DECEMBER 2021—ISSUE 236

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENE

JOHNATHAN

HOLIDAY
GIFT
GUIDE

BLAKE
STEPPING OUT FRONTMARSWILLIAMSMILES
OKAZAKINYCJAZZRECORD.COM

PHIL
RANELIN

MICHELPETRUCCIANI

Managing Editor:
Laurence Donohue-Greene
Editorial Director &Production Manager:
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

DECEMBER 2021—ISSUE 236
MISCELLANY

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

NEW YORK@NIGHT

Andrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW : MARS WILLIAMSAdvertising:advertising@nycjazzrecord.com
Calendar:calendar@nycjazzrecord.com
VOXNews:
voxnews@nycjazzrecord.com
US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $40
Canada Subscription rates: 12 issues, $45
International Subscription rates: 12 issues, $50
For subscription assistance, send check, cash ormoney order to the address aboveor email info@nycjazzrecord.com

Staff Writers
Duck Baker, Stuart Broomer,
Robert Bush, Kevin Canfield,
Marco Cangiano, Thomas Conrad,
Pierre Crépon, Ken Dryden,
Donald Elfman, Phil Freeman,
Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland,
George Grella, Anders Griffen, Tyran Grillo,Alex Henderson, Robert Iannapollo,
Mark Keresman, Marilyn Lester,
Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin,
Jim Motavalli, Russ Musto,
John Pietaro, Joel Roberts,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon,
Anna Steegmann, Scott Yanow
Contributing Writers
Dan Bilawsky, Michael Cobb,
Pierre Giroux, Kira Grunenberg, Jason Gross,George Kanzler, Steven Loewy,
Monique Ngozi Nri, Eric Wendell
Contributing Photographers
Caroline Conejero, Dave Ellis,Peter Gannushkin, Dimitri Louis,
Sherry Rubel, Mike Shur,
Adrien H. Tillmann
Fact-checker
Nate Dorward

ARTIST FEATURE : MILES OKAZAKI
ON THE COVER : JOHNATHAN BLAKEENCORE : PHIL RANELIN
LEST WE FORGET : MICHEL PETRUCCIANIVOXNEWS
LABEL SPOTLIGHT : TAKUROKU | OTOROKUOBITUARIESALBUM REVIEWSSPECIAL FEATURE : HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDEEVENT CALENDAR

3
4
6
7
8
10
10
11
12
12
14
30
32

by andrey henkinby jason grossby george grella
by russ musto
by mike cobb
by marilyn lester
by suzanne lorge
by kurt gottschalkby andrey henkinby andrey henkin

It is amazing to see where we are in this final month of 2021. Last month we were able
to come together with family—in person, not peering at a computer screen—for
Thanksgiving. And now the city resounds with tourists in for the holiday season, whichmeans oodles of concerts dedicated to Christmas music and big shindigs for New Year’s
Eve. New York had to work harder than Santa’s elves to get to this point and we all haveearned ourselves plenty of eggnog and gingersnaps. The rest of the country and theworld are not so lucky, some because of Christmas-ham-headed ignorance. Ebenezer
Scrooge would have been an anti-vaxxer. Don’t be Ebenezer Scrooge.
As we do every year, we present our Holiday Gift Guide, filled with holiday music,
books, boxed sets and miscellany for your jazzy loved-ones (including yourself). And
while you are flush with generous spirit, buy selections from our Album Reviews andattend shows from our Event Calendar. Musicians and venues are still hurting from thepast year-plus and can really use your support.
We wish you a Happy New Year and best wishes for much better 2022. Thank you foryour continued readership and engagement with this music we all love.

nycjazzrecord.com
On The Cover: Johnathan Blake (David Ellis / Courtesy of Blue Note Records)

All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDMISCELLANY
ONbyTHISDAYAndrey Henkin

Mighty High
Milt Buckner (Argo)
December 2nd, 1959

Fearless
Frank Foster (Prestige)
December 2nd, 1964

Skyscraper
Hideo Ichikawa (Union)
December 2nd, 1976

Broadway
Richard “Groove” Holmes (Muse)
December 2nd, 1980

Cryptology
David S. Ware (Homestead)
December 2nd, 1994

Milt Buckner was of the small coterie

One certainly would be fearless after

This was Japanese pianist Hideo

Richard Holmes’ actual middle name

The David S. Ware Quartet was one ofof organ players (converted frompianists, Buckner via onetime boss
Lionel Hampton) who plied theirtrade before the instrument’s mid ‘50s
rise in popularity via another former
pianist in Jimmy Smith. All of his
output from 1953 until his death in1977 at 62 came on Hammond organ,
including three LPS on Argo, this thefirst. He, Jimmy Campbell (altosaxophone), Kenny Burrell (guitar),
Joe Benjamin (bass) and Maurice
Sinclaire (drums) play five originals
and five jazz and Songbook standards.

over a decade in the Count Basie
Orchestra. But that kept tenor
saxophonist Frank Foster quite busy,
such that this is only his fifth album asa leader during an era when others
would make several a year. Befitting
someone known as much for hiscomposing as playing with Basie, fiveof the six tunes are originals, the solecover Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz”.
Of note, none of his band are Basieites: Virgil Jones (trumpet), Albert
Dailey (piano), Bob Cunningham(bass) and Alan Dawson (drums).

Ichikawa’s sixth album as a leader in acareer beginning a decade earlier andincluding several albums underGeorge Otsuka. He leads his working
band of the period—bassist Isoo
Fukui, drummer Hideo Yamaki (only
23 at the time in one of his earliest
credits and going on to become one ofJapan’s busiest and most eclectic
players) and percussionist Osamu
Nakajima—for this live recording at
Tokyo’s ABC Hall. Ichikawa wrote thefour pieces, none of which appear
elsewhere in his discography.

is Arnold but that won’t sell records
and the organ player sold plenty inalmost 30 years as a leader. Muse was
his last home after overlapping stints
for Pacific Jazz and Prestige, Groove
Merchant and Flying Dutchman andthis LP came in the middle of thattime. With him is another Muse
stalwart in tenor saxophonist Houston
Person, the others Gerald Smith(guitar), Bobby Ward (drums) and
Ralph Dorsey (percussion). Holmes
wrote three of the six tunes, one atribute to peer Larry Young.

the most compelling groups in jazzfrom 1990-2007 despite, or perhaps
because of, revolving personnel in the
drumchair (four, not counting subs/
guests) behind the tenor saxophonist,
pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist
William Parker. This album, one of
two Ware (who died in 2012 at 62)
made for the notorious indie rocklabel Homestead, has Whit Dickey as
the fourth member. Six Warecompositions, ranging from 6:42 to
14:19 and totalling just over an hour,are emblematic of the band’s power.

BIRTHDAYS
December 1†Ike Isaacs 1919-96†Dick Johnson 1925-2010
Ted Brown b.1927†Hadley Caliman 1932-2010†Jimmy Lyons 1933-86
Carlos Garnett b.1938†Jaco Pastorius 1951-87
December 2†Charlie Ventura 1916-92†John Bunch 1921-2010†Wynton Kelly 1931-71†Ronnie Mathews 1935-2008
Jason Rigby b.1974
Tal Wilkenfeld b.1986
December 3†Corky Cornelius 1914-43†Herbie Nichols 1919-63
December 4†Eddie Heywood 1915-89
Frank Tiberi b.1928†Jim Hall 1930-2013†Denis Charles 1933-98
Andy Laverne b.1947
Cassandra Wilson b.1955
Andrew Drury b.1964
December 5†Art Davis 1934-2007
Enrico Pieranunzi b.1949
Anders Bergkrantz b.1961
December 6†Ira Gershwin 1896-1985†Dave Brubeck 1920-2012†Bob Cooper 1925-93†Frankie Dunlop 1928-2014

Jay Leonhart b.1940
Miroslav Vitous b.1947
Harvie S b.1948
Steve Swell b.1954
Jason Stein b.1976†Bob Dorough 1923-2018†Dodo Marmarosa 1925-2002
Toshiko Akiyoshi b.1929
Juhani Aaltonen b.1935
Michael Carvin b.1944†Tony Williams 1945-97
Bruce Ditmas b.1946

December 7†Teddy Hill 1909-78
Sonny Phillips b.1936
Mads Vinding b.1948
Matthew Shipp b.1960

December 13†Sonny Greer 1895-1982†Ben Tucker 1930-2013†Borah Bergman 1933-2012†Reggie Johnson 1940-2020

December 8†Sol Yaged 1922-2019†Jimmy Smith 1928-2005
Tim Armacost b. 1962

December 14†Budd Johnson 1910-84†Spike Jones 1911-64†Clark Terry 1920-2015†Cecil Payne 1922-2007†Phineas Newborn 1931-89†Leo Wright 1933-91†Jerome Cooper 1946-2015

December 9†Matty Malneck 1903-81†Bob Scobey 1916-63†Donald Byrd 1932-2013
Jimmy Owens b.1943
December 10†Irving Fazola 1912-49†Ray Nance 1913-76†George Tucker 1927-65†Bob Cranshaw 1932-2016
Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky
b.1933

December 15†Stan Kenton 1911-79†Jimmy Nottingham 1925-78†Gene Quill b.1927-89
Barry Harris b.1929†Curtis Fuller 1934-2015†Dannie Richmond 1935-88
Eddie Palmieri b.1936†Toshinori Kondo 1948-2020
Kris Tiner b.1977

December 11†Perez Prado 1916-89†McCoy Tyner 1938-2020
Mara Rosenbloom b.1984

December 16†Andy Razaf 1905-73†Turk Murphy 1915-87†Steve Allen 1921-2000†Johnny “Hammond” Smith
1933-97

December 12†Eddie Barefield 1909-91†Frank Sinatra 1915-98†Joe Williams 1918-99†Joe Farrell 1937-86
Radu Malfatti b.1943†John Abercrombie 1944-2017
December 17†Ray Noble 1903-78†Sonny Red 1932-81†Walter Booker 1933-2006†John Ore 1933-2014
Vyacheslav Ganelin b.1944
Chris Welcome b.1980
December 18†Fletcher Henderson
1897-1952†Willis Conover 1920-96†Harold Land 1928-2001
Wadada Leo Smith b.1941
Maciej Obara b.1981
December 19†Erskine Tate 1895-1978†Bob Brookmeyer 1929-2011†Bobby Timmons 1935-74†Milcho Leviev 1937-2019
Lenny White b.1949
Kuni Mikami b.1954

Quinsin Nachoff b.1973
December 22†Ronnie Ball 1927-84†Joe Lee Wilson 1935-2011†Nick Ceroli 1939-85
John Patitucci b.1959
December 23†Chet Baker 1929-88†Frank Morgan 1933-2007
December 24†Baby Dodds 1898-1959†Jabbo Smith 1908-91†Henry Coker 1919-79†Ray Bryant 1931-2011†Chris McGregor 1936-90†Woody Shaw 1944-89
Ralph Moore b.1956
Paal Nilssen-Love b.1974

December 20†John Hardee 1918-84†Sam Falzone 1933-2013†Larry Willis 1940-2019
Ehud Asherie b.1979

December 25†Louis Cottrell 1878-1927†Kid Ory 1886-1973†Big Jim Robinson 1892-1976†Cab Calloway 1907-94†Oscar Moore 1912-81†Pete Rugolo 1915-2011†Eddie Safranski 1918-74†Don Alias 1939-2006†Don Pullen 1941-95
Ronnie Cuber b.1941

December 21†Marshall Brown 1920-83†Rita Reys 1924-2013†Hank Crawford 1934-2009†John Hicks 1941-2006
Cameron Brown b.1945

December 26†Butch Ballard 1917-2011†Monty Budwig 1929-92†Billy Bean 1933-2012†Brooks Kerr 1951-2018
John Scofield b.1951

December 27†Bunk Johnson 1889-1949
Bill Crow b.1927†Walter Norris 1931-2011
TS Monk b.1949
Bo van de Graaf b.1957
Pablo Held b.1986
December 28†Earl “Fatha” Hines 1903-83†Al Klink 1915-91†Moe Koffman 1928-2001†Ed Thigpen 1930-2010†Bob Cunningham 1934-2017†Dick Sudhalter 1938-2008†Mototeru Takagi 1941-2002
Ted Nash b.1960
December 29†Cutty Cutshall 1911-68†Irving Ashby 1920-87†Jan Konopásek 1931-2020
Joe Lovano b.1952
George Schuller b.1958
Danilo Pérez b.1960
George Colligan b.1969
December 30†Jimmy Jones 1918-82†Jack Montrose 1928-2006†Wolfgang Dauner 1935-2020†Jerry Granelli 1940-2021
Lewis Nash b.1958
Frank Vignola b.1965
December 31†John Kirby 1908-52†Jonah Jones 1909-2000†Peter Herbolzheimer
1935-2010

MACIEJ OBARA

December 18th, 1981
Polish alto saxophonist
Maciej Obara has beenremarkably busy in the
new millennium, releasing
his leader debut in 2007 for
Polskie Radio Katowice
and following that up withsessions on Jaz, Ars
Cameralis, ForTune and,most notably, two CDS for
ECM since 2017. He has
also collaborated withcountrypeople like Maciek
Grzywacz, Marek Kądziela,
Krystyna Stańko, Piotr
Damasiewicz and Michał
Wróblewski and artists
such as Gard Nilssen and
Joe Fonda/Michael Jefry
Stevens. He won Poland’s
Fryderyk Award for Artist
and Album of the Year in2018 and the 2019 Jazz
Forum annual readers’ poll
for alto saxophonist andalbum of the year).
(AH)

CROSSWORD
1

2

3

4

5

6

8

7

10

9

11

12

13

15

14

16

18

17

19

20

21

24

25

22

26

27

28

29

30

31

By Andrey Henkin 			23

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Dutch trumpeter Van Rooyen
1. Odd song form
4. Italian singer Maria ____ De Vito
2. British trumpeter/Miles Davis biographer Ian
7. Romanian pianist Lucian
3. 1973 Richard Davis Flying Dutchman album
8. Norwegian drummer Nilssen-LoveSong For Wounded ____
9. 1993 Karl Denson Minor Music album
4. Singer Rosa
Herbal Turkey ____
5. Label releasing albums by Steve Lacy, Marion Brown,
13. 1962 Dizzy Reece New Jazz album ____ Minor
Sun Ra and others
14. Emergency Charlie Parker tune
6. “Blue Rondo ____ Turk”
16. 2011 Kim-Erik Pedersen/Kim Johannesen/
8. Bruno Spoerri wrote a tune for this smoked meat
Chris Corsano FMR album ____ Door
10. Julian or Nat
17. John Zorn staged a series of concert at this mus.
11. Holly Cole home province, slangily
18. Eddie Henderson and Denny Zeitlin
12. Egoless threesome?
19. Site of the Koktebel Jazz Festival
15. Andante and presto
21. Stalwart Wolfgang Dauner drummer Allan
17. Cecil and Cecil, Jr.
24. This kind of jazz will still cost you
20. Japanese violinist Abe who worked with
26. Alice Coltrane, Michael Moore and Richie Beirach have
Otomo Yoshihide and Elliott Sharp
tunes for this Egyptian deity
22. Swedish saxophonist Domnérus
28. Founder of 5 Down
23. Number of musicians in an undectet minus a duo
29. Recent cassette-releasing label
24. This org. pursued Billie Holiday
30. Oscar Hammerstein and Greg Ward are these
25. Drummer Persip’s end
31. Danish singer Sinne
27. Singer Lea DeLaria is a member of this org.

visit nycjazzrecord.com for answers

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 3

NEW YORK @ NIGHT
It was a meeting of minds and spirits, two cultures at Master drummer Bobby Sanabria brought his

CAROLINE DAVIS

the crossroads: AfroCuban folkloric music and jazz.
Art for Arts’ Jazz Libre! curated by keyboard player
and composer Michele Rosewoman, held at Clemente
Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center ’s Flamboyán
Theater, opened with the first of a series of calls to theancestors titled “Saints at Congo Square” (Nov. 11th).
Making the invocation in a combination of Bantu,
Yoruba and other languages was master percussionist
Román Díaz, accompanying himself on sticked congas
before leading drummer Francisco Mora Catlett’s
AfroHORN sextet into “Saints at Congo Square”,
a clave/cáscara driven jam featuring tandem freeblowing by saxophonists Sam Newsome (soprano) andAlex Harding (baritone) supported by pianist James
Weidman and bassist Rashaan Carter. To make thecultural linkage clear, the song reprised strains of“When the Saints Go Marching In”. “Barasuayo
Mamakeñya”, a gospel-inflected call to Lucumí
orisha Eleguá, shifted in mood between trance andskronk. “5XMax”, for drummer Max Roach (an‘orisha’ from the jazz pantheon), featured a dynamic
solo from Newsome, who waved his horn in large
counter-clockwise circles for a hypnotic Doppler effect.
“Wemilere” (calling Shangó) was appropriately
thunderous, with more fine work by the
saxophonists. “Yeye Olude” (calling Oshún) had acatchy theme delivered in a bouncy Highlife style.
					—Tom Greenland

PORTALS VOLUME 1:
MOURNING
SSC 1628

CAROLINE DAVIS alto saxophone
MARQUIS HILL trumpet
JULIAN SHORE piano
CHRIS TORDINI bass
ALLAN MEDNARD drums
MAZZ SWIFT violin
JOSH HENDERSON violin
JOANNA MATTREY viola
MARIEL ROBERTS celloS

JOHN ELLISADAM LEVY
GLENN PATSCHASAY IT QUIETSSC 1633

Recording together for the first time, John Ellis, Adam
Levy, and Glenn Patscha have created a singularrecording with Say It Quiet, a record that utilizes thetrio’s full musical potential across genres to create an
unassuming, instrumental album of pure music.
JOHN ELLIS reeds
ADAM LEVY guitar
GLENN PATSCHA piano, organ
CHRIS MORRISSEY bass
DAN RIESER drums

Every so often, the chance to get a project together that is musicallyand emotionally rewarding comes about. Such opportunities must
be grabbed. the collaborative recording, Say It Quiet, by longtime
friends John Ellis, Adam Levy, and Glenn Patscha is the result of taking
advantage of such an opportunity. These three brilliant, busy musicians take the time to put together a gorgeously crafted collection ofsongs chosen to showcase their sympathetic personalities and musicalapproaches.

www.sunnysiderecords.com

MIKE SHUR / IMAGES.MIKESHUR.COM

Caroline Davis @ Roulette, Brooklyn, NY
December 14, 2022

ADRIEN H. TILLMANN - WWW.AHT1985.COM

axophonist and composer Caroline Davis has done much to try to
allay her own emotions after the harsh period she dealt with in
2019. Davis lost her father early in the year and was trying to copewith this devastating event when the pandemic descended. She
turned to research and creation to work herself out again. Her new recording, Portals Volume 1: Mourning, is a culmination of a year of
suffering, accepting, and channeling her mourning through a uniqueprocess to find equilibrium through composition and reflection.

Quarteto Aché to Chelsea Table & Stage (Nov. 19th)and characteristically blew the roof off the joint.
Sanabria has energy to spare, plus a wealth ofknowledge he dispenses in riffs as he is playing,
all without breaking stride. One of Sanabria’s core
themes, musically illustrated, is the path of thedrum from Africa to the New World and the influenceof the clave rhythm on much European-based musicsince. Sidemen Peter Brainin (flute, soprano andtenor saxophones), Silvano Monasterios (piano) and
Leo Traversa (bass) supported Sanabria as he wove atapestry of continuous music through AfroCuban,
bop and straight-up rhythms. Sanabria also has a deep
belief in engagement, making his gigs interactive, withaudiences invited to rise, clap, sway, you name it.
Entering into trad mode, Brainin was featured on asolid arrangement of “Darn That Dream” (Jimmy Van
Heusen-Eddie
DeLange)playing
burstsofimprovisation close to the melody. Illustrating
danzón, a classical genre of Latin music born in Cuba,
Sanabria gave a lesson on its history, playing aromantic composition by John DiMartino, “Danzón
Para Federico Fellini”. A rousing closer, “La negra
Tomasa / Kikiribú Mandinga” (Guillermo Rodriguez
Fife), a tune written in the ‘30s in Cuba, made fresh by
the quartet, had Sanabria inciting the audience to getup and dance, which they did, gleefully.
					—Marilyn Lester

Francisco Mora Catlett’s Afro-Horn @ Clemente Soto Velez

Bobby Sanabria Quarteto Aché @ Chelsea Table & Stage

Monday night (Nov. 8th) at Village Vanguard, front Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson began gigging intable center, facing a sea of horns and close enough totouch the lead alto’s music stand, your intrepid
correspondent felt like that man in Steven Steigman’s
iconic Maxell Tapes ad: blown away by a hi-fidelity
jazz hurricane. Only this gale force, generated by the
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (VJO), was in perfect acoustic
balance, unexpectedly balmy even at its strongest
surges. Back at its steady gig (the longest running injazz history) since mid-September, VJO wasreestablishing its collective swing, breathing life into
those fabulous charts, this set (the second) including
Thad Jones originals “Mean What You Say”, “MyCentennial”, “Blues in a Minute” and “Groove
Merchant”, “I Love You” (composed by Cole Porter)and Jim McNeely’s “Don’t Even Ask”. Anchored bydrummer John Riley, bassist David Wong and restively
inventive pianist Adam Birnbaum, the arrangements
gave soloists copious space to stretch out, so half the
fun was responses to solos—saxophonists Dick Oatts,
Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, Ralph Lalama, Jason Marshall;
trumpeters Brandon Lee, Scott Wendholt; trombonists
Dion Tucker and Mark Patterson all earning
appreciative looks/nods/shouts from their peers attheir most inspired moments. On his feature “I LoveYou”, director and 44-year veteran Oatts came on like
Pete Rose diving for first base, forehead veins abulge,
all grit and soul. The famous “Groove Merchant” reedsoli provided a perfect nightcap. 		
(TG)

4 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

the late 1940s and retired in his 90s. On Nov. 1st the
NEA Jazz Master, aka Sweet Poppa Lou, turned 95
years old, celebrated with a big birthday bash at
Dizzy’s Club (Nov. 2nd). The room was bursting withrevelers and talent, hosted by singer-pianist Champian
Fulton, who gave new meaning to the term “herdingcats”. Never were so many cell phones raised intribute for photos and videos at this indoor block party.
Rotating on the stage were a Who’s Who of jazz,
including the “house band” of Akiko Tsuruga (organ),
Fukushi Tainaka (drums), Zaid Nassar (alto saxophone)
and Charlie Sigler (guitar), who opened with a driving
Donaldson original, “Blues Walk”. Vocally, Fulton
offered “Pennies from Heaven” with the house bandplus alto saxophonist Nick Hempton. “East of the Sun”
was sung by Annette St. John with Pat Bianchi (organ),Sigler, Jesse Hameen II (drums) and Adam Brenner(alto) while George Johnson on another Donaldson
tune, “Gravy Train” was supported by Sigler andGeorge Coleman, Jr. on drums. Others participatingwere David Braham and Mike LeDonne (organs); Joe
Farnsworth, Kenny Washington and Victor Jones(drums); Russell Malone (guitar); Joe Magnarelli and
Nicholas Payton (trumpets); and Jerry Weldon, Eric
Alexander and George Coleman (saxophones). Of
course there was cake and then Donaldson proved hecould still swing and sing with “It Was a Dream—
Whisky Drinking Woman”. 		
(ML)

A modernist steeped in tradition, pianist-attorney- As the crowd entered The Django at The Roxy for theauthor Jonny King was a mainstay on the New York
jazz scene in the ‘90s. And while his gigs here havebeen less frequent in recent years his playing has lost
none of the luster that made him a formidable
bandleader and in-demand sideman back then. King
was a regular in the final years of Bradley’s andbrought the spirit of the legendary venue to Mezzrow,leading a trio with bassist Dezron Douglas anddrummer Victor Lewis. Opening his sold-out secondset (Nov. 13th) with a solo intro to his own “Silver
Lining” he displayed a sensitive touch that swelled
dynamically with the entrance of bass and drums. The
trio followed with Herbie Hancock’s “Theme From
Blow Up”, King stretching out with a spiritedimprovisation propelled by Lewis’ driving expansive
playing and explosive soloing. Douglas was featured
on “Body And Soul”, playing the iconic melody witha singing pizzicato before King joined in playing thefamiliar John Coltrane chord changes. Lewis’compositional prowess was revealed on his “I Wanted
To Say”, which had the band swinging straightahead
with engaging lyricism. Solo piano set up the beautiful
Americana evergreen “Shenandoah”, which meldedwith Billie Holiday-associated James Petrillo-Edward
Ross-Nelson Shawn tune “Jim”, interpolating stride
piano passages before segueing into King original“Catharsis”, a powerful outing with a climactic Lewis
timbale-like solo to close the set.
—Russ Mustosecond set by the Mingus Big Band (Nov. 9th), theatmosphere smoldered from the earlier “Fables ofFaubus”. The room, all subterranean reverb andParisian exposed brick, couldn’t be more welcoming tothis historic ensemble rooted in the works of radical
genius Charles Mingus. The lineup included bassist
Mike Richmond, asked by Sue Mingus to take the bass
chair back when the Dynasty Band came to be, andbass trombonist Earl McIntyre, a Mingus alumnus. But
the entire ensemble, pummeled and romanced bydrummer Adam Cruz, Richmond and pianist Helen
Sung would have made the late leader not simply
proud but left him aglow. The familiar strains of“Boogie Woogie Shuffle” opened the show with a basssolo up front before David Lee Jones, lead alto
saxophonist, tore into an extended solo, the band
painting blue-going-flaming-red behind him. Thisorchestra recalls the best of old Monday nights at theVillage Vanguard but offers something Mel Lewis
could not: a body of work that altered the plane of jazz.
Horn counterpoints cut in every direction as drum fills
crackled under each soloist and verbal praise wasshouted by players awaiting the spotlight. The
highlight was “Don’t Let It Happen Here”, based on
Pastor Neimoller ’s legendary call against oppression,
this night narrated by tenor saxophonist Abraham
Burton. The Mingus Big Band is THE one to bring NYC
jazz back. Make no mistake about that. —John Pietaro

W H AT ’ S N E W S
G. Thomas Allen of Chicago was selected winner of the10th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal
Competition, the first male vocalist to win. Allen will
receive $5,000. Runner-up April May Webb won $1,500
and third-place recipient Arta Jēkabsone won $500. For
more information, visit sarahvaughancompetition.com.
The Jazz Museum in Harlem will present 2021 Year in
Review: Critics Roundtable hosted by NPR’s NateChinen and discussing the year’s significant artists,
events and albums on Dec. 15th. For more information,
visit jmih.org.
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith 80th Birthday Celebration,duet, trio and group performances by Leo Smith,Pheeroan akLaff, Sylvie Courvoisier, Erika Dohi and
Lamar Smith on guitar, will live-stream Dec. 18th at
wadadaleosmith.com.
Roulette has announced its latest class of Resident andCommissioned Artists: bassist Max Johnson, fiddler
Cleek Schrey, bassist Luke Stewart, composer Cassie
Wieland and saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins have been
selected for year-long residencies while theCommissioned Artists are pianist/singer Sonya Belaya;
guitarist Wendy Eisenberg; violinist Gabby Fluke-Mogul;
vocalist Shelley Hirsch; drummer Lesley Mok andvocalist/performance artist Marisa Tornello. For more
information, visit roulette.org.

Drummer Stix Hooper, the last surviving member of The
Crusaders, has begun hosting a radio show, “Lay It On
The Line”, on KKJZ in Los Angeles (88.1 FM). For more
information, visit kkjz.org.

PHOTO BY SHERRY RUBELPHOTO © CAROLINE CONEJERO 2021

Dizzy’s Club will live-stream holiday performances from
Hudson Yards Wednesdays at 7 pm with Samara Joy(Dec. 1st), Young Stars of Jazz (Dec. 8th), Benny Benack
III (Dec. 15th) and Elio Villafranca (Dec. 22nd). For more
information, visit jazz.org/WellsFargo.

