’s an artist.
The result is the stark, terrifying THIS, Allen’sseventeenth leader date, and his twelfth on the Savant/
HighNote imprint. Allen said that his conscious
influences for THIS were the rather improbablepairing of death metal and Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE,
with early Cecil Taylor and late Arnold Schoenberg
thrown in for spice.
Finding himself in London, Allen sought out
electronics master musician Alex Bonney. Drummer
Gwilym Jones signed on. The lack of a bass was “ahappy accident,” caused by the late withdrawal of
the contracted bass player. The omission prompted
Allen to write tone rows to be interpreted by Bonney,providing the motion Allen requires on the floor. The
soundscape is completely organic, as Bonney played
his parts live in the studio. Allen told Jones the feel
he wanted, and was pleased and relieved to findthat this particular European drummer played withthe required groove and fire. This is not a work forthe faint of heart. During the recording, Allen wasworking out a “dark night of the soul” brought onby his recent fiftieth birthday. Bonney’s electronics
are sinister, confrontational and just plain scary. As
he often does, Allen uses purposely “out” intonation
here and there to make his point.
While a left turn, THIS is not completely out ofleft field. The bare distillation of horror and beauty
was foreshadowed by the “mini-suite” of “Jackie andJohnny”, “Mickey and Mallory” and “A Mouthful of
Forevers” from Americana II. There’s plenty of swing
here too, particularly in “The Revelator“, “BoomBap” and “Mx. Fairweather”. The latter has, oddly
enough, a major-key island feel. Think “Poinciana”
on Mars.
This is highly recommended work from one of ourforemost artists.

Moullier’s trio attacks it with a similar implacableattitude, but with only a vibraphone out front. The
leader’s incisive single-note lines show that he really
does think like a horn player. And a vibraphonist cankeep extending lines long after a horn player has had
to pause for breath.
Inception, Moullier’s fourth record, reunites theband that recorded his second, Countdown (2021). Bothcontain standards interpreted by a trio with bassist
Luca Alemanno and drummer Jongkuk Kim, longterm Moullier collaborators with whom he shares a
deep hook-up. Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Desafinado”
swings aggressively yet retains the melancholy castits composer is known for. Charles Mingus’ “Peggy’s
Blue Skylight” and Miles Davis’ “Pfrancing”, like
“Ecaroh”, are intriguing examples of “transmuting thelanguage of horn players to the vibraphone.” They set
up a dynamic tension between this trio’s capacity for
generating hard energy and the vibraphone’s inherent
lush softness.
Then there are pieces that embrace that very
lushness. Moullier’s solo rendering of Billy Strayhorn’s“Lush Life” is both an immersion in shamelessromanticism and an impressive achievement in
melodic elaboration. Michel Legrand’s “You Must
Believe in Spring”, set into surprisingly swift, gliding
motion, is spiritual affirmation in musical form.
The fact that Simon Moullier sustains acomplicated, even conflicted relationship with hischosen instrument, is a major reason why he is oneof the most interesting jazz vibraphonists of the newmillennium.
For more info visit freshsoundrecords.com. Moullier’s
album release concert is at The Jazz Gallery Oct. 20. See
Calendar.

For more info visit jazzdepot.com. Allen is at Bar Bayeux
Oct. 4. See Calendar.

Inception
Simon Moullier Trio
(Fresh Sound New Talent)by Thomas Conrad

I n the liner notes and press notes for Inception,

THIS
JD Allen (Savant)by Keith Hoffman

I n 2021, Kenya-born, New Orleans-based multimedia
artist Phoebe Boswell collaborated with tenor
saxophonist JD Allen for her acclaimed installation

vibraphonist Simon Moullier makes some provocative
disclosures. He says, “If I could, I think I would
have chosen a horn. I’ve always wanted to erase thevibraphone…to transcend the instrument and makeit sound like something else.” He asks, “What if thelanguage of horn players…could be transmuted to thevibraphone?”
The first track, Horace Silver’s “Ecaroh”, is the
beginning of an answer. When Art Blakey’s Jazz
Messengers recorded the tune on a classic Columbia
album in 1956, they played it tough and tight. Hank
Mobley, Donald Byrd and Silver, incited by Blakey’s
clattering drum fills, took concise, intense solos.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 37

(LITCHFIELD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)
Quartet (Rick Germanson-piano, Kiyoshi Kitagawabass, Charles Goold-drums) played George and Ira
Gershwin’s “Embraceable You”, a fine opener for thegroup, Milt Jackson’s “Bags’ Groove” and a driving
rendition of Juan Tizol’s “Caravan”.
Champian Fulton’s trio was a festival highlight.
Equally adept and fiercely experimental as a singer andpianist, she plays aggressively with tempo and a wide
vocal range (sans scat singing). Fulton shifts dynamics
rapidly without ever losing touch with a song’s melody:a Fulton trademark is a jump to the top of her range atthe end of a line. Her all-standards program featured
ace support from Hide Tanaka (bass) and Fukushi
Tainaka (drums), a formidable rhythm section that’s
been with Fulton for two decades. When not singing
or playing during her set, Fulton offered historicaltidbits about songs from the Great American Songbook
such as the Silver/Lewis/Sherman “Every Now andThen”, recorded by Helen Humes half a dozen times.
“Too Marvelous for Words” got an especially delicate
treatment. And any thought that Fulton couldn’t makeit as just a pianist were dispelled by a spirited take on
Phineas Newborn Jr.’s “Theme for Basie”. Arguably
best heard live, that’s indeed the format for Fulton on
her latest release, Meet Me at Birdland (s/r).
The skies were darkening as the Peter Bernstein
Quartet took the stage. Since 1990, the Rutgers/New
School-trained guitarist has worked and recorded
steadily with just about everyone. If you’ve bought
a contemporary jazz album recently, he may well
be on it. He’s also made more than 20 solo albums,
including Monk (Xanadu), a masterly transition of the
pianist’s music to guitar. Adam Birnbaum (piano) andDoug Weiss (bass) made the 2014 trio album Three of a
Mind with veteran drummer Al Foster, and the threeof them formed the backing band for the guitarist’s
Litchfield set. Bernstein plays somewhat hunchedover his guitar, but the lack of visual clarity doesn’t
matter when the notes are so clearly articulated. The
Jim Hall-influenced guitarist has a ringing tone andan accessibility that transcends genre. Playing mostly
originals (“Dragonfly”, “Harbor No Illusions”, “Simple
as That”), the group also dipped briefly into the Monk
songbook before closing with an infectious, thoughlesser-known, Sonny Rollins calypso, “Newark News”.
The festival may eventually move back outdoors,considering the spectacular countryside around
Litchfield. The jazz camp (dating to 1997 and held justbefore the festival proper) deserves special mention.
Saxophonist Don Braden is the music director, with afaculty that includes Paul Bollenback (guitar), Claire
Daly (baritone), Peter McEachern (trombone), Dave
Ballou (trumpet), Nicole Zuraitis (voice), Ugonna
Okegwo (bass) and Matt Wilson (drums).
For more info visit litchfieldjazzfest.com(WHITE PLAINS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)“Feed the Fire”, which Sung filled with dizzying
runs and staccato riffs, one precipice after another. A
magisterial pianist, she saved her most elegant playing
for a medley of Marian McPartland’s “Melancholy
Mood” and “Kaleidoscope”, which concluded withexciting bop runs and a big crescendo.
Later that same day, the much-loved jazz stroll(where attendees can walk from one venue to anotherto hear music) began with guitarist Doug Munro andhis Django-flavored band Le Pompe Attack, continued
with vocalist Joe Boykin from nearby Greenburgh,a soulful, Lou Rawls-like entertainer fronting a topnotch band that mixed veteran trumpeter Duke Joneswith promising young drummer Parker Reid, thenfinished with Lynette Washington, a talented singer,
with Amina Figarova (electric piano). The latter two
performances were held indoors and became noticeably

crowded; listeners unfortunately strained to focus on
the music, which competed with cocktail-hour chatterand dinner-time food service.
Miraculously, a dinner “under the stars” thefollowing evening—complemented by two sets led by
famed drummer Louis Hayes and his quartet—was notinterrupted by the rain squalls that swept through theregion that evening. Joined by the same band from his
latest album, Exactly Right (Savant)—David Hazeltine(piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Abraham Burton(tenor)—Hayes, now 86, brought precision cymbal
work and driving energy to the hard bop proceedings.
Burton’s strong, supple solos made one wish he would
appear more frequently on bandstands in and around
Gotham. Colombian jazz harpist Edmar Castañeda
kicked off Friday with a free solo concert inside theWhite Plains Public Library. Initially scheduled as an
outdoor event, the oppressive heat and threat of rain
necessitated Plan B, but the appreciative audience
was mesmerized by the insistent syncopations andengaging display of virtuosity. Castañeda plays his
entire instrument, creating sounds on the frame andrunning his hands down the strings for a whooshingeffect. His “For Jaco” was a brilliant showstopper.
The John Scofield-Joe Lovano Quartet, with
Ben Street (bass) and Bill Stewart (drums), found theco-leaders exulting in their long history together:
they first met in 1971 as students at Boston’s Berklee
College of Music, collaborated on Scofield’s Time on
My Hands (1989), Lovano’s Landmarks (1990) and later
guided the short-lived supergroup Scolohofo (2002). At
ArtsWestchester, their unison lines, joyous interplay
and probing, fiery, ecstatic solos were further proof oftight musical empathy and friendship. The following
evening, Cécile McLorin Salvant dazzled the audience
with a vocal mastery that shows why she is alreadyregarded among the greats. Her storytelling genius,
matched by theatrical flair and superb song selection,highlighted her own artistic versatility, as well as thebreadth and reach of the improviser’s art. Her pianist
Sullivan Fortner, too, traversed the long arc of jazz withhis magnificent pianism. The vocalist seemed more atease during the second set, which included stunningrenditions of Stephen Sondheim’s “Being Alive” andSelena’s “Dreaming of You”.
Heavy rain finally impacted the festival on thelast day during the White Plains Jazz & Food Festival,
dampening sets by vibraphonist Mike Freeman anda wholly entertaining band co-led by bassist Richie
Goods and vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu. But the skies
cleared in time for a raucous and uplifting performanceby bassist Endea Owens (known for her past work with
Jon Batiste and The Late Show Band), who performed
with her own band The Cookout. Assisted by winning
vocalists Shenel Johns and J. Hoard, Owens played
songs from her newly released debut album, Feel GoodMusic, but the overflow crowd went wild with her takeon Nina Simone’s slow, slinky blues “Four Women”,
Johns bringing a surfeit of emotion to the fore. Owens’
last song, “For the People”, had everyone up out of
their seats and line dancing in front of the stage, withNew York Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins right in the middle of all the fun.
For more info visit artswestchester.org(JAZZ EM AGOSTO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)
Parker also revisited Descension, Out of Our
Constrictions (Eremite) with composer and guimbri
master Joshua Abrams’ Natural Information Society.
Lisa Alvarado layered the music with modal droneson harmonium and Mikel Patrick Avery maintained
shifting compound rhythms. Bass clarinetist Jason
Stein wove complex interactive lines with Parker, whodemonstrated the endurance and creativity that havemarked his work for nearly 60 years. The hypnotic
weave developed across some 90 minutes. The Attic—a

38 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

trio of Rodrigo Amado (tenor), Gonçalo Almeida(bass) and Onno Govaert (drums)—created taut,high-energy, three-way free jazz in which invention
and immediate communication were always present.
Another trio, Ghosted, amplified the amphitheatre’s
hypnotic summer ambiance, with Johan Berthling’s
bass ostinatos and Andreas Werliin’s dense drum
work compounding animated backdrops to Oren
Ambarchi’s glittering electronic fields of processedguitar.
Pianist Myra Melford’s Fire & Water Quintet
consists of gifted musical partners, and their set wasfilled with light. Whether leading or in contrapuntal
dialogue, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock’s lines were
ever-shifting events with sudden mutations intimbre, attack and direction, every shift the act ofa mercurial imagination. Melford’s own solos weredances across the keyboard, while Mary Halvorson(guitar), Tomeka Reid (cello) and Lesley Mok (drums),
outstanding improvisers all, contributed to theluminous effervescence. Mary Halvorson’s Amaryllis
was similarly impressive the following night, playing
mostly music from a forthcoming record. The leader isacutely conscious of sound, from the lush classic jazz
guitar timbre she favors to electronic pitch shifting thatprovides maximum contrast. Her band Amaryllis, thecomposer’s signature instrument, follows suit. Without
reeds or keyboards, it’s as sonically distinct as classic
groups such as the MJQ, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet or
the recent bands of Henry Threadgill and Bill Frisell. It’s
propelled by Nick Dunston (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara(drums); Halvorson and Patricia Brennan (vibraphone)create a brilliant skein of burbling trebles, and the oftencontrapuntal melodies are enacted by Adam O’Farrill(trumpet) and Jacob Garchik (trombone). Balancing
this compositional emphasis with one or two soloists
on each number, Halvorson allows her bandmates toshape the works with their own visions.
Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad’s Ekhidna
represented the looser, more creative end of fusion.
Two percussionists provided rhythmic detail andorchestral breadth to support the improvisatory skillsof the leader and Marte Eberson (keyboards). Susana
Santos Silva added substantially here, her thoughtful
trumpet solos adding reflective depth to the music’s
signal drive.
The final band of the festival was also the largest.
Composer/drummer Gard Nilssen’s 17-member
Supersonic Orchestra, a thunderous group of Northern
Europeans, restricted itself to just five different
instruments: seven saxophones, three drum kits, threebasses, two trumpets and two trombones, at times
suggesting three ensembles stacked together. Sheer
numbers and volume conjoined with enthusiasm anda gifted ensemble, including Per “Texas” Johansson
and Mette Rasmussen (saxophones), Thomas
Johansson (trumpet), Petter Eldh and IngebrigtHåker Flaten (bass). The band concluded with Louis
Moholo-Moholo and Mongezi Feza’s anthemic “You
Ain’t Gonna Know Me…”, bringing the festival fullcircle to the merger of African and European cultureswith which it had begun with Risser’s Red Desert
Orchestra.
Along with eleven main-stage performances, there
were additionally four intriguing solo concerts in anindoor auditorium. Silva combined her strong presence
as a trumpeter, alternately lyrical and forceful,with a video of images from nature. Guitarist Julia
Reidy matched resonating harmonics with extensive
interactive electronics. I’m still seeking ways todescribe the solo performances of pianist Marta Warelis
and percussionist Camille Émaille, each possessing amercurial musical vision: the former swept across the
keyboard and interior of her instrument in singular
gestures of shifting focus, transforming time andspace; the latter created simultaneous layers of rhythm
and timbre with sometimes self-made instruments.
For more info visit gulbenkian.pt/jazzemagosto

