APRIL 2022—ISSUE 240

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

WYCLIFFEGORDONDOWN HOME
WITH CONE

MARCUSMILLERL.
SHANKAR

TONY
COE

RAY
BROWN

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

APRIL 2022—ISSUE 240
NEW YORK@NIGHT

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW : MARCUS MILLER

Andrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

ARTIST FEATURE : L. SHANKAR
ON THE COVER : WYCLIFFE GORDON

Advertising:advertising@nycjazzrecord.com

ENCORE : TONY COE

Calendar:calendar@nycjazzrecord.com

LEST WE FORGET : RAY BROWN

VOXNews:
voxnews@nycjazzrecord.com

VOXNEWS

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

OBITUARIESALBUM REVIEWS

Staff Writers
Duck Baker, Dan Bilawsky,
Stuart Broomer, Robert Bush,
Kevin Canfield, Marco Cangiano,
Thomas Conrad, Pierre Crépon,Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman,
Phil Freeman, Pierre Giroux,
Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland,
George Grella, Anders Griffen,
Tyran Grillo, Alex Henderson,
Robert Iannapollo, Marilyn Lester,
Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin,
Jim Motavalli, Russ Musto,
John Pietaro, Joel Roberts,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon,
Anna Steegmann, Scott Yanow
Contributing Writers
Mike Cobb, Jason Gross,
Kira Grunenberg, George Kanzler,
Steven Loewy, Francesco Martinelli,Franz Matzner, Eric Wendell
Contributing Photographers
Caroline Conejero, Alan Nahigian,Sherry Rubel, Robert I. Sutherland-Cohen
Fact-checker
Nate Dorward

nycjazzrecord.com

EVENT CALENDAR

4
6
7
8
10
10
11
12
14
34

by mike cobb
by john pietaro
by russ musto
by francesco martinelliby ken dryden
by suzanne lorge
by andrey henkin

It just never seems to end. Just when New York City felt like itself again with mandates
and restrictions being lifted and a sense of normalcy returning after two years of thepandemic, another global crisis arose, equally dire and terrifying. But this time theculprit is not the roulette wheel of Mother Nature but a single man, one whose cowardice
and absolute dread of modernity led him to attack his neighbor and claim sovereignty
over millions of people simply trying to lead their lives.
One of the casualties—minor, of course, to the loss of life and destruction of history—isthe arts and where creativity stands in the face of evil. Many have spoken out, as they
have done for decades and centuries before in other conflicts and dark moments inhistory. But some have tried to claim that the arts are not and should not be madepolitical. To readers of this gazette, jazz lovers all, the notion of politics and culture
being separate from artists and their output is ludicrous. Art is a shield against tyranny.
It is a reflection of the whole of the human experience, angelic and demonic. Generations
had to struggle just to have their work be recognized or not suffer the consequences ofsaid work by oppressive regimes. Art is not ambivalent. Stands must be taken. The
artist represents and captures the humanity that some would like to destroy for the
benefit of themselves alone, willfully blind to the connected world around them.
On The Cover: Wycliffe Gordon (photo courtesy of the artist)
Corrections: In last month’s On The Cover, Joanne Brackeen asked the unnamed pianist if she could
sit in, not Art Blakey. In last month’s Interview, Carla Cook was making the point that WJZZ radio
station did not have genre-specific programming. In last month’s CD Reviews, in the ROVA
review, Glenn Spearman played on ROVA’s John Coltrane’s Ascension, not Electric Ascension.
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDFRI, APR 1

SUN, APR 3

THU, APR 7DAKHABRAKHA
Landmark on Main St.
Port Washington, NY

NIYAZ FEAT. AZAM ALILPR NYC
158 Bleecker St.

LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th St.

www.worldmusicinstitute.org
The Best in Music and Dance from Around the WorldNEW YORK @ NIGHT
You may think a tribute to Dmitri Shostakovich (Mar. G uesting with the Peter Bernstein Trio as part of a10) two weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine
would be perceived as ill-timed. Quite the contrary. As
bassist Michael Bates observed to the packed Owl
Music Parlor crowd mid-set, the Soviet-era composer
was “a revolutionary”, his music an embodiment of
the indomitable human spirit in the face of a repressive
regime. The night began with Curiosity Quartet(violinists Gabryel Smith and Rachel Hauser, violist
Emily Bookwalter, cellist Ken Hashimoto) in a fiery but
faithful rendition of String Quartet No. 3 (Op. 73). Then
Acrobat (Bates, clarinetist Marty Ehrlich, (sub) violinist
Skye Steele, bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, drummer
Michael Sarin) offered a more idiosyncratic take on thecomposer ’s oeuvre, re-arranged and –composed by
Bates to allow ample solo space. Opening with theIntermezzo from Op. 57, “Out Cocktail”, the Allegretto
from Op. 108 and “Memoriam” (the second and fourth
originals), the quintet really found its pulse with apolka/waltz from The Golden Age ballet. The quartet
joined them for the Adagio from Op. 73 (aptly titled “In
Memory of the Dead”), the same movement they had
played earlier, and an original, “Caprice”, on which
they free improvised. Some of the most innovative
work by Ehrlich, Schoenbeck and Steele occurred on
the original rock ballad “Balance” and the closing“Appassionata” (based on Op. 35), their solos
dovetailing together more in the manner of a string
quartet than a jazz group.
—Tom Greenland

HARRY SKOLER
LIVING IN SOUND
THE MUSIC OF CHARLES MINGUS
SSC 1665

AVAILABLE 4-22-2022—A perfect tribute to the legend to markhis centennial year.—Victor Gelu

The righteous and bombastic nature of the greatbassist/composer Charles Mingus made him a polarizing personality. His unique personality, combinedwith his groundbreaking music, were magnetic for
open-minded listeners. Clarinetist Harry Skoler discovered Mingus and his music early in life. This discovery
would change his entire trajectory as a person and musician, which Skoler celebrates on his new recording,
Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus.

Over forty years later, Skoler already had a wonderful career as a working musician and professor at
the celebrated Berklee College of Music. This is when
Skoler met saxophonist Walter Smith III. Meeting
Smith proved to be the catalyst and spark that Skoler needed. Skoler immediately felt that he needed torecord again and asked Smith if he would be willing to
produce a new album, to which Smith agreed.

www.sunnysiderecords.com

PHOTO © CAROLINE CONEJERO 2022

HARRY SKOLER clarinet
KENNY BARRON piano
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE bass
JOHNATHAN BLAKE drums
JAZZMEIA HORN vocals
NICHOLAS PAYTON trumpet
MEGAN GOULD violin
TOMOKO OMURA violin
KAREN WALTUCH viola
NOAH HOFFELD celloR.I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN / JAZZEXPRESSIONS.ORG

MUSICIANS

weeklong residency at the Village Vanguard (Mar. 9th)was NEA Jazz Master and venerable tenor saxophonist
George Coleman. Having just turned 87 and somewhat
diminished in physicality, the bopper showed no lackof skill in playing and clearly was in his own happy
and creative groove; guitarist Bernstein, bassist Peter
Washington (a stoic, anchoring force throughout) anddrummer Joe Farnsworth (a dependable and giftedrhythmic buttress) happily yielded musical ground to
Coleman. On ‘rhythm changes’, a jam session staple
based on chord changes of George Gershwin’s “I Got
Rhythm”, technique and artistry came into play foreach member, with a fast tempo salute to the magicof making jazz music. Bernstein, an uber-accomplishedplayer with a knack for clean, understated andmelodically-based delivery, provided elegant support
for Coleman, especially on the Latin-based “Ceora”(Lee Morgan). If age has privileges, Coleman certainly
took advantage in his own evocative “Amsterdam
After Dark”, and with other tunes in the set he hadgreat fun coaxing ‘extra’ notes and unconventionalsounds and riffs from his instrument. A player ofsmooth sound in his heyday, Coleman perhaps losta little of his flawless tone with these leaps into
spontaneous experimentation, but the masterdemonstrated he still “had it” with “Never Let Me Go”(Jay Livingston), a haunting ballad written for the 1956
film-noir feature The Scarlet Hour.
—Marilyn Lester

Michael Bates’ Acrobat @ The Owl Music Parlor

Peter Bernstein Trio with guest George Coleman @ Village Vanguard

As part of its 11th edition, Joel Harrison’s Alternative Euphoric may well describe Jack Kleinsinger’s
Guitar Summit honored Mick Goodrick, an artist/
educator who inspired legions of six-stringers to
explore and expand fretboard harmony, at Soapbox
Gallery (Mar. 12th). Former students and otherdevotees cued up to p(l)ay tribute: Kenji Herbert
performed Goodrick’s “For Stella”, a classical piecebased on “Stella By Starlight”; Harrison and Steve
Cardenas played Goodrick’s “Summer Band Camp”,“Stella by Starlight” and Harrison’s angular “A Songfor Carla Bley”; then Julian Lage and Kate Schutt
played (she singing) her plaintive “Bright Nowhere”.
Next was a series of solo videos recorded for the event:
Mike and Leni Stern’s funky “Tuareg Dance”; Bill
Frisell’s cover of (yet again) “Stella by Starlight”; Ben
Monder ’s astounding “Almanac Piece”, an exhaustive
exploration of tonal and atonal harmonies; Nir Felder ’s
edgy cover of “Everything Happens to Me”; Tim
Miller ’s beautiful original chord chorales; and Lage
Lund’s ecstatic cover of “Days of Wine and Roses”.
Part of the fun for the audience was watching Lage andWolfgang Muthspiel’s reactions to these inspiring
videos as they waited to perform the final set: a coverof Steve Swallow’s through-composed “Falling Grace”
followed by Kurt Weill’s “Liebeslied” (on Muthspiel’s
2008 live CD with Goodrick). Having just jammed
for the first time two days before, it took time for
their styles to gel, but when they did the results
were breathtaking. 		
(TG)

4 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Highlights In Jazz concert at Tribeca Performing Arts
Center (Mar. 17th) after two years of pandemic hiatus.
Trombonist Art Baron, at the top of his game (and thelast musician hired by Duke Ellington), assembled his“Duke’s Men for Ellington Everlasting” with guest
vocalist Sheila Jordan. There were the big hits, suchas “Take the ‘A’ Train”, “Mood Indigo” and “C Jam
Blues”, as well as more esoteric fare, such as “Happy
Go Lucky Local” and “Harlem Airshaft”. It was on thelatter that Baron’s players—James Weidman (piano),Bill Crow (bass), Bernard Purdie (drums), Steve Wilson(alto saxophone), Mark Hynes (tenor saxophone) andCarl Maraghi (baritone saxophone)—encapsulated theessence of the entire set: a perfect storm of prime talent,filled with the joy of making music. These men played
their notes impeccably and so creatively as to appear
spontaneous and in the moment, markedly energizing
each other in the process. Weaving in and out of the
instrumentals was 93-year-old Jordan, a scat master of
unique ability who still holds her own on stage. On
the demanding Billy Strayhorn tune “Lush Life”,
with heartfelt and emotive delivery, she could well
be designated the Mabel Mercer of jazz. Ellington’smusic, by virtue of its chord structure andharmonics, is innately energizing. Led by the funand charming Baron, the proceedings were elevatedfrom first note to last with a familial dynamic andsheer talent. 				(ML)Taking a night off from his busy schedule as one of the Stephane Wrembel is not only a premier artist in themost in demand sidemen in jazz today, bassist Dezron
Douglas brought a quartet into the Miller Theatre(Mar. 5th) to highlight his talents as a composer. The
set began with saxophonist Emilio Modeste, pianist
George Burton and drummer Joe Dyson standing
silently on their marks facing east as Douglas tappedout a slowly rising rhythm on claves to open his“Atalaya (Call to Gather)”. Picking up his bass he wasjoined by Dyson, laying down a lively marching beatto set up the song’s bittersweet melody, Modeste (ontenor) modulating between soothing calm andferocious roar. The trio with Douglas bowing opened“Abundance”, a lovely ballad with sparkling pianoand honey-toned soprano. Country-blues-tinged bass
started off ”More Coffee Please”, a John Coltrane-ish
outing Modeste kicked off on soprano before digging
in on tenor with the whole band playing with rousing
abandon, culminating with an explosive drum solo.
Burton began his “From Grass to Grace” alone,stretching out commandingly on a multi-faceted
episodic excursion, which showcased his unique meldof classical and jazz voicings, before the band returned
to close the pretty lament. Douglas switched to fivestring electric bass to play his “Octopus”
unaccompanied and then duet on “Solomon Grundy”
with vocalist Tai Allen, who remained for the funkytake on Pharoah Sanders’ “You’ve Got To Have
Freedom” to close the show.
—Russ Musto

Django Reinhardt tradition, but also the greatest
advocate of the iconic French Gypsy guitarist. “Westarted Django A Gogo,” Wrembel explained, “not only
as a performance, but as an inspiration.” The annual
event includes a guitar camp and climactic blowout
concert at Town Hall. And this year (Mar. 5th) the
results were breathtaking. Wrembel opened with a solo
rendition of Reinhardt’s “Improvisation Number 1”
before dazzling violinist Daisy Castro, rhythm guitarist
Josh Kaye, bassist Ari Folman-Cohen (whose solo wasa throbbing, percussive entr ’actes) and Nick Anderson,
a drummer of drive and patience. The band artfully
performed Django repertoire, with violin singing out
melodies and Wrembel demonstrating impeccableskills of both adaptation and creation. Guitar masters
Raphaël Faÿs, Laurent Hestin and Sebastien Felix with
Wrembel performed “Spain” (Chick Corea) and theblur of fingers over fretboards was overwhelming.
Adding fire to the evening was solo classical guitarist
Ryan Picone and duo of violinist Luanne Homzy andguitarist Tommy Davy. New Orleanians Russell Welch(guitar) and Aurora Nealand (soprano saxophone)joined the Wrembel band with percussionist David
Langlois for rousing trad jazz. Welch, mustachioed indark suit, ascot and slicked hair, conjured Reinhardt’s
very ghost, but in a room of guitar giants, overflowing
with Django-philes, it was his heartfelt and technicallyperfect execution that grasped us.
—John Pietaro

W H AT ’ S N E W S
Next Jazz Legacy has announced its first seven emerging
women and non-binary awardees: Lexi Hamner (voice andtrombone), Apprenticeship with Tia Fuller, Creative Mentorshipwith Bobby McFerrin; Keyanna Hutchinson (guitar),Apprenticeship with Lizz Wright, Creative Mentorship with
Brandon Ross; Alexis Lombre (piano), Apprenticeship with
Marcus Miller, Creative Mentorship with Georgia Anne Muldrow;
Anastassiya Petrova (piano and organ), Apprenticeship with
Chris Potter, Creative Mentorship with Kris Davis; Loke Risberg(guitar), Apprenticeship with Linda May Han Oh, Creative
Mentorship with Bill Stewart; and Kalia Vandever (trombone),
Apprenticeship with Mary Halvorson, Creative Mentorship with
Jen Shyu. For more information, visit newmusicusa.org/
program/next-jazz-legacy.
The Center for American Music at the University of Pittsburgh
Library System has announced the acquisition of pianist DaveBurrell’s archive to be open to researchers later in 2022. For
more information, visit library.pitt.edu/burrell.
World Music Institute has named Brice Rosenbloom, known
for his work at Le Poisson Rouge, Central Park SummerStage,
The Knitting Factory, MAKOR and Jazz at Lincoln Center andas founder and producer of NYC Winter Jazzfest, its new
Artistic Director starting with the 2022-23 season.
Winners of the 53rd Annual NAACP Image Awards included
Outstanding Jazz Album - Instrumental: Kenny Garrett—Sounds from the Ancestors (Mack Avenue) and Outstanding
Jazz Album - Vocal: The Baylor Project—Generations (Be A
Light). For more information, visit naacpimageawards.net.

“The Black Angel of History: Myth-Science,
Metamodernism, and the Metaverse”, an exhibition
analyzing visual culture and technology within the genre of
Afrofuturism, is on display in Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall Gallery
through Jun. 16th. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org/
afrofuturism.

SHERRY RUBEL

ALAN NAHIGIAN

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s second annual Jack Rudin Jazz
Championship, a two-day invitational competition ofensembles from university jazz programs around the country,
will take place at Rose Theater Apr. 19th-20th. For more
information, visit 2022.jazz.org/jrjc.

Dezron Douglas @ Miller Theatre

Stephane Wrembel @ Town Hall

It was a party crowd at The Django on a cool Friday The dark, damp streets of Williamsburg burned a bitnight (Mar. 11th) and the packed house couldn’t havefound a better band to celebrate the coming weekend
than Endea Owens and The Cookout. The group got
things started playing Duke’s Ellington’s “In A Mellow
Tone”, Owens and her warm bass tone at the center ofthe rhythm section, flanked by pianist Alexis Lombre
and drummer Shirazette Tinnin, setting up theevergreen before J. Hoard came in soulfully singing theMilt Gabler lyric. He was followed by alto saxophonist
Irwin Hall’s swing to bop solo, Owens walking toughbehind him and Tinnin hitting hard, after which Hoard
returned to close out the song. Owens boldly
introduced Bobby Timmons’ Jazz Messengers classic“Moanin’” unaccompanied. Tinnin drove the funkyrendition with an Art Blakey-inspired shuffle rhythm
behind Hall’s wailing alto, laying out for Lombre’s
classically-tinged interlude and Owens’ booming solo,then returning for a series of exchanges. Hoard wasback for a gospel-flavored arrangement of Bill Withers’“Lean On Me”, which had audience members singing
along. The trio was showcased on a buoyant reading of
Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me A Bedtime Story” withbouncing bass, effervescent piano and tambourinetopped drum kit delivering an infectious rhythm,
which got Owens’ Jon Batiste and Stay Humanbandmate Nêgah Santos dancing in the aisle. Hoard
and Hall returned to end the set with Pharoah Sanders’“The Creator Has A Master Plan”.
(RM)

brighter, turning somewhat warmer when Pete’s
Candy Store (Mar. 1st) hosted two bands structurally
and spiritually enmeshed. Guitarist Aron Namenwirth’s
Playfield featured free jazz giant Daniel Carter intandem with tenor saxophonist Ayumi Ishito, twinelectric guitars (he and Yutaka Takahashi), keyboard
player Eric Plaks, bassist Zach Swanson and drummer
Jon Panikkar, fronted by dancer/vocalist Lisa Muir.
The ensemble was founded to make a CD triptych for
577 Records, the works ranging from all-encompassing
to hypnotic. Even without the space for Muir toincorporate movement, the presentation was
captivating; layered improvisations embraced thetacets within the tumult. Carter ’s numerous winds
propelled with emotive and telling instrumental
statements. Ishito responded in kind; her thick, throaty
tone, halfway to rock ‘n’ roll, sang out deliberately as
guitars traded percussive taps, languid lines andcrunch chords. Panikkar, so rollicking, so fluid, a blurof sticks, wrapped about Swanson’s driving, directive
basslines, more machine than man. Plaks splashedcolor with each run, each fistful of broken arpeggios as
Muir released wordless flurries, wails and laments
arching over and within the rest. The first set, Open
Question, the quintet drawn from the whole, appeared
sadly unbalanced by leader Ishito’s effects-laden tenor
disappearing into Plaks’ electronic sounds. She, seatedjust offstage and within shadows, faded.
(JP)John Stites Jazz Artist Organization has announced the 2022
John Stites Jazz Award application process. Awards range invalue from $5,000-25,000 and are given in two categories:
artistic development and jazz events. The deadline for the first
award cycle is Apr. 15th and deadline for the second award
cycle is Sep. 15th. For more information, visit
JohnStitesJazzAwards.org.
Candid Records has announced its relaunch with reissues fromits catalogue remastered by Bernie Grundman including Charles
Mingus—Presents Charles Mingus and Max Roach—We Insist!,
available on CD and streaming services Apr. 15th and vinyl Jun.
24th. For more information, visit candidrecords.com.
Eugene Marlow’s feature-length documentary Jazz in China
will be an official event of UNESCO’s International Jazz Day
on Apr. 30th. For more information, visit eugenemarlow.com.
Birdland Jazz Club has announced a partnership with
Flymachine, a “virtual venue for live entertainment”, tostream its Thursday 9:30 pm events starting at only $5. For
more information, visit birdlandjazz.com.
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music has announces the deadline
for its second Jazz Leaders Fellowship program, designed“to support emerging Black women and Black non-binary
jazz musicians in creating original music and increase theirrepresentation as leaders in the jazz world.” The deadline toapply is May 15th. For more information, visit bkcm.org/jlf.
The Kupferberg Center’s virtual offerings for April include
Etienne Charles (Apr. 9th, 7 pm), Miki Yamanaka (Apr. 12th,
7 pm), Lenora Zenzalai Helm (Apr. 16th, 7 pm) and Linda
May Han Oh (Apr. 23rd, 7 pm). For more information, visit
kupferbergcenter.org/events/list.
Submit news to ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 5

COURTESY OF THE ARTISTINTERVIEW

MARCUSMILLERby mike cobb

Marcus Miller is widely regarded as one of the mostsignificant bassists in jazz, R&B, fusion and soul. He has
played on hundreds of recordings by artists in a wide varietyof genres. For his work he has won two Grammy awards,
Edison Award for Lifetime Achievement In Jazz (Holland),the Victoire du Jazz (France) and was appointed a UNESCO
Artist For Peace in 2013. Miller has worked as composer forover 20 movies and also made the music for Everybody
Hates Chris, the successful weekly TV series. As the host ofMiller Time with Marcus Miller on the Real Jazz channel
Sirius XM radio, Miller explores jazz history and influences.
The New York City Jazz Record: Talk about about
your residency coming up at Blue Note.
Marcus Miller: The last time I played Blue Note waswith Chick Corea. Blue Note has kept live music going
throughout the pandemic with artist residencies. I’m
happy to be part of it. I hope to introduce a new piano
player named Alexis Lombre and an R&B singer named
Leon Timbo. There’s some cool folks out there waiting
to be discovered.
TNYCJR: What material will you be presenting?
MM: I’ve got a two-week residency, which will giveme an opportunity to explore a lot of the different areasof music that I’ve been involved in. I’ve got a nice listof people who have agreed to show up that I’m going
to be revealing as we get closer to the dates. I’m excited
to do stuff from my past and give people a hint of
where I’ve been lately.
TNYCJR: Which is where?
MM: For International Jazz Day a few years ago, wewent to Havana and put on the main show there. We got
to hang out and collaborate with Cuban musicians. I
saw how music is still important to that culture. There’s
still a young, vibrant music scene in Cuba. It inspired
me to get into some of those rhythms. There’s also some
New Orleans stuff I’ve been messing around with.
And I’m trying to make sure that all the music
conveys joy. You’ve got two choices when you’re ina situation like we’ve been in: you can come up withmusic that describes the difficulty of the situation or
you can come up with music that gives people hope.
I really want to convey some positivity going forward.
I recently produced an album for an incredible
South African artist who’s been around for a while
named Jonathan Butler. He wanted to collaborate onsome music, so we started recording in Johannesburg
in the fall of 2019. We were working on the music into
the new year and then COVID hit. We took a little
pause. In the end, we did some music that reflected
what was going on. Jonathan sang a duet withKeb’ Mo’, which is beautiful. The album is coming out
soon. Jonathan’s gonna be one of my special guests at
the Blue Note.

TNYCJR: It must have been awe-inspiring to workwith Miles Davis.
MM: Yeah, exactly. Once you get over the initial feelingof, “wow, is this really you?” then the task was to try togive him what he wanted, or at least help him findwhat he was looking for. So, it was a great learning
experience to search for that certain something when
you’re not even really sure what it is. He’d been retired
and asked me to work with him. I was 21 and he hadn’t
played in a long time. I wasn’t sure he was still around,
he was more like a mythic figure. To walk in a studioand see him standing there was incredible. I ended up
writing and producing music for him. To see how alegend lives on a day-to-day basis, how he eats, how hedeals with criticism, how he tries to stay relevant inchanging times, all those things were incredible for me
to observe. When Miles came out of retirement, we’dbeen together for a few years. He put together
a comeback band and we recorded three or fouralbums. I’m going to have that band for two or threenights on this Blue Note run with Mike Stern on guitar,Bill Evans on saxophone and Mino Cinelu on
percussion. I’m excited to revisit some of that music.
TNYCJR: What does it take to work with so manydifferent types of musicians?
MM: I’m born and raised in New York, which exposes
you to all genres of music really early on. In other partsof the country, when I was coming up, every area had
its own sound and the musicians who came from thoseplaces really specialized in their regional style. But all
those styles made their way to New York because thatwas the media center. So as a 13-14-year-old bass
player in New York I was playing funk, straightahead
jazz, Latin, playing with African bands, soul bands,
every style. It was required being a New York musician.
Nobody even asked you if you could play a certainstyle. They just called you and you had to play it.
I played with an incredible Brazilian drummer named
Portinho early on who taught me so much about
Brazilian music. When you’re young, you absorb
things in a different way. Most of this music isconnected. Eric Clapton was inspired by the blues andso was Miles. Same with Gospel and R&B. If you follow
everything down to its core, especially as a bass player,
you start to find your way around all these different
styles and find the things that make them feel good.
TNYCJR: What do you look for when you put together
a band?
MM: From a drummer, someone who knows how tohold it down. A lot of drummers listen to something
one or two times and think they’ve got it. They don’t
realize that the essence of the music is at a much deeper
level than they’re hearing. I really look for musicians
who’ve really investigated rhythm on a deep level.

6 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

You’ll find a lot of lead guitarists who don’t consider
rhythm guitar as important. But it’ll be clear to everyone
else in the band that they don’t have it because they
don’t take it seriously. It’s really obvious with guitar
players, but it’s the same with all musicians. Do you
take playing with an ensemble seriously or are you
sitting there waiting for your solo? Are you listening tothe other musicians and supporting them? I know you
know how to be the preacher, but do you know how tobe the deacon in the front row saying amen?
My dad’s cousin Wynton Kelly played with Miles.
He was the ultimate deacon when you were soloing.
Somebody said soloing when Wynton was playing was
like somebody making a fur coat exactly for you. It fits
you like a glove. I love when I find musicians like that,
who wanna make you sound better. In turn, when it’stime for them to do their thing, you get in there and help
them, especially in the studio where there’s no audienceto impress. It’s about how good you can make the record
feel. You’re playing for the musicians, to see how well
you can play with a group. There’s not as much studiowork going on now because machines dominate a lot of
pop music. But back in the day, there were always
virtuosos who could never figure out why they wouldn’t
get asked to play on records. They were good at theicing but not the cake. There are musician’s musiciansand I like to see if I can find them to perform with.
TNYCJR: How do you arrange music for shows?
What’s the balance between charting and improvising?
MM: You write out the parts you want to play together
and indicate the sections that are open. A great arranger
named Bill Eaton worked on a lot of records in the ‘70s
and ‘80s. He worked with Roberta Flack, Grover		(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

HMARCH 29TH - APRIL 3RDH

GILAD
HEKSELMAN QUARTETSHAI MAESTRO - LARRY GRENADIER – ERIC HARLAND
HAPRIL 5TH - APRIL 10THH

KURT ROSENWINKEL QUARTETMARK TURNER – ALEX CLAFFY – JOE FARNSWORTH

HAPRIL 12TH - APRIL 17THH

TOM
HARRELL QUARTETLUIS PERDOMO – UGONNA OKEGWO - ADAM CRUZ
HAPRIL 19TH - APRIL 24THH

AARON PARKS
LITTLE BIG

GREG TUOHEY – MATT BREWER – TOMMY CRANE

H3PM MATINEE – SUNDAY, APRIL 24TH ONLYH

JOHN ZORN’SNEW MASADA QUARTET
HAPRIL 26TH - MAY 1STH

JOHNATHAN BLAKE& PENTADIMMANUEL WILKINS – JOEL ROSSDAVID VIRELLES – BEN STREETCOMING IN MAY
HJOE LOVANOH
HLOGAN RICHARDSONH
HRENEE ROSNESHHKRIS DAVISH

COURTESY OF THE ARTISTARTIST FEATU REL.
SHANKARby john pietaro

To describe L. Shankar as a chameleon is nothing

short of trite. The violinist’s drive toward change hascontinuously been in the service of growth. Shankar ’s
tapestry embraces Indian classical, free jazz, fusion,
folk and world music, pop, rock, dance and no wave.
This global view guided his founding of Shakti withguitarist John McLaughlin and cast a mind-numbing
CV boasting Jan Garbarek, Don Cherry, Lou Reed,
Alice Coltrane, Frank Zappa, Ed Blackwell, Swans,Peter Gabriel, Kenny Wheeler, Public Image Ltd andMadonna. And while reveling in such creative
ventures, Shankar, so committed to the experience,developed a reputation as vocalist rivaling his fame asa violinist and has been known to alter both name andappearance to fit a given musical moment. Suchfluidity is born of an inexhaustible spirit. “I know it isconfusing,” Shankar explained, brushing back the
strawberry-blonde locks of recent years. “For the last
two albums I went back to ‘L. Shankar ’, though many
recall my ECM years when I was simply ‘Shankar ’. But
I’ve been billed as ‘Shenkar ’ on pop recordings. This
gives you a clean slate. I’ve been around for some timeand listeners sometimes don’t want anything else,
so I become what’s needed.”
Shankar was born in Chennai, India on Apr. 26th,
1950, relocating to Sri Lanka where his father
V. Lakshminarayana was a music professor. Shankar’s
mother, L. Seethalakshmi, was a vocalist and played
veena (traditional South Indian stringed instrument)
and her children were viscerally engaged in music.
Formal tutelage in voice began at age two and withinseveral years Shankar was studying violin andmridangam (double-sided drum). At seven, he had
performed in concert, but the family fled back to India
during the 1958 ethnic riots. Several years later, Shankar
and brothers L. Vaidyanathan and L. Subramaniam
began performing as a professional trio. While theyfound acclaim playing Indian classical music, Shankar
desired expanse, the blending of Carnatic (southern)and Hindustani (northern) styles. But experimentalism
was met with consternation. “In India those who wereclose-minded were afraid of the dark. People have tolearn that there’s light in darkness. But I cannot stop at
the simple. We must educate the listener.”
Indian culture flourished in the West throughout
the ‘60s, from Gandhi’s teachings, already decades old,to trends in yoga, meditation, even Nehru collars.
Integration began as early as the ‘50s when United
Nations delegations presented sitar master Ravi
Shankar (no relation) to the U.S. Within a decade thesitar was heard on commercial records, mostinfluentially to Western ears via George Harrison of
The Beatles. But traditionalists shunned theopportunities and, seeing no room for advancement,
Shankar moved to the U.S. in 1969, studying at
Wesleyan University. “The cold was hard to get used
to, but no one was telling me what to do. John
McLaughlin came to Wesleyan to study veena and we
started jamming. I told him he can apply the same

music he’d been playing to Indian music. [Former John
Coltrane bassist] Jimmy Garrison was also teaching in
Massachusetts.”
1975 saw the premiere of Shakti, the ensemble
Shankar founded with McLaughlin and brilliant
percussionists Zakir Hussain and Vikku Vinayakram.
The guitarist’s celebrity as both a protégé of Miles
Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra helmsman foresaw
Shakti’s path to fame, yet Shankar was uncertain. “Ourfirst gig was at The Bottom Line. We were all sitting on
stage, never expecting what the future might hold,”but suddenly there were world tours with Weather
Report. Shankar, by then living in New York, recorded
three critically acclaimed albums with Shakti, crossing
paths with luminaries. Looking back on the period,
Shankar explains how such multi-culturalism
developed: “Improvisation is central to Indian music.
It goes on as long as you want; you can play until thecows comes home. I’ll sing for 14 hours, play violin,
without being tired. I can travel and still focus.
I meditate within myself so every time I’m playing,
it is like playing in my living room, even if in a stadiumfilled with people.”
The stadiums continued even after Shakti’s
dissolution. Shankar toured with Zappa, who thensigned the violinist to his label, releasing Touch Me
There in 1979. It featured Shankar ’s electric five-string
and standard violin with guitarist Phil Palmer anddrummer Simon Phillips. Zappa’s vocal on one cut,split with Ike Willis from his own band, demarcates theendorsement given Shankar. Prominent is “Darlene”,
a beautifully flowing work of continuous meter shifts,
which the violinist continues to revisit. “It is one of mymost complex pieces; it includes so many cycles. I had
just come off a tour of India and the band rehearsed inEngland for ten days. But ‘Darlene’ required 57 takes,”
he explained.
However, the boundary-shredding continued. In
1980 Shankar reconceived his instrument, designing
the electric 10-string double violin, which covers theorchestral string family’s range. “Some said I was
ruining the instrument. In India I had a press conferencewith 500 in attendance. I told them we had to be open,that no one can stop time. The audience in the past was
60 years old, but after we started expanding the music,
the youth came.” The instrument was unveiled in 1981
on Face Value, the acclaimed solo debut of drummer/
vocalist Phil Collins, and Shankar ’s own Who’s toKnow?, with the violinist comfortably straddling
atmospheric hit “In the Air Tonight” and ECM’s
expansive sonorities. “Manfred [Eicher] put me on along European tour, a double bill with Don Cherry and
Ed Blackwell. I had no band, so I used effects andasked them to join me on some pieces. Don really loved
Indian music and I invited him to a big show with
Alice Coltrane, Trilok Gurtu and Zakir Hussain: theBombay Jazz Festival. We played an outdoor stage on
the beach.” Among his ECM releases, Song for Everyone
remains most memorable. “It is a highlight that stays

with me, the melodies keep coming up in my playing.
We toured this widely, sometimes including Nana
Vasconcelos. In Yugoslavia there was a huge concert.
When we ended, the audience was crying.”
Over years, Shankar’s contributions to both planes
has been continuous. “When I worked with Peter
Gabriel and Martin Scorsese on The Last Temptation of
Christ, I was only on vocals. It is funny because I wasraised as a singer and practice voice as a primary thing.
When you hear my violin, I’m singing.” Shankar toured
with Gabriel and became part of the Sun City record,raising awareness for Black South Africans and thenjoined the Princess Trust and Human Rights Now tours.
Composing for film saw his relocation to
Hollywood, supplementing work with Talking Heads,
Marianne Faithful, Sting and much-loved collaborations
with the World Music Institute. “Madonna came to
Gabriel shows and loved my Passion of the Christ score.
Her producer asked me to lay down tracks and thenext day, Madonna wanted me to tour with her. But
I needed to play my own music. I didn’t begin
playing for money. I chose to continue my education.”
Shankar ’s progressive vision was never at theexpense of artistry. “Lou Reed asked me if I can playreal emotion in four bars. I said four bars is morethan enough.”
Shankar has released two dozen albums under his
own name and guested with Archie Shepp, Yoko Ono,
Material, Adam Rudolph, Maurice Jarre (Jacob’s Ladderscore), Ginger Baker and Swans and was prominent on
Public Image Ltd’s Album, which boasted Tony
Williams, Bill Laswell, Steve Vai, Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Nicky Skopelitis, Jonas Hellborg, Malachi Favors andSteve Turre. He returned to his homeland in 2016 toteach at the Shiva Conservatory. “Music is about			(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 7