Jonny King @ Mezzrow

Plans have been announced to preserve the childhood
home of singer, actor and Civil Rights activist Paul
Robeson in Princeton, NJ.
Mingus Big Band @ The Django at The Roxy

There was more than the usual cause for celebration in An odd, utterly compelling mix of sounds, languid
Rose Hall on opening night (Nov. 18th) of the room’s
2020-2021 season, as Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
with Wynton Marsalis fêted its Musical Director/
trumpeter with a retrospective of his music titled“Wynton at 60”. The band kicked things off with
“Mendizzorotza Swing”, a bebopping flagwaver
featuring fiery solos by Marsalis and tenor saxophonist
Walter Blanding, followed by stately “The Monkey
King’s March”. Paul Nedzela’s baritone was in the
spotlight on “Joe’s Concerto, Movement IV”. “TheHoly Ghost” was driven by drummer Obed Calvaire’s
tambourine and clarinets while flutes gave a birdlike
atmosphere to “A Nightingale”. The floor was thengiven over to guest trumpeters Summer Camargo,
Giveton Gelin, Tatum Greenblatt and Anthony Hervey
on “Windjammers”. Ted Nash and Dan Block on alto
saxophones were showcased on Ellington-ian “I Cry
Before My Country” and Sherman Irby and Victor
Goines came out front to engage in a saxophonicconversation on “D In The Key Of F”. Muted trumpets
imitated buzzing sounds on waggish “Bees Bees Bees”.
Marsalis then delivered a poignant reading of“Goodbye” before the ensemble took off on the train
song “The Caboose”. The night ended with guests
Herlin Riley and Ricky Gordon, on tambourine andwashboard, on a NOLA-styled “Happy Birthday” thatbrought out trumpeter Jon Faddis and clarinetist Anat
Cohen to join the party. 			
(RM)

and free, distantly familiar and intimately strange,commanded the space of Bar Lunàtico (Nov. 2nd) as
Matt Munisteri’s Scraps & Scrapes took the stage.
Never one to rely on pyrotechnics, the guitarist
caroused in quietude, dark textures and the tales spun
through improvisation. The evening, comprised of“B-sides from mid-century”, as Munisteri poeticallyexplained between sets, featured reconstructed pop
melodies of several decades, joyously finger-picked
rockabilly, humorous slow drags, moving ballads anduniquely introverted swing originating with Benny
Carter, Leon Russell, George Jones, Glenn Campbell,
Harry Warren, Duke Ellington and Sophie Tucker; and,yes, the genres sat quite comfortably together, unlikely
as that may seem to the uninitiated. The music was
expanded further—with care and creative delicacy—by bassist Danton Boller and drummer Ben Perowsky.
Boller, who came to prominence with Roy Hargrove
but traveled with Patti LaBelle and cabaret legend Joey
Arias, brought a Charlie Haden-esque prowess to his
ballad work in particular and Perowsky, whose CV
ranges from Lou Reed to John Zorn to The Lounge
Lizards, is a master of the sublime, drawing a bacchanalout of one stick, one timpani mallet and the ever-sparsebass drum bomb. This collaborative aural palette
under and about the deft fret-dance of Munisteri would
be the preferred soundtrack we aging Boomers andXers thrive on for required fills of nostalgia.
(JP)

Carl Hancock Rux has been named Associate Director
and Curator-In-Residence at Harlem Stage.
PMC’s Dolby Atmos Music and Spatial Audio hasreleased remixes of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, available
to Apple Music subscribers. For more information, visit
music.apple.com.
Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield was sentenced to 18 months infederal prison for his role in defrauding the New Orleans
Public Library Foundation of $1.3 million in 2011-13.
John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (Impulse!) has beencertified platinum 56 years after its release. This comeson the heels of the recent release of John Coltrane - A
Love Supreme: Live in Seattle (Impulse!), a newly
discovered recording of Coltrane’s masterwork and only
the second known live performance of the suite.
Applications for Little Island’s Perform in the Park
series are being accepted through Dec. 3rd at noon. The
public park in Hudson River Park by W. 13th Street
opened in 2020 and presented concerts by 75 artists in
its first season. For more information and to apply, visit
littleisland.org/submissions.
Saxophonist Kenny G’s new release, New Standards(Concord), includes a piece, “Legacy featuring ‘The Sound’of Stan Getz”, wherein G sampled the late Getz to create a
new melody with which he duets. For more information,
visit concord.com/concord-albums/new-standards.
Submit news to ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 5

PETER GANNUSHKIN/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET

INTERVIEWMARSWILLIAMSTNYCJR: How are the band and/or arrangements
different when you do the tours?
MW: When I do the tours, I go to different cities andI’m usually the only one that travels. I form an
ensemble with musicians I like to play with, improvisers
in the host cities, wherever the gigs are going to be. In
New York, I have pretty much a working ensemble for
the Ayler Xmas, although that changes a little bitwithin the years. In Washington DC, I try to use someof the same players. But it’s all players that I haveworked with before for the most part. But if I go into acity and I’m like, “I don’t know a trumpet player here”,
				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

by jason grossMainstream rock and free jazz are two sides of a coin for

saxophonist Mars Williams. He played in Hal Russell’s
NRG Ensemble and Peter Brötzmann’s Tentet alongside his
longtime gig as a member of New Wave denizens The
Psychedelic Furs and studio sessions with Billy Idol and‘80s supergroup Power Station. His Albert Ayler tributeband, Witches & Devils, has evolved into a collision of thelegend’s tunes with holiday songs for the last four years(and four albums), with a fifth edition released last month.
The New York City Jazz Record: What holiday music
were you listening to when you were growing up?
Mars Williams: I grew up, like every kid in America,
listening to Christmas tunes being played over theradio. Around the house, we always had Nat King Coleand “White Christmas”, Johnny Mathis doing “Merry
Christmas”. And I would be watching TV shows as akid, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman.
But it wasn’t like I was obsessed with Christmas songs.
It was just part of the season, just background music.
TNYCJR: What was it about Albert Ayler ’s work that
attracted you initially?
MW: How different he was than a lot of the othermusic I was listening to. I think the first time I listened
to Ayler…it could have been as late as 1975 or ’76 when
I was at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock. Karl
Berger and Don Cherry were there teaching. And
I started listening to Don Cherry and all of a sudden,
Albert Ayler came into the mix. And I think that wasprobably how I was exposed to Ayler ’s music. I know
for sure that the first time I heard him was the Bells
record or Spirits Rejoice record at the Creative Music
Studio. But I was already deeply involved withlistening to and being influenced by the music of the
AACM in the early ‘70s when I was still in high school,living in Chicago. I somehow got exposed to what wasgoing on the South Side of Chicago and it really drew
me to it. So it’s possible that by exploring music of
Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell and Henry
Threadgill and then Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra,
I was already being exposed to all that stuff and Albert
Ayler was in the mix somewhere.
TNYCJR: How did you get the idea to combine Ayler ’smusic with holiday music?
MW: I had the group Witches & Devils, which
specifically did Ayler music. And so I’d always betranscribing Ayler tunes and playing along with therecords. And I would be really listening in depth to it.
I would recognize some of these things within hismusic and I’d go, “WOW, he just played ‘[God Rest Ye]
Merry Gentlemen’!” And I’d go back and I’d start
playing that Christmas song. I remember hearing
something else from him and thinking, “That sounds
like ‘O Tannenbaum’.” So I started playing along with

it and that’s where I got the idea for doing a mashup of
Christmas tunes with Ayler tunes.
TNYCJR: Witches & Devils’ lineup seemed to evolve
over the years from its beginnings in the ‘90s to thegroup on the latest Ayler album. How did that happen?
MW: Originally, the group that I started had Kent Kessler
on bass, Steve Hunt on drums, Jim Baker on keyboards
and Ken Vandermark as the second horn with me, so
there was two tenors. As time went on, I started doing
more live shows and there would be replacements, likesometimes Hamid Drake would be playing drums. In
the beginning, we were playing a lot in the early ‘90s
around Chicago. We would do 10 shows a year, at least.
And as time went on, it started becoming less and less. I
released the first record on Knitting Factory Records[Empty Bottle Chicago, 1997]. But as time went on, it
started becoming less and less frequent and it would bejust one or two shows a year. And when I started putting
it back together again, Vandermark wasn’t in the band
anymore. I added [bassist] Brian Sandstrom, so it was
Steve, Kent, Brian—we were all in the NRG Ensemble
together—and Jeb Bishop [trombone]. Basically, now it’s
the original band with rotating horn players.
TNYCJR: Did you feel a need to change the lineup or
instrumentation to match your vision for what you
wanted for these holiday records?
MW: Yes! Definitely. With the whole Chicago scene, weplayed together for so long in the ‘90s and in so manydifferent ensembles that we each really knew the way
everyone else works. And the way I’m doing the Ayler
stuff, yes, it’s his music, but with the Chicago sound(laughs). There’s a lot of Chicago free jazz soundwithin the ensemble. I would say that the groupconstantly was expanding, especially when I started
doing the Ayler Xmas albums. It came to the point thatthe only time we were playing anymore was throughthe Ayler Xmas shows. We’ve all got other ensembles
that we were playing with and touring with and it justseemed like that was the time of year that
I would put the thing together. And it became anannual event in Chicago, like a Christmas tradition on
the free jazz scene. So I would always expand on thatin Chicago. For the last few years, since maybe 2017 or2018, I started adding strings to the group so I would
have Katinka Kleijn from the Chicago Symphonyplaying cello and Peter Maunu, who’s also on this newrecord, playing violin and I had Jim Baker and Josh
Berman also playing violin and viola, because I foundout that they used to play those instruments when they
were younger. After Jeb Bishop moved out of Chicago,
that’s when I replaced him with Josh [on cornet]. And
there might have been times when I used Josh and Jeb.
So it’s kind of rotating, but for the most part, with thesame rhythm section at this point. So the horns andeverything around that are always expanding.

6 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDHNOVEMBER 30TH - DECEMBER 5THH

CHRISTIAN McBRIDE
INSIDE STRAIGHTSTEVE WILSON, WARREN WOLF, PETER MARTIN, CARL ALLENHDECEMBER 7TH - DECEMBER 12THH

CHRISTIAN McBRIDE’SNEW JAWN QUARTETJOSH EVANS, MARCUS STRICKLAND, NASHEET WAITSHDECEMBER 14TH - DECEMBER 19THH

KENNY
BARRON QUINTETMIKE RODRIGUEZ, DAYNA STEPHENS,KIYOSHI KITAGAWA, JOHNATHAN BLAKEHDECEMBER 21ST - DECEMBER 26THH

KENNY
BARRON TRIOKIYOSHI KITAGAWA, JOHNATHAN BLAKE
WITH SPECIAL GUESTSSTEVE NELSON, IMMANUEL WILKINSHDECEMBER 28TH - JANUARY 2NDH

CHRIS
POTTER QUARTETCRAIG TABORN, SCOTT COLLEY, MARCUS GILMORE
COMING IN JANUARY
HFRED HERSCHHHKURT ROSENWINKELH
HJOE MARTINH
HVIJAY IYERH

PHOTO BY DIMITRI LOUIS / COURTESY OF THE ARTISTARTIST FEATU RE

MILESOKAZAKIFor more information, visit milesokazaki.com. Okazaki is at The
Jazz Gallery Dec. 10th in duo with Dan Weiss. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Miles Okazaki—Mirror (s/r, 2006)• Jonathan Finlayson & Sicilian Defense—
Moment And The Message (Pi, 2012)• Miles Okazaki—Trickster (Pi, 2016)• Steve Coleman And Five Elements—Live At The
Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (The Embedded Sets) (Pi, 2017)• Miles Okazaki—Work, Volumes 1-6 (The Complete
Compositions of Thelonious Monk) (s/r, 2017-18)• Dan Weiss/Miles Okazaki—Music For Drums andGuitar (Cygnus, 2021)

by george grella
G uitarist Miles Okazaki is central to three newreleases this fall: Mise En Place (Intakt), where he ispart of saxophonist Ohad Talmor ’s Trio along withdrummer Dan Weiss; Hive Mind (Tzadik), a fully
improvised session with Okazaki and Weiss joined bybassist Trevor Dunn; and Music for Drums and Guitar(Cygnus Recordings), which pairs the guitarist with
Weiss once more.
More than just the same name appearing on eachrelease, the underlying tie that binds them together isthe specificity of Okazaki’s clear and compelling voice.
His clear, fat attack and voicings push through every
conceivable texture and his strong rhythmic placementmeans no one will miss a bass player on the Talmorand duo albums. The albums, especially Hive Mind,
do not have the same style of melodic and harmonic
counterpoint and polyrhythmic modulations heard on
the albums released under his own leadership, like thethree albums from his Trickster band on Pi Recordings(the most recent, Trickster’s Dream, a digital-only
release from 2020), or his Mirror trilogy of albums (thefirst self-released, the second two on Sunnyside). But
the new records are all just more facets of his musicalapproach and the bridge between the compositional
explorations and the focus on simply playing is hismonumental Work, Thelonious Monk’s complete
music, played on solo guitar across six volumes.
“I have different compositional ideas for different
groups,” Okazaki explains. “With Dan, we have certain
ways of cueing each other, certain ways of changing
tempos, certain ways of developing materials on the
spot.” That is less about freedom than it is about taking
spontaneity and organizing it.
He elaborates by pointing out that, “Mosteverything that I’ve done, even free improvisation,is in some kind of form. I’m the type of player who
thrives in some structure rather than non-dimensional
space. I started playing songs with singers. The whole
Trickster concept started with the idea of a square, howmany ways can you unfold it?” That makes for musicthat has pulses that shift the downbeat and backbeat,with complex, odd meters swirling around and above.
It could be described as the unofficial house sound ofPi, especially with musicians like Okazaki who havespent time working with Steve Coleman and his
M-Base concept (Trickster shares the rhythm section ofbassist Anthony Tidd and drummer Sean Rickman
with Coleman’s Five Elements band).
Music somewhat in the shape of a square sounds
organic to Okazaki’s approach to his instrument, whichemphasizes distinct articulation and intervallic
playing, rather than shaping longer, curved lines. “Thegreat legato players,” Okazaki says, “like Pat Methenyand Alan Holdsworth, Lage Lund, I love them. But
I treat the guitar more like a drum, hitting notes…
I just want to be able to have each note have a sound,rather than a combination of notes.”That approach is built on classic forbears who
Okazaki studied and found inspiration in: “Charlie

Christian, Grant Green, George Benson. I learn a lot,
I transcribe a lot from classic records, especiallyteaching. Articulation, I work on that a lot. I thinkthat’s a neglected topic. It’s about details. I would liketo have enough vocabulary and inflection to saysomething without stumbling.” Put a bunch ofarticulations together and you have polyphony, evencounterpoint. Okazaki points out that at the time of his
2011 Figurations album, “I was studying counterpoint,
putting one melody against another. I like layers.”
Where Trickster can push the borders ofcomprehensible complexity, the new albums, even
Hive Mind, are pared-down. Music for Drums and Guitar
has a John Zorn connection. As Okazaki describes it,
Zorn asked for some music as part of his Stone
Commissioning Series, “back in the before times”,
which meant that guitarist and drummer would eachwrite a piece and premiere it at National Sawdust.
“Mine made it to February 2020, but we were cancelled
for March,” says Okazaki.
On both the duet album and Hive Mind, the music
has little about it that is conceptual; it is about
Okazaki and Weiss playing with and for each other intime, the guitarist strumming chords against rhythmic
patterns, almost like a Jamey Aebersold record
rhythm section. In this case though, the two shapecomplete songs through nothing more than harmonic
rhythm. More than just a new album, it is the firstrelease on a label that the two started to release
experimental projects.
Hive Mind is unsurprisingly more abstract. What issurprising is that, following the path of listening andgroup improvisation, the results are so often delicate,atmospheric, impressionistic, gestural. There is
probably no guitar/bass/drums album on Tzadik thatis this quiet, which is built so much around details
rather than tunes and sheer power. Recorded in June ofthis year, the music-making seems as immediate as the
production turn-around: “I did prepare some material,”
Okazaki says, “but we didn’t use it in the end, it was
just an improvised session.”
This is where Work seems like a bridge. Monk’s
rhythmic structure and angular, melodic logic suit
Okazaki’s playing. He turns the tunes around andupside down, his own idea of a square and interest inform complementing the material. The way to find theessence of Monk is not to take it apart, but go inside it
to find the workings and that is what Work doesso brilliantly.
There is more to come. He has got a new Trickster
album coming out in the spring, with the quartet of
pianist Matt Mitchell, Tidd and Rickman. He describes
it as a “different type of record than the previous ones,
kind of lush, with many layers, dense, but hopefully
very beautiful.” Then there are upcoming collaborations
with alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, trumpeter Amir
ElSaffar and mrudangam player Rajna Swaminathan.
Okazaki may not be doing everything in the shape of asquare, but he is still exploring rhythm. v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 7

ON THE COVER
DAVID ELLIS / COURTESY OF BLUE NOTE RECORDS

JOHNATHAN BLAKESTEPPING OUT FRONT
by russ musto“I like to say that I was probably exposed to music

while I was in the womb,” Johnathan Blake asserts,
reminiscing about his early days growing up in
Philadelphia, where he was born Jul. 1st, 1976, son of
the late violinist John Blake, renowned for his tenureswith Grover Washington, Jr. and McCoy Tyner. “Thedays before I was born my father was traveling with
Grover all over the country and Grover was big onfamily, so he wanted the families traveling with thebandmembers. So I was always exposed to musicfrom a very young age. My mom says that when I was
about three I would set up her pots and pans on thefloor and started beating out the rhythms I heard on
the radio with her metal spoons, so I was always
fascinated by rhythm.”
Blake began his music studies around the sametime. He says, “I started violin at age three and played
violin up until high school. I started playing the drums
at around age ten. The elementary school I was attending
had an orchestra and I was playing violin in that andthey wanted to start a larger music program so theygathered a group of kids that were interested in getting
free lessons in school and they gave us proficiency tests
and if you scored well you got to choose the instrumentthat you wanted to play. I scored well and I told themstraight out I want to play drums. Once I got to middle
school that’s when I started playing more in the band.
I was playing drums in the concert band while stillplaying violin in the orchestra, but they also had a stage
band, a quote unquote jazz band, and that’s when I
started playing drumset in the band.”He remembers, “When I was 12 or 13 that’s when
I started participating in a kind of after-school program
through the Settlement Music School and also the Lovett
Hines Clef Club Youth Ensemble. That’s where I first
met Jaleel Shaw, Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco
and [The Roots keyboard player] Kamal Gray. We allcame out of that program. Mr. Hines mentored all of us.
He was kind of the music guru teacher. That period in
Philly was really an amazing time in my life. There wereso many amazing players who were still living there at
the time: Shirley Scott, Trudy Pitts, Bootsie Barnes, great
drummers like Mickey Roker, Edgar Bateman and Bobby
Durham. They were willing to take me under their wing.
I got to hang out with them a lot and these drummers
became a big influence on me as a young kid. They alltaught me so many different things, different aspects ofdrumming, but the one underlying thing they all stressed
was the importance of the groove and the pocket.”Blake’s first professional gig was with another
Philadelphian, bassist Charles Fambrough: “I was
about 15 and he called me to do a gig in Atlantic City.
He had a record at that time on CTI called The Proper
Angle and I wore that record out and learned all of themusic off of it just by ear. So he called me to play in hisband and play that music. Being a teenager and having
my first real gig and being paid for it, that was anamazing experience.” Soon the young drummer was
working around town with Pitts, Scott and Don
Patterson. He stresses, “Being able to play withorganists at a young age also helped me later on when

I started playing with Dr. Lonnie Smith and Big John
Patton and people like that because I was trained how
to make a band swing when playing behind an organist.
They wanted that drive, you couldn’t let up. They
always talk about this feeling in Philly, almost like thispushing forward, but being relaxed at the same time.
I learned that at an early age.”
A trip to New York to hear his dad playing withTyner at Sweet Basil instilled in Blake the desire tocome north where the action was. “I moved up here in‘94-95 when I started going to William Paterson
University. I was coming into the city from Jersey everyday. That’s when Smalls would stay open all night andI would go down there and play and come out and thesun would be up and go to class and then come backthe same night. In ‘96 I started working with Roy
Hargrove and I moved into the city and just kind of
engrossed myself in the vibe of it. It was an amazing
time, being surrounded by my peers and the older
musicians who were still around that I was getting tosee and getting to hang and chat with: James Williams,
Billy Hart was always playing and Max [Roach] andElvin [Jones] would come around.
It was while working with Oliver Lake’s big bandthat Blake met saxophonist John Stubblefield. “He took
a liking to my playing and recommended me for the
Mingus band. That was in ‘98 and I held that drum
chair steadily for ten years. The great thing about thatband of course was playing the music of Charles
Mingus, but also there were a lot of musicians in theband who were leaders in their own right. So that’s
how I started playing with John Stubblefield’s Quiet
Fire band. I started playing with Randy Brecker ’sband, Philip Harper was another one who had a band.
So it was great being able to network while still playing
with that band. I loved my time there.”
Another of Blake’s regular gigs was with Russell
Malone and it was while playing with the guitarist that
Kenny Barron first heard him play. The pianist recalls,“I had met him years before that, but that was the firsttime I heard him play. At the time Ben Riley was mydrummer and he was sick in the hospital, so I neededa drummer. It was my wife Joanne who suggested,‘You should get Johnathan Blake’ and she wasabsolutely right because he can play any kind of music,
literally any kind of music. He can sight-read anything.
He is a great drummer, a great musician. Plus he has
a good attitude. He is a really nice guy. He is funny,a pleasure to be around.” 15 years later Blake continues
to anchor Barron’s trio and quintet.
He has been a member of trumpeter Tom Harrell’sgroups for even longer. Blake notes, “The thing with
Tom is he really puts the emphasis on who he chooses
to be in the band, meaning he trusts the musicality ofthe bandmembers. He wants you to view the charts as
almost a blueprint and then wants you to put yourown spin on it. He is one of my favorite musicians, justa beautiful cat and a great musician…and he is always
bringing in new stuff. He is always checking out typesof different music and he is always reading, so he isalways being inspired by different things and that

8 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

always comes out in his music.”
For the past ten years Blake has also been amainstay with Ravi Coltrane’s quartet. The saxophonist
says of his longtime drummer, “Johnathan is a
powerhouse. As a drummer obviously, but mostly as
a musician and human being. He has such a richconnection to the music and all aspects of it. It’s a world
he embodies completely, his head and heart fully
operating in tandem with his musical gifts and abilities.
I’ve always been lifted and elevated by him as a player,
but it’s the total picture that brings it all together. I’m sothrilled to be able to make music with him. It makes
him the great composer and bandleader he is.”Amazing as it may seem while simultaneously
holding down the drum chair with those three groups(and more recently with Maria Schneider ’s Orchestra),Blake has managed to make a name for himself as aleader. His 2010 debut, The Eleventh Hour, with Harrell,
Shaw, Mark Turner, Tim Warfield, Robert Glasper,
Kevin Hays, Ben Street and Grégoire Maret, unveileda fully formed compositional voice, with sevenengaging original pieces. He declares, “If anybody
knows anything about me they know that wheneverI write I always have the melody in mind. I never want
to forsake the melody. I like to write songs with what
I like to call memorable melodies; melodies that makepeople walk away humming them.” Four years later hereunited with Turner and Street, adding saxophonist
Chris Potter to the mix, on his Gone, but not Forgotten
date fêting departed elder statesmen. 2018’s Trion
double disc with Potter and bassist Linda May Han Oh
documents his powerful, yet sensitive playing live at
The Jazz Gallery.
Blake’s latest release, his Blue Note label debut
Homeward Bound, features his group Pentad, which hefounded with bassist Dezron Douglas and includes
their Coltrane rhythm section mate David Virelles,
along with saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins andvibraphonist Joel Ross. The album is laden with moreof his “memorable melodies”. Douglas lauds his
frequent partner in time proclaiming, “He is one of themost creative musicians I’ve ever played with, acreative and well-studied percussionist. You can hearthat he has been groomed by the masters. His cymbal
setup is by far the oddest thing I’ve ever seen, but what
he does with it is nothing short of magical.” v
For more information, visit johnathanblake.com. Blake is at
The Jazz Gallery Dec. 3rd-4th, Lowlands Dec. 7th, The
Django at Roxy Hotel Dec. 9th and Village Vanguard Dec.
14th-19th and 21st-26th with Kenny Barron. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Tom Harrell—Prana Dance (HighNote, 2008)• Johnathan Blake—The Eleventh Hour (Sunnyside, 2010)• Johnathan Blake—Gone, but not Forgotten(Criss Cross Jazz, 2014)• Johnathan Blake—Trion (Giant Step Arts, 2018)• Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio (Featuring
Johnathan Blake)—Without Deception (Dare2, 2019)• Johnathan Blake—Homeward Bound (Blue Note, 2019)

212.258.9877
BROADWAY AT 60TH ST., 5TH FL.

JAN 13–14

DEC 15–19

Celebrate the late, legendary pianist and composer
Chick Corea with a once-in-a-lifetime tributedirected by longtime bandmate John Patitucci
and guest performances by an A-list of Corea’s
past collaborators and band members.

10 pm

Photo by Frank Stewart

With swinging, big band versions of everyone’s holiday
favorites, don’t miss this inspiring seasonal event
perfect for the whole family, featuring the JLCO with
Wynton Marsalis and special guest vocalist Alita Moses.

Photo by Lawrence Sumulong

BIG BAND HOLIDAYSCELEBRATING CHICK COREA

ENCOREPHIL
RANELINby michael cobb
Trombonist, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader

and educator Phil Ranelin has worked with many ofthe biggest names in jazz and popular music andstudied with highly respected jazz and classicaleducators including David N. Baker, Larry Ridley,
Nathan Davis, Bunky Green and Dr. Louis Smith.
Ranelin was born in Indianapolis and raised in amusical household. He cites his paternal grandmotheras an influential figure who knew some of the most
famous jazz artists of her era and introduced him tomusic through her 78-rpm records. “She was anincredible woman and a real music buff, especiallyBlack music of the ‘30s-50s,” Ranelin says. “She used toattend shows by bands who came through town likeCount Basie, Cab Calloway, Charlie Parker and Miles
Davis. Sometimes she would have parties at her houseentertaining musicians the whole weekend. She’d rub
shoulders with them and once played piano with Duke
Ellington. She passed that love of music down to me.
She said, ‘I want you to listen to the Victrola; you canplay anything you want and see what you like.’ I was
playing Big Maybelle, James Brown, Charlie Parker,
Duke...about a year later I started playing.”
Ranelin took up trombone when his school ran out
of other instruments to offer. “My aspiration was to bea saxophone player, but they only had a certain amountof instruments to give out. My parents couldn’t afford
to buy me one, so my first instrument came fromschool, given to me by the custodian. He gave me atrombone!” Ranelin recalls. Starting by playing inelementary school, then marching band and orchestra
in high school, Ranelin remembers some unusual earlyshows. “I played with Freddie Hubbard’s brotherEarmon Hubbard, who was a great pianist. My first gig

was with him in Indianapolis in ‘55-56 at a mental
institution. It was entertainment for the patients.”
After a brief stint in New York City, Ranelin settled
in Detroit, becoming a session musician at Motown
Records where he worked with Stevie Wonder, whom
he credits with getting him in the door of the legendary
studio. “I’d been on tour with him for ten days. He
didn’t know my name, but leaned over once and said,‘Mr. Trombone Man, what’s your name and number? I
want you to call my agent for recording.’ But because
my first priority was jazz, I didn’t really appreciate
Motown until later. I did those sessions mostly to makemoney and pay the rent. The producers often just used
our parts for overdubs; sometimes we did parts forthree to four different artists in a one-day session. They
had great arrangers at Motown. Jazz influenced
Motown and Motown influenced jazz. A lot of thoseguys, like the great bassist James Jamerson, aspired tobe jazz musicians.”
In the early ‘70s Ranelin co-founded Tribe Records
with saxophonist Wendell Harrison. The business model
was unique in that it allowed musicians to take chargeof their own careers by producing, publishing,
managing, marketing and distributing their own work.
“We were Detroit heroes inspired by the times. Tribe
was born out of necessity and a way for us to survive inthe music business. It was like an umbrella where eachartist controlled their own productions, so they could
make deals with whomever. Wendell later created Tribe
Magazine. He focused on the business; I focused on themusic.” Vibes From the Tribe became Ranelin’s signature
album and features pictures of his daughters andnieces. “Family was an important part of that album.
I put lyrics to one of Wendell’s songs, which I liked,
which was called ‘Wife’. Wendell wrote the melody andI did the lyrics,” he adds. “But Tribe is only one part of
my career. I was happy to play with my heroes like
Stevie Wonder, Roland Kirk and Freddie Hubbard. They
loved my sound because it touched people’s hearts.”
When asked about career highlights, Ranelin
fondly recalls working with Hubbard. “Some of mymost memorable moments came on the bandstand with
Freddie; he was the guy I admired most. He was of thehighest caliber of anyone who picked up the trumpet.

I couldn’t come close to what he played, but I had theheart, spirit and soul that he really admired. He liked
to challenge you. He was from Indianapolis too. He
and I liked to dress up a lot, suit and tie. Once, we weregoing to show up at a gig clean, suited up...meanwhile
Freddie had a gig at the Hollywood Bowl in L.A. with
McCoy Tyner, we had a gig at a corner spot in
Indianapolis. For some reason he decided to change
into light attire and was looking raggedy. He wasrunning late from the plane, so he came on and there
I am in a ‘bad’ three-piece suit. He saw me looking‘cleaner ’ than him and punished me by giving mea solo on ‘One of Another Kind’, which I’d neverplayed before. He was like the brother I never had. You
could feel his spirit in everything he did: his tone,
ideas, harmonic knowledge, feel, soul, his sound.
People know all about Miles and Dizzy, but he exceededboth of them. And that’s the truth!”
Recently Ranelin returned to Indianapolis to becloser to family and is recovering from a stroke. Earlier
this year he released Infinite Expressions (ORG Music).
His last gig was in August in which he did a tribute toCharlie Parker. He recalls, “One of the songs I did was‘Back Home Again in Indiana’. I wasn’t feeling my bestwhen I woke up, but due to my nature and spirit I
played. I didn’t realize how important and ironic thetitle of that piece was. It feels good to be surrounded bylove. I have a very extended family, which encompasses
the whole world. It is the beautiful truth.” v

Petrucciani was inspired by seeing Duke Ellington
on TV very early in his life and began making music at
age four on a toy piano. By age 13 he was playing
professionally. At 15 he went to Paris to study, over theobjections of his overprotective father, aided in thecause by his determined drummer Aldo Romano.
His breakthrough performance came in 1978 at the
Cliousclat Jazz Festival when Clark Terry’s pianist was
missing. In his Paris years, Petrucciani played in a trio
with drummer Kenny Clarke and rose to stardom. He
also became a womanizer with a taste for drugs andalcohol, behaviors that never abated. In the early ‘80s,
Petrucciani arrived in New York and then went on to
California in 1982, eventually visiting retired saxophonist
Charles Lloyd. Lloyd was so impressed with Petruccianithat he agreed to tour with him. The subsequent tour
peaked with the pair’s performance at the 1982 Montreux
Jazz Festival, which was made into an album.
In 1984, Petrucciani moved back to New York City,
where he remained until his death. He began playing
mainly with Wayne Shorter and Jim Hall, but the ‘80s
were a productive period for him in general. Keyboard
player Adam Holzman, who toured with Petruccianifrom 1989-1991, remembers, “He had a unique concept:
adding synthesizer colors and textures to the traditional
jazz piano trio. He was absolutely one of the best pianosoloists out there and it was an honor to listen and playalongside him every night. We also had a lot of fun!”As the ‘90s dawned, Petrucciani concentrated on

playing solo. But his schedule began to wear him
down. In the year before he died he played 140 concerts
and, too weak to use crutches, had to resort to awheelchair. A week after his 36th birthday he contracted
a pulmonary infection. He is buried in Le Père Lachaise
Cemetery in Paris.
Petrucciani loved playing and giving joy to those
who heard him. Perhaps the summation of Petrucciani’slife is in this remembrance by saxophonist Joe Lovano:“Michel was born Dec. 28th, 1962 and I was Dec. 29th,
1952, 10 years apart. Every year we would celebrate
together somehow. My recording From the Soul in 1991
on Blue Note was recorded on Michel’s birthday andmixed on mine. Dave Holland and Ed Blackwell werealso a part of our celebration of love and music thatyear. Michel was one of the most joyous and poetic
musicians in my life. We were like brothers.” v

For more information, visit gofundme.com/f/phil-ranelinfundraiser
Recommended Listening:• Wendell Harrison/Phillip Ranelin—
Message From The Tribe (Tribe, 1972-3)• Phil Ranelin—Vibes From The Tribe (Tribe, 1975)• Phil Ranelin—A Close Encounter Of The Very Best Kind
(Lifeforce, 1995)• Phil Ranelin—Reminiscence (Live!)(Wide Hive, 2002-5)• Phil Ranelin (with Henry Franklin and Big Black)—
Perseverance (Wide Hive, 2011)• Phil Ranelin—Infinite Expressions (ORG Music, 2020)

LEST WE FORGETMICHELPETRUCCIANI
by marilyn lester
French pianist Michel Petrucciani (Dec. 28th, 1962 -Jan. 6th, 1999) spent a mere 36 years on this planet, butleft a profound impact with his talent, grit anddetermination to practice his art. He was three feet tall,
his growth inhibited by a rare genetic disease,osteogenesis imperfecta, which also causes brittle bones
that break easily. Because of his size he required aids toreach the piano pedals and sometimes had to be carried
to and from the stage. Despite this disability and almost
constant pain, he was an extraordinary optimist,
considering aspects of his disability an advantage.
Some critics have downplayed his skills, claiming
his music was too accessible. Yet an articulation of
melody or, as he defined it, playing from the heart andnot the head, is what elevated his artistry. Petruccianialso had Oscar Peterson-like virtuosity. His phrasing
and timing were impeccable, as was his skill in
expanding melody to a higher level through a deep
understanding of the entire jazz canon.

