heart of gold - The New York City Jazz Record

January 2011 | No. 105 

Your FREE Monthly Guide to the New York Jazz Scene 

aaj-ny.com 

eLLIS 

MARSALIS 

heart of gold 

AAJ-NY’S 

SPECIAL FEATURE 

Steve Coleman • Nels Cline • smallsLIVE • Event Calendar 

2010 

BEST OF

4 

6 

7 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

26 

42 

49 

51 

New York@Night 

Interview: Steve Coleman 

by Tom Greenland 

Artist Feature: Nels Cline 

by Martin Longley 

On The Cover: Ellis Marsalis 

by Laurel Gross 

Encore: Lest We Forget: 

Ted Brown Tony Williams 

by Clifford Allen by Donald Elfman 

Megaphone VOXNews 

by Roland Vazquez by Suzanne Lorge 

Label Spotlight: Listen Up!: 

smallsLIVE Stefan Zeniuk 

by Alex Henderson & Joe Hertenstein 

Festival Report: Berlin-New York Festival 

CD Reviews: Angelica Sanchez, Dave Holland, Mike Pride, 

David Murray, Mary Stallings, Jack Walrath, Billy Hart and more 

Special Feature: Best Of 2010 

Event Calendar 

Club Directory 

Miscellany: In Memoriam • Birthdays • On This Day 

Managing Editor: Laurence Donohue-Greene 

Editorial Director & Production: Andrey Henkin 

Staff Writers 

David R. Adler, Clifford Allen, Fred Bouchard, Stuart Broomer, Thomas Conrad, 

Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman, Sean Fitzell, Graham Flanagan, Kurt Gottschalk, 

Tom Greenland, Laurel Gross, Alex Henderson, Marcia Hillman, Terrell Holmes, 

Robert Iannapollo, Francis Lo Kee, Martin Longley, Suzanne Lorge, 

Wilbur MacKenzie, Gordon Marshall, Marc Medwin, Russ Musto, Joel Roberts, 

John Sharpe, Elliott Simon, Jeff Stockton, Celeste Sunderland, Andrew Vélez, Ken Waxman 

Contributing Writers 

Lyn Horton, Brandt Reiter, George Kanzler, Roland Vazquez 

Contributing Photographers 

Scott Friedlander, Peter Gannushkin, Susan O’Connor, 

John Rogers, Jeff Strout, Jack Vartoogian 

AllAboutJazz-New York 

www.aaj-ny.com 

Happy New Year to you, our dear readers. And with a new year comes that 

inevitable special feature, the Best Of spread. It’s a remarkable exercise, really. 

Despite repeated death knells, literally thousands of jazz CDs are released each 

year, from the (decreasing) major labels to the slew of independent imprints and 

self-released discs. And we at AllAboutJazz-New York have studiously gone 

through most of them to bring you our Best Of 2010. Our snazzy full-color spread 

features Musicians, Labels, Clubs, Performances, Albums, Unearthed Gems, 

Tribute Recordings, Reissues, Latin jazz releases, Debuts, Boxed Sets, Large 

Ensemble releases, Vocal albums, Books and Cover Art. And if that isn’t enough 

for you, check out our Honorable Mention border for another 115 albums the staff 

at AllAboutJazz-New York feel well represent the state of jazz today. As difficult as 

it may be to pore through so much music and decide what is best, the overall 

message is that jazz is still healthy, (not-so) wealthy and wise. 

But just as we take a look back, we also look forward to another fruitful year 

of jazz. This month, the new National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters are 

fêted at an award ceremony at Rose Theater, including our Cover musician, 

pianist and jazz family patriarch Ellis Marsalis. Cold weather in NYC brings the 

annual Winter Jazzfest to five West Village venues for a weekend, featuring 

dozens of groups including those led by saxist Steve Coleman (Interview) and 

guitarist Nels Cline (Artist Feature). And don’t miss two pieces of jazz history: 

octogenarian Ted Brown (Encore) makes a rare NYC appearance at The Kitano 

and late legendary drummer Tony Williams (Lest We Forget) is celebrated by a 

Lifetime tribute at Blue Note featuring former bandmember Jack Bruce. 

With a new year in front of us, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank 

everyone involved with jazz for their continued efforts: musicians, listeners, 

record labels, clubs, publicists and, yes, even jazz writers. 

We’ll see you out there... 

Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director 

On the cover: Ellis Marsalis (photo by Jeff Strout) 

In Correction: 

Last month’s Unearthed Gem was incorrectly credited; it was written by Ken Dryden. 

Submit Letters to the Editor by emailing info@allaboutjazz-newyork.com 

US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $30 (International: 12 issues, $40) 

For subscription assistance, send check, cash or money order to the address 

below or email info@allaboutjazz-newyork.com. 

To Contact: 


116 Pinehurst Avenue, Ste. J41 

New York, NY 10033 

United States 

Laurence Donohue-Greene: ldgreene@allaboutjazz-newyork.com 

Andrey Henkin: ahenkin@allaboutjazz-newyork.com 

General Inquiries: info@allaboutjazz-newyork.com 

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ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | January 2011 3

NEW YORK @ NIGHT 

4 January 2011 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK 

© 2010 Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos. 

There are just a few pianists with the stature and sheer 

musical resources to carry off a full week of solo piano 

at the Village Vanguard. Fred Hersch is one of them 

and he set the precedent in 2006. Martial Solal and 

Cecil Taylor have followed suit with week-long solo 

showcases of their own. By the time Hersch played the 

final set of his triumphant return engagement (Dec. 

5th), he was extremely limber and fully at ease, 

summoning a huge yet rounded and intimate sound 

from the grand piano dominating the stage. “In the 

Wee Small Hours of the Morning” was his opener, a 

radiant ballad framed by unsettled left-hand tremolos 

at the beginning and end of the take. Rarely a flashy 

player, Hersch tends to keep his considerable chops in 

reserve to suit the music. But here, after 11 previous 

sets, he was flying. His articulation on the dark but fast 

6/4 of “Echoes” was hair-raising. His midtempo swing 

on “Lee’s Dream” (based on “You Stepped Out of a 

Dream”) was bristling and full of surprise. His 

lyricism on “Doce de Coco” was without peer. His 

encore, Sonny Rollins’ “Doxy”, followed a route 

similar to “You’re My Everything” from Hersch’s 

latest trio album Whirl - all improvisation until the 

very last round, when the melody finally emerged. 

Thelonious Monk’s “Work” also found Hersch deep in 

swing and discovery, landing like a gymnast after a set 

of risky moves. If this was work, he wasn’t letting it 

show. A live recording is due from Palmetto in March 

2011. - David R. Adler 

Fred Hersch @ Village Vanguard 

Having won the 2010 Thelonious Monk Competition, 

vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant was first to appear in 

the Tribeca Performing Arts Center’s annual “Monk In 

Motion” finalists’ showcase (Dec. 4th). The Miamiborn, 

French-American Salvant has a thing for choice 

old repertoire - the Bessie Smith vehicles “You’ve Got 

to Give Me Some” and “Take It Right Back”, Valaida 

Snow’s minor-key burner “You Bring Out the Savage 

in Me” - and she’s capable of rendering these in a 

vintage ‘30s style. But set against pianist Dan 

Nimmer’s tight Red Garland-esque solos and the 

boppish groove of bassist John Webber and drummer 

Pete Van Nostrand, Salvant’s singing took on a 

modern glow. Her banter was minimal and stiff - give 

her some years and her stage presence will surely 

improve. But the singing was playful and charismatic 

on “Love for Sale”, “I Only Have Eyes for You”, “If I 

Only Had a Brain”, “Laugh Clown Laugh” and a 

number of more obscure items, such as Benny Carter’s 

ballad “Love, You’re Not the One for Me”. Her pitch 

was unerring in all registers and her clever dynamics - 

from frail pianissimos to exaggerated fortes on smartly 

chosen vowels - had the effect of drawing listeners into 

every lyric. In a nod to the great James Moody, she 

closed with a soulful “Moody’s Mood for Love”, 

exuding a personal connection to the material and to 

the history of jazz itself. Moody was badly ailing that 

very moment and he passed less than a week later. 

(DA) 

Keith Rowe has spent the last few decades taking the 

guitar as far away from its guitarness as he can. But in 

the last few years, at least since his Four Gentlemen of 

the Guitar project, it seems he has been bringing it 

back to, oh, ‘guitaricity’, let’s call it. In part this has 

been the result of working with other deeply abstract 

guitarists, such as Oren Ambarchi and Christian 

Fennesz, who both retain a little more of the electric 

six-string sound than usually emanates from Rowe’s 

tabletop setup. In a breathtaking trio with Ambarchi 

and Canadian electronicist crys cole at Littlefield Dec. 

4th, it was the accidental sounds of guitars and HVAC 

units that punctuated the quiet purr of their three 

tables of gear. The only orthodox sounds coming from 

the two guitars (and more likely Ambarchi’s) were 

what, in other forms, would be heard as mistakes: a 

brushed strum or fingertips moving against the 

strings. Otherwise the guitars were speaking foreign 

tongues as cole, with her array of effects, added to the 

layers of hushed hums and disembodied buzzes. The 

venue’s heating fan made the group into an 

inadvertent quartet, adding blocks of white noise 

throughout, which was a distraction only if it was 

allowed to be. Problematic, perhaps, but still in the 

industrial couture of the dark room, the fan (often 

louder than the players) had a way of reinforcing the 

delicacy of the sounds being produced, an effect rather 

like a wall made with glass bricks and clouds. 

- Kurt Gottschalk 

Keith Rowe, crys cole and Oren Ambarchi @ Littlefield 

Muhal Richard Abrams has made a career of not 

resting on his laurels. As cofounder and spiritual 

father of the Association for the Advancement of 

Creative Musicians, Abrams has spent close to 50 years 

lobbying for innovative approaches within jazz 

traditions. Even still, the music he presented for an 

Interpretations birthday tribute at Roulette Dec. 2nd 

(Abrams turned 80 in September) could hardly have 

been predicted. He began the concert with a series of 

resounding gong crashes, then moved to a decidedly 

metallic, celestial synthesizer. Adam Rudolph joined 

in with soft congas, then Tom Hamilton on second 

synth, all very quietly. Synthesizer experiments have 

long been a subplot to Abrams’ work, but it’s not 

something he’s often presented live. The piece built 

slowly, Abrams playing more pianistic, Rudolph’s 

percussion growing more rhythmic, Hamilton 

eventually falling off into a wavering white noise, 

before the leader turned to the grand piano and 

Rudolph picked up a shakuhachi. The second set for 

the standing-room-only night was closer to 

expectations, an acoustic group with longtime 

collaborators Marty Ehrlich (bass clarinet) and Brad 

Jones (bass), Jay Clayton singing lyrics of spiritual 

consciousness. More conventional instrumentally, the 

second half was still markedly subdued, a direction 

Abrams’ playing has gone in recent years. But overall, 

the evening was a fine celebration of an artist who 

continues to look forward. (KG) 

Photo by Peter Gannushkin/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET

© 2010 Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos. 

Cutting contests are a time-tested tradition known to 

spur participants to competitive heights, so pairing 

guitar heroes John Scofield and Robben Ford on the 

Blue Note stage Dec. 12th made good artistic sense, 

that and the fact that they both played with Miles 

Davis and have a deep way with the blues. Ford’s 

style, like his vintage guitars (he switched off between 

an Epiphone, a Gibson SG and a Telecaster), is rootsy, 

turbocharged yet delicately nuanced, his bell tone and 

driving riffs creating a horn-like effect; in the midst of 

a solo he is liable to get fired up like a gospel preacher 

and deliver scorching, jaw-dropping testimony. 

Scofield, sporting a well-worn pink Stratocaster, was 

more cosmic, exploring the ‘strat-ospheric’ limits of 

harmony and melody even as he kept it earthbound 

with tasty string-bends and in-the-pocket chording. 

They opened with Scofield’s “North Agnus” in a funky 

swing feel; covered Robert Johnson’s “Travelin’ 

Riverside Blues” with Ford singing to Scofield’s 

thumb-strummed rhythms; delivered ripping lines 

and wailing bends on the classic “Good Morning Little 

School Girl” and tastily harmonized a slow original 

blues, phrasing together with the laid-back empathy of 

a Count Basie horn section. “Chumley” followed, then 

a nice arrangement of Ray Charles’ “Busted”, capped 

by “Loving Cup” with Ford back on vocals. Who won 

the cutting contest? That’s like comparing a delicious 

apple to a delicious orange. They both did. 

- Tom Greenland 

Robben Ford/John Scofield Band @ Blue Note 

Latin jazz legend Eddie Palmieri brought his octet to 

the 92nd Street Y Dec. 5th for a sit-down concert of 

stand-up music. The frontline of Brian Lynch 

(trumpet), Louis Fouché (alto sax) and Ronnie Cuber 

(baritone sax) was backed by a ferocious rhythm 

section including Luques Curtis (bass), José Claussell 

(timbales), Vincent Rivero (congas) and Orlando Vega 

(bongos/cowbell), marrying first-rate improvisations 

to propulsive percussion. Palmieri opened alone, 

hunched over the Steinway grand in a snug suite, 

ruminating over a medley of “Y Not?” (dedicated to 

the venue), “Doña Tere” and “Iraida” (for his wife), 

singing along unconsciously in a muffled baritone. The 

band hit with “Chocolate Ice Cream”, a slow, icebreaking 

cha-cha, then cranked up to full flame on 

“Pecadillo”, followed by “Tema Para Reneé” and 

“Palmas”. The soloists seemed to get better as the 

night aged: Lynch was immediately impressive for his 

effortless high chops and fluent ideas, often finishing 

his solos with a trademark ‘swallowing’ of the mic 

with his horn bell; Cuber dug deep into his soul ‘bag’ 

and Palmieri masterfully played over, under and 

around the pulse. At one point the leader half-jokingly 

invited the audience to dance in the aisles (Was he 

remembering the Palladium Ballroom of the ‘50s?), but 

a fan ruefully informed him the ushers wouldn’t allow 

it. Despite the fire regulations, the second set was 

equally hot, with a muy caliente conga solo from 

Rivero and an incendiary encore. (TG) 

Following his month-long commissioned residency at 

the Jazz Gallery in November, Ambrose Akinmusire 

unveiled the fruits of his labor with performances of a 

series of new compositions performed there by his 

quartet of pianist Sam Harris, bassist Harish Raghavan 

and drummer Justin Brown. The culmination of an 

eventful year that found the award-winning trumpeter 

touring with the SFJAZZ Collective and capturing a 

coveted contract with Blue Note Records, Akinmusire 

expressed his gratitude for the commission, which 

afforded him the opportunity to settle in to write and 

rehearse the new music that clearly documented his 

formidable abilities as a composer. While much 

attention has been paid to his considerable skill as an 

idiosyncratic instrumentalist with a distinctive voice 

and prodigious technique since his taking of first prize 

in the 2007 Thelonious Monk Institute Trumpet 

Competition, it is really as a composer that 

Akinmusire stands out among the artists of his 

generation. Premiering new works, many of which had 

not yet been titled, in his first set at the Gallery (Dec. 

3rd) he exhibited the same sense of restraint and 

dramatic use of space in his writing that has long 

characterized his playing, making the most of the 

pared-down instrumentation of the trumpet quartet, 

pieces often opening with a single player setting a 

mood that would be dynamically expanded to 

orchestral grandeur, each flowing into the next with 

subtlety and suite-like beauty. - Russ Musto 

Ambrose Akinmusire @ Jazz Gallery 

The Rodriguez Brothers celebrated the release of 

their new CD Part I Mood Swing at Zinc Bar (Dec. 2nd) 

with an exciting set that epitomized the spirit of the 

hip West Village venue and the New Dimensions in 

Latin Jazz series it hosts in conjunction with Sauter 

Pianos, provider of the long-awaited grand piano that 

now occupies a prominent place on the stage upon 

which many of the finest artists of the genre regularly 

fire up the room. Although trumpeter and pianist Mike 

and Bob Rodriguez are well known for their sideman 

work with various jazz and Latin greats, it is in the 

context of their co-led quartet that the true extent of 

their talents comes to the fore. The result of a lifetime 

of playing together, the brothers’ ability to 

complement each other’s voices stands squarely at the 

center of the sound of the group that includes Jazz at 

Lincoln Center Orchestra bassist Carlos Henriquez and 

versatile drummer Clarence Penn, whose cowbell and 

clave block-augmented trap kit spiced up the grooves 

of the band with an AfroCuban flavor. With each of the 

co-leaders contributing compositions to the repertoire, 

the band made the most of the individual talents of the 

small group’s members to produce a full, powerful 

sound. Robert’s opening “The Closer” took astute 

harmonic advantage of his brother’s huge tone to make 

up for the absence of another horn while Mike’s 

“Peacemaker” utilized his sibling’s acute rhythmic 

sensibility to create a multihued canvas over which to 

improvise. (RM) 

©johnrogersnyc.com 

WHAT’S NEWS 

The winners of the 2010 Latin Grammys have been 

named. Winner of Best Latin Jazz Album is 

Sambolero - João Donato Trio (Dubas Música- 

Universal Music/Acre Musical). Winner of Best 

Instrumental Album is A Time for Love - Arturo 

Sandoval (Concord Jazz). For more information, visit 

latingrammy.com. 

The nominees for the 2010 Grammys have been 

announced, to be awarded in February. Relevant 

categories (starting at #44, just after Best New Age 

Album) are Best Contemporary Jazz Album: The 

Stanley Clarke Band - The Stanley Clarke Band 

(Heads Up International); Never Can Say Goodbye - 

Joey DeFrancesco (HighNote); Now Is The Time - 

Jeff Lorber Fusion (Heads Up International); To The 

One - John McLaughlin (Abstract Logix) and 

Backatown - Trombone Shorty (Verve Forecast). 

Best Jazz Vocal Album: Eleanora Fagan (1915- 

1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee - Dee Dee 

Bridgewater (Emarcy); Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B - 

Freddy Cole (HighNote); When Lights Are Low - 

Denise Donatelli (Savant Records); Ages - Lorraine 

Feather (Jazzed Media) and Water - Gregory Porter 

(Motéma Music). Best Improvised Jazz Solo: Alan 

Broadbent; Herbie Hancock; Keith Jarrett; Hank 

Jones and Wynton Marsalis. Best Jazz Instrumental 

Album: Positootly! - John Beasley (Resonance); The 

New Song And Dance - Clayton Brothers 

(ArtistShare); Historicity - Vijay Iyer Trio (ACT Music); 

Moody 4B - James Moody (IPO Recordings) and 

Providencia - Danilo Pérez (Mack Avenue). Best 

Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Infernal Machines - 

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society (New 

Amsterdam); Autumn: In Moving Pictures Jazz - 

Chamber Music Vol. 2 - Billy Childs Ensemble 

Featuring The Ying String Quartet (ArtistShare]; 

Pathways - Dave Holland Octet (Dare2); 54 - 

Metropole Orkest, John Scofield & Vince Mendoza 

(Emarcy-Universal); Mingus Big Band Live At Jazz 

Standard - Mingus Big Band (Jazz Workshop, Inc.). 

Best Latin Jazz Album: Tango Grill - Pablo Aslan 

(ZOHO); Second Chance - Hector Martignon 

(ZOHO); Psychedelic Blues - Poncho Sanchez 

(Concord Picante); Chucho’s Steps - Chucho Valdés 

and The Afro-Cuban Messengers (Four Quarters 

Entertainment) and ¡Bien Bien! - Wayne Wallace 

Latin Jazz Quintet (Patois Records). Best 

Instrumental Composition: “Aurora” - Patrick 

Williams; “Battle Circle” - Gerald Clayton; “Box Of 

Cannoli” - Tim Hagans; “Fourth Stream...La Banda” - 

Bill Cunliffe and “The Path Among The Trees” - Billy 

Childs. Best Instrumental Arrangement: Vince 

Mendoza; Patrick Williams; Gil Goldstein; Ted Nash 

and Frank Macchia. Best Liner Notes: Ashley Kahn. 

For more information, visit grammy.com. 

Bassist Esperanza Spalding has been chosen to 

host Find The Beat, a progressive new television 

show on PBS stations. The programs intends to join 

Spalding with a group, a band or solo musician to 

explore the roots of their music. For more 

information, visit pbs.org. 

The Brussels Jazz Orchestra has announced the 

deadline for its sixth annual International Jazz 

Composition Contest in 2011. Composers under the 

age of 41 are invited to submit their composition for 

big band to the Orchestra by Mar. 15th in order to 

compete for the €3,000 prize. For more information, 

visit brusselsjazzorchestra.com. 

Submit news to info@allaboutjazz-newyork.com 


Photo by Peter Gannushkin/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET 

INTERVIEW 

Alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, originally from Chicago, 

now makes his home in Allentown, PA when he’s not taking 

creative ‘sabbaticals’ overseas. Chief spokesperson for 

M-Base, a collective approach to creative improvisation, his 

art and teachings are at the epicenter of a global movement 

that has rippled through a whole generation of young 

musicians. This month, in addition to hosting his longrunning 

Monday night workshops at Jazz Gallery, he’ll 

bring his Five Elements band to Winter Jazzfest and appear 

with Jeff “Tain” Watts at Jazz Standard. On the phone from 

Bahia, Brazil, Coleman had plenty on his mind. 

AllAboutJazz-New York: What are you up to these 

days that might be new for people that have been 

following your career? 

Steve Coleman: New? My life is pretty much always 

the same. I’m always looking for different ways to 

express myself and try to get better at that. I wouldn’t 

call it new because that’s what I’ve been doing pretty 

much since I started playing. Most of my activities are 

private. I think that’s true of most musicians, actually, 

but it’s definitely true of me. Most of the things I do are 

not things that people see in public; the things that 

they see...are the results of those private things...a 

performance or [they] hear you on record or see you on 

video, something like that. 

That kind of stuff is a very small part of what we 

do. I mean, nobody performs 365 days a year, but you 

still live 365 days a year [laughs]... So, between making 

records...you might make two records a year, at the 

most three, [or] if you’re the type of person that plays 

a lot with other people...then you might make more, 

but still it’s a small thing compared to how much you 

actually touch your instrument or how much musicmaking 

you’re actually doing. Most musicians do that 

in private, either at sessions or a combination of 

rehearsals, research or practicing; those things take up 

most of your time... That’s sort of like...a boxer training 

two months for one fight which lasts 12 minutes 

[laughs]. 

The things that I’m excited about are...the actual 

research and everything. That’s what makes me get up 

every day and that’s what I get excited about doing. 

The performance thing is just a matter of what kind of 

culture you live in. Today the way we do it is you play 

before an audience in either clubs or concert halls or 

some other kind of mixed venue like that; that’s pretty 

much the format. I wish it was a little different, but 

that’s the way it is... As far as projects, I’m presently 

working on writing this large piece...for a band in 

Philadelphia called the Warriors of the Wonderful 

Sound... I’m down in Brazil now. I go on 

these...sabbaticals to work on things... [T]here’s [also] 

a concert I’m doing in France...Normally I’m just 

playing with my band, Five Elements. 

AAJ-NY: Are there day-to-day things that you do to 

help keep your creativity going? 


Steve 

Coleman 


SC: Well, the thing that inspires me most, other than 

the work of other people...is probably nature and just 

noticing different...ways that nature appears to be 

operating. I say “appear” because it’s all through how 

we interpret it. And I’m not saying that I know what’s 

happening, but just how things appear to me and what 

I can discover in my life. You see certain patterns, you 

notice certain things and then you try to understand 

that. And for me music is the perfect kind of medium 

to symbolize a lot of that stuff because music involves 

movement: movement of sounds and things like that. 

I’ve always been fascinated with nature, from the 

time I was a little kid...so it was a natural progression 

to go into that area when I got into music... That kind 

of stuff fascinates me...everything from the 

microscopic stuff all the way up to the galaxies, black 

holes and all that...and I always try to figure out ways 

of expressing my relationship to that through sound. 

And then how to tell stories with that, because for me 

the main part of music is to tell stories, some kind of 

narrative, on some level. Not necessarily a story like 

what you would write in a book, like “Once upon a 

time...”, because most of the time I’m dealing with 

music that doesn’t have words... So, [in] the stories I’m 

dealing with, the music is symbols for the stories. 

That’s my main thing. I’ve traveled to very far places 

on this earth to try to figure out how people have 

approached that, how people have told stories with 

music. 

AAJ-NY: How do you teach improvisation and 

creativity? 

SC: Well, the first thing I noticed is that creativity is 

very personal... Lots of people have methods, but 

that’s not my approach... If I were sitting down oneon-one 

with a person, the first thing I would try to do 

is try to figure out where they’re coming from, what 

are their strengths, what tendencies do they gravitate 

toward, what are their weaknesses and things like that. 

And then I automatically adjust - I’m improvising even 

while I’m teaching - to where they’re coming from. 

Now with a group, that’s a little more difficult, 

because you have different people there with different 

kinds of weaknesses and things like that... Recently I 

gave a workshop in Philadelphia and there’s this 

group of young people who had been studying 

improvisation, but they’re at different levels... There 

were a couple of young guys there that were fantastic; 

they were really far ahead...and I’ve run into these 

people many, many times...and it’s like these prodigy 

guys were waiting for you to get there, because they’re 

the ones that can really understand what you’re saying 

and what you’re doing, ‘cause they’re right on the 

precipice of getting there themselves... But most of the 

people, they couldn’t even sing back a melody to you if 

you sang to them [laughs]... Most of them are not 

going to go on to be professional musicians... So you 

have to get a feel for where they’re at and find some 

median point that you can talk to... So I might talk 

about improvisation, but I won’t talk about 

improvisation over rhythm changes or something like 

that that’s too advanced; it might be over something 

like “Happy Birthday” - something that everybody 

knows that you’ve heard all your life. And so, you’re 

building a bridge from the known to the unknown. 

You’re taking something that they know, something 

that they’re very familiar with and then you’re talking 

about your concepts dealing with that material, so they 

can really see how it’s transformed and they can see 

the unfamiliar things in relation to what they know... 

We gave a workshop in Morocco once, where the 

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 50)

Photo by Scott Friedlander 

ARTIST FEATURE 

The guitarist Nels Cline is onstage at Le Poisson 

Rouge, the Bleecker Street joint where he’ll be 

appearing again this month as part of the Winter 

Jazzfest. He has so many effects pedals ranged around 

his feet that he’s virtually performing a tap dance as he 

switches from one unit to another, triggering and 

capturing, squalling and seething, layering and 

looping. He comes across as a kind of brutalist Bill 

Frisell, roaring out of stinking no wave alleyways 

rather than ambling across the dusty, open prairie. 

There’s a pronounced urban-metallic character to 

Cline’s chosen sounds. 

Cline has opened up an evening that celebrates the 

music of Cibo Matto, his wife Yuka Honda’s old band. 

He’s playing a solo set, which is probably the best way 

to experience (and maybe mentally contain) the vast 

sonic vocabulary that’s habitually employed. He’s a 

builder and a sculptor, but Cline also enjoys tearing 

down what he’s just created, then choosing another 

path completely, whether angularly serrated or 

soaringly architectural. 

Cline’s Winter Jazzfest appearance will involve 

the Stained Radiance project, a collaboration with LA 

action painter Norton Wisdom. The pair’s previous 

NYC gig was at the old Leonard Street Knitting 

Factory, just over two years back. Cline was inhabiting 

an introverted soundscape while Wisdom wiped, 

stroked and splashed oily, watery mixtures onto a 

large plastic screen. Cline couldn’t help but create a 

deeply sympathetic aura once Wisdom began his 

fascinating process of a work that’s in perpetual 

motion, built up in marvelously spontaneous detail, 

symbiotically figurative and abstract, then wiped off 

or transmogrified as soon as his next idea seeps to the 

fore. Wisdom matches immense immediate technique 

with an almost casual disposability and Cline’s guitar 

shapes hovered like saturated dark clouds, ready to 

burst and gush forth. Even if the guitarist’s sonic pus 

was to shower liberally over Wisdom’s work, it’s 

certain that the painter would embrace the experience, 

to swirl up some new arcane image. 

I grabbed hold of Cline during the break between 

jam sets at Le Poisson Rouge, quizzing him over the 

pair’s first meeting. “I first saw Norton perform in the 

seminal trio Panic, around 1980 or ‘81,” he recalls. “In 

some studio in Venice, California. They were pretty 

relentless! Back then Norton used to paint really fast. 

He’s slowed down now and is more considered, 

perhaps, in his work.” 

I ask Cline who follows who or whether they’re 

encouraging an ongoing, hurtling mixture. “It’s very 

much the latter. I wanted to start performing in duet 

with Norton to attempt a true exchange between him 

and me. We don’t discuss anything prior to playing. In 

most situations I’ve seen Norton in, he is sort of a 

sideshow, maybe sort of tacked on to the proceedings 

for extra color or something. He used to paint 

sometimes while my first trio played, but perhaps 

oddly, I am not really into having ‘visuals’ when 

Nels 

Cline 

by Martin Longley 

performing my own compositions! So, I wanted to try 

something that really focused on him and his craft and 

that was an excuse for me to interact with him in some 

way. It is maybe unclear even to me where I am 

reacting to him and him to me, but we don’t worry 

about it, I guess.” 

One of the impressively prolific Cline’s four 2010 

albums was his Dirty Baby project, which combined 

discs with art books (two of each), in a lavishly 

presented boxed set. Cline is making compositional 

responses to the paintings of Ed Ruscha. Could the 

guitarist be blessed with an actual art-training 

background or does he just have a naturally beady eye 

in the art gallery? “I was raised to love art,” he says. 

“My brother Alex was always a gifted visual artist. As 

kids we were art-obsessed. This went hand-in-hand 

with our music obsession, since the age of maybe 9 or 

10. But I have no formal training. I used to be pretty up 

on the contemporary art scene when I had a job in an 

art book store in Santa Monica for years.” 

The chosen name of The Nels Cline Singers for his 

main outlet might seem willfully perverse, lending the 

feeling that this is some kind of breezy scatting 

ensemble. 

“It’s just me having fun,” Cline laughs. “I wanted 

to keep my name in the band name, so maybe people 

would show up at the gigs, find the records, you 

know? I wanted a generic word and ‘singers’ seemed 

both funny or clever in maybe an arch or cheeky, but 

generic, way. Metaphorically, it seems kind of serious, 

‘singing’ representing the coherent or compelling 

‘voice’ of the instrumentalist. Then calling the first 

record Instrumentals was the little joke in totality. It’s 

really funny now, though, because I am starting to use 

my voice for wordless singing, so I have totally blown 

the whole joke!” 

Even though Cline’s style might be open to 

stylistic elements of a wide-ranging roster of rock and 

jazz guitarists, he sieves everything so that his own 

voice is paramount. He doesn’t quite sound like 

anyone else. “I never tried to have a style, but things 

just seemed to creep in over time. And as for effects 

and the like, I started using them totally accidentally in 

an improvising group in the late ‘70s called Spiral. I 

was trying to be Joe Pass or Pat Martino or someone, 

although without any real knowledge or discipline. 

Anyway, Vinny Golia left an old tube Echoplex in my 

room where we used to play all the time back then. The 

rest is history! I seemed to have a natural feel for these 

things, so I eventually threw out my purist tendencies. 

To me, pedals are just like colors on a palette, not some 

template to be pondered endlessly or imitated. It 

should perhaps be noted that my longest-lasting 

musical influences are either psychedelic music or 

sound manipulation, sonic wonders of some sort. 

Certainly not only ‘60s rock, but also music like 

Massacre with Fred Frith or Sonic Youth, exemplify 

this, to name only two. Very influential. And Pat 

Martino!” K 

For more information, visit nelscline.com. Cline is at Le 

Poisson Rouge Jan. 8th as part of the Winter Jazzfest. See 

Calendar. 

Recommended Listening: 

• Vinny Golia - Openhearted (Nine Winds, 1979) 

• Gregg Bendian/Nels Cline - Interstellar Space Revisited 

(Atavistic, 1998) 

• Acoustic Guitar Trio - Vignes (Long Song, 2003) 

• Nels Cline - New Monastery (A View Into the Music of 

Andrew Hill) (Cryptogramophone, 2006) 

• Nels Cline - Dirty Baby (Cryptogramophone, 2008) 

• ROVA/Nels Cline Singers - Celestial Septet 

(New World, 2008) 

Junior Mance 

… Jazz pianist 

Hide Tanaka….Bassist 

at 

Café Loup 

EVERY SUNDAY 

6:30 - 9:30 pm 

Junior Mance Quintet 

first Sunday 

of each month 

NO COVER, JUST AWARD WINNING JAZZ AND FOOD 

105 West 13th Street 212-255-4746 

www.juniormance.com 


ON THE COVER 

Ellis Marsalis 

heart of gold 

by Laurel Gross 

Ellis Marsalis Jr. has accomplished a lot during his 

distinguished life in jazz - creating beauty as a firstclass 

pianist and composer, guiding and inspiring 

budding musicians through his unswerving devotion 

as an educator in or near his hometown of New 

Orleans and with his wife Dolores producing a family 

of six that includes four high-achievers with notable 

jazz lives of their own. 

Marsalis, who celebrated his 76th birthday this 

past November, has further reason to celebrate. This 

month he receives the National Endowment for the 

Arts’ Jazz Master Award. And in an unprecedented 

move in the 29-year history of the award, the NEA has 

chosen to bestow this honor on a family of musicians 

rather than solely on individuals. So Marsalis’ four 

musical sons - Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason - 

also will receive official Jazz Master status at a 

ceremony and concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose 

Theater on Jan. 11th. (The $25,000 fellowship part of 

the award will go to the parent.) 

Marsalis has never been one to stand still and he 

isn’t going to start now. The day before the award 

ceremony he’ll be participating in a public panel 

discussion at Jazz at Lincoln Center representing the 

family and four other 2011 honorees and then swing 

up Broadway to the Apple Store at 67th Street to give 

an hour-long performance tied to the release of his An 

Open Letter to Thelonious in iTunes’ new digital ‘LP’ 

format (bonus features including video). And Music 

Redeems, the CD of a live performance the family gave 

at the John F. Kennedy Center to benefit The Ellis 

Marsalis Center for Music in New Orleans Musicians’ 

Village, was released last summer (proceeds go toward 

construction of that multi-use facility that will include 

performance, education and recording spaces). With 

all that the elder Marsalis has accomplished and with 

everything that’s going on currently, could there be 

anything he hasn’t gotten around to that he would 

have liked to do? Anyone he would have liked to play 

with, whom he didn’t get to play with, for instance? 

What if he could pick anybody, from any time? 

“Well, I remember...,” Marsalis laughs. It’s a nice 

laugh and, like his playing, it’s fully engaged, totally 

present. “I remember I told Miles Davis one time, 

‘Yeah, man, I always wanted to play with you.’ And he 

said, ‘You’d better be glad you didn’t because whoever 

played with me is dead.’” He laughs and there’s 

nothing half-way or small about it. “Yeah, there was so 

much to learn playing with Miles you know. I think I 

would have enjoyed playing with Coltrane too.” 