ON THE COVER

by russ musto

To peers Wycliffe Gordon is “Cone”, short for Pinecone,

referring to the multi-instrumentalist’s southern roots.
Gordon was born May 29th, 1967 in Waynesboro, North
Carolina. He says, “It is a very small town, very rural.
I lived there until I was 10 years old. Back then they only
had a Dairy Queen. Now they have a McDonald’s and a
Walmart. Growing up there I heard classical piano music
and gospel music at home. My dad played classicalpiano and that led up to him playing in various churches
in Waynesboro. We’d go to church on Sunday and hewould play for the choirs, piano and organ.”Gordon remembers, “I started trombone at 12 andwas first exposed to jazz when I was 13 or 14. It wasn’t
live jazz though, it was through recordings. There wasa family member who had passed away, a great aunt,
and one of the things bequeathed to the family was a
five-record collection called What Is Jazz that Columbia
put out, an anthology that covered from early swing
bands up to the modern music of that time. I remember
the Count Basie Orchestra, but also some small-group
stuff like ‘Sonnymoon For Two’ with Sonny Rollins.
Once I got that record collection I decided to listen
more on my own. I fell in love with the music. That
was where my love of jazz began. By then we had
moved to Augusta and the junior high school I went to
had what was called the stage band and we played jazz
things like ‘Moonlight Serenade’ and ‘In The Mood’.
But in high school we played arrangements of pop
tunes like Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’. We had jazz inthe book, but the kids just wanted to play what was
popular at the time. When I went to all-county jazzband, depending on who the band director was, we got
more exposed to traditional big band jazz. In highschool my first professional gigs were in church. We
played from the hymnals. I only played jazz in theensembles in high school and then college.”
Gordon began music studies at Florida A&M in thefall of 1985: “Scotty Barnhart—he is now director of theCount Basie Orchestra—was there and there wereseveral guys who were serious about playing jazz.
In my sophomore year Wynton Marsalis came to do alecture and work with the students. That was where
I met him and after meeting him I got his number andtried to stay in touch with him. So that was kind ofwhere the relationship was born, out of that meeting.”
Marsalis remembers the meeting well: “I asked theband to set riffs to a blues and the trombone section’s
riff was deeply rooted and driving the entire band.
I asked who came up with it and they all pointed tohim. Just the admiration and respect they had for him
made it clear that he was in that rare category of puremusicianship that is always recognized by peers. He
was always an original…had his own way of playing.”
It wasn’t very long before it became evident toGordon that he had made a good impression with thetrumpeter. “In the summer of 1987 I was told that
Wynton had called looking for me, but I had gone home
to Georgia. Then he invited me to play at the Caravanof Dreams in Fort Worth, Texas in August of 1988. I did
that gig and was like ‘Oh Wow!’ Then about 8 to 10
months later he invited me to play at Blues Alley and I

really wasn’t hittin’ that much earlier that year, but hegave me some things to work on, he and [pianist]
Marcus Roberts. So by then I started to get serious
about the music and began to make a little bit of an
improvement. So at Blues Alley he asked me if I’d liketo record on a CD and that album was Crescent City
Christmas Card. We made that record in February andMarch of 1989 and at the end of the recording session
he asked me, ‘What are you doing in the summer,
would you like to come and play with us?’ So when
I got out of school I called him on my birthday and said
hey I’m out of school and he said call my manager. So
I called and they sent me a ticket to Charleston, S.C for
the Spoleto Festival. June 6th was the first gig and wewent down to Aruba. He inquired about college andI told him I transferred to go to school in New Orleans.
He asked me, ‘Well do you want to stay out here with
us for a while’ and I thought about it for all of about ten
seconds and said ‘uh, yeah!’ And that was when mycareer with Wynton Marsalis started, making me theseventh member of the band, so the Wynton Marsalis
Sextet became a septet. That was in 1989 and what was
supposed to be a summer job became my career.”
Gordon would spend the remainder of the century
traveling the world with Marsalis, as a member of thetrumpeter’s septet and then with the Jazz at Lincoln
Center Orchestra. But after more than a decade he
decided it was time for a change: “I loved being part ofthe orchestra, but I always knew if I stayed there that
I would probably never record my own stuff because I’dalways be out on the road.” The trombonist had gone toMichigan State a couple of times to work with thestudents and perform as a soloist with their jazz ensemble.
He remembers, “They didn’t have a jazz program yet.
[Bassist] Rodney Whitaker had been working there andthey had been talking about starting one. The dean of themusic school said to me you probably wouldn’t have aninterest in coming to teach here and I said well I’d like toconsider the option. My son was just born and I wanted
to be home a little more. Once I thought about it I said
fine. I made less money, but it was something that wasgood for me because it freed up time and I got theopportunity to record my own projects.”
Gordon remembers giving Marsalis the news.
“I was playing at the Village Vanguard and Wynton
had come down and I said I’m thinking about doingsome other things and I think I’m going to leave theorchestra after the season is up. We opened that season
by doing a piece I wrote for the Oscar Micheaux film
Body and Soul. When I flew to Germany to do it I
thought when they leave to do the rest of the tour inEurope I’m going back to the U.S. to a job. After the gig
Wynton came to my room. He said, ‘So Cone, you’rereally leaving?’ I said, yeah, remember we talked at theVanguard. He said, ‘Yeah I know, you gotta do what
you gotta do.’ When the bus was getting ready to leave[drummer] Herlin Riley came over and said ‘Damn,
Cone, this is the first time you’re not going with us.’
And I said ‘Yeah I’m moving on.’ It was sad and greatat the same time. I was off to a new adventure.”
Marsalis remembers his colleague with fondness

8 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

and respect. “Wycliffe could hear around corners, could
write great arrangements, played reeds, brass andrhythm section instruments, could learn to play any
type of instrument. He could sing, knew the church
traditions and folk music and could deal with all typesof time and metric complexity in his own organic way.
The trombone book with about 80 different arrangements
was once lost. He played the entire book after that frommemory better than we played it reading. As a person,
he is a man of great and good humor, uncommon
collegiality, keen intelligence and deep deep southerncountry soul. We all just loved the hell out of him andstill do. Oh…and he could fix anything that was
broken—even if it was your feelings—with a downhome concoction. That’s why we called him Cone for
Pinecone as in mother wit, grit and don’t take no ish.”
It wasn’t easy for Gordon to strike out on his own.
Bookers viewed him as a Marsalis sideman long after heleft the trumpeter’s employ. And labels were not open
to his expansive musical philosophy, which included a
blend of straightahead and traditional jazz with gospel,blues and classical music. He says, “I’ve recorded for
Criss Cross, Nagel-Heyer and some other labels, but
I recorded what they wanted me to record. Finally, I said
the hell with that, so I started my own record label andI can record music as I want to. Of course, I take all therisks, I have to put all the money up. I started my labelBlues Back Records and it was just for me. The power ofrecording is with the artists. The labels don’t have thepower that they once had, if you don’t give it to them.
I can’t compete with Blue Note, but I could control
everything that I did and I’m cool with that.”
These days, in addition to teaching at Augusta
University, Gordon now leads his own working band:“Louis Armstrong is a great source of inspiration andinfluence and he had the All Stars. My band is Adrian
Cunningham who is from Australia on clarinet andsaxophones, Ehud Asherie, from Israel on piano, Yasushi
Nakamura, who was born in Japan on bass, and Alvin
Atkinson, Jr. on drums. I always introduce him last andsay he is from the most international city of all,Goldsboro, North Carolina. So I said let’s call it Wycliffe
Gordon and the International All Stars. We play a lot ofdifferent music. I recorded a CD with the band back in
2019, pre-COVID. Recorded it in New York, mixed it
and mastered it, but I haven’t put it out it yet. Now I justhave to get off my ass and release it.” v
For more information, visit wycliffegordon.com. Gordon is
at Birdland Apr. 22nd-24th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Wynton Marsalis Septet–Live at the Village Vanguard(Columbia, 1990-94)• Joe Temperley–Double Duke (Naxos Jazz, 1998)• Wycliffe Gordon/Eric Reed–We (Nagel-Heyer, 2001)• Wycliffe Gordon–Cone’s Coup (Criss Cross, 2005)• Wycliffe Gordon/Jay Leonhart–This Rhythm on My Mind
(Blues Back, 2006)• Wycliffe Gordon & His International All Stars–
I Give You Love (Blues Back, 2016)

COURTESY OF THE ARTISTWYCLIFFEGORDONDOWN HOME WITH CONE

cityversesamplifying new voices
through jazz and poetry
Calling all teen musicians,
singers, poets, and writers:
You have a story to tell — and we want to hear it! Creativity ignites when you
explore, experiment, and express yourself at our free City Verses Summer Camp.
Together, we’ll learn about and create jazz poetry, a uniquely American art
form that blends verses and rhythm, song and swing. During this two-week,
in-person day camp held at Rutgers University-Newark, only a few blocks from
NJPAC, you’ll collaborate with other young creators to share your unique stories
and perspectives through the mediums of jazz and poetry. Part of NJPAC’s
unique City Verses initiative in partnership with Rutgers University-Newark,
camp sessions will be co-taught by NJPAC’s distinguished jazz faculty andRutgers’ talented MFA poetry candidates.
Ages: 13 – 18
Dates: July 18 – 30
Times: 9:30AM – 4:15PM
Tuition: Free

Sign up today!

In partnership withMajor support provided byAdditional support provided by

TD Charitable Foundationand Women@NJPAC

njpac.org/cityverses • artseducation@njpac.org

JazzRecord_9.5x12_Apr.indd 1

3/14/22 10:34 AM

ENCORETONY
COE
by francesco martinelli
V ersatility, openness of mind, disregard for musicalgenre barriers: the sheer musicality of British
saxophonist/clarinetist Tony Coe brought him to be
the duo partner of guitarist Derek Bailey for one of thebest free improvisation records ever, Time (Incus, 1979),
and the preferred soloist on Henry Mancini’s Pink
Panther themes (details are hard to come by but
apparently Coe played the funkier ‘70s versions after
the first one was performed in 1963 by Plas Johnson).
Born on Nov. 29th, 1934 in Canterbury, later famous
for a musical scene in which he had a hand, Coe studiedclassical clarinet and taught himself alto, playing withlocal bands as a teenager and entering the recording
studio at 18 with Joe Daniels’ group for two songs
released on a Parlophone 78. During his three years in
the army, Coe played in military bands and right after
joined Humphrey Lyttelton, the leading band
modernizing the British trad scene, for five years
during which he began to lead his own groups.
At the beginning of the ‘60s he concentrated ontenor and clarinet only and frequently played again
with Lyttelton, Al Fairweather and Sandy Brown, theleading British bands at the time, and in 1965 wasoffered a chair in Count Basie’s band: “I’m glad it didn’t
come off,” Coe commented ruefully. “I would havelasted about a fortnight.” In that same year he playedon the joint Tubby Hayes-Paul Gonsalves session
Change Of Setting alongside his inspirations. He also
moved to the cutting edge of British jazz with Michael
Garrick on Black Marigolds (Argo, 1966), playing along
Ian Carr and Joe Harriott, the latter whose place he later
took with John Mayer for the 1969 Indo Jazz Fusions Etudes Sonet record. His presence vastly changes thecharacter of this ur-world jazz project.
Despite its lurid Fausto Papetti-style sleeve andSex with Sax title for its German issue, the rather severe
looking 1967 album Tony’s Basement is a lovely record,with the rich tone of saxophone setting off the texturesof the Lansdowne String Quartet. From 1968-73 Coe

played in the saxophone section of the Kenny ClarkeFrancy Boland big band, where, according to his own
words, he played one of his best solos, an adventurous
rhapsody on Bronisław Kaper ’s romantic ballad“Gloria” for All Smiles (MPS, 1968).
He contributed to key orchestral recordings by
Mike Gibbs (Only Chrome Waterfall Orchestra), Kenny
Wheeler (Windmill Tilter, with Johnny Dankworth Big
Band) and later Barry Guy’s London Jazz Composers
Orchestra (Stringer). A first successful collaboration
with pianist Stan Tracey in 1968 for We Love You Madly
was repeated later in 1981 and 1983. In 1970 he played
clarinet along another of his inspirations, tenor
saxophonist Ben Webster, for the Webster’s Dictionary
album with strings; that same year his spirited clarinet
romps through current pop songs arranged for bigband by Robert Farnon in the Pop Makes Progressproject. The complex suite Labyrinth recorded by anaugmented version of Ian Carr ’s Nucleus sounds
sometimes like a concerto for Coe’s bass clarinet
growling like the mythical Minotaur.
Later, maybe through Wheeler, Coe engaged withthe free improvisation scene, taking part in Bailey’s
Company events. In 1976, an Arts Council fund allowed
him to record his complex orchestral score Zeitgeist(EMI), based on the poetry of Jill Robin and bridging
jazz, rock and improvisation. After 1980, thanks
especially to a close relationship with the French label
Nato founded by Jean Rochard, he recorded more of his
own projects, including a Mancini tribute with Tony
Hymas and Chris Laurence. He, Laurence and Tony
Oxley recorded Nutty live at the 1983 Willisau festival,
one of his best recordings, issued by hatART. “Supple,
daring attack,” fittingly wrote Graham Lock for The
Wire, “wedded to an unfaltering richness of tone.” In1988 he recorded an album called Canterbury Song with
only top American sidemen—tongue in cheek? It is abrilliant album anyway, with a gorgeous duo withpianist Horace Parlan on “Blue and Green”. Especiallyrewarding collaborations took place through the years
with Austrian trumpeter Franz Koglmann, both inorchestral and quartet settings, and The Melody Fourwith pianist Steve Beresford and soprano saxophonist
Lol Coxhill on several albums on Chabada/Nato in the‘80s. Born as a tribute to Rochard’s father, violinist Yves,
with a 7” single, the band was baptized by Beresford“with the most boring possible name” while theviolinist became more and more a silent partner.
Nato also issued another major Coe project,

Les Voix d’Itxassou (a small village in Basque country),
an intense musical reinvention of the European tradition
including, among others, Marianne Faithfull, Ali Farka
Touré, Maggie Bell, Abed Azrié, Françoise Fabian,Marie Atger and Juan José Mosalini. Their tender, antirhetoric version of “Hasta Siempre (Song for Che)” is
one of the best. The comedic attitude is often apparent
in Coe’s music and an album exploring the connections
between British comedy and improvisation is comedianVic Reeves’ 1991 release I Will Cure You, with tracks likethe delicious fake nostalgia “I Remember Punk Rock”,
for which he invited luminaries of British jazz andEuropean free improvised music including Coe andEvan Parker, who marveled at the huge voice of Coe’s
soprano: “Tony was an old-style musician and for him
filling the room with his tone came with the territory.
He could sound like the Duke Ellington sax section one
by one and blew a few bars of ‘Blue Goose’ in Hodges
style on soprano.”
Coe is always himself—whether the more melodic
avant gardist or more adventurous mainstream
player—and his way of making music is remarkably
coherent in all different contexts, led above all by
integrity and taste and characterized by his tone—richand foggy—and by his phrasing, ranging fromanguished cries to plum, slowly expanding tones. His
timbre is the result of application and detailed research.
“I had my soprano thickly silver plated so I didn’t getthat nasty double reed sound...Coltrane wanted thatsound but, after him, it became the norm. I think thesoprano should aspire to being an alto while the alto
should aspire to being a tenor,” he declared. When in
1995 he was awarded the prestigious Danish Jazzpar
Prize (the first non-American musician recipient), thecommittee pointed to his “extreme instrumental skill,
exceptional stylistic many-sidedness and profoundmusical originality.” The celebratory concert with The
Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bob
Brookmeyer and the 1995 Jazzpar Combo was recorded
and issued by Storyville, with a newly remasterededition released in 2021. For the occasion he composed“Captain Coe’s Famous Racearound” (inspired bymusicologist Peter Schat’s treatise “The Tone Clock”),
which contains three interlocking transpositions of thethree-note phrase C-C#-F. The title refers to amechanical device created by his father and pictured
on the cover of the first edition.
His delicately personal take on the standard
			(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

Brown held his own in any setting. He backed singer
Ella Fitzgerald, which led to a whirlwind romance andmarriage from 1947-1952, though they continued towork together for the rest of her life.
Perhaps the greatest exposure that Brown received
was during his 15 years in the Oscar Peterson Trio
(1951-1966). The trio made dozens of records andtoured constantly. He was on the faculty of Peterson’s
Advanced School of Contemporary Music from 196064, when touring commitments forced the pianist to
close it. Weary of the road, Brown left the trio to settlein Los Angeles and became an in-demand studiomusician and managed several jazz bands. He recorded
duo albums with guitarist Laurindo Almeida, which
led to their formation of the L.A. Four with Bud Shankand Shelly Manne, who was later replaced by Jeff
Hamilton. After recording several LPs as a leader for
Concord Jazz, he lured pianist Gene Harris out of
retirement to join his quartet.
Brown described himself as more of an arranger
than a composer, though he did win a Grammy Awardfor his early ‘60s hit “Gravy Waltz,” which later addeda lyric by TV host Steve Allen. Brown recorded 15 CDs
as a leader or co-leader for Telarc Jazz between 1993-

2002. He died in his sleep after a round of golf on July2, 2002, a few hours prior to a concert in Indianapolis.
In addition to working with numerous allstars,
most of whom were old friends, Brown constantly kept
his eye out for promising younger musicians to hire forhis band. In a 1993 interview, he recalled, “Somebody
took me to hear [pianist] Benny Green [at theKnickerbocker] in New York. Benny was doing a duowith [bassist] Christian McBride. They had finished,
I was late and they came back and played for me fora half-hour. They sounded really good. I was very
impressed with both of them. If you have a band, youalways make mental notes of good players that you
hear in case you need one. We were doing a recordingin December 1991 and I invited Benny to do it.”
One of McBride’s favorite memories was when “hetook me to lunch for the first time in Los Angeles. I was
so awestruck, I could barely speak to him, but we spent
the whole afternoon together. He took me to his video
production studio after lunch and it was one of thegreatest days of my life.” McBride’s enthusiasm about
working with Ray Brown hasn’t dimmed. “He was
everybody’s Dad. He was always the boss even when
			
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

LEST WE FORGET

RAY
BROWN
by ken dryden
Ray Brown left an incredible legacy as a bassist,composer and bandleader in a career of over a halfcentury. The Pittsburgh native initially studied piano
before switching to bass in high school. Brown citedDuke Ellington’s star bassist Jimmy Blanton as his firstinfluence, though he probably never anticipatedrecording a duo album tribute to Blanton with Ellington
himself 30 years after Blanton’s death.
Brown moved to New York City in 1945 andpromptly played with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker
and Bud Powell. He soon joined Gillespie full time
before leaving with fellow sideman Milt Jackson toplay in the vibraphonist’s new quartet. Active inNorman Granz’ allstar Jazz at the Philharmonic tours,

10 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

L ABEL SPOTLIGHT

SAM
RECORDSby pierre giroux“We’ll always have Paris.” Indeed! This iconic line

was spoken by the aging roué Rick Blaine (Humphrey
Bogart) to the new young love of his life Ilsa Lund
(Ingrid Bergman) in the 1942 movie Casablanca at theconclusion of their romantic interlude in Paris justbefore the Germans were mobilizing to enter the city inJune 1940. So whether it involves fictional characters,
revolutionaries, painters, poets, writers or expatriate
jazz musicians, Paris has always claimed a magicalhold on these individuals.
It would not be surprising then to find a Parisbased label determined to keep alive those albums
recorded in France from the late ‘40s-mid ‘60s primarily
by jazz musicians who had decided either to emigrate
to Paris or were passing through on concert tours or
playing at local jazz clubs. During that era there werea plethora of French labels issuing their recordings—
Barclay, Polydor, Philips, Fontana, Vogue—and so
there was an abundance of material but for a variety ofcontractual and distribution reasons these releases
were rarely found outside the French market.
Fred Thomas founded Sam Records (named after hisson) in 2011 without any real knowledge of or experiencein the record industry. He grew up and was educated inLens, which is in the coal-mining region in the northernpart of the country. Although music was a part of his
family life it was more likely to be classical. Later on,
after moving to Paris, he took up punk, rock and new

Chet Baker in Paris
Chet Baker

Peace Treaty
Nathan Daviswave and his favorite band was The Clash. Jazz was notreally an interest until 1997 through his wife.
The real ‘ah ha’ moment, however, came in 2006,
when Thomas became aware of the recordings ofsaxophonist Nathan Davis. Living in Paris since 1962,
Davis was part of that cohort of expatriate musicians
who had built a life in the city. Through a family friend,
Thomas contacted Davis and, with his support andcooperation, plans were made to reissue Peace Treaty
on vinyl. The album was recorded in Paris in 1965 with
Woody Shaw (trumpet), Jean-Louis Chautemps(baritone saxophone), René Urtreger (piano), Jimmy
Woode (bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums) and releasedon the tiny French label SFP. Without any distribution
network in place, Thomas sold 2,000 units of which 900
went to Japan. Proof of concept had been established.
However, it is one thing to dabble in a reissue
process for a newfound jazz friend, but quite anotherto think about establishing a record label and all thatentails, especially since Thomas was still involved in
his professional career as a photographer. Nevertheless,Thomas was convinced that there was a business
opportunity in this niche activity and began the
research and development process: access to mastertapes was crucial, along with the accompanying
photographs and liner notes; building a distribution
network was required; and finally a reliable entity
would be needed to press the releases to Thomas’
exacting standards on 180-gram vinyl. “I wanted tomake beautiful records, not too expensive andrespecting the original works,” he says. “When you
want, you can. You just have to want to and learn andhave a bit of luck too.”
There was a less stressful way forward, had

Guilde du Jazz – 1957
Barney Wilen

Thomas wished to take that path. The European Union
Commission created a law that said any mechanicalrecording either made or released before 1964
was in the public domain and thus any reproductionof these albums was free from royalty payments. Many
quixotic little record companies sprang up under thisumbrella (primarily in Spain), using CDs and whenpossible/available pristine original LPs. Master tapes
were created, cover art and liner notes were
photocopied and CDs rolled out the door. And as theBrits are fond of saying “Bob’s your uncle.”
Thomas only wanted to work with original masters
and the accompanying material and if that included thepayment of royalties, so be it. Like many other industries
in France, many of the recording companies had either
gone out of business and sold their masters or werepurchased by multi-nationals such as Sony, WarnerMusic or Universal. Research suggested that the latter
would be the best option as they had more of theunderlying labels that fit Thomas’ issuing profile and so
he began a process of trying to negotiate an agreement.
This took over two years but finally a contract wasreached on access to the original master tapes, paymentof royalties on titles and use of associated photographs.
All that remained was the financing, which, in retrospect,
was not that difficult. Thomas borrowed €12,000 fromhis father to launch the label.
With these key components in place, Thomas
now could choose titles, build a distribution network,choose a pressing entity and think about releases.
As to distribution, Thomas says: “In 2011 I contacted
Acoustic Sounds, Speakers Corner, Atelier Sawano andDistrijazz to see if they were interested in my products.
			(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

The Ronnell Bright Trio
Ronnell BrightLive in Paris ‘65
Art Blakey & The New Jazzmen

VOXNEWS

WE
ARE
ALL
POETS
by suzanne lorge
In April 2021, Alexis Cole served as Artistic Director

for the first Vocal Jazz Summit, co-produced with theZeiders American Dream Theater (The Z) in Virginia
Beach. At the time, a year into the pandemic, theweekend workshop was 95% virtual, at once a
concession to the inevitable and innovative response toan unmet need. By then, Cole had set herself apart as an
early adopter of remote music instruction: In May 2020
she launched JazzVoice.com, an online platform for jazz
learning that connects far-flung singers, both emerging
and established, with celebrity jazz vocalists. The Vocal
Jazz Summit 2022 uses this model, too, in a boon foranyone who wants to know more about vocal jazz andhow to do it. This year’s edition (Apr. 8th-10th) is fullyin person, with a Zoom option. Even from a distance,
however, the lineup makes for an intense weekend:
performances by Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter (fromthe funk-driven SuperBlue), up-and-coming star
Samara Joy and Cole herself; masterclasses by MelanieCharles, Greta Matassa, René Marie, Stephanie
Nakasian and Dominique Eade; plus specialist panels,
teacher showcases and a nightly jam, led by veteranhost Jocelyn Medina. These names, familiar to those

who follow the awards and the jazz headlines, bring anastonishing level of expertise to this gathering.
Roulette, too, was quick to embrace digitalplatforming in 2020, to the benefit of trans-Atlantic
collaborations that suffered from lack of access to theirlike-minded musicians abroad. This month German label
Jazzwerkstatt returns to Roulette for a two-day festival
celebrating its Berlin-New York cultural exchange. On
Apr. 20th The Jazzwerkstatt Orchestra plays a set
honoring composer Kurt Weill—no singers (a shame)—
but lots of opportunity to study the compositional
mastery of the mind behind such spectacular vocal works
as The Three Penny Opera and Street Scene. On Apr. 21stcomposer Thomas Krüger interprets two historic soundpoems by Berlin multi-disciplinary artist Kurt Schwitters:“Die Ursonate” and “To Anna Blume”. Thoughunintelligible to the uninitiated ear, Schwitters’ poetry
broke new ground in understanding vocalizations as art(According to American poet/critic Kenneth Goldsmith,“Die Ursonate” was the “greatest sound poem of the 20th
century”). The stunning brass quintet Potsa Lotsa, led bysaxophonist Silke Eberhard, backs Krüger for this concert.
National Poetry Month, an educational initiative
launched in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets,reminds us each April that poetry matters. Safe to say,song would not exist without it. Neither would rap or
military cadences or nursery rhymes. The Academy
elucidates poetry’s influence on world culture Apr. 28th
with the 19th annual edition of Poetry & the Creative

Mind, an online event (this year) featuring popular
actors reading powerful words. This past February,
Mayor Mike Spano of Yonkers named Golda Solomon
the first Poet Laureate of Yonkers. Solomon, now 84, hasfour albums to her credit, each exploring the connection
between jazz and poetry, created Po’Jazz (Poetry inPartnership with Jazz) and is a founding member of The
Jazz & Poetry Choir Collective. In accepting the title,
she read from one of her poems: “We are all Artists/We
are All Writers/We ARE ALL POETS”.
Fred Moten, a professor of Performance Studies at
NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, has gained impressive
distinctions as a poet, including finalist spots for the
L.A. Times Book Prize and the National Book Award for
Poetry. He joins forces with bassist Brandon Lopez anddrummer Gerald Cleaver at Public Records in Brooklyn(Apr. 14th) “to bring the new vanguard of jazz andpoetry”. The gig officially launches their eponymous
debut LP on the Reading Group label.
Blossom Dearie and Dave Frishberg, singer/
pianists from opposite ends of the vocal spectrum,
performed as a duo back in the day, each contributing
to the other ’s idiosyncratic jazz persona. Daryl
Sherman investigates the overlap between these two
distinctive performers at Birdland Theater (Apr. 11th).
Two chamber recitals at Carnegie Hall: Yoon Sun
Choi sings with pianist Jacob Sacks at Weill RecitalHall (Apr. 6th) and Jazzmeia Horn fronts her band at
Zankel Hall (Apr. 29th). v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 11

I N MEMORIAMERNIE ANDREWS (Dec. 25th, 1927 Feb. 21st, 2022) The singer had
numerous albums since the ‘50s on
GNP, Capitol, Discovery, Concord,Contemporary, Muse and HighNote
and credits with Cannonball Adderley,
Kenny Burrell, Frank Capp and others.
Andrews died Feb. 21st at 94
CARLOS BARBOSA-LIMA (Dec. 17th,
1944 - Feb. 23rd, 2022) The Brazilian
guitarist worked in jazz, classical and
Latin settings, releasing albums sincethe ‘60s for Chantecler, ABC, Philips
Concord, Khaeon and ZoHo and was amember of the Washington Guitar
Quintet. Barbosa-Lima died Feb. 23rd at 77.
MICKEY BASS (May 2nd, 1943 - Feb.
3rd, 2022) The aptly-named bassist led acouple of sessions in the early ‘80s to go
along with a 1972-73 stint in Art Blakey’s
Jazz Messengers and sessions under
Curtis Fuller, Reuben Wilson, Jimmy
McGriff, Lee Morgan, Philly Joe Jonesand Hank Mobley. Bass died Feb. 3rd at 78.

JOE DIORIO (Aug. 6th, 1936 - Feb. 2nd,2022) The guitarist came up in the early‘60s with Eddie Harris and later worked
with Sonny Stitt, Ira Sullivan, theCandoli brothers, Monty Budwig,
Horace Silver, Anita O’Day and others
to go along with leader or co-led dates
for Spitball, Timeless, Nocturne, RAM and other labels.
Diorio died Feb. 2nd at 85.
MAFFY FALAY (Aug. 30th, 1930 - Feb.
22nd, 2022) The Turkish-born, Swedenbased trumpeter is best known for his
tenure in the Kenny Clarke-Francy
Boland Big Band, membership in theband Sevda alongside countryman
Okay Temiz and Swedes Björn Alke andGunnar Bergsten and credits with Bernt Rosengren,
Gunnar Lindqvist, George Russell, Lars Gullin, Arne
Domnérus and Don Cherry. Falay died Feb. 22nd at 92.
CHARLES GATT (Aug. 1944 - Feb.
19th, 2022) The Maltese drummer, after
study at Berklee School of Music anddecades of performing, founded theMalta Jazz Festival in 1991, serving as
its Artistic Director until 2009. Gatt diedFeb. 19th at 77.

BETTY DAVIS (Jul. 26th, 1945 - Feb.
9th, 2022) The singer was briefly
married to trumpeter Miles Davis from1968-70 and had a major role in his
move into electric fusion (and was on
the cover of and fêted within Davis’
1968 album Filles de Kilimanjaro) alongwith a handful of ‘70s albums on Just Sunshine, Island,
P-Vine and Sundazed. Davis died Feb. 9th at 76.

NEW FROMCELLAR LIVEAND
REEL TO REALRICHARD HADLOCK (Sep. 27th, 1927
- Feb. 2nd, 2022) The clarinetist was partof trad-jazz ensembles since the ‘70s but
better known as a jazz critic throughliner notes, editing The Record Changer
and articles for various publications.
Hadlock died Feb. 2nd at 94.

LIVE AT THE ROOM AT THE TOP
PEPPER ADAMS &THE TOMMY BANKS TRIONILS LINDBERG (Jun. 11th, 1933 - Feb.
20th, 2022) The Swedish pianist haddozens of albums since the ‘60s, forColumbia, Barben, Swedish Society
Discofil, RCA Victor, Bluebell Of Sweden,
Phono Suecia and Proprius and worked
with Benny Bailey, Lars Gullin, Karin
Krog and others. Lindberg died Feb. 20th at 88.
OLEG MOLOKOJEDOV (Apr. 20th,
1947 - Feb. 3rd, 2022) The Lithuanian/Russian pianist/trumpeter was part ofthe bands of Vladimir Chekasin, founded
the Vilnius Jazz Quartet, had albums on
Zona, BMK, Pūkas and Kukū and edited
the Russian magazine Jazz for its threeissues. Molokojedov died Feb. 3rd at 74.
KHALID MOSS (Dec. 18th, 1946 - Feb.
18th, 2022) The pianist had a handful ofrecording credits with Rusty Bryant,Richard Groove Holmes, Pharoah
Sanders, Betty Carter and Phyllis
Hyman from the ‘70s-90s. Moss diedFeb. 18th at 75.
ZBIGNIEW NAMYSŁOWSKI (Sep. 9th,
1939 - Feb. 7th, 2022) The Polish alto
saxophonist/flutist was one of his
country’s most revered jazz players sincethe ‘60s, releasing dozens of albums for
Polskie Nagrania Muza, Decca, SABA,
PolJazz, JG, Vinyl, CBS, Polonia, Koch
Jazz and Jazz Forum and working alongside countrymen
Krzysztof Komeda, Michał Urbaniak, Jarosław Śmietana
and others. Namysłowski died Feb. 7th at 82.

JUST COOLIN’CORY WEEDSGOOD SPIRITSALEXANDER CLAFFY

Rare unreleased 1972 concert recording.
Limited edition LP available for Record Store Day.

