JANUARY 2020—ISSUE 213

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

stevenbernsteinsynthesis of everything

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ature

best of2019

donaldharrisonronnieburragedusko
bobgoykovich brookmeyer

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Laurence Donohue-Greene
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Andrey Henkin
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JANUARY 2020—ISSUE 213
New York@Night

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

Interview : donald harrison

Andrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

Artist Feature : ronnie burrage

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On The Cover : steven bernstein
Encore : dusko goykovich
Lest We Forget : bob brookmeyer
LAbel Spotlight : destiny

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obituaries
album Reviews

Staff Writers
Duck Baker, Stuart Broomer,
Robert Bush, Kevin Canfield,
Marco Cangiano, Thomas Conrad,
Pierre Crépon, Ken Dryden,
Donald Elfman, Phil Freeman,
Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland,
George Grella, Tyran Grillo,Alex Henderson, Robert Iannapollo,
Mark Keresman, Marilyn Lester,
Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin,
Jim Motavalli, Russ Musto,
John Pietaro, Joel Roberts,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon,
Anna Steegmann, Scott Yanow
Contributing Writers
Brian Charette, George Kanzler, Steven Loewy,
Franz Matzner, Kyle Oleksiuk, Eric Wendell
Contributing Photographers
Anthony Alvarez, Tim Dickeson, Enid Farber,Peter Gannushkin, Alan Nahigian, John Rogers
Fact-checker
Nate Dorward

nycjazzrecord.com

special feature: best of 2019
Miscellany
festival report
Event Calendar

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by alex hendersonby john pietaro
by jim motavalli
by mark keresmanby ken dryden
by eric wendellby suzanne lorge
by andrey henkin

There has been a lot of talk over the past couple of years about coal miners and how their noble
lifestyle needs to be preserved, how their hard work must be appreciated and supported. Well,
let us tell you, dear reader, that sometimes being half-mile underground seems preferable tocompiling our annual Best Of lists. We have to dig through thousands of recordings received
over the past judging period to unearth the most precious gems and there is no canary watchingout for us overdoing it and asphyxiating musically. But we do it for you and we hope that you
discover some new treasures among our Best of 2019 centerfold (pgs. 28-29). And don’t forget
to take a moment to remember all those who we lost this past year; a complete list is on pg. 12.
But 2019 and the whole second decade of the 21st century is behind us. Look forward to
the future, taking a lesson from trumpeter Steven Bernstein (On The Cover), whose
Millennial Territory Orchestra celebrates its 20th anniversary this month with a concert aspart of Winter Jazzfest. Saxophonist Donald Harrison (Interview) and drummer Ronnie
Burrage (Artist Feature) also respect the jazz tradition while pushing it forward; see botharound town this month, just a few of many recommended concerts in a packed Event Calendar.
On The Cover: Steven Bernstein (Peter Gannushkin/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET)
Corrections: In last month’s NY@Night, Patricia Nicholson-Parker is the sole founder ofArts for Art. In last month’s Artist Feature, Jaimie Branch grew up on Long Island.
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDCHRIS 15 ANNUAL HOLIDAY RESIDENCYCHRIS BOTTI DECEMBER 9 - JANUARY 5
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TERMS, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLYNEW YORK @ NIGHT
It was a bit like watching My Dinner with Andre, arambling but riveting colloquy between two oldfriends, only this one occurred between saxophonist/
trumpeter Scott Robinson, resplendent in a custom
shirt and hat made of saxophone reeds, and pianist
Frank Kimbrough during an early set at Mezzrow(Dec. 8th). They’ve been talking, musically, for almost
40 years now, primarily in the context of standard
repertoire, recently that of Thelonious Monk. From thefirst proud tenor call, rattling the open-lid piano’s
sympathetic strings as it introduced “Monk’s Mood”,
those sitting quietly crowded together in the narrow
subterranean room sensed we were in for an engrossing
dialogue. Kimbrough hit all the composer ’s signature
fills, segueing into “Sweet and Lovely” after Robinson’s
buzzy finish, setting a new mood both urbane andearthy; Robinson debuted his rare Kuhlohorn(a horizontally-held flugelhorn), comically ending
with a coarse, out-of-tune tone. “I was doing OK until
I went for that low note,” he quipped. Monk’s “Played
Twice” showed the duo’s bop side, Kimbroughchuckling out loud at an unexpectedly synchronous
accent. After he’d set up “You Took Advantage of Me”,
a beautiful ballad, Robinson took over, playing trumpet
on B sections (taking an effective solo on the second),finishing with a tender understated coda. Kimbrough’s
masterful harmonies undergirded “You Took
Advantage of Me” before the set closed with “YouDon’t Know What Love Is”.
—Tom Greenland

SWING BY TONIGHT
7:30PM & 9:30PM
JAN 1

closed for new years day

JAN 2-5

gonzalo rubalcaba trio d’été

JAN 6 • MONDAY NIGHTS WITH WBGO

ashley pezzotti quintet
JAN 7

ed cherry quartet feat. peter bernstein
JAN 8amina figarova sextet

JAN 9-10

the brianna thomas bandJ azz is fascinating in how one day a musician isa young lion and then, almost before realizing, head of
the pride. While drummer Johnathan Blake has played
the Village Vanguard numerous times over the
decade—Ravi Coltrane, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell—
and led bands around town, fronting his own group at
the august venue was a career checkbox. His Pentad
was players whose names, once unfamiliar, are now
ubiquitous and, soon, too, will be inextricably woven
into the jazz fabric: Immanuel Wilkins (alto saxophone),
Joel Ross (vibraphone), David Virelles (piano) andDezron Douglas (bass). Simply put, it is a hell of agroup and one flush with connections; Wilkins andRoss are all over each other ’s projects while Virelles,
Douglas and Blake are three-fourths of the Ravi
Coltrane Quartet. The latter even came to see hischarges during the run, just one of a full house all theway to the back wall (Dec. 5th). The nearly 75-minuteset was wondrous, starting off by Blake making fun of
the bomber jacket Wilkins was wearing (“Top Gun?”)and included Blake tributes to his wife (“Rio’s
Dreams”) and his elders/peers (“Rivers and Parks”)
plus, Art Blakey-style, pieces by Blake’s bandmates.
The music called for a neologism: ‘crefficiency’, aseveryone did exactly what the music called for in themost inventive way possible. While things were
humming along nicely, they peaked by the pairing ofa short South African lullaby with a transcendent takeon Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out”.
—Andrey Henkin

JAN 11russell hall presents
the feeling of romance©️John Rogers / johnrogersnyc.com

JAN 12

brubecks play brubeck
JAN 13

JAN 14

christian sands trio
JAN 15the curtis brothers "algorithm" album release
JAN 16

atom string quartet

JAN 17-19

walter blanding quartet
JAN 20jazz at lincoln center youth orchestra
JAN 21 • 7:30PM ONLY

sean mason trio

JAN 21 • 9:30PM ONLY

vuyo sotashe
JAN 22larry willis: a life in jazz
JAN 23-26

benny green trio
JAN 27benny benack III: "a lot of livin' to do"album release party

JAN 28james morrison quartet

JAN 29benito gonzalez trio: tribute to mccoy
tyner

JAN 30-31

nilson matta's brazilian voyage quintet
JAZZ.ORG / DIZZYS
212-258-9595
jazz at lincoln center
broadway at 60th st., 5th fl.

courtesy of mezzrow

isaiah j. thompson quartet

Frank Kimbrough & Scott Robinson @ Mezzrow

Johnathan Blake’s Pentad @ Village Vanguard

Seeing is unbelieving. At least that’s what you could F or the historically inclined reviewer, such as yourconclude watching the raucous bacchanalia intrinsic toa live gig by the Ed Palermo Big Band. The occasion:
Iridium (Dec. 9th), 15 or more musicians blasting away
on stage, five extremely drunk men in Santa hats at therear of the house trying—almost succeeding—toout-blast the band and, in the eye of the storm,
resplendent in a glittering white princess dress andtiara, matching snowflake earrings and wand (doubling
as a conductor ’s baton), pranced Palermo himself(aka Suzy/Uncle Snowflake), chief culprit andinstigator. And those arrangements! Here were yourseasonal favorites—“The Night Before Christmas”(a recitation); “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and“We Three Kings” (mashed up with, among otherthings, Dizzy Gillespie’s “Things to Come”, Roland
Kirk’s “Serenade to a Cuckoo”, Frank Zappa’s “Toadsof the Short Forest” and “My Favorite Things”); plus
“Little Drummer Boy”; “Dance of the Sugar Plum
Fairy”; “Dance of the Mirlitons”; and more—only
these holiday hits had been Palermo-ized: repurposedby his deft but demented imagination to reflect the
prog-rock influences of Zappa, Jethro Tull and King
Crimson. It’s called jazz, in case you were wondering.
Meantime, one drunken Santa kept hollering, “We love
you, Ed!” while another made repeated requests for
Zappa’s “Peaches en Regalia”. (It was never played.)
Alas, even the Santas couldn’t match Palermo’s bandfor creative insanity. 			
(TG)

4 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

humble correspondent, it was hard not to be in awe of
the collective experience onstage at Birdland (Dec. 5th)
with saxophonist Joe Lovano’s Streams of Expressions.
Going by the imprecise metric of first recorded
appearance, this undectet (look it up) has a combined
440 years under its belt; even the baby of the group,
drummer Otis Brown III, has been recording since theturn of the millennium. The group’s purpose was twofold. For the first half of the set, they played musicfrom Lovano’s 2005 album of the same name(amazingly, given the intervening years, the horn
section of Lovano, Ralph Lalama, Gary Smulyan,
George Garzone, Steve Slagle, Barry Ries, Tim Hagans
and Ed Neumeister is mostly intact). These pieces wereWest Coast cool, bebop fanfare and an Ellington-ian
ballad, all blowing opportunities for the horns. The
second half dug far deeper into jazz history with amusician whose centennial was overlooked two years
ago and whose emerald anniversary (look it up) of his
passing will probably also receive scant attention next
year: Tadd Dameron. The group segued from the semiobscure “Focus” to the title track of Dameron’s 1956
collaboration with John Coltrane, ending with anotherrarity in “Whatever Possessed Me”. Dameron’s late‘40s-50s work is a template for Lovano’s band, with its
emphasis on composition, but so too is the World
Saxophone Quartet in the marvelous stacking andinterplay of the horns, especially the leader ’s.
(AH)Superband Artemis made its Carnegie Hall debut As assorted urban young adults entered The Bell
(Dec. 7th) to a packed house, which welcomed theensemble with wildly appreciative cheers as trumpeter
Ingrid Jensen, clarinetist/soprano saxophonist Anat
Cohen, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, pianist
Renee Rosnes, bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer
Allison Miller came to center stage and bowed. Taking
her place at the piano, Music Director Rosnes
dramatically pounded out a dark left-hand vamp to set
up Miller ’s “Goddess Of The Hunt”, dedicated to the
Greek deity for whom the band is named. The sextet
followed with Jensen’s stirring arrangement of “FoolOn The Hill”, beginning ethereally and finishing witha fiery drum solo. Rosnes then introduced vocalist
Cécile McLorin Salvant, who began slowly intoning
the verse to Cole Porter ’s “Easy To Love” in a gentle
girlish tone before launching into the melody, wildly
swinging it at a rapidly rising tempo, horns racing
alongside. She continued with a poignant reading ofStevie Wonder ’s “If It’s Magic”. The sextet followedwith Rosnes’ “Big Top”, which aptly conjured a circuslike atmosphere. The mood calmed with Cohen’s
impressionistic “Nocturnal”. Salvant then returned tosing a powerful rendering of Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht’s“Pirate Jenny” and a moving version of Maxine
Sullivan’s “Cry, Buttercup, Cry”. The sextet closed out
with Aldana’s “Frida” and Ueda’s “Step Forward”,
then returned with Salvant for a bluesy encore, Lady
Day’s “Fine and Mellow”.
—Russ Musto

House (Dec. 13th), the DJ was spinning R&B mixes, at
one point even Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” with astrangely funky backbeat grafted atop. Welcome to the“Official NYC Winter Jazz Fest Kick-Off Party”, with
mile-wide grooves careening across the Gowanus
space. Unexpectedly, the evening’s celebrant, NateSmith, ran out onto the stage to the enthusiastic cheerof hipsterly fans, leaping behind the drumkit, his killer
backbeat throbbed along with whichever dance
number was on the booming house system, cracking
rim-shots with a vengeance. But that was just a teaser.
By the time Smith and his band Kinfolk stepped out for
their set proper, the audience surrounded the stage
area, bobbing along with Brad Allen Williams’ agitatedguitar riffs. Once the heavy bass of Fima Ephronentered, along with Jon Cowherd’s Rhodes, theunceasing strut welcomed celebrated alto saxophonist
Jaleel Shaw. His church-oriented lead remained
wrapped around the chord-tones throughout much of
the show. The crowd erupted when Shaw played
two-note repetitions reminiscent of what musicians
once labeled “chicken sax” due to the picking away of
repeated one-, two- or three-note bursts. The music
was very well executed, but far removed from theconsiderable reach of the Winter Jazzfest. This was an
oddly warm December night (52 degrees and rising)and it soon became evident that little in the event title
seemed applicable to this occasion.
—John Pietaro

WHAT ’ S NEWS2020 Jazz Congress, taking place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s
Rose Hall Jan. 13th-14th, has announced its Keynote session:“The Legacy of Betty Carter” moderated by René Marie withpanelists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Benny Green, Gregory
Hutchinson, Christian McBride and Kenny Washington. Other
panels during the two-day event include: in Jazz Town Hall; Vocal
Jazz Summit; Stage Presence: A Master Class; Talking Trumpets:
Conversation & Music About Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong;
Building & Marketing Your Brand Through Social Media; We
Insist: Speaking Truth to Power; Wellness for Jazz Musicians;
Africa: The Past & Future of Jazz; Perfect Pitch: Jazz Video
Challenge; Musician: Book Thyself!; “Bird” and Beyond:Celebrating Charlie Parker at 100; Building Buzz for Gigs in the
Post-Listings Era; The Balance of Art & Commerce in theBusiness of Jazz Recording; Jazz Radio’s Role in an Era ofMusic Abundance; Jukebox Jury; Case Studies: Building Digital
Archives; Building and Nurturing your Jazz Ecosystem:
Roundtable Discussions; Jazz Road: Funding Opportunities for
Touring & Residencies; Ask the Pros One-on-One sessions.
For more information and to register, visit jazzcongress.org.
Qwest TV, founded by Quincy Jones, the first subscription videoon-demand platform dedicated to jazz, has announced apartnership with Amazon Fire TV, an expansion into Japan and an
education initiative whereby students from Princeton University,
The University of the Arts, University of Central Oklahoma,
Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and University of Music andPerforming Arts Graz, plus more universities to follow, will havefree access to programming. For more information, visit qwest.tv.
Saxophonist James Brandon Lewis was named the 2019
recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Fred Ho Award, given to“innovative composers whose work, in the spirit of Fred Ho, defies
boundaries and genres.” For more information, visit ascap.com.

Creative Music Studio will present a two-day intensive workshop(12 hours) at The New School Jan. 4th-5th with Billy Martin,
Ken Filiano and Marc Ribot (Jan. 4th) and Frank London (Jan. 5th).
For more information and to register, visit creativemusic.org.

Alan Nahigian© 2019 Enid Farber Fotography

2019 recipients of the Instant Award in Improvised Music,“underwritten by an anonymous patron and musical devotee...
presented to two outstanding improvisors, both of whom receive
an unrestricted award of $50,000”, have been named: Evan
Parker and Ikue Mori. For more information, visit
corbettvsdempsey.com/2019/12/17/instant-award-improvisedmusic-2019-recipients.

Artemis @ Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall

Nate Smith @ The Bell House

A first-call sideman with a long list of credits,
including stints with Michael and Randy Brecker, RoyHaynes, Billy Hart, Jeff “Tain” Watts and Mingus Big
Band, among others, Dave Kikoski, despite avoluminous discography of more than 20 leader dates,
seldom gets the opportunity to step into the spotlighthere in New York. So a two-night engagement at
Mezzrow brought out the crowds to hear the great
pianist with his trio of former Haynes bandmate Ed
Howard (bass) and longtime collaborator Victor Lewis(drums). The band kicked off its Saturday night(Dec. 14th) first set swinging hard on Oscar Pettiford’s“Tricotism”. The pianist got things started with someclassic bebop phraseology before giving way to
Howard’s lyrical statement of the classic melody,buoyed by Lewis’ propulsive brush work, beginning
an extended three-way conversation blurring the line
between soloist and accompanist. A spellbinding,classically-tinged solo piano prelude introduced
Kikoski’s beautiful “Inner Trust”, a song he andHoward regularly performed with Haynes, which still
remains in the master drummer ’s repertoire. The music
continued with the trio lithely improvising through
Chick Corea’s pretty waltz “Mirror, Mirror”, followed
by Kikoski’s beautiful ballad “Strike For Change”. The
engaging set concluded with another Kikoski original,“Winnie’s Garden”, which again had the piano
swinging mightily in conversation with walking bass
and fiery brushwork. 			
(RM)

At ShapeShifter Lab (Dec. 6th), 2019’s NY Forward
Festival demonstrated why the annual gathering rates
among the top of new music fests anywhere. Over four
dynamic sets, the chill of December sweltered with theburn of unleashed improvisations in darkest blue
turning haziest purple. Daniel Carter and his coterie ofwinds joyously held court in the first two sets. Up top,
he was joined by monster clarinetist Patrick Holmes,
uniquely empowered to summon the ghosts of old
New Orleans—Johnny Dodds, perhaps Leon Roppolo,
reputed to improvise against the hum in telephone
poles—even while speaking in Braxton tongues. The
trio was completed by venerable bassist Hilliard
Greene when pianist Mary Anne Driscoll fell ill. Theinterplay-to-die-for was matched only by the quartetof Carter, drummer Federico Ughi (co-founder ofsponsoring 577 Records), bassist William Parker andCanadian multi-instrumentalist Watson Jennison. PoetNo Land and bassist Luke Stewart performed a set thatemcee James Keepnews dedicated to the memory of
Steve Dalachinsky, one bearing darkly draped word
streams and broiling industrialism. The closer,
drummer Gerald Cleaver, bassist Brandon Lopez andHPrizm on electronics, poured the sonics free andfuturist over the beguiled house. The tension built
incrementally, Cleaver restricting his very movements,
automaton-like, through measures of 5/4, 5/8, 4/4, as
Lopez responded in kind, casting depths of blackness
under whirling, science-fictitious oceans of sound. (JP)Mark Stryker, author of Jazz From Detroit (University ofMichigan Press), one of this gazette’s Best Jazz Books of 2019,will speak about the book on Jan. 12th at Le Poisson Rouge,preceding the From Detroit to the World—Honoring Marcus
Belgrave concert presented by Winter Jazzfest (one of several
talks as part of this year’s program; for a complete list visit
winterjazzfest.com/talks-2020) and at Smalls Jan. 16th preceding
a concert by Detroit-born drummer Gerald Cleaver.
Brooklyn’s The Sultan Room will present Cocktails & Crock Pots:
An Evening with Ethan Iverson & Chef Jack Riebel on Jan. 5th, anevening of midcentury hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and jazz. For more
information, visit thesultanroom.com/events/#event=86594619839.
10 college-level jazz programs will compete in the inaugural Jack
Rudin Jazz Championship presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center(JALC) Jan. 18th-19th at JALC’s Rose Hall. Participating programs
are California State University, Northridge (Northridge, CA),
University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), University of North
Texas (Denton, TX), Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), Michigan
State University (East Lansing, MI), Eastman School of Music(Rochester, NY), North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC),
Temple University (Philadelphia, PA), The Juilliard School (NewYork, NY) and Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY). For
more information, visit jazz.org/press/jazz-at-lincoln-centerannounces-inaugural-jack-rudin-jazz-championship.
The New Orleans Jazz Museum has been gifted a sculpture for
their new Sculpture Garden, “The Bass Player”, by trumpeter
Herb Alpert, who has also awarded a grant to the museum insupport of its new Jazz Education Center and to establish the
Herb Alpert Live Performance Fund. For more information, visit
nolajazzmuseum.org.
On Jan. 18th at 7 pm, Flushing Town Hall will host Hot Club: Jazz
Listening Session, “a community of jazz lovers...keeping alive thelove of old recordings and swinging hot jazz”, led by jazz historian
Ben Young. For more information, visit flushingtownhall.org/jazz.
Submit news to info@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 5

photo courtesy of the artist

I NTERVIEW

donaldharrisonby alex henderson

W hen alto saxophonist Donald Harrison made a name forhimself in the early ‘80s as a member of drummer Art
Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and co-leader of a quintet withtrumpeter Terence Blanchard, he was hailed as one of theYoung Lions: musicians who grew up in the rock ‘n’ roll era
yet committed to playing straightahead jazz. But as time
passed, it became obvious that Harrison was also interested
in playing everything from fusion, soul, funk, blues andhip-hop to classical music and his associations have ranged
from alto saxophonist Benny Carter and trumpeter Miles
Davis to the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. During an
in-depth interview, Harrison (now 59) discussed some of his
recent projects as well as highlights of his long career.
The New York City Jazz Record: In what ways haveyou evolved as a musician over the years?
Donald Harrison: It’s so much different from when
I first started and was just studying the sounds from therecords. I got a chance to play with jazz musicians ofevery era: the Duke’s men, the beboppers, Miles Davis,
Ron Carter and everybody in between. Many people
taught me the concepts in funk music and classicalmusic, hip-hop, everything. I had the experience ofplaying with many of the people who innovated—in American music, in particular, but also, Caribbean
music with Eddie Palmieri. Brazilian musicians. So now,
I think I have the highest level of authenticity because
I got it from the masters. I read something Charlie
Parker said that touched me: he said that if you didn’t
live it, it wouldn’t come out of your horn. So I wanted tolive it. I wanted to live playing with blues musicians,
funk musicians, New Orleans soul artists, everything.
TNYCJR: What are some of the most valuable lessons
you learned as part of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers inthe ‘80s and how have you applied those lessons?
DH: Art Blakey used to say, “Let the punishment fit
the crime in terms of music. If you’re playing the blues,
understand how to play the blues.” He used to say,“Find the essence of each song and then, tell your story
from that perspective. You don’t have anything to prove,
but play what comes naturally to you.” Art had a wealthof experience playing with a lot of people and I was able
to talk to him about my hero Charlie Parker and thethings that Art and Bird discussed and played on the
bandstand.
TNYCJR: Art knew how to push musicians to excel,
whether it was Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie
McLean or Cedar Walton.
DH: Benny Golson talks about how after you’ve playedwith Art Blakey, it’s hard to play with other drummers.
There was so much support with Art. His beat was wide.
He was the most swinging human being on the planet.
TNYCJR: With Blakey, the Jazz Messengers certainly

got a real sense of history.
DH: Oh, of course. Art Blakey played with everybody.
And he shared his knowledge with us. He had his own
way of looking at things; he spent time in Africa andbrought that to jazz. He had a soulful touch. And Art
Blakey was very open-minded. I remember: we broughtsome synthesizers and Art said, “Bring them onto thebandstand.” Art was into whatever we were thinking
about. Art would come up with a drum orchestrationfor each song; he would listen to it one time, then hewould have—in my estimation—the perfect drum
orchestration to make it sound incredible.
He played like a composer on the drums to fit
all of the nuances of how the song was put together.
Art would ask me what I was hearing on my songand I would say, “What you’re hearing is way better
than what I’m hearing. So let’s keep what you cameup with.”TNYCJR: You’ve certainly played a wide range of musicover the years, from hardbop to fusion to hip-hop to
AfroCuban jazz to funk.
DH: Yeah, I mean, I grew up listening to funk music andsoul music and going to second lines in New Orleans.
I’m part of AfroNew Orleans culture and what comesout of Congo Square, basically, and I grew up dancing toa lot of different music. So, I put all of those elements
together to find who I am. I grew up with gospel music,
the blues. [Saxophonist] Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson
took me aside when I was in my 20s and showed mewhat I call his blues matrix. One of the things Eddie told
me was, “Find the blues in everything and keep thatessence in what you do.” I’m very fortunate that somany great alto players have mentored me: Eddie“Cleanhead” Vinson, Benny Carter—I played on atribute to Benny with a bunch of saxophone players
when he turned 90 [in 1997]. Benny was 90 years old
and he was still playing great.
TNYCJR: Over the years, you’ve worked with so many
greats who have since passed away, from Lena Horne toMiles Davis.
DH: Those people all impart a certain wisdom if you
listen. You have to listen; that’s the key. The first thing,even as an audience member and not a musician, is you
listen—and then, you become a student of the music.
When you’re listening, you’re studying as well. I havea thing I tell students: if a sponge doesn’t take in water
when you squeeze it, nothing will come out. So take inas much as you can and the more you take in, the morethat can come out.
TNYCJR: What are some of your fondest memories ofplaying with Eddie Palmieri?
DH: One of the things that Eddie does is give you a CD

6 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

or tape of important music from Cuba or Puerto Rico—
AfroCaribbean music in general—and then, you study it
and try to decipher it. For me, Eddie is like the Charlie
Parker of AfroCaribbean, AfroCuban, AfroPuerto Rican
music or whatever you want to call it. And he gives you
the freedom to explore. It’s music of the people that they
can dance to and love to dance to, but it’s also music forthe musicians where you’re free to stretch. I’m very
content to have played with Eddie and he has influenced
what I’ve done with jazz music.
TNYCJR: You have found the jazz possibilities in somany different types of music.
				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 54)

photo courtesy of the artist

ARTIST FE ATURE

ronnieburrage

For more information, visit ronnieburrage.biz. Burrage is at
Sugarhill Jan. 5th and Smalls Jan. 29th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Defunkt—Eponymous (Hannibal/Island, 1980)• John Purcell/Anthony Cox/Ronnie Burrage—
Third Kind of Blue (Minor Music, 1985)• Jack Walrath and The Masters of Suspense—
Out Of The Tradition (Muse, 1990)• Billy Bang—Bang On! (Justin Time, 1997)• Ronnie Burrage—Just Natural (with Eric Person,
Terence Conley) (West Wind, 2000)• Ronnie Burrage—In It(RB Music/Mimikalana, 2004)

by john pietaro
Ronnie Burrage is the kind of drummer bandleaders
crave. In addition to masterful skills and innate
musicality, his resumé reads like post-modern jazzhistory, from McCoy Tyner to Defunkt to the World
Saxophone Quartet. Also wielding formidable piano
skills, Burrage can be seen playing right-handed
chords on a keyboard while maintaining a torrential
rhythmic onslaught across his other three limbs.
Hailing from St. Louis, Burrage came of age during
the height of the Black Artists Group (BAG) as jazz
ventured into the struggle for liberation. “My paternal
grandfather was Allen David Mahr, a rather unknown
literary giant who was widely published in his day,”Burrage explains. Mahr, a pioneering poet of color, wasan associate of Amiri Baraka and Shirley LeFlore. “My
new album includes ‘God’s Only Black Man’, a poem
he wrote 90 years ago. It’s in the archives of Mahatma
Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, President John F.
Kennedy and Winston Churchill. It’s become a mantra
for me.” Burrage’s family influences also included his
mother, a pianist and five musician uncles. The lineage
extends to great uncle John Sanders, a saxophonist
with Bessie Smith. Jam sessions were regular in thefamily home. “As a toddler, I banged on pots and pans,then before age ten, began picking out melodies on the
piano.” Several years of piano lessons predated
Burrage’s foray into the local drum corp. He gravitatedto drumset, primarily learning by watching many of St.
Louis’ great drummers up close. By 13, Burrage wasleading a youth band.
Through BAG, St. Louis developed a highly active
scene in which Burrage became innately involved.
“Guys like Julius Hemphill would come into town andthere would be cultural presentations. My familybrought me to poetry readings and concerts and myuncles were often playing with them too. These werecommunity events” and so it wasn’t long before theyoung drummer found his way onstage. “At one point,
one of the guys said, ‘Let Squirt sit in’ and after a while
I became a regular.” BAG had an array of mastermusicians, poets and theater artists on hand as
performers and teachers, alongside community
organizers and cultural educators. Such guidance
inspired a flurry of creative activism. “Floyd LeFlore
was an important trumpet player; he and JD Parran,Baikida Carroll, Lester and Joe Bowie and Kelvyn Bellhad a band. At 14, I began playing with them.”
In 1978, Burrage moved to the South Bronx where
he experienced the then burnt-out landscape andconcurrent rise of hip-hop. “I would take my drums
out and jam with the rappers. This saved me several
times when I was almost jacked in the neighborhood.”
Still, he was drawn to Manhattan’s nightlife, seeking
out Sonny Fortune, Sir Roland Hanna, Billy Hart,
Freddie Waits and Dannie Richmond, among othernotables. “But I was also hanging out with Charles
Bobo Shaw, then running the La Mama Theatre in the
East Village. La Mama was a creative hub hostingunderground cutting-edge arts. Burrage and his

drumset traveled into Manhattan by subway, leaving
off the bottom heads to stack the drums in duffle bags.
When guitarist Bell relocated to New York, Burrageand he moved into an upper floor of La Mama andwere recruited by Arthur Blythe. Jobs with Fortune,
Michelle Rosewoman, Big Nick Nicholas and Frank
Wright followed. With Bell, Burrage became a founding
member of Defunkt, an original Downtown band
fusing improvisation with funk, rock and no wave.
“In 1978, Defunkt was a collective. Joe [Bowie] has had
many iterations since then, but we wrote the songs onthat first album collectively. Joe began to dictatea certain sound, but the initial concept was to be free.”Frustrated, Burrage left Defunkt to join Tyner ’s band.
Simultaneously, he began a close association withrevolutionary poet Baraka and, as a result, Archie
Shepp, with whom he has continued to collaborate.
Burrage became a regular at Seventh Ave South,
the legendary club run by the Brecker Brothers, gigging
frequently with either or both and also playing S.O.B.s,
Lush Life, The Bottom Line and Studio RivBea when
not on the road. His performances with the likes ofWayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius (“double drummingwith Rashied Ali”), Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins and
Pat Metheny remain deeply memorable and thedrummer was also leading his own bands, including
Third Kind of Blue in 1983, which immediately
embarked on tour and Burrage “started getting thebuzz that I was going to be in Weather Report after
Peter Erskine left. Jaco wanted me, Wayne too, but Joe
wanted Omar Hakim (laughs). I understand that it was
because he liked his name!” Regardless, opportunities
abounded: Richard Davis, Mingus Dynasty, Epitaph
and Big Band, Courtney Pine, Joanne Brackeen, Jack
Walrath and a trio of Stanley Cowell and Cecil McBee.
In the ‘90s, Burrage worked with Eddie Gomez, Billy
Bang, Hamiet Bluiett, Bobby Watson, David Murray,
Carlos Ward, Joe Zawinul, World Saxophone Quartet
and Reggie Workman’s Coltrane Legacy. He alsotaught at JazzMobile and the New School.
But burn-out ultimately led Burrage toward a hardstop. Following a divorce, he left his East Village flat
for Florida, living as a single father and engaging indeep soul-searching. Within a few years, he relocatedhis family to Pennsylvania (for a Penn State teachingposition) where he met his current wife, Chanda,a science professor. World Rhythm Academy, the nonprofit the two founded, serves people with addictions
and children at risk through expressive arts: “We are
striving for social change, bridging the gap between
youth and elders, through justice and activism.”
Burrage the bandleader, now based in Brooklyn,
continues to break new ground while celebrating theforbearers. His latest album, Dance of the Great Spirit,
features Holographic Principle trio with bassist
Nimrod Speaks and Polish pianist Michał Wierba. “Weshare a passion for changing the world through music,
promoting the commonalities of diverse cultures andtelling our stories of truth.” v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 7

ON THE COVER
Peter Gannushkin/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET

steven bernstein
synthesis of everythingby jim motavalli

It took a while to arrange an interview with slide
trumpet player/arranger/serial group leader StevenBernstein. “Running late,” he would text. When finallybrought to earth, however, he had quite a lot to say
about his colorful history and an amazingly diverse
group of musical activities. But after we talked
Bernstein called back to say he wanted to make surethe story was about what he’s going to do and wants todo, not just about the large legacy he’s already left
behind. “That story’s been told,” he said, making it
plain that, at 58, he’s just getting started.
So what’s ahead includes a new Sexmob record.
The quartet (intact with original members Briggan
Krauss on saxophones, Tony Scherr on bass and Kenny
Wollesen on drums) merges jazz and the pop songs
that Bernstein heard growing up. The group organizedaround the Knitting Factory, first recorded on the
club’s label in 1998 and has made eight albums
celebrating everyone from Prince, the Grateful Deadand Nirvana to James Bond and Federico Fellini. “We
made the new Sexmob album with the producer andmixer Scott Harding, who works with a lot of hip-hop
guys,” Bernstein said. “But he was an engineer on our
first four records and his roots are in our kind of music.
Most jazz records are recorded clean, but Scotty isa master of manipulating music and creating
soundscapes. We took beats he had created and playedover them. It doesn’t even have a name yet.”
Millennial Territory Orchestra (MTO) is Bernstein’s
other major outlet. It’s a nine-piece band, the kind thatwent on the road playing bluesy dance music for the
Midwestern multitudes in the ‘30s-40s. The sound isvintage, but the source material comes out of Bernstein’s
fertile imagination and incorporates everyone fromFats Waller to The Beatles and Sly Stone. “With MTO’slatest recordings I’ve been pushing drums andpercussion more to the fore,” Bernstein said. “I love
African music and want to bring it into what I do.”
MTO has recorded for Sunnyside, Royal Potato Family
and others, but the new one doesn’t have a home yet.
Frankly, any label should be happy to get it, because thegroup is very accessible. “I’ve gotten feedback on MTO
such as, ‘My wife likes it’ and there’s no shame in that,”Bernstein said. “Some music is technically advanced, ofcourse, but I don’t see hierarchies anymore. I haveworked a lot with [guitarist] Larry Campbell and helikes chords with two notes, but hearing Sexmob
convinced him that jazz music could rock.”Bernstein is heard on hundreds of recordings,
including with Roswell Rudd, Levon Helm, Sam Rivers,
Allen Toussaint, Henry Butler and Lou Reed, among
many others. What those people have in common is
they’re not with us anymore, but the manifold lessons
they taught him are there in the catholic music he makes
now. “All that music is inside me from having worked
with them,” Bernstein said. “I’m in a fertile writing
period and what’s coming out is a mixture of all that
stuff. I’ll always be coming from Lester [Bowie] and Don[Cherry]—those two were my biggest influences as ayoung musician—but what I’m doing now isn’t strictly
jazz, it isn’t New Orleans music, it isn’t rock, but asynthesis of everything.” The music room in Bernstein’s
Nyack house features stacks of new compositions, but hesays he won’t know what they sound like until the bands
play them. “The difference between classical music andjazz is that my players add their things to it,” he said.
“Jazz is improvised and how we interact and play
together determines how the music will sound.”
A Bernstein project that is ongoing is, via a grant,
recording many of his MTO arrangements that werepreviously only heard live. “I’m doing it for me,” hesaid. “I want it documented.”
Bernstein’s skills as an arranger have been
apparent since 1983, when he was asked to come up
with some horn arrangements for Latin gigs. “I wrote
the music on the subway and it came out OK. I heardsome of it recently and it stands up. You could say I’m
not a virtuoso trumpet player—I have a good tone—
but I turned out to be a natural arranger.” Those skills
went mainstream when, via Hal Wilner, Bernstein
worked on Robert Altman’s Kansas City movie in 1997.
Bernstein got a reputation as an arranger who could
work fast, was good with musicians and could get thebest performances out of them under pressure. “Letting
musicians do what they do best is one of the secrets ofarranging,” he said.
Beyond MTO and Sexmob, Bernstein is working
with the Town Hall Ensemble, conceived by MA Papper,
Artistic Director of Town Hall. With musicians including
Nels Cline, Pedrito Martinez, Marc Cary and Lakecia
Benjamin, the group explores what Bernstein as Music
Director calls “the entire history of music played while
Town Hall was in New York. There is so much potential
there. It’s one band that is all races, genders and ages
and it can play everything from Machito and Ellington
to Philip Glass and Grand Master Flash. I think it could
be a giant force for good and good music, too. I love
having a band that represents New York City andcelebrates its musical heritage.”Bernstein, ever the workaholic, is also a memberof Ray Anderson’s Pocket Brass Band (“Ray has always
been a hero of mine and it’s a very dynamic
partnership”), has revived Spanish Fly with David
Tronzo (slide guitar) and Marcus Rojas (tuba) and is
Artistic Director of the Creative Music Studio in
Woodstock, founded in 1971 by Karl Berger, Ingrid
Sertso and Ornette Coleman. “With Creative we areworking on partnering with The New School,” he said,“keeping the flame alive for artists who passed throughthere, including Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor and the Art
Ensemble of Chicago.”
How did Bernstein get so eclectic? Let’s spin theclock back a ways. His family was from the East Coast,
but his doctor father paid for medical school at Howard
via the Navy and they stationed him in Berkeley,
California. It was 1969, the height of the counterculture. He was eight and got sent to the Black Panther
Party’s summer camp. His mother gave him a copy ofAbbie Hoffman’s Steal This Book and they had a signed
copy of Eldridge Cleaver ’s Soul on Ice. Music was in
the air, everything from his parents’ swing records to
Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and the

8 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Holding Company. Back in Boston for fourth grade,Bernstein had been wowed by Louis Armstrong on TV
and so chose the trumpet when it was time to pick an
instrument for band. The next year, having returned toBerkeley, he happily fell into Dr. Herb Wong’s
legendary jazz education program for elementary kids
run out of Berkeley High and met his lifelong friend,multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum. “I’d go home
and try to learn ‘Basin Street Blues’,” Bernstein said.
He and Apfelbaum immediately started a band, whichby the time they got to high school was modeling itself
on the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Bernstein arrived in New York in 1979 to study atColumbia and never left. “I caught the tail end of theLoft Jazz scene,” he said. One of those lofts was Rivers’
Studio RivBea and in time he and Bernstein would
make the cantorial-derived Diaspora Blues (2012).
Growing up, Bernstein heard Parliament/
Funkadelic, the Ohio Players and Stevie Wonder and hegravitated to city groups that incorporated funk into
their sound. “That was our social music,” he said. He
heard and was inspired by Joseph Bowie’s
groundbreaking group Defunkt, graduated (from NYU,
not Columbia) and in 1985 went on the road with the
Flying Karamazov Brothers. A stint with John Lurieand The Lounge Lizards beginning in 1990 helped
Bernstein’s visibility. Bernstein was heard with Sting,Courtney Love, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt andhe arranged for Bill Frisell, Rufus Wainright, Marianne
Faithfull and Elton John. He worked with eclectic
producer Wilner on several projects. He has a close
relationship with composer John Zorn and recorded
four albums for his Tzadik label. Another project,perhaps a development of Diaspora Blues, will be further
exploring his heritage with Jewish cantorial music.
Oh, and about that slide trumpet. He and Apfelbaum
came across a pair of them for $25 each at a little music
shop tucked in Woodstock circa 1977. “I messed aroundwith it for a while and then [fellow trumpeter] Dave
Douglas said to me, ‘Why don’t you practice it?’ So I did
and then decided to put together a band where I only
played slide trumpet—and that’s how Sexmob got
started.” That was 1995, so Sexmob is 24 years old and
MTO is 20 in 2020. That more or less brings us up to thepresent. There’s a lot of music behind Bernstein andprobably just as much up ahead. v
For more information, visit stevenbernstein.net. Bernstein’s
MTO is at Le Poisson Rouge Jan. 10th as part of WinterJazzfest. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Kamikaze Ground Crew—Madame Marie’s Temple ofKnowledge (New World, 1993)• Spanish Fly—Fly By Night (Accurate, 1995)• Steven Bernstein—Diaspora Soul (Tzadik, 1999)• Sexmob—Dime Grind Palace (Ropeadope, 2002)• Steven Bernstein Millennial Territory Orchestra—
MTO Volume 1 (Sunnyside, 2005)• Henry Butler-Steven Bernstein and The Hot 9—Viper’s Drag (Impulse!, 2013)

intakt@intaktrec.ch | Digital Download Shop: intaktrec.bandcamp.com

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JIM BLACK TRIO
RECKON
Elias Stemeseder: Piano | Thomas Morgan: Bass | Jim Black: Drums

Intakt CD 338

ALY KEÏTA – JAN GALEGA BRÖNNIMANN – LUCAS NIGGLIKALAN TEBAN
Aly Keïta: Balafon, Kalimba, Voice | Jan Galega Brönnimann: Contra Alto- and Bass
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Kass Kass, Thumb Piano | Lucas Niggli: Drums, Percussion

Intakt CD 335

MICHAEL FORMANEK VERY PRACTICAL TRIOEVEN BETTER
Michael Formanek: Bass, Composition | Tim Berne: Saxophone
Mary Halvorson: Guitar

Intakt CD 336

CHRIS SPEED TRIORESPECT FOR YOUR TOUGHNESS
Chris Speed: Tenor Saxophone | Chris Tordini: Bass | Dave King: Drums

Intakt CD 331

ESKELIN – WEBER – GRIENER
THE PEARLS
Ellery Eskelin: Saxophone | Christian Weber: Bass | Michael Griener: Drums

Intakt CD 325

GOLDEN VALLEY IS NOWGOLDEN VALLEY IS NOW
Reid Anderson: Electric Bass, Electronics | Dave King: Acoustic and Electronic Drums
Craig Taborn: Synthesizers, Electric and Acoustic Piano
Distributed by Naxos America · Mailorder: arkivjazz.com
Available in NYC: Downtown Music Gallery

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INGRID LAUBROCK – AKI TAKASEKASUMI
Ingrid Laubrock: Saxophone | Aki Takase: Piano

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SYLVIE COURVOISIER – MARK FELDMANTIME GONE OUT
Sylvie Courvoisier: Piano | Mark Feldman: Violin

05.12.19 17:39

ENCORE

dusko
goykovichby mark keresman
W hile hardly a household name in the U.S. (except in

the most hip of households), trumpeter Dusko
Goykovich (b. Oct. 14th, 1931 in Montenegro) is a major
figure in Eastern European jazz history. While inspiredby American jazz, Goykovich expanded his scope toplay music reflecting the history of his environment,
not merely its classical American roots. As with many
performers, he made jazz his own while sharing it with
Europe and, ultimately, the world.
The first jazz recording Goykovich can remember
is “Roy Eldridge, ‘Little Jazz’,” he says. “We could
borrow records and music at the American Embassy in
Belgrade [former capital of Yugoslavia and current
capital of Serbia], play the music, learn it and bring itback after a few days. Also, there was The Jazz Hour on
Voice of America [a radio broadcast from the West]which I listened to one hour daily at midnight.”
American culture snuck into the Eastern Bloc
countries in the most covert, or occasionally overt,
ways. What made Goykovich decide to be a professionalmusician was, perhaps ironically, the Hollywood film
Young Man With A Horn (1950) starring Kirk Douglas asa somewhat tragic, Bix Beiderbecke-like trumpeter.
“Though he was, of course, not a musician, he [Douglas]
was trained so well that I thought, ‘Wow! That isexactly what I want to do in my life!’ After many years,
I had the chance to meet Kirk Douglas personally in
New York in the ‘60s when we played the Ed Sullivan
Show with Woody Herman’s Big Band. So I told himthat it was his fault that I became a professional
trumpet player. He had to laugh hard!” In addition,
Goykovich got encouragement from Miles Davis(“I first met him in the early ‘60s when he played in
Munich”) to move to the States. The move was a

success, Goykovich finding work with American icons
Sonny Rollins, Gerry Mulligan, Slide Hampton andDuke Jordan. He had a steady stint with the very
popular Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band from
1963-73.
A truism in jazz is that playing ballads reallydemonstrates a musician’s ability. Listen to Goykovich’s
version of the standard “I’ll Close My Eyes” on his
1993 album Soul Connection (Enja). One can hearsnatches of Miles Davis and Harry “Sweets” Edison in
his style, that delicate but-not-excessively-muted
sound. He’s got the earnest soulfulness of those legends
but the lyrical style is his own—it’s clear he grew fromthose roots but there’s nothing imitative in Goykovich’s
approach. As other items in his discographydemonstrate, Goykovich strove to infuse the brass
music of the Balkan region into his approach. Alsofrom his Soul Connection album is the Davis tribute“Ballad for Miles”; as Davis channeled the old-school
lyricism of Bobby Hackett (everything comes fromsomewhere), so too does Goykovich channel Davis’
acoustic epoch and makes it his own.
If this sounds cozily familiar, remember Goykovich
grew up under the shadow Communism cast overnearly all Eastern Europe. “In those Communist days
jazz was forbidden in Yugoslavia,” Goykovich
remembers. “You had to listen to the music in secret.
The Communists called it ‘music from the jungle’ or‘Western Capitalist crap’ and all these propaganda
terms. My fellow musicians in the Radio Belgrade Big
Band were cool, but we had to call the music‘entertaining’ music – never mentioned the word
‘jazz’.”
Goykovich’s recently released album Sketches of
Yugoslavia—no doubt a nod to Davis’ Sketches of Spain—is a venture wherein folk strains of Yugoslavia
commingle with large ensemble jazz. Recorded in
1973-74 but unreleased until now, the album finds
Goykovich’s small group supported by a nearsymphonic backdrop from the NDR Radio Orchestra
Hannover. “Haze on the Danube” is virtually the soundand feeling of forlorn translated into music.
Goykovich’s horn cries demonstratively over swinging,
Gil Evans-tinged orchestral textures. “Shumadya”

evokes something from another section of thecontinent—with its minor-key Spanish-flavored
dramatic swirls it sounds like a bullfighter squaring off
against his archenemy. “Bosna Calling” has more
drama, Goykovich’s quartet engaging with the large
band arrangements, the former ’s volatile interplay lentsavor and contrast by the latter ’s near-cinematic
grandeur. Things get even more dramatic with “East ofMontenegro”—urgent, somewhat bleating, pulsating
motifs contrast with smart, swaggering trumpet; itwould be right at home in one of those ‘60s international
intrigue movie thrillers. The aptly-titled “Finale”
brings together nearly all the elements heard before in
the context of a swaggering swinger, hardbop
alternating and coalescing with orchestral melodrama.
Goykovich’s playing is especially stirring and witty.
Without any heavy-handed pretentions, Goykovich
fashions a kind of retrospective that naturally touches
on but is not mired in an idealized past. Yet for themost part it sounds as if it could have been recorded
last month. Of more recent vintage is the disc Re:Bop(Enja) with Jesse Davis (alto saxophone), Mads Vinding(bass) and Alvin Queen (drums). Recorded at Jazzclub
Birdland in Neuburg, Germany in September 2017, it’sa relaxed, genial yet winning batch of tunes with asmall group of simpatico hepcats.
Goykovich is, because of jazz, truly a citizen of theworld and the world, it’s safe to say, is better for it. v

member of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra,
contributing new compositions and charts.
In the early ‘70s, Brookmeyer moved to the West
Coast and worked exclusively in studios. Afterovercoming alcoholism, he returned east and this fresh
start enabled him to showcase his already considerable
writing gifts at a new level. He moved to Europe tolaunch a jazz program in Rotterdam and led several
others while there. He also taught through the BMI
Workshop and at Manhattan School of Music, though hemade his biggest impact at New England Conservatory[NEC], where his prized students included Maria
Schneider, Ryan Truesdell and Ayn Inserto.
Brookmeyer
benefitedfromincreased
opportunities to hear his large ensemble music,
performed and recorded by the Stockholm Jazz
Orchestra, Jazz Big Band Graz and others. But it was
his founding of the New Art Orchestra in 1994 thatgave him the greatest pleasure, as his hand-pickedmusicians worked hard to bring his challenging music
to life. “It became a love affair between us, we foundnew levels of understanding music together. Mulligan
was our first guest, we did the ‘Celebration’ piece thatwas written for him,” he told this author in a 1999
interview. Clark Terry was the special guest thefollowing year. “We helped him celebrate his 75thbirthday and I wrote a suite for him and we toured. We
recorded our first CD in July 1997, it had to be done
because it was time to take a step forward to become afunctioning, working, recording band.” Two morecritically acclaimed CDs would follow. Brookmeyer,
remaining active to the end of his life, was named an
NEA Jazz Master in 2006. He died on Dec. 15th, 2011.
Truesdell explained Brookmeyer ’s influence onhim: “When I studied with him at NEC, I began tounderstand the depth of composition that heapproached each work with and the level ofdevelopment that was involved. Bob’s music, as atrombonist and composer/arranger, changed my lifeand stretched my understanding of what is possible
within the definition of ‘jazz’ composition.” v