But he did get around to many other things, 

including his family; they’ve each found their own 

way to be themselves within the music. You’d 

probably have to be a resident of another planet 

devoid of outside communication not to have heard of 

second son Wynton, who grew up to become a trumpet 

phenomenon, bandleader and composer and is also 

Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Music 

Director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and a 

tireless advocate for the music. It would also be hard 

not to know about first-born Branford, an impressive 

and in-demand tenor saxophonist who has an 

entrepreneurial spirit, heading his own record label, 

Marsalis Music. Third son Delfeayo has made his mark 

as a trombonist and as a record producer. Drummer 

Jason, the youngest in the family, also plays 

vibraphone. Like their father, all of the Marsalis 

brothers compose music. (The proud parent says a 

piece written by Jason, heard on Music Redeems, will be 

performed at the awards event.) 

Juggling performing with a full plate of teaching 

and then directorships of jazz studies programs at 

universities, the elder Marsalis has remained an active 

presence on stages in New Orleans, earning respect as 

a prominent figure there. Early on he recorded with 

Cannonball and Nat Adderley (billed as one of the 

“new stars” of New Orleans for 1962’s In the Bag), 

played with like-minded modernists whether local or 

from farther afield (a combo with drummer Ed 

Blackwell and others got the attention of Ornette 

Coleman) and there was work with Al Hirt and others. 

When asked if anything in particular brought him 

to jazz, Marsalis recalls, “There was only one radio 

station in the city that played music at least the first 10 

years of my life. And most of it wasn’t jazz. I’m not 

sure when I first heard it. But now and then I heard 

Artie Shaw’s group - the Gramercy Five. And I liked 

that. And they would play Louis Armstrong now and 

then, not a lot. So I think that by 12 or 13… I was in 

high school and got to know people in the city who 

had the same type of interests and put a little band 

together with some friends. That had a practical side. 

We figured we could put some money in our pockets. 

So we just learned and imitated the popular musicians 

of the day. Which was rhythm and blues, and that 

music, R&B, is very close to what would become jazz 

on a more advanced level anyway. But some people 

went beyond rhythm and blues, some didn’t. I did 

have one ‘ah-ha’ moment, though it didn’t ‘introduce’ 

me to it. When I was in high school Dizzy Gillespie 

came with his band to New Orleans and I got to hear 

him. And I knew that’s what I want to do.” 

Interestingly, Marsalis didn’t start out on the 

piano nor listening to pianists. “I started out playing 

clarinet and then saxophone, so I was listening mostly 

to saxophone. Mostly that was local R&B. There was a 

tenor player with Fats Domino’s band and another guy 

I can’t remember his name, he was just called Batman. 

He was with a group called Roy Brown and his Mighty 

Men. Eventually when I started to buy records I would 

listen to recordings that were suggested by friends. 

And Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt used to come here 

all the time... By the time I was close to graduation 

from college I went to a jam session one Sunday and 

heard a tenor player named Nathaniel Perrilliat and 

after I heard him, I put the tenor in its case and never 

took it out again.” So it was time to figure out what to 

do at that point. “I had studied piano with a teacher 

but I wasn’t serious. I would just play and doodle 

around on it. But I had some piano skills so I decided I 

was going to have to go with that because I wasn’t 

going to play tenor and clarinet had been gone, 

Photo by Jeff Strout 

because it was played in symphony orchestras or 

traditional jazz and I didn’t have anybody I knew who 

was playing traditional jazz and the symphony was 

out.” Oscar Peterson became an influence. 

And for all of his sons’ accomplishments, Marsalis 

is emphatic that he cannot take credit. He says he was 

not their first teacher and didn’t push music on them. 

“It was there for them to become involved in. New 

Orleans is such a diverse place. They all went to the 

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts where they were 

really exposed across the board.” 

After conducting an informal but by no means 

comprehensive survey of nearly a dozen of his 

recordings, one can’t help wondering what might have 

happened if Marsalis had moved to New York after 

getting out of the Marines in 1958. It’s hard not to 

entertain the thought that he might have greatly 

increased his chances of becoming more widely known 

and appreciated (much sooner) as a highly gifted jazz 

pianist and composer outside his hometown. Hearing 

his Piano in E/Solo Piano, recorded live during a onenight 

concert in 1986, a kind of farewell concert on the 

occasion of his relocating to take up a professorship 

and directorship at the University of Richmond, 

putting the period to a 12-year residency at the New 

Orleans Center for Creative Arts, you feel you are in 

the hands of a master. Picking your favorite track of 

these seven would be like being forced to choose a 

favorite child - they all have their strengths. Marsalis 

may not have gotten to New York but the road he did 

take yielded remarkable results. Not only did he 

inspire his sons but the list of former students who 

benefited by his tutelage approaches a Who’s Who of 

younger players: Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, 

Harry Connick Jr. and Donald Harrison. 

It might have been a bit easier if the young Ellis 

Marsalis had been able to have the Ellis Marsalis who 

fostered all those students to guide him. As he sums 

up, “There were no schools that were particularly 

going to present things to you in any sequenced 

order.” But you come across music and people and the 

experiences build and add up. “But you have to be 

susceptible to be receiving what is presented. You 

never know when you first hear something or 

somebody and it sort of grabs you.” K 

For more information, visit ellismarsalis.com. Marsalis is at 

Apple Store Upper West Side Jan. 10th and Rose Theater 

Jan. 11th. See Calendar. 


• Nat Adderley - In The Bag (Jazzland-OJC, 1962) 

• Eddie Harris/Ellis Marsalis - Homecoming 

(Spindletop-ELM, 1985/2009) 

• Ellis Marsalis - Heart of Gold (Columbia, 1991) 

• Ellis Marsalis - Ruminations in New York 

(ELM - ESP-Disk, 2003) 

• Ellis Marsalis Quartet - An Open Letter to Thelonious 

(ELM - Nu-Jazz Entertainment, 2007) 

• The Marsalis Family - Music Redeems 

(Marsalis Music, 2009) 


Ted Brown 

by Clifford Allen 

ENCORE 

Perhaps there’s a 

simple reason why 

followers of creative 

improvisation are 

inspired by and have 

embraced the music of 

‘50s ‘00s the school around 

pianist-composer Lennie Tristano. Tenorman Ted 

Brown, who began studying with Tristano in 

November 1948 and continued working with him 

throughout the ‘50s, puts it this way: “Tristano taught 

me how to get as free as possible on a tune and its 

structure. We would practice a tune enough that it 

became second nature - it was a feeling more than 

something strict or clearly laid out.” 

Brown was born Dec. 1st, 1927 in Rochester, NY 

and had the good fortune of a musical family. Brown’s 

father, a professional pilot, was recruited following 

Pearl Harbor and was eventually stationed in 

California, necessitating a move to the West Coast in 

October 1943. “By the time I got to Redondo Beach in 

the fall, all the classes had filled up and I wasn’t sure 

what to take. I wasn’t planning on taking music 

classes, but band was one of the few things still open, 

so I joined the school band.” 

Brown graduated in 1945 from Long Beach High 

School, where he’d transferred a year earlier and had 

started playing in an area rehearsal band. “I got on a 

USO tour of the army bases that fall... I was shipped off 

to Virginia for eight weeks of basic training, but since I 

listed my occupation as a musician, I was able to be in 

the army band. It was very boring - our training was 

like how to go up and down a C Major scale. I got to 

know some other musicians, though, like the Chicago 

saxophonist Lloyd Shad, who really got me listening to 

Lester Young. Don Ferraro was also there and Red 

Mitchell. I first heard Charlie Parker in the Army.” 

It was also during his service that he visited New 

York City for the first time, and saw Lester Young, 

Allen Eager and Bud Powell. After being discharged, 

Brown went back to Southern California, sitting in on 

sessions in LA and San Pedro. But New York was 

calling, so Brown moved there in September 1948. His 

Army buddy Bob Stacy, a clarinetist, was a student of 

Lennie Tristano and recommended he stop by a 

session; that November, Brown began studying with 

him. “I finally found someone to answer my questions 

LEST WE FORGET 

Tony Williams (1945-97) 

by Donald Elfman 

He wants people to feel that drums are the most beautiful 

instrument in the world, as romantic as violins, heroic as 

trumpets. It’s not a matter of style, of who plays what how. 

- Mike Zwerin on Tony Williams 

Tony Williams was born in Chicago on Dec. 12, 1945. 

His family moved to Boston and he studied at an early 

age with drummer Alan Dawson. By age 13 he was 

playing professionally with Sam Rivers and at 16 was 

hired to work and record with Jackie McLean. In his 

early years he also recorded with trumpeter Kenny 

Dorham, pianist Andrew Hill, reedman Eric Dolphy 

and trombonist Grachan Moncur III. 

At 17, Williams received the call of a lifetime. It 

was Miles Davis and Williams was off to play in the 


about chord changes and progressions and I also 

wanted to become more confident in my improvising. 

Lennie convinced me that I only needed some basic 

information and helped me to understand chords and 

rhythmic figures. 

“At the beginning, sessions were on Wednesday 

and Saturday. I played with Lennie and the drummer 

Al Levitt on Wednesday nights while Warne [Marsh] 

and Lee [Konitz] played on Saturdays. When Lee went 

on the road with Stan Kenton in 1952, I substituted 

with him on Saturday.” From 1952-55, Brown had a 

lesson once a week with Tristano and made the 

Saturday sessions. The 32nd Street studio was 

condemned in 1956, forcing the end of the New York 

school. Marsh moved to Los Angeles to find work and 

Brown, who had recently married, followed suit that 

year. “We had some pretty good gigs at the Lighthouse 

in Hermosa Beach and in Hollywood. Three weeks 

after I got there, Warne had a date for Imperial, which 

came out as Jazz of Two Cities.” 

Marsh’s manager was pushing him toward a 

group with Art Pepper, so Ted left the band and, tiring 

of LA, returned to New York in April 1957 to begin 

raising a family. “In 1961, my day job was with a 

company that went bankrupt right before Christmas - I 

had two kids and a wife and I wasn’t sure if I could 

make rent. My wife was from Massachusetts so we 

moved to Lawrence, MA. and I got a job in a textile 

mill, which I completely hated.” 

In 1972, a former student who was interested in 

learning some of Tristano’s lines asked Brown to sit in, 

which got him playing again. He returned to New 

York in 1976 after the mill laid him off; Brown began 

spending time with Konitz and they gigged together in 

New York and New Jersey, which resulted in the 

Konitz-Brown quintet recording Figure and Spirit 

(Progressive). Music was becoming, once again, a 

major factor - in 1987, he went to Holland with pianist 

Hod O’Brien and he later worked with Konitz and 

Dutch pianist Rein de Graaff. This European live 

presence, though still sporadic, resulted in recordings 

for Criss Cross Jazz and SteepleChase, including dates 

with Konitz, pianist Harold Danko and guitarist Steve 

LaMattina. As for his current group, bassist Joe 

Solomon, a student of Tristano, invited Brown to a 

session with pianist Michael Kanan. “He impressed me 

right away; I could sense where he was and everybody 

was listening and interacting... Improvising in this 

way, when it happens and everyone is aware, is what 

keeps me sane and healthy.” At 83 years old, we can 

only hope for many more opportunities like this from 

Brown and his mates. K 

legendary band with Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, 

Wayne Shorter and Miles. Davis, in his autobiography, 

called Williams, “the center that the group’s sound 

revolved around.” From 1963-69, Williams was the 

drummer on 15 Davis recordings - from Seven Steps to 

Heaven through In A Silent Way. 

Williams was also a leader and composer. In 1964 

he had recorded the first album under his own name, 

Lifetime, for the Blue Note label and also composed the 

album’s five tunes. A year later the label released his 

Spring, with five more Williams originals. 

In 1969, Williams left Miles Davis to become a 

leader once again. The Tony Williams Lifetime - with 

Larry Young on organ and John McLaughlin on guitar 

- was one of the most electrically volcanic and original 

of all the emerging fusion bands. Lifetime combined 

rock, rhythm and blues and jazz in a most inventive 

way and its first album, Emergency, is one of the most 

dynamic and exciting albums ever recorded. 

In the mid and late ‘70s, Williams reconnected 

Brown is at The Kitano Jan. 12th. See Calendar. 


• Ted Brown - Free Wheeling (Vanguard, 1956) 

• Warne Marsh Quintet - Jazz of Two Cities 

(Winds of Marsh) (Imperial-Capitol Jazz, 1956) 

• Lee Konitz - Figure and Spirit (Progressive, 1976) 

• Ted Brown - Free Spirit (Criss Cross Jazz, 1987) 

• Ted Brown - Preservation (SteepleChase, 2002) 

• Ted Brown - Shades of Brown (SteepleChase, 2007) 

January 11th 

Santi Debriano 

Quartet 

January 25th 

Jorge Sylvester 

and Ace 

with former bandmates, playing with Shorter, 

Hancock and Carter (Miles was replaced by Freddie 

Hubbard) in V.S.O.P. and with John McLaughlin with 

Trio of Doom, alongside bassist Jaco Pastorius. 

The ‘80s found Tony fronting another group, this 

time a quintet including Wallace Roney (trumpet), 

Mulgrew Miller (piano), Bill Pierce (tenor and soprano 

saxophone) and Charnett Moffett (bass). The band 

toured and recorded (six terrific albums for Blue Note, 

reissued by Mosaic) into the early ‘90s. 

Williams lived and taught in the San Francisco 

area but on Feb. 23rd, 1997 died of a heart attack after 

routine gall bladder surgery. He will be remembered 

as a player who helped change the role of the drums. 

In person he was extraordinary to watch and hear, 

creating powerful polyrhythms and finding a world of 

colors in his playing and writing. K 

A Tony Williams/Lifetime Tribute is at Blue Note Jan. 27th- 

30th. See Calendar.

MEGAPHONE 

Is This Music Essential? 

by Roland Vazquez 

What is essential about the music we call jazz? What 

will the role of our music be in the future? While 

engaged in two wars, with millions of neighbors out of 

work, others facing foreclosure and natural disasters 

of unprecedented scale and frequency (hurricanes, 

earthquakes and epidemics) abounding and nearby, 

who has the time to wonder what is essential about 

music? Or the role of the musical experience in our 

society? Especially if that music demands of the 

listener extra time, space or attention to engage? When 

music functions as background or support for a social 

event - quite possibly, there is no fundamental 

“essential-ness” actually to experience. 

Some may see music as merely supplemental to an 

external event; but “music is movement” and 

(conscious) “movement is music”. Therefore, our 

participation “in” music, either directly or indirectly 

(even as listener) is hardly supplemental. I believe that 

music (like food) is a basic fundament of society or 

culture. Musical experience exists as a mirror of an 

individual - or a societal - sense of “self-awareness”; a 

forum for integrity of mind and vocabulary of 

emotion, a practice where science and philosophy are 

simultaneously interpreted through individual artistry 

to memorialize time. Music has also been a real-time 

reflection of the political will gathered by suppressed 

societies to survive even the most challenging of 

circumstances. Consider the powerful legacies of 

certain refugee groups: the great music given by the 

African-Americans (in spite of slavery and the struggle 

to establish civil rights); AfroCuban music (from 

colonial slavery through the revolutions and embargoes 

of the 20th century) and even the works composed by 

those living through the concentration camps of WWII 

(eg, Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time”). All 

represent the power of an essential communityspecific 

music speaking in and to the moment - 

immersed in the struggle at hand; but very often 

suggesting purpose and possibility beyond extreme 

circumstantial situations. Nothing supplemental about 

that. Throughout recorded history, various cultures 

have practiced events where the whole community 

was elevated via a musical experience, where everyone 

was included - at the level they could best contribute - 

as musicians, singers and dancers. Some African 

languages have one word meaning both music and 

dance at the same time (eg, Swahili “ngoma”, meaning 

by Suzanne Lorge 

VOXNEWS 

Ever since pop-sounding vocal jazz began to find a 

place among mainstream music listeners, 

traditionalists have fretted over the dearth of ‘real’ 

jazz singers. All this fretting might be misplaced; not 

only are the veteran singers booking big rooms and 

touring as always, but a whole new crop of young 

singers have learned their lessons well and are 

stepping out onto international stages in a big way. 

Ernestine Anderson has recorded almost 30 

albums, most for Concord Records. This past spring 

she performed at Dizzy’s Club and the live recording 

of that show, Nightlife (HighNote), will hit the street 

this month. On the recording Anderson simply stands 

in the middle of her tunes, each polished by her 80some 

years of circumspection, and lets the music 

develop around her. And on the title cut, an aching 

blues number, she asserts the triumph of music over 

hardship - a decidedly un-pop message. 

“dance” or “music” or “drum”). In the Sudanese Dinka 

culture, a man’s wealth is determined by ownership 

(usually of cows), but his dignity, grace and/or 

generosity are defined by how he dances. In that 

culture, “no lying is possible in the dance”. There is no 

lying within a “true” performance. 

Within the secular gospel we call jazz, an artist’s 

lasting power is defined by their mastery of technique 

as well as their depth of emotion. Tone and technique 

are fundamental of course - the truth emerges through 

virtuosity - and remains within the intent of the 

performer. It is something we cannot measure with 

words, but we can definitely feel and by which we are 

lifted. That particular magic can be what moves us 

even 20 years after we first hear a work - or 40 years 

after it was recorded. The physicality of sound is gone 

in a few seconds - but the deep feelings we experience, 

catalyzed by the artist’s sincerity, can last a lifetime. 

Jazz is “open air” music - a form best experienced 

live in a room. There is nothing like being there when 

real players are engaged in dialogue, their instruments 

ablaze with intent and technique - no matter the style 

or culture behind the music. The limitations of sonic 

environment can disappear in the fire of a musical 

event. Jazz, like classical music, is not only “of the 

moment” (as per the depth of the dialogue within the 

performance) - but also “of the room” or acoustic 

environment, where the resonance of a particular 

environment acts like a “yin” to the “yang” of the 

fundamental sounds generated by the performers. The 

dimensionality and quality of the “room sound” is a 

major factor towards the believability of what we are 

hearing in the classical or jazz recordings we all love. 

In many of those cases, it was simply the musicians 

together, in a room with a microphone and their music. 

Most of what is truly essential about music 

happens live - beginning with our attention and 

participation and ending with memories we can recall. 

From my experience within the jazz tradition, the 

empathy or understanding that is communed between 

the performer and the audience, though completely 

invisible, exists as a palpable force in the room: 

whether in the roar of the Basie Band or in the triple 

pianissimo of a Gonzalo Rubalcaba ballad. 

This invisible exchange exists as a basis for an 

emotional catharsis - or perhaps a healing. It is a real 

resource that flows out through the artist to the 

audience. I refer here to a “simpatico”, a “beyond 

words” agreement of spiritual energy between the 

musician and the listener - through an actual 

experience. This is the essential part of all music - no 

matter when or where it happens. K 

Cécile McLorin Salvant was born about 60 years 

after Ernestine Anderson and yet, stylistically, she 

could easily be mistaken for Anderson’s contemporary 

from another decade (if not for improvements in 

recording technology). Like Anderson, she connects to 

her material effortlessly - and engages us with her 

honest and emotional delivery. Yes, you can hear in 

her performance all of the influences jazz singers often 

cite but Salvant does not imitate, does not brandish 

any well-practiced technique. This past October 

Salvant won first place in the Thelonious Monk 

International Jazz Vocals Competition; part of the 

prize is a contract with Concord Records. While we 

wait for her first Concord release, we can play (again 

and again) her debut CD, Cecile (Sysmo Records), 

recorded this past spring in France with the Jean- 

François Bonnel Paris Quintet. We’ll have to wait even 

longer - 60 years, maybe - to see if this is one who lasts. 

My money is that she is. 

Other bearers of the flame: Charenée Wade 

For more information, visit rolandvazquez.com. Composer/ 

drummer/producer Vazquez’ most recent release The Visitor 

(RVD) was funded in part by a grant from the Aaron 

Copland Fund for Music. This AfroLatin jazz project features 

an allstar 19-piece band - some members of which have been 

performing his music for over 20 years. A self-produced 

recording artist since 1978, his music is available on his label 

RVD. He was on faculty at Manhattan School of Music 

(1988-98) and at the University of Michigan (2000-06), 

where he taught ensembles and jazz composition. 

placed second in 2010, right behind Salvant. She also 

released her first CD this year, Love Walked In (s/r); it’s 

full of smart moments and informed choices, such as 

the vocalese version of Monk’s “Evidence” 

composition with Coleman Hawkins. Nancy Marano is 

also a smart, informed singer. On Magic (Laughing 

Face Productions), Marano joins forces with pianist 

Mike Renzi, drummer Grady Tate, bassist Steve 

LaSpina, trumpeter Claudio Roditi, saxophonist Joel 

Frahm and composer Michel Legrand, who wrote the 

title song. Magic, indeed. 

January Notes: Cassandra Wilson headlines Blue 

Note Jan. 6th-9th, followed by Kurt Elling in a Sinatra 

tribute Jan. 10th; Tierney Sutton appears at Birdland 

on the same program as violinist Regina Carter Jan. 

9th, then on her own Jan. 11th-15th; Feinstein’s hosts 

Gabriele Tranchina Jan. 23rd; Jane Monheit and Mary 

Stallings pay tribute to Sarah Vaughan at Allen Room 

Jan. 21st-22nd and Deborah Latz takes the stage at 

Miles’ Café Jan. 7th and Cornelia Street Café Jan. 29th. K 


smallsLIVE 

by Alex Henderson 

It’s safe to say that very few independent jazz labels 

are doing the type of thing that pianist Spike Wilner is 

doing with smallsLIVE. The New York City-based 

label is not only unusual because it releases live 

recordings exclusively, but also because all of those 

recordings are being made in one particular venue: 

Smalls Jazz Club in the West Village. So far, the label 

has put out 16 CDs and the label plans to continue 

building its catalogue in 2011. 

“I’m in a unique position on a lot of levels,” 

explains Wilner, founder/president of smallsLIVE and 

manager/co-owner of Smalls. “I’m a professional jazz 

musician myself, I have a label and I have access to an 

incredible array of musicians at Smalls.” 

Looking at the catalogue, one sees an impressive 

list of players (some as leaders, some as sidemen) that 

includes Albert “Tootie” Heath, Jimmy Cobb, 

Mulgrew Miller, Eric Alexander, Larry Willis, Peter 

Bernstein, Jim Rotondi, Ryan Kisor and Ari Hoenig. 

smallsLIVE, Wilner says, reflects his belief that live 

performances are a crucial part of the jazz experience 

and need to be recorded as much as possible. In fact, 

an extensive collection of archived live performances 

at Smalls can be heard on the club’s website. 

“As a long-time professional jazz musician,” 

Wilner comments, “my favorite records are the live 

Peter Bernstein 

Live at Smalls 

LABEL SPOTLIGHT 

STEFAN ZENIUK was born in New York City. He 

currently resides in Brooklyn. He plays saxophones 

and clarinets, composes lots of music, makes videos 

and paints. His group, Gato Loco, will be releasing 

their new album on Winter & Winter records this 

February. He is working on his first symphony, scored 

for 100 tenor saxophones. 

Teachers: Tim Berne was my first mentor. He gave me 

my first sax when I was nine and we spent a lot of time 

together. I studied formally with Andy Laster and Jon 

Elliott in high school and in college I studied 

composition with Annea Lockwood and Richard 

Wilson. 

Influences: The Lounge Lizards, Albert Ayler, Eddie 

Palmieri, Dewey Redman. 

Current Projects: My own groups, Gato Loco 

Coconino and Gato Loco de Bajo; I’m also a member of 

Tin Pan and I am Lieutenant Conquistador of the 

Baritone ARMY. 

By Day: I busk in the parks. 

Seamus Blake 


LISTEN UP! 

I knew I wanted to be a musician when... I first heard 

David S. Ware warming up three floors above me. I 

had never heard such a large, ear-splitting cry in my 

life. That was amazing. 

Dream Band: Machito’s band from the AfroCuban Jazz 

Suite recording session. If I could have been playing 

second tenor or bari in THAT band, I think that would 


ones: Sonny Rollins at the Village Vanguard, 

Thelonious Monk at the Blackhawk, Miles Davis at the 

Blackhawk. Those are the ones that, as an artist, you 

want to hear. The studio ones are nice, but you’re 

always eager to find an example of Coltrane live or 

Miles live or Sonny Rollins live or some other great 

artist live because that really exposes them in the truer 

way. You get a real sense of what they’re about and 

what they’re dealing with. And that spontaneous 

energy that you get in a live situation is what we are 

trying to capture.” 

Wilner had been performing at Smalls for over a 

decade when he became a co-owner in 2007. The 

following year, smallsLIVE entered the planning stage 

- and in April 2010, Wilner’s label officially started 

releasing CDs. Wilner stresses that the label, like the 

club itself, is not about any one particular musician but 

rather, a community of musicians. 

“A lot of jazz labels will sign one artist and then 

try to push the heck out of that one guy, but that’s hard 

to do,” Wilner emphasizes. “It’s hard to take one jazz 

artist and make them a star. But collectively, you can 

make an impact - and that is what we are going for 

with smallsLIVE. I don’t want people to think of just 

one artist when they think of Smalls Jazz Club or 

smallsLIVE. It isn’t just one artist; it’s Peter Bernstein, 

it’s Ethan Iverson, it’s Seamus Blake, it’s a community 

of artists. These guys, together, create an impact. And 

that’s how I’m trying to develop the smallsLIVE 

catalogue.” 

Wilner adds that because Smalls is well known all 

Iverson/Heath/Street 


be all I could ever ask for. 

Did you know? I made an instrument that is a baritone 

sax that shoots five feet of flame out of its bell. I call it 

the Flame-O-Phone. 

For more information, visit myspace.com/zeniuk. Gato Loco 

is at Bowery Poetry Club Jan. 2nd and Drom Jan. 19th and 

Gato Loco de Bajo is at ACE Hotel Jan. 29th. See Calendar. 

Stefan Zeniuk 

Raymond Clement 2010 

Joe Hertenstein 


Ari Hoenig 

Drummer and composer JOE HERTENSTEIN 

released his first album as a leader on Clean Feed 

Records in November 2010. He holds a Master of Arts 

degree from Queens College as well as a diploma from 

HfM Cologne, Germany. He moved to New York in 

January 2007, lives in the Jazzdorms in Brooklyn and 

works frequently on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Teachers: Keith Copeland, Michael Kuettner, Gene 

Jackson. 

Influences: Riverside, Impulse, Columbia, Prestige, 

over the world he can use the Smalls brand to build 

smallsLIVE as a label. “With Smalls, we have 

developed an international reputation as a jazz club,” 

Wilner notes. “When people visit New York, they find 

Smalls. They come to Smalls even if they don’t know 

who is playing because the reputation of the club is so 

good. What I can do with smallsLIVE is brand the 

name - and instead of trying to get traction on the 

reputation of a certain artist, we can do it on the 

reputation of the club.” 

Talking to musicians who have had extensive 

dealings with Smalls Jazz Club, it is obvious that one 

of the things they appreciate about the venue is the fact 

that Wilner himself is a working jazz musician. 

Acoustic pianist Bruce Barth, who has a trio album 

coming out on the label in 2011, observes: “The first 

thing about Smalls that is striking is the vast quantity 

of music on a given night and so much of it on such a 

high level. Being a very fine pianist himself, Spike 

books musicians he respects, whether young or old, 

famous or little known. Furthermore, it’s one of the 

only places left where musicians feel welcome to hang 

out. So on a given night, one can go downstairs and 

count on hearing quality music and running into 

musicians - sometimes friends one hasn’t seen in a 

long time. And you never know who may sit in.” 

Drummer Ari Hoenig, another familiar face at 

Smalls, asserts: “Smalls is a place run by musicians for 

musicians... I think what Smalls is doing right now is 

setting the pace for the future of jazz: clubs having 

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 50) 


Spike Wilner 

Blue Note, ECM, Winter & Winter, Enja and many 

indie labels. Frank Gratkowski, Matthias Schubert, 

Norbert Stein, Carl Ludwig Huebsch. Elvin, Jack, Tony 

Williams and Oxley, Milford, Paul Motian and Lovens, 

Douglas & Zorn, Braxton, Alice Cooper, Waits, Cash 

and Bach. 

Current Projects: HNH features Thomas Heberer and 

Pascal Niggenkemper, HNHB is HNH plus Joachim 

Badenhorst and TØRN is with Achim Tang and Philip 

Zoubek. My singer/songwriter project is Joe Stone and 

I work for several groups as a sideman. 

By Day: Watering my trees and bushes, planting new 

seeds, booking flights. 

I knew I wanted to be a full-time musician when... 

I joined the contemporary new music ensemble of 

young musicians of Germany, France and Switzerland 

called DLE - Three Countries Ensemble - at the age of 

14, with which I toured all over Europe. When I 

learned that the majority of the older half of the 

ensemble members already studied music at 

conservatories and universities, I was hooked. 

Dream Band: William Parker, Evan Parker and 

Masabumi Kikuchi. 

Did you know? I am working on a website to promote 

musicians living in the Jazzdorms: thejazzdorms.com. 

For more information, visit myspace.com/joehertenstein. 

HNH is at Downtown Music Gallery Jan. 23rd. See Calendar.

(c) Susan O’Connor, www.jazzword.com 

FESTIVAL REPORT 

Berlin-New York Festival 

by Ken Waxman 

Günter Baby Sommer 

Berlin came to Brooklyn with a bang Nov. 26th-28th, 

with eight bands from the German capital playing at 

the Irondale Cultural Center. Much of that bang came 

from Günter Baby Sommer, Michael Griener and 

Christian Lillinger - three of Germany’s top 

percussionists, each featured with several bands. The 

festival exposed New Yorkers to a cross-section of 

Berlin’s best improvised music from elder statesmen 

and innovative younger players alike, most who 

record for the German Jazzwerkstatt label. 

One electrifying stylist was alto saxist Henrik 

Walsdorff playing in a trio alongside bassist Jonas 

Westergaard and Lillinger. With a harsh tone as renal 

as it was razor-sharp, the saxist bit off great raw note 

chunks and chewed them over before regurgitating 

them as shredded split tones. Lillinger, whose 

rockabilly coif and frequently frenzied motions make 

Hyperactive Kid - the name of his own trio - fittingly 

descriptive, draped his body over his kit while 

smacking snares and toms with brushes and sticks, 

shaking a bell tree and occasionally yowling through a 

megaphone to complement Walsdorff’s vocal grunts. 

Picking his strings at the bridge or thumping them, 

Westergaard bemusedly kept the beat going. 

Not only did Sommer, Lillinger’s mentor, and his 

cohort of many decades, pianist Ulrich Gumpert, 

demonstrate live the extrasensory teamwork captured 

on their recent excellent duo disc Das Donnernde Leben 

(Intakt), but he also helped pilot Der Moment, a trio 

with the younger bassist Johannes Fink and the even 

younger trombonist Gerhard Gschlössl. 

Gumpert and Sommer’s set was as far ranging as 

the music they have individually and mutually played 

in careers of over 40 years. The pianist slid some 

Monk-isms into the turnaround of a funky blues; a 

medieval German air was tweaked into modernity 

when the drummer’s martial rhythms met the pianist’s 

rolling cascades; a dedication to Don Cherry came 

complete with an Ornette Coleman-like dancing 

rhythm and an anti-war song by East German 

dissident Wolf Biermann was simultaneously 

celebrated and deconstructed as Gumpert’s rolling 

staccato chords joined Sommer’s hard-handed parade 

ground beat and police-whistle shrilling. 

Slinky slides, capillary whinnies, tremolo fluttertonguing 

and elephant-like snorts characterized 

Gschlössl’s solos with Der Moment. Meanwhile 

Sommer ranged widely, here emphasizing a beat with 

an upturned elbow, there leaping in front of his bass 

drum to hit it solidly, frequently shaking maracas and 

waving his drum sticks in the air and at one point 

pounding his toms with faux American Indian war 

party beats. Ending with a gospelish original 

embellished by Gschlössl’s plunger work, the set 

encompassed Saxony marches, 52nd Street-styled 

swing and a Bavarian take on the New Thing. 

With an identical instrumental makeup and just as 

spectacular in performance was Squakk: trombonist 

Christof Thewes, bassist Jan Roder and Griener. 

Squakk’s set featured demarcated crescendos and 

finales and overall was tighter then Der Moment’s. 

Like Gschlössl, Thewes’ ‘bone work included 

gutbucket guffaws, rugged cup-muted blasts and 

tailgate-styled chortles. Thewes was also capable of 

fluent smoothness when blowing legato timbres from 

an open horn while Griener offered up rolls, drags and 

ratamacues, sometimes buzzing staccato abrasions 

from drums rims and sides. 

All of Squakk was integrated into the Gumpert 

Workshop band, whose series of suites climaxed the 

Jazzwerkstatt festival. Thewes’ composition “The End 

of Dow Jones” was more provocative in title than 

execution, but it did give space to tenor saxophonist 

Uli Kempendorff’s smears and shouts; slippery 

altissimo runs from Walsdorff and harmonized riffs 

from the alto saxophone or clarinet of Michael Thieke. 

More substantial as an arrangement was “Worlds 

Apart”, written by trumpeter Paul Brody, who the day 

before, with his Sadawi quintet, used the rhythmic 

talents of Roder and Griener, Michael Winograd’s 

liquid clarinet airs and Brandon Seabrook’s noteshredding 

guitar licks to link improv, Klezmer and 

Balkan music with an overlay of ferocious rock. 

But the festival’s ultimate sound was reserved for 

compositions by bandleader Gumpert, who with 

Sommer - and clarinetist Rolf Kühn, whose otherwise 

young Trio-O of guitarist Ronny Graupe, Fink and 

Lillinger, forged a path blending ‘50s cool jazz with 

contemporary sounds the evening before - confirmed 

that the facility for creating worthwhile jazz, forged 

before many of the improv tyros featured in the 

festival were born, is still fully functioning. 

Gumpert’s bravura recital successively touched 

on Teutonic marches, primitive blues and 

sophisticated layers of jazz from many eras while, in 

true workshop fashion, he utilized each musician’s 

strengths. As the pianist economically comped and 

key-clipped, his mostly linear arrangements 

contrasted Thewes’ laughing brays with Brody’s pure 

tone; or tongue-slapping clarinet from Thieke with 

frenetic, reed-biting intensity from Walsdorff, then 

succeeded by an episode of subterranean fluttertonguing 

from Kempendorff. With Griener proving 

himself as adapt at time-keeping as free time and 

Roder moving from walking to intricate spiccato with 

the same facility, the pianist’s alternating 

impressionistic harmonies or kinetic patterning 

pushed the band to multifaceted crescendos and 

magisterial sonic climaxes. 

For more information, visit jazzwerkstatt.eu 


CD REVIEWS 

The Last Dance 

Dominic Duval/Cecil Taylor (Cadence Jazz) 

Some Other Place 

Agustí Fernández/Barry Guy (Maya) 

Echo Run Pry 

Stephan Crump/James Carney (Clean Feed) 

by Stuart Broomer 

The duo of string bass and piano can look like a 

mismatch, the piano casually covering the pitch range 

of an orchestra with a keyboard that facilitates chords, 

counterpoint and rapid lines with less effort than any 

other acoustic instrument. The bass, by contrast, 

requires substantial effort to play with much dexterity 

at all. Since the Duke Ellington/Jimmy Blanton duets, 

however, pianists and bassists have been finding 

different ways to talk to each other musically. 