An all-star Vancouver quartet records hard bop classics
with 100% of the proceeds benefiting
The Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund

The new sound in jazz featuring some of the genre’s
greatest young artists paving the way with freshcompositions and paying tribute to the greats

PERSISTENCEMICHAEL WEISSFIRST MOVEAARON SEEBER

THE ARTISTJOHN LEE

The latest album from one of NYC’s most renowned
pianists featuring originals and classic standards

12 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

The debut from this fine young NYC drummer featuring
Sullivan Fortner on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass,
Warren Wolf on vibes and Tim Green on saxophone

The debut from one of the most talked-about young
bassists in jazz, featuring legendary drummer Carl Allen,
pianist Miles Black, & Cory Weeds on saxophone

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
Washington, Jr. and Ralph MacDonald. He’d tell theengineer to leave the mic so the musicians could hearhim. We’d be playing and he would tell us when thebridge was and give commentary. Sometimes I’ll usethat same technique. I remember doing a session likethat with Al Jarreau and George Benson, with Herbie
Hancock and Patrice Rushen on piano. I’d say, “OKGeorge, we’re going to modulate to G minor, that’s
your solo. Blues in Gm.” We had a great time and it felt
fresh. It felt like I could take advantage of thesemusicians’ creativity and spontaneity as well making
sure the thing had some form to it.
TNYCJR: How do you think you’ve evolved as amusician over the years?
MM: I started off playing bass, but early on people
encouraged me to write too. I learned how to write
tunes and handed them to David Sanborn and others.
If you write a song it’s natural for you to arrange to tell
the other musicians what to do. That led me to
producing, which took me through the ‘80s. In the ‘90s
I started scoring films with Reginald Hudlin, theneventually for Eddie Murphy, Samuel Jackson, Jamie
Foxx and LL Cool J. So I got into that whole thing andnever let go of any of the skills that I developed earlier
on the bass. I just added it all. I’m at a point now where
I’m enjoying having all these colors in my palette.
Now I love that we might have an opportunity to
get back onstage. I’m basically reconciling all theexperiences of my life into one organic whole.
TNYCJR: What would you like to do next?
MM: I’d like to continue evolving, to work on my bass
playing, my improvisation, to have my musicalthoughts clear, to discover different people to workwith, to keep my eyes open, to figure out how to go
into the future and retain my past. Hopefully I’ll beable to show you my life in my playing. I hope tocontinue to do some “bad stuff”. v
For more information, visit marcusmiller.com. Miller is atBlue Note Apr. 12th-17th and 19th-24th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Miles Davis–We Want Miles (Columbia/CBS, 1981)• Miles Davis–Tutu (Warner Bros., 1986)• Marcus Miller–The Sun Don’t Lie(Dreyfus/P.R.A., 1993)• Marcus Miller–The Ozell Tapes: The Official Bootleg(Dreyfus/Telarc, 2002)• Marcus Miller–Tutu Revisited (Dreyfus, 2009)• Marcus Miller–Laid Black (Blue Note, 2018)• Shakti–With John McLaughlin (Columbia, 1975)• Shankar–Who’s To Know (ECM, 1980)• Shankar–Song for Everyone (ECM, 1984)• Trilok Gurtu–Usfret (CMP, 1987/88)• Shankar/Zakir Hussain/T.H. Vinayakram–

Eternal Light (Moment, 2000)(ENCORE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10)
repertoire is demonstrated on albums with pianist
Brian Lemon and he is an appreciated accompanist forsingers: Carmen McRae (November Girl, with ClarkeBoland Big Band, 1975), Dee Dee Bridgewater (MusicalDirector and actor for the musical Lady Day in 1987 in
London), Norma Winstone (Somewhere Called Home,
1986, a rare appearance on ECM in a trio with John
Taylor, basically Azimuth with Coe instead of Wheeler)
and Tina May (More Than You Know, 2004, in trio withpianist Nikki Iles).
The saxophonist’s relationship with cinema is not
limited to Mancini’s famous theme, which hedownplays: “Sid Sax, who was a fixer and a bit of ac***, rang me and said that Henry wanted a tenor sax
player to play the theme. I didn’t know it was the Pink
Panther until I turned up. I also played on the seduction
scene in Superman II, you know.” He played for Mancini
again in Victor Victoria and Leaving Las Vegas for Mike
Figgis, who composed the soundtrack and played
trumpet. Coe composed several film scores himself,
including a two-hour piece for chamber orchestra forthe 1928 Marie Epstein silent film Peau de pêche.
Coe considers the live quartet album Before the Dawn
(Cherry Dawn, 2007) among his best. It features pianist
John Horler, a longtime friend from the Johnny
Dankworth band, on standards as well as originals like
“Lyrical Coe” and “Jake the Snake Sings the Blues”, bothincluded in the track selection that Coe made for a 2010
Alyn Shipton BBC broadcast. The subtitle of the “LyricalCoe”, “How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Love Giant
Steps”, encapsulates an attitude and a career. v
For more information, visit tonycoe.co.uk
Recommended Listening:• Humphrey Lyttelton And His Band–
Blues In The Night (Columbia, 1960)• Tony Coe & The Lansdowne String Quartet–
Tony’s Basement (Columbia, 1966)• Tony Coe/Roger Kellaway–
British-American Blue (Between The Lines, 1978)• Tony Coe/Tony Oxley & Co.–Nutty (on) Willisau(hatART, 1983)• Tony Coe–Mainly Mancini (Chabada, 1985)• Tony Coe/John Horler–Dancing In The Dark
(Gearbox, 2007)(LEST WE FORGET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10)(ARTIST FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7)
unity. I’m a U.S. citizen and can return any time, but
I left when Trump was elected. There was so muchhatred.” Still, he is maintaining a busy, fluid career.
2020’s Chepleeri Dream, composed during brutal storms
in India and bearing the sounds of relentless downpour,remains a global sensation. Now, amid a seven-city
tour, Shankar muses, “You must be humble. It is very
important as a human being to embrace others as
students of life. If I thought I knew everything, I’dsimply stop playing.” v
For more information, visit lshankar.com. Shankar is at
Roulette Apr. 2nd. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Clifford Thornton Ensemble–
Communications Network (Third World, 1972)

it wasn’t his record. He was so full of wisdom andknowledge and always shot straight from the hip.”Green recalled, “Ray always knew what he wanted
both onstage and in the studio. I’d listen with utmost
respect to his clear directives. He was a great leader
and he knew how to get what he needed from us...Ray
influenced me to demand greater consistency of myself
as a performer and as a composer/arranger. Ray
influenced my respect for the axis of the bass movementwith the melodic lead profoundly. My favorite memory
with Ray is when Oscar Peterson and his wife Kelly
came to hear us in Toronto, my first meeting with
Oscar, and seeing that Ray was happy in our
performance was a very special moment for me with
Ray, among countless treasured memories with him.”
Drummer Gregory Hutchinson joined Brown’sgroup in the mid ‘90s. “I first heard Ray on the Oscar
Peterson trio albums and always was blown away byhis sound and the fact that the beat was so big. As
a drummer that’s the one thing we listen for, the beat,
you know, that quarter note. Working with Brown wasa pleasure for Hutchinson, as he shared, “Ray was thesame on stage or in studio. He’d demand the best outof you, but also that you enjoy yourself. He was thatway all the time, really and he knew what he wanted.
I’m a fan of the way he came up with arrangements on
the spot. It is like he could hear all the parts in his
head.” Brown made his mark on the young musician:“I learned what it takes to be successful and to reallylove what you do, but to not take it for granted, because
you never know and you’re only as good as the lastnote you just played.”
The formidable trio of McBride, Green and
Hutchinson will pay tribute to Brown at Dizzy’s Club
this month and a recording of this band deserves to bemade in the near future. The best bet is to be present tohear them in person. v
A Ray Brown tribute with McBride, Green and Hutchinson
is at Dizzy’s Club Apr. 1st-2nd. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Oscar Peterson Trio–At The Stratford Shakespearean
Festival (Verve, 1956)• Ray Brown–Jazz Cello (Verve, 1960)• Milt Jackson Quartet (featuring Ray Brown)–
That’s The Way It Is (Impulse!, 1969)• Duke Ellington/Ray Brown–
This One’s For Blanton (Pablo, 1972)• Ray Brown Trio (featuring Gene Harris)–
Soular Energy (Concord, 1984)• Ray Brown Trio–Live at Scullers (Telarc Jazz, 1996)(LABEL SPOTLIGHT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
I sent them copies and they placed orders. At the sametime, I also contacted some shops like Dusty Groove,
Jazz Record Center, Record Mania and, of course, someshops in Paris, Paris Jazz Corner and Croco Jazz. These
are my privileged clients. I had also sent copies tosome journalists like Michael Fremer, Derek Ansell,
Jeff Wilson...They all helped me a lot at the beginningof the Sam Records adventure and I owe them a lot.”
The first two titles were pressed in runs of 1,000
units each. The first was The Chet Baker Quartet–Chet
Baker in Paris originally released by Barclay in 1955
with Baker (trumpet), brilliant but ill-fated Dick
Twardzik (piano), Jimmy Bond (bass) and Peter
Littman (drums). The second may have been moreconsequential: Lester Young–La Dernier Message deLester Young. Barclay made the original recording in
1959 in Paris with Young (tenor saxophone), René
Urtreger (piano), Jimmy Gourley (guitar), Jamil Nasser(bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums). Two weeks after therecording date, Young died in New York City.
Now 11 years later, the one-man band called Fred
Thomas successfully plays on. As to how he chooses
what to release, he says: “It is first and foremost the loveof the music and the musician that makes me decide toreissue a record or publish an unreleased concert.
Sometimes it takes me a long time. To be sure of my
choice, to find the master tapes and the photos can takeme two years. This was the case for the Barney Wilen
Quintet on La Guilde du Jazz. I don’t plan much andI don’t count much either. When I decide to make arecord, I do it.” He chooses the one or two titles to bereleased or repressed each year, searches for theaccompanying documents and photographs, manages
the website, proofs the albums before sending them out,
prepares each package large or small before dispatching
and also finds the time to manage a new storefront
operation in the 10th Arrondissement. What more is left
to say except: Vive La France! Vive La Différence! v
For more information, visit samrecords.fr

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 13

ALBUM REVIEWSBlue Vision (featuring Houston Person)
Eric Person (Distinction)
by Marilyn Lester

Indeed, tenor saxophone master Houston Person is oldenough to be fellow saxophonist Eric Person’s father,
yet the two are related not by blood, but by the bond ofmusic. They formed their alliance in 2009, playing
together under the clever moniker Person2Person. This
new release, Blue Vision, with Eric as leader (his 11thalbum) and Houston on four of seven songs, is aneclectic bag of gems, blues with classic jazz, soul, gospel
and modern swing, including five originals.
A key factor is Adam Klipple on Hammond B3
organ in a rhythm section completed by guitarist Pete
McCann and drummer Tony Jefferson. Klipple isexcellent not only for his solos but also in knowing
exactly how to play with constraint; too often organ
comes off as intrusive but he knows exactly when totone it down or pump it up. He is especially outstanding
on two Eric Person originals: “Geri”, dedicated to thelate pianist Geri Allen, and the fast-moving, modern
swing of “No Doubt True Dat”.
Blue Vision begins with the original title track,
dropping the listener immediately into a stirring
euphoric blues swing right up Houston’s street; if there
is such a thing as magic blues dust, the elder Person
has been sprinkled with generous quantities of it. Eric
Person is primarily an alto player, but handily switches
among tenor and soprano on several cuts of this album.
Like legendary trumpeter Cat Anderson, he is an
outstanding high-note master, able to reach dizzying
upper registers without losing an ounce in power andclarity. On an updated version of Swedish folk tune
“Dear Old Stockholm”, that skill is blended with thesmooth tenor of Houston, with a few splendid openingbars by guest guitarist Rob Kissner.
The other non-Eric Person composition is theexquisitely rendered Jimmy Davis-Roger RamirezJames Sherman ballad “Lover Man”, in which both
Persons convey a compelling story of wistful pathos.
Likewise, on the very aptly-named original “SoulSaturation” (sans Houston), the evocative piece conveys
a deeply rendered musical picture of church-based
gospel soul, with organ prominent in the storytelling.

Cambridge, Massachusetts circa 1998. The two also
worked together in an improvisatory band called
Hypnosonics. Since those days, the band has releaseda shelf of albums, mostly via their native habitat, thelive stage. You Never Know is a studio date, however,albeit an extended one with plenty of spur-of-themoment feel. Rivard is still omnipresent and produced
and arranged the date. In addition to the usual jazz
instruments are others from around the world,
including oud, tamboura, bendir, karabab, sintir, cajón
and more.
Frank Zappa’s “King Kong” detours throughNorth Africa with propulsive vocals and comes backstateside for a very funky John Medeski Wurlitzer
organ workout. Morocco-born oud player Brahim
Fribgane takes an assured vocal lead on “Allah Ya
Moulana”. Rivard co-wrote “Lalla Aisha in Jhaptal”,
which is like a piece of New Delhi fusion jazz, completewith tabla, rapid-fire stop-time vocals, samples andDavid Fiuczynski’s wah-wah guitar.
Sufi-derived “Dervish Dance” opens with atamboura drone, oud entering on top, followed by thesintir. Is that a splash of Rhodes? In classical forms,
these instruments would never meet but are copaceticon this hypnotic piece. Phil Grenadier ’s echoing
trumpet out of electric Miles Davis is entwined withFiuczynski and Medeski on Rivard’s delightful On theCorner-ish “Dark Fish”. There is more subdued Miles
Davis on “In a Silent Way/It’s About That Time”,
which has some great bass work, an atmospheric organsolo and a guitar freakout.
The first four tracks lose the star players, but not the
exuberant celebration. Three of them are Rivard’s
compositions, including the dreamy “Golden Hour”,
which features upfront bass, Duke Levine’s guitar andPaul Schultheis’ organ. “Now Open Your Eyes” isperhaps the most radio-friendly track: catchy, loping andtight. “Boney Oscar Stomp”, the driving opener, lives up
to its name and has a nice horn arrangement (Andrew
Fogliano on saxophones) and Levine in good form.
There is a creative bond between Club d’Elf andBrooklyn’s Red Baraat, another highly effective meldof jazz and global music. Club d’Elf is less rhythmic,
but just as compelling.
For more information, visit clubdelf.com. This band is atDrom Apr. 2nd. See Calendar.

For more information, visit ericperson.com. This project is
at Sistas’ Place Apr. 2nd. See Calendar.
Angels Over Oakanda
Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber(Avant Groidd Musica)
by Jason Gross

When Greg Tate died last December at 64, the music

You Never KnowClub d’Elf (Face Pelt)
by Jim Motavalli

Club d’Elf is quite an interesting concept, fusing

jamming jazz with Arabic music (specifically, theNorth African trance style known as Gnawa) from
Morocco and elsewhere. Mark Sandman, late leader ofMorphine and friend of multi-instrumentalist/bassist
Mike Rivard, was an original catalyst when the group
started loose sessions at the Lizard Lounge inworld suffered a great loss. His many intriguing
articles/reviews about Black culture for the Village
Voice and a collection of his works, Flyboy In the
Buttermilk, stand out, as well as his co-founding of theBlack Rock Coalition. In 1999, he created Burnt Sugar,
a kaleidoscopic ensemble encompassing jazz, rock,soul and modern classical among other styles, withanywhere from a dozen to three dozen members,
including guitarist Vernon Reid, pianist Vijay Iyer andtrumpeter Graham Haynes among many others, andconcerts everywhere from Lincoln Center to punkhaven CBGB’s.
On this 17th album, Tate was no less ambitious
than before, completing it only a few months before hepassed away. Proof comes right away at the beginning

14 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

with the 18-minute title track, a nod to the progressive,
African-American Bay area enclave. Starting out witha serene, laidback funk ride recalling early ‘70s Miles
Davis, the track builds in intensity with fiveintertwining, battling horns (trumpeter Lewis “Flip”
Barnes, saxophonists V. Jeffrey Smith, Avram Fefer and‘Moist’ Paula Henderson and flutist Satch Hoyt), whichsoon get challenged by the twin-guitar roar of Ben
Tyree and André ‘Dré Glo’ Lassalle. It reaches a placeof calmness around the eight-minute mark with echoedsaxophones and gentle guitar strums until the triplepercussion rhythm section (Shelley Nicole, Greg
Gonzalez and Jared Michael Nickerson) casually fades
in again minutes later, featuring Leon Gruenbaum’s
studious Herbie Hancock-like Fender Rhodes. This
gives way to soaring flute, a Ornette Coleman-like
unison horn theme and low-key guitar noise.
“Repatriation-Of-The-Midnight-Moors (Oakanda
mix-2)” is built around Nickerson’s cascading basslines
and funky, clap-like percussion samples as the minimal,
potent base of the song, leaving horns room to weave
spacily in and out of the mix. “Oakanda Overdrive” isexactly what it says it is, taking the title track intohigher-speed terrain but still retaining a calm aura at
the center, with Gruenbaum and the horn themes
becoming more bouncy and playful. Similarly, thebrief closer “Lisals Over inna-Oakanda” returns tothe sound of “Repatriation” with Lisala Beatty’s
lithe
vocalsreciting
Tate’ssoulful,poetic,culturally conscious lyrics. As such, Tate makes thealbum a grand suite. It is an impressive way to closeout his musical career and a bittersweet way toremember his many gifts.
For more information, visit burntsugarindex.com. Thisband is at Zankel Hall Apr. 3rd. See Calendar.

R (Valley of Search)
Garchik–Assembly (Yestereve)e •• Jacob
Silke Eberhard’s Potsa Lotsa XL &Youjin Sung–Gaya (Trouble in the East)c • HalGalper Trio–Invitation to Openness(Live at Big Twig) (Origin)o • Franklin
Kiermyer’s Scatter The Atoms Thatm Remain–Emancipation
Suite (Mobility Music)•
MichaelLeonhart
Orchestra–m The Normyn Suite (Sunnyside)
Mela/Shinya Lin–e • Francisco
Motions, Vol. 1 (577)n • Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet–
For The Love of Fire and Water (RogueArt)d • Catherine
Russell–Send For Me (Dot Time)
Takayanagi–Station ‘70: Call ine • Masayuki
Question / Live Independenced (P.S.F.-Black Editions)• Alan Braufman–Live in New York City

Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing EditornBardon–The Gift of Silencee • Michael(Discus-Music)w • Andrea Centazzo/Francesca Gemmo–
r
e
l
e
a
s
e
s

Binary Souls (Ictus)• Avishai Cohen–Naked Truth (ECM)• Jacob Garchik–Assembly (Yestereve)• Ilmiliekki Quartet–Eponymous (We Jazz)• The OGJB Quartet–Ode To O (TUM)• Dave Rempis/Avreeayl Ra–
Bennu (Aerophonic)• Tapani Rinne/Juha Mäki-Patola–Open (Hush Hush)• Joel Ross–The Parable Of The Poet(Blue Note)• Martin Wind New York Bass Quartet–
Air (Laika)
Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

Kurt Rosenwinkel Plays Piano
Kurt Rosenwinkel (Heartcore)by Anna Steegmann

K urt Rosenwinkel needs no introduction as one of his

generation’s preeminent jazz guitar voices. He has
released 11 albums as a leader and been a sideman for
more than 150 recordings. In addition, he made a namefor himself as a composer, producer and founder of the
independent music label Heartcore Records.
Piano was his first love at age 9 before he moved to
guitar at 12. Rosenwinkel has always felt a physical andenergetic immediacy with the piano, the instrument a
constant friend and source of inspiration throughout hislife. Kurt Rosenwinkel Plays Piano is a tribute to his latefather Lester, an architect who played Erroll Garnerstyle piano. This collection of original songs spans
Rosenwinkel’s career but the melodies, chord voicingsand rhythmic structures are unadorned by theinterpretation of bandmates. The ten tracks delight as
idiosyncratic and harmonically complex compositions
presenting deep themes and outstanding improvisations.
In opener “Love Signs”, each note is distinct anddeeply emotional and the expressive acceleration andrepeating theme are upbeat and hypnotizing. “Music” ismore solemn in tone and flows effortlessly while “LostSong” is unhurried and haunting, eliciting strong
sympathy. “For Dad”, the most heartfelt track, captivateswith its gorgeous, delicate melody and sensuality.
Rosenwinkel’s playing in ”Reassurement” is robust,
confident and resilient as if the feelings of loss havebeen overcome, perhaps mirroring the lines of his poemin the liner notes: A reassurement has taken place / Whereas
before was dis-ease, now ease / I feel him all around me.
Allow yourself to experience the feelings of loss
articulated in this deeply emotional, sincere album andyou will also experience music’s power to transform
inner sadness to make room for memories of love.

bassist John Hébert and drummer Gerald Cleaver, hebalances foresight and reflection. Delbecq’s dreamlike
compositions give away as many secrets as they keep.
Between the delicious cymbals of “Chemin sur leCrest”, beautiful basswork of “Stereo Fields” andpicturesque group harmony of “Havn”, the band
foregoes the need to be hard-hitting in favor of intimate
communication. All the while, Delbecq employs his
signature “post-radiophonic” approach, sampling via
a MIDI foot pedal to haunting effect in the title trackand elsewhere, disorienting as much as reorienting thecompass of our listening.
Return From The Stars puts Turner back on the
ECM map, carrying over bassist Joe Martin from 2013’s
Lathe of Heaven and adding drummer Jonathan Pinson
and trumpeter Jason Palmer for eight originals. The
lack of keyboard allows for two crucial things tohappen. First, it opens the ears to Turner ’s
compositional prowess, graceful yet given to
unexpected turns and shades of meaning. Second, it
opens space in the recording and exchanges between
the musicians. Smooth without filling in every gap, themusic invites listeners to ruminate and appreciate theinner workings at hand. Against a rhythm section
digging its heels in only when needed (and without
ever overstating the issue), interplay between horns
unfolds organically (Turner is always moving from one
terrain to the next while Palmer seems to work his awl
deeper into the wood of his thinking, uncovering everdeeper layers of meaning). Sitting among the evocative
gems of “Bridgetown” and “Nigeria II”, tracks like
“Terminus” and “Lincoln Heights” walk in places thathave been lived in. Throughout, the writing issuggestive rather than declamatory. Titles like “It’s
Not Alright With Me” and “Unacceptable” evoke aplayful gray area between frustration and freedom
from it. The blurring of such dichotomies is a sign ofmaturity: letting emotions speak for themselves rather
than shouting in their place. In “Waste Land”, too, onegets the feeling that these pieces are always growing
and that we are privy to some of their prime phases.

‘90s and the Woodstock era, some familiar, some
obscure. There are also five originals from the pair, twoof them bebop-like contrafacts. The duo’s musicalapproach is as unique as the repertoire. Light does not
strum or carry the beat like most guitarists in duo
settings; he lays down lush soundscapes, chords anddiaphanous lines, which interact and reflect on
Preminger ’s leads and solos. Rhythm and pulse hardly
exist on most of the tracks, never overtly stated.
Melody, both in often straightforward approach to thesongs and in solos, reigns along with harmony whilerhythm is mostly implied. Preminger is predominant,many of his solos engaged by Light’s counterpoint
as he rarely steps up alone. He does, memorably, ina billowing version of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After
All These Years”. Among the obscurities the two makeindelible are songs from Barenaked Ladies, Third Eye
Blind and Sixpence None the Richer, the latter ’s “KissMe” almost to earworm status.
Code 2, trombonist Peter McEachern’s quartet with
Preminger, late bassist Mario Pavone and drummer
Michael Sarin, explores a wide range of rhythms andbeats in this admirably varied, exuberant outing theleader labels “new musical directions”. It opens with
“Mounds”, McEachern’s winking take on a jaunty
march, and ends with his “Native Mode”, a rollingrhythms piece reminiscent of Benny Golson’s longlined, loping tunes. Preminger and McEachern both solowith gusto and drive over the various beats and rhythms
from Pavone and Sarin, tailoring their approaches to thesong’s frameworks. On “Lament for the Future” (also
McEachern), Preminger deftly alternates arpeggios withdown-home preaching phrases.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk. Preminger is at
Lowlands Apr. 6th with Max Light. See Calendar.

ERIC PERSON

For more information, visit jazzdor.com and ecmrecords.com.
Turner is at Village Vanguard Apr. 5th-10th with Kurt
Rosenwinkel. See Calendar.

CD RELEASE
Sistas’ PlaceAPRIL 2nd
Brooklyn, NY
9, 10:30 PM $25

For more information, visit heartcore-records.com. Rosenwinkel
is at Village Vanguard Apr. 5th-10th. See Calendar.

Songs We Love
Noah Preminger/Max Light (SteepleChase)
Code 2
Peter McEachern (SteepleChase)by George Kanzler
Gentle GhostsBenoît Delbecq 4 (Jazzdor Series)
Return From The Stars
Mark Turner (ECM)
by Tyran Grillo

Anyone who has traced the influences of Mark Turner

likely knows of his interest in science fiction. Morethan the inspiration for an evocative title or two, theunderlying ethos running through his work like dark
matter in a timeslip could come from no other genre,articulated as it is in a language that feels as spatial as
it does temporal. As Stanisław Lem wrote in Solaris:“We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors.”
In the bell of Turner ’s tenor saxophone, one indeed
finds a mirror in which to scrutinize our egos in
melodic ways.
On Gentle Ghosts, his presence is palpable in thesame way that wind can be felt but not touched. As theleading voice in pianist Benoît Delbecq’s quartet with

O ne of the most distinctive and expressive tenor

saxophonists to emerge in the last decade-plus, Noah
Preminger doesn’t fit the conventional view ofacademy (he is a graduate of New EnglandConservatory of Music) jazz musicians. Unlike manyof his contemporaries, he is no John Coltrane clone,neither in approach nor tone. His approach is distinct,
individual and he fashions solos from a wide range of
tonal and timbral elements, sculpting each note.
He commands the entire range of his saxophone, fromthe deep guttural to the high altissimo. His tone,
especially in the middle registers, is warm andburnished, capable of kneading long notes or reelingoff arpeggios without losing its individuality. The two
albums here showcase his talents and creativity incontrasting settings, one dreamy and atmospheric, theother brawny and rhythm-driven.
Songs We Love is a duo project with electricguitarist Max Light: nine pop-rock songs from both theBLUE VISION
featuring
Houston Person“Totally on the moneyat all times, this is a sax
date not to be missed.”
Chris Spector,
Midwest Record Review“Blue Vision neverrelinquishes theeager ear.”Mike Jurkovic,
allaboutjazz.com

available on amazon.com
and bandcamp.com

ERICPERSON.COM

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 15

G LO B E U N I T Y

Cage Tennis
Bugpowder (Trytone)
Ritual Dance
Stefan Pasborg (Sunnyside)
Turn Out The Stars (The Music of Bill Evans)
Ricardo Pinheiro/Eric Ineke/Massimo Cavalli(Challenge)
by Tom Greenland

Tributes can be problematic. Trying too hard toemulate an iconic artist’s sound and repertoire risks
stifling jazz’ eternal search for the new and now.
A better strategy is to channel an ethos: not what
but how they played. Tributes reviewed below
demonstrate the effectiveness of this latter approach.
Bugpowder, an Amsterdam-based quartet of
reedplayer Tobias Klein, guitarist Jeroen Kimman,
bassist Jasper Stadhouders and drummer Tristan
Renfrow, models Cage Tennis, its Ornette Coleman
tribute, on the free funk of the composer’s Prime
Time, a double quartet (two guitars, basses anddrums), with four of the ten covers drawn from 1979’s
Of Human Feelings. Other tunes include “W.R.U.”
from 1961 and the title track from 1992’s Naked Lunchsoundtrack. There are qualities in Klein’s alto
saxophone sound—wistfulness, flexible tuning,
restless curiosity and ‘through-improvisation’—suggesting deep immersion in Coleman’s art. Other
references include the bop-influenced style of earlier
Coleman and a punkier vibe on “Air Ship”, “Sleep
Talk” and “Space Church”. Kimman, Stadhouders
and Renfrow contribute to the synergistic ambiance.
Igor Stravinsky’s “Dance of the Young Girls”
from his notorious ballet The Rite of Spring sounds likesomething Jimi Hendrix, had he lived, would havewritten for large ensemble—primitive yet progressive.
On Danish drummer Stefan Pasborg’s Ritual Dances,
his jazz orchestra tribute to the Russian maestro, thepiece, featured twice (studio and live), pairs distorted
echoing electric guitar with Hammond B3 and Blood
Sweat Drum + Bass, a 17-piece wind ensemble. The
marriage of classical, jazz and rock is seamless,organic,awhy-hasn’t-anyone-done-this-before?
moment. Maybe they have. Also included are titles
from The Firebird ballet and another large group, theUMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. Besides the innovative,
contemporary sounding treatments, featured soloists,
whose creative flights are buoyed by surging
orchestrations, provide additional excitement. Thereis even a free improv duo, something Stravinsky may
have liked.
Portuguese guitarist Ricardo Pinheiro, Italianbassist Massimo Cavalli (both based in Lisbon) andDutch drummer Eric Ineke’s Turn Out The Stars (TheMusic of Bill Evans) seems modeled on the pianist’s
seminal trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer
Paul Motian, though any facile comparisons must
consider that Pinheiro adapts this repertoire to guitar.
The trio achieves a beautiful sound, the cohesion a
product of hours on the bandstand and mutual
empathy. Like Evans, Pinheiro employs fluid legato,
supple swing, personalized voicings and sparse use of
space to encourage a collective spirit. Cavalli is not
the counterpuncher LaFaro was but his free-form
melodicism establishes a strong presence while Ineke(at 75, the elder statesman) prefers, like Motian, tosuggest—rather than delineate—the musical pulse.
For
more
information,
visit
trytone.org,
sunnysiderecords.com and challengerecords.com

The PainterTobias Meinhart (Sunnyside)by Kira Grunenberg

Discussions of visual art, music and the global impactof the pandemic that saxophonist Tobias Meinhart hadwith painter Igor Sokol forged the heavily reflective,
sensory-driven spirit of this album. Artistic nuance isdisplayed not only through collective arrangement but
also within the extensive palette of colors and adjacenthues of individual instruments.
Opener “White Bear” reveals the vast creative
space at Mienhart’s disposal. Drummer Obed Calvaire
employs an assortment of tones through the mere
adjustment of his snare and stick taps alone. Smooth
low plucks from bassist Matt Penman and clean lines
from guitarist Charles Altura add to the diversity.
Those contrasts as well as the intricacy of its 9/8 meter
give the track a detail-rich character one would see
when analyzing a painting up close. “Oak Tree” follows
with a serene aesthetic befitting its titular inspiration:a koan posed by Zen Buddhists for meditativereflection. The music moves from the delicate flow ofbrushes, saxophone and laidback bass to bright lines
from trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. Listeners—similar to
the monks—are left to contemplate the open-ended
and ever changing nature of the piece.
The title track follows a similarly oscillating path.
“The Painter (Intro)” gives the impression of a calm
individual but the title track itself proceeds to abandon
this composure, Meinhart with a scratchy quality in his
playing, eventually leading to flutter-tonguing withinjagged tonality. The piece eventually calms down,
focusing on grace piano from Eden Ladin, but when
the track returns to Meinhart’s ruggedness, it becomes
clear that the idea of “The Painter” is not meant tofinish on a clean and conceptually decisive note.
“Dreamers” pairs Meinhart’s voice with the fade ofa single piano note and reverberating cymbal to end thealbum. The track being named for those who imagine
without limit speaks to the idea of less boundaries—increativity and in life—rather than more.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. This
project is at Bar Bayeux Apr. 6th. See Calendar.

(Moers) he was already someone to watch closely.
The Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band is a unit thatreflects his interest in the New Orleans aesthetic:collective improvisation with a danceable beat thatcombines Dixieland with the advances of the avant
garde. Come IN features the latest iteration of the band:
Steven Bernstein (trumpet and slide trumpet), Jose
Davila (sousaphone) and Tommy Campbell (drums andsqueeze toys). It was recorded live in Cotbus, Germany,on what was to be a full European tour in March 2020,
but the rest of the gigs were cancelled due to thepandemic. Fortunately, this lone performance exists.
This band was hot and by the time they hit their second
tune, “YO Cats”, a tour de force is clearly brewing.
Everything coalesces over the support of sousaphone,which is rock solid throughout this disc. Anderson’s
sound is massive, gruff, garrulous and filled withmischievous joy and his banter with Bernstein leads
into a masterful solo by the latter. Campbell makes themost out of small sounds, a rimshot here, a featheredkick there. You can hear the band slip into laughter as
each member pushes the envelope.
By the time they reach their zenith on Anderson’s“Next March”, their collective approach seems golden
and nearly foolproof. They build a groove on Davila’s
pedal while the leader pulls out all the stops withobscene chortles, plunger mute wah-wah effects andhair-raising multiphonics. He even manages to quoteat length from Gene De Paul-Sammy Cahn standard“Teach Me Tonight”, before handing the baton toBernstein, who follows with his own distillation of theBrass Fantasy ideal established by the late Lester
Bowie. Potent stuff, recommended.
For more information, visit doublemoon.de. Anderson is at
The Owl Music Parlor Apr. 7th. See Calendar.