(LEST WE FORGET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10)
and The Atlas Moth. She became increasingly engaged
in electronic music, including three albums with
Anteloper, her dub, free jazz/techno-influenced duowith drummer Jason Nazary. With relentless energy
and drive she forged ahead in what would become
the last half decade of her life. Trumpeter Dave Ballou
remembers branch as “a daring performer, challenging
norms and often channeling the uncomfortable truths
we struggle to give voice to. jaimie’s legacy is her
illustration that music can be a platform for healing andchange. What I think about when I remember jaimie isto never, ever give up.”branch was able to coax any number of effects
from her horn and to extend her sonic range using toy
noisemakers, vocalizations and other means to produce
the desired effects. The mostly acoustic Fly or Die
quartet was her best-known project. On Fly or Die II:
Bird Dogs of Paradise (2019), she revealed an impressive
singing voice. At her death, she’d finished mixing thegroup’s third studio album, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or
Die ((world war)), which was posthumously released inlate-August by International Anthem.
Cornetist Josh Berman, who met branch at NEC,remembers, “It was clear she was developing somethingvast, deep and authentic. I admired her playing,composition, electronics, recording techniques, singing
and listening, but her message really comes into focus
on this last Fly or Die recording, simply being to fightfor what you believe in.”
Such was the impact of branch’s death that a few
weeks after her demise, a large group of friends andmusicians gathered near her apartment on Valentino
Pier in Red Hook, to pay homage with music-making.
Cornetist Rob Mazurek was moved to compose apoem about her, which begins, “jaimie dances on
the tip of sun flares…” Bassist Luke Stewart says,“I lament at what was possible. However, her work
continues to change the landscape in music.” At thismonth’s tribute concert, a portion of the proceeds will
go to the jaimie branch Foundation, which ensuresthat “the energy, legacy, and power of jaimie branch
lives on.”For more info visit jaimiebranch.com. A branch tributeis at Roulette Oct. 2 featuring Ambrose Akinmusire, Rob
Mazurek, Dave Ballou and guests. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Tim Daisy’s New Fracture Quartet—1,000 Lights(Multikulti Project, 2007)• Frank Rosaly—Viscous (Molk, 2008)• jaimie branch—Fly or Die(International Anthem, 2016)• James Brandon Lewis—An UnRuly Manifesto(Relative Pitch, 2018)• jaimie branch—Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise(International Anthem, 2018)• jaimie branch—Fly or Die or Die Fly or Die((world war)) (International Anthem, 2022)(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
Muñoz: I don’t think so. I’m not familiar with Carlos’
music. I’ve heard of him, obviously, and I may have
met him once. But our paths didn’t cross, except oncein San Francisco when I met Carlos’ brother and heneeded a guitar player. So I was a sideman in Carlos
Santana’s brother’s band.
TNYCJR: Is your band still active?
Muñoz: Not anymore, since I left New York. Now I’m
in Richmond, Virginia, and it feels like a cemeteryhere. But I’m still on the guitar. I write books—I have
60 out. And I think I have 150 albums, with 60 of themstill to finish. I’m happy that I’ve been able to draw

in musicians to play with me, and that I was close
to [pianist] John Hicks and to Pharoah, and a wholebunch of great players.
TNYCJR: I did want to ask you about your spiritual
practice. You have said to have “assimilated a vast
amount of wisdom from the world’s great spiritualteachings.”
Muñoz: That is correct. There is an essence that is
encapsulated in that phrase Coltrane used, “a lovesupreme.” It’s all about that. You achieve, reach or
aspire to a certain level of human, transcendent or
spiritual love. Open-heartedness is also a good term
for it. I was raised a spiritualist on my father’s side, theAfrican side. My father’s sisters were mediums, ghost
chasers. In Brooklyn at that time, they were counted
upon to take demons out of people who were possessed.
So I come from a very spiritualist background, not justChristian. There’s a strong emphasis on spirits, notvisible but present. We know about them, and yet we
can’t know. They’re in a psychic domain, but it shows
up materially. We are in the presence of ghosts, but
fortunately we are not sensitive enough to perceive
them, because they can be troubling.

building soundscapes under and around Mingus’
dramatic vocals.
While touring has resumed post-pandemic, Sharp
remains active with the label, and is releasing analbum of tributes to his guitar heroes Jimi Hendrix,
John McLaughlin and Jeff Beck. As a label honcho,
he’s at-the-ready for the next change in the industry:“I actually believe CDs are going to come back…I thinkit’s a great medium. It sounds good and nobody has a
CD burner anymore. In about two or three years, CDs
are going to become valuable again.”
For more info visit zoar-records.bandcamp.com. Sharp’s
SysOrk is at Main Drag Music Oct. 12 and Sharp’s
Aggregat Trio is at The Jazz Gallery Oct. 19. See Calendar.

TNYCJR: And talk about astrology. You list yourprofession as musician and astrologer.
Muñoz: Astrology has to do with “when.” My concept
differs from traditional astrology—it’s more esoteric.
It’s not about “who,” and it’s not about personalizing
the data of astrology in terms of planetary influenceor signs. My interest is about the time factor—when
things happen—not who they happen to necessarily.
It’s about time, the circle of the planets and influences.
Pharoah used astrology in the same way Coltrane
did. Coltrane was also into astrology, as were a lotof the cats who are private about it. They need toknow when something is happening or when it could
happen.
Muñoz is at National Sawdust Oct. 14 as part of theworkshop premiere of “The Harvest Time Project” tributeto the late Pharoah Sanders, whose 83rd birthday is the dayprior. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Pharoah Sanders—Pharoah(India Navigation-Luaka Bop, 1976-77)• Tisziji Muñoz—Divine Radiance(Anami Music-Dreyfus, 1991)• Tisziji Muñoz—Spirit World (featuring Pharoah Sanders)(Anami Music, 1997)• Tisziji Muñoz—Parallel Reality (featuring Rashied Ali)
(Anami Music, 2000)• Tisziji Muñoz—When Coltrane Calls! Session 1:
Fierce Compassion (Anami Music, 2015)• Kresten Osgood/Bob Moses/Tisziji Muñoz—
Spiritual Drum Kingship (Gotta Let It Out, 2022)(LABEL SPOTLIGHT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
Another name that shows up on the roster issinger/poet Eric Mingus, who was a part of Sharp’s
blues band Terraplane and continues to perform with
him in a duo. Mingus comments about Sharp: “He’sreally one of the most energetic cats I know; he justkeeps doing. There’s never a downtime with him… it’skind of mind-blowing in terms of how much he’s beenreleasing. He really is outside of any genre—or in every
genre.”In May, zOaR reissued Fourth Blood Moon, a duo
album by Mingus and Sharp originally released in 2016
by the German label Yellowbird. Far from being thestripped-down blues duo one might expect, the album
shows Sharp’s musicality in fine form, not just playing
guitar, bass and synth, but programming drums and

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 39

CALENDAR
Sunday, October 1êThe Makanda Project with Kurtis Rivers, Noah Becker, Sean Berry, Temidayo

Balogun, Charlie Kohlhase, Jerry Sabatini, Haneef Nelson, Alfred Patterson,
Richard Harper, Bill Lowe, John Kordalewski, Avery Sharpe, Yoron Israel,
Mickey Davidson, Trashina Conner, Brian Davis, Brandon Barker, Shani Worrell
All Saints Episcopal Church Brooklyn 4:30 pm• Yotam Silberstein, Federico Diaz, Franco Pinna
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10
Barbès 8 pm $15• Rufus & SheilaêMehmet Ali Sanlikol & Whatsnext? with Anat Cohen, Miguel Zenón;
Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $20-40êBouncin’ With Bud Trio with Manuel Valera, Steve Smith, Lonnie Plaxico:“Bud Powell Birthday Tribute” Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30• Cimafunk & La Tribu with Pedrito Martinez
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $30-45
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Willerm Delisfort TrioêHeru’s “Basquiat Blues” with Heru Shabaka-Ra, Devin Waldman, Luke Stewart,
Tscheser Holmes; Jason Kao Hwang Human Rites Trio with Andrew Drury, Ken
Filiano; Joseph Daley Tuba Trio with Scott Robinson, Warren Smith, Ken FilianoChildren’s Magical Garden de Carmen Rubio 2 pm
• Ted Rosenthal, Karen Ziemba, Allison Blackwell, Georgia Heers, Alex De Lazzari,
Yasushi Nakamura, Jimmy Macbride: “Songbook Sundays - Harold Arlen”
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $25-60• Jed Levy Quartet; Cameron Campbell Trio
The Django 6:30, 8, 9:30, 11 pm $25
êEarRegulars with Jon-Erik Kellso, Matt Munisteri, et al.
The Ear Inn 8 pm
• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Zach Swanson, Dave Miller
The Keep 9 pm
• Shabnam Abedi/Joe Block; Richard Cortez Polite Jam
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Marty Elkins with Saul Rubin, Lee Hudson
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Boncellia Lewis and Friends Patrick’s Place 12 pm $10• Leo Sidran: “What’s Trending” Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm $25• Marcus Goldhaber; Mimi Jones and Jam
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 10 pm $20• Deanna Witkowski, Tony DePaolis, Scott Latzky
Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
Shrine 8 pm
• Shrine Big Band
• John McNamara; John Colonna Silvana 7, 8 pm
• Tad Shull Quartet with Ray Gallon, Paul Gill, Joe Strasser
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $35
êGeorge Cables Quartet with Craig Handy, Sean Conly, Jerome Jennings
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55
êJohn Zorn and the New Masada Quartet with Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder,
Kenny Wollesen
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, October 2
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Grove Street Stompers• WAYK with Yacine Boularès, JK Kim, Sam Minaie, Tarek Yamani
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Musics with Ilusha Tsinadze, Gocha Tsinadze, Chris Tordini, Jason Nazary
Barbès 7 pm $20• Jeff Harnar: “Sings Cy Coleman”

Birdland 7 pm $40

êVince Giordano And The Nighthawks

Birdland Theater 5:30, 8:30 pm $20-40• Karl Denson Project with James Francies, Burniss Earl Travis, Blaque Dynamite,
Nir Felder
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Bruce Harris Trio
• Lucy Yeghiazaryan: “Celebrating Shirley Horn”
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45• Raphael Silverman Quartet with Eric Alexander, Aaron Seeber, Joey Ranieiri;
Jackson Potter Quintet with Troy Roberts, Alex Ridout, Hamish Smith,Marcello Cardillo
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30, 12 am $25
êMingus Big Band
Drom 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Mike LeDonne Trio; Pasquale Grasso, Ari Roland, Keith Balla
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
ê“jaimie branch Tribute: Fly or Die” with Lester St. Louis, Jason Ajemian,
Chad Taylor, Rob Mazurek, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dave Ballou
Roulette 8 pm $25-35• Ari Hoenig Trio with Tivon Pennicott, Gadi Lehavi; Mike Boone Quintet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, October 3• Allan Harris: “Cross That River” 59E59 Theaters 7:15 pm $40-60• Saul Rubin, Joseph Lepore, Diego Voglino and Jam

Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êSlavic Soul Party with John Carlson, Kenny Warren, Peter Hess, Peter Stan,
Tim Vaughn, Adam Dotson, Ken Bentley, Matt Moran, Chris Stromquist
Barbès 9 pm $20• Alicia Svigals/Donald Sosin: “The City Without Jews”
Baruch Performing Arts Center 7:30 pm• Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio with Donald Vega, Russell Malone
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45• Anderson Brothers: “Play Cole Porter”
Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30• Karl Denson Project with James Francies, Burniss Earl Travis, Blaque Dynamite,
Nir Felder
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Ehud Asherie TrioêMillennial Territory Orchestra with Catherine Russell, Steven Bernstein, Doug
Wieselman, Peter Apfelbaum, Erik Lawrence, Charlie Burnham, Matt Munisteri,
Ben Allison, Ben Perowsky
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45
êConrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Ivan Nahem/Marc Sloan• Lim Yang Zodiac Bandê = Recommended Shows

Friday, October 6êKevin Sun Quartet with Max Light, Walter Stinson, Jon Starks

Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm $10• Soyoung Park Quartet with Alex Goodman, Simon Willson, Peter Kronreif;
Tardo Hammer Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Shane Simpson; PRNCX with Steve Long, Travis Bliss, Nick Neuberg
Scholes Street Studio 8 pm $25
Silvana 9 pm
• Kakuyon Shakur Mataeh• Ben Solomon Quartet with Davis Whitfield, Jason Maximo Clotter, Eliza Salem;
Barry Stephenson Quartet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Tierney Sutton/Randy Brecker with Christian Jacob
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55• Snack Mix with Lip Talk, Jeremy Gustin
The Sultan Room Room 7 pm
Swing 46 9 pm
• Robert Edwards Big BandêCécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, Kyle Poole
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Gabriel Chakarji Trio with Ben Tiberio, Eviatar Slivnik
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30

Wednesday, October 4• Allan Harris: “Cross That River” 59E59 Theaters 7:15 pm $40-60
êJD Allen

Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Big Lazy
• Andy Statman Trio with Larry Eagle, Jim Whitney; Mamady Kouyate and his
Mandingo Ambassadors

Barbès 8, 10 pm $20• Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio with Donald Vega, Russell Malone
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45

êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band; Frank Vignola with

Ted Rosenthal

Birdland Theater 5:30, 8:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper with The Original Trio: “Tribute to Piano Giants”

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65
Brookfield Place’s Waterfront Plaza 5, 6:45 pm
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Mike DiRubbo TrioêMillennial Territory Orchestra with Steven Bernstein, Doug Wieselman, Peter
Apfelbaum, Erik Lawrence, Catherine Russell, Charlie Burnham, Matt Munisteri,
Ben Allison, Ben Perowsky
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45• Yvonnick Prené Quintet; Eric Person Quartet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Olivia Pérez-Collellmir and Tamara Jokic
Drom 7:30 pm $20
êMat Maneri Quartet with Lucian Ban, Brandon Lopez, Randy Peterson: “ASH”
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-30êJeremy Slater, Patrick Holmes, Daniel Carter, Aaron Halley; Adam Lane Quartet
with Kirk Knuffke, Alfredo Colon; Billy Mintz; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane,
Colin Hinton; Ryan Siegel, Jarred Chase, Michael Gilbert, Shinya Lin;
Ayumi Ishito, Dave Sewelson, Zach Swanson, Dalius Naujo
Main Drag Music 7 pm $15• Steve LaSpina, Behn Gillece, Bob DeVos; Adam Moezinia Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Marilyn Kleinburg with John Di Martino, Noriko Ueda
Pangea 7 pm $25• Harlem Jazz Session with Kellin Hanas
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8, 10 pm $20• Muneer Nasser with Elijah Easton, Trevor Watkis, Eric Wheeler, Chris Beck;
Thomas Linger Quartet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
Smoke 7, 9 pm $25-30• Abena Koomson-DavisêFred Frith/gabby fluke mogul
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $25• DINS with Sarah La Puerta, Masami Tomihisa
The Sultan Room Room 7 pm
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Antonio Ciacca
êCécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, Kyle Poole
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Ragtime Band
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30
êJohnathan Blake Trio

Thursday, October 5• Allan Harris: “Cross That River” 59E59 Theaters 7:15 pm $40-60

êIngrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey with Adam Kolker, Jeremy Stratton

Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Flamenco Inside/Out• Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio with Donald Vega, Russell Malone
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45

êRobert Glasper with The Original Trio: “Tribute to Piano Giants”

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65• Duane Eubanks Quintet; Ai Murakami Quartet

Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $5
Church Street School For Music and Art 7 pm $15êSex Mob: “Plays Duke Ellington and Nino Rota” with Steven Bernstein,
Briggan Krauss, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen; Wallace Roney, Jr.
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $20-45
The Django 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• People Of Earth
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-45• Roy Hargrove Big BandêDavid Virelles, Ben Street, Billy Hart; Ray Gallon Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Ben Reilly, Kerry Blu, Malik English
Nublu 151 7 pm $22.66
Patrick’s Place 7 pm $10• Phil Young ExperienceêGeorge Lewis: “Hearing Voices” with ICE, Fred Moten, Lyn Hejinian,Sylvia Wynter
Roulette 8 pm $30• John Eckert Nonet with David Smith, Chris Hemingway, Matt McDonald,
Stephen Justice, Patrick Laslie, Tim Harrison, Chris Haney, Andy Watson;
David Gibson Quartet and Jam Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êMelissa Aldana Quartet with Lex Korten, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55• Fred Frith with Sudhu Tewari, Cenk Ergün
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $25
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Antonio Ciacca
êCécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, Kyle Poole
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Vincent Herring and Jam

