MARCH 2022—ISSUE 239

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

JOANNE
BRACKEEN
ALL YOU NEEDTO DO IS TUNE IN

S’NEWOMTORYHIS NTH
MO UE
ISS

CARLA
COOK

SASHA
BERLINERIROHAARLA

CLAUDIA
THOMPSONManaging Editor:
Laurence Donohue-Greene
Editorial Director &Production Manager:
Andrey Henkin
To Contact:
The New York City Jazz Record
66 Mt. Airy Road East
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
United States
Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628

MARCH 2022—ISSUE 239
NEW YORK@NIGHT

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW : CARLA COOK

Andrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

ARTIST FEATURE : SASHA BERLINER

Advertising:advertising@nycjazzrecord.com
Calendar:calendar@nycjazzrecord.com
VOXNews:
voxnews@nycjazzrecord.com

ON THE COVER : JOANNE BRACKEENENCORE : IRO HAARLALEST WE FORGET : CLAUDIA THOMPSONVOXNEWS

US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $40
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International Subscription rates: 12 issues, $50
For subscription assistance, send check, cash ormoney order to the address aboveor email info@nycjazzrecord.com

OBITUARIESALBUM REVIEWS

Staff Writers
Duck Baker, Dan Bilawsky,
Stuart Broomer, Robert Bush,
Kevin Canfield, Marco Cangiano,
Thomas Conrad, Pierre Crépon,Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman,
Phil Freeman, Pierre Giroux,
Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland,
George Grella, Anders Griffen,
Tyran Grillo, Alex Henderson,
Robert Iannapollo, Marilyn Lester,
Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin,
Jim Motavalli, Russ Musto,
John Pietaro, Joel Roberts,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon,
Anna Steegmann, Scott Yanow
Contributing Writers
Jason Gross, George Kanzler, Steven Loewy,
Francesco Martinelli, Franz Matzner,
Monique Ngozi Nri, Kyle Oleksiuk
Contributing Photographers
Caroline Conejero, Carol Friedman,Peter Gannushkin, Hank O’Neal,
Sherry Rubel, Luciano RossettiFact-checker
Nate Dorward

nycjazzrecord.com

EVENT CALENDAR

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6
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by monique ngozi nri
by george grellaby anders griffen
by francesco martinelliby donald elfman
by suzanne lorge
by andrey henkin

When we publish theme issues, such as one devoted to Latin jazz, the chance tocelebrate was also a learning opportunity, as we strove to emphasize that the term was
woefully reductive, mashing together countries and cultures into some artificial
amalgam useful, perhaps, for marketing purposes, but also lacking nuance andsensitivity. As we publish our annual Women’s History Month edition, a similar
message can be extracted. While the celebration of the work of many is laudable and,sadly, usually limited to one month, it is also problematic in that it attempts to attach
some artistic universality to a gender, a concept itself that is fluid and while relevant
hardly overarching. So we present this issue (we hope) with the sensitivity it requires
and deserves, bringing attention to talented, accomplished artists who also happen to
represent one or several parts of humanity.
Setting aside identity politics and cultural wars, please enjoy our features on pianist
Joanne Brackeen (On The Cover), vocalist Carla Cook (Interview), vibraphonist Sasha
Berliner (Artist Feature), pianist/harpist Iro Haarla (Encore) and singer Claudia
Thompson (Lest We Forget) as well as a front-loaded CD Review section (pgs. 14-23).
Just as every month should be Black History Month and every day Earth Day, thestories of women—expansively defined—cannot be contained in a mere 31 days.

On The Cover: Joanne Brackeen (photo by Carol Friedman / courtesy of the artist)

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

2 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

MAR 26, 1PM & 3PM FAMILY CONCERTMAR 18–19

JOURNEY THROUGH JAZZLYNNE AND RICHARD
PASCULANO JAZZ SERIES

Wynton Marsalis’s new concert series
Journey Through Jazz takes audienceson an enhanced performance odysseyof America’s music. Using his gift ofcombining prose and music with wisdomand humor, Marsalis leads the crowd
through a narrative that explains theevolution of jazz and the blues.

WHAT IS THE BLUES?
WITH CATHERINE RUSSELL
In this hour-long, interactive
concert, families will learn allabout the fundamental musicalconcept known as “the blues.”
With support from a soulful,
live band, these afternoon
performances will be hosted by
the charismatic Catherine Russell,
named “the best blues singer
today” by the Wall Street Journal.

212.721.6500
BROADWAY AT 60 ST., 5TH FL.

WMI March 2022 Shows

DERVISH and EILEEN IVERS BAND - SAT, MAR 52537 BROADWAY AT 95TH ST.

SONA JOBARTEH
SUN, MAR 20

www.worldmusicinstitute.org
The Best in Music and Dance from Around the WorldNEW YORK @ NIGHT
It was like being on drugs without being on drugs. The Using the theme of Valentine’s Day Eve, theBILL EASLEY
DIVERSITONIC

industrial-size wooden cabinets on either side of thestage held speakers of various sizes and shapes, which
produced frequencies so low and resonant they
vibrated one’s body in the strangest places—tailbone,
chest, top of the head, length of the spine—accompanied
by a radical light show alternating ultra-bright, roomilluminating lightening flashes with stark cavernous
darkness. The setting was Gowanus’ Public Records(Feb. 9th), the event a half-hour electroacoustic music
duo by Lea Bertucci and Ben Vida, an unveilingof ideas developed for their debut Murmurations(Cibachrome Editions). Eyebrows arching expressively,
Bertucci manipulated a tape machine, inputting voice(talking/singing/gasping/whispering/burbling)alongside sampled sounds, alto saxophone and flute,
all boosted with reverberant feedback loops, while
Vida worked a modular synthesizer, adding occasional
vocals, opting for heavier, edgier timbres. It was hardto discern words—it may as well have been reptilianaliens conversing in code—but it didn’t matter: themessage was embedded in the pan-sonic collage. As
throbbing intensified, like some giant runaway
machine, waves crashed, dogs barked, yodels bounced
across canyons, trains chugged, machine guns strafed,
earthquakes trembled, avalanches tumbled andheartbeats raced, the standing throng was transported
to other dimensions, returning to reality only after themusical dosing had worn off.
—Tom Greenland

SSC 1651

AVAILABLE 3-11-22—Diversity is a fact of life. Everyone is different. Get
used to it. Variety is the spice of life. Music is often
a tonic that brings people together. Something old,something new, something borrowed and definitely
something blue. —Bill EasleyB

ill Easley realizes that society is divided, whether it be by race, gender, or
any other device. He accepts those differences and celebrates them. Easleyalso believes that music is the equalizer. A universal tonic that brings people together, thus his homespun term that is the title of his highly listenable newrecording, Diversitonic.

MATT SLOCUM
WITH LOVE AND SADNESSSSC 1648

mononymous Russian-born jazz diva Svetlanatransformed Birdland (Feb. 13th) into what could wellhave been the Kozlov Club in Moscow. The singer hasthat kind of vibe, with her clipped accent and various
philosophies about Life and the Universe. But then,having earned a PhD, for her that sort of impulse isprobably irresistible. Svetlana’s aim was to be fun anduplifting in a context of romance and the ups anddowns thereof. The ups (shaded by the paradox of
Russian pessimism) included a jaunty “The Things We
Did Last Summer” (Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne).
The downs were represented in “They Can’t Take That
Away From Me” (George and Ira Gershwin). Svetlana
does have a certain charm and her sincerity and love of
the music shines through without constraint. Backed
by a 16-piece traditional jazz orchestra of young, very
fresh-faced musicians, she opened with a swinging“Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me” (Duke EllingtonBob Russell), demonstrating the straightaheadarrangements that prevailed throughout. But because
Svetlana’s
vocalsaremorestudiedthan
spontaneous, her delivery seemed more focused on
being precise at the sake of volume. Thus, often theband simply overpowered her. An exciting facet of theevening was the presence and work of Music Director
Emily Fredrickson, a trombonist, arranger andcomposer who is the director of the Dee Dee
Bridgewater Big Band.
—Marilyn LesterW

ith Love and Sadness features Grammy-nominated pianist Taylor Eigsti,
an important voice in the world of creative music and a musician whose“range of expression is not limited by illusory stylistic boundaries,” says Slocum;
first-call bassist Larry Grenadier, who also appears on Slocum’s previous album,
Sanctuary (Grenadier is a modern-day giant known for his 25-year association
with the Brad Mehldau Trio); and saxophonist Walter Smith III, a modern
master who is equally at home in a variety of musical settings.

MICHAEL LEONHART
ORCHESTRA
THE NORMYNSUITES
SSC 1660

AVAILABLE 3-25-22—Threads the needle between pop and experimental
music seamlessly.... gorgeous. —FORBES

I

n addition to the suites, the album features three songs co-written with Elvis
Costello during the quarantine. There are two versions of “Shut Him Down”
bookending the suites — one with Joshua Redman, playing his late father
Dewey’s newly restored tenor saxophone for the first time on record, the otherwith Chris Potter on bass clarinet. Costello performs spoken word on “Radiois Everything”, featuring legendary guitarists Bill Frisell and Nels Cline who
also co-wrote the songs with Leonhart and Costello. The final collaboration isthe driving “Newspaper Pane”.

www.sunnysiderecords.com

PHOTO © CAROLINE CONEJERO 2022—“Slocum has an expressive, light touch, reminiscent ofPaul Motian’s percussive poetry, but Slocum’s lyrical writing has also gained major notice... a serious young talenton the rise.” — Marcus Crowder, The Sacramento Bee

PETER GANNUSHKIN/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET

AVAILABLE 3-18-22

Lea Bertucci/Ben Vida @ Public Records

Svetlana @ Birdland

There’s nothing like jazz to take the years off. To close a three-night residency at Symphony Space
Watching Trio 3—alto saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist
Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille—play
the late set (Feb. 5th) at Dizzy’s Club was like watching
young boys romping in a sandbox. Workman was theindefatigable trickster, slyly subverting all expectations
with musical chicanery such as ‘milking’ his bass neck
like a cow’s udder, extorting feral snarls from it or‘conversing’ wordlessly with guest alto saxophonist
Bruce Williams. Cyrille played the instigator, provoking
the others with moose calls, buoyant beats andchattering rejoinders, delivering an extended solo on
his “A Tribute to Bu[haina]” (for Art Blakey) as delicate
as it was robust. Lake, at 79 the youngest of the three,acted as provocateur, coming up on stage for the fourth
piece, which began with a recitation of his poem
“Separation”,
remindinglisteners
that
jazz
improvisation, rooted in African oral (not written)
traditions, is something to be “lived, experienced,
now-ed!” A second guest, pianist Vijay Iyer, like
Williams, seemed especially inspired to join the elders
for their “Final Concerts”, a farewell (but hopefully not
goodbye) to a 34-year run beginning in 1988, when
Cyrille first spotted Lake hanging out at (Rashied)
Ali’s Alley on Greene Street. “Wha’s Nine” proved asatisfying culmination of everything previous, Iyer
scuttling restively along the keys, Williams in ecstatic
blues-preacher mode, all synchronized for the effortlessorganic climax. 				(TG)4 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD(Feb. 5th), saxophonist Ravi Coltrane explored thespiritually-based work of his parents John and Alice. It
was a sublime evening of ‘greatest hits’, with apowerful group of players: Gadi Lehavi (piano andRhodes), Rashaan Carter (upright bass and theexcellent anchor of the evening), Adam Rogers (guitar)and Elé Howell (drums). The latter is amazingly
talented, but, with expertise in funk and rock, also
seemed lost in many areas of the program. The set ofextended numbers struck right notes every which way.
Even without the exotic instrumentation Alice often
employed, her works, “Journey in Satchidananda” and“Blue Nile”, bore the same excitement, with juiced-up
amplification and modern, sometimes funk-based,arrangements. Her “Los Caballos” was especially fun,a demanding piece expressed beautifully with its
Latin-ized nuances. Living in the shadow of greatness
cannot be easy, but Ravi has built a fine career with his
own saxophone mastery and composing, such as his
engaging “Interval”. With his father ’s masterwork“A Love Supreme”, Ravi was in that same cosmic zone
occupied by both parents, delivering transcendentinterpretations of Part I, “Acknowledgement” andPart II, “Resolution”. The encore, demanded by apumped-up audience, was John’s exquisite “Giant
Steps”, with his innovative musical/spiritual theories
applied to new chord progressions, which still had theassembled begging for more. 		
(ML)In celebration of their sophomore album Wandersphere, The vibraphone has experienced a renaissance thesedays after being relegated to the cocktail nostalgia thatarises intermittently. The instrument’s natural
shimmering enticement is akin to jazz’ own and thevisual stimuli of the vibraphonist’s mallets, particularly
the use of four, grips audiences immediately. Patricia
Brennan has been widely fêted as one of the
instrument’s newer leaders, transposing classicalmarimba technique into uncanny improvisational
abilities, a composer ’s heart and the driving rhythmsof her Mexican heritage. At Bar Bayeux (Feb. 9th), alllingered on vivid, fiery display as her quartet ofbrilliant percussionist Mauricio Herrera, melodic,
driving bassist Kim Cass and all-encompassing
drummer Noel Brennan shook the crowded tavern.
Brennan’s discordant misterioso and impossibly rapid
presto runs were at the core as the band cooked in theotherworldly (with none and yet all conscious of time
and tempo), into Latin-esque drive, the montuno
sections so expansive that the sonics became near
overwhelming. But Brennan’s vision cannot be called
Latin jazz in the old sense; here is a music organicallynew and utterly compelling. The swing itself harbors
the shadow and pulse of Americas north, central andsouth. But the evening’s magic began early on when
pianist Marta Sánchez, alto saxophonist Oscar Noriega
and bassist Almog Sharvit flowed through a joyous
cool-school set with guest saxophonists Caleb Wheeler
Curtis and André Sacolxot.
—John Pietaro

Kris Davis @ The Jazz Gallery

In celebration of Women’s History Month and Mar. 8th,
International Women’s Day, Jazzmobile and The Schomburg
Center’s Women’s Jazz Festival will present “30 Years ofCurating Sound and Voices” with moderator Robin Bell-Stevens
and panelists Melba Joyce, Toshi Reagan, AJA Burrell Wood andBrandee Younger at The Schomburg Center at 7 pm. For more
information, visit eventbrite.com/e/womens-jazz-festival-30curators-salon-tickets-259778834487.
As part of the annual Django A Go Go Festival (which includes
Mar. 5th at Town Hall) organized by guitarist Stephane Wrembel,
a guitar camp will take place at The Woodland in Maplewood, NJ
with Wrembel, Raphaël Faÿs, Sébastien Félix, Laurent Hestin,
Russell Welch and Josh Kaye. For more information, visit
djangoagogo.com.
Carnegie Hall has launched an updated “Timeline of African
American Music” providing students, educators, researchers, andmusic lovers with an interactive digital resource exploring the richhistory and influence of African American music. For more
information, visit timeline.carnegiehall.org. In other Carnegie Hallnews, as part of its AfroFuturism program, “Afrofuturism: Art andPolitics—A Symposium” will take place online on Apr. 2nd at 1 pm.
For more information, visit carnegiehall.org/calendar/2022/04/02/
afrofuturism-art-and-politicsa-symposium-0100pm.
Vocalist Nancy Harrow’s Cat Who Went to Heaven project, music
and lyrics inspired by the 1931 Newbery Medal-winning children’sbook by Elizabeth Coatsworth and adapted for Bunraku (Japanesepuppet theater), received its premiere in Japan last month,rescheduled due to the pandemic.

As part of Columbia University’s “Such Sweet Thunder:
Ellington Plays Shakespeare--Love and Power in Adaptation”,
celebrating Duke Ellington’s 1957 Shakespearean jazz suite,
there will take place The 2022 Lionel Trilling Lecture: Fred Moten(Mar. 3rd at 6 pm) and The Such Sweet Thunder Continuum
Conference (Mar. 25th at 6 pm) with Delfeayo Marsalis, David
Hajdu, Patricia Akhimie, David Berger, and Jack Chambers, For
more information, visit suchsweetthunder.columbia.edu.

Patricia Brennan @ Bar Bayeux

Celebrating his latest album, Change Is Gonna Come The Village pulsated no matter the hour, no matter the(Savant), pianist Bill O’Connell brought a trio to
Mezzrow that featured the date’s saxophonist, Craig
Handy, along with bassist Santi Debriano. Best known
as a mainstay on the Latin jazz scene for his tenureswith Mongo Santamaria, David Valentin and Jerry
Gonzalez and The Fort Apache Band, O’Connell is amore than capable straightahead player, as he proved
with this swinging unit. The second set (Feb. 10th) got
started with his “Sweet Peanut”, a buoyant Braziliantinged outing. It began with piano and bass setting up
a lively dancing rhythm, after which Handy’s dulcettoned soprano joined in, playing the lighthearted
melody, fruitful ground for all the band members tosolo over. The set continued with O’Connell’s funkyoriginal take on John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice”,
which had him stretching out with McCoy Tyner-ish
bravado, buttressed by Handy’s rhythmic two-andfour clapping before he took off blowing soulful tenor.
Debriano followed, matching his bandmates’ intensitywith high-speed flurries of bowed and plucked notes.
The trio dove into gospel mode on a stirring O’Connell
arrangement of the Sam Cooke Civil Rights anthem
serving as title track of the new record. Handy wasback on soprano for the O’Connell original “COVID
Blues”, the pianist digging down deep with both hands
and Debriano getting down and dirty. The set closed
out with O’Connell’s bright calypso tribute to his old
boss Sonny Rollins, “Sun For Sunny”.
(RM)

W H AT ’ S N E W S

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has announced the first
beneficiaries of its new Creative Inflections program, “a first-ofits-kind initiative to support leading jazz artists and presenting
organizations in innovative collaborations that enable artists totake creative risks and expand the genre’s listenership byattracting younger and more diverse audiences.”: Jen Shyu, Sumi
Tonooka and Asia Society; Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding
and ArtsEmerson; Terri Lyne Carrington and The Carr Center;
Cécile McLorin Salvant and Walker Arts Center; and Samora
Pinderhughes and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. For more
information, visit ddcf.org.

@SHERRYRUBELPHOTOGRAPHYHANK O’NEAL / COURTESY OF THE JAZZ GALLERY

the double-disc followup to their acclaimed Asteroidea(both on Intakt), Borderlands Trio took to The Jazz
Gallery stage for a two-night stand. The intrepid unitof pianist Kris Davis, bassist Stephan Crump anddrummer Eric McPherson began its first set (Feb. 5th)
tranquilly, Crump first bowing upper-register notes,
McPherson gently brushing snare drum and rack tom
in concentric circles and Davis carefully preparing the
grand piano, utilizing gaffer ’s tape and silly putty toalter the tonality of the upper and lower registers of
the instrument. An ominous plucked bass motif
brought piano and cymbals into the fold and thus anhour-long, in-the-moment improvisation blurring theroles of soloist and accompanist took off. The music
unfolded slowly, organically, equally defined by Davis’
expansive lexicon (combining elements of the
vocabularies of Cecil Taylor, Herbie Hancock and
Thelonious Monk in a starkly original manner) andher judicious use of an Arturia MicroFreak Hybrid
Synthesizer; Crump’s arco and pizzicato virtuoso
extended technique; and McPherson’s omnidirectional,
multi-tonal drumming. The trio rarely stayed in asingle space for long, moving back and forth between
atmospheric etherealism to cadenced earthiness,
the audience listening in enraptured silence, foregoing
any applause for the entire performance, even as
the band paused before embarking on a shorter
spontaneous creation. 		
—Russ Mustosnow. Turning down Christopher Street, 20-somethings
were lined up for a Friday night’s revel at Cellar Dog(Feb. 4th), the late sets of which aren’t exactly intimate
but throb with adrenalin. As the jazzbos commandeered
the seating around the performance chasm, mostpatrons were busied at the pool tables lining theterrain. Trumpeter Carol Morgan’s artfully hip quartet
calmly stood ground, rousing with “Strike Up theBand”, “Bernie’s Tune” and “Straight, No Chaser”,
drawing whoops and hollers from the inebriated andotherwise happy. The front line of Morgan and bass
clarinetist Stefano Doglioni reflect a Chet Baker/Gerry
Mulligan cool, but the leader ’s trumpet, agile, brassy
and thick of tone, indicates a raw power in quiet
reserve. She embraces the horn’s mid-range with acunning awareness of historic jazz; the tradition seems
encased in her vintage ‘40s trumpet. And Doglioni, oneof the few specializing on bass clarinet, makes granduse of the instrument’s formidable range, whether
moaning in the dark end or singing aerial, like Prez’tenor. Bassist Jon Roche held steady, pulsating, riffing,locking in with drummer Evan Sherman whose subtle
bass drum bombs accentuated the dance of his sticks,
like Nick Fatool or Shadow Wilson sailing over thequartet’s latent bop and latter-day swing. Truth:
Morgan should be at the top of every critic’s andlistener ’s agendas. Ugly Truth: industry bias explains
why she remains unjustly on the jazz periphery.
(JP)

Creatives Rebuild New York is accepting applications for their
Guaranteed Income for Artists and Artist Employment programs,
no-strings, monthly cash payments to 2,400 artists across New
York State, and Artist Employment Program, supporting
employment by NYS community-based organizations of 300 New
York State artists (benefits included) through Mar. 25th. For more
information, visit creativesrebuildny.org.
Vocalist Judi Silvano will have her first visual art exhibition at
Unitarian Universalist Society of Orange County in Rock Tavern,
NY Mar. 1st-Apr. 30th with three receptions planned: Mar. 5th,
3-5 pm ; Mar. 19th, 3-5 pm (with Teri Roiger, John Menegon and
Joe Lovano) and Apr. 23rd, 3-5 pm (with the same band). For
more information, visit judisilvano.com.
Arts for Art’s live-streaming offerings for March: Brandon Lopez /Mat Maneri (Mar. 1st), Lisa Sokolov Trio (Mar. 3rd), Jason Kao
Hwang’s Human Rites Trio (Mar. 8th), Isaiah Collier & The Chosen
Few (Mar. 10th), James Brandon Lewis Trio (Mar. 15th), Onyx Trio
(Mar. 17th), Michael Bisio Quartet (Mar. 22nd) and Fay Victor/
Luke Stewart (Mar. 24th), all happening at 7 pm and viewable at
artsforart.org/onlinesalon.html.
Bob Karcy’s Arkadia Records is celebrating its 25th Anniversary
with digital releases of its back catalogue and its first new releasein years, the debut album of Brazilian singer/songwriter Tetel Di
Babuya. For more information, visit arkadiarecords.com.
Vocalist Isabel Crespo Pardo and saxophonist Alfredo Colón havebeen named Roulette’s 2022 Van Lier Fellows.
Vocalist Kat Edmonson made her theatrical debut last month in
Taylor Mac’s jazz opera The Hang.
Submit news to ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 5

COURTESY OF THE ARTISTINTERVIEW

CARLA
COOK

the theme was Ellington but for some reason, I broughtin “In a Mellow Tone”, which I had known a hundredyears ago. I taught it to this particular group of third
graders. They had such a vibe to them. I’m listening tothem just swing and I’m like why am I not doing this?
And then this is what’s great: they sing it and they
loved it. And because they all ate lunch together there’s
one class singing it, three days later and the whole
school knows the song.
TNYCJR: There is a big debate about people being
trained in schools and not being trained on the road.
Do you have any thinking about that?
(INTERVIEW CONTINUED ON PAGE 23)

by monique ngozi nri
Carla Cook has a unique vocal quality. She came to NYC tosing the way she wanted to over 30 years ago and received aGrammy nomination for her debut, It’s All About Love,in 1999. Dem Bones, a tribute to the trombonists that she
has worked with, was released in 2001 and Simply Natural
followed in 2002. These recordings were lovingly produced by
the MAXJAZZ label and received great acclaim. Cook has arepertoire that spans a broad range, from gospel and R&B to
the Great American Songbook and Brazilian songs andrhythms. She has collaborated with many musicians whilebalancing a teaching career. We caught up on her musicalbackground and the inspiring music she continues to make.
The New York City Jazz Record: Tell me a little bit
about your start in the music.
Carla Cook: I did come up in Detroit and the musicscene was very vibrant, not just the jazz scene but, ofcourse, Motown and the funk scene and all of that. I
did very little work there because I left Detroit at 18 to
go to college in Boston. And I never returned. So I did
not really work the scene so much in Detroit. A lot ofmusicians that I know I will work with when I cameback over the summers or whatever, so I would get toknow some of them that way. But I can’t claim that
I cut my musical teeth in Detroit.
TNYCJR: But you did sing in church?
CC: Absolutely, I sang in church, I sang in choirs. I did
the whole state honors choir. I played bass in theorchestra in high school. I played piano and took
private piano lessons, so I have a mix of European
classical training and I sang in the AME church, theBlack Methodist Church.
TNYCJR: Did you find any conflict between yourclassical training and gospel and moving into jazz?
CC: I remember having the nerve to tell my European
classical voice teacher that I wanted to sing jazz and he
was so offended, but good voice training works nomatter what genre you’re trying to approach. So, I just
took that training and I’ve been able to apply it to otherthings. Nothing and no one ever told me that I couldn’t!
We had a wonderful jazz radio station WJZZ in Detroit
and they mixed it all up. There was a big band hourand blues hour. And because of that and the fact that
I was surrounded by all these different kinds of music
and participating in the honors choir here and thenchurch there, I didn’t have boundaries, I didn’t attend
an institution that told me that I should.
TNYCJR: I know you don’t like to be boxed in.
I actually was just listening to “Hold to God’s
Unchanging Hand” just before we started talking. Whatis the place of the sacred and the secular in your music?
CC: When I recorded “Hold On God’s Unchanging Hand”

my mother had passed a few years before and that
happened to be her favorite hymn and so I wasrecording that for her. I had no idea that it would takeon the life that it did. I mean, a lot of radio stations,especially in the Midwest and South, that was kind of
the only thing they would play. They weren’t reallyinterested in the swing so much as in the gospel song,
you know, but I sing that song relentlessly to this day.
It’s one of the first that stayed in my repertoire thewhole time. I’ve sung it in Kazakhstan and Israel.
Where I sing it does not matter and I usually tell theaudience that sometimes I’m not singing it necessarily
for them but for me.
TNYCJR: Tell me more.
CC: I sing it as a reminder, the lyrics are a reminder.
Not just the business but in day-to-day life I’m reallytrying to adhere to my personal spiritual belief. Holdon to God’s unchanging hand, especially now there’s
so much going on. Yeah, pandemic aside, there’s still
so much going on and so [these words] keep me
focused, filled with gratitude at the end of the day.

HMARCH 1ST - MARCH 6THHTNYCJR: I was also reading somewhere that it’s
important to you that the music is progressive. Is that
accurate and, if so, what does that mean?

MELISSAALDANA QUINTETLAGE LUND – FABIAN ALMAZAN (TUES-WED)

CC: I’m not sure what you mean by progressive. I
always tell people that jazz, it seems like every ten
years someone tries to proclaim jazz is dying or isdead. You know this music sells itself. That’s why it’s
been around for so long. That’s why generations keep
gravitating toward it because it’s still relevant. I think
the problem is in educating very young people. Of
course, commercial radio is no more and then we
decided as a society that music wasn’t all that importantfor us in schools and we decided that sports were
definitely important but the music wasn’t, so now
we’re paying for it.

HMARCH 8TH - MARCH 13THHTNYCJR: I know that you’ve done a number of different
things in education. You have your own educational
project that you took around in the schools.
CC: Right, unfortunately, that was just before theeconomy sort of tanked and, quite frankly, only a few
school systems have had the funds to pay for it, but thetruth is, all kids need music education. They needmusic just like they need math and I say this often,
nobody swings like third graders. There’s anelementary school in Long Island called the Washington
Rose Elementary school. They had a fantastic principal
and she just believed in this music and they had a
handful of the best faculty and we went there every
year. And the third graders they had, I have put songs
back into my repertoire because of them, because I’mteaching it to them. A lot of this music is not necessarily
geared toward children. That year, I don’t know if

6 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDSULLIVAN FORTNER (THURS-SUN) PABLO MENARES - KUSH ABADEYPETER
BERNSTEIN TRIOPETER WASHINGTON - JOE FARNSWORTHWITH GUESTSGEORGE COLEMAN (WED-THURS)THOMAS LINGER (FRI-SUN)

HMARCH 15TH - MARCH 20THH

BILL
STEWART TRIOWALTER SMITH III – LARRY GRENADIERHMARCH 22ND - MARCH 27THHGERALD
CLAYTON TRIOJOE SANDERS – JUSTIN BROWN (TUES-SAT)KWEKU SUMBRY (SUN)HMARCH 29TH - APRIL 3RDH

GILAD
HEKSELMAN QUARTETSHAI MAESTRO -LARRY GRENADIER – ERIC HARLAND
COMING IN APRILHKURT ROSENWINKELHHTOM HARRELLHHAARON PARKSH
HJOHNATHAN BLAKEH

COURTESY OF THE ARTISTARTIST FEATU RESASHA
BERLINER

For more information, visit sashaberlinermusic.com.
Berliner is at The Django Mar. 4th and Smalls Mar. 18th.
See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Sasha Berliner–GOLD (s/r, 2015)• Sasha Berliner–Azalea (s/r, 2019)• Tyshawn Sorey–Unfiltered (s/r, 2019)• Sasha Berliner–Onyx (JMI, 2020)• Palladium–Don’t Look Back (s/r, 2021)

by george grella
The pure, resonant sound of the vibraphone speaks,

by itself, for the quality and stature of the instrument,
every note has a beautiful sound, and all it takes torelease it is a mallet. Still, playing vibraphone comeswith logistical challenges beyond what saxophonists
and trumpeters face; it is not just an instrument, it is avan, even a lifestyle. So one can’t resist asking
vibraphonist Sasha Berliner just how she got started.
She told the story: “I started as a drummer,” prior tohigh school, “played a bunch of rock, that’s what
I grew up listening to” in a family that valued music andwhere her older brother was a musician. Berliner enjoyedplaying, but, explains that at the time she “wasn’t surethe drums were the instrument for me.”Her brother was interested in studying jazz andthrough him she grew curious about “harmony,theory…I wanted to develop stronger melodic
knowledge”, outside of just playing rhythms. She
auditioned for the Oakland School of the Arts andbrought along a friend’s glockenspiel. “I played thethree major scales I knew!” Though the audition went
well, the school had too many drummers already andso they asked her if she was interested in playing thevibraphone. The instrument was so new to her that she
admits that at first she kept “calling it a xylophone…
And then I got really into it, studied it all summer.”
More than just playing it in school, she “got reallyinterested in a professional career.”That career has already come a long way in a shorttime. She moved to New York City in 2016 forundergraduate studies at The New School, where she
studied with leading vibraphone player Stefon Harris;
trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire had heard Berliner
when she was still in high school and recommended
her to Harris. Her talent and her dedication to the
instrument, learning harmony, strengthening her
melodic knowledge, were on display on the bandstandalmost immediately. While still an undergrad, shebegan playing professionally at venues like The Jazz
Gallery and Smalls. She attended a 2017 Banff workshop
directed by Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey and that led
to her receiving the LetterOne “Rising Stars” JazzAward, which brought her opportunities to lead bands,
tour, and headline festivals.
In 2019, she self-released her debut, Azalea(available at Bandcamp). Then everyone got an
involuntary year-and-a-half off due to the pandemic.
Berliner set a pair of bookends: in some of the last live
gigs in New York City in March 2020 she played in
Sorey’s sextet at The Jazz Gallery then led her owngroup last October at the BRICArts Jazzfest as the city
reopened. These were two scintillating performances,
the first cutting through the roiling slabs of Sorey’s
music with forceful solos and notable melodic strength,
spilling across bar lines and rhythmic units, the second
guiding a passage through subtle harmonic changes
and shifting pulses, playing short phrases of chord
sequences like they themselves were melodies. The
live playing in particular displays Berliner ’s ability tothink ahead and create a formal shape while still able
to discover and investigate specific details.
The BRICArts show was a small preview for those
who are eager to hear her next recording, scheduled
for a summer release on JMI Recordings—a fledglinglabel currently with a handful of albums and planned
releases from David Murray and Lage Lund. It wasrecorded in December 2020 with a main band of alto
saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, pianist James Francies, bassist
Burniss Earl Travis II and drummer Marcus Gilmore.
JMI, Berliner points out, “prides itself on analog, it wasrecorded all to tape.” Analog also means vinyl and thedelay in release is a result of the vinyl production issue
currently plaguing the record business, at least formusicians other than Taylor Swift and Adele.
The new album’s title is Onyx, solid and obdurate
as opposed to a flowering shrub: “It has more authorityand points of view,” than Azalea, Berliner says.
“I’m not this traditional jazz vibes player…I want toshow this about my playing.” Where the first album isthe sound of a musician exploring her own place in theworld and how she responds to it, “listeners shouldhear a great amount of growth from the first album. It
is a dense musical journey that touches on a lot of
emotions,” as does her introspective debut, “but has
a lot more intention and power.”
She further explores where she hears herself in thevibraphone tradition. The fundamental sound of the
instrument is the same for each player—the malletagainst a tuned metal bar—unlike a saxophone; it is
how it is played that makes a difference. For Berliner,
the guides are Harris, “Bobby Hutcherson, Steve
Nelson… Stefon is a very honest player, somethingthat marks [them all] as musicians…fearless about
what they play, concerned about conveying humanity.”
Berliner breaks that down to “a greater spectrum ofrhythm and phrasing” playing beyond the structuresof a four- or eight-bar harmonic rhythm, and points toHarris’ Ninety Miles as pivotal for her for seeing how avibraphone player could extend phrases andcomplicated rhythms beyond basic song form structure.
She is also working on different approaches to thesound of the instrument: “I’ve started to explore using
different mallets to get a sharper sound, or using a bass
bow to get a warmer sound.” She also uses guitar
pedals while playing as an in-line expressive extension,
something she can go to in the moment as a part of an
improvisation, spontaneous rather than a postproduction embellishment, just like a guitar player.
“It contributes to what’s in your ear,” she says, “whatyou’re responding to while you’re improvising.”
Until Onyx comes out, there is teaching—bothprivate students and at a high school in Brooklyn—andsome live gigs. She toured the West Coast in February
and there will be something special at Nublu in April:a duo performance with another young, exciting
vibraphonist, Joel Ross. Berliner appreciates how they
have such different voices and is looking forward towhat will happen. v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 7