With seven years of performing and recording under
their belt Spin Cycle celebrates their latest release,
Spin Cycle III, on Sound Footing Records
CD Release Tour Dates:
April 8th – The Bop Shop (Rochester, NY)
April 9th- The Other Side (Utica, NY)
April 10th- Amherst College (Amherst, MA)

Spin Cycle III available April 6th on all streaming
platforms and at spincyclemusic.org
Spin Cycle is:
Tom Christensen - Saxophone
Pete McCann - Guitar
Phil Palombi and Matt Pavolka - Bass
Scott Neumann - Drums
Come IN
Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band (Double Moon)
by Robert BushIn the hands of a master like Ray Anderson, the slide

trombone can achieve almost any persona—it can
growl, blat and blast then, in the next moment, reduce
the listener to tears. No other instrument dips into thegutbucket with an equal measure of graphic vulgarity.
Anderson has understood this opportunity forexpression since arriving on the scene in the early ‘70s,
making a huge mark when he joined Anthony Braxton
in the late ‘70s. By the time he began making records asa leader starting in 1980, with Harrisburg Half Life

16 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD“Characteristics that made the group’s initial release so appealing—strong melodic hooks, rock-solid grooves, advanced harmonies
and aggressive, deftly-executed improvisations—have beenrefined by intensive touring.” —DownBeat

Conversations, Vol. 2
Cooper-Moore/Stephen Gauci (577 Records)
Pandemic Duets
Eli Wallace/Stephen Gauci (Gaucimusic)
by John Sharpe

Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci is rapidly amassinga hefty discography, thanks to a slew of releases, many
but not all on his own imprint. His conception allies a
raw sound built on multiphonics and overtone
manipulation to deliberately askew phrasing and liking
for working the extremes. He poses a conundrum forhis partners, especially those with a tempered
instrument: whether to head into the weeds or to persist
on slightly firmer terrain. Thus it is fascinating to hear
how two different pianists approach the challenge.
Conversations Vol. 2 further documents a studioencounter between Gauci and veteran Cooper-Moore.
The title is particularly apt for gifted raconteurs whose
sparkling dialogue variously melds, butts, collides anddisrupts. While the high-energy surge is always an
option for Cooper-Moore, given his tenure with the
likes of David S. Ware, Assif Tsahar and various
William Parker outfits, he employs a more nuanced
model in tandem with Gauci, often setting the pace,combining heart-on-sleeve emotion and buoyant
impetus, deploying sweeping runs, generous
harmonies and webs of nagging rhythmic figures.
Gauci responds with tremulous altissimo, gruff bottom
end and contorted split notes, but although his tonal
palette asserts its independence, his syntax moreclosely follows the pianist’s lead. The contrast creates acompelling
dynamic,
manifest
notablyon“Improvisation Eleven” (the titles of the seven tracks
continue from Vol. 1), where Cooper-Moore’s stately
accompaniment develops a rolling gait and evolves
into a sort of fractured stride. On the final cut, swirling
piano rubato and spiraling saxophone somehow evoke
the spirit of McCoy Tyner and John Coltrane, notsomething you would anticipate in reference with thisparticular twosome, but an indication of the way inwhich they repeatedly upend expectations.
In another of Gauci’s DL-only Pandemic Duets, hehooks up with pianist Eli Wallace for seven off-the-cuff
concoctions. Wallace is as inspired in the interior as on
the keys and able to integrate both adroitly into his
outpourings. He and Gauci are thoroughly engaged,
paying keen attention to each other’s trajectory, evenwhen choosing oblique over explicit connection. On theopener, string shimmers, rumbling reverberations andhigh-pitched metallic squeaks form an abstract settingfor Gauci’s squawks and stutters. But it is the next cut
that provides an early highlight, beginning with aninsistent staccato before picking up pace in a helterskelter dash, finally settling into almost playful call andresponse. At times like these, when Wallace’s quickfire
flow hints at syncopation, it encourages Gauci into a
corresponding cascade. Those dizzying points when
they most nearly intersect are some of the mostenjoyable, to be savored before their paths diverge once
again. Wallace also shines in an unaccompanied passage
on “#6”, where he leaves ever-longer silences between
urgent keyboard hammers, building a delicious tension.
Gauci lets the moment hang, until eventually rejoining
with reveille-like fanfares, which see Wallace channelinghis inner Cecil Taylor with a sequence of tumbling
tremolos and clipped articulation.
For more information, visit 577records.com and gaucimusic.com.
Gauci is at Bushwick Public House Mondays and Downtown
Music Gallery Apr. 16th. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 17

First Things First
Boris Kozlov (Posi-Tone)
Mestizo
Diego Rivera (Posi-Tone)
UpstreamAlex Sipiagin (Posi-Tone)by Ken Dryden

Boris Kozlov has stayed busy since immigrating to theUnited States from his native Russia in the late ‘90s.
The veteran bassist has been much in demand as asideman for groups large and small, including being afirst-call bassist for many Posi-Tone sessions, and has
led a number of dates of his own.
First Things First demonstrates his versatility as heuses double bass, electric bass and piccolo bass. Hisseasoned band is tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin,
keyboard player Art Hirahara, vibraphonist Behn
Gillece and drummer Rudy Royston. Electric bass sets
the tone in Kozlov’s Latin-flavored composition“Flow”, with McCaslin on flute trading fours with
Gillece, Royston’s soft percussion adding the perfectseasoning. The leader ’s poignant “Aftermath” is anemotional work; whether it serves as an elegy or
reflecting on the better days of a relationship that has
ended, there is a sense of both longing and hope.
Effective tenor saxophone is the main voice, the rhythm
section providing superb backing. The finale is apassionate miniature scoring of Charles Mingus’heartfelt ballad “Eclipse”, a spacious arrangement
allowing the natural beauty to come through without
any distractions. This potent CD should garner critics’consideration for their annual top ten lists.
Tenor saxophonist Diego Rivera’s career has beenon the rise over the past decade via several CDs as aleader and a reputation as a valuable composer/
arranger and sideman.
The 2021 Mestizo sessions feature Rivera leading
a quintet of veterans, all of whom are frequently heard
on Posi-Tone: trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, Hirahara,
Kozlov and Royston. Don’t let Rivera’s MexicanAmerican background fool you into thinking that thisis exclusively a Latin jazz affair, as his robust hardbop“Battle Fatigue” brings to mind the type of songs
played by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Written in the
midst of the chaos that followed George Floyd’s
murder, it packs a punch with its energy and fierysolos. Contrast that with the relaxing flow of Wayne
Shorter ’s lush “Teru”, showcasing Rivera’s lyricalhorn. AfroCuban-tinged “Bracero” is a swinging party
featuring a playful theme while melancholy ballad“Canción De Cuna” has an overpowering air of
longing, Sipiagin’s rich flugelhorn providing theperfect foil for sadness-tinged tenor saxophone. The
title track is a perfect closing number: the energetic
fusing of hardbop and Latin jazz with turbocharged
solos would get any audience on their feet and clapping
along with the band.
Over the past two plus decades, Sipiagin, anotherRussian emigré, has continued to surprise with hisalbums. An innovative leader and composer, he is asuperb technician, has no problem shifting gears as themusic demands and excels in bringing out the best in
his musicians.
In the case of Upstream it is the returning cast of
Hirahara, Kozlov and Royston. Sipiagin penned fiveoriginals, opening with the stunning fireworks of “Call”,
featuring searing trumpet over the free-spirited rhythm
section; this should become a staple of his concert
repertoire. Hirahara’s “Echo Canyon” showcases theleader’s rich flugelhorn in a jazz waltz setting, lush
piano chords and inspired drumming adding to its
texture. Kozlov’s constantly shifting “Magic Square”

18 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

seems like a throwback to the ‘70s, with Fender Rhodes
and electric bass backing muted trumpet. The
shimmering arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s postbop
anthem “Miyako” is a hidden gem, with a natural
beauty and spaciousness ideal for warm-toned, heartfelt
flugelhorn and a centerpiece bass solo. The electric
instruments are brought back for the blazing title finale,
an infectious way to conclude this brilliant set.
For more information, visit posi-tone.com. Kozlov leads a Charles
Mingus tribute at The Django Apr. 9th and is also there Apr. 2nd
with Tatum Greenblatt and Apr. 14th with Dave Kikoski, plus
Dizzy’s Club Apr. 12th with Alexa Tarantino. See Calendar.

A Song of Hope
Eric Wyatt (Whaling City Sound)
by Dan Bilawsky

P ositivity simply pours forth from Eric Wyatt. With agift for linking bold expositions and improvisations
with warmhearted thoughts, this Brooklyn-based tenor
saxophonist consistently demonstrates that strengthand empathy, though seemingly worlds apart, are justtwo sides of the same coin. On 2015’s Look to the Sky,
Wyatt made that case by honoring family and musicalforbearers while operating from an artfully edgy andsoulfully contemplative stance; and with 2019’s The
Golden Rule: For Sonny, he did so again in a strong,straightahead salute to his godfather: saxophonelegend Sonny Rollins. Now, for his third date on the
Whaling City Sound imprint, Wyatt oversees a different
union of muscle and fellow feeling, bridging broad
stylistic visions with sanguine sentiments.
A Song of Hope—recorded in October of 2020, whenplaying opportunities were still rare and risk remained
heavy in the air—leaves no doubt as to its purpose.
Wyatt aims to raise spirits with this offering and its
powerful, passionate and uplifting music is right ontarget. Leading a first-class quartet with pianist Donald
Vega, bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Jeff “Tain”
Watts and peppering the overwhelming majority of the
12 tracks with guests, he keeps the ears guessing about
direction while remaining firm in his intentions.
Starting off on the title number, a sunny compositionin three, Wyatt and Watts immediately demonstratea shared sensibility for pushing and prodding thatcarries across much of this set.
Moving beyond the opener, a sensitive (andsometimes stirring) take on Sting’s “Fragile”, with theleader ’s piquant soprano and rising-star vocalist
Samara Joy out front, offers immediate contrast. Vega’s“Blues for RH (Roy Hargrove)” follows, hitting hardand giving trumpeter Theo Croker a piece of the action.
And Chris Lowery’s slick “Fur Live” finds the corecrew expanding to an octet with the addition of Croker,
trombonist Clifton Anderson, percussionist Kahlil
Kwame Bell and the composer on trumpet.
Further diversifying his portfolio with a tussle or
two for saxophone and drums, a trip through Kenny
Kirkland’s waltzing “Chance”, back-to-back looks at
John Coltrane’s “Central Park West” and McCoy
Tyner ’s “Contemplation” (with the rhythm section ofbassist Mike Boone and teenage drumming phenom
Mekhi Boone subbing in) and three additional
originals, Wyatt shines while showing us that hopecomes in many different forms.
For more information, visit whalingcitysound.com. Wyatt
is at Smalls Apr. 9th and 23rd. See Calendar.

Hommage à Luciano Berio
Steve Swell’s Systems For Total Immersion(Silkheart)
Quartets/Trios/DuosBorah Bergman, Perry Robinson, Steve Swell,
Ray Sage (Mahakala Music)
by Stuart Broomer

The Normyn Suite
Michael Leonhart Orchestra (Sunnyside)by Marco Cangiano

The Michael Leonhart Orchestra (MLO) has done it

were recorded 14 years apart and constructed onradically different formal principles, one dwelling on
a major composer, Italy’s Luciano Berio and employing
multiple techniques, the other a series of free
improvisations that includes Perry Robinson andBorah Bergman, two deceased masters of the genre.
Hommage à Luciano Berio, recorded in 2021, is thethird in Swell’s series of “hommages” to 20th century
composers, following previous CDs dedicated to Béla
Bartók and Olivier Messiaen. Each has featured adifferent band, with Jim Pugliese on marimba the only
carry-over here from the previous Messiaen disc. Swelldubs the new band his Systems for Total Immersion
and the name is fitting, especially given the roles
assigned language and vocals with the presence of
singer Ellen Christi, the first time a singer has appearedin one of these works. Five of the pieces, principally
the longer ones running from seven to ten minutes,
feature texts, both quotations from Berio on music andexcerpts from two poems by Swell, three of the pieces
including both. Those verbal materials are mated tocomposed and improvised sections inspired by Swell’s
immersioninBerio’swork.
From
Berio’s
O King, an homage to Martin Luther King, Jr., Swelldrew the idea of using “21 specific tones” for portionsof two of the pieces and employs other specific Berio
elements in his compositions, creating complex websof text, composition and improvisation.
With Christi, Pugliese and Swell, who also adds
adroit pocket trumpet, is drummer Gerald Cleaver,soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome and Marty Ehrlich,
who manages to be brilliant on flute, alto saxophone
and bass clarinet. The dense ensemble sometimes
reduces to sub-groups, including an improvised duetby the reedplayers, and Swell is just one of the credited
composers in pieces that sound like collective
improvisations. The mixed methods and materials
combine with inspiring musicianship to produce
consistently intriguing, often surprising music.
Quartets/Trios/Duos makes similarly compellingmusic with far less forethought. Discovered by Swell
during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown, it is
a 2007 recording with pianist Bergman, clarinetist
Robinson and drummer Ray Sage playing together invarious permutations, hence the title. The track titles
are every bit as functional: e.g., the opening title is“BPRS1”, denoting the first of two pieces by thecomplete ensemble with their first initials.
The quartet, responsible for the two most developed
improvisations at eight and ten minutes, is extraordinarily
good, the winds dovetailing with each other, refracting
each other’s phrases and suggesting some of the vocalicenergy of early New Orleans jazz, sparked by the light,
darting contributions of Bergman and Sage. “BSR2” isdistinguished by glacial tempo and Swell’s developed
sense of voice, the sparse accompaniment of Bergman
and Sage heightening the melancholy. “PR” is anotherembrace of near-silence, Sage adding complex but lightdetail to Robinson’s profound invention.

again. Drawing inspiration from the passing of his
beloved 15-year old dachshund Normyn, Leonhart has
produced a musical elegy where a variety of styles
blend into a unique sound. Much as in his earlier
outings, Leonhart’s music showcases a filmic quality
and inner narrative, which makes for a very original
approach. This is also reflected by an unusually broad
instrumentation used in various permutations, ranging
from solo keyboard and guitars to a string quartet andfull orchestra.
Two suites dedicated to Normyn are bookended
by versions of “Shut it down”. The first starts with adeclamatory announcement by organ and orchestra,
shifting quickly to bass and guitar lines à la Fela Kuti—
an author the MLO has already recorded in “Suite
Extracts No. 1”. Elvis Costello and JSWISS rap as
Joshua Redman delivers a raucous tenor saxophonesolo over the insisting rhythmic pattern. The otherversion follows a similar pattern but Chris Potter ’sbass clarinet provides a much darker atmosphere.
The first suite, “The Five Stages of Grieving”,
moves, in its first movement “Denial”, from a soulful
keyboard intro to a full orchestra cadenza disclosing abrief anthem. Second movement “Anger” builds on an
ominous cadenza underlined by intermittent orchestralcommentaries of highly dramatic effect with echoes ofEnnio Morricone’s soundtracks. A sobering dialogue
among acoustic guitars and strings characterizes“Catharsis” while a choir introduces “Nostalgia”,
followed by Jim Pugh’s lamenting trombone over anorchestral drone. In such a suspenseful atmosphere
Walt Weiskopf’s tenor soars delicately over a mellow
musical tapestry, a vivid example of Leonhart’s ability
to enhance individual soloists’ voices. Finally,“Acceptance” introduces a dolent theme supported bychoir and strings culminating in galloping sequence.
A spacy interlude based on Costello’s recitation
over the guitars and Leonhart’s trumpet maintains theelegiac tone of the whole album and leads to the second
suite “Love & Loss”. First movement “May the Young
Grow Older” sounds like a lullaby and features Larry
Goldings’ organ after a Leonhart accordion intro. Onceagain, a cinematic quality comes through, conjuring
images of heartfelt memories. The nostalgic tone rolls
over to the next movement, “Waking from Sedation”,
in which guitarist Bill Frisell dialogues with strings
and flutes. “Freedom from the Pain” is a brief gospellike choir leaving strings to take over with thesolemnity of a requiem in “Unconditional Love”. “La
Preghiera” is a touching Chopin-inspired piece
executed on what sounds like a dusty pianola. “TheDunes” concludes the suite with Leonhart’s warm
trumpet over a mysterious orchestral atmosphere andthe choir echoing some of the preceding themes.
Three “bonus tracks” feature excellent solos bytenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin on “Wayne
Shorter” and Leonhart himself on “Kenny Dorham”,
whereas “Newspaper Pane” is Costello’s recitative
over thumping drums and spacey guitars. A luscious
recording and early candidate for the album of theyear. Goodbye Normyn, you will be missed.

For more information, visit silkheart.se and mahakalamusic.com.
Swell is at Bar Lunàtico Apr. 10th. See Calendar.

For more information, visitsunnysiderecords.com. Thisband is at Rizzoli Bookstore Apr. 10th. See Calendar.

These two recent releases by trombonist Steve Swell

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 19

Eponymous
Fred Moten/Brandon López/Gerald Cleaver(Reading Group)No es la playa
Brandon Lopez/Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey(Intakt)
Dura
Jim Baker/Brandon Lopez/Bill Harris (Amalgam)
by George Grella

Brandon Lopez is a strong bassist. It is possible one

could measure that with the equations for force andpower, but it is less about physicality than how every
note he plays has a purpose: there is an intent behind it
and a direction in front of it. Nothing is wasted and soeverything he plays has a substantial presence.
Of the three trio albums under review, the mostintriguing and outstanding is the eponymous releasewith drummer Gerald Cleaver and poet Fred Moten.
A remarkable thing is how musical it is. Poetry andjazz has been long on theatrics—and text, of course—
but only rarely does it hit the balance of presenting thepoetry as poetry with accompaniment that makes itsound like spoken song. Call that a contradiction, butwith Moten’s gravity, his smooth, slow-paced flow,
like Dexter Gordon playing a ballad, there is a huge
central focus to the proceedings. Lopez and Cleaver
play with the same pace, a deliberate determination,
active but never busy. Every gesture has a point andproduces an aesthetic and emotional reverberation.
This album mesmerizes quickly.
The other two are relatively more straight forward,
at least in instrumentation: Lopez with drummer Tom
Rainey and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and thenwith drummer Bill Harris and Jim Baker, who plays
piano and ARP synthesizer. This is improvised music,
maybe not completely spontaneous, but the emphasis
is on individual and group exploration, not formallydeveloping tunes. Intriguingly, they set the grooves on
the Moten/Lopez/Cleaver album into relief, with
Moten articulating words, rhythm becomes theinvisible material that binds the musicians.
Laubrock has great command and there is just as
much playing with timbre and texture as creating
pitched material on No es la playa. This has Lopez often
blending in using the bow while Rainey drops in crisp
attacks, uses quick rolls to stitch in sonic gauze. This isa collective effort and solid, though also a bit difficult
to distinguish from the hundreds of improvised
saxophone-bass-drums trio albums out there. Like theLake Wobegon Children, this is one of many that are“above average”.
Dura hits a sweet spot between the other records.
The piano cements the music around exact tuning andpitches—Baker uses the synthesizer for textures andsonic experimentation—and one result is that the playing
has some of the spaciousness of the Moten/Lopez/
Cleaver album and, like it, the empty spaces give themusic more substance and dimension. Baker has some
subtle Monk-ish attacks and phrasing in his playing and,once having heard this in a short phrase, there is a lot of
anticipation for the quality to return. Lopez is again
prominent and that seems to be because of the space.
That is where he sounds most comfortable and articulate,playing music that has air around each note, the kind ofthoughtful clarity that comes from listening to oneself
say exactly what you mean. That the song titles all refer
to horrible diseases seems like a statement of intent thatis in no way discernible in the music.
For more information, visit readinggroup.co, intaktrec.ch
and amalgamusic.org. Moten, Lopez and Cleaver are at
Public Records Apr. 14th. See Calendar.

The 7th Hand
Immanuel Wilkins (Blue Note)by Russ Musto

The sophomore Blue Note release from ImmanuelWilkins confirms his status as a leading voice in his
generation’s creative community, joining the ranks oflabelmates Joel Ross and James Francies. At the heartof the religiously-inspired seven-movement suite is theleader ’s sweet-and-tart-toned alto saxophone, a soundso personal as to invite comparison to forebears
Ornette Coleman, Jackie McLean and Gary Bartz.
The suite opens with “Emanation”, an urgent
kaleidoscopic offering, the melody vaguely familiarand otherworldly at the same time, living up to its
title’s mystical meaning of a force that is a manifestationof God. Wilkins’ quartet (returning from his debut)of pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns anddrummer Kweku Sumbry is augmented by the Farafina
Kan Percussion Ensemble on “Don’t Break”, driving
the folkish melody with galloping West African
polyrhythmic cadences. Lyrical bass, underpinned bysweeping brushwork, introduces “Fugitive Ritual,
Selah”, on which Wilkins and Thomas play the gospeltinged processional melody with soothing reverence.
The pair harmonize the quirky line of “Shadow” withminimalist reiteration until each takes off on his own,
Wilkins with a lyrical solo buoyed by Thomas’
distinctive harmonic template, which hearkens to Paul
Bley and Andrew Hill.
Flutist Elena Pinderhughes joins on “Witness” and“Lighthouse”, gliding airily over the cadenced
solemnity of the quartet on the former; on the latter,
she lays down a bright foundation under Wilkins’
dark serpentine lines, before ratcheting up theintensity in tandem with the saxophonist, driven by
propulsive drumming.
The suite comes to a close with the explosive
26-minute “Lift”, the quartet playing with unbridled
dynamism akin to the heady speaking in tongues,
out of this world spiritual explorations of John
Coltrane with Pharoah Sanders and Cecil Taylor andwith Jimmy Lyons.
For more information, visit bluenote.com. Wilkins is at
Roulette Apr. 15th and Village Vanguard Apr. 27th-May
1st with Johnathan Blake. See Calendar.

Petite Fleur
Adonis Rose and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra(feat. Cyrille Aimée) (Storyville)
by Joel Roberts

This is the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s second

album under the leadership of drummer Adonis Rose,
who took over as Artistic Director after the scandalous
departure of NOJO founder Irvin Mayfield, who wasultimately sentenced to prison for his part in a fraud
scheme. With that ugliness in the rear view mirror andafter a delay due to the pandemic, the high-octane,

20 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Grammy-winning 18-piece big band is back to its
mission of showcasing the past, present and future of
New Orleans music.
This lushly orchestrated new release, a followup
to a well-received tribute to Crescent City piano legend
Allen Toussaint, is an exploration of the deep ties thatbind the city of New Orleans and the culture of France.
To help on that journey, the band teamed up with theaccomplished singer Cyrille Aimée, a French-born
artist who has made her home in New Orleans in recent
years, on a diverse set of tunes by musicians from bothsides of the Atlantic.
The title track, written by New Orleans clarinet
legend Sidney Bechet while he was living in France, isthe perfect opener for this project. Aimée sings Michel
Legrand’s “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life”
with a hushed, almost whispered intimacy, which she
carries over into Django Reinhardt’s “Si Tu Savais”,
her sultry vocals backed by some especially sizzling
trumpet and clarinet. An immensely versatile singer,
Aimée channels the classic jazz styles of Billie Holiday
on “Crazy, He Calls Me” (Carl Sigman-Bob Russell)and Ella Fitzgerald on “Undecided” (Sid Robin-Charlie
Shavers), replete with ecstatic, rapid-fire scatting.
Things take a U-turn with the Fats-Domino-styled
rocker “I Don’t Hurt Anymore” (Hank Snow) and thehard-swinging Jelly Roll Morton instrumental feature“Get the Bucket”, before closing out with the album’s
lone original, “Down”, a deep New Orleans funkworkout penned by Aimée.
This is an exciting and rewarding collaboration,
floating seamlessly between the musical cultures ofFrance and New Orleans and getting to the heart of both.
For more information, visit storyvillerecords.com. Aimée is
at Birdland Apr. 19th-23rd. See Calendar.

ON SCREEN

Legacy: Jon Irabagon, A Solo Tenor Odyssey
Julian Melanson (A Tribe For Jazz)
by Kevin Canfield

In two decades of recording, touring and bandleading,

Jon Irabagon has built a reputation as a saxophonistof manifold talents, a perceptive player whose
discography—a catalogie that includes contemplative
balladry, avant garde atonality and virtually
everything in between—offers listeners a host of
disparate entry points. The once-New-York-nowChicago-based musician has kept busy during the
pandemic, recording, among others, Bird with Streams,
an album of mostly Charlie Parker compositions, andpausing to consider his place within the continuumof jazz history. Accordingly, the title of this 46-minuteperformance film nods to Irabagon’s musical forbears
and the particulars of his working life as a
Filipino-American artist. In an onscreen quote thatappears just before the credits roll, Irabagon says hehopes to help pave a path for “Asian or Filipino
musician(s)” who want to make “creative, vibrant,
improvisational music”.
A showcase for a handful of Irabagon-penned
tunes dating to 2008—the year he won the thenThelonious Monk Institute of Jazz’ saxophonecompetition—the Julian Melanson-directed Legacy
begins with a slickly edited biographical montage:
we watch as Irabagon looks at family photos, spinsvintage vinyl, goes jogging. According to theBandcamp page for his Irabaggast Records, Irabagon“retreat(ed) to the in-laws’ place in South Dakota”
when COVID hit New York. This explains the slowmotion footage of him playing his saxophone in thewoods; viewers forced to ride out the pandemic in
the city should feel free to roll their eyes when heloftily describes how nature “centers” and “focuses”
him. Fortunately, the bulk of this film is devoted to
Irabagon’s invigorating compositions, which heperforms in an empty, moodily lit theater inColumbus, Ohio.
“Dark Horizon”, from his 2019 album Invisible
Horizon, opens the film on a reflective footing;its precise, pliable phrasing serves as an understatedprelude to an eclectic set. “Outright! Theme”, inwhich Irabagon climbs and descends a ladder ofnotes, is a spare, bracing counterpoint to the raucous
version of the song that a band of roughly two dozen
plays on his 2008 album Outright!. “Music Box Song(For When We’re Apart)” and “The Cost of Modern
Living” are at least as evocative as the versions thatappear on Behind the Sky, an album of exquisite
laments released in 2015. The as-yet-unreleased“Alliance”, a fast-moving piece of musical athleticism,may be the most demanding number of the lot. In
close-up, we see the fingers of his right hand bob andweave; he steadies his slightly swaying body when
he leans into a series of deliberately discordant blasts.
This film has some unnecessary visual affectations—the lighting scheme changes with each song
“to illustrate the emotional shifts of life”, according
to an onscreen note—but it succeeds because its
primary concern is Irabagon’s music.
For more information, visit atribeforjazz.org

Gaya
Silke Eberhard’s Potsa Lotsa XL & Youjin Sung
(Trouble in the East)At Kühlspot
Takatsuki Trio Quartett Feat. Silke Eberhard(577 Records)
Being The Up and Down
Silke Eberhard Trio (Intakt)
by Marc Medwin

There is an elusive but audible unity to German alto

saxophonist/clarinetist Silke Eberhard. Her approach
inhabits a universe equal parts exotic and playful, as if
the seriousness pervading it was simultaneously on
the point of being dispelled. Each ensemble also speaks
to that dualistic unity, referencing Eberhard’s musicalpast as it intersects with the historical narratives she
has done so much to champion.
A greatly expanded Potsa Lotsa ensemble, thegroup that committed Eberhard’s expertly conceived
and executed Eric Dolphy projects to disc beginningmore than a decade ago, is joined by Korean gayageum(plucked zither) virtuoso Youjin Sung on Gaya. Its
five pieces, named for the first five Korean numbers,
demonstrate the Dolphy-esque whimsy is still present
but somehow both expanded and deliciously distilled.
The third piece lopes forward with a grandeur soon
usurped by episodic jollity in the service of kaleidoscopic
sound straddling various cultural lines in joyfulrecalibration. The second piece enters life with similarly
fanciful gusto, gayageum in a setting conjoining blues
and chamber music but with Taiko Saito’s muted
vibraphone and piano innards plucked for all they areworth (courtesy of Antonis Anissegos) as quiet brasssurfaces like minnows over a vast ocean of pointillistic
and Protean harmony. The album’s cyclic conclusion
reintroduces the grandeur, allowing the various comic
interludes a context of depth and maturity.
In contrast to the luxuriously jasmine-scented
flavors emanating from the enlarged Potsa Lotsa
project, the Takatsuki Trio Quartett’s At Kühlspot divesdeep into Eberhard’s diverse improvisations in a very
different context. At 9:53 and beyond in this singletrack album, her daredevil interregistral leaps doff the
hat toward the quasi-theatrical irreverent fun of Charles
Mingus and even toward those not usually associatedwith such lightheartedness, like the similarly inclusive
freedoms of Jimmy Lyons. The unusual combination of
Antti Virtaranta’s acoustic bass and Joshua Weitzel’s
shamisen complement Rieko Okuda’s especially brassy
piano, punching Monk-ishly through the layers of
rhythmic intricacy. A word about Okuda’s pianism: herpenchant for unique contrapuntal textures complements
the melodic intrigue of Eberhard’s playing, bringing
a bit of chamber music to a hard-edged session. Okuda’s
vocalizations raise the ante by introducing a linguistic
layer, again referencing syntaxes unknown but almostand elementally familiar as the marshes, flats and hilland-dale juxtapositions roll on.
Being The Up and Down, the newest offering from
Eberhard’s trio, affords the best of both previously
described worlds. Only dig into the serenely unisoned
opening of “Zeitlupenbossa” to be transported east
again in a haze of rapturously rolled and sustained
percussion seasoned with bass harmonics. That vibe
continues as Eberhard’s gorgeously serpentine melody
is supported by drummer Kay Lübke’s delicate
brushwork and bassist Jan Roder ’s slow walk anddroning repetitions. All is spacious implication anddreamy interaction in the ballad world. Not so with thespasmodic whiplash and laugh-out-loud sarcastic wit
of “Strudel”. Lübke and Roder ’s swing and stamina
are both wondrous to behold as Eberhard sails through22 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

register and timbre shifts with ease, blasting those oftcited improvisation and composition boundaries tosmithereens. The mix of studio and concert
performances is so tastefully done that the obviously‘live’ drum solo in “Laika’s Descent” may lead thelistener to anticipate applause at track’s end, to noavail. Beyond all allusion and synthesis, aswith every ensemble hosting this extraordinary
performer and composer, Eberhard’s trio blends
familiarity and novelty with the stunning clarity ofa veteran who has never lost the innocence of pure
enjoyment through exploration.
For more information, visit troubleintheeast-records.com,
577records.com and intaktrec.ch. Eberhard is at Roulette Apr.
21st as part of Jazzwerkstatt Berlin  New York. See Calendar.

Amulet/The Gift
Paul Berner/Michael Moore (Ramboy)
by Elliott Simon

Bassist Paul Berner and clarinetist Michael Moore are

Americans who have resided in the Netherlands forsome time. In late 2020, they went into the studio andfor two consecutive days spoke to each other throughtheir instruments, producing a two-CD documentationof these conversations unencumbered by othermusicians. Moore, a member of the legendary InstantComposers Pool Orchestra, uses this intimate situation
as a break from that work and by design it eschews thebroad range of improvisatory settings and sounds he is
known to navigate. Immediacy and clarity are apparent
and the respect that these musicians have for eachother makes this a compelling listen.
Moore’s clarinet is emotive and his playing nuanced
but across these CDs it is somewhat monochromatic.
That said, the session is noteworthy for its joint
improvisations and uncommon clarinet/bass pairing
within the context of well-known tunes and sprinklingof originals. Berner is equally at home and matches
Moore’s tone and improvising skill in ways that are
seldom heard from a bassist. There is nowhere to hide inthese close quarters and Berner’s melodicism is
extraordinary. Moore nestling his reed with the soundof his breath and Berner subtly vocalizing as he plucks
turn the duo into a unique quartet on many of thesesongs. Such is the case on a relaxed take of George-Ira
Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” and Richard Rodgers’“The Sweetest Sounds” in a gently swinging exercise
with tantalizing Middle Eastern tinge.
Three Moore pieces are quite strong: “Emptier” isan unhurried seduction; the title track a leisurely handin-hand saunter; and “The Gift”, which is the title of Disc2, creatively ebbs and flows. The two are perfect partners
on Joni Mitchell’s “Night Ride Home”, strikingly
beautiful as Bernard’s vocalizations ably substitute forthe original’s percussive cicadas. Among many
standards, Charlie Parker’s “Quasimodo” surprises with
its stripped-down lyricism and the folk tune “The Water
is Wide” impresses with Berner’s lovely intro andMoore’s voice conveying the piece’s Scottish origins. It israre for a bass and a clarinet to be as in love as they are
but this charming marriage made in Holland fittingly
closes with a touching version of Richard Rodgers-Oscar
Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
For more information, visit ramboyrecordings.com. Moore is
at Roulette Apr. 21st as part of Jazzwerkstatt Berlin  New
York. See Calendar.

A Gift To Pops:
The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All Stars
Various Artists (Verve)
by Scott Yanow

P roduced and conceived by Wycliffe Gordon, Nicholas

Payton and Jackie Harris of the Louis Armstrong
Educational Foundation, A Gift To Pops is a rather
unusual tribute. A core band is utilized, which includes
trombonist Gordon, trumpeter Payton and some of themembers of the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra while
guests make appearances. The songs are all fromArmstrong’s repertoire, but the treatments and thequality vary throughout the diverse program.
After Armstrong sings his theme song “When It’s
Sleepy Time Down South” from a 1964 concert, “ThePeanut Vendor” has spirited vocalizing from drummer
Herlin Riley and a spot for trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
“Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” is more like it, hot jazz
reminiscent of Armstrong’s All-Stars. It is very good tohear Payton in this setting and Gordon’s playing isquite rambunctious. “Up A Lazy River” (Gordon
singing close to Armstrong) is played for laughs and isa bit silly. In contrast, “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead
You Rascal You” is not humorous enough.
Armstrong’s sound and style largely disappear
from the remainder of the album. “Rockin’ Chair” is asolo vocal feature for pianist Davell Crawford (Satch
always did it as a comical duet) with some finebackground trumpet by Wendell Brunious. “St. Louis
Blues” is given a New Orleans R&B treatment in 6/4,
getting happily riotous near its end. “A Kiss To Build A
Dream On” is taken as soul jazz with Roderick Paulinsounding fine on tenor. “Swing That Music” starts out a
tad avant garde before Payton and band cook a bit.
Pioneering anti-racist song “Black And Blue” (lyrics byAndy Razaf) is largely unrecognizable, with a forgettable
rap from Common and funky rhythms. “Just A Closer
Walk With Thee” (sung effectively by Reginald Veal)
and inevitable “What A Wonderful World” with Niki
Haris are soulful but also forgettable, preceding a few
philosophical thoughts from Armstrong. The results arewell intentioned, but pale next to Armstrong’s best.
For more information, visit ververecords.com. Wycliffe
Gordon is at Birdland Apr. 22nd-24th. See Calendar.