40 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Allan Harris: “Cross That River” 59E59 Theaters 7:15 pm $40-60• Reginald Chapman’s Chaphouse
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Mamie Minch with Dean Sharenow

Barbès 8 pm $20• Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30• Birdland Big Band; Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio with Donald Vega,
Russell Malone

Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-45

Sonny Rollins”

Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êDonny McCaslin, Lonnie Plaxico, and Steve Smith: “Play the Music ofBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65-85• Robert Glasper with Yebba• Cellar Dog All Stars; Carol Morgan Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10• Myriam Phiro with Hyuna Park, Elias Bailey, Alex Raderman, Linus Wyrsch:“Becoming Marlene Dietrich”

Chelsea Table + Stage 7 pm $20-55

ê“Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers” with Mission Eternal:

Jeremy Pelt, Bill Pierce, Steve Davis, Eric Reed, Peter Washington, Carl Allen;
Wallace Roney, Jr.
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $25-65• Ron Jackson Trio; Ben Stivers Quartet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êSoft Machine: John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker, Asaf Sirkis
Iridium 8:30 pm $30-40êMiguel Zenón/Dan Tepfer Duo The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Miho SasakiêJohn Coltrane/Miles Ahead Festival
Marcus Garvey Park 5 pm
Mezzrow 10:30 pm, 12 am $40• Jon Davis Trio
• Eli Wallace Group with Michael Foster, Steve Swell, Victor Vieira-Branco,
Michael TA Thompson
Mise-En Place 8 pm
Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church 7 pm
• Rachiim Asar Sa Hu
êElsa Nilsson Band of Pulses with Santiago Leibson, Marty Kenney,
Rodrigo Recabarren
National Sawdust 7:30 pm $20
Patrick’s Place 8 pm
• Patience Higgins’ Jazz JamêJason Moran, BlankFor.ms, Marcus Gilmore
Public Records 7 pm $25.75• Alex Laurenzi; Satish Robertson
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10, 11:45 pm $20
êSamara Joy with Evan Sherman, Connor Rohrer, Michael Migliore, Jason Charos,
David Mason, Kendrick McCallister, Donavan Austin
Rose Theater 8 pm
• Bill Warfield and The Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra; Manny’s Boogaloo Crew
Shrine 8, 10 pm
Silvana 7 pm
• Dave Wilson• The Flail with Stephan Moutot, Dan Blankinship, Brian Marsella, Reid Taylor,Charles Goold; Philip Harper Quintet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êMelissa Aldana Quartet with Lex Korten, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55• Gene Pritsker’s Sound Liberation Trio with Adam Holzman, David Cossin
Spectrum 7 pmêFred Frith, Ikue Mori, Nate Wooley
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $30
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Antonio Ciacca
êCécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, Kyle Poole
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, October 7• Allan Harris: “Cross That River” 59E59 Theaters 2:15, 7:15 pm $40-60
êGary Versace/Adam Kolker

Bar Bayeux 6 pm

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Belo & the Beasts• Sirius Quartet with Fung Chern Hwei, Gregor Huebner, Sunjay Jayaram,
Jeremy Harman

Barbès 8 pm $20• Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano; Ron Carter’s Golden Striker

Trio with Donald Vega, Russell Malone
Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-45
êDonny McCaslin, Lonnie Plaxico, Steve Smith: “Play the Music ofSonny Rollins”
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65-85• Robert Glasper with Yebba• Wayne Tucker Quintet; Kyoko Oyobe Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10• JD Walter with Dave Kikoski, Boris Kozlov, Mark Whitfield Jr.
Chelsea Table + Stage 9:30 pm $22-42
ê“Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers”: Mission Eternal with
Jeremy Pelt, Bill Pierce, Steve Davis, Eric Reed, Peter Washington, Carl Allen;
Wallace Roney, Jr.
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $25-65• Tommy Campbell Trio; Freddy Deboe BandThe Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êSam Newsome Trio with Adam Lane, James Paul-Nadien; Knife & Rose with
Ellen Christi, TA Thompson, Patricia Nicholson; Mixashawn Rozie/Royal Hartigan
First Street Green 2 pm
• Eric Frazier Quintet and Patsy Grant with Gene Ghee, Radam Schwartz,
Nori Naraoka, Tony Johnson Fort Greene Park 4:15 pm
êUrbane Outfit with Caroline Davis, Brad Linde, Russ Lossing, Deric Dickens
Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $20
êSoft Machine: John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker, Asaf Sirkis
Iridium 8:30 pm $30-40êMiguel Zenón/Dan Tepfer Duo The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Steven Kroon Latin Jazz Ensemble
J Hood Wright Park 2 pm
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Miho SasakiêGretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke
LeFrak Hall, Queens College 8 pm $35-45
êAnthony Wonsey Trio
Mezzrow 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êSamara Joy, with Evan Sherman, Connor Rohrer, Michael Migliore, Jason Charos,
David Mason, Kendrick McCallister, Donavan Austin
Rose Theater 4 pmêRene McLean
Sistas’ Place 8, 9:30 pm $30
êThe Flail with Stephan Moutot, Dan Blankinship, Brian Marsella, Reid Taylor,Charles Goold; Chris Beck Quintet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40

êMelissa Aldana Quartet with Lex Korten, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey

Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55
êFred Frith/Zeena Parkins
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $30
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Antonio Ciacca
êCécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, Kyle Poole
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, October 8• Allan Harris: “Cross That River” 59E59 Theaters 2:15 $40-60• Joy Askew Band with Luca Benedetti, Tony Mason, Andy Hess
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Jen Brett; Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $20-40êDonny McCaslin, Lonnie Plaxico, Steve Smith: “Play the Music ofSonny Rollins”
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65-85• Robert Glasper with Yebba
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Jon Davis Trio
Cut by Wolfgang Puck 12 pm• Maria Kaushansky Trio
ê“Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers”: Mission Eternal with
Jeremy Pelt, Bill Pierce, Steve Davis, Eric Reed, Peter Washington, Carl Allen
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $25-65• Alexander Claffy Quartet; Ray Gallon Trio
The Django 6:30, 8, 9:30, 11 pm, $25
êEarRegulars with Jon-Erik Kellso, Matt Munisteri, et al.
The Ear Inn 8 pmêIngrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey; Patrick Holmes/Sarah Sandoval;
Devin Brahja Waldman Quartet with Sam Newsome, Shayna Dulberger,
Michael TA Thompson
First Street Green 2 pm
• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Yuko Togami
The Keep 9 pm
• Rale Micic, Davis Whitfield, Steve LaSpina; Jamile Polite Jam
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Martina DaSilva and Living RoomNational Sawdust 2 pm $20• Kate Baker with Marius van der Brink, Harvie S
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pmêSam Levin/Michael Bates with Michael Blake, Josh Deutsch, Santiago Leibson
The Owl Music Parlor 8 pm $12• Boncellia Lewis and Friends Patrick’s Place 12 pm $10• Joie Bianco; Mimi Jones and Jam
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 10 pm $20
êSamara Joy, with Evan Sherman, Connor Rohrer, Michael Migliore, Jason Charos,
David Mason, Kendrick McCallister, Donavan Austin
Rose Theater 8 pm
• Rick Germanson, Mark Lewandowski, Neal SmithSaint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Gene Pritsker/Bruce Arnold with Judi Silvano; Nicolaus Gelin;
Dorian Wylde Quintet
Silvana 7, 8, 9 pm
• Theo Hill Quartet; Aaron Johnson Boplicity and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êMelissa Aldana Quartet with Lex Korten, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55• Seu Jorge/Daniel Jobim with Roberto Menescal, Carlinhos Brown, Carol Biazin,
Celeste: “Bossa Nova Greatest Night”
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 8 pm $94-334
êCécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, Kyle Poole
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, October 9• Grove Street Stompers

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pmêVince Giordano And The Nighthawks

Birdland Theater 5:30, 8:30 pm $20-40• Adam Blackstone Presents The Legacy Experience

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35

Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Chris Beck Trio
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-50• Dominick Farinacci• Zach Adleman Quartet; Rico Jones Quartet

The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25

êMingus Big Band
Drom 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êChris Williams Trio with Lesley Mok, gabby fluke-mogul; Che Chen/Anaïs Maviel;William Hooker Trio with John King, Hilliard GreeneFirst Street Green 2 pmêAlan Broadbent, Harvie S, Billy Mintz; Ed Cherry Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Nick Di Maria & Indigo Seven with Brian Suto, Mino Sasaki, Matt Dwonszyk,
Curtis Nowasad
Nublu 151 8 pm $22.66
êGeorge Coleman Quartet; Benny Benack Quintet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êLinda May Han Oh Trio with Fabian Almazán, Eric Doob
St. Paul’s Chapel 1 pmêVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Ben Monder with Theo Bleckmann, Tom Rainey
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30

Tuesday, October 10êRich Perry, Ugonna Okegwo, Diego Voglino

Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êSlavic Soul Party with John Carlson, Kenny Warren, Peter Hess, Peter Stan,
Tim Vaughn, Adam Dotson, Ken Bentley, Matt Moran, Chris Stromquist
Barbès 9 pm $20
êRon Carter Big Band
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Anderson Brothers: “Play Cole Porter”
Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30• Adam Blackstone Presents The Legacy Experience
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Our DelightêPRISM Quartet and Susie Ibarra
DiMenna Center 7:30 pm $25
êNeal Caine Trio with Andrew Fisher, Taru Alexander, Stephen Riley
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45• Momentum with Joy HansenêConrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars

The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Joyce + Max Nguyen/Shogo Ellefson; James Paul Nadien; CZ Trio
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm

ê“The Music of Joseph Jarman”: Charmgiver with Kavita Shah, Michel Gentile,

Daniel Kelly, Hilliard Greene, Rob Garcia
Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $20
êKevin Sun Quartet with Isaac Wilson, Walter Stinson, Jon Starks
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm $10• Sarah Jane Cion, Alec Safy, Mike Camacho; Michael Kanan Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êRema Hasumi, Yuko Togami, Ayumi Ishito; Dot Iso with Vivek Menon, Dylan
DelGiudice, Orchid McRae, Daniel Carter, Jen Sapiro, natefromfloral, Ayumi Ishito
Scholes Street Studio 7:30 pm
Silvana 8 pm
• Audrey SilverêGeorge Coleman Quartet; Michael Kanan Trio
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Snack Mix with Lip Talk, Jeremy Gustin
The Sultan Room 7 pm
Swing 46 9 pm
• Robert Edwards Big BandêJohnathan Blake with Dayna Stephens, Jalen Baker, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30• Silvano Monasterios

Wednesday, October 11

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Eri Yamamoto Trio
• David Wong Group with Rich Perry, Jacob Artved, Kush Abadey

Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Smoota Tête-a-Tête/Moon Radio Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Mamady Kouyate and his Mandingo Ambassadors
Barbès 10 pm $20
êRon Carter Big Band
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45
êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band; Frank Vignola withJames Chirillo
Birdland Theater 5:30, 8:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper with Norah JonesBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $90-125êVanisha Gould Trio
Brookfield Place’s Waterfront Plaza 5, 6:45 pm
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Brandi Disterheft TrioêJones & Cannon with Camèrahn Alforque, Justin Robinson, Frank Lacy,
Marc Cary, Gerald Cannon, Willie Jones III: “In the Spirit of Roy”
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45• Manuel Valera And New Cuban Express; Jihee Heo Trio
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Flushing Town Hall 7 pm
• Carol Sudhalter and JamêBobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band
Interchurch Center 7 pmêTomas Fujiwara 7 Poets Trio with Tomeka Reid, Patricia Brennan
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Gian Perez, Eliza Salem, Greg Lou; Travis Sullivan, Eishin Nose, Bob Meyer;
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane; Hanna Schörken, Sandy Ewen, Eric Plaks,
James Paul Nadien; Adam Caine’s Main Drag Guitar Orchestra
Main Drag Music 7 pm $15• Andy Brown, Neal Miner, Ben Cliness; Caelan Cardello Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Amy London/Pete McGuinness with Tomoko Ohno, Jennifer Vincent,Sherrie Maricle
Pangea 7 pm $25• Harlem Jazz Session with Peter Brainin
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8, 10 pm $20• Dave Glasser Quartet; Curtis Nowosad Quintet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Theresa Wong with Nava Dunkelman, Fred Frith, Carla Kihlstedt
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
The Sultan Room 7 pm
• Shamarr Allen
Superfine 7 pm
• Ray Scro and Jazz JamêEli Yamin
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm
êJohnathan Blake with Dayna Stephens, Jalen Baker, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

OCT 13–14 ROSE THEATERCHARLES LLOYD AT 85

NEA Jazz Master Charles Lloyd celebrates his 85th birthday
at Rose Theater with two very special all-star bands. Friday
evening features Sangam, with iconic Indian percussionist
Zakir Hussain and drummer Eric Harland, while Saturdaynight stars the New Quartet, featuring Harland, pianist Jason
Moran, and bassist Reuben Rogers.

OCT 21 AT 3PM ROSE THEATER

FAMILY CONCERT:
WHAT IS NEW ORLEANS JAZZ?

Hosted by singer Catherine Russell, the daughter of long-time
Louis Armstrong associate Luis Russell, this family friendly
concert explores the musical styles of New Orleans—thebirthplace of jazz.

OCT 27–28 ROSE THEATERSHERMAN IRBY’S MUSINGSOF COSMIC STUFFFEATURING THE JLCO WITH WYNTON MARSALIS

Hosted and narrated by special guest Neil deGrasse Tyson,
this world premiere of saxophonist and composer Sherman
Irby’s newest work unveils its celestial inspiration, fromsupernova stars and black holes to the formations of galaxies
and life itself.