10 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Recommended Listening:• Charles Lloyd—Montreux 82 (Elektra Musician, 1982)• Michel Petrucciani—Note ’n Notes (Owl, 1984)• Michel Petrucciani—The Power of Three (Featuring
Jim Hall and Wayne Shorter) (Blue Note, 1986)• Michel Petrucciani/Gary Peacock/Roy Haynes—
One Night In Karlsruhe (Jazzhaus, 1988)• Michel Petrucciani/Niels-Henning Ørsted
Pedersen—Petrucciani NHØP (Dreyfus, 1994)• Michel Petrucciani—Piano Solo (The Complete Concert
In Germany) (Dreyfus, 1997)

L ABEL SPOTLIGHT

TAKUROKU|
OTOROKU
by kurt gottschalkO n Mar. 23rd, 2020, the vocalist, movement artist andperformance phenomenon Elaine Mitchener gavea concert at London’s Café Oto. In those early days ofthe global pandemic, Mitchener, performing alone, seta harrowingly prescient tone for the months to come.
There was no audience—the venue had been streaming
live performances for several weeks from its small
storefront—and the announcement had just been madethat venues would be required to close altogether.
15 months later, Mitchener was back at the muchloved space, performing again for the cameras andthis time an audience as well. It was among the first
concerts the venue hosted since reopening. Mitchener
performed a more resilient, almost hopeful, piece—
in her words, “playful”—as a part of the Between theLines Festival. Between those concerts, Mitchener andCafé Oto, like the rest of the world, were doing what
they could to keep busy, stay sane and, if possible,
remain afloat. One part of those activities was therelease of a rather remarkable album bearing thewarmly reassuring title Some Good News.
Convened by the duo Black Top (Orphy Robinson
and Pat Thomas), the digital download and double-CDcaptures a July 2019 Café Oto show with guests
Mitchener, drummer Hamid Drake and bassist William
Parker. It is a brilliant record, two long sessions, close
to an hour each, bearing the footprints of both British
and American free-thinking radical musicalism,

released on OtoRoku, Oto’s first in-house label. During
lockdown, the venue launched a second imprint,
TakuRoku, selling download-only releases as a survival
strategy for artists as well as themselves.
“We are really lucky that at the start of thepandemic we did a fundraiser, which kept us above
water until the Arts Council’s cultural recovery fundcame in,” said Fielding Hope, a senior programmer atCafé Oto since 2014. “On top of that the TakuRoku
label, our other labels, bookshop and record shop,
kept us ticking. We are quite used to existing in
precarity, so I think comparative to some other venues
we did OK during the pandemic. On reflection, we
never really stopped working. In fact, all our energies
got siphoned into all other new areas to keep things
afloat. The labels definitely helped financially, but for
us it was also a great way of reconnecting with a local
and international community of artists and expanding
the reach of artists we want to work with,” he added.
“We feel really proud of the work we were able to put
out and we’re infinitely grateful to all the artists who
made it all happen.”
The lockdown period found Oto’s skeleton crew
learning to use streaming software and new cameras
the space was able to acquire. “We got TakuRoku up
and running pretty soon after the first lockdown hit,”according to Oliver Barrett, who oversees web activity
for the venue. “Obviously, we suddenly foundourselves in a pretty perilous situation financially,
with all shows cancelled overnight and the majority of
our revenue streams with them. But we were also very
aware of so many of the artists that we work withsuddenly finding themselves in very difficult
circumstances financially too, as well as being without

The Truth
Matana Roberts & Pat Thomas

Totality
Jean-Luc Guionnet

AC/DC
Decoy with Joe McPhee

an outlet creatively. We saw TakuRoku as a way to help
support both ourselves and the artists through the
pandemic, as well as a way to respond to the strange
new reality we were suddenly faced with.”
Oto’s operations, including the suite of labels, run
on a thin budget. OtoRoku and OtoRoku Downloads(the name derived from the Japanese “roku”, forrecording) and the newer TakuRoku (or “homerecordings”) are able to stay in the black by keeping
expenses low. Proceeds are split 50/50 with the artists.
“Releasing downloads doesn’t involve a large cash
initial outlay, which is why we’re able to run the labels,”said digital archivist and label manager Abby Thomas.
“Being able to split the profits feels helpful for artists,
but I think the labels serve a broader purpose of being agreat channel for new work, new collaborations and forbuilding audience support for international artists. It
can feel like there’s a community of listeners, whom
we’re able to share new ideas with, which feels exciting.
The store is similar, but I’d say it focuses more on being
able to buy and sell stock made by artists or small labels
you might not necessarily find elsewhere. The bookshop
has been a lot of fun to do and stocking it with books
recommended by visiting musicians, or with local
artist’s publications has been great.”
The label has also been home to some reissues,
which also require lower investment, and titles by
Derek Bailey, Louis Moholo Moholo and Evan Parker
have proven to be some of the biggest sellers. Curating
new releases has primarily been done through artists
with whom Oto already had a relationship. “OtoRoku
started off as a way to physically document some of
the incredible shows that we were hosting in the café,				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

Seasons Changing
Gayle/Edwards/Sanders

The Search for Intelligent Life on Earth
Joachim Nordwall

VOXNEWS

RELIEFby suzanne lorge
Almost two years into a bio-war, we have become

accustomed to more constrained ways of living and new
ways of connecting. Several vocalists have taken on thesubject of how we connect in times of crisis andtransmuted their insights into musical narratives.
Lisbon-native vocalist Sara Serpa plumbs thepsychological complexities of emigration with Intimate
Strangers, an expansion of the themes addressed in her
2020 work, Recognition, both on Biophilia. The latterrelease, which delved into her parents’ witness toPortuguese colonialism in Africa, drew on spoken texts
from anti-colonialist writer Amilcar Cabral. Similarly,
this latest project renders tales from the book A
Stranger’s Pose, by Nigerian writer Emmanuel Iduma(who narrates), into emotionally searing compositions
entwined with spare piano and synthesizer
accompaniment. Besides Serpa, singers Aubrey
Johnson and Sofía Rei give voice to the displaced andthe seeking. Serpa will lead the album’s musicians in a
release concert at Jazz Museum in Harlem (Dec. 14th).
On her newest album, Songs From Other Places(Candid), singer Stacey Kent, too, discusses the vexing
dialectic of hominess versus wanderlust or, as she

writes in the liner notes, the feeling of “unbelonging”
that has attended her career as a world-travelingmusician and an American expat in London. With
lyrics by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro
and music by saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, the album’s
originals (“I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again”,“Craigie Burn”, “Tango in Macau”) recall with some
wistfulness those earlier times of easy motion andvista-gazing. Kent is at Birdland (Dec. 7th-11th).
Paul Jost recorded While We Were Gone (s/r) during
the early days of the pandemic, when Brooklyn’s
Soapbox Gallery was one of the few venues readily
available to offer streaming concerts. On this live album
the ever-amiable Jost turns uncharacteristically toward
the social and political: Disc One, “Poetic Justice”, uses
Americana (“Shenandoah”, “The Star-Spangled
Banner”) as the intro to a challenge in verse (“Lies ofConvenience”) and a keening ballad in memory ofGeorge Floyd (“Forever”). Disc Two, “An Appeal For
Reason”, opens with a speech against the violence of
the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, before segueing
into a pointed, a cappella verse of “If I Ruled The
World”. Jost returns to Soapbox Gallery Dec. 14th.
Borrowing from her expertise as a music therapist,
Noa Fort fosters a measure of peace during trying
times with Everyday Actions (ears&eyes), her second
album as a leader. The nine tracks center on Fort’s
vocal melodies, each wordless and grounded andremarkably soothing. The release concert happens at

the Church Street School for Music and Art (Dec. 3rd).
Superstar vocalists Esperanza Spalding and
Cécile McLorin Salvant each contribute a tune to the
six-label, allstar recording extravaganza Relief. Thesenine never-released tracks represent both originals(Christian McBride on his “Brother Malcolm”) andstandards (Jon Batiste on “Sweet Lorraine”). Spalding
co-wrote and sang “Back to Who”, featuring frothy
layers of spinning vocal lines, and Salvant digs deep
into an early blues sonority on “Easy Come, Easy Go”.
The album benefits the Jazz Foundation of America’s
COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund.
Back in October, Blue Note Records artist Norah
Jones issued her first holiday album, I Dream of Christmas.
Like many musicians this season, with her new release
Jones delivers some reassurance that things will getbetter. Her earthy voice is singularly suited to this kindof mission: The Chipmunks’ hit, “Christmas Don’t Be
Late”, with its dragging backbeat and chirpy choral
overdubs, calms as it amuses and Lee Mendelsohn’s“Christmas Time Is Here” is no less cheery for Jones’
darker coloration on the cartoon classic. Likewise,“White Christmas”, bouncier than the known ballad
renditions, revels in the tune’s hidden optimism.
As seasonal gigs go, for the vaccinated are: Kat
Edmonson in “Holiday Swingin!” at Le Poisson Rouge(Dec. 11th); Molly Ryan in “A Jazzy Christmas” at
Symphony Space (Dec. 18th); and Allan Harris “Sings A
Nat King Cole Christmas” at Birdland (Dec. 23rd-24th). v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 11

IN MEMORIAMLESLIE BRICUSSE (Jan. 29th, 1931 Oct. 19th, 2021) The British film andmusical composer and lyricist had histunes, particularly “Pure Imagination”
from 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate
Factory, covered by hundreds of jazzartists. Bricusse died Oct. 19th at 90.
ENZO CARPENTIERI (1959 - Oct. 12th,2021) The Italian drummer had albums
on Artesuono and Zerozero Jazz andcredits with European Music Orchestra,
Ettore Martin, Stefano Benini, John
Tchicai, Antonio Tosques, Kenny
Wheeler and Greg Burk. Carpentieridied Oct. 12th at 63.
FRANCO CERRI (Jan. 29th, 1926 - Oct.
18th, 2021) The Italian guitarist/bassist
was active since the ‘40s with numerous
leader dates for Columbia, Ricordi,
CGD, GTA, Malobbia, Dire, Gruppo
Editoriale Fabbri, Casa Del Jazz, Musica
Jazz, Abeat and other labels and credits
with Chet Baker, Gianni Basso, Buddy Collette, Claude
Williamson, European All Stars, Bruno Lauzi, Flavio
Ambrosetti and others. Cerri died Oct. 18th at 95.
WILLIE GARNETT (Aug. 25th, 1938 Oct. 15th, 2021) The British alto/tenor
saxophonist had credits with Jimmy
Skidmore, Alexis Korner, Charlie Watts
and Bill Wyman, numerous pop androck recording dates and led a big band
into the new millennium. Garnett died
Oct. 15th at 83.

The bUD POWeLL COLLeCTION

HARTMUT GEERKEN (Jan. 15th, 1939
- Oct. 21st, 2021) The German
percussionist and writer co-founded
Cairo Jazz Band and Cairo Free Jazz
Ensemble during a period based in
Egypt (while working for the Goethe
Institute), during which time he brought
the Sun Ra Arkestra there to perform; later, while
stationed in Kabul, organized the Indo-AfghanEuropean Music Weeks and hosted Afghanistan’s firstjazz radio program; and worked with John Tchicai, Don
Moye, Art Ensemble of Chicago and others, releasing
albums on Praxis, Leo, AECO, Qbico, Holidays andSagittarius A-Star. Geerken died Oct. 21st at 82.
RENÉ LANGEL (Nov. 25th, 1924 - Oct.
13th, 2021) The Swiss journalist, jazzwriterandamateursaxophonist
contributed to the notable French jazz
journal Hot Revue, published the book
Le jazz, orphelin de l’afrique and, mostimportantly, was a co-founder of theMontreux Jazz Festival in 1967. Langel died Oct. 13that 96.
LETIERES LEITE (Dec. 8th, 1959 - Oct.
27th, 2021) The Brazilian saxophonist/
flutist led the Orkestra Rumpilezz since2006, which mixed traditional folk
music with modern jazz, releasing acouple of albums during its lifespanand giving a notable concert in July
2015 at Lincoln Center ’s Damrosch Park, playing
pieces written and conducted by Steven Bernstein and
Arturo O’Farrill (which was selected as a Best Show of2015 by this gazette). Leite died Oct. 27th at 61.

DIMITRI “DEE POP” PAPADOPOULOS(1956 - Oct. 9th, 2021) The noted punk
drummer of the ‘80s went on to be
active in the Downtown avant garde
jazz scene both as a player with Radio
I-Ching (a trio with Don Fiorino andAndy Haas), Freedomland (alongside
Daniel Carter, Dave Sewelson, David Hofstra andWilliam Parker)­and various one-off performances, thefirst two releasing albums on Resonant Music and Rent
Control Records, respectively, and as a NYC concert
presenter at Internet Café, CB’s Lounge (a concert at
which this author met his future wife), 5C Cultural
Café and Jimmy’s Down Under. Papadopoulos died
Oct. 9th at 65.
KENNY RUPP (??? - ???) The trombonist
was a fixture of Maynard Ferguson’s‘60s bands and also had credits in the
big bands of Stan Kenton, Bengt-Arne
Wallin, Harry Arnold, Duke Pearson
and Toshiko Akiyoshi and later was amember of the DMP Big Band and Jim
Cullum Jazz Band. Rupp died ???
JAMES TATUM (July 29, 1931 - Oct.
6th, 2021) The Texas-born, Detroitbased pianist self-released a couple ofalbums in the ‘70s-80s, including his“Contemporary Jazz Mass”, but madehis greatest impact as a teacher, lecturer
and philanthropist, the latter via his
James Tatum Foundation For The Arts, Inc., whichhas provided hundreds of thousands of dollars inscholarships for young Detroit musicians. Tatum died
Oct. 6th at 90. v

Complete catalogs: www.steeplechase.dk

CD - DOWNLOaD - sTreamINg

Newly discovered recordings from
Copenhagen, stockholm & Oslo 1962

STEAMEDRE

RECORDSthe music of

STAN
TRACEYvinyl
compact discs
downloads

sCCD 36040

sCCD 36041

The recordings fromThe golden Circle, stockholm 1962

SCCD 36001

SCCD 36002

SCCD 36009

SCCD 36014

SCCD 36017

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

12 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

www.resteamed-records.com

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
I’ll go, “Hey Luke Stewart [bassist], who could I use on
trumpet?” And he kind of knows what I’m looking for
and I trust his opinion. And it makes it interesting forme too to then to get these new relationships withother musicians within these cities. And then, thesound is always different for me, which I like. I like to
be challenged and to go into each city with noexpectations of what it’s going to sound like. And
sometimes, I like to challenge myself more orexperiment more with the project by having completely
different instrumentation. I think one time in DC,
I just had guitar, drums, trumpet and sax, no bass
player. When I went to Paris, it was like a noisecollective that I was working with; these guys camefrom a whole different school of thought than what
I was doing, so it was more like noise guitar, noise bass
and three saxophones. So it was a completely different
sound and it took me to places that I normally wouldn’t
have gone with the project. But within the project,
there’s still always the Ayler themes and the Christmas
themes that I mash together.
TNYCJR: The pieces are extensive, going from passagesof roaring noise to quiet meditation sometimes. How
do you arrange them?
MW: The way the project works is that there is some
type of continuity, by having the Ayler themes and theChristmas themes, I have an idea of what to do forarrangements. I do arrangements that are like a map.
I know which Ayler tunes and which Christmas tunes
work together very well and that I want to be in there.
But those themes are jumping-off points into
improvisations. Sometimes the improvisations aretotally spontaneous. Sometimes, I give a little bit ofstructure when I say, “Okay, the band is going to break
down. This is going to be a duo improvisation withkeyboard and trumpet.” But that can branch off and go
to other directions, wherever the musicians take it.
And I always tell the musicians that at any time within
the music, besides the Ayler themes I have as jumpingoff points and the Christmas songs that work as
mashups with the Ayler tunes, you can introduce a
Christmas theme or a Hannukah tune at any time andeverybody else has the freedom either to join in on thator not, or play something against that. So, there’s a lotof freedom that I’m giving the musicians, but thenthere’s also some structure in the arrangements that
I do. It’s like the arrangements are basically like a mapthat shows from point A to point B and in between
point A and point B are an Ayler theme and a Christmas
tune to another Ayler tune or another Christmas tune.
So, there are different improvisations along the way, as
long as you know where you’re going in the
improvisation to point B.
TNYCJR: How did you set out to distinguish this latest
album from your previous holiday records or do you
think that they are all of a piece to some extent?
MW: Usually with the Ayler Xmas records, from thefirst one all the way through Volume 4, the music wasalways live recordings from the year before, from that
tour. Chicago was always represented on the record,
except for Volume 3, which was a group that
I used in Krakow, Poland. But other than that, Chicago
was always on the record and then there would berecordings from other cities that I would incorporate
from the tour the year before. The only way to play thisis live, to really capture the energy of the music. Thistime, since I wasn’t able to tour last year because of thepandemic, the only concerts that I did in 2020 were twolive-streams from Constellation in Chicago. So on
those, for the most part, I’ve released all these melodies
before. This year, I thought “Okay, I can’t take all of thesame material that I’ve done.” On some of the records,

especially Volume 4, I have the same long medley of
Ayler Xmas tunes played by the Chicago group on Side
A and on Side B, there’s the same medley played by the
New York group. So you could hear the difference inwhat I was describing before about jumping-off points,
themes that are within the arrangements and what
happens in between that. And you can hear how eachmusician in each city interprets those. And on a coupleof the other records, I would do the same medleys
between numbers. And some of the records havemedleys that were never on another record. I’m making
this point only because this year, I was like, “Should I
do a Volume 5?” I did Volume 4 last year. It was a double
CD and it was vinyl, but I didn’t even have a chance totour behind it. So I was like, “I don’t really haveanything else recorded that hasn’t been released.” At
least the same medleys had been released before. So in
July of 2021, I thought, “I’m going to write a couple
new medleys.” And I had some of the ideas, like taking“Ghosts” and then “New Ghosts” from the New Grassrecord and mashing those up. On the new record, I
have “New Ghosts” with “Feliz Navidad” and thatworks together really well. Also, I had “[I Have A]
Little Dreidel” and “Let It Snow” with [Ayler ’s]“Divine Peacemaker” (laughs).
So, I wrote these two long medleys and then I got intouch with everybody in the group and we still weren’t
doing live shows in Chicago. Everything stopped again
in the summer for a while. They started to do some live
shows, but then it stopped again. So, I said to the group,“Can we get together and go to Elastic Arts in theafternoon and I’ll get [engineer] Dave Zuckowsky tobring out his recording rig and we’ll set up and we’ll
play live with no audience and use those two new
medleys I have?” Actually, I had three but we only hadtime to do two. So, we went in there and recorded thesethings. I taught them the medleys and then we recorded
them right away. So, this is the first one that’s been done
without a live audience. And actually, on the newalbum, tracks one and two [“The Divine Peacemaker
Plays Dreidel in Frightful Weather” and “The Angels
Sing with the Old & New Ghosts in the Manger”] were
one long medley. But I broke it into two with an ID on
the record. So it starts with my “Ghosts” solo and thengoes into the whole “Ghosts” medley and stuff. I’m glad
I did it because it was a different way of recording thanthe other records. It was like a studio recording because
there’s no live audience and we just set up and we
played live together, no overdubs, but in a studioenvironment. So that’s the real difference. I did add,
though, a third track to the Volume 5 record, which wasfrom the live stream at Constellation, and I took one of
the tunes that we did, I think, on Volume 4, which had[Ayler’s] “Light and Darkness” and “Do You Hear What
I Hear”. And it’s different from the one that’s on Volume
4. It was actually tracked, so I got to remix it and I put
that on the record also, as a third piece.
TNYCJR: Could you talk about the upcoming tour?
MW: I’m playing in a bunch of different places, using
different bands. There’s a group from Texas that I’mgoing to be using for five shows, three shows in Texas
and two in Louisiana. So we’re just driving between
the cities. And I kind of like that concept this year
because it gives us a chance to really develop themusic. And this group sounds entirely different thanany of the other groups, with the Gonzalez brothers,
Aaron [bass] and Stefan [vibraphone, drums] out of
Dallas, Jonathan Horne on guitar and a young
trombone player named Gaika James. Most of them arefrom the Young Mothers group and they have analmost punk rock energy. It’s really cool and it sounds
great. I’m going to record as many shows on this tour
as possible because the New York group is a little bit
different than the last time, from the Volume 4 record.
Ava Mendoza [guitar] is replacing Nels Cline this year.
There’s Chad Taylor on drums and I’m also adding

Jaimie Branch [trumpet] to the mix. So we’ve got
Jaimie, Steve Swell [trombone] and me—a three-piecehorn section—and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello for the
New York show.
TNYCJR: Do you have any plans to do a Volume 6?
MW: I can’t really think about it this year because wehave the tour coming up. But I have another medley
written so… (laughs) Five is maybe a good number tostop at, but I really don’t know. Volume 6 is always
possible because there’s a lot of Ayler material out there
and a lot of Christmas songs and Hannukah songs. v
For more information, visit marswilliams.com. Williams’
An Ayler Xmas is at Zürcher Gallery Dec. 5th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Hal Russell/Mars Williams—EFTSOONS (Nessa, 1981)• NRG Ensemble—Calling All Mothers (Quinnah, 1993)• Mars Williams—XMARSX (Atavistic, 2001)• Scorch Trio (with Mars Williams)—
Made In Norway (Rune Grammofon, 2011)• Boneshaker—Fake Music (Soul What, 2017)• Mars Williams—An Ayler Christmas, Vol. 5(Soul What/Astral Spirits, 2020-21)(LABEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
which we felt really deserved a wider audience,”
Fielding said. “As time’s gone on we’ve been able toincrease the amount of records we put out each year
but we’re such a small operation that we’re obviously
still limited by the amount of recordings we canphysically release. There’s so many amazing
performances that happen here that we’d love torelease if we could! OtoRoku Digital was started asa way to be able to increase the amount of theserecordings that we’re able to share and also for people
further afield, who might not be able to physicallyattend a show here, to be able to experience what
OTO’s about. For TakuRoku, initially we had a long listof artists who we invited to put something out with us,
many of whom were regular performers here or who
had upcoming shows that had been cancelled,” hecontinued. “Once we had put out a few releases westarted to get some incredible submissions sent in to us
as well though. Broadly, we tried to keep a similar
approach in curating the label as we do with curating
the event space, so if it was an artist or collaboration
who we’d want to book for the café then it is something
we’d want to put out on the label too. We hoped it
would be a platform where artists could try out
something new and that’s definitely paid off better
than we could ever have imagined. So many of myfavorite releases from the past 18 months have been on
this label and it is been a total privilege getting to hearthem as they’ve come in.”
While all of the imprints—and now the performance
space, streaming platform and bookshop—remain in
operation, it is TakuRoku that is the most unusual,a sort of curated and jointly created sonic journal ofa struggle that is truly global with more than 150
modestly-priced titles and counting. Excerpts allow for
sampling prior to purchase. “We had this idea of thelabel being a way for artists to respond creatively tothe pandemic and their own circumstances and thefirst few TakuRoku releases were definitely directly
related to lockdown and perhaps only having a limited
set of resources with which to record at home,” Fielding
said. “As the series has progressed the scope and focus
has definitely broadened but I think it is still a really
incredible document of the last 18 months, reflectedacross an amazingly diverse sonic spectrum.” v
For more information, visit cafeoto.co.uk/shop

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 13

ALBUM REVIEWS

Live at the Village Vanguard
Christian McBride Inside Straight (Mack Avenue)
by Joel Roberts

Bassist Christian McBride digs into the archives for his

latest release, a 2014 set from the Village Vanguard withhis stellar quintet, Inside Straight, the first live one fromthe group, which was formed more than a decade ago
specifically to perform at the Vanguard and to get backto what McBride calls “hardcore, no-holds barred,
acoustic, straightahead” jazz. The story goes that the
club’s owner, Lorraine Gordon, offered McBride the gig
as long as he didn’t bring the “rock” band he’d beenplaying with—though it is not clear to which of his
many musically diverse groups she was referring. Thatwas back in 2009 and McBride and his ensemble havebeen holding down a December residence at the fabled
Greenwich Village club ever since.
The nearly 80-minute set comprises seven tunes,
mostly postbop workouts drawn from the group’s two
previous albums, Kind of Brown and People Music. All are
written by members of the band and given takes
between 8 and 15 minutes, allowing for expansive
soloing. Rising star vibraphonist Warren Wolf’s soulful“Sweet Bread” is the opener, one of two tunes hecontributes, along with the swirling, adventurous
vibraphone feature “Gang Gang”. Veteran alto/sopranosaxophonist Steve Wilson penned “Ms. Angelou”,
a lyrical tribute to the late poet and activist Maya
Angelou. McBride wrote all of the remaining tunes,
including the mellow swinger “Uncle James”, which
honors the late pianist James Williams, and “In the
Shade of the Cedar Tree”, celebrating another great
pianist in Cedar Walton. The hard-charging closer,“Stick and Move”, features some of pianist Peter
Martin’s best moments as well as intense back and forth
between McBride and explosive drummer Carl Allen.
This high-energy seven-year-old recording has
aged well and more than lives up to McBride’s promiseof vintage “no-holds barred” playing.
For more information, visit mackavenue.com. This band is
at Village Vanguard through Dec. 5th. See Calendar.

Chapter 10: Breaking Cover
Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours (Picaro)
by Russ Musto

Trombonist Papo Vázquez once again affirms his

status as one of the most important creative forces inmusic today. He leads the Mighty Pirates Troubadours—
saxophonist Ivan Renta, pianist Rick Germanson,
bassist Ariel Robles, drummer Alvester Garnett andpercussionists Carlos Maldonado and Reinaldo
DeJesus—on a set of ten originals, skillfully arranged
to allow plenty of room for blowing over a variety of
AfroCaribbean rhythms indigenous to Vazquez’ native
Puerto Rico.
The group comes out swinging on “Mr. Babu”,
with guest alto saxophonist Sherman Irby. A bomba

hollande rhythm comes to the fore on the piece’s second
section with Vázquez and guest sonero/bongocero
Jose Mangual, Jr. chanting the chorus, ”Mr. Babu comesfrom Africa / Dancing with Elena”, underscoring themusic’s roots.
Vázquez’ ringing agogo bell leads off “My Latin
Jazz”, a lively mambo played over a steady clave beatwith commanding horn solos and climactic conga
exposition. “El Cuco/The Boogeyman” lives up to its
title, with an insistent minor key piano vamp playedover barrel drums’ pulsating bomba hoyo de mularhythm. The mood lightens on “Saludo Campesino”,
a melodious outing underpinned by the aguinaldo
rhythm associated with the music of Puerto Rico’s
countryside, reflected in the chorus’ lyric, which offers
salutations following a descent from the mountains.
Vazquez’ agogo bells introduces “Fiesta en laSanse”, a fiery plena with soloists alternating between
swing and Latin rhythms and the percussionists
working out full force. “Fairmount Park”, a tribute toPhiladelphia’s sprawling greenway, adds guitarist
Anthony Caraballo on a very funky bomba cuembe.
Vázquez displays his ballad artistry in a quartet setting
on the mournful “Shadows”, segueing smoothly into
the unaccompanied trombone introduction to “No Te
Rindas”, which morphs into a commemorative rumba,
the chorus having Mangual chanting the names of
deceased Latin jazz masters. The set ends with Irby,
trumpeter Antoine Drye and bassist Dezron Douglas
joining the band on the Monk-ish “Broke Blues”.

waltz, highlighted by trombone long tones. The punchy“Inclusion” percolates with energy, with Neumeister ’s
vocal-like solo sounding very conversational. The
plaintive title track gets its message across without alyric, providing a powerful conclusion to the suite.
The six miniatures of “PickledGinger” were
initially recorded as one long free improvisation, butwere split up to serve as solo segues featuring different
musicians individually. Rarely does a trombonist showsuch versatility on his horn within a CD. Expect to find
What Have I Done? on many critics’ Best of 2021 lists.
For more information, visit edneumeister.com. Neumeister
is at Pangea Dec. 1st with Jay Clayton. See Calendar.

brian charette
Brian Charette Piano Trio
Mezzrow, December 8
Sets at 7:30 & 9pm
Alex Claffy (bass)
Kush Abadey (drums)

smallslive.com/events/23204-brian-charettealexander-claffy-kush-abadey...and live streaming electronica
from Facebook Tuesdays at 9pm:
www.facebook.com/pinchbrian

For more information, visit papovazquez.com. This band is
at Chelsea Table & Stage Dec. 1st. See Calendar.

briancharette.com

photo by Tracey Yarad

Delay: The Solo Recordings (Omnivore)
R • Scott
Dubois - Summer Watere (Watertone
Music-Sunnyside)• Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber—c Angels Over Oakanda (Avant Groidd Musica)
Cole—Sky Blossom (Songs From My
o • Alexis
Tour of Duty) (ZOHO)
Courvoisier/Mary Halvorson—m • Sylvie
Searching For The Disappeared Hourm (Pyroclastic)
Eisenberg—Bloodlettinge • Wendy(Out Of Your Head)
Brandon Lewis—n • James
Code Of Being (Intakt)
Leo Smith’s Great Lakes Quartet—d • Wadada
The Chicago Symphonies (TUM)e • Ayumi Tanaka—Subaqueous Silence (ECM)
Williams—An Ayler Xmas, Vol. 5d • Mars(Soul What/Astral Spirits)• Hasaan Ibn Ali—Retrospect in Retirement of

What Have I Done?
Ed Neumeister Quartet (Meisteromusic)
by Ken Dryden

Ed Neumeister is a veteran trombonist who has put

more emphasis on his role as a composer in recent
years, especially since taking part in the 1987 BMI Jazz
Composers Workshop when Bob Brookmeyer andManny Albam directed it. For much of his career,
Neumeister served valuable roles in several large
ensembles, including Mel Lewis Orchestra (now theVanguard Jazz Orchestra) and spent considerable timeteaching in European universities.
These days, Neumeister has been focusing on
recording his own music. What Have I Done? is athrough-composed suite, though adapted by themusicians working with him, drawing ideas from thescore as they added their own improvisations andtransformed the music into a quartet setting. The
beauty of these performances is that none of the players
are accompanists, instead integral parts of the resulting
music. Pianist Gary Versace has been a frequentcollaborator of Neumeister ’s while the other veterans,
bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tom Rainey, haveworked together in numerous bands.
Neumeister ’s expressiveness and deft use ofvarious mutes pays tribute to many artists who
preceded him. His tone in the lighthearted jazz waltz“Riverwalk” salutes Tricky Sam Nanton, Duke
Ellington’s star trombonist of the ‘40s, incorporating
a similar “Ya Ya” vocal sound. Twisting postbop theme“Gratitude” has a mysterious air and terrific interplay.
“Acclimation” lopes along bluesily, with superb
playing by the rhythm section in conjunction withplayful trombone. “Renate” is another engaging jazz

14 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editornand then there’s thise • Artifacts—...
(Astral Spirits)& Effect (ESP-Disk’)w •• Attitude!—Pause
Johnathan Blake—Homeward Bound(Blue Note)

Fujii/Taiko Saito—r • Satoko
Futari: Underground (Libra)
Haarla Electric Ensemble—e • IroWhat Will We Leave Behind (Images Froml Planet Earth) (Svart)(RareNoise)e •• JÜ—IIIJoão Lencastre’s Communion—
Unlimited Dreams (Clean Feed)a • Peter
McEachern—Code 2 (SteepleChase)
Mendoza—New Spellss • Ava(Relative Pitch/Astral Spirits)e • Nosax
Noclar—Rëd Sisters (YOLK Music)s Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

Sun Beams of Shimmering Light
Wadada Leo Smith/Douglas Ewart/Mike Reed
(Astral Spirits)
by Monique Ngozi Nri

S un Beams of Shimmering Light was created live at

drummer Mike Reed’s Chicago music venue
Constellation in 2015. The word is used advisedly as
this is how one of its primary architects, trumpeter
Wadada Leo Smith, describes himself. “I’m a creator,”
he told this reviewer. “An artist makes art by creating
through inspiration...without the artist’s inspiration,
the listener cannot feel anything.” Multi-instrumentalist
Douglas Ewart, friend and collaborator of Smith forover 50 years since their days in the Muhal Richard
Abrams Orchestra, describes the process of creation as
similar to cooking. To paraphrase: we have theingredients which come from our lives, our experiences,
our understanding of the music in many varied
settings. In the live creation, a delicious stew isconcocted, not by random happenstance, but throughdisciplined choices.
Smith explains the title track thusly: “Shimmering
Light is light that comes in multiple particles that flow
as a beam and because it has multiple particles it
shimmers.” So too with sound and music, which Smithbelieves has a physical manifestation as particles. Thisvibration triggers a physical as well as an intellectual
emotional feeling in the listener or responder in some
way through the artist’s inspiration.
The CD opens with the nearly 16-minute“Constellations and Conjunctional Spaces”, which
seems to start mid-phrase with Ewart on bassoon andSmith on English horn. We are treated both to soaring
notes and those plumbing the depths, both instruments
cutting through the silence together and in conversation
with drums. The title track comes next, opening with asonic chime, greeted by extended muted trumpet.
There are shimmering shaker sounds undulating
beneath, hints of talking drums. We could be on ajourney through a forest with the lights glinting on theleaves with Miles Davis as our guide. Ewart joins onflute, a gentle presence in contrast to Smith’s bolder
tones. This is not background music, nor does it incite.
It is a pleasure dome for the senses. Truly magical.
“Super Moon Rising” opens with mbira and drums
rolling back and forth, trumpet repeating a march-likeditty. The drums continue to roll, turning to staccato
fire. Ewart contributes percussion from one of his
many, often self-made instruments. “Unknown Forces”
alludes to the East in tonality and is more meditative inplaces. Final track “Dark Tango” is short by comparison
and arouses the audience’s rapturous applause.
Astral Spirits has done a superb job with thedesign of the album: the photographs of the group in
performance in a purple haze provide a great entry to
the sound, as does the enigmatic cover art. This is aconstellation not to be missed.