Quartet+Helen Sung (with Harlem Quartet) (Sunnyside)by Franz Matzner

P ianist Helen Sung’s Quartet + is at heart an optimistic

album full of the richness and vibrancy of New York,
Sung’s inspiration as she has made clear, and all

the more admirable for being produced during the
middle of the pandemic. The set features a traditional
jazz foursome of piano, John Ellis (saxophone, flute),
David Wong (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums)
combined with the strings of the Harlem Quartet. WhileSung, of course, is not the first to combine jazz withstrings, instead of being simply additive or ornamental
they are an essential part of the album’s expressivity
without being ever-present. Another importantorganizing element is a focus on women composers.
There are many beautiful gems. from individualcompositions to moments within each. Geri Allenpenned opener “Feed the Fire” races straight out of thegate, Sung’s fingers a fiery flurry. The music leaps from
instrument to instrument, accelerating into a joint
tumble. Conversely, the beautifully arranged renditionof Mary Lou Williams’ “Mary’s Waltz” that follows
begins with a lovely section from the Harlem Quartet.
Then sapid violin and soft piano guide the other
instruments’ entrance, Scott whisking the signaturerhythm on the brushes with deceptive ease. Sung’s“Coquette” is a Latin-inflected tune featuring sprightly
flute and swinging bass. Carla Bley’s “Wrong Key
Donkey” sways and swerves appropriately, therhythms lurching while strings dance in Middle
Eastern swirls. Even the Harlem Quartet solo piece“Melancholy Mood” (Marian McPartland) and two
Sung originals, sorrowful “Elegy for the City” andpowerful “Lament for Kalief Browder”, fall more like
petals in moonlight than pitch black. Explicitly lifeaffirming, the latter piece carries itself from somber
cello stroke and soprano sighs to a pageantry of
breakneck jazz exuberance captured in swing groove.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Sung is
at The Django Apr. 28th. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 23

Riverside
Oz Noy/Ugonna Okegwo/Ray Marchica(Outside In Music)
by Phil Freeman

There is a lot of don’t-wake-the-baby jazz guitar out

there, records, which, while exquisitely played, makeRalph Towner sound like Sonny Sharrock. This is not
one of those records. Guitarist Oz Noy, bassist Ugonna
Okegwo and drummer Ray Marchica were notcollaborators before the COVID-19 pandemic andresultant lockdown, but they were neighbors. With gigs
out of the question, they started hanging out andplaying together in Riverside Park, overlooking the
Hudson River. This album contains versions of eight
jazz standards—stop yawning! stop rolling youreyes!—plus a blues and a drum solo and while it has
quiet moments, the overall feeling is joyous and vibrant,
three guys taking big bites of musical comfort food.
They come from different musical backgrounds:
Noy a high-volume player who blends jazz, rock, funkand R&B; Okegwo a traditional jazz bassist who has
worked extensively with trumpeter Tom Harrell; andMarchica a Broadway and session drummer who
performs the music of Frank Zappa as a member of the
Ed Palermo Big Band. Together, they make up a
surprisingly rockin’ trio, capable of putting a backbeat
under bebop classics and turning mellow soul ballads
into vehicles for high-energy improvisation.
The album starts out with the standard of all
standards, “All The Things You Are”. Noy lays out the
melody in relatively gentle fashion, before Okegwo
and Marchica come in and things heat up. By the twominute mark, when the drummer drops the hammer
with one snare bomb after another and the guitarist is
racing up and down the fretboard, unspooling one
variation after another on the complex harmonies, it isclear that these are not going to be rote, suppertime
rehashes of music every jazz fan already knows. The
biting guitar tone and jackhammer beat on Charlie
Parker ’s “Anthropology” drives that point home andby the time they get to the strutting “Riverside Blues”
and “6/8 Lunch Break” (the aforementioned drumsolo), things have gotten good and loud.
For more information, visit outsideinmusic.com. This
project is at The Django Apr. 30th. See Calendar.

The Bottom
Luke Stewart’s Silt Trio (Cuneiform)
We Were Here Before
Mark Cisneros/Nik Francis/Luke Stewart(Catalytic Sound)
by Kurt GottschalkDon’t it always seem to go (to rework a Joni Mitchellline) that you don’t know what you got till it’s on? Thetrio of bassist Luke Stewart, saxophonist Brian Settles
and percussionist Chad Taylor is every bit as good as it
promised to be on paper and then some. Stewart andSettles—both based in Washington, DC—played in aprevious trio with Warren “Trae” Crudup III. With no

24 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

slight intended toward Mr. Crudup, the motion Taylor
brings to Stewart’s Silt Trio is considerable. Taylor has,of course, proven himself an exemplary musical partnertime and time again, from his time in Chicago to thelast couple of decades in NYC. His rhythmic dynamism
pushes the Silt Trio’s debut The Bottom in varied andrewarding directions. The opener, “Reminiscince” [sic],
is vehicle for mbira and bass built around a folk melody
from Zimbabwe. The title track is anchored by a slowbuild, midtempo swing in the understated drummingand popping bass. “Dream House”—named forminimalist composer La Monte Young’s longstanding
installation environment—seems unexpectedly to draw
allusions to Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz” in Settles’
saxophone melody. It is a gentle bop that shows thetrio’s knack for building on a tune within tastefulrestraint. They really only go full throttle on the shortest
track, the three-minute open improvisation “Circles”.
Otherwise, they adhere to Stewart’s frameworks, witheach of the six tracks being its own setting, making fora thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable 40 minutes.
Stewart is an active figure in DC and busy enoughin this town that he could seem to be a New Yorker aswell. A broadcaster as well as in-demand bassist,
Stewart works through Catalytic Sound—an artist-run
music distribution cooperative and streaming platformfounded in 2015 by a group of forward-thinking
musicians including Mats Gustafsson, Paal NilssenLove and Ken Vandermark—to raise funds for
Washington grass-roots causes. One such project is
We Were Here Before, a trio with saxophonist Mark
Cisneros and drummer Nik Francis. Sales of the digital
release (part of which can be streamed through Catalytic
Sound’s Bandcamp store) will go to Empower DC, anorganization aimed at investing in organizing andleadership within the city’s low-income communities.
The album, dedicated to departed DC saxophonist
Aaron Martin Jr., is a more open-ended affair than theSilt Trio record, calling to mind in no small part themore subdued, latter-day explorations of John Coltrane.
It, too, mixes themes with group improvisation, butwith two tracks totaling about 35 minutes, theexcursions are longer. The tracks, however, comprisea seven-part suite. The individual sections are notclearly delineated, but they do at least form a structurethat keeps the music moving, gradually and organically,
and the innate sensibilities of the performers are plainly
evident. It may not mark a Bold New Trio to Watch Out
For the way The Bottom does, but We Were Here Before
shows Stewart at home and engaged, steadfast andmusical and committed.
For more information, visit cuneiformrecords.com andcatalytic-sound.com. Stewart is at Scholes Street Studio
Apr. 9th and Harlem School of the Arts Apr. 30th with
Adegoke Steve Colson. See Calendar.

LeAutoRoiOgraphy
Heroes Are Gang Leaders (577 Records)
Remembrance: The Poetry of Emily Brontë
Nelson Cascais (Robalo)
Out of Our Systems
Eliot Cardinaux/Will McEvoy/Max Goldman(Bodily Press)
by John Pietaro

As we celebrate National Poetry Month, we alsocelebrate the heritage of jazz poetry, which reaches far,with roots in the slave poem, work song and blues
narrative and blossoming within the Harlem
Renaissance. The driving mechanism for the poetwithin jazz has been the music’s rhythm and phrasing,as well as its socio-politics, a topographical schematic
if you will, with which to construct verse and, in
performance settings, to present the execution of same.
At times, however, the music has been wholly createdaround standing literature and these recent albums
were scored to integrate the artforms while stillembracing sound, shape, cause and color.
Heroes Are Gang Leaders is the contemporary
ensemble most fully embodying this heritage while not
only acknowledging the socio-political but also fully
embracing its necessary radicalism. Founded in 2014
and led by poet Thomas Sayers Ellis, the band is anorganic multi-art event “dedicated to the soundextensions of literary text and original composition”.
For LeAutoRoiOgraphy the band—a dozen strong!—wasrecorded live at Paris’ Sons D’Hiver Festival,
performing a commemoration of Amiri Baraka (aka
LeRoi Jones, hence the title). Though some of theseselections were initially heard on an earlier studioalbum, The Amiri Baraka Sessions, these captures arevital, with the band coming to full power on stage.
Featured musicians James Brandon Lewis (tenor
saxophone, also the band’s composer), Melanie Dyer
(viola) and Devin Brahja Waldman (alto saxophone) in
the company of vocalist/spoken word artist Nettie
Chickering and poets Randall Horton and Bonita Lee
Penn, as well as the leader himself, profoundly bringthe inspiration of Baraka into the here and now.
Chickering’s looming presence and Lewis’ smolderingmusic on the three-movement “Amina”, for the poet/actress who is Amiri’s widow, adds a beautiful gravity
to the atmosphere. Chickering calls out on the firstmovement, “The Dutchman’s Three-Buttoned Suit”(referring to Baraka’s commanding drama The
Dutchman):
Damn was it something I said?
Did I do something wrong?...
Were there more people burnt as witches thanStarting a revolution over the price of tea…
Lewis and Dyer and then bassist Luke Stewart,
pianist Jenna Camille and guitarist Brandon Moses
take to the skies, painting it darkest blue and thenpurple, emitting an interactive soundscape, whichfeeds into a network of voices, both spoken and sung.
Quotes from some of Baraka’s most powerful works
are woven through poetics and emotional releases on
Penn’s “Poetry iz Labor”, a statement that Amina
Baraka includes in her works till this day. And Section
Three, “Forensic Report”, artfully combines classic free
improvisation with spoken word: War-gasm!
“Shrimpy Grits” has Ellis up front along with
Waldman, whose alto brandishes an amazingly diverse
collection of timbres (in every setting, his horn soeasily mimics a soprano or C-melody saxophone), but
the full ensemble tosses an aural palette at the hall’s
ceiling, the drippings splattering in flourishes. The

title work speaks to the progression of Baraka’s writing
and activist career over years, with Chickering singing
over moving piano, most akin to musical theater orcabaret, before the full ensemble enters, soaring
through gorgeously advanced harmonies. Lewis’admiration of Sun Ra, Art Ensemble of Chicago andKarl Berger becomes evident as the horns, particularly
the aerial trumpet of Heru Shabaka-Ra, and thrilling,
melodic drummer Warren Cruddup III herald in the
new day that Baraka spent a lifetime seeking out.
The core of the album, “Mista Sippy”, is bold sonicand literary commentary on the fallout from
American racism.
The best kept secret in American politics…
Contradiction…
Emoted testimony, sloping jazz, dramatic
dialogue, gospel and avant blues pervade, a veritablecornucopia of rebellion. Brief solos by Dyer, Lewis,
Shabaka-Ra and Waldman are a captivating gateway tothe poetry of Horton and Ellis. On closer “Sad Dictator”
Chickering sings through Ellis’ poetry as Penn raps
Amina Baraka’s empowering “I Wanna Make
Freedom”. The longing in Shabaka-Ra’s horn recalls
Don Cherry’s lamentations while the best of New
Thing jazz, performance art and protest song crosspollinate in real time. Ellis’ outpouring of literarysocial justice, fueled by that of the Barakas, should
serve as the soundtrack to every struggle for social
justice within range. As Amiri once noted: “I think
anybody who is serious about language, always sees
the written as a conduit for the spoken for theperception of reality. The spoken word is alive.”
On Remembrance: The Poetry of Emily Brontë,Lisbon-based bassist and composer Nelson Cascais
offers a project honoring the great British novelist andpoet. The album is comprised of ten pieces, six ofwhich feature the brilliant, somber writings of Brontë,woven together to depict the haunts of her times.
Claudio Alves, in a clear but quietly moving tenor,
conjures her words to life, emoting within a restraint
most Victorian. On the opening track, “The Night is
Darkening Round Me”, following a brief solo bass
introduction and sinewy alto saxophone-led melody,
Alves softly intones in a cautious sing-song voice:
Clouds beyond clouds above me
Wastes beyond wastes below
But nothing drear can move me
I will not, cannot go
Saxophonist Ricardo Toscano, lushly expands thepiece’s direction with valiant, terse improvisations,churning the intensity with pianist Oscar Marcelino,
drummer João Lopes Pereira and the leader. For
Bronte’s deftly moving “All Hushed and Still Within
the House”, the ensemble’s improvisations match andthen goes beyond the complexity of emotions foundwithin the source poetry, that which demarcates theloneliness and losses of her brief life (Bronte died atage 30, following the deaths of her mother andsiblings). But the title track feels much more throughcomposed and vibraphonist Eduardo Cardinho adds
silvery highlights at once thickening and aerating thetapestry. Cardinho’s solo statements reach beyond themere sonority of his instrument, grasping the bars withmarimba-like rolls and alluring motifs.
Cold in the earth—and fifteen wild Decembers
From those brown hills, have melted into spring
Over several instrumental pieces, the band
demonstrates skillful musicianship within Cascais’
largely tonal works. “Intimations of Mortality” isreminiscent of Steps Ahead, clouded of texture witha saxophone/vibraphone lead and harboring an inner
pulsation subtly evocative of the ensemble’s

Portuguese background. And as the album moves
toward the finale, harmonies darken (the piano intro to“Fall, Leaves, Fall”, thickets of beautiful atonality, is
indicative) and both music and poetry turn pensive,
almost still. Ironically, the melody recalls strains ofJohn Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice”, albeit heard in aslow tempo. Later, such echoes fade and it is within theart song tradition that Remembrance: The Poetry of Emily
Brontë comes to a close. Delightfully packaged, thealbum has a cover of a windswept landscape setting off
inserts including a translucent “contents” page and afold-out of the included Brontë poems. This collection
is a lasting document.
Reading his own poetry with aplomb and removal,
pianist Eliot Cardinaux continues the travail withbassist Will McEvoy and drummer Max Goldman on
Out of Our Systems. For opener “Lying in the House of
You (Piano Day)”, piano only enters at the half-way
mark, ceding to upright bass bowed just off the
instrument’s bridge and whispery drumming.
The Silent: cold fire
The wolf’s eyes flicker into no one’s language…
A searching, distant sounding work, particularly
once piano enters, its gorgeously complex harmonies
modulating through darkness and jarring light. The
rhythm section, as it were, is orchestral in approach;Goldman makes grand use of gamelan-like choked,
muffled cymbals played with mallets.
Cardinaux’ means of threading art forms is
explained in his recent statement on the Poems andPoetics blog: “I am a poet of the lyric lineage, favoring
the lucidly bent, bare syntax of George Oppen & thestrange torn off clarity of Paul Celan. Mine are poemsof compressed language, of a self folded in on itself…”
The austere but deeply emotional confluence is also
found within Oppen: an ex-pat in Paris, he returned to
New York, founding the Objectivist School of poetry.
However, during the Great Depression, he ceased
writing to become a community and labor organizer
within the Communist Party. A decorated War veteran,
he was driven out of the U.S. under threat of the House
Un-American Activities Committee, returning home in1958. Oppen was, a decade later, awarded the Pulitzer.
As with the Cascais album, Cardinaux is sure toreflect his poetics within the music and the lengthy
instrumental section of “Toxin”, like Bill Evans andPaul Bley’s early ‘60s modernism, is an intellectual
brand of jazz driven by restlessness. Further, McAvoy’s“Unwound”, one of two compositions he contributes
to the disc, is gray, pensive, sparse of melody, sparser
still of harmonies. It features bass deliciously repulsing
the framework and then Goldman’s solo of artfully
deconstructed triplets, leading in a slow, pervasive
lessening and then muting of emotion. Such darkness
drove the life of Celan, a Romanian Jew who witnessed
Kristallnacht, lived in a Nazi-occupied ghetto where
he translated Shakespeare and finally escaped botha prison camp and the Soviet Bloc. Living out his daysin Paris, Celan struggled with emotional turmoil andberating obscurity.
So much of both poets is felt in this collection andvisualized, too, in the Zoe Christiansen artwork, but
Cardinaux himself remains the defining pulsation. The
improvised fire music about “A Black Box for the Holy
Ghost”, its poetry of doubt, denial, reimagining
rebellion, perhaps guilt within the sound thicket,
exemplifies Out of Our Systems as our necessary step inthe tradition.
Maria, Maria, Maria…
Uncontained testing certain freedom…
The temple stands for the midnight cipher…
Negation, negation, negation…
For more information, visit 577records.com, nelsoncascais.com
and bodilypress.bandcamp.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 25

Slowly: Song for Keith Jarrett
Noah Haidu (Sunnyside)by Jim MotavalliThis album includes only one credited Keith Jarrett

composition, “Rainbow”. Instead of simply playing
Jarrett, pianist Noah Haidu—with the unimpeachable
rhythm section of Buster Williams and Billy Hart—
conjures up his spirit at its most lyrical. Haidu merges“Rainbow” with his own “Keith Jarrett” for an
introspective workout. Actually, it is unclear if Jarrett
wrote “Rainbow”—1977 album Byablue credits it to the
pianist’s former wife, Margot Jarrett; Haidu seems
skeptical about that attribution in his lines notes.
Haidu shared an appreciation for Jarrett’s musicwith his late father who, shortly before he died, gave
his son tickets to what turned out to be the pianist’s
last concert in 2017. Haidu’s title song is a tribute to
The Köln Concert his dad loved and an elegy. It is
beautiful in any case, though a bit sparer than a typical
Jarrett alone-at-the-piano session.
There are three standards, acknowledging theplace the Great American Songbook had in Jarrett’s
repertoire. Maria Grever ’s “What a Difference a Day
Makes” is taken midtempo, an almost jaunty respite;
Haidu studied with Kenny Barron and he more than
Jarrett is heard here. Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia” istaken at a glacial 3 a.m. tempo, Frank Sinatra at the bar,
pouring out his heart to anxious-to-close Joe. Jimmy
Van Heusen-Johnny Burke’s “But Beautiful” was madefor a slow tempo and gets it.
If you were wondering how Williams was faring,
look no farther than his “Air Dancing”, which opens
the album. First heard in a recording with Freddie
Waits and Stanley Cowell in 1987, it is a lovely tune
with a superbly sensitive solo by its composer.
“Duchess” and “Lorca” are Hart’s tunes. The former
manages to be both delicate and probing, with piano atinkling force of nature, and the latter featuring
especially strong drumwork.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Haidu is
at Mezzrow Apr. 13th. See Calendar.

Ode To O
The OGJB Quartet (TUM)
by George Kanzler

The OGJB Quartet name derives from the given namesof its members: Oliver Lake (alto saxophone), Graham
Haynes (cornet and electronics), Joe Fonda (bass) andBarry Altschul (drums). The four are distinguishedsenior members of the jazz avant garde, New Thing
movement that grew out of Ornette Coleman’s

26 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

pioneering excursions into “free” jazz. Ode to O is for
Ornette and this quartet mirrors the instrumentation of
Coleman’s groundbreaking quartet of the late ‘50s-60s.
Altschul’s title tune provides a lively intro, as heand Fonda mesh, expanding and contracting rhythms
like images in a kaleidoscope, Lake and Haynes trading
and jamming lines, cornet floating long notes, alto
bobbing and weaving, pinching a note, arpeggiating astring of them. Rage and anger seem to spill from horns
and rhythm on Lake’s “Justice”, a barrage of squeals,
honks and overblowing erupting from the tandem horns,
all over tumbling, churning rhythms. Fonda’s multisection “Me without Bela”, by far the longest track (12½minutes) begins semi-free, with arco bass and drum jabs
under roughly unison horns, but falls into the album’s
most sinuous rhythm, exotic, rolling North Africaninspired, under horns soloing in a weaving tandem.
Other tracks, like Lake’s “Bass Bottom”, explore,
in his words, “the uses of color, texture and sound”,
a description that could also happily apply to Altschul’s
ballad “Caring” and Haynes’ “Apaixonado”, the latter
reminiscent of Coleman’s “Lonely Woman”, rightdown to the yearning horns. Haynes employs ‘live’
electronics to the cornet on his own “The Other Side”,
also notable for a hypnotic tone row he assigns to alto
and bass. He also uses electronics on “OGJB #4”,
the second of two completely collective improvisations.
The other, “OGJB #3”, eschews a pulse to “explore
textures, tones [and] timbres outside rhythms.” This
CD is sumptuously packaged, with a very informative,
40-page color-photo illustrated booklet with notes on
the music from different perspectives and fullbiographies of all the quartet members.
For more information, visit tumrecords.com. Joe Fonda is at
Downtown Music Gallery Apr. 19th. See Calendar.

Blacksalt
Abraham Burton/Lucian Ban (Sunnyside)by Marco Cangiano

Although they have been collaborating for quite sometime, this is the first duo album from saxophonist
Abraham Burton and Romanian pianist Lucian Ban.
Ban is not new to duo efforts, having recorded withclarinetist Alex Radu, violinist Mat Maneri and baritone
saxophonist baritonist Alex Harding. He has also
recorded 19 CDs capturing his many musical interests,
many of which linked to the Romanian folk music
tradition that inspired Bartók and Enesco, among
others. His musical appetite appears insatiable as heranges from modern improvisation to postbop with anaffinity for the blues while Burton belongs to theregrettable category of “deserving wider recognition”
with a distinct sonority covering the full range of his
alto or tenor, from breathy whisper to high scream.
This album, recorded live in 2018 at The Baroque
Hall in Timisoara, Romania, comes across as more of a
Burton date rather than a dialogue. He plays
passionately throughout, always taking the lead andlimiting somewhat Ban’s solos. Nonetheless, it is Ban’s
tasteful comping and underlying conversation thatallows freedom in interpreting the material.
Burton is on fire, drawing inspiration from Pharoah

Sanders, to whom “Opening-Free Flow” is dedicated.
Pieces encompass postbop sections alternating withmore open sequences where Burton’s declamatory
tenor pushes the sound to the edge of tonality whilerarely trespassing it, the a cappella “Interlude” being acase in point. At the same time, he lets his mellower
side take over in his beautiful ballad “Dad”.
Ban also contributes a crepuscular piece with
“Untold”, reminiscent of certain Ellington-ian
atmospheres such as “Blood Count”. The highlight isBan’s “Not That Kind of Blues” (previously recordedin duo with Harding and Maneri). This version reaches
the very heart of the blues, including call-and-response,
the results more joyous than the one with Harding andless composed and pensive than with Maneri.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Burton
is at Smalls Apr. 12th. See Calendar.

(EEE) The Eubanks-Evans-Experience
Orrin Evans/Kevin Eubanks (Imani)
by Russ Musto

Despite an age gap of nearly two decades, there ispalpable simpatico in the music created by these two
Philadelphia natives on their debut duo disc. Each
proves himself to be both exceptionally capable soloist

and accompanist, possessing engaging melodicism,
harmonic acuity and keen sense of rhythmic drive.
The date begins gently with the pair reaching back
30 years to revisit Eubanks’ “Novice Bounce”. They
slow down the tempo on what was the opening trackof the composer ’s debut, Guitarist, putting in sharper
focus the lighthearted melody, which at first conjures
the image of a miniature ballerina twirling atop a
music box before modulating into a lively dance. Omar
Hakim’s “Dreams Of Lovely You”, a funk-ified hit
from trumpeter Tom Browne’s late ‘70s Love Approachdate, is given a melancholic treatment, transformed
into an achingly beautiful lullaby, guitar sighing
emotionally over gospel-tinged piano.
Co-composed “I Don’t Know” is a rocking
escapade with a melodic motif hinting at Joe Zawinul’s
Weather Report classic “Birdland”, guitar in a Jimi
Hendrix mode and hard-hitting soulful piano.
Eubanks’ “And They Ran Out Of Biscuits” is a freeflowing excursion, modulating between melodic
rhythmatism and shattering dissonance recalling Cecil
Taylor. “Dawn Marie”, Evans’ dedication to his life
partner, is a beautiful love song with a classic quality
akin to the Bob Haggart-Johnny Burke standard“What’s New” or Mal Waldron’s “Soul Eyes”.
The disc ends with two extended improvisatory
pieces recorded live at Philadelphia’s Chris’ Jazz Café.
There is an urgency to “Variations On The Battle”,
a take-off on Evans’ “#knowingishalfthebattle”, thetitle track of his 2016 Smoke Sessions disc, before a softlanding on Eubanks’ “Variations On Adoration”,
a revisiting of the ballad from his 2010 Zen Food date.
For more information, visit eubanksevansexperience.
bandcamp.com. This project is at The Jazz Gallery Apr.
23rd. See Calendar.

“One of those albums that we know are unique jewels”-Félix Amador, Jazz ese ruido“It’s eminently clear that Duke’s
music is in excellent hands….
a treasure trove”-Ron Schepper, Textura Magazine“A thoughtfully curated, well-playedcollection of gems...perfect in highlighting the musicality
and potency of the master’s [Ellington’s] corpus.”-Troy Dostert, AllAboutJazz.com“The first four numbers, like the entire album, show the duo’s
depth and range….Peter and John give a rich, nuanced
performance.”- Mark Harvey, director, Aardvark Jazz Orchestra

Photo: Rebecca DeLamotte“14 of Duke Ellington’s greatest classics played as a piano-fluteduo, that’s not trivial...It is daring. It took two master musicians
to attempt and succeed in the challenge.”- Jean Buzelin, CultureJazz.Fr.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 27

Komen & GaanICP Septet (ICP)
Incipient ICP (1966-71)
Instant Composers Pool (Corbett vs. Dempsey)by Stuart Broomer

These releases present the latest and earliest recordingsof the singularly long-lived and wittily anarchic InstantComposers Pool. Komen & Gaan was recorded in
October 2020; Incipient ICP starts in 1966. The ICP wasfounded in 1967 by late pianist/composer Misha
Mengelberg, late composer/reed player Willem
Breuker (who departed the band in the mid ‘70s) anddrummer Han Bennink, the only constant from theearly years and who, turning 80 this month, continues
embodying ICP’s special spirit.
Komen & Gaan (Coming and Going) was recorded
over a two-day stay at Le Brocope, a combination inn/
restaurant/jazz club in the Netherlands town ofOldeberloop. The septet’s performance, under
Bennink’s musical direction, is characteristicallysurreal, microphones sometimes following musiciansfrom room to room: the 16 episodes embrace farce toromance, dream to chaos. Four “Komen & Gaan”
segments include sparkling passages of intense free
improvisation, with highlights from trombonist Walter
Wierbos and the reeds of Ab Baars, Michael Moore andguest Joris Roelofs while violinist/violist Mary Oliverand bassist/pianist Ernst Glerum shine in quieter

moments. Pianist Guus Janssen leads the joyous
pastiche of “Pianola Pastiche”.
Only three episodes credit individual composers
and two are the same piece, Glerum’s “De Linkerschoen,
De Rechterschoen” (“Left Shoe, Right Shoe”,
undoubtedly the shoes represented in Bennink’s
wonderful cover drawing). The piece, poised between
dance band kitsch and Ellington, has a transcendent
quality. Moore’s arrangement of Mengelberg’s“Kroket” is as icily detached as something Hanns
Eisler could have put together for Bertolt Brecht.
Further credits could be due Bach for “GoFer”,
a raucous duet by Janssen and guitarist Terrie Ex, andRichard Rodgers for “The Sound of Music”.
If Komen & Gaan suggests a documentary film,
Incipient ICP invites extended commentary on the
networks of musical-social-ideological forces at play in
two CDs of often-brilliant music recorded over five
years. The 1966 works come from Mengelberg-led
groups. He and Bennink had developing international
reputations based on Eric Dolphy’s Last Date and, quite
apart from Mengelberg’s compound compositional
vocabulary, it is startling to hear alto saxophonist Piet
Noordijk and Breuker (on bass clarinet) virtuallychanneling Dolphy. “Viet Cong”, a collage of
expressionist, military and Asian-sounding materials,
explicitly presses political buttons.
The first ICP-designated recordings from 1967
already begin to emphasize the segmented style ofcontrasting moods, with diverse textures so finely
realized they sound more contemporary than muchcontemporary music. While there is initially a certain
compatibility between the compositions of Mengelberg
and Breuker, by the time one reaches the second CD weare hearing not only more of the incipient ICP but evenmore of what would eventually become the Willem
Breuker Kollektief. There is a brief but visionary tentet
session of highly heterodox works from 1969 with
Frederic Rzewski joining in on electronics and assorted
keyboards. The final 1971 session is a quintet of winds
and bass sans Mengelberg and Bennink. The four Breuker
compositions increasingly apply collage strategies toinvoke ancient music halls and village bands. Albert
Ayler’s “Angels” enjoys a moving rendition.
For more information,
corbettvsdempsey.com

visit

icporchestra.com

andComplètement Marteau
René Lussier (ReR Megacorp)
PRinTeMps 2021
René Lussier, Robbie Kuster, Érick d’Orion,
Martin Tétreault (Les Disques VICTO)
by Steven Loewy

Montréal-based guitarist René Lussier, who turns 65

this month, has alternately thrilled and surprised
listeners with a fresh and evolving (and occasionallydevolving) approach, which made him one of the leading
free-style Canadian performers in the decades at the endof the 20th Century. Ensconced in a wide variety of
performance, ranging from fully composed pieces towildly comedic and scintillating free improvisation,
Lussier continues to pump out a regular flow ofrecordings exploring the outer edges, incorporating
a form of theatrical performance mixed with wild
juxtapositions of jazzy rifts, moody ambient rhythms
and changing tempos and sounds. Along the way, headds “…home-made percussive elements consisting of
rubbing sounds, mouth sounds, cake spatulas, barbequespits and Styrofoam on a wet pane of glass.”