NOV 10–11 ROSE THEATERSTEVE MILLER: ROOTS OF THE BLUES

Renowned blues-rock guitarist, multi-platinum selling singersongwriter, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and 2020
Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Steve Miller continues his
exploration of the blues at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Thursday, October 12
êJ.C. Sanford/George Schuller with Adam Kolker, Jeremy Stratton

Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Yoav Eshed Quartet• Leo Sidran; Balsa de Fuego with Raquel Baena, Dan Neville, Justin Flynn,
Andrés Fonseca, Juan Sebastián Monsalve
Barbès 8, 10 pm $20
êRon Carter Big Band
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45• John Manzari with Luther S. Allison
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper with Norah JonesBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $90-125• Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Brooklyn Bowl 8 pm $30• Brandon Lee Quintet; Simona Premazzi Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $5êJones & Cannon with Camèrahn Alforque, Justin Robinson, Frank Lacy,
Marc Cary, Gerald Cannon, Willie Jones III: “In the Spirit of Roy”;
Camèrahn AlforqueDizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $20-45• Spike Wilner Trio; Mark Whitfield The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êMike Stern Band
Drom 8 pm $20
êStanley Jordan
Iridium 8:30 pm $45-55• Gabriel Chakarji/Juan Diego Villalobosm
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 8 pmêElliott Sharp’s SysOrk
Main Drag Music 8 pmêHenry Hey, Jochen Rueckert, Hamish Smith; Wilfie Williams Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $35
National Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Kym Lawrence
Patrick’s Place 7 pm $10• Phil Young ExperienceêDarius Jones with Gelsey Bell, Aviva Jaye, Sunder Ganglani, Paul Pinto,
Levy Lorenzo
Roulette 8 pm $25-30
Silvana 7 pm
• Judette EllistonêMichael Blake Quartet
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $35
êLarry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55

CHARLES LLOYD
Photo by Lawrence Sumulong

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

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 41

• Theresa Wong/Sean Meehan• Jill McCarron

The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm
êJohnathan Blake with Dayna Stephens, Jalen Baker, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, October 13• Rob Duguay’s Outernet• Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10
Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30
êBirdland Big Band; Ron Carter Big Band
Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-45
êMisterioso Quintet “Plays Monk” with Ben Allison, Helen Sung, Steve Smith
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper with Norah JonesBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $90-125• James Austin Quartet; John Lang Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10• Jones & Cannon with Camèrahn Alforque, Justin Robinson, Frank Lacy,
Marc Cary, Gerald Cannon, Willie Jones III: “In the Spirit of Roy”;
Camèrahn AlforqueDizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $20-45• Erena Terakubo Quartet; Helio Alves Quintet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30, 12 am $25• Progressive Chamber Music Festival: Treesearch with Keir GoGwilt, Kyle Motl,
Sara Schoenbeck/DoYeon Kim, Jake Charkey
Greenwich House Music School 6:30 pm $25
êStanley Jordan
Iridium 8:30 pm $45-55• Laurie Spiegel, Seth Cluett: “Harmonic Algorithm”
Issue Project Room 8, 9 pm $20• Aaron Parks with Milena Casado, Alfredo Colón, Emmanuel Michael,Kanoa Mendenhall, Ivanna Cuesta Gonzalez: “Archetypes”
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Colin HeshmatêAaron Goldberg Trio; Brandi Disterheft Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êPeter Apfelbaum
Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church 7 pm
Patrick’s Place 8 pm
• Patience Higgins’ Jazz Jam• Zach Adleman; Alison Shearer Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10, 11:45 pm $20
êCharles Lloyd’s Sangam with Zakir Hussain, Eric Harland: “Charles Lloyd at 85”
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-175• Peter Louis Octet; Wazumbians Silvana 8, 10 pm• Virginia Mayhew Quintet; Philip Harper Quintet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êLarry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55
Sony Hall 7, 9:30 pm $45• Hiromi• Theresa Wong/Joan La Barbara The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Riyaaz Qawwali and Harlem Gospel Travelers
Symphony Space 8 pm $37-57
êEli Yamin
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm
êJohnathan Blake with Dayna Stephens, Jalen Baker, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Earotica with John Lang Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30

Saturday, October 14

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Michela & The Tap Band• Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano; Ron Carter Big Band
Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-45

êMisterioso Quintet “Plays Monk” with Ben Allison, Uri Caine, Steve Smith• Hiromi• Theresa Wong with Chris Brown, Zeena Parkins

The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm
êJohnathan Blake with Dayna Stephens, Jalen Baker, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êEli Yamin

Sunday, October 15êMazz SwiftBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $90-125• Samba de Gringo; Ken Fowser Quartet

Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10
Chelsea Table + Stage 7 pm $22-52
êRoy Hargrove Big Band with Willie Jones III, Danton Boller, Saul Rubin,
Freddie Hendrix, Wayne Tucker, Duane Eubanks, Camèrahn Alforque,
Jason Jackson, James Burton, Rashaan Salaam, Max Seigel, Bruce Williams,
Mark Gross, Mike Lee, Keith Loftis, Jason Marshall: “Happy Birthday Roy!”;
Camèrahn AlforqueDizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $25-65
êProgressive Chamber Music Festival: Matthew Shipp; TOKALA: Shoko Nagai,
Sita Chay, Satoshi Takeishi
Greenwich House Music School 6:30 pm $25• John P. Hastings with TILT Brass Inwood Hill Park 2, 4 pmêStanley Jordan
Iridium 8:30 pm $45-55• Laurie Spiegel, Seth Cluett: “Harmonic Algorithm”
Issue Project Room 8, 9 pm $20• Aaron Parks with Milena Casado, Alfredo Colón, Emmanuel Michael,Kanoa Mendenhall, Ivanna Cuesta Gonzalez: “Archetypes”
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Colin Heshmat• Michelle Shocked, Adriana Valdes, Gene Pritsker, Kathleen Supove,
Faye-Ellen Silverman, Henny Kim, Mark Kostabi, Seth Boustead, Debra Kaye
Kostabi World 7 pm $20
L’Amico 5 pm
• Maria Kaushansky TrioêAaron Goldberg Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $40
êHarvest Time Project “Pharoah Sanders Birthday Tribute” with Tisziji Muñoz,
Jeff Parker, Chad Taylor, James Brandon Lewis, Joshua Abrams
National Sawdust 8 pm $30
êHerbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition
Perelman Performing Arts Center 1 pmêCharles Lloyd’s New Quartet with Eric Harland, Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-175êChico Freeman Quintet with Adegoke Steve Colson, Mark Helias, Ronnie Burrage,
Thaddeus Tukes
Roulette 8 pm $30-35• Evan Wood Ban Quartet; Famous Geniuses; Phil Gammage Quartet
Silvana 8, 9, 10 pmêSharp Radway
Sistas’ Place 8, 9:30 pm $30• Virginia Mayhew Quintet; Stacy Dillard Quartet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êLarry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55• Elaine Dame Quartet

42 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

440Gallery 4:40 pm $10

American Legion Post 398 6 pm
• Seleno Clark Legacy Band
• Juancho Herrera/Franco Pinna Barbès 6 pm $20
êMichael Davis Hip-Bone Big Band; Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $20-40• Misterioso Quintet “Plays Monk” with Ben Allison, Aaron Goldberg, Steve Smith
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper with Norah JonesBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $90-125

Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Nick Biello Trio
• Jonathan Karrant Quartet with John Di Martinio, Woshi Waki, Rogerio Boccato
Chelsea Table + Stage 7 pm $22.50-42.50
Christ and St. Stephen’s Church 3 pm
Cut by Wolfgang Puck 12 pm• Maria Kaushansky TrioêRoy Hargrove Big Band with Willie Jones III, Danton Boller, Saul Rubin,
Freddie Hendrix, Wayne Tucker, Duane Eubanks, Camèrahn Alforque,
Jason Jackson, James Burton, Rashaan Salaam, Max Seigel, Bruce Williams,
Mark Gross, Mike Lee, Keith Loftis, Jason Marshall: “Happy Birthday Roy!”
Dizzy’s Club 5:30, 7:30 pm $25-65• Joe Farnsworth Quartet; Gabrielle Stravelli Quartet
The Django 6:30, 8, 9:30, 11 pm $25• John P. Hastings with TILT Brass
Inwood Hill Park 1, 3 pm
• Aaron Parks: “40th Birthday Celebration”
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Rob Mitzner
The Keep 9 pm
• Tamuz Nissim Quartet; Vanisha Gould Polite Jam
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êJihye Lee Orchestra
National Sawdust 7:30 pm $25• Ben Cassara with Nicki Adams, Sam Bevan
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Titan to Tachyons with Sally Gates, Matt Hollenberg, Trevor Dunn,
Kenny Grohowski; Sana Nagano’s Atomic Pigeons with Harvey Valdes,
Matt Hollenberg, Danny Sher Nublu 151 7 pm $20• Boncellia Lewis and Friends Patrick’s Place 12 pm $10êHerbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition
Perelman Performing Arts Center 6 pm
Red Rooster Harlem 4 pm
• Nate Lucas All-Stars• Jillian Grace; Mimi Jones and Jam
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 10 pm $20• Rocco John, Jack DeSalvo, Phil Sirois
Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Jovan Alexandre Trio; Aaron Johnson Boplicity and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êLarry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55
êJohnathan Blake with Dayna Stephens, Jalen Baker, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êBand of Bones

Monday, October 16

Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper with Norah JonesSony Hall 7, 9:30 pm $45

êOrpheus and Branford Marsalis Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 8 pm $38-149• Grove Street Stompers

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pmêMiles Okazaki Trio “Plays Thelonious Monk”

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Reginald Chapman’s Chaphouse with Maxx Spinelli, Julia Chen, Ryan Easter,Mark McIntyre, Eli Rojas

Barbès 7 pm $20

êVince Giordano And The Nighthawks

Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-40• Freelance with Justin Tyson, D.J. Ginyard, Chad Selph, Yasser Tejeda, Craig Hill,
Smithsoneon

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5êRoy Hargrove Big Band with Willie Jones III, Danton Boller, Saul Rubin,
Freddie Hendrix, Wayne Tucker, Duane Eubanks, Camèrahn Alforque,
Jason Jackson, James Burton, Rashaan Salaam, Max Seigel, Bruce Williams,
Mark Gross, Mike Lee, Keith Loftis, Jason Marshall: “Happy Birthday Roy!”
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-65• Nick Di Maria Quintet; Tyreek McDole Quartet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êMingus Big Band
Drom 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
Hunter College 8 pm
• Quinsin Nachoff• Spike Wilner Trio; Pasquale Grasso, Ari Roland, Keith Balla
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Uri Gurvich and E-Folk with Leo Genovese, Elias Meister, Panagiotis Andreou,Ronen Itzik
Nublu 151 8 pm $22.66
ê“Ronnie Cuber Memorial”
Saint Peter’s Church 6:30 pm
Smalls 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Evan Sherman TrioêVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êBobby Broom/Peter Bernstein Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30• Lafayette Harris Jr. Trio

Tuesday, October 17êLaurie Anderson with Sex Mob BAM Howard Gilman Opera House 8 pm $35-50• Sisukas Mies, Rob Duguay, Diego Voglino and Jam

Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Juan Falu with Federico Diaz, Leo Genovese, Juana Luna

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êSlavic Soul Party with John Carlson, Kenny Warren, Peter Hess, Peter Stan,

Tim Vaughn, Adam Dotson, Ken Bentley, Matt Moran, Chris Stromquist
Barbès 9 pm $20
êRon Carter’s Foursight Quartet with Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene,
Payton Crossley
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45

• Anderson Brothers: “Play Cole Porter”

Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30• Freelance with Justin Tyson, D.J. Ginyard, Chad Selph, Yasser Tejeda, Craig Hill,
Smithsoneon
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Vanderlei Pereira Trioê“Celebrating Eddie Harris”: Rufus Reid with Summer Camargo, Langston Hughes II,
Don Braden, Nia Harris, David Hazeltine, Ed Cherry, Ray Peterson, Aaron Ivey,
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45
Yvonne HarrisêConrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Family Plan with Andrew Boudreau, Simón Willson, Vicente Hansen
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm $10• Adam Birnbaum Trio; John Merrill Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
Scholes Street Studio 7:30 pm• Pascal Le Boeuf• Lucas Pino Quartet; Russell Hall Quintet
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
Swing 46 9 pm
• Robert Edwards Big BandêMatthew Whitaker
Symphony Space 7 pm $40-250êFred Hersch Trio + 1 with Miguel Zenón, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30• Cesar Orozco

Wednesday, October 18êMark ShimBar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêVanisha Gould
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Mamady Kouyate and his Mandingo Ambassadors
Barbès 10 pm $20
êRon Carter’s Foursight Quartet with Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene,
Payton Crossley
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45
êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band; Frank Vignola with
Pasquale Grasso
Birdland Theater 5:30, 8:30 pm $20-30• Robert Glasper with Amber NavranBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65
Brookfield Place’s Waterfront Plaza 5, 6:45 pm• Dabin Ryu Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Bebop Collective Quartet• Aaron Rimbui Swahili Nation with Kanjii Mbugua, Michael Olatuja,
Lumanyano Mzi, Yunie Mojica: “Kenya’s 60th Anniversary of Independence”
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-50êNeal Caine Quartet; Ricardo Grilli Quartet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êJames Paul Nadien/Steve Swell Freddy’s Backroom 7 pm
• Coplas Escondidas with Sofia Rei and Jorge Roeder
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-30• Butcher Brown; CARRTOONS Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $25• David Haney Ensemble; Nick Demopoulos, Lauren Lee, Jeremey Carlstedt;
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; pm Kenneth Jimenez, Ingrid Laubrock,
Chris Hoffman; Main Drag Conduction Orchestra
Main Drag Music 7 pm $15• Steve Cardenas Trio; Yuval Aminhai Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Frank Lacy/Ray Blue Quartets NAMA 8 pm
• Brenda Earle Stokes with Gary Wang, Ross Pederson
Pangea 7 pm $25
Public Records 7 pm $25.75• Daniel Villarreal• Harlem Jazz Session with Peter Brainin
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8, 10 pm $20
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $35• Peter Brendler QuartetêPatricia Brennan
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Tredici Bacci; Forro in the Dark The Sultan Room Room 7 pm
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Jill McCarronêFred Hersch Trio + 1 with Miguel Zenón, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Ragtime Band
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30

Thursday, October 19êHery Paz with Dave Liebman, Willy Rodriguez, Henry Jiminez

Academy Records 5 pm
• Adam Birnbaum/Kayvon Gordon with Adam Kolker, Jeremy Stratton
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Bubble Feed with Christina Courtin, Danny Fox
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Pre-War Ponies with Daria Grace, J. Walter Hawkes, Jim Whitney, Willie Martinez;
Sugartone Brass Band with Moses Patrou, Kenny Bentley, Conor Elmes,
Thomas Abercrombie, Steve Thomas, Scott Bourgeois, Tim Vaughn, Alex Asher
Barbès 8, 10 pm $20
êRon Carter’s Foursight Quartet with Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene,
Payton Crossley
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $35-45
êBill Mays Trio with Dean Johnson, Ron Vincent
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30• Robert Glasper with Amber NavranBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65
êBRIC JAZZFEST: Terrace Martin; Melanie Charles/Orrin Evans Duo; Isaiah Collier;
Reggie Workman’s Works In Progress with Ayana Workman, Jen Shyu,
Jason Hwang; Alexa Tarantino; Panikkar Rosner & Leigh
BRIC House Artist Studio 7 pm $50• Chuck Redd Quartet; Mariel Bildsten Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $5• Denise Thimes Experience; Mar Vilaseca
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $20-50• Mike DiRubbo Quartet; Ed Cherry Quartet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êMiya Masaoka with Ben Vida
e-flux 7 pm
• Sarah Hennies, Tristan Kasten-Krause
Issue Project Room 8, 9 pm $20
êElliott Sharp’s Aggregat Trio
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm• Steve LaSpina Trio; Cameron Campbell Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35

êJohn Zorn at 70: New Masada with Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder, Kenny Wollesen +Simulacrum with John Medeski, Matt Hollenberg, Kenny Grohowski
Miller Theatre 8 pm $25-30
êHarlem Blues and Jazz Band 50th Anniversary
National Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Tad Shull with Rob Schneiderman, Paul Gill, Joe Strasser
Ornithology 9 pm
Patrick’s Place 7 pm $10• Phil Young Experience
Silvana 9 pm
• Nate Hook
• Aaron Burnett Quartet; David Gibson Quartet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êJacky Terrasson Trio with Kenny Davis, Alvester Garnett
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55
êPatricia Brennan’s MOCH with Noel Brennan, Keisuke Matsuno
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Jill McCarronêFred Hersch Trio + 1 with Miguel Zenon, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, October 20• Family Concert: What is New Orleans Jazz?” with Catherine Russell