For more information, visit duskogojkovic.com
Recommended Listening:• Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland and Company—
The Golden 8 (Blue Note, 1961)• Dusko Goykovich—Swinging Macedonia(Philips-Enja, 1966)• Dusko Goykovich Quartet—Ten To Two Blues[After Hours] (Ensayo-Enja Yellowbird, 1971)• Dusko Goykovich—Sketches of Yugoslavia(Enja, 1973-74)• Alvin Queen/Dusko Goykovich—A Day in Holland(Nilva, 1983)• Dusko Goykovich—Soul Connection, Vol. I & II
(Enja, 1993)

LEST WE F ORGE T

bobbrookmeyerby ken dryden
Bob Brookmeyer (1929-2011) was one of the top valve
trombonists in jazz history and an innovative composer
and arranger, along with being an accomplishedpianist. The Kansas City native first played piano indance bands before joining Stan Getz as a trombonist
in 1952. He spent three years in Gerry Mulligan’s small
groups and served several roles in his Concert Jazz
Band, contributing originals and arrangements,
playing both trombone and piano. Brookmeyer
described the year he spent with Jimmy Giuffre (1958)
as one of the happiest of his life. Brookmeyer ’s piano
chops were sufficient that a 1959 record date with Bill
Evans turned into an acclaimed duo piano session, The
Ivory Hunters. Between 1961 and 1966, he co-led an
acclaimed quintet with trumpeter Clark Terry,
Brookmeyer ’s classically-inspired improvisations a
sharp contrast to the expressiveness of the trumpeter, alifelong friend who would reunite with him in thefollowing decades. Brookmeyer was also a founding

10 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

For more information, visit bobbrookmeyer.com. A tributeto Brookmeyer by Ryan Truesdell is at Jazz Standard Jan.
7th-8th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Gerry Mulligan—At Storyville (Pacific Jazz, 1956)• Jimmy Giuffre Trio—Western Suite (Atlantic, 1958)• Clark Terry/Bob Brookmeyer—
Gingerbread Men (Mainstream, 1966)• Mel Lewis & The Jazz Orchestra—Live At The Village
Vanguard (Featuring The Music Of Bob Brookmeyer)(Red Baron, 1982)• Bob Brookmeyer New Art Orchestra—
New Works Celebration (Challenge, 1997)• Bob Brookmeyer/Kenny Wheeler—Island(Artists House, 2002)

L ABEL SPOTLIGHT

destiny
by eric wendell
Jazz, as a term, is fluid in how people use it. It is a genre,

attitude, adjective and just about every kind of
descriptor one can imagine. For the Austin-based label
Destiny, the word is just the starting point for a deep
exploration of musical characteristics. During its sixyear existence, Destiny has released over 20 albums
demonstrating a commitment to new, creative voices.
Whether it’s the AfroCuban flair of trumpeter Pete
Rodriguez, ethereal ambiance of the group sum(titles)
or chamber-jazz leanings of Kenneth Salters Haven,
Destiny is a label ready, willing and able to clear thefield for a new foundation of jazz exploration.
The genesis began with Michael Shields andGeorge Shalda. The former grew up in Austin, TX in
a musical family. Shields’ mother was an opera singer
and his father played violin. Shields began playing thetrumpet when he was nine and his interest in jazzbegan soon after, courtesy of Louis Armstrong andMiles Davis records. This brought him to the Universityof North Texas where he eventually earned a Master ’sin Jazz Studies. Shields first came across Shalda in 2001
after Shalda relocated to Austin. “He [Shalda]
developed into an expert recording engineer throughrecording his group Cienfuegos, a traditional Cubangroup in which he plays trumpet, percussion, guitars
and sings,” says Shields. “In the spirit of Buena Vista
Social Club, he developed an approach based on
acoustic environment, classic recording equipment

Dialogical
Michael Eaton

Presence
Brad Whiteley

and techniques that lend well to the acoustic setting.
This of course led him to recording jazz as well aroundthe Austin scene.”
During this time, Shields and Shalda loosely
discussed the idea of starting a label. After recording
Rodriguez’ album Caminando Con Papi (which would
become Destiny’s first release), Shields was researching
online about how best to release the record and cameacross a few articles written by his University of North
Texas classmate, guitarist Cameron Mizell. “He[Shields] came across some articles that outlined theentire process and then realized they were authored byme, his old college roommate! He reached out andasked if I could help out. Although we hadn’t spokenmuch since 2005, both he and Shalda are very authentic
people whom I trusted from day one, so of course I
wanted to help out some old friends. My involvement
grew as the label grew from there,” says Mizell.
With the trifecta in place of Shields as owner,
Shalda as producer and Mizell as manager, they set
their sights on creating a sustainable musical economy
that is as artist friendly as possible while balancing therealities of the current music business climate. Shields
states, “I told Cam that I wanted to find a way so thateverybody can benefit from their work in some form
from the beginning and that I did not want to cut theartist out of all control of their ability to participate
and benefit from the exploitation of their music. I feelthat we achieved that goal.”
Like many small labels, Destiny has to balance
their ambitions with what they can realisticallyachieve. “We turn down things constantly that wewould love to do because of bad timing. We are a smalllabel that can only do so much in a given year and if

What We Have In Common
Charlie Rauh/Cameron Mizell

our timeline doesn’t line up with the artists, we just
can’t afford to do an album. We always have great
discussions with artists we have to turn down—often
artists we’ve already released an album with—and wehope to be able to possibly do something in the future,”says Shields. Mizell contextualizes by stating, “I think
the biggest downfall of making jazz records these days
is making the artist feel rushed and I do what I can tohelp the artist feel prepared and relaxed leading up to
and during their session so they can have a positive,
productive experience.”
Destiny tries to balance the needs of both thebusiness and artistic sides. Shields says, “One that is
related to the art, the music and keeping all of that alive
rather than allowing it to die because individuals are too
focused on what they deserve and what is being takenfrom them. I believe that there is a fair reality and I don’tknow that I have come across a label that fits this exactly
but rather feel like I am always searching for ways tomake the model work for the music that the people
create and I hold on to the assumption that the selflessefforts toward this singular unifying goal will benefit thepeople involved automatically.” Mizell states, “Thebiggest challenge is time management and setting
priorities. When people ask me why we don’t do this orthat, what they don’t often realize is that I’m the one
doing it all and I simply can’t do everything. There are a
lot of great ideas out there and creative things we could
implement for our releases, but budgets and my time islimited and I can only do so much. I try to coordinate
efforts with the artist to maximize everyone’s efforts,
which is another reason we have to work with artists
that understand the need for their own involvement.”				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 54)

Solitude Intones Its Echo
Harvey Valdes

HiraethCharlie Rauh

VOX NEWSSTARRY WINTER NIGHTS
by suzanne lorge

The ambient melodiousness of Theo Bleckmann’s2019 release with keyboardist Joseph Branciforte, LP1(Greyfade), serves as a catalyst for probing
introspection. On four improvised tracks, theco-composers stack barely voiced tones, subtle clicks
and oozing looped sounds to create a supernal mood,
one that only barely obscures the album’s substrata of
deep emotion. Bleckmann’s interest in electronics
continues to evolve with these magnetic compositions.
This step takes him away from the ‘50s cabaret fare,
Weimar art tunes and jazz-imbued pop songs of hismusical past, positioning him firmly in modern
experimentalism. Later this year he and the superb
brass quartet, The Westerlies, will launch a horn-based,
electronics-suffused album, Songs of Refuge andResistance, developed during a joint residency inVermont in June 2018. Before this release, however,Bleckmann will satisfy his musical wanderlust with aperformance of Mixtape, his mash-up of classical, jazzand rock tunes, as part of the 2020 Winter Jazzfest.
Bleckmann’s offbeat show is only one of several
smashing vocal performances crammed into different
corners of the Village during the marathon weekend.

With unlimited one-night passes starting at $50 andunlimited two-night passes at $95, you would quickly
run out of breath trying to take it all in. On the firstnight of the marathon (Jan. 10th), besides Bleckmann
at SubCulture, you can hear Kendra Shank (like
Bleckmann, a protegée of legend Sheila Jordan) at Zinc
Bar, singing in tribute to her friend and mentor, Abbey
Lincoln, who would have turned 90 this year. A coupleof sets later, New Orleans-bred singer Quiana Lynell,
winner of the 2017 Sarah Vaughan Competition, will
front an allstar lineup in the same space.
Following on Jan. 11th, vibrant singer Becca
Stevens—fresh off of a fall tour with Snarky Puppy
and about to release a full-length indie jazz album,
Wonderbloom (GroundUP Music), takes the stage at Le
Poisson Rouge. A few doors away, SubCulture hosts
an exciting triple header: 2019 Juno-winning Canadianpianist/singer Laila Biali up first, before vintage pop
singer Kat Edmonson, who is readying her new album
Dreamers Do (Spinnerette) for release next month,followed by 2016 Grammy nominee for Best Jazz Vocal
Album René Marie and her hip band Experiment in
Truth. Two minutes away, at the Zürcher Gallery, Sara
Serpa, who won DownBeat’s Rising Star Female Vocalistaward five times, will work again with her band fromThe Stone series last fall—guitarist André Matos,
pianist Dov Manski and drummer Jessie Simpson.
There’s some overlap on these evenings, so you’ll haveto pick and choose wisely.

Coming in between the Winter Jazzfest marathon
weekends will be a special concert at Le Poisson Rouge(Jan. 12th): Sheila Jordan herself starring in “From
Detroit To The World: Celebrating The Jazz Legacy of
Detroit and Honoring Marcus Belgrave”. Jordan willsing as one-fourth of the Detroit Jazz Royalty Ensemble,
with fellow NEA Jazz Masters bassist Ron Carter anddrummer Louis Hayes plus pianist Johnny O’Neal—all
Detroit-born. In their set—part of a larger event inhonor of the late trumpeter Belgrave—the ensemble
will offer its respect for his lifetime achievement.
Brazilian singer Jamile was still a vocal jazz student
at The City College of New York this past spring whentrombonist/bandleader Scott Reeves tapped her lastminute to sing with his big band at Smalls. Her newly
self-released eponymous album reveals why she canpull off a gig like this with only short notice—she cansing most anything. On her debut, she nails the toughnuggets (Mary Lou Williams’ “In the Land of Oo-BlaDee”), silky pearls (Cole Porter’s “Everything I Love”)
and lilting sambas (“O Pato” by Jaime Silva and Neuza
Teixeira). One to watch.
With Remember Me, My Dear (ECM) saxophonist
Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble complete
what they started 25 years ago with Officium (ECM)—
the unusually complementary blending of early music
and modern jazz improvisation. Recorded during thegroup’s final tour in 2014, the album is a lovely sendoff
to a memorable collaboration. v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 11

I N MEMORIAM
IN MEMORIAM 2019
DON ALBERTCHRIS ALBERTSONMARY LYERLY ALEXANDERRAMSEY AMEENJOHN AMOROSO
CLAES ANDERSSONJEFF ANDREWS
STAN APPELBAUM
LISLE ATKINSONBOB AVES
GINGER BAKERDANNY BARBERJULIO BARBOSAVERNON BARNETT
BERT BARRCARLOS BARRUSOJIM BEATTYSKIP BECKWITH
VINNIE BELL
GAVIN BELTONRALF BENESCHGEORGE BENSONMILI BERMEJOED BICKERTIAN BIRD
EDWIN BIRDSONGRUBY BISHOPHAL BLAINEJOHN BOHANNON
ANNIE BRAZILADO BROODBOOMLEONARD BROWN
CLORA BRYANT
CLIFFORD BUGGSJAN BYRCZEKSTEVE CANNONDAVE CAREYFRANK CARUSOFRANK CASTYISSA CISSOKHOBRIAN CLARKEJAMES COILE
MICHAEL COLGRASSDAN COLLETTERAY COMISKEY
FRANTZ COURTOISJIM CULLUM, JR.
STEVE DALACHINSKYJAMES DAPOGNYDORIS DAYJULES DEELDERBOB DEKKERGEORGE DELGROSSO
Bira Do Jô
MAZINHO DO TROMBONE
DR. JOHNTODD DUKEJEFF DUPERONEDDIE DURAN
HAROLD EHLERSCHRISTOPHER ELLISATTILA ENGINLARRY ENGLUNDETHEL ENNISJULIAN EUELL
EGLAL FARHIPAUL FAURE
CLIVE FENNER
ALVIN FIELDER
BILL FOLWELL
FRED FOSSANDRÉ FRANCISBOB FREEMANSAL FURMANMICHEL GAUDRYJOÃO GILBERTOIRA GITLER
IB GLINDEMANNMICKY GOLOMBKADRI GOPALNATH
WALTHER GROßRUBATSCHERTONY HALLHARRY HARMANLEIGH HARRISVERNA HARTJUSTIN HAYNES
RON HEARN
ROGER HEWITTNANCY HOLLOWAYSTEVE HOOKSJOHN HUGHESART IRWIN
EINAR IVERSENRUDD JACOBSJOSEPH JARMAN
GENE JEFFERSONJACK JENNINGSJIŘÍ JIRMALCHRISTOPHER JOHNSONCONNIE JONESHERBERT JOOSJERRY JUMONVILLE
RALPH JUNGHEIM
LEWIS KAHN
ROLAND KEIJSERGARY KLEIN
REINER KOBE
URBAN KODER
RAINIER KÖHL
ROD KOKOLJJAN ERIK KONGSHAUGKIYOSHI KOYAMAERYK KULM
DUNCAN LAMONTLAWRENCE LEATHERS
MABLE LEE
MICHEL LEGRAND

GIANNI LENOCICONNIE LESTERMILCHO LEVIEVBO LIEBOWITZSHELLY LIEBOWITZHORST LIEPOLTJACQUES LOUSSIER
DOUG LUBAHNGERMAN LUKYANOVHAROLD MABERNBOB MACAR
JACQUI MAGNOTONI MANIESONMESH MAPETLAARNO MARSHGEORGE MASSODOROTHY MASUKA
PHIL MATTSONTURK MAUROJOE MCQUEENMIKE MIGLIORE
KARLHEINZ MIKLINJIM MILLERNORMA MILLER
PHIL MILLERTONY MONSERRATRAY MOORETOM “TIPPY” MORGAN
JACQUES MORGANTINIDEXTER MORRILLCHRISTOPH MUDRICH
CELIA MUR
CLIFFORD T. MURPHY
BILL NAWROCKIZÉZÉ NGAMBIGEOFF NICHOLSKEN NORDINEFRITZ NOVOTNYPATRICIA “PETTY” NTLAPOCHRISTOPH OEDINGTONY PALUMBO
ROY PELLETT
JAN PERSSONSAM PILAFIANSHUNNA PILLAYEDDIE PIPERTOM PLETCHERELLIS J. POUGH
ELLEN POWELLROBERT “CLEVE” POZARYVES PREFONTAINEANDRÉ PREVIN
PETER PRISCOFRANK PULLARO
JUAN QUINONEZKENNY REEDJACK RENNERDANNY REPOLEEMIL RICHARDSJOE RIGBYMARIA RIVAS
TETSU SAITODAVE SAMUELSJOHN C. SANDERSRAY SANTOSFRANK SAVARESEMANFRED SCHEFFNER
ANDY SCHERRER
WESLEY SCHMIDTMANSUR SCOTTHORST SEIDELMANN
KAREL SENFLUKGARY SHIVERSDAVID SINCLAIR
JANUSZ SKOWCRONMAYNARD SLOATEFRED SMITHTONY SOLEY
GINO STEFANIANDERS STEFANSENERIC J. STERN
CLIVE STEVENSREPPARD STONERAY SWINFIELD
BOB SZAJNER
ROSŁAV SZAYBOMIHÁLY TABÁNYI
BILL TAGGARTJULAI TAN
FRED TAYLORGERRY TEEKENSBUDDY TERRYWILLIE THOMASMARY ANN TOPPER
MARINA TROSTTOMI UNGERERCHRIS VADALAMAYRA CARIDAD VALDÉSANDREW VÉLEZJOE VENUTO
PAOLO VINACCIA
VIC VOGEL
JANE VOLLMERWANDA WARSKADAVE WICKINSERLING WICKLUND
BOB WILBERDAVEY WILLIAMSIRV WILLIAMSGARY WILLIAMSONROY WILLOX
FAITH WINTHROPHARRY WOODWARD
PETER WORTMANNRICHARD WYANDSJAMES WYCKOFFSOL YAGEDJan
Erik
Kongshaugby andrey henkin

EDDIE DURAN (Sep. 6th, 1925-Nov.
22nd, 2019) His 1957 debut for Fantasy
was titled simply Jazz Guitarist and thatis what Eddie Duran was, primarily in
the groups of Cal Tjader, with orwithout Stan Getz, and Vince Guaraldi,
as well as sessions with Earl “Fatha“Hines, Jon Hendricks, Benny Goodman, Tania Marieand others, plus a handful more leader dates throughthe ‘80s. Duran died Nov. 22nd at 94.
ANDY SCHERRER (1946-Nov. 25th,2019) The Swiss saxophonist led orco-led several dates for his country’s
Unit and TCB Records in the newmillennium, including international
affairs with the likes of Wolfgang
Muthspiel and Bill Carrothers, wasa member of the short-lived Magog and had a longtenure with the Vienna Art Orchestra to go along withcredits under Joe Haider, Dusko Goykovich, Charly
Antolini and Klaus Weiss. Scherrer died Nov. 25th at 73.

J an Erik Kongshaug, the Norwegian engineer andproducer of thousands of recordings sessions, diedNov. 5th at 75, the same month that ECM Records, thelabel with which he is most associated, celebrated its
50th anniversary.
Kongshaug was born in Trondheim on Jul. 4th,
1944, a little under a year after ECM label head Manfred
Eicher. He trained in electronics at the Trondheim
Technical School and found work in the Oslo-based
Arne Bendiksen and Talent Studios.
At the same time, Kongshaug could be found on
the other side of the studio glass, playing guitar or bass
on jazz, folk and pop albums by Svend Asmussen,
Sven Nyhus, Jan Eggum, Bjarne Nerem, Carl Hjalmby,
Frode Thingnæs, Kåre Korneliussen, Asmund Bjørken
and others, sometimes doing double-duty as engineerof the session. He also released a couple of albums
under his own name in the late ‘90s-early ‘00s for ACT
and Hot Club Records.
In 1970-71, while working at Arne Bendiksen
Studio, Kongshaug engineered sessions for Eicher’s
fledgling imprint: Jan Garbarek Quartet - AfricPepperbird (ECM 1007); Bobo Stenson/Arild Andersen/
Jon Christensen - Underwear (ECM 1012); Chick Corea- Piano Improvisations Vol. 1 (ECM 1014); Jan Garbarek/
Bobo Stenson/Terje Rypdal/Arild Andersen/Jon
Christensen - Sart (ECM 1015); Terje Rypdal - Eponymous(ECM 1016); and Keith Jarrett - Facing You (ECM 1017).
This would begin a momentous partnership, Eicher
finding in Kongshaug an engineer who could capture
what has reductively been dubbed the “ECM Sound”,
often imitated but never bested. The ‘70s would seeother Eicher-Kongshaug productions by an astonishingarray of players from all over the world: Paul Bley,
Gary Burton, Bennie Maupin, Edward Vesala, Steve
Kuhn, John Abercrombie, Ralph Towner, Jack
DeJohnette, Enrico Rava, Eberhard Weber, Egberto
Gismonti, Collin Walcott, Pat Metheny and additional
dates by Garbarek, Andersen and many many others.
Kongshaug would found Rainbow Studio in Osloin 1984. There he would engineer hundreds more ECM
dates through the present day (and, one assumes,
albums yet to be released). This is not to say that
Kongshaug only worked with ECM as his resumé has
hundreds of jazz albums engineered for other labels aswell as just as many in the rock, classical, electronic
and pop fields. But it was that special partnership with
Eicher that has had the most profound effect, not only
on Kongshaug’s career but on the international worldof jazz for five decades. With almost Eicher-ian
understatement, Kongshaug described the relationshipas such in a 2010 interview with AllAboutJazz.com’s
John Kelman: “We had the same attitude towards
sound, it was very easy. We didn’t have to talk; it justworked, and it sounded nice.”

12 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDBUDDY TERRY (Jan. 30th, 1941-Nov.
29th, 2019) While the saxophonist
started out strong as a leader, making
several albums for Prestige andMainstream in the late ‘60s-early ‘70s,
plus dates with Freddie Roach, Harold
Mabern, Joe Morello and AlphonseMouzon and brief stints with Lionel Hampton and Art
Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, his international star
waned after the ‘70s, becoming a legendary figure in
his native Newark, NJ. Terry died Nov. 29th at 78.
MARY ANN TOPPER (Jun. 17th, 1940Nov. 14th, 2019) Her The Jazz Tree
management company was aptly
named as her first clients in the ‘80s
were
deep-rooted figures like Ray
Brown, Jim Hall, Jack DeJohnette, J.J.
Johnson and others before she branchedout to nurture the careers of younger players such as
Geoff Keezer, Kurt Elling, Joshua Redman, Diana Krall,Jane Monheit, Benny Green, New York Voices andothers. Topper died Nov. 14th at 79.
ROY WILLOX (Aug. 31st, 1929-Nov.
25th, 2019) The British saxophonist’s
career was a prolific one from the early‘50s onwards, with credits under Ted
Heath, George Chisholm, Tubby Hayes,
Stan Tracey, Benny Goodman, Cleo
Laine, Phil Woods, Michel Legrand,
Freddy Cole, Clark Terry, George Shearing and others
Willox died Nov. 25th at 90. v

FREE CONCERTS

www.jazzfoundation.org
NEW YORK PUBLICLIBRARY
96th Street Library, 4:30pm
1/16: Gene Bertoncini &Roni Ben-Hur

NYC PARKS
St. Mary’s Recreation Center,
2pm
1/18: Annette A. Aguilar &StringBeans
Note that the JFA Monday Night Jam
will be taking place at the National
Jazz Museum in Harlem: 58 W 129th
Street 1/13, 1/27. 2/10 and 2/24—
6:30-9:00pm.

EVERY MONTH:David Durrah JamNational Jazz Museum inHarlem, 1/4 - 2pm
Every First Saturday
Roy Meriwether andthe Wade Barnes
Tribute Band
Brownsville Heritage
House, 1/18 - 3pm
Every Third SaturdayThis project is supported in part by an award from the
National Endowment for the Arts, the New York StateCouncil on the Arts with the support of Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislatureand by public funds from the New York City Department
of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
and by the Howard Gilman Foundation.

Your Wish Is My Command
Sol Yaged/Tino Valpa (with Harry Sheppard)(Pine Hill)
by Elliott Simon

Clarinetist Sol Yaged’s passing last May at 96 leaves

a large void in the NYC musical landscape. A master ofthe live gig, he amazingly played 7 nights a week forabout 60 years. However, save for It Might As Well Be
Swing (Herald, 1956), a superb studio session rereleased
in 2018 (Pine Hill), his few other recordings are live
dates with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and trumpet
players Phil Napoleon and Red Allen. About two years
ago, Yaged and punk rocker Tino Valpa discovered acommon musical passion resulting in Your Wish Is My
Command, which includes an unreleased 1972 Yaged
performance and four newly recorded “tribute” tunes.
The new studio work, in addition to Yaged (whoadds a few signature lines) and Valpa (who overdubs
vocals, bass, guitar and drums), features vibraphonist
Harry Sheppard (who at 91 is still going strong) plus
pianist Marc McElroy and a four-piece horn section.
Opener “Takin’ A Swing” is a campy sendup thatnamechecks former NYC jazz signifiers while theinstrumental “Whirlwind” is a punky Balkan brasspastiche. The title track’s horns, beat and selfdeprecatory lyrics turns into a Madness-inspired
treatise before the standard “As Time Goes By” ismockingly presented as a sardonic reflection.
The remainder is a welcome expansion of Yaged’s
scant discography. In his own element, he easily flows
between registers with gorgeous tone. This band includes
pianist Johnny Knapp, bassist Ray Carl, drummer
Mousey Alexander and presumably Sheppard although
he is uncredited. There is plenty of room to swing
collectively and individually and the recording is afaithful transcription of a vintage Yaged club date,including the diners’ table conversations. “Sweet Georgia
Brown” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy” are extended withluscious solo sections and closer “The World is Waiting
for the Sunrise” is a forward-looking statement as one
looks back on Yaged’s phenomenal career.
For more information, visit pinehillrecords.com

Big Band Voodoo
Dr. John + The WDR Big Band (Orange Music)
by Mark Keresman

Dr. John, aka Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, thepianist, guitarist, singer, arranger, songwriter andproducer who died last June at 77, remains an almost
mythical figure in music. Aside from his work as aleader, the good Doctor can be heard contributing to LPs
by Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, Maria Muldaur
and many others. His approach encompassed New
Orleans rhythm and blues, jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll,dusted (sometimes liberally) with N’awlins mythology.
He scored a major radio hit in 1973 with the song “Right
Place, Wrong Time”. During a European tour in 1995, Dr.

John got together with the eclectic WDR Big Band andthe result is a tribute to New Orleans’ musical history,
Dr. John’s voice and keys front-and-center. Dr. John is anamazingly fine pianist in the New Orleans tradition andhas a loveably jolly, raspy voice. The WDR Big Bandswings with got-the-world-on-a-string brio. The
arrangements are tight and the focus is the songs, withthe big band roaring like a classic Count Basie edition.
The program is mostly well-known songs—“I Guess I’m Just A Lucky So-and-So” is sung with theconfidence of ‘50s Sinatra filtered through a Louisiana
prism. “Blue Skies” finds piano notes glistening like themorning dew in a field of flowers in jaunty andornamental solos. “Stagger Lee” is just the Doc on keys
and vocals and he sings this very old song withdescriptive aplomb. The reflective, proudly sentimental“I Still Think About You” has some rich, stirring passages
from the WDR Big Band and the laconic singing on “I’m
Confessin’” evokes that master storyteller of song Hoagy
Carmichael. “Mess Around” shines the spotlight onrollicking two-handed piano. Members of the WDR Big
Band get some fleetingly brief solos and, while short,they are top-drawer and hearty stuff. This is not, strictly
speaking, a jazz album, but jazz is definitely part of what
it is…and what it is is a good time.

liner notes make way for poems by Ruth Lepson keyedto each track. Preminger ’s originals are challenging
and atmospheric, not your usual proto-hardbop, andhis quintet, with trumpeter Jason Palmer, features thehighly electric bass of Kim Cass rather than a piano.
Bassist Matt Brewer ’s Ganymede is a trio with Shim anddrummer Damion Reid mixing originals with tunes by
Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman and Joe Henderson.
The latter ’s trio recordings provide some of theinspiration for this exhilarating reimagining of aformat conceived by Henderson, Sonny Rollins andothers in Teekens’ formative years.
For more information, visit crisscrossjazz.com

IN PRIN T

For more information, visit orangemusicrecords.com
Black Case Volume I and II: Return From Exile
Joseph Jarman (Blank Forms Editions)by Kurt Gottschalk

After Life
Noah Preminger (Criss Cross)
Ganymede
Matt Brewer (Criss Cross)by George Kanzler

They used to come twice a year, from about the mid‘80s. The postage stamps on the white wrapping paper
were from The Netherlands and the package compact
and fairly heavy (secured with layers of clear tape),
consisting of two corrugated cards enclosing CDs,
liner booklets and cover art, but no plastic cases:
review copies of the latest semi-annual releases from
Gerry Teekens of albums on his Criss Cross label. The
package often included the debut CDs of younger jazzmusicians based in the Big Apple, as Teekens madetwice yearly trips to New York, booking studio time fora week or more at Systems Two Recording Studio in
Brooklyn. Over almost four decades (he began in 1981),
Teekens put out 404 albums. He died last October at 83.
These are the last two albums he produced.
Both are in the Criss Cross tradition and indicativeof Teekens widening and advancing his producing
parameters. A jazz drummer in the ‘60s, Teekens was
steeped in hardbop and neo-bop and loved robust,swinging jazz. Criss Cross was to the later 20th century
what Blue Note, Prestige and other indie labels were to
the mid 20th, an outlet for jazz’ younger, up and coming
musicians to flex their creativity. Without Teekens, jazz
stalwarts of today like Chris Potter, Eric Alexander,Peter Leitch, Mike LeDonne and Bill Charlap would nothave been heard in their formative years on record.
Teekens brought them all, and many more, into thestudio and, mostly in one day with little or no
overdubbing or editing, produced memorable albums.
These two albums are in that tradition while also
expanding it. Both feature tenor saxophonists—Noah
Preminger; Mark Shim on Ganymede—with a muscularsound. However, the repertoire on both falls outside
Teekens’ comfort zone of jazz and pop standards andfamiliarly conceived contrafacts. And Preminger ’s
album not only features originals—except for a Handelinterpretation—but the usual informative Criss Cross

The Art Ensemble of Chicago was—and continues
to be—much more than what was captured onrecord and occasional video. It was a top-notch jazzband but also an early integrator of African influence
into Western music. It was, at times, a theater troupe,
but it grew into both a spiritual and a businesspractice. And it was the highest profile distillationof the DIY theories and practices of the Association
for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.
The important history of the band has, in recent
years, been well documented. But what we haven’t
had is a telling from a primary source. Black Case
Volume I & II: Return From Exile isn’t that, but it is afascinating view into the times and one of the mindsof the Art Ensemble in its early years.
Saxophonist Joseph Jarman—who passed last
January at 81—self-published the two volumes insmall runs in 1974, with a second edition by the
band’s in-house publishing arm and record label in
1977. Long unavailable, the book has been given awelcome new printing by Blank Forms Editions.
Essentially a collection of verse with a scattering ofphotos and scores, the book provides remarkableinsight into Jarman’s mind through African
American vernacular, poetics and politics at theheight of the Black Power movement.
For the most part, Black Case functions as acontinuous text. One work moves into the next without
titles or clear delineation. Verses change in form butflow through concept and phraseology. Jarman statesin the introduction that “no dates are given because
they have no meaning in the ever-present flow of ourlives” and yet it functions as a portrait in diary form. A
transcribed dream that nearly dissolves into a policecomplicit lynching is immediately followed by aprayer for healing through music.
As a writer and poet, Jarman is ever-present in
his text. He put the fullness of his spirit into his
writing and there is a palpable tension between thepeace he desired and the anger instilled in him by
the violence he saw in war, oppression, the inner cityand his own mind. Jarman eventually found peace in
Buddhist practice and channeled it through his art.
Black Case marks the beginnings of that journey.
For more information, visit blankforms.org/publications

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 13

album REVIEWS

With Strings
Eric Alexander (HighNote)by Alex Henderson

After alto saxophonist Charlie Parker recorded hisWith Strings sessions of 1949-50, myriad jazz players
hoped to record albums emphasizing their lyrical sides
by employing lush string orchestras; unfortunately for
most, jazz-with-strings projects were cost-prohibitive.
In 2011-13 tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander enjoyed
the backing of a string orchestra (with arranging andconducting by Dave Rivello), the fruits of thecollaboration only now released. In addition to pianist
David Hazeltine, bassist John Webber and drummer
Joe Farnsworth, Alexander is accompanied by anorchestra of nine violins, two violas, two cellos, fluteand French horn. While many jazz-with-strings
projects consisted entirely of ballads, this album favors
a combination of ballads and midtempo performances.
A lush, turn-down-the-lights ambiance prevails
whether Alexander is performing at a comfortablemedium tempo on Henry Mancini’s “Slow Hot Wind”
and his own “Gently” or displaying his balladeer skills
on Leonard Bernstein’s “Some Other Time”, Mancini’s“Dreamsville” and pianist Horace Silver ’s “Lonely
Woman”. The saxophonist sticks to a ballad tempo on“The Thrill Is Gone”, the Ray Henderson/Lew Brown
song famously recorded by Baker in 1953.
One thing separating With Strings from other jazzwith-strings efforts is that Alexander doesn’t rely
entirely on ‘20s-30s Tin Pan Alley standards; the oldest
material includes “Some Other Time” (from the 1944
musical On The Town) and “The Thrill Is Gone” alongwith tunes written during the ‘50s or beyond, such as
the aforementioned Mancini and Silver gems. Despite
being more arranged than his albums usually are, With
Strings leaves the saxophonist sufficient room tostretch out. And he is no less compelling as an
improviser on this consistently melodic effort.
For more information, visit jazzdepot.com. Alexander is at
Smoke through Jan. 5th. See Calendar.

Map of Liberation
Tiger Trio (RogueArt)
by Marc Medwin

The track titles conjure shades of late Coltrane, but themusic on Tiger Trio’s sophomore effort could even callthe genre-bending interplay of Cream to mind. If thecomparison seems trite, bask for a while in the heavy
modality of the disc’s final piece to hear just one
instance of these veteran improvisers getting down
into some heavy post-blues, but the resemblance isdeeper as the trio plumbs the depths of tone, tonal
center and the places they merge.
Even were the names not gracing the cover, there
would be no mistaking the individual voices cultivatedby these musicians for so many years: the unmistakably
beautiful piano sonorities with which Myra Melford

opens “Compassion”; the first notes of “Courage” for ataste of how integrated flute and voice are in Nicole
Mitchell’s conception; or the harmonic soaked bass
rumblings of Joëlle Léandre slamming “Reflection” intohigh gear as points of individual reference. More often
than not, however, it is a kind of melding, a spontaneousand lightning-fast merging of creative intuition, which
propels this music beyond improvisational exercise into
the realms of true dialogue.
“Humility” opens with Mitchell digging down
into some more of those swinging blue notes as only
she can until Melford punctuates with a single note,transcending mere tone via rhythmic interplay achievedby perfect timing in a moment of subtle but unbridled
alacrity. Density increases as Léandre enters thepointillistic fray and her rapid repetitions, caught andaugmented by Mitchell, lead to the clouds and sparksof tone and rhythm engulfing the music two and a half
minutes in, just before everything collapses into shards
and fragments still forming phrases that simply refuse
to sputter out of existence. Then there is the absolutely
exquisite, unified and miles-deep drone ending thedisc, a shifting kaleidoscope of tone and color embracing
all frequencies as it moves sweetly toward silence.
As with Cream or the Coltrane group of yourchoice, the music’s palpability results directly fromstaggering technique in the service of boundlessimagination. If piano-innards explorations are
momentarily confused with similar sounds emanatingfrom Léandre’s gorgeous instrument and if the expertly
tuned thirds Mitchell can conjure at will confoundexpectation, then expectation is in need of readjustment.
As with every RogueArt release, the excellent recording
renders it all clear and vibrant. Here is a supergroup if
ever one existed, captured in full flight, or, given thegroup’s name, in purr, growl and roar.

wild, sputtering sound effects at times. This is organ atits hockey-rink best and truthfully you could put on thealbum in the background while reading a book oreating dinner and never look up from the page or theplate. Occasionally a melodic flourish, a quick flurry ofnotes, will draw your attention, as on “5th Of Rye”, ora ballad like the version of “Prelude To A Kiss” will lull
you into a meditative trance, but in a lot of ways thisalbum might as well be an hour-long song and that’s
not necessarily a bad thing.

For more information, visit roguart.com. This project is at
Whitney Museum Jan. 3rd-4th. See Calendar.

Branch—Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs ofR • Jaimie
Paradise (International Anthem)e • Nick Dunston—Atlantic Extraction(Out of Your Head)c • Abdullah
Ibrahim—Dream Time (Solo Piano) (Enja)o • BoJacobsen—Northern Spiritm (Gateway
Music)• Mike Nock/Bob Moses—Electric Organicm Symphony (Ra Kalam)Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton—e • EvanConcert in Vilnius (NoBusiness)
Riley—Oleo (SteepleChase)n •• Stephen
Elliott Sharp/Frances-Marie Uitti—d Peregrinations (zOaR)
Williams—An Ayler Xmas, Volume 3:e • Mars
Live in Krakow (Not Two)d Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor

Beyond Borderline
Brian Charette (SteepleChase)by Phil Freeman

In 2013, organ player Brian Charette released Borderline,
an album of standards and pop tunes. In addition tochestnuts like “How Deep Is The Ocean”, “Body And
Soul”, “I Got Rhythm” and “Donna Lee”, he tackled
Hall & Oates’ “Sara Smile” and the title track was
Madonna’s 1983 hit. What made the album intriguing
was that it was a solo effort performed on the Hammondorgan. Charette’s ability to pull the melodies apart,
indulge in almost prog-rock excess while maintaining achurning, rhythmic low end made it more interesting
than an hour of Hammond organ could seem. Six years
later, Charette offers a sequel, of sorts. Beyond Borderline
was recorded in about as long as it takes to listen to thealbum. Once again, he’s alone at the organ. But thistime, 10 of the 12 compositions are his own. The othertwo, “Chelsea Bridge” and “Prelude To A Kiss”, areDuke Ellington. Most of the compositions here are newrecordings, though “Good Tipper” appeared on theeponymous 2014 Posi-Tone album. They share a pulsing
energy and a strong melodic feel.
The album’s title implies exploration and pushing
past boundaries, but that’s not really the case, the progfusiony “Aligned Arpeggio” aside. Charette isn’t goingnearly as far out here as he has on other releases, where
he’s played with cracked electronics and embraced

14 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

For more information, visit steeplechase.dk. Charette is at
Smalls Jan. 3rd-4th and The Django at The Roxy HotelJan. 11th, both with Mike DiRubbo. See Calendar.

tamir
hendelman
debuts the spirit ofisrael ensembleat the Yamaha artist
services piano salonfeaturing

pianist tamir Hendelman witH
yotam silberstein (guitar),asaf yuria (sax)noam wiesenberg (bass)
and daniel dor (drums)

thursdaY, JanuarY 9thdoors: 6:30pm/show 7pm
689 5th avenue, 3rd floor(enter from 54th street)tamirspirit.bpt.me

side door Jazz

featuring tamir Hendelman trio

fridaY, JanuarY 10th @ 8:30pm(thesidedoorJazz.com)

Hendelman’s playing is firmly in tHe tradition of peterson and green in its
strengtH and swing..His toucH and use of dynamics warrant greater exposure.”-doug ramsey, Jazztimes.com

tamirhendelman.com• Eric Alexander—With Strings (HighNote)

Brötzmann—n • Peter
Solo: I Surrender Dear (Trost)e • Brian Charette—Beyond Borderline(SteepleChase)w • Erroll
Garner—Campus Concert

r
e
l
e
a
s
e
s

(MGM - Mack Avenue/Octave Music)• Per Texas Johansson—Stråk på himlen och stora hus (Moserobie)• Charles Lloyd Quartet—Montreux Festival
1967 (Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series 46) (TCB)• Bobby Naughton—Solo (Otic)• Aaron Novik—No Signal (Avant Laguardia)• Sam Rivers Quintet—Archive Project,
Volume 2: Zenith (NoBusiness)• Pat Thomas/Dominic Lash/Tony Orrell—
BleySchool (577 Records)• Toh-Kichi (Satoko Fujii/Tatsuya Yoshida)—
Baikamo (Libra)
Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

Respect For Your Toughness
Chris Speed Trio (Intakt)
Gold
Human Feel (Intakt)
No Pressure
The Clarinets (Skirl)by Tom Greenland

Even an abbreviated list of tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Chris Speed’s regular projects (AlasNoAxis,
Bloodcount,
The
Clarinets,
Claudia
Quintet,Endangered Blood, Human Feel, Pachora, SpEEd Trio,
Trio Iffy, Yeah NO) and habitual collaborators (Tim
Berne, Jim Black, Uri Caine, Andrew D’Angelo, Dave
Douglas, John Hollenbeck, Dave King, Kurt
Rosenwinkel, Jamie Saft, Skúli Sverrisson, Craig
Taborn, Cuong Vu) gives an indication of his importancein the creative music scene. Three recent recordings
provide a progress report of his prolific activities.
Respect For Your Toughness is Speed’s third album
with his trio of bassist Chris Tordini (bandmate from
Claudia Quintet) and drummer King (from The Bad
Plus). The quintessential sideman, Speed is known forhis chameleonic presence, blending in with the creative
ambiance, surreptitious and yet quietly subversive,
revealing distinctive colors when riled, making his
presence, if not seen, than at least felt. This setting, achordless trio à la Sonny Rollins (or Albert Ayler),
exposes him relatively unadorned, digging back into
mainstream jazz roots, interpreting a standard (Kay
Swift’s “Can This Be Love?”) and tuneful originals in an
unhurried, open-ended fashion, favoring an intimate,breathy tenor tone that recalls the romantic balladeeringof Ben Webster. Of course there’s a lot of messing about
with meters; 11-beat time signatures abound, though
their accent patterns are all different: “Helicopter
Lineman” parses as 4+3+2+2, “Faint Time” as
2+2+2+2+3, “Taborn to Run” as 4+7 and “Casa Adela”, alimping calypso, as 4+4+3. Sophisticated stuff, but
Tordini and King’s jocular legerdemain obviates any
intellectualism. Speed’s organically developed ideas
imbue and enliven the title track, “Strobe Dots” and“Transporter” with sober, undulating ecstasy.
Human Feel was born in Speed’s association withalto saxophonist D’Angelo and drummer Black in a
Seattle high school big band; incubated in Boston,where they absorbed guitarist Rosenwinkel (and,temporarily, bassist Joe Fitzgerald); then transplanted
to New York in the early ‘90s, where the quartet turnedears with its uniquely organized free-play. 30 years
later, in spite of numerous interventions, the groupremains vital, inspired, as evidenced on Gold, a
collection of original works, half penned by D’Angelo.
Without a bass for ballast, the group’s sound retains acertain ambiguity, a lacuna in the lower frequencies.
Rosenwinkel furnishes tangy, wet-washed harmonicembroidery (heard to fine effect on “Martens”), stinging
leads to parry Speed or D’Angelo’s (as on “Alar Vome”)
or else amorphous industrial timbres difficult todistinguish from Black’s ROLI-enhanced electronic
triggers and loops. Speed and D’Angelo trade off on
saxophones or clarinets, or combinations of the two, thelatter the more extroverted and dramatic, the former
providing plasma and connective tissue, their tones
clustered close, with looped lines overlapping, theirshort, fragmented phrases intuitively coherent, thehappy result of a 30-plus-year friendship.
When Speed launched the Skirl imprint in 2006, hisvery first release was the eponymous debut of The
Clarinets, a trio with Oscar Noriega (bandmate from
Endangered Blood and other groups) and Dr. AnthonyBurr (professor of contemporary music at U.C. San
Diego). No Pressure, the group’s third disc, was recorded

live at the college’s concert hall after a five-year hiatus.
Freely and fully improvised, the music is neverthelesstempered and modulated, almost classical in its
refinement. Burr, at center, often anchors the unfolding
textures with bass clarinet drones. Speed, panned left,
plays clarinet while Noriega, panned right, switches
between clarinet and bass clarinet (mostly the latter).
Some pieces are short, almost humorous, with stutteredentrances, gliding attacks, rumbling long-tones ortightly
pinchedbuzz-saw
effects.
Elsewhere
development is more gradual, as on the opening title
track, where each voice rises leisurely in sequence, likemolten blobs in a lava lamp, only to fall and settle in thecollective pool. “X”, the last and longest track, is themost experimental, Burr’s didgeridoo-like mantra
encircled by restless higher pitches—first attracted tothen repelled by each other, like two magnets of variable
polarity—as the chamber-like tone poem grows moreagitated, even aggravated, in the second half.
For more information, visit intaktrec.ch and skirlrecords.com.
Speed is at Happylucky no.1 Jan. 3rd-4th. See Calendar.

ConjureJason Kao Hwang/Karl Berger (True Sound Recordings)
by Steven Loewy

Like a classic movie, Karl Berger and Jason Kao

Hwang’s Conjure is worth returning to over and overagain. While all the compositions are the latter’s and heoften dominates the performances, there is a wonderfulconnection between these masters of instruments on
the periphery of the free music scene.
The album begins with “Prophecy”, the soft,delicate edifying sounds of Hwang’s majestic violinpunctuated by Karl Berger’s gentle piano, perhaps
a foretelling of less tumultuous times. “Silhouettes”
follows, gorgeous shadings from Hwang, interspersedwith Berger’s graceful vibraphone. Hwang absolutely
steals the show with his low-key and strikingly sparsehigh notes. Close your eyes and travel to an alternate
universe, where quiet, space and unmitigated beauty
unfold soothingly, as pure sound resonates tenderly.
“Beyond Reach” continues along the same path,tranquilly and serenely, just above a whisper but withan angelic stillness. Berger lets it be, joining in only
occasionally on both vibraphone and piano, lending an
air of graceful sophistication.
Berger moves centerstage on “Vanishing Roots”,
exalted, transcendent, pizzicato violin juxtaposed
against lightly jagged piano. “Faith” could make abeliever of anyone, Hwang’s deeply moving cello-liketones calling to the heavens, offering pleas for an ailingsoul. “Below Zero” and “Water Finds Water” deviate
somewhat, the former opening with soft rapidly fingered
contributions from Berger while Hwang plays pizzicato
and the latter with repetitive vibraphone gently
confronting Hwang’s musings in a hypnotic trancelike
exploration. “Water”, the longest and most adventurous
track, sings with repetitive motion, evincing a sweet
clarity, timeless and undiminished, in no rush to find its
end. The finale, “Arise”, reveals a calmness on strings,
interrupted by light piano spurts. A fitting end to awonderful recording and one of Hwang’s best.
For more information, visit jasonkaohwang.com. Hwang is
at Bushwick Public House Jan. 6th and Nuyorican Poets
Café Jan. 7th as part of a Winter Jazzfest Steve Dalachinsky
Celebration. See Calendar.

UNEAR T HED GEM

Blue WorldJohn Coltrane (Impulse!)
by Joel Roberts

O riginally recorded in June 1964 as the soundtrack
for a French-Canadian film, Blue World is the latest
addition to the growing collection of previously
unreleased John Coltrane material. Unlike lastyear ’s Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album, which
revealed some startling new Coltrane compositions,Blue World features the tenor saxophonist and hisclassic quartet with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist
Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones
performing updated versions of some of his most
famous tunes—something they seldom did. Coltrane
was an artist who always looked ahead to the next
thing; this is a rare case of him revisiting his past.
It’s also the only movie soundtrack he ever recorded.
The album is short at just 37 minutes, includes
multiple takes of several tracks and lacks any kindof unified theme. It’s more a collection of random
tunes than a coherent album. And it doesn’t add
a lot to our historical assessment of Coltrane. But
what’s important is the music and every note here ispure magic. This is Coltrane and his peerless quartet
at their creative peak, right between the sessions for
two of his most influential and extraordinary
albums, Crescent and A Love Supreme.
Director Gilles Groulx asked Coltrane to record
tunes from throughout his career to be used in his
film, Le chat dans le sac (The Cat in the Bag), which is
described as a politically charged love story. Only
about ten minutes of what’s included here actually
made it into the movie. The rest is being heard forthe first time in more than 50 years. There are two
versions of “Naima”, one of Coltrane’s mostexquisite and popular ballads, and three of “Village
Blues”, a tune originally from 1959-60’s Coltrane
Jazz. Two other well-known Coltrane compositions,“Traneing In” (John Coltrane with the Red Garland
Trio, Prestige, 1957), which opens with a masterful
three-minute bass solo from Garrison, and the Sonny
Rollins-inspired “Like Sonny” (also from theaforementioned Coltrane Jazz), are also covered.
The title track, the only ostensibly new song
here, is an improvisation based on “Out of ThisWorld”, a Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer standard
that was the opening cut on the 1962 album Coltrane.
It’s the tune, especially in Coltrane’s expansive
saxophone solos, most clearly pointing toward therevelations of A Love Supreme, which the samequartet would record at the same place (Rudy Van
Gelder ’s New Jersey studio) six months later.
The entire album is played at a relaxed,
unhurried pace that captures this ever-evolving
group on the cusp of its next phase. Though it’s aone-off effort standing somewhat apart from the restof his recorded works, Blue World is a fascinating
snapshot of one of the greatest groups in jazz history
at the height of its powers.
For more information, visit impulserecords.com. Coltrane
tributes are at Smoke through Jan. 5th with Eric
Alexander, Bobby Watson and others and Le Poisson
Rouge Jan. 11th by Lakecia Benjamin. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 15

GLOBE UNI T Y

W hen, back in 1938, Jelly Roll Morton spoke of a

“Spanish tinge” in his music, he was primarilyreferring to Cuban habañera and tresillo rhythms.
Today, jazz’ South American tinges are manifold, as
heard on three recent albums by artists from
Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela.
Brazilian-American vocalist Claudia Villela issomewhat of a secret weapon, a musicians’ musician
whose infrequent recordings and Santa Cruz homebase
camouflage her world-class talents as an improvising
vocalist. Encantada Live, only her sixth album since
1994’s Asa Verde, compiles choice live performances
recorded in duo, quartet and septet formats. Her voice,agile and robust across a considerable range, varies inpersonality from low and gruff to nasal and pinched(almost like a berimbau), light and childlike to full andoperatic, bright and horn-like to sharp and percussive.
Possibly her most amazing asset is the ability to
improvise
melodyandPortuguese
lyricssimultaneously, generating songs that sound precomposed. Sterling examples include “Taina”;“Minas”, a duet with pianist Kenny Werner reminiscentof an Indian jugalbandi duet; and “Em Paz”, a duetwith Santa Fe guitarist Bruce Dunlap.
Argentinian-Italian baritone saxophonist Javier
Girotto was first moved by Tango Nuevo, Astor
Piazzolla’s seminal 1974 collaboration with Gerry
Mulligan, as a child of ten, so he welcomed ACT label
head (and European promoter of the original LP)
Siggi Loch’s suggestion to record “a response” withbandoneón player Gianni Iorio and pianist Alessandro
Gwis. Sans the earlier recording’s strings and heavy
percussion, Tango Nuevo Revisited has a jazzier, more
intimate character. Girotto has more room than
Mulligan to stretch out, using it to especially goodeffect on “Aire de Buenos Aires”, “Fracanapa” and“Years of Solitude”, the mood swinging from cool toromantic to restive. Iorio is an empathetic foil, sharing
solos, exchanging lines, sometimes slapping his box
like a cajón player. Much of the appeal rests on how
the trio celebrates the charm of Piazzolla’s songs
through sensitive, mercurial interplay.
Venezuelan guitarist Juanma Trujillo works in theinterzone of composition and improvisation. Set It Up
As Silence is the debut album of Sferos, a trio completed
by Cuban saxophonist Hery Paz and Korean drummer
Dayeon Seok. Eschewing obvious rhythmic schemes
for a more flexible approach to beat-keeping, his song
structures nonetheless retain elements of melody andharmony, though these may not manifest immediately.
His most signature quality, however, lies in his handlingof timbre: swelling attacks à la Bill Frisell, strange
strumming techniques and an unusual tone colored bydrawn-out echoes, layered distortion and loops. Paz
and Trujillo coordinate like a pair of hands while Seok’s
sparse, staggered phraseology recalls Paul Motian,inviting comparison to his trio with Frisell and Joe
Lovano. All of these aspects coalesce organically on“Bosque Verde”, the final track and a standout.