There can be few challenges more daunting for a 

bassist than finding a way to play duo with Cecil 

Taylor, but Dominic Duval’s long-presence in Taylor’s 

bands serves him well in The Last Dance, a two-CD set 

recorded at the San Francisco Jazz Festival in 2003. 

Given Taylor’s turbulent onslaught at the keyboard 

and a low-fi recording, Duval will sometimes 

disappear in the mix, but generally he’s up to the 

challenge. He brings a force and fluency to the 

occasion that go beyond accompaniment to create 

distinctive moments in the 67 minutes of the title piece, 

his broken rhythms and rapid glissandi bursting 

though Taylor’s percussive discourse and drawing the 

pianist into genuine dialogue. Duval’s cello-like 

bowing on “Bridge Work” is also effective, the two 

seeming to pursue different directions then suddenly 

coming together in moments of melodic concord. 

Few musicians ever reach the level of interplay 

practiced by pianist Agustí Fernández and bassist 

Barry Guy on Some Other Place. The two have played 

together in a variety of situations, including Guy’s 

New Jazz Orchestra and Evan Parker’s Electro- 

Acoustic Ensemble and it’s immediately apparent that 

they can find similar orchestral color in the duo 

format, from Fernandez’ exploitation of the piano 

strings and dense clusters to Guy’s host of techniques 

ranging from bowed harmonics to rapid-fire pizzicato. 

In range, speed and complexity of line, Guy is the most 

pianistic of bassists and the two musicians here seem 

to tap into common roots in the piano-bass partnership 

of Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro, creating densely woven 

lines in which they become a single complex voice. 

There are moments here of explosive freedom and 

subtle introspection, but they’re all marked by intense 

focus and the spirit of collaboration. 

The approach taken by bassist Stephan Crump 

and pianist James Carney on Echo Run Pry is different 

again, more a slow unfolding of possibilities and a 

search for a common language. The two were playing 

together for the first time as a duo when Crump 

decided to record the 2008 meeting and the results 

reward repeated listening, each trip through the CD 

getting closer to the remarkable level of listening that 

seems to have taken place between them. The disc is 

divided between two long improvisations - “Rodeo 

Gwen” and “Mood Genre” - and each has a strongly 

organic form. There’s very little sense of conscious 

choice going on in the evolution of voices, rather a 

kind of inevitability, as if Carney’s move from the 

keyboard to the piano’s interior is an unconscious act, 

as if Crump’s bow appears in his hand without 


forethought or decision. Everything seems not dictated 

but ordained, in a lyrical movement of the highest 

level. You don’t get overwhelming virtuosity here but 

the sense of individual voices, the degree of empathy 

creating a fluid, linear, conversational form. 

For more information, visit cadencejazzrecords.com, 

barryguy.com and cleanfeed-records.com. Crump and 

Carney play duo at The Stone Jan. 2nd. See Calendar. 

Please Recycle 

Richard Andersson Sustainable Quartet (Blackout) 

Pillow Circles Jorrit Dijkstra (Clean Feed) 

Pas de Dense 

Daniel Humair/Tony Malaby/Bruno Chevillon 

(Zig Zag Territoires) 

by Jeff Stockton 

Since relocating from Arizona in the late ‘90s, saxist 

Tony Malaby has become New York City’s answer to 

Ken Vandermark, appearing as a sideman in an array 

of bands and as a leader of groups specifically styled to 

showcase the multiple facets of his approach to jazz 

music. Malaby sees possibility in crossing cultures and 

three recent releases demonstrate the saxist’s 

familiarity with jazz’ international appeal. 

Richard Andersson is a Danish bassist whose 

Sustainable Quartet (rounded out by Malaby on tenor, 

Sullivan Fortner on piano and Rogerio Boccato on 

drums) has recorded Please Recycle, comprised largely 

of jazz standards, as well as four originals. With as 

many groups as Malaby finds himself in, few offer him 

the opportunity to play as lushly as he does on “Moon 

River” or lets him trip along on a melody as gingerly as 

he does on Steve Swallow’s “Falling Grace”. “What 

Reason Could I Give?” is one of three Ornette Coleman 

tunes covered by the band and Malaby’s thoughtful, 

introspective reading at once shows respect for 

Ornette’s originality and identifies the inherent 

common language few other musicians are able to tap. 

The Sustainable Quartet specializes in tight, coherent 

tunefulness and makes the case for improvisation 

controlled by form as jazz music’s brightest path. 

Malaby is one of four Americans Dutch altoist 

Jorrit Dijkstra has brought together with four of his 

own countrymen on Pillow Circles, a varied and eclectic 

song suite that ranges from AACM-inspired 

minimalism and cerebral abstractions to dreamy rock 

soundscapes and good ol’ free jazz. Each track carries 

its own number and its own dedication: the guitarists 

play pretty in tribute to Fred Frith and unleash the 

feedback for contemporary composer Robert Ashley. 

Dijkstra, Malaby and trombonist Jeb Bishop engage in 

rough-and-tumble collectivism as well as tranquil 

harmony while Oene Van Geel’s viola continually 

supplies bracing textures and atmospherics. Jason 

Roebke (bass) and Frank Rosaly (drums) enable the 

octet to shift and swerve as one on this hypnotic and 

uncompromising song cycle. 

Pas de Dense is the work of a trio completed by 

Malaby’s saxophones and Frenchman Bruno 

Chevillon’s bass under the leadership of veteran Swiss 

drummer Daniel Humair. The CD’s genius is 

threatened to be obscured by its packaging: the tracks 

aren’t listed (merely 12 “sequences” numbered and 

presented in order) and even the title is frequently 

mistaken for “danse” online. Although the pieces are 

improvised, the trio is in complete sync and Malaby’s 

choices, be they whispered or full-throated, are always 

right. This is a special recording and because Malaby 

employs a few of his signature riffs here and there, it 

may just be the perfect place to start to experience this 

compelling artist. 

For more information, visit blackoutmusic.dk, cleanfeedrecords.com 

and zigzag-territoires.com. Malaby co-curates 

The Stone this month and is there Jan. 1st, 12th, 15th, 18th, 

20th, 22nd, 26th-27th, 29th and 30th. He is also at Kenny’s 

Castaways Jan. 7th with Chris Lightcap and 8th with James 

Carney, both as part of the Winter Jazzfest, Cornelia Street 

Café Jan. 13th with Jeff Davis and 29th with Gerald Cleaver. 

See Calendar. 

schaerer-oester.com 

unitrecords.com 

schibboleth 

Andreas Schaerer – voice 

Bänz Oester – bass 

"Best New 

Release 2010 – 

Honorable 

Mention" by 

AllAboutJazz- 

New York 

RECOMMENDED 

NEW RELEASES 

• Helio Alves - Música (Jazz Legacy Productions) 

• Dan Block - Plays the Music of Duke Ellington: 

From His World to Mine (Miles High) 

• Clayton Brothers - The New Song and Dance 

(ArtistShare) 

• Gerald Cleaver’s Uncle June - Be It As I See It 

(Fresh Sound-New Talent) 

• Scott Feiner & Pandeiro Jazz - Accents (ZOHO) 

• Eddie Henderson - For All We Know 

(Furthermore) 

David Adler 

New York@Night Columnist 

• Jim Hall/Joey Baron - Conversations (ArtistShare) 

• Ken Filiano & Quantum Entanglements - 

Dreams From a Clown Car (Clean Feed) 

• Free Fall - Gray Scale (Smalltown Superjazzz) 

• Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw - 

Blues for the Date (feat. Peter Beets) (Challenge) 

• Kirk Knuffke/Kenny Wollesen/Lisle Ellis - 

Chew Your Food (NoBusiness) 

• Undivided - The Passion (Multikulti) 

Laurence Donohue-Greene 

Managing Editor, AllAboutJazz-New York 

• Magnus Broo - Swedish Wood (Moserobie) 

• Do Drugs - Eponymous (ILK Music) 

• Danny Frankel (with Nels Cline & Larry 

Goldings) - The Interplanetary Note/Beat Conference 

(Groundlift.org) 

• KABLYS - Live at 11:20 (NoBusiness) 

• Jason Robinson - The Two Faces of Janus (Cuneiform) 

• Jesper Zeuthen Trio - Eponymous (Blackout) 

Andrey Henkin 

Editorial Director, AllAboutJazz-New York

Our Secret World 

Kurt Rosenwinkel/Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos 

(WOM Music) 

by Brandt Reiter 

For a groundbreaking, idiosyncratic guitarist, Kurt 

Rosenwinkel has, over the last decade and a half, been 

in some ways remarkably consistent. Lately, however, 

Rosenwinkel’s been throwing curve balls. On the latest 

surprise, Our Secret World, Rosenwinkel steps out for 

the first time with a big band, Portugal’s Orquestra 

Jazz de Matosinhos (OJM). 

At face value, Rosenwinkel seems an ideal 

candidate for such a project, his soaring, luminous 

guitar lines tailor-made for flying out of the dense 

aural hurricane only a powerhouse big band can really 

whip up. And this disc is not without such moments. 

But, sad to say, while the album is a perfectly fine 

listen, on the whole it’s a rather pedestrian, repetitive 

affair. Rosenwinkel clearly has a great big band album 

in him; this, alas, is not it. The problem, perhaps, stems 

from Rosenwinkel’s somewhat tangential involvement 

in the project; of the disc’s seven cuts - all from the 

guitarist’s songbook - only one was picked by 

Rosenwinkel himself; the others were chosen by OJM 

arrangers with no input from the guitarist before he 

arrived for the six-day recording session. As a result, 

Rosenwinkel, who’s almost exclusively front-andcenter, 

most often appears to be surfing on top of the 

arrangements, rather than weaving in and out of them. 

As for the arrangements themselves, well, OJM 

has learned its lessons well from icons like Thad Jones 

and Gerald Wilson, but perhaps a bit too slavishly; 

with the exception of Rosenwinkel’s unmistakable 

gleaming tone, there’s little here that would be out of 

place in 1965. More troubling is the sameness of the 

music; put the disc on shuffle and, except for tempo 

changes, it’s difficult to distinguish one tune from the 

next. Of the seven tracks, “Zhivago” is probably the 

standout, but only because it’s possibly Rosenwinkel’s 

best composition; like the other tunes, it seems scarcely 

illuminated by its tepidly rearranged surroundings. 

For more information, visit wommusic.com. Rosenwinkel is 

at Village Vanguard Jan. 4th-9th. See Calendar. 

A Little House (Solo Piano) 

Angelica Sanchez (Clean Feed) 

by Matthew Miller 

“Some kinds of music are best listened to alone and 

without distractions,” writes Carla Bley in a brief, but 

glowing endorsement included on the inner jacket of 

this astonishing performance. “I would place this very 

personal solo piano album in that category.” 

From the first thunderous notes of “Chantico”, the 

foreboding opener that blends prepared piano effects, 

blistering lines and ear-stretching chord clusters, it’s 

hard not to agree with Bley’s assessment. Sanchez 

brings a focused intensity to her improvisations and 

here that intensity is channeled with grace and 

precision through 13 singular performances. 

Improvisations like “Stretched” and “Crawl Space” are 

studies in episodic, spontaneous composition that 

range from simple melodies to pointillistic atonality. 

Throughout these tunes and on equally daring pieces 

like the insistent and polyrhythmic “Up And Over”, 

Sanchez displays both a dazzling technique and a 

single-minded commitment to clarity and structure. 

This approach carries over with the pianist’s 

forays into extended techniques and search for new 

tonal colors. Throughout the title track, Sanchez 

doesn’t hesitate to reach into the piano to pluck or 

stretch a string or transition a line to a toy piano in 

mid-improvisation. Like everything on this thrilling 

album, these displays of extended technique demand 

committed listening, but also richly reward it with 

moments of transcendent beauty. 

As rigorous as many of the improvisations are, it 

is also the moments of quiet levity that make this 

album truly shine. From the original “Glow”, a ballad 

that sounds almost Ellingtonian in its grandeur and 

impressionistic melodicism, to the brilliant reworking 

of Hank Thompson’s country anthem, “I’ll Sign My 

Heart Away”, it’s clear that the leader’s views on 

composition carry over into her role as producer, just 

as it’s clear that A Little House is an artistic high-water 

mark for Sanchez. 

For more information, visit cleanfeed-records.com. Sanchez 

co-curates The Stone this month and is there Jan. 1st, 4th, 

8th solo, 11th, 13th, 28th and 30th. See Calendar. 

The Interplanetary Note/Beat Conference 

(with Nels Cline & Larry Goldings) 

Danny Frankel (Groundlift.org) 

by Sean Fitzell 

The combination of organ, guitar and drums has long 

been associated with groove music. With a wink and a 

nudge, drummer Danny Frankel both acknowledges 

and tweaks this tradition. The music vacillates 

between tightly wound beat-centric workouts and 

impressionistic sketches attuned to sounds and 

textures. The 11 tracks unfold over just 35 minutes 

with segues and repeating themes and play much like 

a psychedelic soundtrack to an imaginary monster 

movie. Such affable irreverence will not surprise those 

familiar with Frankel’s early work in the genresubverting 

Kamikaze Ground Crew or his migrations 

between pop-rock projects and challenging 

improvisation. He’s abetted by similarly stylistic 

skippers, guitarist Nels Cline and keyboardist Larry 

Goldings, both known for their broad musical 

personalities. 

The opener, “Droppin’ Things”, hews to tradition 

with Frankel and Goldings setting a sly midtempo 

groove supporting Cline’s bluesy fuzz-toned runs. The 

leader’s signature use of bongos adds texture, his fills 

effective ripostes to the soloists. All three incorporate a 

variety of instruments and sounds that transcend the 

limits of the typical organ trio. Frankel builds a 

hypnotic rhythm with metals, as the keyboards swirl 

for Cline’s clean single-note ruminations on “That 

Spider on the Wall”. 

Cline wields electric sitar for the brief theme 

“Nefarious”, reprised in three parts, with Frankel’s 

clay pot enhancing the sub-continental flavor. “Apple 

Cider Vinegar” boasts a quirky beat that prods 

Munsters-esque organ while Cline elicits a surftremolo 

from the electric sitar for an amusing 

juxtaposition. Frankel propels “Dark Bob”, alternating 

between sections of slick bongo patter and a swank 

backbeat. Cline’s wry surf-sitar returns for the closing 

“Gypsy Cabster”, which Goldings supports with a 

punchy melodic line and urgent bass movement. 

Rawness and playful spontaneity pervade the 

music and it’s clear that Frankel and company enjoy 

the conference. 

For more information, visit groundlift.org. Nels Cline is at 

Le Poisson Rouge Jan. 8th as part of the Winter Jazzfest and 

Larry Goldings is at Smalls Jan. 6th-8th. See Calendar. 

UNEARTHED GEM 

Unreleased Art, Vol. V: Stuttgart 

Art Pepper (Widow’s Taste) 

by Ken Dryden 

The fifth volume of collector-made recordings of 

Art Pepper to be issued by his widow Laurie, this 

1981 Stuttgart concert finds the alto saxophonist in 

top form, in spite of his declining health and the 

demands of so many consecutive one-nighters. 

Touring with the brilliant pianist Milcho Leviev 

plus the hand-in-glove rhythm team of bassist Bob 

Magnusson and drummer Carl Burnett, Pepper 

overcomes his physical infirmities to put on a great 

concert, many songs being extended workouts. 

Starting with his medium tempo “True Blues”, 

Pepper blends his bop roots with occasional 

dissonant accents that likely came from hearing 

Coltrane’s late recordings while the solos of Leviev 

and Magnusson are firmly in the straightahead 

camp. The pulsating bossa nova setting of “Yours is 

My Heart Alone” is a refreshing change from typical 

jazz interpretations. “Landscape”, one of the 

leader’s signature compositions, is an explosive 

affair with the quartet cooking on all fronts. 

“Patricia”, dedicated to Pepper’s daughter, begins 

as a heartfelt ballad, though the saxophonist 

punctuates it with a number of uptempo runs and 

shrieks while Magnusson’s spacious, lyrical solo 

focuses exclusively on the beauty of the melody. 

The driving hardbop vehicle “For Freddie” is a bit 

distorted (probably from being recorded at too hot a 

level), though this energetic performance doesn’t 

really suffer much from that problem. 

Disc Two opens with a racehorse setting of 

Pepper’s “Straight Life” (a thinly disguised 

reworking of “After You’ve Gone”). Leviev lays out 

after the intro as Pepper is sufficiently buoyed by 

formidable bass and pulsating drums. Leviev’s 

quirky stop-and-go solo is a bit on the showboat 

side but he hardly overshadows the leader. Pepper 

switches to clarinet for the warhorse “Avalon”, 

reminding fans that he had chops to spare on his 

secondary instrument. He introduces his gorgeous 

rendition of “Over the Rainbow” with a playful 

Irish jig-like solo improvisation that disguises his 

intent. The concert finishes with a powerhouse 

interpretation of “Cherokee”. This is a welcome 

addition to Pepper’s considerable discography. 

For more information, visit artpepper.net 


GLOBE UNITY: NORWAY 

Crime Scene Terje Rypdal (ECM) 

Party The Core (Moserobie Music Prod) 

Gromka Frode Gjerstad/Paal Nilssen-Love (Not Two) 

by John Sharpe 

If there is one thing these three discs tell us it is that 

there is no such entity as a Norwegian jazz sound. 

Banish thoughts of the austere sonic equivalent of 

windswept fjords of the kind propagated by the 

country’s most famous jazz export Jan Garbarek. 

What is apparent is that this corner of Scandinavia 

supports a scene thriving in its diversity. 

Guitarist Terje Rypdal has come a long way 

since partnering with Garbarek in composer George 

Russell’s sextet back in 1969. Having now featured 

on over 30 ECM releases, Crime Scene is nonetheless 

a departure. Commissioned for the 2009 Bergen 

Festival, it features the 17-piece Bergen Big Band 

alongside the guitarist’s regular confreres for an 

almost unbroken hour-long suite, blending surging 

rock-tinged sections and atmospheric orchestral 

voicings with samples from crime movies. At times 

the vocal snippets dissipate the energy levels, 

though Rypdal and crew are adept at cranking up 

the adrenaline and both the leader and B-3 organist 

Ståle Storløkken rip it up on “Don Rypero” and 

further excitement comes with the two-tenor-sax 

face-off on “The Criminals”. 

Writing credits on The Core’s Party are split 

between drummer Espen Aalberg and bassist 

Steinar Raknes, perhaps explaining the brawny 

underpinning on this solid mainstream date with 

nicely turned tunes. Opener “Chain” comes on like a 

‘70s-period McCoy Tyner express train, a feeling 

only strengthened by Erlend Slettevoll’s muscular 

piano stylings over a churning riff. Both 

saxophonists take exciting solos, tending towards 

the upper registers and overlapping to good effect. 

In contrast “Blues For Alex” is understated and 

stealthy while “For The Newborn” is a ballad with 

ethereally piping clarinet from Jørgen Mathisen. 

However the closing “Fleksnes Ecstasy - The Party” 

goes off-piste with a hard-driving tenor sax to leave 

the listener wanting more. 

Gromka comprises three lengthy cuts by 

reedman Frode Gjerstad and drummer Paal Nilssen- 

Love who, since accompanying Gjerstad at age 15, 

has developed into one of Europe’s finest. His 

ferocious precision and inventive rhythmic flow is 

in ample evidence across this program of bold 

uncharted explorations. Gjerstad favors a yelping, 

chirruping discourse, like manic sped-up birdsong, 

which intersects obliquely with the pace set by the 

drummer. The spare instrumentation moves from 

the almost inaudible, as in the central portion of 

“Klopotec”, to a veritable wall of sound elsewhere. 

Occasionally the reedman’s extreme register 

whistling, especially on clarinet, becomes so 

undifferentiated as to lose its impact, but his 

sterling work on alto saxophone and bass clarinet is 

more than adequate compensation. 

For more information, visit ecmrecords.com, 

moserobie.com and nottwo.com 


Pathway 

David Cook (BJU) 

by Elliott Simon 

Whether it is the angularity and funkiness of CD 

opener “The Thing”, a delightfully awkward tribute to 

pianist Fred Hersch entitled “Fresh Remnants” or the 

delicate phrasing of “Napali”, pianist David Cook 

travels down more than one interesting Pathway on 

this winning session. Cook is not afraid to allow his 

rhythm section of bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer 

Mark Ferber plenty of juice. They are not loathe to take 

it either and these three musicians are equal partners. 

The notable exception is a wonderfully laid-back and 

lyrical solo rendition of Ellington’s “Come Sunday”. 

Cook has been in NYC for a decade and has 

become a part of the increasingly influential and fertile 

turf known as the Brooklyn Jazz Underground. This is 

surprisingly only his second session as a leader. While 

the approach here is not really ‘underground’, the 

overall feel is crisp, clean and refreshing with a solid 

grounding in the classic jazz piano idiom. 

These three tread with solid but light footsteps 

down trails of both gently moving landscapes - 

witness the very pretty “Robin’s Song” and somber 

scenery as exquisitely portrayed in the pensive “Idly, 

Ideally”. The band can also gallop swiftly as a unit, 

adroitly navigating the quickly changing vistas of the 

title cut. When these trips are finished Cook ambles 

home to the pace of the aptly titled “The Meanderer” 

before heading off to sleep to the strains of a very 

dreamy and gorgeously executed “Lullabye”. 

For more information, visit bjurecords.com. Cook’s trio is at 

Cornelia Street Café Jan. 5th. See Calendar. 

Do It Again 

Nicki Parrott/Rossano Sportiello (Arbors) 


Bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott and pianist Rossano 

Sportiello have returned to the recording studio for a 

second take on the captivating partnership initiated on 

2007’s People Will Say We’re in Love. Think of the sultry 

singers in film noir from the ‘40s-50s and then put a 

bass in the hands of the lovely singer and give her the 

musicality that most of those dames often wished they 

had. Top that off with a perfectly simpatico pianist and 

a choice of tunes just offbeat enough to make a listener 

sit up and take notice. 

Let’s start by singling out the instrumental 

reading of “Climb Every Mountain”. Parrott and 

Sportiello turn the treacly message from The Sound of 

Music into a gorgeous jazz ballad of depth and 

intimacy, avoiding the usual Trapps. Sportiello’s solo 

is wistful, lyrical and smartly pointed and Parrott is 

soulful, directed towards helping to tell the story. 

On “I Love The Way You’re Breakin’ My Heart” 

Parrott’s singing is both little-girlish and sexily adult à 

la Peggy Lee, who made this song famous. It’s a paean 

to the joys of the pain of love and the two find the 

humor without knocking us over the head with it. In 

fact, that’s kind of the way they approach all the vocal 

numbers. Of those, Parrott’s own “You’re the One I 

Think I Waited For” is a song about thinking 

that…maybe…this is that one, a touching performance 

that is somehow both innocent and world-weary. 

The instrumentals are swinging and show off - but 

not too much - the dexterity and sensitivity of both 

players. They run down the bebop on “Idaho”, an old 

Bud Powell feature written by R&B legend Jessie 

Stone, and Sportiello even jazzes the classics, taking 

music by Robert Schumann and making it, with 

Parrott’s spirited help, move and groove. 

This sweet time closes with “Two Sleepy People”, 

a tune that Bob Hope made famous. Here, both players 

sing and both retain the charm and give it a new spin. 

That’s really what this recording is all about. 

For more information, visit arborsrecords.com. Sportiello is 

at Tribeca Performing Arts Center Jan. 6th as part of 

Highlights in Jazz and Smalls Jan. 22nd with Harry Allen. 

Parrott is at Saint Peter’s Jan. 12th. See Calendar. 

Hands 

Dave Holland/Pepe Habichuela (Dare2) 

by Terrell Holmes 

Although he established a Hall of Fame career years 

ago, Dave Holland continues to grow as a musician, 

exploring new territories like a restless sojourner. The 

latest example of this is Hands, a collaboration with 

legendary Spanish flamenco guitarist Pepe 

Habichuela. Holland spent time in Spain and 

immersed himself in flamenco culture, learning to 

adapt the acoustic bass to the flamenco idiom. In doing 

so he has helped to create a memorable recording. 

Immediately, on the title cut, Habichuela 

establishes the style that’s made him an icon. He can 

skillfully explore the lower range of his guitar with no 

loss of power, as he does on “El Ritmo Me Lleva”; or 

balance fierceness and tenderness as he does on “My 

Friend Dave”, a heartfelt solo tribute to Holland. His 

trademark strumming and soft lyrical lines are driven 

by Holland’s underpinnings and the supporting band, 

including Habichuela’s brother Carlos Carmona and 

son Josemi Carmona on guitars (Carmona is the actual 

family name; Habichuela is a stage name that means 

“bean”), with brother Juan Carmona and Israel Porrina 

(Piraña) on cajón and percussion. 

Holland plays with a creativity and lyricism 

unmatched by most bassists. Listen to how perfectly 

his plucked bass sings the dolorous “Camaron”. And 

Holland’s fantastic flamenco/jazz opening statement 

on “Bailaor” evinces that he has embraced the Gypsy 

in his soul. Holland contributes a couple of originals, 

which, although not written for flamenco, aren’t 

forced. “The Whirling Dervish” features Josemi at the 

lead; the younger Carmona plays with less strumming 

than his father but his fingers are no less ablaze. 

Holland’s stellar performance on “Joyride” lights a 

path for the Carmona family to follow and the result is 

five minutes of brilliance. Similarly, the dance floor 

beckons with the energetic “Subi La Cuesta” and 

“Puente Quebrao”, a pair of stringed and percussive 

fiestas that dare the listener to sit still. 

For more information, visit daveholland.com/dare2. 

Holland is at Birdland Jan. 5th-9th. See Calendar.

Friday the Thirteenth 

Microscopic Septet 

(Cuneiform) 

by George Kanzler 

Crepuscule 

Monkadelphia 

(Dreambox Media) 

Who would have believed in this nascent millennium 

that a newly discovered recording a half-century old 

would be the most commercially successful 

straightahead jazz CD of its first decade? Yet that’s 

what’s happened with the 1957 Thelonious Monk 

Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, which has 

sold over 400,000 copies to date. Since his last public 

appearance - also Carnegie Hall, 1976 - and death in 

1982, Monk’s popularity has grown exponentially. 

On these new CDs of Monk’s music, both the 

pianists - Micros’ Joel Forrester and Monkadelphia’s 

Tom Lawton - are more than casually familiar with 

Monk’s style, able to quote it or reflect it to advantage 

without aping it. But it isn’t the pianists alone who 

make these superior and constantly intriguing salutes 

to Monk’s music. It is the bands, how they realize that 

Monk’s music comprises a whole aesthetic, that it is 

more than just melody and/or harmony, that it implies 

or suggests approach and (emotional/psychological) 

attitude - that everything is important and must be 

considered (if not necessarily followed), including 

tempo and rhythm. The Philadelphia quintet 

Monkadelphia comes by its familiarity with Monk’s 

ideas through practice; it’s been together over a 

decade. The Microscopic Septet has been around a lot 

longer, but mostly doing the bandmembers’ own 

music, which, in unpredictability and sometimes antic 

spirit, often reflects a Monk-ian perspective. 

Friday the Thirteenth: The Micros Play Monk makes 

full use of their four-sax lineup: soprano Phillip 

Johnston, alto Don Davis, tenor Mike Hashim and 

baritone Dave Sewelson. Those familiar with Monk’s 

Town Hall large ensemble recordings will find some of 

the tart voicings and harmonies familiar, although the 

Micros tend to create even larger sonic gaps between 

horns. They also create a roller-coaster-like relay/ 

tandem of paired and contrasting sax solos that adds 

depth to the episodic richness of the performances. 

Unsung heroes of the CD are bassist David Hofstra, for 

both his fluent bottom and perspicacious solos, and the 

nimble drummer Richard Dworkin, whose spicy, 

minimalist approach - the sticks tick-tocking on the 

title track, the syncopated snap of “Bye-Ya” - adds a 

rhythmic sheen. From the echoes of the bride march 

kicking off “Brilliant Corners” to the shuffle-tango 

shout choruses of “We See”, punkish freakouts of 

“Pannonica” and “Teo”, the Micros welcome us deep 

into Monk’s, and their, territory. 

Remarkably, only one (“Bye-Ya”) of the dozen 

tunes on the Micros’ CD appears on Monkadelphia’s 

Crepuscule, a quintet close to the instrumentation of 

Monk’s familiar quartets (rhythm section and tenor 

sax) with the addition of vibes (like an early Monk 

recording date). The five play the repertoire like a 

working band, as if they’ve lived with the music until 

it fits them like a second skin. There are few surprises 

but many little epiphanies revealing how much 

they’ve internalized the music’s nuances. And the 

rhythm section is as crisp and buoyant as any led by Monk. 

For more information, visit cuneiformrecords.com and 

dreamboxmedia.com. Larry Ridley presents a seminar on 

Monk at Jazz at Lincoln Center Tuesdays through Mar. 1st. 

Visit jalc.org for more information. 


Sun Jan 02 JAMIE BAUM SEPTET 8:30PM 

Taylor Haskins, Doug Yates, Brad Shepik, George Colligan, 

Johannes Weidenmueller, Jeff Hirshfield 

Mon Jan 03 AMRAM & CO 8:30PM 

David Amram, Kevin Twigg, John de Witt, Adam Amram 

Tue Jan 04 DAVE ALLEN QUARTET 8:30PM 

John O’Gallagher, Drew Gress , Tom Rainey 

Wed Jan 05 DAVID COOK - CD RELEASE 8:30PM 

Marco Panascia, Mark Ferber 

Thu Jan 06 TIM BERNE: LOS TOTOPOS 8:30PM 

Oscar Noriega, Matt Mitchell, Ches Smith 

Fri Jan 07 COMPANY OF HEAVEN JAZZ FESTIVAL 8:30PM 

8:30 pm - Matt Darriau’s Ballin’the Jack 

9:45 pm - Refuge Trio - Theo Bleckmann/Gary Versace/John Hollenbeck 

11:00pm - Michael Musillami Trio - Old Tea 

Sat Jan 08 COMPANY OF HEAVEN JAZZ FESTIVAL 8:30PM 

8:30 pm - Jon Irabagon & Mike Pride - I Don’t Hear Nothin’but the Blues 

9:45 pm - Jay Clayton Trio - In & Out of Love 

11:00 pm - Mario Pavone’s Totem Quartet 

Sun Jan 09 DAN TEPFER / JULIAN LAGE DUO 8:30PM 

Mon Jan 10 DAN WEISS TRIO 8:30PM 

Jacob Sacks, Thomas Morgan 

Tue Jan 11 ARI HOENIG QUARTET 8:30PM 

Gilad Hekselman , Shai Maestro, Orlando le Fleming 

Wed Jan 12 NATHANIEL SMITH QUINTET - CD RELEASE “QUARTET” 8:30PM 

Jon Irabagon, Toru Dodo, Jostein Gulbrandsen, Peter Brendler 

DANIEL ORI QUINTET 10:00PM 

Uri Gurvich, Oz Noy, Fabian Almazan, Ziv Ravitz 

Thu Jan 13 JEFF DAVIS BAND - 35TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT 8:30PM 

Tony Malaby, Kirk Knuffke, Jon Goldberger, Matt Pavolka 

Fri Jan 14 GLOBAL MOTION 9:00PM & 10:30PM 

Marc Mommaas, Nikolaj Hess, Tony Moreno, Jay Anderson 

Sat Jan 15 MATTHEW BREWER QUINTET 9:00PM & 10:30PM 

Will Vinson, Lage Lund, Aaron Parks, Marcus Gilmore 

Sun Jan 16 TYLER BLANTON QUARTET- 

“BOTANIC” CD RELEASE PARTY 8:30PM 

Joel Frahm, Dan Loomis, Jared Schonig 

Mon Jan 17 DAN RUFOLO TRIO 8:30PM 

Bill Thoman, Arthur Vint 

Thu Jan 20 GEORGE GARZONE AND THE AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION 8:30PM 

Jamie Oehlers, Graham Wood, Sam Anning, Ari Hoenig 

Fri Jan 21 GEORGE GARZONE AND 

THE AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION 9:00PM & 10:30PM 

Jamie Oehlers, Graham Wood, Sam Anning, Ari Hoenig 

Sat Jan 22 DANIEL LEVIN QUARTET 9:00PM & 10:30PM 

Nate Wooley, Matt Moran, Peter Bitenc 

Sun Jan 23 JANE IRABLOOM QUARTET 8:30PM 

Dawn Clement, Mark Helias, Bobby Previte 

Mon Jan 24 21ST CENTURY SCHIZOID MUSIC PRESENTS: 

MARTA& THE OTHER SHORE 8:30PM 

Frank J Oteri, Host 

Marta Topferova, Ben Monder 

MARTATOPFEROVA: TROVA10:00PM 

Marta Topferova, Aaron Halva, Pedro Giraudo, Neil Ochoa 

Tue Jan 25 KIRK NUROCK, SOLO JAZZ PIANIST 8:30PM 

Wed Jan 26 MIKE & RUTHY FOLK CITY:THE WIYOS 8:30PM 

Thu Jan 27 BECCA STEVENS BAND 9PM 

Liam Robinson, Chris Tordini, Jordan Perlson 

REBECCA MARTIN BAND 10:30PM 

Bill McHenry, Larry Grenadier 

Fri Jan 28 GIRLS GONE MILD! 9:00PM & 10:30PM 

Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, 

Chris Tordini, .Larry Grenadier 

Sat Jan 29 GERALD CLEAVER’S UNCLE JUNE 9:00PM & 10:30PM 

Gerald Cleaver, Andrew Bishop, Mat Maneri, Tony Malaby, Stacy Dillard, 

Craig Taborn, Javier Moreno 

Sun Jan 30 GERALD CLEAVER’S UNCLE JUNE 8:30PM 

Gerald Cleaver, Andrew Bishop, Mat Maneri, Stacy Dillard, 

Craig Taborn, Javier Moreno 


Three Kinds of Happiness 

Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore (Not Two) 

Nevertheless Yoni Kretzmer Trio (Hopscotch) 

Betweenwhile 

Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys (AUM Fidelity) 

by Wilbur MacKenzie 

Drummer Mike Pride has epitomized versatility for 

much of his highly prolific career thus far. With an 

almost unparalleled work ethic, great technical 

proficiency and a healthy balance of the absurd and 

the dead serious, Pride has maintained a steady flow of 

compelling and innovative work. 