28 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Complètement Marteau collects some of theguitarist’s 21st Century compositions, performed solowith electronics, voices, electric guitar riffs and drones
coming and going. Acoustic bassist Hugo Blouin
performs solo on “Le Clou”, one of the highlights, withalternating arco bass, pizzicato strumming, jazzy
melodies and plenty of displays of great technique.
Elsewhere, there is lots going on, as Lussier totally
dominates with strong guitar riffs, a fine display of theHans Reichel-invented daxophone and reverberating,crusty electronics and bluesy and rock-like musings.
Calling it “John Zorn Meets the Crazy guy with the
Guitar” wouldn’t be way off. The results pay off as
there is continuous excitement in the air, exemplified
by the rousing “Pour Modifier Vos Options
Personnelles, Appuyer, Sur L’etoile”, a 15-minute tour
de force mixing crunchy, explosive electro magic witha variety of changing moods and sounds.
PRinTeMps 2021, recorded live at the Festival
International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, isan entirely different kind of recording, in which Lussier
is joined by Érick D’Orion on laptop and electronics,
Robbie Kuster on drums and longtime collaborator
and turntable manipulator whiz Martin Tétreault.
Lussier fans should enjoy the peregrinations of theunit, as there are the usual little sounds, guitar
wizardry and almost anything else you can imagine.
Volume intensifies and wanes, ambience rears its head
and the variety is endless. “Celle Qui Précède L’Autre”
and “L’Autre” are standouts, the former with thrilling
guitar and hard-hitting drums, tailed by untamed
daxophone and repetitive drumming, the latter
focusing on static, bells, powerful drumming, moaning
voices and more.
For more information, visit rermegacorp.com and victo.qc.ca

Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster
Mark Masters Ensemble(featuring Art Baron and Tim Hagans) (Capri)
Exuberant Ellingtonia: Flute & Piano Sessions
Peter Bloom/John Funkhouser (Americas Musicworks)
Berlin 1959
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (Storyville)by George Kanzler

The enduring timelessness of Duke Ellington’s music,

as well as its adaptability, comes through beautifullyon these three albums, two of them contemporary, theother from a concert recorded in 1959 in Berlin. All
three proffer unique takes on his music, even the one
from Ellington (who was born 123 years ago thismonth), for he was constantly revising and refining hismusic in concert and with thousands of tunes andapproaches to choose from, each concert was in some
way unique, despite all the familiar touchstones.
Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster is arranger
Mark Masters’ reimagining of repertoire from the 194042 band that featured bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor
saxophonist Ben Webster, one of the pinnacles of thehalf-century tenure of Ellington’s groups. Masters’
13-piece, pianoless band features guests Art Baron(trombone) and Tim Hagans (trumpet). Baron was thelast trombonist Duke hired, with the band the last yearof Ellington’s life and afterward in it under
Mercer Ellington’s leadership. He inherited the
Tricky Sam Nanton plunger-mute role in the “slippery
horns” section and Masters uses his prowess withthe plunger to reimagine feature roles in BlantonWebster-era Ellingtonia. Plunger muted horn takes theBlanton lead on “Jack the Bear” and “Ko-Ko”, as wellas the Johnny Hodges alto saxophone role on “Passion
Flower”. Masters also takes liberties with familiar
Ellington tunes, for instance reassembling “Take the‘A’ Train”, rocking out “Duke’s Place” anddeconstructing “What Am I Here For?”. The lack of
piano benefits the openness of the solos, often framedby only bass or bass and drums. And Masters, Baronand the band make sure there is enough Duke for
Ellingtonians.
Exuberant Ellingtonia, a duo album from flutist
Peter H. Bloom and pianist John Funkhouser, can becompared to the extended “my greatest hit medleys”
Ellington included in his concerts. The two present 14
tunes, ranging from a little over two minutes to a little
over four minutes long. Funkhouser favors stride
piano swing and Bloom’s flute sings Duke’s often
sophisticated melodies with infectious brio. The
impressionistic atmosphere of Billy Strayhorn’s“Chelsea Bridge” and “A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing”
are also ably conveyed by the pair.
But if you want to hear an Ellington hit medley,
you can’t beat the two on Berlin 1959. This is one of thevery best live Ellington concert recordings to havesurfaced in the almost half-century he has been gone.
The band was at an artistic peak in the late ‘50s, riding
on the success of the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival“re-birth”. Johnny Hodges was back and Clark Terry
had not yet left the trumpet section, soaring here in
bebop complicity with tenor saxophonist Paul
Gonsalves on the burner “Newport Up”. Terry evencontributes solo exchanges to Cat Anderson’s trumpet
feature “El Gato”. The concert also includes selections
from then recent Ellington works, including “Flirtibird”
from Anatomy of a Murder and two selections from the1957 Shakespearian suite Such Sweet Thunder. Jimmy
Johnson—more than ably subbing for Sam Woodyard—
nails the Louis Bellson-penned drum feature “SkinDeep” while Lil Greenwood sings three non-Dukeblues, plus “Solitude”. But the medleys, 3 tunes fromthe Jungle Band period first, 11 “hits” later, areindelible. The first features Ellington’s uniqueensemble voicings. The second medley is dominatedby the leader ’s piano, as he demonstrates exactly how
unique his keyboard style was.

and a vocalist) suggested orchestral music as much, if
not more, as it did jazz; it was a demonstration of
Taylor ’s compositional methodologies, given that he
was working with a group composed entirely of
players new to him.
A little over two years later, in September 1990,
one of the members of the Workshop Ensemble,
saxophonist Ove Volquartz, decided to repeat theexperience. He assembled as many of the original
players as he could: trombonist Heinz-Erich Gödecke,
saxophonist Joachim Gies, violinist Harald Kimmig,
bassists Alexander Frangenheim, Uwe Martin andGeorg Wolf and drummers Lukas Lindenmaier andPeeter Uuskyla and added a few new faces (trumpeter
Tobias Netta, saxophonist Martin Speicher andpercussionist Kojo Samuels) and brought Taylor to
Göttingen, Sweden for a concert.
The results are markedly different from Legba
Crossing, despite the presence of so many of the sameplayers. For one thing, it is a much longer performance,
lasting nearly two-and-a-half hours, split into two sets
and an encore. Taylor ’s playing is thunderous, butnever dominant; he has given the other musicians
plenty of material to work with and the horns takeextended solos and engage in dialogue and larger
conversations. The bassists and drummers create an
ambient rumble rather than attempt to impose timeand violin rarely pierces the storm of sound, but in thequieter moments when it does, it is a striking and vital
addition to the musical environment. Indeed, the lesscommon (for Taylor) instruments, like Kojo Samuels’
congas, are what makes this an important release foranyone interested in mapping the many pathways the
pianist traveled down in his six-decade artistic journey.
For more information, visit fsrecords.net

For
more
information,
visit
caprirecords.com,
americasmusicworks.com and storyvillerecords.com

GEORGE FREEMAN
Everybody Say Yeah!
~ Guitar Legend George Freeman
IS Jazz History ~Celebrate George’s 95th birthday
on April 10, 2022!
The BEST of Southport - Remastered plus a new recording and unreleased tracks with
Mike Allemana / Tatsu Aoki / Harrison Bankhead
Billy Branch / Chico Freeman / Von Freeman
Joanie Pallatto / Alejo Poveda / Eldee Young*Get it! on amazon and everywhere*
Southport Records
Real Jazz Made In Chicago
773-281-8510
www.chicagosound.com

Göttingen
Cecil Taylor Ensemble (Fundacja Słuchaj!)by Phil Freeman

F or a month in the summer of 1988, Cecil Taylor, whodied four years ago this month, moved to Berlin, where
the pianist hosted workshops, gave solo concerts andcollaborated with a slew of fellow improvisingmusicians from Europe and all over the world. The
results were gathered in the 11-CD set In Berlin ’88,
a landmark release in Taylor ’s discography and thehistory of avant garde jazz generally. The first disc in
the box was Legba Crossing, a 48-minute work composed
and led by Taylor (though he did not play), with theparticipating musicians credited as the Cecil Taylor
Workshop Ensemble. It was a large group and the
instrumental palette (flute, oboe, three reedplayers,
trombone, violin, three bassists, piano, two drummers

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 29

Montmartre 73
Duke Jordan (SteepleChase)by Ken Dryden

P ianist Duke Jordan (born 100 years ago this month)established himself in bop’s ‘40s heyday but by theearly ‘60s wasn’t really working. In 1973, a trip to
Denmark launched his association with SteepleChase,for whom he would record frequently through the endof the decade. This live set at the Jazzhus Montmartre
was made between the first and second sessions for his
initial SteepleChase LP Flight To Denmark with bassist
Allan Gregersen and drummer Jørn Elniff. While thistrio was new, it was already coming together, though
the drummer is sometimes overzealous. Jordan’ssound is buried somewhat in the mix and the pianosounds a bit tinny, but his chops are still quite evident.
Danish tenor saxophonist Bent Jædig is a powerfulpresence on five of the eight tracks, projecting a big
tone in standards like “Embraceable You” and a sizzling“The Man I Love”. The only misfire is the substitutionof Johnny Dyani on bass for “These Foolish Things”, as
he is too adventurous and busy in his comping andsolo. Things improve as Eddie Gomez takes over onbass for a lengthy treatment of “Walkin’”, Jædig
returning to the stage with the understanding that he isproviding support rather than showing off, Jordan
easily taking solo honors. The trio incorporates a bit ofcalypso in “W’utless”, an obscure Jordan original.
The quartet is on hand at night’s end for an
explosive rendition of “Scrapple From The Apple” by
Jordan’s former boss Charlie Parker. Jædig avoids bopclichés in his passionate solo and the leader is subtle
and spacious in his spotlight. The band segues into
Jordan’s signature song “Jordu” to wrap the evening.
Although Duke Jordan worked with Jædig a lot after
this night, this seems to be their only recording
together, an uncovered treasure worth the investment.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk

Early Blue Evening
Andy Farber and his Orchestra (ArtistShare)by Dan Bilawsky

Although well versed in the big band tradition andhighly respectful of those who have paved the way,
saxophonist/composer Andy Farber doesn’t deal in
reproductions. Instead, he harnesses and tailors
language, styles and subtexts drawn from the music’s
broad spectrum to fit the present moment. Having put
his horns to good use in numerous high-profile
ensembles; written arrangements for a Who’s Who ofjazz heavies; paid it forward through teaching at
Juilliard; assembled the onstage band for the celebrated
Broadway revue After Midnight; and kept that group
going since the curtain came down in 2014, Farber,
who turns 53 this month, is a serious fixture in the jazzorchestra community. And for good reason, as evincedon Early Blue Evening. Leading a 17-piece outfit throughnine sophisticated originals and two choice chestnuts,
this polished multi-hyphenate delivers music as classy
as it is creative.
Opening with “Don’t Tell Me What To Do”, Farberdisplays a mastery of the slow-and-swaggering blues.
Forgoing the spotlight and showcasing a half-dozen
superb soloists, including reedplayer Dan Block (onclarinet), trombonist Art Baron and pianist Adam
Birnbaum, he demonstrates true generosity in spaceand spirit. Then the orchestra heats up with swinging
intrigue and intricacies on “Feet and Frames”; looks
toward the realm of Duke Ellington’s “Limbo Jazz”
with “The Holidaymakers”; embraces upbeat bluesinessduring “Aircheck”; dims the lights to feature Godwin
Louis’ alto saxophone on the title track; and deals in
evolving thought(s) with “Fanfare on Fairfax”.
Farber lets his writing and bandmates do thetalking on the first half of the album, but makes ample
space for his own saxophone(s) on the remaining tracks,
save for Clark Terry tribute “Symphony for Doctor ‘T’”.
The leader’s tenor proves impressive on the sly “CorkGrease and Valve Oil” and the Jack King-Dorothy
Parker-penned closer “How Am I to Know?” (featuring
guest vocalist Catherine Russell); his sound bows to
one of the baritone’s all-time greats while using thehonoree’s horn on “Portrait of Joe Temperley”; and hewields alto for Neil Hefti’s “Theme from The Odd
Couple”. Possessing a signature sound and shaping his
orchestra to acknowledge the entire big band continuum
and this particular point in time, Andy Farber clearly
has his eyes—and ears—on everything.
For more information, visit artistshare.com

with Tommy Flanagan’s rather serviceable orchestra
arrangement and the second with Flanagan at the
piano joined by bassist Frank de la Rosa and drummer
Ed Thigpen, who ably add tonal color and rhythmic
underpinnings whatever the material. Fitzgerald had
lungs as big as any big band (see Sid Wyche-Mayme
Watts’ bluesy “Alright, Okay, You Win” herein), but
the intimacy of the trio gives her more room to move.
In the second half, she seems to feel more comfortablewith the classics rather than the novelties—er, more
recent selections. A lesser-known Antônio Carlos
Jobim-Ray Gilberto tune, “Useless Landscape”, is anunderstated gem, Burton Lane-Yip Harburg’s “OldDevil Moon” is uncharacteristically wistful and Illinois
Jacquet-Jimmy Mundy-Al Stillman’s “Don’cha Go‘Way Mad” bops along more than pleasantly. We arealso treated to a second Bacharach-David tune,“A House is Not a Home”, in which Fitzgerald manages
an unusual melancholy. The album closes with Duke
Ellington’s “Love You Madly”, directly taking on (andannouncing as such) a reading in the “new beat” inwhich she displays remarkable ease of interpretation
as she shifts into a more driving take, circling back to
the midtempo rock from the start of the album.
Sunshine of Your Love isn’t the best of the final
third of Fitzgerald’s fine catalogue (although it is theuncommon concert recording in which she doesn’t
miss a line); a couple of tracks are forgettable enoughnot to merit mention here. And given that she was only
a few years from the start of a long, fruitful and muchoverlooked run with Norman Granz’ newly established
Pablo Records, maybe her Sunshine has deserved to bein the shadows all these years. But joy is a dish best
served warm and Fitzgerald will never leave you cold.
For more information, visit edel.com
ABBY WHI T E SIDE FOUNDAT ION PRE SEN T S

THE SOPHIA ROSOFF CONCERT SERIES

DUOSSunshine of Your Love
Ella Fitzgerald (MPS-Edel)by Kurt Gottschalk

P erhaps nothing better establishes Ella Fitzgerald,

who would have turned 105 this month, as the very
embodiment of joy than how easily her delivery can
put the anti-immigrant, anti-vax co-author of the song
“Sunshine of Your Love” out of mind when listening to
her sing it. She clearly enjoys the song—she just enjoys
singing—and wraps it around herself like a cozycrocheted blanket, colorful and loose. Recorded justunder a year after the Cream single came out,
Fitzgerald’s rendition falls second on the first side of
the album for which it also serves as title track,
recorded live in San Francisco in October 1968 andreissued now by the German label Edel.
The opening cut is an ebullient (and comparatively
brief) take on The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, a single that
had just been out for 14 months at the time. It is easysome 44 years later to think of these tracks as novelties,
cheeky swipes of irony, but Fitzgerald was—and hadthen been for four decades—a pop singer in the oldsense of the term. Like Frank Sinatra (who held
Fitzgerald in such great esteem), she was an interpreterof popular songs of the day. Thus we get here her
exquisite interpretation of Burt Bacharach-Hal David’s“This Girl’s in Love With You” (a standard in her
songbook) and a take on Michel LeGrand’s lovely“Watch What Happens” (Normal Gimbel’s translationof “Recit de Cassard” from the 1964 Jacques Demy film
Les Parapluies de Cherbourg), which fails to be one of the
set’s more memorable tunes.
One selling point of this enjoyable album is that
we get two settings in which to swing. The first half

30 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

YOON SUN CHOI & JACOB SACKSJASON YEAGER & RANDAL DESPOMMIERWEDNESDAYAPRIL 6TH - 8 PM
WEILL RECITAL HALL @CARNEGIE HALLBUY T ICKE T S ONLINE AT:

www.carnegiehall.org
FOR MORE INFORMAT ION, PLE ASE VISI T:

abbywhiteside.org jacobsacks.com yoonsunchoi.com
jasonyeager.com randaldespommier.com

Dunas: Live in Copenhagen
Rosa Passos Quartet (Storyville)
by Alex Henderson

V eteran Brazilian jazz singer/guitarist Rosa Passos,

who turns 70 this month, has built an impressive
catalogue over the years of mostly studio recordings.
She is also an engaging live performer, which is evident
on Dunas: Live in Copenhagen.
This CD documents a Jul. 7th, 2001 performance at
the club Copenhagen Jazzhouse, where she leads aquartet of pianist Fábio Torres, bassist Paulo Paulelliand drummer Celso de Almeida. The performances
swing, from singer Djavan’s “Cigano” and Antônio
Carlos Jobim’s “Águas de Marco” (“Waters of March”)
to her originals “Juras” (“You Swear”), “Dunas” and“Chuva de Verão” (“Summer Rain”), but in a subtle
fashion. Passos has been compared to the late singer/
pianist Shirley Horn, a comparison that definitely
applies on Dunas.
Horn’s relaxed vocal style wasn’t a shout; it wasa whisper. Passos, like Horn, is very much a torch
singer. She sings in Portuguese exclusively on this CD,
drawing on Brazilian samba and bossa nova influences,including singer Astrud Gilberto, seminal singer/
guitarist João Gilberto and singer Dorival Caymmi(singer/guitarist Dori Caymmi’s late father)—in fact,

four of the nine songs that Passos performs on this CD
are by him: “Sábado em Copacabana” (“Saturday in
Copacabana”), “O Que É Que a Baiana Tem?” (“WhatDoes the Bahian Woman Have?”), “Rosa Morena” and“Marina”.
Passos is a native of Bahia in Northeastern Brazil
and vividly brings Baiana imagery to life on “O Que É
Que a Baiana Tem?” But her use of Rio de Janeiro
images is equally vivid on “Sábado em Copacabana”,
a famous ode to Carioca life on the weekend.
“O Que É Que a Baiana Tem?” is a standard that
predates the bossa nova era. It was performed bysinger Carmen Miranda back in the late ‘30s, but Passos
has no problem giving it a ‘60s-like Brazilian jazz
makeover.
“Águas de Marco”, like many famous bossa nova
standards that Jobim wrote during the ‘60s, has lyrics
in both English and Portuguese but even those who
don’t speak Portuguese will instantly recognize thesong’s familiar melody.
João Gilberto influenced Passos not only as
vocalist, but also as a guitarist, his caressing style ofplaying evident on many of these performances.
Passos’ sidemen all appreciate her subtlety, bringing
a relaxed sense of swing to the material.
Dunas: Live in Copenhagen 1 doesn’t offer a lot of
surprises, but Passos and her musicians are in solid
form throughout the disc. Storyville has delivered aconsistently satisfying document of her July 2001 visit
to the Danish capital.
For more information, visit storyvillerecords.com

Leverkusen 2010
Allan Holdsworth (Manifesto)
by Tom Greenland

O ne of the greatest compliments you could pay Allan

Holdsworth is that he didn’t sound like anyone else,certainly not another guitarist. This had been his goal,taking a cue from John Coltrane’s work from the mid‘60s on: to develop a sui generis style. Leverkusen 2010,a CD/DVD package recorded live at the North RhineWestphalia festival, boasting impeccable sound andvideo, gives fans the chance to listen and see exactly
how closely Holdsworth, who died five years ago thismonth, approached that goal. Certainly his unusual
harmonies and virtuosic legato technique—allowing
him to spin out dense curlicued improvisations devoidof recognizable patterns or clichés, approximating on
guitar a “sheets of sound” effect originally associatedwith Coltrane—placed him firmly in his own category.
This date features his quintessential sideman,consummate drummer Chad Wackerman, a 30-plusyear veteran of his bands, and bassist Ernest Tibbs, a
relative newcomer who was a perfect fit for the trio bydint of his ability to play low supportive bass parts aswell as supple improvisations in the upper registers of
his six-string electric bass. Listening to the CD, onegets swept up in the cinematic scope of music, an oceanof unusual sounds, now calm and ethereal, now
turbulent and ecstatic. Watching the DVD, one is struck
by Holdsworth’s unassuming demeanor, holding adiminutive Steinberger guitar, his long-sleeved shirt
dangling open at the cuffs, his large relaxed hands
somehow generating all those monstrous sounds.
Standout moments include his promethean but
strangely melodic solos on “Fred”, “The Things You
See (When You Haven’t Got Your Gun)”, “Letters ofMarque” and “Proto-Cosmos”; his free improvised
prelude to the delicate ballad “Above and Below”; andWackerman and Tibbs’ superb solo turns during“Letters of Marque”. Although the video images
provide more information—the camera craning acrossthe rear of the hall over the heads of the crowd of
middle-aged men standing stock-still at attention, thenswitching to tight closeups of the musicians’ fingers—
perhaps the best way to experience this music islistening to the CD, eyes closed, letting yourimagination create its own imagery, sui generis, for thisevocative music.
For more information, visit manifesto.com

DROP THE NEEDLE

Left Alone Revisited
Archie Shepp/Mal Waldron (Enja-Pure Pleasure)by Eric Wendell

Billie Holiday has been a benchmark for jazz

vocalists for decades. The pain, sorrow and analysisof the human condition rang in every syllable thatleft her lips. Tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp andpianist Mal Waldron’s love for and dedication to
Holiday is apparent on Pure Pleasure’s recent vinyl
reissue of their 2002 Enja album Left Alone Revisited,a reminder of the legacy that she left as we celebrate
what would have been her 107th birthday this month.
Shepp and Waldron are perfectly paired witheach other. Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger ’s opening“Easy Living” is forlorn and sentimental with agentle piano touch beautifully woven within thepurr of saxophone. Waldron’s solo from 2:41-3:49 isespecially heartfelt with its effortless adornments
and easy melodic flow. Matt Dennis-Tom Adair ’s“Everything Happens To Me” features Shepp on
soprano, which blends exquisitely with Waldron’slight strokes. A fun descending line from Shepp
opens the wonderfully executed “Left Alone”:
penned by Waldron with Holiday but never recordedby her, debuting on the former ’s 1959 album Left
Alone, made five months before the latter ’s death.
Shepp’s breathy character crisscrosses effortlessly
with Waldron’s innate and heartfelt execution.
The duo is at their most lively on the Shepppenned “Blues for 52nd Street”, with the author
pushing and pulling with his tone, letting it feel
unbridled at some points and immediately pullingback, resulting in a fun back and forth. What is mostnotable about the track is Shepp’s vocal from 2:18
-3:34, which feels organic and spontaneous. Gruff
and forceful, Shepp’s singing is much like his hornand brings an instant smile to the listener ’s face. The
album closes with a spoken word performance ofHoliday’s lyrics to “Left Alone”. At less than aminute, it packs a dynamic punch and serves as analluring eulogy.
While Holiday is omnipresent throughout theproceedings, it is the magic that Shepp and Waldron
are able to capture that is truly enchanting. Waldron
passed away at the end of 2002, before he and Shepp
could pursue the duo further. At the very least, wehave this set to revisit time and time again.
For more information, visit purepleasurerecords.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 31

UNEARTHED GEM

The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott’sCharles Mingus (Resonance)by Thomas Conrad

The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott’s was never exactly

lost. The eight-track tapes of a 1972 Charles Mingus
gig in London have been in the hands of the Mingus
estate. They were professionally recorded but neverreleased because the bassist’s label, Columbia,
dropped its jazz roster in the spring of 1973.
Resonance, known for its admirable reconnaissancemissions to rescue previously unreleased jazz from theclutches of history, has outdone itself this time. The
three-CD or three LP set comes with a 64-page booklet
full of contemporaneous photographs of the musicians
and no less than ten essays and interviews, almost allof them new. (How many jazz archival projects include
hilarious reminiscences from major social commentators
like Fran Lebowitz?) It is even a kick to see, on thebooklet’s back cover, the original master tape reels intheir beat-up 49-year-old boxes.
While the album was never lost, it comes from a
missing chapter in Mingus’ career. The sextet that

played these two nights in London was a short-lived
motley crew, never officially documented until now.
It contained alto saxophonist Charles McPherson,
one of the great Mingus interpreters, who playedwith him for 12 years. It also contained recently hired
trumpet enfant terrible Jon Faddis, who had justturned 19. There were two players who have now
been forgotten: pianist John Foster (who died young,four years after this recording) and reed player Bobby
Jones (who spent much of his career in Europe). The
drummer is Roy Brooks. He is remembered today(when he is remembered) for his four years with
Horace Silver’s quintet in the early ‘60s. His career
was cut short by mental illness and incarceration, but
he was an innovative artist with his own audacious
yet nuanced drum language. (Perhaps this set, in
combination with his own unearthed gem last year
on the Reel to Real label, Understanding, will raiseawareness of his importance.)
Live Mingus is not like his studio recordings.
Live Mingus is a different wild animal. The Lost Albumis variously rough, raw, strident, chaotic, sprawling,inspired and brilliant. Despite the continuous electric
on-edge anticipation that anything could happen at
any moment, there is also clear evidence of advanceplanning. Impossibly convoluted themes (like “Mind
Readers’ Convention in Milano”) are rendered intechnical detail by the ensemble. There are coordinatedtempo shifts, recurrent motifs suddenly emerging
from the din and arranged backgrounds for soloists.
It is the soloists who prevail. McPherson, notsurprisingly, sounds the most centered and groundedin Mingus’ music. His improvisations are beautiful
long arcs arising from each song. Jones offers
something interesting every time out. Faddis is inyour face with his astonishing chops, scorching the air
with pure speed, sometimes running amok. Foster,lurching between many styles and eras, often sounds
schizophrenic, but his reckless disregard for piano
norms can be exciting. The most powerful single voicein a Mingus band is the bassist, who drives his
ensemble from within. His relentless lines, woven all
through this music, incite his players to risk everything.
Each disc begins with a vast 30-minute-plus epic.
“Orange Was the Color of her Dress, then Silk Blue”
had been in Mingus’ book for years. It receives here
perhaps its most visceral and comprehensive rendition.
Aforementioned “Mind Readers’ Convention in
Milano” was new at the time. (The current Mingus Big
Band has kept it alive under the title “Number 29”.)
After Brooks’ cryptic, episodic solo, all hell breaks
loose. The crowning achievement of The Lost Album is“Fables of Faubus”, clocking in at exactly 35 minutes. It
is at least as ferocious as the other two long pieces andgoes through at least as many dissociative identity
disorders. Yet it has fewer wasted notes. The solos kill.
Mingus and Brooks, for 35 minutes, essentially neverstop soloing.
In his new interview in the CD booklet,
McPherson calls his 12-year tenure with Mingus“a wild ride”. For your first immersion in The Lost
Album, set aside a whole day. You are going to beassaulted,
thrilled,
perplexed,
enlightened,exhausted and finally swept away. Buckle up. You
are in for your own wild ride.
For more information, visit resonancerecords.org. Mingus
Centennial tributes take place at The Django, Birdland,
Manhattan School of Music, Dizzy’s Club and Rose
Theater throughout the month. See Calendar.

JAZZDoR
MAR 29– APR 2CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, BENNYGREEN, AND GREGORYHUTCHINSON
APR 3

BENNY GREEN TRIOAPR 4MCGILL JAZZ ORCHESTRA WITH
SPECIAL GUEST PAUL NEDZELA
APR 5APR 14

APR 26

APR 15–16

APR 27

MATTHEW WHITAKER

APR 20

APR 6

APR 21–22

MAKOTO OZONE TRIOMINGUS BIG BAND

APR 7–10

APR 23CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE BIG BANDMINGUS DYNASTY

APR 11

APR 24KENNY BANKS, JR. TRIOMINGUS ORCHESTRAAPR 12

TEMPLE UNIVERSITYALEXA TARANTINO QUARTETTHE YALE JAZZ ENSEMBLE

ELIO VILLAFRANCA AND FRIENDS MCCOY MRUBATAQUINTETAPR 18APR 28
PURCHASE JAZZ ORCHESTRAMIRIAM MAKEBA AT
APR 19MELANIE SCHOLTZ,
MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC 90:
NONHLANHLAKHESWA,JAZZ ORCHESTRAAND AARON RIMBUIA

JALC YOUTH ORCHESTRA
ALLAN HARRIS & KATE’S
SOULFOODPRESENTS

APR 25

APR 30NDUDUZO MAKHATHINIQUARTETSUNDAYS 5PM & 7:30PM

BenoIt Delbecq 4 “GENTLE GHoSTs”
wIth Mark Turner,John Hébert, Gerald Cleaver

212.258.9595
BROADWAY AT 60TH ST.

JAZZDoRSERIES.BANDCAMP.COM | JAZZDoR.COM

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

32 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDB OXED SE T

Personal Recordings (1946-1970)
Lennie Tristano (Mosaic/Dot Time)by Scott Yanow

A brilliant pianist and an influential educator, Lennie

Tristano (1919-78) is often thought of as one of thefounding fathers of cool jazz. However, as this six-CD
boxed set shows, Tristano really did not fit into a
simple category. A virtuoso who loved to improvise,reharmonize chord changes of standards and create
long melodic lines often including unexpected
accents, Tristano, blind from the age 10, is sometimes
depicted as an elusive figure with a cult of young
students playing music that stood apart from bebop.
That is a bit of a stereotype. He enjoyed performing
and recording whenever he had the chance. The 74
selections here, only two previously released, aredrawn from his private collection and compiled by
Carol Tristano, Lenny Popkin and Jerry Roche. Rather
than being in strictly chronological order, each CD has
a particular setting or two featured.
Disc One (1946-48) has Tristano in trios withguitarist Billy Bauer and either Arnold Fishkin or an

unidentified player on bass. Due to the erratic
recording quality (including some brief dropouts) andthe complexity of the interplay between the pianist
and Bauer, this is not the best place to start. Instead,
move to Disc Two, which, after a brief and bizarre
overdubbed free improvisation from 1952 (“Spectrum”)
predating his “Descent Into The Maelstrom” by a year,
is comprised of piano solos from 1961 plus a three-partsuite from 1970. With his left-hand often playing
driving single-note basslines, Tristano’s right
improvises over a variety of standard and beloved
chord changes. The music swings while being
unpredictable and has strong forward momentum.
Disc Three features the most famous Tristanogroup, his 1949-50 sextet with alto saxophonist Lee
Konitz, tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, Bauer,
Fishkin and drummer Jeff Morton. The sextet (withdrummer Denzil Best) made history with their Capitol
recordings, which included stunning unisons by the
saxophonists at rapid speeds, a new way of playing
bop and the first released examples of free
improvisations. These live performances differ inthat, rather than clocking in around three minutes
apiece, they are much longer, four selections
exceeding nine minutes. The disc begins with a twominute free improvisation. After that, the groupperforms such pieces as “Sound-Lee”, “Lennie’s
Changes”, “Ice Cream Konitz” and “Fishin’ Around”.
The bass is nearly inaudible and metronomic drums
also down in the mix, but otherwise these 72-year old
performances could pass for a freebop set from recent
times. “Sound-Lee” in particular sounds very modern,with Konitz quite radical for the time, even compared
to Charlie Parker. This CD concludes with the only
previously released performances, concise versions of“You Go To My Head” and “Sax Of A Kind” from a
Christmas Eve Carnegie Hall concert featuring manyof the top modern jazz stars of 1949.
Disc Four features a mid ‘50s trio with bassist
Peter Ind and either Tom Wayburn or Al Levitt on
drums. The first few selections are rather surprising,
Tristano often sounding close to Bud Powell, showingthat he was quite capable of retaining his identity (noone else could improvise block chords on Tristano’s
level) while playing mainstream bebop. Disc Five has
six duets with bassist Sonny Dallas and two trio
numbers adding drummer Nick Stabulas. These arefrom the early to mid ‘60s and have Tristano really
stretching out in a more advanced style.
One of the most eagerly anticipated sessions of
this release is the first half of the final disc. On May
16th, 1949, Tristano recorded what has been
considered the first free improvisations, “Intuition”
and “Digression”. But the year before a quartet with
Konitz, Marsh and Bauer recorded seven free improvs
and their release rewrites history a bit. The focus ison improvising notes, creating melodic ideas on the
spot and spontaneously shifting moods while
reacting to each other’s musical thoughts. Other thanShelly Manne’s 1954 10” The Three with Shorty Rogers
and Jimmy Giuffre, nothing like this would be heard
again on records until the rise of Ornette Coleman in
1958. The set concludes with a live date with Dallas
and Stabulas from 1962, featuring guest spots from
Konitz and tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims sitting in on“How Deep Is The Ocean”. Anyone with an interestin Lennie Tristano is well advised to pick up Personal
Recordings (1946-1970) while it is available.
For more information, visit mosaicrecords.com

HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

new releases

CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAYFEATURING A

CD - download - streaming

CONCERT &MASTER CLASS
SAT. APRIL 30, 2022
@ 3PM
Decorated Pianist & Composer

SCCD 36039

ADEGOKESTEVE COLSONSCCD 31928

explores his music and the music of
pianists Randy Weston, Thelonious Monk
and Duke Ellington with

AFTERNOON

JAZZ
@ HSA

#JazzRoad #ColsonsMusicSCCD 33147

SCCD 33148

Iqua Colson, Voice; Pheeroan akLaff, Drums;
Luke Stewart, Bass; Jay Rodriguez, saxophone;& HSA’s own Chief Education Officer,
Lee Hogans on Trumpet
RSVP @ hsanyc.org/AfternoonJazzAtHSAHARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
THE HERB ALPERT CENTER
645 Saint Nicholas Avenue
New York, NY

Made possible with the support of Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 33

CALENDAR
Friday, April 1êRudder: Chris Cheek, Henry Hey, Tim Lefebvre, Keith Carlock		
55Bar 9:30, 11:15 pm
êItai Kriss’ Telavana
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10		
• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30• Emmet Cohen’s Emmet’s Place Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êHarry Allen Quartet
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Joey Alexander
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Alexi David Quartet; James Austin Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êRemembering Ray Brown: Christian McBride, Benny Green, Gregory Hutchinson				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êKen Fowser Quintet; Mingus Celebration: Wayne Escoffery Quartet with
Ugonna Okegwo, Jason Brown The Django 7, 10 pm• George: Anna Webber, Aurora Nealand, Chiquita Magic, John Hollenbeck
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Albert Ahlf Duo
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm $3.50• Kevin Hays
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Dara Tucker
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Marc Mommaas, Kenny Wessel and guest Jay Anderson
		
New York Jazz Workshop 9:15 pm $20• Eugenie Jones
Pangea 9:30 pm $25• Janice Friedman; Satish RobertsonRoom 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8;30, 10 pm $18-15
êBenefit for Ukraine Relief: Fred Hersch solo; John Zorn’s Cobra with Matt Hollenberg,
Wendy Eisenberg, Taylor Levine, Anthony Coleman, Vadim Neselovskyi, Jim Staley,
Erik Friedlander, Simon Hanes, Trevor Dunn, Ikue Mori, Kenny Grohowski, Brian Chase;
Vadim Neselovskyi’s Odessa Project		Roulette 8 pm $50
êSolo Works: Jen Baker; Ty Citerman; Bradley Kemp; Pat Muchmore; Sara Schoenbeck;
Charles Waters
Scholes Street Studio 7:30 pm• Rachel Z; Philip Harper
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Voyagers: Banning Eyre, Edith Lettner, Yacouba Cissoko
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Ches Smith’s Congs for Brums The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êGilad Hekselman Quartet with Shai Maestro, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, April 2• True East: Dan Lehner, Ran Livneh, Zack O’ Farrill		
The Atlantic BKLN 10:30 pm $15• Jacob Shulman Quartet with Jeremy Corren, Simón Willson, Ben Zweig
		
Bar Bayeux 9 pm
• Emmet Cohen’s Emmet’s Place Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êHarry Allen Quartet
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Joey Alexander
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êPhilip Harper Quintet; Carol Morgan Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Eugenie Jones
The Cloak Room 8 pmêRemembering Ray Brown: Christian McBride, Benny Green, Gregory Hutchinson				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $50• David Gibson Quartet with Mike King, Joseph Lepore, Kush Abadey;
Mingus Celebration: Tatum Greenblatt Quintet with Sarah Hanahan, Misha Piatigorsky,
Boris Kozlov, Anwar Marshall
The Django 7, 10 pmêClub d’Elf with John Medeski
Drom 7:30 pm $25
êCompCord Ensemble: Michiyo Suzuki, Max Pollak, Gene Pritsker, Machiko Ozawa,
Yoonjung Hwang, Beth Holub, Rocío Díaz de Cossío, Charles Coleman and guest
Robert Dick
Holy Apostles Church 7:30 pm $25-45• Godwin Louis Quintet with Billy Buss, Axel Tosca Laugart, Harvel Nakundi,
Jonathan Michel
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Albert Ahlf Duo
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm $3.50• Kevin Hays
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êKenny Barron Trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake		Miller Theatre 8 pm $25• Phil Young and The Harlem Hip Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Mimi Jones’ Ensemble Vesuvio Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8, 10 pm $22
êL. Shankar with Abhijit Banerjee, Rohan Krishnamurthy		Roulette 8 pm $25
êPerson2Person: Houston Person and Eric Person with pianist Victor Gould,
Kenny Davis, Vince Ector
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25• Rachel Z
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Kristjan Randalu/Ben Monder Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Jennifer Choi, Nate Wooley, Nick Dunston, Ches Smith		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Peter and Will Anderson with guests Vince Giordano, Molly Ryan		
Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia 4, 6:30 pm $39êGilad Hekselman Quartet with Shai Maestro, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, April 3• Stephane Wrembel

Barbès 8 pm $20

êEd Neumeister’s Assemblage Jazz Orchestra with Ben Kono, Caroline Davis,

Adam Kolker, Hillai Govreen, Jason Marshall, Liesl Whitaker, Augie Haas, Diego Urcola,
Freddie Hendrix, James Burton, Ron Wilkins, Deborah Weisz, Jennifer Hinkle,
Pete McCann, Neal Kirkwood, Andy McKee, Jon Wikan
		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• Joey Alexander
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Peter Zak Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra Chelsea Table & Stage 2 pm $25
êBenny Green Trio with Gregory Hutchinson		Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $40• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 7, 8, 9:15 pm• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Dalius Naujokaitis
		