For more information, visit claudiavillela.com,
actmusic.com and falcongumbarecords.com

Geometry of Distance
Tomeka Reid/Kyoko Kitamura/Taylor Ho Bynum/
Joe Morris (Relative Pitch)
by Franz Matzner

The second release from this quartet, Geometry ofDistance unfolds like an improvised deconstructed
opera. It presents seriously abstract, unabashedly ‘out’
music put forward by improvising musicians at theheight of their powers. There are many notableelements contributing to what likely will be seen as alasting contribution to improvisatory music.
First, the instrumentation of cello (Tomeka Reid),
voice (Kyoko Kitamura), trumpet (Taylor Ho Bynum)
and guitar (Joe Morris) and absence of a traditional
rhythmic anchor provides an unusual sound palette.
Second, each member of the quartet is part of the larger
Anthony Braxton constellation and thus the musicreflects the Braxton school of thought, at least in regard
to broad experimentation, fearless improvisation,
rigorous musicianship and structural integrity.
Another way in which this band distinguishes
itself is by avoiding descent into the amorphous
cacophony that mars lesser quality free improvisation.
Instead, it presents a respectful conversation offering
myriad vistas of emotional space, devised by thequartet’s expert attunement to each other.
This is music that submerges listeners rather thanoverpowers them. Extensive use of silence creates awinter landscape of sound, crystalline and open, eachdetail discernible in the vastness. Melodies emerge andfloat by like creatures from the deep. Vocal effusions,from moans to operatic glissandi to growls and trills,
interweave with effervescent guitar and the plucked
strings and bowed eruptions of cello. Trumpet blares,
squawks, squalls and emits soft bursts of cryptic notes.
No one is bound to the traditional limits of theirinstruments, none are restricted by the dictates of time,harmony or conventional melody. The result is musicthat flows with subtle beauty and seems to penetrate
the subconscious to linger there.

For more information, visit tzadik.com. Taborn is at Village
Vanguard Jan. 7th-12th with Scott Colley, The Sultan
Room Jan. 13th as part of Winter Jazzfest and The Stone at
The New School Jan. 14th. See Calendar.

For more information, visit relativepitchrecords.com. Reid,
Morris and Kitamura are at SEEDS Jan. 7th. See Calendar.

NEW!

Encantada Live
Claudia Villela (Taina Music)
Tango Nuevo Revisited
Javier Girotto Trio (ACT Music)
Set It Up As Silence
Sferos (Falcon Gumba)by Tom Greenland

wonderful range of stories, each more involved thanthe last. Generally, these fall into two modes,
exemplified by the swirling motifs, colorful vistas anddeeply personal riffs of “Penimi” and dreamlike
patience of “Kayam”, which works into denser anddenser weaves, from gossamer to burlap. “Setumah”
comes up for air from turgid surroundings with gentle
persuasion, proof that this music requires virtuosity ofan emotional register as much of a technical one. 		
Neselovskyi’s triptych of solo offerings explores
different chambers of the same heart. His expressive
palette, while monochromatic by comparison, is
no less dynamic for its range of textures, moods andeffects. The fibrillations of “Orot” are especially bloodrich. In duet with Taborn, he unleashes darkness andlight in equal measure, guided by a mutual trust tofollow wherever the music leads. Theirs is an act not
only of communication, but also of deconstruction,
whereby the very nature of language cowers at the feetof gestural vocabularies.
The final three tracks feature Neselovskyi’s trio
with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ronen Itzik.
Across reexaminations of “Bohu”, “Kayam” and“Penimi”, they leap from the page with sentient
assurance. The rhythm section, in combination with
Neselovskyi’s colorful sensibility at the keyboard,
makes for one of the most robust flares to come out of
the Masada sun in quite some time. Turning thesetunes like a facet, we find that each catches the sun justso, a signal for some future interpreter to spin as they
feel moved.

Da’at
Craig Taborn/Vadim Neselovskyi (Tzadik)
by Tyran Grillo

The Masada songbook is a gift that keeps on giving.
Since Book 1 was introduced to the listening world
through a coveted decalogue of CDs released in the‘90s by DIW, John Zorn’s magnum opus has continued
to grow. Like the city of Beijing, over the years it has
added one ring after another as newer residents flockin search of an indefinable center. In this iteration wefind two pianists—Craig Taborn and Vadim
Neselovskyi—interpreting tunes in solo and duo
configurations.
Taborn’s six unaccompanied tracks tell a

16 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

In celebration of the great Art Blakey’s 100thbirthday, Valery Ponomarev has assembled
some of NYC’s finest musicians - staying true
to his passion of keeping the music and spiritof Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers alive!

The Messengers’ repertoire is well represented on
this LIVE recording with excellent soloists spreadthroughout the band.

See it LIVE!

Our Father Who Art Blakey Big Band (AKA VPJBB)
at Zinc Bar on the 2nd Friday of every month®

R E C O R D S

The Jazz Messengers:
The Legacy of Art Blakey led byValery Ponomarev is now being
booked for 2020

stephane wrembel

stephane wrembel:
the django experIment V
album release
stephane wrembel band +guests daIsy castro
and nIck drIscoll

joe’s pub:thursday, january 23, 2020
7pm / doors at 6pm $35
425 lafayette street, ny ny
the django experIment V:
aVaIlable on all streamIng
platforms on frIday,
january 24, 2020

django a gogo 2020
may 6-may 10
django a gogo Is sImply
one of the greatest
celebratIons of django
reInhardt’s musIc In theworld!
concert serIes at“the woodland” Inmaplewood, nj on may 6-7-8.
all day long guItar campon may 10 (a complete
ImmersIon wIth thegreatest european mastersof the django style)check out
django l’ImpressIonnIste!
(hIstorIc solo works)

Info and tIckets:

stephanewrembel.com
djangoagogo.com

the town hall presents:
django a gogo 2020
all-star concert
saturday, may 9, 2020 8pm/ doors at 7:30pm
123 w. 43 rd st, ny ny
starrIng: stephane wrembel,
jean-mIchel pIlc,
raphaël faÿs, sébastIen
felIx, laurent hestIn,daVId gastIne, tommy daVy,
russell welch, josh kaye,lIsa lIu, daIsy castro,daVId langloIs, aurora
nealand, thor jensen,
arI folman cohen,nIck anderson + more!

Battle Pieces 4Nate Wooley (Relative Pitch)
Soigne Ta Droite
Entr’acte (Audiographic)
by John Sharpe

NORMA WINSTONE & JOHN TAYLOR

IN CONCERT

SSC 1534 - AVAILABLE 1/17/20

T

he incredible relationship between legendary British musicians Norma Winstone
and John Taylor has been admired for nearly five decades. The vocalist andpianist have been inextricably linked from their early avant-garde work from the late1960s through their gorgeous work with Kenny Wheeler and Azymuth.

T

he couple was also well documented in duo performance; their affinity for eachother and their unique abilities are easily comprehended. Winstone and Taylor’s
In Concert is a remastered reissue of Enodoc Records’ 1999 cassette tape releaseof a fascinating 1988 duo concert. Four years after the pianist’s passing, this recording will remind listeners of the wonderful interplay and feel between Taylor andWinstone.

The performance presented on In Concert documents a quickly assembled concert that coincided with the culmination of Winstone and Taylor’s teaching residency at the Guildhall Music School in London in August 1988. Though they didn’t
have time to put together an ensemble or theme, the two were able to provide thelisteners, including many of their students, with a wonderfully diverse and masterful performance.

JAY CLAYTON & JERRY GRANELLI

ALONE TOGETHER
SSC 1521 - AVAILABLE 11/16

T

here are relationships that always remain fruitful. Maybe it is because the discourse never lags or there is unflagging affection. Vocalist Jay Clayton and percussionist Jerry Granelli have been making music together for forty years and theirmusical connection continues to surprise as their affinity deepens. Their new
recording, Alone Together, shows how the spark of creativity has only brightenedover the duo’s long affiliation.

The two really began to develop their language in Seattle. Meeting regularly in
Granelli’s basement rehearsal space, the improvisers made a core sound thatwould drive many future projects, including their group Quartett, featuring trombonist Julian Priester and bassist Gary Peacock. But it was their connection thatwas the heart of these endeavors. They were true musical soul mates.

Their first foray into recording was a duo recording entitled Sound Songs that was
released in 1986. Thirty years later, Clayton and Granelli have revisited the integral duo setting they perfected so long ago. They reconvened along with engineer
Darren Von Niekerk at the Sonic Temple Studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia for threehours in July 2014www.sunnysiderecords.com

Like many musicians these days, trumpeter Nate
Wooley’s activities encompass an enormous breadth ofinterests: from the extremes of solo improvisation andcontemporary classical commissions right through to
the large ensemble Seven Storey Mountain, via quintet
examinations of the tradition (with Harris Eisenstadt,
Eivind Opsvik, Josh Sinton and Matt Moran), whichreached their apogee when they focused on the earlymusic of Wynton Marsalis. All this makes Wooley
among the most significant presences on the scene.
On Battle Pieces 4, Wooley continues his quest for
novel means to unlock artistic expression, reassembling
pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, saxophonist Ingrid
Laubrock and vibraphonist Moran who were on board
for the two previous releases under the Battle Pieces
banner (there was no Battle Pieces 3). Each piece isconstructed for a single soloist, who improvises withno score. The remaining members perform an
independent ever-changing kaleidoscope of short andlong pieces from a book now totaling over 75
compositions. Recorded live at Roulette in Brooklyn,
the single 47-minute piece features all four as soloists,
although sometimes it’s hard to tell who is in thenominal spotlight, as the separate threads intertwine
in multitudinous ways and permutations. Ultimately
the underlying structure doesn’t matter, particularly
when you have instrumentalists as stupendous asthese. Some exceptional passages include Courvoisier ’s
dazzling excursion where she breaks into a combinationof jazzy right hand and spiky left. Later unaccompanied,
Wooley characteristically explores tonal distortion,
before alternating long tones edging into blustery galeswith jerky staccato figures. As the cool backdrop
warms to a crescendo it sends Wooley into paroxysmsof fevered invention. There seems sufficient leeway ininterpretation so that a sense of order emerges atvarious points, as when duos rotate or a sudden
outbreak of fanfares and flourishes springs from asequence of quiet rattles and squeaks. In fact, there isremarkably little disruption of mood, most happily inthe almost ballad-like closing section, when Moransparkles with harmonic suggestion over a stately andalmost mellifluous accompaniment.
Wooley has struck up a fertile collaboration with
Chicago reedplayer Ken Vandermark, manifest not
only in duet settings but also heftier outfits. One such is
Entr’Acte, whose Soigne Ta Droite was recorded live atthe 2018 Artacts Festival in Austria, Wooley amonga ten-piece band. Here he mainly resides in the horn
section, thickening the convoluted lines and punchingout the riffs. He doesn’t solo as such, but does takeflight in bickering exchanges with Mette Rasmussen’salto saxophone and the leader’s gruff tenor. Although
Wooley doesn’t get to unleash his renowned timbral
smarts, any disappointment is more than offset by the
splendid fare on offer. Vandermark has drawn together
colleagues from a broad swathe of projects such as
Made To Break, Lean Left, Shelter and DEK Trio. He
extends a mastery of large-scale composition honed
with groups like the Territory Band, Resonance andAudio One to allow his cast ample opportunities toshowcase their gifts in three expansive pieces, which
rapidly mutate between written elements and improv
alchemy. With two drummers, two basses, two guitars
and electronics, dense spacey electrical swirl sits

18 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

alongside stirring crisp themes. Fine moments abound,such as Vandermark’s rousing R&B-inflected outing
against a driving groove on “Perpetual Desk”. Several
others come courtesy of pianist Elisabeth Harnik, firstas part of a sub-unit with guitar, bass and drums on“Foundry”, and later in a wayward solo over pounding
drums towards the end of the same cut and then on“Telegram” where she ranges not only across the keys
but also across her instrument’s innards.
For more information, visit relativepitchrecords.com andaudiographicrecords.com. Wooley is at Nublu 151 Jan. 10thas part of Winter Jazzfest and The Stone at The New School
Jan. 18th. See Calendar.

Our Father Who Art Blakey: The Centennial
Valery Ponomarev (Summit)
by Scott Yanow

To a large extent, trumpeter Valery Ponomarev’s career

began with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. While he hadrecorded four songs in his native Russia with pianist
Vadim Sakun during 1967-68, his next recording was on
Blakey’s Gypsy Folk Tales in 1977, four years after hemoved to the U.S. He was a member of the Jazz
Messengers during 1976-80, his final recordings with
Blakey as part of the short-lived Messengers Big Band
where he played next to his successor, Wynton Marsalis.
While he has had a productive solo career sincethen, like most of the Blakey alumni, Ponomarev
continues to identify himself as a graduate of the Jazz
Messengers. He took a year of arranging courses fromDon Sebesky and in 2014 led and arranged for his
Blakey tribute big band (Our Father Who Art Blakey),recording an album for the ZOHO label. Their second
recording celebrates Blakey’s centennial by featuring
Ponomarev’s arrangements of seven numbers from the
Jazz Messengers’ repertoire plus two other pieces.
While Ponomarev is an excellent trumpeter, he only
takes two solos on this live set, choosing to focus on his
arrangements and the playing of his impressive bigband. The Centennial begins with a brief overture written
by Ponomarev and then launches into a driving version
of a Wayne Shorter blues, “Tell It Like It Is”. Here, as
throughout the set, there are hints of the Messengers’
version but the solos and the arrangements do not copy
the past and instead are creative within the hardbop
genre. Victor Jones takes some drum breaks in theBlakey tradition and there are good spots for Ponomarev,
tenor saxophonist Peter Brainin and trombonist Alvin
Walker. Shorter, who is also represented by “One By
One” and “Hammer Head”, is joined by such Messenger
composers as Benny Golson (“Are You Real”) andHorace Silver (“Quick Silver”) although the most
exciting arrangements are actually “Caravan” (altosaxophonist Todd Bashore and baritone saxophonist
Anthony Nelson take solo honors) and Bud Powell’s
boppish “Webb City”. In addition to those alreadymentioned, the consistently excellent soloists include
alto saxophonist Chris Hemingway, tenor saxophonist
Steven Carrington, pianist Mamiko Watanabe,
trombonists Jimmy O’Connell and Stafford Hunter andtrumpeters David Neves, Waldron Ricks and Antoine
Drye. But even with all of these fine players, Ponomarev
should not be so modest in taking solos of his own. Art
Blakey would have enjoyed sitting in with this big band.
For more information, visit summitrecords.com. This
project is at Zinc Bar Jan. 10th. See Calendar.

something to do with the fact that Branch had a handin every part of its creation. She operates as an auteur,
wearing the hats of composer, lyricist, player,
bandleader and producer. However, her band also
deserves generous credit. Bassist Jason Ajemian,
drummer Chad Taylor and cellist Lester St. Louis, whoshare composing credits on a handful of songs, achievea powerful collaborative mind-meld. With Branch incommand, they really fly.
Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise
Jaimie Branch (International Anthem)by Kyle Oleksiuk

For more information, visit intlanthem.com. This project is at
The Dance Jan. 10th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

As Spotify and other methods of electronic distribution
begin to threaten the dominance of record labels, it
may be tempting to think that we’re at the end of anera. But if that’s the case, then Chicago’s International
Anthem never got the memo. Over the last several
months, its cup has been running over, as the label has
released album after album of truly exciting jazz.
Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise is the latest andbest album from International Anthem and from multitalented trumpeter Jaimie Branch. There is anembarrassment of riches—each one of the songs could
be the lead single from its own record. There are sea
shanties, cowboy tunes, protest songs and god’s own
free improvisation. On every track, Branch conjures up
and explores one fully-formed sound, then burns it
down to build something completely different, andjust as good, in its place. Listening to this album is likewatching a magician rapidly lifting and dropping acurtain to reveal: an elephant, a bottle of wine, a tankand so on. A succession of musical styles appear anddisappear before your very ears, turning the passing
moments into a minor psychedelic experience.
The great success of this album probably has

Irrationalities
Petros Klampanis (Enja Yellowbird)
by Donald Elfman

O n bassist/composer Petros Klampanis’ first trio
recording he deftly accomplishes a synthesis ofdisparate elements into a brilliantly organic whole. He
has put himself in the midst of an absolutely perfect setof musicians who hear him and his world of sound.
This recording creatively suggests the difficulty of
relocating (Klampanis lives in both Athens and NewYork), aging and more and finds what the composercalls “a dance with life”. That’s evident in the opening
track as the gorgeous blend of bass, piano and drums

join in complex unison passages. These find their way
into beautifully executed solo passages by all threeplayers as one. The sound of bass is intimately rich as
are the percussive tinkling of both Kristjan Randalu on
piano and Bodek Janke on drums and percussion.
“Seeing You Behind My Eyes” opens with adelicate and sentimental meeting of bass and piano
based on a Greek dance called the kalamatiano, quietly
and seamlessly gaining momentum as drums join in.
“No Becomes Yes” has a 5/8 pulse and is a sparklingdemonstration of how this trio works together.
There are several “Temporary Secret” moments
embedded in this group of tunes, comprising anelectronically aural vignette about movement—in a
New York subway station and in an airport. Hidden
near the end is the third of these and its setting is thebeach. It’s here that the music in beautiful colors
overtakes the electronics.
The title track is the central work of the whole
recording. It begins with some overdubbed, multilayered staccato singing from Klampanis and out ofthat emerges beautiful solo exploration, first fromelegantly beautiful piano, then smart pizzicato workfrom the leader. If there is “irrationality,“ says thegroup, “we can and will embrace it.”
Klampanis finds the “dance” in the rolling rhythmsof his “Easy Come, Easy Go” but also presents individual
treatments of a classic Greek ballad by Manos Hadjidakis(Klampanis calls him the “Jobim of Greece”) and an
American Songbook standard, Oscar Levant-Edward
Heyman’s “Blame It On My Youth”, in which a Bulgarianrhythm called a kopanitsa transforms the ballad into
more of, well, a dance. The emotional journey continues.
For more information, visit yellowbird-records.com. This project is
at Zürcher Gallery Jan. 10th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 19

Four Visions
Dave Liebman/Dave Binney/
Donny McCaslin/Samuel Blais (Sunnyside)by Eric Wendell

W hile still relatively uncommon in jazz, the saxophone

quartet has much to offer in its blend of the composed
and the improvised. On Fourvisions, Dave Liebman,
David Binney, Donny McCaslin and Samuel Blais
display a compelling collective musical camaraderie.
Blais-penned opener “Blaizza” displays a deftmixture of counterpoint and postbop riffing. Partly
inspired by Andante & Scherzo by composer Eugene
Bozza (who himself incorporated jazz elements into
his compositions), the piece is a strong indicator thatthe quartet understand one another ’s approaches wellenough to exist as both a new music ensemble andjazz quartet. McCaslin’s “Legions” is the standout of
the album. He is a master of building dynamics to an
ultimate climax and the piece swells with numerous
peaks and valleys. Binney is the most playful of thequartet, as his “Technicolor Penguins” displays anatural ability to evoke strong, unison punches as wellas break off into polyphony and ultimately settle onsomber swells. Liebman’s “In Bach’s Studio” is themost sophisticated track, more of a suite than a singularpiece of music. Clocking in at 16 minutes, it’s also thealbum’s longest and most meditative piece, Liebman
gives each member a time to shine while featuring his
beautiful sound on soprano saxophone.
One can only hope that there is more to come fromthis group of musicians, a fine new example of a format
that deserves further exploration.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Liebman
is at Made In New York Jazz Café Jan. 4th with Lenny
White, Nuyorican Poets Café Jan. 11th, Birdland Theater
Jan. 13th and Smalls Jan. 30th. McCaslin is at Jazz Standard
Jan. 7th-8th with Ryan Truesdell and S.O.B.’s Jan. 11th aspart of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

taken at a glacial pace, is exemplary, but Björk’s songs
resist external interpretation. The Drake is the best,heard in medley with a musical treatment of Sara
Teasdale’s poem “The River”. It works because Drake’s
sophisticated songs are inherently jazzy.
Thirsty Ghost is also a showcase for Gazarek’s own
songs, three written with keyboard players (“EasyLove” and “Gaslight District” with Larry Goldings and“Distant Storm” with Brad Mehldau). The former goes
down easy with a nice piano solo from Stu Mindeman(who’s upfront for most of the album) and Goldings
himself comping on organ. “Distant Storm” benefits
from a strong arrangement for the horns and a second
voice in Kurt Elling. But the song itself is kind of
wordy. The moody “Gaslight District” is the best of thebunch, with Mindeman once again earning his pay.
Standards “Never Will I Marry” (Frank Loesser)and “I Get Along Without You Very Well” (Hoagy
Carmichael) thankfully made the cut, though the latter
isn’t on the Japanese version of the album. Gazarek isa great interpreter of the Great American Songbook
and tends to sing them fairly straight, without muchembellishment but lots of emotion. “Lonely Hours” by
Hy Glaser and Jerry Solomon is the exception. It was
the title cut on a 1964 Sarah Vaughan album on Roulette(with Benny Carter arrangements) that recently entered
Gazarek’s record collection. It gets a midtempo
reading, an adventurous treatment with lots of scat.
Thirsty Ghost is more a collection of songs than aunified work with singular intent and a step more
downbeat than her previous records. It’s what happens
when Kurt Elling tells you to “step into all of the depth,
darkness and radiance of who you really are.”
For more information, visit saragazarek.com. Gazarek is at
Birdland Jan. 11th. See Calendar.

Gowanus Sessions II
Thollem/William Parker/Nels Cline (ESP-Disk’)by George Grella

N early a decade after the first installment from theThirsty Ghost
Sara Gazarek (s/r)
by Jim Motavalli

Sara Gazarek is possessed of a voice so warm thataccess to it in winter can mean laying off the gas man.
She’s unquestionably a jazz singer, but one who’s often
reclaimed pop songs to salutary effect. Thirsty Ghost
continues the pattern and features both a retrenchment
in jazz and a fuller embrace of pop, via Sam Smith’s“Not the Only One” (complete with backup singers),
Björk’s “Cocoon”, Nick Drake’s “River Man” and Dolly
Parton’s great but over-recorded “Jolene”.
Singers have a weakness for jazzing up Stevie
Wonder songs (“I Believe When I Fall in Love”) but
should leave them to him, despite Gazarek’s upperregister acrobatics at the end and Josh Johnson’s tasty
and extended alto turn. Drummer Christian Euman is
exquisitely sensitive on “Cocoon” and Gazarek’s vocal,

trio of pianist Thollem McDonas, bassist William
Parker and guitarist Nels Cline, comes this tight
improvisatory set. This volume seems formed with an
LP in mind; there are two tracks, both just under 19
minutes and both a sense of contrast and continuation
between the two. “Life in the world”, or “Side A”, ispredominately probing, somewhat spare, the musicians
offering each other nuggets to contemplate. Only in thelast few minutes do things coalesce into any kind of
homophony or ensemble playing.
“Side B”, “World in a Life”, is more active anddenser at the start than any part of the previous track,
but only at the start. The playing slows down andopens up in the middle, before the energy takes on
a seasoning of agitation about three minutes toward
the end. The music indicates that the quasi-palindromic
titles are no accident, as there is a flow between the
two tracks, which makes them two halves of a closed
circle, a finite circumference that can be traversed
without ever stopping.
The titles connect to the previous album, where
those track titles, made into a sentence, would read,“There are as many worlds in a life as there are lives in
the world.” The point here is seamlessness—there isa remarkable consistency between the playing on bothalbums. The first may have more clear passage work,
the players (especially Cline), making phrases and

20 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

accompaniment out of riffs and scales and chords, but
the values of collaboration and cooperation remain.
This is improvisation without a lead voice.
Still, life is about changes. This recording looks
inward more often and seems retrospective ina way, even rueful. Cline sounds like the linchpin here.
His contributions are judicious and his abstractions open
the way for pitch-based statements from his colleagues.
For more information, visit espdisk.com. Parker is at
Roulette Jan. 10th-11th and Jazz at Kitano Jan. 23rd with
Steve Swell. Cline is at The Dance Jan. 11th as part ofWinter Jazzfest, The Stone at The New School Jan. 15th and23rd and Roulette Jan. 27th. See Calendar.

JHM 269
Lisa Hoppe’s Third Reality
The Mighty Unlikely
David Leon – s
Tal Yahalom – g
Lisa Hoppe – b, compOn her first album „The Mighty Unlikely“ Lisa Hoppe, an outstanding
German double bass player, creates trio ambience in chamber musicformat widening the borders of the so-called acoustic music, of jazz,
using elements from free jazz, improvised music as well as sounds andnoises, speech and vocal structures.
www.lisa-hoppe.com„ JazzHausMusik

Cologne/Germany · www.jazzhausmusik.de
also available at www.amazon.com / www.amazon.deDAVID KIKOSKI
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at WINTER FEST 2020
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WIND OFF THE HUDSON“the incredible vivacity of Afro-Caribbean music
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Solo Monk | Solo Standards Vol. 1 | Solo Ballads Vol. 1
Pasquale Grasso (Sony Masterworks)
by Robert BushN o less of a guitar authority than Pat Metheny has

declared that Pasquale Grasso is “the best guitarist I’ve
heard in maybe my entire life.” The folks at Sony
Masterworks apparently agree and they have released
three new solo guitar albums from the young Italianvirtuoso, who seems to aspire to become the Art Tatumof the guitar.
Solo guitar in a straightahead jazz context is an
inherently dangerous proposition. It hasn’t been
attempted all that often and anyone who tries is boundto be judged against the looming shadow of the three
Joe Pass Virtuoso albums on the Pablo label back in thelate ‘70s. On a purely technical basis, Grasso has
surpassed what Pass was able to accomplish in nearly
every metric. Grasso could be the fastest guitarist theworld has ever known—especially because of thecontent he transmits and the devastating clarity withwhich he delivers it. He’s got a velvet tone and hedoesn’t ever seem evoke a ‘clam’ even at breakneck
speed. But that breakneck speed can also be the Achilles
heel for the young virtuoso. Johnny Green-Edward
Heyman-Robert Sour-Frank Eyton’s “Body & Soul”,
like so much of the material on these three discs, istaken too fast for listener comprehension and it comes
off slightly stiff.
Grasso apparently spent a lot of his formative
years studying the music of Bud Powell and it seems

like he may have also adopted Oscar Peterson as a rolemodel. On Cole Porter ’s “Just One Of Those Things”,
from Standards Vol. 1, he shreds through a mélange ofchords/chord melodies and lightning-quick single
note lines with a brutal clarity that seems to indicatethat he is a freak of nature not witnessed in the guitar
world thus far.
Grasso’s voluminous chops get the best of him
when he turns to Thelonious Monk on “‘Round
Midnight”. It sounds too frantic and virtually every
technique is forced into the skeletal form. One has tostrain to imagine that famous haunting melody. He
redeems himself on “Ruby My Dear”, with a darker
tone and a keener appreciation for space. If anything,space is the one essential element that Grasso needs toembrace. There is an apocryphal story credited to Jim
Hall after witnessing a young player who wasdetermined to fill every space in a performance. “Don’t
just do something. Stand there.” There’s a lot of
wisdom in that advice.
When he is more patient, Grasso can be a thrilling
player. His version of “Criss Cross” succeeds wildly,
primarily because he slows down and lets the musicbreathe. The most satisfying piece on all three albums
is his reading of Monk’s “Off Minor”, which relies far
less on prearranged riffs and exhausting alacrity.
Conversely, Grasso’s approach to “Over The
Rainbow” is too fast, with an “everything but the
kitchen sink” aesthetic crammed in. Ultimately, one
hardly remembers that the tune is a ballad.
Make no mistake about it, this guy is a fantastic
guitar player, but the solo guitar album may not be thebest idiom really to enjoy his artistry.
For more information, visit sonymusicmasterworks.com.
Grasso plays solo at Mezzrow Jan. 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th,
Café Bohemia Jan. 7th, 21st and 28th and Zinc Bar Jan.
11th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

saxophonists JD Allen and Tony Malaby and guitarists
Nels Cline and Marc Ribot, along with drummer
Terri Lyne Carrington (founder and Artistic Director of
the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice), bassist Trevor
Dunn, Val Jeanty on turntables, Ches Smith onvibraphone and Davis on piano and synthesizer. In
addition, we hear the recorded voices of Olivier
Messiaen and Cecil Taylor and the words of poet
Gwendolyn Brooks (read by Esperanza Spalding).
Compositions by Michaël Attias and Julius Hemphill
are included in the mix and Davis further cites Duke
Ellington and Thelonious Monk, Carla Bley, Youssou
N’Dour and Henry Threadgill as inspirations for thealbum. There is, simply put, a lot going on.
What could be an unstated inspiration, or at leastpredecessor, are the pastiches Bill Laswell produced in
the ’90s, stirring hybrids, bringing together elementsof rock, jazz, hip-hop and various non-Western
traditions (perhaps most notably with Threadgill) to
make not a fusion but an amalgamation. It seemed as if
to say that all the different people walking up anddown Broadway don’t merge into a single statement,
they’re a morass of individuals and yet that street itself
remains a singular entity, rippling with currents andeddies. In that sense, Diatom Ribbons is a fantasticallycosmopolitan album. It’s gentle and it’s hard-edged,
it’s rock and it’s jazz, it’s future and it’s past. It’s macro
and it’s micro and it’s astonishing in both regards.
Davis has proven herself to be a thoughtful andchallenging pianist since she moved to New York in 2001.
Whether or not Diatom Ribbons represents a new direction
for her, it certainly seems to reflect an exciting opening up.
For more information, visit pyroclasticrecords.com. This
project is at The Sultan Room Jan. 12th as part of WinterJazzfest. See Calendar.

Diatom Ribbons
Kris Davis (Pyroclastic)by Kurt Gottschalk2019 was a significant year for pianist Kris Davis.
Seriously significant. In the fall, she joined the Berklee
Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice in Boston, where
she is teaching composition and improvisation as well
as developing programs addressing gender equality injazz. Around the same time, she released a record so
surprising and so powerful that it begs the question as
to whether it’s a project or a personal revolution.
On paper, this record has too much going on to ask
but looking at it on paper is to take an overhead
perspective—a macro view—that isn’t especiallyhelpful in discerning the work she’s created. Ranging
from duos to septets, with various combinations of anassemblage of players from different realms of jazz andimprovised music, Diatom Ribbons threatens to be ahodgepodge but succeeds in being a well-orchestrated
series of settings—not quite a suite, but aninterconnected whole.
The album is named for the single-cell diatom
blossoms that color the ocean surface when seen fromabove and reveal their own intricacies when viewed
under a microscope. The notion, Davis explains in theliner notes, is to see something from both a wide andnarrow focus. It is, she says, a reflection of how shecomposed the album’s 10 tracks.
The elements comprising the whole include
22 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

www.joef iedler.com

Waiting Game
Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science (Motéma Music)
by Russ Musto

Dust
Mat Maneri Quartet (Sunnyside)by Stuart Broomer

A double disc effort of epic proportions, the latest
album from Terri Lyne Carrington brings the drummer’swell-documented political activism to the forefront.
Within the context of a mélange deftly merging
contemporary jazz with elements of rap, rock, hip hop,
R&B, soul, fusion and European classical music, theprovocative messaging addresses an expansive array ofsocial ills, including racism, police brutality, mass
incarceration, gender and income inequality andhomophobia. Performed by her working band Social
Science, a multi-racial intergenerational aggregation ofsaxophonist Morgan Guerin, guitarist Matthew Stevens,
keyboard player Aaron Parks, bassist Derrick Hodge,
MC/DJ Kassa Overall and vocalist Debo Ray, alongwith a host of guests, the music delivers its messages
with a palpable sense of urgency.
Beginning with Parks and Overall’s “Trapped In
An American Dream” the music unfurls gradually,
progressively escalating in intensity under the latter ’s
spoken and rapped words cataloging myriad injustices
facing people of color in this country. Guest Malcolm
Jamal Warner orates and Ray vocalizes on Carrington
and Parks’ “Bells Ringing Loudly”, a prayerful odethat contrasts the sounds of chiming church bells andblaring sirens. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton and rapper
Raydar Ellis join the band, augmented by a string
quartet, additional keyboards and percussion, for“Pray The Gay Away”, a pulsating indictment ofhomophobia. Rapper Kokayi is heard intoning his lyric
about the genocide of Native Americans on Stevens’
rocking “Purple Mountains” and Mark Kimble
pleadingly sings “how long must we endure” on an acappella take of the title track.
The music continues powerfully with guest rapper
Rhapsody on “The Anthem”, an assertive declarationof female equality and sisterhood, which concludes
with the emphatic pronouncement “I pledge allegiance
to woman”. It then calms with Ray’s beautiful
rendering of Joni Mitchell’s “Love” with Esperanza
Spalding on bass. “No Justice (For Political Prisoners)”
has the spoken words of Meshell Ndegeocello andsampled voice of Mumia Abu Jamal speaking to thetitle’s subject matter. Stevens’ “Over And Sons” is a
stirring instrumental featuring the composer ’s guitar.
Two more tracks, the funky “If Not Now”, with rapper
Maimouna Youssef (Mumu Fresh), and a hymn-like
reprise of “Waiting Game” featuring Ray’s calming
vocal, close out the disc with messages of optimismand determination.
Hopefully the power of the date’s first disc, withthe voices of its numerous guests, will not overshadow
Disc Two’s superlative instrumental music performed
by Carrington, Parks, Stevens, Guerin and Spalding
with an overdubbed chamber ensemble under the
direction of Edmar Colon. The four-movement suite
titled “Dreams And Desperate Measures” is an
expansive orchestral opus, demonstrating just how
compellingly Carrington’s often understated flowing
rhythmatism steers ensembles into directions where
their individual instrumental voices meld together intoa singular group sound.

Violist Mat Maneri and Romanian-born, NYC-based
pianist Lucian Ban share an evanescent lyricism, whether
as a duo on their Transylvanian Concert (2013) or in trio
with saxophonist Evan Parker on Sounding Tears (2017).
Here they appear as the lead voices in a quartet
completed by bassist John Hébert and drummer Randy
Peterson, the latter a Maneri associate for over 30 years
who participated regularly in the microtonal explorationsof Maneri and his father Joe, the most intrepid
investigator of altered-pitches in improvised music.
It’s a well-matched band, each attuned to the slow
to medium tempo reveries at which Maneri and Ban
excel, for example the slowly unfolding nocturne “RedSeven”. Rooted in the round, resonating tones of bass,
illuminated by the brightness of piano arpeggios andanimated by the bright propulsion of brushed drums,
the work achieves its full dimension in subtly dissonantviola long tones, at once transparent and multiple, thincurtains of sound laid over the delicate architecture of
the composition and the other instruments.
The viola is Maneri’s natural instrument: less brashthan the violin, suiting the ambiguities of mood andpitch at the core of his expressive power, evidenced bya passage on the improvised “Motian” when his leadbecomes a kind of sudden, rapid, fretful mumbling, aninspired moment. The program begins with Ban’s“Mojave” and concludes with the improvised title
track, a journey from desert to dust, which, along theway, includes Ban’s “Two Hymns” and Maneri’s “51
Sorrows”, “Last Steps” (with an emotionally intense
passage of bowed viola and pizzicato bass) and“Losed”, a somber, almost funereal piece suggestingeven the loss of conventional word formation.
The logic of Maneri’s microtones seems clear. As
they seep between the solid tones of piano, they
insinuate joy where there is sorrow, uncertainty amidst
certitude, fresh individuality amongst standardized
pitches. The result is a brilliant set of pieces of rare
beauty, all devoted to quiet moments that speak asmuch of reflection and resolution as doubt and decay.

For more information, visit motemamusic.com. Carrington
is at The Sultan Room Jan. 12th with Kris Davis as part ofWinter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Maneri
is at The Stone at The New School Jan. 14th. See Calendar.

to vibraphone, Norton is an outstanding drummer andhis superb sense of time is on display as he accurately
decorates cuts with percussive ornamentation. Pugliese
and especially LaSpina’s bowing combine with
Norton’s lines for a unique voice that sets this trio
apart from the usual vibraphone-led threesome.
Opener “Reconcile the Classical View” outlines
their approach with a conventionally spooky
vibraphone theme LaSpina and Pugliese decompose
for Norton to resolve later. Their thought-provoking
style works and it is surprising how few vibraphonists—
Karl Berger being a notable exception—have ventured
outside their instrument’s stereotype. Pugliese’s“Treace” and “Polar Oscillation” settle into peacefulrequiems after surrendering to LaSpina’s arco while
Norton delivers a gorgeous melodic front for thechanges inherent in the drummer ’s “Morph”. His trip
to “Toronto” reaches its destination despite LaSpina’s
attempts to derail it through captivatingly eerie
bowing. LaSpina’s contributions merit further
expansion as “Tearing Down Walls” and “WinterRetreat” use an elegant group dynamic to paintexquisitely compact mindscapes.
Norton’s “Moonstruck” has him freeing up andthen recapturing a cymbal/bass undercurrent and“The Faustian Bargain” similarly combines cymbal
and bowed bass for Norton to address. Both exist as
open-ended but tense pushmi-pullyus. His “I Dig
Facts, Man” and closer “Walking the Dogma” are moreorganized, the former a casually angular group
workout and the latter a cool bluesy stroll. “Sacrifice
Zone (ahead)” bears special mention as an ominous
bell tolling for the planet’s future.
For more information, visit kevinnorton.com/barking-hoop.
This project is at Spectrum Jan. 19th. See Calendar.

“Torti, an imaginative improviser who responds
easily to musical impulse in the moment”
Suzanne Lorge, The New York City Jazz Record“On a cloud, is a vaporous cloud of wonder
without fear of crossing avant-garde lands,
which travels accompanied only by
Sabino de Bari’s classic guitar inventiveness”
Guido Festinese, Alias “il manifesto”“Her enthralling voice and phenomenal technique claim
the album for Torti’s accolade. (…) Together they areboth amiably playful and gravely intimate”
Ken Cheetham, Jazz Views

Eponymous
Yimba Rudo (Barking Hoop)
by Elliott Simon

V ibraphonist Kevin Norton provides 7 of the 13 tracks

on Yimba Rudo, a Zimbabwe Shona phrase thattranslates as “Sing Love”. Four tunes are from drummer
Jim Pugliese with bassist Steve LaSpina penning theremaining two. The setting is structured improvisation
within a rich rhythmic landscape and each composer
proffers a loose but recognizable plot that is twisted
and turned by these seasoned improvisers. In addition“Not your average chanteuse album (…) Don’t miss out
on it because of that. It’s worth an hour of anyone’s time”
Brian Morton, Jazz Journal
Diana Torti, voice | Sabino de Bari, classical guitar

SLAM PRODUCTIONS
www.dianatorti.eu
www.slamproductions.net

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 23

Dialogical
Michael Eaton (Destiny)
by Marco Cangiano

Michael Eaton is a Brooklyn-based saxophonist,
educator and composer whose musical interests seemto have no boundaries. This is his second recording,following the highly praised Individuation, a complex,
multilayered CD covering many different musicalsituations and groups of musicians. At the base isEaton’s quartet of Brad Whiteley (piano), Daniel Ori(bass) and Shareef Taher (drums) augmented by anumber of musicians and instruments, most notably
Lionel Loueke on guitar and vocals, Cheryl Pyle on
flute and Brittany Anjou on vibraphone.
The tunes tend to be quite structured, yet leave
ample space for the soloists. The material is variedboth in terms of instrumentation and inspiration. The
pieces based on Eaton’s augmented quartet with
Loueke draw from Latin America (“Juno”), Middle
East (”Anthropocene”) and West Africa (the title track)to cyclical variations and a certain angularity à la Steve
Coleman (“Aphoristic” but also “Cipher”).
Of note are Eaton’s solo on “Anthropocene”, inwhich rock-influenced and hard-swinging sections
alternate effectively, and the many interventions by
Loueke and Witheley’s work on “Juno”. “I and Thou”
features first Ori’s gimbri—sort of a Moroccan lute—followed by another of Eaton’s projects, Tenor Triage
consisting of James Brandon Lewis, Sean Sonderegger
and Eaton himself, in a complex and varied tune basedon Middle Eastern scales and modes.
“Thanos and Eros” and “Machinic Eros” areintimate and impressionistic duets between sopranosaxophone and flute. Finally, the “Temporalities” suitesees the basic quartet complemented by an additional
piano and prepared piano, vibes, flute, trumpet andmarimba. The source is evidently early minimalism àla Philip Glass and Steve Reich, with the fourth andfinal movement bordering on atonality. It is an
engaging and rewarding piece of music requiring
undivided attention. There is so much music condensed
into this CD that it needs to be savored throughrepeated listens to appreciate its richness fully.
For more information, visit destinyrecordsmusic.com. Eaton
is at Downtown Music Gallery Jan. 19th. See Calendar.

130th & Lenox
Tomas Janzon (Changes Music)
by Ken Dryden

A native of Sweden, guitarist Tomas Janzon has abroad background in both classical music and jazz.
While in California, he studied with master guitarist
Joe Diorio and one can hear the influences of a numberof artists in his playing, though he has long since foundhis own voice. The lack of filler in Janzon’s
arrangements allows the music to breathe.
130th & Lenox consists of two separate bands,
24 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDa West Coast trio with bassist Nedra Wheeler anddrummer Donald Dean (who mostly sticks to brushes)
and a New York quartet of vibraphonist Steve Nelson,
bassist Hilliard Greene and drummer Chuck
McPherson. The lack of a pianist or horn player ishardly a handicap for these engaging performances.
With his quartet, Janzon begins with a driving
rendition of Sigmund Romberg-Oscar Hammerstein II ‘s“Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise”, alternating between
spacious lines and intricate bop, Nelson’s quote-filled
solo nearly stealing the show. The leader’s original“Somewhere Over Stockholm” is a tense affair with anunderstated solo. Kenny Dorham’s rarely performed“Prince Albert”, a snappy reworking of “All The Things
You Are”, is loose and full of energy.
Janzon adds an infectious introductory descending
vamp to the Bronisław Kaper-Paul Francis Webster
standard “Invitation” while the solos by the guitarist
and vibraphonist provide a bit of contrast, the latter
playing straight bop and the former incorporating a
number of quotes into his feature. Interpretations of
popular works like Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart’s“Have You Met Miss Jones” tend to be a bit predictablein jazz settings but the hip opening groove and indirect
lead into its melody here signal a willingness to explore
fresh territory.
The music by his West Coast trio is equally strong,though more reserved. Janzon’s “Latitude Longitude”
is a quirky miniature with a playful flair while aneasygoing, laidback take of Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice”
suggests the influence of Jim Hall and Jimmy Raney.
Janzon’s intimate treatment of Wayne Shorter ’s “Iris”
brings a new luster to this postbop standard.
For more information, visit tomasjanzon.com. Janzon’s NY
Quartet is at Smalls Jan. 22nd. See Calendar.

Legendary Pianist

MicheL caMiLo
ceLebrates 25thaLbuM essence

stunning aLL-star
big band reLease“…the combined talents of everybody
in the ensemble both captures andexpands on the essence of one of
jazz's most exuberant and sharpwitted pianists.” - allaboutjazz“...a full-bodied latin celebration”- audiophile audition“…a blend of vigour and sensitivity
revealing the music’s power andconstant ingenuity.”– latin jazz networkIncontre
Massimo Biolcati (Sounderscore)by Anna Steegmann

F ans had to wait 10 years for another leader album bybassist Massimo Biolcati. Persona, his debut, won him
lots of praise. Incontre will follow suit.
A scholarship to Berklee College of Music brought
Biolcati to Boston. Later he studied at the Thelonious
Monk Institute of Jazz. In New York since 2003, he has
worked with Paquito D’ Rivera, Terence Blanchard andRavi Coltrane and co-led the trio Gilfema withguitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke and drummer Ferenc
Nemeth. Their third album will be released this year.
Devotees of small jazz ensembles will enjoy thisrecording. The music is mellow and sensual. Biolcati
composed four of the nine tracks. Dayna Stephensplays tenor, soprano and baritone saxophones, Sam
Yahel piano and organ and Jongkuk Kim drums.
The slow songs are exceptional. Charlie Chaplin’s“Smile” has a deliberate rolling groove, the melody
stretched wide over it. Biolcati changed the original
major key to minor to evoke the melancholy of thesong and Stephens is at his most expressive. Yahel,
a great lyrical improviser, demonstrates his talent inCharles Mingus’ “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love”.
Pop act Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule theWorld” succeeds in a fresh new arrangement, themelody flowing over a light bouncy rhythm.
Biolcati wrote the title track 20 years ago. The longincubation period clearly paid off as this is the best of
his originals. The ensemble exhibits great chemistry:
piano delicate, saxophone tender, bass soulful, drums
spirited. Another original “Hello, I Lied”, was bornfrom a bassline. The musicians delve into the rhythmwith zest. “Fellini”, the quirkiest of Biolcati’s
compositions, was inspired by memories watching TV
growing up in Italy. Listeners can easily imagine a man
sporting sunglasses, a cigarette between his lips, riding
a Vespa on his way to meet Sophia Loren. What betterway to enjoy a jazz tune!
For more information, visit sounderscore.com. This projectis at The Jazz Gallery Jan. 23rd. See Calendar.