Three Kinds of Happiness, the third record by bass 

clarinetist Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore finds the 

group hitting its stride as a post-Steve Lacy jazz trio 

capable of intertwining freedom and form into a 

seamless whole. “Crayons for Sammy” opens the 

record with a brisk, almost cool swing and a very 

catchy melody. Things slow to a midtempo burner 

with “Cash, Couch and Camper” and then relax into a 

Strayhorn-esque ballad, “Little Bird”. “Man Or Ray” 

recalls some of the fast bop heads of early ‘60s Ornette 

Coleman, breaking into surprising features for bassist 

Jason Roebke. “More Gone Door Gone” swaggers 

along with a pungent groove and some deep blues 

phrasing from Stein. “Miss Lizzy” burns bright for a 

few minutes, then fades to reveal a downtempo bass 

solo, before rolling into an outro that splits the 

difference. The final track features some of the great 

free blowing that this trio has also built a reputation 

for laying out in live gigs. Overall the record ends up 

being a thorough examination of the history of the 

evolution of form in jazz while maintaining a 

thoroughly contemporary and very happening vibe. 

Pride and bassist Jason Ajemian both bring much 

fire to Israeli saxophonist Yoni Kretzmer’s 

Nevertheless. Kretzmer’s tunes are open but incisive, 

defining a mood and a gravitational force for the 

band’s actions and the listener’s ear, allowing for the 

trio dynamics to float freely. Ajemian’s extended intro 

to “A New Start” is beautifully constructed and the 

band gradually falls in line with his energy flow. 

Kretzmer’s multiphonics on “Improv Two” are 

colorful and evocative as they intertwine with melodic 

figures. The title track features a subtle melody framed 

by miniscule improvisational ideas, shifting at the end 

to a more rhythmic notated head. The high-energy 

playing on tunes like “What a Pity” or “Something 

With Tango” are a distinguishing characteristic and 

even the subtler moments carry the mark of the 

forceful energy of which this band is capable. 

Kretzmer is a powerful new voice on the scene with a 

bright future as a saxophonist and bandleader. 

Bacteria To Boys has morphed over the years from 

a prog-inspired trio to a swinging, R&B-flavored jazz 

quartet while always keeping a sharp focus on the 

powerful melodic voice of alto saxophonist Darius 

Jones. “Kancamagus” opens and closes Betweenwhile, 

appearing first as a trio with pianist Alexis Marcelo 

and then closing as a trio with Jones - in both cases the 

gospel-like inflections are thoroughly evocative of 

both a childlike wonderment and a nostalgic 

thoughtfulness. “Rose” is a straight bop head over a 

12-bar blues with Pride’s shifting dynamics floating 

over bassist Peter Bitenc’s relentless momentum. 

“Reese Witherspoon” is a clear standout, opening with 

a feature for Pride, supported by a tight repetitive 

groove from the ensemble. As with much classic jazz 

repertoire, Pride’s arrangements are well suited for the 

specific skills of his constituents. The high-energy 

repetitive fragments of “It Doesn’t Stop” recall mid 

‘70s Steve Lacy, its bouncing groove shifting into more 

flexible zones for Jones and Marcelo’s solos. “Emo 

Hope” has a melody that sticks in the ear for a long 

time, its harmonies outlining beautiful solos from 

Jones, Marcelo and Pride. “Bole: The Mouth of What?” 

sets up a striking juxtaposition, unfolding gradually 

from an extended piano intro, the Braxton-esque 

angularity of its melodies floating over a very flexible 

but burning groove courtesy of Bitenc and Pride, 

before a sudden shift to a true downtempo groove. Just 

before the return of “Kancamagus” is “12 Lines for 

Build”, a moody and ruminative atmosphere inhabited 

by yet more incredible melodic inventions from Jones, 

who continually proves himself to be a saxophonist 

with a fresh new voice and the skill to take that sound 

any place he likes. The influence of R Kelly is at times 

very abstracted and at others more literal: the album’s 

title comes from an R Kelly lyric and the melodic 

information in “12 Lines” is based on transcriptions of 

a cappella moments in R Kelly’s “Light It Up” Tour. 

That this material can be so transformed is 

noteworthy: Pride’s methods for this group extend the 

early bop innovators’ methods by taking an 

aggressively personal approach to restructuring the 

popular music of the day. 

For more information, visit nottwo.com, 

hopscotchrecords.com and aumfidelity.com. Pride is at Barbès 

Jan. 5th, Kenny’s Castaways Jan. 7th with From Bacteria To 

Boys, Cornelia Street Café Jan. 8th, Pianos Jan. 16th with 

Katie Young and The Local 269 Jan. 24th with Yoni Kretzmer 

and 31st with From Bacteria To Boys. See Calendar.

Pianist Amina Figarova utilized her worldwide 

travels as inspiration for the compositions that make 

up Sketches. A native of Azerbaijan who now lives in 

Holland, Figarova’s extensive studies included both 

classical music and jazz and she has worked with 

James Moody, Nathan Davis and Toots Thielemans. 

Her core band remains intact: husband Bart 

Platteau on flutes, trumpeter Ernie Hammes, bassist 

Jeroen Vierdag and drummer Chris “Buckshot” Strik, 

with Marc Mommaas taking over on tenor sax. 

Her opener, “Four Steps To...”, is a relaxing ballad 

that suggests a quiet afternoon on a secluded beach, 

with the unison blend of flugelhorn, tenor and flute 

providing the perfect backdrop for her shimmering 

piano. The turbulent “Unacceptable” signals a 

dramatic switch in mood, featuring crisp, burning 

trumpet and driving piano. The loping, weary modal 

piece “Back in New Orleans” recalls the end of a long 

night as musicians head home from a gig, highlighted 

by playful tenor. The stop-and-go form of 

“WHOTSOT” gives it the flavor of a movie theme, 

though it quickly breaks free to the open road, 

showcasing driving solos by Mommaas and Figarova. 

The drum solo introducing “Flight No” is reminiscent 

of Gene Krupa’s “Sing! Sing! Sing!” solo in the famous 

1938 Carnegie Hall Benny Goodman concert but the 

mood quickly shifts to a tense setting with bright solos 

and tight ensemble work. Figarova’s classical 

background is prominent in her lyrical “Caribou 

Crossing”, introducing it with an intricate solo and 

incorporating lush harmonies by the ensemble, in 

addition to Platteau’s warm flute. The vivacious 

“Happy Hour” initially builds on a funky backbeat 

before transforming into a vibrant bossa nova setting. 

Figarova has developed into one of the promising 

composers of her generation and her sextet does justice 

to her diverse songbook on Sketches. 

For more information, visit munichrecords.com. Figarova is 

at Zinc Bar Jan. 7th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar. 

Farcical Built for Six 

Respect Sextet 

(Roister) 

Sketches 

Amina Figarova (Munich) 

by Ken Dryden 

by Kurt Gottschalk 

Sundial Lotus 

Salo 

(Innova) 

Sirius Respect was the third record by the powerfully 

focused Respect Sextet, but it’s the one with which 

they made their mark. The 2009 album featured the 

group playing compositions by Sun Ra and Karlheinz 

Stockhausen, in one instance laying these landmark 

figures of 20th Century music atop each other in a 

single piece. It was a defining work, not only firmly 

triangulating their workspace but establishing the 

dedication they put into their craft. 

Since then they have been workshopping a set of 


Misha Mengelberg compositions while developing the 

set of songs which has turned out to be Farcical Built for 

Six, an eclectic album of eight pieces that, to the band’s 

credit, come off effortlessly. 

Through the lens of Sirius it can be seen how hard 

the band worked to make their new disc seem so easy. 

They swing hard while tossing Dixie-leaning solos 

(clarinetist Josh Rutner shines here) into their 

enigmatic compositions and at the same time borrow 

from Latin jazz and early rock ‘n’ roll at some points, 

at others harkening again to Ra’s space jazz. But the 

index of influences isn’t what makes Respect work as a 

band. What makes them work is that they are a band, 

very much so. Five of the six members contribute 

compositions, but there’s cohesion to the playing; the 

band arrives with a single purpose. They don’t use, 

reference or borrow from bebop, in other words. They 

integrate it. It is, in this case, a crucial distinction - 

while they may be playful, one thing the band isn’t is 

ironic. They play good jazz straight up, even if they 

come at it from several angles, often at the same time. 

That wide-angle lens approach is shared by their 

sibling septet, Salo, with whom they share Rutner 

(bass clarinet and tenor sax) and Red Wierenga (piano 

and keyboards). The camera shot is even more 

sweeping, in fact, in Salo’s case. Bassist Ben Gallina’s 

compositions (all seven are his, with one interpolating 

a 1942 Paul Hindemith composition) on Sundial Lotus 

are cinematic in scope, making quick turns with a 

willingness to indulge in marches and psychedelia, 

most notably on the remarkably swirling 

“Metamorphistopheles”. Gallina has been working 

consistently around town with a number of bands and 

his first recording as a leader shows him to be an 

inventive composer and boss who will no doubt 

continue to be worth watching. 

For more information, visit respectsextet.com and 

innova.mu. The Respect Sextet is at Le Poisson Rouge Jan. 

7th as part of Winter Jazzfest. See Calendar. 

Bird Songs 

Joe Lovano Us Five (Blue Note) 

by Alex Henderson 

Orrin Keepnews gave the jazz world some food for 

thought when he said that when you get down to it, 

there are basically two types of jazz: before and after 

Charlie “Bird” Parker. The producer wasn’t implying 

that all jazz before or after sounded alike but rather the 

alto saxophonist (1920-55) was so transformative that 

all jazz styles that emerged after World War II were 

indebted to him in some way. On Bird Songs, Joe 

Lovano and Us Five (Lovano on mostly tenor sax, 

pianist James Weidman, bassist Esperanza Spalding 

and Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela on drums) pay 

homage to Parker in a decidedly post-Bird, post ‘50s 

fashion. No one will mistake Lovano’s performances of 

“Dexterity” or “Dewey Square” for recordings that 

were actually made when Bird was alive. Bird Songs 

underscores the fact that while Lovano grew up 

listening to Parker, he also grew up in an era in which 

the music of Coltrane and Ornette was influential. 

“Donna Lee”, “Moose the Mooche” and “Koko” 

have often been heard at brisk tempos, but Lovano 

slows them down. His unlikely version of the latter 

favors an impressionistic approach and the usually 

exuberant “Yardbird Suite” is heard as a slow, 

contemplative postbop ballad. Lovano also gives 

“Barbados” a postbop makeover, although he 

maintains the Caribbean influence of Parker’s original 

1948 version. Bird Songs is full of standards that Parker 

composed, but Ram Ramirez’ melancholy “Lover 

Man” (which is closely identified with Billie Holiday) 

is from Bird’s repertoire. Instead of performing it at its 

familiar ballad pace, Lovano speeds it up and offers 

some appealing medium-tempo introspection. 

Lovano takes plenty of chances on Bird Songs and 

the result is a consistently exciting and intriguing 

tribute to the seminal bebopper. 

For more information, visit bluenote.com. This group is at 

Village Vanguard Jan. 11th-16th. See Calendar.

Live in Montreal 

Gebhard Ullmann/Steve Swell Quartet (CIMPol) 

by John Sharpe 

Live in Montreal opens with an arco drone over which 

Steve Swell’s trombone engages in excitable debate 

with Gebhard Ullmann’s bass clarinet - one of the 

signature sounds of this wonderful quartet. Their third 

release, from Montreal’s Casa del Popolo, predates 

2010’s News? No News! by only six weeks, but has only 

Swell’s “Composite #1” in common. The helmsmen 

share writing credits but it is the entire ensemble that 

breathes raucous life into their creations. 

Out of that opening improvisation blasts Swell 

favorite “Box Set”, the driving riff launching 

Ullmann’s sinuously free-wheeling tenor saxophone. 

The reedman, who splits his time between New York 

and Berlin, is a fine foil for the boneman. His honeyed 

tenor on his own “Don’t Touch My Music” turns 

vinegary before giving way to quick-witted two-horn 

aerobatics. Swell, at the forefront of avant jazz 

trombone, combines blustering verbosity with 

nuanced sweetness to keep listeners off balance. 

Integral to the band’s supple interplay is the almost 

telepathic communication between veteran drummer 

Barry Altschul and surefooted bassist Hilliard Greene. 

It is the the latter’s bowed whale song that 

introduces Swell’s homage “For Grachan”, but there 

are other byways to explore before the throbbing vamp 

and purposeful blowing, including drum statements of 

savage crispness expertly marshaled into a cohesive 

whole. Another a cappella drum introduction heralds 

“Slammin’ Textures” in which a series of coolly 

pitched unisons stretch into a wide-eyed 

extemporization of intersecting lines. A bass clarinet 

solo by turns boisterous and breathy makes space for a 

twinkling trombone outing before the two swap 

garrulous phrases over a funky backbeat on “Kleine 

Figuren Nr. 3”. Such well-crafted emotive interaction 

is the band’s strong suit, confirming them as a 

superlative live experience. 

For more information, visit cimprecords.com. Swell curates 

January at University of the Streets and is there Jan. 10th, 

17th, 24th and 31st with Jemeel Moondoc as well as Jan. 

18th and 26th, at I-Beam Jan. 8th and Issue Project Room 

Jan. 21st with Jim Pugliese and Jan. 27th. See Calendar. 

GREG BURK 

ALLABOUTJAZZ- NEW YORK BEST OF 2010 

Best Latin Jazz Album : 

Greg Burk/Vicente Lebron 

- Unduality (Accurate) 

Best New Release 2010 - 

Honorable Mentions: 

Rakalam Bob Moses/Greg Burk 

- Ecstatic Weanderings 

(Jazzwerkstatt) 

Forthcoming recording in 2011 

Greg Burk Trio - The Path Here (482Music) 

with Jonathan Robinson and Gerald Cleaver 

WWW.GREGBURK.COM 

Uncle Joe’s Spirit House 

William Parker 

Organ Quartet 

(Centering-AUM Fidelity) 

by Clifford Allen 

Vertical Invaders 

Tiziano 

Tononi 

(Black Saint) 

For those who might be expecting a dose of freeplaying 

in an organ group, the music contained on 

bassist William Parker’s Uncle Joe’s Spirit House (the 

debut of his Organ Quartet) is not that. Inventor, 

storyteller and multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore 

has a sort of ballpark sound on the Hammond, which 

recalls Freddie Roach’s work with Ike Quebec. To be 

sure, there’s a jaunty pointillism that calls in the 

direction of Sun Ra or Larry Young but the spirits 

being conjured are of a decidedly greasy predilection. 

Darryl Foster’s tenor is lean and hungry and if his 

ideas sometimes move faster than his fingers, it’s 

welcome - one might put him in the company of 

Roland Alexander, Herbert Morgan and in some cases 

a more scumbled Sam Rivers. He’s got a buzzing, 

pillowed tone that leaps out of swirling, gospelized 

chords, drummer Gerald Cleaver’s subdivided and 

inverted rhythm patterns and the supple, throaty 

anchor of Parker’s bass. Though most organ groups 

historically didn’t have a bass player (the organist 

provided it with a foot pedal), Parker’s role is akin to 

that of Major Holley and a few others who outlined the 

bottom in some grease-heavy groups. 

The nine tracks here were all composed by the 

leader and are dedicated to Parker’s aunt and uncle, 

who just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. 

Calling to the ancestors with an accessible, honest 

recording such as this is a gift they - and we - can 

certainly cherish. 

Parker has long been part of a string-heavy 

conception, doubling on cello at various points in his 

career as well as finding registers in the contrabass 

that could lift one outside of the body. Some of his 

earliest collaborators included violinists Billy Bang 

and Jason Kao Hwang and Vertical Invaders - a trio 

assembled by Italian percussionist Tiziano Tononi, 

finds the bassist holding down alongside violinist 

Emanuele Parrini. 

Dedicated to the late violinist Leroy Jenkins (at 

whose 1978 Black Saint session The Legend of Ai Glatson 

Tononi was present), the disc features compositions 

split fairly evenly between the leader and Parker, as 

well as Parrini’s “The Legend of the Black Violin”. 

Deep, ponticello electricity burbles up from poised 

fiddle, surrounded by meaty pizzicato and Tononi’s 

splayed architecture, which calls to mind sources like 

Barry Altschul, Tony Oxley and Andrea Centazzo. 

Gutsy arco bass and skittering, folksy violin surge 

forward as Tononi punctuates “Lulu on the Bench” 

while more elegiac textures demark “For Leroy 

Jenkins” and its skeletal paean to urban blues. The title 

suite looks toward the Revolutionary Ensemble (which 

Jenkins co-led), albeit with a distinctly European 

counterpoint that Parker’s bull fiddle turns on its end. 

Whether in greasy R&B or string-heavy freebop 

settings, the meaty tone and historical weight of 

Parker’s playing is still eminently in demand. 

For more information, visit aumfidelity.com and 

blacksaint.com. Parker is at The Local 269 Jan. 3rd, 

Downtown Music Gallery Jan. 7th, The Stone Jan. 12th and 

30th with Tony Malaby, University of the Streets Jan. 15th 

and Le Poisson Rouge Jan. 21st. See Calendar. 


Jeremiah Cymerman is a man not afraid of 

contraction: Under a Blue Grey Sky is an exquisite tone 

poem, with play of light and shadow, cloud and sky, 

keen sunlight shining through at times. The sky of 

sound shifts contours and textures, the sunbeams 

muted by storm clouds as often as not sinister, but 

strangely comforting. Also remarkable on a technical 

level, the performance features a modified string 

quartet: Olivia De Prato (violin), Jessica Pavone 

(viola), Christopher Hoffman (cello) and Tom 

Blancarte (bass). 

Its seven “Acts”, plus an Interlude before the 

finale, are continuous. Sometimes a pause is implied, 

but the work is without the stops between sections or 

movements that generally beset the traditional 

classical composition. This gives a feeling of 

weightlessness, of being taken up by the wind, like 

standing on a seawall and being supported by the 

sporadic sea gusts. The string players achieve the most 

startling effects as well: jarring slaps on the neck, 

serpentine swirls and the most diaphanous flights of 

disciplined fancy. 

The tone shifts from a kind of trance music at the 

NEW 

Under a Blue Grey Sky 

Jeremiah Cymerman (Porter) 

by Gordon Marshall 

USED 

236 West 26 Street, Room 804 

New York, NY 10001 

Monday-Saturday, 10:00-6:00 

Tel: 212-675-4480 

Fax: 212-675-4504 

Email: jazzrecordcenter@verizon.net 

Web: jazzrecordcenter.com 

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. Fresh Sound, Criss Cross, 

Ayler, Silkheart, AUM Fidelity, 

Nagel Heyer, Eremite, Venus, 

Clean Feed, Enja and many more 


onset to outright dissonances that are resolved into 

lyrical soaring, here tinged with the Hebraic, there 

with a plangent, Romantic touch of the sublime. A 

great narrative is implied: we keep waiting to see if the 

congregation of cloud will break into storm - and if so, 

of what magnitude. Finally, in the Interlude, a soft 

summer rain seeps down, suggested by a sultry 

electronic static. Here, the sun shines through again, as 

white noise slowly gathering into a rainbow, as the 

rain intensifies. 

The final Act VII starts with a pizzicato cello eking 

out a simple minor arpeggio ostinato to which Pavone 

adds spare arco. Blancarte fills in the negative spaces 

and then De Prato encapsulates the others in a sheer, 

searing coating of blinding gold leaf. Bass and viola 

drop out and then the music stops - though without 

skipping a beat, the ensemble reprises the passage in 

variation. As the cello keeps plucking into the outro, it 

is as if the story of the storm, for all its bouts of rain 

and shine, was in the end a static occurrence and 

nothing ever changed. The weather’s fine. 

For more information, visit porterrecords.com. Cymerman 

plays solo at Douglass Street Music Collective Jan. 14th 

and The Local 269 Jan. 17th. See Calendar. 

With Özay 

David Murray/ 

Chico Freeman 

(Basic-ITM) 

by Ken Waxman 

Live at the Lower 

Manhattan Ocean Club 

David Murray (India 

Nav.-Jazzwerkstatt) 

Over the course of his career saxophonist David 

Murray has blown hot, cold, but mostly cool. Despite 

making 100s of records, few are first class, although 

most reach a level of high competence. Live at the Lower 

Manhattan Ocean Club - initially released in 1977 on 

India Navigation - is one of his best early discs, 

however. Meanwhile With Özay, from the ‘90s, is a topflight 

vocal CD, where despite the billing, Murray, 

Chico Freeman and other first-call jazzers provide 

sympathetic accompaniment to singer Özay Fecht. 

A Turk living in Berlin, Fecht is an accomplished 

actress, screenwriter and director, who also recorded 

jazz with heavyweights like saxophonists Steve Lacy 

and Jim Pepper. So with Kirk Lightsey and DD Jackson 

splitting the piano duties, bassist Calvin Jones and 

drummer Pheeroan akLaff in the rhythm section and a 

guest shot by violinist Billy Bang, this CD is no vanity 

project by an actress pretending to be Lady Day. 

Featuring only a couple of standards, the rest of 

the material includes sophisticated songs by the likes 

of pianist Dave Burrell and vocalist Bob Dorough plus 

a couple of numbers in Turkish. One features her 

scatting in double counterpoint with Bang’s sawing 

fiddle; another has lyrics by Turkish poet Nazim 

Hikmet. Impressively though, Fecht’s English delivery 

is either lyric soprano bubbly or husky as if channeling 

Marlene Dietrich. 

Murray is in particularly fine form accompanying 

the latter, as with Ben Webster-ish obbligatos on 

“Antiquated Love”. Bringing a gritty parlando to 

“Without Rhyme Or Reason”, Fecht’s melismatic cries 

are matched by Murray’s squeaks and side-slipping as 

well as Lightsey’s metronomic comping. Outstanding 

throughout, Lightsey steers a middle course between 

both saxophonists’ bar-busting improvisations and the 

tonal qualities needed to keep the tracks on an even 

keel. 

More than 17 years earlier, Murray and company 

weren’t particularly interested in lyricism. But 

listening to Live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club, it’s 

telling that in retrospect these Young Turks, though 

identified as avant gardists, were as committed to 

extending the jazz tradition as Özay and accompanists 

were in 1994. 

In fact, the saxist’s “Bechet’s Bounce” is probably 

the most characteristic composition. The performance 

could fool any Dixielander into thinking it was ‘classic 

jazz’. Here Fred Hopkins slaps his bass à la Pops 

Foster, drummer Phil Wilson’s backbeat channels 

Zutty Singleton and Lester Bowie’s open-horned 

trumpet lead is as jungle-like as anything recorded by 

Cootie Williams. Around Bowie’s tremolo flourishes 

and whinnying, Murray weaves high-pitched soprano 

saxophone vibrations. Performed in broken octaves, 

the theme is recapped before the turnaround while the 

coda involves an old-time rim shot. 

Also notable is “For Walter Norris”, an ode to the 

pianist who was on Ornette Coleman’s first LP. 

Composed by Butch Morris and related to “Lonely 

Woman”, the piece evolves as the closely pitched 

horns modulate atop a bowed bass line. Bowie’s handmuted, 

mid-point solo drips with tenderness until the 

mood is breached by Murray’s rough-hewn split tones. 

This jagged-smooth dichotomy is maintained 

throughout with even Bowie’s smears and growls 

staying connective. Murray’s agitato squeals may be 

discursive, but they’re moderated by Hopkins’ strums 

and Wilson’s drags. 

One certified classic and a little-known jazz vocal 

gem, both CDs are worth investigating. 

For more information, visit jazzwerkstatt.eu. Murray’s Big 

Band is at Birdland Jan. 18th-22nd. See Calendar. 

____________________________ 

January 2011 Jazz Schedule 

Sundays Lafayette Harris Jazz Open-Mic 

7:00pm-11pm $10 Cover/$16 Drink Min 

____________________________ 

Mondays – January 3rd & 10th 

Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Quartet 

January 17th, 24th & 27th Eric Wyatt Jam Session 

9:30pm-2:30am $10 Cover/$16 Drink Min. 

____________________________ 

Tuesdays – Joey Morant 8:00pm-12am 

$10 Cover/$16 Drink Min. 

____________________________ 

Wednesdays – Nate Lucas Organ Trio 8:00pm-12am 

$3 Table Cover per person/$16 Drink Min. 

____________________________ 

Blues Thursdays 

January 6th & 13th Fred McFarland 

January 20th & 27th TBA 

8:00pm-12am $3 Table Cover per person/$16 Drink Min 

____________________________ 

Zebra Room: weekends – 3 Shows 8:30 pm 10:00 pm 

$20 cover per set plus $16.00 drink minimum per set - per person 

January 7th Sabrina Bridge Bach Quartet 

January 8th Kathy Farmer,Vocalist 

January 14th Rudy Lawless and the Posse 

January 15th Nat Adderley Jr. 

January 21st Rob Silverman Trio 

January 22nd Benny Russell, Sax Trio 

January 28th Barbara King 

and the Spirit of Jazz 

January 29th Cynthia Holiday,Vocalist 

Bring back Harlem’s famous Late, Late Night Jam Session 

Every Friday and Saturday Nights 12am to 4am 

serving up Jazz and Wells’ Chicken’ and Waffles 

Featuring Gerald Hayes Quartet

723 7th Ave. 3rd Floor, New York, NY. 10019 

212-730-8138 Store Hours: 11-7 Monday-Friday & 11-6 Saturday 

Owner: Steve Maxwell Manager: Jess Birch 

Steve’s cell: 630-865-6849 Email: drummermax@aol.com 

Visit us on the web at: www.maxwelldrums.com 

NEW YORK'S ONLY TRUE VINTAGE AND CUSTOM DRUM SHOP 

Our philosophy for the shop is to create an inviting atmosphere where players and collectors alike can visit and see wonderful vintage and custom drums 

and cymbals that you can't find anywhere else; enjoy listening to some jazz vinyl while hanging in the drummer's lounge area of our museum; and 

exchange ideas and information with friends. We even have sound proof rooms for testing cymbals, drum sets and snare drums. Our sets, snares and 

cymbals are set up and ready for you to play. We believe in the highest level of personal, professional service and we have the experience you need when 

considering vintage and custom drums and cymbals. Call Steve on his cell anytime, or email him at drummermax@aol.com. He wants to hear from you. 

Our shop includes: 

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• Player’s Specials: Snares, sets and cymbals focused on the needs of players • Gretsch: USA Custom drums in bebop sizes made famous by the 60s era jazz greats 

• Leedy: Our Leedy USA Custom Shop drums will debut in NYC later this year • Ludwig: specializing in the USA-built Legacy series 

• George Way: We are your source for Ronn Dunnett’s great new George Way snares • Maxwell: Our Maxwell line of custom drums includes small bebop sets and more. 

• Heads, hardware, sticks, bags and more 

Cymbals: We have Istanbul, Bosphorus, Zildjian, Old As, Old Ks, Spizzichino, Sabian, Paiste, Dream and more! New and vintage cymbals galore. 

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CALL JESS AT 212-730-8138 FOR DETAILS. TEACHING STUDIO IS OPEN

Detour Ahead 

Featuring... 

Jeff Oster/Vocals 

Peter Welker/Arranger 

With... 

Bill Watrous 

Scott Whitfield 

Mark Levine 

Andrew Speight 

David K. Mathews 

Jeremy Cohen 

Available 

On Jazzed Media 

www.JazzedMedia.com 

www.JeffOsterMusic.com 

www.PeterWelker.com 


Schematic (featuring George Garzone) 

Tom Lagana (Harvest Time Entertainment) 

Thank You Charlie 

Bruce Gertz Quintet (Open Mind Jazz) 

Forward Brian Landrus (Cadence Jazz) 


Tenor saxophonist George Garzone is an 

underground legend: relatively unknown to jazz 

fandom, yet highly respected by legions of music 

students. Perhaps best known for epic live 

performances with long-time trio The Fringe, Garzone 

is under-documented on records, though he guests on 

projects by colleagues and mentees, where he is 

immediately conspicuous for his strong musicality. 

Guitarist Tom Lagana’s sophomore release 

Schematic departs from his debut by focusing on 

original compositions and improvisational concepts. 

Favoring a clean, dry guitar tone, Lagana’s fluid and 

imaginative approach puts ideas before pyrotechnics. 

Tunes like “Rub of the Green” and “Clashords” 

overlay a rock beat with sophisticated harmonies 

while “W.W.H.D.” is strongly rooted in bebop and 

“Hidden 5th” evokes postmodern ennui. Garzone’s 

tenor floats fearlessly over the opener’s ‘rhythm’ 

changes; evokes a cool, Stan Getz-ish ambiance over 

“All or Nothing at All”’s Latin groove and injects 

Monk’s “Evidence” with fast, smooth-but-skronky 

phrases then duels/duets with Todd Harrison’s 

unremitting drums, the latter a dynamic presence 

throughout. Garzone’s best moment is on Bill Evans’ 

“Re: Person I Knew”, a prime example of his lyrical 

‘out’-fulness, effortlessly packing complex ideas into 

singing melodies. 

Bruce Gertz, a preeminent bassist on the Boston 

scene, is a fine composer, improviser and educator. 

Thank You Charlie honors Charlie Banacos who, until 

his death a year ago, was a guru for jazz musicians, 

attracting students like Michael Brecker, Marilyn 

Crispell and Mike Stern to his Beverly, MA studio. 

Gertz acknowledges his teacher’s influence on the title 

track plus “Into the Fold”, “True Colors” and 

“Trajectory”, all original compositions that employ 

various techniques (eg, “chord on chord”, “double 

mambos”, three-tonic tonality, modal sequences and 

shapes) gleaned from Banacos. The session is 

dominated by pianist Paul Broadnax’ husky, 

unapologetically romantic crooning, complemented by 

supple bass solos, particularly on “In the Fold”, 

“Detour Ahead” and “What’s Next?”, the last a 

soliloquy. Garzone’s musical emotions grace four 

tracks: breathy for the opening ballad; conservative on 

the medium-swinging “Moonlight Becomes You”; cool 

and wispy on Leonard Bernstein’s “Some Other Time” 

(from the musical On The Town), burnishing his lines 

with delicate details, and then dreamy during the 

closer “Hidden 5th”, a model of taste and decorum. 

Guitarist Tim Miller makes a strong cameo on 

“Trajectory”. 

Multi-reedist Brian Landrus debuts as a leader on 

Forward, wearing an unaffected confidence that bodes 

well for future projects. Backed by a rhythm section of 

effervescent pianist Michael Cain, Fringe bassist John 

Lockwood and the percussion team of Bob Moses and 

Tupac Mantilla, most of the tracks make you want to 

move. Landrus wields a deft pen on “The Stream”, 

“Classification” and “Forward” while his tone and 

touch on baritone sax, bass clarinet and alto flute are 

both authoritative and mercurial, ranging from pure 

timbres to gargled grumbles, often delivered with 

slow expressive vibrato, creating phrases that push 

and pull against the underlying pulse; his solos on the 

three tracks mentioned above are all standouts. 

Garzone is in a smoky, hardbop mood for “The 

Stream”, where he engages the leader in a tandem 

blow, and makes another appearance on “Forward”, a 

free-form chorale for three saxes. 

For more information, visit cdbaby.com/cd/TomLagana, 

brucegertz.com and cadencejazzrecords.com. George 

Garzone is at Cornelia Street Café Jan. 20th-21st. See 

Calendar.

Dream 

Mary Stallings (HighNote) 

by Andrew Vélez 

The New York Times said, “Perhaps the best jazz singer 

alive today is a woman almost everybody seems to 

have missed. Her name is Mary Stallings.” Singing 

since childhood, by her teens in San Francisco she had 

gigged with Dizzy Gillespie. Her collaborations with 

Cal Tjader led to the memorable album Cal Tjader 

Plays, Mary Stallings Sings (Fantasy, 1961) and she was 

the ‘girl singer’ with Count Basie’s band from 1969-72, 

followed by a lengthy hiatus until the late ‘80s to raise 

her daughter, singer Adriana Evans. 

Dream is the latest in a series of fine recordings 

that includes the earlier, blues-rooted I Waited For You, 

which memorably paired her with pianist Gene Harris. 

Stallings’ sound is rich and full with more than a little 

passing resemblance to one of her idols, Carmen 

McRae. And like McRae her delivery is forceful as she 

chisels lyrics. The bluesy tone is mighty, a powerhouse 

wrapped in velvet. 

The opener is Johnny Mandel-Paul Williams’ 

intimate gem “Close Enough For Love”. She’s 

swinging solidly straight on through and only 

occasionally interrupting her breathtaking pace to 

draw out “close enough” and “love” like attention- 

Michael Blake 

"Hellbent" (Label of Love) 

Available at CD Baby 

www.cdbaby.com/cd/MichaelBlake1 

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST 

ALBUMS OF 2010 BY 

ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK 

"Mr. Blake, on tenor 

especially, is an endlessly 

engaging improviser, 

and an inquisitive one." 

- New York Times 

January 15 with Ben Allison Band 

The Falcon, Marlboro NY 

www.michaelblake.net 

www.michaelblakemusic.blogspot.com 

demanding word grenades as pianist Eric Reed lends 

her solidly rocking accompaniment. 

If you imagined that you could do without 

another version of Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer’s 

overly-flogged “That Old Black Magic”, think again. 

Stallings and Reed have cooked something up as 

totally unexpected as it is completely engrossing. 

Stripped of the usual histrionics, voice and piano 

really talk to each other, beginning conversationally as 

Stallings gives out with a gravel and honeyed, “You’re 

the one I’ve been waiting for.” With each “ooooooooh” 

she sinks deeper into being inextricably caught up in 

the old black magic of which she sings. 

It’s an impeccable collection of songs with 

Stallings and Reed totally delivering the goods. They 

are very persuasive. 

For more information, visit jazzdepot.com. Stallings is at 

Allen Room Jan. 21st-22nd in a tribute to Sarah Vaughan 

with Jane Monheit and Eric Reed. See Calendar. 

Organic Modernism 

Daniel Levin (Clean Feed) 

by Lyn Horton 

Truly a record for a thinking person, Organic 

Modernism by cellist Daniel Levin’s quartet is thick 

with innuendo. Levin uses the sound of ‘modernism’, 

given birth to in the ‘50s, as the hub of the recording’s 

evolution. A definite rhythm and instrumentation 

defines modern jazz musically, but modernism also 

signified other cultural developments in art, 

architecture, design, science and literature, all to 

which this recording refers. Levin composed five of the 

pieces; he and his band of trumpeter Nate Wooley, 

vibist Matt Moran and bassist Peter Bitenc improvised 

the remaining seven. 

Levin is one of the outstanding cellists working in 

the vanguard arena. His individual playing displays 

intense isolated sonic instances, linked together with a 

dynamic, which does not necessarily pulsate, but 

upholds innovative means to create abstract 

configurations. This recording is structured like that; 

in the first cut, “Action Painting”, the whole band 

engages in stating the record’s sensibility. 

Slipping into 4/4 pizzicato occasionally, Bitenc 

highlights that recyclable modernistic texture. The 

vibes too have a resurging grip on modernist 

tendencies, but the album is intrinsically a stunning 

showcase for how jazz music has developed, can be 

interwoven into past tempos and melodic lines and 

still make listenable sense, as in “My Kind of Poetry”, 

“Old School” or “Audacity”. 