UNEARTHED GEM

For more information, visit astralspirits.bandcamp.com.
Ewart is at Roulette Dec. 2nd and Zürcher Gallery Dec.
4th. See Calendar.

About Time
Bobby Naughton/Jerome Harris/Cleve Pozar (OTIC)
by Jim Motavalli

V ibraphonist Bobby Naughton was New Haven,Soul Conversations
Ulysses Owens, Jr. Big Band (Outside In Music)
by George Kanzler

It is easy to feel optimistic about the future of big band

jazz when listening to this album. While many jazz big
bands today skew in age toward a sports old timer ’sday, drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr.’s big band members’
average age more resembles a professional soccer
team: late teens to mid 30s. In fact, more than one of
the members was still a teen when this album wasrecorded live during an engagement at Jazz at Lincoln
Center ’s Dizzy’s Club in 2019.
This is vibrant, engaging big band music, full ofverve and dynamism. Owens, at 38 much older thanhis band’s average age but still legitimately a ‘young
lion’ in jazz parlance, is a sparkplug who ignites andsustains the ensemble’s rhythmic drive. He also cannily
employed a top roster of young arranging talent;half of the tracks have charts by bandmembers, theother five by outside arrangers. And the repertoire iscreatively eclectic: familiar jazz standards like Dizzy
Gillespie-John Lewis’ “Two Bass Hit”, John Coltrane’s“Giant Steps” and Neal Hefti’s “Girl Talk” share theprogram with originals from Owens and bandmembers,
plus a captivating version of Michael Jackson’s hit“Human Nature”.
Vibraphonist Stefon Harris, a genuine elder at 48
in this context, guests on two tracks. Trumpeter Benny
Benack III shares solo space with Harris on his own
pastel-shaded track, “London Towne”, arranged by
Steven Feifke. And Harris is the lone soloist on theinfectious Michael Thomas arrangement of “Human
Nature”. Thomas also creates a heady, exciting version
of “Giant Steps”, appropriately featuring the band’s
tenor saxophonists: Daniel Dickinson and Diego Rivera.
Some pieces have a string of soloists upping theante on each other while others are in the concertomode, featuring one soloist. Among the former are “TwoBass Hit” and an Ellington-ian “Harlem Harlem
Harlem”, actually an original by the singer on it, Charles
Turner III. It also has penetrating solos from alto
saxophonist Erena Terakubo, trombonist Michael Deaseand trumpeter Summer Camargo (a teen at the time),
whose plunger-muted solo further expands the Ducal
vibe. Beside “Human Nature”, the concerto tracks areballad “Language of Flowers”, spotlighting alto
saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, and the heartbeat swinger“Girl Talk”, featuring Bahamian trumpeter Giveton
Gelin. It all adds up to a winning big band excursion.
For more information, visit outsideinmusic.com. This bandis at Dizzy’s Club Dec. 2nd-5th. See Calendar.

Connecticut-based in the late ‘60s-70s and part of
the Creative Music Improvisors Forum. He played
and recorded with clarinetist Perry Robinson,
saxophonists Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchelland singer Sheila Jordan. He also set up his own
label, OTIC, in 1969. New archival releases aretrickling out, including this welcome live addition
to the catalog. Naughton is joined by the celebrated
electric bassist Jerome Harris (just before his Sonny
Rollins days) and percussionist Cleve Pozar. The
venue was the New England Repertory Theater inWorcester, MA on Jun. 18th, 1978 and the recording
quality is excellent.
The title track is the first of three Naughton
originals. It opens with pulsing electric bass andpopcorn-popping percussion, over which is laid
shimmering vibraphone. It is intense and propulsive,
but quietly so, capturing some of the mystery andbeauty of Terry Riley’s “Rainbow in Curved Air”,
conjuring visions of a bustling futuristic city, its
inhabitants on their way to purposeful work. Butthat is only the first half of the 11-minute piece. At
4:30 it quiets down. But wait, before long Naughton
starts laying down a related and catchily insistenttheme and we’re up again. There is no drumkit here,
but Pozar ’s percussion and marimba are up front
and much more than mere accents. The piece ends
rather abruptly, minus the audience appreciation.
“Duality” is a dialogue between vibraphone
and marimba, delicate and nuanced. Naughton andPozar are totally focused on complementing one
another and are in the same zone as the Gary
Burton/Chick Corea duets. The pace graduallybuilds, but the glow of musicians collaboratingclosely remains. They could have taken the duo on
the road and ECM should have noticed. If you werelooking for the avant garde Naughton, the third of
his compositions, “F3”, fits the bill: freely improvisedand spiky and never really settles down.
A Naughton/Harris dialogue looks ready to catch
fire, but the music goes in another direction.
Carla Bley’s “Doctor” features a more agitated
Harris and Naughton’s playing is also more jagged,
but still melodic and well inside. Pozar ’s tribal
percussion has an Ed Blackwell vibe. There is a fade,then an energetic solo percussion interlude leading
into an interesting solo bass section. Harris was andis his own man on the instrument. The group unites
for the last 45 seconds, but it is all a bit disjointed.
As on the title track, it would have been better tohear everything the musicians put down, without
the fades and edits.
But what a closeout: three minutes of Naughton
solo on the Jimmy Van Heusen-Johnny Burke
standard “But Beautiful”. It is an ultra-tender,
sensitive reading, thoroughly exploring one of thebest melodies in the Songbook. And now we get thewell-earned applause.
For more information, visit bobbynaughton.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 15

G LO B E U N I T Y

MusikWerckmeister (Creative Sources)
Intra-I
Theon Cross (New Soil/Marathon)
Harbour
Daniel Herskedal (Edition)
by Tom Greenland

Tuba was the foundational bass instrument in earliest

jazz, largely relinquishing that role to the double bass
until the ‘50s onwards when players like Red Callenderand Ray Draper pioneered new approaches. Threeartists explore the brass family’s lowest-pitchedmember in strikingly different ways.
Musik, recorded live at Cologne’s Atelier Geitel,features Werckmeister: German tuba player Carl
LudwigHübsch,Swissclarinetist
MarkusEichenberger, Austrian synthesizer player PhilipZoubek and Dutch extended snare drummer Etienne
Nillesen. Named after Andreas Werckmeister, an earlyadvocate of equal temperament, and titling tracks
with Italian tempo markings (“Adagio molto-Allegro
con brio”, the opener, is exactly that: “very slow”, then“fast with vigor”), the band implies some type ofavant-Baroque music, but the improvisations are more
like tone poetry/painting: exploration of subtle
gradations of color made possible when four brushes
draw from the same palette. Generally slow moving,hissings, grindings and rumblings suggestive of adense industrial soundscape, the music melds theacoustic instruments’ extended techniques with subtle
electronica to effect a smearing of sonic boundaries.
London-bred tuba player Theon Cross is a
product of the city’s vital club scene, where Grime,
House, Jungle, Dubstep, AfroCaribbean music andpost-jazz merge in a unique urban hybrid. Intra-I, his
sophomore album, departs from his work with Sons of
Kemet, where he primarily plays ‘bass’ parts (albeit
with prodigious intensity), here handling most of the
melodies, solos, compositions and arrangements,
though drummer/programmer Emre Ramazanoglu isa key contributor. The short, hard-hammering, dance
floor-friendly tracks are impressively produced, oftenwith touches of Jamaican dub. Vocal cameos by Remi
Graves, Shumba Maasi, Afronaut Zu, Ahnansé andConsensus raise socio-political issues. “Trust the
Journey” expands into cinematic scope over handdrummed
cross-rhythms.
Closer“Universal
Alignment” stages an epic showdown with former
Sons of Kemet tuba player Oren Marshall.
Norwegian tuba player/bass trumpeter Daniel
Herskedal teams up with frequent collaborators,
pianist Eyolf Dale and drummer Helge Andreas
Norbakken, on Harbour, an enigmatic yet accessible
tribute to various forms of shelter from stormy seas.
His tuba tone is full and sonorous, a remarkably vocalic
quality enhanced by breathy attacks, gentle vibrato
and gracefully slurred notes. He uses the bass trumpet
mostly for melody statements, tuba for basslines andevocative leads recalling the song of humpback whales.
His writing, especially on “Arriving at Ellis Island”,“Dancing Dhow Deckhands”, “The White Lion Docksin Point Comfort” and “Port of Call”, is intriguing, thesecond and third exhibiting Middle Eastern influencein long, sequenced, ornamented contours, the last
blending a childlike lullaby in 7/4 laced with Baroquetrills over gospel cadences.
For more information, visit creativesourcesrec.com,
theoncross.bandcamp.com and editionrecords.com

Say It Quiet
John Ellis/Adam Levy/Glenn Patscha (Sunnyside)by Dan Bilawsky

There is a dovetailing dynamic at play in thiscollaborative pursuit, totally fitting given the way
these men have crossed paths for decades. Pianist
Glenn Patscha and tenor saxophonist John Ellis firstconnected back in the old millennium, when the former
had carved out a niche in New Orleans and the latter
was still coming up. Both eventually moved to New
York (in the late ‘90s), where an established Ellis would
meet guitarist Adam Levy who, over the course of histime with vocalist Norah Jones, came also to know
Patscha, who had started the band Ollabelle and would
often perform at the same venues as the six-stringer.
Mutual respect and aligned artistic sensibilities
between the three hinted at the possibility of acollective effort, but it wasn’t until Patscha had an
epiphany while performing with Ellis’ Double Widethat it became a serious idea. With a new lease on life
as a cancer survivor and eagerness to reinvest himself
in more creative settings after spending significant
time with singers of note outside the jazz spectrum, thetime was right for Patscha and, as it turned out, Ellis
and Levy as well. So each man tossed around different
thoughts, a program was put in place and they finallyfound the time to get together in the studio in May
2019. The rest of the story is right on the record.
Working with bassist Chris Morrisey and drummer
Dan Rieser and enhancing the mix with guest
vibraphonists Stefan Bauer (on three tracks) and Erin
Donovan (on one), Patscha, Ellis and Levy build a set
at once calculated and casual in expression. Patscha’s
dark-hued “Bahia”, honoring Milton Nascimento, casts
complex shadows in its embrace of sophisticatedBrazilian music. An informal trip through Stevie
Wonder ’s “If It’s Magic”, with Ellis’ clarinet in thestarring role, rests heavily on the mind’s heart. James
Black’s “Magnolia Triangle”, an odd-metered blues
cruise, seriously ups the hip factor. Levy’s arrangementof traditional song “Motherless Child”, playing spirit
against stability, rides atop a low-key tom groove. And
Ellis’ “Better Angels”, with a soulful vibe, simmers toperfection. It is a shame that it took Ellis, Levy andPatscha so long to come together as one, but a blessingthat it finally happened and yielded this music.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Ellis is at
The Jazz Gallery Dec. 2nd with Ryan Keberle. See Calendar.

Tyshawn Sorey: For George Lewis/Autoschediasms
Alarm Will Sound (Cantaloupe Music)
by Marc Medwin

It has been an absolute joy to experience the blossomingof Tyshawn Sorey’s compositional gifts. That isn’t eventhe right word, as they were in full bloom on That/Not,
his 2007 debut on Firehouse 12. Sorey can play andcompose in any number of categories while rendering

16 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

them allegiant to nothing but his own unique andevolving vision. A deepening of that vision comes closer
to describing what occurs in the three compositions on
this, his most complete statement to date, aided in nosmall part by Alarm Will Sound, an ensemble fully
prepared for immersion in Sorey’s carefully andsometimes whimsically crafted soundworld.
The word “process” goes a long way toward theheart of Sorey’s approach. The nearly 54-minute For
George Lewis could be described as a post-Morton
Feldman-esque study in non-metric repetition,
convergence and divergence, but Sorey’s nesting ofthese elements comprises the circuitous path along
which tone, sonority and timbre conjoin. Citing a vast
recurrence in the 37th minute does nothing to articulate
the gorgeous and varied densities floating and swirlingby, dark and luminous by turn, ultimately renderingmoot any perceived differences between pitch and puresound. It also goes nowhere toward elucidating thestunning stillness. Vast tracts of interregistral intricacy
and bits of melody slide in and out of focus, but at a
relatively low dynamic level and supported by acrystalline harmonic bedrock of vibraphone and piano.
The Autoschediasms inhabit an entirely, or nearly
entirely, different space. The buzz, hum, thrust andparry, sometimes in gloriously violent simultaneity,
can pack the tight wallop of which only the best
ensemble is capable. Though the first of the two pieces
was recorded in concert and the second via video chat,the sound is a sterling example of unity. Listen to theclarinet growl 3:52 into the second or to delectable tone
seamlessly connecting the two works to understandthe grace and subtlety of which Alarm Will Sound iscapable and which the production team captures withsuch brilliance. Both discs end with explorations of themultivalent place where sound and silence merge.
Therein lies a mystery of Sorey’s music, far fromthe only one, but a fundamental intersection. There is
no boundary in these conceptions, no point beyond
which a parameter is fixed. The more raucous pieces
still contain moments of transcendent beauty and evenwhen two iterations of a concept are presented, they
serve as self-reflexive commentaries rather than simple
reflections. Attendant to this multifarious intersection
is a similar blurring of temporal and chronologicallines. Even as rhetoric about the melding of composition
and improvisation is now encroaching on buzzword
territory, Sorey’s solutions combine power andeloquence with a freshness of orchestration andexecution. The first-rate recording ensures the clarity
to guide the listener forward down what can be athorny but exquisitely landscaped path of discovery.
For more information, visit cantaloupemusic.com. Sorey isat Minton’s Dec. 3rd and Zürcher Gallery Dec. 16th. See
Calendar.

Bloodletting
Wendy Eisenberg (Out Of Your Head)by Stuart Broomer

W endy Eisenberg is a guitarist and banjo player

whose work moves between free jazz, free
improvisation and avant-rock. Bloodletting is a two-CD
solo set, each disc a trip through the same four-partsuite: “Bloodletting / Ostara / Scherzo / Coda”. On
the first disc, Eisenberg traverses it on guitar, on thesecond, tenor banjo.
AccordingtoEisenberg’s
liner
notes,“Bloodletting…is a long form text score I wrote aroundlate 2018… my score is a block of text, written to bememorized and then performed using the nonlinear
randomness of memory.” It is a fascinating approach,on the one hand suggesting the note-for-wordtransposition of the tone poem, on the other suggesting
improvising freely while reflecting on an intense andtightly structured memory. In Eisenberg’s hands, it
seems a particularly successful approach, perhaps
related to a certain balance in which the two final
segments of the narrative use ‘traditional’ musicalterms, “Scherzo” and “Coda”, balancing theemotionally loaded “Bloodletting” title and themystical “Ostara” (also Ēoſtre), a pagan goddess
associated with springtime and Easter.
Eisenberg’s guitar playing is a revelation. Wielding
the classic ‘jazz box’ of Jim Hall, Herb Ellis and Bill
Frisell, a lightly amplified Gibson ES-175, withsomething resembling a classical finger-picking style,she projects great concentration, both emotionally andformally, but it wouldn’t be possible without
remarkable technique. Her passage through thesepieces moves fluidly from melodic single-string andchordal passages to rapid, hard-edged lines suggesting
tone rows or, even more intriguingly, phrases thatmove back and forth from tight-knit dissonance towholly consonant diatonic playing, occasionallyinterpolating brief episodes of counterpoint. Lines
sometimes curve slightly toward microtonality, withno evidence of tremolo or pedal, while the fingerpicking style facilitates contrasting the same note
played on different strings. Extended passages ofharmonics ring with bell-like clarity.
Most remarkably, if only because it is usually aless expressive instrument, she manages something
very similar when she turns to tenor banjo, yet no mere
duplicate of the first version, with individual segmentsin each case very different: “Bloodletting” gains four
minutes while the brief “Coda” expands from 4:21 to
9:23. It is a very different realization of that text score,
though accomplished with similar facility. The tenor
banjo is here strikingly close to the guitar range, itssound evidently warmed and expanded by thepresence of a resonator. “Ostara”, slightly compressedfrom the guitar version, ranges from incidental
preparation and multiple percussive effects to a broadranging exploration of pitch, seemingly involving
subtle retunings, and runs so fast that they somehow
compound themselves.
Eisenberg may be the most interesting American
guitarist to emerge in the chain of Mary Halvorson,
Brandon Seabrook and Ava Mendoza while her tenor
banjo playing is without immediate parallel.
For more information, visit outofyourheadrecords.com.
Eisenberg is at The Owl Music Parlor Dec. 5th, Nublu 151
Dec. 8th and Roulette Dec. 15th with John Zorn. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 17

Supermoon
Itai Kriss & Telavana (Ave K)
by Tom Greenland

While a Caribbean, particularly Cuban, influence isreadily apparent in flutist Itai Kriss’ music—a productof nearly two decades as a sideman for Grupo Latin
Vibe, Los Hacheros, Orquesta Akokán, Pedrito Martinez
and Yosvany Terry, among others—it is equally apparent
that the ‘Latin jazz’ bin is too small to contain the IsraeliAmerican’s other stylistic roots, which include R&B,
funk and a mélange of Mediterranean and Arabic
musics. Telavana (a portmanteau of Tel Aviv andHavana) is the sextet he formed to showcase his original
material, following its eponymous debut with
Supermoon, a suite titled after the signs of the zodiac.
Returning are pianist César Orozco, percussionist
Marcos López and drummer Dan Aran, trumpeter/
flugelhornist Wayne Tucker and bassist Tamir
Shmerling joining for the sophomore date. There are
vocal cameos (by Keisel Jiménez, J. Hoard and Malaya
Sol) but the most significant guest is Shai Maestro, who
inserts wah-wah keyboards and synthesizer patches
into most of the tracks, adding subtle but spicy flavors
to the already densely layered rhythmic textures.
One of the most salient features of the album is
Kriss’ compositions, which move nimbly between
contrasting sections, marrying interesting harmonies
to smooth but heavily syncopated melodies, often
eschewing the squared-off clave rhythms of Latin jazzfor more fluid 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-beat meters. The solos
are short but potent, flute and trumpet often trading
choruses. Kriss, rigorous yet refined, graceful but
unsentimental, is impressive on “Libra”, flamencotinged “El Alacrán” (aka Scorpio) and “Sagittarius”.
While the beginning of the CD leans more towards
Cuban timba, Arabic elements become increasingly
prominent in the second half, though these influences
are always seamlessly blended, as on “Pisces”, thecatchy closer combining a dumbek rhythm with a
Horace Silver-type melody played with Middle Easternornamentations to a Latin bassline. Though the music,
an admirable balance of cerebral and corporal, eludes
easy categorization, it is just what you would want tohear (and possibly dance to) in a crowded nightclub.
For more information, visit itaikriss.com. This project is at
Wild Birds Dec. 9th and Bar Lunàtico Dec. 17th. See Calendar.

Polarity
Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley (Burning Ambulance Music)
Mutual Aid Music
Nate Wooley (Pleasure of the Text)
by Steve Loewy

Although trumpeter Nate Wooley has performed andrecorded with saxophonist Ivo Perelman before,
Polarity is their first duo recording. Their backgrounds
could not be more different: Perelman raised incosmopolitan metropolis Rio de Janeiro, Wooleyhailing from Clatskanie in northwest Oregon, a townwith a population of under 2,000 in its slightly morethan one square mile. Yet the two have forged
remarkably compatible approaches, ten short pieces
showcasing an almost uncanny connection. Perelman,of course, seems to have defined the art of the duo withhis long association with pianist Matthew Shipp, but,
if the duos with Shipp are ‘symphonies’, those with
Wooley are tightly woven vignettes, with their own
special wonders. There is no grandstanding, rather acontinuous wrestling with one another. Each listens
carefully to the other, perhaps as something akin to
mindfulness, and the explosions are interspersed witha wide palette of small sounds and extended technique.
The closing piece, “Six”, is substantially longer and forthe most part a highly engaging tour de force.
Wooley’s Mutual Aid Music presents a new way oforganizing how musicians approach performing inensembles. As he explains in indispensable notes,
which include helpful musical illustrations, thepurpose is to propel each contributor to ask what they
can do to make the ensemble “sound better” by (i)adding something positive to the group sound; (ii)suggesting a “raw idea” that “opens new sets ofpossibilities for the other musicians”; or (iii) inspiring
the other players by making “difficult, selfless musicalchoice[s]”. On each of the eight pieces on this doubleCD, one player improvises while the others are given
choices, sometimes considerable, which they may
embrace or ignore based on what they think is the mosteffective way to contribute unselfishly to the collective.
Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Matt Moran(vibraphone) and Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) were eacha part of the trio of Battle Pieces recordings engineeredby Wooley between 2015-2019, which presaged theconcepts more fully developed here. Wooley adds fourclassically-focused performers: pianist Cory Smythe,
cellist Mariel Roberts, violinist Joshua Modney andpercussionist Russell Greenberg. The results are fueledby the virtuosity of the players, who are able toovercome any potential limitations of the system. Of
particular note are the wondrous contributions of
Wooley on the opening track; continual diversity,
sensitivity and brilliance of Smythe throughout,whether as an improviser or in subtle peregrinations;
intense, uplifting and lilt of Modney, especially on thefirst track of the second CD; and heavy, sophisticatedmusings of Moran. There is also much else to behold,with striking mood shifts and continual changes in
tempo and coloring. Whether or not the concept
catches on as a new way of composing or simply as
another tool in the toolbox is unknown, but this album
will surprise with its depth and accessibility. How
much of that is due to the very high quality of theindividual musicians is unclear, but it will befascinating to see where Wooley takes it from here.
For more information, visit ivoperelman-bam.bandcamp.com
and natewooley.bandcamp.com. Wooley is at Roulette Dec.
9th with Luke Stewart and The Kitchen Dec. 10th with Claire
Chase. See Calendar.

Jeff “Tain” Watts, he enlists like-minded players toreflect on these Hard Times. Watts is a forceful presence
and Feinberg a commanding leader; together they blurthe lines between melody and rhythm and look to the
future with a varied program of originals and covers.
Pianist Orrin Evans and keyboard player Leo
Genovese balance this forthright rhythmic core, but
can work at cross-purpose, as on the curious opener“Introduction”. Trumpeter Billy Buss elegantly latches
on to the recurring hook, but Evans and Genovese
question its validity. Godwin Louis and Noah
Preminger, alto and tenor saxophones respectively,
offer a broad range of voicings throughout whereas
percussionist
GabrielGlobus-Hoenich
artfully
decorates these primarily riff-based tunes. The
approach works and the music is diverse, but theperformers sometimes fight to be heard.
Buss impresses as an inventive soloist and he andLouis cleverly explore the nooks and crannies of aquirky “Janky in the Middle” while joining the choiron “Every.Damn.Day”, a messy albeit mournful blues.
McCoy Tyner ’s “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit” allows Evansto stretch out amid horn-based Latin articulations andGenovese plays off of Feinberg’s rich resonance for an
uncluttered highlight on Tyner ’s “Three Flowers”.
Percussive kisses and Buss’ elegant Spanish tinge
nourish Miles Davis’ “Nardis” but the most beautiful
moments are on the touching “Lauren’s Song”, a strong
composition featuring Genovese on Fender Rhodes.
Trumpeter Randy Brecker guest solos on “Monkey’s
Never Cramp”, which can’t quite decide whether it isfusion or funk, before the title cut ends the session
with a faith-based call for togetherness.
For more information, visit freshsoundrecords.com. This
project is at The Sultan Room Dec. 9th. See Calendar.

Expected Release Date: December 20
Dot Time Records and Mosaic Records, in partnershipfor the first time, are thrilled to announce the releaseof Lennie Tristano Personal Recordings 1946 – 1970.
This 6-CD set chronicles over twenty years ofstunning creative output from jazz luminary Lennie
Tristano offering listeners the most comprehensive
portrait of Tristano’s musical genius available.

Hard Times
Michael Feinberg (Fresh Sound)
by Elliott Simon

Conservatories may be the training ground for jazzmusicians, but NYC’s clubs are their proving ground.
The pandemic’s wake threatened this élan vital and, asa product of these venues, bassist Michael Feinberg
understands their importance. Along with drummer

18 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Engineered and mastered by acclaimed tenor
saxophonist and longtime friend of Tristano, Lenny
Popkin, Lennie Tristano Personal Recordings 1946 –1970 features exquisite audio of the musicalinnovator performing solo and alongside several
notable outfits throughout the course of his career.
visit mosaicrecords.com/product/lennie-tristanofor more info

Open The Gates
Irreversible Entanglements (International Anthem)Works For Electric Bass Guitar
Luke Stewart (Tripticks Tapes)
by Eric Wendell

P hiladelphia’s Irreversible Entanglements are the freejazz equivalent to a political gut punch. Prose aboutreform exclaims through vocalist Camae Ayewa (AKA
Moor Mother) while tales of social injustice come via
the squeaks and squeals of saxophonist Keir Neuringer
and trumpeter Aquiles Navarro. Drummer Tcheser
Holmes informs with unbridled rhythms and bassist
Luke Stewart ties everything together into an
unbreakable foundation. With their latest release, OpenThe Gates, the group brings this all to a boil andintroduces electronics and synthesizers into a sonictoolkit serving to break down and reshape barriers.
The title track solidifies their unshakable stancewith a tight groove from Stewart and Holmes thatallows the rest of the group to build a wall of sound.
This is followed by “Keys to Creation”, a sparseelectronic soundscape with Stewart serving as thelifeline of the song. The album is at its most defying
when it plays with texture: “Lagrimas Del Mar” sounds
like a ‘60s hardbop track playing against their normal
freewheeling disposition while the addition ofelectronic swirls on “Water Meditation” creates abeautiful sonic architecture, which gives the 20-minutetrack a strong feel. The album concludes with “ThePort Remembers”, a meditation that hypnotizes andgrooves its way into a beautiful nirvana.
This is in contrast to Stewart’s Works For ElectricBass Guitar, its five improvisations amassing to notmuch more than a few unfocused jabs at trying todisplay what the electric bass guitar can do in a solo
environment. Opening “Track 1” is cluttered and doesn’tmaterialize to much of anything and, with its scrapes
against the strings going on for 10 minutes, neither lets
up nor allows for any true development. “Track 3” is thealbum at its best as opening harmonics slowly progress,
allowing ideas to come to the surface and breathe.
Both releases at their heart show a determined
need to experiment and build. Open The Gates is anamazing revolution of an album pushing the group toa new plateau while Works for Electric Bass Guitar is a
misstep that doesn’t do much to expand the admittedly
small output for solo electric bass guitar.
For more information, visit intlanthem.com andtriptickstapes.bandcamp.com. Stewart is at Roulette Dec.
9th. See Calendar.

Visions of Your Other
Adam O’Farrill (Biophilia)
by George GrellaThis is an attractive but enigmatic album and it is hardto discern whether the reasons for that have to do withthe leader, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, or are rather acultural and generational quality that has been working
itself through music of all sorts over the past decade.
There is audio treatment at the very start of the
opening track, “stakra”, which creates a noir-ish
atmosphere, and the music that immediately follows is
not far in form and spirit from some of John Zorn’ssoundtracks. The question is, where does this go, what
is it trying to say?
This is jazz that keeps some distance between it
and the listener. There are periods of heat andextroverted volume on tracks like “Inner War” and“Hopeful Heart” but the playing seems directed
inward, toward the band and the interior of eachmusician. This is neither good nor bad, just a qualitythat is prominent in this studio session; this same band,
completed by Xavier Del Castillo (tenor saxophone),
Walter Stinson (bass) and Zack O’Farrill (drums),
playing this same music at the BRIC JazzFest last
October was very public facing.
Is this an artifact of the studio? Certainly, in part,but it also seems a 21st Century quality, much morecommon in the affectless delivery of so many indierock/pop singers, projecting a disaffected attitude
without any underlying cause or meaning.
You can hear this in jazz too, but jazz is different,
certainly instrumental albums like this one. There is
physicality inherent to the music that breaks throughthe surface. O’Farrill is a brilliant player, with thesound, range and ability to articulate at speed thatseem to demonstrate that there is nothing getting in
the way of what he hears in his head and what comesout of his horn. The thoughts he and the musicians
have may belong to their interiors, even as they playthem out loud. That makes for an album worth playing
again and again.
For more information, visit biophilia.com. This project is at
Public Records Dec. 9th. See Calendar.

CHRIS
ROGERS

60TH BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATION& ALBUM PRE-RELEASEPARTY!!!
with special guest trumpeter
INGRID JENSEN
Sunday, December 5th

Triad Theater
9:30pm, doors @9pm
$15 cover(proof of vaccination required)
158 W. 72nd Street, NYC
TICKETS: www.triadnyc.com
Chris Rogers & Ingrid Jensen - trumpets
Mike Holober - piano
Jay Anderson - bass
Steve Johns - drums
COME CELEBRATE WITH US!!!
***featuring ALL NEW MUSIC!!!

LATEST ALBUMVOYAGE HOME
featuring
Michael Breckeron
Art of Life
Records
RANDY BRECKER: “I can categorically say that
Chris is AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME on this CD!”DOWNBEAT: 4.5 stars“Best Albums of 2017”“Rogers’ hip, relentlessly grooving
compositions steal the show.”
All About Jazz: 4 stars“Trumpeter Chris Rogers’ long-awaited debut
album as a performer, composer and bandleader…
the charts and the musicianship is all first rate.
The late great Michael Brecker delivers mighty
solos reflective of his legendary status.”

CHRISROGERSJAZZ.COM

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 19

DROP THE NEEDLE

Aire De AguaDavid Leon (Out Of Your Head)
by John Sharpe
Al-Fatihah
Black Unity Trio (Salaam - Gotta Groove)by Andrey Henkin

While Cleveland’s greatest popular musical legacy

will be Spinal Tap lost in the bowels of one of its
stadiums (actually Pasadena’s Raymond Theatre), in
fact avant garde jazz as we know it today would
sound quite different if not for the Ohio city. Threecentral figures in the ‘60s New Thing, who also
influenced similar players in Europe and Scandinavia,
all hailed from or grew up there: saxophonists Albert
Ayler and Frank Wright and pianist Bobby Few. Anda remastered vinyl reissue of what was an originallylimited private press LP recorded 53 years ago thismonth by the Black Unity Trio illuminates two othernatives, alto saxophonist/bassist Yusuf Mumin (néJoseph Phillips) and cellist Ronald DeVaughn, later
taking the name Abdul Wadud. Completing thegroup is Montgomery, Alabama-born drummer
Hasan Shahid (né Amos Gordon Jr.), then wanted for
his refusal to fight in Vietnam and appearing here
under the Haasan-Al-Hut pseudonym. Though ofthe generation following Ayler, Wright and Few,
there was a direct connection explained in thedetailed essay of Ras Moshe Burnett, a NYC
saxophone stalwart continuing the work establishedby bands like this. The Ayler and Phillips families
were close with Don, Albert’s younger trumpeter
brother, Phillips’ best friend. Also, Phillips would go
on to collaborate with trumpeter Norman Howard(who recorded with Albert Ayler in 1964) for 1968
sessions planned for ESP-Disk (Ayler’s longtime
label) but only released in 1987.
The band inhabits the unique space between themaelstroms of Ayler (who himself incorporated cellointo his bands via Joel Freedman) and the ‘chamberjazz’ of The Revolutionary Ensemble. As to theunderlying intent of the music, the album title is thefirst surah of the Koran and the song names recall
John Coltrane-esque spirituality, with one, “John’s
Vision”, a direct invocation. This is not quite “firemusic”, to borrow Archie Shepp’s term; there is
restraint born of the instrumentation. Room is left
for the cello to be heard and Mumin and Shahid are
not loath to explore quieter realms. This leads to thepeaks-and-valleys trope of much free music of thisera, but the uncommon textures yield unusual
results, particularly on the second piece, “In LightOf Blackness”, where Mumin plays bass in earthy
counterpoint to DeVaughn before picking up his
saxophone for the exultant outro. Three long pieces
are balanced by two shorter works closing out the
B-Side, which starts out with Mumin incanting averse from the Koran.
As was often the case, this band never released
another album. Mumin and Shahid’s later activities
were under the radar while DeVaughn, as Wadud,went on to compelling work with Julius Hemphill,
Arthur Blythe, Charles Bobo Shaw, Anthony Davis,
Oliver Lake and James Newton. What this trio could
have done is left to parallel universes. What they
did is thankfully available to listeners once more.
For more information, visit blackunitytrio.bandcamp.com

The attention-grabbing opening track of Cuban-

American alto saxophonist David Leon’s first leadershipouting, Aire De Agua, begs the question: can the rest of
the disc live up to that start? Well, although nothingelse is quite as striking, in terms of the intrigue andcohesion of the remainder of the program, the answer
must be a resounding yes. Leon, who arrived in New
York City in 2018, has assembled a group of peers who
thoroughly inhabit this diverse set of eight compositions
as they interweave, step forward, support and enjoy
solo spots, finding the space to express themselves as
an integral part of the written material.
Back to that opener, “Strange And Charmed”,
which begins with a nervy, jagged three-note saxophone
figure, abetted by Sonja Belaya’s jittery piano, Florian
Herzog’s lurching bass and Stephen Boegehold’s
chattering drums. Like all the pieces here, it assumes
multiple guises, even as it remains recognizably thesame entity, encompassing variously a slightly hesitant,querulous break for unaccompanied alto, a jaunty
unison, a sequence of alternating spiky trios headed byfirst off-kilter piano then angular saxophone, before aunited finale. Within all this there is way too much
incidental detail to describe, but consequently lots ofengaging quirks into which to dig.
As a saxophonist Leon sounds utterly assured,
recalling the facility of a Jon Irabagon in his love of
unusual tonalities and ability to merge them into notatedstructures. Although opportunities to savor his
formidable improvising and timbral command abound,the album is even more about the group conception,
demonstrated by those numbers where Leon takes theback seat, like the title cut, leveraged from a series ofslightly ominous repeating phrases, or “Expressive
Jargon II” with its echolalia and whiff of “Send In The
Clowns” or even one where he doesn’t appear at all, “A
Hug A Day”, a warmly embracing ballad.
Leon draws inspiration from varied sources,
including visual art and contemporary dance, andindeed the band at times suggests the sonic equivalentof four dancers moving in separate but related orbits:
oblique ensembles maybe, but with an undeniable andaffecting human dimension. Is there a stronger
contender for debut of the year?
For more information, visit outofyourheadrecords.com.
Leon is at Public Records Dec. 9th and Bushwick Public
House Dec. 13th. See Calendar.