PHOTO BY LUCIANO ROSSETTION THE COVER

JOANNE
BRACKEEN
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TUNE IN
by anders griffen

Joanne Brackeen (née Grogan) is a pianist with a totallyoriginal sound and energy and a very personal
dedication to her craft. As she succinctly puts it, “I justdid what I like to do and that’s all.” It all started inwhat was then the small town of Ventura, California. “I
had a choice. My parents bought two records of piano
players. One was Carmen Cavallaro and the other one
was Frankie Carle. I like Cavallaro’s choice of songs,
but didn’t particularly care for the improv. But Frankie
Carle’s, I just started at the beginning, [and] wrote
down all the notes for both hands. Then I played it at
the school assembly and I kept doing more and more. I
didn’t know how to play the piano at all before andafter I did seven or eight of them, I could play!”
After teaching herself, she found her best friend andfirst musical partner. “Ventura didn’t have anything. The
only thing there for me was Jo Ann Zering, who later
became Jo Ann Castle, working with Lawrence Welk.
She became very famous. She was a honkytonk piano
player, but with me she played accordion and sang. We
worked in the school dance band. I was 12 and you were
supposed to be 15, but I was tall, so nobody asked. Thatband worked and we got paid.”
Throughout high school she also worked in a Latinband at the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los
Angeles and that is when she began exploring the jazz
community. She started working regularly withsaxophonist Teddy Edwards, bassist George Morrowand drummer Frank Butler. Sometimes Harold Land or
Walter Benton would take the lead and Dexter Gordon
joined them for the Christmas show. Brackeen used tovisit Don Cherry’s house to witness Ornette Coleman’s
rehearsals with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins. In
fact, she used to drive Higgins there. “The first records
you hear of them came out quite a bit later, but they
were playing that same way the whole time.” Ornette
became a major influence and dear friend.
It was a rich time of discovery. Music was there forher just when she needed it. She would play withCharles Lloyd, Ray Graziano, Bobby Hutcherson, andHenry Franklin and established a duo with Herbie
Lewis. She played every night. If not at a club there
would be a jam session. Every Sunday everybody went
to a club called The Digger. After finishing high schoolwith high marks, she received a scholarship to the L.A.
Conservatory and enjoyed some classical lessons witha Mr. Voorhees but otherwise couldn’t stay. “I don’t
want to waste my time doing something when I could
do what I want to do.”
She met saxophonist Charles Brackeen when they
were both hired by trumpeter Tom Peltier. They soon
were married with children and on their way to New
York in 1965. They eventually landed a place on theLower East Side and continued to pursue the music.
“Just go out every night and I already knew a lot of
people. Jane Getz had moved here, Bobby Hutcherson
was here. I worked with some people, like Charlie
Shavers, Sonny Stitt. A lot of people had called. Then
I met Wayne Shorter and his brother, Alan, because
they hung out at Slugs’ a lot, which was just aroundthe corner. After I had my fourth child, I found out Art

Blakey was there so, I was tired, but I just said I’mgoing. Because it was like five or six flights of stairs
every time you’re going out with the kids, going backand with the diapers, the wash, because it was hard to
get diapers in those days. I was so tired. It is like I wasreally looking forward to the music. It was always aquintet, two horns and a full rhythm section. So, I wentin there and I wanted to hear that sound. But the piano
player was sitting there never playing. I thought,
maybe, oh, he is just laying out for a chorus or two. No.
He never played. So, finally in the middle of one tune I
just wanted to hear the piano with the group. I justwent up and asked Art. He said, okay.” After that,
Blakey invited her to join the band and they worked
steadily for the next three years. “We went to Japan,
Korea. 44 concerts in 42 days. Some of them in somegrand clubs they used to have in Japan. It looked likethose movies you see in the ‘20s-30s. That was all overJapan. We went to Europe a few times.”
Back home, saxophonist Pete Yellin had beenworking with Joe Henderson and kept telling Brackeenthat Henderson was looking for a piano player and sheshould call him. “That’s weird,” she thought, “because
I don’t like people calling me asking to work in mygroup. I mean, if they say, sometime, if you need this,give me a call. That’s different, but…no. So, I didn’t doanything. Then, finally, Joe called, asked me to be in
the group.” This was another busy band. Henderson
had a lot of different personnel over the years andBrackeen had an opportunity to stretch out and play alittle more, “but Joe Henderson on the saxophone, thatwas enough, he made everybody sound good.”“I was in the middle of a tour with Joe. And StanGetz, I don’t know how he knew…I mean, maybe heknew what club I’m at, but how you know where I’m
staying to call me in my room? And he would call,maybe three or four times in a matter of a couple ofweeks: ‘rehearsal’s tomorrow’. And I said, ‘wait, Stan,
I’m in Chicago, I’m working tomorrow night here’.
And then he’d call again, we had more jobs after
Chicago, but they got cancelled. So, he called again,
said ‘rehearsal’s tomorrow’ and I said, ‘oh, okay, I’ll be
there’. That was so funny. Stan, you could not believe
what he was like.” Just as the previous two leaderspresented unique opportunities, playing with Getz
was something different once again. Brackeen describes
the attention to detail that was required to accompany
him and likens it to playing behind a singer. His pitch
was so precise and there were no wasted notes. “Heplayed what he wanted to hear and nothing else. That’s
how he spoke. It is like it was written and rehearsed.”
The experience of accompanying these jazz giants
established Brackeen. Moving forward she would leadher own ensembles. Between tours she worked locallywith various duets and trios, especially with bassist
Clint Houston and drummer Billy Hart, who also worked
in Getz’ band. In these formats she led her first record
dates for the Choice and Timeless labels. In 1979 she
released Keyed In on the Tappan Zee label with bassist
Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Producer
Bob James remembers Brackeen with fondness and

8 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

admiration: “Joanne is a brilliant and unique artist withher own style and vision. She was totally self-containedand didn’t need (or want) artistic direction from me.”She also recorded with saxophonist Michael Brecker andguitarist Ryo Kawasaki and in the ‘80s-90s found morehorn players who could play what she wanted to hear,
including Randy Brecker and Dave Liebman, among
others. Branford Marsalis and Terence Blanchard met
Brackeen’s unique demands on Fi-Fi Goes To Heaven(Concord, 1987), which is illustrative of the rhythmic
and harmonic complexity in her compositions. She
also had strong musical relationships with bassists Cecil
McBee and John Patitucci and drummers Al Foster andHoracio “El Negro” Hernandez.
Among various achievements and awards, she
received the BNY Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award in2014 and in 2018 was awarded a Jazz Masters
Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
for her “exceptional contributions to the advancementof jazz.” “If you’re a woman you have to learn how toplay much more than a guy does in order to berecognized for the same level. That’s how it seems.
I tell my girls [female students] that. I let them knowthat so they don’t have to feel bad or fight against it;
we could just be very creative. So, to let them know,
you have to be a little bit ahead. I like animals, they’reso great. Birds. It is like they know what to do and they
don’t squabble. So, you have to find out how to be inharmony. And then you can have what you need tohave.” Over the past couple of decades, teaching hastaken on a greater role and she became a professor at
Berklee College of Music and The New School. “Instudents, when I see there’s something they’re nevergoing to do, I listen and find out if they want to. So,
I’ve had the chance to really help some people to get
where they want to get. That’s one thing I never had.
So, that’s why I enjoy teaching.”
During the pandemic Brackeen has had more timeto practice and reflect. “I’m thankful for all thosemusicians that I feel like I really received a lot fromthrough the music. I think every person is importantand it is just great to be here and have music with us. I
want to help all the other eight billion people and you
don’t have to be there with them. You’re doing
everything you do for everything here. You want tohave plenty and good health so that you can help otherpeople. Everything comes when you need it, but all
you need to do is tune in. ” v
For more information, visit joannebrackeenjazz.com.
Brackeen is at Soapbox Gallery Mar. 26th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Art Blakey–Jazz Messengers ’70 (Victor-Catalyst, 1970)• Joanne Brackeen–Snooze (Choice, 1975)• Joanne Brackeen–Ancient Dynasty (Tappan Zee, 1980)• Joanne Brackeen–Live at Maybeck Recital Hall,
Volume 1 (Concord, 1989)• Joanne Brackeen–Power Talk (Turnipseed Music, 1994)• Joanne Brackeen–Pink Elephant Magic(Arkadia Jazz, 1998)

NEA Jazz Master

Meet

Joanne Brackeen

Tetel Di Babuyaarkadiarecords.com

Tetel Di Babuya is a Jazz influenced
Brazilian singer-songwriter andviolinist. She performs andcomposes in both English
and Portuguese, creating acompelling sound thatthat thatblends (and stirs) Jazz,
Blues, Bossa Novaand Standards,
old and new.

Joanne Brackeen is one of jazz’s
most prized possessions: a virtuoso
pianist and master composer who
epitomizes the history and evolutionof jazz from traditional to free, andeverything in between.

teteldibabuya.com

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THE INTERCHURCH CENTER | 61 CLAREMONT AVE. HARLEM
THE MARC CARY TRIO
WED. MAR. 16, 2022 | 7PM
Marc Cary, Piano
Kris Monson, Bass
Diego Joaquin Ramirez, Drums

MARK MORGANELLI & THE JAZZ FORUM
ALL-STARS CELEBRATE BRASIL!
WED. MAY 18, 2022 | 7PM
Mark Morganelli,Flugelhorn, Percussion
Roni Ben-Hur, Guitar
Eduardo Belo, Bass
Nanny Assis, Drums, Vocals

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS:
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JAZZMOBILE PRESENTSBERTHA HOPE, Piano
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SOAR | SOUNDS OF A & R
WED. APR. 20, 2022 | 7PM
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Trumpet/ Flugelhorn
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ALL JAZZMOBILE SESSIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

ENCOREIROHAARLAby francesco martinelli
F innish harpist, pianist and composer Iro Haarla

shares with Alice Coltrane some biographical traits toan almost uncomfortable extent. Both trained
musicians, they devoted a substantial part of their life
to the music of their artistic and life partner. In the
male-dominated jazz world, they were known as the“wife of”. Their personal contributions were thus
somewhat diminished. But Alice Coltrane in the ‘70s,
a few years after the death of John Coltrane in 1967,
gave preeminence to her spiritual life and despite
single appearances her music is only lately getting
its due.
On the contrary Haarla, inspired by the music oflate drummer and future husband Edward Vesala,trained at the prestigious Sibelius Academy of Musicand studied jazz improvisation with Heikki Sarmanto,
a leading figure in Finnish and European jazz. Just
after graduation she recorded with Juhani Aaltonen
and began to work with Vesala. Her role in Vesala´sprojects was not limited to piano, electronics and harp.
She also co-composed and arranged the music for
Vesala’s Sound & Fury band, including four albums for
ECM between 1986-1994. Vesala passed away in 1999
and since 2000 Haarla developed her own career as
leader, performer and composer.
The Finnish TUM label extensively documented
her work with longtime friend Aaltonen and bassist
Ulf Krokfors while ECM released Northbound (2004),
Vespers (2010) and Ante Lucem for Symphony Orchestra
and Quintet (2012). In 2018 TUM issued Around Again(The Music of Carla Bley) performed by the trio of
Haarla, Krokfors and drummer Barry Altschul while
the latest work by Haarla is What Will We Leave Behind:
Images From Planet Earth (Svart Records, 2019).
Ante Lucem is powerfully evocative, tinged withmelancholy (one segment is dedicated to Haarla’s
mother, an opera singer, who had recently died) but its
real strength lies in the masterful integration of thequintet’s jazz sounds and soloing into the orchestral

setting. Joining Haarla is trumpeter Hayden Powell,saxophonist Trygve Seim, Krokfors and drummer Mika
Kallio with the NorrlandsOperans Symfonieorkester
conducted by Jukka Lisakkila. Melodies presented bysaxophone, trumpet or bowed bass are echoed andrefracted by the orchestra in a succession of soundpictures recreating the emotions of dark night and hard
weather, followed by the dawn’s birds’ choir anda jubilant, luminous finale. Listening live to this musiccommissioned by Sweden’s Umeå Festival was an
uplifting experience but the recording quality of the
ECM album comes close to recreating it for the home
listener. Reminiscent of Messiaen and Impressionism,
this album puts Haarla right up there with Maria
Schneider at the forefront of contemporary composition
for improvised musicians.
In fact both Schneider and Haarla acknowledge
their debt to Carla Bley, whose high-profile band
leadership as well as body of compositions inspired
women all over the jazz world to take up newchallenges. So the tribute is a particularly relevant link
here, made even more relevant for the rare presence ofthe master drummer Altschul, who was a member of
the trio led by Paul Bley that recorded some of thesepieces in the ‘60s. Listening to Paul’s recordings ofCarla’s pieces was what brought them to life for Haarla,
who knew the written scores from her studies in an
early incarnation of the Jazz Department of Sibelius
Academy: “...having heard Carla’s compositions being
interpreted by Paul Bley...the content and excellence of
those compositions was revealed to me! Masterful,space-providing compositions into which one could
inject powerful emotions through interpretation –exactly what was and is important to me,” she writes in
the liner notes, which also include Altschul’s own
insight: “If you closely check out the compositional
aspects of some of Carla’s music, you will find that her
music is part of the Jazz or Great American Songbook
tradition. Much of that music is written with AABA or
ABA form, but she compresses the form... It can beplayed as phrases, as speed or motion, in time or asa spontaneous flow of consciousness.”
The recording is an instant classic of piano trio
albums for how it expresses the personal soundworldof Haarla through an open approach to compositions
that not only allows but, in fact, requires invention,
reconstruction, romanticism and humor. Those whoare already familiar with the pieces will discover new
creative possibilities in them and for the younger

listeners it hopefully will also work as a suggestion to
discover Bley’s repertoire.
The latest offering might seem a drastic departurefrom the acoustic trio, with the foundation of an electricensemble also including electronic synthesizers, but,in fact, Haarla already played electronic keyboards
in Vesala’s ensembles and cooperated with electricguitarist Raoul Björkenheim in UMO Jazz Orchestra’s
The Sky is Ruby (2006, TUM). The ecologicalpreoccupation for the planet and the love of nature
continue to fuel Haarla’s music and the dimension ofurgency is accentuated by the complex layers of
rhythms, samples and timbres built on the axis between
Haarla and Krokfors, here on electric bass andkeyboards as well. They are joined on percussion by
Anida Vesala and on electric guitar by the very popular
Jukka Orma, had who already collaborated with Vesala,Björkenheim and Krokfors in various bands.
The suite was commissioned by Finland’s Pori Jazz
Festival and all the pieces are inspired by particular
landscapes of phenomena, with dramatic variations inatmosphere and feelings, from abstract sound paintingsto groovy lines from the electrified rhythm section,
creating a background for the tenor saxophone of Sami
Sippola, gruffy or majestic according to the composition.
“For us, me and Ulf,” writes Haarla “nature is aninexhaustive source of inspiration and wonder. It
doesn’t only mean beautiful landscapes, but it alsomeans the whole existence of nature. I’ll admire thestately beauty of nature, which springs from theextreme phenomena, from the variations of light andshape, and the struggle for life. The thread of life isunbroken.” A cry for action but at the same time an act
of love and hope, this is a powerful artistic statementthat shows another facet of the rich artistic personalityof Iro Haarla. v

community to discover the identity of two women
included in the photos, one used for the original album
cover. Through happenstance, it was revealed that it
had been decided to use the white woman’s photo
instead of Thompson to increase the album’s appeal as,
to quote Dawes, “Thompson’s voice is devoid of any
black cultural idioms that were found in the vocality ofher-then contemporaries, such as Holiday, Dinah
Washington and Ella Fitzgerald.”
Only guitarist Barney Kessel was identified on theoriginal release—it has since been discovered that thepersonnel was Benny Carter or Ted Nash (saxophone),
Arnold Ross or Paul Smith (piano), Joe Mondragon,
Red Mitchell or Mike Rubin (bass), Alvin Stoller orDick Shanahan (drums), Ed Kusby, George Roberts,
Harry Betts or Joe Howard (trombone) and Nino Rossi(cello)—but Thompson is out front and magnificent.
Goodbye to Love is a collection of standard jazztunes, an elegantly perfect introduction of Thompson’s
voice to the world. It opens with Shelton Brooks’“Some of These Days”, the 1910 classic associated with
Sophie Tucker. It is taken, of course, at ballad tempo
and Thompson bends the notes with minimal effort but
ever so delicate soul, even as the band wails. And onRezső Seress-László Jávor-Sam Lewis’ “Gloomy
Sunday”, Thompson is accompanied only by soft
guitar, the duo opening the intimacies of this song.
The Gordon Jenkins tune “Goodbye” utilizes
saxophone and cello. “You Call It Madness, But
I Call It Love” (Russ Columbo-Con Conrad-Paul
Gregory-Gladys du Bois) is a lonely request for wordsof love to be uttered. Robert Russell’s “Fan Me” isa simple request to keep the coolness coming during
the flames of love. Ira Cook’s “Goodnight My Pet”
(originally released as a 7” paired with “Gloomy
Sunday” and available as one of two bonus tracks on
the CD version of the reissue, also available on vinyl)closes as a mother sings to her child to gently rock her
to sleep. It is a glorious display in which an AfricanAmerican singer can simply express a few things about
being alive in America.
Each tune is tender and intimate and not always
cheery. Thompson’s beautiful voice and absolutely
unique stylings allow them to transcend time. Whileher personal story is unknown, there is long overdue
redemption that she is finally being recognized. v

For more information, visit irohaarla.net
Recommended Listening:• Edward Vesala–Lumi (ECM, 1986)• Iro Haarla/Pepa Päivinen–Yarra Yarra(November Music, 2000)• Iro Haarla–Northbound (ECM, 2004)• Juhani Aaltonen/Iro Haarla–Kirkastus (TUM, 2013)• Iro Haarla/Ulf Krokfors/Barry Altschul–
Around Again (TUM, 2015)• Iro Haarla Electric Ensemble–What Will We Leave
Behind: Images From Planet Earth (Svart, 2019)

LEST WE FORGET

CLAUDIA
THOMPSONby donald elfman
Claudia Thompson’s Goodbye to Love is a newly

reissued masterwork. She recorded it in January 1959
and then nothing else was heard from her, dropped by
the music industry as unmarketable. But it is back anda decades-long injustice has been corrected by reissuinglabel Modern Harmonic: Thompson is on the coverinstead of an anonymous white woman on the original
pressing. The album was initially released on the
Edison International label. Like that cover photo, thealbum continues to offer mystery while never letting
go of the wonder that is this music.
In her new liner notes for the album, journalist
Laina Dawes explains the backstory of a young woman
discovering a box of negatives and enlisting the online

10 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

For more information, visit modernharmonic.com

VOXNEWSSACRED GIFTS
by suzanne lorge

Sheila Jeannette Dawson, aka Sheila Jordan, was anunlikely champion of the bebop movement. Born in
Detroit on Nov. 18th, 1928 (on the same day thatMickey Mouse debuted in Steamboat Willie) and raised
in a small coal-mining town in Pennsylvania, Dawson
had few professional prospects. But a chance meetingwith Charlie Parker when she was still a teenager—
and too young to enter the clubs where he played—firmed her resolve to sing jazz. Just a few years later,
under Parker ’s tutelage, she would assume her placein jazz history as a singular voice in bebop.
Now 93, Jordan continues to perform and record
with relentless vigor. (She took the name of her
husband Duke Jordan, Parker ’s pianist, in the early‘50s.) Despite the pandemic, she plays out whenevershe can and in March 2021 SteepleChase captured all
this indomitability on a record date with trioTrio, theairtight ensemble of pianist Jacob Sacks, bassist David
Ambrosio and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. The label
released trioTRIO meets Sheila Jordan last month. This
album, with Jordan on six of its eight tracks, documents
the singer ’s incomparable feel for subtle melodic
alterations, as on the gently swinging “Everything
Happens To Me”, wistful ballad “Fair Weather” andinfectious original “Workshop Blues”. But it is on thetunes where she scats on personalized lyrics that we
gain insight not only into her artistry but also into theintimate history that informs it. On “The Bird /Confirmation” Jordan lauds her friend and mentor.

On “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm / Little Willie
Leap” she recalls her early bebop gigs in ‘50s Detroit.
And on “If I Should Lose You” she recognizes thebeauty of love. It is a sacred gift, she tells us.
This message has not changed much in the 62 years
since Jordan recorded Comes Love: Lost Session 1960,
which Capri released last year. Listening to thesealbums side by side, we can note the changes in
Jordan’s voice over time but what remains steadfast
throughout her decades of performing is the warm
appreciation for her audiences, her musicians and herlifelong friends. Jordan will perform with bassist
Cameron Brown at Pangea (Mar. 2nd), with Roni BenHur and Harvie S at Room 623 at B2 Harlem (Mar.
19th) and as part of Highlights in Jazz at Tribeca
Performing Arts Center (Mar. 17th).
When the pandemic struck in March 2020, singer/
composer Somi was just about to present her original
musical theater piece, Dreaming Zenzile, at theprestigious Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in Missouri.
With this project subsequently on hold, Somi turned
her attention to the unplanned release of Holy Room:Live at the Alte Oper (Salon Africana), a concert recordingthat she made with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band in
2019. This record would go on to score Somi her first
Grammy nomination. This is just one in a long list ofaccolades: Somi also has been named a Soros Equality
Fellow, a TED Senior Fellow, a Doris Duke Fellow and a
two-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award and iscurrently pursuing a doctorate in Creative Practice &Critical Inquiry at Harvard University. These honors
acknowledge the necessary work that Somi does inreclaiming and elevating the cultural contributions ofunderrepresented members of our society, especiallythose of African descent. (Born in Zambia and raised in

Illinois, Somi is of Rwandan and Ugandan heritage.)This month, Somi will launch Zenzile: The Reimaginationof Miriam Makeba, the studio version of her deferredstage show, through Salon Africana, her own arts
initiative. The album celebrates the music of South
Africa’s Miriam Makeba, the first African singer toachieve international celebrity, and features the vocals
of some high-profile collaborators, including Gregory
Porter, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Angelique Kidjo
and Seun Kuti. Equally masterful is Somi herself, whowill front the album release concert at The Apollo (Mar.
19th). She also will star in the off-Broadway productionof the stage show, which opened the St. Louis Rep’s
2021-22 season last fall and is booked to visit New Yorkin May-June of this year.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, Flushing
Town Hall will present four vocal concerts: “Songs ofSarah Vaughan” (Mar. 4th), with Broadway veteranRosena Hill Jackson; “You Give Me Fever—The Peggy
Lee Songbook” (Mar. 10th), with Barbara Rosene,
acclaimed big band singer with Vince Giordano’s
Nighthawks; “Tribute to Nina Simone & Miriam
Makeba” (Mar. 19th), with jazz singer Akua Allrich;and “Oye Como Va—A Tribute to The Great Women of
Latin Music” (Mar. 31st), with Deborah Resto, who has
worked with the likes of Enrique Iglesias, Tito Puente,
Rubén Blades, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin.
Catherine Russell presents an afternoon
interactive concert for families at Jazz at Lincoln Center(Mar. 26th). In “What Is The Blues?” Russell will
discuss the musical underpinnings of this uniquely
American art form, with help from a live band. Russell
will also be part of a Duke Ellington tribute with the
Marcus Roberts Trio and American SymphonyOrchestra at Carnegie Hall (Mar. 24th). v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 11

I N MEMORIAM

FRED
VAN
HOVE
by andrey henkin

BEEGIE ADAIR (Dec. 11th, 1937 - Jan.
23rd, 2022) After early work as a session
musician on The Johnny Cash Show, thepianist devoted sessions on Hillboro,
Green Hill and other labels to Cole
Porter, Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern,
Nat King Cole and others, part of aleader catalogue of nearly 50 albums since the late ‘90s.
Adair died Jan. 23rd at 84.
MIGUEL ÁNGEL CHASTANG (1952 Jan. 13th, 2022) The Spanish bassist
worked with Jorge Pardo, Isaac
Turienzo and Pedro Iturralde and led
his own bands for dates on CFE,
Karonte, Nuba and RTVE Música.
Chastang died Jan. 13th at 69.

F red Van Hove, the Belgian pianist who was one of thefathers of indigenous European free improvisation andavant garde jazz via his own albums and numerous
collaborations throughout the continent and beyond,died Jan. 13th at 84 after a long illness and sufferingfrom dementia in his later years.
Van Hove was born in Antwerp, the capital city ofBelgium’s Flemish region, on Feb. 19th, 1937. His
father was a professional musician and Van Hoveattended music academy as a child. His exposure tojazz came through his father and his colleagues, who
had access to 78 rpm American jazz albums as Antwerp
was a port city with trade ties to the U.S.
Though Belgium has a rich jazz history, theburgeoning avant gardism spreading across Europe
was looked down upon there. Van Hove was, alongwith saxophonist Kris Wanders and bassist Paul Van
Gysegem, among the small coterie interested in the
new style and who looked to nearby Germany and theNetherlands and its native players for collaboration.
As Van Hove told Clifford Allen for this gazette in
2011, “It was a [cultural] feast, discovery after
discovery. But the modern jazz people never did likefree improvisation. In Belgium there are many places
for jazz, but those for free improvisation are rare.
Belgian modern jazz is entertainment music and it is
not culturally interesting.”
German bassist Peter Kowald had married awoman from Antwerp and it was through him that
Van Hove met his most longstanding partner, German
reedplayer Peter Brötzmann. Van Hove recalled, “Aftera short period of time I was invited to play in a quartet
with Brötzmann, Kowald and [Swedish drumer SvenÅke] Johansson. Machine Gun followed in 1968 withtwo drummers, two basses, three saxes and an upright
piano. The quartet soon changed drummers, with
Johansson out and [Dutchman Han] Bennink in. Aftera time Kowald stepped out to do his own group and[German] Buschi Niebergall replaced him. Then Buschi
left and the trio of Brötzmann, Van Hove and Bennink
remained.” That group would work discretely andwith others through 1975. Van Hove would also go on
to found the Werkgroep Improviserende Musici andwork with Albert Mangelsdorff, Manfred Schoof, Don
Cherry, Phil Wachsmann, Lol Coxhill, Barry Guy,
Johannes Bauer, Radu Malfatti, Frank Gratkowski,
Tony Oxley, Wolfgang Fuchs, Paul Dunmall, Paul
Lovens, Lou Grassi and others and release his own orcollaborative albums on MPS, Vogel, WIM, FMP/SAJ,
Nato, Bvhaast, Nuscope, Saravah, Potlatch and Psi. In
2020 Dropa released a 2019 Antwerp duo concert with
Brötzmann, Front To Front.
Summing up his modus operandi to Allen, Van Hove
said simply, “the average is not interesting, you have tocontradict and provoke in order to shape the stars.”

MONTEZ COLEMAN (Jul. 23rd, 1973 Jan. 14th, 2022) The drummer was invarious Roy Hargrove bands and also
had credits under Bobby Watson, Russell
Gunn, Rufus Reid, Gerald Cannon,
Derrick Gardner, Bruce Barth and others.
Coleman died Jan. 14th at 48.
NICK COLIONNE (1966 - Jan. 1st, 2022)
The smooth jazz guitarist worked with
Brian Bromberg, Jim Peterik and Althea
René and released his own albums on
Lake Shore, Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm, On The
Edge, Three Keys, Narada Music andKoch. Colionne died Jan. 1st at 55.
TULIVU DONNA CUMBERBATCH(Jul. 28th, 1950 - Jan. 17th, 2022) The
vocalist released a handful of albums since
the early ‘90s on Ki-Ki and self-released
and recorded with Cecil Payne, QPSM
Unit, Salim Washington and Lucy Galliher.
Cumberbatch died Jan. 17th at 71.
RAY GASKINS (??? - Jan. 20th, 2022)
The saxophonist was a regular with Roy
Ayers’ groups and a member of the
Exodus Quartet to go along with several
albums since the mid ‘90s on MT,
Lipstick and Expansion. Gaskins diedJan. 20th at an unknown age.

KHAN JAMAL (Jul. 23rd, 1946 - Jan.
10th, 2022) The vibraphonist, active
since the ‘70s, had over a dozen leader or
co-led dates on Dogtown, Palm, Philly
Jazz, Jambrio, SteepleChase, Storyville,
Stash, Gazell, CIMP and other labels andcredits with Ted Daniel, Monette Sudler,
Ronald Shannon Jackson, Jemeel Moondoc, Billy Bang,
Joe Bonner, Roy Campbell, Matthew Shipp, Omar Hilland others. Jamal died Jan. 10th at 75.
MARK LEVINE (Oct. 4th, 1938 - Jan.
27th,
2022)
The
pianist/valve
trombonist made several records for
Catalyst, Concord, HeavyWood Musicand Left Coast Clave to go along withcredits since the ‘60s under Houston
Person, Luis Gasca, Gabor Szabo,
Moacir Santos, Joe Henderson, Ray Pizzi, Mark
Murphy, Cal Tjader, Poncho Sanchez, Blue Mitchell,
Bobby Shew, Mongo Santamaria and others. Levine
died Jan. 27th at 83.
EMIL MANGELSDORFF (Apr. 11th,
1925 - Jan. 21st, 2022) The German alto
saxophonist/flutist (whose playing jazz
led to imprisonment by the Nazi
Gestapo then forcible conscription in
the German army and four years as a
POW of the Soviet Army at the end of
WWII) and older brother to late trombonist Albert was
active since the mid ‘40s with his brother, Jutta Hipp,
Hans Koller, Frankfurt Allstars, Joki Freund, George
Gruntz, German All-Stars and others while leading
dates for Brunswick, Opera, Europa, Telefunken, Trionand L+R. Mangelsdorff died Jan. 21st at 96.

The Sam Rivers Sessionography,
a Work in Progress, by Rick Lopez
State of the art. ... The authoritative resource on the workof this beloved and creative musician. —Lewis Porter

CHRISTOS GERMENOGLOU (1969 Jan. 2nd, 2022) The Greek drummer
collaborated with Makis Stefanidis,
Lakis Tzimkas, Florian Mikuta, Sakis
Papadimitriou, Antonis Anissegos andAkira Sakata, was a member of Act Up
Trio, Musica Lontana, Basenezmen andOrange Blue Green and had albums on Defkaz,
Saixpirikon, Creative Sources and El Negocito.
Germenoglou died Jan. 2nd at 51.
CLAUDE GOUSSET (Nov. 21st, 1929 Jan. 17th, 2022) The French trombonist
was active in the ‘50-70s, with credits
under Claude Bolling, Michel Attenoux,
André Persiany, Sidney Bechet, Guy
Lafitte, Paul Gonsalves, Al Grey andothers. Gousset died Jan. 17th at 92.
JIM HARRISON (Sep. 11th, 1932 - Jan.
19th, 2022) The promoter, agent and Jazz
Journalists Association “Jazz Hero”
award
recipient
spent
his
life
championing jazz musicians in New
York, worked at Slugs’, Sweet Basil and
the Jazz Cultural Theater, was a decadeslong consultant for Jazzmobile and publisher of the jazz
paper Spotlight News. Harrison died Jan. 19th at 89.