Welcome Home, Bon Voyage
The Hot Sardines (s/r)
by Mark Keresman

The Hot Sardines are a NY-based ensemble specializingin the hot jazz and swing styles of the ‘20s-early ‘30s,
mostly forgoing heavy-handed or cutesy nostalgia
aspects in their musical presentation. Welcome Home,
Bon Voyage was recorded live at Joe’s Pub in NYC andTOO NOISY FISH
FURIOUS EMPATHIC SILENCE

igloorecords.be
26 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Koerner Hall in Toronto. The Sardines serve up clutchesof standards with the vibrancy the music deserves.
The setlists stick mostly to familiar standards, but
as the old song goes, it’s how you chew that mouthfulthat can count for a lot. “Everybody Loves My Baby”
has an almost baroque-like introduction from the horns
before the rhythm section kicks in and the listener istreated to the ever-so-slightly bittersweet, sometimes
husky vocalizing of Elizabeth Bougerol and the band’s
curt, hearty solos, including the percussive tap-dancingof A.C. Lincoln. This track illustrates what separates
the Sardines from the lesser fish of the seas: a snappy,
potent sense of swing free of retro cheese. “Some of
These Days” has short but electric solos and asides
from trumpeter Noah Hocker and rollicking, very
N’awlins-flavored keys from Evan Palazzo. “After
You’ve Gone” gets a captivatingly Ellington-ian feel,essayed at an adorably languorous pace until winding
up in a delightfully bravura closing.
The languorous take of “Exactly Like You” finds
Bougerol especially coquettish. Ellington’s “Caravan”
gets a lengthy workout with plenty of spunky solo
passages—congas! tap dancing!—and bracing contrasts
in tempo. The proceedings conclude with a lengthy
workout on perhaps that hoariest of standards, “Won’t
You Come Home Bill Bailey”. The Sardines give thistheir all—Bougerol making with some sass, plus
assorted jaunty solos and rollicking ensemble workfrom the band. While it would’ve been nice to hear the
Hot Sardines dip into the pool of lesser-known
selections, what they do with the standards at hand isfresh, vivacious and fun. Bravo!
For more information, visit hotsardines.com. This band is at
Birdland Jan. 28th-Feb. 1st. See Calendar.
				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 30)

soprano saxophone:
Joel Frahm, Sam Newsome
alto saxophone:
Billy Drewes, Chris Byars, Dave Pietro, Dick Oatts, Jim Snidero,
Jon Gordon, Kris Allen, Loren Stillman, Mike DiRubbo, Steve Slagle,
Vincent Herring
tenor saxophone:
Ari Ambrose, Billy Drewes, Billy Mitchell, Charles Pillow, Chris Potter,
Christian Winther, Danny Walsh, Dave Schnitter, Dick Oatts, Don Braden,
Gregory Tardy, Igor Butman, Jimme Greene, Joshua Douglas Smith,
Larry Schneider, Mark Turner, Rich Perry, Rick Margitza, Stephen Riley,
Tim Ries, Walt Weiskopf, Wayne Escoffery
baritone saxophone:
Ed Xiques, Gary Smulyan, Jay Brandford
trumpet:Alex Norris, Bred Goode, Charles Sullivan (Kamau), Dave Ballou,
George Colligan, Greg Gisbert, Ingrid Jensen, Joe Magnarelli, John McNeil,Louis Smith, Marcus Printup, Ryan Kisor, Scott Wendholt, Tim Hagans
trombone:
Andre Hayward, Conrad Herwig, Danny Kirkhum, Jim Pugh, Steve Davis,
Vincent Gardner, Wycliffe Gordon
guitar:Dave Stryker, Doug Raney, Freddie Bryant, Tony Purrone, Vic Juris
piano:
Andy LaVerne, George Colligan, Michael Weiss, Richard Doron Johnson
bass:
David Ephross, David Finck, Doug Weiss, Essiet Essiet, Jay Anderson,
Johannes Weidenmüller, Neil Caine, Ron McClure, Scott Colley,
Steve LaSpina
drums:
Adam Nussbaum, Ari Hoenig, Billy Drummond, Billy Hart,
Darren Beckett, Jaz Sawyer, Jochen Rueckert, Joe Farnsworth,
Keith Copeland, Matt Wilson, Sylvia Cuenca
US distribution:www.statesidemusic.com - email: info@statesidemusic.com

1-30“…SteepleChase’s series of jam sessions drawing together the creamof the contemporary jazz world makes a refreshing change thesedays …. highly recommended.”(Rick Finlay – CD Review)31522 Jam Session Vol. 1

31537 Jam Session Vol. 631566 Jam Session Vol. 1131582 Jam Session Vol. 16

31613 Jam Session Vol. 21

31640 Jam Session Vol. 2631523 Jam Session Vol. 2

31546 Jam Session Vol. 731567 Jam Session Vol. 1231593 Jam Session Vol. 1731614 Jam Session Vol. 2231659 Jam Session Vol. 2731526 Jam Session Vol. 331547 Jam Session Vol. 831574 Jam Session Vol. 1331594 Jam Session Vol. 18

31624 Jam Session Vol. 23

31660 Jam Session Vol. 28

31527 Jam Session Vol. 431554 Jam Session Vol. 931575 Jam Session Vol. 14

31601 Jam Session Vol. 19

31625 Jam Session Vol. 24

31685 Jam Session Vol. 2931536 Jam Session Vol. 531555 Jam Session Vol. 1031581 Jam Session Vol. 15

31602 Jam Session Vol. 20

31639 Jam Session Vol. 25

31700 Jam Session Vol. 30

Complete catalogs: www.steeplechase.dk

BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

CONCERTS OF THE YEAR

jaimie branch—Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise(International Anthem)Alex Harding/Lucian Ban—Dark Blue (Sunnyside)
Per “Texas” Johansson—Stråk på himlen och stora hus (Moserobie)
michael leonhart orchestra—
Suite Extracts Vol. 1 (Sunnyside)james brandon lewis—
An UnRuly Manifesto (Relative Pitch)joe lovano—Trio Tapestry (ECM)
red kite—Eponymous (RareNoise)
steph richards—Take The Neon Lights (Birdwatcher)phil slater—The Dark Pattern (Earshift Music)
Gebhard Ullmann/Hans Lüdemann/
Oliver Potratz/Eric Schaefter—
mikroPULS (Intuition)

ghost train orchestra “plays moondog”
Brian Carpenter, Curtis Hasselbring, Andy Laster, Dennis Lichtman,
Alec Spiegelman, Sara Schoenbeck, Mazz Swift, Brandon Seabrook,
Chris Lightcap, Rob Garcia, David Cossin, Ben Stapp,
Karen Waltuch, Max Moston, Dina Maccabee, Alex Waterman
January 5th, Winter Jazzfest, Le Poisson Rouge—Laurence Donohue-Greene

kris davis/william parker/jeff “tain” watts
June 14th, Vision Festival, Roulette

Satoko Fujii/Taysuya Yoshida—Baikamo (Libra)
Vijay Iyer/Craig Taborn—
The Transitory Poems (ECM)
Alex Harding/Lucian Ban—Dark Blue (Sunnyside)
Krokofant (with Ståle Storløkken/
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten)—
Q (Rune Grammafon)
julian lage—Love Hurts (Mack Avenue)
michael leonhart orchestra—
Suite Extracts Vol. 1 (Sunnyside)chris lightcap—SuperBigmouth (Pyroclastic)
Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton—
Concert in Vilnius (NoBusiness)
red kite—Eponymous (RareNoise)
Stephane Wrembel—The Django Experiment IV(Water is Life)—Andrey Henkin

MUSICIANS OF THE YEAR
jaimie branch (trumpet)
kris davis (piano)
joe lovano (saxophone)evan parker (saxophone)
aki takase (piano)

THE NEW YORK CI

Gary Bartz “Another Earth 50th Anniversary”
Pharoah Sanders, Charles Tolliver, James King,
Bruce Edwards, Nasheet Waits, Eric Berryman
January 10th, Winter Jazzfest, Le Poisson Rouge
Arooj Aftab/vijay iyer/shahzad ismaily
April 28th, Joe’s Pubbarre phillips solo
May 20th, Zürcher Gallery
andrew cyrille
Tomeka Reid, Beatrice Capote
June 11th, Vision Festival, Roulettemichael leonhart orchestra
Jeff Nelson, Ray Mason, Claudia Chopek, Jake Charkey,
Charles Pillow, EJ Strickland, Elizabeth Pupo-Walker,
Sam Sadigursky, John Ellis, Jason Marshall, Gil Goldstein,
Scott Wendholt, Joe Martin, Robbie Mangano, Tom Christensen,
Frank Greene, Carter Yasutake, Jamie Leonhart, La Tanya Hall,
Audrey Martells + guests Mark Whitfield, Steven Bernstein
July 16th, Jazz Standard
david tronzo/Stomu Takeishi/Ned Rothenberg
August 10th, Ibeam Brooklyn
RAVI COLTRANE QUARTETDavid Virelles, Dezron Douglas, Johnathan Blake
August 24th, Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, Marcus Garvey Parkpat metheny side-eye trio
James Francies, Marcus Gilmore
September 11th, Sony Hall

stephane wrembel’s
the django experiment iv
Thor Jensen, Ari Folman-Cohen, Nick Driscoll, Nick Anderson
January 23rd, Joe’s Pub
ches smith quartet
Mary Halvorson, Liberty Ellman, Nick Dunston
March 6th, The Stone at The New School
Nik Bärtsch/Sha
March 27th, Residence of the Swiss Ambassador
Consulate General of Switzerland
ralph towner solo
March 28th, Jazz Standard
barre phillips solo
May 20th, Zürcher Gallery
Brooklyn Raga Massive
Mahavishnu Orchestra Project
Snehasish Mozumder, Vin Scialla,
Neel Murgai, Premik Russell Tubbs, Dan Asher,
Swaminathan Selvaganesh and guests
David Ullmann, Joe Deninzon
June 19th, The Jazz Gallery
jason moran/tyshawn sorey
June 12th, Downtown Jazz Festival,
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning
NELS CLINE QUARTET
Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder, Tom Rainey
August 20th, Le Poisson Rougeakira sakata/darin gray
October 2nd, Blank Forms, James Cohan Gallery
johnathan blake and pentad
Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, Dezron Douglas
December 5th, Village Vanguard—Andrey Henkin—Laurence Donohue-Greene

VENUES OF THE YEAR

birdland theater (Hell’s Kitchen)
dizzy’s club (Upper West Side)
Jazz Standard (Gramercy)
The Stone at The New School (West Village)
village vanguard (West Village)

LABELS OF THE YEAR

astral spirits (astralspiritsrecords.com)
ecm (ecmrecords.com)
nobusiness (nobusinessrecords.com)
steeplechase (steeplechase.dk)
sunnyside (sunnysiderecords.com)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Acre—Different Constellations (AUT) • Melissa Aldana—Visions (Motéma Music) • Eric Alexander—Leap of Faith (Giant Step Arts) • Eric Alexander—With Stri
Lucian Ban/Alex Simu—Free Fall (Sunnyside) • Bangkok Lingo—Smells | Colours | Noise (Losen) • Simon Barker/Scott Tinkler—Interweave (Kimnara)
Josh Berman/Paul Lytton/Jason Roebke—Trio Discrepancies (Astral Spirits) • Bones (Ziv Taubenfeld/Shay Hazan/Nir Sabag) —Reptiles (NoBusinJames Carter Organ Trio—Live from Newport Jazz (Blue Note) • Jimmy Cobb—This I Dig Of You (Smoke Sessions) • The Comet Is Coming—Trust in
Harold Danko/Kirk Knuffke—Play Date (SteepleChase) • Kris Davis—Diatom Ribbons (Pyroclastic) • Whit Dickey Tao Quartets—Peace Planet/Box
Avram Fefer Quartet—Testament (Clean Feed) • Greg Foat—The Mage (Athens of the North) • Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio—Even Better (Intakt) • Bill F
Heinz Geisser Ensemble 5—The Collective Mind (Leo) • Ghost Horse—Trojan (Auand) • Lafayette Gilchrist—Dark Matter (s/r) • Ben Gold
Muriel Grossmann—Golden Rule (RR Gems) • Eric Hofbauer/Dylan Jack—Remains of Echoes (Creative Nation Music) • Abdullah Ibrahim—Th
Bo Jacobsen—Northern Spirit (Gateway Music) • Ahmad Jamal—Ballades (Jazzbook/Jazz Village) • Jamile—If You Could See Me Now (s/r) • Vic
Joachim Kühn—Piano Works XIII: Melodic Ornette Coleman (ACT Music) • Ingrid Laubrock/Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman/Tom Rainey—TISM (RoguMark Lotz Trio—The Wroclaw Sessions (Audiocave) • Denman Maroney—Solo@70 (s/r) • Hedvig Mollestad Trio—Smells Funny (Rune Gram
Sam Newsome—Chaos Theory: Song Cycles for Prepared Saxophone (s/r) • Too Noisy Fish—Furious Empathic Silence (Igloo) • Terkel Nørgaard—W
Masanori Oishi—Smoke (Odradek) • Henrik Olsson—Hand of Benediction (Barefoot) • Evan Parker/Paul G. Smyth—Calenture and Light Leaks (Weekertoft)
Ralph Peterson’s Gen-Next Big Band—Listen Up! (Onyx) • Ralph Peterson’s Messenger Legacy—Legacy Alive, Vol. 6 at The Side Door (ODave Rempis/Joshua Abrams/Avreeayl Ra + Jim Baker—Apsis (Aerophonic) • Stephen Riley—Oleo (SteepleChase) • Eve Risser—Après Un Rêve (Clean Feed
Susana Santos Silva/Torbjörn Zetterberg/Hampus Lindwall—Hi, who are you? (Matière Mémoire) • Saxophone Summit—Street Talk (Enja) • Jenny Schein
Matthew Shipp Trio—Signature (ESP-Disk’) • Sonar (with David Torn)—Tranceportation (Volume 1) (RareNoise) • Aki Takase Japanic—Thema Pr
Pat Thomas/Dominic Lash/Tony Orrell—BleySchool (577 Records) • David Torn/Tim Berne/Ches Smith—Sun of Goldfinger (ECM) • Gebhard Ullma
Dan Weiss Trio Plus 1—Utica Box (Sunnyside) • Mars Williams—An Ayler Xmas, Vol. 3 (Live in Krakow) (Not Two) • Nate Wooley—Battle Pieces 4 (Relative PitchCITY JAZZ RECORD BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019 BEST OF 2019
MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORIES OF THE YEAR
UNEARTHED GEMS

bill dixon/cecil taylor—Duets 1992 (Triple Point)
Ella fitzgerald—Ella at the Shrine (Verve)charles lloyd quartet—Montreux Festival 1967
(Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series 46) (TCB)
Sam rivers quintet—Zenith (NoBusiness)françois tusques—Alors Nosferatu Combina Un Plan
Ingénieux (Finders Keepers)

LATIN RELEASES

michel camilo—Essence (Resilience Music Alliance)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band—A Tuba to Cuba (Sub Pop)
Michele Rosewoman New Yor-Uba—
Hallowed (Advance Dance Disques)
Poncho Sanchez—Trane’s Delight (Concord Picante)
Jiggs Whigham BuJazzO—Cuban Fire (Doublemoon)

VOCAL RELEASES

Jazzmeia Horn—Love and Liberation (Concord)
Nicki Parrott—From New York to Paris (Arbors)
Mary Stallings—Songs Were Made to Sing
(Smoke Sessions)
Diana Torti (with Sabino de Bari)—
On a Cloud (SLAM)
Veronica Swift —Confessions (Mack Avenue)

LIVE ALBUMSPeter Brötzmann/
Alexander von Schlippenbach/Han Bennink—Fifty Years After (Trost)
Vijay Iyer/Craig Taborn—
The Transitory Poems (ECM)
Peter Lemer Quintet—Son of Local Colour(Live at the Pizza Express, Soho) (ESP-Disk’)Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton—
Concert in Vilnius (NoBusiness)
Torbjörn Zetterberg & The Great
Question—Live (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

IONS—NEW RELEASESBOXED SETS

Anthony Braxton—Quartet (New Haven) 2014 (Firehouse 12)
Nat “King” Cole—Hittin’ The Ramp: The Early Years(1936-1943) (Resonance)
John Coltrane—1963: New Directions (Impulse)
DKV Trio & Joe McPhee—The Fire Each Time (Not Two)
Art Pepper—Promise Kept: The Complete Artists House
Recordings (Artists House-Omnivore)

ORIGINAL ALBUM ARTWORK

jaimie branch—Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise(International Anthem)Dave Liebman/Dave Binney/
Donny McCaslin/Samuel Blais—
Four Visions (Sunnyside)
Mark Lotz Trio—The Wroclaw Sessions (Audiocave)
Chris Potter—Circuits (Edition)
Kendrick Scott Oracle—
A Wall Becomes A Bridge (Blue Note)

LARGE ENSEMBLE RELEASESJean Derome—Sudoku pour Pygmées(Ambiances Magnétiques)
Wayne Horvitz European Orchestra—
Live at the Bimhuis (NovaraJazz)
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
with Wynton Marsalis— Jazz and Art (Blue Engine)michael leonhart orchestra—
Suite Extracts Vol. 1 (Sunnyside)
Maurice Louca—Elephantine (Northern Spy)SOLO RECORDINGSPeter Brötzmann—Solo: I Surrender Dear (Trost)
Brian Charette—Beyond Borderline (SteepleChase)
Satoko Fujii—Stone (Solo Piano) (Libra)
Larry Grenadier—The Gleaners (ECM)
Abdullah Ibrahim—Dream Time (Enja)

TRIBUTESPaul Dunmall Sun Ship Quartet—
John Coltrane 50th Memorial Concert at Café Oto (Confront)
joe fiedler—Open Sesame (Multiphonics Music)
Iro Haarla/Ulf Krokfors/Barry Altschul—
Around Again (The Music of Carla Bley) (TUM)
Dick Hyman/Ken Peplowski—
Counterpoint: Lerner & Loewe (Arbors)
Denny Zeitlin—Remembering Miles (Sunnyside)

DEBUTS

Nicky Barbato—Every Day Is A Bad Hair Day (s/r)
Nick DunstoN—Atlantic Extraction (Out of Your Head)
Larry Grenadier—The Gleaners (ECM)
Lisa Hoppe’s Third Reality—
The Mighty Unlikely (Jazzhaus Musik)
Junius Paul—Ism (International Anthem)

REISSUES

eric dolphy—Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963
New York Studio Sessions (Resonance)
Erroll Garner—Campus Concert(MGM - Mack Avenue/Octave Music)
ICP TenTet—Tetterettet (ICP-Corbett vs. Dempsey)
sun ra—Monorails & Satellites(Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1,2,3) (Cosmic Myth)mal waldron—Free At Last (Extended Edition) (ECM)

JAZZ BOOKS

Billie Holiday: The Last Interview and Other Conversations(Melville House)
Jason Moran (Walker Arts Center)
Jazz from Detroit by Mark Stryker(University of Michigan Press)
Rabbit’s Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges
by Con Chapman (Oxford University Press)
Sweet Thunder: Duke Ellington’s Music in Nine Themes
by Jack Chambers (Milestones Music & Art)

ings (HighNote) • Art Ensemble of Chicago—We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Pi) • Michaël Attias—échos la nuit (solo) (Out Of Your Head)• Jon Batiste—Anatomy of Angels (Live at the Village Vanguard) (Verve) • Matt Bauder/JP Schlegelmilch/Vinnie Sperrazza—Here’s Hearing Things (Yeggs)ness) • Boneshaker—Fake Music (Soulwhat) • Bushman’s Revenge—Et hån mot overklassen (Hubro) • George Cables—I’m All Smiles (HighNote)n the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (Impulse!) • Chick Corea—Trilogy 2 (Concord) • Stephan Crump/Ingrid Laubrock/Cory Smythe—Channels (Intakt)
x of Light (AUM Fidelity) • Petter Eldh—Presents Koma Saxo (We Jazz) • Ethnic Heritage Ensemble—Be Known: Ancient/Future/Music (Spiritmuse)
Frisell/Thomas Morgan—Epistrophy (ECM) • Fred Frith—Woodwork (Klang Galerie) • Stephen Gauci/Adam Lane/Kevin Shea—Studio Sessions, Vol. 2 (Gaucimusic)
dberg—Good Day For Cloud Fishing (Pyroclastic) • Burton Greene/Damon Smith/Ra Kalam Bob Moses —Life’s Intense Mystery (Astral Spirits)
he Balance (Gearbox) • Chuck Israels Nextet—Bass Intentions (Soulpatch) • Ethan Iverson Quartet (with Tom Harrell)—Common Practice (ECM)
Juris—Two Guitars (SteepleChase) • Kengchakaj Kengkarnka—Lak Lan (Outside In Music) • Yoni Kretzmer 2Bass Quartet—Mis-Take (OutNow)
ueArt) • Billy Lester—From Scratch (Newvelle) • Dave Liebman/Adam Rudolph/Hamid Drake—Chi (RareNoise) • Russ Lossing Trio—Ways (Ezz-thetics)
mmofon) • Rachel Musson/Pat Thomas/Mark Sanders—Shifa: Live at Cafe Oto (577 Records) • Ed Neumeister—One and Only (MeisteroMusic)
With Ralph Alessi (We Jazz) • Atle Nymo—Solo for Trio (Losen) • OGJB Quartet—Bamako (TUM) • Linda May Han Oh—Aventurine (Biophilia)) • Zeena Parkins/Ryan Sawyer/Ryan Ross Smith—Green Dome: Thinking in Stitches (Case Study) • Ken Peplowski/Diego Figueiredo—Amizade (Arbors)
Onyx) • Tom Rainey Trio—Combobulated (Intakt) • Enrico Rava/Joe Lovano—Roma (ECM) • Tomeka Reid Quartet—Old New (Cuneiform)d) • Jamie Saft/Steve Swallow/Bobby Previte—You Don’t Know The Life (RareNoise) • Akira Sakata/Johan Berthling/Paal Nilssen-Love—Arashi: Jikan (PNL)
nman/Allison Miller—Parlour Game (Royal Potato Family) • Louis Sclavis Quartet—Characters On A Wall (ECM) • Sensaround—Heart/Noise (HellosQuare)rima (BMC Records) • Aki Takase—Hokusai (Piano Solo) (Intakt) • Per “Texas” Johansson/Torbjörn Zetterberg/Konrad Agnas—Orakel (Moserobie)
ann Basement Research—Impromptus and Other Short Works (WhyPlayJazz) • The Vampires—Pacifica (Earshift Music) • Anna Webber—Clockwise (Pi)h) • Stephane Wrembel—Django L’Impressionniste (Water Is Life) • Brandee Younger—Soul Awakening (s/r) • Jeppe Zeeberg —Universal Disappointment (BIEM)

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26)

Mingus at Antibes
Charles Mingus (Atlantic-Speakers Corner)
by John Pietaro

In the summer of 1960, bassist Charles Mingus traveled
to France with his Jazz Workshop to present the boldmusic realized in New York nightclubs, conceived
through years of performances with both the founders
and disciples of modern jazz. Like his cohorts, Mingus
navigated the next step in the music, his experimentswith free improvisation, expansive harmonies andexpressionistic dissonances journeying the very rootsof the Black experience.
Already released were albums Pithecanthropus
Erectus, The Clown, Mingus Ah Um and Blues and Rootsand now with the addition of alto saxophonist/flutist/bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy, Mingus brought his
visionary ensemble outward. Their destination, Juanles-Pins and its Antibes Jazz Festival.
Mingus’ working band of drummer Dannie
Richmond, trumpeter Ted Curson and tenor
saxophonist Booker Ervin, augmented by Dolphy, wasin top form here, performing not to a smoke-filledroom, but a proper concert setting. And the outcome
was unforgettable. Oddly, it took some 16 years for the

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entire double-LP set to be released by Atlantic, longafter this aggregation had disbanded (and Dolphy and
Ervin having died in the interim). Deemed a historictreasure by the jazz community, Speakers Corner
Records not only reissued it in time for its 60th
anniversary but as a remastered gem “using pureanalogue components only from the master tapes
through to the cutting head—only the best masteringstudios worldwide from 180g virgin vinyl pressings”,
as is stated in label documentation. Speakers Corner
paid just as much attention to the artwork, jacket
photos and liner notes, leaving us a brilliant documentof a legendary moment in time.
Throughout, Curson shimmers, bell-like withsounds of praise and foray. His star was yet to shine
fully in 1960, but his relevance was evident. Dolphy,
who’d been working with the leader off and on, is in
his element. Free, visceral, he pulls the band into theouter realms with Mingus’ blessing. From his first altosolo on “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting” tobeauteous fits of bass clarinet midway through “WhatLove”, where he duets with Mingus, one can only
imagine how blessed the French audience felt in the
moment. This is not to dismiss Ervin, the tenor
saxophonist who’d been with the band a year alreadyand, as a Texas migrant, held a direct connection to theroots in which Mingus reveled. Each utterance
maintained the course of the blues and he served as aspectacular balance to Dolphy’s conceptions.
Side Three is occupied by the Gene de Paul-Patricia
Johnston-Don Raye standard “I’ll Remember April”,
which featured the formidable presence of pianist Bud
Powell. He and Mingus’ history together was
substantial, including the famous 1953 Jazz at Massey
Hall concert album and in this setting, more thanobvious. Powell, by then the victim of crushing mental
illness and debilitating, misdirected treatment, is nolonger in top form but his solos and vibrant riffing lift
the band to inspired heights. Ervin and Dolphy’s
lengthy section trading fours is deserving of repeated,isolated listening.
The final album side is all about the heritage andwhere Mingus was taking it. “Folk Forms” and “Better
Git Hit in Your Soul” are elevated to new levels in thehands of these masters, from Mingus’ simmering intro
to the driving intensity of Richmond and through eachsolo statement.
Taken as a whole, Mingus at Antibes is a music
history lesson none can afford to miss. And, hey,
Speakers Corner extended the same remastering toPithecanthropus Erectus and The Clown, each now
sounding—finally—as intended.
For more information, visit speakerscornerrecords.com.
The Mingus Big Band is at Jazz Standard Mondays. See
Regular Engagements.

Ben Webster’s First Concert in Denmark
Ben Webster (Storyville)by George Kanzler

Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster attained the status ofOpen 7 days a week 11-7

12 W. 18th Street NY, NY 10011
212-242-3000

a jazz patron saint in Copenhagen, Denmark, the city
he adopted as his home base in 1969 until his death in
1973. There is even a posh street on Copenhagen’s
waterfront renamed after him. Webster wasn’t the only
American jazz expatriate to call the city home. His
fellow tenor saxophonists Stan Getz and Dexter
Gordon, as well as trumpeter-arranger Thad Jones,

30 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

called Copenhagen home at various times. And on thisrecording, of his first concert in the city (made 55 years
ago this month), he’s joined by a pioneering bebop
pianist, Kenny Drew, who was based in the city, where
he even was the house pianist at the famed Jazzhus
Montmartre, for almost three decades (1964-93).
Webster will be remembered as Duke Ellington’s
first tenor solo star and though he only was in the bigband three years (1940-43) he will always be known as
an Ellingtonian. Three Ellington tunes are included
here, four of the seven tracks. The album opens witha soundcheck of Webster playing “In a Mellotone”
alone at the piano. He essays it twice, the second time
at a faster tempo, both times in an exuberant stridestyle that flits through changing keys with brio.
The rest of the concert has Drew with Danish
musicians Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass) andAlex Riel (drums)—the remainder of the Jazzhus
Montmartre house band. “Cottontail”, Webster ’ssignature solo feature with Ellington, includes a closeparaphrase of his famous recorded—and oft
transcribed—solo. And a non-striding “In A Mellotone”
is delivered in a perfect heartbeat tempo.
Webster ’s ability to wrap breathy notes aroundand caress melodies is in full flow on the standards“My Romance” (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart) and“Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen-Yip Harburg),
demonstrating why he’s considered one of jazz’ greatballadeers. Ellington’s “Blues in B-Flat” confirms why
one of his nicknames was “The Brute”. His tenor
swaggers and plows through the uptempo blues,
sculpting a solo not so much out of notes as pitches,
tones and timbres, from gruff squawks to high squeals,
all in service to Duke’s blues.
For more information, visit storyvillerecords.com

January 21
Mike Longo’s
NY State of the Art
Jazz Ensemble
with Ira Hawkins
January 28th
Dave Chamberlain
and Band of Bones
Celebrate J.J.
Johnson’s Birthday
New York Baha’i Center

53 E. 11th Street(between University Place and Broadway)
Shows: 8:00 & 9:30 PM
Gen Adm: $15 Students $10
212-222-5159
bahainyc.org/nyc-bahai-center/jazz-nightPuertos: Music from International Waters
Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra (Avantango)
by Alex Henderson

Buenos Aires native pianist Emilio Solla has been
fusing jazz with tango for over a decade, leadinggroups of various sizes, including the 17-piece bigband billed as the Tango Jazz Orchestra on Puertos:
Music from International Waters. Solla also features fiveguest musicians: three percussionists (Samuel Torres,
Arturo Prendez and Franco Pinna), pianist Arturo
O’Farrill and harp player Edmar Castañeda.
The bandoneon of soloist Julien Labro often
suggests the late tango innovator Astor Piazzolla as
does Solla’s composing. However that isn’t the only
Latin music influencing Solla as he draws on everythingfrom AfroCuban music on “Llegará, Llegará, Llegará”
and “Sol La, al Sol” to Colombian cumbia on “Allegrón”
and Spanish flamenco on “Andan Luces”. The dusky“La Novena” gets inspiration from tango, Latin
American boleros and the arranging of bandleader Gil
Evans all at once; the Davis-flavored “Four for Miles”
recalls Evans and Davis’ famous collaborations.
“Puertos” is the Spanish word for “ports” and theconcept of this album is port cities around the world
and their connection to immigrants, Solla composing“Llegará, Llegará, Llegará” for Montevideo, Uruguay,“Sol La, al Sol” for Havana, Cuba and “Four for Miles”
for his adopted home of New York City. Dedicated to
Benguela, Angola, “Chacatrik” has a strong southern
African influence and the flamenco-influenced “Andan
Luces”, appropriately, is dedicated to Cádiz, theAndalusian city in the far south of Spain. Although
Solla dedicates “La Novena” to his native Buenos Aires,
he dedicates “Buenos Aires Blues” (combining tango
elements with a Charles Mingus-like arrangement) to
New Orleans.
Puertos doesn’t pretend to be a traditional tango
album; the idea of the project is different cultures
coming together musically. Solla’s willingness to takechances makes for a consistently intriguing listen.
For more information, visit avantango.com. This project is
at Birdland Jan. 5th. See Calendar.

Trappist-1
Ramon Lopez/Mark Feldman (Relative Pitch)by Marc Medwin

Some of the most convincing music thrives on
implication, on what might almost be, or what nearly
was, rather than what can be categorized or defined withease or simplicity. The three notes violinist Mark Feldman
lays down at 4:03 of the first of these seven improvisations

Yoko Miwa Trio
Birdland TheaTer
ThursdaY, januarY 30, 2020
7 & 9:45 PM $20-30

sounds like a minor chord, but there’s nothing tocontextualize it and even its constituent pitches glide andwaver in and out of focus with the subtlety of mastery.
Ramon Lopez’ brushed snare, crystalline cymbal andghostly bass drum answer with alacrity.
If these duets had to be categorized, they could becalled mood pictures. On the fourth, Feldman lets gowith an astonishing series of ascending and descendingjabs, with myriad tonal centers to match, almost
romantic were they not so frenetically disjunct. Lopez
responds by entering something approaching grindcore
mode. Gradually, after some sprint and splutter, themood settles into fitful introspection before it fades out
in uhr-swing pointillism. Contrast all that with themeditative opening of the sixth piece, Lopez barely
disturbing the silence threatening to engulf eachmotion with the subtlest brushwork and microtaps on
his cymbals. Feldman engages in some of the wildest
blue notes imaginable, a device that would fall flat inless capable and intonationally assured hands.
Lopez swings in and out of time with the assuranceof experience and the playfulness of innocence inperfect balance. Feldman’s tone and timbre would be
at home in a classical concerto and it is to his credit
that he brings these gifts to bear on a freer context. No
better example of their symbiosis is needed than the
concluding track, where Feldman executes some of themost gorgeously elusive glissandi as Lopez’ high-hat
evokes distorted shades of musical eras long gone,
before all recedes in the face of daunting overtonal
arpeggios from Feldman.
For more information, visit relativepitchrecords.com.
Feldman is at The Dance Jan. 11th with Susan Alcorn aspart of Winter Jazzfest and Birdland Jan. 23rd as part of aJohn Abercrombie celebration. See Calendar.

ROB FULTON

315 w. 44Th sTreeT | (212) 581-3080 | Birdlandjazz.coM

Yoko Miwa, Piano
will slaTer, Bass
scoTT GouldinG, druMs
keeP Talkin, Miwa’s
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Piano Trio alBuM,
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The musicianship, exuberance,
euphoric energy and joyful
expression of Rob Fulton(vocals), Danny mixon (piano),
T.K. Blue (alto, flute), Paul
Beaudry (bass) and Dwayne“cook” Broadnax (drums) is
captured on this cD,“Rob Fulton Live at club
Bonafide New York city”.

available for purchaseat iTunes, Spotify,
amazon, cD Baby

“4 stars‑a beautifully
constructed album…thebandleader clearlyrevels in the challengeof rearranging tunes
she loves, as wellas the blend of
intimacy and power
this unusually giftedtrio can muster.”‑carlo wolff, downbeat

YokoMiwa.coM

Upcoming Performances
February 7th - Harlem Late Night Jazz at Assinie,
201 W. 116th St, New York, NY 10026 9Pm
February 21st - NY Society for Ethical Culture,
2 W 64th St, New York, NY 10023 7PM
March 12th - Harrison Urby,
777 South 3 Street, Harrison, NJ 7PM

ROBFULTONjazz.cOm
THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 31

Chalkboard Destiny
Lisa Hilton (Ruby Slippers)by Phil Freeman

Lisa Hilton has good taste. The Malibu, Californiabased pianist and composer makes an album a year,
typically alternating a solo or trio disc with one
featuring horns and she picks superb rhythm sections
and frontline partners. This is her eighth album tofeature tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen since they began
working together in 2009. The two are joined by bassist
Luques Curtis and drummer Rudy Royston (himself
a veteran of two previous Hilton sessions).
Though all the music is Hilton’s, save a version ofJoni Mitchell’s “Blue Boy”, she gives her collaboratorsroom to run. She lays out entirely during Allen’s solo
on “Sympathy For Blues” and without her presence at
the keyboard to anchor things, the others spark quite
an intense flame. On the Mitchell tune, Allen’s horn ishuge, like a mournful foghorn, perfectly complementing
the piano, which sounds almost underwater as Hilton
allows the melody to roll slowly off the keyboard. But
again, she plays a short intro, then retreats, leaving thetrio to do their thing. When she returns, just shy of
90 seconds into a four-and-a-half minute piece, hersolo builds slowly out of the melody. It’s clear that
Hilton has spent years listening to this song and that
Mitchell’s voice is still in her head as she plays.
The compositions play with a variety of forms. In
addition to the aforementioned blues, there’s a tango,
a waltz and a few other tracks exploring Latin rhythms
and her attack is confident each time. She knows where
she’s going and gets there. Hilton’s playing is very
considered. She swings, but never recklessly and her
approach to the keyboard is extremely balanced
between left and right hand, neither rooted to theheavy chords she favors, nor constantly dashing off to
add melodic trills.
She explores stride piano on “Café au Mojo”,
a piece performed without Allen, and Curtis andRoyston are both a solid foundation and nimble guides
throughout every twist and turn, there and throughout
the album. The drummer ’s typically sharp snare is apotent accent, as always, and his cymbals dance lightly.
For more information, visit lisahiltonmusic.com. This
project is at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Jan. 9th.
See Calendar.

Utica BoxDan Weiss Trio Plus 1 (Sunnyside)by Tom Greenland

Drummer Dan Weiss, bassist Thomas Morgan (whomWeiss nicknamed “Rock”) and pianist Jacob Sacks havebeen gigging together around the city for almost
20 years, making their first trio date, Now Yes When,under Weiss’ aegis in 2006. When Morgan was busy
with his many other projects, Eivind Opsvik(nicknamed “Heat”) often filled in, giving thethreesome an alternate sound. For his latest project,
Weiss experiments with both bassists playing together.
On the opening title track, based on an unusual
metrical form (16+16+16+18+17+18 beats), Morgan
articulates the rhythmic divisions with sharp pizzicato
attacks as Opsvik bows rich, cello-like melodies. Later,
the pulse is dropped and the combo follows Sacks’lingering chord cues, leaving large gaps of empty
space. The cycle of pulse and space repeats once more
before a final acceleration and further permutations of
the beat. “Rock and Heat” features the bassists
simultaneously playing fast walking patterns thattread separate but synchronous pathways. On the
lullaby “Last Time One More Time” (which Weisswrote for his daughter, who was presumably stallingfor a later bedtime), Morgan once again lays bedrock
for Opsvik’s expressive arco technique.
Elsewhere the instrumentation is standard trio.
Morgan plays on “Please Don’t Leave”, a transmogrified
AfroCuban 6/8 groove; “Jamerson”, after James
Jamerson, the rock behind “the Motown sound”; and“Bonham”, after John Bonham, the rock rolling Led
Zeppelin and a formative inspiration to Weiss, who
signifies on the drummer’s hard-hitting but highlyfinessed style in a remarkable drum feature. Opsvik
plays on “Rain”, responding to Sacks’ lush rainforest
chords before a sudden lull in the middle, taking thelead with pizzicato eighth-notes, soloing in a minor
tonality and then reengaging Sacks with canny reactions.
Although album title references the infamous woodslated cage (aka Utica Crib) pioneered by New York’s
state lunatic asylum to restrain patients, Weiss’ pieces
and leadership, though highly structured, leave plentyof room for creative ‘insanity’ to run rampant. This is
one group thinking (and playing) outside the box.

and tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson.
By any measure, Kenton’s was a great big bandand the album was generally critically acclaimed. The
decision to perform these pieces by a leading youth
orchestra was challenging, if not audacious and risky,with comparisons to the Kenton recording inevitable.
But, without question and despite initial skepticism,
BuJazzO performs more than admirably, a tight groupand more than adequate solos, a considerable feat andthe product of great discipline and preparation and, asa bonus, excellent recording quality.
As expected, the selections from Cuban Fire! arefilled with swatches of big, brassy, sometimes overthe-top displays, but there is some diversity and anabundance of fine soloists: Tom Ridout’s solid tenorsolo, Chris Valentine’s trombone and Jonny Mansfield’s
percussion are highlights on the opening “Fuego
Cubano”; other fine moments include Berthold
Brauer ’s full-throated trumpet on “Recuerdos”; Jeroen
Verberne’s strong contribution on trombone and solos
by saxophonists Fabian Dudek and David Healy anddrummer Tim Hennekes on “Quien Sabe”; Victor Fox’
tenor and Valentine’s trombone on “La Guera”; andHarry Evans’ hard-hitting trumpet followed by lots ofscintillating percussion from Hennekes, Mansfield,
Max Mills and Ludwig Wandinger on “La Suerte deLos Tontos”.
The “bonus tracks” feature NYJO Director Mark
Armstrong’s “The Hunt”, with some good drummingfrom Wandinger and Alexander Parzhuber; and“A Rosa”, a lovely piece by NJJO Director Martin
Fondse highlighting vocalist Sanne Rambags, withlyrics from Brazilian poet Neusa Raphael de Toledo
Matuoka.
For more information, visit doublemoon.de

For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Weiss is
at Bar Lunàtico Jan. 6th with Caroline Davis, Nublu 151
Jan. 12th with Tineke Postma as part of Winter Jazzfest,
The Jazz Gallery Jan. 16th with Chris Tordini and The
Sultan Room Jan. 17th as a leader as part of Winter Jazzfest.
See Calendar.

Pam Brennan
Available for your next Event!
Vocalist with a Trio,or with a Quartet!
We specialize in romantic, atmosphericmusic that lifts you right into another era!

Cuban Fire
Jiggs Whigham BuJazzO (Doublemoon)by Steven Loewy

Longtime teacher, trombonist and, at the time of thisrecording, Artistic Director of the prolific German
youth orchestra Bundesjazzorchester (known as
BuJazzO), Cleveland-born Jiggs Whigham (who has
been based in Germany for several decades) leads
a combined conglomeration of 55 players from the
BuJazzO, United Kingdom’s National Youth Jazz
Orchestra (NYJO) and the Netherlands’ Nationaal
Jeugd Jazz Orkest (NJJO) through portions of Johnny
Richards’ demanding Cuban Fire! suite and a couple ofunrelated “bonus tracks”. This year, Whigham will be
named honorary conductor of BuJazzO and hand overartistic direction to Ansgar Striepens.
Anyone familiar with almost any big bandarrangements by Richards knows how difficult his
charts are to perform, especially for the brass, wherevolume, endurance and range challenge even the mostexperienced musicians. This recording includes five of
the six tracks from the original 1956 Kenton recording,which featured an allstar band including among its
soloists trombonist Carl Fontana, drummer Mel Lewis,
alto saxophonist Lennie Niehaus, trumpeter Sam Noto

32 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Call 201-552-2910 oremail pmbrennan909@gmail.com
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Manhattan
School of MusicJAZZARTS
STEFON HARRISASSOCIATE DEAN AND DIRECTORMSMNYC.EDU

Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Manhattan School of Music
130 Claremont Avenue,
New York, NY 10027
917-493-4436
admission@msmnyc.edu

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Adventures of a Jazz Age Lawyer is the lively story of legal giant
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interested in the spirit of the Jazz Age.

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Goshu Ondo Suite
Eri Yamamoto & Choral Chameleon (AUM Fidelity)
by Franz Matzner

Defined by discretion and a subtle touch, pianist andcomposer Eri Yamamoto’s Goshu Ondo Suite soars withgraceful, positive energy.
Yamamoto began her musical studies outside the
jazz context, focusing on voice, viola and composition.
These influences are evident throughout the suite,which combines the classic jazz piano trio with the
Choral Chameleon group. The album embraces a patientdevelopment over its course, each segment providing
its own distinctive structure while following a throughline evolved from the opening melodic figure. This
figure and much of the suite was inspired by a traditional
circle dance song performed during Japan’s annual
summer harvest festival, the Bon festival. The result is a
blend of traditional Buddhist vocal melodies
underscored by modern jazz piano landscapes.
Choral Chameleon’s polyphony, heterophony andunison singing provide an effervescent texture while
Dave Ambrosio’s clever bass and Ikue Takeuchi’s
subtle drumming, especially when deploying brushes,
provide the swing that drives the whole. For example,
the second movement—the longest—is enriched by
evolving metric shifts as well as Choral Chameleon’s

ascendant intoning.
Another remarkable feature is the discreet solo
insertions by each of the trio members. These emergeorganically out of the suite’s broader themes, as
opposed to intruding or breaking the form. This fluid
approach contributes to the impression of an organic,
living entity, despite the obviously meticulous
construction that Yamamoto poured into the suite.
A poetic evocation of a distinctly Japanese folk
tradition, the Goshu Ondo Suite shimmers with elegance.
As an homage to multiculturalism and the fertile
ground folk traditions provide, the suite resonates
outward from its simple, melodic beginnings to create
an immersive, enriching experience, bound to lift thespirit as much as it will please the ears.
For more information, visit aumfidelity.com. Yamamoto’s
trio is at Arthur’s Tavern Thursdays-Saturdays. See
Regular Engagements.

LP1
Theo Bleckmann/Joseph Branciforte (Greyfade)by Tyran Grillo

This collaboration between vocalist Theo Bleckmann

and electronic musician/producer Joseph Branciforte istheir first album as a duo and the inauguration of

34 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Branciforte’s new label Greyfade. Bleckmann and
Branciforte drew upon their experiences performing
together with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 2018 before diving
into this unscripted studio encounter. Using Bleckmann’s
voice as foundation, Branciforte manipulated and mixed
raw vocal elements into something greater than theirsum, an entirely new entity that is both and neither,locus and void, present and timeless.
Outside references linger, but give us a portrait
only of the music’s surface. One could easily
characterize “3.4.26”, for example, as a haunting
smoothie of Taylor Deupree, Nico Muhly and Tim
Hecker. But to do so risks masking its unfolding into
something entirely its own—a journey that would
never exist without the input of its primary travelers.
“4.19” is even more spatial, treating the voice as anarchitectural element of the cosmos, however thelistener chooses to define it. One senses whispers andlullabies hiding in there somewhere, but only with theintention of half-sleep, lest we be robbed of messages
yet to be conveyed.
The diamond rings of this eclipse shine in the
opening and closing tracks. “6.15” unravels a breathy
hope for melody. When the voice at last unclothes
itself, we almost feel slain by its familiarity, as if itwere the relic of a world that no longer exists except inshadow. “5.5.9” is molded by a more human touch,flesh and bone articulating cages of possible meaningaround open syllables.
At just shy of 35 minutes, LP1 is a lesson in quality
over quantity. This is music so intimate that it aches.
Bleckmann’s voice never stops evolving and in
Branciforte’s artistry it has found a lifelong partner.
For more information, visit greyfade.com. Bleckmann is at
Subculture Jan. 10th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

Vertical Shores
Zack Clarke Trio (Clean Feed)by John Sharpe

After the electro-acoustic sessions producing Random
Acts Of Order (2017) and Mesophase (2018) on the samelabel, pianist Zack Clarke pulls out the plug for the
piano trio on Vertical Shores and follows the egalitarianmodels of forerunners such as Bill Evans and Paul Bleyby allowing his colleagues equal agency in the edgy
interaction he promotes. In fact, bassist Kim Cass,a regular with the likes of John Zorn and Matt Mitchell,delivers a caffeinated take on the Scott LaFaro or Gary
Peacock role, on occasion seeming the lead voice.
Although all nine cuts are credited to Clarke, they
avoid overt melodic and rhythmic themes and could
easily pass as improvisations.
Clarke himself at times sounds content to supply
the foundations with a succession of repeating piano
figures, creating a canvas against which Cass inparticular flares and spatters. The bassist, who restricts
himself to pizzicato throughout, hogs the spotlight on
the opening “Foreign Waters” where he displays animble, taut sense of phrasing. For his part drummer
Dré Hočevar largely offers coloration, either withshimmering cymbal splashes or brushed patter. As aresult, much of the momentum stems from the activityof Cass and Clarke. Time expands and contracts,
noticeably on “Outer Orbit” where the drummer ’s
crinkling percussive intro gives way to urgent rumbling
picking and then even faster tripping piano, before
slowing to a series of flourishes, sprays and flurries.
Clarke’s finest moments arrive when he sets aside
Satie-esque rippling in favor of spurts of flowing
piano, as on the bustling “Aggressive Déjà Vu”, where
his ringing two-handed bursts move out of phase tooverlap and interlock to rousing effect. The mostdramatic episodes appear towards the end of the
program, with “Orphean Wind” exhibiting light andshade while “Anxious Bodies”, the longest and most
spirited track, is full of darting jabbing interplay. Afterthat the final “Shadows Of Anxious Bodies” provides
a cooling balm, with Cass once again foregrounded,
completing a set that mashes the unfettered with themore conventional in ways beyond easy logic.
For more information, visit cleanfeed-records.com. This
project is at The Owl Music Parlor Jan. 12th. See Calendar.

Shoulder to Shoulder
Karrin Allyson Sextet (Entertainment One)by Scott Yanow

S houlder to Shoulder is a very different album for Karrin
Allyson, a tribute and remembrance of the Women’s
Suffrage Movement of 1848-1920. After a long struggle,
women gained the right to vote 100 years ago when the
19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed.
Utilizing an all-female sextet of trumpeter Ingrid
Jensen, alto saxophonist Mindi Abair, pianist HelenSung, bassist Endea Owens and drummer Allison
Miller plus (usually on one song apiece) eight singers,
a rapper, five readers, a string quartet, a few otherguests and a large choir, Allyson and arranger John
Daversa musically revive some of the highlights of thesuffrage movement.
Most of the pieces are songs and speeches
influential at the time but long forgotten; there wereactually hundreds of pro-women’s rights songs, noneof which became a standard. On this CD, which could
be thought of as the soundtrack for a Broadway
production that never was, speeches by Susan B.
Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Elihu Root, Alice Pauland Sojourner Truth are read quite effectively by
Rosanne Cash, Harry Belafonte, Peter Eldridge, Julie
Swidler and Lalah Hathaway.
Of the songs, “The March Of The Women” wasconsidered the anthem of the women’s suffrage
movement and utilizes the 40-voice choir Frost
Women’s Chorale along with Allyson. “The Great
Convention” has lyrics from 1852 sung by Madeleine
Peyroux, Denise Donatelli and Allyson separately andtogether, representing the diverse voices that formed
the women’s movement. 1835’s “I’ll Be No SubmissiveWife” has some futuristic lines. Veronica Swift swings
and scats her way through “Anti Suffrage Rose”, which
made fun of the movement. Allyson sings “She’s Good
Enough To Be Your Baby’s Mother” and has a duetwith Kurt Elling on “Winning The Vote”. She also
contributed the final two songs, “Way Down Below”
and “Big Discount”, which discuss the ongoingstruggle for equal rights.
Musically this grab-bag collection is hit-and-missbut would be a great staged production someday.

another dimension. This song and the last one,
“Hieroglyphics”, sound like caricatures of an electrified
band from the perspective of an acoustic drummer like
Hooker.
The final third of Symphonie of Flowers is not for the
faint of heart, but it could be experimentation like thisthat keeps a musician as prolific as Hooker from falling
into predictability. In any case, the album ends a longway from where it starts and adventurous listeners areencouraged to make the journey.
For more information, visit orgmusic.com. This project is at
Fridman Gallery Jan. 11th as part of New Ear Festival and
Ibeam Brooklyn Jan. 25th. See Calendar.

For more information, visit entertainmentone.com. Allyson
is at Birdland Jan. 21st-25th. See Calendar.