Sediments We MoveCharlotte Greve (New Amsterdam)
by Kira Grunenberg

Saxophonist and vocalist Charlotte Greve describes

Sediments We Move as both a “genre-fluid piece” and“image of [herself] turned inside out, completely

20 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

vulnerable and bare”. Though these ideas sound rather
vague, in truth, both serve as accurate introductions
for the abstract listening experience of the album. The
strictly numerical titles initially seem to exacerbate
this sense of nebulousness but approaching this musicas a suite reveals united form. Furthermore, while
Greve has experimented with and drawn influence
from “noise rock”, the boundary-avoidant nature of
Sediments We Move doesn’t translate to melodic
abandon or sonic cacophony from her, Cantus Domus
choir or Greve’s quartet Wood River.
It is fascinating to hear how Cantus Domus’ rolechanges. On “Part I”, the choir holds much more
melodic prominence in conjunction with the track’s
slower tempo, saxophone, Jim Black’s drums andGreve’s synthesizer tones—brief, rounded beeps—
embracing sustain, spaces between and a doppler
effect-like stretching of notes. The result leans far more
into an ambient and contemplative mood befitting oftraditional choral music. However, by “Part III”, themusic starts with Wood River ’s bolder rock band
dynamics given priority and the choir ’s contribution
moving from calm sustain to energized and more
contemporary delivery of the lyrics written by Julius
Greve (the leader ’s brother).
Regardless of where one is within Sediments We
Move, the key is to remember that Greve’s compositionalchanges don’t happen in a vacuum. In keeping with
her intended theme of connectivity, she moves thefocus in organic and gradual fashion, which only
seems jarring when reflecting back on where the music
started and how far it comes by album’s end.
For more information, visit newamrecords.com. Greve is at
The Owl Music Parlor Dec. 11th, Le Poisson Rouge Dec.
12th and Downtown Music Gallery Dec. 14th. See Calendar.

percolating, low in the mix, seem designed to ensure
against complacency. Iduma’s scenes don’t quite cometo life; rather, they play like what they are, someone
else’s recollections, not vivid enough to create a picture,
like glimpsing the cinema of someone else’s mind.
For more information, visit biophilia.com. This project is at
Jazz Museum in Harlem Dec. 14th. See Calendar.
Intimate Strangers
Sara Serpa (Biophilia)
by Kurt GottschalkO n her 2020 album Recognition, singer Sara Serpa

explored her native Portugal’s colonial history
on the African continent with a keen insight and a flair
for dramatic supportive music, inspired by thediscovery of films her grandfather had shot in Angola.
Intimate Strangers continues her concerns with
migration and subjugation, this time drawing from
Emmanuel Iduma’s 2018 book A Stranger’s Pose. In thatbook, the Nigerian author, essayist and photographer
documents his travels across Africa, focusing particularattention on the people he meets. Like Serpa, Iduma
trusts the work to conjure emotion and suggest history.
They are a well-suited and understated pair.
The album focuses heavily on Iduma’s texts, readby the author in simple, measured tones. Serpa
occasionally offers recitative rejoinders and follows
Iduma singing, as if to reinforce a point. Her nearly
vibratoless voice gives a particular air of knowingness.
In other passages, she is joined by Aubrey Johnson
and Sofía Rei in a small and somber choir. Lovely,
somewhat formless, songs are carried by Matt Mitchell’ssteady piano and vague scenes are built from Qasim
Navi’s synthesizer, whose unsettling gurgling andKinds of Love
Renee Rosnes (Smoke Sessions)by Marilyn Lester

During the 18-month pandemic lockdown, an amazing

thing happened: many musicians found they were still
able to be creative. Pianist Renee Rosnes was one, withKinds of Love being a very personal contemplation ofher life and the place that love has in it. Ninecompositions, written in isolation and later recorded,reflect on romance, family, music and more.
Rosnes had a quartet of prime players in mind:
tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Christian
McBride, drummer Carl Allen and percussionist
Rogério Boccato. The delight of them coming together
for the first time in a long time to make the album ispalpable, infusing the various stories of each number
with its own strength.

“Silk” is an irony; it is dedicated to fellow pianistcomposer Donald Brown and is anything but silk in a
traditional sense. Clashing melodic lines andharmonies call up a controlled chaos, the music andlove of city streets. The title track is a meditation andexploration, with the rhythm section in contemplation
until Potter delivers a statement about the universalityof love. “In Time Like Air” continues the exploration,bringing the wider world—birdsong and nature—into
the equation.
Rosnes is a pianist of quiet depth. Always
elegant in style, her marriage of technique andimmense soul often gives an ethereal quality to hermusic. She has got a harder edge in Kinds of Love;a pandemic and the existential crises it brings can dothat. Yet, in “Evermore”, that calmly structured
lightness of being is again present, enhanced by abeautiful bowed bass solo. The number is a declarationof love, romantically-based perhaps (inspired by aSarabande from Bach’s English Suites) but nonethelessspeaking to a wider sense of inclusion. The feeling is
captured again in “Life Does Not Wait”, a lilting,racing rhythmic plea to carpe diem, perhaps in letting
others in on feelings—now.
Other stories are told: a delightful imagination of
space travel in “Passing Jupiter”, for instance. But thesummation is in the final track, “With Blessings in a
Year of Exile”. Amid dark harmonies and uplifting
chord structures, the music addresses both thedifficulties that remain as well as the positives thatemerged after a bleak 2020. Through the many moodsof Kinds of Love, the overarching message of this last
track is one of gratitude and healing.
For more information, visit smokesessionsrecords.com. Rosnes
is at Birdland Dec. 14th-18th with Artemis. See Calendar.

FALKNER EVANS
Live at MEZZROW
Monday, January 3rd, 2022

“A chronicle of love, loss and empathy”— Nate Chinen-NPR“Evans has expressed what, for most,is inexpressible” — The Jazz Owl“Evans delivers a sequence of utterly
distinct and unique solo compositions”— All About Jazz

Shows at 7:30 and 9:00 pm
163 West 10th Street • (646) 224-1166
Reservations: www.mezzrow.com
www.falknerevans.com • www.jazzbeat.com

Cuban Butterflies features a tight Latin jazz band…
La Banda Ramirez balances the Afro-Cuban rhythms
with consistently strong jazz soloing. The music, while
always danceable, also rewards close listening and theresult is a set of performances that are both accessible
and creative. Cuban Butterflies is easily recommended.
– Scott Yanow, September 2021
labandaramirez.hearnow.com | metrotang.com
THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 21

the sadness that comes with finality.
Portals is designated “Volume 1”. In the liners for
Urbane Outfit, Linde mentions a “next offering”.
Fortunately, these intriguing bands have plans to keep on.

Portals, Volume 1: Mourning
Caroline Davis (Sunnyside)
Urbane Outfit
Caroline Davis, Brad Linde, Russ Lossing,
Deric Dickens (Bleebop)
by Thomas Conrad

For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com andbradlinde.com. Davis’ Portals project is at Roulette Dec.
14th. See Calendar.

For ten years, alto saxophonist Caroline Davis has

been making records that have a reason to exist. Hereare two more. Portals, Volume 1: Mourning, likethousands (or millions) of works of art created in theworld since early 2020, is a response to the pandemic.
Urbane Outfit is a collective project, convened andproduced by Brad Linde. Davis is not the leader, but
she shines in the unusual, stimulating ensemble format.
Portals is an attempt to transpose grieving intomusic in hope of finding acceptance. Davis’ time ofmourning began even before COVID, when her father
died in 2019. There are 11 pieces composed for her
current quintet (Marquis Hill, trumpet; Julian Shore,piano; Chris Tordini, bass; Allan Mednard, drums) andstring quartet (Mazz Swift and Josh Henderson, violin;
Joanna Mattrey, viola; Mariel Roberts, cello). In her
first ever writing for strings, Davis does not play it
safe. She leverages the textural possibilities, including
piercing abrasiveness and discord, to portray her
theme of love under siege. Her songs are visceralrepresentations of spiritual conflict and trauma,
kaleidoscopic in their mix of elements. Pieces like
“Hop On Hop Off” (with a scathing solo from Roberts
in which cello whines like a sitar) and “On Stone” areconfrontations with darkness.
The lasting impression of this music is not its
edginess but its depth and richness. Portals is about
composition and concept, not solos. Yet when
individual statements emerge from the ensemble
densities, they are often powerful. On “The Inflated
Chariot Awaits Defeat”, for example, Davis, Hill andTordini are successively lucid and passionate.
The bassless quartet on Urbane Outfit (the name of
the band as well as the album) has Linde and Davis on
alto saxophones, Russ Lossing on piano and Deric
Dickens on drums. Linde says that the atypicalinstrumentation “propels the explorations”. Indeed, inthe open air of this format, Linde and Davis are set
free to follow their impulses, separately andtogether. Linde’s sound is rather dry and almost
vibratoless. Davis’ is more complex. But their creative
processes are compatible and when they intermingle
thoughts, as on Linde’s “Pale Fire”, they make a single
multifaceted design.
The spirit of Ornette Coleman hovers over thisalbum. There are two Coleman tunes, “Rise and Shine”
and “Faithful”, and some of the originals, like Lossing’s“Double Mint”, are (in Lossing’s description) “tiny andcatchy” like Coleman tunes. “Faithful”, from his 1966
Blue Note album The Empty Foxhole, is one of Coleman’s
most plaintive dirges. The revisiting of this song on
Urbane Outfit is quietly extraordinary. Lossing
introduces it on the instrument most conspicuously
missing from Coleman’s trio, the piano. He patiently
seeks undiscovered implications of the melody and
Linde and Davis replace Coleman’s alto with a loose,passionate, interactive alto saxophone choir.
Urbane Outfit is a wildly adventurous band. It
sometimes flirts with frenzy (Dickens’ “Mattachine/ONE”), yet somehow always sustains astuteness,refinement and subtle wit. For their last dance they do
Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn’s tune of that name.
They smear it around, applying irony to the form of“The Last Dance” but sincerity to its subject, which isReconvexo
Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves (Anzic)
by Scott Yanow

Clarinetist Anat Cohen has had a longtime love affair

with the compositions and the musical styles of Brazil.
That country’s Marcello Gonçalves, a brilliant sevenstring guitarist, previously recorded a set of duets with
Cohen in 2016 called Outra Coisa: The Music Of MoacirSantos. Their second collaboration, Reconvexo, wasrecorded in Rio de Janeiro at the heart of the pandemic
in 2020. Seven of the nine selections are by Brazilian
composers and, even though Antônio Carlos Jobim,
Caetano Veloso and Milton Nascimento are represented,
the songs are mostly obscure for U.S. listeners. The
other two numbers are from Venezuela (“El Diablo
Suelto”) and Stevie Wonder (a short version of “NeverDreamed You’d Leave In Summer”).
The performances are very much duets, with theemphasis on the ensemble and bringing out the beauty
found in the melodies rather than individual heroics.
Cohen (who switches to bass clarinet on two numbers)sounds quite comfortable with the melodies and
Gonçalves’ rhythmic accompaniment. She displays her
attractive tone and superb technique while the guitarist’s
work as both lead voice and the entire rhythm section isimpressive and unselfish. In addition, both musicians
add their voices briefly to “Andar com Fe”.
Reconvexo (the title cut was composed by Veloso)
is a mostly mellow set and will introduce American
listeners to such little-known gems as “Anima”, “MariaMaria”, Nascimento’s energetic and playful “Paula eBebeto” and the highpoint of the set, the delightful “El
Diablo Suelto”.
For more information, visit anzicrecords.com. Cohen is at
Birdland Dec. 14th-18th with Artemis. See Calendar.

Page, respectively, Le Fleming has a much more visible
presence than John Paul Jones and Calvaire stays awayfrom mimicking John Bonham’s thundering drumming,
applying an arsenal of approaches to make the quartet’ssound quite original rather than imitative.
“Whole Lotta Love” sounds more like “So What”.
It proceeds along a bouncy pattern, with Franceschini
having quite a bit of fun. Hays picks it up in a mid ‘60s
Blue Note mode, including call-and-response withFranceschini over a shifting rhythmic tapestry. With adifferent title, it would have been impossible to detect
traces of the original. The iconic bass introduction to“Dazed and Confused” is executed almost verbatim,
Franceschini then echoing Plant’s voice and Page’s
guitar. The suspenseful atmosphere translates quite
well into a modern jazz setting thanks to Hays’ chord
progression over the insistent bass pattern.
“Immigrant Song” has a meandering intro leading
to the main theme, which is merely alluded to by
Franceschini. Hays then moves toward, then away andeventually returns to it, building phrases echoing in the
distance. Franceschini is equally distant and somewhat
surreal. The assertiveness of the original is translated
into a quasi-ballad, which perhaps better reflects thetext, as is also the case with “Battle of Evermore”.
“Kashmir” is executed as an Arabic melody,
recalling Led Zeppelin’s mystical intentions. “In My
Time of Dying” and “For Your Life” get funkytreatments not typically associated with the band. Thisis modern jazz of the highest quality, translating theoriginal material into something equally original, thehighest compliment Led Zeppelin can receive.
For more information, visit chesky.com. Hays is at Mezzrow
Dec. 24th. Calvaire is at Dizzy’s Club Dec. 27th-31st with
Carlos Henriquez.

Spontaneous Creativity is an experimental unit thatcomposes music from a unique perspective. The membersof the group—Duane Ebanks, Tarus Mateen, Eric
McPherson, and James Hurt—have immensely diverse
backgrounds in various styles of music presentation andperformance while also wearing many hats as educators,
instrumentalists, researchers and part of the continuumof the progenitors of music of the spirit. The defining
factor in this group is the collective commitment tocreating a unique experience for the listener whileallowing for each member to contribute creative musicalcontent in real-time. Here each member can be theirtruest ‘self’, devoid of weaponization of ego, genre,regional style, gender identity or any identifiers as such.
Each moment spent with Spontaneous Creativity is infact a unique moment in the space-time continuum.

Whole Lotta Love: The Music of Led Zeppelin
Obed Calvaire, Bob Franceschini, Kevin Hays,
Orlando Le Fleming (Chesky)
by Marco Cangiano

What Bob Franceschini (saxophones), Kevin Hays(piano), Orlando Le Fleming (bass) and Obed Calvaire(drums) have accomplished here may open up new
avenues to reinterpreting rock-based material. Not
only are the results completely new readings of someof Led Zeppelin’s by-now immortal songs, but also
music that stands on its own. While Franceschini andHays take inspirations from Robert Plant and Jimmy

22 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

musicjameshurt.com

<3 Bird
Kevin Sun (Endectomorph Music)
by Ken Dryden

Charlie Parker has inspired many disciples, many ofwhom allowed his influence to overpower theirplaying and writing. Yet some find new approaches toParker ’s music, such as Kevin Sun, a promising tenor
saxophonist and clarinetist. Sun uses Parker ’s originals
and songs he recorded as a launching point for newworks, often disguising Parker ’s themes andinterweaving new melodic lines in such a way as tochallenge the listener to uncover the roots of the source
material without reading the leader ’s helpful liner
notes roadmap. He also tends not to play straightaheadbop, though its stamp remains present.
Sun’s base trio features strong support frombassist Walter Stinson and drummer Matt Honor.
There are also guests on several tracks, including
trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, guitarist Max Light andpianist Christian Li. Although Sun plays tenor formuch of the session, he switches to clarinet for his
well-named “Composite”, an intriguing, rhythmic
miniature mixing four different Parker blues riffs.
Clarinet is also present for “Dovetail”, which
reimagines “Yardbird Suite” with the assistance ofominous piano, giving it a Stravinsky-like air (one of

JACQUELINE KERROD

Leo Mascaro

Jacqueline Kerrod
17 Days in December
Solo improvisations for electric and acoustic harp
Release: December 3rd, 2021
“Kerrod is a fearless improviser and experimentalist”
Mike Eisenberg, Avant Music News
“17 Days in December is the sound of an artist
unleashing her inner self boldly”
Ron Scheper, Textura
orendarecords.bandcamp.com
jacquelinekerrod.com

Parker ’s favorite classical composers).
When Sun does play a familiar theme in a more
readily recognizable form, it is a mashup like his“Onomatopoeia”, which incorporates Dizzy Gillespie’s“Be-Bop” and Parker ’s “Segment”, adding nimble
guitar for a rapid-fire tightrope act the musicians
navigate with skill.
To introduce and close “Du Yi’s Choir”, a contrafactof “Dewey’s Square”, Sun plays sheng, a Chinese
mouth-blown free reed polyphonic instrument
consisting of vertical pipes, which adds an exotic
touch. O’Farrill is a perfect foil for Sun in “Schaaple
From the Apple” and a relatively straightahead
rendition of Gillespie’s “Salt Peanuts”.

Celebrate
the Season
at theJAZZ LOFT
Stony Brook, NY

For more information, visit endectomorph.com. Sun is at
Lowlands Tuesdays. See Calendar.

Live in Washington Square Park
Eyal Vilner Big Band (s/r)
by George Kanzler

A can’t miss moment here is when leader Eyal Vilner,

in introducing the band, also “introduces” the tip jar.
Here’s a band playing out in a park; it may beGreenwich Village but it still is a big band, playing forfree and, like such bands all over the country, it has a
way for the audience to show its financial appreciation.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many of thosebands all over the country have been silenced. Thisband went to extraordinary lengths with precautions
like physical (it is not really “social”) distancing,spaced out with the help of park benches, to play thisconcert a year ago, before vaccines.
This album is as much an artifact of the pandemic
as it is a musical one. The band is much like those thatcan be found, often in smaller centers or unexpectedstates, all over this country. The repertoire isbeholden to Swing Era and later big band traditions
including, in this case, the estimable Ray Charles
Orchestra. The goal is enjoyment, for both band andlistener. To assure the former, a good dozen of the 16
members take solos; to assure the latter, many familiar
big band hits are reprised.
Aside from four originals from the leader, all infamiliar big band formats, the program relies on tried
and true standards of the big band repertoire, ranging
from Louis Armstrong (Eddie DeLange-Louis Alter ’s“Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?”)
and Duke Ellington (“In A Mellow Tone”) to Sammy
Kaye (Billy Reid’s “The Gypsy”) and Benny Goodman(Jacob Jacobs-Sholom Secunda’s “Bei Mir Bist Du
Schoen”). Vilner, credited with the arrangements,
borrows liberally from originals, as he does from theCharles charts of his “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”
and Sam Theard-Fleecie Moore’s “Let the Good Times
Roll”, the latter featuring a testifying tenor saxophone
turn from Michael Hashim.
Most tunes have serviceable arrangements,
soloists occasionally backed by ensemble riffs,
interspersed with shout choruses. An exception is
Bud Powell’s “Un Poco Loco”, wherein drummer Eran
Fink and the ensemble intricately interact as they
explore the tune with rhythmic energy and verve,
baritone saxophonist Eden Bareket asserting himself ina central solo.
For more information, visit eyalvilner.com. This band is at
Guggenheim Museum Dec. 20th-21st. See Calendar.

LOFT BIG BAND
Dec. 2-4, 23 JAZZ
Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker
with Allan Harris & Nicole Zuraitis

Dec. 16

Bad Little Big Band
Holiday Show

Dec. 17

Ray Anderson’s
Winter Solstice Party

Dec. 18

Interplay Jazz Orchestra
Family Show

Dec. 18

Tom Manuel’s
Egg Nog Romp
275 Christian Avenue
Stony Brook, NY 11790
info@thejazzloft.org

631.751.1895

thejazzloft.org

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 23

Open SkyArt Hirahara (Posi-Tone)
by Dan Bilawsky

Taking its title from a line of Lao Tzu’s written

wisdom, this captivating set from one of jazz’ mostunderrated pianists speaks to strength in intuition, abeauty inherent in the act of balance and the essence ofthe human spirit. Having more to do with the very
nature of creativity and self-expression than thewonders of the welkin, the music, nevertheless, flies
high as a manifestation of the Tao of Art Hirahara.
Across five previous Posi-Tone dates, Hirahara has
proven to be an intriguing, thoughtful and multi-faceted
presence. But his work as a composer, performer andcollaborator isn’t merely about differing angles in mind
and at play. Wedding artistic purpose with a broader
thirst for knowledge and understanding, Hirahara’s
pursuits serve as true reflections of his entire personal
aesthetic. This offering, with bassist Boris Kozlov anddrummer Rudy Royston and adding vibraphonist Behn
Gillece and saxophonist Nicole Glover as guests, is justthe latest album to make that case.
Hirahara’s pen makes an immediate impression.
“Groundswell”, inspired by protests following themurder of George Floyd, plays darkness against hopewith a probing energy. Chipper “Inimitably, Mr. B.”
nods to piano great Kenny Barron. “Peony” leans on
the language of Billy Strayhorn and blossoms in
Hirahara’s head and hands. The title track, with Gillece
joining the trio for a voyage at great height(s), captures
the imagination while highlighting collective chemistry.
And “Mia Bella”, a love letter from husband to wife,
draws from Hirahara’s affection for Ennio Morricone’s
writing and gives Glover a chance to shine.
Material from other sources separates the pianist’s
additional contributions—one original apiece from
Kozlov and Royston; an odd-metered look at “I’m
Getting Sentimental Over You” for solo piano;a metrically-bifurcated take on Duke Pearson’s“Empathy”—yet nothing breaks up the flow of his
profound playing and thinking across this Open Sky.
For more information, visit posi-tone.com. Hirahara is at
Birdland Dec. 7th-11th with Stacey Kent. See Calendar.

Music For Drums and Guitar
Dan Weiss/Miles Okazaki (Cygnus)
by Tom Greenland

G uitarist Miles Okazaki and drummer Dan Weiss

have been playing together since 1997 when theymatriculated at Manhattan School of Music, developing
cohesive chemistry through gigs and projects, butMusic for Drums and Guitar is the first time they haveforefronted their shared language.
Okazaki’s eight-part suite The Memory Palace
comprises the first half of the CD, Weiss’ seven-partsuite Middlegame the second. As old friends they havedeveloped a certain shorthand: the ability to intuit

each other ’s next move, no matter how complex themusical terrain negotiated. Both court complexity,
particularly rhythmic complexity, Weiss a long-timestudent of Hindustani tabla master Samir Chatterjee,
Okazaki well familiar with Steve Coleman’s innovativerhythmic conceptions, such that no matter how
Byzantine compositional structure, both can play (inthe sense of having fun) with the music.
Okazaki’s suite begins with a short prelude,
establishing his penchant for contrapuntal movement
over hymnlike chord patterns, a nod to Bach perhaps,
followed by a funky march with a dropped D-string
bluesy bayou feel, establishing the play of three against/
amid four that will prevail throughout the album.
Another trope is a steady acceleration of a pulse that
periodically divides in two, creating the illusion ofsimultaneous speeding up and slowing down, increasing
the tension even as it relaxes. The final climactic section
contains the most frenzied moments, Weiss pushing
Okazaki with a kind of deconstructed swing.
Weiss’ half also begins with a short prelude,
establishing a theme of tricky accent patterns anduneven, through-composed meters. He often expounds
his ideas over a cyclic guitar pattern, similar to howa tabla player may solo around a gat (cyclic melody)
played by a sitarist, assembling sequences of beatgroups resolving at the beginning of the cycle. The duo’s
hook-up on “Part IV”, a slow-swinging contrapuntal
piece in B Major/minor, is particularly revelatory for its
exploratory fervor while “Part V”, built on an oddlength rhythmic cycle, showcases Weiss’ rhythmic
virtuosity: Okazaki holding down the equivalent of a
gat while Weiss milks the unusual pattern for all it’sworth, expounding his ideas for nearly ten minutes
without a slump. A short bit of revved-up rock-funkwith revolving syncopations bookends the suite.
For more information, visit cygnusrecordings.bandcamp.com.
This project is at The Jazz Gallery Dec. 10th. See Calendar.

Pandemic Duets
Colin Hinton/Stephen Gauci (Gaucimusic)
by John Sharpe

When everything closed down due to COVID-19 inMarch 2020, New York City native tenor saxophonist
Stephen Gauci initiated what he thought would bea set of five duet recordings in a refusal to be cowed by
the lack of performance opportunities. In fact, thedownload-only collection of Pandemic Duets ran tosome 19 sessions. Many feature Gauci in tandem withpercussionists, but this set with drummer Colin Hinton
ranks among the finest. Confirming the rapport,
Hinton has taken up duties behind the kit in the houseband at Gauci’s Bushwick Improvisers Series.
Gauci’s bracingly original conception allies a raw
sound built on multiphonics and overtone
manipulation, situated within a muscular bottom end,
with urgent reiterated figures and idiosyncraticphrasing. Hinton proves a worthy foil. Calling on a
striking timbral diversity, he creates a rolling nonmetric rhythmic carpet within which each sound isclearly articulated, whereby even at his most animatedhe neither overwhelms nor obscures. Furthermore, hisdeliberate sonic placement also conveys an inner logic
and notion of form, even where none is present.
The pair interact conversationally across eight
excursions, the sense of listening almost palpable attimes, especially at the start of some of the pieces

24 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

before the momentum builds and they recalibrate on
the fly. While they match dynamics, it is complementaryrather than slavish. Hinton establishes a flow within
which he inserts snatches of oblique commentary, ashort tappy cymbal pattern here or a rattle ofresounding toms there for example. Each track boasts
an adroit and emphatic ending, often furnished byHinton, whether an attractive drum break or areverberating strike on a gong. It is just one more
hallmark of the elevated quality of the dialogue.
For more information, visit gaucimusic.bandcamp.com.
This pair is at Downtown Music Gallery Dec. 11th andBushwick Public House Mondays. See Calendar.

ON SCREEN

Resurrection!: This Is MusicAs Medicine For the Soul!
Airto Moreira/Preservation Hall Jazz Band
(Djerassi Films, Inc.)
by Anna Steegmann

This film is only 21 minutes long; nevertheless, it isa gem. Dale Djerassi has made a name for himself asa producer and director of documentaries and his
2004 film Oil on Ice won him numerous prizes. In his
newest endeavor, he brings together two powerfulforces in the jazz world: Brazilian percussionist Airto
Moreira (veteran of Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter,
Chick Corea and Cannonball Adderley, to name justa few) and Preservation Hall Jazz Band (launched in1961) during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The opening scene shows Moreira on the bus
ride to New Orleans. He introduces himself to theviewers while we see footage of him at various
stages of his career. Next, the film moves to black
and white photos of the Preservation Hall Jazz
Band’s beginnings. Then we see Moreira andPreservation Hall Jazz Band jamming in Congo
Square. The enthusiastic audience responds by
dancing and clapping along. Mardi Gras reminds
Moreira of the carnival in Brazil and he feels that the
Preservation Hall Jazz Band and his music share
AfroCuban roots. For five years, he was unable toperform due to personal problems. But the first time
he played with what he calls “the hottest grooveband”, he felt inspired and broke through his block.
The film takes the viewers to the Preservation
Hall’s rehearsal. The camera work is remarkable,
especially in the scenes shot from above. Moreira’s
composition “Alué” features him singing in his
native Portuguese. Amazingly, this was the first andonly rehearsal for his song.
The high-spirited Preservation Hall Jazz Band’smusicians shine in the seven featured songs. Moreira’s
vocalist daughter Diana Purim and her percussionist
husband Krishna Booker also join them. “Mad”, acomposition by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, isthe most joyful and exuberant. “Tootie Ma”, a
traditional, and another original, “Higher Ground”,
are infectious. Moreira states that it is the dream ofany musician to spread happiness. That happinessspreads to the viewers, leaving them craving more ofthis exhilarating musical collaboration.
For more information, visit youtu.be/-EeeX1FDGLg

Eric Frazier, the iconic jazz artist who is now
the author of A New Educational Paradigm,
Perspectives on Education, which provides
an effective remedy for addressing current
issues in our educational system!
Detailed, thorough and research-based.
Visit neweducationalparadigm.com
Upcoming Perfomances:
Eric Frazier Trio with
Misha Tsiganov (keyboard),
Hilliard Greene (bass)
Rustik Tavern
12/1(first Wednesday each month!)7-11PM, $10
Jamming musicians and singers
complimentary
371 Dekalb Ave. Bklyn NY
347-406-9700
Covid Regs Observed!
Eric Frazier Trio with Hillard Greene (bass),
Eiko Rikuhashi (keyboard 12/5),
Keith Jordan (guitar 12/19)
Sunday Brunch @ Park Plaza
12/5, 12/19 (noon-3pm), No Cover
220 Cadman Plaza West, Bklyn NY
718-596-5900

ERIC FRAZIER
2 0 2 1 FA L L R E L E A S E S

MAI SUGIMOTO
MONOLOGUEJEFF CHANPERSEPECTIVESKIOTO AOKINO TRAFFIC IN SPACE

asianimprovrecords.com

IN PRINTI Double Dare You
Terry Waldo/Tatiana Eva-Marie (Turtle Bay)by Marilyn Lester
Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul
Deanna Witkowski (Liturgical Press)by Kevin Canfield

In a career that spanned more than half a century,

Mary Lou Williams played landmark venues, teamedwith jazz legends and recorded singular albums thatremain widely available. Today, though, mostlisteners “know…almost none of her music”, Deanna
Witkowski contends in her brisk biography of the
pianist and composer. Could this be true? Doesn’t
Washington’s Kennedy Center host an annual Mary
Lou Williams Jazz Festival? (It does—Witkowski, anaccomplished pianist herself, performed at the eventin 1999.) Wasn’t Williams featured on the cover ofthis publication as recently as March 2018? (She
was—and has been the subject of more than one
biography.) But a closer look validates the particularsof Witkowski’s argument. Four decades after her
death from cancer at 71, Williams is not forgotten, butadmired more than she is adored. Sexism surely plays
a role, as does her propensity for dissing avant gardejazz. Her traditionalism, coupled with a turn tosacred music—Williams’ masses are beautiful
compositions, but maybe not stuff you listen to every
day—has made it easy to overlook her.
Witkowski, whose upcoming album Force of
Nature (MCG Jazz) is a set of Williams’ compositions,
intends to broaden her appeal. She pays equal
attention to her fellow Catholic’s music and faith(published as part of Minnesota-based Liturgical
Press’ People of God series on prominent Catholics).
Drawing on previous studies, Rutgers University’sarchives and her own interviews, Witkowski crafts asensitive portrait of a protean artist who overcame
the bigotries of her native Georgia and genderinequities of her profession, logging a string of major
musical accomplishments and devoting considerable
energies to charitable work and “liturgical jazz”.
By her mid 30s, Williams, who lived much of herlife in Harlem, had written music performed by
Benny Goodman; worked as an arranger for Duke
Ellington; recorded Zodiac Suite, an album informedby astrology and the personalities of fellow
musicians; mentored future stars like Thelonious
Monk; and hosted the Mary Lou Williams Piano
Workshop, a weekly radio show. In her 40s, Williams
was performing in Britain when a stranger, seeing“that she appeared upset”, Witkowski writes,suggested that Psalm 91 (“the Lord is my refuge”)
could help; thus commenced “her spiritual search”.
Embracing what Witkowski calls “voluntary
poverty”—she could go for days on apples and water—
Williams converted to Catholicism, set up charitable
thrift stores and invited people struggling with
substance addiction to stay with her. And she wrote
masses and choral music, which she performed at St.
Patrick’s Cathedral, among other spaces. Witkowski
notes that Williams, because of her humanitarian workand generosity, is sometimes recalled as “a matronly
figure”. This commendable book reminds us that her
body of work is deep and impressive.
For more information, visit litpress.org. Juilliard’s Mary Lou
Williams Ensemble is at Dizzy’s Club Dec. 6th. See Calendar.