12 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

750pp., 500+ images, RivBea Archival materials
ISBN: 978-0-578-94871-3 / $55.00 / postpaid in US• Shipping Spring 2022 (Overseas inquire)• Direct Order & Inquire: rl@b10k.com • www.bb10k.com

Coming in 2023/24:
Ed Hazell’s Energy Center:
A History of Studio RivBea 1972-1978

HÉCTOR “TITO” MATOS (Jun. 15th,
1968 - Jan. 18th, 2022) The Puerto Rican
percussionist led his own bands andrecorded with David Sánchez, Eddie
Palmieri, Ralph Irizarry, Miguel Zenón,
John Santos and others. Matos died Jan.
18th at 53.
ROGER MIDDLETON (1930 - Jan.
29th, 2022) The trumpeter was a memberof the U.S. Air Force’s Airmen of Notethen joined Stan Kenton’s orchestra,
appearing on the 1959 Capitol albums
Viva Kenton and Standards in Silhouette.
Middleton died Jan. 29th at 91.
JAMES MTUME (Jan. 3rd, 1946 - Jan.
9th, 2022) The percussionist, composer
and producer (and son of Jimmy Heath),prior to his decades of success in theworlds of pop, R&B and soul, playedwith father Jimmy and uncle Albert,
Art Farmer, Buddy Terry, Harold Land,
Abbey Lincoln, Gato Barbieri, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy
Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Carlos Garnett, Ronnie Foster,
Gary Bartz, Azar Lawrence, Terumasa Hino, Eddie
Henderson and Miles Davis—the latter ’s group where
he met his future songwriting partner Reggie Lucas—
and released albums on Strata-East, Third Street andEpic. Mtume died Jan. 9th at 75.
PAOLO PIANGIARELLI (??? - Jan. 1st,2022) The Italian producer founded
Philology in 1987, going on to release
hundreds of albums by native artists like
Gianni Basso, Stefano Bollani, Franco
D’Andrea, Enrico Rava, Renato Sellani
and Massimo Urbani, American players
such as Hal Galper, Lee Konitz, Tony Scott and Phil
Woods and archival releases from Chet Baker, Charlie
Parker and more. Piangiarelli died Jan. 1st at 81.
BADAL ROY (Oct. 16th, 1939 - Jan. 18th,2022) The Indian tabla player began his
career in the band of John McLaughlin in
the early ‘70s, going on to two years withMiles Davis, then credits with Pharoah
Sanders, Dave Liebman, Frank Tusa,
Masabumi Kikuchi, Teo Macero, Herbie
Mann, Perry Robinson, Steve Turre, Ornette Coleman,Bill Laswell, Arturo O’Farrill and others, plus his own
or co-led dates for Trio, Adamo, Improvising Arts Inc.,Music World Music, Tutu, Nomad, FMR, Jazzhead andSoul Note. Roy died Jan. 18th at 82.
JORDI SABATÉS (Oct. 23rd, 1948 - Jan.
11th, 2022) The Spanish pianist released
albums on Edigsa, BASF (one in duowith countryman Tete Montoliu), RCA,
Belter, PDI, Grabaciones Accidentales,
Nuevos Medios and Picap. Sabatés diedJan. 11th at 71.
TERRY TEACHOUT (Feb. 6th, 1956 Jan. 13th, 2022) The author wrote Pops: A
Life of Louis Armstrong and Duke: A Life ofDuke Ellington, reviews for The Wall Street
Journal and The New York Times and liner
notes for Enja, Concord, Koch andArbors. Teachout died Jan. 13th at 65.
PAUL WARBURTON (Feb. 18th, 1942 Jan. 5th, 2022) The bassist co-led analbum for Capri with Dale Bruning in
1987 and had credits since the ‘70s withPete Christlieb, Joseph Bonner, Richie
Cole, Dick Hindman and Cal Tjader.
Warburton died Jan. 5th at 79. v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 13

’S
WOMENRYHISTO HMONTALBUM REVIEWS

12 Stars
Melissa Aldana (Blue Note)by Russ Musto

Melissa Aldana’s sixth album as a leader has theChilean tenor saxophonist fronting a quintet joining
her working trio of bassist Pablo Menares and drummer
Kush Abadey with pianist Sullivan Fortner andguitarist Lage Lund, the latter who produced the dateand co-composed all but one of the pieces. Createdduring the pandemic hiatus from live performances,
the seven originals were inspired by Aldana delving
into Tarot, giving each of the compositions a palpable
sense of mystery and exploration.
Opener “Falling” exhibits Aldana’s skill as afearless improviser (akin to 21st Century Wayne
Shorter) with winding lines fueled by a keen sense of
harmony and distinctive tone, which sings in its upper
register like an Andean pan pipe and howls
bassoonishly at its bottom. Lund is an astute harmonic
foil, bolstered darkly by Fortner, who solos withcomplementary acuity. “Intuition” is a melodicallyappealing march with tenor and guitar statements thatmove forward deliberatively. Lund duets with
Menares on the latter ’s original introduction to“Emilia”, a melancholy paean to an imagined childwith ruminating tenor and lyrical guitar solos.

Inspired by the Toni Morrison novel of the same
name, “The Bluest Eye” is an episodic narrative. The
initial segment has Aldana blowing with folkish
melodicism propelled by articulate drumming, after
which it modulates into the second section, guitar
charging straightahead buoyed by walking bass. “TheFool” is a gently-evinced Tarot card portrait with a
Latin-ish midsection. A sense of urgency permeates“Los Ojos de Chile”, celebrating the Estallido Social
massive demonstrations for Civil Rights in Chile.
Ethereal guitar and atmospheric Fender Rhodes
underpin brooding saxophone on the closing title track;
the name references the stars in the crown of the Empress
Tarot card, symbolizing her mastery over all things,
a fitting conclusion to a powerfully engaging record.
For more information, visit bluenote.com. This project is atVillage Vanguard Mar. 1st-6th. See Calendar.

Jump
Julieta Eugenio (Greenleaf Music)
by Elliott SimonJ ulieta Eugenio is an in-demand tenor saxophonist in
NYC and it is surprising that after being in the city foralmost a decade Jump is her debut as a leader.
Wonderfully supported by bassist Matt Dwonszyk and

14 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

drummer Jonathan Barber, Eugenio produced a poised
session through experience and honed improvisational
skills. Opener “Efes” is an anomaly and derives its
uneasiness from the complex rhythmical undercurrent,
challenging Eugenio to explore its environs.
“La Jungla”, a paean to NYC from a safe distance, andthe title cut, gracefully combining pathos and placidity,
follow. Both feature a soft tenor touch that belies
a more intense rhythmic foundation.
Dwonszyk is especially compatible with Eugenio’s
earthiness and at times they beautifully cuddle under
Barber’s percussive blanket. Such is the case on“Another Bliss”, which begins as a warm evocative
statement but, as the band instrumentality unites, ends
in frank sexuality. “For You” and closer “Tres” use asimilar approach but are straightforward ballads. The
former is starkly emotive and latter a thoughtful looktoward an uncertain future. “Snowbirds” is the most
overt swinger but Eugenio’s bitter-sweet tone neverlets it get too happy and “Raccoon Tune” is likewise aplayful but sympathetic take on the piece’s namesake.
Two covers round out a release that is not boundby a young player ’s need to prove something but isinstead a mature artistic proclamation. Carl SigmanSidney Keith Russell’s “Crazy He Calls Me” is an
intimate bass/tenor duet while Ted Grouya-Edmund
Anderson’s “Flamingo” is a Latin-tinged, expressive
offering. Jump stands out in a crowded area of the jazzlandscape and is worth a careful listen. Its emphasis oncomposition and sophistication over speed and brawn
is refreshing and Eugenio’s clear tone and passionate
temperament are what make it happen.
For more information, visit greenleafmusic.com. Eugenio is
at The Django Mar. 10th, Bar Bayeux Mar. 12th and Smalls
Mar. 14th. See Calendar.

WOMENHISTORY’S
MONTH
held in high esteem by thoughtful and sensitive
listeners, like you. Now go buy it!
For more information, visit intlanthem.com. Bat Dawid is
at Merkin Concert Hall Mar. 3rd. See Calendar.

Hush Harbor Mixtape, Vol. 1: Doxology
Angel Bat Dawid (International Anthem)by Kyle Oleksiuk

It’s

good
music!
Chicago-based
composer/
instrumentalist/educator Angel Bat Dawid is one of
the most original, purposeful and talented artists
working today and the release of her second albumlength studio recording is a major event. Hush Harbor
Mixtape, Vol. 1: Doxology is lush, immaculately
performed, recorded, produced and mastered, themusical equivalent of watching a movie in IMAX.
The beauty and fidelity of the sound lend a feelingof gravity to the music, which mixes alien-istic
synthesizers with trembling reeds, rattling, jingling,
shimmering percussion and heartfelt vocals—all
performed by Bat Dawid—to create an irresistible
atmosphere of wonder and beauty.
For most listeners, even those who regularly
gravitate to off-the-beaten-path music, the mostunusual aspect of the album will likely be Bat Dawid’s
vocals on tracks 2, 4-7 and 9—sometimes sung,sometimes half-sung, sometimes spoken—which arereminiscent of a guided meditation or a live concert.
Particularly in this hopefully-soon-ending era inwhich live music has been as good as dead, it iswonderful to hear an artist approach recorded music
as if it were a live performance, to be listened to andconcentrated on in full, guided by the performer.
And while there are several songs that can beplayed out of context and slapped into a playlist(particularly track 3, “Sunday Meeting of Colored
People in Chicago”, and track 8, “El Quitrin - The Joyof Livin”, for any tastemakers reading this review), themajority demand more attention, both because of theirserious, otherworldly tone and because of Bat Dawid’s
concertesque vocals.
This approach is obviously a sacrifice in the termsof the modern musical paradigm, which involves
releasing a million singles in the hopes that one will bepicked up by the arcade game claw of the Spotify
algorithm, but truly the sacrifice is worth it.
Bat Dawid’s music shines all the more brightly
because it is difficult to cut up and listen to idly. It
commands respect. This reviewer suspects that this is
one of the most important reasons why, since therelease of her debut The Oracle, Bat Dawid has been

SHOKO NAGAISATOSHI TAKEISHI’s
VORTEX

20TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERTMarch 13th, 2022
@door 7pm, show 8pm@the Roulette
Shoko Nagai(compositions, piano,
accordion, electronics)

Satoshi Takeishi“Her clusters of dissonant(prepared hammer dulcimer,
or oddly harmonized notes
with a rolling momentum
drums, electronics)
and a tonal sensitivity
roulette.org/event/shoko-nagaithat become their own
satoshi-takeishis-vortex
comforting logic. That’s
especially the case when
Nagai working with thepercussionist Satoshi Takeishi.”—New York Times“Shoko Nagai, one of New
York’s most individualistic
and intense performers on
the avant-garde side ofjazz – dazzles with her
glimmering, darkly necromantic
and blues-tinged piano,”—Time Out

SHOKONAGAI.NET

Blue Shift
In Real Time (Line Art)
by Marc Medwin

What a name for a trio! Freedom, which transcends

categorical description, comes at a cost. For pianist
Carol Liebowitz, bassist Adam Lane and drummer
Andrew Drury, that cost involves the assimilation ofvarious traditions, immersion so complete that all
delineations, including the temporal and chronological,
are shattered in favor of a consistently vibrant whole.
This is the shared vision of In Real Time, a trio whose
debut disc is rife with the contradictions andresolutions inherent to freedom even as they unravel
passing time and historical concern before our ears.
From where, just as a point of reference, does that
fresh deep-down bassline opening the title track hail?
Lane slides and glides in, through and around thatmulti-layered thing we call “the blues” as if it combined
waystation and watering hole, each tone simultaneously
sustenance and point of departure until, with a dyad,
Liebowitz expands any notion of modal conception
nearly to breaking point. Drury’s stunningly focused
entrance brings a layer of fractured swing, shards ofghostly reference present only to point the way toward
an uncertain but exciting future. Hearing the funk andlope of the music as it contrapuncts its way forward
only reenforces the illusion of histories in conflict. Thisis music that continually stretches both itself and theears keen to absorb it, gaining intensity and power justbefore Lane and Drury settle into the deep groove overwhich Liebowitz weaves implicative harmonic
tapestries of gorgeous intricacy. The track doesn’t somuch end as fade.
All this is in direct contrast to the volatile“Passacaglia”, a lush but inexorable barn-burner withpauses to refuel, whose trajectory carves phrases, lines
and sonorous swatches from the unity audible justbelow its metamorphic surface. Drury’s hi-hat nearly
two-and-a-half minutes in speaks to a kind of rhythmicstasis whose syncopations always threaten to destroy
it. No verbiage about interplay prepares for the
poignant moments of a sustained chord extended, likethe C minor passages with G minor inflections around
8:12 into “Passacaglia” ultimately ushering it out.
There is also the scintillating arco and piano
interplay opening “Curve”, a feast of dynamics andcolor fit for any exploring spirit. Liebowitz’ pianism
knows no boundaries of articulation and sonority.
Her musicality guides and cements each moment as
signpost and in transition, supplying the music’s
final freedom.
It is all extremely impressive, especially for a
debut, that instantaneous interaction and reaction
indicative of real freedom, the freedom to listen, toabsorb, to judge and interject and to listen again. The
cyclical nature of tradition and innovation again
becoming tradition imbues every gesture of a discwhose immediate and visceral recording comprisesa contribution as vital as the music.
For more information, visit lineartrecords.com. This projectis at Ibeam Brooklyn Mar. 4th. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 15

’S
WOMENRYHISTO H
MONT

View From Above
Alison Shearer (s/r)
by Jim Motavalli

Alto saxophonist Alison Shearer is part of the Red

Baraat global collective and PitchBlak Brass Band, as
well as the daughter of the esteemed late photojournalist
John Shearer, whose 2019 death inspired this music.
View From Above, recorded in 2021 with only
Shearer’s compositions, launches with the bright line of“On Awakening”, filed on the swinging side of fusion. It
is jumpy in a good way and Marty Kenny’s bass playing
is exemplary. “Celestial”, a tightly focused work at only
3:43, features keyboard player Kevin Bernstein, whogets a workout on synthesizers, emulating a shredding
guitar, with Shearer the calming force. “Cycles” is one of
two tracks benefitting from Wayne Tucker’s trumpet
and you can hear Pharoah Sanders’ “Hum-Allah-HumAllah-Hum-Allah” in there.
“Breathe Again” has Miranda Joan’s vocals andlocates firmly in smooth jazz territory, the album’s
single, no doubt, and its bid for the charts. Shearer
wrote it, yet plays only a supporting role in its
execution. ‘Big Kids” also uses vocals, but with a
Malcolm X snippet and a Max Roach Lift Every Voiceand Sing-vibe. The sample doesn’t need to repeat—we
got it the first time—but there is a cool solo piano

segment in the middle and it is suitably atmospheric.
“Purple Flowers” is the third vocal, featuring Hattie
Simon and a nice piece of quiet storm.
If you really want to hear Shearer just blow herhorn with muscular blasts, the swirling “Dawn to
Dusk” is the track. “Three Flights Up” with Tucker
again is fairly straightahead; he is actually subdued
here, but his solo builds with architectural precision
and Shearer ’s work follows suit. “Toni’s Tune” begins
with Shearer unaccompanied, then settles into lightfunk. On both these latter tunes the leader could takemore chances, though her playing serves thecompositions. “Art is dangerous,” says the sampled
novelist Toni Morrison. Exactly. The album closes with
“Gentle Traveler”, just what the name implies. At thispoint, the storm has passed.
For more information, visit alisonshearermusic.com.
Shearer is at Brooklyn Bowl Mar. 4th with Red Baraat andCanary Club Mar. 10th as a leader. See Calendar.

Never Is Enough
Thumbscrew (Cuneiform)by George Grella

G uitarist Mary Halvorson’s distinctive playing stylealways sounds best when set against strong rhythms.

16 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Everything she does—the big tone, the heavy chords,
the bent pitches—are built on an internal sense of
rubato that sounds richer and more meaningful incontrast with another, steady pulse. That is thefoundation of the trio Thumbscrew with bassist
Michael Formanek and drummer Tomas Fujiwara.
This album is their sixth and the very best of what isalready a highly accomplished discography. Thumbscrewis, deceptively, a groove band. Previous albums have
had identifiable swing and carefully laid-out phrases
that integrate rhythm and melodic lines, which happens
here on “Emojis Have Consequences”. But there is less of
this fine-crafting on Never Is Enough and that is one of thethings that makes it so strong; these feel like grooves notjust in the ears but the body. Formanek and Fujiwara
have a deep assurance, producing tight playing with atremendously relaxed feeling. There is added weight in
the rhythm section, not heaviness but a sense of strengthand agility, even though slow and medium tempos androck rhythms dominate.
The coordination and sympathy are also more
complex. On tracks like “Came Easy” and the title cut,the musicians open up space but for a while stay awayfrom any clear sense of musical direction or expressive
intention. This is atmospheric and tense in a fulfillingway, the listener fascinated and happy to wait and see
where things go. What comes out of this is a melancholy
but determined beauty, a kind of plangent magnificence
usually associated with bands like Sonic Youth.
Essentially an acoustic group, Thumbscrew belongs in adifferent sonic category, but the sense that this matters in
an extra-musical way, that there is something fierce andinchoate just barely held down by the music, is palpable.
For more information, visit cuneiformrecords.com. This groupis at The Stone at The New School Mar. 5th. See Calendar.

WOMENHISTORY’S
MONTH

Eponymous
Sara Schoenbeck (Pyroclastic)
by Jason Gross

P op quiz: name a famous bassoonist. Don’t feel bad if

an answer doesn’t jump out at you; along with beinga difficult instrument to learn and an expensive one atthat, it is almost always heard in an orchestra. Eventhen, it is a world dominated by men, with few
exceptions heard in classical (Judith LeClair, Julie
Price) and jazz (Katherine Young and Karen Borca).
Included in this small but distinguished group isSara Schoenbeck, whose CV includes work with
Anthony Braxton’s 12+1 Tet and S.E.M. Ensemble. For
her debut, she had an ambitious plan: nine duets withmusicians described as “peers, mentors, inspirations”
recorded from 2019-2021 with each on their home turf.
Drummer (and life partner) Harris Eisenstadt
kicks things off with understated drama beneath her
lovely, yearning composition “O’Saris”, followed bya gripping, extended musical chase scene with flutist
and fellow Braxton bandmate Nicole Mitchell on the
Edgar Varèse-inspired “Sand Dune Tribology”.
She changes course with guitarist Nels Cline on an
exceptional cover of “Lullaby” by indie rockers Low,
starting in a melancholy mood and then soaring briefly
before returning to earth. From there, Art Ensemble ofChicago founder Roscoe Mitchell jousts with her on thequizzical, comical, spacious improv “Chordata”,
recalling some of his most adventurous, challenging
ensemble work. Pianist Matt Mitchell’s commissioned
work “Auger Strokes” and an improv with keyboard
player Wayne Horvitz (“Anaphoria”) provide surprisinginterlocking and contrasts with Schoenbeck’s playing,recalling Lindsay Cooper’s work with Henry Cow. The
appropriately mournful “Absence” (in remembrance of
fellow bassoonist Marcuselle Whitfield) is perhaps the
loveliest piece, done as a duet with bassist Mark Dresser.
After a spirited, exciting improv romp with cellist Peggy
Lee (“Suspend A Bridge”), the album concludes withthe stirring, wistful ballad “Sugar” with, and written by,pianist Robin Holcomb.
After this auspicious leader debut, where will
Schoenbeck go next: solo, more duets, an ensemble
work? It will be fascinating to see what path she takes.
For more information, visit pyroclasticrecords.com.
Schoenbeck is at The Owl Music Parlor Mar. 10th withMichael Bates, Barbès Mar. 18th with Dana Lyn andBushwick Public House Mar. 21st. See Calendar.

I Want to Sing My Heart Out in Praise of LifeAdi Meyerson (s/r)
by Anna Steegmann

Adi Meyerson grew up in Israel. A huge Guns N’

Roses fan, hearing Sonny Rollins at 17 turned her on tojazz. Moving to New York City in 2012, she establishedherself as a first-call sideperson. The New YorkFoundation for the Arts funded I Want to Sing My HeartOut in Praise of Life, her second album, for which she
wrote both the music and lyrics, with a band of Marquis
Hill (trumpet), Anne Drummond (flute), Lucas Pino
(bass clarinet, tenor saxophone), Kush Abadey (drums),
Sam Towse (piano and synths), Camille Thurman and
Sabeth Perez (vocals) and Eden Girma (spoken word).
In 2017, Meyerson attended an exhibition by theJapanese artist Yayoi Kusama. As a synesthete, she
viscerally connected to the work. Synesthesia, aneurological condition where two senses overlap andtrigger each other, causes Meyerson to see color when
hearing certain pitches. To her surprise, Kusama’scolor palette matched her visual perception. Inspired,
Meyerson wanted to create a place for listeners toexperience an ideal, utopian society devoid ofnegativity and strife.
On the opening track “Prelude”, Girma’s spoken
word establishes the mood. With its celestial theme, theemotional charge builds swiftly with vibrant textures.
Next is “Kabocha” (Japanese for pumpkin): Abadey
opens with a virtuoso statement; Pino (bass clarinet)
and Drummond deliver impressive solos; and Kusama’srecitation of her poem “On Pumpkins” provides therhythmic pattern. Self-assured trumpet opens “Follow
the Red Dot”; Meyerson stated that the driving energyof this tune mimicked the simultaneous feeling of chaosand perfect organization she experienced in Kusama’s
Red and White Polka Dot Room.
The tightly orchestrated and arranged “Caged
Bird” is a tribute to Angela Davis and Maya Angelou.
Thurman sings and scats a compelling ode to a perfectworld and Pino provides a sparkling tenor solo. The
contemplative “Infinity”, inspired by Kusama’s
Infinity Mirror Room, opens with an exceptional basssolo and Perez’ wordless vocals. The closing title track
captivates through its pared-down instrumentation,
Thurman’s soulful voice and Towse’s stunning piano.
For more information, visit adimeyersonmusic.com. Meyerson is
at Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning Mar. 10th. See Calendar.

All SetStéphane Payen/Ingrid Laubrock/
Chris Tordini/Tom Rainey (RogueArt)
by Steven Loewy

Influenced by the 12-tone system embraced by Milton

Babbitt on his 1957 composition “All Set”, Stéphane
Payen originally hoped to work with a larger group, butsettled for a quartet, Payen on straight alto saxophone
and the highly respected Ingrid Laubrock—whom
Payen met in 2002 but never recorded alongside—on
tenor. They are joined by bassist Chris Tordini anddrummer Tom Rainey. The quartet first met in France
and played four concerts before making this recording.
In contrast to Babbitt, the performances here areboth composed, with often-intricate parts, andimprovised. Payen carefully avoids the snares of cold
intellectualism in favor of divergent pieces, each with
its own idiosyncrasies. The saxophones seem joined at
the hip and are constantly snaking about, withconversational solos, repetitive phrases and individualinterjections, bass and, more particularly, drums taking
significant roles in pushing the group forward.
So much is happening and so much is changing. On“Proportions”, for example, the pointillistic saxophones
range from fast, tightly arranged lines and closelyblown dissonance to (almost) unified repetitive lines
and beautiful solo alto. “Knock Wack” opens slowly andsoftly, seemingly going nowhere, then morphs tosaxophones traveling in different directions, pushed by
the rhythm section. Halfway through, an off-beat,highly syncopated head emerges, Payen and Laubrocksqueezing short clusters of notes into the mix. It getslouder and more intense before reverting to the head.
This gem of a recording should appeal to thoseseekingsomething
blending
creative
jazz
improvisations, a programmatic concept and a strong
mix of composed and freestyle blowing.
For more information, visit roguart.com. Laubrock is atBarbès Mar. 14th with Michaël Attias and Bar Bayeux Mar.
31st. See Calendar.

UNEARTHED GEM

Fixing the Fluctuating Ideas
Evan Parker ElectroAcoustic Ensemble (withSainkho Namtchylak) (Les Disques Victo)
by George GrellaThis set took place on May 19th, 1996 at the Festival

International de Musique de Victoriaville. Because
this is the Evan Parker ElectroAcoustic Ensemble,
despite coming from a quarter-century in the past,
what is here is newer—more of the moment andforward-looking—than most modern recordings.
Parker ’s ElectroAcoustic Ensemble has animportance on the modern music scene unlikely tofade. Its albums on ECM are an incredible, seamless
blend of acoustic instruments, signal processing andthe ensemble improvisational possibilities of bothworking together. Those albums process works ofgenius, producing a sound and expression
transcending the individual parts, and have no peer.
This show comes from the same month the firststudio album was recorded yet is vastly different
than it and the other ECM releases. One majordifference is the presence of Tuvan singer Sainkho
Namtchylak, who becomes the de facto lead
performer: her voice is the first thing heard, she has
an extended solo before anyone else plays and theentirety of the first of the two long tracks is centeredaround her vocalizing. Beyond her, the playing andconcept are of a different kind. This is much more an
ensemble improvisation, with individual instruments(Phil Wachsmann, violin, viola and electronics; Barry
Guy, bass; Paul Lytton, percussion and electronics;
Marco Vecchi, sound mixing and electronics; Walter
Prati, electronics) not just clear in the mix but
interacting directly with one another, Guy andParkertailing,
circling
andunderpinning
Namtchylak, for example. The electronics and signal
processing that are fundamental to the ensemble’s
existence are heard in full and there are moments
when they completely transform the sound of theband from acoustic to amplified, but they are more ofan embellishment or a distinct instrumental voice.
Those who love the great, complex, haunting
sonic emulsification of the ECM albums won’t findthat here. What they will find is what is another
tremendous document of one of the singulargroups in modern music. No small thing that will bea thrill to most.
For more information, visit victo.qc.ca

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 17

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G LO B E U N I T Y

Fadenschlag
Mareille Merck LARUS (MONS)
Morning/mourning
Jessica Ackerley (Cacophonous Revival)
Boiler Room
Susanna Risberg Trio (CAM Jazz)by Tom Greenland

Following the legacy of Mary Halvorson, Ava

Mendoza and others, a newer crop of guitarists are
expanding the possibilities of the instrument. This
column considers three exciting new voices.
German-born, Zürich-based guitarist Mareille
Merck leads LARUS (with bassist Florian Bolliger
and drummer Janic Haller), named for a genus ofglobe-spanning herring seagulls, appropriate for atrio whose music easily traverses national borders.
Their debut Fadenschlag journeys through irenic
landscapes that range from folksy to funky, reverent
to raucous, calm tranquility to sturm und drang. Merckfavors a mostly clean, pristine tone with a light
incisive touch. Her hybrid (pick + fingers) right-hand
technique nods to fingerpickers like Chet Atkins,
lending her songs and improvisations a distinctive
texture and bounce. Her tunes often employ moving
triadic shapes, deftly harmonized, the melodies
adroitly colored with delicate whammied tremolosand bends, long sitar-like slides, chiming harmonics
and open-string drones. Highly attuned, LARUS
moves through these landscapes with tact and grace.
Morning/mourning, by Canadian Jessica Ackerley,
now in Honolulu after a long spell in Brooklyn, is thefirst solo album of nine releases in the guitarist’s
catalogue. It begins with “Henry”, an étude for open
strings wherein Ackerley, without actually fretting anote, fashions a cohesive extended statement via
minimal means. Other pieces follow a similar aesthetic,
exploring possibilities despite certain restraints, often
adding interest by juxtaposing upper and lower
registers in contrapuntal dialogue; sometimes (as on“Departure Into Sound Memory” or “Mourning”)‘juggling’ as many as three different registers at once.
The moods swing from pretty to abstract, hesitant to
impatient. Ackerley exploits open strings for drones
and educes orchestral effects by alternating timbres
and textures through cross-picking techniques that
tend to be less resonant, more biting and percussive,
even noisy, giving the music a harder edge.
Gothenburg-born Susanna Risberg’s Boiler Room,recorded in the Italian village of Cavalicco withbassist Arvid Jullander and drummer Karl-Henrik
Ousbäck, features the guitarist’s originals and selectcovers. By combining a Pat Metheny-ian approach tolegato melodies and restive harmonies with a Jimi
Hendrix-ian affinity for bluesy drama, Risberg has
evolved a distinctive artistic signature. The trio
exemplifies collectivism, each member’s personality
clearly delineated within the group’s emotionalenergy. This is especially evident on “Lunde”,“Hålet”, “Mörka Skogen” and “I Can See It All”,
where chords and improvised motifs circle endlessly,
like a long spiral staircase, chain-linked to newer
fresher themes. “Jessie”, by Jullander, is an effective
solo bass feature, “Get It While You Can” hints at thegospel grit of Janis Joplin’s version and Jim Beard’s“The Gentleman & Hizcaine” bucks with the fervor
of a wild bronco.
For
more
information,
visit
jessicaackerley.com and camjazz.com

When No One Around You is Therebut Nowhere to be Found
Jessica Pavone (Relative Pitch)2000 Miles
Erin Rogers (Relative Pitch)
by Franz Matzner

V iolist Jessica Pavone’s When No One Around You is

There but Nowhere to be Found and saxophonist Erin
Rogers’ 2000 Miles are decidedly unusual in almost
every way, from sonics to conceptual models. Dedicatedto documenting avant garde jazz, Relative Pitch is anappropriate home for these two albums. Both are solo
releases, featuring the robust technical skill andspontaneity of each performer.
Pavone’s four-album track record of experimental
music is on an instrument less common to the jazz
genre, making the resonance that much more out of theordinary. In overall tone, When No One Around You is
There but Nowhere to be Found is sedate despite momentsof sharp pitches and the occasional jarring transition.
Its compositions are elongated and demandattention as the music manifests more as variegatedvibrations than any melodic, harmonic or rhythmic
development. This is in part due to the viola’s
possibilities, of which Pavone takes full advantage
while also pushing the limit of its usual dimensions.
For example, the title track is exceedingly patient,employing prolonged upper register oscillations andbrief rises and descents over its six-and-a-half minutes.
The composition opens with quiet, folk-tinged
patterns, including zither-like reverberations andWestern classical tropes slowly melded into a
meditative structure. “Aednat” feels almost like aseamless single bow stroke yet is somehow imbued
with sonic dimensions that soak into the body morethan the ears. Another example is ”Only in Dreamz”,
which combines layers of spoken verse by Pavone, thewords echoing overtop to create an encircling whirlpool
reinforced by pizzicato on the viola.
Rogers’ 2000 Miles is a similar endeavor insofar as
it attempts to operate along the musical fringe. The
album was recorded in the basement of her family’s
residence in Canada, abutting a frozen lake. Half of thepieces were captured during a quarantine period.
These two factors seem to have provided the rightbackdrop for the intense concentration necessary tocreate the unbroken stream of novel sonic combinations.
At no time does she deviate from less traveled
paths of saxophone expression, simultaneously delving
into lesser utilized extended techniques and often
showcasing myriad innovations that test the assumed
limits of the instrument itself as well as listeners’
willingness to accompany her into what can sometimes
be grueling spaces. For example, “North Star” delivers
a wave of high-pitched sonic emissions so sustained as
to test endurance. At another end of the spectrum,“Angelface” explores a quieter realm, Rogers utilizing
the subtlest of breath control alone. Single gentle notes
emerge from silences like a child trying a panpipe forthe first time. Alarm-like breaks interrupt while beats
are carved out with rapid-fire series of staccato noteclusters. Relatively speaking, “Township Road” is amore minimalist affair. 2000 Miles conveys a strong
sense of centeredness and control, even as it pushes
boundaries. At times the results are questionably
palatable, but produce complex vistas of unexploredsaxophone techniques.

monsrecords.de,
For more information, visit relativepitchrecords.com. These
projects are at The DiMenna Center Mar. 19th. See Calendar.