The Keep 9 pmêmssv: Mike Baggetta, Stephen Hodges, Mike Watt		
Mercury Lounge 6 pm $15• Evan Sherman
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Kelsey Jilette Trio with Tony Romano, Skip Ward		
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Glenn Zaleski solo; Noah Garabedian Trio		The Owl Music Parlor 8 pm $12• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15• Sonya Belaya and ДАЧА with Nick Dunston, Stephen Boegehold, Ledah Finck,
Wesley Hornpetrie, Kalia Vandever, Chris Williams
		Roulette 8 pm $25• Meg Okura
Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Andy Farber Quintet with Bruce Harris, Adam Birnbaum, Jennifer Vincent,
Alvester Garnett
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êGilad Hekselman Quartet with Shai Maestro, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êBurnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber: Shelley Nicole, Lisala Beatty, Sequoyah Murray,
Bruce Mark, Julia Kent, JS Williams, Lewis Barnes, V. Jeffrey Smith, Avram Fefer,
Dave “Smoota” Smith, Leon Gruenbaum, Ben Tyree, Keith Witty, LaFrae Sci,
Marque Gilmore tha’ Inna•Most, Jared Michael Nickerson, Ixchel Betancourt,
Lauren Hayes, Miss Olithea, Julian Terrell Otis, Jose F. Solares, Oliver Tuttle		
		
Zankel Hall 7:30 pm $20-30

Monday, April 4• Francesco Cafiso Quartet

Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êMichael Larocca/Matt Gannon; Zoh Amba Ensemble; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane,
Kevin Shea; Yoni Kretzmer Ensemble; Yuma Uesaka, David Leon, Kenny Warren,
Jonathan Goldberger, Jason Nazary		
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• McGill Jazz Orchestra led by Lex French with: Louis Plouffe,Clay Wilkinson,
Jeremy Leon, Julian Abbott, Michael Gorlin, Rémi Bolduc, Christopher Keach,
Daniel Holker, Owen Chow, Max Zhang, Mateo Jaeckel, Eric Dubé, Loïc Turgeon-Roy,
Teddy Kadonoff, Cedric de Saint-Rome, Daniel Marmer, Ben Boardman,
Paulo Riccardo, Caity Gyorgy with guest Paul Nedzela		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Big BandThe Django 7:30, 9:30 pm• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Le Chéile 7:30 pm• String Schemas: Daniel Reyes Llinas, Harvey Valdez, Elliott Sharp		
Scholes Street Studio 7:30 pm• Carmen Staaf
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, April 5êComposer Portraits—Matana Roberts: Matt Lavelle, Stuart Bogie,

Geng/King Vision Ultra, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Tomas Fujiwara andInternational Contemporary Ensemble: Joshua Rubin, Ryan Muncy, Rebekah Heller,
Katinka Kleijn, Cory Smythe, Nathan Davis		
Miller Theatre 8 pm $20• Titan to Tachyons: Sally Gates, Matt Hollenberg, Kenny Grohowski and guest
Trevor Dunn; Snark Horse: Kate Gentile/Matt Mitchell;
Snake Union: Chuck Bettis/David Grant		
Nublu 151 7 pm $20
êSara Schoenbeck/Wayne Horvitz; Bobby Previte/Ray Anderson
		
The Owl Music Parlor 8 pm $12• Bob Lanzetti, Matt Aronoff, Ari Hoenig		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 10 pm $10• Oskar Stenmark Trio with Kaisa Mäensivu, Alex Pryrodny		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 10:30 pm $15• Interpretations: Karen Power with Isabelle O’Connell; Stuart Saunders Smith with
Jude Traxler, Sylvia Smith, Madeline Dethloff, Tiffany Du Mouchelle, Stephen Solook		Roulette 8 pm $20• Brian Melvin
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êTim Berne Trio with Gregg Belisle-Chi, Nasheet Waits
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Lo Fi Mid Riff: Melvin Gibbs, Tim Dahl, Fay Victor
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet with Mark Turner, Alex Claffy, Joe Farnsworth				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Brian Melvin Quartet with Danny Walsh, Soren Lee, Arthur Kell

		
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Brandon Seabrook Trio with Erica Dicker, Henry Fraser
		Barbès 7 pm $20
êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Gadi Lehavi, Dezron Douglas, Elé Howell		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êThe Mahavishnu Project: Jesse Gress, Neil Alexander, Zoe Zeeman, Gregg Bendian		
The Cutting Room 7 pm $20-25• Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom;
Chino Pons
The Django 7, 10 pm• Nick Panoutsos solo; Colin Fisher/Kyle Hutchins		
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Shai Maestro Quartet with Jorge Roeder, Ofri Nehemya, Philip Dizack;Kneebody: Adam Benjamin, Shane Endsley, Ben Wendel, Nate Wood		
Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $25• Kevin Sun Trio with Walter Stinson, Matt Honor		
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm• Greg Skaff, Ugonna Okegwo, E.J. Strickland		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Playfield: Daniel Carter, Ayumi Ishito, Luisa Muhr, Aron Namenwirth, Yutaka Takahashi,
Eric Plaks, Zachary Swanson, Jon Panikkar; Jeff Pearring, Claire de Brunner,
Daniel Carter, Aron Namenwirth, Patrick Golden		Pete’s Candy Store 9:30, 10:45 pm
êThe Jazz Beens: Marc Ribot, Greg Lewis, Joe Dyson
		
Public Records 7:30 pm $25• Jacob Herbst
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $10êSteve Nelson
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Paul Jost Quartet
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êSFJAZZ: Chris Potter, David Sánchez, Etienne Charles, Warren Wolf, Edward Simon,
Matt Brewer, Kendrick Scott, Martin Luther McCoy, Gretchen Parlato
		Sony Hall 8 pm $50-85• Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet with Mark Turner, Alex Claffy, Joe Farnsworth		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Wednesday, April 6• Rosalyn McClore Trio
The Atlantic BKLN 7 pm $15• Tobias Meinhart Quartet with Eden Ladin, Matt Penman, Obed Calvaire		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Gadi Lehavi, Dezron Douglas, Elé Howell		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Harvie S, Vince Cherico andguest John DiMartino
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Ehud Asherie Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Russell Malone
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $45• Allan Harris and Kate’s Soulfood with Gregoire Maret, Irwin Hall, Arcoiris Sandoval,
Marty Kenney, Norman Edwards Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• John Dokes with Steve Einerson, Malik McLaurine, Curtis Nowosad;
JD Walter Quartet with David Kikoski, Ari Hoenig
		The Django 7, 10 pmêMonte Croft Quartet with Keith Brown, Santi Debriano, Lenny White		
Iridium 8 pm $20• Max Light Quartet with Noah Preminger, Kim Cass, Dan Weiss		
Lowlands 8 pm
• Lucy Wijnands
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Benito Gonzalez
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Ben Cassara Birthday Celebration with Ed Neumeister, Josh Richman, Boots Maleson,
Tim Horner
Pangea 7 pm $25• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15• Sara Serpa’s Intimate Strangers with Sofía Rei, Aubrey Johnson, Matt Mitchell,
Qasim Naqvi
Roulette 8 pm $25
êAllen Lowe
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Steve Sandberg Trio with Matt Dwonszyk, Kirk Driscoll		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êFay Victor Chamber Trio with Darius Jones, Marika Hughes		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet with Mark Turner, Alex Claffy, Joe Farnsworth				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êDuos: Yoon Sun Choi/Jacob Sacks; Jason Yeager/Randal Despommier		Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall 8 pm $35• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8, 9:45 pm

Thursday, April 7êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Gadi Lehavi, Dezron Douglas, Elé Howell		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Lee Ritenour
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Chris Byars Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êMichael Dorf 60th Birthday Celebration: Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra
with guests John Medeski, Vernon Reid
		City Winery 8 pm $60-75
êChristian McBride Big Band
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Simon Moullier Quartet with Lex Korten, Mats Sandahl, Alon Benjamini;
Jason Marshall Organ Quartet
The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 8 pm $30• Adi Meyerson Trio
Greenwich House Music School 8 pm $15êRoy Hargrove Big BandThe Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Craig Holiday Haynes and Friends Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Chico Pinheiro
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20

34 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Something
Swinging
Awaits
Inside!

OPEN ME!
(scan w/phone camera)

Friday, April 8êAaron Burnett and The Big Machine with Jon Saraga, Carlos Homs, Nick Jozwiak,

Michael Ode

The Atlantic BKLN 9 pm $20
Barbès 8 pm $20
Birdland 5 pm $30
êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Gadi Lehavi, Dezron Douglas, Elé Howell		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êRoberta Gambarini
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Lee Ritenour
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Wayne Tucker Quintet; Ben Paterson Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êChristian McBride Big Band
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Mingus Celebration: Jason Marshall; Freddy Deboe Band with Joe Crispiano,
Eric Finland, Evan Pazner
The Django 7, 10 pmêBill Charlap Trio with Peter Washington, Kenny Washington
		Flushing Town Hall 8 pm $25• Chris Dingman’s Journeys
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Mikey Migliore Duo
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm $3.50
êTed Rosenthal
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Mathis Picard
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êStephane Wrembel
National Sawdust 7:30 pm $35• Dan Lyn’s Baby Octopus
The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $12• Max Bessesen; Jon Davis
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8;30, 10 pm $18-15• Mamadou Diabate and Percussion Mania		
Roulette 8 pm $25
êMike Rodriguez
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Rebekah Heller/Fay Victor
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet with Mark Turner, Alex Claffy, Joe Farnsworth				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet• Birdland Big Band

Saturday, April 9• Philip Weberndoerfer
The Atlantic BKLN 9 pm $15• Dana Saul Quintet with Patricia Brennan, Kevin Sun, Walter Stinson, Matt Honor		
Bar Bayeux 9 pm
• Harvey Valdes
Barbès 8 pm $20
êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Gadi Lehavi, Dezron Douglas, Elé Howell		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êRoberta Gambarini
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Lee Ritenour
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Greg Glassman Quartet; Miki Yamanaka Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Sonic Openings: Patrick Brennan, Hilliard Greene, Michael TA Thompson
		
Church of St Edward the Martyr 8 pmêChristian McBride Big Band
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $50
êMingus Celebration: Alex Norris Quintet with Ari Ambrose, Jeremy Manasia, Paul Gill,
Brian Floody; Boris Kozlov Electric Mingus Project with Mike Sim, David Kikoski,
Johnathan Blake
The Django 7, 10 pm• Arta Jēkabsone Quintet with Theo Walentiny, Lucas Kadish, Nick Dunston,Connor Parks
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Mikey Migliore Duo
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm $3.50• Tardo Hammer
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Fernando Saci Octet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Eli Wallace, Luke Stewart, Jason Nazary
		
Scholes Street Studio 8, 9:15 pm $15êTribute to Dr. Randy Weston: TK Blue, Sharp Radway, Alex Blake, Baba Neil Clarke				
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25
êMike Rodriguez; Eric Wyatt Band with Benito Gonzalez, Eric Wheeler, Charles Goold		
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êFay Victor’s Black Poems with Angelica Sanchez, William Parker, Francisco Mela		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Jeremy Bosch and His Orchestra The Sultan Room 7 pm $20• Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet with Mark Turner, Alex Claffy, Joe Farnsworth		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, April 10êDave Sewelson, Steve Swell, William Parker, Marvin Bugalu Smith		
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Sam Sadigursky
Barbès 4 pm $15• Stephane Wrembel
Barbès 8 pm $20• John Minnock with Dave Liebman, Mathis Picard, Mark Lewandowki, Pablo Eluchans		Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30
êRoberta Gambarini
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Lee Ritenour
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êEd Cherry Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êChristian McBride Big Band
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $40• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 7, 8, 9:15 pm• William Hooker, Ras Moshe, Hans Tammen, Dave Sewelson, Federico Balducci,
Dafna Naphtali
Funkadelic Studios 11 am• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Dalius Naujokaitis
		
The Keep 9 pm
• Claudia Acuña
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Charles Turner III Quartet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Roz Corral Trio with Jim Ridl, Paul Gill
		
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• New York Jazz Stories: David Haney, Dave Storrs and Friends
		
Revolution Books 3 pmêMichael Leonhart Orchestra
Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm $27• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15• Noah Baerman Trio with Henry Lugo, Billy Drummond		
Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Grant Stewart
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet with Mark Turner, Alex Claffy, Joe Farnsworth				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, April 11• Alicyn Yaffee Quartet with Steve Cardenas, James Robbins, EJ Strickland
		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êDaryl Sherman Trio with Jay Leonhart, Dave Silliman		Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Mark Allen Felton
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êDanny Kamins, Jamison Williams, Nick Neuburg, Joe Hertenstein;
Colin Hinton/Todd Neufeld; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton;
Sandy Ewen/Stephen Gauci Trio; Patricia Lopez, Santiago Leibson,
Rodrigo Recabarren, Matt Dwonszyk
		Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Kenny Banks, Jr. Trio with Joel Powell, Larry Wilson
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Big BandThe Django 7:30, 9:30 pm• Down On Me: Jeremy Danneman, Joe Exley, Anders Nilsson
		Pete’s Candy Store 10:30 pmêLew Tabackin
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Marta Sanchez solo
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, April 12• Felix Pastorius and Hipster Assassins with Chris Ward, John Bendy, Mike Bendy,
Kenny GrohowskiêMingus Centennial: Mingus Big Band		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Marcus Miller’s Laid BlackBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Alexa Tarantino Quartet with Steven Feifke, Boris Kozlov, Ulysses Owens, Jr.		
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Cesar Orozco and Kamarata Jazz Trio; Gerardo Contino and Los Habeneros		The Django 7, 10 pm• Jamison Williams/Danny Kamins; Sylvester Germaine, Chris Lightcap, Satoshi Takeishi
		
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Unsung Women of Color in Jazz: Juilliard Jazz Ensembles
		Juilliard School Paul Hall 7:30 pm $20• Kevin Sun Trio with Walter Stinson, Matt Honor		
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm• A Tribute to Charles Mingus: MSM Jazz Orchestra		
Manhattan School of Music Neidorff-Karpati Hall 7:30 pm• Vanessa Perea
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Abraham Burton
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êDevin Gray Quartet with Ingrid Laubrock, Angelica Sanchez, Michael Formanek
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êTom Harrell Quartet with Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Drom 7:30 pm $20

êVictor Gould
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
êEthan Iverson 10:30 Joe Davidian Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Tamara Jade
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Marc Mommaas, Kenny Wessel and guest Mark Sherman		
New York Jazz Workshop 9:15 pm $20• Alison Shearer; Kamila
Nublu 151 8 pm
• Nicola Caminiti’s Immigrantet; Julieta Eugenio
		Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8;30, 10 pm $18-15
êCelebrating Chick Corea led by John Patitucci with Billy Childs, Geoff Keezer,
Robert Rodriguez, Renee Rosnes, John Patitucci, Christian McBride, Carlos Henriquez,
Wynton Marsalis, Mike Rodriguez, Rubén Blades, Adam Rogers, Dave Weckl,
Steve Gadd, Brian Blade, Luisito Quintero, Hubert Laws, Steve Davis, Eric Marienthal,
Chris Potter, Ted Nash
Rose Theater 8 pm $55-145
êImmanuel Wilkins
Roulette 8 pm $25• Peter Zimmer
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êMarc Copland/Mark Feldman
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Trio for a New Day: Ned Rothenberg, Daniel Winshall, Timothy Angulo
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êTom Harrell Quartet with Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Wednesday, April 13• Magos Herrera’s Remanso• Sarah Cabral

Americas Society 7 pm
The Atlantic BKLN 9 pm $15êMichael Formanek Drome Trio with Chet Doxas, Vinnie Sperrazza		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêBrandon Seabrook Trio with Cooper-Moore, Gerald Cleaver
		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êMingus Centennial: Mingus Big Band		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Harvie S, Vince Cherico
and guest Aaron Weinstein
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Marcus Miller’s Laid BlackBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Steve Blum Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Stefon Harris
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $45
êNaama Gheber with Ben Paterson, Neal Miner, Evan Sherman; Vanisha Gould andLucy Yeghiazaryan with Chris McCarthy, David Wong, Evan Sherman
		
The Django 7, 10 pmêSun of Goldfinger: David Torn, Tim Berne, Ches Smith		
Drom 8 pm $25• Dave Storrs and The Sound Shack with David Haney, Slia Shaman, Adam Lane				Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $15• Buz Donald/Dierk Peters
Lowlands 8 pm
• Noah Haidu
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êLew Tabackin Trio
Michiko Studios 7 pm $20• John Zweig Trio with Tomoko Ono, Rick Crane		
Pangea 7 pm $25• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15êJoe Block
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jim Ridl
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êNed Rothenberg solo and with guest
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êTom Harrell Quartet with Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8, 9:45 pm

Thursday, April 14• Miss Maybell and The Jazz Age Artistes with Charlie Judkins, Brian Nalepka

		Barbès 8 pm $20
êMingus Centennial: Mingus Big Band		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êSteve Wilson Analog Band with Ray Angry, Corcoran Holt, Willie Jones III 				
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êMarcus Miller’s We Want Miles/Electric Miles		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Noa Fort Quintet with Sylvester Germaine, Sara Schoenbeck, Mike McGinnis,
Satoshi Takeishi
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 8 pm $20• Duduka da Fonseca Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Edmar Castañeda Quartet
David Rubenstein Atrium 7:30 pmêMatthew Whitaker
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Celebration: David Kikoski Trio with Boris Kozlov, Ari Hoenig;
Conrad Herwig’s The Latin Side of Mingus with Alex Sipiagin, Craig Handy,
Bill O’Connell, Luques Curtis, Robby Ameen, Camilo Molina
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 8 pm $30• Michael Mayo solo
Greenwich House Music School 8 pm $15• Lesley Mok/Phillip Golub
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 8 pm
• Dabin Ryu Sextet with Zoe Obadia, Nathan See, Kevin Scollins, Benjamin Young,
Willis Edmundson
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25
êLew Tabackin
Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• New York Jazz Stories: Bernard Purdie and David Haney with guests Jay Clayton,
Adam Lane, Sila Shaman, Dave Storrs, Cheryl Pyle		
Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $20
êEd Cherry Trio with Keith Brown, Gary Wang		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êFred Moten, Brandon Lopez, Gerald Cleaver
		
Public Records 7:30 pm $30• Simona Smirnova’s Bird Language Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 9 pm $15êWendy Eisenberg’s Eye Music with Chris Williams, Patricia Brennan,
Zekkereya El-Magharbel, Tyrone Allen, Booker Stardrum, Richard Lenz				
Roulette 8 pm $30
êZoh Amba, Brian Chase, Sally Gates
		Saint Vitus Bar 8 pmêWilly Rodriguez; David Gibson
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êMark Soskin/Jay Anderson
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êNed Rothenberg/Ikue Mori
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êTom Harrell Quartet with Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, April 15• Birdland Big Band

Birdland 5 pm $30

êMingus Centennial: Mingus Big Band		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êSteve Wilson Analog Band with Ray Angry, Corcoran Holt, Willie Jones III 				
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êMarcus Miller’s We Want Miles/Electric Miles		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• James Burton Quartet; Nicole Glover Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Chick Corea Afro-Caribbean Experience: Elio Villafranca and Friends with
Scott Wendholt, Donny McCaslin, Edward Perez, Eric Harland, Mauricio Herrera				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êMingus Celebration: Conrad Herwig’s The Latin Side of Mingus with Alex Sipiagin,
Craig Handy, Bill O’Connell, Luques Curtis, Robby Ameen, Camilo Molina;
Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings		
The Django 7, 10 pm

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 35

Saturday, April 16• Jared Dubin
The Atlantic BKLN 9 pm $10• Julieta Eugenio Trio with Matt Dwonszyk, Jonathan Barber		
Bar Bayeux 9 pmêMingus Centennial: Mingus Big Band		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êSteve Wilson Analog Band with Ray Angry, Corcoran Holt, Willie Jones III 				
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êMarcus Miller’s We Want Miles/Electric Miles		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Saul Rubin Quartet; Matt Martinez quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Chick Corea Afro-Caribbean Experience: Elio Villafranca and Friends with
Scott Wendholt, Donny McCaslin, Edward Perez, Eric Harland, Mauricio Herrera				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ken Fowser Quintet; Mingus Celebration: Philip Harper American Music Expression
with Bernell Jones, Miki Yamanaka, Mark Lewandowski, Curtis Nowosad
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Stephen Gauci, Joe Hertenstein, Keisuke Matsuno
		Downtown Music Gallery 6:30, 7:15 pm• Matt Stevens Quartet with Rich Hinman, Linda May Han Oh, Eric Doob		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Jason Clotter Duo
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 9 pm $3.50
êEthan Iverson
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Alexis Lombre
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êCelebrating Chick Corea led by John Patitucci with Billy Childs, Geoff Keezer,
Robert Rodriguez, Renee Rosnes, John Patitucci, Christian McBride, Carlos Henriquez,
Wynton Marsalis, Mike Rodriguez, Rubén Blades, Adam Rogers, Dave Weckl,
Steve Gadd, Brian Blade, Luisito Quintero, Hubert Laws, Steve Davis, Eric Marienthal,
Chris Potter, Ted Nash
Rose Theater 8 pm $55-145
êDanny Mixon Quartet
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25• Jon Beshay
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êCrossings Quartet: Mary Halovorsen, Sylvie Courvoisier, Tomas Fujiwara,
Ned Rothenberg
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êTom Harrell Quartet with Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz				Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, April 17• Stephane Wrembel• Jin Joo Trio

Barbès 8 pm $20
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30
êSteve Wilson Analog Band with Ray Angry, Corcoran Holt, Willie Jones III		Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êMarcus Miller and Friends
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Bruce Harris Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 7, 8, 9:15 pm• Welf Dorr, Dmitry Ishenko, Dave Treut		
The Keep 9 pmêTodd Coolman and Peter Bernstein		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Tessa Souter Trio with Paul Bollenback, Yasushi Nakamura		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15• Noah Baerman Trio with Henry Lugo, Jay Sawyer
		Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Dennis Sullivan/Erica Dicker; Erin Rogers/Leo Chang; Laura Cocks/Joe Moffett				
Scholes Street Studio 7:30 pm• Jesse Collins
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êTom Harrell Quartet with Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, April 18êJoshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êNick Di Maria Ensemble; Billy Mintz, Lim Yang, Don Falzone, Roberta Piket, Mike Fahn,
Adam Kolker; Stephen Gauci, Keisuke Matsuno, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea;
Anders Nilsson, Aaron Dugan, Colin Hilton; Ryan Siegel, Ben Eidson,
James Paul Nadien
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Purchase Jazz Orchestra led Jon Faddis and David DeJesus with guest Tom Harrell
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Big BandThe Django 7:30, 9:30 pm• Theo Bleckmann with The Westerlies		Joe’s Pub 7 pm $20• Ari Hoenig
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Lawrence Fields
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, April 19• Duduka Da Fonseca Quarteto Universal

		Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10êCyrille Aimée
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Marcus Miller’s Ladies of Jazz & Soul with guests Ledisi, Lalah Hathaway		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êMigiwa Miyajima and the Miggy Augmented Orchestra
		
Culture Lab LIC 7 pmêCharles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra
led by Jack Walrath
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• ELEW Trio and Dance Party: Eric Lewis, Conrad Korsch, Allan Mednard		
The Django 7, 10 pmêThomas Heberer, Joe Fonda, Joe Hertenstein; Nick Dunston, Joan Sue,
Isabel Crespo Pardo, Henry Fraser Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Juanma Trujillo Quartet with Kevin Sun, Andrew Schiller, Matt Honor		
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pmêHarvey DiamondMezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êDan Weiss
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êJoshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade		
Town Hall 8 pm $55• Aaron Parks Little Big with Greg Tuohey, Matt Brewer, Tommy Crane
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Wednesday, April 20êMarcos Varela’s San Ygnacio Project		
The Atlantic BKLN 7 pm $15• Tim Norton Group with Jerome Sabbagh, Leandro Pellegrino		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêPasquale Grasso Trio
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Anders Nilsson and Friends
Barbès 8 pm
• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êCyrille Aimée
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Harvie S, Vince Cherico
and guest Olli Soikkeli
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Marcus Miller’s Ladies of Jazz & Soul with guests Ledisi, Lalah Hathaway		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65

36 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Ehud Asherie Trio

Cellar Dog 7 pm $10
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $45
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• “Terreno Comu: Alexia Bomtemp, Orrin Evan, Leandro Pellegrin, Luques Curtis;
Sachal Vasandan with Victor Goul, Alex Claff, Domo Branc and guest
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Jazzmobile: S.O.A.R: April May Webb, Randal Haywood, Keith Brown, Caylen Bryant,
Nathan Webb
Interchurch Center 7 pm
• Pierre Bensusan
Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $25• Sylvester Germaine, Luke Marantz, Jonathan Goldberger, Jeff Davis		
Lowlands 8 pmêOran Etkin
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êDezron Douglas and Friends with George Burton, Nazir Ebo, Emilio Modeste, SILKA,
Tai Allen
Nublu 151 11 pm $20• Danny Backer Quartet
Pangea 7 pm $25• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15êJazzwerkstatt Berlin  New York: Derek Plays Eric; Jazzwerkstatt Orchestra Tribute toKurt Weill
Roulette 8 pm $25
êRonnie Burrage and Holographic Principle Alain Bradette, Alex Collins, Nimrod Speaks
		
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Matt Hollenberg solo
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Aaron Parks Little Big with Greg Tuohey, Matt Brewer, Tommy Crane		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8, 9:45 pm
êCamille ThurmanêMakoto Ozone Trio

Thursday, April 21• Yasser Tejeda and PalotréêCyrille Aimée

Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Donald Vega Trio
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Marcus Miller’s Ladies of Jazz & Soul with guests Ledisi, Lalah Hathaway		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
êDavid Schnitter Quintet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Steve Dyer and Bokani Dyer’s Dyerlogue		David Rubenstein Atrium 7:30 pmêCharles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Mingus Big Band		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Mike LeDonne Trio; Mark Whitfield The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 8 pm $30• Dana Lyn, Charlie Burnham, Marika Hughes		Greenwich House Music School 8 pm $15• Hannah Marks Quartet with Nathan Reising, Lex Korten, Connor Parks		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25• Gene Bertoncini/Roni Ben-Hur Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pmêKeith Brown
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Mike Casey Trio with Matt Dwonszyk, Corey Garcia
		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $20
êJazzwerkstatt Berlin  New York: Michael Moore, Greg Cohen, Joe Hertenstein;
Julie Sassoon solo; Thomas Krüger with Brass Quintet Potsa Lotsa		
Roulette 8 pm $25• Helio Alves
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• iNFiNiEN: Jordan Berger, Tom Cullen, Matt Hollenberg, Chrissie Loftus		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Aaron Parks Little Big with Greg Tuohey, Matt Brewer, Tommy Crane		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, April 22• Alex “Apolo” Ayala and The Bámbula Project		
The Atlantic BKLN 7 pm $15• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30
êCyrille Aimée
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êWycliffe Gordon and His International All-Stars with Adrian Cunningham, Ehud Asherie,
Yasushi Nakamura, Alvin AtkinsonBirdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êMarcus Miller’s The Nexus Project Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Zaid Nasser Quartet; Kyoko Oyobe Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êCharles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Mingus Big Band		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ken Fowser Quintet; Joe Saylor and The Kingdom
		
The Django 7, 10 pmêStanley Jordan
Iridium 8, 10:30 pm $45• Kengchakaj solo
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25• Geoffrey Keezer
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êFranklin Kiermyer Scatter The Atoms That Remain
		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Naama Gheber; Steve Sandberg Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8;30, 10 pm $18-15
êCharles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-130• Steve Turre; Philip Harper
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Shardik: Matt Hollenberg, Larry Kwartowitz, Nick Shellenberger
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Aaron Parks Little Big with Greg Tuohey, Matt Brewer, Tommy Crane		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, April 23• Perry Smith Quartet
The Atlantic BKLN 9 pm $15• Juanma Trujillo Quartet with Hery Paz, Santiago Leibson, Robin Baytas		
Bar Bayeux 9 pmêCyrille Aimée
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êWycliffe Gordon and His International All-Stars with Adrian Cunningham, Ehud Asherie,
Yasushi Nakamura, Alvin AtkinsonBirdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êMarcus Miller’s The Nexus Project Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Joe Farnsworth Quartet; Richard Clements quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Roy Ayers
City Winery 8 pm $40
êCharles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Mingus Dynasty
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êMingus Celebration: Scott Robinson Quartet with Miki Yamanaka, David Wong,
Pete Van Nostrand; Endea Owens and The Cookout
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Santi Debriano’s Flash of the SpiritFaber Park 3 pm
• Jonathan Karrant
The Green Room at Yotel 7 pmêStanley Jordan
Iridium 8, 10:30 pm $45
êEEE: Kevin Eubanks/Orrin Evans The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Geoffrey Keezer
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êJohn Blum, Rob Brown, Lou Grassi		Michiko Studios 7 pm $20• Steve Carrington Quintet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Matt Malanowski Trio
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 9 pm $10êCharles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-130• Pedrito Martinez Afro-Cuban Rhythms
		Roulette 8 pm $25
êWill Calhoun Group
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25
êSteve Turre; Eric Wyatt Band with Benito Gonzalez, Eric Wheeler, Charles Goold				
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Mark Sherman Quartet with Joe Magnarelli		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Cleric: Matt Hollenberg, Dan Kennedy, Larry Kwartowitz, Nick Shellenberger
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Aaron Parks Little Big with Greg Tuohey, Matt Brewer, Tommy Crane		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

100 MILES OUT
CONNECTICUT
4/30 (7 pm) Ellynne Rey with Joe Carter, Jeff Fuller
Best Video Film and Cultural Center Hamden, CT www.bestvideo.com
4/8 (8 pm) Post Traumatic Jazz Disorder with Lorain Ohio, Bob Farace,
Joe Glennon, Justin Paglino, Steve Shelton, Jay McKay
4/29 (8 pm) Kris Allen and Noah Baerman “Duke Ellington Birthday Celebration”
Buttonwood Tree Middletown, CT www.buttonwood.org
4/5 (7 pm) Dylan Rowland
4/9 (4 pm) Gary Grippo Café
4/16 (4 pm) Tony Di and Friends
4/19 (7 pm) Nick Di Maria
Café Nine New Haven, CT www.cafenine.com
4/1 (8:30 pm) Jeremy Pelt Quintet
4/8 (8:30 pm) Allen Lowe and The Constant Sorrow Orchestra
4/15 (8:30 pm) Sara Serpa Quartet
4/22 (8:30 pm) Jon Irabagon Quartet
4/29 (8:30 pm) Air Hoenig Trio with Tivon Pennicott, Ben Tiberio
Firehouse 12 New Haven, CT www.firehouse12.com
4/3 (3 pm) Sherry Winston Band with Richard Cummings, Steve Clarke
4/10 (3 pm) Allegra Levy with Carmen Staaf, Carmen Rothwell, Colleen Clark
4/24 (3 pm) Ronnie Burrage Holographic Principle with Nimrod Speaks,
Alex Collins, Alain BradetteHartford Public Library Hartford, CT www.hartfordjazzsociety.com
4/3 (2 pm) Andrew Wilcox Trio
4/10 (2 pm) Jonathan Barber Trio
4/17 (2 pm) Warren Byrd Quartet
4/24 (2 pm) Matt Dwonszyk Duo
Hog River Brewing Hartford, CT www.hogriverbrewing.com
4/3 (8 pm) Lee Ritenour
4/27 (8 pm) Stanley Jordan
Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT www.infinityhall.com
4/10 (7:30 pm) Wayne Horvitz/Sara Schoenbeck Duo
Institute for the Musical Arts Goshen, CT www.ima.org
4/9 (9 pm) Mike Scott, Jr. Trio
OC Kitchen & Bar Rocky Hill, CT www.ockitchenandbar.com
4/6, 13, 20, 27 (9 pm) Hawkins Jazz Collective
Owl Shop New Haven, CT www.owlshopcigars.com
4/1 (7/9 pm) Dana Lauren Quintet
4/29 (8/9 pm) Leala Cyr Quintet
Palace Theater Poli Club Waterbury, CT www.palacetheaterct.org
4/22 (7:30 pm) Jonathan Barber with Walter Smith III, Matt Dwonszyk
Parkville Sounds Hartford, CT www.parkvillesounds.com

4/16 (4 pm) Marc Copland/Mark Feldman
Jones/Hockaday Barn Hopewell, NJ www.jazznightsprinceton.com
4/2 (5 pm) T.K. Blue with S.O.L.E
Miller Branch Library Jersey City, NJ
www.jclibrary.org/locations-a-hours/regional-branches/miller-branch
4/3 (7:30 pm) Diana Krall
New Jersey Performing Arts Center Newark, NJ www.njpac.org
4/9 (8 pm) Jazz at Princeton University’s Creative Large Ensemble with
Darcy James Argue and Orrin Evans
4/27 (7:30 pm) Princeton University Jazz Festival:
Jazz Vocal Collective featuring Triniece Robinson-Martin
4/28 (7:30 pm) Princeton University Jazz Festival: Alexa Tarantino, Gilad Hekselman
4/30 (8 pm) Princeton University Jazz Festival: Seamus Blake, Tony Malaby
Princeton University Princeton, NJ www.music.princeton.edu/events
4/1-2 (7 pm) John Lee with Cyrus Chestnut, Freddie Hendrix,
Karl Latham, Tommy Campbell
4/8 (7 pm) Laurence Hobgood with Karl Latham, James Robbins
Shanghai Jazz Madison, NJ www.shanghaijazz.com
4/3 (4 pm) Jazz Room Series presents Christian Sands Trio
4/10 (4 pm) Jazz Room Series presents WP Latin Jazz Ensemble with Leo Johnson
William Paterson University Wayne, NJ www.wpunj.edu/wppresents
4/7 (7:30 pm) SFJAZZ Collective: Chris Potter, David Sánchez, Etienne Charles,
Warren Wolf, Edward Simon, Aneesa Strings, Kendrick Scott
4/10 (7 pm) Roseanna Vitro
South Orange Performing Arts Center South Orange, NJ www.sopacnow.org
4/3 (11 am) Alex Collins
4/10 (11 am) Chris DeVito Duo
4/24 (11 am) Charlie Sigler Duo
Stage House Tavern Somerset, NJ www.stagehousetavern.com/somerset
4/5 (7/8:45 pm) Carter Vames Quartet
4/7 (7/8:45 pm) Jerry Weldon Sextet
4/12 (7/8:45 pm) Ilan Eisenzweig Quartet
4/14 (7/8:45 pm) Adrian “Professor” Cunningham Quartet
4/19 (7/8:45 pm) Graham Kozak Quartet
4/21 (7/8:45 pm) Karl Latham Quartet
4/28 (7/8:45 pm) Champian Fulton Quartet
Tavern on George New Brunswick, NJ www.tavernongeorge.com
4/1 (7:30 pm) Lee Ritenour
The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts Red Bank, NJ www.thebasie.org
NEW YORK