A couple of decades separate jazz pianist and sometime
vocalist Terry Waldo and rising jazz vocalist and actress
Tatiana Eva-Marie, but in I Double Dare You, their new
12-track album of 1920s-30s jazz songs, classic music istheir great unifier. Even in their sweet duet of “TwoSleepy People” (Hoagy Carmichael-Frank Loesser) the
pair sell the tune well with charming authenticity.
Waldo is a master of ragtime, a protégé of Eubie Blake.
His flying fingers on “Runnin’ Wild” (Arthur Harrington
Gibbs-Joe Grey-Leo Wood) lead the way for fast pacingand energetic syncopation from Nick Russo (banjo/
guitar), Ricky Alexander (clarinet), Jim Fryer (trombone),
Mike Davis (trumpet) and Jay Reply (drums).
Eva-Marie’s light, girlish timbre is pleasing andher inclusion of seldom heard verse introductions,such as on an evocative “The Very Thought of You”
(Ray Noble), add a welcome extra dimension, alongwith incisive interpretation. Bandmembers each offer
worthy, beautifully executed solos throughout, but as aunit gets to shine most on “Do Do Do” (George and Ira
Gershwin), with Eva-Marie offering a few vocal bars
mid-number in a style often favored in big bandarrangements of the day. Deeply satisfying is thearrangement of the haunting 1933 tune by Peter
DeRose, “Deep Purple” (1938 lyric by Mitchell Parish).
Alexander ’s earthy clarinet intro sets the tone fora superb big-band era arrangement. It is easy to
imagine a darkened dance hall dreamily highlighted
by a mirror ball.
Many may not know the name of the Jimmy EatonTerry Shand title tune, but chances are the catchy
melody will be familiar and this perhaps sums up thedelights of the album. In these nearly 100-year-old
standards there is joy and sophistication that far
exceeds nostalgia value alone. Waldo, Eva-Marie andcompany prove this music still rocks.
For more information, visit turtlebayrecords.com. Waldo is
at Zinc Bar Wednesdays. See Calendar.

Felscher first came together in 2014, when Wiening
assembled this fivesome during her Master ’s studies at
NYU, and the intervening years have allowed the bandto stretch and grow along with her writing. On 2018’s
lauded Metropolis Paradise, a debut that demonstrated
how emotional acuity can help pave polychromatic
pathways, Wiening and associates (Dan Tepfer on
piano in place of an injured Zaleski) displayed a gift
for winding cohesion. Leading up to this followup,
with time to talk and test uncharted waters together,
these musicians found ways to extend that capability.
On “Northern Sail”, referencing Wiening’s
childhood in Norway, a gently undulating ostinato
soothes on entry before a series of colorful curves lead
toward solo space and a rise in the road out. With“El Escorial”, inspired by a performance the groupdelivered in Madrid, the ensemble moves with devilishglee, offering a modernist’s Spanish tinge and sting in
the process. During the course of “An Idea is
Unpredictable”, the group confirms the titularassertion in painting sinuous scenery supporting
differentiated expressions. And on “RiChanges”, with
off-kilter hits behind a quirky yet logical melody, theband swings with serious authority.
Wiening features a sagacious Perry on the drifting
title ballad then deals with the darkly alluring quiddityof her quintet on “The Other Soul”, delivers teetertotting pleasantries during “Seesaw March” and closes
with unified melodists lighting the way on the lively“Dance Into July”. Forward-thinking and fresh andpresented with pure honesty about the bridges between
what was, is and can be, Future Memories belongs bothto this moment and those that encircle it.
For more information, visit greenleafmusic.com. Wiening is
at Roulette Dec. 15th with John Zorn. See Calendar.

UPCOMING SHOWS
Friday, December 3rd

BISANTZ / NAKHIMOVSKI QUARTET
Saturday, December 4th

TYLER BLANTON/HELIO ALVES QUARTET
Fri & Sat, December 10th & 11th

GEORGE COLLIGAN TRIO feat.
BUSTER WILLIAMS & LENNY WHITE
Friday, December 17th

PETER BERNSTEIN QUARTET
Saturday, December 18th

Future Memories
Mareike Wiening (Greenleaf Music)
by Dan Bilawsky

In January of 2020 while out and about on a tour,

German drummer Mareike Wiening brought her
quintet into Riverside Studios Cologne to record her
sophomore album. That session, dealing with shadesof a future’s past, examining feelings surrounding abicontinental existence, deepening the musical rapport
between bandmates and furthering Wiening’s alreadysubstantial compositional reach birthed what can
simply be summed up as a wonderfully unpredictablesecond statement from a quickly rising star.
Tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, pianist Glenn
Zaleski, guitarist Alex Goodman and bassist Johannes

26 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDMICHAEL FEINBERG QUARTETNew Year's Eve, Friday December 31st

SWING IN THE NEW YEAR with

SAMARA JOY featuring

THE PASQUALE GRASSO TRIO &SPECIAL GUEST TARDO HAMMER

Use code "NYJAZZ" for 5% off atthesidedoorjazz.com

still retain nuance. The closing, hilariously titled“Kindly Leave The Stage” begins and ends with Tracey
unaccompanied as a reminder that the playwright is as
important, if not more, than his actors.
For more information, visit resteamed-records.com

Wisdom in the Wings
Stan Tracey (reSteamed)by Andrey Henkin

The British jazz scene produced few musicians as

versatile as pianist Stan Tracey, who was born 95 years
ago and died eight years ago this month at 86. He cameup in London’s nascent bebop world in the ‘50s andwas house pianist at Ronnie Scott’s club, backing
visiting American performers, in the ‘60s. The following
decade saw him collaborating with his more avant
garde countrymen like Mike Osborne, John Stevens andKeith Tippett. And his leader career stretched from1958 well into the new millennium with variously sized
ensembles and a penchant for writing thematic suites,
beginning with the 1965 Columbia album Jazz Suite(Inspired By Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood).
Resteamed was founded in 2007 to reissue hismusic (his first label, Steam, was established in the‘70s) and is now run by his drummer son Clark, who
figured on many of his father ’s recordings of the last
three-plus-decades of his career. This 14th releasebrings together a pair of Columbia sessions, Free An’
One and The Seven Ages Of Man, which are related not
only in time (waxed on Sep. 10th and Oct. 8th, 1969,
respectively, in London’s famed Lansdowne Studio)
but space, the former a quartet session with alto
saxophonist Peter King, bassist Dave Green anddrummer Bryan Spring and the latter a big band effort
with those blokes, plus Derek Watkins, Tony Fisher,
Greg Bowen and Henry Shaw (trumpets), Keith
Christie, Chris Pyne and Mike Gibbs (trombones),
Dennis Walton, Tony Coe, Alan Skidmore and Ronnie
Ross (saxophones, Coe also on clarinet) and Frank
Ricotti (vibraphone).
Tracey wrote all the material, the quartet date five
discreet originals, including the unmistakably
Anglican-titled
“The
Green
KingspringOf
Springgreen”, the big band playing the title suiteloosely inspired by William Shakespeare (and the nametaken from As You Like It). It is highly instructive tohave these albums together in a two-CD set, allowing
listeners the opportunity to see how the composer
approached varied material and how the core groupgets folded into the larger aggregation.
Unsurprisingly, it is King who dominates Free An’
One, his typically tart British alto taking most of thesolo space. The pieces are Tracey in microcosm,
blending his early straightahead roots and firm support
with intimations of more expansive work to come andeven absorption of the music around him, such as
subtle Township flashes on “Nudgy Vamp”, perhaps
subconsciously channeling Chris McGregor. One could
easily imagine Tracey and Firm playing this set at
Ronnie Scott’s on a weekday night.
36-minute, eight-part The Seven Stages Of Man
suite is brash and brassy, definitely pulling from theBard’s more comic work, Tracey pounding the keys
and the massed horns in declaratory mode on the
opening “All The World’s A Stage”. The pieces areshort so it is the grand themes that are in the forefront,
no more so than on “Wisdom In The Wings”, but that is
not to imply that there are not exciting solos from thebandmembers, many of whom were among Britain’s
top big band players of the decade. The drive of Green,a veteran of the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet, andSpring, who would go on to fusion with Nucleus andPassport alongside his work in later Tracey octets,push the ensemble harder than they did the quartet yet

Live at FarOut, Atsugi 1987
Derek Bailey/Mototeru Takagi(Chap Chap-NoBusiness)
Live at Little John, Yokohama 1999
Mototeru Takagi, Susumu Kongo, Nao Takeuchi,
Shota Koyama (Chap Chap-NoBusiness)by Pierre Crépon

The contrast between two recent NoBusiness releases

featuring saxophonist Mototeru Takagi, who would
have turned 80 this month (if the circulating birth year
is to be trusted), underlines a particular aspect of thefree music scene in Japan. Although American avant
garde jazz was a major inspiration for the first local
New Thing players in the late ‘60s, a group to whom
Takagi belonged, a willingness to engage European free
improvisation methodologies also became apparent inthe ‘70s. This could not be said of the U.S. musicians
who had provided the original impetus.
Guitarist and leading European improviser Derek
Bailey first recorded with Takagi in a Tokyo studio in
1978. Unlike Kaoru Abe, the other saxophonist on thatdate, Takagi hasn’t yet achieved legendary status. Abe’smusic often seemed to be the expression of a soul laidbare, at times in a nearly unbearable manner. With
Takagi, there is a greater distance between the listener
and the performer. Although Takagi had mastered thetorrential streams of sound characteristic of early free
jazz, the control he seemed to exert in different
situations made him a very adaptable musician andpresence in many of the early Japanese groups. Takagi’s
travels outside Japan remained limited, but he did
spend time in France in 1974, on the tail of the local freejazz boom. When he first visited New York in 1983,
he played with drum master Sunny Murray andviolinist Billy Bang.
This adaptability is evident throughout the duetwith Bailey issued as Live at FarOut, Atsugi 1987.
Sticking to soprano saxophone rather than his primarytenor, Takagi negotiates his way through an exhaustinghour-long
performance
circumscribedbytheparameters Bailey set for his music. The guitarist’s
concentrated focus on unconventional techniques
situates the music in the area of detailed tone
production, set against a sparse background devoid of
all artifacts used by American colleagues. The points
where the instrumentalists’ sonic explorations meet
constitute the session’s primary interest.
Working outside of this circumscribed area,
Takagi’s playing moves on to another order ofmagnitude. On Live at Little John, Yokohama 1999, Takagi
is featured on tenor with drummer Shota Koyama andtwo wind players one generation younger: Susumu
Kongo and Nao Takeuchi. Respectively playing alto
and tenor and both doubling on flute and bass clarinet,they will be names known only to specialists of theJapanese scene but are nevertheless excellent musicians.
The liner essay indicates that Kongo is also a noted
repairman and that Takeuchi has been a student of both
Takagi and Byard Lancaster.
There are several outstanding moments in the
40-minute opening piece, but Track Two is the stunnerand gives an accurate idea of the overall dynamic.
It opens with tenor underscored by low bass clarinet

tones held through circular breathing. A short cyclicalmotive signals the move into another phase, which
could be described using the vocabulary applying toclassic free jazz buildups. But here, gradually increasing
intensity does not proceed from cumulative playing
merging into a single sound mass; it results from an
explosive amount of multidirectional melodic andrhythmic invention from the three horns, all playing
simultaneously, but with impressive delineation. As on
most of the tape, Koyama’s drumming remains
economical and supportive.
Elsewhere, Takagi has also taken the uncommon
step of approaching U.S. free jazz in terms of repertoire,playing pieces by Ornette Coleman, Charles Tyler,
Steve Lacy or the Art Ensemble of Chicago. This piecereaches its conclusion as if following the classic
organization of jazz performances that still figured in
the music of the early American pioneers, returning tothe opening statement, calmly and with perfect balance.
This is mature music that uses the best of what had
been uncovered during the long and convoluted historyof free playing. It is also, importantly for an archival
release, not music heard before. Takagi died three years
after this performance.
The CD versions of those two releases contain theextended performances. On vinyl, duration is reduced
roughly by half. Both recordings are part of NoBusiness’series of releases in partnership with promoter andproducer Takeo Suetomi’s Chap Chap label (it should
be noted that Chap Chap’s original catalog, difficult tofind outside Japan, is now available on Bandcamp). The
series opens the door on archives generated close to asource of consistently remarkable music and Takagi’squartet may be one of the best releases yet.
For more information, visit nobusinessrecords.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 27

The Bridge Sessions 13: The Way ThroughDidier Petit, Josh Berman, Jason Stein,
Edward Perraud (The Bridge Sessions)by John Sharpe

The Windy City pair of bass clarinetist Jason Stein(who turns 45 this month) and cornet player Josh
Berman hook up with two Frenchmen, cellist Didier
Petit and drummer Edward Perraud, for an off-thewall communion on The Way Through. The date forms
part of The Bridge, an ongoing initiative to forge ties
between the respective jazz and improvised musicscenes of the two locales, which has so far involved
more than 140 musicians and produced some 14
albums. The participants combine in groups that are
given the opportunity to gel and develop throughtours and events in each setting. Recorded at Chicago’s
The Hideout midway through a two-week exploratory
tour, the continuous show is demarcated into five
tracks to reflect the rapidly changing moods.
Such free-flowing ensemble improvisation isnatural home turf for the Europeans and Petit inparticular often seems a prime mover in directing theoverall trajectory, whether through the judicious
introduction of repeated cello figures and vamps or hiswordless vocalizations, which can serve either toamplify or calm proceedings. Everyone’s role is fluid,with Perraud contributing percussive textures andcymbal scrapes as much as propulsion. Both Berman
and Stein extract great variety from their instruments,
but the emphasis on the collective means that somelights may be hidden under bushels here.
While individual talents are largely sublimated to
the group feel, there are nonetheless notable passages
that stand out. One such stems from Stein’s increasingly
fractious chunter on “The”, which contrasts with
Berman’s coolly lyrical stylings, as they intersect withspiky drum clatter and soaring arco cello/voice blend.
Another arrives courtesy of Berman’s muted squiggles
atop a Petit riff, in one of the more jazzy moments on“Through”. One of the most animated parts occurs in the
final section “....” where the horns squall in tandem overroiling drums, before an extended coda of taps, chimes
and susurrations sees the performance to an end.

which had been established by the Danish trumpeter
Arnvid Meyer. In addition to the monetary prize, thewinner could choose an ensemble of sympathetic
musicians with whom to tour around Denmark. For
these engagements, Hall chose tenor saxophonist
Chris Potter, Canadian drummer Terry Clarke, Danish
bassist Thomas Ovesen and the Zaploski String Quartet,
drawn from the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The initial release from this tour was in 1999 on
Storyville Records. Now, some 32 years later, the label
has reissued the disc with the same track list, but
a different album cover, with the music delivering thesame engagement, beginning with “Stella By Starlight”.
With the aesthetically formulated melody in mind, thegroup takes an oblique approach to offer an intricate
exposition, all the while keeping space open for solos
by Hall and Potter. Of particular interest is the interplay
between Hall and Clarke.
It seems that no musical program is complete
without acknowledging the relationship between Billy
Strayhorn and Duke Ellington. This recital showcases
two compositions: Strayhorn’s “Chelsea Bridge” andEllington’s “In A Sentimental Mood”. On the former
lovely ballad, Hall continues with his introspective
voice, making sure that every note counts, and the restof the group pitches in as they demonstrate a set ofcommon musical values. The latter is a duo offering
between Hall and Potter, clear engagement with one
another ’s instrument and offering the value of space,which results in a straightforward elegance.
The centerpiece of this package are three Hall
originals: “Mr. Blues”, “Thesis” and “Quartet+4”.
The harmonic spine of these numbers clearly indicatesthat he was a composer of some complexity andtechnical facility. The first tune is a quartet exposition,
the next has Hall with the Zaploski String Quartet andultimately, the full quartet with strings. Each of thesepieces is a soundscape of alternative melodies and richcounterpoint wherein Hall shows why he was astandard-bearer of his instrument.
When Hall won this award in 1998, he had alreadybeen on the jazz scene for over 40 years. Nevertheless,it was a well-deserved acknowledgment of a player ofcleverness and empathy who valued co-operation
rather than individuality.
For more information, visit storyvillerecords.com

For more information, visit acrossthebridges.org

Chimney Liquor
Jeff Kaiser/Nicholas Deyoe (pfMENTUM)
by Robert Bush

Trumpet and guitar duos are not typical pairings but

Jazzpar Quartet + 4
Jim Hall Quartet (Storyville)
by Pierre Giroux

Jim Hall, born 91 years ago and died 8 years ago thismonth, was one of those ‘less is more’ guitarists. He
had a straightforward melodic style and generally
eschewed the temptation to dance up and down the
fretboard, pumping out notes. In 1998, in an
acknowledgement of his career and impact and avariety of associations with jazz luminaries such as
Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Giuffre, Sonny Rollins and Bill
Evans, Hall was presented with the Jazzpar Award,

ought to be. As the iconoclastic trumpeter/record label
owner Kaiser nears his 60th birthday this month, thissession, recorded live at University of California-San
Diego in 2012, serves as a potent reminder of his
contributions to the modern free improvisation
community, especially when it comes to the blend ofextended techniques and computer technology.
Kaiser has been pursuing the timbral possibilities
of effected tones for years, lugging around dozens ofpedals to achieve this, but, after discovering the laptop
and specialized software (including many programs hewrote), was able to shed the unnecessary pounds ofequipment without sacrificing any tone wizardry.
Anyone familiar with Kaiser ’s super independentlabel pfMENTUM has witnessed the trumpet/
electronics/composer ’s peculiar approach to music.

28 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

His duo with reed/electronics specialist David Borgo(KaiBorg) has released several compelling documents
including Intra Action, a new disc that adds
percussionist Kjell Nordeson into the mix. Sadly,
Kaiser ’s associate professorship at the University ofCentral Missouri has put him into the position ofneeding to close down pfMENTUM, in operation since
1999, issuing some 150 very creative sessions.
Which brings up Chimney Liquor, along with acaveat: there are very few precedents to the music on
this disc. It would be a mistake to approach it with any
preconceived notions.
It was necessary to double-check the hi-fi systemseveral times after Chimney Liquor began. Violent
bursts of white noise vocalizations sputtered from theleft and right channels in an impenetrable language.
Eventually, one can make out the sounds of Kaiser ’s
fingers popping the valves in manic, percussive fashion
like Xavier Cugat on amphetamines. There are long
stretches on the lone track where it is impossible todistinguish where the assaultive tones are coming
from, followed by relatively pastoral passages. About
25 minutes in, there is manic, metal shredding by
Deyoe while Kaiser sputters like Donald Duck sufferingfrom terminal hiccups. There are moments when
Chimney Liquor can evoke the soundtrack to a nebulous
sci-fi movie and other times where it sounds
considerably more lethal. Kaiser has always been aboutpushing the envelope and this is definitely the oppositeof ‘easy-listening’ music.
Kaiser has also released two solo trumpet/
electronics discs: Sitzfleisch I and Zeitnot V, currently
available on the pfMENTUM site. They are weird andwonderful and absolutely worth a listen.
For more information, visit pfmentum.com

Lost Within You
Franco Ambrosetti (Unit)
by Marco Cangiano

Like many good wines get better as they age, so docertain musicians and trumpet players in particular.
Consider Enrico Rava, the late Tomasz Stańko and, in
his most recent effort, Franco Ambrosetti. The common
trait is that their sound, also reflecting reliance in theirlater years on the flugelhorn, has become richer andmellower much as their choice of notes very selective,emphasizing the melody, the pauses, the reading of thetext in the case of old standards, in lieu of still
outstanding technical prowess. In other words, there
has been a search for the essential and pure.
Lost Within You, recorded last year when
Ambrosetti had just turned 79 (he turns 80 this month)and been active for six decades, confirms all of theabove. The group assembled could not be morecongenial: drummer Jack DeJohnette (also featured
with delightful results on piano in the opener, Horace
Silver ’s “Peace”); guitarist John Scofield, unusually
restrained in “Peace” and “Silli”; two eclectic yet
different pianists in Renee Rosnes on five pieces and
Uri Caine on three; and bassist Scott Colley, whose
remarkable sound and taste anchor the proceedings.
Most of them had been featured in Ambrosetti’s earlier

JEFF HAMILTON TRIOMERRILY WEAVES THEIRWAY THROUGH A VARIETYOF HOLIDAY TUNES WITH
A SWINGING STYLE ALL
THEIR OWN

Many of the tunes are classics(“The Little Drummer Boy”, “Have Yourself
A Merry Little Christmas”, “Here Comes
Santa Claus”) and several are seldom heard(“Bright Bright The Holly Berries”,“Caroling Caroling”).
All are arranged in the style this trio is
known for: joining drum master
Hamilton are Tamir Hendelman (piano)
and Jon Hamar (bass)

CAPRIRECORDS.COM

release Long Waves, thus providing the coherence andconsistency of a working band.
Throughout, the leader simply shines over a set ofstandards and a couple of ballad-inspired originals.
By his own admission, he has now fully embraced
Miles Davis’ lesson in terms of “less is more”, trading
more assertive playing for depth and feelings. Thisapproach is highlighted in the aforementioned “Peace”
and in Davis’ “Flamenco Sketches”, where Rosnes’
delicate treatment blends Bill Evans’ fleeting righthand with McCoy Tyner ’s more rhythmic left.
The group shows adaptability through a numberof permutations showcasing trios (such as in Benny
Carter ’s “People Time” with Caine and Dave Grusin’s“Love Like Ours” with Rosnes), quartets (a veryrelaxed version of “Body and Soul” introduced by
DeJohnette and featuring a playful Caine and one ofColley’s rare solos) and the whole quintet (Tyner ’s“You Taught My Heart to Sing” and Ambrosetti’s own“Silli”, a samba-inflected tune named after his wife).
Colley is particularly effective in Cy Coleman-Joseph
McCarthy’s torch song “I’m Gonna Laugh You Right
Outta My Life”, performed in trio with Rosnes, and in
Ambrosetti’s “Dreams of a Butterfly”. This is a mature
work of an ever-evolving artist on his quest for purity.
For more information, visit unitrecords.com

Sam Rivers Achive Project, Vol. 5: Undulation
Sam Rivers Quartet (NoBusiness)by George Kanzler

This month is the 10th anniversary of the passing of

Sam Rivers (Sep. 25th, 1923 - Dec. 26th, 2011), themulti-instrumentalist (tenor and soprano saxophones,
flute, piano) whose Studio RivBea in Manhattan’s
NoHo district was the most famous venue in the Loft
Jazz movement in the ‘70s. This concert recording from
Florence, Italy (May 17th, 1981) chronicles the “electric”
band Rivers formed and toured with mostly outside
the U.S. after the demise of Studio RivBea.
Although influential in ‘60s avant garde jazz,
especially on period Blue Note LPs, Rivers can moreaccurately be described as inside-outside, never acompletely free player, often circling back to the formsof bebop: extended chord changes, elaborations of pop
song melodies. So on this hour-plus performance,
divided in CD production into nominal tracks, which
are actually part of a continuous, multi-faceted
continuum, Rivers veers from free blowing largely on
the first two “tracks”, with his tenor, to a strong
suggestion of tunes and chord changes, as on the third
track: “Tenor saxophone section II”, his horn riding on
funky toms (Steve Ellington), electric guitar (Jerry Byrd)
and electric bass (Rael-Wesley Grant) rhythmic riffs.
Ellington’s solo, mostly sticks on drumheads withsome cymbal accents, follows the tenor sections, leading
into three piano sections. Rivers, solo, waxes lyrical;
joined by the band he is quick and pointillistic overskittering guitar. But a final piano section finds him
soulful, more Ramsey Lewis than Cecil Taylor. Byrd’ssolo, his tone and attack more straightahead jazz thanrock or funk, leads to the final flute sections, the firstover funk rhythms, flute high and bright. Rivers adds
vocalizing and humming in a solo section, then returns
after a solo from Grant to take it out over funky beats,
interspersing his flute with some energetic scat-singing.
For more information, visit nobusinessrecords.com

DINNER, LIBATIONS & LIVE JAZZ!
IN THE OF TRIBECA

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 29

HOLIDAY GIFT GU IDEBLUE NOTE RECORDS ENTER THE BLUEDAVID CHISHOLM(Z2C COMICS)
From the same artist and company that brought you
Chasin’ The Bird: A Charlie Parker Graphic Novel comes
this even more ambitious project. Enter The Blue is acollaboration with the legendary Blue Note Records,
artist David Chisholm telling its story through a fictional
account of a young trumpeter who gave up playing andher subsequent rediscovery of jazz after her mentor
falls into a coma. Available in softcover and hardcoveras well as Deluxe and Super Deluxe limited editions.
Z2COMICS.COM/PRODUCTS/BLUE-NOTE-RECORDSENTER-THE-BLUE-GRAPHIC-NOVEL—$19.99-199.99

JAZZ CABBAGE
SOCKS

WOMEN IN JAZZCALENDAR
This is an untraditional calendar as it
won’t tell you the date, but it will let you
discover 126 female jazz musiciansfrom around the world via theportraiture of jazz photographer Tatiana
Gorilovsky. Included with each photo
are QR codes for further exploration.

A hilarious gag gift foranyone old enough toremember this slang term
for marijuana or any jazzlover with feet.

ETSY.COM/LISTING/1075520157/
WOMEN-IN-JAZZ-CALENDAR—$20.98

FOREST-INK.COM/PRODUCTS/
JAZZ-CABBAGE-MENS-CREWSOCKS—$12.99

MISHA KOSMOS: MUZIEKBOEKJAZZ VENUE T-SHIRTS
NYC’s jazz venues may be back in body but their spirits are still
hurting. Show your love/support by sporting one of their t-shirts.

BILL EVANS EVERYBODY STILLDIGS BILL EVANS(CONCORD-CRAFT)
This is the first collection to cover all offamed pianist Bill Evans’ career, five CDsbringing together tracks taken from his
Riverside, Milestone, Fantasy, Verve,
Warner Bros. and Elektra-Musician albums,
plus a previously unreleased 1975 trio
concert, housed in a handsome book withphotos and essay by Neil Tesser.

CRAFTRECORDINGS.COM—$69.99
30 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDThis is a book that will keep giving all year andthrough many more Christmases. Dutch pianist
Misha Mengelberg was one of the pillars of his
country’s jazz scene via his own albums,
international collaborations and, most importantly,
the Instant Composers Pool collective/band/label/concept. He was also a compellingcomposer and this hardbound volume
collects over 75 of his pieces, a treasure forlisteners and challenge for players and students.

CONTACT SUBDIST@GMAIL.COM—€35+SHIPPINGHARLEM CANDLE
COMPANYThe Harlem Candle Company’s offerings are
inspired by the birthplace of New York City jazz andfête such legends as Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday
and the neighborhood’s famed cultural and nightlife
scene during the Harlem Renaissance.

Holiday Swingin! A Kat Edmonson Christmas Vol. 1
Kat Edmonson (s/r)
Merry & Bright
Jeff Hamilton (Capri)
Christmas Came Early
Oddgeir Berg (Ozella)by Andrey Henkin

HARLEMCANDLECOMPANY.COM—$45-60

ERROLL GARNER - LIBERATION IN SWING: The CDC, grimly referred to last year as the “Christmas
Consortium”, has given us all a gift this year
THE OCTAVE RECORDS STORY & Destroying
by recommending vaccinations and boosters for all. Don’t
COMPLETE SYMPHONY HALL CONCERT be a Grinch—get your shot. If Rudolph could get over his
you can stand a tiny needle.
(MACK AVENUE-OCTAVE MUSIC) acrophobia,
Kat Edmonson is an adorable elf on the cover of her
This gorgeous edition is part coffee
table book, part boxed set, but all Erroll
Garner: from the pianist’s artwork on
the cover and the tale of his
Octave Records imprint as told by
Monk biographer Robin D.G. Kelley
and essays on Garner the musician
and visual artist by Terri Lyne
Carrington and Cécile McLorin Salvant
to a compilation LP of Garner pieces
from the Octave collection and threeLP presentation of the Complete
Symphony Hall Concert from 1959.
STORE.ERROLLGARNER.COM—$149.98

RON CARTER SNEAKERS
You will never play bass as well as him.
You will never be on as many records.
You can only hope to be as classy.
But now you can have a little Ron Carterin you or, more accurately, on you withthese official “Blue ‘N’ Green” sneakers,
a collaboration between Mr. Carter,
Adidas and NYC’s Book Works.
REALBOOKWORKS.COM—$100

JAZZ FESTIVALS SCARF
This 55-inch square scarf, made of microfiber
polyester with a slightly transparent effect, is adelightful montage of jazz festival posters fromaround the world and through the decades.
REDBUBBLE.COM/I/SCARF/
JAZZ-FESTIVALS-BY-MONTAGEMADNESS/47183130.B15PI—$26.80

first Christmas album, Holiday Swingin’. And she has a voice
to match, rounded and jolly, with a bit of clove and nutmeg in
her delivery. Her band of Roy Dunlap (piano), Matt Munisteri(guitar), Bob Hart (bass) and Aaron Thurston (drums) provide
a gentle sleighride for the 10 songs, which draw fromvarious sources for an eclectic look at the genre: sultry“Let It Snow”, tapdancing “White Christmas”, boogiewoogie-ing “Jingle Bell Rock”, wistful “The Christmas Blues”,
down-home “O Christmas Tree”, sepia-toned “The
Christmas Song”, finger-snapping “I’ve Got My Love to Keep
Me Warm”, tropicalia-fied “Happy Holiday”, gospel-inflected“The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” andcrystalline “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem”. This releaseembodies the timelessness of holiday music and how
adaptable the material can be. Edmonson deserves a big
candycane for pushing what are pretty typical song choices
into atypical settings showcasing her skillful phrasing.
It probably has not snowed in Glendale, CA, where
Jeff Hamilton’s Merry & Bright was recorded, since thelast Ice Age but no matter. The drummer and his trio of
pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Jon Hamar offer up
music for the hippest of office Christmas parties. While
the tunes are done in pithy renditions, there is plenty ofjoyous interaction. Hamilton’s arrangements are heavy onrhythmic accents—his gift to himself—which brings new
feeling to classic repertoire, like a surprisingly restrained“The Little Drummer Boy”, slinky “Here Comes Santa Claus”
and unapologetic “Santa Baby”. Moments of snowflakelike delicacy come on “O Tannenbaum” and “Have Yourself
a Merry Little Christmas”. What distinguishes this album
from so many other holiday releases is the inclusion of apair of carols, “Caroling Caroling” and “Bright Bright the Holly
Berries”, by Alfred Shaddick Burt, who wrote 15 of them for
Christmas cards sent to his friends and family each year
between 1942-54, a dozen released on Columbia after his
death in 1954. Both are lovely and show that Hamilton put
great care and thought into this project.
Everyone has a relative who takes forever opening theirgifts: carefully peeling off the tape, folding up the wrapping
paper into neat squares, reading the card out loud andthanking the giver. For them Oddgeir Berg’s Christmas
Came Early will be the perfect soundtrack. The Norwegianpianist and his trio of bassist Karl-Joakim Wisløff anddrummer Lars Berntsen take their time in what is perhaps
a commentary on the chaotic rush that the holiday season
has sadly become. Listeners will only be familiar with someof the pieces, “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”, “O ComeAll Ye Faithful” and “Glade Jul (Stille Nacht)”, the others
mostly old traditional hymns and carols of European andScandinavian origin. This group takes its cue from Clement
Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”: “Not acreature was stirring, not even a mouse”. These eight pieces
are remarkably still and solemn, exulting in each note, every
detail, creating a beautiful hushed ambience that one would
get walking in the forest in the first moments of a snowfall,maybe with the charming reindeer on the cover.