Symphonie of Flowers
William Hooker (ORGmusic)
by Kyle Oleksiuk

Extremely prolific artists sometimes find it difficult tomaintain a high standard of originality and quality intheir work. For drummer William Hooker, not so. He is
one of the most productive musicians working today
and Symphonie of Flowers, the third album he’s released
in 2019, stands out with the freshness of a firstrecording. Even when played on half-dead computer
speakers, it sounds like live music being performed
right in front of you.
And what live music it is. During the first twothirds, Hooker supplies brisk, virtuoso playing withstrong elements of breakbeat. In the background, a
grand piano plinks chaotically in shrill and deep bass
tones. Hooker ’s combination of steady drums andfrenzied piano evokes chaos at the end of
a tragic opera. Hearing half an hour of this music canmake one feel as if in the presence of evil, thesemusicians, like demons, thriving in an inferno of soundthat casual listeners can only bear for so long. Jazz
fiends indeed.
As if this beginning weren’t tumultuous enough,Hooker ups the ante in the final third by moving the
spotlight off of his drumkit and onto an array ofelectronic instruments and modified saxophonesqueals. On the second-to-last track, “Soul”, theinstrumentation appears to consist of computerized
bleeps and bloops, warped TV static and lasers from
THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 35

Domestic Harmony: Piket Plays Mintz
Roberta Piket (Thirteenth Note)by Donald Elfman

P ianist Roberta Piket has taken her pianistic artistry,her intimate and unique improvisational ability, andcreated a gift for her drummer husband Billy Mintz
on the occasion of what she calls a “landmark”
birthday: solo versions of ten of his distinctive
compositions.
Opener “Ghost Sanctuary” is a deliriously lovely
melody moved by a 5/4 rhythm, played with insistentauthority, quiet and poignantly confident. Mintz cancertainly create gorgeous melodies. On “Beautiful
You” the delicate romance is peacefully coaxed fromthe keyboard. And “Your Touch” is harmonicallyintricate and perfectly lovely, thanks to Piket’s...well...
touch. “Looking Down at the Stars” is a beautiful
ballad, dark and dreamy with sensitive use of space.
And “Destiny” is yet another lovely slow tune, Piket
complementing her delicate pianistics with a profound
vocal.
Outside of these elegant and intimate ballads
Mintz has written some exceptional tunes on which toblow, giving Piket the opportunity to display her
powerful technique. “Shmear” opens with dazzlingruns and opens out into what feels like a hymn. Soon

we’re back to burning piano, left hand walking fast
and the right playing dazzling solo lines. Piket notesthat “Flight” is one of the Mintz tunes becoming astandard for jazz musicians on both coasts; she
increases the tempo at the beginning of each of the last
three choruses, displaying power and technique withease and leisurely moderation. Mintz and Piket know
the blues too as is revealed on “Cannonball”, possibly
a funky tribute to the legendary alto saxophonist,
simple and disarming.
Two more tunes round out this set of fine originals;“Blind’s Eye”, which combines a darkish main theme
and a bridge bearing a resemblance, as Piket and Mintz
note, to Clifford Brown’s “Daahoud”; and finally,“Ugly Beautiful” which has roots in Piket’s
arrangement—from 20 years ago—of Jimmy Webb’s“Up, Up and Away”.
Domestic Harmony is a strikingly sensitive tributefrom one brilliant artist to another.
For more information, visit thirteenthnoterecords.com. This
project is at Mezzrow Jan. 16th with Virginia Mayhew,
Mike Fahn and Billy Mintz. See Calendar.

Tranceportation (Volume 1)
SONAR (with David Torn) (RareNoise)
Fractal Guitar
Stephan Thelen (Moonjune)by George Grella

These two recordings both further a collaboration thatbegan with 2018’s Vortex, also on RareNoise, andextended the aesthetic range of exciting minimal
groove movement coming out of Switzerland andcentered around Nik Bärtsch and his Ronin Rhythmlabel. It is the most musically fulfilling thing happening
right now in progressive rock and perhaps in all of
non-jazz/non-classical instrumental music.
David Torn and SONAR (Fractal Guitar—released
at the end of last year—is credited to Stephan Thelen,but since he’s also the Artistic Director of SONAR andsince the album personnel amount to an augmented
version of the band, there’s little distance between thetwo records) are as complementary as can be imagined,
the guitarist the lead voice for a band that never varies
from their pure ensemble concept. These two styles
have to work in practice, of course, not just in theimagination and that’s where Torn impresses most.
If SONAR is in the crudest sense a backing band, then
Torn still has to exercise good musical taste andjudgment.
This he does throughout and across both albums.
SONAR’s music uses small musical ideas to create
complex rhythms while also leaving wide-open spaces
for their subtle changes in emphasis and accent, whichcarry great masses of meaning and pleasure—the titleof their 2014 record, Static Motion, is also a succinct
description of what they produce. It’s possible to hear
the limits of their style as literally limiting—it can be
hard to differentiate tracks across albums—but this isalso music that shows the vastness between granulesof sound.
There is enough space to fill with extended guitar
solos, but that’s the opposite of what the music is about
and Torn is exquisitely judicious with his statements.
Even more, his personal voice is made up just as muchof raw, electric guitar sound as it is any string of notesor chords and he’s just as likely to drop in a growl ora roar as he is an identifiable phrase. Think Adrian
Belew with King Crimson, but with even morediscipline.
36 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Thelen is actually the one (relatively) verbose
voice. “Road Music”, the second track on Fractal Guitar,has some four-note riffs, quasi-melodies. Heard after
listening through Tranceportation, they appear as amagnificent edifice on a vast and empty horizon.
Except it’s not empty; it’s full of small but discernible
curves and undulations.
In the context of this style, Fractal Guitar is themore colorful album. There are moments that glance atsome of Bärtsch’s ”Modul” compositions, as well as
Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint. Thelen explains in
the liner notes that he wanted to bring a different
concept to this record: “After a few years of playing
without effects apart from reverb...I felt the urge torecord some pieces in which effects were an integralpart”, one of those being a rhythmic delay he calls“Fractal Guitar”.
Torn is just one on the list of esteemed players,which includes fellow guitarist/sound experimenters
Henry Kaiser, Markus Reuter and Barry Cleveland (thelasttwocreditedwith“soundscapes”
and“atmospheres”). The effects and the larger cast make
this
a
more
extroverted
experiencethan
Tranceportation—if that album (like most of SONAR’s
music) is best experienced through headphones, theriffs insinuating themselves into the brain’s waves,
Fractal Guitar sounds best through speakers, the detailsof timbre filling up the listening space while thegrooves get the feet to tapping. In a relative sense it isa conventional album compared to SONAR’s avantgardism and would be an excellent gateway drug to amind-expanding experience.
For more information, visit rarenoiserecords.com andmoonjune.com. Torn is at The Sultan Room Jan. 17th aspart of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

SuperBigmouth
Chris Lightcap (Pyroclastic)
by Robert Bush

Bassist Chris Lightcap is one of those rare players who
can thrive across all idioms. He contributes to bands
led by violinist Regina Carter, guitarist Joe Morris,saxophonist Chris Potter and the late trumpeter
Tomasz Stańko. His latest project is a meeting between
his Superette and Bigmouth bands, combined as
SuperBigmouth and comprised of two saxophones(Tony Malaby and Chris Cheek), two guitarists(Jonathan Goldberger and Curtis Hasselbring), one
keyboard player (Craig Taborn) and two drummers(Gerald Cleaver and Dan Rieser.)That’s a lot of moving parts. The music succeeds,
however, on the strength of Lightcap’s writing and theconcept itself, which combines jazz with instrumental
rock—imagine a blend of Mahavishnu Orchestra and
The Ventures with extremely long melodies that lean
towards an ‘outside’ aesthetic.
The disc begins with “Through Birds, ThroughFire”, setting all the melodic voices in dizzying, layered
motion. The head seems to go on forever until organ
breaks through for a potent essay. An early highlightoccurs on “Queensride”, which combines jazz-fusionand surf rock. Malaby emerges from the swirl of voices
first with a joyfully disruptive solo referencing Albert
Ayler and early Pharoah Sanders, followed byGoldberger ’s distortion-laden contribution. “False
Equivalency” is a kind of free jazz power balladsuggesting, at times, the influence of Paul Motian’s
Electric Bebop Band. This group makes even better useof the twin saxophones and guitars combination.
Very crisp ride cymbal articulation drives theguitar and saxophone pentatonic riffing on “DeepRiver”, until Cheek steps into the limelight for a
powerful solo in the brawny Sonny Rollins tradition.
Taborn’s piano introduces “Nothing If Not” and once
the horns enter, it is hard not to hear the influence ofSouth Africa’s Abdullah Ibrahim. It feels like being
inside a church and eventually opens up for a beautiful
bass solo over whispering brushes. A big drumbeat
opens the elliptical “Quinine”, which serves as afeature for the wicked distorted vibrato of Hasselbringwhile organ tends to dominate “Sanctuary City” with
an appropriately solemn air.
Good creative stuff. SuperBigmouth is doing
something different, for sure.

career (he died in 1979 at 43), one conversant in many
forms, from ballads to blues to standards, soul andfunk. He was also a working man, reportedly playing
on more than 50 Blue Note sessions between 1961-63.
Between 1960-65, he recorded 22 albums as a leader,nearly half of which went unreleased. Those albums
have since seen the light of several days and are now
getting handsome packaging as part of Blue Note’s
80th anniversary LP reissue series.
The guitarist’s first release for the label, Grant’sFirst Stand, is the most satisfying of the reissues so far.
It’s hard not to like an organ trio and this threesome
doesn’t disappoint. With “Baby Face” Willette (whowas playing with Lou Donaldson at the time) on organ
and Ben Dixon (who would soon join the Donaldson
camp) on drums, the album is irresistible from the getgo. The opening one-two punch of Green’s grooving“Miss Ann’s Tempo” and the old Tin Pan Alley tune
“Lullaby of the Leaves” could put a bounce in a threetoed sloth’s step. After that, they relax into the zone,
playing through some upbeat blues, most notably on
Side Two with an altogether lovely take on “Tain’t
Nobody’s Bizness If I Do”.
By 1970’s Alive! (waxed at Newark’s Cliché Lounge),
Green was fronting a sextet. The presence of saxophonist
Claude Bartee from Pucho and The Latin Soul Brothers
pushes him to the backline, but he’s in good company
there with drummer Idris Muhammad, rounded out by
congas, organ and some lovely vibraphone by William
Bivens. It’s a more textured record, but less a spotlightfor the leader and as it happens none of the other players
quite occupy the spotlight either.
Born to Be Blue, recorded in 1962 but not released
until 1985, strikes a happy medium. While there’s(sadly) no organ, there’s plenty of right-in-the-pocket
piano by Sonny Clark and the masterful saxophonist
Ike Quebec shows he knows how to fill in a groove
without overtaking it. While the band is just as big ason the Alive! dates, Green has more room to move andhis tone on “If I Should Lose You” (a tune more often
heard as a vocal number but Green was no doubt
familiar with the Charlie Parker With Strings version
and, perhaps, then-recent takes by Hank Mobley andJimmy Smith) alone is worth the price of admission.
Like Grant’s First Stand, Born to Be Blue wasrecorded by Rudy Van Gelder and sounds brilliant. It’sa shame to lose the bonus tracks on the previous CD
issues of the albums, but the heavy covers and 180g
vinyl give Green the presentation he’s long deserved.

Patricia
BrennanStone residency at
Happylucky no. 1
734 Nostrand Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11216
happyluckyno1.com

Jan. 17, 2020 8pm

Algorithm
Curtis Brothers (Truth Revolution)
by Russ Musto

Jan. 18, 2020 8pm

N early a decade following Completion of Proof, theG rant Green certainly wasn’t the first, but just as
certainly was instrumental in breaking the guitar outof the rhythm section. Following in the footsteps ofCharlie Christian on the path of Charlie Parker, Green
played linear, not chordal, solos, insisting to be heard
as a melodicist and, over the course of his too short

For more information, visit truthrevolutionrecords.com.
This project is at Dizzy’s Club Jan. 15th. See Calendar.

For more information, visit bluenote.com. Tributes to Grant
Green by Scott Sharrard are at Bar Lunàtico Jan. 6th andCafé Bohemia Jan. 17th. See Calendar.

For more information, visit pyroclasticrecords.com. This
project is at The Sultan Room Jan. 17th as part of WinterJazzfest. See Calendar.

Grant’s First Stand | Alive! | Born To Be Blue
Grant Green (Blue Note)by Kurt Gottschalkthe unit in which the three elders served.
The band comes out charging on “Three Points
and a Sphere”, an exciting anthem, which takes off ona melodic progression redolent of Joe Henderson’s“Inner Urge” and is driven by indefatigable drumming.
The mood calms for “Phi”, an easy-grooving excursion
flowing over the malleted New Orleans-styled drum
rhythm associated with the Ahmad Jamal Trio’s classic
rendition of “Poinciana”, which buoys soulful alto.
Harrison is celebrated on the date’s next track, “Chief”,
an edgy hardbopping outing. Next is a pulsating
AfroCuban groove on “Parametric”, Harrison and
Lynch blowing rhythmic lines recalling their tenureswith Eddie Palmieri, and Peterson demonstrating his
powerful command of the idiom, which contrasts withhis sensitive brushwork on “Torus”, a pretty waltz thatshowcases full-bodied bass.
Lynch is fêted on “The Professor”, a dramaticfeature for soaring trumpet, first heard on Completion of
Proof. “Undefined”, a sequel to “Manifest Destiny”,
another song from that earlier album, follows in the
Jazz Messenger mold, with explosive drumming
propelling high-flying trumpet and alto solos, thencalming down to complement a gripping piano soloand back up for its own feature. The dynamic levelremains elevated on “Staircase To Mount Sinai”, one
more piece that could have easily found its way into theBlakey repertoire. The date concludes with “Sensei”, ahigh-energy tribute to Peterson constructed over a fivenote piano and bass vamp, much like the one associatedwith Jerry Gonzalez and The Fort Apache Band’sarrangement of Monk’s “Evidence”, which the brothers
played many times as members of that band.

debut album by The Curtis Brothers Band, pianist
Zaccai and bassist Luques Curtis reunite with their
mentors—trumpeter Brian Lynch, alto saxophonist
Donald Harrison and drummer Ralph Peterson—for alive club recording that documents their development
as two of the most talented players of their generation.
Comprised of nine Zaccai compositions, which in thecomposer ’s words attempt to “fuse mathematical ideas
with soul”, it’s not surprising that much of the music
recalls the sound of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers,

MOCH presents“Raíces Jarochas”
Patricia Brennan Vibraphone
Michael Formanek Bass
Mauricio Herrera Percussion
Noel Brennan Electronic
percussion,
turntables

Adam O’Farrill Trumpet
Jon Irabagon Tenor/
Alto Saxophone
Patricia Brennan Vibraphone
Matt Mitchell Piano
Tomas Fujiwara Drums

PatriciaBrennanviBeS.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 37

Ways
Russ Lossing Trio (hatHUT - Ezz-thetics)
by Stuart Broomer

Russ Lossing is both a distinguished and a distinctive

pianist. He’s produced a series of CDs over the past 20
years in solo, duo and trio formats ranging from free
improvisation to standards to two CDs dedicated to thecompositions of the late Paul Motian, both a mentor anda collaborator. To all Lossing brings a forcefully linear
conception fusing a keen sense of space with intense
momentum. On Ways, he plays with his trio of bassist
Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Billy Mintz, previously
heard on Oracle (2008) and Motian Music (2017).
Each of Ways’ eight pieces is entitled by a word
including “way”, suggesting perhaps something of theTao, though the playfulness that extends the compound
titles includes “Breezeway”, itself suggestive of thelate John Ashbery’s 2015 collection of characteristicallymysterious, elliptical poems, at once plain-spoken,
pithy and unknowable. There’s something of that, too,in the philosophical influence of John Cage on Lossing’s
work. It’s music that’s both intensely alive in the
instant and open to extended reflection.
The opening “Passageway” begins in a pressing
piano improvisation in which rapid, single-note lines
press upward, coil and press again. That intensity ismatched again and again in collaboration with hispartners. Kamaguchi is a fierce melodist who can impact
the music with one note that’s a miracle of coiled energy
while Mintz can move from subtle polyrhythmic chatterto an explosion. “Causeway”, the title itself a fineambiguity, moves from near-serial keyboard abstraction
to dissonant clusters to collective improvisation
highlighted by swarming chromatic piano runs.
Ways is virtually a continuous hour-long suite,
segments sometimes separated by the briefest silence,sometimes by nothing at all. Densities shift andpassions arise and ebb within a single episode.
“Passageway” ends with Mintz playing quietly,
disappearing into a silence broken an instant later by
Lossing in the piano interior at the same volume level.
The brief fifth track, “Skyway”, is an unaccompanied
bass solo introducing the trio’s “Byway”. The pianosolo “Away” disappears into brief nothingness only to
become the concluding “Way”. It’s a thoughtful,compelling work, which expands with each hearing.
For more information, visit hathut.com. Lossing is at Scholes
Street Studio Jan. 19th with Kazuki Yamanaka and Ibeam
Brooklyn Jan. 20th with Gordon Grdina. See Calendar.

Django L’Impressionniste
Stephane Wrembel (Water Is Life)by Elliott Simon

G uitarist Stephane Wrembel regularly offers the mostinventive interpretations of Django Reinhardt’s spirit
and music (Django Experiments I-IV, 2017-2019). Django
L’Impressionniste examines his classically informed

improvisations for solo guitar, many of which werereleased together on In Solitaire (Definitive Records,
2005). These pieces differ from Reinhardt’s jazzrepertoire and are a singular fusion of Spanish, Romand classical guitar few guitarists have approached inany significant way. Wrembel’s meticulous readings ofthe originals combined with modern recording
techniques liberate underlying harmonics and newly
illuminate these unique compositions.
The first two improvisations immediately impresswith outstanding timing, controlled harmonics andgorgeous chords to uncover the melancholy of“Improvisation 1” and enchanting melody of“Improvisation 2”. Three variations of the latter showcase
Wrembel’s facility with pacing, structure and melody,skillfully conveying the intended delicate nuance.
Reinhardt’s solo improvisations are more cerebral thanhis ensemble work, envelop rather than enflame, andhave structures that sound more through-composed than
improvised. Wrembel capitalizes on this and “Solo
improvisé n°1 and n°2” toy with a range of emotions via
provocatively fleet runs and lovely emotive chords.
At times things do veer toward the academic and,as on the originals, the included variations are not allthat different from one other. Reinhardt’s “Improvisation
n°7” on electric guitar is unfortunately absent and it
would have been tantalizing to hear Wrembel in thatformat. That said, however, warmly unadorned
versions of “Parfum”, “Tea For Two”, “Naguine” and“Echoes of Spain” are sprinkled throughout andprovide a respite from the lesser-known and moretheoretical exercises. Extended solo takes of “Belleville”
and “Nuages” planned for a film were recorded in 1950
and Wrembel’s takes dramatically open up these
renditions to close things out. Among the best Djangoinspired guitarists in the world, Wrembel provides acarefully constructed examination of Reinhardt’s solo
work and in the process clarifies an under-recorded
aspect of the great Romani-French guitarist’s catalogue.
For more information, visit stephanewrembel.com. Wrembel
is at Joe’s Pub Jan. 23rd and Barbès Sundays. See Calendar
and Regular Engagements.

for a wonderful set, although it is fair to say that all
e.s.t. live recordings are of the highest quality. The
material draws from two of the better-known and mostsuccessful e.s.t. albums, From Gagarin´s Point of View
and Good Morning Susie Soho. The live environment
turns out to be very congenial for e.s.t., stretchingwell-known material to the limit while transmitting to
the audience the pleasure of creating music.
Just shy of two hours long, the concert has not one
moment of hesitation. Only a couple of tunes, the offthe-cuff blues-prone “Bowling” and “Rube Thing”,
had not been recorded by then. Electronic effects arelimited to Dan Berglund’s bass, making the concert analmost entirely acoustic affair. Svensson is on fire,superbly sustained by his partners.
After Berglund’s initial tuning of his instrument,
the music takes off on the Keith Jarrett-inspired“Dating” then proceeds with the more melancholic
Herbie Hancock-imbued “Somewhere Else”, whichflows seamlessly into a Bach-verged piano solo intro
leading to the slow-building, hard-driving “RubeThing”. “The Wraith” is a quintessential e.s.t. journey,emphasizing how Magnus Öström’s idiosyncratic
drumming playing in and around the tempos—
a liberty e.s.t could afford thanks to Berglund’s
unwavering timekeeping—is so essential to its sound.
The concert contains so many highlights, including
wonderful solos by both Berglund and Öström, it isalmost unfair mentioning only a few. But theinterpretations of what eventually became some ofe.s.t.’s most recognizable tunes—ethereal “Gagarin”,
funky-ish “Susie Soho”, rock-prone “Dodo” anddelicate ballad “Second Page”—do stand out as further
testimony of the originality and creativity of this trio.
For more information, visit actmusic.com

U

SE

EW

D

N

236 West 26 Street, Room 804
New York, NY 10001
Monday-Saturday, 10:00-6:00
Live in Gothenburg
e.s.t. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) (ACT Music)
by Marco Cangiano

Tel: 212-675-4480
Fax: 212-675-4504

This superb live recording from October 2001 is
puzzling and at the same time very timely. The former
because it is inexplicable how it could lay idle foralmost two decades; the latter since it is a stark
reminder of what this trio was and could have become.
The tragic passing of pianist Esbjörn Svensson nearly
12 years ago cut short one of the most innovative piano
trios of the last few decades. Way too much is usually
written about the trio’s use of electronics, forgetting
this was mainly an exquisite acoustic trio with no equal
within its parabola. The blend of northern European,somewhat contemplative aesthetic with rockinfluenced cadenzas and classically-inspired dramatic
openings helped e.s.t. reach out beyond traditional
jazz audiences. This was largely thanks to a knack for a
predominantly melodic approach and irresistible
capacity to move swiftly across these influences while
swinging hard.
ACT Records reminds us that this was one of
Svensson’s favorite concerts and the material, drive,
joyfulness and empathy among these musicians makes

Email: jazzrecordcenter@verizon.net
Web: jazzrecordcenter.com

38 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

LP’s, CD, Videos (DVD/VHS),Books, Magazines, Posters,
Postcards, T-shirts,
Calendars, Ephemera
Buy, Sell, Trade
Collections bought
and/or appraised
Also carrying specialist labels
e.g. Criss Cross, ECM, Enja, ESP,
Fresh Sound, High Note, Pi, Savant,Sunnyside, Venus and many more.

Inspirations Dedications
Al Foster (Smoke Sessions)by Ken Dryden

Drummer Al Foster has been an important part ofmany groups over his four-plus decade career,
including 13 years with Miles Davis. Although Foster
has made few recordings under his own name, hebegan leading his own bands on a regular basis in themid ‘90s. His current quintet is comprised of trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt, tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens, pianist
Adam Birnbaum and the drummer ’s longtime bassist
Doug Weiss. Foster showcases his skills as a composer
and arranger, with 11 of the 13 tracks his originals, allof which he developed at the piano by ear.
Although Foster is a more-than-capable soloist, he
prefers to feature his band and provide the inventive
rhythms to boost their efforts. A sauntering yet vibrantsetting of Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island” provides astrong opening track, featuring gritty tenor saxophone
and fiery trumpet. The focus then shifts to Foster ’s
compositions, beginning with “Ooh, What You Do To
Me”, which blends a soulful groove with an AfroCuban
rhythm built into it. The elegant jazz waltz “Simone’sDance” has a bit of a Latin tinge, Foster briefly in the
spotlight. “Douglas” is a hip hardbop vehicle with alaidback attitude, Pelt and Stephens both exuding a
joyous spirit. The Latin-infused “Song For Monique”
has a bit of a twist, as Stephens switches to baritone
saxophone, blending so well with trumpet it sounds
like he is still on tenor, until he begins the first solo.
The leisurely, loping “Jazzon” has the flavor of
Thelonious Monk, with its offbeat rhythm anddissonance. Foster finally takes an unaccompanied
solo to introduce “Aloysius” (his given name), a
pulsating bop anthem that would serve as a perfect set
closer. But the session ends on funky note with Davis’“Jean-Pierre”, featuring both muted and open trumpet.
For more information, visit smokesessionsrecords.com.
Foster is at Smoke Jan. 23rd-26th. See Calendar.

Project-K
Jim Snidero (Savant)by Phil Freeman

Though he’s known as a fairly straightahead jazz

player, alto saxophonist Jim Snidero has a deep anddecades-long interest in Korean music and culture. On
Project-K, he combines a high-powered if conventional
quintet of trumpeter Dave Douglas, pianist Orrin
Evans, bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Rudy
Royston with Do Yeon Kim, who plays the Korean
gayageum, a zither-like instrument. These players haveworked together in the past: Oh and Royston weremembers of Douglas’ quintet and played on Snidero’s
albums Main Street and Stream of Consciousness; Evans
was on the saxophonist’s Waves of Calm; and the pianistand drummer go way back together. So there’s a lot ofcollective knowledge and shared musical understandingat the core of these pieces, which allows them to journeysurprisingly far afield at times.
The album opens with the soft clang and slowly
decaying echo of a prayer bowl, as though initiating
a ritual. The rhythm section enters together, slow andthoughtful, gayageum sounding almost like a koto,with bass booming sedately beneath. When the horns
enter, delivering introspective postbop solos, the piece
becomes a different kind of ritual, as jazz fans know
this dance well, even if they’ve never heard thisparticular version before.
The prayer bowl is heard again on “Mother”, but
used to punctuate the melody of a fairly free, rubato
piece. Gayageum jangles and twangs as Royston rattles
his sticks across his kit without ever launching an
actual beat; a brief trumpet solo is composed of squeaks
and short puffs and alto has a honking, nasal quality,
the solo composed of long notes like a foghorn withthe flu. When Snidero puts the horn down, Oh (whohas been rumbling impatiently throughout) takes along and authoritative solo, the strings bouncing like
telephone pole cables struck with a mallet.
Throughout Project-K, the traditional Korean andjazz instruments blend together well. Nothing everfeels self-consciously exotic or tacked-on and the
melodies avoid kitsch and pastiche. What this album
really proves is that given the proper encouragement,
anyone, on any instrument, can swing.
For more information, visit jazzdepot.com. This project is at
Zinc Bar Jan. 11th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar.

maybe even Henry Mancini. Baylock’s “Confluence” ismore in the contemporary classical vein, replete with
dense elephantine chords and extended techniques,
accelerating at last into swing. Alum John Sturino’s“Frauenfeld” is another standout for its baroqueflourishes, brawny climax and pungent chorale.
The soloists sail through the arduous charts with
aplomb. Special mention belongs to baritone saxophonist
Andrew Duncan on “Leverage”, tenor saxophonist Will
Nathman on “Frauenfeld” and guitarist Ethan Ditthardt’s
Alan Holdsworth-ian onslaught on “Red Herring”.
For more information, visit oneoclock.unt.edu. This groupis at Birdland Jan. 16th. See Calendar.

IN PRIN T

Billie Holiday: The Last Interview
and Other Conversations(Melville House)by Kevin Canfield

In a 1956 TV interview, Billie Holiday was asked to

Lab 2019
One O’Clock Lab Band (North Texas Jazz)by Tom Greenland

The University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, thefirst institution of higher education to offer (in 1946)
a degree in jazz studies, is home to the One O’ClockLab Band, its premier 19-piece ensemble, which, forthe last 52 years, has made an annual recording of its
best student and faculty arrangements. Lab 2019, underthe baton of Alan Baylock, a UNT alum, first-ratearranger and former director of the U.S. Air Force’s
Airmen of Note, continues the august tradition of highcaliber compositions and musicianship.
When you consider that the students drill thesecharts five days a week for two semesters, it’s nosurprise that their soli, tuttis, pyramidal entrances,background figures and other ensemble maneuvers
sound tighter and righter than a lot of professional big
bands out there. Although modeled on Stan Kenton’s
brass-heavy behemoths—five trumpets, five trombones(two bass), five saxophones, a four-piece rhythm
section, plus one vocalist—the pervading style owes abigger debt to the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra’s
post-Basie swing and little/big-band flexibility, anotherperhaps to Maria Schneider’s painterly innovations.
Some charts are calculated to impress, notably“Al-Go-Rhythm” (based on rhythm changes) and“Aggro”, based on the harmonies of two notoriously
difficult standards: “Cherokee” and “Giant Steps”—
only here arranger D.J. Rice made it even more difficult
to perform by transposing the chord changes to nonstandard keys. You’d never guess what a chops-buster it
is just from listening to these young lions burn it down.
Three charts by lead alto saxophonist Kyle Myers—“Third Time’s the Charm”, “Red Herring” and “I’ll MissYou”—artfully tribute Charles Mingus, Thad Jones,

compare her talents to those of several Hollywood stars.
Was she “in the same league” as Tallulah Bankhead orEthel Barrymore? “My god, no!” she replied. Those
actresses “make me cry. They make me happy. I don’tknow if I’ve ever done that to people, not really.”
Holiday’s modesty surely charmed someviewers and one might say that she was simply
giving the answer expected of an African American
woman in ‘50s America. But she was vastly
underestimating her abilities. Her singing voice,a matchless instrument, made classics of “Strange
Fruit”, “Billie’s Blues” and other songs. In the
popular imagination, alas, her offstage life has been
reduced to a few heartbreaking particulars: drugs,
arrests, an early death. Billie Holiday: The Last
Interview and Other Conversations joins the many
books that aim to provide a fuller portrait. This
collection of Q&As ranges widely and, throughout,Holiday is engaging and likable.
In a 1939 interview, Holiday shares a version ofher origin story. As a teen, she walked into a Seventh
Avenue bar and sang “Body and Soul”, her voice sopowerful that “customers stopped drinking” and“started crying”. In 1947, reflecting on her efforts tokick heroin, she tells a journalist that she’s “justspent $3,000 of my own money taking the cure”. In
1956, when asked “why so many jazz greats seem todie so early”, Holiday cites the pressures of her
profession: “We try to live one hundred days in one
day and we try to please so many people.” On several
occasions, she discusses racism. She was a headliner,
but because she was black had to take back doors
and freight elevators. In another interview, she’s
frustrated with the forgettable songs—“cute novelty
things”—she’s been encouraged to record: “Thethings that I sing have to have something to do withme.” This inspired Holiday to compose some of her
own material, including “God Bless the Child”(written with Arthur Herzog, Jr.) “It came about,”
she says, when she “asked mother for some money
and she flatly refused.” Holiday’s response? “That’s
all right. God bless the child that’s got his own.”
For more information, go to mhpbooks.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 39

Live at Singularity Music Series I
Sam Newsome/Álvaro Domene/Mike Caratti (Iluso)
by John Sharpe

Iluso label co-founders Spanish guitarist Álvaro

Domene and Australian drummer Mike Caratti are no
strangers to summit meetings in NYC. This time they
combine with soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome in a
January 2019 live recording from the Singularity Music
Series in Kingston, NY. Their democratic approachallows their guest a lot of space. In fact, Newsome
carries one cut almost single-handedly and with just
Caratti for accompaniment on another.
But the most satisfying selections are as a trio, as on“The Wanderer”, Domene and Newsome in particularshowing themselves as form-seeking improvisers.
Looped guitar figures provide a foundation, creating avery agreeable combination with Caratti’s clatter andNewsome’s long wailing cries and questioning phrases.
Even when both drums and guitar make a dash for theextremes, they maintain both the momentum and therhythm feel. Newsome is a renowned timbral
adventurer and on “Sound Rumble” he evokes adidgeridoo-like growl through preparations, circularbreathing and gruff intonation, which sounds almost
electronic when he adds squealing overtones. He
revisits this subterranean grumble on “Sonic Pulsation”,
but this time with a rhythmic hook, matched by
Caratti’s bare-bones pulse, which at first invokes aritual jamboree, before morphing into popping plosives,with more of a celebratory dance vibe. On“Considerations For Effective Anxiety” braided
saxophone multiphonics sound like bird song over thedrifting guitar and percussion while at times during theanimated conversation of “Headed Into Crystal” recalls
an angry hornet trapped in a jar.
But all three are unafraid to embrace conventionalsonorities that temper the abstraction, notably on“Affinity For Air” where Newsome reveals a tunefulside, extemporizing a mournful dirge of wavering tones.
For more information, visit ilusorecords.com. Newsome is
at Smalls Jan. 20th and Downtown Music Gallery Jan.
26th. See Calendar.

Plays Harry Warren
Johnny Guarnieri (Solo Art)
by Ken Dryden

Johnny Guarnieri was a gifted pianist primarily active
during the Swing Era, known for his stride chops andability to mimic the playing of Fats Waller and Art Tatum.
After the ‘40s, Guarnieri continued to perform, though
recording opportunities were sporadic. He moved to theWest Coast and often played solo, as heard on this 1973
session originally released by Jim Taylor Presents.
Harry Warren’s compositions have long been popularwith jazz musicians and Guarnieri plays some of thestandards still popular in the 21st century, along withforgotten gems. Guarnieri’s formidable stride skills are on

display in his rollicking treatment of “Nagasaki”. The
pianist gives both “Shadow Waltz” (one of the overlooked
works) and “September In The Rain” glistening, lyricalarrangements, reflecting a bit of his classical training. One
can hear the obvious influence of Waller in Guarnieri’s
playful rendition of “Lulu’s Back In Town”. Guarnieridelivers “You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby”—a huge
hit when it was first recorded but falling by the wayside in
the modern jazz period as it was more of a feature for
vocalists and it sounded dated as an instrumental,
elegantly—throwing in a few flourishes to keep it fromgetting too stale. He has a bigger challenge with thesyrupy ballad “I Only Have Eyes For You” and doesn’tquite succeed in removing the dust from this warhorse.
Guarnieri’s catchy call-and-response between his two
hands in “I Found A Million Dollar Baby” and poignant
setting of “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” also meritstrong praise.
Guarnieri died 35 years ago this month and since
relatively little of his discography has been reissued, thisalbum is worth investigating for swing and stride fans.
For more information, visit jazzology.com

People Mover
Scott Henderson (s/r)
by Tom Greenland

When the terms jazz, fusion and guitarist are thrown

together, it all too often describes a certain breed of‘sports-car ’ guitar stylists of phenomenal dexterity,
though some may lack equivalent skills in spontaneous
invention. L.A.-based Scott Henderson is a notable
exception. Gaining early jazz cred with Joe Zawinul
and Chick Corea, he later found his voice with bassist
Gary Willis in the band Tribal Tech, wielding amercurial guitar sound grounded in classic urban
blues phraseology and bathed in subtle shadings of
distortion, chorus, whammy bar and wah-wah pedal.
People Mover, his sixth solo album, a trio date(though with multiple guitar overdubs) with bassist
Romain Labaye and Archibald Ligonniere, amply
demonstrates his penchant for improvising on his feet.
His solos develop out of shorter shapes and ideas,
moving sequentially, adapting to changing harmonies
without sacrificing narrative arc, longer lines often
capped by expressive conversational gestures derived
from a blues sensibility. His solo in the middle of“Happy Fun-Sing”, for example, is an elegantly formed
melodic statement while his outro on the same trackachieves the visceral thrust of arena rock. “Satellite”,
taken at a slightly stiff up-swing tempo, played withhis cleanest tone, demonstrates a facile command oflegato line-building and morphing chord melodies.
“Blood Moon” and “Blue Heron Boulevard” mix theopen E-string droning of Delta blues with various
keyboard-esque overdubs and layered rhythm parts,
the latter track again showing instinctive ingenuity.
Labaye and Ligonniere mainly function as
supporting cast members, though the former proves anadroit soloist and Ligonniere shines in those places
where his accents and fills synchronize with Henderson’s
moves, propelling the music to exciting heights. A
heavily produced project, with some tracks more filler
than killer, People Mover is nevertheless elevated byHenderson’s fertile and expressive imagination.
For more information, visit scotthenderson.net. This projectis at Iridium Jan. 28th and 30th. See Calendar.

40 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

on screen

Chick Corea: In The Mind of a Master(Scientology Network)by Brian Charette“I have a Spanish heart and an Italian body,” quips

Chick Corea. The genius pianist/composer has won
22 Grammy Awards and is widely considered to be
one of the most influential jazz musicians ever.
In The Mind of a Master is a documentary about themaking of Corea’s 2019 album Antidote with his
Spanish Heart Band. The footage comes mostly from
Chick’s Mad Hatter studio in Los Angeles. Gold
records hang from the wall amid artfully carved
wooden leprechauns as the film crew enters. “Prince
and Paul McCartney?” asks an impressedbandmember. One is immediately struck by the easeand gentleness of Corea, whose nickname, we
discover, comes from an aunt that would pinch hischeeks and call him “Chicky”.
The Spanish Heart Band is an eclectic group ofmusicians. Chick’s wife, Gayle Moran Corea sings
with the group as well. Her relationship with Chick is
endearing and one sees their affection for each otherthroughout the film. When the band begins to play,
Corea is relaxed and laughs when the group makes a
mistake. We hear him speak about his reverence for
Miles Davis and see him lead his own band much inthe same way. Corea instructs and encourages his
players to take what he has written and make it theirown. The film captures the camaraderie of the groupand one can easily see Corea’s greatest happinesscomes from interacting with them.
The video has many informative stories about
Corea’s early life. His dad was a trumpet player andbandleader who introduced Corea to jazz at an earlyage. There is a touching story of his first piano being
hoisted through a window in his Chelsea,
Massachusetts home. We discover that Corea’s
creative process is organic and methodical, with agreat deal of improvisation and old-school tools likepencils. We also get to hear from the members of The
Spanish Heart Band speaking in depth about the
project and the respect they all have for Corea.
Throughout, Corea gives poignant music history
lessons with stories like his early gigs with Mongo
Santamaria and how the band would go right up thestreet from Birdland to The Palladium on the breaks
to hear Tito Puente.
In between these vignettes there is the amazing
music. The title track expresses the ethos of thewhole band; “Music, musicians and all artists are
the antidote to man’s inhumanity to man,” says
Rubén Blades, who penned the lyric. The group
covers Paco De Lucia’s “Zyryab” about a 9th century
Persian/African poet who introduced the lute to the
Spanish court and who, Corea says, may haveinvented utensils. In “Duende”, we hear Jorge
Pardo’s deft flute interplay with the buttery horns of
Steve Davis and Michael Rodriguez. “Yellow
Nimbus” features Luisito Quintero’s wicked
percussion accompaniment to dancer Nino de losReyes’ fierce Flamenco feet.
For more information, visit scientology.tv/series/signatureperformances/chick-corea-in-the-mind-of-a-masterBO X ED SE T

his wife Laurie Pepper, he returned to fulltime
playing, displaying his earlier personality but witha greater emotional range, the intensity of a Jackie
McLean and the philosophy of playing every solo as
if it could be his last. Somehow throughout his
career, despite his erratic and sometimes dangerous
lifestyle, Pepper (unlike his contemporary Chet
Baker) never made an unworthy recording despitewhatever shape he was in. Considering thecircumstances, his consistency was quite remarkable.
In 1979 Pepper, who had previously recorded
for Contemporary and had just begun work for
Galaxy, fulfilled a promise and made an album forproducer John Snyder ’s Artists House label, So In
Love. It originally consisted of two songs recorded
Feb. 23rd in New York with pianist Hank Jones,
bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster and threenumbers from May 25th-26th in Los Angeles withpianist George Cables, bassist Charlie Haden anddrummer Billy Higgins. However Snyder actually
recorded much more during those two sessions.
A pair of albums later released by Galaxy (Art Worksand New York Sessions) and a little-known set(Stardust) put out by Japanese RCA came from those
dates and there were 30 other additional
performances. 11 of the latter were included along
the way on sampler albums or by Laurie Pepper ’s
Widow’s Taste label, but 19 have been issued for the
first time on the five-CD boxed set Promise Kept:
The Complete Artists House Recordings.
16 of the 50 performances are from the New
York session. As Laurie Pepper relates in the liner
notes, the saxophonist felt a bit uncomfortablethroughout the date because he felt that the New
York musicians (particularly Carter and Jones) were

Promise Kept: The Complete Artists House Recordings
Art Pepper (Artists House-Omnivore)
by Scott Yanow

The career of Art Pepper (1925-82) can easily be
divided into two parts with a long transition in
between. After his sideman years (most notably two
stints with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) were over,during 1952-60 he led a series of mostly superb
recordings. One of the very few alto saxophonists of
his generation (along with Lee Konitz and Paul
Desmond) not to sound like a close relative of Charlie
Parker, Pepper had his own personal tone, could
play perfectly flawless solos at rapid tempos andwas flexible enough to sound very much at home inboth cool jazz and hardbop settings. A lifelong drug
habit and jail sentences resulted in him being largely
off the scene during 1961-73 other than a stint with
the Buddy Rich Big Band and a few brief
reappearances. During that time the influence ofJohn Coltrane resulted in Pepper creating fairly free
explorations but losing some of his musicalpersonality. During 1974-75, with the inspiration ofcondescending towards him since he was not basedin the Big Apple, thinking of him as a has-been whiteWest Coast player. However Pepper channeled hisfrustration into competitive solos and the tension
resulted in his playing being even more passionate
than usual. The more extensive West Coast sets may
have been a little more comfortable (Haden and
Higgins were old friends and Cables would
eventually join his working quartet) but Pepper
never let up in his intense playing, pushing his
sidemen to play at their best.
The overall repertoire is a bit more bop-oriented
than Pepper ’s usual live sets, including such songs
as “Straight No Chaser”, “A Night In Tunisia”,“Donna Lee”, “Tin Tin Deo” and “Anthropology”,
but Pepper also contributes several originals, mostnotably “Diane”, “My Friend John” and “Blues For
Blanche”. In addition to the quartet performances,
Pepper took “Duo Blues” as a duet with Carter,
sounds excellent on clarinet on pianoless versions of“Anthropology” and “In A Mellow Tone” and, mostintriguingly, performed “Johnny’s Blues”, “Body
And Soul”, “But Beautiful” (recorded on Aug. 21st),“Art’s Sweet Blues” (which is really “Lester Leaps
In”) and three versions apiece of “Lover Man” (twoon alto and one on clarinet) and “You Go To My
Head” as unaccompanied solos. While one wishes
that he had recorded a full-length unaccompaniedalbum, one is grateful for the existence of these
melodic and heartfelt performances.
Any listener with an interest in Pepper willdefinitely want to pick up this very enjoyable release,which features him in top form throughout.
For more information, visit omnivorerecordings.com

AvAilAble now on

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THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 41

M ISCELLANY
ONbyTHISDAYAndrey Henkin

All Day Long
Prestige All Stars (Prestige)
January 4th, 1957

The 1962 MOMA Recital
Duke Ellington (La Maison Du Duke)
January 4th, 1962

Wordless
Steve Lacy (Futura)
January 4th, 1971

Waking up a week after making

In a month that would also host

As was his wont, soprano saxophonist

All Night Long, The Prestige All Stars
reconvened in Rudy Van Gelder’s
Hackensack, NJ living room to record
this followup. Trumpeter Donald
Byrd, guitarist Kenny Burrell, bassist
Doug Watkins and drummer Art
Taylor are still aboard but Hank
Mobley, Jerome Richardson and Mal
Waldron are replaced by saxophonist/
flutist Frank Foster and pianist
Tommy Flanagan. Byrd wrote “SlimJim”and “Say Listen”, Burrell the title
track and Foster “A.T.”, the latter’s“C.P.W.” added to CD reissues.

Sonny Rollins, the Museum ofModern Art presented Duke Ellingtonfor$3($2.25formuseummembers)­—$25-18 in today’s money.
Ellington played solo on pieces like“Blue Belles Of Harlem”, “The
Clothed Woman”, “Reflections In D”
and “New World A-Comin’”, adding
bassist Aaron Bell and drummer Sam
Woodyard for a set of hits like “Take
The “A” Train”, “Lotus Blossom” and“Satin Doll”. This album is a private
issue made available to members of
the Parisian appreciation society.

Steve Lacy only released a single
album for the French Futura label,another in a career of one-offs. An
additional point of interest is that it is
only the second record with Lacy anddrummer Jerome Cooper (best known
as one-third of The Revolutionary
Ensemble), the other coming five days
earlier under Alan Silva’s leadership.
Completing the group is cellist Irène
Aebi, trumpeter Ambrose Jacksonand bassist Kent Carter. The programis six mid-length Lacy originals,
including the often-recorded “Bone”.

Featuring Benny Carter
Claude Tissendier/Saxomania (IDA)
January 4th, 1988

Drum Talk
Susie Ibarra/Denis Charles (Wobbly Rail)
January 4th, 1998

Claude

The title may be a reference to aparent speaking to a child about thebirds and bees. Denis Charles, born1933 and a veteran of the bands ofCecil Taylor, Steve Lacy and others,
meets Susie Ibarra, born 1970 andamong modern jazz’ most compelling
percussive voices, for a live
performance at Context Studios in
New York. Charles is on drums andtriangle while Ibarra plays kulintang,
drums and small percussion. There
are a pair of compositions by eachplayer, one improvisation and the
traditional “Kulintang Medley”.

Tissendier is a Frenchsaxophonist/clarinetist who got his
start in the late ‘70s with countryman
ClaudeBolling’s
bigband.
Tissendier’s main outlet as a leader
has been his Saxomania group, active
intermittently since the late ‘80s andoften working with American stars
including, here on the group’s debut,
saxophonist Benny Carter. The latter,the leader and alto saxophonist Jean
Etève and tenor saxophonists Claude
Braud and Nicolas Montier (plusrhythm section) confine themselves topithy takes on jazz standards.