18 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Disparate Parts
Roxy Coss (Outside In Music)
by Mark KeresmanThis is Roxy Coss’ fifth album as a leader. She divides

her time between tenor and soprano on this hardswinging set of postbop, with nods to fusion and freejazz sprinkled throughout.
There are multiple versions/variations on some ofthe originals composed by Coss, acoustic/electric
pianist Miki Yamanaka and guitarist Alex Wintz.
Running time ranges from just under two minutes andtopping out at six-and-a-half minutes, so the programis all-killer, no-filler. Coss is a robust, fluid soloist and,most importantly, knows when to curb the enthusiasm
and her band is on a similar wavelength. Rick Rosato(bass) and Jimmy Macbride (drums) keep things at a
brisk yet unhurried pace.
“Warm One” has all the ingredients of a radio
favorite: a sleek, engaging theme; surging and inspired
performances; a slightly languid tempo that draws thelistener in; and a band sounding like, well, a band, notjust a bunch of session cats. Coss plays soulfully
without ever being mushy or overdone and witha subtle yet definite determination while Yamanaka isslightly percussive, driving the band as much as therhythm section.
Two of the takes of “February” have intriguing
free moments while “The Body” and “The Mind” arewell named; the former is visceral, the latter wiry andbrainy. The title track may also be a radio pick-to-click:it alternates between sardonic boppery and fusionflavored keys and zigzagging saxophone, with a crisp
guitar solo that has both John McLaughlin-like élanand Wes Montgomery class. Yamanaka’s playing also
has a sense of history to it: a Chick Corea-like scope
between acoustic and electric and a playful sense ofhumor along with humility.
Coss’ music has a wry tunefulness and her playing
is replete with emotional directness—her soprano work
is especially lilting and genial (witness “Sunburn”)—
and her performances have a nice contrast, played witha punch but a most understated one and linking bebop
with free passages like it is no big deal.
For more information, visit relativepitchrecords.com. This
project is at The Django Mar. 25th. See Calendar.

WOMENHISTORY’S
MONTH

Force of Nature
Deanna Witkowski (MCG Jazz)
by Ken Dryden

P ianist Deanna Witkowski first arrived on the jazzscene in the late ‘90s, playing and composing both jazzand sacred music, a path similar to Mary Lou Williams,
the subject of this tribute CD. Witkowski, who recently
published a biography of the late jazz legend (Mary
Lou Williams: Music For The Soul), is not the first pianist
to explore her compositions at length (both Marian
McPartland and Geri Allen recorded CDs of her music),
but has taken a fresh approach. She utilizes tworhythm sections, bassist Daniel Foose and drummer
Scott Latzky or bassist Dwayne Dolphin and drummer
Roger Humphries, adding trumpeter Clay Jenkins on
several tracks.
Two of Williams’ best-known works, “Lonely
Moments” and “What’s Your Story, Morning Glory?”,
date from her association with Andy Kirk’s band in thelate ‘30s. Witkowski, Foose, Latzky and Jenkins dig
into the former with a snappy air, swinging up a storm.
The latter is a trio arrangement with an elegant solo
piano introduction and the tempo kept to a crawl tobring out its bluesy air, though gradually increasing in
intensity. But the leader throws a curve by segueing
into Williams’ lesser-known “Ghost Of Love” and opts

for a more subdued, reflective mood. The title track,
Witkowski’s original tribute to Williams, is a bright,
lively theme with a bossa nova rhythm, capturing herenergy without mimicking her style as a composer.
Her most surprising arrangements include twostandards often played by Williams: a relaxed settingof the normally boisterous “Stompin’ at The Savoy”
brings out its lyricism and makes it seem more like aballad while the opening vamp used to set up “MyBlue Heaven” is a recurring motif in a number ofWilliams originals. Here the influence on Witkowski is
obvious with a percussive, swinging attack emulating
the late jazz master ’s sound.
For more information, visit mcgjazz.org. Witkowski is atHoly Apostles Church Mar. 26th. See Calendar.

Time Traveler
Nnenna Freelon (Origin)
by Alex Henderson

N nenna Freelon was in the middle of recording Time

Traveler, her first new album in over a decade, when
her husband of 40 years died from Lou Gehrig’s diseasein 2019 and it ended up becoming a tribute both to her
partner and the R&B and pop of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The album gets off to an R&B-drenched start with

the Burt Bacharach-Hal David favorite “I Say a Little
Prayer”. Freelon’s “Marvin Medley” is billed as atribute to soul icon Marvin Gaye but could just as
easily be called “Marvin & Tammi Medley”, as it
consists of three songs that Gaye and Philadelphiaborn singer Tammi Terrell famously performed as
duets: “If This World Were Mine”, “Ain’t Nothing Like
the Real Thing” and “Ain’t No Mountain High
Enough”.
Freelon remembers two facets of ‘70s-era
Philadelphia with a pair of The Stylistics’ major hits,“Betcha By Golly Wow” and “You Make Me Feel Brand
New”, putting a bossa nova-flavored spin on the lattersoul ballad, and singer/songwriter Jim Croce’s “Timein a Bottle”, given a funky, gospel-ish makeover.
Freelon also celebrates Tin Pan Alley and the Great
American Songbook on Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne’s“Time After Time” and Harold Arlen’s “Come Rain or
Come Shine”, yet still incorporating elements of soul.
The musicians backing Freelon—Miki Hayama,
Chuckey Robinson, Brandon McCune, Keith Ganz,
Noah Jackson, Gerald Veasley, Lance Scott, E.J.
Strickland, Adonis Rose, Jon Curry, Beverly Botsford,
Trineice Robinson-Martin, Kirk Whalum and Shana
Tucker—vary from track to track, with some of theselections using electric bass and electric keyboards
liberally while others emphasize acoustic instruments.
The constant throughout the album is Freelon’s affinity
for both vocal jazz and classic soul.
Time Traveler doesn’t pretend to be the work of apurist and for listeners who appreciate Aretha Franklin
and Chaka Khan as much as they do Carmen McRae
and Sarah Vaughan, there is much to enjoy on thisnostalgic effort.
For more information, visit originarts.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 19

’S
WOMENRYHISTO H
MONT

Somewhere Different
Brandee Younger (Impulse!)by Marilyn Lester

New Spells
Ava Mendoza (Relative Pitch)
by John Pietaro

The harp is one of the most ancient of instruments, Of all the guitarists to have come of age in the postTHE STONEWALL CHORALE AND
DEANNA WITKOWSKI PRESENT MASS FOR
THE LENTEN SEASON BY MARY LOU WILLIAMS.

Music for the Soul | Saturday, March 26
Pre-show talk: 7 p.m.
Performance Begins 7:30 p.m.
Tickets at: stonewallchorale.org/springconcert

NEW ALBUM FROM MCG JAZZ
Force of Nature is a bold, adventurous
reflection of Mary Lou Williams.

Available at: mcgjazz.org“A beautifully
written and expertly
researched biographyof one of the mostfascinating Catholic
artists of our time.”—James Martin, SJ,
author of
Learning to Pray

PurchaseMusic
for thePurchaseMary
MaryLou
LouWilliams:
Williams:
Music
forSoulthe at:Souldeannajazz.com
at:deannajazz.com

with the concert harp a fixture of symphony orchestras
and other purveyors of classical music. You could
pretty much count on one hand early jazz harpists,
notably Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, andmore recently, since the ‘80s-90s, Zeena Parkins andDestiny Muhammad. Now, with several new young
players, such as Edmar Castañeda, and Jacqueline
Kerrod taking up jazz harp, new vistas in that realm
are looming.
But it is Brandee Younger who is leading the charge,
an extraordinarily talented harpist who has just released
her major label debut, Somewhere Different. It’s a winner.
Younger’s compositions, which intertwine R&B, hiphop, jazz and funk, are full of energy, owing to joyous
melodic lines, well-reasoned tempos and strong,
judicious and delicious drumming from Allan Mednardand Marcus Gilmore and drum programming by thelatter. Also appearing on the album are bassist Rashaan
Carter and trumpeter Maurice Brown. It is a winner—analbum that’s sure to be played over and over.
Somewhere Different was produced by bassist
Dezron Douglas, who composed two of the eight tunes(“Spirit U Will” and “Olivia Benson”) and who appears
on electric bass on the soaring album opener“Reclamation”. This track also contains a dazzling
flute turn by Anne Drummond and memorable
saxophone solo by Chelsea Baratz.
Two gorgeous tracks, “Beautiful Is Black”—anespecially lyrical ballad—and “Olivia Benson” feature
the venerable bassist Ron Carter, whose anchoring ofeach is both subtle and powerful, particularly on thelatter, with the master making full use of his creativity
up and down the neck of his instrument. Both feature
Younger ’s more classical approach, with glissandi andarpeggios, but her power lies in her ability to thinkoutside the harp box. Hearing her work, it’s easy to
wonder: what took so long for the harp to take center
stage in jazz? Younger is fully aware that the harp is apercussion as well as a string instrument. She
successfully combines classicism, rooted in European
melodic forms, with Afrocentric rhythms and that is noeasy task. What Younger has accomplished is muchakin to the way Jimmie Blanton elevated the uprightbass in the late ‘30s.
Her talent is particularly in the spotlight on the
gossamer and soulful “Love & Struggle”, an acoustic
track unembellished by other instrumentation, which
aptly showcases her decidedly awesome skills. The
only vocal on Somewhere Different is by Tarriona ‘Tank’
Ball on “Pretend”. Her stylings are hand-in-glove with
Younger ’s music, her velvet voice giving way to asection of rap-style recitation before returning to her
deeply felt interpretation of the music and lyric.
The eight tracks on Somewhere Different are fairly
long-form, with each fully realized. There is no
downtime, no wasted opportunity in any of thecompositions; each holds the listener ’s interest raptly
from start to finish. About the album, Younger says,“This is me doing my own thing completely.” We are
the better for it, hopeful that more musical delightsfrom Younger will routinely follow.
For more information, visit impulserecords.com. Younger is
at The Schomburg Center Mar. 8th. See Calendar.

20 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Downtown period, Ava Mendoza not only holds thespirit of improvisations past, but also brings to the frayan unabashed spectrum rarely possible before in workwith the likes of John Zorn, ROVA, Jamaaladeen Tacuma
and William Hooker. On this album of purely solo
electric guitar, Mendoza’s incendiary talents are frontand center. Here is an artist who, for her gender alone,
may have been man-spoken over in past years, but here
goes utterly unbridled. Following the fight-back of#MeToo, she stands as a model for the next generation.
Mendoza opens with original compositions that
not only command the ear but also shred any
preconceived notions. Both “Sun Gun” and “New
Ghosts” expose her astounding technical abilities aswell as the feel that is surely the guitarist’s greatest
asset. Listen to the impossibly fast plectrum work (or isthat fingerpicking?) on both cuts, the use of whammybar and left-hand vibrato and frighteningly rapid
improv over chord changes, calling on, perhaps, a John
Coltrane-like conception of harmonic playing.
Mendoza also takes on compositions of bassists
Devin Hoff and Trevor Dunn and saxophonist John
Dikeman, but, in any case, the capture, the portraiture,is all her. Use of chordal hammer-ons and shimmering,
electric sustains crossing postmodern chordal patterns
on “Ampulex Compressa” only begin to make thestatement. Once the beat turns around and the tonal
center ascends, this piece by Hoff goes perpetualmotion. Her adaptation of Dunn’s “Apart From” is quite
the epic adventure, with use of bouncing, utterlycompelling sci-fi echo, which had this aging reviewer
think back to the avant classic “Gumby on the Moon”,
if not “It Came from Outer Space”. The darkness is not
only held over for Dikeman’s “Don’t Look” but isaccented and augmented into a beautiful, gripping noirlike score. Ascending and descending diminished-fifth
walks up the neck battle chord clusters and the perfectanalog-driven reverb. If Naked City should reform andBill Frisell were unavailable, Zorn need look no further
than Mendoza. She seems to have been born for it.
For more information, visit relativepitchrecords.com

WOMENHISTORY’S
MONTH

After Dark
Amanda Whiting (Jazzman)
by Eric Wendell

It would be easy to void the beautiful timbre of theharp in jazz, seeing as it is rarely a featured soloist injazz ensembles. On Welsh harpist Amanda Whiting’s
After Dark, her first full-length album after a 2020
10” EP, she proves that between the beauty and thebrawn of the harp lies a language that is astonishingly
pure and powerful.
What makes After Dark so successful is how the
harp is showcased on every track. Whiting makes
sure listeners hear the full spectrum of what the harp
is capable of within the jazz language, placing herself
in different instrumental settings throughout.
Opener “Time Stands Still” has Whiting alongsideflutist Chip Wickham, the former ’s fanciful voicings
blending beautifully with the latter ’s light touch. By
opening with an airy number, Whiting is almost setting
the listener up with something to be expected from theharp and its ethereal atmosphere.
That brief opener segues into “Messed Up”, a trio
number with bassist Aidan Thorne and drummer John
Reynolds where the seemingly endless melodic
character of the harp’s intimate and lively sound isevident. Whiting and Reynolds are especially in sync

on “Who Knows”, which begins abstractly before
developing into a beautiful dialogue among the trio.
Whiting is at her best on the title track, which ebbs
and flows through foreboding moods before developing
into a deep groove. The space Whiting allows shows
the harp’s impressive agility with cinematic andcreative use of ambiance. Whiting is at her most
unbridled on “The Feist”, where she lets loose with
Thorne and Reynolds following suit, the album
reaching its highest energy. A similar feeling is felt on“Just Blue”, where an unrestrained Whiting offers thedate’s most playful moments.
While each track blends with an impressive flow,
After Dark never does truly venture outside of
expectation. One hopes Whiting will allow herself
more opportunities to experiment on future releases.
For more information, visit jazzmanrecords.co.uk

Union
Muriel Grossmann (Dreamland)
by Elliott Simon

Saxophonist Muriel Grossmann is the consummate

combination of jazz spirituality, blues and funk. While
directing her band to maintain a modern creative
groove, she beckons John Coltrane’s spirit with a single

note. Her previous works, like Momentum (Dreamland,2017), portrayed an evolving journey, which began at
the beginning and ended in enlightenment, but the fivecuts on Union are all defined destinations. She is again
joined by Radomir Milojkovic (guitar), Llorenç Barceló(Hammond organ) and Uros Stamenkovic (drums).
Barceló, especially with the absence of a dedicatedbassist, is indispensable in expressing the funk andmaintaining the groove in these new versions ofpreviously released tunes.
Recorded in studio, the session impresses with theimmediacy of a live performance. Grossmann’s
protocol is to use her fellow musicians rhythmicallyand melodically to establish a setting and then, throughimpressive tonal mastery, push that setting to a higher
spiritual plane. Such is the case on opener “Happiness”
as Milojkovic and Barceló stretch out to meet the stateof grace that Grossmann attains on tenor. With equal
nods to Coltrane and Al Kooper, Grossmann is ‘Her
Holy Modal Highness’ on “Traneing In” as she skippers
a quick soprano saxophone flight to the beat of asurprisingly countrified guitar riff. The quartet thenreflects on “Sundown”, which is elegantly experienced
through Stamenkovic’s lovely percussive coloration.
“African Dance” is a deliciously funky romp but
even in these environs, Grossmann uses her alto toreach modal grandeur. The closing title cut is a holistic
bluesy group meditation, soprano traversing that iswhich without end as an expert astronomer uses atelescope to search the cosmos for new planetary
bodies. When Coltrane said he had found a way into
a new kind of music this is what he was talking about.
If you haven’t yet heard Muriel Grossmann, Union is
the place to start.
For more information, visit murielgrossmann.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 21

’S
WOMENRYHISTO HMONT

Grammy-NominatedVocalist
Roseanna Vitro
in Concert
Sunday, April 10 at 7PM
South Orange Preforming Arts Center

Join us for Jazz in the Loft at SOPAC.
Hear selections from the newrelease, "Sing a Song of Bird," plus
"The Great American Songbook,"
and her Grammy-Nominated album,“The Music of Randy Newman.”Bring your friends!
There is free parking and the theater
is located right next to theSouth Orange train station.
Sunday, April 10 at 7PM
Tickets are $20.
Purchase them here.

Transparent Sky
Lisa Hilton (s/r)
by Franz Matzner

Accessible music often is pitted against challenging,

the former interpreted as simplistic, retrograde incomparison to the modern edge. Ironically, if thisattitude is fully embraced, it shuts the door on music ofgreat depth and skill. Case in point is pianist Lisa
Hilton’s latest release, Transparent Sky, which continues
her working relationship with bassist Luques Curtis
and drummer Rudy Royston. The album delivers aninviting and refined followup to 2020’s More Than
Another Year.
Like the acupressurist applies subtle force to thebody, Hilton is able to elicit potent responses via
precise note placement, minute shifts in dynamics anda splendid touch. Supported by Royston’s silky-smoothfeel, Hilton’s rhythmic acuity also is prominently
displayed throughout Transparent Sky, which includes
an array of rhythmic pedigrees. The sprightly-paced“Santa Monica Samba” opens the album, merging the
traditional beat with a swinging lilt. Similarly, “Infinite
Tango” takes up the inimitable and alluring rhythm,
Hilton’s fingers dancing with force and finesse.
The trio also presents funkier, propulsive tunes:“Living in Limbo”, featuring especially discursive
bass; elegantly gentle “Extraordinary Everyday
Things”;
andintriguingly
structured,
bluesy“Chromatic Chronicles”.
In keeping with her focus on recognizing thecontributions of female composers to jazz, Hilton also
includes a deft rendition of Billie Holiday’s “God Blessthe Child”. Gorgeous as it is unusual, Hilton’sinterpretation moves with a rolling rhythm likecowboys riding the range, the song unfolding with agrace befitting the original.
A last and significant quality of Transparent Sky is
the continuity of poise running throughout. Hilton’sbalance of clarity, patience and expressivity does not
impose on the listener, it engages instead, thus,
occupying a much-needed place in the jazz oeuvre:
brilliantly executed, gorgeously rendered, accessibleto-many virtuosic music that can be appreciatedwhether in the expanse of a concert hall or as part of aquiet night at home.
For more information, visit lisahiltonmusic.com"... more than a dozen albums, earning
jazz-world prominence with her darkhoney timbre and exuberantly versatilephrasing… She’s mined rich musical ore
by diving in..." — Neil Tesser, Jazziz"Vocalist Vitro really hits it out of thepark here surrounded by her idols in a set
that’s been gestating since 2017… all you
can say is wow. A really special set
throughout that connects on every level."— Chris Spector, Midwest Record

What To Wear in the Dark
Kate McGarry + Keith Ganz Ensemble(feat. Ron Miles & Gary Versace)(Resilience Music Alliance)by Jim Motavalli

K ate McGarry is one of this reviewer ’s favorite jazz
singers, of late working with her husband,guitarist Keith Ganz. They did The Subject Tonight isLove album together in 2018 with much the same
personnel, including Ron Miles (cornet) and Gary

22 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Versace (piano). Bassist Sean Smith, drummer Clarence
Penn and percussionist James Shipp are perfect choices
for this album.
McGarry seldom takes a wrong step as a vocalist.
If you were just to look at the album cover, you may
wonder how she will be able to put over some fairly
shopworn pop tunes, including The Eagles’“Desperado”, Steely Dan’s “Barrytown”, Cat Stevens’“On the Road to Find Out”, Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides
Now” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “The 59th Street
Bridge Song”. But, rest assured, she is up to the task.
The singer and her collaborators make an elegant
package. “Barrytown” has very sly postbop soloing
from Ganz and “Dancing in the Dark” wondrous
accordion work from Versace. McGarry’s singing is on
the cool side, but nonetheless emotionally expressive.
Some singers—Diana Krall, Sasha Dobson—essentiallybecome pop singers when working repertoire like this,but McGarry turns it all into creative jazz.
“Both Sides Now” has been recorded more times
than Judy Garland had comebacks. McGarry’s take islovely, but because of sheer over-familiarity not one of
the more necessary tracks. Gentle piano, acoustic
guitar and bass are all hugely supportive.
Paul Curreri’s “God Moves on the City” is spicedwith cornet and has a suitably tense presence. “The59th Street Bridge Song” has a concise and fairly
agitated spoken-word analysis of jazz musicians’
pecking order (written by pianist Hal Galper) kicking
it off, then it smooths out for Paul Simon’s rather dated
lyrics: “Hello lamppost, what you knowin’?” But like
Patricia Barber, McGarry could do wonders with thephone book. This is like a warm bath and groovy too.
Miles gets a nice long smoochy workout.
Try to resist “Desperado” but it is hopeless, nomatter what you think of The Eagles. McGarry sings it
straight, with Ganz shaping a solo that has just theright amount of sagebrush in it. It works because
McGarry is deeply invested in the song. You really had
better let someone love you, before it’s too late.
“On the Road to Find Out” uses massed female
voices (Becca Stevens, Erin Bentlage and Michelle
Willis) as Manhattan Transfer or Lambert, Hendricks &Ross may have, but at least initially at a slower tempo.
Smith’s interaction with the voices is heartfelt.
There has to be a Beatles song and on this album
it is “Here Comes the Sun”. The take is gently
optimistic, as was the original. Great guitar work on
the bridge, followed by Versace, Smith and Penn
having a mind-meld.
McGarry and Ganz are really good together, inmore ways than one. And here they have a little help
from their friends.
For more information, visit resiliencemusic.com(CD REVIEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 24)

WOMENHISTORY’SMONTH(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
CC: I taught at Temple University for 13 years in theundergrad program and for the last three years atJuilliard. The short answer is I totally believe in formal
education. There is no debate for me. There is a place
for sure, but it is not the only place. I went toNortheastern University and my undergraduate
degree is in speech communication. I got a lot of mytraining just hanging out with musicians, but also
I was able to ask Betty Carter a question. I go to themasters and ask them. That’s education. There are a lotof ways to come at this and I think formal education isa great way to do it but it is not the only way.
TNYCJR: It doesn’t seem to have been your quest to berecorded. I only see three albums and I also found thisspoken word thing Inside Voices. Do you have any
projects or anything under your own nameforthcoming? I know you stayed with MAXJAZZ andthen they were taken over by Mack Avenue.

IN PRINT

Jazz Places:
How Performance Places Shape Jazz History
Kimberly Hannon Teal (University of CA Press)by Kevin Canfield

In the COVID era, it is not surprising that a new book

• Carla Cook–It’s All About Love (MAXJAZZ, 1999)• Carla Cook–Dem Bones (MAXJAZZ, 2001)• Carla Cook–Simply Natural (MAXJAZZ, 2002)• George Gee Big Band (featuring Carla Cook)–

about live music would be tinged with sorrow. Kimberly
Hannon Teal, a Texas-based academic who spent muchof the 2010s studying the subject, surely hoped to
publish Jazz Places when the venues she spotlights were
packed with customers. In recent months, some clubs
and concert halls have begun to rebound from thepandemic, but, as she writes in an introduction naming
several of the vibrant performers who died of COVID,“the live jazz scene that emerges from this crisis willundoubtedly look and sound different than the one
described in” this insightful book. Which doesn’t mean
her analysis of the past is any less valuable.
Teal’s research informs an astute text about therelationship between performance spaces and the music
made there. She observes that Jazz at Lincoln Center’s
decorousness and promotion of musicians “not only as
artistic leaders but also as moral ones” has helped makeit an eminent player “in the philanthropy-supported
art-music world” but resulted in programming
sometimes criticized as unadventurous. And she
explains how Preservation Hall in New Orleans, with
its emphasis on mentorship and crowd-pleasing
numbers, can nurture what one musician describes as auniquely “symbiotic relationship” between players andlisteners. Her best writing, though, focuses on the
Village Vanguard. How does its prominent position in
the “historically sanctified jazz mainstream” shapewhat audiences hear? Teal answers this question byfocusing on a Fred Hersch composition. When
appearing with his trio at the Vanguard, she writes, thepianist’s “Stuttering” is defined by a “continuity
between the opening and closing presentations of thecomposed melody and the improvised material that
falls in between,” never “highlighting challenges to
expected jazz norms.” By contrast, when Hersch and
his Pocket Orchestra play “Stuttering” at the Jazz
Standard—one of the venues shuttered for good due to
COVID—his “solo stray(s) much further from the tonal
simplicity of the composed melody”, creating something“more jagged and unpredictable.” One isn’t better thanthe other—the performances are simply different.
Teal’s look at John Zorn’s The Stone, located for a
decade-plus in a stark Alphabet City space, foregrounds
the ways in which the room influenced the listener’s
experience. The club’s “intentionally marginal” public
posture dovetailed with its adherence to an avant garde,
artists-first ethos: no noise-making air conditioners, nointrusive late-arriving patrons. During one of its final
shows there, a bassist was so close to audience membersthat he cautioned them “to watch out for their eyes
when he used his bow.” Since its move to The New
School in 2018, “The Stone has become institutionalized,”
Teal writes, though she doesn’t satisfyingly explain
what that means for performances there. Considering
the numerous COVID-related show cancellations overthe past two years, this is a forgivable shortcoming in an
impressive book.

• Regina Carter–I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey

For more information, visit ucpress.edu

CC: Yeah, Richard [McDonnell, MAXJAZZ founder]
passed away some years ago. I have, I can’t say no desire.
The thing is, the industry has completely changed. Since
I recorded and I’m tech-averse and there’s so muchabout recording now that has nothing to do with making
music... However, I have had two different projects in
my head and I simply have not gone to the studio topursue them... Right now I’m able to thank God I’m still
able to have this great balance of working with otherpeople on different projects, doing my own projects here
in the United States and, every now and then, teaching.
It’s all balanced out that it feels good right now.
TNYCJR: Talk about the Harlem Stage gig.
CC: This venue has been around for many years andit’s been a place where all these artists could go andespecially uptown artists. I think I was there to see
someone when I first came to Harlem, I mean when
I first came to New York.
TNYCJR: Are you focusing on any particular music, oris it going to be a range?
CC: As always, it will be a range. But I am going to
make an effort to do a tribute to some people thatwe’ve lost over just the last period of time.
TNYCJR: Do you know the personnel in the band?
CC: I’ve got, while he’s not new, just new-ish working
with me, drummer Jarrett Walser. [Pianist] Bruce Barthis a jazz mainstay, known everywhere. He’s
co-produced all of my CDs. And then the great Kenny
Davis, one of jazz’s most sought-after bassists. We
worked together for hundreds of years. And so it’salways exciting for me, especially when I have such agreat group. It makes it really easy when you got
musicians you feel like you’re really in good handswith and that makes you take on some musical risks
and a lot of times that’s when the magic happens. v
For more information, visit carlacook.com. Cook is atHarlem Stage Gatehouse Mar. 12th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Craig Harris & The Nation of Imagination–

Istanbul (Doublemoon, 1997)

Setting The Pace (GJazz, 2004)(Verve, 2006)

The striking
new album by

SUSANNARISBERG“…a directness of approachrare in contemporary players.
…this is one of the genuinely
exciting contemporary
jazz groups.”(Brian Morton)

Susanna Risberg
Arvid Jullander
Karl-Henrik Ousbäck

guitarbass
drums

CAMJAZZ.COM

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 23

Look Out!
The Cookers (Gearbox)
by Jim Motavalli

Donald Harrison, Billy Harper (saxophones), Eddie

Henderson and David Weiss (trumpets), George Cables(piano), Cecil McBee (bass) and Billy Hart (drums) are all
first-call postbop guys, mostly in their 70s now, and Hartis over 80. Weiss, who did the fine arrangements, is the
youngster, born in 1964. The Cookers are in full flower of
their talents and undoubtedly energized by recording
their sixth album at Rudy Van Gelder’s in New Jersey.
Cables’ “AKA Reggie” is loping and fresh, withpiano supporting Harrison’s alto. McBee’s “Cat’s Outof the Bag” is uptempo, with more bristling Harrison.
Henderson makes a slam-bang entrance and is just,well, cooking here. Yes, it is the same guy who
accompanied Herbie Hancock on those space flights,
but he is in Blue Note territory on this track, as isCables. “Mutima”, also by McBee, was the title track ofan album he did for Strata-East in 1974. On this disc, it
is a showcase for a fulsome Henderson and an all-overthe-horn Harper on tenor, with his huge tone intact.
Batting cleanup, Cables cools the other guys down, butthey are all wailing on the outro.
“Destiny is Yours” is one of Harper’s tunes andthat is his muscular horn digging into it. Also on thedate is his “Somalia”, with some cool propulsive vocal
chants, presumably in-house from the band. Harper isagain outstanding, playing at some length but neverrunning out of ideas. Weiss is the man on deck, suitably
aggressive and followed by a sparkling Cables. A verystrong track. Cables contributes “The Mystery of Monifa
Brown”, another uptempo blower, but with a hint of
intrigue. Harrison and Weiss are both heard to goodadvantage, with the former heading out of the gate likea pent-up greyhound. These guys want to play!
Look Out! is straightahead, full-boil jazz and lots of
it. There is always room for one more album this good.
For more information, visit gearboxrecords.com. This groupis at Birdland Mar. 1st-5th. See Calendar.

Tide
Thomas Champagne Random House(feat. Adam O’Farrill) (Igloo)
by George Kanzler

The opening track firmly signals that this won’t be analbum easily categorized. Trumpeter Adam O’Farrill’s“Bad Date” is introduced by Alain Deval’s pummelingdrums, joined by rocking chords from guitarist
Guillaume Vierset, all suggestive of a movie theme.
Then a bouncy, antic theme is introduced by O’Farrill
and alto saxophonist Thomas Champagne, the two
following with individual solos over an emphatic,
electric guitar-driven rhythm. The cinematic overtones
return during Vierset’s solo, then the whole piece ends
with a reprise of the surprisingly catchy horns theme.
Tide is a singular achievement, an utterly uniquequintet album filled with strikingly original music. Theband is Belgian; Champagne invited O’Farrill to jointhem for a European tour and this recording. The quintet’ssound is heavily weighted by often rock-resonant guitar
and the eccentric rock-pop-jazz hybrid drumming.
Champagne contributes two pairs of compositions
with suffusive moods: “Interlude I” introduces
shimmering cymbals and shakers under pensive
trumpet and saxophone, which morphs into “Muse”,
a hypnotic, collective weaving of power ballad rhythms
and tandem soloing by the horns and guitar into aseductive whole, “Interlude II” features cinematic,echoey guitar and rhythm, a Ruben Lamon pizzicato
bass solo flowing into a rubato transition to “Gentle
Breeze”, another exercise in tandem soloing from horns
and guitar, this time over toms-dominated rhythms.
O’Farrill gets to stretch out on Champagne’s“BreathBreath”, a feature for his muted and open hornand showcasing his cliché-free approach and singularcommand of tones and timbres. Champagne shines onVierset’s “Looking Forward”, his alto solo suggestinga familiarity with Ornette Coleman’s harmolodics.
There are only eight tracks here, but each is unique andoriginal, making for a rich listening experience.

Pathetic” is truly reborn with a swinging, hip tenor
vocal by performance artist Sam Mickens, a perfect
addition to the sounds within this smoke-filled late set.
So effective is his performance that one hopes he would
follow the trio to an after-hours spot, but MDC’s own
Dictor, in a uniquely buoyant tenor (who knew?), singsthe dissident title song most, calling on the spirit of aperfectly soused Mose Allison amid rapturous piano,throbbing bass and the catapulting modern jazz of theleader’s solo segment. Eclectic, advanced listeners who
miss this one should be ashamed.
For more information, visit rarenoiserecords.com. Pride isat Roulette Mar. 2nd with Max Johnson. See Calendar.

For more information, visit thomaschampagne.be. O’Farrill
is at Lowlands Mar. 1st with Dana Saul and Mar. 29th with
Kevin Sun and The Stone at The New School Mar. 4th withTomas Fujiwara. See Calendar.