Rose Theater 3 pm $20-35
Silvana 7 pmêEndea Owens
Sistas’ Place 8, 9:30 pm $30• Jason Marshall Quartet; Eric Wyatt Quartet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êJacky Terrasson Trio with Kenny Davis, Alvester Garnett
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55
êPatricia Brennan/Adam O’Farrill The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Tribeca Performing Arts Center 8 pm $55-90• “Tango Legends”
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Jill McCarronêFred Hersch Trio + 1 with Miguel Zenón, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êJohn Zorn “Plays Harry Smith” The Whitney 4 pm

• Riley Burke

Sunday, October 22
American Legion Post 398 6 pm
• Seleno Clark Legacy Band
• Alex Kautz Quartet with John Ellis, Chico Pinheiro, Joe Martin
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Nick Finzer Big Band; Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra• Kalí Rodriguez Peña’s Mélange Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30

Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $20-40êSteve Kuhn Trio with Aidan O’Donnell, Billy Drummond

Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êBirdland Big Band; Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet with Renee Rosnes,êRobert Glasper X Dinner Party with Terrace Martin, Kamasi WashingtonêSteve Kuhn Trio with Aidan O’Donnell, Billy DrummondêPheeroan akLaff New African BrewêRobert Glasper X Dinner Party with Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington• Saul Rubin Trio

Jimmy Greene, Payton Crossley Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-45
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65

êBRIC JAZZFEST: Georgia Anne Muldrow; BIGYUKI; George Burton;

Jonathan Michel: “L’Ouverture”; Cisco Swank; Strings N Skins
BRIC House Artist Studio 7 pm $50• Richard Clements Quintet; Matt Martinez Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10• Denise Thimes Experience; Mar Vilaseca
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $20-50• Rick Germanson Quartet; JC Hopkins Biggish BandThe Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êCraig Harris “Tongues of Fire” Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7:30 pm $40• Sarah Hennies, Tristan Kasten-Krause: “Passing & Duo”
Issue Project Room 8, 9 pm $20
êSimon Moullier Trio with Luca Alemanno, Jongkuk Kim
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Joe Camardo/Marshall Herridge Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Allan Harris Quartet; Jon Davis Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êBobby Zankel Wonderful Sound 8 with Jaleel Shaw, Robin Eubanks,
Diane Monroe, Sumi Tonooka, Lee Smith, Pheeroan akLaff, Shayne V Frederick
Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church 7 pm
Patrick’s Place 8 pm
• Patience Higgins’ Jazz Jam• Eliane Amherd; Jason Marshall Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10, 11:45 pm $20• Jason Marshall Quartet; Philip Harper Quintet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êJacky Terrasson Trio with Kenny Davis, Alvester Garnett
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55
êPatricia Brennan with Anna Webber, Tomas Fujiwara
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Jill McCarronêFred Hersch Trio + 1 with Miguel Zenón, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êJohn Zorn “Plays Harry Smith” The Whitney 8 pmêKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake
Zankel Hall 9 pm $64-79

Saturday, October 21• JT Bowen & The Mighty Kings of Soul

Arthur’s Tavern 10 pm• Dan White Quintet with Josh Dion

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êEric Vloeimans/Will Holshouser Barbès 8 pm $20• Bill Saxton The Harlem All-Stars Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano; Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet

with Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene, Payton Crossley
Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-45
êSteve Kuhn Trio with Aidan O’Donnell, Billy Drummond
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper X Dinner Party with Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65
êBRIC JAZZFEST: Amina Claudine Myers Trio with Jerome Harris, Reggie
Nicholson; B. Cool-Aid; Miki Yamanaka Origami Project; Sarah Elizabeth Charles;
Trill Mega Jam with The Jungle; Nite Bjuti with Candice Hoyes, Val Jeanty,
Mimi Jones
BRIC House Artist Studio 7 pm $50• Frank Basile Quartet; Courtney Wright Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10êSteve Wilson/Lewis Nash with John Patittuci; Mar Vilaseca
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $25-60• Jason Tiemann Quartet; Richard Cortez BandThe Django 7:30, 9, 10:30, 12 am $25
êCraig Harris “Tongues of Fire” Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7:30 pm $40
êSanti Debriano’s Arkestra Bembe feat. George Garzone and Jack Walrath withAndrea Brachfeld, Ray Scro, TK Blue, Tommy Morimoto, Mamiko Watanabe,
Adrian Alvarado, Robby Ameen Iridium 8:30 pm $35-45• International Contemporary Ensemble: “John Cage’s Ryoanji”
Japan Society 8:30 pm $40• Tivon Pennicott Quartet with Idris Frederick, McKeen Myers, Kenn Salters
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Joe Camardo/Marshall Herridge Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $40• Allan Harris Quartet• Nick Millevoi/Kid Millions, Jim Sauter
P.I.T. 8 pm
• Allan Mitchell with Just Tones Patrick’s Place 7 pm $10

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65

Brooklyn Museum 2 pm
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5êSteve Wilson/Lewis Nash with Christian McBride
Dizzy’s Club 5:30, 7:30 pm $25-60
êJonny King Trio; Joe Strasser Trio
The Django 6:30, 8, 9:30, 11 pm, $25• Akiko Yano Trio with Will Lee, Chris Parker
Joe’s Pub 6 pm $25• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Yuko Togami
The Keep 9 pmêKendra Shank Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $35• Tahira Clayton with Addison Frei, Jon Michele
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Boncellia Lewis and Friends Patrick’s Place 12 pm $10
Red Rooster Harlem 4 pm
• Nate Lucas All-Stars• Richard Cortez; Mimi Jones and Jam
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 10 pm $20• Chase Elodia, Claire Dickson, Tyrone Alleno Walentiny
Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Will and Peter Anderson Quintet; Joe Magnarelli Quartet
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êJacky Terrasson Trio with Kenny Davis, Alvester Garnett
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55
Tribeca Performing Arts Center 2 pm $55-90• “Tango Legends”
êFred Hersch Trio + 1 with Miguel Zenón, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, October 23• Grove Street Stompers• Noé Socha/Tony Scherr

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êVince Giordano And The Nighthawks
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-40
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35• StoutêZaid Nasser Trio
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Juilliard Jazz Ensembles: “Mary Lou Williams: The Secular and the Sacred”
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-40• Marius Van Den Brink Quintet; Aaron Seeber Quartet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êMingus Big Band
Drom 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êStranger Days with Adam O’Farrill
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm $10• Fleurine with Vitor Goncalves; Pasquale Grasso, Ari Roland, Keith Balla
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Joe Farnsworth Trio; ELEW Trio and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Rory Stuart, Massimo Biolcati, Christian McGhee
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 43

Tuesday, October 24• Jenny Scheinman with Carmen Staaf, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êSlavic Soul Party with John Carlson, Kenny Warren, Peter Hess, Peter Stan,
Tim Vaughn, Adam Dotson, Ken Bentley, Matt Moran, Chris Stromquist
Barbès 9 pm $20
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Frank Catalano Quartet
Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30• Anderson Brothers• Stout with Shedrick Mitchell: “I Love You Nina”
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25-35
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Ehud Asherie Trio
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-45• Julius RodriguezêConrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25• Kevin Sun Trio with Walter Stinson, Kayvon Gordon
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm $10• Joris Teepe Trio; Chris Flory Trio Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êMarc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog
Public Records 7 pm $25.75
êCaroline Davis’ Alula with Chris Tordini, Jason Nazary, Nitcha Fame: “Captivity”
Roulette 8 pm $25-30
Shrine 8 pm
• Leni SternêSteve Nelson Quartet
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $35
Swing 46 9 pm
• Robert Edwards Big BandêRavi Coltrane Quintet with Jonathan Finlayson, Luis Perdomo, Robert Hurst,
Mark Whitfield Jr.
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
York College 7 pm
• Ethan MenjivarêBruce BarthZinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30

Wednesday, October 25êEri Yamamoto Trio

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Julien Lourau/Bojan Z• Harish Raghavan Quartet with Ben Wendel, Miki Yamanaka, Kayvon Gordon
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Mamady Kouyate and his Mandingo Ambassadors
Barbès 10 pm $20• Empire Wild with Ken Kubota, Mitch Lyon, Jiyong Kim
Baruch Performing Arts Center 7 pm $40
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Frank Catalano QuartetêDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band; Frank Vignola withRodney Jones, Mark Whitfield Birdland Theater 5:30, 8:30 pm $20-30êRobert Glasper “Tribute to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers”
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65
Brookfield Place’s Waterfront Plaza 5, 6:45 pm• Nicola Caminiti Quartet• Headhunters with Bill Summers, Mike Clark, Kyle Roussel, Donald Harrison,
Chris Severin
Café Wha? 7:30, 9:30 pm
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Greg Glassman Trio
• Adam Birnbaum with Brian Stark, Christ Church Riverdale Choir
Christ Church Riverdale 3 pm
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-50• Ashley Pezzotti• Tyler Blanton Quartet; David Cook Quintet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êJennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm with John Fedchock, Nate Mayland, Alan Ferber,Michael Eckroth, Evan Gregor, Don Peretz, Samuel Torres
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-30êKen Kobayashi, Rema Hasumi, Claire de Brunner, Zosha Warpeha; Josh Sinton,
Todd Neufeld, Billy Mintz; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea;
Briggan Krauss, Tony Scherr, Lukas Koenig; James Nadien Ensemble
Main Drag Music 7 pm $15• Dabin Ryu Trio; Adam Ray Trio Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35• Nancy Kelley/John Di Martino Pangea 7 pm $25• Harlem Jazz Session with Peter Brainin
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8, 10 pm $20
Silvana 7 pm
• Winterfisch Sextet
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $35• Adam Larson QuartetêKevin Hays, Ben Street, Billy Hart
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55
êErik Friedlander’s The Throw with Mark Helias, Ches Smith
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Sally Gates, Trevor Dunn, Greg Fox; Antinomie with Jack Lynch, Danny Sher
Sundown Bar 7 pm $15
Superfine 7 pm
• Ray Scro and Jazz Jam

NOTESPEAK 12
LISA MARIE SIMMONSMARCO CREMASCHINIFEDERICO NEGRIMARCO COCCONIMANUEL CALIUMILIVE AT NUBLU NYC
NOV 16 2023
DOORS 7:00 PM

151 AVE. C, NYC
NUBLU.NET• Antonio Ciacca

Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm

Mark Whitfield Jr.

Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

êRavi Coltrane Quintet with Jonathan Finlayson, Luis Perdomo, Robert Hurst,

Thursday, October 26
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Yasser Tejeda & Palotré• Eszter Balint and Friends with Felice Rosser

Barbès 8 pm $20• Karrin Allyson with Vitor Goncalves, Rafael Barata, Harvie S: “Brazilian Nights
and Beyond”
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Gabrielle Stravelli Quintet with Tim Armacost, Josh Richman, Pat O’Leary,
Eric Halvorson
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $25-35
êRobert Glasper “Tribute to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers”
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $50-65• LADAMA with Lara Klaus, Daniela Serna, Mafer Bandola, Sara Lucas
Brooklyn Bowl 8 pm $20• James Burton Quintet; Akiko Tsuruga Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $5êWycliffe Gordon; James Sarno Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $25-55• Jerome Sabbagh Quartet with Lex Korten, Ugonna Okegwo, Jochen Rueckert;
Chris Norton
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
Drom 8 pm $30• Pedrito MartinezêKevin Sun with Adam O’Farrill, Dana Saul, Walter Stinson, Simón Willson,
Matt Honor
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-30• Colin Stranahan Trio; Greg Murphy Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êBertha Hope Quintet: “Elmo Hope at 100”
National Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
Patrick’s Place 7 pm $10• Phil Young ExperienceêSparks Quartet with Chad Fowler, Eri Yamamoto, Steve Hirsh, William Parker
Roulette 8 pm $25-30• Tim Hegarty Quartet; Josh Evans Quintet
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êSteve Davis All-Star Sextet with Eddie Henderson, Ralph Moore, Cyrus Chestnut,
Essiet Essiet, Lewis Nash
Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55• Reggie Woods with Stanley Banks
SoulBK 7, 9 pmêFloating City with Erik Friedlander, Mark Helias, Sara Serpa
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Antonio Ciacca
êRavi Coltrane Quintet with Jonathan Finlayson, Luis Perdomo, Robert Hurst,
Mark Whitfield Jr.
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, October 27
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Armo• Big Lazy with Stephen Ulrich, Andrew Hall, Yuval Lion

Barbès 10 pm $20• Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30• Birdland Big Band; Karrin Allyson with Vitor Goncalves, Rafael Barata, Harvie S:“Brazilian Nights and Beyond” Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-40
êEthan Iverson Trio with Buster Williams, Billy Hart
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $25-35• Robert Glasper with D Smoke Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $60-85• Darrell Green Quartet; Jinjoo Yoo Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10êWycliffe Gordon; James Sarno Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $25-55• Joe Magnarelli Quartet; T.K. Blue Quartet
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êDafnis Prieto with Luciana Souza Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7, 9 pm $40• Francisco Lopez: “Virtuaural Electro-Mechanics”
Issue Project Room 8 pm $20
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-30• Juan Diego Villalobos
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Hyuna Park
• Michael Wolff Trio; Luther S. Allison Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êDiaspora with Ahmed Abdullah, Don Chapman, D.D. Jackson, Alain Martin,
Brandon Lewis, Monique Ngozi Nri
Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church 7 pm
• Chris Williams and Alaara with Grey McMurray, Sonya Belaya, Nicole Patrick
National Sawdust 7:30 pm $22êDavid Virelles and Glitch in the System with Eric McPherson, Morgan Guerin
Nublu 151 10 pm $22.66
Patrick’s Place 8 pm
• Patience Higgins’ Jazz JamRoom 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10, 11:45 pm $20• Elin Melgarejo; Alex KautzêSherman Irby and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis:“Musings of Cosmic Stuff”
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-175• John Chin Quintet; Greg Tardy Trio
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êSteve Davis All-Star Sextet with Eddie Henderson, Ralph Moore, Cyrus Chestnut,
Essiet Essiet, Lewis Nash
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55• Mange Maria Valencia, Alejandro Florez, Ricardo Gallo
Starr Bar 7 pmêHaywire with Erik Friedlander, Wendy Eisenberg
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Antonio Ciacca
êRavi Coltrane Quintet with Jonathan Finlayson, Luis Perdomo, Robert Hurst,
Mark Whitfield Jr.
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, October 28
Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10• Binky Griptite Halloween• Bill Saxton & The Harlem All-Stars
Bill’s Place 7, 9 pm $30• Eric Comstock with Sean Smith, Barbara Fasano; Karrin Allyson withVitor Goncalves, Rafael Barata, Harvie S: “Brazilian Nights and Beyond”
Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $25-40
êEthan Iverson Trio with Buster Williams, Billy Hart
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $25-35• Robert Glasper with D Smoke Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $60-85• Jade Synstelien Quartet; Jamale Davis Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30, 11 pm $10

44 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDêWycliffe Gordon; James Sarno Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:15 pm $25-55• David Gibson Quartet; Mark G. Meadows and The Movement“A Night Of (Stevie) Wonder”

The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25

Tom Rainey

Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $20

êMichel Gentile with Michael McGinnis, Jacob Garchik, Chris Lightcap,• Francisco Lopez: “Virtuaural Electro-Mechanics”

Issue Project Room 8 pm $20
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm
• Hyuna Park
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $40• Michael Wolff Trio
• Derrick Barnett with Jamaican Jazzmatazz
Patrick’s Place 7 pm $10êSherman Irby and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis:“Musings of Cosmic Stuff”
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-175• John Chin Quintet; Greg Glassman Quartet and Jam
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $40
êSteve Davis All-Star Sextet with Eddie Henderson, Ralph Moore, Cyrus Chestnut,
Essiet Essiet, Lewis Nash
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $40-55
êElectric Snowfall with Erik Friedlander, Ikue Mori, Kevin Norton
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
Two E Lounge 6, 7:45 pm• Antonio Ciacca
êRavi Coltrane Quintet with Jonathan Finlayson, Luis Perdomo, Robert Hurst,
Mark Whitfield Jr.
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êJoe Martin Quartet

Sunday, October 29• Night Service with John Lampley

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10

Barbès 8 pm $20• Stéphane Wrembel• Benny Benack III Band; Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Birdland 5:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $20-40êEthan Iverson Trio with Buster Williams, Billy Hart

Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $25-35• Robert Glasper with D Smoke Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $60-85
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Ned Goold TrioêWycliffe Gordon

Dizzy’s Club 5:30, 7:30 pm $25-55• Eitan Kenner Quartet; Craig Handy Quartet

The Django 6:30, 8, 9:30 11 pm, $25• Welf Dorr, Robert Boston, Dmitry Ishenko, Dalius Naujo
The Keep 9 pm

Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $35• Coarolyn Leonhart Trio
• Naama Gheber with Charlie Sigler, Dave Baron

North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm

• Boncellia Lewis and Friends Patrick’s Place 12 pm $10
Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm $25• Miriam Elhajli• Kate Kortum; Mimi Jones and Jam

Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6, 8, 10 pm $20• Tashi Dorji/Alex Zhang Hungtai Roulette 8 pm $25• Tyrone Allen, Samantha Feliciano, Neta Raanan

Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm

• Fabien Mary Quintet; Nick Hempton Quartet and Jam

Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35

êSteve Davis All-Star Sextet with Eddie Henderson, Ralph Moore, Cyrus Chestnut,

Essiet Essiet, Lewis Nash

Smoke 7, 9 pm $40-55

Mark Whitfield Jr.

Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

êRavi Coltrane Quintet with Jonathan Finlayson, Luis Perdomo, Robert Hurst,

Monday, October 30
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Grove Street Stompers• Night Service with John Lampley

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êVince Giordano And The Nighthawks

Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $20-40
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5êChampian Fulton, Akiko Tsuruga: “Lou Donaldson’s 97th Birthday Celebration”
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20-50• Spike Wilner Trio; Pasquale Grasso, Ari Roland, Keith Balla
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êCraig Taborn
Roulette 8 pm $25-30• Miki Yamanaka Trio and Jam Smalls 10:30 pm, 12 am $35
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Oz Noy, David Kikoski, John Benitez, Jeff “Tain” Watts
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30• Brazilian Grooves

Tuesday, October 31• Catherine Brookman

Bar LunÀtico 9, 10:30 pm $10êSlavic Soul Party with John Carlson, Kenny Warren, Peter Hess, Peter Stan,

Tim Vaughn, Adam Dotson, Ken Bentley, Matt Moran, Chris Stromquist
Barbès 9 pm $20
êMingus Big Band
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30-40• Anderson Brothers: “Play Cole Porter”
Birdland Theater 5:30 pm $20-30êBrian Charette Trio
Cellar Dog 7, 8:30 pm $5• Conrad Herwig And The Latin Side All-Stars
The Django 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm, 12 am $25
êKevin Sun Trio with Walter Stinson, Kayvon Gordon
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm $10
Ornithology Jazz Club 6:30, 9 pm
• Tobias Meinhart Quartet• Laurie Towers/John Pietaro, Dan Cooper Quartet; Gene Pritsker’s
Sound Liberation
Pangea 7 pm $20
êAlan Braufman with James Brandon Lewis, Chad Taylor, Patricia Brennan,
Ken Filiano
Public Records 7 pm $25.75• Kate Gentile with Jeremy Viner, Matt Mitchell, Kim Cass: “Find Letter X”
Roulette 8 pm $25-30
êFrank Lacy Quartet
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $35
Swing 46 9 pm
• Robert Edwards Big BandêTyshawn Sorey with Aaron Diehl, Matt Brewer
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
Zinc Bar 7, 8:30 pm $30• Luis Perdomo

Wednesday, February 1

CONNECTICUT
333 Lounge 7:30, 9:30 pm
10/15
(6:30
pm)
Greenwich
Jazz
Festival:
BennieWallace,
Godwin Louis, Ken Peplowski,
SethCluet			• Ian Douglas-Moore, Eric Wong, Dominic Coles;
Matt Munisteri, Donald
		
411 KVega, Peter Washington, Herlin Riley
Back Country Jazz (Greenwich, CT) backcountryjazz.org
êMonte Croft Trio

10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27 (7 pm) Bill’s All-Star Jazz Band
Bill’s Seafood (Westbrook, CT) billsseafood.com
10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25 (7 pm) Hartford Jazz Society presents Black-Eyed Sally’s
Jazz Jam
Black-Eyed Sally’s Southern Kitchen & Bar (Hartford, CT) blackeyedsallys.com
10/7 (4 pm) Michael Coppola Jam
10/11 (8 pm) Teddy Horangic
10/14 (4 pm) Gary Grippo Jam
10/21 (4 pm) Tony Di Jam
10/28 (4 pm) Chervansky, Tappan & Ice Jazz Jam
Café Nine (New Haven, CT) cafenine.com
10/6 (8 pm) Steve Hunt with Tucker Antell, Ervin Dhimo, Ziviu Pop
Donald L. Oat Theater (Norwich, CT) hartfordjazzsociety.com
10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30 (7:30 pm) Hartford Jazz Orchestra
Elicit Brewery (Manchester, CT) elicitbrewing.com
10/6 (8:30 pm) Terry Jenoure/Angelica Sanchez
10/13 (8:30 pm) Sara Serpa/André Matos with Dov Mansky
10/20 (8:30 pm) Ben Wolfe Quartet with Nicole Glover, Adam Birmbaum, Kush Abadey
10/27 (8:30 pm) Max Johnson Trio with Michael Sarin, Anna Webber
Firehouse 12 (New Haven, CT) firehouse12.com
10/20 (8 pm) Samara Joy
Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts (Storrs, CT) jorgensen.uconn.edu
10/11 (7:30 pm) Stanley Street Big Band
Kinsman Brewing Company hartfordjazzsociety
10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29 (11:30 am) Jeff Fuller
The Lobster Shack (East Haven, CT) lobstershackct.com
10/6 (7/9 pm) Rico Jones Quartet
10/27 (7/9 pm) Jenna Mammina with Rolf Sturm
Palace Theater Poli Club (Waterbury, CT) palacetheaterct.org/shows/jazz/
10/9 (6:30 pm) Nat Reeves, Steve Wilson, Rick Germanson, Jason Tiemann
10/23 (6:30 pm) Nat Reeves Trio with Mary DiPaolo, Molly Sayles
Parkville Market (Hartford, CT) hartfordjazzsociety.com
10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29 (12 pm) Dr. G’s Jazz Brunch with Gary Grippo
Quattro’s Italian Restaurant (Guilford, CT) hartfordjazzsociety.com
10/1 (8 pm) Nicole Zuraitis
10/6, 10/7 (8:30 pm) Javon Jackson with George Cables, David Williams,
Willie Jones III
10/12 (8 pm) Orrin Evans Trio with Luques Curtis, Mark Whitfield Jr.
10/13 (8 pm) Adam Birnbaum Trio with Matt Clohesy, Keita Ogawa
Side Door (Old Lyme, CT) thesidedoorjazz.com
NEW JERSEY
10/5 (8, 9:30 pm) Luisito Quintero
10/7 (8, 9:30 pm) Joe Daley Trio with Scott Robinson
10/11 (8, 9:30 pm) Jillian Grace
10/12 (8, 9:30 pm) Paul Carlon Trio
10/13 (8, 9:30 pm) Tardo Hammer Trio
10/14 (8, 9:30 pm) Dave Stryker Trio
10/19 (8, 9:30 pm) Silvano Monasterios
10/26 (8, 9:30 pm) Altin Sencaler Trio
10/28 (8, 9:30 pm) Allan Rubinstein Trio
Brush Culture (Teaneck, NJ) brvshcul7ur3.com
10/7 (3:30 pm) Jerry Weldon
10/14 (3:30 pm) Glenn Williams
10/21 (3:30 pm) Phillip Weborndoerfer
10/28 (3:30 pm) Akiko
Candlelight Lounge (Trenton, NJ) candlelighteventsjazz.com
10/5 (7:30 pm) Chris Stevens
Collingswood Community Center (Collingswood, NJ) jazzbridge.org
10/8 (3 pm) Bill Mays Trio
Madison Community Arts Center (Madison, NJ) madisonartsnj.org
10/6 (7 pm) Norman Mann and Rafiki
Monsignor Linder Plaza (Newark, NJ) monsignor-linder-plaza.business.site
10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29 (7 pm) Winard Harper Hosts The Jazz Jam
10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27 (8 pm) Winard Harper Hosts The Jazz Jam
Moore’s Lounge (Jersey City, NJ) winardharperjazz.com/moore-s-lounge
10/1 (6 pm) Ben Cassara Trio
10/4 (7 pm) Olli Soikkeli Trio
10/6 (6:30, 9 pm) Champian Fulton Trio with Fukushi Tainakas, Hide Tanaka
10/7 (6:30, 9 pm) John Korba Trio
10/20 (6:30, 9 pm) Eric Mintel Quartet with Dave Antonow, Dave Mohn, Nelson Hill
10/25 (7 pm) Adrian Cunningham Trio
Shanghai Jazz (Madison, NJ) shanghaijazz.com
10/3 (7, 8:30 pm) Sam Wilson Quartet and Jam
10/5 (7, 8:30 pm) Radam Schwartz Quartet
10/10 (7, 8:30 pm) Ariana Sowa Quartet and Jam
10/12 (7, 8:30 pm) Charlie Sigler Quartet
10/17 (7, 8:30 pm) Kieran Bonsignore Quartet and Jam
10/19 (7, 8:45 pm) Duane Eubanks Quartet
10/24 (7, 8:30 pm) Kristin Fields Quartet and Jam
10/26 (7, 8:45 pm) Adrian Cunningham Quartet
10/31 (7, 8:30 pm) Ryan Williamson Quartet and JamTavern on George (New Brunswick, NJ) tavernongeorge.com

100 MILES OUTNEW YORK
10/15 (7 pm) Gilad Hekselman
Artist Spot (Peekskill, NY) hightopproductions.net/south-street-jazz
10/7 (6 pm) Tad Shull, David Janeway, Mark Minkler, Ron Vincent
10/13 (7 pm) Peter Calo Band
10/14 (6 pm) Alex Smith Quartet with Tony Jefferson, Jennifer Vincent,
Dwayne Cook Broadnax
10/28 (6 pm) Eddie Allen Quartet
Bean Runner Café (Peekskill, NY) beanrunnercafe.com
10/20 (8 pm) Carole J. Bufford
10/22 (8 pm) Abel Selaocoe
Caramoor Jazz (Katonah, NY) caramoor.org
10/8 (8 pm) Soft Machine
The Colony (Woodstock, NY) colonywoodstock.com
10/21 (8 pm) Sana Nagano’s Smashing Humans
Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center (Poughkeepsie, NY) cunneen-hackett.org
10/5 (8 pm) Miles Griffith, Tom Dempsey, John Lang
10/12 (8 pm) Chris Byars, Jin Joo Yoo, John Lang
10/19 (8 pm) Bob Arthurs, Steve Lamatina, John Lang
10/26 (8 pm) Louise Rogers, Paul Odeh, John Lang
Divino Cucina (Hastings-On-Huson, NY) divinohastings.com
10/1 (7:30 pm) Kavita Shah
10/7 (7:30 pm) The Horn Section
10/22 (7:30 pm) Rachel Z Hakim
10/28 (7:30 pm) Ed Palermo Big BandThe Falcon (Marlboro, NY) liveatthefalcon.com
10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26 (7/8:30 pm) KJ Denhert with Paul Connors, Jon Doty:“Thursday Organ Groove”
10/7 (7:30/8:45 pm) The Professors with Mark Dziuba, Vinnie Martucci,
Jeff “Siege” Siegel, Rich Syracuse
10/21 (7:30/8:45 pm) Kathleen Hart Quintet with Sarah Cion, Steve Lamattina,
Mark Hagan, Art Lillard
Jazz at The Lodge (Ossining, NY) jazzatthelodge.com
10/1 (4, 6 pm) Monika Oliveira Brazilian Quartet
10/6, 10/7 (7, 9:30 pm) Tadataka Unno Septet
10/8 (4, 6 pm) Yotam Ben-Or Harmonica Quartet
10/13, 10/14 (7, 9:30 pm) Jim Snidero Quartet
10/15 (4, 6 pm) Brian Conigliaro Consort
10/20, 10/21 (7, 9:30 pm) Julius Rodriguez Quartet
10/22 (4, 6 pm) Samuel Martinelli Quartet with Scott Robinson
10/27, 10/28 (7, 9:30 pm) Big Chief Donald Harrison Quartet
10/29 (4, 6 pm) K. J. Denhert
Jazz Forum Arts (Tarrytown, NY) jazzforumarts.org
10/4 (1/7 pm) Tom Manuel Jazz Loft Trio; Keenan Zach Jam
10/8 (7 pm) Bill Crow Trio with Leonine Scheuble, Nick Scheuble
10/11, 10/18, 10/25 (7 pm) Keenan Zach Jam
10/19 (7 pm) Bad Little Big Band with Rich Iacona, Madeline Kole
10/20 (7 pm) Rubens de La Corte Brazilian Ensemble with Tom Manuel, Dennis Bulhoes,Corina Sabas, Mike Lavalle
10/21 (7 pm) Willie Steele Quintet
10/26 (7 pm) Interplay Jazz Orchestra
The Jazz Loft (Stony Brook, NY) thejazzloft.org
10/1 (12 pm) Tammy Brown
10/5 (8 pm) Kathleen Hart Quintet & Jam with Sarah Cion, Steve LaMattina,
Alex Gressel, Joe Corsello
10/7 (7/9 pm) Simona Daniele/Julian Brezon Quartet
10/8 (12 pm) Kieran Brown
10/12 (8 pm) Paul Francis Group and Jam with Matt Garrison, Jostein Gulbrandsen,
Dan Asher, Paul Francis
10/13 (7/9 pm) Randal Despommier Quartet with Jason Yeger, Aaron Holthus,
Rodrigo Recabarren
10/14 (7/9 pm) Jonathan Karrant Quartet with John Di Martinio, Woshi Waki,
Rogerio Boccato
10/15 (12 pm) Albert Ahlf
10/19 (8 pm) Philippe Lemm Trio and Jam with Sharik Hasan, Jeff Koch
10/20 (7/9 pm) Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet with, Hyuna Park, Jennifer Vincent,Mayra Casales
10/21 (7/9 pm) Davide Cerreta Quartet
10/22 (12 pm) Diva and the Boss Men
10/26 (8 pm) Dreamhunters with Gottfried Stoger, Sarah Jane Cion, Cameron Brown,
Andy Winter and Jam
10/27 (7/9 pm) Romero, Rodrigo Pahlen, Paloma de Vega: “A Celebration of Flamenco”
10/28 (7/9 pm) Alon Nechushtan Quartet
10/29 (12 pm) Jean Ramirez/Marc Devine
Jazz on Main (Mt. Kisco, NY) jazzonmain.com
10/14 (8 pm) Mat Maneri Quartet
Kingston Art Society (Kingston, NY) askforarts.org
10/8 (4 pm) Tani Tabbal Quartet with Joe McPhee, Adam Seigel, Michael Bisio
The Lace Mill (Kingston, NY) facebook.com/TheLaceMill
10/7 (7 pm) Neil Kirkwood Trio with Ron Horton, Tim Harrison
10/14 (7 pm) Eric DiVito Trio
10/21 (7 pm) Chad McLoughlin Trio with Rich Syracuse, Jeff Siegel
10/28 (7 pm) The Professors with Vinnie Martucci, Mark Dzubia, Rich Syracuse,
Jeff Siegel
Lydia’s Café (Stone Ridge, NY) lydias-cafe.com
10/6 (8 pm) Benito Gonzales Trio
10/13 (8 pm) Brazilian Jazz with Ben Sher, Greg Jones, Gary Fisher, Vanderlei Pereira
10/14 (8 pm) George Garzone Quartet with Dave Bryant, Chris Bowman, Jim Donica
10/20 (8 pm) Souren Baronian, Adam Good, Sprockit Royer, Lee Baronian, Mal Stei
10/21 (8 pm) Freddie Hendrix Quartet with Duane Eubanks, Anthony Wonsey