BIRTHDAYS
January 1
January 6†Al McKibbon 1919-2005†Bobby Stark 1906-45†Milt Jackson 1923-99†Keith Christie 1931-80†Helmut Brandt 1931-2001†Danny Moore 1941-2005
Sonny Greenwich b.1936
Barry Altschul b.1943†Susannah McCorkle 1946-2001 Adam Larson b.1990
Chris Potter b.1970
James Shipp b.1980
January 7†Henry “Red” Allen 1908-67
January 2†Chano Pozo 1915-48†Nick Fatool 1915-2000†Keg Purnell 1915-65†Arthur Prysock 1929-97†Sam Woodyard 1925-88
Noah Jarrett b.1978†Kenny Davern 1935-2006†Eldee Young 1936-2007
January 3†Preston Jackson 1902-83
January 8†Herbie Nichols 1919-63†Wendell Culley 1906-83†Musa Kaleem 1921-88†Bobby Tucker 1923-2007†Geezil (Harolde) Minerve
Bill Goodwin b.1942
1922-92
Thurman Barker b.1948†John Jenkins 1931-93
Marilyn Mazur b.1955†Motohiko Hino 1946-1999
Dan Tepfer b.1982
James Carter b.1969
January 9
January 4†Kenny Clarke 1914-85†Frankie Newton 1906-54†Jimmy Maxwell 1917-2002†Joe Marsala 1907-78†Betty Roche 1920-99†Slim Gaillard 1916-91†Roger Guerin 1926-2010†Frank Wess 1922-2013
Bucky Pizzarelli b.1926
Al Dreares b.1929†Carson Smith 1931-97
John McLaughlin b.1942
Malcolm Cecil b.1937
Eugene Chadbourne b.1954
Alex Cline b.1956
January 10†Haywood Henry 1913-94
January 5†Buddy Johnson 1915-77†Wild Bill Davison 1906-89†Max Roach 1924-2007†Lennie Hastings 1927-78†Willie Dennis 1926-65
Dizzy Reece b.1931†Allen Eager 1927-2003
Chuck Flores b.1935
William Parker b.1952
Myra Melford b.1957
Mike Stern b.1954

January 11†Wilbur De Paris 1900-73†Tab Smith 1909-71†Bob Enevoldsen 1920-2006†Osie Johnson 1923-66†Cal Massey 1927-72
January 12†Trummy Young 1912-84†Jay McShann 1916-2006†Guy Lafitte 1927-98†Ronald Shannon Jackson
1940-2013
Ernst Bier b.1951
Jane Ira Bloom b.1955
Ivo Perelman b.1961
Ingrid Jensen b.1966
Gene Lake b.1966
January 13†Quentin Butter Jackson
1909-76†Otis Johnson 1910-94†Melba Liston 1926-99†Joe Pass 1929-95
Bill Easley b.1946
Eero Koivistoinen b.1946

January 16†Irving Mills 1884-1985
Aldo Romano b.1941
January 17†Big Sid Catlett 1910-51†George Handy 1920-97†Cedar Walton 1934-2013†Ted Dunbar 1937-98
Billy Harper b.1943
Pheeroan akLaff b.1955
January 18
Don Thompson b.1940
Al Foster b.1944
Steve Grossman b.1951
Clark Gayton b.1963
Dominic Lash b.1980
January 19†JR Monterose 1927-93†Horace Parlan 1931-2017†Hod O’Brien 1936-2016
Phil Wilson b.1937†Sam T. Brown 1939-77
Joe Magnarelli b.1960

January 14†Jimmy Crawford 1910-80†Billy Butterfield 1917-88†Joe Muranyi 1928-2012†Kenny Wheeler 1930-2014†Grady Tate 1932-2017

January 20
Jimmy Cobb b.1929
Valery Ponomarev b.1943†Chuck Domanico 1944-2002
Andy Sheppard b.1957
Jeff “Tain” Watts b.1960
Tatsuya Nakatani b.1970

January 15†Gene Krupa 1909-73†Artie Shapiro 1916-2003†Bob Maize 1945-2004
Baikida Carroll b.1947

January 21
Steve Potts b.1945
Lou Grassi b.1947
Kevin Norton b.1956
Jason Moran b.1975

January 22†Juan Tizol 1900-84†Teddy McRae 1908-99†JJ Johnson 1924-2001†Teddy Smith 1932-79†Jean-Louis Viale 1933-84
Alan Silva b.1939
Eberhard Weber b.1940
Maarten Altena b.1943
Michal Urbaniak b.1943
January 23†Benny Waters 1902-98†Django Reinhardt 1910-53†Teddy Napoleon 1914-64†Scoops Carry 1915-70†Ray Abrams 1920-92†Marty Paich 1925-95†Curtis Counce 1926-63†Harold Ousley 1929-2015
Gary Burton b.1943
Andre Hayward b.1973
January 24†Avery Parrish 1917-59†Jimmy Forrest 1920-80†Joe Albany 1924-88
Lenny McBrowne b.1933†Bobby Scott 1937-90†Julius Hemphill 1938-95
Marcus Printup b.1967
Duane Eubanks b.1969
January 25†Wellman Braud 1891-1966†Truck Parham 1913-2002†Floyd Smith 1917-82†Barbara Carroll 1925-2017†Antonio Carlos Jobim 1927-95
Alexis Cuadrado b.1971

January 26†Stephane Grappelli 1908-97†Alice Babs 1924-2014
Dick Nash b.1928
Benny Golson b.1929
Aki Takase b.1948
January 27†Oran “Hot Lips” Page 1908-54
Jimmie Smith b.1938†Bobby Hutcherson 1941-2016
January 28†Ronnie Scott 1927-96
Buddy Terry b.1941
Bob Moses b.1948
Kent Kessler b.1957
Lorenzo Sanguedolce b.1975
January 29†Arnold Ross 1921-2000†Ed Shaughnessy 1929-2013†Frank Assunto 1932-74†Derek Bailey 1932-2005†Jeff Clyne 1937-2010†Jeanne Lee 1939-2000
January 30†Roy Eldridge 1911-89†Bernie Leighton 1921-94†Ahmed Abdul Malik 1927-93†Tubby Hayes 1935-73†Tony Levin 1940-2011
Ralph Lalama b.1951
January 31†Bobby Hackett 1915-76
Garnett Brown b.1936
Frank Ricotti b.1949
Per Zanussi b.1977

aldo romano

January 16th, 1941
Italiandrummer
Aldo
Romano, unlike many of his
countrymen, pursued aninternational career from thestart. After work with
Giorgio Gaslini in the mid‘60s, Romano’s resumé reads
like the United Nations: Don
Cherry, Carla Bley, Rolf and
Joachim
Kühn,
BarneyWilen, Michel Portal, Steve
Kuhn, Karin Krog, Franz
Koglmann, Gato Barbieri,
GordonBeck,
PhilipCatherine and so on. He has
been equally prolific under
his own name, whether it bea duo with Jean-François
Jenny-Clark, collaborations
with Michel Petrucciani, Joe
Lovano, Henri Texier andothers or his own albums for
Owl in the ‘70s-90s, Splasc(H)and Verve in the ‘90s and,more recently, Dreyfus Jazzof his adopted home countryof France.
-AH

CROSSWORD
1

8

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3

4

5

9

ACROSS

7

10

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13

14

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6

21

16

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26

28

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27

29

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By Andrey Henkin 			

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DOWN

1. Bobby Naughton label
1. 1974 Ray Barretto Fania album El ____ Camino
5. 33 or 78
2. ‘60s British label that released albums by Mike Osborne,
8. Between Chucho and Adam
Howard Riley and John Taylor
10. 1972 Getachew Mekuria Philips EP ____ Gedawo
3. Finnish pianist Haarla
11. Saxophonist Bill or pianist Kenny
4. ____ Square, birthplace of jazz
12. Chinese pianist Dongfeng
5. Serbian guitarist Micic
13. New millennium Serbian jazz-fusion quartet
6. Birthplace of Christian McBride
14. Southeastern Canadian jazz festival
7. Bass clarinetist on Bitches Brew
17. What guitarist David Torn does?
8. Japanese free jazz saxophonist Kaoru
19. 1993 Marcus Miller Dreyfus album The Sun Don’t ____ 9. Tuba player Draper
20. Enthusiastic saxophonist Allen
15. ‘30s Kenton piece “____ Daisy”
23. Composer of jazz standards Jule
16. 1987 Tribal Tech Passport Jazz album Dr. ____
25. Drummers Rashied and Muhammad
18. 1957 Art Blakey Blue Note album ____ In Rhythm
26. British vocalist ____ Jay Allen
20. New York Eye and ____ Control
28. Like many a flight to a European gig
21. Trumpeter Ralph
30. In 1966 Don Pullen and Milford Graves recorded
22. ‘60s South African pianist ____ ”Mgibe” Nxumalo
a concert at this university
24. Your favorite jazz gazette (abbr.)
34. 1977 Armonicord L’Électrobande album Esprits De ____ 27. What the willow does for you?
35. Michael Brecker’s 1990 GRP album Now You See It...
29. The First Lady of Song(Now You Don’t) uses his artwork for its cover
31. Manny Albam wrote a tune for this captain
37. Clarinetist Yaged
32. Vibraphonist Winchester
38. “Hey There” from The ____ Game, recorded by
33. The Swing ____
Stan Kenton, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and others 36. Vibraphonist Hashimoto who worked with John Zorn
39. Jazz agent Dittke
40. Dusko Goykovich is one

visit nycjazzrecord.com for answers

42 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

f esti val reportsassy
awardsby suzanne lorge

Tim Dickeson

anthony alvarez / courtesty of njpac

pancevoby thomas conrad

Charles Tolliver

Samara McLendon

It is natural to think of the Pančevo Jazz Festival in
Serbia (Oct. 31st-Nov. 2nd) as an offshoot of the bigger,
older, better known Belgrade Jazz Festival, which
precedes it every year by a few days. Pančevo is only
18 kilometers from Belgrade. Vojislav Pantić, one of themost consistently interesting programmers in jazz,books both festivals.
But the Pančevo event has its own vibe. This
industrial city of 90,000 has never been accused ofbeing beautiful. It looks like most of Serbia:
unprosperous and in need of refurbishing. But there
are some pretty river vistas. Pančevo is situated on theconfluence of the Danube and Tamiš rivers. The music
happens in Kulturni Centar Pančeva on a nice town
square. It has a modern 380-seat auditorium with goodsight lines and acoustics. The foyer of the Center was
the gathering point for the festival scene. The walls
were covered with striking images by Romanian jazz
photographer Dragoslav Nedici. The festival is one of
the most important annual arts events in Pančevo andyou felt the excitement in the crowded foyer. It would
have been a nicer hang without the national curse of
Serbia: cigarette smoke.
On opening night, Dave Holland, Chris Potter andZakir Hussain set the bar high. They are at the top of
the jazz world on their respective instruments and all
pursue a wide variety of projects. No one knows
whether the ensemble they call the Crosscurrents Triowill become an established working band. (They haveone album, the new Good Hope, on the Edition label.)
But for now they have found magic. Their concert
began with the tapping and ringing of Hussain’s tablasgathering to a swirling tide of rhythm. Holland enteredwith a second groove. When Potter erupted into themix on soprano saxophone, three distinct streams ofenergy began to commingle, pull apart and reassemble.
The spare format allows each of the three to display
the full range of his expressive capacity. Holland is oneof the world’s few bassists who can follow an epic
Potter solo and sustain the passion. Yet solos areconcise and integrated into collaborative designs. This
unclassifiable virtuoso ensemble is about intricate
spontaneous internal relationships, in rarefied threeway calls and responses.
The booking that created the most curiosity was
the Charles Tolliver All-Stars on the third night.
Tolliver is something of a mystery man in jazz. He waspart of a great trumpet generation (Freddie Hubbard,
Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Blue Mitchell) and maderecords in the ‘60s on major labels (Blue Note, Atlantic)
with major leaders (Jackie McLean, Horace Silver).
Then he started his own label that has becomelegendary, Strata-East. But since the ‘80s Tolliver has

Bronx-native Samara McLendon, a vocal jazz student
at SUNY-Purchase, claimed first place in the Eighth
Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal
Competition (Nov. 24th). The competition, held at the
New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Sarah Vaughan
Way in Newark, N.J., throws a spotlight on talented
up-and-coming vocalists from around the globe,
helping them to advance their developing musicalcareers. Also called the “Sassy Awards”, in reference toVaughan’s nickname, the competition acknowledges
singers for their improvisatory skills, vocal jazz
technique and creative interpretations of the Great
American Songbook.
Of the hundreds of jazz singers who apply forconsideration each year, only five make it to thefinalists circle, and three take home cash awards—$5,000 for first, $1,500 for second, and $500 for third.
In previous years, first-place winners also received
a recording contract with Concord Records, but
beginning in 2017, the top Sassy Award singer earned
a set in the high-profile Newport Jazz Festival instead.
With this prize, McLendon joins a distinguishedcohort of previous winners. Former first-place singers
include Cyrille Aimée (2012) and Jazzmeia Horn (2013),
both of whom are contenders for Grammy Awards thisyear, and Nicole Zuraitis (2015), a third-place singer,
garnered a Grammy nomination last year. Grammys
aside, however, Sassy finalists typically go on to
perform, record, and tour in the upper echelons of the
jazz world—Ashleigh Smith (second, 2012; first, 2014),
Alexis Cole (finalist, 2012), Hilary Kole (finalist, 2012),
Camille Thurman (third, 2013), Shacara Rogers(second, 2014), Arianna Neikrug (first, 2015), Quiana
Lynell (first, 2017), and Laurin Talese (first, 2018).
Assuredly, McLendon can hold her own in thiscompany. (For the record, Cole is her prof at SUNY.)
As she sang “Sophisticated Lady”, her first selection,
she held the melody deep in her chest, as Vaughan did,and alluded to Ella Fitzgerald’s nimble alteration of
the vocal line, signaling her familiarity with theSongbook masters. But she sang the usual ballad asa swinging midtempo, modulated away from theinitial key and added new lyrics, proving that she has
her own mind about things too. She went on to tackle
a precisely articulated vocalese as her intro to“Perdido”, the winsome Vaughan classic, with much
fealty to the original version. But it was her throaty,
extended scat that showcased her confidence as asoloist—one of the primary competencies for which
the judges look. As a finale, she performed the little
known “Autumn Nocturne” by Josef Myrow, using thetender down-tempo popularized by Cassandra Wilson
to explore the emotive side of her vocalism.
				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 55)

					(CONTINUED ON PAGE 55)

july 1st – 5th 2020

Monheim
Triennale

Sam Amidon
Lakecia Benjamin
Pan Daijing
Kris Davis
Greg Fox
Shabaka Hutchings
Soﬁa Jernberg
Park Jiha
Robert Landfermann
Ava Mendoza
Marcus Schmickler
Phillip Sollmann
Terre Thaemlitz
Julia Úlehla
Jennifer Walshe
Stian Westerhus
www.monheim-triennale.deDirector: Reiner Michalke
Curators: Swantje Lichtenstein, Louis Rastig,
Rainbow Robert, Meghan Stabile, Thomas Venker
Artwork: Vasilis Marmatakis

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 43

CALENDAR
Wednesday, January 1• Juan Munguia Trio with Trevor Brown, Josh Roberts
		Bar Next Door 6:30 pm• Greg Ruvolo Big Band
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Birdland Big Band with guest Nicole Zuraitis
		
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Billy Stritch Trio
Birdland Theater 9:45 pm $20-30• Chris Botti with Lee Pearson, Reggie Hamilton, Leonardo Amuedo, Holger Marjamaa,
Andy Snitzer, Sandy Cameron, Shayna Steele		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Corey Wallace; Groover Trio; Ned Goold Jam		
Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am $10• Regina Carter Quartet with Nat Adderley, Jr., Chris Lightcap, Alvester Garnett
and guest Carla Cook
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êPeter Bernstein, Aaron Goldberg, Omer Avital; Ian Macdonald		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Rudy Petschauer Quintet with Andy Fusco, Bob DeVos, James Navan, Will Woodard;
Todd Herbert Quartet with David Hazeltine, Tyler Mitchell, Mark Taylor; Neal Caine				
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êJohn Coltrane Festival—Countdown Quintet VI: Eric Alexander, Steve Turre,
Mike LeDonne, Buster Williams, Joe Farnsworth		Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $45
êChris Potter Circuits Trio with James Francies, Eric Harland		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Vando Jam: Lucas Pino Quartet Zinc Bar 9 pm

Thursday, January 2• Jinjoo Yoo Duo• Amy Cervini

1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 8 pm
55Bar 7 pmêBinky Griptite Orchestra
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Austin Becker Trio with Sam Trapchak, Austin Walker
		Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• Birdland Big Band with guest Nicole Zuraitis
		
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Billy Stritch Trio
Birdland Theater 9:45 pm $20-30• Chris Botti with Lee Pearson, Reggie Hamilton, Leonardo Amuedo, Holger Marjamaa,
Andy Snitzer, Sandy Cameron, Shayna Steele		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êCafe Bohemia Quartet led Jon Erik Kellso		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Noriko Kamo Duo
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pmêGonzalo Rubalcaba Trio D’éte with Matt Brewer, Eric Harland		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Willerm Delisfort
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Fabien Mary Quintet; Mark Whitfield		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Willie Applewhite Quintet; Saul Rubin Zebtet; Will Terrill		
Fat Cat 7, 10 pm 1:30 am $10• Pedrito Martinez
Ginny’s Supper Club 7, 9 pm $25• AirTrain Jazz Festival: The Jazz Collective		
Jamaica Air Train Station 5 pm
• Michele Duda Trio with Yoshi Waki, Paul Odeh		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18• Sean Jones Quartet with Brett Williams, Kyle Miles, Kendrick Scott		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30

êPeter Bernstein, Miki Yamanaka, Omer Avital; Spike Wilner		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êChet Doxas Trio with Ethan Iverson, Michael Formanek;
Pete Malinverni’s Invisible Cities with Bruce Harris, Ralph Lalama, Mike Migliore,
Aaron Seeber; Malick Koly
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êJohn Coltrane Festival—Countdown Quintet VI: Eric Alexander, Steve Turre,
Mike LeDonne, Buster Williams, Joe Farnsworth		Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $45• Brian Chase, Shayna Dunkelman, Ches Smith, Nathan Koci, James Moore,
Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Cleek Schrey The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êChris Potter Circuits Trio with James Francies, Obed Calvaire		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Friday, January 3• Anna Kolchina/Jinjoo Yoo

1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 9 pmêVincent Chancey, Joe Fonda, Kevin Norton		
244 Rehearsal Studios 8 pm $20• Assaf Kehati Trio with Matt Pavolka, Peter Tranmueller
		Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12• Birdland Big Band with guest Nicole Zuraitis
		
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Billy Stritch Trio
Birdland Theater 9:45 pm $20-30• Chris Botti with Lee Pearson, Reggie Hamilton, Leonardo Amuedo, Holger Marjamaa,
Andy Snitzer, Sandy Cameron, Shayna Steele		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Songevity Trio
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Gil Schwartz Duo
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pmêGonzalo Rubalcaba Trio D’éte with Matt Brewer, Eric Harland		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Willerm Delisfort
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Ken Fowser Quintet; Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra
		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Chris Flory; Jared Gold/Dave Gibson; Ray Parker
		
Fat Cat 6, 10:30 pm 1:30 am $10• Chris Speed Trio with Chris Tordini, Dave King		Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20
êJonny King Trio with Ira Coleman, Nasheet Waits		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34• Sean Jones Quartet with Brett Williams, Kyle Miles, Kendrick Scott		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êLenny White 70th Birthday Celebration: Lenny White Trio with Christian Sands,
Christian McBride
Made In New York Jazz Café 7, 9 pm $30
êMelissa Aldana/Kevin Hays; Miki Yamanaka
		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Marcelo Boccato Quartet with Caroline Davis, Pablo Menares, Jay Sawyer				Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village 8, 10 pmêNick Lyons solo; Focus Group: Michael Rocketship, Booker Stardrum, Eli Crews,
Ava Mendoza; Wendy Eisenberg solo		
The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10• Benny Benack III Trio
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 10 pm $10-20êSaul Rubin’s The Zebtet weith Greg Glassman, Justin Robinson, Stacy Dillard,Frank Lacy, Mark Lewandowski, Brandon Lee Lewis; Mike DiRubbo Quartet with
Brian Charette, Essiet Essiet, Rudy Royston; Corey Wallace DUBtet
		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êJohn Coltrane Festival—Countdown Quintet VII: Bobby Watson, Eric Alexander,
George Cables, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth		Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $45

EMILIO SOLLATANGO JAZZ ORCHESTRA
presents

PUERTOS - Music from International Waters
CD Release Party

Grammy® Nominee 2020
January 5th, 5:30 PM
BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB315 West 44th St. New York, NY 10036
www.birdlandjazz.com

44 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Forever House: Meaghan Burke, James Moore, James Ilgenfritz, Peter Wise		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êChris Potter Circuits Trio with James Francies, Obed Calvaire		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êTiger Trio: Myra Melford, Joëlle Léandre, Nicole Mitchell		
Whitney Museum 5, 7 pm $25• Memo Acevedo’s Manhattan Bridges Orchestra
		
Zinc Bar 8:30, 10 pm $20

Saturday, January 4• Ayana Lowe
55Bar 6 pm
• James Silberstein Trio with Marco Panascia, Vince Cherico
		
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12• Birdland Big Band with guest Nicole Zuraitis
		
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Billy Stritch Trio
Birdland Theater 9:45 pm $20-30• Chris Botti with Lee Pearson, Reggie Hamilton, Leonardo Amuedo, Holger Marjamaa,
Andy Snitzer, Sandy Cameron, Shayna Steele		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95• Jamile Quartet
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15êGonzalo Rubalcaba Trio D’éte with Matt Brewer, Eric Harland		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Willerm Delisfort
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $20• Danny Jonokuchi and The Revisionists
		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 10:30 pm• Ivan Renta Quintet; Raphael D’lugoff Quintet; Greg Glassman Jam		
Fat Cat 7, 10 pm 1:30 am $10• Chris Speed Trio with Chris Tordini, Dave King		Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20
êJonny King Trio with Ira Coleman, Nasheet Waits		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34• David Durrah Jam Session
Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm $10• Sean Jones Quartet with Brett Williams, Kyle Miles, Kendrick Scott		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êLenny White 70th Birthday Celebration: Lenny White Trio with Dave Liebman,
Gene Perla
Made In New York Jazz Café 7, 9 pm $30
êMelissa Aldana/Kevin Hays; Jon Davis		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êJC Hopkins Biggish Band with Joy Hanson, Vanisha Gould
		
Minton’s 7:30, 9:30 pm $25• Immanuel Wilkins WRE
SEEDS 8:30 pm• Jazzical: Derrick Barker, Mark Adams, Donald Nicks, George Gray		
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20
êSaul Rubin’s The Zebtet weith Greg Glassman, Justin Robinson, Stacy Dillard,Frank Lacy, Mark Lewandowski, Brandon Lee Lewis; Mike DiRubbo Quartet with
Brian Charette, Essiet Essiet, Rudy Royston; Mimi Jones and The Lab Session				
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êJohn Coltrane Festival—Countdown Quintet VII: Bobby Watson, Eric Alexander,
George Cables, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth		Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $45• Dither: James Moore, Taylor Levine, Josh Lopes, Gyan Riley		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Louisa Poster Trio
Symphony Space Bar Thalia 9 pmêChris Potter Circuits Trio with James Francies, Obed Calvaire		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êTiger Trio: Myra Melford, Joëlle Léandre, Nicole Mitchell
Whitney Museum 2, 4 pm $25
		Sunday, January 5êVic Juris; Adam Larson Band

55Bar 6, 9:30 pm• Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra Birdland 5:30 pm $30

êDonald Vega Trio with Peter Washington, Billy Drummond		Blue Note 11:30 am 1:30 pm $39.50• Chris Botti with Lee Pearson, Reggie Hamilton, Leonardo Amuedo, Holger Marjamaa,
Andy Snitzer, Sandy Cameron, Shayna Steele		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $95
êGonzalo Rubalcaba Trio D’éte with Matt Brewer, Eric Harland		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Eli Wallace, Andrew Smiley, Carlo Costa; Thomas Heberer, Luke Marrantz,
Simon Jermyn, Michael Vatcher Downtown Music Gallery 6, 7 pmêTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band; Jade Synstelien Fat Cat Big Band		Fat Cat 6, 8:30 pm $10• Sean Jones Quartet with Brett Williams, Kyle Miles, Kendrick Scott		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Tatiana Eva-Marie and Avalon Jazz Band with guest Olli Soikelli		Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $20• Lenny White 70th Birthday Celebration: Lenny White Quartet with Dave Stryker,
Mike Lee, Ed Howard
Made In New York Jazz Café 6, 8 pm $30• Jamie Reynolds, Steve Wilson, Orlando le Fleming		Mezzrow 7:30 pm $20• Roz Corral Trio with Eddie Monteiro North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Sean Clapi; Or Baraket
The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10êBlues and the Empirical Truth: Allen Lowe Octet with Marc Ribot, Ray Suhy,
Lewis Porter, Brian Simontacchi, Jennifer Vincent, Kevin Ray, Rob Landis				
Roulette 8 pm $25• Richard Shade
Russian Samovar 3 pm
• Adam O’Farrill/Gaya Feldheim Schorr		Saint Peter’s Church 6 pm
êOr Bareket 4tet with Joel Ross, Shai Maestro, Savannah Harris		
SEEDS 8:30 pm• Shrine Big Band: Blaise Siwula, Dave Sewelson, Ethan Helm, Elijah Shiffer, Andrew Hadro,James Rogers, Mark Broschinsky, Matthew McDonald, Michael Gorham, Jason Wiseman,
Andrew, Neesly, Andrew Dow, Jon Panikkar, Yutaka Takahashi, Aron Namenwirth				
Shrine 8 pm
• Mike Mullins Quintet with Zaid Nasser, Pasquale Grasso, Ari Roland, Keith Balla;
Alex Hoffman Quintet with Emanuele Basentini, Gregory Chen, Charlie Himmel,
Scott Lowrie; David Gibson
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êJohn Coltrane Festival—Countdown Quintet VII: Bobby Watson, Eric Alexander,
George Cables, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth		Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $45• Wit & Daniel: Prawit Siriwat/Daniel Durst; Matt Forker’s Mirror Image with Lisa Hoppe,
Lesley Mok, Jonah Wolfson, David Acevedo, Gabe Fraivillig; Sonya Belaya				Spectrum 7 pm $15êRonnie Burrage Group
Sugarhill 9 pmêChris Potter Circuits Trio with James Francies, Obed Calvaire		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êAlbert Dailey Tribute: Mike DiRubbo, Davis Whitfield, Essiet Essiet, Rudy Royston
		
Zinc Bar 4 pm

Winter Sale! Get 25% off with promo code ‘MOTEMA 25’ thru 1/31

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON + SOCIAL SCIENCE / WAITING GAMEA A R O N P A R K S • K A S S A O V E R A L L • M AT T H E W S T E V E N S • M O R G A N G U E R I N • D E B O P A R K S

FIERCELY CONTEMPORARY – NY TIMESA WORK OF HISTORICAL DEPTH
ON A PAR WITH THE FILMS
OF EVA DUVERNAY#1: BEST ALBUMS OF 2019 (5 STARS)– NPR MUSIC– DOWNBEATGRAMMYNOMINATED!

MARC

GIULIANA

Monday, January 6

BEAT MUSIC!
BEAT MUSIC!
BEAT MUSIC!

êMike Stern

55Bar 10 pm• Caroline Davis Alula with Dan Weiss Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Andy Bianco Trio with Sam Trapchak, Paul Wells; Marya Lawrence Trio with Saul Rubin,
Jennifer Vincent
Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• Naama Gheber Quartet with guests Birdland 7 pm $25-30• Joe Alterman Trio
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30• Maurice “Mobetta” Brown Birthday Vibes Session with Isaiah Sharkey, James Francies,
Ben Williams, Anderson PaakBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $75• Matt Bent Ensemble with Rowan Wolf, Will Evans, Kevin Eichenberger; Stephen Gauci,
Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; Noa Fort, Aryeh Kobrinski, Sarah Bernstein;
Jason Kao Hwang, Anders Nilsson, Michael T.A. Thompson; Colin Hinton Quartet with
Tony Malaby, Eivind Opsvik, Todd Neufeld; Nicola Hein solo		Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10• The Hot Club with Matthew “Fat Cat” Rivera
		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Ashley Pezzotti Quintet with Alex Weitz, Emmet Cohen, Russell Hall, Bryan Carter		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Ben Patterson Duo; Ryan Berg; Billy Kaye Jam		
Fat Cat 6, 9 pm 12:30 am $10• Charlie Sigler, Vince Dupont, Alvester Garnett; Pasquale Grasso		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êJoel Ross Trio
SEEDS 8:30 pm• Jeff McGregor Trio
Shrine 6 pm
• Ari Hoenig Trio with Tivon Pennicott, Orlando le Fleming; Joe Farnsworth Group;
Sean Mason
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êInspired—The Music of John Abercrombie: Peter Bernstein, Ben Monder, Rale Micic		
Zinc Bar 7:30, 9 pm $20

BEST CONTEMPORARY
INSTRUMENTAL ALBUMMELISSA ALDANAGRAMMYNOMINATED!

VISIONSFEATURING JOEL ROSS

Tuesday, January 7• Ben Monder; Leni Stern
55Bar 7, 10 pm• Carol Morgan Trio with Panas Athanatos, Jon Roche		
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12êFrank Kimbrough Trio with Ben Street, Jeff Hirshfield		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Maurice “Mobetta” Brown Birthday Vibes Session with Talib Kweli, Isaiah Sharkey,
James Francies, Ben Williams, Mike Mitchell		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Pasquale Grasso solo
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15êAmina Claudine Myers solo; Andrew Cyrille solo		David Gage String Instruments 7 pm $30
êEd Cherry Quartet with Peter Bernstein, Dean Torrey, Anwar Marshall				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Charles Turner and Uptown SwingDizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $5• Antoine Alvear Quintet; La Pachamambo		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10 pm• Saul Rubin Zebtet; Sonora Nuyorkina; Craig Wuepper		
Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am $10êBinky Griptite
Freddy’s Backroom 9 pm
• Frank Carlberg with Jeremy Udden, Hery Paz, Kim Cass, Mike Sarin; Max Light,
Pablo Menares, Diego Voglino
Halyard’s 8, 10 pm $10• Jakob Ebers Quintet
Jazz at Kitano 8 pmêDarius Jones Quartet with Joel Ross, Sean Conly, Kush Abadey
		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15êThe Music of Bob Brookmeyer directed by Ryan Truesdell with Tim Ries, Ethan Helm,
Donny McCaslin, Lucas Pino, Scott Robinson, Owen Broder, Augie Haas,
Tony Kadleck, Nadje Noordhuis, Riley Mulherkar, Tim Hagans, Mike Davis, John Mosca,
Alan Ferber, George Flynn, Gary Versace, Drew Gress, John Hollenbeck, Wendy Gilles
		Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Brenda Earle Stokes, Evan Gregor, Diego Voglino; Naama Gheber		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êJosh Sinton’s Predicate Trio with Christopher Hoffman, Tom Rainey; Tomeka Reid,
Joe Morris, Kyoko Kitamura
SEEDS 8, 9:30 pm• Hiroko Kana
Silvana 7 pmêAbraham Burton Quartet with David Bryant, Dezron Douglas, Eric McPherson;
Malik McLaurine
Smalls 10:30 pm 1 am $20• JAV solo; Triptet: Michael Monhart, Tom Baker, Greg Campbell with guest Xan Xaberx		Soup & Sound 7 pm $20
êMaría Grand/Mary Halvorson
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êScott Colley Quartet with Ralph Alessi, Craig Taborn, Nasheet Waits		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êJoëlle Léandre/Fay Victor
Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $20

A MONUMENTALSTATEMENT– DOWNBEATBest New Release (2019)[Honorable Mention]–THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDBEST IMPROVISEDJAZZ SOLO
OUT 1.17.20
all-original
folk/pop/jazz

COMING 1.17.20

nothing but lovejana herzen

from motema’s
founderfeaturingCharnett Moffett
J
Brian Jackson
Scott Tixier
Mark Whitfield Jr

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 45

Wednesday, January 8• Orlando le Fleming Quintet with Will Vinson, Philip Dizack, Sean Wayland, Nate Wood;

Dianne Reeves by Jerris Madison

JAN
10–11

SPIRITUAL SOUNDSAND THE JAZZ AGE

8PM
ROSE THEATER

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
with Wynton Marsalis revisits two of
its most acclaimed originals: Victor
Goines’ Untamed Elegance, and Chris
Crenshaw’s God’s Trombones.

WITH
JAN 30 TRANSFORMATIONGLENN CLOSE AND TED NASH
–FEB 1
8PM
ROSE THEATER

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
with Wynton Marsalis performs a newwork by JLCO member Ted Nash andaward-winning actor Glenn Close.
This project was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Centerwith the generous support of the Howard Gilman Foundation
This project is supported, in part, by an award from the
National Endowment for the Arts and by public funds
from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs inpartnership with the City Council.

FEB DIANNE REEVES
14–15

NEA Jazz Master and Grammy Awardwinning vocalist Dianne Reeves sets themood for Valentine’s Day weekend.

8PM
ROSE THEATER

Bloomberg Philanthropies is a lead sponsor of Dianne Reeves

RILEY PRESENTS: SOUNDSFEB HERLINOF CUBA AND NEW ORLEANS
21–22
7PM & 9:30PM
THE APPEL ROOM

Drummer extraordinaire Herlin Riley
explores the intersection of Latin jazzand the sounds of New Orleans, joined
by Cuban percussion genius Pedrito
Martinez, prolific trumpeter Nicholas
Payton, and bassist Russell Hall.

JAZZ.ORG

Mike Stern
55Bar 7, 10 pmêMichaël Attias solo; Marta Sánchez, Mark Ferber, Hery Paz, Kenneth Jimenez		Balboa 8, 9 pm $10êRobin Verheyen Quartet with Marc Copland, Michael Formanek, Victor Lewis
		Bar Bayeux 8 pmêOmer Avital Trio
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Alec Aldred Trio with Connor Evans, Chris Wright		
Bar Next Door 6:30 pm• Kurt Elling
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50• Maucha Adnet’s Bossa Always Nova with Guilherme Montieiro, Helio Alves				
Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Maurice “Mobetta” Brown Birthday Vibes Session with Isaiah Sharkey, James Francies,
Ben Williams, Mike MitchellBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Mark McKay Band; Dave Kolker Band		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Amina Figarova Sextet with Alex Pope Norris, Wayne Escoffery, Bart Platteau,
Yasushi Nakamura, Rudy RoystonDizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Charles Turner and Uptown SwingDizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $5• New Alchemy Jazz Orchestra; Wayne Tucker Sextet
		The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Raphael D’lugoff Trio +1; Joe Farnsworth Trio; Ned Goold Jam		
Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am $10• Louis Armstrong Legacy Jam hosted by Carol Sudhalter		
Flushing Town Hall 7 pm $10• Bruce Forman’s The Red Guitar The Green Room at Yotel 7 pm $22• Mamiko Watanabe Trio with Santi Debriano, Francisco Mela		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18êDarius Jones Quartet with Joel Ross, Sean Conly, Kush Abadey
		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15êThe Music of Bob Brookmeyer directed by Ryan Truesdell with Tim Ries, Ethan Helm,
Donny McCaslin, Lucas Pino, Scott Robinson, Owen Broder, Augie Haas,
Tony Kadleck, Nadje Noordhuis, Riley Mulherkar, Tim Hagans, Mike Davis, John Mosca,
Alan Ferber, George Flynn, Gary Versace, Drew Gress, John Hollenbeck, Wendy Gilles
		Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Camille Bertault/Leo Genovese; Tuomo Uusitalo		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Danny Bacher, Allen Farnham, Dean Johnson
		Saint Peter’s Church 1 pm $10• Emanuele Cisi Quartet with Tadataka Unno, Mike Karn, Peter Van Nostrand;
Simona Premazzi Quintet with Ben Monder, Mark Shim, Joe Martin, Kush Abadey;
Andrew Kushnir
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êMilton Suggs Quintet with Stantawn Kendrick, Jonathan Thomas, Dezron Douglas,
Norman Edwards, Jr.
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $20• María Grand, Savannah Harris, Rajna Swaminathan, Kalia Vandever, Imani Uzuri,
Ganavya Doraiswamy, Aaron Parks, Kanoa Mendenhall
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êScott Colley Quartet with Ralph Alessi, Craig Taborn, Nasheet Waits		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Thursday, January 9• Jinjoo Yoo Duo
1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 8 pm
• Nicole Zuraitis
55Bar 7 pm
• Olin Clark Trio with Dan Montgomery, Owen Hyde; Hendrik Meurkens Trio with
Mike Ekroth, Joe Fitzgerald

Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12

Kurt Rosenwinkel

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• John Pizzarelli/Jessica Molaskey Birdland 5:30 pm $25-30• Kurt Elling
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50• Frank Catalano Quartet
Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Philly Reunion: Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco, Lil’ John Roberts,• Winter Jazzfest: Mark Guiliana Beat Music; yMusic with guests; Taylor McFerrin				
Bowery Ballroom 7 pm $35
êCafe Bohemia Quartet led Jon Erik Kellso		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Equilibrium
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pmêBrianna Thomas Band
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Charles Turner and Uptown SwingDizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Victor Gould Trio; Lauren Henderson
		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Tyler Blanton Urban Archivers; Greg Glassman Quintet; Avi Rothbard		
Fat Cat 7, 10 pm 1:30 am $10• New Ear Festival: Brandon Lopez and the TAK Ensemble: Laura Cocks,
Madison Greenstone, Charlotte Mundy, Marina Kifferstein, Ellery Trafford
		Fridman Gallery 10 pm $20• Pedrito Martinez
Ginny’s Supper Club 7, 9 pm $25• AirTrain Jazz Festival: John Gray Jamaica Air Train Station 5 pm
• Jeremy Dutton
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 8 pm $10• Ladies Day Jazz Quartet: MJ Territo, LInda Presgrave, Iris Ornig, Lucianna Padmore		Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18êDarcy James Argue’ Secret Society with Alexa Tarantino, Rob Wilkerson,
Sam Sadigursky, Quinsin Nachoff, Carl Maraghi, Sam Hoyt, Jonathan Powell,Matt Holman, Nadje Noordhuis, Ingrid Jensen, Mike Fahie, Sara Jacovino,
Jacob Garchik, Jennifer Wharton, Sebastian Noelle, Adam Birnbaum, Matt Clohesy,
Jon Wikan
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êMelissa Aldana Quartet with Shai Maestro, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
		Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Winter Jazzfest: Kokoroko; Moses Boyd; Poppy Ajudha; Sarathy Korwar
		
Le Poisson Rouge 6:30 pm $35• Rachel Z, Mino Cinelu, Matt Penman; Spike Wilner		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Nublu Orchestra; Brandon Coleman; Ilhan Ersahin, Dave Harrington, Kenny Wollesen		
Nublu 151 8 pm $15êMichael Bates’ Acrobat with Marty Ehrlich, Mazz Swift, Sara Schoenbeck, Michael Sarin		The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10• Hayes Greenfield Trio with Dean Johnson, Todd Turkisher; Joris Teepe Quintet with
Wayne Escoffery, Leo Genovese, Pete Votazic, Gerry Gibbs; Davis Whitfield		Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• Bill Charlap Trio with Peter Washington, Kenny Washington
		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38
êMaría Grand, Savannah Harris, Nick Dunston, Amirtha Kidambi, Joel Ross		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Michelle Zangara Trio with Rob Block, Ben Meigners
		
Uke Hut 8 pm $20
êScott Colley Quartet with Ralph Alessi, Craig Taborn, Nasheet Waits		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êLisa Hilton’s Chalkboard Destiny with JD Allen, Luques Curtis, Rudy Royston
		
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall 8 pm $29• Tamir Hendelman Spirit of Israel Ensemble with Yotam Silberstein, Asaf Yuria,
Noam Wiesenberg, Daniel Dor Yamaha Artist Services Center Piano Salon 7 pm $20-30

Friday, January 10• Anna Kolchina/Jinjoo Yoo
1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 9 pm
• Tessa Souter; Dan Pugach Nonet +1

VENUE FREDERICK P. ROSE HALL
BOX OFFICE BROADWAY AT 60TH ST.
CENTERCHARGE 212.721.6500

		
55Bar 6, 10 pm• Clark Gayton and Superslicks Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Rale Micic Trio with Jared Gold, Jason Tiemann		Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12• Kurt Elling
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50

46 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Frank Catalano Quartet
Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Winter Jazzfest: Kristina Koller Band with Nick Brust, Fima Chupakhin, James Robbins,

Juan Chiavassa; Tra$h Magnolia; Aaron Whtby’s Cousin From Another Planet with
Keith Loftis, Charlie Burnham, David Phelps, Fred Cash, Gintas Janusonis;
Michael Mayo; Bright Dog Red: Joe Pignato, Cody Davies, Anthony Berman,
Eric Person, Tyreek Jackson, Mike LaBombard, Matt Coonan
		
The Bitter End 6:45 pm $55-150• Philly Reunion: Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco, Lil’ John Roberts,
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Walter Parks with guest Bernard Purdie; The Unlawful Assembly		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Didi Grooves Duo
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pmêWinter Jazzfest: Jure Pukl’s Broken Circles with Charles Altura, Joel Ross, Matt Brewer,
Kweku Sumbry; Godwin Louis’ Global with Billy Buss, Joel Ross, Axel Tosca Laugart,
Jonathan Michel, Obed Calvaire; Nikara and Black Wall Street with Hailey Niswanger,
Stephen Fowler, Paul Wilson, Parker McAllister, Corey Sanchez, David Frazier, Jr.;
MAE.SUN: Hailey Niswanger, Nikara Warren, Aaron Liao, Andrew Renfroe,
Axel Languart, David Frazier, Jr.; Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog with Shahzad Ismaily,
Ches Smith; Jaimie Branch’s Fly or Die with Lester St. Louis, Jason Ajemian,
Chad Taylor
The Dance 6 pm $55-150êBrianna Thomas Band
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Charles Turner and Uptown SwingDizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Ken Fowser Quintet; Rita with Brendan Skidmore		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Miki Yamanaka; Josh Evans; Ray Gallon		
Fat Cat 6, 10:30 pm 1:30 am $10• New Ear Festival: Susie Ibarra and DreamTime Ensemble: Jennifer Choi,
Claudia Acuña, Yuka Honda, Jake Landau		Fridman Gallery 10 pm $20• Damien Escobar with Alex Boyé, Vy Higginsen’s Sing Harlem Choir		
Ginny’s Supper Club 7 pm $45
êTony Malaby, Angelica Sanchez, Tom Rainey		Greenwich House Music School 8 pm $20
êAruán Ortiz
Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20• Bruce Cox Quartet with Marion Cowings		Jazz 966 8 pm $20• Ed Laub Trio with Bill O’Connell, Martin Pizzarelli		Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34
êDarcy James Argue’ Secret Society with Alexa Tarantino, Rob Wilkerson,
Sam Sadigursky, Quinsin Nachoff, Carl Maraghi, Sam Hoyt, Jonathan Powell,Matt Holman, Nadje Noordhuis, Ingrid Jensen, Mike Fahie, Ryan Keberle,
Jacob Garchik, Jennifer Wharton, Sebastian Noelle, Adam Birnbaum, Jorge Roeder,
Jon Wikan
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Lizz Wright with Chris Bruce, Adam Levy, Kenny Banks, Sr., David Cook, Ben Zwerin,Jack DeBoe
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êWinter Jazzfest: Ron Artis II and The Truth with Ernie Ercaela, Jr., Justin Chittams;
Steven Bernstein’s Millenial Territory Orchestra @20 with Curtis Fowlkes,
Charlie Burnham, Doug Wieselman, Peter Apfelbaum, Erik Lawrence, Matt Munisteri,
Ben Allison, Ben Perowsky, Catherine Russell; Mark Guiliana Quartet with
Chris Morissey, Shai Maestro, Jason Rigby and guest Gretchen Parlato
		
Le Poisson Rouge 7:45 pm $55-150êLenny White 70th Birthday Celebration: Lenny White Quartet with Dave Stryker,
Mike Lee, Ed Howard
Made In New York Jazz Café 7, 9 pm $30• Winter Jazzfest: Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East with Grey McMurray, Pawan Benjamin,
Kenny Bentley; Ikebe Shakedown; Gregoire Maret/Romain Collin’s Americana;Braxton Cook with Henoc Montes, Andrew Renfroe, Curtis Nowosad;
Butcher Brown: Corey Fonville, Devonne Harrison, Andrew Randazzo, Morgan Burrs,
Marcus Tenney; Madison McFerrin Mercury Lounge 6:45 pm $55-150• Ben Wolfe, Yotam Silberstein, Aaron Kimmel; Bob DeMeo		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êWinter Jazzfest: Angela Morris’ Skellettes with Nathaniel Morgan, Jason Ajemian,Booker Stardrum; Nate Wooley’s Columbia Icefield with Mary Halvorson, Susan Alcorn,
Ryan Sawyer; Mary Lattimore; Mary Halvorson/John Dieterich;Blacks Myths: Luke Stewart/Warren Crudup III
		Nublu 151 7 pm $55-150êDelfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra with Tonya Boyd-Cannon, Khari Allen Lee,
Amari Ansari, Roderick Paulin, Orlando Gilbert, Roger Lewis, Terrance Taplin,
Jeffery Miller, Brice Miller, Andrew Baham, Scott Frock, John Gray, Sean Mason,
David Pulphus, Joseph Dyson, Jr. Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 8:30 pm $18-20• Pedrito Martinez
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 9:45 pm $18-20• Andy Bianco Trio
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 10 pm $10-20• Spiritual Sounds and The Jazz Age: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra				
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-130êWilliam Parker’s Trail of Tears Continuum 1492–2020 with Fred Moten, Tracie Morris,
Mara Rosenbloom, AnneMarie Sandy, Steve Swell, Rob Brown, Dave Sewelson,
Hamid Drake, Andrea Wolper, Raina Sokolov Gonzalez, Patricia Nicholson,
Jason Jordan, Miriam Parker, Jo Wood Brown		
Roulette 8 pm $25
êWinter Jazzfest: The Era Footwork Crew; Hypnotic Brass Ensemble; KOKOROKO;
Hailu Mergia
S.O.B.’s 7 pm $55-150• Shawn Lovato’s Microcosms with Michaël Attias, Patti Kilroy, Hannis Brown,
Santiago Leibson, Shawn Lovato, Vinnie Sperrazza, Colin Hinton; Jein: Lisa Hoppe,
Todd Neufeld, Aaron Edgcomb Scholes Street Studio 8, 9 pm
• Furmi Gomez 4tet
Shrine 7 pm
• Michael Sarian Quartet
Silvana 6 pm
• Mike Rodriguez Sextet with John Ellis, Gary Versace, Hamish Smith, Joe Martin,
Ele Howell, Obed Calvaire; Philip Dizack Quartet with Shai Maestro, Daryl Johns,
Jeremy Dutton; Brooklyn Circle Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Peter Washington, Kenny Washington
		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38• Laurel Snyder; JAV; Lester St. Louis/Chris Williams
		Spectrum 7 pm $15êMaría Grand, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Winter Jazzfest: Theo Bleckmann’s Mixtape with Mike King, Chris Tordini,
Ulysses Owens, Jr.; Matthew Whitaker Quartet with Marcos Robinson, Karim Hutton,
Isaiah Johnson; Connie Han Trio with Ivan Taylor , Bill Wysaske; YES! Trio: Ali Jackson,
Aaron Goldberg, Omer Avital; The Jazz Gallery Allstars: Miguel Zenón, Morgan Guerin,
Joel Ross, Charles Altura, Gerald Clayton, Matt Brewer, Kendrick Scott, Renee Neufville;
Michael Olatuja’s Lagos Pepper Soup with Etienne Stadwyk, Terreon Gulley,
Brandee Younger, Thana Alexa, Rasul A. Salaam, Cossandra James		
Subculture 6:15 pm $55-150êScott Colley Quartet with Ralph Alessi, Craig Taborn, Nasheet Waits		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Winter Jazzfest: Joey Alexander; Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet with Sam Harris,
Harish Raghavan, Justin Brown; Makaya McCraven’s In These Times with Irvin Pierce,
Greg Ward, Brandee Younger, Joel Ross, Junius Paul; Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band		
Webster Hall 7 pm $55-150êWinter Jazzfest: Nasheet Waits By Sea with Nduduzo Makhathini, Immanuel Wilkins,
Rashaan Carter; Jamie Baum and Short Stories with Gregoire Maret, Mark Shim,
Andy Milne, Joe Martin, Jeff Hirshfield; Kendra Shank Tribute To Abbey Lincoln withFrank Kimbrough, Billy Drewes, Dean Johnson, Matt Wilson; Quiana Lynell with
Alex Wintz, Willerm Dellisfort, Jonathan Michel, Darrian Douglas;
Christian Sands Quintet with Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn, Keyon Harrold,
Marvin Sewell; David Kikoski Trio with Ed Howard, Joe Farnsworth		Zinc Bar 6 pm $55-150êValery Ponomarev Big Band
Zinc Bar 10:30 pm 12 am $20
êWinter Jazzfest: Kalia Vandever with Theo Walentiny, Lee Meadvin, Nick Dunston,Connor Parks; Petros Klampanis Trio with Kristjan Randalu, Obed Calvaire; Ted Poor
Trio with Cuong Vu, Kris Davis;
Todd Sickafoose’s Tiny Resistors with Jenny Scheinman, Ben Goldberg, Kirk Knuffke,
Erik Deutsch, Rob Reich, Kyle Sanna, Mark Ferber		Zürcher Gallery 7:30 pm $55-150

Saturday, January 11• Tony Tixier
Apollo Theater & Music Café 10 pm $22• Paul Austerlitz/John Loggia; Ras Moshe Burnett, Aron Namenwirth, Charley Sabatino,

Colin Hinton; Eric Plaks, Nick Lyons, Evan Crane, Dan Kurfirst		Aron’s Place 7:30 pm $10• Patrick Cornelius Trio with Rick Rosato, Carl Allen		
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12• Sara Gazarek
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Kurt Elling
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50êVeronica Swift with Emmet Cohen Trio		
Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Winter Jazzfest: Naissam Jalal’s Quest of The Invisible; Anne Pacéo with
Tony Paeleman, Pierre Perchaud, Christophe Panzani, Ann Shirley; Plume withKush Abadey; Thomas de Pourquery and Supersonic with Laurent Bardainne,
Fabrice Martinez, Arnaud Roulin, Frederick Galiay, Edward Perraud, Jaimie Branch;
Jonathan Jurion’s Le Temps Fou with Jowee Omicil; Eym Trio: Elie Dufour,
Yann Phayphet, Marc Michel
The Bitter End 6:15 pm $55-150• Philly Reunion: Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco, Lil’ John Roberts,
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êWallace Roney Quintet
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $30• Denton Darien Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pmêWinter Jazzfest: Helen Sung’s Sung With Words with Christie Dashiell, Steve Wilson,
Reuben Rogers, Kush Abadey; Unholy Row: Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre, Mark Guiliana;
Susan Alcorn Quintet with Mary Halvorson, Mark Feldman, Michael Formanek,
Ryan Sawer; CUP: Nels Cline/Yuka C. Honda; Anna Webber’s Clockwise Septet with
Jeremy Viner, Jacob Garchik, Christopher Hoffman, Matt Mitchell, Chris Tordini, Ches Smith		The Dance 7:15 pm $55-150• Russell Hall’s The Feeling of Romance with Vuyo Sotashe, Martina DaSilva,
Vanessa Perea; Ruben Fox, Julian Lee, Mathis Picard, Emmet Cohen, Kyle Poole,
Nick Russo
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Charles Turner and Uptown SwingDizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $20• Mike DiRubbo Quartet with Brian Charette, Ugonna Okegwo; Freddy Deboe Band		The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Rafael Monteagudo; Duane Eubanks; Greg Glassman Jam		
Fat Cat 7, 10 pm 1:30 am $10• New Ear Festival: William Hooker’s The Symphonie Excerpts with Marc Edwards,
Theodore Woodward, Matt Chilton; Joanna Mattrey solo					
Fridman Gallery 9, 10 pm $20
êAruán Ortiz
Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20
êMark Soskin Quartet with Rich Perry, Jay Anderson, Matt Wilson
		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34
êJen Shyu’s Zero Grasses
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Lizz Wright with Chris Bruce, Adam Levy, Kenny Banks, Sr., David Cook, Ben Zwerin,Jack DeBoe
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êWinter Jazzfest: Becca Stevens with Michelle Willis, Chris Tordini, Jordan Perlson,
Jan Esbra; Lakecia Benjamin’s Pursuance—The Music of the Coltranes with
Reggie Workman, Regina Carter, Marcus Strickland, Greg Osby, Lonnie Plaxico,Darrell Green; Issac Delgado
Le Poisson Rouge 6:30 pm $55-150êLenny White 70th Birthday Celebration: Lenny White Trio with Tom Guarna,Richie Goods
Made In New York Jazz Café 7, 9 pm $30
êWinter Jazzfest: Marquis Hill New Gospel Revisited with Walter Smith III, Joel Ross,
James Francies, Harish Raghavan, Kendrick Scott; Nir Felder Trio with Matt Penman,
Jimmy Macbride; Hypnotic Brass Ensemble; Kassa Overall’s I Think I’m Good with
Melanie Charles, J Hoard, Paul Wilson, Mike King, Morgan Guerin, Carlos Overall;Theo Croker’s Star People Nation with Mike King, Eric Wheeler, Michael Ode;
Heroes Are Gang Leaders: James Brandon Lewis, Thomas Sayers Ellis,
Randall Horton, Luke Stewart, Jenna Camille, Melanie Dyer, Heru Shabaka-ra,
Devin Brahja Waldman, Bonita Lee Penn, Brandon Moses, Nettie Chickering,
Warren Trae Crudup III
Mercury Lounge 6:45 pm $55-150• Ben Wolfe, Yotam Silberstein, Aaron Kimmel		
Mezzrow 7:30 pm $20• Chiemi Nakai Trio with Ben Willis, Juan Felipe Mayorga and guest Mamiko Taira				Michiko Studios 7 pm $20
êJC Hopkins Biggish Band with Joy Hanson, Vanisha Gould
		