The musicians have the chance to blossom in duo 

settings: Moran with Bitenc in “Kaleidoscope”; 

Wooley with Bitenc in “Furniture as Sculpture”; 

Wooley with Levin on “Expert Set” or Levin with 

Bitenc, introducing “My Kind of Poetry”. As a 

foursome, these musicians interact with crystalline 

clarity and are responsible for and responsive to 

sparkling sound sensations. Ending the recording are 

cascades of diamond-like phrases, exhaled by 

Wooley’s breath and swept up with Levin’s staccato 

strokes. 

For more information, visit cleanfeed-records.com. This 

group is at Cornelia Street Café Jan. 22nd. See Calendar. 

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 28) 


� Aaron Alexander/Julian Priester - Conversational Music (s/r) � Adam Lane’s Full Throttle Orchestra - Ashcan Rantings (Clean Feed) � Adam Rudolph/Ralph Jones - Yèyí (Meta) � Agustí Fernandez/Barry Guy/Ramón López - Morning Glory (+ Live in New York) (Maya) � Alexander von Schlippenbach Trio - Bauhaus Dessau (Intakt) � Alexandra Grimal/Lee Konitz/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian - Owls Talk (Hôte Marge) � Allison Miller - Boom Tic Boom (Foxhaven) 

� Frank Gratkowski/Hamid Drake - Eponymous (Valid) � Fred Anderson - Black Horn Long Gone (Southport) � Full Blast (Peter Brötzmann/Marino Pliakas/Michael Wertmuller) - Black Hole (Atavistic) � Gebhard Ullmann/Steve Swell 4 - News? No News! (Jazzwerkstatt)� Han Bennink/Frode Gjerstad - Han & Frode (Cadence Jazz) � Henry Threadgill Zooid - This Brings Us To, Vol. II (Pi) � Howard Riley - Solo in Vilnius (NoBusiness) 

� Michael Formanek Quartet - The Rub And Spare Change (ECM) � Michael Musillami Trio - Old Tea (Playscape) � Mingus Big Band - Live at Jazz Standard (Jazz Workshop) � Nate Wooley/Paul Lytton - Creak Above 33 (psi) � Nels Cline Singers - Initiate (Cryptogramophone) � Paul Dunmall/Chris Corsano - Identical Sunsets (ESP-Disk) � Peter Bernstein Quartet - Live at Smalls (featuring Jimmy Cobb) (Smalls Live) 

� Danny Frankel - The Interplanetary (with Nels Cline & Larry Goldings) (Groundlift.org) � Dave Douglas & Keystone - Spark of Being (Burst/Expand/Soundtrack) (Green Leaf Music) � David Binney - Aliso (Criss Cross Jazz) � Decoy (Alexander Hawkins/John Edwards/Steve Noble) - Vol. 1: Spirit (Bo’Weavil) � Doubt - Never Pet A Burning Dog (Moonjune) � Dr. Lonnie Smith - Spiral (Palmetto) � Empty Cage Quartet & Soletti/Besnard - Take Care of Floating (Rude Awakening) � Evan Christopher - The Remembering Song (Arbors) � Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton - Nightwork (Live at the Sunset) (Marge) � Fight the Big Bull - All is Gladness in the Kingdom (feat. Steven Bernstein) (Clean Feed) 

� Junior Mance Quintet - Out South (Jun Glo) � Junko Onishi - Baroque (Verve) � Kirk Knuffke/Kenny Wollesen/Lisle Ellis - Chew Your Food (NoBusiness) � Kneebody - You Can Have Your Moment (Winter & Winter) � Louis Sclavis/Craig Taborn/Tom Rainey - Eldorado Trio (Clean Feed) � Lucian Ban/John Hébert - Enesco Re-Imagined (Sunnyside) � Marc Ribot - Silent Movies (Pi) � Mario Pavone Orange Double Tenor - Arc Suite t/pi t/po (Playscape) � Mary Halvorson Quintet - Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12) � Mary Stallings - Dream (HighNote) � Matt Wilson - Christmas Tree-O (Palmetto) � Matthew Shipp - 4D (Thirsty Ear) � Michaël Attias - Twines of Colesion (Clean Feed) 

� The Claudia Quintet (with Gary Versace) - Royal Toast (Cuneiform) �The Cookers - Warriors (Jazz Legacy Prod.)�The Oster-Welker Jazz Alliance - Detour Ahead (Jazzed Media) � Thomas Savy - French Suite (Plus Loin Music) � Tin Hat - Foreign Legion (BAG Prod.) � Tomasz Stanko - Dark Eyes (ECM) � Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher - Quartet (BBB) � TrioX-Live on Tour 2008 (CIMPol) � Undivided - The Passion (Multikulti) � Uwe Oberg/Evan Parker - Full Bloom (Jazzwerkstatt) � Vandermark 5 Special Edition - The Horse Jumps and The Ship is Gone (Not Two) � Vijay Iyer - Solo (ACT Music) 

Your FREE Monthly Guide to the New York Jazz Scene aaj-ny.com 

MUSICIANS OF THE YEAR 

NELS CLINE (guitar) 

PETER EVANS (trumpet) 

DAVE LIEBMAN (tenor & soprano saxophone/wood flute) 

HENRY THREADGILL (alto saxophone/flute) 

RANDY WESTON (piano) 

WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET/M’BOOM 

David Murray, James Carter, Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, 

Warren Smith, Joe Chambers, Eli Fountain, Steve Berrios, Ray Mantilla 

Birdland, January 23rd 

MINGUS ORCHESTRA & GUNTHER SCHULLER 

Scott Robinson, Wayne Escoffery, Frank Lacy, Kenny Rampton, 

Michael Rabinowitz, John Clark, Douglas Yates, Jack Wilkins, 

Boris Kozlov, Donald Edwards, Edmar Castaneda 

St. Bartholomew’s Church, February 13th 

JOE LOVANO US FIVE 

James Weidman, Esperanza Spalding, Francisco Mela, Otis Brown III 

Village Vanguard, February 23rd 

BILLY BANG 

Ted Daniel, Andrew Bemkey, Hill Greene, Newman Taylor Baker 

Sistas’ Place, April 24th 

RED TRIO featuring NATE WOOLEY 

Rodrigo Pinheiro, Hernani Faustino, Gabriel Ferrandini 

Clean Feed Festival, Cornelia Street Café, May 7th 

STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS 

Miles Okazaki, Tim Albright, Jonathan Finlayson, 

David Millares, Thomas Morgan, Marcus Gilmore 

Undead Jazz Festival, Sullivan Hall, June 13th 

OTHER DIMENSIONS IN MUSIC & FAY VICTOR 

Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, William Parker, Charles Downs 

Arts for Art Evolving Series @ The Local 269, 

September 6th 

RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA/BUNKY GREEN 

Jason Moran, Francois Moutin, Damion Reid 

Jazz Standard, October 16th 

JUNKO ONISHI TRIO 

Reuben Rogers, Gene Jackson and guest Wycliffe Gordon 

Jazz Gallery, October 19th 

ULRICH GUMPERT/GÜNTER BABY SOMMER 

Berlin-NY Festival, Irondale Center, November 27th 

-Laurence Donohue-Greene 

REZ ABBASI ACOUSTIC QUARTET - Natural Selection (Sunnyside) 

JOHN HÉBERT TRIO - Spiritual Lover (Clean Feed) 

AVISHAI COHEN - Introducing Triveni (Anzic) 

ORRIN EVANS - Faith In Action (Posi-Tone) 

ERIC HOFBAUER - American Fear! (Creative Nation Music) 

PAT METHENY - Orchestrion (Nonesuch) 

JASON MORAN - Ten (Blue Note) 

PAUL MOTIAN/CHRIS POTTER/JASON MORAN - 

Lost In a Dream (ECM) 

SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE - Live 2010: The Works of Horace Silver (SFJAZZ) 

DAVID S. WARE - Onecept (AUM Fidelity) 

-David R. Adler 

UNEARTHED GEMS 

JOHN HICKS/FRANK MORGAN - Twogether (HighNote) 

NAT KING COLE & HIS TRIO - 

The Forgotten 1949 Carnegie Hall Concert (Hep Jazz) 

STEVE LACY - November (Intakt) 

NEW YORK ART QUARTET - Old Stuff (Cuneiform) 

WADADA LEO SMITH/ED BLACKWELL - 

The Blue Mountain’s Sun Drummer (Kabell) 

TRIBUTE RECORDINGS 

IDEAL BREAD - Transmit: Vol. 2 of The Music of Steve Lacy (Cuneiform) 

DAVE LIEBMAN GROUP - Turnaround: The Music of Ornette Coleman 

(Jazzwerkstatt) 

MICROSCOPIC SEPTET - 

Friday the Thirteenth: The Micros Play Monk (Cuneiform) 

POTSA LOTSA - The Complete Works of Eric Dolphy (Jazzwerkstatt) 

FRANK VIGNOLA - 100 Years of Django (Azica) 

REISSUED RECORDINGS 

COMMITMENT - The Complete Recordings 1981/1983 (NoBusiness) 

STEVE LACY/MAL WALDRON - Let’s Call This…Esteem (SLAM-Silta) 

PRINCE LASHA ENSEMBLE - Insight (CBS-Dusty Groove America) 

MAKAYA NTSHOKO - Makaya & The Tsotsis (Enja) 

VARIOUS ARTISTS - California Concert (CTI-Sony Masterworks Jazz) 

Hear You Say (Live in Willisau) 

Ray Anderson-Marty Ehrlich (Intuition) 

Artwork by Niklaus Troxler 

RECORD LABELS OF THE YEAR 

DAVID LINTON/ 

DAVID FIRST/ 

SATOSHI TAKEISHI 

Roulette, February 13th 

CONRAD BAUER/ 

WILLIAM PARKER/ 

HAMID DRAKE 

Roulette, February 26th 

MARGARETH KAMMERER/IGNAZ SCHICK 

Experimental Intermedia, March 26th 

MARILYN CRISPELL/MARK DRESSER/ 

GERRY HEMINGWAY + ANTHONY BRAXTON 

Tri-Centric Foundation Anthony Braxton 

Birthday Tribute, Le Poisson Rouge, June 18th 

MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS TRIO 

Harrison Bankhead, Ari Brown 

Vision Festival, Abrons Arts Center, June 24th 

SYLVIE COURVOISIER/JÖELLE LÉANDRE/ 

IKUE MORI/TYSHAWN SOREY 

The Stone, June 25th 

CHRISTIAN MARCLAY’S 

“THE BELL AND THE GLASS” 

John Butcher, Ned Rothenberg, Nate Wooley 

Whitney Museum, July 15th 

TROPHIES 

Alessandro Bosetti, Kenta Nagai, Tony Buck 

Issue Project Room, September 18th 

GEORGE LEWIS/ 

MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS 

Community Church of New York, September 24th 

HENRY THREADGILL ZOOID 

Stomu Takeishi, Christopher Hoffman, Liberty Ellman, 

Jose Davila, Elliot Humberto Kavee 

Roulette, November 13th 

-Kurt Gottschalk 

The Modern Deep Left Quartet 

Cobblestone Jazz (!K7 Rec./Wagon Repair) 

Artwork by Frank 

CLEAN FEED (cleanfeed-records.com) 

ECM (ecmrecords.com) 

NOT TWO (nottwo.com) 

PI (pirecordings.com) 

SUNNYSIDE (sunnysiderecords.com) 

CONCERTS OF THE YEAR 

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 

Friday the Thirteenth: The Micros Play Monk 

Microscopic Septet (Cuneiform) 

Artwork by Barry Blitt 

OPEN CIRCUIT INT’L TRUMPET ENSEMBLE 

Jean-Luc Capozzo, Franz Hautzinger, Joe McPhee, Itaru Oki, 

Herb Robertson, Taylor Ho Bynum, William Parker, John Betsch 

Festival of New Trumpet Music, Abrons Arts Center 

January 15th 

LOOKOUT FARM 

Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, Ron McClure, Jeff Williams 

Birdland, February 17th 

HÅKON KORNSTAD TRIO 

Eivind Opsvik, Gerald Cleaver 

Arts for Art Evolving Series @ The Local 269, 

March 1st 

GOWANUS BASS QUARTET 

Sean Conly, Stephan Crump, Reuben Radding, Garth Stevenson 

Issue Project Room, March 7th 

ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET 

Larry Ochs, Bruce Ackley, Jon Raskin, Steve Adams 

The Stone, March 20th 

RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA/BUNKY GREEN 

Jason Moran, Francois Moutin, Damion Reid 

Jazz Standard, April 20th 

CONFERENCE CALL 

Gebhard Ullmann, Michael Jefry Stevens, 

Joe Fonda, George Schuller 

Thomas Rochon Loft, May 1st 

GÜNTER BABY SOMMER/ 

WADADA LEO SMITH 

Vision Festival, Abrons Arts Center, June 28th 

JON IRABAGON TRIO 

Peter Brendler, Barry Altschul 

Cornelia Street Café, September 14th 

PETER EVANS TRIO 

John Hébert, Kassa Overall 

Zebulon, October 4th 

-Andrey Henkin 

JUHANI AALTONEN QUARTET - Conclusions (TUM) 

GERI ALLEN - Flying Toward The Sound (Motéma Music) 

BENOÎT DELBECQ - Circles and Calligrams (Solo) (Songlines) 

AZAR LAWRENCE - Mystic Journey (Furthermore) 

MOSTLY OTHER PEOPLE DO THE KILLING - Forty Fort (Hot Cup) 

RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA/BUNKY GREEN - Apex (Pi) 

SAM NEWSOME - Blue Soliloquy (Solo Works for Soprano Saxophone) (s/r) 

EVAN PARKER/BARRY GUY/PAUL LYTTON + PETER EVANS - 

Scenes in the House of Music (Clean Feed) 

TARBABY - The End of Fear (Posi-Tone) 

JULIAN F. THAYER/JARMO SAVOLAINEN/ 

SCOTT ROBINSON/KLAUS SUONSAARI - Norwegian Invention (KS Jazz) 

-Laurence Donohue-Greene 

LATIN JAZZ RELEASES 

GABRIEL ALEGRÍA AFRO PERUVIAN SEXTET - 

Pucusana (con Russell Ferante & Arturo O’Farrill) (Saponegro) 

GREG BURK/VICENTE LEBRON - Unduality (Accurate) 

PAQUITO D’RIVERA - Panamericana Suite (MCG Jazz) 

SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA - Viva la Tradicion (Concord Picante) 

CHUCHO VALDÉS & THE AFRO-CUBAN MESSENGERS - 

Chucho’s Steps (4Q) 

DEBUT ALBUMS 

DANIEL BLACKSBERG TRIO - Bit Heads (NoBusiness) 

TOMAS FUJIWARA & THE HOOKUP - Actionspeak (482 Music) 

RED TRIO - Eponymous (Clean Feed) 

BEN SYVERSEN - Cracked Vessel (s/r) 

JESPER ZEUTHEN TRIO - Eponymous (Blackout) 

BOXED SETS 

PETER BRÖTZMANN CHICAGO TENTET + 1 - 

3 Nights in Oslo (Smalltown Superjazzz) 

TUBBY HAYES - Jazz Genius: The Flamingo Era 

(Future Noise-Fantastic Voyage) 

JEMEEL MOONDOC - Muntu Recordings (NoBusiness) 

HENRY THREADGILL - The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings (Mosaic) 

TEDDY WILSON - Solo/Big Band (Storyville) 

ORIGINAL ALBUM ARTWORK 

VENUES OF THE YEAR 

BIRDLAND (Midtown) 

CORNELIA STREET CAFE (West Village) 

JAZZ GALLERY (Tribeca) 

ARTS FOR ART EVOLVING SERIES @ THE LOCAL 269 (LES) 

THE STONE (Alphabet City) 

Live at Space Farms 

Scott Robinson (ScienSonic) 

Artwork by Richard Powers 

BOBBY HUTCHERSON-CEDAR WALTON 

JAZZ MASTERS QUINTET 

James Spaulding, David Williams, Al Foster 

Dizzy's Club, January 15th 

ROY HAYNES 85TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 

Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, 

Jaleel Shaw, Martin Bejerano, David Wong 

Blue Note, March 19th 

THE BROTHERHOOD 

Bob and Mike Rodriguez, Marcus and EJ Strickland, 

Yosvany and Yunior Terry 

Zinc Bar, April 27th 

EDDIE PALMIERI Y LA PERFECTA II 

Brian Lynch, Philip Dizack, Ivan Renta, Jimmy Bosch, Tokunori Kajiwara, 

Nelson Gonzalez, Enrique Gonzalez, Hernan Olivera, Luques Curtis, 

Orlando Vega, Jose Claussell, Little Johnny Rivero, Nicky Marrero 

Soundview Park, June 22nd 

GIL SCOTT-HERON 

Central Park SummerStage, June 27th 

AARON GOLDBERG/OMER AVITAL/ERIC HARLAND 

Jazz Standard, July 11th 

TRIO 3 PLUS GERI ALLEN 

Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille 

Birdland, August 21st 

JD ALLEN TRIO 

Gregg August, Rudy Royston 

Charlie Parker Jazz Fest, Marcus Garvey Park, August 29th 

BRIAN BLADE FELLOWSHIP 

Melvin Butler, Myron Walden, Jon Cowherd, Chris Thomas 

Village Vanguard, September 12th 

ADAM CRUZ SEPTET 

Chris Potter, Steve Wilson, Miguel Zenon, 

Steve Cardenas, Edward Simon, Ben Street 

Jazz Gallery, September 14th 

-Russ Musto 

MICHAEL BLAKE - Hellbent (Label of Love) 

DENNIS GONZÁLEZ YELLS AT EELS - Cape of Storms (Ayler) 

JON IRABAGON - Foxy (Hot Cup) 

DAVE LIEBMAN/EVAN PARKER/TONY BIANCO - Relevance (Red Toucan) 

JOE MCPHEE/INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN - Blue Chicago Blues (Not Two) 

EVAN PARKER/BARRY GUY/PAUL LYTTON + PETER EVANS - 

Scenes in the House of Music (Clean Feed) 

MIKE REED’S PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS - 

Stories and Negotiations (482 Music) 

ROVA/NELS CLINE SINGERS - The Celestial Septet (New World) 

AKI TAKASE - A Week Went By (psi) 

VAN HOVE/DUNMALL/ROGERS/LYTTON- Asynchronous (SLAM) 

-Andrey Henkin 

LARGE ENSEMBLE RELEASES 

JAMIE BEGIAN BIG BAND - Big Fat Grin (Innova) 

EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA - Stars Have Shapes (Delmark) 

SATOKO FUJII ORCHESTRA TOKYO - Zakopane (Libra) 

JAZZ ORCHESTRA OF THE CONCERTGEBOUW - Blues for the Date (Challenge) 

RED BARAAT - Chaal Baby (Sinj) 

VOCAL RELEASES 

RAN BLAKE/CHRISTINE CORREA - Out of the Shadows (Red Piano) 

EXPOSED BLUES DUO (FAY VICTOR/ANDERS NILSSON) - 

Bare (Greene Avenue Music) 

REBECCA MARTIN - When I Was Long Ago (Sunnyside) 

GREGORY PORTER - Water (Motéma Music) 

KEITH AND JULIE TIPPETT - Couple in Spirit (Ogun) 

BOOKS 

Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins 

by John Abbott, Bob Blumenthal (Abrams) 

Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert 

by Jon Hancock (Prancing Fish) 

I Walked With The Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath 

by Jimmy Heath and Joseph McLaren (Temple University Press) 

Where the Dark and the Light Folks Meet 

by Randall Sandke (Rowman & Littlefield Publishing) 

African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston 

by Randy Weston & Willard Jenkins (Duke University Press) 

Jazz På Svenska 

Swedish Azz (Not Two) 

Artwork by Marek Wajda 

A LOOK BACK AT THE BEST OF 2010 

� Conference Call - What About…? (Not Two) � Curtis Fuller - I Will Tell Her (Capri) � Dan Tepfer Trio - Five Pedals Deep (Sunnyside) � Dan Weiss - Timshel (Sunnyside) � Daniel Humair/Tony Malaby/Bruno Chevillon - Pas de Dense (Zig Zag Territoires) � Daniel Levin Quartet - Bacalhau (Clean Feed) � Daniele D’Agaro/Alexander von Schlippenbach/Han Bennink - Fingerprints (Artesuono) � Danilo Perez - Providencia (Mack Avenue) 

� Joe McPhee/Dominic Duval/Jay Rosen/Mikolaj Trzaska - Magic (Not Two) � Jöelle Léandre/Francois Houle/Raymond Strid - Last Seen Headed (Live at Sons D’Hiver) (Ayler) � John McNeil/Bill McHenry - Chill Morn He Climb Jenny (Sunnyside) � John Zorn - Ipos (Book of Angels, Vol. 14): The Dreamers Play Masada Book Two (Tzadik) � José James & Jef Neve - For All We Know (Verve-Impulse!) � Judith Berkson - Oylam (ECM) 

� Rodrigo Amado/Taylor Ho Bynum/John Hébert/Gerald Cleaver - Searching for Adam (Not Two) � Sabir Mateen - Urdla XXX (Rogue Art) � Scott Colley - Empire (CAMJazz) � Scott Robinson/Julian Thayer - Nucleus (ScienSonic) � Second Approach - Event Space (Leo) � Speak - Eponymous (Origin) � Steve Swell’s Slammin’ The Infinite - 5000 Poems (Not Two) � Ted Nash - Portrait in Seven Shades (The Orchard-JALC) 

� AMM - Sounding Music (Matchless) � Andreas Schaerer/Banz Oester - Schibholeth (Unit) � Anne Lebaron - 1,2,4,3 (Innova) � Artifact: iTi - Live In St. Johann (Okkadisk) � Barre Phillips - Portraits (Solo) (Kadima Collective) � Benoît Delbecq Trio - The Sixth Jump (Songlines) � Bill Carrothers - Joy Spring (Pirouet) � Billy Bang - Prayer for Peace (TUM) � Carol Sloane - We’ll Meet Again (Arbors) � Carolyn Hume/Paul May - Come to Nothing (Leo) � Carsten Dahl Experience - Humilitas (Storyville) � Charles Evans/Neil Shah - Live at Saint Stephens (Hot Cup) � Charles Lloyd - Mirror (ECM) � Charnett Moffett - Treasure (Motéma Music) � Chris Davis - Baile Bonita (Cellar Live) 

� Howard Wiley and the Angola Project - 12 Gates to the City (HNIC Music) � ICP Orchestra (Instant Composers Pool) - ICP (049) (ICP) � Jacob Anderskov - Agnostic Revelations (ILK Music) � Jason Adasiewicz - Sun Rooms (Delmark) � Jeff Davis - We Sleep Outside (Loyal) � Jeremiah Cymerman - Under a Blue Grey Sky (Porter) � Jeremy Pelt - Men of Honor (HighNote) � Jerome Cooper - A Magical Approach (Mutable Music) � Jesse Stacken - Magnolia (Fresh Sound-New Talent) � Jessica Williams - Touch (Origin) � Jim Hall/Joey Baron - Conversations (ArtistShare) � Jim Staley - Scattered Thoughts (with Joey Baron, William Parker) (Einstein) 

� Peter Brötzmann/Hamid Drake - Bro-D (Eremite) � Peter Brötzmann/Paal Nilssen-Love - Woodcuts (Smalltown Superjazzz) � Peter Evans Quartet - Live in Lisbon (Clean Feed) � Pierre Favre/Samuel Blaser - Vol à Voile (Intakt) � Rakalam Bob Moses/Greg Burk - Ecstatic Weanderings (Jazzwerkstatt) � Randy Weston and his African Rhythms Sextet - The Storyteller (Motéma Music) � Ray Anderson/Marty Ehrlich Quartet - Hear You Say (Live in Willisau) (Intuition) � Regina Carter - Reverse Thread (E1 Entertainment) � Richard Doron Johnson - Battle Grounds (SteepleChase) � Richie Beirach/Dave Liebman & HR Big Band (Frankfurt Radio Bigband) - Quest for Freedom (Sunnyside)


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25) 

Heavy Mirth 

Jack Walrath (SteepleChase) 

by Francis Lo Kee 

Trumpeter Jack Walrath’s Heavy Mirth was recorded 

in December 2008, a year after his excellent previous 

SteepleChase release Ballroom. Both feature bassist 

Boris Kozlov and drummer Johnathan Blake and while 

Ballroom spotlighted pianist Bill Mays, Heavy Mirth 

presents pianist Orrin Evans and tenor saxophonist 

Abraham Burton in a group performing some of the 

best contemporary jazz around. Walrath, like his 

former employer Charles Mingus, clearly believes that 

all styles and eras of jazz can co-exist, even in one set 

of music. Walrath and his band play tunes that recall 

the Swing Era, bebop, funk and the avant garde, all 

with tremendous skill, passion, intelligence and a 

sense of honest joy often missing in today’s jazz. 

“Bassballs” starts things off and, indicative of 

Walrath, the pun is not just a gimmick. Though the 

bass ostinato does drive the tune along, it’s not its 

entirety; from out of the obsessive repetition it takes a 

cartoonish left-turn into major-key happiness. “Cloak 

and Dagger”, a kind of twisted tango, mirrors “Death 

is Just Around the Corner Cha Cha Cha” on Ballroom. 

The tango’s form and rhythm provides different 

improvisational scenery for the soloists, including a 

brief arco interlude from Kozlov. Beginning with an 

intricate and coiled drum solo, “Road Kill” launches 

into a fast swing vehicle for what the old jazzers call a 

flag-waver. The trading between Burton and Walrath 

gets more and more intense as they start from eightmeasure 

intervals, through four-measure trades and 

continuing to collapse until they merge as a twoheaded 

monster soloist passing the baton to Evans. 

Vocalist TC III has a great voice, reminiscent of 

Leon Thomas or Andy Bey, yet one could not find a 

more personal and sincere approach to the blues than 

this. While “A Long, Slow, Agonizing Descent into the 

Depth of Despair” could win a prize for longest song 

title and, given Walrath’s penchant for humor, a 

listener might expect a surprise - this blues is expertly 

played and sung without irony in an older style, again 

proving the depth and scope of this band’s talent. 

For more information, visit steeplechase.dk. Walrath is at 

Miles’ Café Jan. 23rd. See Calendar. 

Organ Monk 

Greg Lewis (s/r) 

by Graham Flanagan 

It’s highly doubtful that, before heading in to record 

his new album Organ Monk, keyboardist Greg Lewis 

didn’t know about the dozens upon dozens of tributes 

- from both straightahead and avant garde 

perspectives - to the great pianist Thelonious Monk 

that already exist. Greats like Mal Waldron, Charlie 

Rouse and Milt Jackson, to mention only his 

contemporaries, have all paid their respects to the jazz 

pioneer. What else is left to say? After listening to 

Organ Monk, the answer to that question is simple: 

plenty. Using the B3 Hammond organ as his weapon of 

choice, Lewis - along with guitarist Ron Jackson and 

drummer Cindy Blackman - delivers one of the most 

unique and enjoyable Monk tributes you’ll find 

anywhere. 

All but one of the 16 selections are Monk originals, 

Lewis’ own composition “Kohl’s Here” closing out the 

album. This uptempo, syncopation-heavy bopper 

would have been music to Monk’s ears, were he still 

around to hear it. The other numbers will indubitably 

please Monk fans of all shapes and sizes, especially 

those with an appreciation of the B3. Lewis and 

company break down such beloved classics as “Four in 

One”, “Criss Cross” and “Monk’s Mood” and make up 

for the absence of typical standards like “Epistrophy”, 

“‘Round Midnight” and “Well You Needn’t” with lessrenowned 

gems like “Coming on the Hudson”, 

“Jackie-ing” and “Locomotion”. 

It’s obvious the trio intends to honor Monk; but 

once the theme is stated on each track, the group 

ventures into relaxed, soul jazz-infused improvisation. 

Of course, some Monkophiles might consider the 

notion of their idol’s music being interpreted via any 

instrument other than the piano to be somewhat 

sacrilegious (perhaps ignoring how often it is played 

without even that). However, if you turn on Organ 

Monk with an open mind, you’re almost guaranteed to 

find the experience rewarding. 

For more information, visit myspace.com/ 

thetruthgreglewis. Lewis’ trio is at Night of the Cookers 

Fridays. See Regular Engagements. 

Sam Newsome 

Blue Soliloquy 

(Solo Works for Soprano Saxophone) 

"BEST NEW RELEASE 2010" 


"5 Stars �� (Masterpiece)" 

Downbeat Magazine 

With the release of this groundbreaking CD, 

Sam Newsome has proven himself to be one of 

the most important soprano saxophonists of 

his generation. 

Available on iTunes and CDBaby 

samnewsome.com

In Copenhagen 

Wild Bill Davison (Storyville) 

by Michael Steinman 

Cornetist Will Bill Davison (Jan. 5th, 1906-Nov. 14th, 

1989) epitomized ‘Chicago style’ jazz - hot small-band 

improvisations on ‘20s and ‘30s popular songs and jazz 

classics, most often in bands led by Eddie Condon. 

Davison’s style, built on Louis Armstrong, King Oliver 

and Bix Beiderbecke, was a collection of 

idiosyncrasies: rips, growls, octave leaps, shouts, 

phrases capped with a wide vibrato, delivered with 

great ferocity. Think of James Cagney, dangerous yet 

tender, reborn on the bandstand. 

But as he aged, Davison’s style calcified (not 

uncommon for even the most courageous improvisers) 

so that he played the same solo on “Blue Again” for 40 

years. For all his façade of “wildness”, this left even his 

most devoted fans with one question only: how well 

would “Wild Bull”, as Condon called him, perform his 

familiar routines this time? 

Thus the new collection is a distinctly pleasant 

surprise, for Davison found himself in a context more 

modern than the sometimes-formulaic bands he 

played in or led. At 69, Davison sounds particularly 

inspired by his colleagues. Although the Danish 

musicians (aside from saxist Jesper Thilo) are not well 

known even now, they play superbly, giving Davison a 

Basie-tinged environment to which he responds 

happily. Guitarist Torben Munk and the light-footed 

rhythm section are especially fine. Seven tracks that 

surround Davison with a four-piece saxophone section 

are rewarding examples of musical time-travel - 

forwards, not backwards into the past. Even listeners 

who gave up on Davison’s recordings as predictable 

will find these sessions delightful, with limber playing 

from the star, some new repertoire and cheerfully 

relaxed contributions from everyone. 

For more information, visit storyville-records.com 

California Concert: The Hollywood Palladium 

Various Artists (CTI-Sony Masterworks Jazz) 

by Joel Roberts 

In the ‘70s, Creed Taylor’s CTI Records did something 

nearly unthinkable today: sell albums by serious jazz 

artists to a broad audience that extended beyond 

hardcore jazz fans. Sure, there were commercial 

calculations in the label’s approach, which freely 

mixed elements of soul, funk, pop and even disco into 

a progressive jazz context, but there’s no denying that 

CTI recorded some of the era’s most influential and 

memorable music and helped keep jazz alive and 

viable during a pretty bleak period. 

California Concert: The Hollywood Palladium, which 

is being reissued in honor of CTI’s 40th anniversary, 

revisits a legendary 1971 concert that brought together 

some of the label’s brightest stars for a one-night-only 

celebration. The lineup features Freddie Hubbard 


(trumpet), Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone), Hank 

Crawford (alto), Hubert Laws (flute), George Benson 

(guitar), Johnny Hammond (electric piano and organ), 

Ron Carter (bass), Billy Cobham (piano) and Airto 

Moreira (percussion). The newly remastered two-disc 

set includes three never-before-released tracks and 

restores the concert’s original song sequence. 

The album offers a great snapshot of the CTI 

sound, with the bandmembers stretching out on 

extended versions of modern jazz classics, pop hits of 

the day and groove-based originals. Benson and Laws, 

two artists whose careers later veered into smooth jazz 

territory, more than prove their straightahead chops 

here, with Benson turning in a blistering solo on a 

funk-fueled reading of Miles Davis’ “So What” and 

Laws completely reinventing James Taylor’s “Fire and 

Rain” as a mesmerizing, Coltrane-inspired jam. Soul 

jazz stalwarts Crawford and Hammond take the lead 

on a deep-groove rendition of Carol King’s “It’s Too 

Late” while Turrentine delivers a crowd-pleasing 

version of his big hit, “Sugar”. And the electrifying 

Hubbard absolutely tears it up on two of his CTI hits, 

“Red Clay” and “Straight Life”. 

There are some missteps here. Nearly all the tunes 

are too long: the opening take on Coltrane’s 

“Impressions” is a fine enough showcase for the 

various soloists, but at 24 minutes it’s just too much, as 

is a 20-minute-plus blues jam (“Blues West”) that feels 

like filler. And the emcee’s endless introductions that 

kick off the album are simply a mess. Still, most of this 

material holds up extremely well, providing a worthy 

overview of one of the seminal jazz labels of the era. 

For more information, visit ctimasterworks.com. Hubert 

Laws is at Rose Theater Jan. 11th as an honoree for the NEA 

Jazz Masters 2011 Awards Ceremony. See Calendar. 

HNH 

Joe Hertenstein/Pascal Niggenkemper/ 

Thomas Heberer (Clean Feed) 

by Andrey Henkin 

At first blush, this debut album from Hertenstein, 

Niggenkemper and Heberer (sounding more like a 

German law firm than an avant garde jazz trio) has an 

obvious antecedent: Manfred Schoof’s New Jazz Trio 

of the early ‘70s. Not only does it share 

instrumentation (trumpet, bass and drums) but it also 

reminds us that at one point MPS Records was the 

Clean Feed of its day, releasing progressive music 

from both sides of the Atlantic. And both groups hail 

from the lovely city of Köln and are/were more 

interested in the improvisatory possibilities opened up 

by composition than some of their free-jazz crazed 

countrymen. 

Only one piece here is totally improvised, or at 

least its crediting to the entire trio implies as much. 

The rest are penned by drummer Joe Hertenstein, 

trumpeter Thomas Heberer or the pair in tandem. The 

former’s writing style is more boppish while the latter 

is an adherent to the open school of fellows like Axel 

Dörner but both have elements of the other’s approach 

as well, a wonderful expression of synergy. The seven 

pieces flow with barely any pauses and alternate 

between composers, maintaining the presumed intent 

of the album: to sound like a set-long free improv 

without actually being one. Heberer keeps his quartertone 

trumpet technique generally pure, without only 

the occasional purr or whoosh included for heft. 

Hertenstein practices that loose time-keeping so 

prevalent in Europe that the ignorant use to claim that 

an entire continent can’t swing. And Niggenkemper, of 

both French and German background, is equal parts 

Beb Guérin and Buschi Niebergall, oozing between the 

cracks offered by his trio mates. 

Despite being a German trio recording for a 

Portuguese label, HNH formed in Brooklyn. And now 

they’re being reviewed by a Russian. If that isn’t an 

expression of the international nature of jazz, I don’t 

know what is. 

For more information, visit cleanfeed-records.com. This trio 

is at Downtown Music Gallery Jan. 23rd. See Calendar.