10/27 (8 pm) Duane Eubanks, Anthony Wonsey, Kyle Colina, Ocie Davis
Maureen’s Jazz Cellar (Nyack, NY) maureensjazzcellar.com
10/30 (8:30 pm) Bob Meyer Quartet with Jesse Lewis
Quinn’s (Beacon, NY) quinnsinbeacon.com/live-music
10/14 (6 pm) Sara Serpa/André Matos
Rough Draft Books (Kingston, NY) roughdraftny.com
10/29 (7 pm) Trevor Watts, Jaime Harris; Chris Turco, Matt Bauder
Tubby’s (Kingston, NY) tubbyskingston.com
10/27 (7 pm) Tivon Pennicott Band; Kevin Hays Trio
10/28 (7 pm) Sarah Elizabeth Charles Group; Sullivan County All-Stars
Tusten Theatre (Narrowsburg, NY) delawarevalleyartsalliance.org
10/7 (7:30 pm) Mala Waldron
10/28 (7:30 pm) Anne Carpenter/Peter Calo
Westchester Collaborative Theater (Ossining, NY) wctheater.org/music-in-the-box
PENNSYLVANIA
10/4 (7:30 pm) Kendrah Butler-Walters
Cheltenham Center for the Arts (Cheltenham, PA) jazzbridge.org
10/4 (7:30/9 pm) Mattew R. Smith Trio with John Sheeh, Eric Ficarra
10/5 (7:30/9 pm) Nick Di Maria Quintet with Josh Walker, Michael Carabello,
Conway Campbell, Jimmy Gavagan
10/6 (7:30/9:30 pm) Imani Records All-Stars with Lenora Helm Hammonds
10/7 (7:30/9:30 pm) Jonathan Michel Trio with Christie Dashiell
10/11 (7:30/9 pm) Lora Sherrodd
10/12 (7:30/9 pm) Nicholas Krolak
10/13 (7:30/9:30 pm) Jonathan Michel Quartet with John Ellis, Anwar Marshall,
Kayla Childs “”Celebrates Shirley Scott””
10/14 (7:30/9:30 pm) Don Braden Quartet with Miki Hayama, Kenny Davis,
Jeremy Warren
10/18 (7:30/9 pm) Ikechi Onyenaka Quintet
10/19 (7:30/9 pm) Conner O’Neill Quartet
10/20 (7:30/9:30 pm) Tim Brey Sextet
10/25 (7:30/9 pm) Flesh World with Justin Vedovelli, Peter Rushing, Carter Vames
10/26 (7:30/9 pm) Robert Boyd Jr. Quintet with Charles Washington, James Santangelo,
Madison Rast, Khary Shaheed
10/27, 10/28 (7:30/9:30 pm) Cyrus Chestnut Trio
Chris’ Jazz Café (Philadephia, PA) chrisjazzcafe.com
10/1 (5 pm) Bill Mays Trio with Dean Johnson, Ron Vincent
10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26 (7 pm) Jazz Jam with Bill Washer
10/6 (7 pm) Broadway Brassy & The Brass Knuckles with Marius Van Den Brink,
Sam Trapchak, Alex Wyatt
10/7 (7 pm) Max Siegel, Jay Rattman
10/8 (5 pm) Joanie Samra Trio with Skip Wilkins, Paul Rostock
10/13 (7 pm) Roseanna Vitro
10/14 (7 pm) Minas
10/15 (5 pm) Corinne Mammana Trio with Tom Kozic, Paul Rostock
10/20 (7 pm) Sarah Partridge Quartet with Allen Farnham, Bill Moring, Tim Horner
10/21 (7 pm) Anderson Brothers with Will Anderson, Peter Anderson, Chuck Redd,
Daniel Duke
10/22 (5 pm) Spin Cycle with Tom Christensen, Pete McCann, Phil Palombi,
Scott Neumann
10/27 (7 pm) Miki Yamanaka
10/28 (7 pm) Nellie McKay
10/29 (5 pm) Griffin Woodard Quintet with Cameron Campbell, Daniel Spearman,
Miles Gilbert, Hugh Kline
10/30 (7:30 pm) Water Gap Jazz Orchestra with Matt VashlishanDeer Head Inn (Delaware Water Gap, PA) deerheadinn.com
10/10 (8 pm) Sara Serpa/André Matos
Fire Museum (Philadelphia, PA) firemuseumpresents.com
10/15 (4 pm) Bill Mays Trio
First Presbyterian Church (Clarks Summit, PA) fpccs.org
10/23 (7:30 pm) Spin Cycle with Tom Christensen, Pete McCann, Phil Palombi,
Scott Neumann
Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu
10/17 (7:30 pm) Eric Vloeimans & Will Holshouser
Saint John’s Lutheran Church (Phoenixville, PA) stjohnluthphoenixville.org
10/4 (8 pm) Soft Machine
Sellersville Theater (Sellersville, PA) st94.com
10/2 (8 pm) Anna Webber’s Shimmer Wince
10/6 (8 pm) Dezron Douglas Quintet
10/7 (8 pm) Mat Maneri Quartet
10/8 (8 pm) Prism Quartet and Susie Ibarra
10/12, 10/13 (8 pm) Glass Band with Steve Gunn, Bill Nace, John Truscinski
10/14 (8 pm) mssv with Mike Baggetta, Stephen Hodges, Mike Watt
10/15 (8 pm) Charlie Hall/Chris Forsyth10/20, 10/21 (8 pm) Daniel Villarreal
10/27 (8 pm) Adegoke Steve Colson Universal Unity Trio
10/28 (8 pm) Nick Millevoi’s Digital Reaction
Solar Myth (Philadelphia, PA) arsnovaworkshop.org
10/1 (6:30, 8:30 pm) Raimundo Santos “Raisan”
10/5 (7, 9 pm) Steve Oliver
10/6, 10/7 (7, 9:30 pm) Nicole Henry
10/8 (6:30, 8:30 pm) Romona’s Transformations
10/12, 10/13 (7, 9 pm) Mike Phillips
10/14, 10/15 (7, 9:30 pm) Irwin Hall Organ Trio with Imani Rouselle
10/19, 10/20, 10/21, 10/22 (7, 9 pm) Alex Bugnon
10/26, 10/27, 10/28, 10/29 (7, 9 pm) Eric Darius
South Jazz Club (Philadelphia, PA) southjazzkitchen.com
10/18, (7:30 pm) Eric Vloeimans & Will Holshouser
Temple Ambler Learning Center Auditorium (Ambler, PA) ambler.temple.edu

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 45

C LU B D I RE C TO RY• 440Gallery 440 Sixth Ave., Brooklyn(718-499-3844) Subway: F, G to Seventh Ave.
440gallery.com• 59E59 Theaters 59 E. 59th Str.
(212-753-5959) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 59th Str.
59e59.org• The 92nd Street Y Lexington Ave. at 92nd Str.
(212-415-5500) Subway: 6 to 96th Str.
92y.org• Academy Records 12 W. 18th Str.
(212-242-3000) Subway: F, M to 14th Str. ; L to Sixth Ave.
academy-records.com• All Saints Episcopal Church Brooklyn 286-88 7th Ave., Brooklyn(718-768-1156) Subway: F, G, to 7th Ave.; D,N, R, W to Uion Str.
allsaintsparkslope.org• Arthur’s Tavern 57 Grove Str.
(212-675-6879) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str.
arthurstavernnyc.com• BAM Howard Gilman Opera House 30 Lafayette Ave at Ashland Pl, Fort Greene,
Brooklyn(718-636-4100) Subway: M, N, R, W to Pacific Str. ; Q, 1, 2, 4, 5 to Atlantic Ave.
bam.org• Bar Bayeux 1066 Nostrand Ave.
(347-533-7845) Subway: 2, 5 to Sterling Str.
barbayeux.com• Bar LunÀtico 486 Halsey Str.
(917-495-9473) Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Ave.
barlunatico.com• Barbès 376 9th Str. at 6th Ave., Brooklyn(718-965-9177) Subway: F to 7th Ave.
barbesbrooklyn.com• Baruch Performing Arts Center 17 Lexington Ave. at 23rd Str.
(646-312-3924) Subway: 6 to 23rd Str.
baruch.cuny.edu/bpac• Bill’s Place 148 W. 133rd Str. btwn. Lenox and 7th Ave.
(212-281-0777) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Str.
billsplaceharlem.com• Birdland 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, C, E, F, V Grand Str. Shuttle to W. 4th Str.
bluenotejazz.com• BRIC House Artist Studio 647 Fulton Str.
(718-683-5600) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins Str.
bricartsmedia.org• Brookfield Place’s Waterfront Plaza 230 Vesey Str.
(212-978-1673) Subway: 2, 3 to Park Place
bfplny.com• Brooklyn Bowl 61 Wythe Ave.
(718-963-3369) Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
brooklynbowl.com• Brooklyn Museum of Art 200 Eastern Parkway(718-638-5000) Subway: 2, 3 to Eastern Parkway
brooklynmuseum.org• Cellar Dog 75 Christopher Str. at 7th Ave.
(212-675-6056) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str. /Sheridan Sq.
cellardog.net• Chelsea Table + Stage Hilton Fashion District Hotel, 152 W 26th Str.
(212-434-0499) Subway: C, E to 23rd Str.; R, W to 28th Str.
chelseatableandstage.com• Children’s Magical Garden de Carmen Rubio 129 Stanton Str.
Subway: F to Second Ave.
artsforart.org• Christ and St. Stephen’s Church 120 W. 69th Str.
Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd Str.
• Christ Church Riverdale 5030 Henry Hudson Parkway(718-543-1011) Subway: 1 to 231st Str.
• Church Street School For Music and Art 41 White Str.
(212-571-7290) Subway: 1, 2 to Franklin Str.
churchstreetschool.org• Cut by Wolfgang Puck 99 Church Str.
(646-880-1995) Subway: E to WTC; A, C to Chambers Str.
wolfgangpuck.com• The DiMenna Center 450 W. 37th Str.
(212-594-6100) Subway: A, C, E to 34h Str. -Penn Station
dimennacenter.org• 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• e-flux 172 Classon Ave., Brooklyn
Subway: G to Classon Ave.
e-flux.com• The Ear Inn 326 Spring Str. at Greenwich Str.
(212-246-5074) Subway: C, E to Spring Str.
earinn.com• First Street Green 33 E. First Str. near Second Ave.
Subway: F, V to Second Ave.

• Flushing Town Hall 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing(718-463-7700) Subway: 7 to Main Str.
flushingtownhall.org• Fort Greene Park Myrtle Ave. at Cumberland Str.
• Freddy’s Backroom 627 5th Ave., Brooklyn(718-768-0131) Subway: R to Prospect Ave.
freddysbar.com• Greenwich House Music School 46 Barrow Str.
(212-242-4770) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str.
greenwichhouse.org• Harlem Stage Gatehouse 150 Convent Ave. at W. 135th Str.
(212-650-7100) Subway: 1 to 137th Str.
harlemstage.org• Hunter College 695 Park Ave. at 68th Str.
(212-772-5207) Subway: 6 to 68th Str.
hunter.cuny.edu• Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Str. btwn. Second and Third Ave.
Subway: F to 4th Ave.
ibeambrooklyn.com• Inwood Hill Park
Subway: A train to 207 Str.
• Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Str.
(212-582-2121) Subway: 1,2 to 50th Str.
theiridium.com• Issue Project Room 22 Boerum Pl.
(718-330-0313) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Borough Hall
issueprojectroom.org• Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 161-04 Jamaica Ave., Queens(718-658-7400) Subway: E to Jamaica Centerjcal.org• Japan Society 333 E. 47th Str.
(212-832-1155) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 42nd Str.
japansociety.org• Joe’s Pub 425 Lafayette Str.
(212-539-8770) Subway: N, R to 8th Str. -NYU; 6 to Astor Pl.
joespub.com• The Keep 205 Cypress Ave., Queens(718-381-0400) Subway: L to Jefferson Str.
thekeepny.com• Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 33 University Pl. at 9th Str.
(212-228-8490) Subway: N, R to 8th Str. -NYU
knickerbockerbarandgrill.com• Kostabi World 225 W. 22nd Str.
Subway: C, E to 23rd Str.
• L’Amico 849 6th Ave.
(212-201-4065) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 28th Str.
lamico.nyc• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Str.
(212-228-4854) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Str.
lepoissonrouge.com• LeFrak Hall, Queens College 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing(718-793-8080) Subway: 7 to Main Str., The n bus• Lowlands 543 Third Ave., Brooklyn(347-463-9458) Subway: R to Prospect Ave.
lowlandsbar.com• Main Drag Music 50 S. 1st Str. between Kent and Wythe Ave.
(718-388-6365) Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
maindragmusic.com• Marcus Garvey Park 120th Str. btwn. Mt. Morris Park and Madison Ave.
(212-201-PARK) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to 125th Str.
jazzmobile.org• Mezzrow 163 W. 10th Str.
(646-476-4346) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str.
smallslive.com• Miller Theatre 2960 Broadway and 116th Str.
(212-854-7799) Subway: 1 to 116th Str. -Columbia University
millertheater.com• Mise-En Place 341 Calyer Str.
(929-400-3636) Subway: G to Greenpoint Ave.
place.mise-en.org• Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church 15 Mount Morris Park West(212-831-6800) Subway: 2, 3 to 125 Str.
• National Jazz Museum in Harlem 58 W.129th St.
(212-348-8300) Subway: 2,3 to 135th Str.
jmih.org• National Sawdust 80 N. 6th Str.
(646-779-8455) Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
nationalsawdust.org• 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
Subway: L to 1st Ave.
nublu.net• Ornithology Jazz Club 6 Suydam Str., Brooklyn(917-231-4766) Subway: J, M, Z to Myrtle Ave.
ornithologyjazzclub.com• The Owl Music Parlor 497 Rogers Ave.
(718-774-0042) Subway: Subway: 2 to to Sterling Str.
theowl.nyc• P.I.T. 411 South 5th Str., Brooklyn(347-763-0333) Subway: J, M to Hewes Str.
propertyistheft.org• Pangea 178 Second Ave.
(212-995-0900) Subway: L to First Ave.
pangeanyc.com