R • Michael Bardon–The Gift of Silence(Discus-Music)e • Andrea
Centazzo/Francesca Gemmo–
Binary Souls (Ictus)
c • Ilmiliekki
Quartet–Eponymous (We Jazz)o • Brandon Lopez/Ingrid
Laubrock/Tom
Rainey–No
es
la
playa
(Intakt)m • OGJB Quartet–Ode To O (TUM)m • Samo Salamon–Dolphyology (Complete Eric
Dolphy for Solo Guitar) (Samo)e • Luke
Stewart ‘s Silt Trio–
The Bottom (Cuneiform)n • Natsuki
Tamura–Summer Tree (Libra)d • Deanna Witkowski–
Force of Nature (MCG Jazz)e Laurence
Donohue-Greene, Managing Editord• Melissa Aldana–12 Stars (Blue Note)

I Hate Work
Mike Pride (RareNoise)
by John Pietaro

Multi-faceted drummer Mike Pride, never one to shy

away from extreme musical gatherings, presents boldreconstructions of MDC’s pronounced left-wing punk.
40 years back, that band’s Alternative Tentacles label
debut trumpeted “John Wayne was a Nazi” within an
ongoing hardcore catalogue penned by singer Dave
Dictor. Pride took over the drum chair for a burning
romp, departing in 2004, but the muscle-memory islong lasting. He now returns to these roots with Jamie
Saft (piano and mellotron) and Brad Jones (uprightbass), Pride adding keyboards as well.
Imagine a trio broadcasting from the haunted
parlor of the multiverse, where the acoustic, electric andelectronic enmesh and classic piano jazz alternates withthe unleashed, topped off by torch songs abouthomophobia and right-wing corruption. Strewn with
Pride’s own compositions, the album flows like wellaged bourbon. From the late-night combo swing of“Corporate Deathburger” (in which the only irony istitular), the listener is taken through several movementsof “Business on Parade” when avant rock guitarist Mick
Barr guests. Speed-metal fretwork mysteriously
complements Saft’s nimble reverb-laden piano.
“America’s So Straight”, one of the highlights, originallyrecorded at a crippling, rageful tempo, is interpreted as
medium-bounce, Blue Note-style postbop and fronted
by vocalist J.G. Thirlwell (aka Foetus) in a low, crusted
vocal of which Tom Waits would be proud. But listen
closely for the haunting “And So You Know”, perhaps adusty reflection of the first great Bill Evans Trio,lamentative but gorgeously so, followed by “Dick forBrains” without a trace of its speedcore origin. Featuringlush mellotron (flutes setting) the music is slowed
down, exposing its ringing perfect fifths, originally
heard as distorted power chords! And “Greedy and

24 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

n
e
w
r
e
l
e
a
s
e
s

• Alex “Apolo” Ayala–Bámbula(TRRcollective)• Peter Brötzmann/Milford Graves/
William Parker–Historic Music Past
Tense Future (Black Editions)• Tomasz Dabrowski &The Individual Beings–Eponymous (April)• Gordon Grdina’s Haram with Marc Ribot–
Night’s Quietest Hour (Attaboygirl)• Mark Holub–Anthropods (Discus-Music)• Stefan Pasborg–Ritual Dance (Sunnyside)• Akira Sakata/Takeo Moryama–
Mitochondria (Trost)• Wadada Leo Smith/Henry Kaiser/Alex Varty–Pacifica Koral Reef (577 Records)• Cecil Taylor–The Complete, Legendary, Live
Return Concert (Oblivion)• Vellum (Magda Mayas/John Butcher/
Tony Buck)–Glints (Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu)
Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

trading choruses a highlight of “Do You Remember Me”.
“Melancholy Mind” is a feature for Milton Suggs’
expressive vocal. The title is deceptive, as the song
begins quietly, yet before long, it builds to an explosive
crescendo. With this outstanding CD, Wonsey should
easily regain the acclaim that he built early in his career.
For more information, visit cellarlive.com. Wonsey is at The
Django Mar. 3rd and 24th. See Calendar.
Lorraine’s Lullabye
Anthony Wonsey (Cellar Live)by Ken Dryden

Anthony Wonsey drew a fair amount of attention as aleader in the first decade of his career, then the pianist
seemingly took a sabbatical from leading dates. With
the pandemic shutting down venues for live jazz,
Wonsey took the opportunity to make this overdue
return to recording under his name. Bassist Dmitri
Kolesnik and drummer Chris Beck are on hand formost of the release, along with several guests.
There is a bit of an Oscar Peterson flavor to his
sparkling solo rendition of “Sweet Lorraine”, though
he gets plenty funky in his trio setting of “I Didn’t
Know What Time It Was”. Wonsey also proves himself
as a master ballad interpreter with his inventive
reharmonization of “It Might As Well Be Spring”.
Kolesnik’s moody, exotic “Giving Rise To Doubt” isa piano-bass duet and filled with rich chords and thecomposer’s strong rhythmic undercurrent while his
lively “Little Mouse” is a showcase for Wonsey, who
continuously unfolds new facets from within this gem, asolo bass chorus and drums breaks adding to its luster.
Tenor saxophonist Zet Harris and trumpeter
Antoine Drye are featured on two Wonsey originals:“Avo’s Blooze”, Brandi Disterheft in on bass, and their

New Sky
Azar Lawrence (Trazar)
by Phil Freeman

Tenor/soprano saxophonist Azar Lawrence made hisname in the early ’70s through classic albums like McCoy
Tyner’s Enlightenment and Atlantis and Woody Shaw’s
The Moontrane and a memorable guest appearance withMiles Davis’ funk-metal septet at Carnegie Hall,
preserved on Dark Magus. (He was in effect auditioning
for the band onstage, but opted to stay with Tyner.) His
own albums of that era, Bridge Into The New Age, Summer
Solstice and People Moving, were in more of a spiritual
jazz vein; the first two have been reissued on vinyl in
recent years. People Moving contains versions of Earth,Wind & Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love” and “Gratitude” andLawrence worked on their 1982 album Powerlight.

Though he didn’t record much at all in the ’80s90s, Lawrence has made a comeback in the 21stCentury. Albums like 2011’s The Seeker and 2016’s
Elementals were somewhat more traditional, including
standards, blues and ballads, but New Sky is a return toLawrence’s roots. He has surrounded himself with apool of collaborators that includes keyboardists John
Beasley and Nduduzo Makhathini; guitarists James
Saez, Greg Poree and Gregory Moore; harpist Destiny
Muhammad; bassist Sekou Bunch; drummer Tony
Austin and percussionist Munyungo Jackson; andmultiple tracks are adorned with vocals by Calesha
Murray, Oren Waters and Lynne Fiddmont.
The music travels through a variety of moods: as
the album begins, tunes like “All In Love”, “Peace And
Harmony” and the title track set a somewhat retro
spiritual jazz mood seemingly aimed directly at
youngish fans of artists like Shabaka Hutchings andNubya Garcia. The melodies are incantatory, there isplenty of organ and percussion (and, on “All In Love”,
a Santana-esque guitar solo) and the slick ’70s
production recalls the glory days of CTI. Latin rhythms
blend with funk and modal grooves and on the title
track female vocals croon gauzily positive neo-soullyrics. Lawrence seems to rework John Coltrane’s
version of “My Favorite Things” on “Birds Are Singing”,
following that with a funky R&B instrumental, “I Really
Love You”. The album ends with its longest track, theeight-minute, harp-adorned “Revelation”. At its best,
this album makes a strong argument for the continued
potency of spiritual jazz and even in its few overly
smooth and pedestrian moments, still leaves the listenergrateful to have Lawrence back on the scene.
For more information, visit trazarrecords.com. This projectis at Dizzy’s Club Mar. 3rd-6th. See Calendar.

HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS CELEBRATESWOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH WITH A

CONCERT &MASTER CLASS
Featuring

THE MARLENE RICESTRING 3-TET
Marlene Rice, violin • Nioka Workman, cello • Destiny Diggs-Pinto, bass

SATURDAY MARCH 19, 2022 @ 3PM
HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
THE HERB ALPERT CENTER
645 Saint Nicholas Avenue • New YorkRSVP @ hsanyc.org/AfternoonJazzAtHSA
Masks and proof of vaccination required

AFTERNOON

JAZZ
@ HSA

Presented with

ADEGOKE STEVE COLSON
Jazz Road Artist in Residence#JazzRoad #ColsonsMusic
Made possible with the support of Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 25

Were We Where We Were
Michael Formanek Drome Trio (Circular File)by John Sharpe

During the pandemic, bassist Michael Formanek

developed a fascination with musical palindromes,
whereby a score reads the same viewed backwards orforwards. The three pieces here evolved from graphicalto standard notation, but remain true to the original
concept with parts that can be performed exactly thesame left to right as right to left. While the premise isintriguing and extends to the album and track titles, its
real value lies in stimulating the three principals into
going places that they may otherwise not have gone,
to find new solutions to the problem of how to getfrom here to there while realizing the composer ’s
intent. In this they are admirably successful.
Even though it is a new band, in its cohesivenessand balance it sounds as if it has been together foryears. Formanek brings an orchestral sensibility to theorganization of different settings, accompaniments
and emotional pacing. And what voices he has:
reedplayer Chet Doxas brings a lyrical approach to his
improvising, as he murmurs, slides and corkscrews
through Formanek’s charts, using twists and slurs toconvey nuance, while Vinnie Sperrazza proves atuneful drummer, crisp, conversational and tasteful ina good way where everything he plays lands just right.
Formanek’s deeply resonant instrument simultaneously
anchors and offsets, especially when in elaborate
dialogue with Doxas’ cascading lines.
Although without a detailed transcription you
could miss the intricacies, at a macro scale a pleasing
symmetry manifests itself on the longer version of“Tattarattat”, which both begins and ends with Doxas’
eloquent soprano saxophone soliloquy, replete withdeliciously expressive smears and bleats. What comes
between defies mirror image explication, in its sense ofbodies moving in separate orbits, at assorted velocities.
As with each of the cuts, Formanek provides a framework
encouraging individual digression, exemplified here by
Sperrazza’s solo, which spins out measured increasingly
assertive cadences against interjections of clustered bass
harmonics and soprano sustains, and again on the
boppish “Is It What It Is”, by Doxas’ tenor, which glisses
gloriously up and down the keypads.
And as a bonus, the edited version of “Tattarattat”
which appears on the LP release is also included in thedownload and CD as the closing track, extending thepalindrome concept yet further.
For more information, visit michaelformanek.bandcamp.com.
Formanek is at The Stone at The New School Mar. 5th. See Calendar.

Moments Inside
Ben Allison (Sonic Camera)by Tom Greenland

Bassist Ben Allison’s Moments Inside is, as the title

suggests, born of extended isolation obliged by the

pandemic, yet isn’t, as one could expect, the frustrated
outcry of a stifled prisoner, but rather a healing vision,a musical balm for weary coronavirus survivors.
The instrumentation and sound recall Marc
Johnson’s two-guitar quartet Bass Desires—Allison’sgroup has Steve Cardenas and Chico Pinheiro onelectric and acoustic guitars and Allan Mednard on
drums—with similar original material: rock-based
rhythms and melodies with progressive harmonies
and phrasing to keep things interesting.
Putting two guitarists up front invites comparisonof their styles and Cardenas, spinning out smoothlyhoned legato lines in a woody midrange tone, is wellbalanced against Pinheiro’s more mercurial, over-thebarline phrases colored in earthier hues. The
performances are relaxed, peaceful, played in what
could be called a ‘progressive Americana’ style.
“Safe Pass”, with its descending inner melody
line, sounds a bit like The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence”,“Voyage” a bit like Van Morrison’s “Moondance”
played in 5/4 time. “Milton”, the slower-paced“A Child Sings in Stone” and Herbie Nichols’ “House
Party Starting” (the only cover) all have a bossa nova
feel, the latter notable for an exciting section of traded
4s (these in 6/4 meter) between the guitarists, eachtesting the other ’s mettle, inciting a bit of healthy
competition harkening back to those famous recordingsof two-tenor saxophone duels.
Allison takes two notable solo turns: a short one
on electric bass on “The Chase” and longer, more
expansive one on upright bass on “Breakfast withEric”. Mednard gets his chance to shine towards theend of both of these numbers, where he plays extended
improvisations before bringing the band back in for a
final rendering of the head.
Besides the patent appeal of Allison’s subtly
sophisticated compositions, the chief attraction of thisproject, like Johnson’s, lies in the close interplay
between distinctive yet decidedly compatible
guitarists, surely one of the happier by-products of anunwelcome quarantine.
For more information, visit benallison.com. Allison is at
Minton’s Mar. 11th. See Calendar.

Bell Tolls Variations/Fleur Revisited
Philippe Côté/Marc Copland (ODDSOUND)
by Thomas Conrad

P hilippe Côté is a composer/arranger/reedplayer

based in Montréal. His debut, Lungta, in 2016, wasambitious and surprising. It combined a jazz quintet
with a 17-piece wind ensemble. Côté’s subtle touchwith orchestral detail made you think of Gil Evans andMaria Schneider. Côté’s second album, Bell Tolls
Variations/Fleur Revisited, is equally substantial. Thistime, the collaboration is between a pianist (Marc
Copland) and a string quartet (Quatuor Saguenay:
Laura Andriani, Nathalie Camus, violins; Luc
Beauchemin, viola; David Ellis, cello). As with Lungta,
Côté selectively applies his soprano saxophone andbass clarinet to the color palette.
The new CD contains two suites. The first is basedon a haunting, harmonically ambiguous composition
by Copland, “The Bell Tolls”, from his 2008 album
Night Whispers. The second is based on a Côté
composition, “La Fleur et La Roche”, from Lungta. Côtésays that the 16 tracks present “variations,recompositions, orchestrations and improvisations”

26 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

derived from these two sources.
On Night Whispers, Copland’s original composition
sustains a repeated note like the tolling of a bell. The
tolling, slow and solemn, recurs throughout Côté’s
variations, which are interesting in and of themselves
and more interesting for how they relate to Copland’s
source theme. The string quartet first executes,
beautifully, the notated patterns of Côté’s everevolving recompositions. Copland responds withoutbreaks of extemporaneous lyricism. Some tracks
flow far from their thematic basis (the solo piano
improvisation “Le Baume au Coeur”). Some stay closer
but locate Copland’s piece within new arrangements(“Lethe’s Song”, “The Bond”).
On the album’s second part, Côté’s elusive,
hovering source melody is often only implicit. Coplandtraces lines of glittering light all around and throughthe intricate forms defined by the string quartet.
Unlike many current jazz composers who write
for strings, Côté does not ask classical musicians toimprovise. Instead he uses Quatuor Saguenay (with its
rich sonorities and seamless blend) as one half of adichotomy that juxtaposes precise predetermination
against free impulse. The spontaneous half is Copland
and Côté, reacting in the moment. The whole is neitherclassical nor jazz. It is a “Third Stream”, which got
a bad name in the ‘60s but was always a valid concept;
it just needed 60 years to develop.
Today there are many artists (mostly residing
outside the United States) who are successfully
combining jazz and classical music. One of the mostpromising is Philippe Côté.
For more information, visit philippecote.com. Copland is at
Smalls Mar. 9th with the Doxas Brothers and Birdland
Mar. 17th-19th with David Liebman. See Calendar.

Loss and GainJames Ilgenfritz/Brian Chase/Robbie Lee(Infrequent Seams)
The Bulbous and The Budding
Jonah Rosenberg Fabulous Trio (Infrequent Seams)
by Tyran Grillo

Bassist James Ilgenfritz is more than the sum of his

instruments, compositions and improvisations. He
binds these modalities with a glue that never dries,
allowing its pliancy to dictate physical structures
emerging from metaphysical impulses. Throughout
the musical happenings analyzed here, both releasedon his Infrequent Seams label, he reveals elements of alanguage at once robust and delicate, fully lit and halfsilhouetted, adventurous and withdrawn. In exploring
the spectrums between these restrictive binaries, hegives himself over to a sentient origami folding itself
into shapes that, despite their familiar angles, tell ofstories yet to be written.
On Loss and Gain, which plants him in the same soil
as drummer Brian Chase and woodwind player Robbie
Lee (saxophones, recorders, flutes and electronics), an
unnervingly fragrant crop takes root. The trio casts awide net, catching snippets of reality in the process.
These range from the kabuki-esque strains of “first time
(before)” and deconstructed actions of “no answer” toepileptic electronica of “bridge - difference” andcontemporary chamber music vibe of “redemption no
without”, the latter evoking (at least) Xenakis and Varèse.
The wonders of “fragile” are as brief as they are
invigorating, like the restoration of health after aprolonged illness. The musicians are at their mostsynaptic in “holding tight”, where splashing cymbals
and snare hits frame a duet of bass and flute, and“happening”, which reads as a play devoid of dramatis
personae. Despite its freely improvised ethos, Loss andGain exudes a raw and focused humanity, giving up
many ghosts with plenty to spare.
Were we to distill this album into invisible ink andwith it write the title The Bulbous and The Budding,perhaps only the flame ignited by Ilgenfritz along withpianist Jonah Rosenberg and drummer Kevin Shea
could reveal it. As the Fabulous Trio, they live up to thename not only by honing a mythical edge but also
because they flood the cerebral cortex with sparkle.
“Fractured Gatherings” names the first of seven pieces
blowing up the balloon of expectation until it pops.
Ilgenfritz’ bow is a three-dimensional tool chisellingaway at the block of possibility before them. Rather
than blowing the dust away, however, Rosenberg andShea repurpose it. This same philosophy permeates“Chopin Le Fabio”, which recasts itself from within theclassical frame rather than abandoning it.
“Hyperkeratosis” and “Kinetics in New Directions”
indicate that physics are indeed vital to the group’s M.O.,
which mashes its fractured grammar into a coherent
pulp. Fantastically oriented toward a magnetic north of
its own making, their sound takes on a dramatic energy.
The pianism is forthright without being domineering,
bass punctuational without forcing interpretation andthe drumming abundant while avoiding virtuosity for its
own sake. Each voice carries equal weight in the grander
conversation. Daniel Carter joins for two tracks on fluteand alto saxophone. Of these, “Hollow Undulations” is amost exquisite example of how deeply extroversion andintroversion inform one another. Flute is a slick traveler
in these parts as the trio clears a path.
For more information, visit infrequentseams.com. Ilgenfritz is
at Bushwick Public House Mar. 21st. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 27

Skyline
Gonzalo Rubalcaba/Ron Carter/Jack DeJohnette(5 Passion)
by Pierre Giroux

Cuban-born pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba reunites withtwo early mentors, jazz legends bassist Ron Carter anddrummer Jack DeJohnette, for Skyline, intended to be
the first of other trio albums. The nine tracks two songs
each by the principals, two Cuban standards andclosing“RonJackRuba”,
animprovisation
surreptitiously recorded during the session.
Opener “Lagrimas Negras” was originallyrecorded in 1931 by the Cuban group Trio Matamoros.
Hewing to its bolero antecedents, DeJohnette adds an
AfroCuban beat, which gives the number an up-todate feel without obscuring its traditional background.
Carter has a long and effective interjection while
Rubalcaba builds his efforts from the underlying
harmonic framework. The other Cuban standard is the
José Antonio Méndez composition “Novia Mia”,
a wistful number, filled with lyrical ballad playing.
Carter, the most recorded jazz bassist of all time,
has also been reasonably prolific in composing. His“Gypsy” and “Quiet Place” are included here. The
former is a longish track with Carter taking the introwith intricate features before establishing his line.
Rubalcaba delivers layers of nuance, derived from therhythmic associations that abide in the piece.
Rubalcaba’s contributions are “Promenade” and“Siempre Maria” and of the two, the latter is the moreinteresting. Rendered in a sly bolero style, it finds
Rubalcaba dancing over the keys with a variety of
motifs and riffs but always maintaining contact withthe melody even when playing intricate figures.
DeJohnette brought “Silver Hollow” and “Ahmad
The Terrible”, the latter dedicated to the influential
Chicago pianist Ahmad Jamal. The approach to thisnumber is somewhat oblique, at least at the intro.
However as it develops, Rubalcaba slides in someJamal-like note-striking with the obligatory stops andrests. The number continues to gather steam with arhythmic wallop conveying a sense of forward motion.

to an individual composer but the sense is that they are
all the outcome of a collective effort. The blending
among the various instruments is often remarkable,most notably the empathy between Parisien’s warm,
round and breathy sound and Theo Croker’s fluid
trumpet. Bassist Joe Martin and drummer Nasheet
Waits constitute a fantastic rhythmic duo: supple,
dynamic, tastefully supportive of and yet inspiring forthe other soloists. Pianist Roberto Negro and guitarist
Manu Codjia contribute more sparingly but carve out
exhilarating solo space for themselves, particularly inParisien’s three-part suite “Memento”, inspired by anddedicated to his mother. Dreamy guitar is also featured
in Negro’s “Il giorno della civetta”, the mysterious
atmosphere of which is inspired by Italian novelist
Leonardo Sciascia’s paradoxical crime novel. The
somewhat muscular reading of Joe Zawinul’s“Madagascar” showcases the ensemble’s edgier side.
Croker’s tender ballad “Prayer” rounds up an excellent
CD by an empathetic ensemble.
Into The Night is quite a different yet equallyremarkable set of music. This encounter took place atthe 2020 Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival with pianist Jan
Lundgren, bassist Lars Danielsson and Parisien
stepping in at the last minute when Lundgren’s
drummer could not make the concert. The overallmood is reflective, relying on a set of quickly-rehearsed
pieces mostly from Lundgren’s trio repertoire, with
only a tune each by Parisien and his regular playing
partner Vincent Peirani. Parisien’s wonderful soundcharacterizes the music right from the opening lullaby“Glädjens Blomster”, sinuously exploring the melody
inside out sustained by spare piano chords and big
round bass. The remainder of the program follows asimilar pattern, with the soloists taking turns on eachpiece, which all share cantabile that is hard to forget(this reviewer found himself humming Danielsson’s“Asta” and Lundgren’s humorous “A Dog Named
Jazze” repeatedly). Lundgren has a knack for melody
even in his solos, which is fine but may come at theexpense of harmonic depth and complexity. Danielsson
belongs to the esteemed lineage of Scandinavian bass
players who share a warm sound, impeccable pitchand enormous taste; every single note is purposeful,not to show off outstanding technical prowess; listen
to his intro on Parisien’s luscious “Preambule”. The
remainder is Lundgren’s minimalistic ballad “I do”
and title track, Peirani’s “Schubertauster” andDanielsson’s gentle dedication to “Ystad” and its jazzfestival. A joyful set from a fortuitous encounter.

pianist and string-arranger Julian Shore, tapping oneof the most brilliant rhythm sections in jazz—bassist
John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade—and meldingthat combined foursome with a string quartet of
violinists Sara Caswell and Monica K. Davis, violist
Benni von Gutzeit and cellist Marika Hughes, Stryker
fully actualizes his aspirations.
While he doesn’t play on the album’s opening
track—a stimulating and succinct overture for strings—
Stryker ’s presence is felt. Shore’s pen nods toward andthreads together the leader ’s thematic material, laying
the groundwork for what is to come. Then, with theanimated “Lanes”, the guitarist takes center stage.
Characterized by motion in every sense and from every
angle and offering Blade a chance to step forward(after Stryker plays himself into permanent memory),that number speaks to the combined powers of thisincredibly capable crew. Nick Drake’s “River Man”—
the only cover—follows. Opening on a haunting
soundscape of violin harmonics and adventitious
improvising, the music eventually settles into a wistful
5/4 flow supporting Caswell’s affecting solo.
Save for Shore’s swinging, Wayne Shorter-indebted“One Thing at a Time”, the remainder of the program
showcases
Stryker’s
compositions:“Hope”,a joyous but measured groover; “Saudade”, signalinga serious love of Brazilian music; “As We Were”,
a ballad built on contemplation; and “Dreams Are Real”,
a drifting escape into the clouds. Lest Stryker leave out
a key aspect of his persona, he follows it all with abluesy closer, “Soul Friend”, which satisfies as it sizzles.
As We Are reaches incredible heights and easily attains
status as a crowning achievement in Stryker’s oeuvre.

For more information, visit actmusic.com. Parisien is at
Joe’s Pub Mar. 22nd. See Calendar.

Monday-Saturday, 10:00-6:00

For more information, visit 5passion.com. Carter is at Blue
Note Mar. 22nd-27th. See Calendar.

For more information, visit davestryker.com. Stryker is at
Smalls Mar. 26th. See Calendar.

N

U

EW

SE
D

236 West 26 Street, Room 804
New York, NY 10001
Tel: 212-675-4480
Fax: 212-675-4504
Email: jazzrecordcenter@verizon.net
Web: jazzrecordcenter.com

LouiseÉmile Parisien (ACT Music)
Into The Night
Jan Lundgren (ACT Music)
by Marco Cangiano

F renchman Émile Parisien, who almost exclusively

plays soprano saxophone, is alumnus of the Marciac
College de Jazz and the Toulouse Conservatory andhas a thorough musical background and wide interests.
The albums here provide full exposure to his skills as acomposer, bandleader and soloist.
Louise finds Parisien leading a sextet consisting ofAmerican and European players for the first time. It is amarvelous, varied and complex. Each piece is attributed

As We Are
Dave Stryker (Strikezone)
by Dan Bilawsky

Considering guitarist Dave Stryker ’s tremendous

accomplishments—work with legends like Jack
McDuff and Stanley Turrentine, an impressive anddiverse leader discography spanning more than 30
years and records—it would be easy to assume that hehas already achieved all of his prime musical objectives.
But the recent realization of this “dream project” saysotherwise. In conceptualizing and constructing thissublime set, he demonstrates what creative
determination and continued ambition(s) are all about.
Writing a stunning suite of originals, teaming up with

28 MARCH 2022 | 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.

BLK2LIFE || A FUTURE PAST
Theo Croker (Sony Masterworks)by George Kanzler

Neo-Soul. Hip-hop. Space Funk. Dub. Fusion. Smoothjazz. R&B. All those terms have been used to describe
Theo Crocker’s music on BLK2LIFE || A FUTURE
PAST. When used, rarely, the word jazz is usuallyfound in hyphenated form. Trumpeter Croker—whose
arsenal has now been expanded with Fender Rhodes,
Ambiance Pads, drum sequencing, nature samples,
Moog bass, Selina, Moog keyboard, Prophet keyboard,balafon, tribe samples, Juno 60, Tal-U-No-Lx, vocals
and percussion—has strayed a long way from theacoustic hardbop sound of his 2014 album Afro Physicist.
With this album, he writes in the notes: “We aresending out high vibrational, coded frequencies toactivate our sleeping ancestral DNA - Reactivating thelink to our cosmic Ancestral knowledge.” A press
release suggests the album’s tracks “are inspired by
the forgotten hero’s journey towards self-actualization
within the universal origins of Blackness.” Sentencessuch as these come perilously close to psycho-babble.
The music has some pretensions too, especially inthe space movie washes of electronica competing withdrum machine beats and electronic rhythms in the dense
aural mixes. There are a panoply of guest artists, mostly
vocalists, including rappers, from contemporary Blackmusic, hip-hop and funk to neo-soul. Saxophonist Gary
Bartz, the one featured jazz guest, seems relegated toplaying a few (overdubbed soprano and alto sax) chords.
Croker ’s horn makes intermittent appearances,from tossing obbligati at singers to electric wah-wah
passages. His trumpet sound is warm, his open toneburnished, even fragile. “Soul Call || Vibrate”, a rare
trumpet feature, recalls Chuck Mangione’s jazz-pop
heyday more than Miles Davis, an obvious influence.
The cover is a painting depicting Croker berobedand crowned like some kind of emperor or pharaoh.
The depiction is more aspirational than descriptive.
And Croker ’s aspirations have little to do with jazz.
For more information, visit sonymusicmasterworks.com.
Croker is at Zankel Hall Mar. 26th. See Calendar.

Interpret It Well
Ches Smith (Pyroclastic)
by John Pietaro

During what is deemed the glory days of jazz, as

traditional, visceral, collective improv matured withorchestration, expansive harmonies and technicalexpertise, many drummers doubled on vibraphone,often orchestral percussion; some adorned kits withnot only vibraphone, but timpani, gongs, chimes and“traps”. But with the slimming down of late modernism,
melodic percussion doubles turned rare.
Cut to the current scene in which trends and rules
are fluid, and there be Ches Smith. And within theflurry, his vibraphone stands proud, often just to thedrumkit’s side. Interpret It Well has Bill Frisellaugmenting the drummer ’s trio of violist Mat Maneri
and pianist Craig Taborn. But the celebrated guitarist
enters here as no mercenary; as Smith explains in theliner notes, Frisell contacted him after seeing thethreesome perform. The result is an utterly organic
listening experience, with Frisell’s ringing fills andgripping motifs threaded through pianistic atmosphereand haunting viola travails of the leader ’s compositions.
This is not an album in which to focus arbitrarily on
individual selections (sorry Spotify), but an auralexperience. Right from the top, Smith is on vibraphone,adding a fourth, essential line to the brief statement of“Trapped”, yet even after he moves to drumset, the mix
is most democratic and his rollicking dance over toms,
cymbals and snare only accentuate the whole. On “I
Need More”, the band sails over a riff-powered tune,
with Smith’s throb and sizzle only beneath, never above,
until he moves to vibraphone midway, celebrating inmezzo-piano and then falling tacit. Back on drums, theknowing listener will envision Smith, eyes shut, mouth
open, head lolling as he gently but masterfully drives
the others. By the time Frisell’s distorted improvisationrolls in just over the viola line, the quartet is quietly infull throttle, a rim-shot backbeat tormenting deliciously.
Closing off this necessary addition to your collection,“Deppart”, reflects each member’s sound within its brief
2:36, with tight intervals at the vibraphone’s upper end
calling out a shimmering, evocative warning signal.
For more information, visit pyroclasticrecords.com. This projectis at The Stone at The New School Mar. 30th-31st. See Calendar.

Past Present Future
Craig Brann (SteepleChase)by Ken Dryden

Craig Brann has put out a steady stream of inspired

CDs for SteepleChase over the past decade. During the
pandemic, Brann, like others, used time normallyspent performing to work on new songs. A previous
planned trio recording session came to fruition and hejoined forces with bassist Nick Morrison, a regularpartner since their days together at William Paterson
University, plus veteran drummer Rudy Royston. All
but one song was written by the guitarist and thechemistry between makes the music seem effortless.
Brann’s playing at times may invite comparison toJohn Scofield, but he has developed a sound not akinto anyone else. Morrison is always on the money,
whether interacting with Brann or taking the lead,
while Royston’s delicate yet swinging touch makes it
apparent why he is in such demand. Although “2020”
was inspired in part by a brief riff from Duke Ellington’s“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, it is a bright,
breezy samba with a bit of an edge capturing the spiritof a big city on a busy evening. “Victurus”, a fairly welldisguised contrafact of “I’ll Remember April” is aplayful reference to the late guitar master Vic Juris.
The loping “A Waltz And A Prayer” has the flavorof a vintage country-western ballad. Morrison’s rapidfire “Elijah Boy” features the leader ’s blistering
technique in a driving uptempo setting while thesublime ballad “And He Goes…” is a more introspective
setting, with guitar almost whispering in response tonimble brushwork and a spacious bassline.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk. Brann is at
Mezzrow Mar. 9th. See Calendar.

IN PRINTBe Inspired, Stay Focused:
Creativity, Learning, and the Business of MusicSam Newsome (Some New Press)by Kevin Canfield

Don’t be put off by the pedestrian title. An imaginative

soprano saxophonist and respected jazz educator, Sam
Newsome has written a smart and practical guide tosustaining a career in the arts. His text is aimed at jazzmusicians, but its lessons apply to any creative pursuit.
Be Inspired, Stay Focused is distinctive, almost certainly
the only book of its kind that encourages readers toemulate both an abstract expressionist painter and apiece of ubiquitous navigational technology.
Newsome, a music professor at LIU Brooklyn, has
had a multifarious career. A prolific bandleader andsideman, he has become a fearless innovator; online,
you can watch him supplementing his horn’s soundwith tubes, chimes and, improbably enough, balloons.
He is also a candid storyteller. There was a time,
he writes, when all he could afford was a Fort Greene
restaurant’s $1 egg drop soup. Since then, because hehas “often had to be my own cheering squad”, he has“bec(o)me somewhat obsessed with staying inspired
and thinking deeply about music.”
Newsome’s book isn’t one of those specious selfhelp texts that lack tangible counsel. Infectiously
buoyant, he shares implementable tips on blazing fresh
artistic byways to forging a personal brand. Hoping to
avoid the “burnout” he felt a while back, he writes, hedevised a deliberately artless practice exercise: he“pretend(s) that I’m not a musician and not playing the
saxophone. I play the instrument with the naivety of asmall child”, discovering “sonic areas that would be
impossible” under typical circumstances. He made animportant breakthrough when thinking about Jackson
Pollock’s facility for transforming the “drips, splattersand spills” so common in a painter’s life into
groundbreaking works of abstract expressionism. For
Sopranoville (2017), Newsome “recorded a few pieces
made up of percussive key clicks I produced by pressing
down the saxophone’s keys in succession to create atonal and rhythmic pattern.” By repurposing acomponent of his instrument, he had alighted onsomething novel.
Not all of Newsome’s recommendations are basedon his knowledge of music and visual art. He coins aneffective analogy when he likens a mind confronting an
artistic challenge to a global positioning system. It isgood to be analytical, but if you have done the necessary
homework, it is also OK to trust your intellectual muscle
memory: “Sometimes we have to stop, but most times,
just like the GPS, we recalibrate our creative endeavors
and keep moving.” Newsome, too, offers intelligent
guidance about the business side of the arts. Musiciansand others working in competitive markets need tocultivate discipline and self-awareness, he writes,
because building a singular professional profile “often
requires us to project an image of very narrow confines.”
Basically, be honest with yourself, then find a niche andown it. It is the kind of rational pep talk we could all use
every so often.
For more information, visit somenewmusic.com. Newsome isat Scholes Street Studio Mar. 19th. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 29

MarchTomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double (Firehouse 12)
by Phil Freeman

Drummer Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double—trumpet/

cornet players Ralph Alessi and Taylor Ho Bynum,
guitarists Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook andsecond drummer Gerald Cleaver—first convened in2017 for a self-titled album. At that time, some of theplayers had never shared a studio or a stage, so there
was a curiosity and sense of exploration as they foundtheir way through the music and establishedboundaries and creative relationships. In the halfdecade since that release, they have toured andestablished a collective identity that comes into
glorious focus on this followup.
When you have got two drummers as full-on as
Cleaver and Fujiwara, you are going to find the musicgetting more than a little militaristic and this album’s
title isn’t a reference to the month of its release, it is averb. That is particularly obvious on “Wave Shake And
Angle Bounce”, where the two pound out a sharp,
relentless beat before erupting in simultaneous solos.
But they are not always playing together, or evensimultaneously; the album opens with “Pack Up,
Coming For You”, on which the ensemble’s two halves
are introduced separately. Fujiwara, Halvorson and
Bynum kick things off with a relatively slow anddeliberate exploration of a fanfare-like melody, thebeat gradually picking up speed as guitar gets louder
and fiercer. Then, at the halfway mark, the second
trio—Alessi, Seabrook and Cleaver—take over likethey have been tagged in and they roll and tumble fora while; finally, as the piece winds down, all six areheard and the combination is a thrilling, overgrownjungle of sound.
The track titles frequently express a kind of
conflicted ambiguity, as in “The March Of The Storm
Before The Quiet Of The Dance” or “Docile Fury Ballad”;
only one of those three words accurately reflects themusic, which pounds, squalls and roars. There is a quiet
interlude about 1:45 in, but more ominous than docile,and is repeatedly interrupted by massive, pounding
drums. A group like Triple Double could easily havebeen a one-off, given its members’ incredibly busy
professional and creative lives; the fact that it isapparently an ongoing concern is cause for celebration.
For more information, visit firehouse12.com/label. This projectis at The Stone at The New School Mar. 4th. See Calendar.