Nothing To Hide 

Jason Palmer (SteepleChase) 

by Russ Musto 

Despite possessing a pure tone, virtuoso technique 

and wide-ranging knowledge of the jazz canon, Jason 

Palmer remains relatively unheralded. Nothing To 

Hide, a fine followup to his impressive debut of 

originals Songbook, shows a similar adventurousness 

on a program of imaginative interpretations of classics 

by Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, Lee 

Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and Booker Little, along 

with two of his own pieces performed with his regular 

working quintet of altoist Mike Thomas, guitarist Greg 

Duncan, bassist Lim Yang and drummer Lee Fish. 

Opening with Byrd’s “Fly Little Bird Fly” Palmer 

quickly demonstrates his innovative personality as an 

arranger. Slowing down the tempo and changing the 

time signature to a swinging 5/4 he makes the piece 

his own, an excellent vehicle for his thoughtful 

improvising, complemented by Thomas’ fiery alto. 

Similarly intrepid orchestrations of Brown’s “Larue” 

(interpolating the composer’s “Delilah” and an 

original bass figure), Morgan’s “The Gigolo” (in 9/4 

with another original bassline), Hubbard’s “Luana” 

(slowing the tempo and melding it with his own 

“Lower 9th Ward”) and Davis’ “Half Nelson” 

(arranged by Fish in 9/4) display a penetrating 

individuality. Only on Booker Little’s “Strength and 

Sanity” does Palmer remain faithful to the original, 

revealing a deep respect for the late trumpeter, whose 

influence on his own compositional style is evident on 

the originals “Nothing To Hide” and “Here And Now” 

- the date’s most forward-looking entries. 

At the Jazz Gallery Dec. 9th, the group (Mitsuru 

Yoshizumi subbing for Yang) performed two sets of 

intriguing originals and orchestrations (mainly 

arrangements of songs by funk futurist Janelle Monáe) 

that clearly identified Palmer as a visionary player 

with an astounding vocabulary, playing music in a 

uniquely personal voice, which while steeped in the 

feats of the past, pushes inexorably towards tomorrow. 

For more information, visit steeplechase.dk. Palmer is at 

Jazz Standard Jan. 25th with Grace Kelly. See Calendar. 

Nebulosa (featuring Tim Berne) 

Hugo Carvalhais (Clean Feed) 


Thanks to the very active Clean Feed and Creative 

Sources labels, Portuguese free jazz and improvising 

musicians have developed an international presence in 

the past decade. The more mainstream side of 

Portuguese jazz is less well known abroad, though 

lately the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, resident in 

the city of Porto, has raised its profile in recordings 

with Lee Konitz, Chris Cheek and Kurt Rosenwinkel. 

Here bassist Hugo Carvalhais presents another facet of 

Portuguese jazz, leading a trio with pianist-synth 

player Gabriel Pinto and drummer Mario Costa. 

It’s a debut for the young band, but they 

demonstrate a distinct identity, further developing 

and testing it in company with alto saxophonist Tim 

Berne, present on six of the ten tracks and most of the 

movements of the title suite. The group’s appetite for 

space is immediately apparent in “Intro”, isolated 

drum beats, bass thumps and piano chords somehow 

articulating the most minimalist and attenuated Latin 

beat. As the CD develops the group shows affinities 

with Maiden Voyage-era Herbie Hancock, a taste for 

broad consonant intervals and hanging resonance, 

though always pared down, whether it’s Pinto’s 

hanging chords or Carvalhais’ warmly tuneful bass. 

The fundamentally architectural style may seem 

like an odd fit for the emotive intensity of Berne, with 

his alto tone rapidly moving from acid to sweet and his 

vocabulary of coruscating runs and sudden asides, but 

it’s that encounter that creates some of the greatest 

interest here. Together the cool sense of distance and 

insistent heat create fractures and openings in the 

music’s surface, through which something fresh 

emerges. The trio’s concluding “Redemption” is a 

moment of profound and moving reflection, the 

ultimate achievement of its spare lyricism. 

For more information, visit cleanfeed-records.com. Tim Berne 

is at Cornelia Street Café Jan. 6th and The Stone Jan. 7th with 

Drew Gress and in duo with Matt Mitchell. See Calendar. 

Live at the Café Damberd 

Billy Hart Trio (Enja) 

by Jeff Stockton 

There aren’t many opportunities these days for 

younger jazz musicians to apprentice with past 

masters. Artistically, jazz music finds itself in a 

position of legitimacy - so many of jazz’ elder 

statesmen have gone to colleges and universities as 

professors in order to pass along their tools and 

techniques. And of course economically, it’s perhaps 

harder than ever to keep a band touring and recording 

and working together for any length of time. German 

saxist Johannes Enders is a respected educator in his 

country and he’s (relatively) young. What sets Enders 

apart is that he’s been successful commercially (this 

CD won Germany’s Echo award in its category for 

most units sold) and he plays in the Billy Hart Trio. 

Hart’s drumming resumé is long and 

distinguished (from Otis Redding to Miles Davis) but 

his moments as a leader have been rare. In addition to 

this trio, Hart leads an exciting quartet (with Mark 

Turner, Ethan Iverson and Ben Street) and the music of 

these bands is straightahead without being stodgy; 

they push the limits of melody and harmony, but don’t 

obliterate them. Recorded live at the Café Damberd in 

Belgium, the sound of this CD is crisp and direct and 

captures the electric atmosphere of the room. Enders’ 

obvious influence is Coltrane, but not the sheets-ofsound 

version, more the standards player. Because 

Enders has composed five of the six tunes, he is closer 

in spirit to Blue Note-era Wayne Shorter, echoing the 

saxophonist’s ability to get inside a melody and 

wrestle his way out. 

Each player gets his chance to solo and when Hart 

takes off on “Re-Traning”, he ranges across the kit 

with pounding fists while his foot keeps a steady pulse 

on the kick drum. Kenny Barron’s “Voyage” features 

another Hart solo, this time graceful and nimble and 

Enders’ tone is commanding, confident and not-quite- 

Ben-Webster brawny. The band puts all of the pieces 

together on “Please Stop Me Now”. Opening at a 

ballad tempo, Enders searches with his horn around 

the midrange while Hart’s mallets and Martin 

Zenker’s arco bass set the tone. When Hart picks up his 

sticks as well as the pace, Zenker puts down his bow 

and Enders invites you in, his low honks and fractured 

highs building a masterful three-part performance. 

For more information, visit enjarecords.com. Hart is at 

Dizzy’s Club Jan. 3rd with George Mraz, Smalls Jan. 14th- 

15th with Jean-Michel Pilc and Jazz Standard Jan. 27th- 

30th with John Abercrombie. See Calendar. 

SLAM is proud to have 

2 CDs included in AAJ-NY's 

"BEST OF 2010” 

STEVE LACY/MAL WALDRON - 

Let’s Call This…Esteem (SLAM-Silta) 

& 

VAN HOVE/DUNMALL/ROGERS/LYTTON- 

Asynchronous (SLAM) 

Please visit us at: 

www.slamproductions.net 

email: slamprods@aol.com 

“2011 will be even better!” 


Mirror 

Charles Lloyd (ECM) 

by Brandt Reiter 

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd became a crossover 

superstar in the ‘60s, vanished in the ‘70s and, just 

when he’d been on the cusp of forgotten, resurfaced in 

the late ‘80s, playing with astonishing focus and 

newfound determination. Now past 70, Lloyd is, if 

anything, better than ever and his resurgence 

continues to pay huge dividends with his newest 

release, Mirror. A quiet, gentle, unhurried affair, it’s 

the first studio recording by the same world-class 

quartet that debuted on the live 2008 disc Rabo de Nube 

and, though more restrained than its fierce 

predecessor, it’s just as terrific. 

On paper, Mirror appears to be a grab bag of sorts 

- a random collection of traditionals, standards, 

previously recorded Lloyd originals and a bona fide 

pop song, all with little apparent connective tissue 

between them. What, after all, could “Go Down 

Moses” and the Beach Boys’ “Caroline, No” possibly 

have in common? The short answer is: Charles Lloyd. 

One of our most spiritual of players, Lloyd is a true 

seeker and every tune on the disc - all of them oftreturned-to 

by Lloyd over the course of his career - is 

subjected to such slow, passionate scrutiny (“Why,” he 

seems to be asking, “am I so drawn to this song?”) that 

each, in turn, lays bare its beating heart. 

The Cahn-Styne chestnut “I Fall in Love Too 

Easily” is given a reading of such plaintive fragility it’s 

almost too painful to bear; “Monk’s Mood” has never 

been so lovingly caressed. “Ruby, My Dear”, led by 

pianist Jason Moran’s bell-like tone, is a thing of 

extravagant beauty; “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, 

buoyed by a splendid arco bass solo from Reuben 

Rogers, pulses with pious power. And though the 

band has grown so tight, so freakishly responsive to 

each other that no shade - not the smallest tinge - goes 

unmissed, it must be said that, throughout it all, 

drummer Eric Harland is simply superb, deftly 

guiding and garlanding the ebb and flow of the music 

with calm, tender grace. By the record’s closer, Lloyd’s 

own “Tagi”, which includes a spoken word recitation 

inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, Mirror carries all the 

weight - and enlightenment - of a spiritual quest. It’s 

not to be missed. 

For more information, visit ecmrecords.com. This group is 

at Rose Theater Jan. 29th. See Calendar. 

It Would Be Easier If 

Ken Thomson And Slow/Fast (Intuition) 


On It Would Be Easier If, Ken Thomson leans heavily 

on bass clarinet and less so on alto sax to lead his band 

Slow/Fast down paths not often traveled by jazz 

quintets. He has written five pieces that each run 

approximately 10 minutes and the music is 


programmed in such a way that tone, timbre and 

coloration are as important as compositional strength 

and instrumental technique. 

Trumpeter Russ Johnson and Thomson are likeminded 

partners and while this music’s initial feel is 

through-composed, there are improvisational, rock, 

punk and free-er forces that become apparent the 

deeper one digs. For instance, while the contrasting 

timbre of bass clarinet and trumpet imparts a chamber 

quality, the rhythm section works within and without 

the structure to allow inventive improvisational 

collaboration. This is especially true on the more 

cerebral sections, the duo combining for broad 

voicings that aid in creating a spacious soundstage. 

Guitarist Nir Felder is a part of this excellent 

rhythm section that also includes bassist Adam 

Armstrong and drummer Fred Kennedy and he 

contributes delicately colorful chords at these ambient 

points. While this is the case on diaphanous opener 

“Kleine Helmet” it is followed by “Goddamn You Ice 

Cream Truck” where Felder switches into guitar-hero 

mode, matching the in-tandem frenetic blowing of 

Thomson’s alto and Johnson’s trumpet. 

Kennedy likewise colors inside and outside the 

lines with his cymbals but with Armstrong’s bowed 

bass is the heart of “No, no, no”. “Wanderangst” uses 

tempo change, instrumental alacrity, hints of Middle- 

Eastern wanderings and a very cohesive structure to 

construct a full-blown rocker before the title cut slowly 

builds to a full-throated ensemble conclusion. 

Although classical precision and compositional 

complexity are the prominent incipient layers here, 

repeated listening uncovers much more at work. 

For more information, visit intuition-music.com. This 

group is at Barbès Jan. 14th. See Calendar. 

We’re Here To Listen 

Leslie Pintchik (Pintch Hard) 


Leslie Pintchik’s trio - with bassist Scott Hardy and 

drummer Mark Dodge - has been together as a band 

for 12 years and working with them for 9 is 

percussionist Satoshi Takeishi. The ability to listen, 

thus, has been fine-tuned over many performances 

and, now, three recordings. At the center is the 

emergent voice of Pintchik as a smart and sensitive 

pianist and also a fine composer and arranger. In 

addition, she has a keen sense of how to take music 

from other places and make it work for this group. 

This thoughtful new set opens with bells and a 

gong that lead into the opening of a low-key 

arrangement of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”. 

The setting and the lovely playing take some of the 

anthemic quality from the song, but manage to retain 

the intended emotional power and ask the tune’s 

questions. 

“I’ve been a long-time fan of Bonnie Raitt,” says 

the leader and this is evident in how delicately she 

treats “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. The tune has been 

set in a slow landó, which is an AfroPeruvian rhythm. 

Pintchik’s piano is evocative and beautiful and is 

complemented by some acoustic guitar strumming by 

Hardy and the use of the cajón, a Colombian-Peruvian 

percussion instrument. 

Pintchik has contributed six diverse originals for 

the disc and each is notable for the exquisite blend of 

melody, harmony and rhythm. “Wabi-Sabi,” Pintchik 

quotes author Leonard Koren as saying, “is the 

quintessential Japanese aesthetic. It is a beauty of 

things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.” The 

graceful, quiet, command of these musicians is 

matched by a power that tells us that their sole 

purpose is to communicate. 

The set closes with an original by Hardy. The 

melody is quietly enchanting and once again the 

performance demonstrates how engagingly these 

players make individual statements but never leave off 

listening to their cohorts. 

For more information, visit lesliepintchik.com. This trio is 

at The Kitano Jan. 13th. See Calendar. 

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Third Floor People 

Anna Webber (Nowt) 

by Terrell Holmes 

Anna Webber’s wildly creative debut, Third Floor 

People, defies categorization. This talented tenor 

player/flutist boldly deconstructs jazz and other 

genres and anyone seeking solace in the arms of a 

theme-solos-theme format need not apply. 

Webber plays with bands based in New York and 

Montréal; the sound of the former band is humorous, 

edgy and daring. A somber flute and trumpet 

statement by Webber and Matt Holman, with 

percussive highlights by Fred Kennedy, opens the first 

part of the title cut. Soon a distorted guitar riff by 

Owen Stewart-Robertson asserts itself while flute, 

trumpet and drums remain unmoved, like a group of 

people having a polite conversation as a fight breaks 

out. Kennedy’s tribal drums and Webber’s flute on 

“Awkward” are augmented by a sizzling rock-out by 

Stewart-Robertson; Webber’s tenor whines on 

“Glimpses” until Stewart-Robertson and Holman 

demand that she get over herself. “Le Pont” is a 

contemplative free tune, with languid yet imaginative 

blowing by Holman and Webber, who plays her flute 

with glorious abandon. And Stewart-Robertson’s 

guitar riffs on the frenetic “Parallelissimo II” sound 

like “Purple Haze” trying to escape Earth’s gravity. 

Webber’s Montréal group plays a little straighter. 

“Parallelissimo I”, for example, is as close to standard 

jazz as the album goes. Webber (on tenor) and altoist 

Erik Hove play dreamily above a strong percussive 

loop provided by drummer Phillippe Melanson and 

guitarist Jean-Sebastien Williams, who adds some Pat 

Metheny-like riffs. The onomatopoetic “Boo Boo Boo 

Daa” moves seamlessly into an improvisation so tight 

that it seems to be written. This band plays “Third 

Floor People II” the same way as the New York band 

but where Stewart-Robertson’s guitar screeched, 

Williams’ is smooth and clear. 

No matter what the band’s location is, there’s 

some hip, imaginative, fun stuff happening on the 

third floor. Just knock on the door and ask for Anna. 

For more information, visit nowtrecords.org. Webber is at 

Miles’ Café Jan. 23rd. See Calendar. 

Maxine Harry Beckett (ITM) 

Straight Ahead Hadley Caliman (Origin) 

Do Not Disturb John Bunch (Arbors) 

by George Kanzler 

These three musicians - all longtime jazz veterans 

who died in 2010 - occupied different realms of the jazz 

firmament. Pianist John Bunch, 88, was a 

contemporary of Hank Jones, who also died last year at 

91 and like Jones played for singers (Tony Bennett, in 

Bunch’s case) and in Benny Goodman bands. But 

Bunch eventually became associated with swing/ 

mainstream musicians and younger neo-swing 

players. Trumpeter Harry Beckett, 75 and tenor 

saxophonist Hadley Caliman, 78, were both of African 

ancestry, but Caliman was part of the West Coast (LA 

and later Seattle) jazz scene and Beckett, born in 

Barbados, was a mainstay of British avant circles. 

Of the three, Beckett had the most personal sound, 

easy to recognize for both his ebullience and breathy, 

cracked-ice tone and timbre. Maxine collects tracks 

from five different groups, ranging from duos to 

quintets, recorded between 1987-95. They show what 

an adaptable stylist Beckett was, as at home in the 

funky, replete with electric bass guitar, quintet of 

pianist Chris McGregor as in duets and trios with 

piano or piano and bass exploring the chanson laments 

of Jacques Brel. There’s a hint of very early Miles and 

Chet Baker in his playing, but also an adventurous 

imagination akin to Don Cherry on his more avant 

work in a quintet with a three-horn frontline. 

Caliman’s Straight Ahead features his 21st century 

Seattle working quintet, a band firmly in the postbop, 

hardbop, soul jazz tradition. The program - typical of 

the band’s gigs, according to the leader - consists of a 

couple of band originals plus jazz and classic pop 

standards. When he was coming up in LA Caliman 

was dubbed “Little Dexter” for his fealty to Dexter 

Gordon’s style but his biggest influence is early, prefree/modal 

Coltrane. The resemblance is most striking 

on ballads like “You Leave Me Breathless” and “Lush 

Life”, where Caliman invokes Trane in both tone and 

lyrical passion. The well-meshed quintet plays with 

easy confidence and swing, trumpeter Thomas 

Marriott a fine frontline foil to the leader. And the 

musical approach, from the Horace Silver-ish “Cigar 

Eddie” to Lee Morgan’s “Totem Pole”, is what is still 

the staple of most jazz radio and regional scenes. 

Like Caliman, John Bunch is a connoisseur of 

repertoire and Do Not Disturb is filled with appealing 

tunes, from the relatively obscure Ellingtonia title 

track to standards, some well known some not, such as 

“I’ve Just Seen Her”, “My Ideal”, “Bill” and “Get Out 

of Town” to jazz evergreens like “Doxy”, “In Your 

Own Sweet Way” (a Dave Brubeck gem) and 

“Anthropology”. On this CD Bunch turns to the 

instrumentation of one of his early influences, the Nat 

King Cole Trio, adding guitarist Frank Vignola and 

bassist John Webber. At times he and Vignola achieve 

the close harmony or unison ensemble sound that 

George Shearing borrowed from Cole. At all times 

Bunch remains an elegant pianist with a lapidary, 

limpid touch sustaining a bright flowing swing that 

earned him one of his sobriquets: the Fred Astaire of 

jazz piano. 

For more information, visit jazzwerkstatt.eu, 

origin-records.com and arborsrecords.com

It’s About That Time 

Hot Club of Detroit 

(Mack Avenue) 

by Ken Dryden 

Wrap Your Troubles in... 

Hot Club of Philadelphia 

(Jazz Manouch) 

Some “Hot Club” bands stick fairly close to the 

repertoire and instrumentation of the quintet that 

inspired them but others substitute different 

instruments and expand the songbook. 

The Hot Club of Detroit consists of guitarist Evan 

Perri, accordion player Julien Labro, Carl Cafagna 

(clarinet, tenor and soprano saxes), rhythm guitarist 

Paul Brady and bassist Andrew Kratzat. Earlier 

recordings focused on songs by Reinhardt and 

Grappelli but here they delve into Frédéric Chopin’s 

“Tristesse E Major Etude”. Their spirited arrangement 

of Charles Mingus’ “Nostalgia in Times Square” 

successfully blends gypsy swing with the late bassist’s 

soulful jazz. One of their more adventurous efforts is 

the combination of Reinhardt’s “Heavy Artillerie” and 

Miles Davis’ “It’s About That Time” into an unusual 

medley that defies stylistic labeling. The originals are 

equally enjoyable. Perri’s “Sacre Bleu” is an enticing 

gypsy trio waltz for guitar, bass and accordion while 

Labro’s gently swaying “Papillion” showcases 

Cafagna on soprano sax and the composer’s accordion. 

The Hot Club of Philadelphia also draws from a 

larger repertoire, but varies the musicians from one 

track to another while utilizing a few guests as well. 

The core quartet includes lead acoustic guitarist Barry 

Wahrhaftig, rhythm guitarist Joe Ellis, clarinetist Bob 

Butryn and bassist Jim Stager. The standard “Exactly 

Like You” adds violinist Joe Arnold, who swings in a 

more country-influenced style. “Someone to Watch 

Over Me” features the virtuoso Howard Alden on 

seven-string acoustic guitar and a heartfelt vocal by 

Denise King. Reinhardt’s timeless “Nuages” is heard 

in a vocal setting as well, “It’s the Bluest Kind of 

Blues”, with Phyllis Chapell singing its lyric in both 

French and English. Wahrhaftig overdubs lead and 

rhythm guitar in the chugging setting of “You’d Be So 

Nice to Come Home To”. His solo interpretation of 

Alec Wilder’s “While We’re Young” isn’t played in a 

gypsy style, but as a straightahead ballad. The modern 

gypsy guitarist Dorado Schmitt’s “Tchavolo Swing” 

also fits the bill perfectly while the addition of 

flamenco guitarist Carlos Rubio (along with King on 

vocals) recasts the late ‘40s pop favorite “Nature Boy”. 

For more information, visit mackavenue.com and 

hotclubphilly.com. The Hot Club of Detroit is at Joe’s Pub 

Jan. 21st-22nd. See Calendar. 

Reggaeology 

Hamid Drake & Bindu 

(Rogue Art) 


Eponymous 

Frank Gratkowski/ 

Hamid Drake (Valid) 

Part of what makes the surprise of Reggaeology so 

wonderful is that it really shouldn’t be a surprise at all. 

Drummer Hamid Drake showed himself to be a savvy 

bandleader on his previous Rogue Art releases and 

he’s long been carving room for backbeats within the 

free jazz maelstrom. So claiming ground in the relaxed 

feel of West African-cum-Caribbean grooves would 

seem only natural for Drake. 

But reggae, like the blues, is a form so associated 

with a particular mood and style that it has become 

codified beyond artistic expression. What Drake and 

his stellar sextet are after here isn’t the post-Bob 

Marley tunes of frat party freedom but the real horncentric 

deal of the spectrum of calypso-based musics, 

from joyous midtempo mento rhythms to the wavering 

trombone wails of first-generation ska, with some free 

jazz freedom and beatbox vocals folded in as well. 

The album boldly starts off with its longest track, 

the 20-minute “Kali’s Children No Cry”, which could 

easily fit in a Skatalites set (trombonists Jeff Albert and 

Jeb Bishop know their Don Drummond). That’s 

followed by a double groove meeting of Nigerian 

electric guitar (easily played by Jeff Parker) and 

Gnawa guimbri (bassist Josh Abrams) united by 

Drake’s in-the-pocket drumming and another shining 

trombone line. After that comes the other pleasant 

shocker of the record, in the guise of Napoleon 

Maddox (from Cincinnati hiphop crew ISWHAT?!). 

His vocal percussion melds with Drake’s drums 

throughout, but he steps up as preacher and griot, 

reciting and singing his texts and verses from Drake 

and poet Lex Hixon. He leaves a big footprint on the 

record, pulling it away from what those who concern 

themselves with such things call “jazz”, though it’s not 

like they called the record “Jazzology”. 

The surprises in store on the drummer’s duo 

recording with German saxophonist Frank Gratkowski 

are smaller, more tucked away, but such small 

revelations are never far when Drake’s at play. The 

four long improvisations culled from this 2009 New 

Orleans concert are typically exploratory and highly 

musical - Gratkowski seems always to have melody on 

his mind. But with the exception of the late, great 

tenorman Fred Anderson, Drake isn’t often heard in 

tandem with horns and Gratkowski is a very different 

player who favors more delicate reeds (he’s heard here 

on alto sax and B-flat and bass clarinets). It’s not a 

subdued session, but not quite full-on either and 

there’s plenty of space to hear each of their decisionmaking 

and how it turns on the other, at one point 

building to an unexpectedly resilient 2/2 from the 

drums. It’s always a pleasure to bask in the warmth of 

Drake’s playing and in both of these instances it’s easy 

to stand the heat. 

For more information, visit web.roguart.com and 

validrecords.com. Drake is at Le Poisson Rouge Jan. 21st 

with William Parker. See Calendar. 



Boom Boom Cat 

Sunny Murray/John Edwards/Tony Bevan (Foghorn) 

by Ken Waxman 

Although Sunny Murray, the dean of American free 

jazz drumming, is the best-known player here, the 

success of Boom Boom Cat depends as much on the 

contributions of the other two musicians, more than 

mere sidemen. Bassist John Edwards and saxophonist 

Tony Bevan are both an integral part of London’s free 

music scene, working with everyone from saxophonist 

Evan Parker to drummer Steve Noble. 

Veterans of thrash-rock ensembles as well as lowkey 

improv combos, the two confidently partner with 

Murray, who now lives in Paris, every time he visits 

Great Britain. Despite being children when Murray 

redefined drumming in the mid ‘60s with pianist Cecil 

Taylor and saxophonist Albert Ayler, Edwards and 

Bevan are as confident in this context as any other. 

Bevan’s floor-vibrating bass saxophone gets a major 

workout on the shorter “Ballad for G” but his deft 

manipulation of all its timbres, as well as those of the 

tenor and soprano saxophones, is brought into starker 

relief on the nearly hour-long title track. 

Perhaps appropriately, Bevan’s intense 

flattement, triple-tonguing and pressurized split tones 

on tenor recall Ayler’s characteristic work, especially 

when the tempo solidifies into a child-like march. His 

glossolalia and tension-laden staccatissimo compact 

stentorian timbres into screaming altissimo and then 

splinter downwards as Edwards keeps the excitement 

on a rolling boil with buzzing string slaps. Meanwhile 

Murray’s muscular strokes, pops and rumbles advance 

with constant stick motion and a fluid, elasticized 

rhythm. Edwards leaning into the beat and exposing 

harsh passages from the bottom register underlines 

Bevan’s lyrical soprano saxophone interlude. Later, 

the bassist’s crying spiccato lines make common cause 

with the saxophonist as Bevan’s bass horn propels 

gusts of pedal-point multiphonics. Subtly backing all 

this with minimized polyrhythms, Murray confirms 

his mastery with traffic cop-like directions for the 

others and a conclusive snare whack. 

Respected for his innovations and longevity, this 

CD demonstrates that, with the right associates, 

Murray’s music is as contemporary today as it was 

decades ago. 

For more information, visit foghornrecords.co.uk 

Saturn Sings 

Mary Halvorson Quintet (Firehouse 12) 


Mary Halvorson’s diverse projects range from avantfolk 

with Jessica Pavone to the free improvisation of 

MAP with Reuben Radding and Tatsuya Nakatani. The 

quintet heard here is an expansion of her trio with 

bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith, 

previously heard on 2008’s Dragon’s Head and the most 

jazz-oriented of her groupings. In fact, the trio moves 

closer to something resembling the jazz mainstream 

with the addition of Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) and 

Jon Irabagon (alto saxophone), both in instrumentation 

and in the associations heard in the playing. 

Halvorson’s compositions are highly personal 

exercises in the jazz tradition, but they’re already the 

more skewed parts of that discourse. She notes Yusef 

Lateef and Anthony Braxton among sources for 

specific pieces, but there are suggestions as well of Eric 

Dolphy’s harmonic interests and Booker Little’s 

dissonant lyricism. There’s plenty of developed 

dialogue here, most notably between Halvorson and 

Hébert, but the guitarist is a strong musical 

personality, moving smoothly from angular, almost 

serial lines to explosive sprays of distorted notes. Her 

solos are strange skeins, twisting outward and 

fluttering between the more stable parts of the band, as 

in her intense adventure on the most recent 

composition here, “Sequential Tears in It”. There are 

even weird wanderings into microtonality in her 

comping behind the horns on “Moon Traps in Seven 

Rings”. 

It’s the concentrated emotional content of the 

group that makes this one of the more original and 

accomplished releases of the year, from the support of 

Hébert and Smith to Finlayson’s brassy shimmering 

lines and Irabagon’s more exploratory playing. 

Halvorson already has a reputation as the most 

interesting guitarist to arrive in jazz circles in the past 

decade. This CD is only likely to enhance that view, as 

Halvorson fuses advanced harmony with quartertones. 

For more information, visit firehouse12.com. Halvorson is 

at Littlefield Jan. 13th. See Calendar.

Quiz 

Alexander McCabe (CAP) 


Alexander McCabe’s rich alto sax meditates, bops and 

swings with an amazing consistency of tonal depth on 

this release that some might categorize as mainstream 

jazz. Don’t let that put you off, however, as McCabe’s 

mainstream has plenty of engaging twists, surprising 

turns and intensely raging rapids that he and his band 

of like-minded musicians navigate expertly and 

creatively. 

Joining McCabe is pianist Uri Caine, whose 

presence adds substance and inventiveness to any 

project. Here, Caine doesn’t overpower but plays the 

solid sideman who at the perfect moments flashes 

effortless brilliance. He sets up the interesting pace 

and Brubeck feel to opener “Weezie’s Waltz” and, after 

a particularly intense and decorative alto solo on freebopper 

“St. Kit”, matches McCabe’s creativity with 

fluid elegance. 

Make no mistake though, McCabe is in charge and 

his playing is breathtaking. Bassist Ugonna Okegwo 

combines with drummer Rudy Royston to ground the 

tunes but they shine equally when adding coloration 

to the more contemplative pieces. Such is the case on 

an expansive version of the lovely “Good Morning 

Heartache”, opening and closing with a Trane-like 

meditation before it discovers breezy Latin grooves 

that provide an opportunity for Okegwo’s particularly 

emotive solo. The captivating title cut has McCabe 

responding to the rhythm section’s propulsive 

questions with queries of a more plaintive sort. The 

final and very correct answer is offered thanks to 

Caine’s own pretty and fleet repartée. 

Two of these seven tunes subs in drummer Greg 

Hutchinson and on these McCabe flies especially high. 

He ascends to capture a live late night sizzling blues 

on “Lonnegan” and soars through a wonderfully 

surprising “Kalido”. With his leadership skills, 

inventiveness and a passion not open to question, 

Alexander McCabe scores an A+ on this Quiz that 

draws from numerous musical categories. 

For more information, visit jazzbeat.com. This group is at 

Miles’ Café Jan. 27th. See Calendar. 

What is This Thing Called Love? 

(with Hod O’Brien, Bob Bowen) 

Royce Campbell Trio (Philology) 

by Ken Dryden 

Guitarist Royce Campbell may not be a familiar name 

to many jazz fans, in spite of a career that began in the 

‘70s. He has recorded extensively as a leader over the 

past two decades, though most of his CDs have been 

for small domestic or European labels. A self-taught 

player, Campbell worked with Marvin Gaye in 1973, 

then spent 19 years touring with Henry Mancini, 

beginning in 1975. Now living in Virginia, Campbell 

has not done much touring in recent years, though that 

may be changing. 

His third recording for the Italian Philology label 

is straightahead bop, with pianist Hod O’Brien and 

bassist Bob Bowen (this may be one of the last sessions 

Bowen participated in; the bassist, who worked with 

Matt Wilson, Lee Konitz, Richie Cole, Kenny Werner, 

James Moody and others, died Aug. 30th, 2010 at 45 

from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident while 

on his bicycle). O’Brien plays his own upright piano in 

this living room session, which Campbell thought 

would be more relaxing, along with eliminating the 

problem of O’Brien having to get used to the nuances 

of playing an unfamiliar studio instrument. The 11 

songs are all bop variations of familiar standards, 

which mostly stick close to the original tunes (and with 

song titles that will quickly enable even a jazz novice 

to determine the source composition). 

Campbell has chops to spare, though the veteran 

allows his musicians plenty of space for interplay. The 

thinner, somewhat metallic sound of O’Brien’s small 

upright piano provides a noticeable contrast with a 

typical studio grand, but it helps to give the session the 

flavor of an informal rehearsal among friends. The 

treble end of O’Brien’s piano suggests a harpsichord in 

the light-hearted “Love For Rent”. “They Had 

Rhythm” is a delightful romp with Campbell and 

O’Brien engaging in the trading of fours. Two 

Ellington songs are the basis for Campbell’s 

compositions: the toe-tapping “See Jam Blues” is an 

understated affair while “In a Sorta Mental Mood” has 

a bluesy flavor, with Bowen including a bit of humor 

in his solo. This enjoyable session is warmly 

recommended. 

For more information, visit philologyjazz.wordpress.com 


Eponymous 

Dans les arbres (ECM) 


Dans les arbres is a quartet of apparent secrets. 

They’re not committed to the complete obfuscation of 

instrumental sound as so many, so compellingly, are in 

the world of extended improvisational forms. Rather 

they wear their voices on their sleeves, as it were, and 

at the same time conjure some soundscapes neither 

easily discerned nor dissected. 

The lineup is conventional enough on paper. 

French clarinetist Xavier Charles appears alongside a 

trio of Norwegians: Ivar Grydeland (guitar and banjo), 

Christian Wallumrød (piano) and Ingar Zach 

(percussion). They could nearly be a small Dixie 

ensemble, which they aren’t. Instead they hover in the 

orbit of post-AMM sound art, with a crucial distinction 

being that they still work as a band. While so often 

what occurs in so-called “electro-acoustic 

improvisation” is a (compelling) melding of voices, 

Dans les arbres are at all times four distinct voices. 

Which is where the trouble, compellingly, begins. 

Playing at Issue Project Room Dec. 9th, they 

sounded in part like a gong ensemble, with muted 

electric guitar strings and dampened piano creating 

decidedly percussive sounds while at the same time a 


gong stood behind a large parade drum turned on its 

side. Bows were applied to banjo strings and what 

appeared to be light fixtures, setting a mournful cry 

against the clarinet while a mallet pushed against the 

drumhead sounded very much like a bowed bass viol. 

On record they add the reedy drones of harmonica and 

sruti box, hitting something that manages to be 

epically minimalist by the two-thirds mark. 

What they aren’t doing is making sounds of secret 

origin. Rather they are concealing secret weapons. 

Dans les arbres works with quiet grenades, lobbing 

them gently into a pool of acoustic instrumentation. 

The ripples are, reliably, compelling. 

For more information, visit ecmrecords.com 

Camera 

Joe Morris 

(ESP-Disk) 

Creatures 

Joe Morris/Luther Gray 

(Not Two) 

by Ken Waxman 

Confidently inventive on these CDs, guitarist Joe 

Morris demonstrates that he’s lost none of his facility 

or individuality despite a decade also working as a 

bassist. It’s hard to choose between these two releases, 

recorded approximately one year apart. 

While Creatures, a duo with drummer Luther 

Gray, is a high-class examination of how many notable 

improvisations can be produced by only two 

musicians, it also suffers from its virtues. There are 

only so many ways to voice strings and a drumkit. 

Camera on the other hand adds the additional textures 

- one is tempted to say perspective and contrast - that 

are available with the addition of cellist Junko 

Fujiwara Simons and violinist Katt Hernandez. The 

lineup conjures up memories of similarly constituted 

ensembles, from The Revolutionary Ensemble to the 

String Trio of New York. 