For more information, visit katedmonson.shop,
caprirecords.com and ozellamusic.com. Edmonson’s
project is at Le Poisson Rouge Dec. 11th. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 31

CALENDAR
Wednesday, December 1êMike Stern
55Bar 9:30 pmêMarc Copland Quartet with Robin Verheyen, Drew Gress, Mark Ferber		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêIngrid Laubrock Trio with Brandon Lopez, Tom Rainey		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints with Lawrence Fields, Linda May Han Oh,
Joey Baron
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Peter Washington,
Vince Cherico and guest Henry Acker		
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Spyro Gyra
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êEhud Asherie Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êPapo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours
		
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $32• Timo Vollbrecht/Vinícius Gomes Lowlands 8 pm
• Sean Wayland; Jon Elbaz
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Willie Alexander III
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Keith Loftis Quartet with John Chin, Eric Wheeler, Donald Edwards
		
Nublu 151 8 pm $20
êJay Clayton Birthday Celebration with Ed Neumeister, Gary Versace		Pangea 7 pm $25• Harlem Jam Session: Peter Brainin and Friends		
Room 623 at B2 Harlem $10-12êAndrew Lamb’s Circadian Spheres Of Light Project Ensemble with Dick Griffin,
Lloyd Haber, Marvin Bugalu Smith, Warren Smith, Jose Luis Abreu,
Newman Taylor Baker, Ngoma Hill, Hilliard Greene, Melanie Dyer, Gwen Laster,
Dara Bloom, JimmyJames Greene, Trashina Conner, The Great Olmedini				
Roulette 8 pm $25• Jazz Jam Session: Eric Frazier Trio with Misha Tsiganov, Hilliard Greene		Rustik Neighborhood Tavern 7 pm $10• George Papa George; Benny Benack III		Smalls 7:30, 9 pm 10:30 pm $20
êChristian McBride and Inside Straight with Steve Wilson, Warren Wolf, Peter Martin,
Carl Allen
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm

Thursday, December 2• César Orozco’s Kamarata Jazz

Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10

Joey Baron

Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40

êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints with Lawrence Fields, Linda May Han Oh,êFrank Catalano Quartet with Randy Ingram, Julian Smith, Mike Clark

		
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Spyro Gyra
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Don Hahn/John Mosca Group Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êUlysses Owens, Jr. Big Band with Luther Allison, Yashushi Nakamura, Erena Terakuba,
Alexa Tarantino, Andy Gatauskas, Nicole Glover, Diego Rivera, Gina Benalcazar,
Mike Dease, Wyatt Forhan, Eric Miller, Summer Camargo, Walter Cano, Giveton Gelin,
Benny Benack III, Charles Turner III Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Lesley Mok; Jonathan Moritz, Sean Ali, Carlo Costa
		Green Lung Studio 8, 9 pmêRyan Keberle’s All Ears Orchestra with Alejandro Aviles, Jaleel Shaw, John Ellis,
Lucas Pino, Carl Maraghi, Nick Marchione, Brandon Lee, Nadje Noordhuis,
Mike Rodriguez, Mike Fahie, Mike Davis, Chris Komer, Marcus Rojas, Carmen Staaf,
Ike Sturm, Jimmy Macbride
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25• Rubén Blades and The Robert Delgado Big Band; Luba Mason’s Triangle with
Joe Locke, James Genus
Madison Square Garden 8 pm $59-229• Mike Holober; Saul Rubin
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Minton’s Playhouse Jam Session Minton’s 8 pm
• Porterfield: Jacob Aviner, JP Goldman, Raphael Lehnen, Jared Yee		Pete’s Candy Store 10 pm• Marcus Goldhaber and Friends with Jon Davis, Sam Bevan, Jason Tiemann				
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30 pm $22êAmina Claudine Myers Trio with Reggie Nicholson, Jerome Harris;
Douglas Ewart Quasar with Warren Smith, Steve Adegoke Colson, JD Parran				
Roulette 8 pm $20• Robert Edwards; Greg Glassman Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Steve Sandberg’s Dream Music Project		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Laura Ortman/Susan Alcorn
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êChristian McBride and Inside Straight with Steve Wilson, Warren Wolf, Peter Martin,
Carl Allen
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, December 3êMichael Bates’ Acrobat with Marty Ehrlich, Mazz Swift, Sara Schoenbeck, Michael Sarin

		
Barbès 8 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30
êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints with Lawrence Fields, Linda May Han Oh,
Joey Baron
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êFrank Catalano Quartet with Randy Ingram, Julian Smith, Mike Clark
		
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Spyro Gyra
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Camille Thurman Quartet; Rob Edwards Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Noa Fort Everyday Action with Josh Deutsch, Dan Loomis, Ronen Itzik				
Church Street School For Music and Art 8 pm $20
êUlysses Owens, Jr. Big Band with Luther Allison, Yashushi Nakamura, Erena Terakuba,
Alexa Tarantino, Andy Gatauskas, Nicole Glover, Diego Rivera, Gina Benalcazar,
Mike Dease, Wyatt Forhan, Eric Miller, Summer Camargo, Walter Cano, Giveton Gelin,
Benny Benack III, Charles Turner III Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ken Fowser Quartet with Rick Germanson; Benito Gonzalez Quartet with Troy Roberts,
Will Slater, Curtis McPhetter, Jr. The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pm• Becca Stevens and The Secret Trio		
Drom 9 pm $20• Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch
Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20
êJohnathan Blake’s My Life Matters with Dayna Stephens, Joel Ross, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Mike Ledonne; Steve Ash
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êTyshawn Sorey Trio with Aaron Diehl
		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êCarmen Staaf Quartet
Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village 8, 9:30 pm• Dave Adewimi’s Altus; Dave Stryker Trio		
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $18-35
êImmanuel Wilkins
Roulette 8 pm $25• Justin Robinson; Philip Harper Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Laura Ortman/Loren Connors The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êChristian McBride and Inside Straight with Steve Wilson, Warren Wolf, Peter Martin,
Carl Allen
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, December 4êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints with Lawrence Fields, Linda May Han Oh,

Joey Baron

Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40

êFrank Catalano Quartet with Randy Ingram, Julian Smith, Mike Clark

		
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Spyro Gyra
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Richie Vitale/Frank Basile Quintet; Avi Rothbard Trio		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êUlysses Owens, Jr. Big Band with Luther Allison, Yashushi Nakamura, Erena Terakuba,

Alexa Tarantino, Andy Gatauskas, Nicole Glover, Diego Rivera, Gina Benalcazar,
Mike Dease, Wyatt Forhan, Eric Miller, Summer Camargo, Walter Cano, Giveton Gelin,
Benny Benack III, Charles Turner III Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• David Gibson Quartet with Mike King, Joseph Lepore, Anwar Marshall;
Craig Handy and 2nd Line Smith with Kyle Koehler, Clark Gayton, Jerome Jennings
		The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pmêWide Open Works Mini-Fest: Theo Bleckmann/Ben Monder; Ingrid Laubrock Group;
Rob Garcia Quartet with Michel Gentile, Gary Versace, Kim Cass; Victor Lewis Trio				Ibeam Brooklyn 7 pm $20
êJohnathan Blake’s My Life Matters with Dayna Stephens, Joel Ross, Fabian Almazan,
Dezron Douglas
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40êJulian Lage Trio with Jorge Roeder, Dave King		Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $31• Brandon McCune; Michael King Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• ELEW and Friends
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Kris Davis’ Suite Charrière with Angela Sanchez, Hidemi Akaiwa, Mat Maneri, Trevor Dunn,
Sam Pluta, Taylor Ho Bynum
Roulette 8 pm $25
êAdam Lane Quartet with Nick Lyons, Sam Bardfeld, Billy Mintz
		
Scholes Street Studio 8 pmêSalim Washington Group
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
êJack Walrath; Theo Hill
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êLenny White Quartet with Emilio Modeste, Quitin Zoto, Ollie Bomann		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Laura Ortman/Raven Chacon The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êChristian McBride and Inside Straight with Steve Wilson, Warren Wolf, Peter Martin,
Carl Allen
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Pedrito Martinez’ Yoruba Soy with Isaac Delgado Jr., Sebastian Natal, Manuel Marquez,
Xito Lovell and guest Alfredo Rodriguez
		
Zankel Hall 9 pm $36-45
êDavid Rothenberg, Douglas Ewart, Tony Garnier		
Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $20

Sunday, December 5êDan Weiss Trio with Jacob Sacks, Thomas Morgan		
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êJohn Fedchock Sextet with Scott Wendholt, Walt Weiskopf, Allen Farnham,David Finck, Eric Halvorson
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• Spyro Gyra
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êPhilip Harper Quintet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Alphonso Horn and The Gotham Kings
		
Chelsea Table & Stage 2 pm $22êUlysses Owens, Jr. Big Band with Luther Allison, Yashushi Nakamura, Erena Terakuba,
Alexa Tarantino, Andy Gatauskas, Nicole Glover, Diego Rivera, Gina Benalcazar,
Mike Dease, Wyatt Forhan, Eric Miller, Summer Camargo, Walter Cano, Giveton Gelin,
Benny Benack III, Charles Turner III Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Dave Treut		
The Keep 9 pmêEhud Asherie
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jenn Jade, Darren Chase, Ricardo Toscano		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Paul Jost Trio with Jim Ridl, Bill Moring		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pmêWendy Eisenberg; Amanda Ekery The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10• Eric Frazier Trio with Eiko Rikuhashi, Hilliard Greene		Park Plaza Restaurant 12 pm
êMichael Leonhart Quartet with Donny McCaslin, Pat Bianchi, E.J. Strickland				
Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm $20• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15• Caili O’Doherty/Cory Cox
Saint Peter’s 5 pm
• Joe Magnarelli; Ai Murakami
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• The Klezmatics
Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre 7:30 pm $35-100êAnnual David Amram Jam
Theater for the New City 8 pm
• Chris Rogers Group with Ingrid Jensen, Mike Holober, Jay Anderson, Steve Johns		
Triad Theater 9:30 pm $15êChristian McBride and Inside Straight with Steve Wilson, Warren Wolf, Peter Martin,
Carl Allen
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Jeff Rum: Ryan Dugre, James Buckley, Jeremy Gustin
		
Wild Birds 9 pmêMars Williams’ An Ayler Xmas with Steve Swell, Jaimie Branch, Fred Lonberg-Holm,
Ava Mendoza, Hilliard Greene, Chad Taylor
		
Zürcher Gallery 7:30 pm $20

Monday, December 6êMike Stern
55Bar 9:30 pm
êEd Cherry Trio with John Di Martino, Gary Wang		
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Matt Pavolka Band with Ben Monder, Santiago Leibson, Allan Mednard				Barbès 7 pm $20• Tedd Firth Trio with David Finck, Mark McLean		
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Will Evans, David Leon, Miguel Russell, Stéphane Clement; Aaron Rubinstein,
Caleb Duval, Michael Larocca; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton;
Devin Gray Ensemble; Kenny Warren, Christopher Hoffman, Nathan Ellman-Bell				Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Juilliard Jazz Ensembles: Dave Brubeck Ensemble led by Uysses Owens, Jr. with
Shabnam Abedi, David Sneider, Coby Petricone-Berg, Jacob Melsha, Aayushi Karnik,
Tyler Henderson, Nico Martinez, Petros Anagnostakos; Mary Lou Williams Ensemble
led by Bruce Williams with Jack Towse, Sophia Kickhofel, Daniel Cohen, Nick Mesler,
Tyler Bullock, Dave Baron, Peter Glynn		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Spike Wilner; Pasquale Grasso Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Alejandro Florez
Scholes Street Studio 8 pm
• Ari Hoenig; Miki Yamanaka
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, December 7• Gyan Riley
Barbès 7 pm $20• Stacey Kent with Art Hirahara, Jim Tomlinson, Tom Hubbard, Anthony Pinciotti				
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $50• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,

Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êMingus Orchestra
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7:30, 9:30 pmêJosh Sinton solo; Sean Ali/Jonah Rosenberg
		Downtown Music Gallery 6:30, 7:30 pm• Hypersurface: Drew Wesely, Lester St. Louis, Carlo Costa		
Freddy’s Backroom 8 pm
• In this House on this Morning—Music from the Church: Juilliard Jazz Ensembles				
Juilliard School Paul Hall 7:30 pm $20• Kevin Sun Trio with Walter Stinson, Matt Honor; Happy Trio XVII: Kevin Sun, Joe Martin,
Johnathan Blake
Lowlands 6:30, 8:30 pm

32 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Yaala Ballin
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• JG Thirlwell Ensemble with Simon Hanes, Evan Allen, Leah Asher, Peter Moffett				
Roulette 8 pm $25• Eric Lewis
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êMichel Gentile’s Flow with Ben Goldberg, Jacob Garchik, Chris Lightcap, Tom Rainey
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êChristian McBride New Jawn Quartet with Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland,
Nasheet Waits
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Wednesday, December 8• Timo Vollbrecht, Ben Monder, Theo Bleckmann

		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêSpirits Rebellious—Music of Thomas Chapin: Itai Kriss, Saul Rubin, Arthur Kell,
Vanderlei Pereira
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êTim Berne/Gregg Belisle-Chi
Barbès 7, 8:30 pm $20
êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Stacey Kent with Art Hirahara, Jim Tomlinson, Tom Hubbard, Anthony Pinciotti				
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $50
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Peter Washington,
Vince Cherico and guest Peter Bernstein		
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Bruce Harris Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Terreno Comun: Alexia Bomtempo, Orrin Evans, Leandro Pellegrino, Luques Curtis;
Lauren Henderson
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pm• Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam led by Carol Sudhalter		
Flushing Town Hall 7 pm $10• Amerarcane: Walter Stinson, Neta Raanan, Aaron Quinn, Max Light		
Lowlands 8 pmêBrian Charette Trio with Alex Claffy, Kush Abadey; Andrea Dominici		Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Adam Moezinia Folk Element Trio with Dan Chmielinski, Charles Goold				
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êCreative Music Studio Presents Operatic Orchestra: Ju-Eh, Gabby Fluke-Mogul,
Joanna Mattrey, Charlie Burnham, Cyro Baptista, Wendy Eisenberg, Ava Mendoza,
Ken Filiano, Asher Herzog, Billy Martin
		
Nublu 151 7 pm $20• Vicki Burns Trio with John DiMartino, Sam Bevan		
Pangea 7 pm $25• Harlem Jam Session: Peter Brainin and Friends		
Room 623 at B2 Harlem $10-12• Dennis Mitchelltree
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Kate Baker
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êChristian McBride New Jawn Quartet with Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland,
Nasheet Waits
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm
êDarius Jones solo
Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $20

Thursday, December 9• Stacey Kent with Art Hirahara, Jim Tomlinson, Tom Hubbard, Anthony Pinciotti				
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $50
êSullivan Fortner solo
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• David Wong Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êMary Stallings and Emmet Cohen Trio with Russell Hall, Kyle Poole		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40
êDr. Lonnie Smith Tribute: Jason Marshall, Ed Cherry, Akiko Tsuruga, Johnathan Blake;
Ian Hendrickson-Smith Quintet The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 8 pm $30
êBrandon Ross Phantom Station with Graham Haynes, David Virelles, Hardedge,
Eric McPherson
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Jazzonia—The Marriage of Poetry and Jazz		Jazz Museum in Harlem 7 pm
• Claire Chase with Senem Pirler The Kitchen 8 pm $15-25• Luke Carlos O’Reilly; Nick Masters Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Minton’s Playhouse Jam Session Minton’s 8 pmêAdam O’Farrill Stranger Days with Xavier Del Castillo, Walter Stinson, Zack O’Farrill;
David Leon Bird’s Eye with Doyeon Kim, Lesley Mok; Miriam Elhajli; Jon Sands				
Public Records 7 pm $25• Marcus Goldhaber and Friends with Jon Davis, Sam Bevan, Jason Tiemann				
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30 pm $22êLuke Stewart/Leila Bordreuil Feedback Ensemble with C. Spencer Yeh, Chris Corsano,
Julia Santoli, Nate Wooley
Roulette 8 pm $25• Dan Kurfirst’s Arkinetics with Daro Behroozi, Alexis Marcelo, Damon Banks,
Tripp Dudley
Scholes Street Studio 8:30 pm $20• Marta Sanchez; Nicole Glover Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Randy Ingram/Aubrey Johnson Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Ikue Mori solo
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êMichael Feinberg with Gary Thomas, Leo Genovese, Jeff “Tain” Watts and guest;
Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few
		The Sultan Room 7 pm $20
êItai Kriss and Televana
Wild Birds 9 pmêChristian McBride New Jawn Quartet with Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland,
Nasheet Waits
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, December 10• Grant Green Tribute: Scott Sharrard Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êMarta Sanchez Trio with Christopher Tordini, Jason Nazary

		Barbès 5 pm $20• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet Barbès 8 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30• Stacey Kent with Art Hirahara, Jim Tomlinson, Tom Hubbard, Anthony Pinciotti				
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $50• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êWayne Escoffery Quartet; Matt Martinez Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êMary Stallings and Emmet Cohen Trio with Russell Hall, Kyle Poole		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ken Fowser Quintet with Peter Bernstein, Rick Germanson, Gerald Cannon,
Willie Jones III; Mark Whitfield Quintet with Craig Handy, Davis Whitfield, Eric Wheeler,
Kush Abadey
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pm• Althea Sully-Cole
Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20
êDan Weiss/Miles Okazaki
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Claire Chase with Senem Pirler, Nate Wooley
		
The Kitchen 8 pm $15-25
êAdam Birnbaum with Al Foster; Doug Weiss with Kenny Ascher		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Mathis Picard
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Noah Halpern; Adi Meyerson
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $18-35• Dan Kurfirst
Scholes Street Studio 8:30 pm• Santi Debriano
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êHighsmith: Craig Taborn/Ikue Mori The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êChristian McBride New Jawn Quartet with Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland,
Nasheet Waits
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, December 11êJay Leonhart

Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Stacey Kent with Art Hirahara, Jim Tomlinson, Tom Hubbard, Anthony Pinciotti				
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $50• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• David Gibson; Miki Yamanaka Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êMary Stallings and Emmet Cohen Trio with Russell Hall, Kyle Poole		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Sasha Berliner; Charles Turner Uptown Swing Dance Holiday Special with
Christopher McBride, Jeffery Miller, Sean Mason, Felix Molesohm		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pmêKen Filiano/Stephen Gauci; Colin Hinton/Stephen Gauci; Stephen Gauci, Ken Filiano,
Colin Hinton
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pmêCamille Thurman and Darrell Green Quartet		First Baptist Church of Crown Heights 4 pmêLakecia Benjamin Pursuance with Zaccai Curtis, Lonnie Plaxico, EJ Strickland				Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7:30 pm $25-35
êBertha Hope solo
Jackie Robinson Recreation Center 2 pmêMarquis Hill’s To Be Free with Maassai, Junius Paul, Kweku Sumbry		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Claire Chase with Senem Pirler, Susie Ibarra
		
The Kitchen 2 pm $15-25
êKat Edmonson
Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $25-30
êAdam Birnbaum with Al Foster; Brandi Disterheft		Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Richie Goods/Chien Chien Lu’s Rain with Miki Hayama, Quintin Zoto, Allan Mednard
		
Nublu 151 8 pm $20• Opening The Gates: Amirtha Kidambi, Kalia Vandever, Charlotte Greve, Marta Sanchez,
Endea Owens, Lesley Mok
The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10• Winard Harper Band
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20• Tivon Pennicott
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êRas Moshe, Alexis Marcelo, Andrew Drury		Soup & Sound 8 pm $20• Archipelago X: Ikue Mori, Brian Marsella, Sae Hashimoto
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êChristian McBride New Jawn Quartet with Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland,
Nasheet Waits
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, December 12êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Sasha Dobson Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Elsa Nilsson Quartet
The Cutting Room 7 pm $25-30
êMary Stallings and Emmet Cohen Trio with Russell Hall, Kyle Poole		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Newman Taylor Baker/Feifei Yang with Zhihua Hu
		Flushing Town Hall 1 pm $15• Lena Bloch and Feathery with Russ Lossing, Cameron Brown, Billy Mintz		
		
Ibeam Brooklyn 7 pm $15• Jazz Power Initiative Intergenerational Jazz Jam		Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm $10• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Dave Treut		
The Keep 9 pm
• Charlotte Greve’s Wood River and Khorikos Choir; Now Ensemble; Phong Tran		Le Poisson Rouge 7 pm $25• Lucy Wijnands
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Isaiah Collier 4tet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Melissa Hamilton Trio with Steve Berger, Joshua Marcum		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Emma Frank; Chase Kuesel
The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10• David Grubbs/Ryley Walker; Amirtha Kidambi		Public Records 7 pm $20• Caili O’Doherty/Cory Cox
Saint Peter’s 5 pm
• Ryan Siegel
Scholes Street Studio 7:30 pm• Peter Zak; Aaron Johnson
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Jeff Rum: Ryan Dugre, James Buckley, Jeremy Gustin
		
Wild Birds 9 pmêChristian McBride New Jawn Quartet with Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland,
Nasheet Waits
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, December 13êAngelica Sanchez Trio with Philip Greenlief, Tom Rainey		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Walter Thompson Soundpainting Orchestra with Efraín Rozas, Caitlin Cawley,
Andrea Pryor, Steve LaRosa, Erica Mancini, Hollis Headrick, Kirk Knuffke,
Celeste Cantor-Stephens, Michaël Attias, Stefan Zeniuk, Eleonore Weill, Sana Nagano,
Sam Day Harmet, Rolf Sturm, Zach Swanson
		Barbès 7 pm $20• Richard Cortez Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êNicholas Creus, Stephane Clemente, Will Evans; David Leon, Isabel Crespo Pardo,
Miriam Elhajli, Alex Koi, Zekkereya; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton;
Nick Lyons, Adam Caine, Adam Lane, Billy Mintz; Luca Soul Rosenfeld,
Elias Stemeseder, Billy Mintz
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15êMatt Wilson Christmas Tree-O with Jeff Lederer, Paul Sikivie and guests				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Jeremy Manasia; Pasquale Grasso Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êGraham Haynes, Lucie Vítková, Shakoor Hakeem
		Roulette 8 pm $25• Joe Farnsworth; Miki Yamanaka Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, December 14êZach Brock Group
55Bar 9:30 pmêOmer Avital Septet
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êSam Bardfeld Trio with Jacob Sacks, Michael Sarin

		
Barbès 7 pm $20
êArtemis: Renee Rosnes, Nicole Glover, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Noriko Ueda,
Allison Miller
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $45• Dave Pietro Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• José James
City Winery 8 pm $30-40êMatt Wilson Christmas Tree-O with Jeff Lederer, Paul Sikivie and guests				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Orchestra
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7:30, 9:30 pmêThomas Heberer/Charlotte Greve; James Ilgenfritz
		
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30, 7:30 pm• Sara Serpa’s Intimate Strangers with Sofía Rei, Aubrey Johnson, Erin Pettigrew,
Qasim Naqvi, Matt Mitchell
Jazz Museum in Harlem 7 pm $10• Juilliard Jazz Orchestra
Juilliard School Peter Jay Sharp Theater 7:30 pm $20• Kevin Sun Quintet with Adam O’Farrill, Dana Saul, Walter Stinson, Matt Honor				
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pm
• Naama GheberMezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êCaroline Davis’ Portals with Marquis Hill, Julian Shore, Chris Tordini, Allan Mednard,

Mazz Swift, Fung Chern Hwei, Joanna Mattrey, Katinka Kleijn, Miriam Parker				
Roulette 8 pm $25• Ras Moshe Burnett/Dafna Naphtali; Ras Moshe Burnett, Dafna Naphtali, David First		
Scholes Street Studio 7 pmêSteve Nelson
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Paul Jost Quartet
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êKenny Barron Quintet with Mike Rodriguez, Dayna Stephens, Kiyoshi Kitagawa,Johnathan Blake
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Wednesday, December 15• Micah Thomas Trio with Dean Torrey, Kayvon Gordon
		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Yasser Tejeda and Palotré
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArtemis: Renee Rosnes, Nicole Glover, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Noriko Ueda,
Allison Miller
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $45
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Peter Washington,
Vince Cherico and guest Vinny Raniolo		Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êDezron Douglas Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Igor Butman Quartet with Evgeny Pobozhiy, Matt Brewer, Antonio Sanchez				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Dierk Peters, Brandon Lopez, Buz Lowlands 8 pmêSullivan Fortner; Sean Mason
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Roz Corral/Bruce Barth
Pangea 7 pm $25• Harlem Jam Session: Peter Brainin and Friends		
Room 623 at B2 Harlem $10-12êBig Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with guest vocalist Alita Moses
		
Rose Theater 7 pm $45-140êJohn Zorn’s Cobra with Mary Halvorson, Wendy Eisenberg, Zeena Parkins,
John Medeski, Sylvie Courvoisier, Patricia Brennan, Sae Hashimoto, Trevor Dunn,
Mareike Wiening, Laura Cromwell, Alexandria Smith, Ikue Mori		
Roulette 8 pm $30• Luca Rosenfeld
Scholes Street Studio 7 pm
• Sherrie Maricle; Benny Benack III Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Jim Ridl
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êKenny Barron Quintet with Mike Rodriguez, Dayna Stephens, Kiyoshi Kitagawa,Johnathan Blake
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm

Thursday, December 16• Magos Herrera’s Remanso

Americas Society 7 pm

Allison Miller

Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $45

êAruán Ortiz
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êArtemis: Renee Rosnes, Nicole Glover, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Noriko Ueda,• Gunhild Carling
Birdland Theater 7 pm $35• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,

Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Greg Glassman Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Igor Butman Quartet with Evgeny Pobozhiy, Matt Brewer, Antonio Sanchez				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Ben Paterson Quartet; The Zealots: Dave Guy, Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Ray Angry,Mark Kelley, Homer Steinweiss The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pmêSexmob Holiday Party: Steven Bernstein, Briggan Krauss, Tony Scherr,
Kenny Wollesen
Drom 9 pm $25• Jazz Composers’ Showcase Vol. 15: John Lake, Migiwa Miyajima, Rin Seo withBen Kono, Michael Thomas, Jeremy Powell, John Lowery, Andrew Gutauskas,
Josh Deutsch, David Adewumi, Dave Smith, Matthew McDonald, Nick Grinder,
Sam Blakeslee, Jennifer Wharton, Arcoiris Sandoval, Olli Hirvonen, Evan Gregor,
Nathan Ellman-BellThe Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25
êThe Jazz Gallery Mentorship Series: Dezron Douglas ands Kweku Sumbry		
Jazz Museum in Harlem 7 pmêJeremy Pelt; Ray Gallon
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Minton’s Playhouse Jam Session Minton’s 8 pmêBig Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with guest vocalist Alita Moses
		
Rose Theater 2, 8 pm $45-140• Itamar Borochov
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Michelle Lordi
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êKenny Barron Quintet with Mike Rodriguez, Dayna Stephens, Kiyoshi Kitagawa,Johnathan Blake
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êTyshawn Sorey/Adam Rudolph Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $20

Friday, December 17êItai Kriss and Televana
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êMarta Sanchez Trio with Christopher Tordini, Jason Nazary

		Barbès 5 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30
êArtemis: Renee Rosnes, Nicole Glover, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Noriko Ueda,
Allison Miller
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $45• Gunhild Carling
Birdland Theater 7 pm $35• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êRebirth Brass Band
Brooklyn Bowl 8 pm $25• Will Terrill; Todd Herbert
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êLizzie Thomas
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $32• Igor Butman Quartet with Evgeny Pobozhiy, Matt Brewer, Antonio Sanchez				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êDuchess: Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou, Michael Cabe, Matt Aronoff,
Jimmy MacBride and guest Nadje Noordhuis; Alphonso Horn and The Gotham Kings		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pm• John Adams
Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20• Gordon Beeferman Organ Trio 2 with Anders Nilsson, Kate Gentile;
Gordon Beeferman’s Apocalypscapades with Marilyn Nonken, Steven Beck,
Stephen Gosling
Ibeam Brooklyn 8:30 pm $15êHenry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer, Dafnis Prieto
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $35-45• Yotam Silberstein; Greg Murphy Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• T.W. Sample Quartet with Mark Whitfield, Stacy Dillard, Brandon Lewis		
		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Jordyn Davis; Hyuna Park
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $18-35
êBig Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with guest vocalist Alita Moses
		
Rose Theater 2, 8 pm $45-140• George Colligan; Philip Harper Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êKenny Barron Quintet with Mike Rodriguez, Dayna Stephens, Kiyoshi Kitagawa,Johnathan Blake
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, December 18• Harvey Valdes

Barbès 8 pm $20

Allison Miller

Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $45

êArtemis: Renee Rosnes, Nicole Glover, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Noriko Ueda,êThe EarRegulars: Jon-Erik Kellso, Matt Munisteri, Scott Robinson		
Birdland Theater 9:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Steve Gunn/Jeff Parker
Bowery Ballroom 8 pm $25
êRebirth Brass Band
Brooklyn Bowl 8 pm $25• Mike LeDonne Quartet; Ai Murakami Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Igor Butman Quartet with Evgeny Pobozhiy, Matt Brewer, Antonio Sanchez				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êDave Stryker Quartet with Joe Doubleday, Jared Gold, McClenty Hunter;
Joe Farnsworth Quartet
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pmêHenry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer, Dafnis Prieto
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $35-45
êEd Cherry; Jon Davis
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• ELEW
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êBig Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with guest vocalist Alita Moses
		
Rose Theater 2, 8 pm $45-140êStephen Gauci, Angelica Sanchez, Adam Lane, Chad Taylor
		Scholes Street Studio 8, 9:30 pm $15êJeremy Pelt/Brandon Sanders Quartet
		
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20• Darrell Green
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êSonelius Smith
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• The Andersons A Jazzy Christmas Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia 5, 7:30 pm $35
êKenny Barron Quintet with Mike Rodriguez, Dayna Stephens, Kiyoshi Kitagawa,Johnathan Blake
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, December 19• Duduka Da Fonseca
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Reginald Chapman Quintet with Mark Mcintire, Adam Neely, Kofi Shepsu, Ryan Easter		Barbès 7 pm $20
êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20• Steven Feifke/Benny Benack Christmas Show		
Birdland 5 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• Peter and Will Anderson
Birdland Theater 9:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• WORKS: Michel Gentile, Daniel Kelly, Rob Garcia
		