The Circumference of Reason
ROVA (ESP-Disk’)by John Sharpe

Can there still be more to say after 44 years? For

ROVA, the boundary-chafing saxophone quartet
comprising Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Steve Adams andBruce Ackley, the answer is a resounding Yes! While
the frequency of releases has slowed—The Circumferenceof Reason is the outfit’s first since 2018—the band’s
potency remains uncapped. Integrating strategies fromnew music with unbound improvisation and jazz ofthe sort championed by Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy
and John Zorn, the foursome fashions a dizzying webof textures, juxtapositions and moods.
The album can be seen as a tip of the hat to the late
Glenn Spearman, a Cecil Taylor alumnus and a former
collaborator, particularly in the band’s celebrated
Electric Ascension. His “Extrapolation of the Inevitable”
opens proceedings, a brawny conversation of tightly
constructed parts, which recalls the formality of astring quartet, but still manages to be swaggeringly
squawky as well as spacious. It reinforces how
thoroughly ROVA has mastered the art of tutti playing
while still allowing individuals to shine. Bookending
the set is “The Enumeration”, Adams’ valedictory
dedication to the saxophonist, combining restrained
fanfares, ascending unisons and backing riffs with
imploring horns and febrile interaction.
Adams also contributes two other pieces to theprogram, which both in varying ways blend recurring
melodic phrases with unfettered responses. The title
cut takes an ensemble approach, pointillistic like a
Seurat painting in which contrasting colors seemingly
intensify those adjacent, while “Xenophobia” offers
opportunities for short solo vignettes. Even thecollective “NC 17” possesses a sense of cohesion,
which sees the four reeds operate in taut balance. Twoversions are included, the first a dreamy pastel reverie,plaintive and piping, occasionally interrupted byreverberating split tones and jarring growls, whichat its climax evokes a car horn chorus, while gridlock
cacophony begins the second and goes on from there incaterwauling bleats and blares.
But whatever the mechanics, the outcomes are
unpredictable and mysterious and when in full flow,
totally intoxicating.
For more information, visit espdisk.com. ROVA live-streams Mar.
24th at youtube.com/channel/UCfoj3GYk_Aqj0x7TqLTmK4g.

Persistence
Michael Weiss (Cellar Live)by Ken Dryden

A four-decade veteran of playing in New York City,

pianist Michael Weiss performed extensively in bands
led by Johnny Griffin, Art Farmer and Frank Wess, inaddition to a host of others, as well as the Vanguard
Jazz Orchestra. Weiss has not recorded as a leader
nearly enough and all but one of his previous CDs
have been for overseas labels. Recording for Cellar
Live may get him the wider exposure that he has long
merited in the U.S.
Weiss wrote originals and arrangements for aquartet featuring tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander,
a prolific leader himself and one of the most in-demand
players of his generation, plus bassist Paul Gill anddrummer Pete Van Nostrand, a superb team that adds
punch to this meeting. This 2021 session at Rudy Van
Gelder ’s has the energy of a classic ‘60s Blue Note
recording, with several strong originals by the leader
and superb arrangements of timeless jazz works andstandards.
Weiss’ opening driving title track is built upon aseemingly simple riff, though its nature changes
dramatically as his solo unfolds, with Alexander ’s big
tone and creative use of space adding to its appeal.

30 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Weiss proves himself a top-echelon ballad interpreterwith his subdued, lyrical trio treatment of Jimmy Van
Heusen-Sammy Cahn’s neglected ballad “Only The
Lonely”. Fats Waller ’s “Jitterbug Waltz” has remained
a staple for generations of jazz pianists, though the
fresh rhythmic approach taken by Weiss and Company
take it from swing into hardbop territory, buoyed byAlexander ’s rapid-fire, dissonant outbursts and the
pianist’s soulful playfulness at the keyboard. The
arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s theme song
“Epistrophy” is a bit more straightahead than thecomposer typically performed it, though the energy
and passion remain intact as Weiss toys with the theme,
including a brief detour into stride, before the spotlightshifts to Van Nostrand. Weiss’ original “Birthday
Blues” is a brisk set closer with strong solos all around.
Persistence pays off for Michael Weiss.
For more information, visit cellarlive.com. Weiss is at
Smalls Mar. 11th, Bar Bayeux Mar. 12th and The DjangoMar. 22nd. See Calendar.

1962 Copenhagen
Bud Powell (SteepleChase)
by Joel Roberts

Bud Powell’s late-in-life recordings can be hit or miss,but this collection of live dates from 1962 in Copenhagen,including several previously unavailable tracks, shows
the bebop pioneer in close-to-peak form. Powell had
been living in Europe for several years by this time andfound a warm welcome in the Danish capital, where heenjoyed an extended residency at the Jazzhus
Montmartre and appeared in concerts sponsored by
Denmark Radio. Though beset by multiple maladies,including alcoholism and the lingering effects of apolice beating in the U.S. and prone to unpredictablebehavior (the Powell of this period inspired the Dexter
Gordon character in the popular 1986 film Round
Midnight), he sprang to life on these Danish dates,
approaching, if not quite recapturing the transcendent
heights of his groundbreaking work of the late ‘40s.
Powell’s repertoire had shrunk to a relatively small
handful of familiar tunes, mostly by his early bebop
colleagues, during these years, so we get three versionsof Charlie Parker’s “Anthropology”, along with two of
Thelonious Monk’s “’Round About Midnight”, plus
three other Monk compositions, among the 11 selections
included here. Powell shows he can still play atbreathtaking tempos and with sustained intensity on
every take of “Anthropology” and inhabits all of
Monk’s off-kilter phrasing and jagged edges on the fivetunes by his fellow bebop piano legend.
Most of the album features Powell in a trio settingwith a barely 16-year-old (but extremely capable) NielsHenning Ørsted Pedersen on bass and frequent
European collaborator Jørn Elniff on drums. The final
three tracks, among the set’s most rewarding, add
a pair of expatriate tenor saxophonists, Brew Moore
and the great Don Byas, for Monk’s “Hackensack”,
a particularly poignant reading of Benny Golson’s“I Remember Clifford” and a final, rousing romp
through “Anthropology”.
These now 60-year-old dates, recorded four years
before his death in 1966 at only 41, are testament toPowell’s remarkable talent and his ability to find solace
and artistic triumph in the midst of personal crisis.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk

UNEARTHED GEM

The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert
Cecil Taylor (Oblivion)by Duck Baker

This phenomenal recording is a must for fans ofCecil Taylor (who would have turned 93 this month)and anyone else that loves free jazz/free
improvisation. It consists of the entire concert fromwhich Taylor ’s 1974 Unit Core LP Spring of Two BlueJ’s was drawn.
That record contained only the second set of theconcert, the two pieces that made up the set dividing
nicely into two sides of the record, one solo and one
with the Unit of Taylor, Jimmy Lyons (altosaxophone), Sirone (bass) and Andrew Cyrille(percussion). The Complete, Legendary, Live Return
Concert adds the epic 88-minute first set, played by
the quartet and heretofore unreleased.
The return marked by this concert was not fromthe sort of hiatus that took Charles Mingus
completely out of circulation from 1966-69. Taylor
had been very active; it is just that most of his activity
involved teaching at Antioch College and the

University of Wisconsin. He did continue performing
and touring on a reduced scale. Still, the concert at
Town Hall on Nov. 4th, 1973, was billed as “Cecil
Taylor ’s Return” (to the extent it was billed at all) forgood reason. Taylor had left academia and returned
to New York with the intention of performing ona full-time basis. This concert marks that momentemphatically, but it was given no fanfare at the time.
A scheduled performance that night by Larry Young
was cancelled and Taylor was booked at the lastminute. The only print advertisement for the concert
appeared on the day of the performance; there wasno time to alert the press and consequently noreviews.
Taylor ’s “Return” did not refer to the lack ofrecordings after his two 1966 Blue Note dates. Thislate ‘60s lull was mitigated only by the 1968 record
with the Jazz Composer ’s Orchestra. But 1971 saw
the release of three LPs that had been recorded livein France in 1969 and the year before Spring of Two
Blue-J’s came out the dam had broken with thealmost simultaneous appearance of the solo record
Indent and three Japanese releases, including thebrilliant Akisakila, with Lyons and Cyrille.
Spring of Two Blue-J’s captured both Taylor andhis working band in peak form and the addition of
the 88-minute “Autumn/Parade” is cause forcelebration. One could wish that it had been given adeluxe boxed set release on vinyl or even just a twoCD set (reviewers were given the CD option), but thelogistics, especially for vinyl, are almost impossible
for small labels nowadays. It is also true thatbreaking up performances like this is never ideal,
though of course that is what happened with longsets in those days. In any case the music istremendous. Cyrille was lower in the mix on Springof Two Blue-J’s than he had been on Akisakila and iseven lower on “Autumn/Parade”, owing to him
using brushes for much of the piece. This allows us
to hear more of Taylor and Lyons, as well as thenewcomer, Sirone. Having a bassist as a regular partof the Unit for the first time since Alan Silva left
five years earlier may have involved some growing
pains, if the bass solo at the end of the last piece was,as many claim, not planned by the composer. But thesoft landing this created for the Spring of Two Blue-J’s
seems to fit perfectly.
This brings us to a question that has often
perplexed listeners: to what extent are Taylor ’s
pieces composed and to what extent are the musicians
improvising? It is still common to see it all described
as free improvisation, but neither close listening nor
the testimony of musicians who worked with Taylor
support this. The process is more a matter of moving
through the structures via a series of preset motifs,
often stated by Lyons with Taylor playing composedparts behind him. The amount of repetition that both
Taylor and Lyons employ often points towards thesemotifs; they typically work out of these repeatedphrases into freer phrasing and the solos build fromthere. One can hear such motifs at various points
during this concert, especially during the first few
minutes of “Autumn”.
Taylor ’s original return did not get the attention
it merited in 1973, but there is no question that thisrelease is a major event in 2022; we will be lucky
if even a handful of jazz recordings of comparable
significance see the light this year.
For more information, visit oblivionrecords.co

JAZZ AND MUSIC FROM UC PRESS

www.ucpress.edu
THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 31

Inimitable
Michael Bisio (Mung Music)
The Sweet Spot
Joe McPhee, Michael Bisio,Fred Lonberg-Holm, Juma Sultan (RogueArt)
Terma
MMBC (s/r)
by Robert Iannapollointerludes. Midway through there is a particularly
effective section with Bisio playing a high-end arco,
Monhart playing atop it with swirling phrases as
Chadabe delivers effective fragmented percussion.
Great that this recording has finally been released and
it is well worth hearing.
For more information, visit mungmusic.bandcamp.com,
roguart.com and michaelbisio.bandcamp.com
Jazz & Rock N Roll in France (1953-1958)
Moustache (Fremeaux & Associes)
by Scott Yanow

F rancois-Alexandre Galepides (who died 35 years ago

Bassist Michael Bisio, who turns 67 this month, hasbeen recording since the early ‘80s. Originally an East
Coaster he moved to Seattle where he made his
initial recorded forays. By 2000, he came back east andbecame identified with the more forward players
in NYC—most notably pianist Matthew Shipp andtenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman—and has amassed astrong discography of well over 100 releases. Below are
the three most recent installments.
Inimitable is Bisio’s second solo album. The firstwas a limited release put out by Bisio himself back in
2011. It is one of the best ways to hear this remarkablebassist’s artistry. His tone is big, rich and full, his
technique intricate and flawless. His knowledge of the
jazz bass tradition is apparent. Yet he never hits thelistener over the head with his abilities. The program
consists of improvisations and a couple of covers:
John Coltrane’s “Wise One” and Jule Styne-Sammy
Cahn standard “I Fall In Love Too Easily”. It openswith “Quintessence”, a 15-minute improvisation thatdraws the listener in from the start. It develops
logically and Bisio sustains the development for theentire length. The remaining eight tracks aren’tquite as imposing (falling into the four- to eightminute range) but are equally satisfying. The recorded
sound of this disc brings out all that is good about
Bisio’s playing. Definitely a prime statement in hislarge oeuvre.
Bisio is a voracious collaborator. One of his mostfrequent musical partners is reed/brass player Joe
McPhee. For The Sweet Spot, they are joined by cellist
Fred Lonberg-Holm and percussionist Juma Sultan.
Pre-COVID, the four had been playing together asa unit. In January 2021 after a year’s dormancy, at
Bisio’s suggestion, they reunited and headed to thestudio to mark the occasion. The format is divided
between originals, free improvisations and a pair ofcovers. “Malachai” starts with the rhythm laying downa solid base. McPhee enters on soprano for a brief turn,before switching to tenor for an eruptive solo tying it
all together. “AMS”, credited to Sultan, starts with him
laying down a groove around which the other three
dance. Bass propels Lonberg-Holm’s “e320” as thecello’s guitar-like lines and breathy tenor work above.
The two non-originals are both by bassists: Charlie
Haden’s “Human Being” is a feature for fulsome bass
while Henry Grimes’ “For Django” ends the proceedings
with a remarkably strong, sensitive group performance.
Terma, the MMBC release is one from the vaults(2007). Tenor saxophonist Michael Monhart and Bisio
go back to the Seattle days, reuniting in New York.
Drummer Ben Chadabe is based in New York. This is afreely improvised session, which also includes a tenordrum duet as well as a solo drum piece. The music
tends toward the quieter, more considered end of thespectrum. But all three dig deeply into their instruments
and some outstanding music occurs. “mmbc 03” isa volatile track with Bisio mad-scrambling on his lower
end as Monhart elicits warbling upper register lines
and Chadabe spreads a subtle cymbal/tom-tom basearound the two. “mmbc 04” is propelled by an ostinato
pattern from Bisio with effective drumming . “mmbc07”, the longest track at 14 minutes, starts fromnothingness and morphs thorough a series ofcontradictory professional life. His early musicaleducation came from Teddy Wilson but his versatility
was such that he played with both Charlie Parker andBenny Goodman and even recorded a pair of albums
featuring him solely on Moog synthesizer and anotherwith him playing only organ. Over the course of his
lengthy career (he turns 95 this month), he built anencyclopedic discography, much of which was centeredon exploring the spontaneous performances of thegreat jazz pianists.
In The Piano Music of Dick Hyman, the interpreterhas become the interpreted. Steven Harlos, Chair,
Division of Keyboard Studies at the University ofNorth Texas, who consulted closely with Hyman,proves he is more than up to the task of covering thesethree works: “Piano Man”, “Five Propositions for
Piano” and “Indiana Variations”. These extended
compositions are comprised of approximately 44 amusebouche or mignardise, if you wish, each with a different
size, color, texture and feeling to suit one’s musicaltaste. The compositions in the first piece were originally
written by Hyman in 1982 and incorporate referencesin the historical piano style of numerous players. The
second section can be classified as creative compositions
to tell a familial story and were written in 2010. The
third part are transformations based on James HanleyBallard MacDonald’s “(Back Home Again in) Indiana”.
Of these 44 sweet and savory pieces on offer inthis musical buffet, 24 have been plated for tasting in
the “Piano Man”, the longest section at 32 minutes.
However, this is not just a straightforward piano
interpretation by Harlos of the work. In effect Harlos isacting as Hyman’s avatar, playing in his style as hedashes off in steely-eyed fashion (Hyman’s)
impressions of some of piano’s great exponents, suchas Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Fats
Waller, Count Basie, Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson,
among many others. A terrific tour de force on its own
and worth the price of admission. Listeners can selftest their knowledge and understanding of thesemusical styles against the liner notes.
“Five Propositions” revolves around a couple ofbrief stories: boys and girls at play and the parties in amarriage. These little sound bites are perfectly executedby Harlos and speak to Hyman’s flexibility in his
composing. “Indiana Variations” uses the familiar
theme to craft a number of tasty morsels using a
progression of all 12 keys. The avatar construct
resurfaces so keep your ears tuned for the references toBix Beiderbecke and Thelonious Monk.
A unique piano undertaking as well as delightful
cover art from Al Hirschfeld.

this month) gained the lifelong nickname ofMoustache in his native France due to his facial hair
just as he was beginning his career as a drummer. An
exuberant and not overly subtle player, Moustache
worked with clarinetist Claude Luter ’s band and withSidney Bechet when the great soprano saxophonist
used Luter ’s group in his concerts and recordings
during 1949-53. He also recorded with expatriate
saxophonist Don Byas and Mezz Mezzrow before
forming his own versatile Dixieland-oriented band,
Moustache Jazz Seven. Starting in 1956, Moustachealso recorded a series of satirical rock and roll records
in addition to working as an actor, including appearing
in Paris Blues.
The three-CD set Jazz & Rock N Roll in France(1953-1958) has a major fault in its packaging: no
personnel for the 70 selections. Most of the liner notes(except for one page) are in French and offer very few
names of musicians. This reviewer was able to trace
the players in Tom Lord’s massive discography for the
first two albums, which comprise 13 selections on Disc
One, but nothing beyond that.
The opening six numbers, from Jun. 3rd, 1953,
drawn from the eight songs on the Supre-Partie Au
Palm Beach album, have Moustache joined by trumpeter
Guy Longnon, both Big Chief Russell Moore andBernard Zacharias on trombones, tenor saxophonist
Andrew Ross, a very good vibraphonist who isprobably Geo Daly, pianist Raymond Fol and bassist
Alix Bret with a vocal by Anita Love. Moore would
later play with the Louis Armstrong All-Stars in themid ‘60s and these swing tunes contain some of his
finest solos.
The next seven numbers, from 1954, have a similargroup except that Benny Vasseur is the only trombonist,
Ross is replaced by the Benny Carter-influenced alto
saxophonist Hubert Fol and the bassist is Roland
Bianchini. One song is left off from the original album(Moustache Jazz Seven) and what is listed as “Who” isactually “Hallelujah”.
After that, the personnel is anyone’s guess. The
music declines a bit on the second disc although there
are still some worthwhile performances. Along withsome decent Dixieland (with Louis Armstronginfluenced trumpeters and a few excellent trombonists),some of the ensembles are so rambunctious andovercrowded as to be a parody and there are a few
selections that are purposely corny. In addition, therock and roll satires begin to appear on the second discand dominate much of the final CD with Moustachetaking many vocals in French. The humor is largely
lost in translation, particularly on the final dozen
numbers.
It would have made more sense for this to havebeen a two-CD set with all of Moustache’s jazz
performances being featured (along with thepersonnel!) and for there to have been one or twoother CDs of his comedy and satires for those who
understand French to enjoy. Instead, jazz listeners whoare interested in French swing and Dixieland areadvised to skip this and search for Moustache’s firsttwo albums.

For more information, visit arborsrecords.com

For more information, visit fremeaux.com

The Piano Music of Dick Hyman
Steven Harlos (Arbors)by Pierre Giroux

Dick Hyman has had what could be viewed as a very

32 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

60th anniversary of recordings
from Scandinavia

SCCD 36040

SCCD 36041

Bud
PowellSCCD 36002

SCCD 36001

SCCD 36009

SCCD 36014

SCCD 36017

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

MAR 1

MAR 21MAR 3–6

MAR 22ALPHONSO HORNE’S GOTHAM KINGS
AZAR LAWRENCE EXPERIENCEMAR 7

FROST SCHOOL OF MUSICWILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
WITH RANDY BRECKER“VISIONS” – NYYS JAZZFEATURING MELISSA ALDANAMAR 23MAR 8–9

MAR 24–27

JUDY CARMICHAEL QUARTET
MAR 10–13

CHARLES MCPHERSON QUINTET
MAR 14

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
MAR 15JIHYE LEE ORCHESTRAMAR 16STEVE SLAGLE QUARTET
MAR 17–20

DIVA SWINGS BROADWAY

YOKO MIWA TRIODUDUKA DA FONSECA, HELIOALVES, MAUCHA ADNETMAR28JUILLIARD JAZZ ENSEMBLES
MAR 29–APRIL 3

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, BENNYGREEN AND GREG HUTCHINSON

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

212.258.9595
BROADWAY AT 60TH ST.

CALENDAR
Tuesday, March 1• Jeff Miles, Matt Pavolka, Rodrigo Recabarren		55Bar 6:30 pmêThe Cookers: Billy Harper, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss,George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êDavid MurrayBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êBrooklyn Raga Massive: Russell Tubbs, Vin Scialla, Neel Murgai, Joe Deninzon,
Dan Asher, David Ullmann
Culture Lab LIC 7 pm
• Alphonso Horne’s Gotham Kings with Jon Erik Kellso, James Zollar, Boyce Griffith,
Jefferey Miller, Joel Wendhart, Marty Jaffe, TJ Reddick, Michela Marino Lerman,
C. Anthony Bryant
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• The Brazilian Trio: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves, Nilson Matta; Fabiana Masili and
Carnafolia with Livio Almeida, Hélio Alves, Gili Lopes, Samuel Martinelli		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Musique Libre Femmes: Cheryl Pyle, Haruna Fukazawa, Judi Silvano,
Claire De Brunner, Jamie Baum, Yuko Togami
		Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pmêPlayfield: Aron Namenwirth, Luisa Muhr, Daniel Carter, Eric Plaks, Yutaka Takahashi,
Zack Swanson, Jon Panikkar
Freddy’s Backroom 8 pm
• Volker Goetze, Matt Malanowski, Mino Cinelu
		
The Green Room at Yotel 7 pm $15• Dana Saul Sextet with Adam O’Farrill, Kevin Sun, Patricia Brennan, Walter Stinson,
Matt Honor
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pmêJohnny O’Neal
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Open Question: Ayumi Ishito, Daniel Carter, Eric Plaks, Zach Swanson, Jon Panikkar;
Playfield: Luisa Muhr, Ayumi Ishito, Daniel Carter, Aron Namenwirth, Yutaka Takahashi,
Eric Plaks, Zach Swanson, Jon Panikkar
		Pete’s Candy Store 9:30, 10:45 pm• Noam Weisenberg; David Gibson Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Yuhan Su’s Liberated Gesture with Caroline Davis, Matt Mitchell, Chris Tordini,
Dan Weiss
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êMelissa Aldana Quintet with Lage Lund, Fabian Almazan, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Alex Asher Quartet
Wild Birds 7 pm

Wednesday, March 2• Ricardo Grilli
55Bar 9:30 pm• Andrea Wolper Quartet with John DiMartino, Ken Filiano; Andy Bianco

		
The Atlantic BKLN 7, 9 pm $20• Simon Moullier Trio with Alex Claffy, Kush Abadey
		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êThe Cookers: Billy Harper, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss,George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Harvie S, Vince Cherico andguest Aaron Weinstein
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êDavid MurrayBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êJohnny O’Neal Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Pete Malinverni Trio with Ugonna Okegwo, Aaron Seeber and guest Anaïs Reno;
Richard Cortez with Gabe Medd, Noah Halpern, Robert Edwards, Evan Main,
Alex Tremblay, Eric Hallenbeck The Django 7, 10 pmêMike Stern Band with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers
		
Iridium 8:30 pm $35-45
êTyshawn Sorey/Aaron Diehl with guest Greg Osby		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Reverso: Ryan Keberle, Frank Woeste, Vincent Courtois		Lang Hall, Hunter College 7:30 pm• Will Greene, Elias Stemeseder, Raf Vertessen		Lowlands 8 pm
• Ben Zweig
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Ray Blue Organ Quartet with Greg “Organ Monk” Lewis
		
New Amsterdam Musical Association NAMA 8 pmêSheila Jordan/Cameron Brown
Pangea 7 pm $25• Michael Mayo, Andrew Freedman, Kyle Miles, Robin Baytas		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 9:30 pm $15• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15• Max Johnson’s Music for Eight with Nate Wooley, Ken Thomson, Anna Webber,
Joanna Mattrey, Lester St. Louis, Liberty Ellman, Mike Pride		
Roulette 8 pm $25• Benito Gonzalez Trio with Will Slater, Curtis McPhatter, Jr.
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Mariel Roberts/Tomas Fujiwara The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êMelissa Aldana Quintet with Lage Lund, Fabian Almazan, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Wayne Tucker & The Bad Mothas Wild Birds 9 pm
• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm

Thursday, March 3êAlex Skolnick

55Bar 9:30 pm
The Atlantic BKLN 7 pm $15
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êThe Cookers: Billy Harper, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss,George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Composers Concordance: Michael Wolff Trio; Dan Cooper Quartet;
Gene Pritsker’s Sound Liberation Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Brandi Disterheft Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êAzar Lawrence Experience with Dale Williams, Lynne Fiddmont, Robert Turner,
Michael Alvidrez, Wes Lowery, Munyungo Jackson		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Liya Grigoryan; The Django All Stars: Bruce Harris, Ken Fowser, Mark Whitfield,
Anthony Wonsey, Alexander Claffy, Joe Farnsworth		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 7 pm $30
êMike Stern Band with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers
		
Iridium 8:30 pm $35-45• Mala Waldron
Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Dayramir González
Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $25
êAngel Bat Dawid and Standing on the Corner		Merkin Concert Hall 7:30 pm $25• John Colianni
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Bonegasm
Silvana 8 pm
• Dave Pietro
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Marty Elkins with Steve Ash, Lee Hudson, Jon-Erik Kellso
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êPatricia Brennan, Jorge Roeder, Tomas Fujiwara
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êMelissa Aldana Quintet with Lage Lund, Fabian Almazan, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Richard X Bennet Trio
• Anwar Marshall Trio

Friday, March 4êOscar Noriega’s Crooked Quartet with Marta Sanchez, Christopher Tordini,

Jason Nazary

Barbès 5 pm $20• Birdland Big Band

Birdland 5:30 pm $30

êThe Cookers: Billy Harper, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss,George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êSamara Joy
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Red Baraat Festival of Colors
Brooklyn Bowl 8 pm $17-20
êWayne Escoffery Quartet; Jared Gold Trio		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êAzar Lawrence Experience with Dale Williams, Lynne Fiddmont, Robert Turner,
Michael Alvidrez, Wes Lowery, Munyungo Jackson		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40
êKen Fowser Quintet; Sasha Berliner Quintet
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Songs of Sarah Vaughan: Rosena Hill Jackson with Jason Jackson, Don Braden,
Cyrus Chestnut, John Lee, Neil Smith		
Flushing Town Hall 7 pm $15êAdam Lane Quartet with Sam Bardfeld, Nick Lyons, Billy Mintz;
In Real Time: Carol Liebowitz, Adam Lane, Andrew Drury		
Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $20
êMike Stern Band with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers
		
Iridium 8, 10:30 pm $35-45
êTyshawn Sorey/Aaron Diehl with guest Greg Osby		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
êNasheet Waits Quartet with Mark Turner, Steve Nelson, Rashaan Carter		Lang Hall, Hunter College 7:30 pm• Yotam Silberstein; Jon Davis
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Phil Young and The Harlem Hip Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
êUri Gurvich Quartet with Leo Genovese, Peter Slavov, Ronen Itzik		
Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village 8, 9:30 pm• Angie Pastor; Patience Higgins Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $18-25• Mike Moreno
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Kendra Shank Trio with Gary Versace, Dean Johnson
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êTomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double with Taylor Ho Bynum, Adam O’Farrill, Mary Halvorson,
Brandon Seabrook, Zack O’Farrill The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êMelissa Aldana Quintet with Lage Lund, Sullivan Fortner, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, March 5• Andrew Boudreau• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet

Bar Bayeux 8 pm
Barbès 8 pm $20
êThe Cookers: Billy Harper, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss,George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êSamara Joy
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Akiko Tsuruga Quartet with Jerry Weldon, Charlie Sigler, Carmen Intorre, Jr.;Raphael D’Lugoff Quartet
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êAzar Lawrence Experience with Dale Williams, Lynne Fiddmont, Robert Turner,
Michael Alvidrez, Wes Lowery, Munyungo Jackson		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Steve Slagle Band with Bruce Barth, Ugonna Okegwo, Byron Landham;
Marianne Solivan with Leandro Pellegrino, Steve Wood, Jay Sawyer
		
The Django 7, 10 pmêMike Stern Band with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers
		
Iridium 8, 10:30 pm $35-45
êTyshawn Sorey/Aaron Diehl with guest Greg Osby		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Anat Cohen Quartetinho with Vitor Gonçalves, Tal Mashiach, James Shipp				
Kupferberg Center 8 pm $25-35• Palladium in the New Millennium: Tito Rodriguez, Jr., Machito, Jr., Tito Puente, Jr.		
		