Minton’s 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
êJay Clayton/Ken Filiano; Pearring Sound with guest Daniel Carter		
Mirror Tea House 8 pm $10• Winter Jazzfest: Amirtha Kidambi/Lea Bertucci ; Dominique Fils Aime; 		
Nite Bjuti: Val Jeanty, Candice Hoyes, Mimi Jones; Tommaso Cappellato;
Jessica Jones Quartet with Tony Jones, Stomu Takeishi, Kenny Wollesen				
Nublu 151 7 pm $55-150êWinter Jazzfest—Steve Dalachinsky Celebration: Daniel Carter, Dave Liebman,
Matthew Shipp, Ellen Christi, Lisa Sokolov, Cooper Moore, Jean Carla Rodea,
Gerald Cleaver, Ingrid Laubrock, Jaimie Branch, Ka Baird, Sarah Bernstein,
Kenny Wollesen, James Brandon Lewis, Shelley Hirsch, Pasquale Canginao,
Samara Lubelski, Charlie Waters, Jason Kao Hwang, Tom Surgal, Lin Culberston,
Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, Baba Israel, Kris Davis, Luke Stewart, Ernie Brooks,
Matt Mottel, Kevin Shea, Nicola Hein Nuyorican Poets Café 8 pm
• Spiritual Sounds and The Jazz Age: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra				
Rose Theater 8 pm $40-130êWilliam Parker’s Trail of Tears Continuum 1492–2020 with Fred Moten, Tracie Morris,
Mara Rosenbloom, AnneMarie Sandy, Steve Swell, Rob Brown, Dave Sewelson,
Hamid Drake, Andrea Wolper, Raina Sokolov Gonzalez, Patricia Nicholson,
Jason Jordan, Miriam Parker, Jo Wood Brown		
Roulette 8 pm $25• Winter Jazzfest:Tia Fuller Quartet with Eric Wheeler, Andrew Renfroe, Michael Ode;
Revelator: Peter Apfelbaum, Will Bernard, Aaron Johnston and guest Bill Laswell;
Donny McCaslin with Ryan Dahle, Tim Lefebvre, Zach Danziger, Rachel Eckroth andguest Gail Ann Dorsey
S.O.B.’s 7:30 pm $55-150• Reggie Woods Quartet
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20• Mike Rodriguez Sextet with John Ellis, Gary Versace, Hamish Smith, Joe Martin,
Ele Howell, Obed Calvaire; Philip Dizack Quartet with Shai Maestro, Daryl Johns,
Jeremy Dutton; Eric Wyatt
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Peter Washington, Kenny Washington
		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38• Shai Bachar
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Stanley Jordan; Grace Kelly
Sony Hall 11 am $35
êMaría Grand, Kalia Vandever, Kanoa Mendenhall, Jeremy Dutton
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êWinter Jazzfest: Laila Biali; The Cookers: Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss,
Donald Harrison, George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart; Harold Lopez-Nussa Quartet
with Ruy Lopez-Nussa, Gaston Joya, Mayquel Gonzalez; Kat Edmonson with
Matt Munisteri, Aaron Thurston, Roy Dunlap, Bob Hart; Rene Marie’s Experiment In Truth
with John Chin, Elias Bailey, Quentin E. Baxter; Gregg August’s Dialogues on Race withJohn Ellis, Bruce Williams, JD Allen, Ken Thomson, John Bailey, Frank Lacy,
Marcus Rojas, Luis Perdomo, Donald Edwards
		
Subculture 6:15 pm $55-150êWinter Jazzfest: James ‘Blood’ Ulmer; Harriet Tubman: J.T. Lewis, Brandon Ross,
Melvin Gibbs
The Sultan Room 7 pm $30
êScott Colley Quartet with Ralph Alessi, Craig Taborn, Nasheet Waits		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êWinter Jazzfest: Brandee Younger’s Soul Awakening with Chelsea Baratz, Anne Drummond,
Dezron Douglas, Allan Mednard; Makaya McCraven Tribute To Gil Scott Heron with
Irvin Pierce, Greg Ward, Marquis Hill, Brandee Younger, Joel Ross, Junius Paul;
Terrace Martin’s Grey Matter with Paul Cornish, Dominic Sanders, Jonathan Pinson;
Robert Glasper Electric Trio with Burniss Travis II, Justin Tyson and guest DJ Jahi Sundance;
Karriem Riggins with guests
Webster Hall 7 pm $55-150• Winter Jazzfest: Steve Lehman Trio with Matt Brewer, Damion Reid and guest
Craig Taborn; Samantha Boshnack’s Seismic Belt with Jessica Pavone,
Sarah Bernstein, Chris Credit, Kai Ono, Lisa Hoppe, Jacob Shandling;
Jim Snidero’s Project-K with Helen Sung, Harish Raghavan, Jonathan Barber,
Do Yeon Kim; Pasquale Grasso; George Burton’s Reciprocity with Alexa Barchini,
Tim Warfield, Chris Hemingway, Pablo Menares, Nazir Ebo; Axel Tosca with
Daniel Winshall, David Fraizer, Jr., Felipe Fournier		
Zinc Bar 6:30 pm $55-150êWinter Jazzfest: Sara Serpa; Nduduzo Makhathini; Alan Braufman’s Valley of Searchwith Cooper Moore; Uri Caine’s The Passion of Octavius Catto with Mike Boone,
Clarence Penn, Barbara Walker Zürcher Gallery 7:15 pm $55-150

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 47

Sunday, January 12êMadeleine Peyroux

Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êStacey Kent
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40
êAllison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom with Jenny Scheinman, Kirk Knuffe, Ben, Myra Melford,
Todd Sickafoose
Birdland Theater 7 pm $20-30êEmmet Cohen Trio
Birdland Theater 9:45 pm $20-30• Daniel Bennett GroupBlue Note 11:30 am 1:30 pm $39.50• Philly Reunion: Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco, Lil’ John Roberts,
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Ashcan Orchestra; Booker Stardrum, John McCowen, Miranda Javid				
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 8 pm $15êWallace Roney Quintet
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $30• Markus Rutz Quintet with Wayne Escoffery, Adrian Ruiz, Marcos Varela,
Donald Edwards
Club Bonafide 7 pm $20• The Brubeck Brothers: Darius, Chris and Dan Brubeck with Dave O’Higgins				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Juan Pablo Carletti solo; Aron Namemwirth, Dave Sewelson, Colin Hinton,
Chris Pitsiokos, JAV, Kevin MurrayDowntown Music Gallery 6, 7, 8 pmêTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band; Justin Robinson		
Fat Cat 6, 9 pm $10• Intergenerational Jam Session Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm $10• Tivon Pennicott and Strings with Keyon Harrold, Yasushi Nakamura, Joe Saylor,
Yoojin Park, Jae Young Bea, Luis Casal, Marco Sabatino, Joshua Kail, Amy Kang,
Reenat Pinchas, Johannes Felscher Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êWinter Jazzfest: From Detroit To The World—Celebrating The Jazz Legacy Of
Detroit and Honoring Marcus Belgrave: Ron Carter, Sheila Jordan, Johnny O’Neal,
Dwight Adams, Louis Hayes; Joan Belgrave Ensemble with Ibrahim Jones,
Brandon Williams, Zen Zadravec, Greg Glassman; Marcus Belgrave Legacy Ensemble:
Robert Hurst, Ali Jackson, Karriem Riggins, Kelvin Sholar, Dwight Adams, Theo Croker,
JD Allen
Le Poisson Rouge 5 pm $55
êLenny White 70th Birthday Celebration: Lenny White Trio with George Cables,
Alex Blake
Made In New York Jazz Café 6, 8 pm $30• Randy Ingram, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert; Chris Flory		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• The Royal Bopsters: Amy London, Holli Ross, Pete McGuinness, Dylan Pramuk				
Minton’s 6 pm $20• Alexis Cole Trio with Roni Ben-Hur, Dean Johnson
		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Winter Jazzfest—Sounds of the Dutch Underground: Tin Men and The Telephone;
Tineke Postma’s Freya with Jonathan Finlayson, Matt Brewer, Dan Weiss;
Niels Broos/Jamie Peet, Binkbeats Nublu 151 7 pm $25
êZack Clarke Trio with Kim Cass, Dre Hocevar		
The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10êRopeadope CTRL ALT JAZZ hosted by Anu Sun: Aaron Parks, Matthew Stevens,
Tim Lefebvre, Corey Fonville and guests Chet Doxas, C R O W N, J. Hoard,
Sasha Masakowski; Adrian Harpham with Fred Cash, Bruce Flowers, Marvin Sewelland guests Darren Hoffman, Aaron Whitby, Greg Dayton, Derek Nievergelt		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 10 pm $10• Charles Davis, Richie Clements, David Colding, TC III
		Russian Samovar 3 pm
• Anwar MarshallSaint Peter’s Church 6 pm
• Rodger Fox Big Band with Erna Ferry		
ShapeShifter Lab 8 pm
• Mike Karn Quartet with Harry Allen, Konrad Paszkudzki, Mark Taylor;
Bruce Harris Quartet; Hillel Salem Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Peter Washington, Kenny Washington
		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38
êWinter Jazzfest: Kris Davis’ Diatom Ribbons with Terri Lyne Carrington, Val Jeanty andguests Tony Malaby, Trevor Dunn The Sultan Room 7 pm $25
êMiguel Zenón/Gerald Clayton
Teatro Latea 7 pm $20• Linda Presgrave Quartet with Stan Chovnick, Kenji Yoshitake, Seiji Ochiai
		Tomi Jazz 7 pmêScott Colley Quartet with Ralph Alessi, Craig Taborn, Nasheet Waits		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Connie Han

Monday, January 13• Jim Ridl
55Bar 7 pm
• Arthur Kell Quartet with Brad Shepik, Nate Radley, Mark Ferber		
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Lisa Hoppe Trio with Samantha Boshnak, Stephen Boegehold; Aimee Allen Trio with
Freddie Bryant, Danton Boller
Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 7 pm $40-50• Peter Cincotti
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30• Harold López-Nussa Y Amigos with Ruy Adrián López-Nussa, Julio Cesar Gonzalez,
Mayquel Gonzalez, Pedrito Martinez, Grégoire Maret, Earl Brooks. Jr.
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Elinor Speirs, Dan O’Brien, Rob Patrick, Ben Stapp, Raf Vertessen; Stephen Gauci,
Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; Jeremy Carlstedt Ensemble; Francesco Marcocci,
Daniel Carter, Dan Blake, Francisco Mela; Thriambos: Josh Sinton, Daniel Carter,
Dave Sewelson; Kevin Eichenberger, Will Bollinger, James Gibian		
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10êWallace Roney Quintet
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $30• Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet with Julian Lee, Philip Norris, Domo Branch		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Ned Goold Quartet; Billy Kaye Jam Fat Cat 9 pm 12:30 am $10• JFA Jam Session
Jazz Museum in Harlem 6:30 pmêWinter Jazzfest: Artemis: Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Melissa Aldana,
Noriko Ueda, Allison Miller; Kevin Eubanks/Orrin Evans Experience;
Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom with Jenny Scheinman, Kirk Knuffe, Ben, Myra Melford,
Todd Sickafoose
Le Poisson Rouge 7:30 pm $35• Brandon Goldberg, Luques Curtis, Donald Edwards; Pasquale Grasso		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• French Quarter Festival: Géraldine Laurent Quartet with Laurent de Wilde, Ira Coleman,
Billy Drummond; Anne Paceo with Christophe Panzani, Isabel Sorling, Tony Paeleman;
Plume with Léonardo Montana, Geraud Portal, Kush Abadey; Jonathan Jurion Quintet
with Josiah Woodson, Jowee Omicil, Michel Alibo, Samuel Laviso;
EYM Trio: Elie Dufour, Yann Phayphet, Marc Michel; Ben Barnett
		
Smalls 7:30 pm 1 am $20• Alex Conde Piano Flamenco Trio with Petros Klampanis, Jose Moreno				
Soapbox Gallery 7:30 pm $20• Winter Jazzfest: Mark Guiliana with guest; Golden Valley Is Now: Reid Anderson,
Craig Taborn, Dave KingThe Sultan Room 7 pm $25

Tuesday, January 14• Stan Killian; Felix Pastorius
55Bar 7, 10 pm• Rufus Capadoccia/Sheila Anozier Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Helena Kay Trio with Kaisa Maensivu, Angus Mason; David Leon Trio with

Kenneth Jimenez, Francisco Mela Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50êMaceo Parker
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êWallace Roney Quintet
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $30
êChristian Sands Trio
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Jacob Melsha
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $5• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet; Los Habaneros				
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Saul Rubin Zebtet; Peter Brainin Latin Jazz Workshop; Alexi David		Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am $10êTim Berne, Ryan Ferreira, Nasheet Waits; Ben Monder, Gary Wang, Diego Voglino				Halyard’s 8, 10 pm $10

48 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Michael Shapira Quartet
Jazz at Kitano 8 pm
• Cal State-Northridge Jazz Combos with guest Ben Wendel

		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15êMichael Leonhart Orchestra with guest Anat Cohen		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• French Quarter: Jazz in NYC: Naissam Jalal; Géraldine Laurent;
Thomas de Pourquery and Supersonic with Laurent Bardainne,
Fabrice Martinez, Arnaud Roulin, Frederick Galiay, Edward Perraud		Joe’s Pub 6:30 pm $15• Geoffrey Keezer, Gillian Margot, Nicole Glover; Vanessa Perea		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Jacques Schwarz-Bart; Justin Brown; Blaque Dynamite		Nublu 151 8 pm $15• Camille Bertault with with Mederic Collignon, David Helbock
		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 10 pm $20• Chris Williams/Nick Dunston Trio; Valerie Skakun/Pat Spadine’s Benches;
Joanna Mattrey
SEEDS 8, 9, 10 pm• Gerry Gibbs Thrasher People with Jean Baptiste-Bocle, Erena Terakubo,Michael Eckroth, Marlon Martinez, Kyeshie Gibbs, Debbie Major; Steve Nelson Quartet
with Rick Germanson, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Charles Goold; Jon Elbaz		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• Ches Smith, Craig Taborn, Mat Maneri and guest
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Winter Jazzfest: Mark Guiliana; Billy Martin with Soul Gnawa and guest Jason Lindner
		The Sultan Room 7 pm $25
êJulian Lage Trio with Jorge Roeder, Dave King		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Wednesday, January 15• Melissa Stylianou; Mike Stern

55Bar 7, 10 pmêJonathan Finlayson Quartet with David Bryant, Christopher Tordini, Eric McPherson

		
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Artur Akhmetov Trio with Nathan Garrett, Samvel Sarkisyan
		Bar Next Door 5:30 pmêCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50êMaceo Parker
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êThe Curtis Brothers’ Algorithm: Zaccai and Luques Curtis
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Jacob Melsha
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $5• Freddie Hendrix Quintet
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 11 pm• Raphael D’lugoff Trio +1; Don Hahn/Mike Camacho Band; Ned Goold Jam		
Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am $10• Sari Kessler Quartet with John DiMartino, Steve Whipple, Andrew Atkinson		Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18êMichael Leonhart Orchestra
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Locke, Michael Mayo; Stefano Doglioni
		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êPyschaudio; Jaleel Shaw; Anteloper: Jaimie Branch/Jason Nazary		
Nublu 151 8 pm $15• Roni Ben-Hur, Harvie S, Tim Horner Saint Peter’s Church 1 pm $10• Jeff McGregor
Silvana 6 pm
• Gerry Gibbs Thrasher People with Jean Baptiste-Bocle, Erena Terakubo,Michael Eckroth, Marlon Martinez, Kyeshie Gibbs, Debbie Major; Francisco Mela Triowith Hery Paz, Juanma Trujillo; Neal Caine		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êDavid Weiss Sextet with Immanuel Wilkins, Nicole Glover, David Bryant, Eric Wheeler,
E.J. Strickland
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êGood for Cows: Devin Hoff/Ches Smith and guests Nels Cline, Kris Davis		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJulian Lage Trio with Jorge Roeder, Dave King		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Thursday, January 16• Jinjoo Yoo Duo
1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 8 pm
• Scott Sharrard Grant Green Tribute		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Adam Cordero Trio with Odin Scherer, Henry Mermer; Daniel Eli Weiss Trio with
Dave Baron, Aaron Seeber
Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12êUniversity of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50êMaceo Parker
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Winter Jazzfest: Scott Amendola/Wil Blades with guest Skerik;Mark Giuliana’s Space Heroes with Chris Morrissey, Shane Endsley, Jason Rigby;
Hornē Electric Band
Brooklyn Bowl 7:30 pm $15êCafe Bohemia Quartet led Jon Erik Kellso		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Alan Rosenthal Duo
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm
• Atom String Quartet: Dawid Lubowicz, Mateusz Smoczyński, Michał Zaborski,
Krzysztof Lenczowski
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Jacob Melsha
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Joe Farnsworth Trio; Sonny Step The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pmêBig Chief Donald Harrison/DJ Logic		
Drom 7:30 pm $30
êDuane Eubanks and Company with James Hurt, Tarus Mateen, Eric McPherson
		Drom 10 pm $20• Reid Taylor Quintet
Fat Cat 7 pm $10• SugarTone Brass Band
Ginny’s Supper Club 8 pm $20• AirTrain Jazz Festival: Augustin Grasso Quartet
		Jamaica Air Train Station 5 pm
• Carl Bartlett, Jr. Quartet with Hope Udobi, Steve Wood, Will Terrill		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18• Chris Tordini Quartet with Anna Webber, Red Wierenga, Dan Weiss		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15êDavid Murray Octet with Lakecia Benjamin, Josh Evans, Terry Green III, Mingus Murray,
David Bryant, Russell Carter
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êRoberta Piket, Virginia Mayhew, Mike Fahn, Billy Mintz; Spike Wilner		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Gene Bertoncini/Roni Ben-Hur New York Public Library 96th Street Branch 4:30 pm• Brandon Seabrook’s Die Trommel Fatale; Now vs Now: Jason Lindner,
Panagiotis Andreou, Justin Tyson; BIG YUKI
		
Nublu 151 8 pm $15• Kenny Warren solo
The Owl Music Parlor 7:30 pm $10• Gulli Björnsson; Dollshot; Matt McBane and Build		
ShapeShifter Lab 7 pm $15• Tuomo Uusitalo
Shrine 6 pmêGerald Cleaver Violet Hour Sextet with JD Allen, Andrew Bishop, Ben Waltzer,
Chris Lightcap; Ameen Saleem Quartet with Josh Evans, Tadataka Unno, Jason Brown;
Malick Koly
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• Cyrus Chestnut Birthday Celebration with Eric Wheeler, Chris Beck		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38• Sirene Dantor Rene, Daniel Brevil, Markus Schwartz, Fanfan Jean Guy Rene,
Nick Dunston, Ches Smith
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Linda Presgrave Quartet with Stan Chovnick, Kenji Yoshitake, Seiji Ochiai
		Tomi Jazz 7 pm
• Winter Jazzfest: Seu Jorge with Rogê; Anat Cohen and Choro Aventuroso				Town Hall 8 pm $55-85• Eugene Pugachov Quartet with Chris Bacas, Chris Wright, Evan Hyde		
Uke Hut 8 pm $20
êJulian Lage Trio with Jorge Roeder, Dave King		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Friday, January 17• Anna Kolchina/Jinjoo Yoo
1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 9 pm
• Craig Brann Trio with Nick Morrison, Sanah Kadoura		Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50êMaceo Parker
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Winter Jazzfest: Kendra Morris; Felix Pastorius and Hipster Assassins with Chris Ward,
Tyler Blanton, Devin Collins; Kung Fu; DJ Logic and Friends with Billy Martin,
Shanir Blumenkranz
Brooklyn Bowl 7:30 pm $35-75• Scott Sharrard Grant Green Tribute		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $25• Dan Furman Duo
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Walter Blanding Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Jacob Melsha
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Ken Fowser; Hudson Horns
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Gregorio Uribe
Drom 9:30 pm $15êDavid Weiss Point of Departure
Fat Cat 10:30 pm $10êJohnny O’Neal
Ginny’s Supper Club 8 pm $25
êPatricia Brennan’s Raíces Jarochas with Michael Formanek, Mauricio Herrera,
Noel Brennan
Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20• Winter Jazzfest: Huck; People’s Champs; Mwenso and The Shakes
		House of Yes 6:30 pm $30-55• Soul 4 Life with Pam Cornelius Jazz 966 8 pm $20
êScott Robinson Quartet with Helen Sung, Martin Wind, Dennis Mackrel
		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34
êDavid Murray Octet with Lakecia Benjamin, Josh Evans, Terry Green III, Mingus Murray,
David Bryant, Russell Carter
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Jeb Patton/David Wong; Marc Devine		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Winter Jazzfest: QNA; L’Rain; Phony Ppl; Kneebody: Adam Benjamin, Shane Endsley,
Ben Wendel, Nate Wood and guest Mark Guiliana; Shigeto; Daedelus		
Music Hall of Williamsburg 7 pm $30-55• Winter Jazzfest: Sasha Berliner; Sphere Ensemble: Meshell Ndegeocello,
Elio Villafrance, Chris Bruce; Quantic		
National Sawdust 10:30 pm $30-55• Gordon Grdina’s Nomad Trio with Matt Mitchell, Jim Black; Tomoki Sanders;Casey BenjaminNublu 151 8 pm $15• Winter Jazzfest: Keyon Harrold with Nir Felder, Shedrick Mitchell, Burness Travis,
Charles Haynes; Aneesa Strings; Taali’s Were Most of Your Stars Out?;Ben Williams’ I Am A Man with Marcus Strickland, Big Yuki, David Rosenthal,
Bendji Allonce; José James’ No Beginning No End 2; J. Hoard
		
Rough Trade NYC 6:45 pm $30-55• Kenny Davis Quartet with Eddie Allen, Luciano Minetti, Jarrett Walser;
Jean-Michel Pilc Trio with Sam Minaie, Jerad Lippi; Corey Wallace DUBtet
		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• Cyrus Chestnut Birthday Celebration with Eric Wheeler, Chris Beck		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38
êJonathan Finlayson, Stephan Crump, Ches Smith		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êWinter Jazzfest: Big Terminal: Tim Berne, David Torn, Aurora Nealand;
Jessica Pavone String Ensemble with Abby Swidler, Erica Dicker, Angela Morris;
Wayne Horvitz/Sara Schoenbeck; Dan Weiss Starebaby with Craig Taborn,
Matt Mitchell, Ben Monder, Trevor Dunn; Salami Rose Joe Louis;
Chris Lightcap’s SuperBigmouth with Tony Malaby, Chris Cheek, Jonathan Goldberger,
Curtis Hasselbring, Craig Taborn, Dan Rieser, Gerald Cleaver				The Sultan Room 6:15 pm $30-55• Jazz Across the America—Argentina: Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra withguests Pablo Aslan, Sofía Rei, Leo Genovese, Franco Pinna, Juancho Herrera,
Gabriel Senanes
Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre 7 pm $25-45

êJulian Lage Trio with Jorge Roeder, Dave King		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Saturday, January 18• Paul Bollenback Trio with Alexander Claffy, Tommy Campbell

		Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40-50êMaceo Parker
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Roy Meriwether and The Wade Barnes Tribute Band		
Brownsville Heritage House 3 pm
• Peter Maness and The Master Keys Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Jon Weiss Duo
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Walter Blanding Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Jacob Melsha
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $20• Richie Vitalie Quintet; Endea Owens and The Cookout
		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Mediterranean Jazz Festival: Adam Maalouf solo; Bulgarian Voices Trio: Vlada Tomova,
Valentina Kvasova, Shelley Thomas with guest Angelo di Loreto; Carola Ortiz Trio with
Sandrine Robilliard, Bartolomeo Barenghi and guest John King		Drom 6:30 pm $25• Mathis Sound Orchestra
Ginny’s Supper Club 8 pm $20
êPatricia Brennan with Jon Irabagon, Adam O’Farrill, Matt Mitchell, Tomas Fujiwara				Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20
êScott Robinson Quartet with Helen Sung, Martin Wind, Dennis Mackrel
		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34
êDavid Murray Octet with Lakecia Benjamin, Josh Evans, Terry Green III, Mingus Murray,
David Bryant, Russell Carter
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Classics From the Classic Era of Swing—Basie, Dorsey, Ellington, Goodman, Miller andShaw: Juilliard Jazz Orchestra led by Scotty Barnhart		Juilliard School Peter Jay Sharp Theater 7:30 pm $20• Jeb Patton/David Wong; Jon Davis Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êJC Hopkins Biggish Band with Joy Hanson, Vanisha Gould
		
Minton’s 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
êJD Allen Trio
Nublu 151 9 pm $15• Tongue Depressor: Zach Rowden/Henry Birdsey; Matt Sargent		
Scholes Street Studio 8 pm
• Brandon Sanders MLK, Jr. Tribute Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20• Kenny Davis Quartet with Eddie Allen, Luciano Minetti, Jarrett Walser;
Jean-Michel Pilc Trio with Sam Minaie, Jerad Lippi; Mimi Jones and The Lab Session		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• Cyrus Chestnut Birthday Celebration with Eric Wheeler, Chris Beck		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38• Piano Hang: Hyuna Park, Luke Marantz, Alex Pryrodny, Gary Fischer,
Idris Donivan Frederick
Soapbox Gallery 3 pm $10• Annette A. Aguilar’s StringBeans St. Mary’s Recreation Center 2 pm
• Laugh Ash: Jennifer Choi, Anna Webber, Nate Wooley, Oscar Noriega, Cory Smythe,
Ches Smith
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Jazz Across the America—Argentina: Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra withguests Pablo Aslan, Sofía Rei, Leo Genovese, Franco Pinna, Juancho Herrera,
Gabriel Senanes
Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre 8 pm $25-45
êJulian Lage Trio with Jorge Roeder, Dave King		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Sunday, January 19• JT Lewis, Marc Ribot and Friends Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Scott Reeves Orchestra
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êBill O’Connell Quartet
Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Adam Moezinia Folk Element Trio Blue Note 11:30 am 1:30 pm $39.50

êMaceo Parker
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êJeff “Tain” Watts 60th Birthday Celebration		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $40• Walter Blanding Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ragnhild May solo; Cecilia Lopez/Joe Moffett; Michael Eaton/Seth Davis				
Downtown Music Gallery 6, 7, 8 pm
• Mediterranean Jazz Festival: Petros Klampanis Irrationalities with Kristjan Randalu andguest Eleni Arapoglou; Panagiotis Andreou solo; Layale Chaker Sarafand with
Jake Charkey, Phillip Golub, Nick Dunston, Adam Maalouf;
Christos Rafalides’ Mediterranean Miles		Drom 6:30 pm $25
êTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Fat Cat 6 pm $10êDavid Murray Octet with Lakecia Benjamin, Josh Evans, Terry Green III, Mingus Murray,
David Bryant, Russell Carter
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Bennett Paster, Ed Howard, Joe Strasser; Panas Athanatos		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Erli Perez Trio with Sean Fitzgerald, Yoshi Waki		
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Pucci Amanda Jhones, Paul Odeh, Lou Vega, Motoki Mihara
		
Russian Samovar 3 pm
• Miro Sprague Trio
Saint Peter’s Church 6 pm
• Kazuki Yamanaka Quartet with Russ Lossing, Cameron Brown, Jesse Simpson				
Scholes Street Studio 7 pm $25• Nick Hempton Group; JC Stylles/Steve Nelson Quintet with Jon Davis, Dmitri Kolesnik,
Byron Landham; David Gibson Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• Cyrus Chestnut Birthday Celebration with Eric Wheeler, Chris Beck		
Smoke 7, 9 pm $38
êYimba Rudo: Kevin Norton, Steve LaSpina, Jim Pugliese		Spectrum 7 pm $15• E.J. Decker
Symphony Space Bar Thalia 7 pmêJulian Lage Trio with Jorge Roeder, Dave King		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Ed MacEachen
Weill Art Gallery 3 pm

Monday, January 20êMike Stern
55Bar 10 pmêMiles Okazaki Trio with Anthony Tidd, Nasheet Waits		
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Panas Athanatos Trio with Kimon Karoutzos, Itay Morchi; Melissa Stylianou Trio with
Gene Bertoncini, Josh Marcum Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• Senri Oe Trio with Matt Clohesy, Mark Ferber		
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30êJoel Ross Good Vibes
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25• Dave Miller Ensemble; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; Hans Tammen,
Frederick Galiay, Edward Perraud, Andrew Levine; Welf Dorr Ensemble; Ayumi Ishito,
Daniel Carter, Stelios Mihas, Damien Richardson, Josh Rosenberg;
Alec Goldfarb Ensemble
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10• The Hot Club with Matthew “Fat Cat” Rivera
		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êGeorge Braith; Billy Kaye Jam
Fat Cat 9 pm 12:30 am $10êGordon Grdina Quartet with Oscar Noriega, Russ Lossing, Satoshi Takeishi				Ibeam Brooklyn 8:30 pm $15• A Bu, Philip Norris, Cameron MacIntosh; Pasquale Grasso		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êSam Newsome Quartet with Angelica Sanchez, Hilliard Greene, Reggie Nicholson;
Joe Farnsworth Group; Ben Barnett Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• JC Stylles Trio with Paul Odeh, Gerry Gibbs
		
Zinc Bar 7:30, 9 pm $20

Bossa Brasil® at Jazz Forum ClubIn Town for Jazz Congress/APAP? Come check us out!
Sunday, January 12th, 2019. Sets at 4pm and 6pm.
1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY
Featuring compositions by Maurício de Souza, Tom Jobim, Milton
Nascimento, Egberto Gismonti, Ary Barroso, Franz Schubert
Maurício de Souza (drums) Andrew Beals (alto sax) Bob Rodriguez (piano)
Dave Kingsnorth (bass)
Tickets: $15.00/$20.00.

www.mauriciodesouzajazz.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 49

Tuesday, January 21• Leni Stern
55Bar 10 pm• Owen Chen Trio with Sean Hannon, Josh Roberts; Mike Bono Trio with Rob Jost,
Jamie Eblen

Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• Aryeh Kobrinsky Quintet with Kenny Warren, Adam Dotson, Jeremy Viner,

Jason Nazary
Barbès 7 pm $10• Karrin Allyson with Rod Fleeman, Miro Sprague, Marty Jaffe, Jerome Jennings		
		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Pasquale Grasso solo
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Sean Mason Trio with Butler Knowles, Malcolm Charles; Vuyo Sotashe				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Carl Maraghi
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $5• Manuel Valera Quinteto Cubano; Los Hacheros		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Saul Rubin Zebtet
Fat Cat 7 pm $10• James Carney Quartet with Chris Lightcap, Mark Ferber; Bruce Barth, Ugonna Okegwo,
Diego Voglino
Halyard’s 8, 10 pm $10êImmanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Nazir Ebo
		InterContinental New York Barclay’s Penthouse Suite 7 pm $35• Daisuke and Kuriko’s Farewell Jazz at Kitano 8 pm
êEd Cherry Trio with Kyle Koehler, Anwar Marshall		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Jesse Harris, Jon Dryden, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen; Vanisha Gould 				Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Mike Longo NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble with Ira Hawkins
		New York City Baha’i Center 8, 9:30 pm $15• Benjamin Tiberio Trio
SEEDS 8:30 pm
êJD Allen Trio with Ian Kenselaar, Nic Cacioppo; Frank Lacy Group; Malik McLaurine
		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• David Berkman Trio
Soapbox Gallery 7:30 pmêJen Shyu/Thomas Morgan
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints Quintet with Lawrence Fields,
Linda May Han Oh, Joey Baron Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Wednesday, January 22êMike Stern

55Bar 10 pm• While We Still Have Bodies: Ben Gerstein, Michael Foster, Sean Ali, Flin van Hemmen;

Tony Malaby/Kenny Warren
Balboa 8 pm $10• Adam Birnbaum Trio with David Wong, Rodney Green		Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Erich Jonhnson Trio with Marcelo Maccagnan, Clemens Grassman
		Bar Next Door 6:30 pm• Karrin Allyson with Rod Fleeman, Miro Sprague, Marty Jaffe, Jerome Jennings		
		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• David Finck Quartet with Joe Locke, Jim Ridl, Cliff Almond and guest				Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êLarry Willis—A Life in Jazz: Willie Jones III, Gerald Cannon, George Cables,
Justin Robinson, Steve Davis, Jeremy Pelt		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Carl Maraghi
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $5• Jason Marshall Quintet
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 10:30 pm• Raphael D’lugoff Trio +1; Stafford Hunter and Continuum; Ned Goold Jam		
Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am $10• Mark Wade Quartet with Terri Leggio Wade, Tim Harrison, Scott Neumann		Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18• Kendrick Scott Oracle
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Tyler Blanton, Drew Gress, Johnathan Blake; Sullivan Fortner
		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Howard Williams Orchestra
Saint Peter’s Church 1 pm $10• Matt Pavolka’s Horns Band with David Smith, Charlotte Greve, Jacob Garchik,Mark Ferber; Tomas Janzon Quartet with Steve Nelson, Hilliard Greene,
Chuck McPherson; Kyle Benford Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• John Farnsworth Sextet with Duane Eubanks, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Rick Germanson,
James Cammack, Joe Farnsworth Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êJeb Patton solo
Soapbox Gallery 7:30 pmêJen Shyu, Kris Davis, Thomas Morgan		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints Quintet with Lawrence Fields,
Linda May Han Oh, Joey Baron Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Thursday, January 23• Jinjoo Yoo Duo
1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 8 pmêOrlando le Fleming Trio with Mark Turner, Jeff “Tain” Watts
		
55Bar 7 pm
• Noah Becker Trio with Nick Dunston, Lesley Mok; Vaughn Stoffey Trio with Gene Perla,
Lenny WhiteBar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• Rob Silverman
Birdland 5:30 pm $25-30• Karrin Allyson with Rod Fleeman, Miro Sprague, Marty Jaffe, Jerome Jennings		
		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40
êRemembering John Abercrombie—John Abercrombie Scholarship Foundation Benefit:
Marc Copland, Jack deJohnette, Dave Liebman, Mark Feldman, Drew Gress, Ben
Monder, Rale Micic, Adam Nussbaum, Steve LaSpina and guests
		Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $30-40• Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êCafe Bohemia Quartet led Jon Erik Kellso		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Benny Green Trio with David Wong, Aaron Kimmel
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Carl Maraghi
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Jeffery Miller Quintet; Ian Hendrickson-Smith		The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Ginny’s Supper Club 7, 9 pm $25• AirTrain Jazz Festival: Corey Garcia
		Jamaica Air Train Station 5 pmêSteve Swell Quartet with Rob Brown, William Parker, Michael TA Thompson
		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18• Massimo Biolcati Quartet with Dayna Stephens, Sam Yahel, Jongkuk Kim
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15• Kendrick Scott Oracle
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êStephane Wrembel’s The Django Experiment V with Thor Jensen, Ari Folman Cohen,
Nick Anderson and guest Nick Driscoll, Daisy Castro		
Joe’s Pub 7 pm $35• Bill Goodwin, Jon Ballantyne, Evan Gregor; Spike Wilner		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Orlando Le Fleming Trio with Mark Turner, Jeff “Tain” Watts; Stafford Hunter andContinuum with Taeko Fukao, Josh Evans, Davis Whitfield, Ryan Berg, Darrell Green;
Davis Whitfield
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êAl Foster Birthday Celebration with Nicholas Payton, Vincent Herring, David Hazeltine,
Dezron Douglas
Smoke 7, 9 pm $35• Hayes Greenfield
Soapbox Gallery 7:30 pm $20
êJen Shyu, Nels Cline, Thomas Morgan		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Augustin Grasso Trio with Mike Eskenazi, Nathan Garrett		
Uke Hut 8 pm $20
êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints Quintet with Lawrence Fields,
Linda May Han Oh, Joey Baron Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

êE.J. Strickland’s Pads N Loops with Jaleel Shaw, Marcus Strickland, Ben Williams,

JSWISS
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Tom Dempsey Trio with Chris Berger, Vince Ector
		
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12• Karrin Allyson with Rod Fleeman, Miro Sprague, Marty Jaffe, Jerome Jennings		
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Jarien Jamanilla Quartet
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Kuni Mikami Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Benny Green Trio with David Wong, Aaron Kimmel
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Carl Maraghi
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $10• Ken Fowser Quintet; Antoinette Montague Experience		The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• David Bryant
Fat Cat 10:30 pm $10• Valentina Marino
Gin Fizz Harlem 8, 9:15 pm $15• Eric Brown
Ginny’s Supper Club 8 pm $25
êWendy Eisenberg
Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20• Whitney Marchelle Quintet with Patience Higgins, Anthony Wonsey, Brandi Disterheft,
Winard Harper
Jazz 966 8 pm $20• Helio Alves Quartet with Steve Wilson, Peter Washington, Duduka Da Fonseca
		Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34• Becca Stevens’ Regina with Michelle Willis, Jan Esbra, Chris Tordini, Jordan Perlson
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Dave Stryker Quartet with Warren Wolf, Jared Gold, McClenty Hunter		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Terence Blanchard with Manhattan School of Music Studio Orchestra				
Manhattan School of Music Neidorff-Karpati Hall 7:30 pmêAaron Diehl solo; Jeremy Manasia Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Brad Whiteley Organ Trio
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 10 pm $10-20• John Bailey Sextet with Stacy Dillard, Stafford Hunter, Edsel Gomez, Victor Lewis;
Paul Nedzela Group; Wallace Roney, Jr.
		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êAl Foster Birthday Celebration with Nicholas Payton, Vincent Herring, David Hazeltine,
Dezron Douglas
Smoke 7, 9 pm $35• Randy Ingram/Aubrey Johnson Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êJen Shyu, Leo Genovese, Simon Barker
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints Quintet with Lawrence Fields,
Linda May Han Oh, Joey Baron Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Jerry Weldon Quartet with John DiMartino, Neal Caine, Jason Brown
		
Zinc Bar 7:30, 9 pm $30

Saturday, January 25• Mark Kleinhaut Trio with Kim Cass, Allan Mednard
		Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12• Karrin Allyson with Rod Fleeman, Miro Sprague, Marty Jaffe, Jerome Jennings		
		Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Cosimo Boni’s 427 Quintet
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Soul Gard Band
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Benny Green Trio with David Wong, Aaron Kimmel
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Carl Maraghi
Dizzy’s Club 11:15 pm $20• David Gibson Quintet; “King” Solomon Hicks
		The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• C. Anthony Bryant
Ginny’s Supper Club 8 pm $25
êMike Baggetta Trio with Jerome Harris, Billy Mintz; Mike Baggetta/Nick Millevoi				Greenwich House Music School 7:30 pm $20
êWendy Eisenberg
Happylucky no.1 8 pm $20• William Hooker’s The Symphonie Excerpts with Marc Edwards, Mara Rosenbloom,
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Theodore Woodward, Matt Chilton, Devin Waldman				
Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $15• Helio Alves Quartet with Steve Wilson, Peter Washington, Duduka Da Fonseca
		Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34• Becca Stevens’ Regina with Michelle Willis, Jan Esbra, Chris Tordini, Jordan Perlson
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Dave Stryker Quartet with Warren Wolf, Jared Gold, McClenty Hunter		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êAaron Diehl solo; Anthony Wonsey Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êJC Hopkins Biggish Band with Joy Hanson, Vanisha Gould
		
Minton’s 7:30, 9:30 pm $25• Megumi Yonezawa, Masa Kamaguchi, Ken Kobayashi		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $15• New Language Collaborative +2: Eric Zinman, Glynis Lomon, Syd Smart, Larry Roland,
Ras Moshe Burnett; Matt Lavelle’s Night River with Chris Forbes, Jack DeSalvo,
Cheryl Pyle, Mary Cherney, Lee Odom, Tom Cabrera; JD Parran/Dave Ross;
Music Now! 2020: JD Parran, Ras Moshe Burnett, Rosi Hertlein, Dafna Naphtali,
Caitlin Cawley, Chris Forbes
Scholes Street Studio 7 pm $20
êThe Music of the Adderley Family: Nat Adderley, Jr.
		
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20• John Bailey Sextet with Stacy Dillard, Stafford Hunter, Edsel Gomez, Victor Lewis;
Paul Nedzela; Brooklyn Circle
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êAl Foster Birthday Celebration with Nicholas Payton, Vincent Herring, David Hazeltine,
Dezron Douglas
Smoke 7, 9 pm $35
êBilly Lester
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êJen Shyu/Simon Barker
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Miki Yokoyama
Symphony Space Bar Thalia 7 pmêJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints Quintet with Lawrence Fields,
Linda May Han Oh, Joey Baron Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

tomas
janzontomas janzon
Quartetjan. 22 at 10:30 Pm

smalls183 W. 10th street
smallslive.com
steve nelson(vibraPhone)hilliard Greene(bass)
chuck mcPherson(drums)neW album
130th & lenox!