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 7:30 pm• Adam Birnbaum Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Igor Butman Quartet with Evgeny Pobozhiy, Matt Brewer, Antonio Sanchez				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êLioness: Alexa Tarantino, Jenny Hill, Lauren Sevian, Amanda Monaco,
Mary Ann McSweeney, Shirazette Tinnin		
Flushing Town Hall 2:30 pm $5• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Dave Treut		
The Keep 9 pmêAlan Broadbent
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jonathan Thomas Firm Roots with Barry Stephenson, TJ Reddick, Imani Rousselle
		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Louise Rogers Trio with Mark Kross		
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Eric Frazier Trio with Keith Jordan, Hilliard Greene		Park Plaza Restaurant 12 pm
êBig Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with guest vocalist Alita Moses
		
Rose Theater 2, 8 pm $45-140• Caili O’Doherty/Cory Cox
Saint Peter’s 5 pmêChris Forbes/Ras Moshe Burnett; Zodiac Saxophone Quartet: Charles Waters,
Claire Daly, Lee Odom, Ras Moshe Burnett; Matt Lavelle’s 12 Houses Orchestra		
Scholes Street Studio 3 pm
• Andrew Kushnir; Adam Kolker/Scott Wendholt
		
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êKenny Barron Quintet with Mike Rodriguez, Dayna Stephens, Kiyoshi Kitagawa,Johnathan Blake
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Jeff Rum: Ryan Dugre, James Buckley, Jeremy Gustin
		
Wild Birds 9 pm

Monday, December 20êEri Yamamoto Trio with David Ambrosio, Ikue Takeuchi		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êAri Folman-Cohen solo
Barbès 7 pm $15• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êEli Asher, Noah Kaplan, Andrew Smiley, Giacomo Merega; Hery Paz Ensemble;
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Juan Pablo Carletti’s Biggish with
Yoni Kretzmer, Rick Parker, Peter Bitenc, Ben Stapp, Jake Henry; Gustavo D’Amico,
Gamin, Todd Neufeld
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Works & Process at the Guggenheim: Eyal Vilner Big Band		
Guggenheim Museum 7:30 pm $25-50
êPeter Bernstein
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êOrrin Evans; Jon Michel
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Assen Doykin
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Petr Kotik
Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $20

Tuesday, December 21• Melissa Stylianou Quartet with Jesse Lewis, Ike Sturm, Mark McLean and guest
Catherine Russell
55Bar 6:30 pm• Arthur Kell and Friends with Brad Shepik, Nate Radley, Allan Mednard

		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êChristmas with Champian Fulton Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êA Very Irby Christmas: Sherman Irby Quintet with Isaiah J. Thompson, Gerald Cannon,
Willie Jones III, Vincent Gardner and guest Sofija Knezevic
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Orchestra
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7:30, 9:30 pm• Dissipated Face: Steve Popkin, Kurt Ralske, Daniel Carter and guest;
Suburban Bohemia: MC BruceLee, Steve Swell, Michael Vatcher		
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30, 7:30 pm• William Hooker and Friends with Theodore Woodward, Ayumi Ishito,
Frederico Balducci, Bob Holman Fridman Gallery 7 pmêWorks & Process at the Guggenheim: Eyal Vilner Big Band		
Guggenheim Museum 7:30 pm $25-50• Earprint: Kevin Sun, Tree Palmedo, Simon Willsón, Dor Herskovits
		
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pmêSamara Joy
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Phill Niblock Annual Winter Solstice Concert		Roulette 8 pm $25• Bruce Williams
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Alon Yavnai
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake and guests Steve Nelson,
Immanuel Wilkins
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 33

Wednesday, December 22

100 MILES OUT
CONNECTICUT
12/14 (7 pm) New Haven Jazz Underground presents Jonathan Barber
12/28 (7 pm) New Haven Jazz Underground presents Joshua Bruneau
Café Nine New Haven, CT www.cafenine.com
12/3 (8:30 pm) Lioness: Sarah Hanahan, Jenny Hill, Lauren Sevian,Amanda Monaco, Mary Ann McSweeney, Sylvia Cuenca
12/10 (8:30 pm) Brandon Ross Phantom Station with Graham Haynes,
David Virelles, JT Lewis, Hardedge
Firehouse 12 New Haven, CT www.firehouse12.com
12/1 (7 pm) Tim DeHuff Quartet
12/2 (7 pm) Trio KaN with Koby Hayon, Dan Asher, Nadav Snir-Zelniker
La Zingara Bethel, CT www.lazingara.com
12/15 (6:30 pm) Walnut Hill Jazz Series presents Joe Carter Quartet
New Britain Museum of American Art New Britain, CT
www.nbmaa.org/events/walnut-hill-jazz-series-2021
12/1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (9 pm) Wednesdays with Hawkins Jazz Collective
Owl Shop New Haven, CT www.owlshopcigars.com
12/10 (7 pm) Dan Pugach Nonet
Palace Theater Poli Club Waterbury, CT
www.palacetheaterct.org/shows/jazz
12/3 (8:30 pm) June Bisantz/Alex Nakhimovsky Quartet
12/4 (8:30 pm) Tyler Blanton/Helio Alves Group
12/10 12/11 (8:30 pm) George Colligan Trio with Buster Williams, Lenny White
12/17 (8:30 pm) Peter Bernstein Quartet
12/18 (8:30 pm) Michael Feinberg Quartet
12/31 (8:30/10:45 pm) Samara Joy with Pasquale Grasso Trio + Tardo Hammer
Side Door Old Lyme, CT www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html
NEW JERSEY
12/10 (8 pm) Hilliard Greene Trio with Sharp Radway
Brothers Smoke House Ramsey, NJ www.brotherssmokehousenj.com
12/4 (3:30 pm) Jerry Weldon
12/11 (3:30 pm) Akiko Tsuruga
12/18 (3:30 pm) Landham Brothers
12/25 (3:30 pm) Orrin Evans
Candlelight Lounge Trenton, NJ www.jazztrenton.com
12/4 (7:30 pm) David Benoit
Count Basie Theater Red Bank, NJ www.thebasie.org
12/2 (7 pm) Alex Laurenzi Trio
12/4 (7 pm) Laurence Hobgood Trio with Karl Latham, James Robbins
12/5 (5:45 pm) Catherine Russell
12/8 (7 pm) Harry Allen
12/22 (7 pm) Leonieke Scheuble’s Generations of Jazz Trio with Bill Crow
Shanghai Jazz Madison, NJ www.shanghaijazz.com
12/2 (7 pm) Charlie Sigler Quartet with Justin Robinson, Kyle Koehler, Chris Beck
12/7 (7 pm) Justin Vedovelli Trio
12/9 (7 pm) Emily Braden Quartet
12/14 (7/8:45 pm) Jem Seidel Trio
12/16 (7 pm) 3D Jazz Trio with Jackie Warren, Amy Shook, Sherrie Maricle
12/21 (7 pm) Matt Renzo Group
12/23 (7 pm) Dave Stryker Quartet
12/28 (7 pm) Pierre Conrilliat Trio;
12/30 (7 pm) Lucy Yeghiazaryan Quartet
Tavern on George New Brunswick, NJ www.tavernongeorge.com
NEW YORK
12/3 (7:30 pm) Victor LaGamma Trio
12/4 (7:30 pm) Brazilwood Trio
12/11 (7:30 pm) Leslie Pintchik Trio with Scott Hardy, Michael Sarin
Alvin & Friends New Rochelle, NY www.alvinandfriendsrestaurant.com
12/4 (6 pm) Doug Munro “A Very Gypsy Christmas”
12/11 (6 pm) Rich Dashnaw Quartet
12/18 (6 pm) Ray Blue
Bean Runner Café Peekskill, NY www.beanrunnercafe.com
12/4 (7:30 pm) Alexis Cole/Geoffrey Keezer
Elk’s Lodge Ossining, NY www.jazzatthelodge.com/shows
12/3 (8 pm) Tim Berne/Nasheet Waits
Elysium Furnace Works @Howland Cultural Center Beacon, NY
www.facebook.com/elysiumfurnaceworks
12/19 (2 pm) “Haven Street Jazz”: Eric Puente Quartet with Rich Williams,
Rich Paganello, John Goldberg Hendrick
Hudson Free Library Lawn Montrose, NY www.henhudfreelibrary.org
12/3 12/4 (7/9:30 pm) Paquito D’Rivera Quintet
12/5 (4/6 pm) Ana Fernandez
12/10 12/11 (7/9:30 pm) Joey DeFrancesco Trio
12/12 (4/6 pm) Nanny Assis Quartet
12/17-18 (7/9:30 pm) Bill Charlap Trio with Peter Washington, Kenny Washington
12/31 (6/9:30 pm) Karrin Allyson Quartet
Jazz Forum Arts Tarrytown, NY www.jazzforumarts.org

êLawrence Fields Trio with Yasushi Nakamura, Mark Whitfield, Jr.

12/4 (7 pm) Pete Levin Trio
12/11 (7 pm) Sheila Jordan/Cameron Brown
Lydia’s Café Stone Ridge, NY www.lydias-cafe.com
12/3 (8 pm) Richard Baratta Quintet with Vincent Herring, Paul Bollenback,
Pat Bianchi, Paul Rossman
12/4 (8 pm) Mike Holober Octet with Marvin Stamm, Ben Kono, Jason Rigby,
Mark Patterson, Jamile Staevie Ayres, Mike McGuirk, Dennis Mackrel
12/10 (8 pm) Freddie Bryant Quartet
12/17 (8 pm) Ray Levier Quartet with Neil Alexander, David Gilmore, Aaron Heick,Fima Ephron
12/22 (8 pm) Lizzy Kates with David Budway, Cameron Brown, Tim Horner,
Anna DeCarvellho
12/31 (8 pm) David Budway Trio with Thos Shipley
Maureen’s Jazz Cellar Nyack, NY www.maureensjazzcellar.com
12/6 (8:30 pm) Mike Dopazo
12/13 (8:30 pm) Eric Person’s Music of Ronald Shannon Jackson Project with
Neil Alexander, Robert Kopec, Dean Sharp
12/20 (8:30 pm) Karl Berger and Friends
Quinn’s Beacon, NY www.facebook.com/QuinnsBeacon
12/4 (7 pm) Oz Noy Trio with Will Lee, Anton Fig
12/8 (7 pm) Jeremy Baum Trio’s Charlie “Baum” Christmas
12/18 (7 pm) Common Tongue “The Music of Jaco Pastorius”
12/30 (7 pm) Ed Palermo Big BandThe Falcon Marlboro, NY www.liveatthefalcon.com
12/1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (7 pm) Jazz Loft Trio
12/2-4 (7 pm) Jazz Loft Big Band with Tom Manuel and Allan Harris perform
Ellington Nutcracker Suite
12/16 (7 pm) Bad Little Big Band with Rich Iacona and Madeline Kole
12/17 (7 pm) Ray Anderson Seasonal Solstice Party with Mark Helias,
Tommy Campbell, Steve Salerno
12/18 (1 pm) Interplay Jazz Orchestra with Joe Devassy, Gary Henderson
12/18 (6 pm) Egg Nog Romp with Tom Manuel
12/23 (7 pm) Jazz Loft Big Band with Tom Manuel and Nicole Zuraitis perform
Ellington Nutcracker Suite
The Jazz Loft Stony Brook, NY www.thejazzloft.org
12/6, 13, 20, 27 (8 pm) Monday Jazz Sessions with John RichmondTurning Point Café Piermont, NY www.turningpointcafe.com/index.htm
PENNSYLVANIA
12/1 (8/10 pm) Justin Farquhar Jazz Orchestra
12/2 (8/9:30 pm) Peter Frank Orchestra
12/3 (8/10 pm) Hailey Brinnel Quintet featuring Kellin Hanas
12/4 (8/10 pm) “Tribute to Maxine Sullivan” with Lucy Yeghiazaryan Quintet
featuring Grant Stewart
12/7 (8/9:30 pm) Ryan Devlin Quartet with Mike Bond, Gene Perla,
Adam Nussbaum
12/8 (8/9:30 pm) Michael Feinberg with guest Jeff “Tain” Watts
12/9 (8/10 pm) Steve Fidyk’s Philly Flyers
12/10 (8/10 pm) George Burton Quartet
12/11 (8/10 pm) Alex Claffy/Joe Block Trio with Eric Harland
12/15 (8 pm) Earl Phillips Big Band Nutcracker Suite
12/17-18 (8/10 pm) Benny Bennack III Quintet with Georgia Heers
12/23 (8/10 pm) Jake Kaplan’s Haunted Big Band
12/29 (8/9:30 pm) Ari Hoenig with Orrin Evans, Kevin Arthur
12/30 (8/10 pm) Ari Hoenig Quartet with Tivon Pennicott, Gadi Lehavi, Ben Tiberio
Chris’ Jazz Café Philadephia, PA www.chrisjazzcafe.com
12/4 (7 pm) Dan Pugach Nonet +1 with Nicole Zuraitis, Stuart Mack, Mike Fahie,
Jeff Nelson, Patrick Cornelius, Jeremy Powell, Andrew Hardo, Nitzan Gavrieli,
Tamir Shmerling
12/10 (7 pm) Michael Feinberg with Gary Thomas, Warren Wolf, Jeff “Tain” Watts
12/11 (7 pm) Nancy and Spencer Reed with Bill Goodwin
12/18 (7 pm) 3D Jazz Trio with Sherrie Maricle, Jackie Warren, Amy Shook
12/31 (7 pm) Bill Goodwin & The Resolutions
Deer Head Inn Delaware Water Gap, PA www.deerheadinn.com
12/19 (8 pm) Grex with Karl Evangelista, Rei Scampavia & Sirius Juju with
Heru Shabaka-Ra
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Atonement Philadelphia, PA
www.firemuseumpresents.com
12/2 (8 pm) The Hot Sardines “Holiday Stomp”
Kimmel Center @Perelman Theater Philadelphia, PA
www.kimmelculturalcampus.org
12/6, 13, 20, 27 (5:30 pm) Mondays with Tony Williams Quartet
La Rose Jazz Club Philadelphia, PA www.jazzclublarose.com
12/3-4 (7/9:30 pm) Claudia Acuña
12/5 (6:30/8:30 pm) Michael Tozzi with Tim Hutson
12/7-9 (6:30/8:30 pm) Jeff Bradshaw “Jazzy Soulful Christmas”
12/30 (7/9 pm) Gerald Veasley and Lawrence “Weas” Newton
South Jazz Club Philadelphia, PA www.southjazzkitchen.com
12/9 (9 pm) Omar’s Hat Jazz Jam
World Café Philadelphia, PA www.worldcafelive.com

34 DECEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêTadataka Unno Trio with Danton Boller, Jerome Jennings
		Barbès 6, 7:30 pm $20
êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êChristmas with Champian Fulton Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Peter Washington,
Vince Cherico and guest Sheryl Bailey
		
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êEhud Asherie Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10
êA Very Irby Christmas: Sherman Irby Quintet with Isaiah J. Thompson, Gerald Cannon,
Willie Jones III, Vincent Gardner and guest Sofija Knezevic
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• New Alchemy Jazz Orchestra The Django at Roxy Hotel 7:30, 9:30 pm• Ambrose Getz/Almog Sharvit Lowlands 8 pmêSteve LaSpina; Mike Bond
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Holiday Jazz Nite: Ben Cassara, Tim Horner, Alex Leonard, Boots Maleson,
The Royal Bopsters, Daryl Sherman, Ronny Whyte		
Pangea 7 pm $25• Harlem Jam Session: Peter Brainin and Friends		
Room 623 at B2 Harlem $10-12êBill Frisell Five with Thomas Morgan, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen, Rudy Royston		
Roulette 8 pm $35• Tim Hegarty
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Vinicius Gomes Trio
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake and guests Steve Nelson,
Immanuel Wilkins
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm

Thursday, December 23êChristmas with Champian Fulton Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êA Nat King Cole Christmas: Allan Harris with Irwin Hall, Arcoiris Sandoval,

Marty Kenney, Norman Edwards Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,

Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Saul Rubin Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10
êA Very Irby Christmas: Sherman Irby Quintet with Isaiah J. Thompson, Gerald Cannon,
Willie Jones III, Vincent Gardner and guest Camille Thurman		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Martina DaSilva; Danny Jonokuchi The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pmêDavid Williams
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Minton’s Playhouse Jam Session Minton’s 8 pm
• Kathleen Supové
Mis-En Place 6 pm
• Roberta Picket; Nicole Glover Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake and guests Steve Nelson,
Immanuel Wilkins
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, December 24• Oscar Noriega’s Crooked Quartet with Marta Sanchez, Christopher Tordini,
Jason Nazary

Barbès 5 pm $20

êChristmas with Champian Fulton Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êA Nat King Cole Christmas: Allan Harris with Irwin Hall, Arcoiris Sandoval,

Marty Kenney, Norman Edwards Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,

Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êA Very Irby Christmas: Sherman Irby Quintet with Isaiah J. Thompson, Gerald Cannon,
Willie Jones III, Vincent Gardner and guest Camille Thurman		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $50• Isaiah Collier
Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20• Kevin Hays; Jon Davis
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êValery Ponomarev
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake and guests Steve Nelson,
Immanuel Wilkins
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, December 25êChristmas with Champian Fulton Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,

Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Kevin Hays; Dave Kikoski
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Jared Gold
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake and guests Steve Nelson,
Immanuel Wilkins
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, December 26êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• City Rhythm Orchestra
Birdland Theater 5 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Jade Synstelien Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Dave Treut		
The Keep 9 pm
• Richie Vitale
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Elisabeth Lohninger Trio with Walter Fischbacher, Evan Gregor
		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Andrew Hartman and guests
Saint Peter’s 5 pm
• Ned Goold; Panas Athanatos
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake and guests Steve Nelson,
Immanuel Wilkins
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, December 27• Alexa Tarantino Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,

Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson				Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êCarlos Henriquez Nonet with Obed Calvaire, Michael Rodriguez, Terrell Stafford,
Melissa Aldana, Marshall Gilkes, Jeremy Bosch, Anthony Almonte		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Spike Wilner; Pasquale Grasso Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êVictor Lewis; Jon Michel
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êDave Kikoski
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, December 28• Birdland Big Band with Nicole Zuraitis

		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êCarlos Henriquez Nonet with Obed Calvaire, Michael Rodriguez, Terrell Stafford,
Melissa Aldana, Marshall Gilkes, Jeremy Bosch, Anthony Almonte		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40
êMingus Orchestra
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7:30, 9:30 pm• Cheryl Pyle Beyond Flutes with Haruna Fukazawa, Gene Coleman, Claire de Brunner,
Yuko Togami; Laura Schuler/Tal Yahalom
		
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30, 7:30 pm
êEd Palermo Big Band
Iridium 8:30 pm $30• Juanma Trujillo Quintet with Adam O’Farrill, Kevin Sun, Andrew Schiller, Matt Honor		
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pm
• Mike Lipskin
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êJeff “Tain” Watts
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êChris Potter Quartet with Craig Taborn, Scott Colley, Marcus Gilmore		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Wednesday, December 29êAdam Kolker Quartet with Bruce Barth, Ugonna Okegwo, Billy Hart		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Lim Yang Quartet with Ingrid Laubrock, Tom Rainey		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Birdland Big Band with Nicole Zuraitis
		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Marilyn Maye
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $50• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êJohnny O’Neal Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êColtrane meets Hartman: Ted Nash Group with Julius Rodriquez, Ben Allison,Matt Wilson, Chris McDole
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $32
êCarlos Henriquez Nonet with Obed Calvaire, Michael Rodriguez, Terrell Stafford,
Melissa Aldana, Marshall Gilkes, Jeremy Bosch, Anthony Almonte		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Emily Braden with Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Corcoran Holt, John Davis; Richard Cortez withJames Sarno, Gabe Medd, Nicole Glover, Andrew Hadro, Robert Edwards, Joe Block,Russell Hall, Eric Hallenbeck
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Kari van der Kloot, Sana Nagano, Leonor Falcón
		
Lowlands 8 pm
• Willerm Delisfort; Jon Elbaz
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Jessica Fishenfeld/Scott B. Joiner Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Harlem Jam Session: Peter Brainin and Friends		
Room 623 at B2 Harlem $10-12• Hendrick Muerkins
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êJay Clayton
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êChris Potter Quartet with Craig Taborn, Scott Colley, Marcus Gilmore		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm

Thursday, December 30• Binky Griptite
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Birdland Big Band with Nicole Zuraitis

		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Marilyn Maye
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $50• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êDavid Schnitter Quintet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êTom Rainey Trio with Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson		
The DiMenna Center 7:30 pm $20
êCarlos Henriquez Nonet with Obed Calvaire, Michael Rodriguez, Terrell Stafford,
Melissa Aldana, Marshall Gilkes, Jeremy Bosch, Anthony Almonte		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ray Gallon Trio with David Wong, Jimmy Macbride; Alexander Claffy’s Electric Slide		The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pm• Freddie Bryant; Nadav Nazarathy Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Minton’s Playhouse Jam Session Minton’s 8 pm
• Christopher McBride
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êChris Potter Quartet with Craig Taborn, Scott Colley, Marcus Gilmore		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, December 31• Oscar Noriega’s Crooked Quartet with Marta Sanchez, Christopher Tordini,
Jason Nazary

Barbès 5 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30• Birdland Big Band with Nicole Zuraitis

		
Birdland 8, 11 pm $75-150• Marilyn Maye
Birdland Theater 8, 11 pm $75-150• Chris Botti with Sy Smith, Caroline Campbell, Veronica Swift, Andy Snitzer,
Holger Marjamaa, Leonardo Amuedo, Reggie Hamilton, Lee Pearson		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $195
êCarlos Henriquez Nonet with Obed Calvaire, Michael Rodriguez, Terrell Stafford,
Melissa Aldana, Marshall Gilkes, Jeremy Bosch, Anthony Almonte		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 11 pm $285-400êHouston Person Quintet with Lucy Yeghiazaryan, Tardo Hammer, Russell Hall,
Chris Beck; King Solomon Hicks with Richard Cortez
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 10 pm $125
• Spike Wilner; Johnny O’Neal
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• House of Jade: Benny Benack III, Jenn Jade, Russell Hall		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Naama Gheber/Carlos Abadie; Philp Harper		
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êChris Potter Quartet with Craig Taborn, Scott Colley, Marcus Gilmore		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

CLU B DI RE CTORY• 55Bar 55 Christopher Street between Waverly Place and Seventh Avenue South(212-929-9883) Subway: 1, 2 to Christopher Street www.55bar.com• Americas Society 680 Park Avenue(212-628-3200) Subway: 6 to 68th Street www.as-coa.org• Bar Bayeux 1066 Nostrand Avenue(347-533-7845) Subway: 2, 5 to Sterling Street www.barbayeux.com• Bar Lunàtico 486 Halsey Street(917-495-9473) Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Avenues
www.barlunatico.com• Barbès 376 9th Street at 6th Avenue, Brooklyn(718-965-9177) Subway: F to 7th Avenue www.barbesbrooklyn.com• Birdland and Birdland Theater 315 W. 44th Street(212-581-3080) Subway: A, C, E, to 42nd Street www.birdlandjazz.com• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Street at 6th Avenue(212-475-8592) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street
www.bluenotejazz.com• Bond 45 221 W. 46th Street(212-869-4545) Subway: B, F, M to 47-50 Streets www.bond45ny.com• Bowery Ballroom 6 Delancey Street(212-533-2111) Subway: F to Delancey Street www.boweryballroom.com• Brooklyn Bowl 61 Wythe Avenue(718-963-3369) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.brooklynbowl.com• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 58 Seventh Avenue
Subway: F to Seventh Avenue, N, R to Union Street www.bkcm.org• Bushwick Public House 1288 Myrtle Avenue
Subway: G to Myrtle - Willoughby Avenue then B54
www.bushwickpublichouse.com• Cellar Dog 75 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue(212-675-6056) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.cellardog.net• Chelsea Table & Stage Hilton Fashion District Hotel, 152 W. 26th Street
Subway: C, E to 23rd Street; R, W to 28th Street
www.chelseatableandstage.com• Church Street School For Music and Art 41 White Street(212-571-7290) Subway: 1, 2 to Franklin Street
www.churchstreetschool.org• City Winery 25 11th Avenue (at 15th Street)(646-751-6033) Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street www.citywinery.com• The Cutting Room 44 E. 32nd Street(212-691-1900) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street www.thecuttingroomnyc.com• Dizzy’s Club 33 W. 60th Street, 5th floor(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
www.jazz.org• The Django at Roxy Hotel 2 Sixth Avenue(212-519-6600) Subway: A, C, E to Canal Street; 1 to Franklin Street
www.thedjangonyc.com• Downtown Music Gallery 13 Monroe Street(212-473-0043) Subway: F to East Broadway
www.downtownmusicgallery.com• Drom 85 Avenue A(212-777-1157) Subway: F to Second Avenue www.dromnyc.com• First Baptist Church of Crown Heights 450 Eastern Parkway(718-778-1200) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Franklin Avenue www.myfbcch.org• Flushing Town Hall 137-35 Northern Boulevard(718-463-7700) Subway: 7 to Main Street www.flushingtownhall.org• Freddy’s Backroom 627 5th Avenue, Brooklyn(718-768-0131) Subway: R to Prospect Avenue www.freddysbar.com• Fridman Gallery 287 Spring Street(646-345-9831) Subway: C, E to Spring Street www.fridmangallery.com• Greater Calvary Baptist Church 55 W. 124th Street(404-227-3748) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Street• Green Lung Studio 117 9th Street, ste. 122(614-623-2601) Subway: F, G to Smith/9th Streets
www.greenlungstudio.com• Guggenheim Museum 1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street(212-423-3500) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street www.guggenheim.org• Harlem Stage Gatehouse 150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street(212-650-7100) Subway: 1 to 137th Street www.harlemstage.org• Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Subway: F to 4th Avenue www.ibeambrooklyn.com• Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Street(212-582-2121) Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street www.theiridium.com• Jackie Robinson Recreation Center 85 Bradhurst Avenue(212-234-9607) Subway: A, B, C, D to 145th Street www.nycgovparks.org• The Jazz Gallery 1160 Broadway, 5th floor (212-242-1063)
Subway: N, R to 28th Street www.jazzgallery.org• Jazz Museum in Harlem 58 W. 129th Street between Madison and Lenox(212-348-8300) Subway: 6 to 125th Street www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org• Juilliard School Paul Hall, Peter Jay Sharp Theater 155 W. 65th Street(212-769-7406) Subway: 1 to 66th Street www.juilliard.edu• The Keep 205 Cypress Avenue, Queens(718-381-0400) Subway: L to Jefferson Street www.thekeepny.com• The Kitchen 512 W. 19th Street(212-255-5793) Subway: A, C, E to 23rd Street www.thekitchen.org• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street www.lepoissonrouge.com• Lowlands 543 Third Avenue, Brooklyn(347-463-9458) Subway: R to Prospect Avenue www.lowlandsbar.com• Madison Square Garden 4 Pennsylvania Plaza(212-465-6741) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E to 34th Street www.thegarden.com• Mezzrow 163 W. 10th Street(646-476-4346) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.mezzrow.com• Michiko Studios 149 W. 46th Street, 3rd Floor(212-302-4011) Subway: B, D, F, M to 47-50 Streets
www.michikostudios.com• Minton’s 206 W. 118th Street(212-243-2222) Subway: B, C to 116th Street www.mintonsharlem.com• Mis-En Place 341 Calyer Street(929-400-3636) Subway: G to Greenpoint Avenue www.place.mise-en.org• Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village 269 Bleecker Street(212-691-1770) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street www.ncgv.net• North Square Lounge 103 Waverly Place at McDougal Street(212-254-1200) Subway: A, B, C, E, F, V to West 4th Street• Nublu 151 151 Avenue C
Subway: L to First Avenue www.nublu.net• The Owl Music Parlor 497 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn(718-774-0042) Subway: 2, to to Sterling Street www.theowl.nyc• Pangea 178 Second Avenue(212-995-0900) Subway: L to First Avenue www.pangeanyc.com• Park Plaza Restaurant 220 Cadman Plaza West(718-596-5900) Subway: A, C to High Street
www.parkplazarestaurant.com• Pete’s Candy Store 709 Lorimer Street(718-302-3770) Subway: L to Lorimer Street• Public Records 233 Butler Street Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R to
Atlantic Avenue www.publicrecords.nyc• Rizzoli Bookstore 1133 Broadway(212-759-2424) Subway: R, W to 28th Street www.rizzolibookstore.com• Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street (212-477-4155)
Subway: F, V to Second Avenue www.rockwoodmusichall.com• Room 623 at B2 Harlem 271 W. 119th Street(212-280-2248) Subway: B, C to 116th Street www.b2harlem.com• Rose Theater Broadway at 60th Street, 5th floor(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, A, C, E, B, D to Columbus Circle www.jazz.org• Roulette 509 Atlantic Avenue(212-219-8242) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Avenue www.roulette.org• Rustik Neighborhood Tavern 471 Dekalb Avenue
Subway: G to Classon Avenue• Saint Peter’s Church 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street(212-935-2200) Subway: 6 to 51st Street www.saintpeters.org• Scholes Street Studio 375 Lorimer Street(718-964-8763) Subway: L to Lorimer Street www.scholesstreetstudio.com• Sistas’ Place 456 Nostrand Avenue at Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn(718-398-1766) Subway: A to Nostrand Avenue www.sistasplace.org• Smalls 183 W 10th Street at Seventh Avenue (212-252-5091)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.smallsjazzclub.com• Soapbox Gallery 636 Dean Street
Subway: 2, 3 to Bergen Street www.soapboxgallery.org• Soup & Sound 292 Lefferts Avenue (between Nostrand and Rogers Avenues)
Subway: 2 to Sterling Street• The Stone at The New School 55 W. 13th Street(212-229-5600) Subway: F, V to 14th Street www.thestonenyc.com• The Sultan Room 234 Starr Street(612-964-1420) Subway: L to Jefferson Street www.thesultanroom.com• Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia, Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th Street (212-864-5400) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Street
www.symphonyspace.org• Theater for the New City 155 First Avenue(212-254-1109) Subway: 6 to Astor Place www.theaterforthenewcity.net• Triad Theater 158 W. 72nd Street, 2nd floor(212-362-2590) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd Street www.triadnyc.com• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South at 11th Street(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street www.villagevanguard.com• Wild Birds 951 Dean Street(347-896-5056) Subway: A, C to Franklin Avenue www.wildbirdsbk.com• Zankel Hall 881 Seventh Avenue at 57th Street(212-247-7800) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th Street www.carnegiehall.org• Zinc Bar 82 W. 3rd Street(212-477-8337) Subway: A, C, E, F, V, Grand Street Shuttle to W. 4th Street
www.zincjazz.com• Zürcher Gallery 33 Bleecker Street(212-777-0790) Subway: 6 to Bleeker Street; B, D, F to Broadway-Lafayettewww.galeriezurcher.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | DECEMBER 2021 35

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYSWITH STACEY KENT!
BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB
December 7 – 11, 2021
www.birdlandjazz.com
DEC 2–5

DEC 15–19

ULYSSES OWENS, JR. BIG BAND

IGOR BUTMAN QUINTET

DEC 6

DEC 21–24

DEC 9–12

DEC 27–30

MARY STALLINGS AND THE
EMMET COHEN TRIO

DEC 31JUILLIARD JAZZ ENSEMBLES

DEC 13–14

MATT WILSONCHRISTMAS TREE-O

A VERY IRBY CHRISTMASCARLOS HENRIQUEZ NONETNEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATIONWITHTHE CARLOS HENRIQUEZNONET
JAZZ.ORG/DIZZYS
7:30PM & 9:30PM“Some music seems fated to match a momentin time. Stacey Kent’s clear-as-light vocals
and Art Hirahara’s lyrical piano make their
duo outing exactly “what the world needs now.”—JAZZTIMES

212.258.9595
BROADWAY AT 60TH ST.

THE KLEZMATICS"Happy Joyous Hanukkah"
Celebrate Hanukkah with the Grammy Awardwinning Klezmatics! This joyful performancefeatures classic Klezmatics material as well as
Hanukkah-themed songs with lyrics by American
folk icon Woody Guthrie.

DEC 5
7:30 PMwww.worldmusicinstitute.org

2537 Broadway at 95th Street