46 October 2023 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Patrick’s Place 2835 Frederick Boulevard(212-491-7800) Subway: B, D to 155th Str.
patricksplaceharlem.com• Perelman Performing Arts Center 251 Fulton Str.
(212-266-3000) Subway: N, R, W to Cortlandt Str.; E to WTC; 2, 3 to Park Place
pacnyc.org• Pioneer Works 159 Pioneer Str., Brooklyn(718-596-3001) Subway: Bus: B61
pioneerworks.org• Public Records 233 Butler Str.
(347-529-4869) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R to Atlantic Ave.
publicrecords.nyc• Rizzoli Bookstore 1133 Broadway(212-759-2424) Subway: R, W to 28th Str.
rizzolibookstore.com• Room 623 at B2 Harlem 271 W. 119th Str.
(212-280-2248) Subway: B, C to 116th Str.
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.
(917-267-0363) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Ave.
roulette.org• Saint Peter’s Church 619 Lexington Ave. at 54th Str.
(212-935-2200) Subway: 6 to 51st Str.
saintpeters.org• Scholes Street Studio 375 Lorimer Str.
(718-964-8763) Subway: L to Lorimer Str.; G to Broadway
scholesstreetstudio.com• Shrine 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. btwn. 133rd & 134th Str.
(212-690-7807) Subway: B, 2, 3 to 135th Str.
shrinenyc.com• Silvana 300 W. 116th Str.
(646-692-4935) Subway: B, C, to 116th Str.
silvana-nyc.com• Smalls 183 W 10th Str. at Seventh Ave.
(212-252-5091) Subway: 1 to Christopher Str.
smallslive.com• Smoke 2751 Broadway btwn. 105th and 106th Str.
(212-864-6662) Subway: 1 to 103rd Str.
smokejazz.com• Sony Hall 235 W. 46th Str.
(212-997-5123) Subway: N, R, W to 49th Str.
sonyhall.com• SoulBK 706 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn(347-240-8440) Subway: S to Park Pl.; 2, 5 to President Str.
soulbk.com• Spectrum 481 Van Brunt Str., Door 7A, Brooklyn
Subway: F, G to Smith-9th Str.
spectrumnyc.com• St. Paul’s Chapel 209 Broadway(212-233-4164) Subway: 4, 5, A, C to Fulton Str.
trinitywallstreet.org• Starr Bar 214 Starr Str.
(718-821-1100) Subway: L to DeKalb Ave.
starrbar.com• Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 881 Seventh Ave.
(212-247-7800) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th- Seventh Ave.
carnegiehall.org• The Stone at The New School 55 West 13th Str.
(212-229-5600) Subway: F, V to 14th Str.
thestonenyc.com• The Sultan Room 234 Starr Str.
(612-964-1420) Subway: L to Jefferson Str.
thesultanroom.com• Sundown Bar 68-38 Forst Ave., Queens(917-966-6078) Subway: M to Forest Ave.
sundownbar.com• Superfine 126 Front Str., Brooklyn(718-243-9005) Subway: A, C to High Str.
superfine.nyc• Swing 46 349 W. 46th Str.
(646-322-4051) Subway: A, C, E to 42nd Str.
swing46.com• Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre 2537 Broadway at 95th Str.
(212-864-5400) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Str.
symphonyspace.org• Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers Str.
(212-220-1460) Subway: A, 1, 2, 3 to Chambers Str.
tribecapac.org• Two E Lounge 2 E. 61st Str.
(212-940-8113) Subway: N, R, W to Fifth Ave.
thepierreny.com• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Ave. South at 11th Str.
(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Str.
villagevanguard.com• York College CUNY, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Queens
Subway: E to Jamaica Centeryork.cuny.edu• Zankel Hall 881 Seventh Ave. at 57th Str.
(212-247-7800) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th Str.
carnegiehall.org• Zinc Bar 82 W. 3rd Str.
(212-477-8337) Subway: A, C, E, F, V, Grand Str. Shuttle to W. 4th Str.
zincbar.com

I N ME MORIAM

BY THOMAS STAUDTER

MAE ARNETTE (Aug. 8, 1931 – Jul. 30, 2023) “Boston’s
first lady of song”, Arnette died at 91 in Dorchester, MA,
where she lived. Born in NY, the vocalist sang in churchand gospel groups before studying classical music andtraining as a singer at the High School for Music and Art. As
a professional vocalist, she started working in NYC before
settling in Boston after a visit in 1952. Over the next two
decades Arnette became a mainstay in the Boston scene,
headlining club dates and working with numerous visiting
jazz luminaries. She also performed in theater and on TV
while recording several singles (her “Chica Mejicanita”
was used on the Netflix series Stranger Things). In the’70s Arnette was on the vocal faculty at the New EnglandConservatory of Music and officially retired in 2007.

band. Later, Garside started a concert promotion agency
and founded the Wigan Jazz Festival in 1986.

DENIS BADAULT (May 24, 1958 – Jul. 24, 2023) The pianist,composer and bandleader died at 65 in Montpellier, France.
Badault was born in Versailles; he founded the 13-piece
Bande à Badault in 1982, and led or co-led several groups,
including Trio Bado, H3B and the Three Pianos, recording
18 albums along the way. Badault taught at the Toulouse
Conservatory and was made a Knight of the Order of Artsand Letter by the French Minister of Culture.

TRISTAN HONSINGER (Oct. 23, 1949 – Aug. 5, 2023) The
free jazz cellist and performance artist died at 73 in Trieste,
Italy. Born in Burlington, VT, and classically trained at the
New England Conservatory of Music, Honsinger moved
to Montreal, Canada, in 1969 to avoid the draft, where hefell under the spell of Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman.
Interested in the free jazz movement in Europe, he moved to
the Netherlands in 1974, and became a fixture of the InstantComposers Pool orchestra cofounded by Han Bennink andMisha Mengelberg. He made his recording debut on Duo
with Derek Bailey (1976), and later collaborated for several
years with Cecil Taylor (most famously on The Hearth, alive recording from 1988 with Evan Parker), as well as with
Steve Lacy, Lol Coxhill and members of Italy’s Gruppo di
Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza. His discography
includes a live quintet recording with four string players
and percussionist Louis Moholo-Moholo, released as Mapof Moods (1996), and a solo cello album titled A Camel’s Kiss
(2000). In 2021, Honsinger published a collection of shortstories and poems, Wander and Wonder.

BILLY BROOKS (May 25, 1943 – Aug. 21, 2023) Drummer
and flutist Brooks died at 80. Born Billie Lee Lewis, hemoved to Europe in 1964, and the following year recordedwith Nathan Davis and Tete Montoliu. Later, he worked
with Woody Shaw, Sal Nistico, Benny Bailey, Slide
Hampton and Philip Catherine. Brooks recorded with Fritz
Pauer, as well as with El Babaku, a percussion group hefounded, which released one album, Live at the Jazz Galerie(1971). He taught at the Swiss Jazz School Bern from 1972
until retiring in 2008.
JAMES CASEY (Nov. 22, 1982 – Aug. 28, 2023) A widely
admired saxophonist known for his work in the Trey
Anastasio Band and Bill Kreutzman’s Billy & the Kids,
Casey died at 40 from colon cancer. Raised in Phoenix,
AZ, he began playing sax at 9 years old. He studied at the
Berklee College of Music and played with Soulive andLettuce before moving to NYC, eventually working withmany major artists and acts, including Roy Hargrove, Dave
Matthews Band and John Legend. He released a collectionof holiday music, A Little Something for Everyone last year,
while serving as an advocate for early detection testing forcolorectal cancer.
CURTIS FOWLKES (Mar. 19, 1950 – Aug. 31, 2023) A
trombonist and vocalist who was a fixture in NYC’s
downtown music scene for four decades, Fowlkes died at
73 in Brooklyn from congestive heart failure. A Brooklyn
native, he attended Samuel J. Tilden High School and
Borough of Manhattan Community College, where helearned to play trombone. While playing in the Big Apple
Circus band, he became friends with a fellow bandmate,saxophonist Roy Nathanson and together they founded
The Jazz Passengers in 1987 after playing in John Lurie’s
Lounge Lizards. The Jazz Passengers went on to record
11 albums, which often featured notable musical artists
including Deborah Harry, Jeff Buckley, Jimmy Scottand Elvis Costello. Fowlkes also had significant musicalpartnerships with Bill Frisell, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial
Territory Orchestra, Elliott Sharp, Charlie Haden, Don
Byron, Henry Threadgill’s Very Very Circus and Glen
Hansard. His sole album as leader, Reflect, was released in
1999.
ERNIE GARSIDE (Jan. 3, 1932 – Aug. 1, 2023) The
trumpeter and jazz promoter died at 91 in Manchester,
England, where he lived. Career-wise, Garside started out apainter and decorator, but his weekly jazz record parties at
a Manchester coffee bar led to presenting concerts and thenopening Club 43, which became one of northern England’s
top jazz haunts, and where he welcomed scores of American
jazz artists, including Maynard Ferguson (who moved toManchester in 1967). Garside managed Ferguson for 10
years, beginning in 1968, and also played in his British big

DIETRICH GELDERN (Aug. 17, 1937 – Jul. 30, 2023)
A versatile clarinetist and alto saxophonist whose work
stretched from traditional to modern jazz, Geldern died at
85 in Wiesbaden, Germany. As a side musician, Geldern
worked with Mezz Mezzrow and Memphis Slim in Paris,but most of his activity was in different German bands: theBenno Walldorf Blues Combo, New Orleans Jazz Babies,
Dixieland Swing Company and Woog City Stompers, aswell as his own Swingtet (with whom he recorded) and
Theimann-Geldern Quartet. For several years he traveledworldwide in the Lufthansa Jazz Band.

PETE MAGADINI (Jan. 25, 1942 – Aug. 13, 2023) A jazzand popular music drummer, longtime educator andinstruction book author, Magadini died at 81 in Boise, ID.
Born in Great Barrington, MA, he grew up in California
and Arizona, where he started drumming at 15 and cut
singles with Lee Hazlewood while still in high school. He
received degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory ofMusic (where he formed his first group with classmate
George Duke) and University of Toronto while working
at Tanglewood in the Berkshire Music Festival Orchestra
and with the Don Menza Quartet, and touring with Bobbie
Gentry and Diana Ross. Magadini recorded several albums
as a leader, most notably Polyrhythm and Bones Blues, while
also working as a side musician for Mose Allison and Al
Jarreau. His studies with Indian tabla player Mahapurush
Misra led to three highly-regarded books on polyrhythms.
SYLVIA MDUNYELWA (Oct. 23, 1948 – Aug. 23, 2023)
The much-loved South African vocalist, actress and radio
host died at 74 in Cape Town. Born in the Langa townshipof Cape Town, Mdunyelwa grew up in a musical family
listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen
McRae. Her professional singing career began with bassist
Victor Ntoni’s sextet in the early ’70s, and in ensuing years
worked steadily in Cape Town’s jazz scene while also
starring in theatrical productions and then studying acting
at UCLA as a result. An international touring artist, shereleased her debut album, African Diva (1988), and a followup, Ingoma, two years later. For many years she presented aregular jazz program on a Cape Town radio station.
DOM MINASI (Mar. 6, 1943 – Aug. 1, 2023) The guitarist
and educator died at 80 following an extended illness.
Born in NYC, he grew up in Queens and started playing
guitar at 7, studying first with Joe Genelli, and later withSal Salvador, Dan Duffy and Jim Hall. When he was 14,
Minasi saw Johnny Smith perform at Birdland and decided
to become a professional musician; a year later he hadformed his first trio and joined the musicians union. Signed
to Blue Note Records in 1974, he released two albums
before deciding to focus on composing and arranging.
For many years, Minasi worked in theater bands andas a music teacher in the NYC public schools (he wrote
over 300 children’s songs used to teach literacy), while
gigging occasionally. At 47, he earned a music degree incompositional theory at Lehman College in the Bronx,
studying with John Corigliano and Dr. Monroe Cooper. In
2000, Minasi launched the independent CDM record labelwith his wife, vocalist Carol Mennie, in order to releasehis own recordings without any artistic interference; thefirst release was Minasi’s Takin’ the Duke Out. A committed
improviser with a penchant for avant garde settings, hebounced back from quadruple bypass surgery in 2002 to
release 17 albums, including 2021’s Eight Hands, One Mindwith fellow guitarists Hans Tammen, Harvey Valdes andBriggan Krauss.
ROBERT PETTINELLI (Nov. 22, 1926 – Aug. 27, 2023)
Recognized as one of the first French bebop saxophonists,
Pettinelli died at 97 in Marseilles, where he was born. While
studying to be a pharmacist, he won the Jazz Hot Cup forbest orchestra and the Selmer Prize for best soloist in the1949 Paris International tournament. Over the years hestarred in the Marseilles jazz scene and worked with many
top European and visiting American jazz artists.
MORGAN POWELL (Jan. 7, 1938 – Aug. 20, 2023) The
trombonist, composer and educator died at 85 in Champaign,IL, from pancreatic cancer. Born in Graham, TX, Powell grew
up in rural West Texas; at age 6 he was picking cotton. A
trombone prodigy, he graduated from North Texas State
University in 1959, and returned two years later as an
instructor, and helped integrate the Two O’Clock Band.
Powell also taught at Berklee College of Music and the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he received
a doctorate in music composition and later taught for nearly
30 years. Powell played in several jazz groups, but is best
known as a prolific composer of jazz and chamber works.
The Waterclown, a work for soprano and chamber orchestra,
was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2000.
EARL SCHEELAR (Jul. 9, 1929 – Jul. 28, 2023) Primarily
a cornet and clarinet player who led traditional jazzgroups over the course of 60-plus years, Scheelar died at
94 in Berkeley, CA. Originally from Oregon, Scheelar ran asuccessful Volkswagen repair shop in Berkeley, where hebegan hosting jam sessions, which led to his opening Earl’s
New Orleans House in 1966, and starting a band there as
well. Over the years, he also led the Funky New Orleans
Jazz Band in the ’70s and the Zenith Parade band from 1989
to 2020, while also working as a side musician.
MÁTYÁS SZANDAI (Jul. 1, 1977 – Aug. 29, 2023) The
bassist, a major figure in the Hungarian jazz scene and best
known for his work in the Mihály Dresch Quartet, died at 46
in Paris, France. Born in Balassagyarmat, Hungary, he began
playing professionally at 16 and graduated from the Liszt
Ferenc University of Music. Szandai worked and recordedwith Hungary’s leading jazz artists, and served as a side
musician for notables such as Herbie Mann, Chico Freeman,
William Parker and Chris Potter. He had lived in Paris since2010; his debut album, Sādhana, was released in 2020.
TOM WILLIAMS (Dec. 4, 1962 – Aug. 7, 2023) The
trumpeter and lifelong resident of Baltimore, MD, died at 60
from a heart attack. The son of saxophonist Whit Williams,
he began playing trumpet at 6 and drums in high school.
While studying music at Towson State University, Williams
was offered a spot in the Duke Ellington Orchestra, under
the direction of Mercer Ellington, before touring with Ray
Charles and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band under Jon Faddis.
While enlisted, he played in several U.S. Army bands, thenaccepted a position in the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks
Orchestra. As a side musician, Williams worked with
Jimmy Heath, Gary Bartz, Larry Willis and Steve Wilson,
appearing on over 30 recordings; the trumpeter’s firstalbum as a leader was Introducing Tom Williams (1991).
Williams was the jazz trumpet professor at the Universityof Maryland, Baltimore County, and an honor guard bugler
for the Maryland National Guard.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2023 47