With all the tunes named with photographic 

allusions, the quartet builds up to top-quality 

portraiture on Camera’s final tracks, “Patterns on 

Faces” and “Reflected Objects”. Benefiting from the 

presence of four potential soloists, the first tune is 

angled around a legato and tremolo cello lead, 

accompanied by Gray’s muted pops and drags. The 

latter piece’s duet of Hernandez and Morris moves 

with enough complex yet unforced licks to suggest 

what may have happened if Jim Hall at his most 

adventurous had recorded with Leroy Jenkins at his 

most traditional. Added is low-pitched shuffle bowing 

from Simons and sharp licks from Morris and an 

episode of rattled cymbals and thumped snares from 

Gray that resembles a standard jazz drum break. 

Simons’ two-handed bowing and plucking on 

“Patterns on Faces” bonds with slurred fingering and 

emphasized fills from Morris, as well as spicatto 

pumps from Hernandez. With the three operating in 

multiphonic counterpoint, the final theme variation 

reaches its climax with intermittent string falters from 

the violinist who, by not completing her licks, leaves 

the ending purposely hanging. 

Analogous stop-start strategies are avoided on 

Creatures, since it appears that Morris is unwilling to 

stop playing. It isn’t much of a hardship considering 

that his soloing throughout is swift, diatonic and 

unusually lyrical. At the same time Gray is one of the 

least flamboyant percussionists, pacing himself with 

light flams and drags. The two attain a significant 

sound-meld on “Creature Proportion” as Morris’ 

multi-fingering story-telling runs sizzle alongside the 

drummer’s rebounds, hammering tones and final 

polyrhythmic paradiddles. The same unforced 

lyricism is part of the defining “Creature Outlook”, as 

Gray’s cymbal shudders, ratamacues and taps 

intricately outline the guitarist’s taut, single-string 

frails. Morris’ perfectly shaped tones play tag with the 

drummer’s bounces and rim shots until the fleet 

interaction brings the disc to a satisfying end. 

Whether you prefer Morris and Gray in duo or 

quartet form, each CD is an axiomatic example of the 

guitarist’s - and the drummer’s - subtle art. 

For more information, visit espdisk.com and nottwo.com 

IN PRINT 

At The Jazz Band Ball: Sixty Years on the Jazz Scene 

by Nat Hentoff (University of California Press) 


To label Nat Hentoff a jazz ‘critic’ is slightly 

misleading when you consider that he is one of the 

music’s staunchest advocates, a veteran participant 

who will respectfully decline to comment if he 

doesn’t like what he hears. At The Jazz Band Ball is an 

anthology of recent writings (dating from 2004) 

primarily culled from JazzTimes and The Wall Street 

Journal, along with other sources, including two 

conversations from the Blue Note Jazz Club 

Interview Series. Admitting that “the only thing I 

play is the electric typewriter”, Hentoff is not so 

much interested analyzing what he calls “the 

process” (ie, the technique) of jazz as he is getting to 

know the ‘who’ of jazz, avowing that he has learned 

more about music in particular and life in general 

from the artists themselves. Many times he cites the 

players verbatim, often in pithy aphorisms that 

capture the individual’s ethos: “It’s taken me much 

of my life to learn what notes not to play.” (Dizzy 

Gillespie); “Retire? To what?” (Duke Ellington) or, 

“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your 

wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of 

your horn.” (Charlie Parker). Hentoff has taken such 

observations to heart; they appear and reappear 

throughout his writing like classic big band riffs. 

Organized around broad themes such as Duke 

Ellington’s legacy, music education, First 

Amendment rights (a burning issue in Hentoff’s 

other work) and jazz’ next generation, the book is a 

mother-lode of rare nuggets: in Chapter 12 the 

notoriously taciturn Thelonious Monk offers his 

observations on the early bebop scene at Minton’s 

Playhouse and on musical originality; in Chapter 21 

Clark Terry discusses his experiences with Miles 

Davis, Quincy Jones and Count Basie; Chapter 34 

reveals that Willie “The Lion” Smith was bar 

mitzvah’ed into the Jewish faith, eventually 

becoming a chazzan (prayer singer) and Chapter 47 

shows how Art Davis helped foment fairer orchestra 

audition procedures when he sued the New York 

Philharmonic for discrimination. Not literally a 

‘critic’, Hentoff notes, “I’ve only written about 

musicians whose music I liked and felt I could 

understand.” 

For more information, visit ucpress.edu

Silent Movies 

Ipos 

Marc Ribot (Book of Angels, Vol. 14) 

(Pi) 

John Zorn (Tzadik) 


Marc Ribot has covered considerable ground in his 

musical career, making original contributions to both 

roots music and the avant garde. There’s been 

sustained work as a sideman with songwriters Tom 

Waits and Elvis Costello, as well as a prominent place 

on Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand. 

There’s been extensive collaborations with John Zorn 

while Ribot’s own diverse projects have included the 

jazz-punk of the Rootless Cosmopolitans; a Latin 

dance band, Los Cubanos Postizos; his Albert Ayler 

tribute, Spiritual Unity and the recent SunShip, an 

exploration of John Coltrane’s repertoire with fellow 

guitarist Mary Halvorson. 

What links all that work together is Ribot’s hardedged 

lyricism, an ability to find the most telling 

phrase in a range of contexts. These two CDs focus on 

very different dimensions of that lyricism, whether 

exploring his introspective solo music or 

demonstrating an almost encyclopedic command of 

electric guitar sounds of the past half-century in 

company with Zorn. 

Silent Movies is almost all solo guitar, with Keefus 

Ciancia adding subtle soundscapes to 5 of the 13 

tracks. Occasionally there are flashes of Ribot’s funkier 

side: “Fat Man Blues” sounds like its groove sprang to 

life in a Cajun swamp and there are moments when 

gritty feedback comes to the foreground. But usually 

it’s near-acoustic guitar, with often just the subtlest 

amplification adding weight to the instrument’s 

sound. The “Movies” of the title include soundtrack 

work for Natalia Almada’s El General to Ribot’s score 

for a live accompaniment to Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, 

first performed in the 2010 New York Guitar Festival. 

Other pieces are conceived as soundtracks for a series 

of mental images, pieces that range from strongly 

focused melody to ambient soundscape. The work is 

wistful and melancholy, by turn, at times recalling 

Ribot’s early recording of the classical guitar music of 

Frantz Casseus. Among the most beautiful is “Radio”, 

a web of different themes that touch on a variety of 

moods, all tied together ultimately by a bittersweet 

theme reminiscent of Nino Rota’s soundtrack work for 

Federico Fellini. The sense of nostalgia, of flickering 

images in an ancient movie theater is highlighted by 

the concluding performance of “Sous le Ciel de Paris”, 

a haunting melody forever associated with Edith Piaf. 

John Zorn’s Ipos is further subtitled The Dreamers 

play Masada Book Two and it continues the series begun 

with The Dreamers and O’o. Zorn’s Masada melodic 

materials - much harder-edged with the acoustic 

Masada quartet - are profoundly transmuted here, the 

ensemble maintaining a tight stylistic focus 

synthesized from lounge exotica, surf music and the 

cool school version of Latin jazz, invoking performers 

like Martin Denny, Cal Tjader and the Ventures. 

Zorn’s synthesis of this music overcomes those genres’ 

emphases on catchy themes and gimmicky timbres, 

instead achieving a consistently dream-like quality, 

frequently heightened by Middle-Eastern sounding 

themes emphasizing ostinatos amidst densely 

percussive fields created by Kenny Wollesen’s 

glitteringly resonant vibraphone, Jamie Saft’s 

keyboards, Trevor Dunn’s pulsing electric bass and the 

vibrant mix of Cyro Baptista’s percussion and Joey 

Baron’s drumkit. It’s unlikely any other guitarist could 

bring as much to this particular music, given the 

breadth of Ribot’s experience in pop and rock as well 

as in classical and improvised music. He’s a master of 

amplified sound and regularly highlights this music 

with crunching, sustained solos, as on “Galizur” and 

“Ezriel”. This is timbrally and melodically rich music, 

but it’s Ribot’s ability to rise above that that makes this 

so good. 

For more information, visit pirecordings.com and 

tzadik.com. Ribot is at Brecht Forum Jan. 1st and Le 

Poisson Rouge Wednesdays with various groups. See 

Calendar. 

ON DVD 

Solos: The Jazz Sessions 

Gonzalo Rubalcaba (MVD) 

by Ken Dryden 

Jazz fans worldwide have been drawn to Cuban 

pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba ever since his striking 

1990 CD Discovery: Live at Montreux and over a 

dozen albums as a leader since. With a virtuoso 

technique that draws from his background playing 

jazz, Cuban and classical music, he has recorded 

extensively and also appeared with Charlie Haden, 

Dave Holland, Joe Lovano and the late Michael 

Brecker. 

While original jazz programming can be almost 

impossible to find on American television networks, 

that is not the case in Canada. This HD DVD was 

produced for a Canadian series called Solos: The Jazz 

Sessions, which aired on Bravo! Canada. Videotaped 

in a dark studio with multiple cameras, the viewer’s 

perspective of the performer changes every few 

seconds, often superimposing two images. The 

constant change of focus can be distracting to the 

music but it also provides numerous close-ups of 

Rubalcaba’s hands and plenty of angles impossible 

to view in a concert or club setting. 

Rubalcaba briefly discusses the influences of 

Cuban music, jazz and classical music upon his 

playing style, demonstrating all of them in this 

stunning session. He transforms the traditional 

Latin favorite “Prologo to el Manicero” into nearly a 

new piece, incorporating a bit of humor at times 

while drastically slowing the tempo of the bassline 

against rapid-fire treble lines in the vein of Art 

Tatum. Many players forget that “Besame Mucho” 

was written as a sad ballad, but Rubalcaba’s 

deliberate interpretation has a sense of drama that is 

all too often missing in jazz recordings. He 

approaches Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma” (which 

isn’t listed at all on the DVD sleeve) in reverent 

fashion, as if he is playing an elegy to the jazz great. 

The pianist’s originals are equally striking. His 

infectious “Supernova” bursts with energy, 

blending incredible runs over a frequently shifting 

Latin vamp. The childlike simplicity of his touching 

ballad “Yolanda Anastasia” suggests that he wrote 

it for a young daughter. This phenomenal 2008 

studio session ranks alongside the best recorded 

work of Gonzalo Rubalcaba. 

For more information, visit mvdb2b.com 


BOXED SET 

Bandwidth 

Circulasione Totale Orchestra (Rune Grammofon) 

by Gordon Marshall 

Led by reed player Frode Gjerstad, the Circulasione 

Totale Orchestra is an allstar team for the ages. 

Bandwidth features Louis Moholo-Moholo, Sabir 

Mateen, Bobby Bradford, Paal-Nilssen-Love and 

Hamid Drake among its 14 members. At the same 

time, this is a three-CD set, making it something 

more like a marathon than a ball game. If they are 

runners, though, they are still a running team and 

they cohere as a unit. Delivering the keynote solo on 

cornet, Bobby Bradford sets a responsive tone, 

leaving space for the rest to punctuate. 

Anders Hana on electric guitar is a powerful 

presence starting out the first disc, “Yellow Bass & 

Silver Cornet II”. Even within a percussion-heavy 

ensemble he makes a percussive mark on his strings, 

spacing out his attacks on them to allow for the entry 

of others - and to give an all-the-more-syncopated 

edge to what he is doing himself. Bradford returns in 

a duo, with light drum touches, with pizzicato bass, 


into which another arco jumps in and the nature of 

the album’s title becomes clear: the acoustic 

instruments mime shortwave radio signals, offering 

a new take on Concrete Instrumental Music, in an 

improvised context, extrapolated from the ideas of 

German composer Helmut Lachenmann. 

The tone is busy yet calm, with buildups and 

outbursts that resolve themselves in such a manner 

that no voice is lost and, however frenetic the pace, 

the mix is never muddy. Even at the height of the 

frenzy, the ensemble breathes and achieves 

synergistic qualities. Again, Bradford is a 

remarkable feature in this ersatz concerto, melodic, 

humorous and inventive, shadowed by tuba and 

sax, with intermittent electronic breaks falling in 

eventually. At times the pace slows, allowing for a 

glimpse into the weave and fabric of the electroacoustic 

apparatus, to feel the textures of the 

crawling figures in the bass register. Soon enough 

the lines are percolating in the treble clef and again 

the circulation is total. 

Disc 2 begins with a thick percussion/ 

electronics mix. Composition-wise, it continues 

from Disc 1, as “Yellow Bass & Silver Cornet III”. 

Indeed, soon enough Bradford makes his return, this 

time in a more plaintive form. Before long, he hints 

at a bugle’s “Reveille” and then a blue note sneaks 

in. Cavernous basslines echo in the background and 

then a swinging drum beat bops in, along with 

Kevin Norton’s vibes. Here, echoes of ‘60s Blue Note 

and in particular Eric Dolphy’s Out to Lunch come to 

the foreground. We are far from electronic and 

concrete sounds here and yet the album title still 

seems to hold, characterizing the shifts in dynamics 

and style, in a way almost suggesting John Zorn’s 

cut & paste approach - but with more orthodox 

elements of the free and modern jazz canon. 

Disc 3 introduces a new title, “Dancing in St. 

Johann IV”, featuring the electric bass and drums, 

respectively, of Per Zanussi and Drake. Bradford 

still commands, but whatever Drake backs up 

inevitably bears his stamp. He is like Elvin Jones in 

this regard, but without the even stronger 

personality that Jones had leading him in Coltrane, 

Drake is free to flood the shores with an undertow 

and its attendant heavy surf. The more baffling he 

becomes, the clearer - and vice versa. Ultimately, 

vibes, bass and woodwinds are drawn into his 

riptide. Again, it is completely chaotic yet 

completely controlled. It ebbs as well as flows and it 

is a freedom, an independent mindedness, which, 

rather than rein in coercively the other artists, 

propels them into a like-minded mode of 

independent exploration. 

A push and pull dynamic characterizes the 

collection as a whole. Glacial coagulations will occur 

at times, with a real drama of their own, inciting 

anticipation as to what the ravage and rupture on 

the following sonic terrain will be. The electroacoustic 

mix of instruments itself, as it so often is, 

proves an objective correlative for the natural and 

manmade amalgam of phenomena that characterizes 

our world. It remains an open question if even art, 

any more than technology, can help us cope 

sometimes with global crises. Humans, whether 

artist or otherwise, are organisms - and even a 

microorganism can rehabilitate a habitat when the 

occasion arises. 

For more information, visit runegrammofon.com

CALENDAR 


Saturday, January 1 

��Tony Malaby, Angelica Sanchez, Tom Rainey; Angelica Sanchez Quartet with 

Tony Malaby, Michael Formanek, Tom Rainey 

The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

��Dr. Lonnie Smith Big Band with Kyle Wilson, Jon Ellis, Logan Richardson, 

Clark Gayton, Anne Drummond, Corey King, Josh Roseman, Keyon Harrold, 

Miki Hirose, Phil Dizack, Jonathan Kreisberg, Vicente Archer, Jamire Williams 

Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30 

��George Coleman Quartet with Harold Mabern, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth 

Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $35 

• Mike Stern Band with Victor Wooten, Dave Weckl, Bob Malach 

Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $40 

��The Bad Plus: Dave King, Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson 

Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $35 

• Nilson Matta’s Samba Meets Jazz with Helio Alves, Roni Ben-Hur, Amy London, 

Portinho The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25 

• Birdland Big Band directed by Tommy Igoe with Hilary Kole 

Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30 

• Chris Botti with Billy Kilson, Mark Whitfield, Billy Childs, Andy Ezrin, Carlos Henriquez, 

Lisa Fischer, Caroline Campbell, Chee-Yun 

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $75 

• Rosie Hertlein solo; Sarah Bernstein Group with Kris Davis, Stuart Popejoy, 

Tyshawn Sorey University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10 

• Ari Roland Group with Chris Byars, Zaid Nasser, Sacha Perry, Keith Balla; Smalls 

All-Stars New Years Eve Band with Jon Roche, Spike Wilner, Clifford Barbaro, 

Lennie Cuje, Marion Cowings; Stacy Dillard Trio with Diallo House, Ismail Lawal 

Smalls 7:30, 10:30 pm 1 am $20 

• Amir Rubinshtein Quartet with Ian Rapien, Eddy Khaimovich, Ronen Itzik 

Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10 

• Vanderlei Pereira & Blindfold Test; Fabio Morgera; Bruce Harris Jam 

Fat Cat 7, 10 pm 1:30 am 

• Tico Wells and Erica Gimpel with guest Frederikke and Onaje Allan Gumbs Trio 

Nuyorican Poets Café 9 pm $15 

• Don Slatoff Jazz Circus Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 

��Solos: Jon Blum; Isabel Castellvi; Gene Coleman; Cooper-Moore; Connie Crothers; 

Ingrid Laubrock; Marc Ribot; Catherine Sikora 

Brecht Forum 2 pm 

• Enoch Smith Jr. Trio; Justin Wood; Joey Morant Trio 

The Garage 12, 6, 10:30 pm 

Sunday, January 2 

��Dr. Lonnie Smith Yuga Adi Trio with Neel Murgai, Sameer Gupta 

Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 

��Stephan Crump/James Carney; Ben Monder Group 


• Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Green, Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III 

Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 

��Jamie Baum Septet with Taylor Haskins, Doug Yates, Brad Shepik, George Colligan, 

Johannes Weidenmueller, Jeff Hirshfield 

Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10 

��Gato Loco Bowery Poetry Club 9 pm $8 

��Lage Lund Quartet with Pete Rende, Orlando LeFleming, Rodney Green 

55Bar 9:30 pm 

• Ehud Asherie; Fat Cat Big Band; Brandon Lewis/Renée Cruz Jam 

Fat Cat 6, 8:30 pm 12:30 am 

��Ned Goold Trio Smalls 7:30 pm $20 

• Joel Forrester solo Gershwin Hotel 7 pm $10 

• Kurt Bacher Brooklyn Lyceum 9, 10:30 pm $10 

• Patrick Stokes, Matt Luczac, Mark Marinoff; Guillermo Gregorio/Jeffrey Shurdut 

ABC No Rio 7 pm $5 

• Peter Leitch/Jed Levy Walker’s 8 pm 

• Malesha Jessie; Aaron Hamilton The Blue Owl 7 pm $5 

��George Coleman Quartet with Harold Mabern, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth 

Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $35 

• Mike Stern Band with Victor Wooten, Dave Weckl, Bob Malach 

Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $40 

• Chris Botti with Billy Kilson, Mark Whitfield, Billy Childs, Andy Ezrin, Carlos Henriquez, 

Lisa Fischer, Caroline Campbell, Chee-Yun 

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $75 

• Alex Brown Group Saint Peter’s 5 pm 

• Helio Alves Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50 

• Roz Corral Trio with Gilad Hekselman, Edward Perez 

North Square Lounge 12:30, 2 pm 

• John Colianni Trio; David Coss and Trio; Ai Murakami Trio 


Monday, January 3 

• Les Paul Trio with Mike Stern, Victor Wooten 

Iridium 8, 10 pm $35 

��George Mraz with Iva Bittova, Billy Hart, Emil Viklicky 

Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20 

��Patricia Nicholson/William Parker; Gerald Cleaver Group; Rob Brown; William Parker, 

Rob Brown, Gerald Cleaver The Local 269 7 pm $10 

• Sadhana: Will Connell, Vincent Chancey, Max Johnson, Jeremy Carlstedt 

University of the Streets 10 pm $10 

• Petr Cancura’s Down Home with Skye Steele, Scott Kettner, Garth Stevenson, 

Jesse Lewis Barbès 7 pm $10 

• David Amram and Co. with Kevin Twigg, John de Witt, Adam Amram 


• Paul Meyers; Ari Hoenig Group with Joel Frahm, Johannes Weidenmuller, 

Orrin Evans; Spencer Murphy Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 

• PJ Rasmussen Quartet with Ben Kovacs, Ethan Oreilly, John Czolazc 

Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10 

• Daniella Schachter Trio with Oleg Osenkov, Adam Nussbaum 

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

• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Ben Cliness Trio 

The Garage 7, 10:30 pm 

• Steven Mooney Shrine 6 pm 

Tuesday, January 4 

• Tim Hagans Quintet Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30 

• Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet with Aaron Parks, Ben Street, Ted Poor 


• Walter Blanding, Jr. and Family with Audrey Shakir, Marcus Printup, Jack Glottman, 

Gerald Cannon, Willie Jones III Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 

• Matt Slocum, Gerald Clayton, Massimo Biolcati 

Dizzy’s Club 11 pm $10 

• Art Lillard’s Heavenly Big Band Iridium 7, 9 pm $25 

��Robert Dick/Ursel Schlicht; Robert Dick Trio with Reuben Radding, Lucas Ligeti 

University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10 

��Circle Down: Chad Taylor, Chris Lightcap, Angelica Sanchez; Russell Lossing’s 

Heavy Merge with John Hébert, Mark Helias, Louie Belogenis 


• Sachal Vasandani; Randy Ingram Trio with Matt Clohesy, Jochen Rueckert; 

Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Jam Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Dave Allen Quartet with John O’Gallagher, Drew Gress, Tom Rainey 


• Sebastian Cruz/Alex Simon Watty & Meg 10 pm $15 

• Tom Thorndike Trio with Nathan Peck, Brian Wolfe; Steven Mooney Quintet 

Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Jo-Yu Chen Trio with Christopher Tordini, Tommy Crane 

Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Saul Rubin Trio; Don Hahn and Yonatan Riklis with Saul Rubin Trio; 

Greg Glassman Jam Fat Cat 7, 9 pm 12:30 am 

• Champian Fulton solo The Kitano 8 pm 

��Bill Saxton Organ Trio Rue 57 8 pm 

• Jack Wilkins/Dan Adler Bella Luna 8 pm 

• Jim Campilongo/Steve Cardenas Rockwood Music Hall 7 pm 

• Valery Ponomarev Big Band; Justin Lees Trio 


• Pablo Masis Shrine 6 pm 

Wednesday, January 5 

��Dave Holland Overtone Quartet with Chris Potter, Jason Moran, Eric Harland 


��Mark Helias/Ray Anderson; John Hébert’s Rambling Confessions with Jen Shyu, 

Andy Milne, Billy Drummond The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

• Terence Blanchard with Brice Winston, Fabian Almazan, Joshua Crumbly, 

Kendrick Scott Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25 

��Marc Mommaas/Nikolaj Hess The Kitano 8, 10 pm 

��Jon Irabagon/Mike Pride Barbès 8 pm $10 

��Marc Ribot Le Poisson Rouge 10 pm 

• Jackson Krall and the Secret Music Society with Richard Keene, Juan Quinones, 

Mark Hennen, Hill Greene University of the Streets 9 pm $10 

��Scott Robinson/Emil Viklicky Duo Czech Center New York 7 pm 

• Pathway: David Cook, Marco Panascia, Mark Ferber 


• Peter Zak solo; Luigi and Pasquale Grasso Group with Alex Hoffman, Ari Roland, 

Keith Balla; Jeremy Manasia Trio with Joe Lepore, Jason Brown 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

• Dre Barnes Trio with Corcoran Holt, Rudy Royston; Jostein Gulbrandsen Trio with 

Ike Sturm, Ronen Itzik Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Jason Yeager Trio with Ben Roseth, Linda Oh 


• Brad Williams Trio Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm 

• David Miller Trio with Daniel Carter Flute Bar 8 pm 

• Rafi D’lugoff Trio with Corin Stiggall, Phil Stewart; Ryan Berg; Ned Goold Jam 


• Alexander Clough Group; Stan Killian Group 

Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30, 11 pm $5 

• Tucker and Larsen Shrine 7 pm 







• Los Hermanos Citron Essex House Hotel 6:30 pm 

• Champian Fulton Trio; Vitaly Golovnev Quartet 


• Marion Cowings Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7 

Thursday, January 6 

• Cassandra Wilson Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45 

��Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society; Fight the Big Bull 

Littlefield 8 pm $15 

��Ehud Asherie solo; Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart; Brian Charette 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

��Michaël Attias Quartet with Ralph Alessi, John Hébert, Nasheet Waits; 

Susie Ibarra Quartet with Jennifer Choi, Kathleen Supove, Bridget Kibbey 


��Tim Berne’s Los Totopos with Oscar Noriega, Matt Mitchell, Ches Smith 


��Jon Irabagon and Collective Language with Adam Kromelow, Peter Brendler, 

Gregg Bendian Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $25 

• Highlights in Jazz - Dynamic Duos: Bucky Pizzarelli/Howard Alden; 

Wycliffe Gordon/Jay Leonhart; Anat Cohen/Rossano Sportiello 

Tribeca Performing Arts Center 8 pm $35 

��Teri Roiger Quartet Abbey Lincoln Tribute with Frank Kimbrough, John Menegon, 

Steve Williams The Kitano 8, 10 pm 

• Gilad Hekselman Quartet with Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, Marcus Gilmore 

Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20 

• Mark Taylor’s Secret Identity with James Carney, Ken Filiano, Harris Eisenstadt; 

Asen Doykin Trio with Massimo Biolcati, Rodney Green 

Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

��Red Baraat Barbès 10 pm $10 

• Oz Noy Trio with Jay Anderson, Adam Nussbaum 


• Diallo House; Saul Rubin Group; Stacy Dillard Jam 


• Cameron Mizell Trio with Brad Whiteley, Kenneth Salters 

Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 

• Nicole Zuraitis Group Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Peter Sparacino Group with Jay Jennings, Aki Ishiguro, Arthur Vint 

Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm 

• Billy White Group Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $5 

• Michika Fukumari Trio Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm 











• David Coss and Trio; Matt Rippetoe Quartet 

The Garage 6, 10:30 pm

Friday, January 7 

��Winter Jazzfest: The Respect Sextet: Eli Asher, James Hirschfeld, Malcolm Kirby, 

Ted Poor, Josh Rutner, Red Wierenga; Anat Cohen Quartet with Jason Lindner; 

Vision Fugitive: JD Allen, Butch Morris, Gregg August, Danny Sadownick, 

Dezron Douglas, Rudy Royston, Stacy Dillard, Logan Richardson, Duane Eubanks; 

Chico Hamilton with Paul Ramsey, Nick Demopoulos, Evan Schwam, Mayu Saeki, 

Jeremy Carlstedt Le Poisson Rouge 6:15 pm $25 

��Winter Jazzfest: Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys with Darius Jones, Peter Bitenc, 

Alexis Marcelo; Shane Endsley and The Music Band with Matt Brewer, Ted Poor; 

Jacob Garchik Trio with Jacob Sacks, Dan Weiss; Jen Shyu’s Jade Tongue; 

Charles Gayle Trio with Larry Roland, Michael TA Thompson; Chris Lightcap’s 

Bigmouth with Tony Malaby, Bill McHenry, Gerald Cleaver; Jason Lindner’s NOW vs. 

NOW with Panagiotis Andreou, Mark Guliana; Chris Speed’s YeahNO with 

Skuli Sverrisson, Jim Black; Dan Tepfer Trio with Thomas Morgan, Ted Poor 

Kenny’s Castaways 6 pm $25 

��Winter Jazzfest: Amina Figarova Sextet with Bart Platteau, Marc Mommaas, 

Ernie Hammes, Jay Anderson, Chris ‘Buckshot” Strik; Eric Legnini with 

Krystle Warren; Nguyen Le; Proverb Trio: Dafnis Prieto, Kokayi, Jason Lindner; 

Source with Abdoulaye Diabaté, ShaiBachar, Mamadou Ba, Robert Bonhomme, 

Daniel Villeneuve; Matana Roberts solo; Aaron Goldberg Trio with Matt Penman, 

Eric Harland; Marcus Strickland Quartet with David Bryant, Ben Williams, 

EJ Strickland; Shimrit Shoshan with Ben Street, Eric McPherson 

Zinc Bar 6 pm $25 

��Motéma Records Showcase: Gregory Porter; Charnett Moffett; Geri Allen and Timeline 

Iridium 7 pm $25 

��Jacky Terrasson Trio Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

��Drew Gress’ 7 Black Butterflies with Tim Berne, Ralph Alessi, Craig Taborn, 

Tom Rainey; Tim Berne/Matt Mitchell 


��Company of Heaven Festival: Matt Darriau’s Ballin’ the Jack; Refuge Trio: 

Theo Bleckmann, Gary Versace, John Hollenbeck; Michael Musillami Trio with 

Joe Fonda, George Schuller Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10 

• Bill Mays Inventions Trio with Marvin Stamm, Alise Horn 

The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25 

• Jazz Gallery Rent Jam hosted by Ravi Coltrane 

City Winery 11:30 pm $15 

• Eldar Rubin Museum 7 pm $20 

• Sabrina Bridge Bach Quartet Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Adam Rogers/Oz Noy 55Bar 10 pm 

• Jared Gold/Dave Gibson Group; Mike Fahn Jam 

Fat Cat 10:30 pm 1 am 

• Allan Harris Quartet Piano Due 8 pm 

• Dan Peck solo; Garth Stevenson, Ben Gerstein, Ziv Ravitz; Torsten Muller, 

Harris Eisenstadt, Nate Wooley I-Beam 9 pm $10 

• Patrick Cornelius Trio with Hans Glawischnig, Johnathan Blake 

Bar Next Door 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $12 

• Paul Carlon’s La Rumba Is A Lovesome Thing with Anton Denner, Dave Smith, 

Mike Fahie, Mark Miller, John Stenger, Dave Ambrosio, Francois Zayas, 

Christelle Durandy; Deborah Latz Quartet with Daniela Schaechter, Oleg Osenkov, 

Carmen Intorre Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Glen Velez Ta Ka Di Mi Project with Lori Cotler, Shane Shanahan, Yousif Sheronick; 

Trio Globo: Eugene Friesen, Howard Levy, Glen Velez 

Leonard Nimoy Thalia 8 pm $30 

• Charlie Porter Quartet Bronx Museum of the Arts 7:30 pm 

��NOMO; Herculaneum: Dylan Ryan, Nick Broste, David McDonnell, Nate Lepine, 

Patrick Newbery, Greg Danek Zebulon 8 pm 

• Arthur Migliazzi Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Donald Malloy Quartet Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 


• Chris Byars Octet with Scott Wendholt, John Mosca, Ari Roland, Stefan Schatz, 

Mark Lopeman, Brad Linde; Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart; 

Lawrence Leathers Jam Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 1 am $20 

• Gilad Hekselman Quartet with Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, Marcus Gilmore 





Kendrick Scott Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30 




Gerald Cannon, Willie Jones III Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35 


Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20 

• Melissa Stylianou Rockwood Music Hall 7 pm 

• Ken Aldcroft/William Parker Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm 

• Ralph Hamperian’s Tuba D’AmorePuppet’s Jazz Bar 6 pm $5 

• Tomoko; Mademoiselle Fleur Shrine 6, 7 pm 

• Hide Tanaka Trio; Dre Barnes Project 



��Winter Jazzfest: Vernon Reid’s Artificial Afrika; Tia Fuller with Shamie Royston, 

Mimi Jones, Rudy Royston; Don Byron’s New Gospel Quintet with DK Dyson, 

Xavier Davis, Brad Jones, Pheeroan akLaff; Charlie Hunter with Michael R. Williams, 

Eric Kalb; Nels Cline’s Stained Radiance; Steve Coleman and Five Elements with 

Jonathan Finlayson, Miles Okazaki, David Virelles, Marcus Gilmore, Jen Shyu; 

RedCred: John Medeski, Chris Speed, Ben Perowsky; Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: 

Brian Hass, Josh Raymer, Chris Coombs, Jeff Harshbarger; Ben Perowsky’s 

Moodswing Orchestra with Glenn Patscha, Markus Miller, Oren Bloedow, 

Marcus Rojas, Doug Weiselman, Steven Bernstein, Pamelia Kurstin, Jennifer Charles, 

Miho Hatori, Elyas Khan, Joan Wasser, Bebel Gilberto, TK Wonder 

Le Poisson Rouge 6:15 pm $25 

��Winter Jazzfest: Kirk Knuffke Quartet with Brian Drye, Mark Helias, Jeff Davis; 

Bad Touch: Loren Stillman, Nate Radley, Gary Versace, Ted Poor; Andrew D’Angelo’s 

AGOGIC with Cuong Vu, Luke Bergman, Evan Woodle; James Carney Group with 

Tony Malaby, Chris Lightcap, Mark Ferber, Josh Roseman, Ralph Alessi, Peter Epstein; 

Donny McCaslin Trio with Uri Caine; Water Surgeons: Josh Roseman, Jacob Garchik, 

Curtis Hasselbring, Barney “Chas Degaulle” McAll; Miles Okazaki, Damion Reid, 

Guillaume Perret; Aethereal Base - 3rd Eye: Nasheet Waits, Abraham Burton, 

Eric McPherson; Talibam!: Matt Mottel/Kevin Shea 

Kenny’s Castaways 6 pm $25 

��Winter Jazzfest: Jacky Terrasson Trio with Ben Williams, Jamire Williams; 

Sofia Rei Koutsovitis with Eric Kurimski, Jorge Roeder, Yayo Serka, Samuel Torres; 

Tineke Postma with Marc van Roon, Frans van der Hoeven, Martijn Vink; 

Juan-Carlos Formell and Johnny’s Dream Club; Mariani; Carmen Souza with 

Theo Pas’cal, Dado Pasqualini, Victor Zamora, Tiago Santos; Sameer Gupta’s 

Namaskar with Marc Cary, Ramesh Misra, Anindo Chatterjee, Srinivas Reddy, 

David Boyce, Prasant Radhakrishnan, Charith Premawardanan, David Ewell; 

Jean-Michel Pilc, Francois Moutin, Ari Hoenig; The Inbetweens: Mike Gamble, 

Noah Jarrett, Conor Elmes Zinc Bar 6:30 pm $25 

��Winter Jazzfest: (U)nity: Amaury Acosta, Axel Tosca Laugart, Michael Valeanu, 

Christopher Smith; Captain Black Big Band conducted by Orrin Evans with 

Luques Curtis, Donald Edwards, Victor North, Chelsea Baratz, Mark Allen, 

Todd Bashore, Darryl Yokley, Ernest Staurt, Frank Lacy, Brent White, Tatum Greenblat, 

Leon Jordan Jr, Walter White, Duane Eubanks; Igmar Thomas and The Cypher with 

Justin Brown, Ben Williams; Curtis Brothers Band with Richie Barshay, 

Reinaldo De Jesus, John Davis, Joel Gonzalez, Philip Dizack, Zach Lucas, 

Louis Fouche, Frank Kozyra, Giovanni Almonte; Derrick Hodge with Keyon Harrold, 

Travis Sayles, Chris Dave; Maurice Brown Effect with Derek Douget, Chris Rob, 

Solomon Dorsey, Joe Blaxx; Robert Glasper Experiment with Chris Dave, 

Derrick Hodge, Casey Benjamin; Kenneth Whalum Quartet with Justin Brown, 

Ben Williams, Lawrence Fields; Kendrick Scott with Mike Moreno, John Ellis, 

Taylor Eigsti, Joe Sanders Sullivan Hall 7:15 pm $25 

��Winter Jazzfest: Gregory Porter; Jamie Baum Septet with Taylor Haskins, 

Doug Yates, Brad Shepik, George Colligan, Johannes Weidenmueller, Jeff Hirshfield; 