Friday, January 24• Anna Kolchina/Jinjoo Yoo

50 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 9 pm

photo Warren Berman

tomasjanzon.com

Sunday, January 26• Adison Evans Quartet with Silvano Monasterios, Josh Allen, Jongkuk Kim and guest
Sabeth Pèrez

Birdland 5:30 pm $30
Blue Note 11:30 am 1:30 pm $39.50• Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êTeri Roiger Birthday Celebration Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Bill Warfield
The Cutting Room 2 pm $20-25• Benny Green Trio with David Wong, Aaron Kimmel
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êJeremiah Cymerman solo; Sam Newsome solo; Nick Dunston solo		
Downtown Music Gallery 6, 7, 8 pmêTerry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Fat Cat 6 pm $10• Dave Stryker Quartet with Warren Wolf, Jared Gold, McClenty Hunter		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Tom Guarna, Joe Martin, Clarence Penn		
Mezzrow 7:30 pm $20
êThe Stone Commissioning Series: Anna Webber’s Idiom VI with Nathaniel Morgan,
Yuma Uesaka, Erica Dicker, Joanna Mattrey, Mariel Roberts, Adam O’Farrill,
David Byrd-Marrow, Jacob Garchik, Liz Kosack, Nick Dunston, Satoshi Takeishi		National Sawdust 7 pm $25• Roz Corral Trio with Josh Richman		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Brenda Earle Stokes’ The Motherhood Project with Julia Adamy		
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $10• Benny Rubin, Jr., Ion McDonald, Whitney Marchelle
		
Russian Samovar 3 pm
• Melissa Stylianou/Chris Dingman Saint Peter’s Church 6 pm
• Charlie Kirchen Trio with Sam Decker, Marc Hannaford; Sam Weinberg,
Brandon Seabrook, Henry Fraser Scholes Street Studio 7 pm
• Chris Byars Original Sextet with Zaid Nasser, John Mosca, Stefano Doglioni, Ari Roland,
Phil Stewart; Johnny O’Neal Trio with Mark Lewandowski, Itay Morchi; Hillel Salem		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êAl Foster Birthday Celebration with Nicholas Payton, David Hazeltine, Dezron Douglas		Smoke 7, 9 pm $35
êJoe Lovano/Dave Douglas Sound Prints Quintet with Lawrence Fields,
Linda May Han Oh, Joey Baron Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êJay Leonhart Trio

Monday, January 27êMike Stern
55Bar 10 pmêAdam Nussbaum’s Leadbelly Project with Steve Cardenas, Nate Radley, Ohad Talmor		
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êLisa Hoppe Trio with Dayeon Seok; Tammy Scheffer Trio with Moto Fukushima,
Ronen Itzik
Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• Ben Paterson Quartet with Jerry Weldon, Luke Sellick, Charles Goold		Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $20-30êNicole Zaray Meter, Faye Kilburn, Mohamed Kubbara; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane,
Kevin Shea; Tony Malaby, Richard Bonnet, Mel Bauer;
Juan Pablo Carletti’s Biggish Ensemble with Jake Henry, Kenny Warren, Yoni Kretzmer,
Christoff Knoche, Rick Parker, Kenneth Jimenez; Jeff Davis, Tony Malaby,
Eivind Opsvik, Simon Jermyn; Vinnie Sperrazza Ensemble		Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10• The Hot Club with Matthew “Fat Cat” Rivera
		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Benny Benack III’s A Lot of Livin’ to Do with Yasushi Nakamura, Ulysses Owens, Jr.,
Keelan Dimick and guests Veronica Swift, Alita Moses, Benny Benack, Jr.
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Alexi David; Billy Kaye Jam
Fat Cat 9 pm 12:30 am $10• Ed Fast and Conga Bop
Iridium 8:30 pm $20• JFA Jam Session
Jazz Museum in Harlem 6:30 pmêRyan Keberle/Vic Juris; Pasquale Grasso		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êGeorge Cables Trio with Ed Howard, Victor Lewis		
National Arts Club 9 pm $20• Whitney Marchelle Jackson Quintet with Patience Higgins
		Patrick’s Place 7 pmêNels Cline’s From Cage to Cunningham with Ryland Angel, Zeena Parkins,
Jorge Roeder
Roulette 8 pm $25• Stefon Harris and Blackout with Casey Benjamin, Marc Cary, Luques Curtis,
Terreon Gully
The Schomburg Center 7 pm
• Joel Shapira
Silvana 7 pm
• Ari Hoenig Group with Shai Maestro, Rick Germanson; Giveton Gelin Quartet with
Micah Thomas, Philip Norris, Savannah Harris; Sean Mason		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• The 8-bit Big BandSony Hall 8 pm $39-250• Rodney Jones Quartet with Dabin Ryu, Kenny Davis, Connor Parks
		
Zinc Bar 7:30, 9 pm $20

Tuesday, January 28• Nick Marziani Trio with Nik Lukassen, Varun Das; Hashem Assadullahi Trio with

Leonard Thompson, Matt Wilson Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40
êAntonio Sanchez and Migration with Thana Alexa, Chase Baird, John Escreet,
Matt Brewer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Pasquale Grasso solo
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15êJames Morrison Quartet
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Maria Raquel Quintet; Fleur Seule Latin Big Band		The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Saul Rubin Zebtet; Itai Kriss and Gato Gordo; John Benitez Latin Bop		
Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am $10êRalph Alessi Group; Jon Cowherd, Masa Kamaguchi, Diego Voglino		Halyard’s 8, 10 pm $10• Scott Henderson Trio
Iridium 8 pm $35• Brubeck Brothers Quartet: Chris and Dan Brubeck, Mike DeMicco, Chuck Lamb		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êMusic Influenced by Jazz—Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, Marquis Hill andKurt Rosenwinkel; Juilliard Jazz’s Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington Ensembles led by
Jonathan Finlayson
Juilliard School Paul Hall 7:30 pm $20• Nate Radley/Gary Versace; Lucy Yeghiazaryan
		Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20
êDave Chamberlain and Band of Bones J. J. Johnson Birthday Celebration with guests
Steve Turre, Steve Davis, Antoinette Montague
		
New York City Baha’i Center 8, 9:30 pm $15• The Hot Sardines• Taru Alexander Quartet with Justin Robinson, Lou Rainone, Joseph Lepore, Hanka G;

Steve Nelson Quartet with Rick Germanson, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Charles Goold;
Jon Elbaz
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êKris Davis Trio with Tony Malaby, Simon Barker
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJakob Bro Quartet with Mark Turner, Thomas Morgan, Joey Baron		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Wednesday, January 29êMike Stern

55Bar 10 pm• Dierk Peters Trio
Balboa 8 pm $10• Jerome Sabbagh Quartet with Ben Monder, Joe Martin, Nasheet Waits		
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Wayne Tucker and The Bad Mothas
		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Andrew Cheng Trio with Marcello Maccagnan, Kelvin Andreas		Bar Next Door 6:30 pmêThe Hot Sardines
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Paul Marinaro
Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30êAntonio Sanchez and Migration with Thana Alexa, Chase Baird, John Escreet,
Matt Brewer
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êTribute to McCoy Tyner: Benito Gonzalez Trio with James Genus, Jeff “Tain” Watts				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Evan Sherman Big Band; Myron Walden’s Countryfied		The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Raphael D’lugoff Trio +1; Ned Goold Jam		
Fat Cat 7 pm 12:30 am $10êSam Gill/Simon Barker; Marc Hannaford, Scott Tinkler, Ingrid Laubrock, Josh Sinton,
Tom Rainey
Ibeam Brooklyn 8:30 pm $15• Erika Matsuo Quintet with Art Hirahara, Juancho Herrera, Moto Fukushima, Ronen Itzik		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18• Shai Maestro Quartet with Philip Dizack, Jorge Roeder, Ofri Nehemya
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êVijay Iyer solo
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êVic Juris/Gary Versace; Isaiah Thompson
		
Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Leslie Pintchik Trio with Scott Hardy, Michael Sarin
		Saint Peter’s Church 1 pm $10• Joel Shapira
Shrine 7 pm
• Carol Morgan
Silvana 6 pmêRonnie Burrage and Holographic Principle with Michal Wierba, Nimrod Speaks;
Nicole Glover Trio with Daniel Duke, Nic Cacioppo; Neal Caine		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20• Cynthia Scott with Patience Higgins, Jeb Patton, Paul Beaudry,
Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êBorderlands Trio: Kris Davis, Stephan Crump, Ches Smith		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJakob Bro Quartet with Mark Turner, Thomas Morgan, Joey Baron		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 51

Thursday, January 30• Jinjoo Yoo Duo
1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 8 pm
• Ryan Hernandez Trio with Griffin Fink, Hank Allen-Barfield; Benjamin Lapidus Trio with
Alex Apolo Ayala, Willie Martinez Bar Next Door 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• Pureum Jin Quartet with Mike LeDonne, Luke Sellick, Jason Brown		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• The Hot Sardines
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40• Yoko Miwa Trio with Will Slater, Scott Goulding		
Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Igor Butman and The Moscow Jazz Orchestra

		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êCafe Bohemia Quartet led Jon Erik Kellso		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15êBurnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber David Rubenstein Atrium 7:30 pm• Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage with Helio Alves, Adriano Santos, Felipe Galganni, 		Brian Lynch
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Charles Goold And Nubopcity; Lezlie Harrison
		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Ginny’s Supper Club 7, 9 pm $25• Tomas Fujiwara solo; Arcturus: Ben Stowers, Lucas Saur, Odin Scherer, Nick Augusta,
Finn Carroll, Henry Mermer
Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $10• Scott Henderson Trio
Iridium 8 pm $35• AirTrain Jazz Festival: Bobby Sexton Jamaica Air Train Station 5 pm
• Taeko Fukao Quartet with Sharp Radway, Alex Blake, Victor Jones		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $18• Shai Maestro Quartet with Philip Dizack, Jorge Roeder, Ofri Nehemya
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êVijay Iyer Trio with Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Mike Longo/Paul West; Spike Wilner Mezzrow 7:30, 10:30 pm $20• Mwenso and The Shakes
National Sawdust 8 pm $25• Simulacra: Anna Webber, Yuma Uesaka, Edward Gavitt, Shawn Lovato, Colin Hinton		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 10:30 pm $10• Transformation: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with guests Glenn Close,
Justin Vivian Bond, Adriane LenoxRose Theater 8 pm $40-150• Triocracy: JC Sanford, Chris Bacas, Andy Laster; JC Sanford Quartet withPete McCann, Dave Ambrosio
ShapeShifter Lab 7, 8:15 pm $10êDavid Liebman with Dezron Douglas, Willy Rodriguez; Tim Hegarty with Charlie Sigler,
Vince Dupont; Malick Koly
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êA Tribute to JJ Johnson: Steve Davis Correlations Sextet with Josh Bruneau,
Wayne Escoffery, David Hazeltine, Gerald Cannon, Jonathan Barber		Smoke 7, 9 pm $35• Kris Davis Quartet with Milena Casado Fauquet, Michael Formanek, Jeff “Tain” Watts
		
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Middle Blue: Jeremy Danneman, Brad Farberman, Danny Tamberelli, Tim Kuhl				
Troost 8, 9:30 pm• Carol Morgan/Steve Nelson
Uke Hut 8 pm $20
êJakob Bro Quartet with Mark Turner, Thomas Morgan, Joey Baron		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Friday, January 31• Anna Kolchina/Jinjoo Yoo
1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 9 pm
• Ted Ludwig Trio with Tamir Schmerling, Geoff Clapp		
Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12êThe Hot Sardines
Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $40
êDonald Vega Trio with Gerald Cannon, Willie Jones III		Birdland Theater 7, 9:45 pm $20-30• Igor Butman and The Moscow Jazz Orchestra
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Dr. Merengue Vodou Band with Paul Austerlitz
		
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $15• Steve Sandberg Duo
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage with Helio Alves, Adriano Santos, Felipe Galganni,
Brian Lynch
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Ken Fowser Quintet; Professor Cunningham and His Old School		
The Django at The Roxy Hotel 7:30, 10:30 pmêMilton Suggs
Ginny’s Supper Club 8 pm $20
êRoni Ben-Hur Quartet with George Cables, Harvie S, Victor Lewis		
Jazz at Kitano 8, 10 pm $34
êTenors: Marcus Strickland, JD Allen, Stacy Dillard with Eric Wheeler, Rodney Green		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êVijay Iyer Trio with Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey		
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Billy Drummond, Micah Thomas, Dezron Douglas; Greg Murphy		Mezzrow 7:30 pm $20
êGabriel Alegría AfroPeruvian Sextet 15th Anniversary Celebration
		
Minton’s 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Jordan Young Soul Juice Trio Room 623 at B2 Harlem 10 pm $10-20• Transformation: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with guests Glenn Close,
Justin Vivian Bond, Adriane LenoxRose Theater 8 pm $40-150• Alvin Curran’s Shofar Rags XXL Roulette 8 pm $25• Neel Murgai Ensemble
Rubin Museum 7 pm $30• Scott Wendholt/Adam Kolker Quartet with Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Nussbaum;
Joe Farnsworth Group; Corey Wallace DUBtet
		
Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20
êA Tribute to JJ Johnson: Steve Davis Correlations Sextet with Josh Bruneau,
Wayne Escoffery, David Hazeltine, Gerald Cannon, Jonathan Barber		Smoke 7, 9 pm $35
êKris Davis Trio with Charlie Lincoln, Tom Rainey		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êJakob Bro Quartet with Mark Turner, Thomas Morgan, Joey Baron		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Roni Ben-Hur Quartet
Roni Ben-Hur, guitar
George Cables, piano
Harvie S, bass
Victor Lewis, drums

Friday-Saturday,
January 31-February 1
8 & 10PM
Jazz at Kitano
66 Park Ave, at 38 Street, NYC
212-885-7119$34 cover,$20 minimum on food and drinks“A formidable
and consummately
lyrical guitarist”(Time Out NY)

ronibenhur.com

Open at

REGULAR ENGAGEMEN T S

7 pm!

M O N D AY
• Richard Clements/Murray Wall Band11th Street Bar 8 pm
• Grove Street Stompers
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Earl Rose
Bemelmans Bar 5:30, 9 pm
• Terry Waldo Gotham City Band Black Door 11 pm• Jordan Young
Bflat 8 pm
• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
Iguana 8 pm
• Iris Ornig Jam Session
Jazz at Kitano 8 pm
• Mingus Big Band
Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25• Kyle Colina and Friends
Le Rivage 6:30 pm• Stan Killian and Friends
Queens Brewery 8 pm
• Gil Defay
Red Rooster 8 pm
• Misha Tsiganov
Russian Vodka Room 7 pm
• Vincent Herring Quartet and Jam Session
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm• Swingadelic
Swing 46 8:30 pm• John Benitez JamTerraza 7 9:30 pm $7• Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $30

T U E S D AY
• Yuichi Hirakawa Trio
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Art Hirahara Trio
Arturo’s 8 pm
• David Budway Trio
Bemelmans Bar 9:30 pm• Janice Friedman
Center Bar 6 pm (ALSO WED-SAT)• Marc Devine Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm
• Diego Voglino Jam Session Halyard’s 10 pm• Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
Iguana 8 pm
• Joe Graziosi Legacy Jam Minton’s 6 pm
• Mona’s Hot Four
Mona’s 11 pm• Misha Tsiganov
Russian Vodka Room 7 pm
• Mike LeDonne Quartet
Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm• Hayes Greenfield
Soapbox 7:30 pm• Louisa Lee Poster
The Staybridges Suites 9 pm
• George Gee Orchestra
Swing 46 8:30 pm

W E D N E S D AY
• Bill Wurtzel/Jay Leonhart
American Folk Art Museum 2 pm
• Jason Marshall Trio
American Legion Post 398 7 pm
• Eve Silber
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Jonathan Kreisberg Trio
Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12• David Budway Trio
Bemelmans Bar 9:30 pm• Jordan Young
Bflat 8:30 pm• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Centennial Band
Birdland 5:30 pm $20• Joel Forrester solo
Bistro Jules 5:30 pm• Les Kurtz Trio
Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm
• Django Jam Session
The Django 10:30, 11 pm• WaHi Jazz Jam
Le Chéile 8 pm
• Noah Garabedian Jam
The Nest 9 pm
• Les Goodson Band
Paris Blues 9 pm
• Glenn Crytzer Orchestra
Secret Room NYC 7 pm
• Emmet Cohen
Smoke 11:45 pm• Stan Rubin Orchestra
Swing 46 8:30 pm

T H U R S D AY
• Ray Blue Organ Quartet
American Legion Post 398 7 pm
• Eri Yamamoto Trio
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• David Budway Trio
Bemelmans Bar 9:30 pm• Café Bohemia Quartet with Jon Erik Kellso
Café Bohemia 8, 10 pm $20		
• John McNeil/Mike Fahie
The Douglass 9 pm
• Joel Forrester
George’s 6:30 pm• Steve Wirts/Joe Cohn Quartet Han Dynasty 6 pm
• Kyle Colina and Friends
Le Rivage 7 pm
• Les Goodson Band
Paris Blues 9 pm
• Gene Bertoncini
Ryan’s Daughter 8:30, 10:30 pm• Rob Duguay Low Key Trio Turnmill NYC 11 pm• Ms. Marie Special Showcase Uke Hut 8 pm

!
h
t
n
o
M
This
THR
1/2

FA B I E N M A RY Q U I N T E T
MARK WHITFIELD

FRI
1/3

KEN FOWSER QUINTETMICHAEL ARENELLA &HIS DREAMLAND ORCHESTRA

7:30PM
10:30PMSAT
1/4

DANNY JONOKUCHI& THE REVISIONISTS

10:30PMTUE
1/7

A N T O I N E A LV E A R Q U I N T E T
L A PA C H A M A M B O

7:30PM
10:00PMWED
1/8

S AT U R D AY
• Eri Yamamoto Trio
• Bill Saxton• Joel Forrester solo
• Stan Rubin Orchestra• Yvonnick Prené• Assaf Kehati Duo• Johnny O’Neal Trio

Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
Bill’s Place 8, 10 pm $20
Bistro Jules 6 pm
Carnegie Club 8:30, 10:30 pm
Henry’s 12:30 pm
Il Gattopardo 11:30 am
Smoke 11:30 pm 12:45 am

S U N D AY
• Creole Cooking Jazz Band; Stew Cutler and Friends
Arthur’s Tavern 7, 10 pm• Matt La Von Jam Session Bā’sik 7 pm
• Peter Mazza Trio
Bar Next Door 8, 10 pm $12• Stephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $10• Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Birdland 9, 11 pm $30• Joel Forrester solo
Bistro Jules 4 pm
• Renaud Penant Trio
Bistro Jules 7:30 pm• Keith Ingham
Cleopatra’s Needle 4 pm
• Trampelman
Dominie’s Astoria 9 pm
• The EarRegulars
The Ear Inn 8 pm
• Joel Forrester solo
Grace Gospel Church 11 am• Sam Taylor
The Grange 7 pm
• Grassroots Jazz Effort
Grassroots Tavern 9 pm
• Idan Morim Trio
Injera 7:30 pm• Tony Middleton Trio
Jazz at Kitano 12 pm $40• Christopher McBride
Minton’s 7:30 pm $10• Marjorie Eliot
Parlor Entertainment 4 pm
• Lu Reid Jam Session
Shrine 4 pm
• Roxy Coss Trio
Smoke 10:30 pm• John Benitez Jazz JamTerraza 7 9:30 pm $7• Sean Smith and guest
Walker’s 8 pm

52 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

7:30PM
10:30PMNEW ALCHEMY JAZZ ORCHESTRA 7:30PM
WAY N E T U C K E R S E X T E T
10:30PM

THR
1/9

VICTOR GOULD TRIOLAUREN HENDERSON

7:30PM
10:30PMFRI
1/10

KEN FOWSER QUINTETR I TA F T. B R E N D A N S K I D M O R E

7:30PM
10:30PMSAT
1/11

M I K E D I R U B B O Q U A RT E T
FREDDY DEBOE BAND

7:30PM
10:30PMTUE
1/14

7:30PM
TA N G O AT D J A N G O :P E D R O G I R A U D O TA N G O Q U A RT E T
10:30PMLOS HABANEROS

WED
1/15

FREDDIE HENDRIXQUINTET

11:00PMTHR
1/16

J O E FA R N S W O RT H T R I O
SONNY STEP

7:30PM
10:30PMFRI
1/17

KEN FOWSER QUINTETHUDSON HORNS

7:30PM
10:30PMSAT
1/18

7:30PMR I C H I E V I TA L I E Q U I N T E T
ENDEA OWENS & THE COOKOUT 10:30PM

TUE
1/21

M A N U E L VA L E R A
QUINTETO CUBANOLOS HACHEROS

WED
1/22

JASON MARSHALLQUINTET

10:30PMTHR
1/23

J E F F E RY M I L L E R Q U I N T E T
IAN HENDRICKSON-SMITH

7:30PM
10:30PMFRI
1/24

KEN FOWSER QUINTETTHE ANTOINETTEM O N TA G U E E X P E R I E N C E

7:30PM
10:30PMSAT
1/25

D AV I D G I B S O N Q U I N T E T“KING” SOLOMON HICKS

7:30PM
10:00PM

TUE
1/28

MARIA RAQUEL QUINTETF L E U R S E U L E L AT I N B I G B A N D

7:30PM
10:30PMF R I D AY
• Jostein Gulbrandsen
Aretsky’s Patroon 6 pm
• Eri Yamamoto Trio
Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm
• Joel Forrester
Baker’s Pizza 7 pm
• The Crooked Trio
Barbès 5 pm
• David Budway Trio
Bemelmans Bar 9:30 pm• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5:15 pm $25• Bohemia Allstars Jazz Jam Café Bohemia 11:30 pm• Bennett Paster Trio
Hillstone 6 pm
• Gerry Eastman Quartet
Williamsburg Music Center 10 pm

Live!

7:30PM
10:30PMWED
1/29

E VA N S H E R M A N B I G B A N D
7:30PMM Y R O N WA L D E N “ C O U N T RY F I E D ” 1 0 : 3 0 P M

THR
1/30

CHARLES GOOLD AND NUBOPCITY 7:30PM
LEZLIE HARRISON
10:30PMFRI
1/31

KEN FOWSER QUINTETPROFESSOR CUNNINGHAM& HIS OLD SCHOOL

Reservations Information(212 )519 .664 9

TH ED JA NG ON

YC

co m

7:30PM
10:30PMThe Roxy Hotel
2 AV E . O F T H E
AMERICAS

Cellar Level

Tribeca

CRAFT COCKTAILS, SMALL PLATES & LIVE JAZZ!
LOCATED IN THE
OF TRIBECACLUB DIRECTORY• 11th Street Bar 510 E. 11th Street(212-982-3929) Subway: L to 1st Avenue www.11thstbar.com• 55Bar 55 Christopher Street(212-929-9883) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.55bar.com• 244 Rehearsal Studios 244 W. 54th Street(212-586-9056) Subway: C, E to 54th Street www.244rehearsalstudiosny.com• 1986 Est. Wine Bar & Lounge 43 W. 32nd Street(212-563-1500) Subway: B, D, F, Q, R to 34th Street-Herald Squarewww.hotelstanford.com• American Folk Art Museum 65th Street at Columbis Avenue(212-595-9533) Subway: 1 to 66th Street www.folkartmuseum.org• American Legion Post 398 248 W. 132nd Street(212-283-9701) Subway: 2, 3 to 135th Street www.legion.org• Apollo Theater & Music Café 253 W. 125th Street(212-531-5305) Subway: A, B, C, D, 2, 3 to 125th Street
www.apollotheater.org• Aretsky’s Patroon 160 E. 46th Street(212-883-7373) Subway: 4, 5, 6, 7, S to Grand Central-42nd Street
www.aretskyspatroon.com• Aron’s Place 166 N. 12th Street SStreetubway: L to Bedford Avenue• Arthur’s Tavern 57 Grove Street (212-675-6879)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.arthurstavernnyc.com• Arturo’s 106 W. Houston Street (at Thompson Street)(212-677-3820) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, M to W. 4th Street• Baker’s Pizza 201 Avenue A(212-777-7477) Subway: L to First Avenue www.bakerspizzanyc.com• Balboa 1655 Bedford Avenue(718-484-8291) Subway: 2, 5 to President Street• Bar Bayeux 1066 Nostrand Avenue(347-533-7845) Subway: 2, 5 to Sterling Street• Bar Lunàtico 486 Halsey Street(917-495-9473) Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Avenues www.barlunatico.com• Bar Next Door 129 MacDougal Street (212-529-5945)
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, M to W. 4th Street www.lalanternacaffe.com• Barbès 376 9th Street at 6th Avenue, Brooklyn (718-965-9177)
Subway: F to 7th Avenue www.barbesbrooklyn.com• Bā’sik 323 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn(347-889-7597) Subway: L to Graham Avenue www.basikbrooklyn.com• Bemelmans Bar 35 E. 76th Street (212-744-1600)
Subway: 6 to 77th Street www.thecarlyle.com• Bflat 277 Church Street (between Franklin and White Streets)
Subway: 1, 2 to Franklin Streets• Bill’s Place 148 W. 133rd Street (between Lenox and 7th Avenues)(212-281-0777) Subway: 2, 3 to 135th Street• Birdland and Birdland Theater 315 W. 44th Street (212-581-3080)
Subway: A, C, E, to 42nd Street www.birdlandjazz.com• Bistro Jules 60 St Marks Place(212-477-5560) Subway: 6 to Astor Place www.julesbistro.com• The Bitter End 147 Bleecker Street between Thompson and LaGuardia
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street• Black Door 127 W. 26th Street(212-645-0215) Subway: R, W to 28th Street www.blackdoornyc.com• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Street at 6th Avenue (212-475-8592)
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, M to W. 4th Street www.bluenotejazz.com• Bowery Ballroom 6 Delancey Street(212-533-2111) Subway: F to Delancey Street www.boweryballroom.com• Brooklyn Bowl 61 Wythe Avenue(718-963-3369) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.brooklynbowl.com• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 58 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn
Subway: F to Seventh Avenue, N, R to Union Street www.bkcm.org• Brownsville Heritage House 581 Mother Gaston Boulevard(718-385-1111) Subway: L to New Lots Avenue• Bushwick Public House 1288 Myrtle Avenue(917-966-8500) Subway: G to Myrtle - Willoughby Avenue then B54
www.bushwickpublichouse.com• Café Bohemia 15 Barrow Street
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.cafebohemianyc.com• Café Carlyle 35 E. 76th Street (212-744-1600)
Subway: 6 to 77th Street www.thecarlyle.com• Carnegie Club 156 W. 56th Street(212-957-9676) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th-Seventh Avenue• City Vineyard 233 West Street(646-677-8350) Subway: A, C, E, F to Canal Street
www.cityvineyardnyc.com• Cleopatra’s Needle 2485 Broadway (212-769-6969)
Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Street www.cleopatrasneedleny.com• Club Bonafide 212 E. 52nd Street (646-918-6189) Subway: 6 to 51st Street;
E, V to 53rd Street www.clubbonafide.com• The Cutting Room 44 E. 32nd Street(212-691-1900) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street www.thecuttingroomnyc.com• The Dance 428 Lafayette Street
Subway: Q, R, W to Eighth Street www.thedance.nyc• David Gage String Instruments 36 Walker Street(212-274-1322) Subway: A to Chambers Street www.davidgage.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.atrium.lincolncenter.org• Dizzy’s Club Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor (212-258-9800)
Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle www.jazz.org• The Django at The Roxy Hotel 2 Sixth Avenue (212-519-6600)
Subway: A, C, E to Canal Street; 1 to Franklin Street
www.thedjangonyc.com• Dominie’s Astoria 34-07 30th Avenue Subway: N, Q to 30th Avenue• The Douglass 149 4th Avenue(718-857-4337) Subway: R to Union Street www.thedouglass.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• The Ear Inn 326 Spring Street at Greenwich Street (212-246-5074)
Subway: C, E to Spring Street www.earinn.com• Fat Cat 75 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue (212-675-6056)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square www.fatcatmusic.org• Flushing Town Hall 137-35 Northern Boulevard, Flushing(718-463-7700) Subway: 7 to Main Street www.flushingtownhall.org• Freddy’s Backroom 627 5th Avenue, Brooklyn(718-768-0131) Subway: R to Prospect Avenue www.freddysbar.com• Fridman Gallery 287 Spring Street(646-345-9831) Subway: C, E to Spring Street www.fridmangallery.com• Gin Fizz Harlem 308 Malcolm X Boulevard(212-289-2220) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Street www.ginfizzharlem.com• Ginny’s Supper Club at Red Rooster Harlem 310 Malcolm X Boulevard(212-792-9001) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Street www.redroosterharlem.com• Grace Gospel Church 589 East 164th Street(718-328-0166) Subway: 2, 5 to Prospect Avenue• The Grange 1635 Amsterdam Avenue(212-491-1635) Subway: 1 to 137th Street www.thegrangebarnyc-hub.com• The Green Room at Yotel 570 Tenth Avenue(646) 449-7700 Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, S to 42nd Str. /Times Sq.
www.yotel.com• Greenwich House Music School 46 Barrow Street(212-242-4770) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.greenwichhouse.org• Halyard’s 406 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn(718-532-8787) Subway: R to 9th Street www.barhalyards.com• Han Dynasty 215 W. 85th Street(212-858-9060) Subway: 1 to 86th Street www.handynasty.net• Happylucky no.1 734 Nostrand Avenue(347-295-0961) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Franklin Avenue
www.happyluckyno1.com• Hari NYC 140 W. 30th Street, 3rd floor Subway: 1 to 28th Street• Henry’s 2745 Broadway (212-866-0600) Subway: 1 to 103rd Street• Hillstone 153 E. 53rd Street(212-888-3828) Subway: E, M to 53rd Street www.hillstone.com• House of Yes 2 Wyckoff Avenue(646-838-4937) Subway: L to Jefferson Street www.houseofyes.org• Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Subway: F to 4th Avenue www.ibeambrooklyn.com• Iguana 240 West 54th Street (212-765-5454)
Subway: B, D, E, N, Q, R to Seventh Avenue www.iguananyc.com• Injera 11 Abingdon Square(212-206-9330) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street www.injeranyc.com• InterContinental New York Barclay’s Penthouse Suite 111 E. 48th Street(212-755-5900) Subway: 6 to 51st Street www.ihg.com• Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Street (212-582-2121)
Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street www.theiridium.com• Issue Project Room 22 Boerum Place(718-330-0313) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Borough Hall www.issueprojectroom.org• JACK 18 Putnam Avenue(718-388-2251) Subway: A, C to Franklin Avenue www.jackny.org• Jamaica Air Train Station 93-43 Sutphin Boulevard
Subway: E, J, Z to Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue www.panynj.gov• Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Queens(718-658-7400 ext. 152) Subway: E to Jamaica Center www.jcal.org• Jazz 966 966 Fulton Street(718-638-6910) Subway: C to Clinton Street www.jazz966.com• Jazz at Kitano 66 Park Avenue at 38th Street (212-885-7000)
Subway: 4, 5, 6, 7, S to Grand Central www.kitano.com• 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
Avenues (212-348-8300) Subway: 6 to 125th Street
www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org• Jazz Standard 116 E. 27th between Park and Lexington Avenue(212-576-2232) Subway: 6 to 28th Street www.jazzstandard.com• 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 and Peter Jay Sharp Theater
155 W. 65th Street (212-769-7406) Subway: 1 to 66th Street
www.juilliard.edu• Le Chéile 839 W. 181st Street(212-740-3111) Subway: A to 181st Street www.lecheilenyc.com• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street(212-228-4854) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street
www.lepoissonrouge.com• Le Rivage 340 W. 46th Street(212-765-7374) Subway: C, E to 50th Street www.lerivagenyc.com• Made In New York Jazz Café 155 5th Avenue, Brooklyn(718-640-7000) Subway: 2, 3 to Bergen Street www.jazzcafe.nyc• 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• Mezzrow 163 W. 10th Street(646-476-4346) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.mezzrow.com• Michiko Studios 149 W. 46th Street, 3rd Floor(212-302-4011) Subway: B, D, F, M to 47-50 Streets
www.michikostudios.com• Minton’s 206 W. 118th Street (between St. Nicholas Avenue andAdam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd) (212-243-2222) Subway: B, C to 116th Street
www.mintonsharlem.com• Mirror Tea House 575 Union Street, #A(917-909-0577) Subway: R to Union Street www.mirrorinthewoods.com• MIST 40 W. 116th Street Subway: 2, 3 to 116th Street
www.mistharlem.com• Mona’s 224 Avenue B Subway: L to First Avenue• Music Hall of Williamsburg 66 N. 6th Street(718-486-5400) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue
www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com• National Arts Club 15 Gramercy Park South(212-475-3424) Subway: 6 to 23rd Street www.nationalartsclub.org• National Sawdust 80 N. 6th Street(646-779-8455) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.nationalsawdust.org• Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village 269 Bleecker Street(212-691-1770) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street www.ncgv.net• The Nest 504 Flatbush Avenue(718-484-9494) Subway: B, S, Q to Prospect Park www.thenestbrooklyn.com• New York City Baha’i Center 53 E. 11th Street (212-222-5159)
Subway: 4, 5, 6, N, R to 14th Street-Union Square www.bahainyc.org• New York Public Library 96th Street Branch 112 E. 96th Street(212-289-0908) Subway: 6 to 96th Street www.nypl.org• Nhà Minh 485 Morgan Avenue(718-387-7848) Subway: L to Graham Avenue• North Square Lounge 103 Waverly Place (212-254-1200)
Subway: A, B, C, E, F to West 4th Street www.northsquareny.com• Nublu 151 151 Avenue C(212-979-9925) Subway: 6 to Astor Place www.nublu.net• Nuyorican Poets Café 236 E. 3rd Street between Avenues B and C(212-505-8183) Subway: F, V to Second Avenue www.nuyorican.org• The Owl Music Parlor 497 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn(718-774-0042) Subway: 2, to to Sterling Street www.theowl.nyc• Parlor Entertainment 555 Edgecombe Ave. #3F(212-781-6595) Subway: C to 155th Street• Patrick’s Place 2835 Frederick Boulevard(212-491-7800) Subway: B, D to 155th Street www.patricksplaceharlem.com• The Penrose 1590 2nd Avenue(212-203-2751) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street www.penrosebar.com• Queens Brewery 1539 Covert Street, Ridgewood
Subway: L to Halsey Street www.queensbrewery.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• Rough Trade NYC 64 N. 9th Street
Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.roughtradenyc.com• Roulette 509 Atlantic Avenue(212-219-8242) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Avenue www.roulette.org• Rubin Museum 150 W. 17th Street(212-620-5000) Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street www.rmanyc.org• Russ & Daughters Café 127 Orchard Street(212-475-4881) Subway: F to Delancey Street
www.russanddaughterscafe.com• Russian Samovar 256 W. 52nd Street(212-757-0168) Subway: C, E to 50th Street www.russiansamovar.com• Russian Vodka Room 265 W. 52nd Street(212-307-5835) Subway: C, E to 50th Street
www.russianvodkaroom.com• Ryan’s Daughter 350 E. 85th Street(212-628-2613) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street
www.ryansdaughternyc.com• Saint Peter’s Church 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street(212-935-2200) Subway: 6 to 51st Street www.saintpeters.org• Scholes Street Studio 375 Lorimer Street(718-964-8763) Subway: L to Lorimer Street
www.scholesstreetstudio.com• The Schomburg Center 515 Macolm X Boulevard(212-491-2200) Subway: 2, 3 to 135th Street
www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg• Secret Room NYC 707 8th Avenue at W. 45th Street(917-708-8663) Subway: C, E to 50th Street www.secretroomnyc.com• SEEDS 617 Vanderbilt Avenue
Subway: 2, 3, 4 to Grand Army Plaza www.seedsbrooklyn.org• ShapeShifter Lab 18 Whitwell Place(646-820-9452) Subway: R to Union Street www.shapeshifterlab.com• Showman’s 375 W. 125th Street at Morningside(212-864-8941) Subway: 1 to 125th Street• Shrine 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (212-690-7807)
Subway: B, 2, 3 to 135th Street www.shrinenyc.com• Silvana 300 West 116th Street(646-692-4935) Subway: B, C, to 116th Street www.silvana-nyc.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• Smoke 2751 Broadway between 105th and 106th Streets(212-864-6662) Subway: 1 to 103rd Street www.smokejazz.com• S.O.B.’s 204 Varick Street(212-243-4940) Subway: 1 to Varick Street www.sobs.com• Soapbox Gallery 636 Dean Street Subway: 2, 3 to Bergen Street• Sony Hall 235 W. 46th Street(212-997-5123) Subway: N, R, W to 49th Street www.sonyhall.com• Soup & Sound 292 Lefferts Avenue (between Nostrand and Rogers Avenues)
Subway: 2 to Sterling Street• Spectrum 70 Flushing Avenue
Subway: B, D, Q to DeKalb Avenue www.spectrumnyc.com• St. Mary’s Recreation Center 450 St Ann’s Avenue(718-402-5155) Subway: 2, 5 to Jackson Avenue www.nycgovparks.org• The Staybridges Suites 340 W. 40th Street(212-757-9000) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, S to 42nd Street/Times Squarewww.ihg.com• The Stone at The New School 55 West 13th Street(212-229-5600) Subway: F, V to 14th Street www.thestonenyc.com• SubCulture 45 Bleecker Street(212-533-5470) Subway: 6 to Bleecker Street
www.subculturenewyork.com• Sugarhill 217 Nostrand Avenue(718-797-1727) Subway: G to Bedford-Nostrand Avenues
www.sugarhillsupperclub.com• The Sultan Room 234 Starr Street(612-964-1420) Subway: L to Jefferson Street www.thesultanroom.com• Swing 46 349 W. 46th Street (646-322-4051)
Subway: A, C, E to 42nd Street www.swing46.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• Teatro Latea 107 Suffolk Street(212-529-1948) Subway: F, J, M, Z to Delancey Street
www.teatrolatea.org• Terraza 7 40-19 Gleane Street(718-803-9602) Subway: 7 to 82nd Street www.terrazacafe.com• Tomi Jazz 239 E. 53rd Street(646-497-1254) Subway: 6 to 51st Street www.tomijazz.com• Town Hall 123 W. 43rd Street(212-997-1003) Subway: 7, B, D, F, M to 42nd Street-Bryant Park
www.thetownhall.org• Troost 1011 Manhattan Avenue(347-889-6761) Subway: G to Greenpoint Avenue www.troostny.com• Turnmill NYC 119 East 27th Street(646-524-6060) Subway: 6 to 27th Street www.turnmillnyc.com• Uke Hut 36-01 36th Avenue(347-458-3031) Subway: N, W to 36th Avenue www.ukehut.com• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South (212-255-4037)
Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street www.villagevanguard.com• Walker’s 16 North Moore Street(212-941-0142) Subway: A, C, E to Canal Street• Webster Hall 125 E. 11th Street(212-353-1600) Subway: 6 to 14th Street-Union Square• Weill Art Gallery Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street(212-415-5500) Subway: 6 to 96th Street www.92y.org• 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• Whitney Museum 1845 Madison Avenue at 75th Street(800-944-8639) Subway: 6 to 77th Street www.whitney.org• Williamsburg Music Center 367 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY(718-384-1654) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue• Zinc Bar 82 W. 3rd Street (212-477-8337)
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, M to W. 4th Street www.zincjazz.com• Zürcher Gallery 33 Bleecker Street(212-777-0790) Subway: 6 to Bleeker Street; B, D, F to Broadway-Lafayettewww.galeriezurcher.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 53

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
DH: If I listen to opera, I can hear how it can go into
jazz. If I’m listening to James Brown, I can hear how it
goes into jazz. If I’m listening to Lena Horne doing
Broadway, I can hear how it goes into jazz. If I’mlistening to hip-hop, I can hear how it goes into jazz.
TNYCJR: When did you first become aware of hip-hop?
DH: I became aware of hip-hop with a song called“Rapper ’s Delight”. I think that was the late ‘70s.
TNYCJR: 1979. The Sugarhill Gang.
DH: 1979. So then, when I was going to New York,I started going to the Bronx to see where this music
was coming from. And I got a chance to see some ofthose early hip-hop groups. I went to Madison Square
Garden, where I saw Whodini and Run-D.M.C. I
started doing rhymes and started doing my thing with
hip-hop and actually, I mentored one of the guys who
was considered the king of East Coast rap in the ‘90s,
The Notorious B.I.G., and helped him put jazz elements
in hip-hop. I was able to play with Guru’s Jazzmatazzand a group called Digable Planets. I keep working on
trying to sharpen my rapping skills and I get somerespect as a rapper.
TNYCJR: What are some of your memories of working
with The Notorious B.I.G.?
DH: The Notorious B.I.G. was a hard worker. If you gave
him an assignment, he would come back the next day
and he had mastered it. Not just worked on it, masteredit. He took things like putting the snare drums from a
jazz solo into hip-hop into his rhymes. And he lived thelifestyle he was rapping about. Even though some older
people may not understand what he was saying, the kids
understood it. The Notorious B.I.G. was a symbol ofhope to those who were considered less than. He wastelling the downtrodden they could achieve.
TNYCJR: Obviously, you’ve never been the type ofjazz musician who only likes jazz.
DH: Without other styles of music, jazz wouldn’t bewhat it is. Jazz was born of mixing different elements
together. If they’re happy playing a style of music anddon’t want to add anything else to it—just want to
explore from that perspective—then I think they havethe right to do that. But I don’t think that jazz is the
only music that should exist.
TNYCJR: On YouTube, there’s a clip of Buddy Rich
appearing on The Mike Douglas Show in 1971 and he’sranting against Glen Campbell and talking about how
awful he thought country music was. And yet, Charlie
Parker liked country music. Bird enjoyed listening to
Hank Williams, Sr.
DH: Buddy Rich was a great drummer; you can’t takethat away from him. But sometimes, people can haveblinders on. I don’t have a problem with him notlistening to that music, but I don’t think you should
put other people down for liking what they like.
Personally, I grew up when Glen Campbell was on theradio. He was on the radio in my youth and if I heard
him, I would have a good time listening. And plus, mymother and my father played every style of music thatyou can imagine at home. Indian music, classicalmusic, Broadway, Charlie Parker, Etta James, James
Brown, Hank Williams, everything. I don’t have any
musical prejudices. I listen to everything because of
how my parents were.
TNYCJR: What are some of your current projects?
DH: I just did a record with Dr. Eddie Henderson. His
invention was so relentless. There was so much todecipher. And I have a new recording called The Eclectic
Jazz Revolution of Unity. It’s a two-CD set; the first CD isan acoustic jazz band. The second CD is a lot of different
types of music, from jazz with hip-hop influences tostraight hip-hop to R&B/soul, Chicago stepping music.
Dr. Lonnie Smith is on there...For organ players,
Lonnie’s the man. To get support from Lonnie is really
wonderful. Lonnie has helped a lot of young musicians.
He’s a great master. I’ll be playing with him at the endof [December] down in New Orleans.
TNYCJR: Another organ icon you’ve played with isthe late Jack McDuff.
DH: I started with Roy Haynes—Roy showed me a lotof things as well—but my second gig was with Jack
McDuff. When I see George Benson, we talk about Jack
McDuff. When you play with certain bands, it’s like abrotherhood of musicians who play with people—like
Miles Davis has his brotherhood, Art Blakey has his
brotherhood. George has a reverence for Jack McDuff.
TNYCJR: You also played with Miles Davis in the ‘80s.
DH: The first time I played with Miles Davis, I was achanged person. There was something about his
proficiency and how the music was put together; every
note was just in the right place. That’s the lesson I got. v
For
more
information,
visit
donaldharrison.com.
Harrison is at SubCulture Jan. 11th with The Cookers aspart of Winter Jazzfest and Drom Jan. 16th. See Calendar.

54 JANUARY 2020 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Recommended Listening:• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers—
Oh-By The Way (Timeless, 1982)• Donald Harrison/Terence Blanchard—Black Pearl (CBS/Columbia, 1988)• Donald Harrison—Indian Blues (Candid, 1991)• Roy Haynes—Te-Vou! (Dreyfus, 1994)• Donald Harrison—Nouveau Swing (Impulse!, 1996)• Donald Harrison/Ron Carter/Billy Cobham—
This Is Jazz (Live at the Blue Note) (Half Note, 2011)(label CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
Destiny’s discography has started to gain theattention of the mainstream jazz press. In their reviewof Tommy Howards’ Storybook, The Austin Chronicle
stated, “Always impressive but never flashy, Storybook
shows off its bandleader ’s skills as player andcomposer without self-indulgence.” Presence by pianist
Brad Whitely received high praise from DownBeat:“New York pianist-organist Brad Whiteley offers morethan a smart record. He shows us how it’s done.”
While Destiny doesn’t have any far-reaching goals
for the next several years, they want to maintain asteady course. Shields states, “I want us to stay naturaland without manufactured intention or self-imposed
ambition. We don’t necessarily have a standard that wetry to keep things to. I almost want to keep our footprint
slightly less than obvious. I want to let each artist andpiece of music be what it would be on its own andanything we do to improve it to be in the background. I
can’t say exactly what it will look like—number ofalbums, types of artists, styles of music even—but I
want the music to become what it was meant toregardless of what we do or are.” Mizell states,“I would like to see Destiny Records continue to growas a label for creative music. Ultimately, we do this outof the love Mike, George and I have for making music,
so the direction we go and the choices we make will all
be rooted in whether or not the work is fulfilling andbrings value to our lives. We have no control overwhere the music industry will go or what the monetary
value of recorded music will be in the future. All we cancontrol is the quality of the music we release and I hopethat in 5-10 years we’ll be able to look back and feel likewe helped some great artists make their best work.” v
For more information, visit destinyrecordsmusic.com.
Artists performing this month include Tyler Blanton at Fat
Cat Jan. 9th and Mezzrow Jan. 22nd; Michael Eaton at
Downtown Music Gallery Jan. 19th; Mike Fahie at The Jazz
Gallery Jan. 9th-10th with Darcy James Argue; Tom Guarna
at Made In New York Jazz Café Jan. 11th with Lenny Whiteand Mezzrow Jan. 26th; and Brad Whiteley at Room 623 at
B2 Harlem Jan. 24th. See Calendar.

(Pančevo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43)
pretty much fallen off the jazz radar. The most common
question asked about him is, “Whatever became ofCharles Tolliver?”His concert in Pančevo proved that what becameof Tolliver is that he is still playing blistering hardbop
at 77. He performed music from Paper Man, his debut
recording as a leader 50 years ago, with a hot quintet(Jesse Davis, alto saxophone; Keith Brown, piano;
Buster Williams, bass; Lenny White, drums). Worldclass hardbop always sounds current. Tolliver ’s solos
were commanding announcements and staccato
assaults. The encore was “‘Round Midnight”, also fastand loose until the band, for the first time all night,
slowed to linger on a melody that is part of ourcollective subconscious.
Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music was the one dud of thefestival. Technological funk bands sound alike.
Guiliana’s quartet had not one but two people, Samuel
Crowe and Nicholas Semrad, pushing sliders on
Yamaha synthesizers, generating oscillations andtwitterings and inorganic cycling squeals. The loudminimal patterns of Guiliana’s drums and Chris
Morrissey’s bass initially created a little suspense, but
the expectation for something to happen went
unfulfilled and the wait was boring.
Festivals programmed by Pantić typically include
the best Serbian groups and also emerging leadingedge bands from greater Europe. The Dragan Ćalina
Quartet is not known outside of Serbia but plays highly
refined postmodern bop and contains a rising star: alto
saxophonist Lukas Ignjatović. He has a gorgeous pure
alto sound and improvises in serial outbreaks of new
melody.
The young European act that stood out was Little
Rosies Kindergarten. They are a witty, outrageous
12-piece ensemble from Austria, with two violins andtwo talented (mostly wordless) singers named Anna
(Anderluh and Widauer). Their irresistible hooks
reminded you of Snarky Puppy, but the Kindergarten
is less polished and their rough edges are part of theircharm. Their compositions and arrangements
contained a baffling variety of moods and sonorities,
sometimes including impressionism, always including
sharp solos, always arriving at clamorous mayhem.
The most entertaining moments came when Judith
Schwartz left her drumkit and began to practice what
Butch Morris called “Conduction”: With hand signals,
improbably but successfully, Schwartz herded the catsof this orchestra.
Paolo Fresu closed the festival on a high note—or rather, on one long, lingering flugelhorn note. He
appeared with a new project, Tempo di Chet, withpianist Dino Rubino and bassist Marco Bardoscia. Chet
Baker, flawed and doomed though he was, has achieved
jazz sainthood in Italy. Fresu’s trio played songs
associated with Baker like “Blue Room” and also
originals deep in the Baker atmosphere. Rubino’s“In the Silence of Your Heart” was a melody so ethereal
it sometimes became mist. Fresu’s creativity withelectronics enables him to create trumpet choirs, andalso to create the illusion that haunting lyricism flows
from his horn without effort. “My Funny Valentine” isthe national jazz anthem of Italy. It was written by
Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart but Baker owned it.
Fresu, Baker ’s direct artistic descendant, ended thesong and the Pančevo festival with an electronicallyextended note that filled the auditorium and went on
almost forever. v
For more information, visit facebook.com/jazzfestivalpancevo(sassy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43)
Before taking second-place honors in the Sarah
Vaughan Competition, Daniela Spalletta had alreadynabbed several big awards in her native Italy:
Multiculturita Europe Contest; Premio Claudio
Abbado; Premio Nazionale delle Arti; and Lucca Jazz
Donna Award. For the Vaughan challenge, she chosesome of the most eclectic repertoire of all the finalists:
Kenny Wheeler ’s “Everybody’s Song But Not My
Own”, with lyrics by Norma Winstone, opening witha high-risk, neatly executed a cappella intro, and Pat
Metheny’s “The Road to You”, featuring an intricate,self-penned vocalese. While these two numbers
showed off Spalletta’s penchant for innovation, it wason the straightahead “Stella By Starlight” that she
distinguished herself as a powerful, lyrical scatter withan extensive range and a resolute swing.
Viktorija Gečytė, who took third, hails from
Lithuania originally, though she now resides in Parisand performs internationally. Like her first- andsecond-ranked counterparts, Gečytė is a superb vocal
improviser, though her approach to a tune is decidedly
cooler than that of the other contestants. Gečytė, too,selected less-familiar standards for two of her three,choosing Dinah Washington’s ‘50s effervescent hit“Destination Moon” and the moody “Angel Face”,
with music by Hank Jones and Abbey Lincoln. In asurprising reversal, however, she closed with the oftsung “Night and Day,” sweetening the known melody
with intriguing twists and unexpected phrasings.
This year was the second Sassy competition for
California-born Christine Fawson, a vocalist andtrumpeter currently based in New Mexico, who camein third in 2017. A high-energy, musically astuteperformer, she’s worked with the DIVA Jazz Orchestra
and the vocal group Syncopation and spent 14 years
teaching on the Berklee College of Music’s brassfaculty. In her set, Fawson slipped easily between
contrasting vocal personas, one moment fully lost in
the pathos of “It Never Entered My Mind” and the next
churning out a hypersonic bebop scat on “A Night in
Tunisia”—arguably the most difficult solo of theafternoon.
Vivian Sessoms, an experienced vocalist who has
worked with the likes of P. Diddy, Michael Jackson,
Donna Summer, Sinéad O’Connor and Stevie Wonder,
received the loudest acknowledgement from theaudience for her powerhouse vocals and commanding
stage demeanor. She opted for short, tight arrangementson her three pieces, all standards, injecting some earthy
R&B into her jazz interpretations of “Love For Sale”
and “Stardust”. But it was on her electric, gospel
rendition of “At Last” that Sessoms revealed the full
extent of her considerable power as a singer, providing
a fitting, exhilarating close to the contestants’ program.
The judges for this year ’s competition—singers
Dee Dee Bridgewater and Jane Monheit, bassist
Christian McBride, radio host Monifa Brown andmusic producer Matt Pierson—hail from manydifferent parts of the jazz world. Among them they can
lay claim to dozens of notable accolades, including
multiple Grammy nominations and wins; thisexperience with the more rivalrous side of the industry
doubtless helped them parse the crucial differencesamong each of the five singers’ commendable
performances.
Notably missing from the competition, however,were male singers. Three years ago, in 2017, the Sassy
Awards management made the decision to open thecompetition to both male and female vocalists and for
two years men made it onto the NJPAC stage: Fabio
Giacolone (finalist, 2017) and Oleg Akkuratov (second
place, 2018). It was with this decision that the Vaughan
competition crossed the final hurdle to inclusion:
unsigned jazz singers of any gender, nationality andalmost any age (at least 16) can now submit their music
for a try at a Sassy Award. The organization urges
interested singers to check their website this May for
information on the 2020 contest. v
For more information, visit sarahvaughancompetition.com

CAMILLEBERTAULT“The new voice of jazz”
Vanity Fair

US Tour January 2020
January 8
Mezzrow

Camille Bertault & Leo Genovese

January 10-11
Jazz Forum

Camille Bertault with
Leo Genovese
Diego Figueiredo

January 14
Rockwood Stage 3
Camille Bertault with
Mederic Collignon
David Helbock

CAMILLEBERTAULT.FR

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JANUARY 2020 55

OVER 40 YEARS ENTIRELY
DEDICATED TO CREATIONIN MUSIC.
TIRELESS, ALWAYSINNOVATIVE, NEVERREPEATING HERSELF

JOËLLELÉANDRESHE IS ONE OF A KIND!

TIGER TRIO

TIGER TRIO

TIGER TRIOUNLEASHEDJOËLLE LÉANDRE
MYRA MELFORDNICOLE MITCHELL

MAP OF
LIBERATIONLIVE ATWHITNEY MUSEUM, NYC

2016

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JANUARY 3 & 4«ROGUEART»«ROGUEART»

Three extraordinary and unique musicians, a lot of empathy and love.
They produce unique, affirmative music that demands no qualifiers!

JOËLLE LÉANDRE ON «ROGUEART»
J. LÉANDRE – N. MITCHELL
D. VAN DER SCHYFF

JEAN-JACQUES AVENEL – JACQUELINE CAUXJEAN-LUC CAPPOZZO – STEVE DALACHINSKYSIMON GOUBERT – RAPHAËL IMBERT – SYLVAIN KASSAP
JOËLLE LÉANDRE – URS LEIMGRUBER – DIDIER LEVALLETRAMON LOPEZ – JOE MCPHEE – EVAN PARKER
BARRE PHILLIPS – MICHEL PORTAL – LUCIA RECIOCHRISTIAN ROLLET – JOHN TCHICAIJOËLLE LÉANDRENICOLE MITCHELL
DYLAN VAN DER SCHYFF

J. LÉANDRE – G. LEWISJOËLLE LÉANDRE
GEORGE LEWISJOËLLE LÉANDRE – NICOLE MITCHELL
JOËLLE LÉANDRENICOLE MITCHELL

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