Lehman Center 8 pm $45-100• Dre Barnes Trio with Hilliard Greene, Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax		Marian’s Brooklyn 6 pmêDezron Douglas Quartet with Emilio Modeste, George Burton, Joe Dyson		
Miller Theatre 8 pm $25• The Royal Bopsters
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Peter Brainin’sCreative Jazz Workshop
		Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7 pm $22• Spontaneous Creativity: James Hurt, Duane Eubanks, Tarus Mateen, Eric McPherson
		
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25• Mike Moreno
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few with Jordan Williams, Jeremiah Hunt,
Michael Shekwoaga Ode
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êThumbscrew: Tomas Fujiwara, Michael Formanek, Mary Halvorson
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êDjango A Go Go 2022: Stéphane Wrembel, Raphael Faÿs, Laurent Hestin,
Sebastien Felix, Russell Welch, Josh Kaye, Aurora Nealand, Daisy Castro,
David Langlois, Ari Folman-Cohen Town Hall 8 pm $47-77
êMelissa Aldana Quintet with Lage Lund, Sullivan Fortner, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Jason Kao Hwang’s Uprising with Charlie Burnham, Ben Sutin, Sana Nagano,
Leonor Falcón, Rosi Hertlein, Tom Swafford, Melanie Dyer, Eric Salazar, Tomas Ulrich,
Ken Filiano, David Ross, Hans Tammen, Andrew Drury		
Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $15-20

Sunday, March 6• Yotam Ben-Or Quartet with Gabriel Chakarji, Alon Near, Franco Pinna				55Bar 9:30 pmêStephane Wrembel’s Django A Go Go: Sara L’Abrioloa Trio with Scott Colberg,
Ben Zweig; Dennis Pol Band with Daniel Berkey, Josh Kaye, Wallace Stelzer;
All-Star Jam Session
Barbès 6 pm $20
êCelebrating the Slide Hampton Octet with Sam Dillon, Frank Basile, Nick Marchione,
Bruce Harris, Rob Edwards, James Burton, Mike Karn, Charles Ruggiero				
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30
êSamara Joy
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Adam Birnbaum Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êAzar Lawrence Experience with Dale Williams, Lynne Fiddmont, Robert Turner,
Michael Alvidrez, Wes Lowery, Munyungo Jackson		
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $35• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 6 pmêTyshawn Sorey/Aaron Diehl with guest Greg Osby		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Darryl Sherman; Naama Gheber Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Ben Cassara Trio with Josh Richman, Perrin Grace		
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Alicia Waller, Jeff McLaughlin, Marcos Varela		Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm $20• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15• Yaniv Taubenhause solo
St. John’s in the Village 3 pm $25
êMeg Okura/Kevin HaysSaint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Shrine Big Band
Shrine 8 pm
• Mike Troy
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êMelissa Aldana Quintet with Lage Lund, Sullivan Fortner, Pablo Menares, Kush Abadey
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

34 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Monday, March 7• Rasmus Sorensen; Matt Aronoff 55Bar 6:30, 9:30 pm• Kyle Nasser/Simona Premazzi Quartet		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Michelle Lordi Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Braxton CookBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Vinnie Sperrazza, Caleb Curtis, Noah Garabedian; Dafna Naphtali/Ras Moshe Trio;
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; Santiago Leibson, Michaël Attias, Tom Rainey;
Patrick Golden, Dave Sewelson, Aron Namenwirth		Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• New York Youth Symphony with guest Melissa Aldana
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Big Band; The Django Jam with Alexander Claffy		
The Django 7:30, 9:30, 10:30 pm• Spike Wilner
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êWomen’s Jazz Festival: Alicia Waller and The Excursion
		The Schomburg Center 7 pm $35• Ari Hoenig
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Roberta Piket solo
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, March 8êVinnie Sperrazza, Mike McGinnis, Lonnie Plaxico		
Barbès 7 pm $20
êMaria Schneider Orchestra with Steve Wilson, Dave Pietro, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin,
Scott Robinson, Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, Chris Van Leeuwen, Mike Rodriguez.
Keith O’Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes, George Flynn, Ron Oswanski,
Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Jay Anderson, Johnathan Blake		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Keyon Harrold
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Bouje Trio: Idan Morim, Laurent David, Guy Paz
		Culture Lab LIC 7 pm
• Judy Carmichael Quartet with Dan Block, James Chirillo, Pat O’Leary				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êDavid Hazeltine Trio; Celebrating the Slide Hampton Octet with Sam Dillon,
Frank Basile, Nick Marchione, Bruce Harris, Rob Edwards, James Burton, Mike Karn,Charles Ruggiero
The Django 7, 10 pm• Eli Wallace/Stephen Gauci; Kevin Shea/Stephen Gauci; Stephen Gauci, Eli Wallace,
Kevin Shea
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Earprint: Tree Palmedo, Kevin Sun, Simón Willson, Dor Herskovits
		
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pm
• Rale Micic/Abe Radabe
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êWomen’s Jazz Festival—30 Years of Curating Sound and Voices: Melba Joyce,
Toshi Reagon, Brandee Younger, Aja Burrell Woods, Robin Bell-Stevens
		
The Schomburg Center 7 pm $35
êSteve Nelson
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Paul Jost Quartet
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êPeter Bernstein Trio with Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Alex Asher Quartet
Wild Birds 7 pm

Wednesday, March 9• Pete McCann

55Bar 6:30 pmêMark Shim Trio with Drew Gress, Eric Harland		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Eddie Barbash with Russell Hall, Joe Saylor
		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êMaria Schneider Orchestra with Steve Wilson, Dave Pietro, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin,
Scott Robinson, Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, Chris Van Leeuwen, Mike Rodriguez.
Keith O’Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes, George Flynn, Ron Oswanski,
Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Jay Anderson, Johnathan Blake		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Harvie S, Vince Cherico andguest Ray Matusa
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Keyon Harrold
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Ehud Asherie Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Judy Carmichael Quartet with Dan Block, James Chirillo, Pat O’Leary				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Imani Rousselle; J Hoard
The Django 7, 10 pmêAlex Skolnick Trio
Iridium 8 pm $27.50• Tal Yahalom, Caroline Davis, Dan Weiss		
Lowlands 8 pm
• Craig Brann
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êLew Tabackin Trio with Boris Kozlov, Jason Tiemann		Michiko Studios 7 pm $20• Dekel Bor
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Kate Chason with Al Street, Danton Boller		Pangea 7 pm $25• Porterfield
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 10 pm $10• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15• Doxas Brothers: Chet Doxas, Marc Copland, Adrian Vedady, Jim Doxas				
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êRenku: Michaël Attias, John Hébert, Satøshi Takeishi
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êAngelica Sanchez, Brandon Lopez, Tom Rainey		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êPeter Bernstein Trio with Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth and guest
George Coleman
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Wayne Tucker & The Bad Mothas Wild Birds 9 pm
• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm
êJames Brandon Lewis Trio with Chris Hoffman, Max Jaffe
		
Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $20

Thursday, March 10• Pasquale Grasso Trio
The Atlantic BKLN 7 pm $15• Yotam Ben-Or Quartet
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Miss Maybell and The Jazz Age Artistes with Charlie Judkins, Brian Nalepka				Barbès 8 pm $20
êMaria Schneider Orchestra with Steve Wilson, Dave Pietro, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin,
Scott Robinson, Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, Chris Van Leeuwen, Mike Rodriguez.
Keith O’Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes, George Flynn, Ron Oswanski,
Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Jay Anderson, Johnathan Blake		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Sara Gazarek
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Keyon Harrold
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Alison Shearer
Canary Club 7 pm
• Mike Karn Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Nikita White
Constance Baker Motley Recreation Center 6:30 pmêCharles McPherson Quintet with Terell Stafford, Jeb Patton, David Wong,
Billy Drummond
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Julieta Eugenio Trio with Matt Dwonszyk, Jonathan Barber; Mark Whitfield Quartet
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 7 pm $30• The Peggy Lee Songbook: Barbara Rosene with Conal Fowkes, John Merrill,
Mike Hashim, Kevin Dorn
Flushing Town Hall 7 pm $15• Alex Zhang Hungtai; Chris Williams
		
IRL 7 pm $20• Adi Meyerson
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 8 pm $10êRoy Hargrove Big BandThe Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Whitney Marchelle
Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Clovis Nicolas
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êSuch Sweet Thunder Live: Jon Faddis Big Band		
Miller Theatre 8 pm
• Antonio Sánchez and Bad Hombre with Thana Alexa, Bigyuki, Lex Sadler		Nublu 151 8, 11 pm $20
êMichael Bates’ Acrobat with Marty Ehrlich, Mazz Swift, Sara Schoenbeck, Michael Sarin		The Owl Music Parlor 10 pm $10• Interpretations: Thomas Buckner with Earl Howard, Pauline Kim Harris, JD Parran,Conrad Harris, Kyle Motl, Andrew Drury		
Roulette 8 pm $20
êManhattan Bones: Scott Reeves, Jason Jackson, Tim Newman, Mark Patterson,
Roberta Piket, Bill Moring, Andy Watson		Silvana 8 pm
• Charles Ruggerio; Nicole Glover Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Ben Cassara Quartet with Josh Richman, Perrin Grace, Tim Horner		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Steve Gorn solo
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êPeter Bernstein Trio with Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth and guest
George Coleman
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, March 11• Stan Killian• Arnan Raz Band• Birdland Big Band

55Bar 5:30 pm
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êMaria Schneider Orchestra with Steve Wilson, Dave Pietro, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin,
Scott Robinson, Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, Chris Van Leeuwen, Mike Rodriguez.
Keith O’Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes, George Flynn, Ron Oswanski,
Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Jay Anderson, Johnathan Blake		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40• Sara Gazarek
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Keyon Harrold
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Naama Gheber and Carlos Abadie Quintet; Nicole Glover Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êCharles McPherson Quintet with Terell Stafford, Jeb Patton, David Wong,
Billy Drummond
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ken Fowser Quintet; Endea Owens and The Cookout
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Nick Panoutsos solo
EV Gallery 8 pm
• Larry Carlton
Iridium 8, 10:30 pm $65-85
êDarcy James Argue’s Secret Society with Alejandro Aviles, Rob Wilkerson,
Sam Sadigursky, Tom Christensen, Carl Maraghi, Seneca Black, Fareed Simpson,
Matt Holman, Chloe Rowlands, David Smith, Mike Fahie, Jacob Garchik,
Gina Benalcazar, Jeff Nelson, Sebastian Noelle, Adam Birnbaum, Matt Clohesy,
Jon Wikan
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Mike Ledonne

Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20

êTed Nash, Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Rema Hasumi, Simon Jermyn, Flin van Hemmen		
The Owl Music Parlor 8 pm $10• Jake Richter; Adam Moezinia
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $18-25• Amund Kleppan Quartet
Silvana 8 pm
• Michael Weiss
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êYayoi Ikawa Trio with Rashaan Carter, Ronnie Burrage		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êSana Nagano, Patricia Brennan, Wendy Eisenberg
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êPeter Bernstein Trio with Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth and guest Thomas Linger
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Saturday, March 12

EVERY MONDAY! 7:30 & 9:30pm Shows!
TUE
3/1• Julieta Eugenio
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êMaria Schneider Orchestra with Steve Wilson, Dave Pietro, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin,

Scott Robinson, Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, Chris Van Leeuwen, Mike Rodriguez.
Keith O’Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes, George Flynn, Ron Oswanski,
Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Jay Anderson, Johnathan Blake		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40• Sara Gazarek
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Keyon Harrold
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Nathan and The Zydeco Cha Chas		
Brooklyn Bowl 8 pm $22-25• Nick Biello Quartet; James Austin Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Peter Brainin Special Quintet with Paul Bollenback, Helio Alves		
Chelsea Table & Stage 9:30 pm $22êCharles McPherson Quintet with Terell Stafford, Jeb Patton, David Wong,
Billy Drummond
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êEd Cherry Trio with Kyle Koehler, Anwar Marshall; Sarah Hanahan Quintet with
Steve Davis, Donald Vega, Nat Reeves, Eric McPherson
		
The Django 7, 10 pmêCarla Cook Quartet with Bruce Barth, Kenny Davis, Jarrett Walser		
Harlem Stage Gatehouse 7:30 pm $25-35• Rob Garcia 4 with Noah Preminger, Leo Genovese, Kim Cass		
Ibeam Brooklyn 8, 9:30 pm $20• Larry Carlton
Iridium 8, 10:30 pm $65-85
êDarcy James Argue’s Secret Society with Alejandro Aviles, Rob Wilkerson,
Sam Sadigursky, Tom Christensen, Carl Maraghi, Seneca Black, Fareed Simpson,
Matt Holman, Chloe Rowlands, David Smith, Mike Fahie, Jacob Garchik,
Gina Benalcazar, Jeff Nelson, Sebastian Noelle, Adam Birnbaum, Matt Clohesy,
Jon Wikan
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30-40• Yaala Ballin; Naama GheberMezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• V. Shayne Frederick
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Dave Drake and Common Ground with Peter Brendler, Ahmad Johnson;
Shane Allessio Band with Joe Pino, Philip Weberndörfer, Eric Reeves				
Nublu 151 7 pm $20
êStaten Island Jazz Festival: Nikara’s Black Wall Street; Bria Skonberg;
Winard Harper and Jeli Posse; Leopoldo F. Fleming Afro Caribbean Ensemble;
Danny Mixon Quartet with Antoinette Montague; Dal Segno Trio with Michael Morreale,
Houston Person; Universal Temple of the Arts Jazz Ensemble
		
St. George Theatre 5 pm $35• Richie Vitale
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êAlternative Guitar Summit 2022—Honoring Mick Goodrick: Julian Lage,
Wolfgang Muthspiel, Joel Harrison, Kenji Herbert, Steve Cardenas, Kate Schutt				
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Kalia Vandever Trio with Hannah Marks, Savannah Harris		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êPeter Bernstein Trio with Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth and guest Thomas Linger
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, March 13• Sarah Cabral with Itaiguara Brandão, Guilherme Monteiro, Alex Kautz

		
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 8 pm $20• Grace Fox Big Band
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• Arianna Neikrug Quartet with Luciano Minetti, Matt Clohesy, Jared Schonig				Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30• Keyon Harrold
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Ned Goold Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êCharles McPherson Quintet with Terell Stafford, Jeb Patton, David Wong,
Billy Drummond
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $35• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 6 pm
• William Hooker
Funkadelic Studios 11 am• Rubin Kodheli Trio with Trevor Dunn, Brian Chase		
Joe’s Pub 7 pm $15• Roz Corral Trio with Josh Richman, John Menegon;
Annual Mark Murphy Remembrance: Jay Clayton, Roz Corral, Paul Jost,
Dylan Pramuk, Roseanna Vitro, Tessa Souter		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2:15 pm• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15êShoko Nagai/Satoshi Takeishi’s Vortex		Roulette 8 pm $20• Meg Okura/Christopher Bakrige Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Chiara Izzi with Glenn Zaleski
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êPeter Bernstein Trio with Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth and guest Thomas Linger
		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, March 14êMichaël Attias, Ingrid Laubrock, Sean Conly, Tom Rainey

MINGUS BIG BAND

		
Barbès 7 pm $20
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Ethan Klotz, Billy Stark, Gabe Toth, Rotem Eylam; Ryan Siegal, Ben Eidson,
James Paul Nadian; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Jacob Elkin,
Kate Mohanty, Jay Rozen; Colin Hinton, Rema Hasumi, Zosha Warpeha				Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Ball State University Jazz Lab Ensemble with guests Bobby Watson, Akili McDuffey		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Big Band; The Django Jam with Alexander Claffy		
The Django 7:30, 9:30, 10:30 pm• Spike Wilner
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êWomen’s Jazz Festival: Renée Neufville and Lauren Talese		The Schomburg Center 7 pm $35• Julieta Eugenio
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Art Hirahara solo
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Tower of PowerSony Hall 8 pm $49.50-110êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

WED
3/2

“THE BRAZILIAN TRIO”
FABIANA MASILI

7PM
10PM

PETE MALINVERNI TRIO FT. ANAIS RENO 7PM
RICHARD CORTEZ
10PM

THR
3/3

LIYA GRIGORYAN TRIO
DJANGO ALL STARS

7PM
10PM

FRI
3/4

KEN FOWSER QUINTETSASHA BERLINER QUINTET

7PM
10PM

SAT
3/5

STEVE SLAGLE BAND ALBUM RELEASE
MARIANNE SOLIVAN QUINTET

7PM
10PM

TUE
3/8

DAVID HAZELTINE TRIO
7PM
CELEBRATING THE SLIDE HAMPTON OCTET 10PM

WED
3/9

IMANI ROUSSELLEJ HOARD

7PM
10PM

THR
3/10

JULIETA EUGENIO TRIO ALBUM RELEASEMARK WHITFIELD

7PM
10PM

FRI
3/11

KEN FOWSER QUINTETENDEA OWENS & THE COOKOUT

7PM
10PM

SAT
3/12

ED CHERRY TRIOSARAH HANAHAN QUINTET

7PM
10PM

TUE
3/15

KALÍ RODRIGUEZ-PEÑA ALBUM RELEASE
MARIA RAQUEL

7PM
10PM

WED
3/16

GEORGIA HEERSSACHAL VASANDANI PRESENTS

7PM
10PM

THR
3/17

MIKI YAMANAKA TRIOCHELSEA BARATZ

7PM
10PM

FRI
3/18

KEN FOWSER QUINTETAKIKO TSURUGA

7PM
10PM

SAT
3/19

CHRIS LEWIS QUARTETLEZLIE HARRISON

7PM
10PM

TUE
3/22

MICHAEL WEISS TRIO ALBUM RELEASE
ELEW TRIO & DANCE PARTY

7PM
10PM

WED
3/23

ALEXIA BOMTEMPO
LUCY WIJNANDS QUARTET

7PM
10PM

THR
3/24

ADI MEYERSON TRIO
DJANGO ALL STARS

7PM
10PM

FRI
3/25

KEN FOWSER QUINTETROXY CROSS QUINTET ALBUM RELEASE

7PM
10PM

SAT
3/26

ED CHERRY TRIO
THE MARIEL BILDSTEN SEPTET

7PM
10PM

TUE
3/29

ELIO VILLAFRANCA LATIN JAZZ QUARTETLOS HACHEROS

7PM
10PM

WED
3/30

HOLLY BEANMISHA PIATIGORSKY TRIO FT. KENNEDY

7PM
10PM

THR
3/31

DAN ARAN BAND
IAN HENDRICKSON-SMITH

7PM
10PM

DINNER, LIBATIONS & LIVE JAZZTHEDJANGONYC.COM
2 AVE OF THE AMERICAS

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 35

Tuesday, March 15• Paul Bollenback Quartet with Julian Shore, Arthur Kell, Allan Mednard

		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Jane Bunnett and MaquequeBirdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• John Yao and His 17-piece Instrument with Billy Drewes, Hashem Assadullahi,
Tim Armacost, Jeremy Powell, Frank Basile, Nick Marchione, John Walsh,
Andy Gravish, Scott Wendholt, Matt McDonald, Mark Patterson, Sam Blakeslee,
Max Seigel, Zach Lapidus, Robert Sabin, Andy Watson
		
Culture Lab LIC 7 pm
• Jihye Lee Orchestra with Ben Kono, Rob Wilkerson, Quinsin Nachoff, Jeremy Powell,
Carl Maraghi, Brian Pareschi, John Lake, Jonathan Challoner, Alex Norris, Mike Fahie,
Alan Ferber, Nick Grinder, Jennifer Wharton, Adam Birnbaum, Sebastian Noelle,
Evan Gregor, Mark Ferber
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Kali Rodriguez-Peña with Kazemde George, Gabriel Chakarji, Bam Bam Rodríguez,
Zack O’Farrill, Victor Pablo García; Maria Raquel Band with Itai Kriss, Cesar Orozco,
Pablo Bencid
The Django 7, 10 pm• Sweet Megg
Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $15• Nathan Bellott Trio with Simón Willson, David Frazier, Jr.
		
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pm
• Victor Gould
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Marc Ribot/Cyril Atef
Public Records 7:30 pm $25• Abraham Burton
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Hayes Greenfield/Dean Johnson Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Tower of PowerSony Hall 8 pm $49.50-110êBill Stewart Trio with Walter Smith III, Larry Grenadier		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Alex Asher Quartet
Wild Birds 7 pm

Wednesday, March 16• Theo Bleckmann• Nick Green; Joe Pino

55Bar 6:30 pm
The Atlantic BKLN 8 pm $20

êSam Yahel Trio
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Jane Bunnett and MaquequeBirdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Harvie S, Vince Cherico andguest Vinny RanioloBirdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Tamar Korn Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Joe Block Quartet
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $45
êSteve Slagle Quartet with Bruce Barth, Dezron Douglas, Jason Tiemann and guest
Randy Brecker
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Georgia Heers; Sachal Vasandani with Victor Gould, Alex Claffy, Domo Branch		
The Django 7, 10 pmêMarc Cary Quartet
Interchurch Center 7 pmêJane Getter Premonition’s with Vernon Reid, Alex Skolnick, Adam Holzman,
Paul Frazier, Gene Lake
Iridium 8 pm $27.50
êQasim Naqvi solo; Bass 4tet: Ran Livneh, Scott Colberg, Michael Montgomery,Ari Folman-Cohen
IRL 7 pm $20• Dierk Peters, Vinícius Gomes, Walter Stinson, Evan Hyde		
Lowlands 8 pmêJack Wilkins; Ray Gallon
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Teri Roiger with James Weidman, John Menegon, Steve Williams
		Pangea 7 pm $25• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15• Lea Bertucci solo and duo with Ben Vida		
Roulette 8 pm $25
êMichael Blake
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jim Ridl
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êBill Stewart Trio with Walter Smith III, Larry Grenadier		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Wayne Tucker & The Bad Mothas Wild Birds 9 pm
• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm

Thursday, March 17• Álvaro Benavides Group• Jane Bunnett and Maqueque

Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êDave Liebman/Marc CoplandBirdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
êDezron Douglas Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• DIVA Swings Broadway: Sherrie Maricle, Alexa Tarantino, Mercedes Beckman,
Roxy Coss, Laura Dreyer, Leigh Pilzer, Liesl Whitaker, Jami Dauber, Rachel Therrien,
Barbara Laronga, Jennifer Krupa, Sara Jacovino, Leslie Havens, Tomoko Ohno,
Noriko Ueda
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Miki Yamanaka Trio with Matt Penman; Chelsea Baratz
		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 7 pm $30• Jalen Baker Quartet with Paul Cornish, Gabriel Godoy, Gavin Moolchan
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25
êBertha Hope Quartet
Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Luke Sellick
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êDan Weiss solo
Nublu 151 8 pm
• Good Intentions: Gregg Belisle-Chi and Sam Decker; Bobby Avey/Kenny Warren
		The Owl Music Parlor 8 pm $10• Matt McDonald’s 4Pac
Silvana 8 pm
• Wayne Tucker; David Gibson
Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êHighlights in Jazz—Ellington Everlasting: Art Baron and The Duke’s Men with Bill Crow,
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, James Weidman, Mark Hynes, Mark Gross and guest
Sheila Jordan
Tribeca Performing Arts Center 8 pm $45-50
êBill Stewart Trio with Walter Smith III, Larry Grenadier		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Friday, March 18• Journey Through Jazz—Fundamentals: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis

The Appel Room 7, 9:30 pm $35• Dana Lyn’s Baby Octopus with Mike McGinnis, Sara Schoenbeck, Gary Wang				Barbès 8 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Jane Bunnett and MaquequeBirdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êDave Liebman/Marc CoplandBirdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Richard Clements Quartet; Courtney Wright Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• DIVA Swings Broadway: Sherrie Maricle, Alexa Tarantino, Mercedes Beckman,
Roxy Coss, Laura Dreyer, Leigh Pilzer, Liesl Whitaker, Jami Dauber, Rachel Therrien,
Barbara Laronga, Jennifer Krupa, Sara Jacovino, Leslie Havens, Tomoko Ohno,
Noriko Ueda
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40

36 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD• Ken Fowser Quintet; Akiko Tsuruga Quintet with Jerry Weldon, Joe Magnarelli,Charlie Sigler, Carmen Intorre, Jr. The Django 7, 10 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20
êBenito Gonzalez Quartet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Simon Mogul; Abel Mireles
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $18-25• Nick Panoutsos solo
Silvana 7 pmêSasha Berliner
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Allegra Levy with Miki Yamanaka, Carmen Rothwell
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êBill Stewart Trio with Walter Smith III, Larry Grenadier		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Ben Paterson; Jon Davis

Saturday, March 19• The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba: Somi and Friends		
Apollo Theater & Music Café 8 pm $25• Journey Through Jazz—Fundamentals: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis
The Appel Room 4:30, 7 pm $35
êSheryl Bailey Trio with Ron Oswanski, Ian Froman		
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Jane Bunnett and MaquequeBirdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40
êDave Liebman/Marc CoplandBirdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Dave Gibson Organ Quartet; Miki Yamanaka Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10êErin Rogers solo; Jessica Pavone String Trio		The DiMenna Center 2 pm $20• DIVA Swings Broadway: Sherrie Maricle, Alexa Tarantino, Mercedes Beckman,
Roxy Coss, Laura Dreyer, Leigh Pilzer, Liesl Whitaker, Jami Dauber, Rachel Therrien,
Barbara Laronga, Jennifer Krupa, Sara Jacovino, Leslie Havens, Tomoko Ohno,
Noriko Ueda
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Chris Lewis; Lezlie Harrison
The Django 7, 10 pm• Tribute to Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba: Akua Allrich with Sam Prather, Kris Funn,
Tyler Leak, Gabrielle Murphy
Flushing Town Hall 8 pm $15• Marlene Rice String Trio with Nioka Workman, Destiny Diggs-Pinto		
Harlem School of the Arts 3 pmêOcelot: Yuma Uesaka, Cat Toren, Colin Hinton
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25• Ben Paterson
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êOrrin Evans
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• James Carney
The Owl Music Parlor 8 pm $10• Alabaster dePlume; Jeremiah Chiu; Marta Sofia Honer		
Public Records 7 pm $25
êSheila Jordan with Roni Ben-Hur, Harvie S		Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $35
êNoa Fort, Sam Newsome, Sean Conly		
Scholes Street Studio 8, 9:15 pm $15• Mimi Jones
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25• Alex Claffy
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êBill Stewart Trio with Walter Smith III, Larry Grenadier		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Sunday, March 20• Gili Lopes, Vinícius Gomes, Rogério Boccato

		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 8 pm $20• Sean Harkness Quartet
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• Jacob Khalil
Birdland Theater 9:30 pm $30
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Saul Rubin Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• DIVA Swings Broadway: Sherrie Maricle, Alexa Tarantino, Mercedes Beckman,
Roxy Coss, Laura Dreyer, Leigh Pilzer, Liesl Whitaker, Jami Dauber, Rachel Therrien,
Barbara Laronga, Jennifer Krupa, Sara Jacovino, Leslie Havens, Tomoko Ohno,
Noriko Ueda
Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $35• Thollem/Michael Wimberly
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pm• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 6 pmêSamuel Blaser, Russ Lossing, Billy Mintz
		
Ibeam Brooklyn 8 pm $15• Marianne Solivan with Leandro Pellegrino, Steve Wood, Jay Sawyer; Naama Gheber		Mezzrow 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Cynthia Soriano Trio with Paul Odeh, Marty Keney		
North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Vincent Peirani
Rizzoli Bookstore 5 pm $20• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15êMeg Okura/Sam Newsome
Saint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Joe Magnarelli
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Sona Jobarteh
Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre 7:30 pm $30-50êBill Stewart Trio with Walter Smith III, Larry Grenadier		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, March 21êSavannah Harris Trio
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks

		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Sara Schoenbeck, Ellen Burr, Ken Filiano; Igor Lumpert/Jason Nazary Trio;
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Kevin Shea; Stephen Boegehold Ensemble;
James Ilgenfritz Ensemble
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Frost School of Music with guest Etienne Charles
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Big Band; The Django Jam with Alexander Claffy		
The Django 7:30, 9:30, 10:30 pmêWomen’s Jazz Festival: Endea Owens and The Cookout
		The Schomburg Center 7 pm $35• Joe Farnsworth
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, March 22êMonty Alexander
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êRon Carter
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks

		Bond 45 8 pm $25• William Paterson University Big Band and Ensembles
		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Michael Weiss Trio with Paul Gill, Pete Van Nostrand; ELEW Trio		The Django 7, 10 pmêKurt Ralske, Melanie Dyer, Anna Gruman, Todd Capp		
Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm
• Billy Martin/Samer Ghadry
IRL 7 pm $20
êÉmile Parisien/Vincent Peirani’s Abrazo		Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $35
êNubya Garcia
Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $31• Happy Trio XX: Kevin Sun, Matt Penman, Joe Peri		
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pm
• Angela Roberts
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êMarc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog with Shahzad Ismaily, Ches Smith		
Public Records 7:30 pm $25• Lesley Mok and Aliya Ultan with Joanna Mattrey, Cleek Schrey, David Leon,
Yuma Uesaka
Roulette 8 pm $25• Leonor Falcón/Ludovica Burtone Scholes Street Studio 8 pm $15• Marisa Monte
Town Hall 8 pm $55
êGerald Clayton Trio with Joe Sanders, Justin Brown		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Alex Asher Quartet
Wild Birds 7 pm

Wednesday, March 23• Luca Benedetti Band with Kris Bauman, Danny Fox, Scott Colberg, Dan Rieser				
55Bar 9:30 pm• John Colonna Quartet; Ashley Pezzotti

		
The Atlantic BKLN 8 pm $15êLawrence Fields Trio
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêBrian Charette Trio with Yotam Silberstein, Jochen Rueckert
		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êMonty Alexander
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, Ken Smith, Harvie S, Vince Cherico andguest Roni Ben-Hur
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êRon Carter
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Ehud Asherie Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Robby Ameen’s Diluvio Band Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $45• Yoko Miwa Trio with Will Slater, Scott Goulding		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35• Terreno Comum: Alexia Bomtempo, Orrin Evan, Leandro Pellegrin, Luques Curtis;
Lucy Wijnands Quartet with Omer Avital		
The Django 7, 10 pmêMusic of Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake and Michael Moss: Dance Clarinets withJD Parran, Marty EhrlichGreenwich House Music School 8 pm $15• Luca Rosenfeld, Elias Stemeseder, Billy Mintz
		
Lowlands 8 pm
• Zach Brock
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Tony Glausi and Jay Jennings Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Nancy Kelly Trio with William Gorman, Carmen Intorre		Pangea 7 pm $25• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15• Lucas Pino
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Grupo Los Santos: Max Pollak, Peter Smith, David Ambrosio, William “Beaver” Bausch		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Brian Chase solo
The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Marisa Monte
Town Hall 8 pm $55
êGerald Clayton Trio with Joe Sanders, Justin Brown		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Wayne Tucker & The Bad Mothas Wild Birds 9 pm
• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm

ZURICH JAZZORCHESTRA& STEFFEN
TO MY SCHORNBELOVEDONES

Thursday, March 24• Hilary Gardner
55Bar 6:30 pm• Saul Rubin Trio
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êMonty Alexander
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Quartet Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êRon Carter
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Sasha Dobson Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Lizzie Thomas
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $32• Sofía Rei
David Rubenstein Atrium 7:30 pm• Samba Jazz and Tom Jobim: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves, Maucha Adnet				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Adi Meyerson Trio; Django All Stars: Bruce Harris, Ken Fowser, Mark Whitfield,

Spin Cycle celebrates the release of their latest
recording, Spin Cycle III on Sound Footing Records.