4/24 (2:30 pm) Peter Evans, Mat Maneri, Joe Morris
Real Art Ways Hartford, CT www.realartways.org

4/1 (7 pm) Victor LaGamma Trio
4/8, 4/22 (7 pm) Dinah Vero
4/9, 4/23 (7:30 pm) Leslie Pintchik Trio with Scott Hardy, Michael Sarin
4/15 (7 pm) Alexander McCabe Trio with Sarah Sion, Mark Hagen
Alvin & Friends New Rochelle, NY www.alvinandfriendsrestaurant.com

4/24 (7 pm) Glenn Miller Orchestra
Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield, CT www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org

4/7 (7 pm) Eric Person Quartet with John Esposito, Robert Kopec, Peter O’Brien
Bearsville Theater Woodstock, NY www.bearsvilletheater.com

4/2 (8 pm) Monty Alexander with Jason Brown, Luke Sellick, Joshua Thomas,
Karl Wright, Miss Matty Lou, Wayne Escoffery
Shubert Theatre New Haven, CT www.shubert.com

4/14 (8 pm) Brad Mehldau solo
4/30 (8 pm) Jazzmeia Horn
Caramoor Jazz Katonah, NY www.caramoor.org

4/1-2 (8:30 pm) Christian Sands Trio
4/8-9 (8:30 pm) Larry Fuller Trio featuring Houston Person
4/15 (8:30 pm) Joe Saylor & Friends
4/16 (8:30 pm) Jeff Fuller & Friends
4/22-23 (8:30 pm) Willie Jones III Quintet with Eddie Henderson,
Justin Robinson, Keith Brown
4/29-30 (8:30 pm) Ken Peplowski Quartet with Ehud Asherie,Peter Washington, Phil Stewart
The Side Door Old Lyme, CT www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html

4/24 (4 pm) Armen Donelian with Jay Anderson, Dennis Mackrel
Claverack Free Library Claverack, NY www.claveracklibrary.org

4/22 (8 pm) Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble
4/23 (8 pm) The Makanda Project
Crowell Concert Hall at Wesleyan University Middletown, CT
www.wesleyan.edu/cfa

4/1 (8 pm) Bill Frisell Trio with Thomas Morgan, Rudy Royston
4/29 (8 pm) Stanley Jordan
Emelin Theatre Mamaroneck, NY www.emelin.org

NEW JERSEY
4/2 (6 pm) Samara Joy
Bethany Baptist Church Newark, NJ www.njpac.org
4/1 (7:30/9:15 pm) Ed Cherry Trio
4/8 (7:30/9:15 pm) Neil Clarke Trio
4/15 (7:30/9:15 pm) Justin Robinson Quartet
4/22 (7:30/9:15 pm) Freddie Hendrix Quintet
4/29 (7:30/9:15 pm) Bobby Sanabria and Trio Ache with T.K. Blue
Brothers Smokehouse Ramsey, NJ www.brotherssmokehousenj.com
4/2 (3:30 pm) Peter Lin
4/9 (3:30 pm) Radam Schwartz
4/16 (3:30 pm) Madam Pat Tandy
4/23 (3:30 pm) Audrey Welber with Corina Kwami
4/30 (3:30 pm) Geraldine Oliver
Candle Light Lounge Trenton, NJ www.candlelighteventsjazz.com
4/7 (7:30 pm) Jazz Bridge presents Matt Galletti
Collingswood Community Center Collingswood, NJ www.jazzbridge.org
4/1 (7:30 pm) Ty Stevens Quintet with Richard Cummings, Robert RT Taylor,
Leo Traversa, Russell Worrell
4/8 (8 pm) T.K. Blue Trio with Akiko Tsuruga, Jerome Jennings
4/15 (8 pm) Laura Campisi Quartet with Allan Rubenstein, Andrew Hall, Cory Cox
4/22 (7:30 pm) Rafiki with Tomoko Ohno, George Ghee, Peter Linn,
Christopher Dean Sullivan, Alvester Garnett, Norman Mann,
Joy Topping Mann, Zakiyvah Zai’Mah
4/29 (8 pm) Radam Schwartz Trio with Anthony Ware, David Gibson
Cricket Club Jazz Irvington, NJ www.facebook.com/CricketClub411
4/10 (2 pm) Tri-State Jazz Society presents Mike Davis’ New Wonders
Haddonfield United Methodist Church Haddonfield, NJ www.tristatejazz.org
4/30 (9 pm) Blues People with Kelton Cooper, Victor Burks, Mike Griot, Gene Lake
Hilltop Tavern Lodi, NJ www.facebook.com/HilltopTavernOpenMIcNight
4/21 (7 pm) Karl Latham Quartet
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick, NJ
www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/new-jersey/hyatt-regency-new-brunswick/ewrrn

4/3 (1 pm) “Swing Into Spring” with Judi Silvano, Teri Roiger, John Menegon
Cornwall Library Cornwall, NY www.cornwallpubliclibrary.org
4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28 (7 pm) Paul Connors Organ Groove featuring KJ Denhert
4/30 (7:30 pm) Alexis Cole & Friends
Elk’s Lodge Ossining, NY www.jazzatthelodge.com

4/1 4/2 (7/9:30 pm) Louis Hayes Quartet
4/3 (4/6 pm) Eugenie Jones, (8 pm) David Janeway Trio
4/8-9 (7/9:30 pm) Russell Malone Quartet
4/10 (4/6 pm) Maggie Gould
4/22-23 (7/9:30 pm) Eddie Palmieri Quartet
4/24 (4/6 pm) Liz Rosa
Jazz Forum Arts Tarrytown, NY www.jazzforumarts.org

4/2 (7 pm) Ed Palermo Big Band
4/3 (7 pm) Michael Leonhart Orchestra
4/7 (7 pm) Analogue Jazz Orchestra
4/10 (7 pm) Brianna Thomas
4/14 (7 pm) Mahavishnu Project
4/17 (7 pm) Aaron Parks Little Big
4/22 (7 pm) Billy Martin/Cyro Baptista
4/24 (7 pm) Jeremy Pelt
The Falcon Marlboro, NY www.liveatthefalcon.com
4/6 (1 pm) Tom Manuel & The Young At Heart Trio
4/7 (7 pm) Jazz Loft Big Band with Tom Manuel
4/8 (7 pm) Lew Tabackin/Randy Brecker Quartet
4/9 (7 pm) Bakithi Kumalo South African Allstars
4/12 (7 pm) Amadis Dunkel
4/19 (7 pm) Eli Yamin
4/21 (7 pm) The Bad Little Big Band featuring Madeline Kole, Rich Iacona
4/23 (7 pm) Sivan Arbel Quartet with Sam Weber, Evan Hyde, Nick Hetko
4/28 (7 pm) Interplay Jazz Orchestra with Joe Devassy, Gary Henderson
The Jazz Loft Stony Brook, NY www.thejazzloft.org
4/10 (4 pm) Michael Bisio Quartet with Karl Berger, Mat Maneri, Whit Dickey
The Lace Mill Kingston, NY www.facebook.com/TheLaceMill
4/7 (7:30 pm) Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
4/9 (8 pm) Diana Krall
Tilles Center at LIU Post Brookville, NY www.tillescenter.org
4/13 (7 pm) Ballister: Dave Rempis, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Paal Nilssen-Loveand guest Joe McPhee
Tubby’s Kingston, NY www.tubbyskingston.com
4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25 (8pm): Monday Jazz Sessions with John RichmondTurning Point Café Piermont, NY www.turningpointcafe.com
4/2 (8 pm) Diana Krall
Ulster Performing Arts Center Kingston, NY www.bardavon.org
4/23 (3 pm) Judi Silvano with Teri Roiger, John Menegon, Joe Lovano
Unitarian Universalist Society of Orange County Rock Tavern, NY www.uucrt.org
4/2 (6 pm) Alexis Cole Ensemble
4/16 (6 pm) Kristina Koller
4/23 (8 pm) Orchestra Pastrana
Bean Runner Café Peekskill, NY www.beanrunnercafe.com
PENNSYLVANIA
4/16 (8 pm) Dromedaries: Keir Neuringer, Shayna Dulberger, Julius Masri
2223.fish Philadelphia, PA www.firemuseumpresents.com
4/6 (7:30 pm) Joel Harrison Quintet
Cheltenham Center for the Arts Cheltenham, PA www.jazzbridge.org
4/1-2 (8/10 pm) Eric Alexander Quartet featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel
4/5 (8/9:30 pm)Temple University Swinging Owls with Chris Oatts and Josh Lee
4/8 (8/10 pm) Anthony Wonsey Quintet with Duane Eubanks, Stacy Dillard,
Brandi Disterheft, Wayne Smith, Jr.
4/16 (8/10 pm) East Coast Jazz Festival
4/22-23 (8/10 pm) Tim Brey Trio featuring Grant Stewart, Jeremy Pelt
Chris’ Jazz Café Philadephia, PA www.chrisjazzcafe.com
4/23 (7:30 pm) Johnathan Blake & Pentad with Immanuel Wilkins, Steve Nelson,
David Virelles, Ben Street
Clef Club Philadephia, PA www.clefclubofjazz.org
4/1 (7 pm) Gabrielle Stravelli
4/2 (7 pm) Alan Broadbent Trio with Harvie S, Michael Stephans
4/3 (7 pm) Joanie Samra with Skip Wilkins, Paul Rostock
4/8 (7 pm) Mark Sherman Quartet with Joe Magnarelli, Dean Johnson, Tim Horner
4/9 (7 pm) Dan Pugach Nonet +1 with Nicole Zuraitis
4/10 (5 pm) Skip and Dan Wilkins Quartet with Tony Marino, Bill Goodwin
4/15 (7 pm) David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band
4/16 (7 pm) Carolyn Leonhart
4/22 (7 pm) JD Walter Quartet with Jim Ridl, Tony Marino, DIego Joaquin Ramirez
4/23 (7 pm) Nancy Reed/Skip Wilkins Duo
4/24 (5 pm) Rob Scheps Core-tet with Jamie Reynolds, Cameron Brown, Anthony Pinciotti
4/29 (7 pm) Warren Vaché
4/30 (7 pm) Giacomo Gates Trio with David Leonhart, Paul Rostock
Deer Head Inn Delaware Water Gap, PA www.deerheadinn.com
4/8 (8 pm) Diana Krall
4/21 (8 pm) Dianne Reeves
4/14 (7:30 pm) “Jazz In The Key of Ellison” with Nona Hendryx, Quiana Lynell,
Andy Farber Orchestra featuring Jon Faddis
Kimmel Center Philadelphia, PA www.kimmelculturalcampus.org

4/9 (7 pm) Rob Scheps Core-tet with Jamie Reynolds, Cameron Brown, Anthony Pinciotti
4/16 (6:30 pm) Daniel Jodocy, Ben Zwerin, Yusuke Yamamoto
4/23 (7 pm) Nancy Donnelly with Peter Tomlinson, Mark Usvolk, Matt Garrity
Lydia’s Café Stone Ridge, NY www.lydias-cafe.com
4/1 (8 pm) Jazz Jam with Freddie Jacobs and Friends
4/2 (8 pm) Tony Jefferson Quartet
4/8 (8 pm) Scott Reeves Quartet with Jim Ridl, Mike McGuirk, Jamile Ayers
4/9 (8 pm) Valery Ponomarev Quartet
4/15 (8 pm) Pete Levin Trio with Roni Ben-Hur
4/16 (8 pm) Kate Baker Quartet featuring Rachel Z, (10 pm) David Budman
4/22 (8 pm) Indian Raga Jazz featuring Charu Siri
4/23 (8 pm) Zach Adleman Trio
4/29 (8 pm) Alex “Apolo” Ayala & Bambula Project
4/30 (8 pm) Maucha Adnet & The Brazilian Trio
Maureen’s Jazz Cellar Nyack, NY www.maureensjazzcellar.com
4/4 (8:30 pm) Anna Webber Trio with Adam Hopkins, Tomas Fujiwara
4/11 (8:30 pm) Geoff Vidal Rhythm Project with Bryan Ponton, Jongyoon Lee,
Sam Minae, Guerin Williams
4/18 (8:30 pm) Kenny Wessel with Dave Ambrosio, Michael Sarin
4/25 (8:30 pm) Jon Irabagon Quartet with Matt Mitchell, Chris Lightcap, Dan Weiss
Quinn’s Beacon, NY www.facebook.com/QuinnsBeacon
4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30 (3 pm) Hal Galper Trio with Tony Marino, Billy Mintz
Rafter’s Tavern Callicoon, NY www.facebook.com/Rafters-Tavern-894552874038817
4/3 (2 pm) Art Lillard & Blue Heaven
4/3 (1 pm) Rave Tesar and John Arbo with Heidi Blair Clark
4/10 (1 pm) New Adirondack Jazz Trio: Bob Meyer, Bryan Copeland, Luke Franco
4/15 (1 pm) Jerry Vivino Quartet with John Arbo, Rave Tesar, Jimmy Wormworth
4/16 (7 pm) Oz Noy Trio
4/24 (1 pm) Hudson Valley Jazz Trio: Jeff Ciampa, John Arbo, Steve Rubin
The Cove Castle Greenwood Lake, NY www.covecastleny.com

4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25 (5:30-9:30 pm) Tony Williams Jazz Quartet
La Rose Jazz Club Philadelphia, PA www.jazzclublarose.com
4/14 (8 pm) ArsNova Presents Ballister with Dave Rempis, Fred Lonberg-Holm,
Paal Nilssen-Love and guest Marshall Allen
PhilaMOCA Philadelphia, PA www.philamoca.org
4/20 (7:30 pm) Celebration of John Blake 75th b-day featuring Ben Sutin
Ridge Avenue Methodist Church Philadelphia, PA www.jazzbridge.org
4/15 (8 pm) ArsNova presents Chris Corsano/Bill Orcutt
RUBA Club Philadelphia, PA www.arsnovaworkshop.org
4/1 (7 pm) G. Thomas Allen Quartet
4/10 (6:30/8:30 pm) Dan Pratt, Michael Eckroth, Matt Clohesy, Jerome Jennings
4/21 4/22 (7/9 pm) The Electric Mingus Project
4/29-30 (7/9:30 pm) Nicole Henry
South Jazz Club Philadelphia, PA www.southjazzkitchen.com
4/12 (8 pm) Gwen Laster’s New Muse 4tet with Melanie Dyer, Alex Waterman,
Dara Blumenthal-Bloom; Bismuth Quartet with Carlos Santiago,
Veronica Jurkiewicz, Carolina Diazgranados, Matt Engle
The Rotunda Philadelphia, PA www.firemuseumpresents.com
4/1 (8 pm) Ranky Tanky
Williams Center for the Arts Easton, PA www.williamscenter.lafayette.edu
4/14 (9 pm) Omar’s Hat
4/21 (8 pm) Yamandu Costa
4/22 (8 pm) Kevin Eubanks/Orrin Evans Experience
4/23 (9 pm) Emmanuel Ohemeng III & Perpetual Motion
4/27 (8 pm) Stephane Wrembel
World Café Philadelphia, PA www.worldcafelive.com
4/4 (12 pm) Mark Wade Trio with Tim Harrison, Scott Neumann Zoellner
Performing Arts Center Bethlehem, PA www.zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 37

Sunday, April 24• Stephane Wrembel
Barbès 8 pm $20• Ashley Pezzotti with Birdland Big BandMINGUS BIG BAND

EVERY MONDAY! 7:30 & 9:30pm Shows!
FRI
4/1

KEN FOWSER QUINTETWAYNE ESCOFFERY PLAYS MINGUS

7PM
10PM

SAT
4/2

DAVID GIBSON QUARTETTATUM GREENBLATT PLAYS MINGUS

7PM
10PM

TUE
4/5

PEDRO GIRAUDO QUARTETCHINO PONS

7PM
10PM

WED
4/6

JOHN DOKES
JD WALTER QUARTET

7PM
10PM

THR
4/7

SIMON MOULLIER QUARTETKEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
10PM

FRI
4/8

JASON MARSHALL PLAYS MINGUS
FREDDY DEBOE BAND

7PM
10PM

SAT
4/9

ALEX NORRIS PLAYS MINGUS
BORIS KOZLOV’S ELECTRIC MINGUS

7PM
10PM

TUE
4/12

CESAR OROZCO & KAMARATA JAZZ
7PM
GERARDO CONTINO & LOS HABANEROS 10PM

WED
4/13

NAAMA GHEBER
7PM
VANISHA GOULD & LUCY YEGHIAZARYAN 10PM

THR
DAVE KIKOSKI PLAYS MINGUS
7PM
4/14 CONRAD HERWIG’S LATIN SIDE OF MINGUS 10PMFRI CONRAD HERWIG’S LATIN SIDE OF MINGUS 7PM
4/15
GOTHAM KINGS
10PM
SAT
4/16

KEN FOWSER QUINTETPHILIP HARPER PLAYS MINGUS

7PM
10PM

TUE
4/19

ELEW ACOUSTIC TRIO
ELEW TRIO & DANCE PARTY

7PM
10PM

WED
4/20

TERRENO COMUM FT. ALEXIA BOMTEMPO 7PM
SACHAL VASANDANI PRESENTS
10PM

THR
4/21

MIKE LEDONNE TRIOMARK WHITFIELD

7PM
10PM

FRI
4/22

KEN FOWSER QUINTETJOE SAYLOR & THE KINGDOM

7PM
10PM

SAT
4/23

SCOTT ROBINSON PLAYS MINGUS
ENDEA OWENS & THE COOKOUT

7PM
10PM

TUE
4/26

PEDRO CORTEZ FLAMENCO ENSEMBLE
LOS HACHEROS

7PM
10PM

WED
4/27

BENNY BENACK III
EMILY BRADEN

7PM
10PM

THR
4/28

HELEN SUNG PLAYS MINGUS
IAN HENDRICKSON-SMITH

7PM
10PM

FRI
4/29

KEN FOWSER QUINTETCRAIG HANDY & 2ND LINE SMITH

7PM
10PM

SAT
4/30

“RIVERSIDE” ALBUM RELEASELEZLIE HARRISON

7PM
10PM

DINNER, LIBATIONS & LIVE JAZZTHEDJANGONYC.COM
2 AVE OF THE AMERICAS		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30
êWycliffe Gordon and His International All-Stars with Adrian Cunningham, Ehud Asherie,
Yasushi Nakamura, Alvin AtkinsonBirdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êMarcus Miller’s Bass JamBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Ned Goold Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êCharles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Mingus Orchestra
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 7, 8, 9:15 pm• Alicia Lieu; Mark Wade
Flushing Town Hall 2 pm $10êStanley Jordan
Iridium 8, 10:30 pm $45• Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Kenny Wollesen
		
The Keep 9 pm
• Elina Duni/Rob LuftLe Poisson Rouge 7 pm $35-40
êChampian Fulton
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Tony Glausi
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Roz Corral Trio with Roni Ben-Hur, Harvie S		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15
êGo: Organic Orchestra and Brooklyn Raga Massive: Jay Gandhi, Arun Ramamurthy,
Trina Basu, Samarth Nagarkar, Neel Murgai, Sameer Gupta, Michel Gentile,
Sylvain Leroux, Zé Luis, Avram Fefer, Sara Schoenbeck, Ivan Barenboim,
Ned Rothenberg, Stephen Haynes, Julianne Carney-Chung, Sana Nagano,
Gwen Laster, Richard Carr, Stephanie Griffin, Jake Charkey, Leco Reis,
Mia Theodoratus, Marco Cappelli, Kenny Wessel, Alexis Marcelo, Damon Banks,Harris Eisenstadt, Rogério Boccato
		Roulette 8 pm $25• Tahira Clayton
Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Duduka Da Fonseca
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êJohn Zorn’sNew Masada Quartet with Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder, Kenny Wollesen				
Village Vanguard 3 pm $40• Aaron Parks Little Big with Greg Tuohey, Matt Brewer, Tommy Crane		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, April 25• Tal Mashiach
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êDavid Gervais, André Sacalxot, Jordan Caroompas; Patrick Golden, Dave Sewelson,
Jim Clouse, Sean Conly; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Daniel Carter,
Stephen Gauci, Sean Conly, Kevin Shea, Aron Namenwirth; Nick Demopoulos,
Lauren Lee, Donald Sturge Anthony McKenzie		Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Temple University Jazz Band led by Terell Stafford with guest Joey DeFrancesco				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40
êMingus Orchestra
The Django 7:30, 9:30 pm• Angélique Kidjo
Grace R. Rogers Auditorium 7 pm $25-150êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, April 26êEri Yamamoto, William Parker, Chad Fowler, Steve Hirsh		
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• Jane Monheit with Rick Montalbano,Michael Kanan, Miles Okazaki		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Charles Mingus Centennial Celebration: Yale Jazz Ensemble led by Wayne Escofferywith guests Michael Philip Mossman, “Ku-Umba” Frank Lacy
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Pedro Cortes Flamenco Ensemble; Los Hacheros: Jeremy Bosch, Itai Kriss,
Eddie Venegas, Jacob Plasse, William Ash, Marcos Lopez, Carlitos Padron		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Ayumi Ishito, Damien Olsen, Nebula The Velvet Queen; Aaron Edgcomb,
Priya Carlberg, David Leon
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Angélique Kidjo
Grace R. Rogers Auditorium 7 pm $25-150êYoun Sun Nah’s Waking World
Joe’s Pub 7 pm $30• Happy Trio XXI: Kevin Sun, Harish Raghavan		
Lowlands 8, 9:30 pm• Jamile
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Molisn’t Jazz Ensemble: Chiara Izzi, Luca Santaniello, Nicola Corso, Perry Smith		Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm $20
êJohnathan Blake Pentad with Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, Ben Street		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Wednesday, April 27êChris Speed Trio; Paul JonesêSullivan Fortner Trio

The Atlantic BKLN 7, 9 pm $15
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Kazemde George Quintet
Bar Lunàtico 9, 10:15 pm $10• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Jane Monheit with Rick Montalbano, Michael Kanan, Miles Okazaki		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno and guest Dave Stryker
		Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Paris Swing Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Jazz Foundation of America Artist Series
		
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $45• Honoring South Africa Freedom Day: McCoy Mrubata Quartet with Gary Wittner,
Shakeel Cullis, Lumanyano Mzi and guest: Evan Christopher
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Benny Benack III; Emily Braden The Django 7, 10 pm• Sunny Jain’s Love Force
Joe’s Pub 7 pm $20• Ambrose Getz/Almog Sharvit Lowlands 8 pm
• Joris Teepe
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• TheTrioOfOZ: Omar Hakim, Rachel Z, Jon Toscano, Kalena Nash		
Nublu 151 7 pm
• Marcelino Feliciano Quintet with Nicki Adams, Dan Stein, Mario Castro, Joel Mateo				Pangea 7 pm $25• Erez Aviram Ensemble
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $15• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15• Rob Scheps
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Hayes Greenfield/Dean Johnson Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Jeremiah Cymerman, Joe Morris, Henry Fraser, Shayna Dunkelman
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJohnathan Blake Pentad with Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, Ben Street		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8, 9:45 pm

Thursday, April 28• Jane Monheit with Rick Montalbano,Michael Kanan, Miles Okazaki		

38 APRIL 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Daniel Glass Trio
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• The Flail
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Honoring South Africa Freedom Day—Miriam Makeba at 90: Melanie Scholtz,
Nonhlanhla Kheswa, Aaron Rimbui Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40

êMingus Celebration: Helen Sung Quartet; Ian Hendrick-Smith		The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 8 pm $30• AleaGreenwich House Music School 8 pm $15êPeter Evans/Elias Stemeseder
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
êTed Brown Quartet
Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pmêAmir ElSaffar’s Rivers of Sound with Carlo DeRosa, John Escreet, Dena ElSaffar,
Fabrizio Cassol, George Ziadeh, JD Parran, Miles Okazaki, Mohammed Saleh,
Naseem AlAtrash, Nasheet Waits, Ole Mathisen, Rajna Swaminathan, Tareq Abboushi,
Tim Moore, Zafer Tawil
Merkin Concert Hall 7:30 pm $25
êBrian Charette
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Kassa Overall
Public Records 7:30 pm $25• The Secret Trio: Ismail Lumanovski, Tamer Pınarbaşı, Ara Dinkjian		Roulette 8 pm $25
êFranklin Kiermyer Scatter The Atoms That Remain; David Gibson
		
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êJeremiah Cymerman solo
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJohnathan Blake Pentad with Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, Ben Street		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, April 29êChris McCarthy Quintet

The Atlantic BKLN 9:30 pm $15• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30• Jane Monheit with Rick Montalbano, Michael Kanan, Miles Okazaki		Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êSteven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra		
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êStanley Clarke/Gonzalo Rubalcaba
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Jade Synstelien Quartet; Jamale Davis Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Honoring South Africa Freedom Day: Nduduzo Makhathini Quartet
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ken Fowser Quintet; Craig Handy 2nd Line Smith with Matt Chertkoff, Kyle Koehler,
Clark Gayton, Jerome Jennings The Django 7, 10 pm• Milena Casado
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Isaiah Thompson
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êGabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet
		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êFranklin Kiermyer Scatter The Atoms That Remain		Ornithology Jazz Club 9 pm
• Ron Jackson; Steven Gluzband Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8;30, 10 pm $18-15• The Flail
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Broken Land: Jeremiah Cymerman, Zachary Paul, Samer Ghadry
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJohnathan Blake Pentad with Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, Ben Street		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, April 30• Christian Li Trio with Jared Henderson, Lee Fish		Bar Bayeux 9 pm
• Jane Monheit with Rick Montalbano,Michael Kanan, Miles Okazaki		Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êSteven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra		
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êStanley Clarke/Gonzalo Rubalcaba
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
êSheryl Bailey Quartet; Ai Murakami Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êHonoring South Africa Freedom Day: Nduduzo Makhathini Quartet
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• International Jazz Day: Riverside: Oz Noy, Ugonna Okegwo, Ray Marchica;
Lezlie Harrison
The Django 7, 10 pmêAdegoke Steve Colson Quintet with Iqua Colson, TK Blue, Luke Stewart,
Pheeroan akLaff
Harlem School of the Arts 3 pm
• Queen Esther
Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7:30 pm $25-35• Cucho Martinez and Friends
J. Hood Wright Park 2 pm
• Dayna Stephens’ Custom Deluxe The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Isaiah Thompson
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Dawn Drake
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êMichael Leonhart and JSWISS
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 8:30 pm $20
êJD Allen/Brandon Sanders Quartet
		
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25
êGeorge Garzone, John Lockwood, Francisco Mela, Leo Genovese		
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êBloodmist: Jeremiah Cymerman, Toby Driver, Mario Diaz de Leo
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJohnathan Blake Pentad with Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, Ben Street		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êJazzmeia Horn
Zankel Hall 9 pm $46-55

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- Sheridan Squarewww.55bar.com• Americas Society 680 Park Avenue(212-628-3200) Subway: 6 to 68th Street www.as-coa.org• The Atlantic BKLN 333 Atlantic Avenue
Subway: A, C, G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets www.atlanticbkln.com• 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• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 58 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn
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 of St Edward the Martyr 14 E. 109th Street(212-369-1140) Subway: 6 to 110th Street www.saintedwardthemartyr.com• City Winery 25 11th Avenue (at 15th Street)(646-751-6033) Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street www.citywinery.com• The Cloak Room 126 Hamilton Place
Subway: A, B, C, D to 145th Street www.cloakroom.bar• Culture Lab LIC 5-25 46th Avenue, Long Island City
(347-848-0030) Subway: 7 to Vernon Boulevard/Jackson Avenue
www.facebook.com/culturelablic• The Cutting Room 44 E. 32nd Street(212-691-1900) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street www.thecuttingroomnyc.com• David Rubenstein Atrium Broadway at 60th Street(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
www.lincolncenter.org/venue/atrium• 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 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• Entwine Wine Bar 765 Washington Street(212-727-8765) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, L to 14th Street
www.entwinenyc.com• Faber Park Richmond Terrace, Staten Island(212-639-9675) Bus: SIMC3C Bus to Faber Park
www.nycgovparks.org/parks/faber-pool-and-park• Flushing Town Hall 137-35 Northern Boulevard, Flushing(718-463-7700) Subway: 7 to Main Street www.flushingtownhall.org• Funkadelic Studios 209 W. 40th Street(212-696-2513) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, Q, R to 42nd Street-Times Squarewww.funkadelicstudios.com• Grace R. Rogers Auditorium 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street(212-570-3949) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street www.metmuseum.org• The Green Room at Yotel 570 Tenth Avenue(646-449-7700) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, Q, R to 42nd Street-Times Square
www.yotel.com• Greenwich House Music School 46 Barrow Street(212-242-4770) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.greenwichhouse.org• Harlem School of the Arts 645 St. Nicholas Avenue at 145th Street(212-926-4100) Subway: D to 145th Street www.hsanyc.org• Harlem Stage Gatehouse 150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street(212-650-7100) Subway: 1 to 137th Street www.harlemstage.org• Holy Apostles Church 296 Ninth Avenue(212-807-6799) Subway: 1 to 28th Street www.holyapostlesnyc.org• Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Subway: F to 4th Avenue www.ibeambrooklyn.com• The Interchurch Center 61 Claremont Avenue(212-870-2200) Subway: 1 to 116th Street www.interchurch-center.org• Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Street(212-582-2121) Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street www.theiridium.com• Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 881 Seventh Avenue(212-247-7800) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th- Seventh Avenue
www.carnegiehall.org• J. Hood Wright Park W. 173rd Street and Haven Avenue(212-927-1563) Subway: A to 175th Street www.nycgovparks.org• Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Queens(718-658-7400 ext. 152) Subway: E to Jamaica Center www.jcal.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• Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater 425 Lafayette Street(212-539-8770) Subway: N, R to 8th Street-NYU; 6 to Astor Place
www.joespub.com• 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• Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 33 University Place at 9th Street(212-228-8490) Subway: N, R to 8th Street-NYU
www.knickerbockerbarandgrill.com• Le Chéile 839 W. 181st Street(212-740-3111) Subway: A to 181st Street www.lecheilenyc.com• 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• Manhattan School of Music Neidorff-Karpati Hall
Broadway and 122nd Street (212-749-2802, ext 4428)
Subway: 1 to 116th Street www.msmnyc.edu• Mercury Lounge 217 E. Houston Street(212-260-4700) Subway: F, V to Second Avenue
www.mercuryloungenyc.com• Merkin Concert Hall 129 W. 67th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam(212-501-3330) Subway: 1 to 66th Street-Lincoln Center
www.kaufman-center.org• 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• Miller Theatre 2960 Broadway and 116th Street(212-854-7799) Subway: 1 to 116th Street-Columbia University
www.millertheater.com• Minton’s 206 W. 118th Street(212-243-2222) Subway: B, C to 116th Street www.mintonsharlem.com• National Sawdust 80 N. 6th Street(646-779-8455) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.nationalsawdust.org• New York Jazz Workshop 265 W. 37th St, 10th floor suite(212-287-5908) Subway: A, C, E to 34th Street-Penn Stationwww.newyorkjazzworkshop.com• 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• Ornithology Jazz Club 6 Suydam Street, Brooklyn(917-231-4766) Subway: J, M, Z to Myrtle Avenue
www.ornithologyjazzclub.com• 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• 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• Revolution Books 437 Malcolm X Boulevard(212-691-3345) Subway: 2, 3 to 135th Street www.revolutionbooksnyc.org• 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, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
www.jazz.org• Roulette 509 Atlantic Avenue(212-219-8242) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Avenue www.roulette.org• St. George Theatre 35 Hyatt Street(718-442-2900) Bus: S74 to Bay Street/Borough Place
www.stgeorgetheatre.com• St. John’s in the Village 218 W. 11th Street(212-243-6192) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.stjvny.org• Saint Peter’s Church 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street(212-935-2200) Subway: 6 to 51st Street www.saintpeters.org• Saint Vitus Bar 1120 Manhattan Avenue
Subway: G to Greenpoint Avenue www.saintvitusbar.com• 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• Sony Hall 235 W. 46th Street(212-997-5123) Subway: N, R, W to 49th Street www.sonyhall.com• 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 and Bar Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th Street (212-864-5400) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Street
www.symphonyspace.org• Town Hall 123 W. 43rd Street(212-997-1003) Subway: 7, B, D, F, M to 42nd Street-Bryant Park
www.thetownhall.org• Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers Street(212-220-1460) Subway: A, 1, 2, 3 to Chambers Street www.tribecapac.org• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South at 11th Street(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street www.villagevanguard.com• Weill Recital Hall (at Carnegie Hall) 154 W. 57th Street at Seventh Avenue(212-247-7800) Subway: N, R to 57th Street www.carnegiehall.org• 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

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | APRIL 2022 39