CD release show:
March 31st, 8pm (In-Person and Livestream)
Soapbox Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
soapboxgallery.org
CD Release Tour Dates:
April 8th – The Bop Shop (Rochester, NY)
April 9th- The Other Side (Utica, NY)
April 10th- Amherst College (Amherst, MA)

Spin Cycle III available April 6th on all streaming
platforms and at spincyclemusic.org
Spin Cycle is:
Tom Christensen - Saxophone
Pete McCann - Guitar
Phil Palombi and Matt Pavolka - Bass
Scott Neumann - Drums

Anthony Wonsey, Alexander Claffy, Joe Farnsworth		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 7 pm $30
êThe Red Sheaves: Jennie C. Jones, Fred Moten, Brandon Lopez, Cecilia Lopez				
Guggenheim Museum 6:30 pm $25• Debbie Knapper
Hamilton Fish Recreation Center 6:30 pm• Axel Tosca Trio with Xiomara Laugart
		Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Tom Guarna
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Richie Goods and Chien Chien Lu with Zerlina Devi, Quintin Zoto, Allan Mednard andguest J. Hoard
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 7 pm $20• Irv Grossman Sextet
Silvana 8 pm
• Jochen Rueckert
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Brad Shepik Human Activity Suite - Code Red with Amino Belyamani, Sam Minaie,
John Hadfield
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êDuke Ellington Salute: American Symphony Orchestra with Marcus Roberts Trio andCatherine Russell
Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 8 pm $25-65• Brian Chase/Catherine Sikora The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êGerald Clayton Trio with Joe Sanders, Justin Brown		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Zurich Jazz Orchestra releases
ﬁnal album in the trilogy
featuring the compositions
by Steffen Schorn.
The European jazz scene boasts a
number of world class professional Big Bands, all with their own richhistory and tradition. The Zurich Jazz
Orchestra, founded in 1995, undoubtedly belongs to this exclusive club.
www.zjo.ch
fb.com.com/zjojazz

Friday, March 25• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5:30 pm $30
êMonty Alexander
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40• Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Quartet Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êRon Carter
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Jade Synstelien Quartet; Davis Whitfield Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Samba Jazz and Tom Jobim: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves, Maucha Adnet				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ken Fowser Quintet; Roxy Coss Quintet with Alex Wintz, Miki Yamanaka, Rick Rosato,
Jimmy Macbride
The Django 7, 10 pm• Wayne Tucker and The Bad Mothas with Queen Esther, Julia Easterlin, Mar Vilaseca,
Sarah Charles, Miles Tucker, David Linard, Addison Frei, Tamir Shmerling, Diego
Joaquin Ramirez
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Phil Young and The Harlem Hip Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Huntertones
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 10 pm $20• Andrej Jusufbegovic; Norbert Stachel		
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 7, 8:30, 10 pm $18-25
êSteve Cohn Quartet with James Cook, William Parker, Francisco Mela				
Scholes Street Studio 8 pm $15• Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman
Silvana 10 pm• Tommy Campbell
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• WIJO: A Celebration of Women in Jazz: Allegra Levy with Marta Sanchez,
Carmen Rothwell, Shirazette Tinnin
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Brian Chase/Matteo Liberatore The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êGerald Clayton Trio with Joe Sanders, Justin Brown		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
êJeremy Pelt

THREE PICTURES (2018)

DEDICATIONS (2021)

www.monsrecords.defb.com/monsrecordsofﬁcial@monsrecordsofﬁcial

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 37

100 MILES OUT
CONNECTICUT
3/8 (7 pm) New Haven Jazz Underground: Jimmy Gavagan Trio
3/22 (7 pm) New Haven Jazz Underground: Anthony Pellegrini/TJ Thompson Group
Café Nine New Haven, CT www.cafenine.com
3/13 (3 pm) Carl Testa’s Sway
3/20 (3 pm) Michael Carabello Trio
3/27 (3 pm) Nando Michelin
Hartford Public Library Hartford, CT www.hartfordjazzsociety.com
3/2 (8 pm) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Infinity Hall Hartford, CT www.infinityhall.com
3/2 (7 pm) Bill Crow Quartet
3/3 (7 pm) Jeff McGill Quartet with Ken Gioffre
3/9 (7 pm) Tim DeHuff Quartet with Tyger MacNeal, Rob Aries, Dave Anderson
3/10 (7 pm) The Jones Factor
3/31 (7 pm) Ray BlueLa Zingara Bethel, CT www.lazingara.com
3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30 (9 pm) Hawkins Jazz Collective
Owl Shop New Haven, CT www.owlshopcigars.com
3/11 (7/9 pm) Dave Stryker Trio
Palace Theater Poli Club Waterbury, CT www.palacetheaterct.org/shows/jazz
3/17 (8 pm) Marisa Monte
Palace Theater Stamford, CT www.palacestamford.org
3/6 (2:30 pm) Joe McPhee, Jamie Saft, James Brandon Lewis,
Jerome Deupree, Joe Morris
Real Art Ways Hartford, CT www.realartways.org
3/10 (8 pm) Tower of Power
Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield, CT www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org
3/4-5 (8:30 pm) George Coleman 86th Birthday Celebration with Keith Brown,
Ari Roland, Joe Farnsworth
3/11 (8:30 pm) Trio X: Anthony Wonsey, Nat Reeves, Ron Savage
3/12 (8:30 pm) Jane Bunnett & Maqueque
3/18 (8:30 pm) Nicole Zuraitis Quartet
3/19 (7/8:30 pm) Christos Rafalides/Giovanni Mirabassi Duo
3/25 (8:30 pm) Nelson Riveros Quintet “Latin Side of Wes Montgomery”
3/26 (8:30 pm) Brian Charette Sextet
Side Door Old Lyme, CT www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html
3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29 (8 pm) Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra
T-Salon Café Bristol, CT www.facebook.com/WEARETCAFE
3/27 (5 pm) Mike Clark Quintet with Nick Di Maria, Konrad Dziemian,
Andrew Kosiba, Andrew Zwart
The State House New Haven, CT www.statehousepresents.com
NEW JERSEY
3/5 (6 pm) Russell Malone
Bethany Baptist Church Newark, NJ www.njpac.org
3/10 (7:30 pm) Mike Davis “Tribute to Bix Beiderbecke”
3/27 (7:30 pm) Larry Fuller Trio
Bickford Theatre at Morris Museum Morristown, NJ www.morrismuseum.org
3/3 (7:30 pm) Jazz Bridge presents Mike Bond
Collingswood Community Center Collingswood, NJ www.jazzbridge.org
3/2 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Cynthia Soriano Quartet
3/23 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Mariel Bildstein
3/30 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Najwa Parkins Quartet
Delta’s New Brunswick, NJ www.deltasrestaurant.com
3/24 (7/9:15 pm) Mark Wade
3/25 (7/9:15 pm) Dave Stryker
3/26 (7/9:15 pm) Blues People with Kelton Cooper, Victor Burks, Mike Griot, Gene Lake
Shanghai Jazz Madison, NJ www.shanghaijazz.com
3/6 (4 pm) Jazz Room Series: Randy Brecker & WP Jazz Orchestra with David Dempsey
3/27 (4 pm) Jazz Room Series: The Royal Bopsters with Amy London,
Jeanne O’Connor, Dylan Pramuk, Pete McGuinness
Shea Center for the Performing Arts @William Paterson University Wayne, NJ
www.wpunj.edu/wppresents/jazz-room-series
3/6 (7 pm) Steve Carrington with Bruce Harris, Alex Collins, John Lee, Karl Latham
3/12 (8 pm) The Bad Plus: Chris Speed, Ben Monder, Reid Anderson, Dave King
3/13 (7:30 pm) Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap
3/20 (7:30 pm) Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Nathan and The Zydeco Cha Chas
South Orange Performing Arts Center South Orange, NJ www.sopacnow.org
3/6 (11 am) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Audrey Betsy Welber Duo
3/13 (11 am) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Leonieke Scheuble Duo
3/20 (11 am) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Mimi Jones Duo
3/27 (11 am) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Mariel Bildstein Duo
Stage House Tavern Somerset, NJ www.stagehousetavern.com
3/1 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Zoe Obadia Quartet
3/3 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Roberta Piket Quartet with
Virginia Mayhew, Kim Clarke, Lucianna Padmore
3/8 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Alicyn Yaffee
3/10 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Miki Yamanaka Trio
3/15 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Ariana Sowa Quartet
3/16 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Emily Braden Quartet
3/22 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Jacqueline Lee
3/24 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Nancy Kelly Trio Tavern on George
3/29 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Gary Kerkezou Quartet
3/31 (7/8:45 pm) New Brunswick Jazz Project: Akiko Tsuruga Quartet
Tavern on George New Brunswick, NJ www.tavernongeorge.com
3/3 (8 pm) The Django Experiment with Stephane Wrembel, Josh Kaye,Ari Folman-Cohen, Nick Driscoll, Daisy Castro
3/4 (8 pm) Django New Orleans with Stephane Wrembel, Russell Welch,
Joe Correia, Scott Kettner, David Langlois, Aurora Nealand
The Woodland Maplewood, NJ www.djangoagogo.com
3/27 (3 pm) Deanna Witkowski solo
Willow Grove Presbyterian Church Scotch Plains, NJ www.willowgrovechurch.org
NEW YORK
3/12, 3/26 (7:30 pm) Leslie Pintchik Trio with Scott Hardy, Michael Sarin
Alvin & Friends New Rochelle, NY www.alvinandfriendsrestaurant.com
3/3 (7 pm) Ali Ryerson, Pete Levin, Rich Syracuse, Jeff “Siege” Siegel
Bearsville Theater Woodstock, NY www.bearsvilletheater.com
3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31 (7 pm) Paul Connors Organ Groove
3/19 (7 pm) Tribute to Wayne Shorter: Gerry Malkin Jazz Collective
Elk’s Lodge Ossining, NY www.jazzatthelodge.com/shows
3/19 (7/9:30 pm) John Pizzarelli Trio
Emelin Theatre Mamaroneck, NY www.emelin.org
3/12 (8 pm) Jessica Pavone String Ensemble with Aimee Niemann, Abby Swidler
Garner Art Center Rockland, NY www.garnerartscenter.org

3/18 (7 pm) Armen Donelian Trio with Jay Anderson, Dennis Mackrel
Hudson Hall Hudson, NY www.hudsonhall.org
3/4-5 (7/9:30 pm) Ray Blue Quintet with Eddie Allen, Nat Adderley, Jr.,
Belden Bullock, Alvester Garnett
3/6 (4/6 pm) David Janeway Trio with Cameron Brown, Billy Hart
3/11-12 (7/9:30 pm) Christian Sands Trio
3/13 (4/6 pm) Joe Carter Samba Rio with Ali Ryerson, Leco Reis, Rogério Boccato
3/18-19 (7/9:30 pm) Catherine Russell Quartet
3/20 (4/6 pm) Aimée Allen
3/25-26 (7/9:30 pm) Vincent Herring/Eric Alexander Quintet
3/27 (4/6 pm) Isabella Mendes/Flavio Lira Brazilian Quartet
Jazz Forum Arts Tarrytown, NY www.jazzforumarts.org
3/4 (8 pm) Matt Haviland Quartet
3/11 (8/9:30 pm) Tribute to Nina Simone: Sam Waymon
3/12 (8 pm) Peter Furlan Group
3/18 (8 pm) Christos Rafalides/Giovanni Mirabassi Duo
3/19 (8 pm) Armen Donelian Trio with Jay Anderson, Dennis Mackrel
Maureen’s Jazz Cellar Nyack, NY www.maureensjazzcellar.com
3/13 (5 pm) Nat Adderley, Jr.
PJS Jazz Society at First Presbyterian Church Mt. Vernon, NY www.pjsjazz.org
3/7 (8:30 pm) Tyler Blanton with Drew Gress, Eric Halvorson, Robin Verheyen
3/14 (8:30 pm) Michael Formanek Drome Trio with Chet Doxas, Vinnie Sperrazza
3/21 (8:30 pm) Thollem McDonas with Iva Bittová, Michael Bisio, Ryan Jewell
3/28 (8:30 pm) Bob Meyer Birthday BashQuinn’s Beacon, NY www.facebook.com/QuinnsBeacon
3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 (3-4:30 pm) Hal Galper Trio with Tony Marino, Billy Mintz
Rafter’s Tavern Callicoon, NY www.facebook.com/Rafters-Tavern-894552874038817
3/27 (7 pm) The Kennedy Dream Project with Oliver Nelson, Jr.
Staller Center for the Performing Arts Stony Brook, NY www.thejazzloft.org
3/6 (7 pm) Tim Ries Universal Spirits Ensemble
3/13 (7 pm) Johnathan Blake Trio with Chris Potter, Linda May Han Oh
3/20 (7 pm) Brandee Younger
3/27 (7 pm) Lew Tabackin 82nd Birthday Celebration
The Falcon Marlboro, NY www.liveatthefalcon.com
3/2 (1 pm) Tom Manuel and Young at Heart Trio Broadway Jazz Tribute3/10 (7 pm) Caleb Wheeler Curtis Quartet with Orrin Evans,
Luques Curtis, Mark Whitfield, Jr.
3/17 (7 pm) Bad Little Big Band with Tom Manuel, Lauren Kinhan
3/26 (7 pm) The Kennedy Dream Project with Oliver Nelson, Jr., Ray Anderson,
Tom Manuel, Dan Pugach, Steve Salerno
The Jazz Loft Stony Brook, NY www.thejazzloft.org
3/6 (4 pm) Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso, Alvaro Domene, Michael Bisio
3/24 (7 pm) Thollem 4tet with Nels Cline, Michael Bisio, Michael Wimberly
The Lace Mill Kingston, NY www.facebook.com/TheLaceMill
3/13 (7 pm) James Brandon Lewis with Christopher Hoffman and Max Jaffe
Tubby’s Kingston, NY www.tubbyskingston.com
3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28 (8pm): Monday Jazz Sessions with John RichmondTurning Point Café Piermont, NY www.piermont.club
3/20 (2 pm) Michael Bisio solo
Up Front Gallery Port Jervis, NY www.artistsmarketcc.com/upfrontgallery.html
3/11-12 (7 pm) Alexis Cole
Westchester Collaborative Theater Ossining, NY www.wctheater.org
3/5 (6 pm) Aimée Allen Quartet
3/12 (6 pm) Lady Got Chops Women’s Festival: Yayoi Ikawa
3/19 (6 pm) Lady Got Chops Women’s Music Festival:
Dinah Vero Quartet with Erena Terakuba, Kim Clarke
Bean Runner Café Peekskill, NY www.beanrunnercafe.com
PENNSYLVANIA
3/2 (7:30 pm) Jazz Bridge: Dave Posmontier “Jazz @The Center” with Bob Howell
Cheltenham Center for the Arts Cheltenham, PA www.jazzbridge.org
3/2 (8/9:30 pm) Elliott Bild Quintet
3/3 (8/9:30 pm) Nick Marziani Quartet
3/4 (8/10 pm) Tim Green and Web Thomas Trio
3/5 (8/10 pm) Joe Magnarelli, Victor North, John Swana with the Tim Brey Trio
3/9 (8/9:30 pm) Mervin Touissant Band
3/10 (8/9:30 pm) Ryan Devlin Quartet
3/11 (8/10 pm) Mike Boone
3/12 (8/10 pm) Gillian Margot Power Flower Project
3/16 (8/9:30 pm) John Colianni Big Band
3/17 (8/9:30 pm) Benjamin Price
3/22 (8/9:30 pm) Richard Hill, Jr. Trio
3/26 (8/10 pm) Stacey Kent
Chris’ Jazz Café Philadephia, PA www.chrisjazzcafe.com
3/20 (2 pm) Tri-State Jazz Society: Ethan Uslan solo
Community Arts Center Wallingford, PA www.tristatejazz.org
3/4 (7 pm) Lili Añel Quartet
3/5 (7 pm) Ken Peplowski Quartet with Glen Zaleski, Mike Karn, Matt Wilson
3/6 (5 pm) Walt Bibinger solo
3/18 (7 pm) Barry Greene Trio with Paul Rostock, Colby Inzer
3/19 (7 pm) Paul Jost Quintet with Jim Ridl, Dean Johnson, Pete McCann, Tim Horner
3/25 (7 pm) Quartette Oblique: Mike Stephans, Greg Osby, Marc Copland, Drew Gress
3/26 (7 pm) Emily Braden
3/27 (5 pm) Tullamore Duo + 2 with Denny Carrig, Skip Wilkins, Bill Washer, Tony Marino
Deer Head Inn Delaware Water Gap, PA www.deerheadinn.com
3/5 (8 pm) 75 Dollar Bill with Rick Brown and Che Chen, Bark Culture with
Victor Vieira-Branco, John Moran, Joey Sullivan
3/19 (8 pm) Obstacle Illusion with ACVilla, Thollem/Sunken Cages Duo
Fire Museum Philadelphia, PA www.firemuseumpresents.com
3/24 (7:30 pm) Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Kimmel Center Philadelphia, PA www.kimmelculturalcampus.org
3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28 (5:30-9:30 pm): Tony Williams Jazz Quartet
La Rose Jazz Club Philadelphia, PA www.jazzclublarose.com
3/16 (7:30 pm) Jazz Bridge: Wayne Smith, Jr.
Ridge Avenue Methodist Church Philadelphia, PA www.jazzbridge.org
3/19 (8 pm) ArsNova: Jaimie Branch Fly or Die
3/31 (8 pm) ArsNova: Immanuel Wilkins/Odean Pope/Kresten Osgood Trio
RUBA Club Philadelphia, PA www.arsnovaworkshop.org
3/3-5 (7/9 pm) Gerald Veasley’s “I Got Life: The Music of Nina Simone”
3/6 (6:30/8:30 pm) Michael Tozzi’s ijazzglobal presents Suzanne Ortiz
3/25 3/26 (7/9 pm) Gabrielle Cavassa
3/27 (6:30/8:30 pm) Chien Chien Lu with Richie Goods, J.Hoard
South Jazz Club Philadelphia, PA www.southjazzkitchen.com
3/5 (8 pm) Joey Alexander Trio
Williams Center for the Arts Easton, PA www.williamscenter.lafayette.edu
3/10 (9 pm) Omar’s Hat Jazz Jam
World Café Philadelphia, PA www.worldcafelive.com

38 MARCH 2022 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Saturday, March 26• Alexia Bomtempo
55Bar 9:30 pm• Streetlife!—The Music of The Crusaders: Craig Dreyer and Clark Gayton

		
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êMonty Alexander
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $40• Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Quartet Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êRon Carter
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Jason Marshall Quartet; Ai Murakami Quartet
		
Cellar Dog 7, 11:30 pm $10• Samba Jazz and Tom Jobim: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves, Maucha Adnet		
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Ed Cherry Trio; Mariel Bildstein Septet with Bruce Harris, Erena Terakubo, Ruben Fox,
Sean Mason, Marty Jaffe, Charles Goold		The Django 7, 10 pm• Deanna Witkowski’s Music for the Soul		
Holy Apostles Church 7:30 pm $20-50• Wayne Tucker and The Bad Mothas with Queen Esther, Julia Easterlin, Mar Vilaseca,
Sarah Charles, Miles Tucker, David Linard, Addison Frei, Tamir Shmerling, Diego
Joaquin Ramirez
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
êJeremy Pelt
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Annette St. John Quintet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20• Lil Phillips
Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $25• Dave Stryker
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20
êJoanne Brackeen Trio with Lonnie Plaxico, Adam Cruz
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Brian Chase/Anthony Coleman The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êGerald Clayton Trio with Joe Sanders, Justin Brown		
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Theo Croker
Zankel Hall 9 pm $46-55

Sunday, March 27• Nir Felder• Jason Lindner and Nate Wood

55Bar 9:30 pm
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 8 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra		
Birdland 8:30, 10:30 pm $30• Marissa Licata Quartet
Birdland Theater 7, 9:30 pm $30
êRon Carter
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Greg Glassman Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10• Arianna Neikrug’s Songs from the Heart with Luciano Minetti, Matt Clohesy,
Jared Schonig
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $32• Samba Jazz and Tom Jobim: Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves, Maucha Adnet				Dizzy’s Club 5, 7:30 pm $45• Teri Roiger, Steve Berger, John Menegon		
Entwine Wine Bar 6 pm
• Royal Hartigan Blood Drum Spirit Ensemble with Wes Brown, David Bindman,
Art Hirahara
Michiko Studios 3 pm
• Roz Corral Trio with Eddie Monteiro, Rogério Boccato		North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm
• Mimi Jones and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 6 pm $15êMeg Okura/Yotam SilbersteinSaint Peter’s Church 5 pm
• Dan Aran
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• JP Schlegelmilch solo
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êGerald Clayton Trio with Joe Sanders, Kweku Sumbry		Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Monday, March 28• Tom Guarna• Wen-Ting Wu Quintet• Dave Bennett Band

55Bar 9:30 pm
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25• Caleb Duval, Ben Eidson, Kelly Bray, Olivia W-B, Rihards Kolmanis, Julian Seeney,
James Paul Nadien; Ken Kobayashi, Ayumi Ishito, Jeff Miles; Stephen Gauci,
Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Max Johnson Ensemble; Leo Chang Ensemble				
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $15• Juilliard Jazz Ensembles
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35
êMingus Big Band; The Django Jam with Alexander Claffy		
The Django 7:30, 9:30, 10:30 pmêOrrin Evans Birthday Celebration with Luques Curtis, Mark Whitfield, Jr.
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Spike Wilner
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Rob Schwimmer
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40

Tuesday, March 29• Yotam Silberstein and César Garabini		Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Emmet Cohen
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êVince Giordano and The Nighthawks
		Bond 45 8 pm $25
êRemembering Ray Brown: Christian McBride, Benny Green, Gregory Hutchinson				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Elio Villafranca Quartet; Los Hacheros: Jeremy Bosch, Itai Kriss, Eddie Venegas,
Jacob Plasse, William Ash, Marcos Lopez, Carlitos Padron, Jacob Plasse		
The Django 7, 10 pm• Juilliard Jazz Ensembles
Juilliard School Paul Hall 7:30 pm $20• Kevin Sun Quartet with Adam O’Farrill, Walter Stinson, Matt Honor		
Lowlands 7:30, 9 pmêMarc Ribot Trio with Anna Abondolo, Chad Taylor
		Public Records 7:30 pm $25• Andrew Van Tassel
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $20• Eric Alexander
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Zach Brock
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25
êGilad Hekselman Quartet with Shai Maestro, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Alex Asher Quartet
Wild Birds 7 pm

Wednesday, March 30
êJazzmobile: Craig Harris Tailgaters’ Tales Quartet with String and guest David Murray

CLU B DI RE CTORY		
Aaron Davis Hall 7 pm
• Art Lillard’s Blue Heaven Sextet The Atlantic BKLN 8 pm $15• 55Bar 55 Christopher Street between Waverly Place and Seventh Avenue SouthêMiles Okazaki’s Trickster with Matt Mitchell, Anthony Tidd, Sean Rickman(212-929-9883) Subway: 1, 2 to Christopher Street- Sheridan Square		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm
www.55bar.com
êStacy Dillard Trio
Bar Lunàtico 8:30, 10 pm $10• Aaron Davis Hall 133rd Street and Convent AvenueêDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band				(212-650-7100) Subway: 1 to 137th Street/City College www.adhatccny.org
		Birdland 5:30 pm $30• Apollo Theater & Music Café 253 W. 125th Street• Emmet Cohen
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40(212-531-5305) Subway: A, B, C, D, 2, 3 to 125th StreetêFrank Vignola’s Guitar Night with Jimmy Bruno, and guest Sheryl Bailey		
www.apollotheater.org
		Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• The Appel Room Broadway at 60th Street, 5th floor• Grant Stewart Trio
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle• Stan Killian Quartet
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $35
www.jazz.org
êRemembering Ray Brown: Christian McBride, Benny Green, Gregory Hutchinson		• The Atlantic BKLN 333 Atlantic Avenue
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
Subway: A, C, G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets www.atlanticbkln.com• Holly Bean Trio with Alexander Claffy, Keith Balla; Misha Piatigorsky Trio
• Bar Bayeux 1066 Nostrand Avenue
		
The Django 7, 10 pm(347-533-7845) Subway: 2, 5 to Sterling Street www.barbayeux.com• Kari van der Kloot, Sana Nagano, Leonor Falcón• Bar Lunàtico 486 Halsey Street		
Lowlands 8 pm
(917-495-9473) Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Avenues• Steve Carrington Quintet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $20
www.barlunatico.com• Ray Blue Quartet with Greg Lewis, Victor Jones, Beverly Crosby• Barbès 376 9th Street at 6th Avenue, Brooklyn
		
New Amsterdam Musical Association NAMA 8 pm
(718-965-9177) Subway: F to 7th Avenue www.barbesbrooklyn.com• Marilyn Kleinberg Trio
Pangea 7 pm $25• Birdland and Birdland Theater 315 W. 44th Street• Hokago Trio: Keita Ogawa, Martha Kato, Moto Fukushima(212-581-3080) Subway: A, C, E, to 42nd Street www.birdlandjazz.com
		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $15• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Street at 6th Avenue• Peter Brainin and Friends
Room 623 at B2 Harlem 8 pm $15(212-475-8592) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th StreetêPatricia Brennan
Scholes Street Studio 8 pm $15
www.bluenotejazz.com• Nick Green
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Bond 45 221 W. 46th Street• Matt Steckler, Yayoi Ikawa, Lonnie Plaxico(212-869-4545) Subway: B, F, M to 47-50 Streets www.bond45ny.com
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Brooklyn Bowl 61 Wythe Avenue• Ches Smith, Craig Taborn, Mat Maneri, Bill Frisell(718-963-3369) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.brooklynbowl.com
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20• Bushwick Public House 1288 Myrtle AvenueêGilad Hekselman Quartet with Shai Maestro, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40
Subway: G to Myrtle - Willoughby Avenue then B54• Wayne Tucker & The Bad Mothas Wild Birds 9 pm
www.bushwickpublichouse.com• Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band Zinc Bar 8:30, 10:45 pm• Canary Club 303 Broome Street• Trio Voyagers: Banning Eyre, Edith Lettner, Yacouba Sissoko
Subway: B, D to Grand Street www.canaryclubnyc.com
		Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $15• Cellar Dog 75 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue

Thursday, March 31êBrooklyn Raga Massive; BKLN Jazz and Jam with Vanisha-Arlene Gould andChris McCarthy

The Atlantic BKLN 7, 9 pm $15-20• Adam Kolker/Ingrid Laubrock Quartet with Jeremy Stratton

		
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Emmet Cohen
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êHarry Allen Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Joey Alexander
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Vanderlei Pereira Quartet
Cellar Dog 7 pm $10êBrianna Thomas BandDavid Rubenstein Atrium 7:30 pmêRemembering Ray Brown: Christian McBride, Benny Green, Gregory Hutchinson				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Dan Aran Band with Itai Kriss, Alon Yavnai, Matt Clohesy, Samuel Torres;
Ian Hendrickson-Smith
The Django 7, 10 pm• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 7 pm $30• Oye Como Va—A Tribute to the Great Women of Latin Music: Deborah Resto with
Oreste Abrantes, Franco Pinna, Eddie Venegas, Alex Apolo, Pablo Mayor				
Flushing Town Hall 7 pm $15• Marta Sanchez Quintet with Alex Lore, Roman Filiu, Allan Mednard
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25
êValerie Capers Ensemble
Jazz Museum in Harlem 2 pm
• Kristen Lee Sergeant with Ted Nash, Jeb Patton, Hannah Marks, Jay Sawyer,
Jody Redhage FerberJoe’s Pub 7 pm $25• Rick Germanson
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Kilter: Laurent David, Kenny Grohowski, Ed Rosenberg III and guest
Andromeda Anarchia; Seven)Suns: Earl Maneein, Blanca Cecilia Gonzales,
Fung Chen Hwei, Jennifer Devore Nublu 151 8 pm $20• Omar Sosa, Seckou Keita, Gustavo Ovalles		Roulette 8 pm $30• Mark Sherman; David Gibson Smalls 7:30, 9, 10:30 pm $20• Spin Cycle: Tom Christensen, Pete McCann, Phil Palombi, Scott Neumann				
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25• Ches Smith, Craig Taborn, Mat Maneri, Bill Frisell
		The Stone at The New School 8:30 pm $20
êGilad Hekselman Quartet with Shai Maestro, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland				
Village Vanguard 8, 10 pm $40• Todd Capp, Bryan Eubanks, Andrew Lafkas
		Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $20****AAJ“MMBC Terma has anenergy which seems
to pour out of
every piece,
increasing depth
and feeling.”
michaelbisio.
bandcamp.com/
album/mmbc-terma****AAJ“Bisio’s playing
exemplifies thephysical and sensory
aspects of thebass; it infiltrates
the listener
beyond the ears.”
mungmusic.
bandcamp.com/
album/inimitable(212-675-6056) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.cellardog.net• Chelsea Table & Stage Hilton Fashion District Hotel, 152 W. 26th Street
Subway: C, E to 23rd Street; R, W to 28th Street
www.chelseatableandstage.com• Constance Baker Motley Recreation Center 348 E. 54th Street(212-754-5411) Subway: 6 to 51st Street; E, M to Lexington Avenue/53rd Street
www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/recreationcenters/M130• Culture Lab LIC 5-25 46th Avenue, Long Island City
(347-848-0030) Subway: 7 to Vernon Boulevard/Jackson Avenue
www.facebook.com/culturelablic• David Rubenstein Atrium Broadway at 60th Street(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
www.lincolncenter.org/venue/atrium• The DiMenna Center 450 W. 37th Street(212-594-6100) Subway: A, C, E to 34h Street-Penn Stationwww.dimennacenter.org• Dizzy’s Club 33 W. 60th Street, 5th floor(212-258-9800) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle
www.jazz.org• The Django 2 Sixth Avenue(212-519-6600) Subway: A, C, E to Canal Street; 1 to Franklin Street
www.thedjangonyc.com• Downtown Music Gallery 13 Monroe Street(212-473-0043) Subway: F to East Broadway
www.downtownmusicgallery.com• Drom 85 Avenue A(212-777-1157) Subway: F to Second Avenue www.dromnyc.com• Entwine Wine Bar 765 Washington Street(212-727-8765) Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, L to 14th Street
www.entwinenyc.com• EV Gallery 621 E. 11th Street(978-799-9014) Subway: L to First Avenue www.evgallery.art• 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• Funkadelic Studios 209 W. 40th Street(212-696-2513) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, Q, R to 42nd Street-Times Squarewww.funkadelicstudios.com• The Green Room at Yotel 570 Tenth Avenue(646-449-7700) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, Q, R to 42nd Street-Times Square
www.yotel.com• Greenwich House Music School 46 Barrow Street(212-242-4770) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.greenwichhouse.org• Guggenheim Museum 1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street(212-423-3500) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street www.guggenheim.org• Hamilton Fish Recreation Center 128 Pitt Street(212-387-7687) Subway: F, J, M, Z to Delancey Street-Essex Street
www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/recreationcenters/M033• Harlem School of the Arts 645 St. Nicholas Avenue at 145th Street(212-926-4100) Subway: D to 145th Street www.hsanyc.org• Harlem Stage Gatehouse 150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street(212-650-7100) Subway: 1 to 137th Street www.harlemstage.org• Holy Apostles Church 296 Ninth Avenue(212-807-6799) Subway: 1 to 28th Street www.holyapostlesnyc.org• Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Subway: F to 4th Avenue www.ibeambrooklyn.com• The Interchurch Center 61 Claremont Avenue(212-870-2200) Subway: 1 to 116th Street www.interchurch-center.org• IRL 80 Franklin Street Subway: G to Greenpoint Avenue www.linktr.ee/irlnyc• Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Street(212-582-2121) Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street www.theiridium.com• Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall 881 Seventh Avenue(212-247-7800) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th- Seventh Avenue
www.carnegiehall.org• Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning 161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Queens(718-658-7400 ext. 152) Subway: E to Jamaica Center www.jcal.org• The Jazz Gallery 1160 Broadway, 5th floor (212-242-1063)
Subway: N, R to 28th Street www.jazzgallery.org• Jazz Museum in Harlem 58 W. 129th Street between Madison and Lenox(212-348-8300) Subway: 6 to 125th Street www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org• Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater 425 Lafayette Street(212-539-8770) Subway: N, R to 8th Street-NYU; 6 to Astor Place
www.joespub.com• Juilliard School Paul Hall, Peter Jay Sharp Theater 155 W. 65th Street(212-769-7406) Subway: 1 to 66th Street www.juilliard.edu• Kupferberg Center 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing(718-793-8080) Subway: E to 71 - Continental Avs - Forest Hills• Lang Hall, Hunter College E. 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues(212-772-4448) Subway: 6 to 68th Street www.hunter.cuny.edu• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street www.lepoissonrouge.com• Lehman Center 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx(718-960-8833) Subway: 4, D train to Bedford Park Blvd.
www.lehmancenter.org• Lowlands 543 Third Avenue, Brooklyn(347-463-9458) Subway: R to Prospect Avenue www.lowlandsbar.com• Marian’s Brooklyn 108 Patchen Avenue(718-484-7458) Subway: J to Kosciuszko Street www.mariansbrooklyn.com• Merkin Concert Hall 129 W. 67th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam(212-501-3330) Subway: 1 to 66th Street-Lincoln Center
www.kaufman-center.org• Mezzrow 163 W. 10th Street(646-476-4346) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.mezzrow.com• Michiko Studios 149 W. 46th Street, 3rd Floor(212-302-4011) Subway: B, D, F, M to 47-50 Streets www.michikostudios.com• Miller Theatre 2960 Broadway and 116th Street(212-854-7799) Subway: 1 to 116th Street-Columbia University
www.millertheater.com• Minton’s 206 W. 118th Street(212-243-2222) Subway: B, C to 116th Street www.mintonsharlem.com• 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• New Amsterdam Musical Association (NAMA) 107 W. 130th Street(212-234-2973) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Street• North Square Lounge 103 Waverly Place at McDougal Street(212-254-1200) Subway: A, B, C, E, F, V to West 4th Street• Nublu 151 151 Avenue C
Subway: L to First Avenue www.nublu.net• The Owl Music Parlor 497 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn(718-774-0042) Subway: 2, to to Sterling Street www.theowl.nyc• Pangea 178 Second Avenue(212-995-0900) Subway: L to First Avenue www.pangeanyc.com• Pete’s Candy Store 709 Lorimer Street(718-302-3770) Subway: L to Lorimer Street• Public Records 233 Butler Street
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R to Atlantic Avenue www.publicrecords.nyc• Rizzoli Bookstore 1133 Broadway(212-759-2424) Subway: R, W to 28th Street www.rizzolibookstore.com• Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street (212-477-4155)
Subway: F, V to Second Avenue www.rockwoodmusichall.com• Room 623 at B2 Harlem 271 W. 119th Street(212-280-2248) Subway: B, C to 116th Street www.b2harlem.com• Roulette 509 Atlantic Avenue(212-219-8242) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Avenue www.roulette.org• St. George Theatre 35 Hyatt Street(718-442-2900) Bus: S74 to Bay Street/Borough Place
www.stgeorgetheatre.com• St. John’s in the Village 218 W. 11th Street(212-243-6192) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.stjvny.org• Saint Peter’s Church 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street(212-935-2200) Subway: 6 to 51st Street www.saintpeters.org• 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• Shrine World Music 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard(between 133rd & 134th Streets) (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• Soapbox Gallery 636 Dean Street
Subway: 2, 3 to Bergen Street www.soapboxgallery.org• Sony Hall 235 W. 46th Street(212-997-5123) Subway: N, R, W to 49th Street www.sonyhall.com• The Stone at The New School 55 W. 13th Street(212-229-5600) Subway: F, V to 14th Street www.thestonenyc.com• Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia, Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre and Bar Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th Street (212-864-5400) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Street
www.symphonyspace.org• Town Hall 123 W. 43rd Street(212-997-1003) Subway: 7, B, D, F, M to 42nd Street-Bryant Park
www.thetownhall.org• Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers Street(212-220-1460) Subway: A, 1, 2, 3 to Chambers Street www.tribecapac.org• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South at 11th Street(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street www.villagevanguard.com• Wild Birds 951 Dean Street(347-896-5056) Subway: A, C to Franklin Avenue www.wildbirdsbk.com• Zankel Hall 881 Seventh Avenue at 57th Street(212-247-7800) Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th Street www.carnegiehall.org• Zinc Bar 82 W. 3rd Street(212-477-8337) Subway: A, C, E, F, V, Grand Street Shuttle to W. 4th Street
www.zincjazz.com• Zürcher Gallery 33 Bleecker Street(212-777-0790) Subway: 6 to Bleeker Street; B, D, F to Broadway-Lafayettewww.galeriezurcher.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | MARCH 2022 39

s i g u r d h o l e Roraima
Roraimas i g u r d h ol e
Featuring

trygve seim
frode haltlihåkon aasehelga myhrtanja orning
per oddvar johansen

cd | download | streaming

Available now on sigurdhole.bandcamp.com

Featuring: trygve seim | frode haltli | håkon aase | helga myhr | tanja orning | per oddvar johansen