Dana Leong’s Milk & Jade with iLLspokiNN, Lex Sadler, Yoni Halevy; Dayna Kurtz 

with Dave Richards, Peter Vitalone, Dan Reiser; Portico Quartet: Duncan Bellamy, 

Milo Fitzpatrick, Nick Mulvey, Jack Wyllie; Amir ElSaffar with Rudresh Mahanthappa, 

Carlo DeRosa, Zafer Tawil, Nasheet Waits; Underground Horns: Welf Dorr, Mike Irwin, 

Kevin Moehringer, Nate Rawls, Kevin Raczka, Okai Fleurimont, Satoru Ohashi, 

Andreas Brade, Ibanda Ruhumbika; Noah Preminger Group with Frank Kimbrough, 

John Hébert, Matt Wilson The Bitter End 5:45 pm $25 

• Ron Carter/Russell Malone Duo Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30, 10 pm $25 

• Frank and Tony and Peggy and Me: Making Music with the Great Singers - Celebrating 

Bucky Pizzarelli’s 85th Birthday: John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Darius de Haas, 

Judy Kuhn, Ken Peplowski, Aaron Weinstein, Larry Fuller, Martin Pizzarelli, 

Tony Tedesco 92nd Street Y 8 pm $25-62 

��Barry Altschul with Hayes Greenfield, Jake Saslow, Matt Moran, Joe Fonda 


��Company of Heaven Festival: Jon Irabagon/Mike Pride; Jay Clayton Trio; 

Mario Pavone’s Totem Quartet with Dave Ballou, Craig Taborn, Gerald Cleaver 


��Angelica Sanchez solo; Endangered Blood: Oscar Noriega, Chris Speed, Trevor Dunn, 

Jim Black The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

• APAP Showcase: Kenny Werner, Buster Williams, Jeremy Pelt 

Iridium 8:30 pm $25 

��Vincent Chancey’s Word on the Street with Bill Saxton, Roy Meriwether, 

Bob Cunningham, Wade Barnes Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20 

��Steve Swell Trio I-Beam 8 pm $10 

• Jaleel Shaw Quartet Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20 

��Nate Wooley, Tom Blancarte, Ben Hall; Christopher Hoffman solo 

Prospect Series 8, 9 pm 

• Eddie Allen’s Salongo BAMCafé 9 pm 

��Lage Lund Trio with Vincente Archer, Kendrick Scott 


• Kathy Farmer Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Colin Stranahan Group; Bruce Cox; Logan Richardson Jam 


• Tacuma Bradley and Friends; Yutaka Uchida Quartet with Sean Nowell, George Dulin, 

Dan Fabricatore; Rick Parker Collective with Logan Richardson, Sam Barsh, Ziv Ravitz 

Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Deanna Witkowski Trio with Dave Ambrosio, Scott Latzky 


• Rachelle Collins Trio with Joe Cohn Piano Due 8:30 pm 

• Joe Sucato Quartet Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 

��Jacky Terrasson Trio Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

• Bill Mays Inventions Trio with Marvin Stamm, Alise Horn 



��Zaid Nasser Group with Ari Roland, Keith Balla; Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, 

Bill Stewart; Simona Premazzi and Trio with Jason Brown, Stacy Dillard, Ryan Berg 

Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 12 am $20 




Kendrick Scott Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30 




Gerald Cannon, Willie Jones III Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35 


Dizzy’s Club 12:45 am $20 

• Sinan Bakir Shrine 6 pm 

• Gypsy Jazz Caravan; Marsha Heydt Quartet; Virginia Mayhew Quartet 





• Roy Ayers SOB’s 8 pm $22 

��John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet with Chris Speed, Ted Reichman, Matt Moran, 

Drew Gress and guest Matt Mitchell; Tom Rainey with Ingrid Laubrock, Matt Mitchell, 

Mat Maneri The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

• APAP Showcase: Todd Sickafoose; Mark Turner; David Weiss and Point of Departure 

Iridium 7:30 pm $25 

��Dan Tepfer/Julian Lage Duo Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10 

• Sachal Vasandani Sextet with Dayna Stephens, Michael Rodriguez, Jeb Patton, 

David Wong, Justin Brown Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20 

��Porto Franco Records Showcase: The Nice Guy Trio; Gaucho; Mitch Marcus Quintet; 

Marcus Shelby Quintet with Faye Carol, Howard Wiley 

Mercury Lounge 7:30 pm $10 

• Ben Kono Brooklyn Lyceum 9, 10:30 pm $10 

• Brian Girley Group with Teriver Cheung, Julian Shore, Yasushi Nakamura, 

Ross Pederson; Kendra Shank Quartet with Frank Kimbrough, Dean Johnson, 

Adam Nussbaum; Tomas Janzon Trio with Corcoran Holt, Chuck McPherson 

Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Dave Ross, Alex Obert, Dave Grollman; Juan Pablo Arredondo with Melissa Aldana, 

Brian Adler ABC No Rio 7 pm $5 

• Peter Leitch/Harvie S Walker’s 8 pm 

• Pablo Masis Group Puppet’s Jazz Bar 7 pm $5 

• Archi-tet; Nabuko Kiryu The Blue Owl 7 pm $5 

• Herculaneum: Dylan Ryan, Nick Broste, David McDonnell, Nate Lepine, 

Patrick Newbery, Greg Danek Cake Shop 8 pm $5 




Tony Tedesco 92nd Street Y 2, 7 pm $25-62 










• Tierney Sutton Quartet; Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread 

Birdland 6, 7 pm $30 

• GL Diana/Frederika Kriere Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm 

• Ike Sturm Band + Voices Saint Peter’s 5 pm 

• Becca Stevens Band Douglass Street Music Collective 2 pm 

• Michelle Walker Trio with Sandro Albert, Michael O’Brien 


• Lou Caputo Quartet; David Coss and Trio; Masami Ishikawa Trio 



��Ellis Marsalis solo Apple Store Upper West Side 9 pm 

��Les Paul Trio with Jim Hall, Greg Osby, Steve LaSpina 


��Jemeel Moondoc Jus Grew Orchestra with Sabir Mateen, Roy Campbell, Ted Daniel, 

Steve Swell, Bern Nix, Hill Greene, Chad Taylor 


• Kurt Elling Swings Sinatra; Ravi Coltrane Quartet 

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25 

��Dan Weiss Trio with Jacob Sacks, Thomas Morgan 


��Mingus Big Band: Wayne Escoffery, Abraham Burton, Jaleel Shaw, Ronnie Cuber, 

Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Conrad Herwig, Dave Taylor, Earl Gardner, Alex Sipiagin, 

Kenny Rampton, Orrin Evans, Boris Kozlov, Donald Edwards 


• Juan Pablo Arredondo with Mark Helias, Brian Adler; Ari Hoenig Group with 

Shai Maestro, Sam Minaie; Spencer Murphy Jam 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Juan Carmona; Stephane Wrembel Trio with David Langlois, Jared Engel and 

guest Olivier Manchon Joe’s Pub 7 pm $20 

• Elena Camerin Group with Khabu Doug Young; Michael Bisio solo; Francois Grillot’s 

Contraband Quartet with Catherine Sikora, Anders Nilsson, Michael Evans; 

Michael Bisio Quartet with Avram Fefer, Stephen Gauci, Jay Rosen 

The Local 269 7 pm $10 

• Nathaniel Morgan Large Ensemble with Jason Anastasoff, Will McEvoy, Brad Henkel, 

Jacob Wick, Ryan Snow, Katherine Young, Hunter Francis Jack, Valerie Kuehne; 

Simon Jermyn, Ingrid Laubrock, Mat Maneri, Tom Rainey; Hungry Cowboy: 

Jacob Wick, Briggan Krauss, Jonathan Goldberger, Mike Pride 

Douglass Street Music Collective 8 pm $10 

• Nathan Parker Smith Big Band Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 

• Greg Wall’s Later Prophets with Shai Bachar, David Richards, Aaron Alexander 

Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10 

• Peter Eldridge Trio with Matt Aranoff, Jesse Lewis 


• Eiko Rikuhashi Trio with Atsushi Ouchi, Willie Harvey 




• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Lucy Blaco and Trio 


• elizabeth! with Yoichi Uzeki Banjo Jim’s 7 pm 

• Kelly Powers Shrine 6 pm 




Tony Tedesco 92nd Street Y 2, 8 pm $25-62 


��NEA Jazz Masters 2011 Awards Ceremony and Concert: Hubert Laws, David Liebman, 

Johnny Mandel, The Marsalis Family: Ellis, Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and 

Jason Marsalis, Orin Keepnews Rose Theater 7:30 pm 

��Joe Lovano’s Us Five with James Weidman, Esperanza Spalding, Otis Brown III, 

Matt Wilson Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30 

• Clayton Brothers Band with John, Jeff and Gerald Clayton, Terell Stafford, 

Obed Calvaire Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 

• Ed Cherry with Pat Bianchi, Pete Van Nostrand 


• Tierney Sutton Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30 

• Bill Evans/Steve Lukather Toxic Monkey with Will Lee, Keith Carlock, Steve Weingart 

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

��Mark Helias/Angelica Sanchez; Ben Gerstein Quintet with Jonathan Moritz, 

Mat Maneri, Garth Stevenson, John McLellan 


• Santi Debriano Quartet NYC Baha’i Center 8, 9:30 pm $15 

• Ari Hoenig Quartet with Gilad Hekselman, Shai Maestro, Orlando le Fleming 


• Lezlie Harrison; Tom Guarna Quartet with Spike Wilner, Paul Gill, Willie Jones III; 

Alex Stein Quintet with Lawrence Leathers, Paul Sikivie, Marc Devine, Matt Brown 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Dom Minasi String Quartet with Jason Kao Hwang, Ken Filiano, Tomas Ulrich; 

Dom Minasi/Blaise Siwula University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10 

• Joel Harrison and Spartacus with Gary Versace, Stephan Crump, Jordan Perlson 

Korzo 9:30 pm 

��Ben Syversen’s Cracked Vessel with Xander Naylor, Jeremy Gustin; 

Brian Drye’s SCOPA with Geoff Kraly, Vinnie Sperrazza 

The Local 269 9 pm 

• Steve Cardenas/Smoky Hormel Watty & Meg 10 pm $15 

• Laura Kinhan Rue 57 8 pm 

• Michael Valeanu; Vitaly Golovnev Quartet with Miki Hayama 

Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Noriko Tomikawa Trio Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 


• Jack Wilkins/Freddie Bryant Bella Luna 8 pm 

• Eyal Vilner Big Band; Paul Francis Trio 


• Steven Husted and 11:11 Shrine 6 pm 


��Ted Brown Quartet with Michael Kanan, Murray Wall, Taro Okamoto 

The Kitano 8, 10 pm 

��Tony Malaby’s Tamarindo with William Parker, Nasheet Waits; Tony Malaby solo 


��Michael Musillami Trio with Joe Fonda, George Schuller 


• Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band with Junior Mack, Dave Stoltz, Mathais Schuber, Jay Collins, 

Frank Kozyra, Paul Lieberman, Kris Jensen, Richard Boulger 

Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $27.50 

• Honey Ear Trio: Erik Lawrence, Rene Hart, Allison Miller 

Rose Live Music 9 pm 

• Rod Williams’ Options with Mark Helias, Bruce Cox, Ray Spiegel and guests 

Neel Murgai, Aditi Bhagwat Issue Project Room 8 pm $10 


��Samuel Blaser/Bobby Avey Duo Kosciuszko Foundation 7:30 pm $20 

��Shane Endsley Group Barbès 8 pm $10 

• Nathaniel Smith Quintet with Jon Irabagon, Toru Dodo, Jostein Gulbrandsen, 

Peter Brendler; Daniel Ori Quintet with Uri Gurvich, Oz Noy, Fabian Almazan, Ziv Ravitz 

Cornelia Street Café 8:30, 10 pm $10 

• Whitney Ashe solo; Nir Felder Four with Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, Nate Smith; 

Craig Wuepper Trio with Essiet Essiet, Anthony Wonsey 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

• Colin Dean with Rachel Z, Colin Stranahan, Sean Nowell and guests Eternia, 

Hasan Salaam Joe’s Pub 9:30 pm $14 

• Etienne Charles The Players 7 pm $20 

• Napua Davoy; Rafal Sarnecki Quintet with Lucas Pino, Glenn Zaleski, Dylan Shamat, 

Colin Stranahan Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Shoko Amano Trio Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Justin Rothberg Trio Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm 

• LaRe Flute Bar 8 pm 

• Lena Bloch Band Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30 pm $5 









Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

• Sarah Hayes Quartet Essex House Hotel 6:30 pm 

• Mark Devine Trio; Andrew Atkinson Trio 


• Max Johnson; Tiffany Chang Shrine 6, 7 pm 

• Nicki Parrott Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7


��Tomasz Stanko Quartet with Craig Taborn, Thomas Morgan, Jim Black 

and guest Chris Potter Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25 

��Matthew Shipp Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $20 

��Mary Halvorson, Peter Evans, Weasel Walter; Mostly Other People Do The Killing: 

Jon Irabagon, Peter Evans, Moppa Elliott, Kevin Shea 

Littlefield 8 pm $10 

��Brian Groder Group with Angelica Sanchez, Sean Conly, Newman Taylor Baker; 

Nate Wooley with C. Spencer Yeh, Ben Hall 


• Seeing Jazz with George Wein: Jenny Scheinman 

Leonard Nimoy Thalia 7:30 pm $34 

• Edmar Castaneda Joe’s Pub 7:30 pm $14 

• Leslie Pintchik Quartet with Scott Hardy, Mark Dodge, Satoshi Takeishi 


��Jeff Davis Band with Tony Malaby, Kirk Knuffke, Jon Goldberger, Matt Pavolka 


• Spike Wilner solo; Carlo De Rosa Group with Mark Shim, Vijay Iyer, Justin Brown; 

Alex Hoffman Jam Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

• Sam Harris Group Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $15 

• JC Sanford Quartet with Nate Radley, Dave Ambrosio, Russ Meissner 


• Nelson Riveros Quartet with Hector Martignon, Andew Atkinson; 

Daniel Jamieson Quintet with Matt Holman, Florian Hoefner, Sam Anning, 

Guilhem Flouzat Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

��Fay Victor Ensemble 55Bar 7 pm 

• Qasim Naqvi’s Progressive Youth Club 



• Howard Alden/Anat Cohen Duo Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12 

• Aki Ishiguro Trio with Craig Akin, Nick Anderson 


• Alan Rosenthal Trio Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm 









Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

• Harlem Speaks: Steven Bernstein Jazz Museum in Harlem 6:30 pm 

• Ryan Anselmi Quartet; Brent Canter Trio 



��Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, Ingrid Laubrock; Trevor Dunn/Thomas Morgan 


��Ken Thomson’s Slow/Fast with Russ Johnson, Nir Felder, Adam Armstrong, 

Fred Kennedy Barbès 8 pm $10 

��Avishai Cohen’s Triveni with Omer Avital, Nasheet Waits 


• Ronnie Laws Super Group Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $35 

��Bill Stewart Quartet with Chris Cheek, Kevin Hays, Matt Penman 

Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

• Woody Witt/Eric Wollman Project with Jim Donica, Peter Grant; Jean-Michel Pilc Trio 

with Boris Kozlov, Billy Hart; Anthony Wonsey 

Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 1 am $20 

• Arturo O’Farrill Quartet Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $10 

• Rudy Lawless and the Posse Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Petr Cancura Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 

• Chantale Gagne Quartet with Peter Washington, Lewis Nash, Tom Beckham 


• Pablo Mayor and Folkore Urbano SOB’s 8 pm 

��Global Motion: Marc Mommaas, Nikolaj Hess, Jay Anderson, Tony Moreno 


• Michael Dease Quartet with Mark Whitfield, Corcoran Holt, Andrew Swift; 

Ilia Skibinsky Group Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Nutsa with Ivan Farmakovsky, Freddie Hendrix, Craig Handy, Donald Edwards, 

Anton Revnyuk, Alex Rozov Town Hall 8 pm $50-100 

• Ben Monder Trio with Aidan O’Donnell, Ted Poor 


��Jeremiah Cymerman solo; Tartar Lamb 

Douglass Street Music Collective 8 pm $10 

• Marlene VerPlank Trio Piano Due 8:30 pm 

• Champian Fulton Trio Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Ken Simon Quartet Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 


and guest Chris Potter Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30 




Obed Calvaire Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35 


Dizzy’s Club 1 am $20 



Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

• Dave Kain Group; Tim Price/Ryan Anselmi’s Tenor Madness 


• Sten Hostfalt Shrine 6 pm 


��Ellery Eskelin with Gary Versace, Gerald Cleaver; Tony Malaby’s Reading Band with 

Ralph Alessi, John Hébert, Billy Drummond 


��Other Dimensions in Music: Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, William Parker, 

Charles Downs and guest Fay Victor 


��Jason Moran presents Houstonians in NYC: Billy Harper with Marcos Varela, 

Michael Carvin; Kendrick Scott’s Oracle with Mike Moreno; Jamire Williams’ Erimaje; 

Robert Glasper 92YTribeca 9 pm $25 

• Nat Adderley Jr. Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Matthew Brewer Quintet with Will Vinson, Lage Lund, Aaron Parks, Marcus Gilmore 


• Patience Higgins Trio Piano Due 8:30 pm 

• Louis Reyes Rivera with Salim Washington Quintet 

Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20 

• Dan Aran Trio with Linda Oh, Eli Degibri 


• Robin Aleman with David Epstein, Bob Sabin, Brian Adler; aRAUz Quartet: Alicia Rau, 

Adam Lomeo, Marcus McLaurine, Bruce Cox; Charles Sibirsky with Bob Arthurs, 

Dave Frank, Joe Solomon, Robert Weiss 

Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Joshua Richman Trio with Christopher Tordini, Garrett Brown 


• Pat Braxton Billie Holiday Tribute Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $10 

• Irini and The Jazz Mix Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 

��Avishai Cohen’s Triveni with Omer Avital, Nasheet Waits 



��Bill Stewart Quartet with Chris Cheek, Kevin Hays, Matt Penman 

Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

• Ralph Lalama Trio with David Wong, Clifford Barbaro; Jean-Michel Pilc Trio with 

Boris Kozlov, Billy Hart; Stacy Dillard Trio with Diallo House, Ismail Lawal 

Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 1 am $20 

• Chantale Gagne Quartet with Peter Washington, Lewis Nash, Tom Beckham 



and guest Chris Potter Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $30 




Obed Calvaire Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35 





Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

��Bobby Previte Blue Note 12:30 am $10 

• Il Collettivo Shrine 6 pm 

• Larry Newcomb Trio; Mark Marino Trio; Akiko Tsuruga Trio 



• Keith Jarrett solo Stern Auditorium 8 pm $40-100 

��Phillip Greenlief and Jon Raskin’s 2+2 Project with Erik Friedlander, Trevor Dunn; 

Connie Crothers/Kevin Norton The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

• Joe Magnarelli Quartet with Anthony Wonsey, John Webber, Rodney Green 

Smalls 10 pm $20 

• Positive Catastrophe Jazz Gallery 7:30 pm $20 

• Tyler Blanton Quartet with Joel Frahm, Dan Loomis, Jared Schonig 


• Anna Elizabeth Kendrick with the Jeevan D’souza Trio; Max Haymer Trio with 

Mike O’Brien, Jordan Perlson; Karel Ruzicka 

Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Aaron Irwin Brooklyn Lyceum 9, 10:30 pm $10 

• Stefan Krist and guests; Mighty Alpacas: Jason Candler/Jesse Dulman 


• Katie Young’s Pretty Monsters with Erica Dicker, Owen Stewart-Robinson, Mike Pride 

Pianos 8 pm 

• Stuart Isacoff’s Classical-Jazz Connections with Dave Ruffels 

Le Poisson Rouge 7:30 pm $15 

• Peter Leitch/Sean Smith Walker’s 8 pm 

• Miki Hirose The Blue Owl 7 pm $5 



and guest Chris Potter Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25 






Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

• BALONI: Joachim Badenhorst, Frantz Loriot, Pascal Niggenkemper; 

Darius Jones/Ben Gerstein Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm 

• Javier Diaz Quartet Saint Peter’s 5 pm 

• Howard Fishman Quartet Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50 

• Roz Corral Trio with Dave Stryker, Orlando le Fleming 


• Ben Healey Trio; David Coss and Trio; David Caldwell Mason Trio 








• Blood, Sweat & Tears: Rob Paparozzi, Dave Gellis, Glenn McClelland, Gary Foote, 

Andrea Valentini, Teddy Mulet, Steve Jankowski, Jens Wendelboe, Tom Timko 

and guest Arturo Sandoval Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $40 

• Jazz Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Juilliard Jazz Ensemble, 

Cyrus Chestnut and guests Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20 

��Mingus Big Band: Wayne Escoffery, Abraham Burton, Ronnie Cuber, 

Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Earl McIntyre, Andy Hunter, Earl Gardner, Kenny Rampton, 

Orrin Evans, Joe Martin, Donald Edwards 


• Les Paul Trio with Chuck Loeb, Ronnie Laws 


• Hans Glawischnig and Friends with Samir Zarif, Eric Doob; Ari Hoenig Group with 

Gilad Hekselman, Orlando Le Fleming, Tigran Hamasyan; Spencer Murphy Jam 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Dan Rufolo Trio with Bill Thoman, Arthur Vint 


• House Of Illusion: Akiko Pavolka, Nate Radley, Matt Pavolka, Bill Campbell; 

Broadcloth Trio with Anne Rhodes, Nathan Bontrager, Adam Matlock; 

The New Non-Profit Prophets: Dave Sewelson, Charles K. Noyes, Rick Brown and 

guest; Jeremiah Cymerman solo The Local 269 7 pm $10 

��Frank Carlberg/Nicholas Urie’s City Band 


• Imani Uzuri/Courtney Bryan Jazz Gallery 7 pm $15 

• Itamar Borochov Group; Edward Perez Trio with Shai Maestro, Ziv Ravitz 

Douglass Street Music Collective 8, 9 pm $10 

• The New American Quartet: Greg Wall, Takashe Otsuka, Jonathon Peretz, 

Mitch Schechter Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10 

• Catarina Santos Trio with Marcos Vigio, Robert Di Pietro 


• Jake Saslow Quartet with Matt Stevens, Aidan Carroll, Colin Stranahan 

Fat Cat 9 pm $3 

• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Kenny Shanker Quartet 


• Nick Myers Shrine 6 pm 


��David Murray Big Band Birdland 8:30, 11 pm $30 

• Marcus Roberts Trio with Rodney Jordan, Jason Marsalis 

Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 

• Oleg Butman Quartet with Wayne Escoffery 


��Jeff “Tain” Watts Trio with Steve Coleman, Robert Hurst 


• Lewis Nash Quintet Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30 

��Sean Conly with Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, Chad Taylor; Daniel Carter’s Wake Up! 

with David Moss, Demian Richardson, Federico Ughi 


��Charles Davis Quartet Rue 57 8 pm 

��40 Twenty: Vinnie Sperrazza, Jacob Sacks, Dave Ambrosio, Jacob Garchik 

I-Beam 8:30 pm $10 

• Noriko Tomikawa Trio with Hill Greene, Yoichi Sato; International Trio: 

Joachim Badenhorst, Steve Swell, Ziv Ravitz 


• Elliott Sharp/Leni Stern Watty & Meg 10 pm $15 

• Erin McDougald/Spike Wilner; Negroni’s Trio: Jose Negroni, Marco Panascia, 

Nomar Negroni; Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Jam 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Mika Pohjola Assembly with Dan Loomis, Kyle Struve; Will Caviness Quintet with 

Matt Rousseau Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 


• Boris Gaquere/Renato Martins Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Jack Wilkins/Howard Alden Bella Luna 8 pm 

• Lou Caputo’s Not So Big Band; Alan Chaubert Trio 





• Josh Lawrence Shrine 6 pm 


��Macroquarktet: Dave Ballou, Herb Roberston, Ken Filiano, Gerald Cleaver; 

Brian Allen with Brad Clymer, Ellery Eskelin, Jay Rozen, Hernán Hecht 


• Daniel Carter’s Wake Up! with Demian Richardson, David Moss, Federico Ughi; 

Daniel Carter with guests Laurie Hockman, Margo Grib, Claire de Brunner, 

Marianne Giosa, Rebecca Schmoyer, Taylor Cannizzaro, Ken Silverman, Pete Drungle, 

Tom Zlabinger Issue Project Room 8 pm $5 

��Miguel Zenón Quartet with Luis Perdomo, Hans Glawischnig, Henry Cole 


��Giacomo Gates Trio with John di Martino, Neal Miner 



• Kevin Hays Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $25 

• Rob Garcia Group Barbès 8 pm $10 

• Romain Collin solo; Grant Stewart Quartet with Ehud Asherie, Joel Forbes, 

Phil Stewart; Corin Stiggall Trio with Raphael D’Lugoff, Phil Stewart 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

• Andrew Drury’s Totem with Bruce Eisenbeil, Tom Blancarte 


��Emilio Teubal Quartet; Gato Loco Drom 8 pm $10 

• George Petit 5 with Mark Small, Jeremy Beck, Phil Palombi, Eric Halvorson; 

Donald Devienne Quartet Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Scot Albertson/Kyoko Oyobe Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Rob Duguay’s Low Key Trio Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm 

• Yvonne Simone Trio Flute Bar 8 pm 

• Bowery Jazz Collective Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30 pm $5 



Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 



��Jeff “Tain” Watts Trio with Steve Coleman, Robert Hurst 




I-Beam 8:30 pm $10 




• Chembo Corniel Trio Essex House Hotel 6:30 pm 

• André Matos Group; Isaac DarcheShrine 6, 7 pm 

• Nancy Reed and Trio; Nueva Encarnacion 


• Tom Abbott’s Big Bang Big Band Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7 


��Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Chick Corea 

Rose Theater 8 pm $30-120 

��Jeff “Tain” Watts Quartet with Marcus Strickland, David Kikoski, Robert Hurst 


��George Garzone and the Australian Connection with Jamie Oehlers, Graham Wood, 

Sam Anning, Ari Hoenig Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10 

• Mahavishnu Project: Gregg Bendian, Glenn Alexander, Zach Brock, Neil Alexander, 

Peter Brendler, Melissa Stylianou, Jon Irabagon, Matt Szemela, Jon Weber, 

Leigh Stuart Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $27.50 

��Satoshi Takeishi/Shoko Nagai; Tony Malaby’s Paloma Recio 


��Peter Bernstein/Vic Juris Duo Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12 

• Ehud Asherie/Jon-Erik Kellso; Ron Blake Group; Carlos Abadie Quintet with 

Jonathan Lefcoski, Luca Santaniello, Joe Sucato, Jason Stewart 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

��Ensemble Hellacious: JD Parran, Peter Zummo, Kevin Norton 

Greenwich House Music School 8 pm $15 

• Arturo O’Farrill Leonard Nimoy Thalia 7:30 pm $15 

• Jon Davis Trio with Gianluca Renzi, Mark Ferber 


• Justin Brown Group with Ambrose Akinmusire, Matt Stevens, Fabian Almazan, 

Harish Raghavan Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $25 

• ESP - Disk’ Party: Alan Sondheim, Guiseppe Logan, Paul Thornton 

ESP-Disk’ Ltd 7:30 pm $10 

• Russ Flynn Large Ensemble with Andy Allen, Ryan Weishiet, Alex Lopez, 

Jacob Teichroew, Josh Sinton, Miki Hirose, Ben Syversen, Ryan King, Nathan Koci, 

Jared Dubin, Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen, Steve Duggan, David Linaburg, 

Sebastien Ammann, Danny Wolf Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 

• The Oulipians: Chanda Rule, Jesse Lewis, Ike Sturm, Gernot Bernroider; 

Perry Smith Quartet Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 


• Florian Hoefner Trio Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Aki Ishiguro Trio with Peter Schwebs, Ross Pederson 


• John Raymond Project Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm $5 

• Dan Furman Trio Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm 

• Daniel Carter with Indigo Street, John Bonhannon, Pete Drungle, Gary Heidt, 

Justin Veloso; with Atiba N. Weabena, Aquah Tcherbu, Motoki Mihara, 

Nkosi Nkululeko, Federico Ughi Issue Project Room 8 pm $5 



Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 





I-Beam 8:30 pm $10 

• Rick Stone Trio; Alex Hoffman Quartet 


• Yuki Shibata Quartet Shrine 6 pm


• William Parker’s Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield with Amiri Baraka, Leena Conquest, 

Sabir Mateen, Darryl Foster, Dave Burrell, Hamid Drake and guest Dick Griffin 

Le Poisson Rouge 8:15 pm 

��Jim Pugliese Phase III Big Band with Christine Bard, Aram Bajakian, Audrey Chen, 

Lewis Barnes, Darius Jones, Steve Swell, Ken Filiano; Taylor Ho Bynum/ 

Abraham Gomez-Delgado’s Positive Catastrophe 

Issue Project Room 8 pm $10 

��Jimmy Cobb Quartet Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

��Joanne Brackeen Trio with Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz 


��Mario Pavone Silver Trio with Kris Davis, Gerald Cleaver; Space Church: Vijay Iyer, 

Matana Roberts, Gerald Cleaver The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

��The Music of Sarah Vaughan: Mary Stallings, Jane Monheit with Eric Reed Trio 

Allen Room 7:30, 9:30 pm $55-65 

��Django-A-Go-Go: Babik & Sinti Swing Quartet: Sebatien Felix, John Intrator, 

Stephane Wrembel; Hot Club of Detroit and Alfonso Ponticelli; Zaiti 

Joe’s Pub 7, 9, 11 pm $25 

• Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra with Dennis Lichtman, Andy Laster, 

Petr Cancura, Curtis Hasselbring, Mazz Swift, Ron Caswell, Rob Garcia 

Barbès 10 pm $10 

• Tardo Hammer Trio; Harry Allen Quartet with Ehud Asherie, Joel Forbes, Chuck Riggs; 

Lawrence Leathers Jam Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 1 am $20 

��Lage Lund 4 Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20 

• Jamie Fox Trio with Stephan Crump, Dan Reisner 


• Rob Silverman Trio Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Slumgum Rubin Museum 7 pm $20 

• Mercedes Hall Piano Due 8 pm 

• Sharel Cassity Quartet; Fredrick Levore with Julian Pollack, Michael Feinberg, 

Daniel Platzman Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Michika Fukumori Duo Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Nutrad Band Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 





��George Garzone and the Australian Connection with Jamie Oehlers, Graham Wood, 

Sam Anning, Ari Hoenig Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10 



Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35 





I-Beam 8:30 pm $10 

• Elsa Nilsson Quartet Puppet’s Jazz Bar 6 pm $5 

• Alex Stein/Matt Brown Quartet; Dylan Meek Trio 


• Adrian Mira Group Shrine 6 pm 


��Tony Malaby’s Novela with Ralph Alessi, Ben Gerstein, Michael Attias, 

Joachim Badenhorst, Andrew Hadro, Eivind Opsvik, Ted Poor; Eivind Opsvik’s 

Overseas with Tony Malaby, Jacob Sacks, Kenny Wolleson 


��Tribute to Abbey Lincoln: James Weidman with Jay Hoggard, Brad Jones, Bruce Cox, 

Leena Conquest Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20 

• Rob Brown Quartet with Chris Lightcap, Gerald Cleaver 


��Daniel Levin Quartet with Nate Wooley, Matt Moran, Peter Bitenc 


• Mike Moreno Trio with Joe Sanders, Kendrick Scott 


• Benny Russell Trio Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Chihiro Yamanaka Trio Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $15 

• Curtis MacDonald Group with Jeremy Viner, David Virelles, Chris Tordini, Greg Ritchie 


• Jonathan Goldberger solo; Adam Caine Solo 

Prospect Series 8, 9 pm 

• Danny Walsh Quartet Piano Due 8 pm 

• Randall Haywood; Kavita Shah Quartet; Stephanie Chou Group 

Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Daniel Bennett Group Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Rodney Siau Quartet Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 

��Jimmy Cobb Quartet Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

��Joanne Brackeen Trio with Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz 


• Dwayne Clemons Quintet with Jimmy Wormworth, Sacha Perry, Josh Benko, 

Murray Wall; Harry Allen Quartet with Rossano Sportiello, Joel Forbes, Chuck Riggs; 

Ian Hendrickson-Smith Jam Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 1 am $20 

��The Music of Sarah Vaughan: Mary Stallings, Jane Monheit with Eric Reed Trio 

Allen Room 7:30, 9:30 pm $55-65 

��Django-A-Go-Go: Babik & Sinti Swing Quartet: Sebatien Felix, John Intrator, 

Stephane Wrembel; Hot Club of Detroit and Alfonso Ponticelli; Zaiti 

Joe’s Pub 7, 9, 11 pm $25 







Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm $35 





I-Beam 8:30 pm $10 

• Majid Khaliq Shrine 6 pm 

��Django-A-Go-Go 2011 All-Stars: Made in USA with Dave Speranza, Tony Ballog, 

Joshua Assad, Adrien Moignard, Stephane Wrembel, Alfonso Ponticelli, Yvan Perry; 

Made in France with Andrew Krazat, John Intrator, Adrien Moignard, 

Stephane Wrembel, Benoit Convert, Sebastien Felix 

Joe’s Pub 4 pm $25 

• Kyoko Oyobe Trio; Champian Fulton Trio 

The Garage 12, 6 pm 


��Jorrit Dijkstra’s Improvisation Pool with Nate Wooley, Jen Baker, Tanya Kalmanovitch, 

Reuben Radding, Katie Down; Joachim Badenhorst Trio with Frantz Loriot, Devin Grey 


��String Choir - The Music of Paul Motian: Joel Harrison, Liberty Ellman, 

Christian Howes, Sam Bardfeld, Arman Donelian, Dana Leong 

Joe’s Pub 7:30 pm $15 

• Jane Ira Bloom Quartet with Dawn Clement, Mark Helias, Bobby Previte 


��Simon Jermyn, Loren Stillman, Jeff Williams; Russ Lossing, Chris Speed, Ziv Ravitz; 

Garth Stevenson solo Douglass Street Music Collective 8, 9, 10 pm $10 

• Field Vision Quartet: Anna Webber, Can Olgun, Desmond White, Martin Kruemmling; 

Towner Galaher with Duane Eubanks, Tim Armacost, Jeff Pittson, Essiet Essiet; 

Lyric Fury: Cynthia Hilts, Jack Walrath, Deborah Weisz, Lily White, Lisa Parrott, 

Marika Hughes, Ratzo Harris, Scott Neumann 

Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Spike Wilner Trio Smalls 10 pm $20 

• Gabriele Tranchina Feinstein’s 8:30 pm $33.75-50 

• Jon Lundbom Brooklyn Lyceum 9, 10:30 pm $10 

• Nacht Records Showcase: Chris Welcome Trio; Anthony Ware, Mike Noordzy, 

Gerald Cleaver; Herb Robertson, Chris Lough, Lex Samu, Adrian Valosian; 

Intense Men Goodbye Blue Monday 9 pm 

• Nick Gianni/Cheryl Pyle; Khan Jamal/Scott Verrastro 


• Emilio Solla solo Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 8 pm 

• Peter Leitch/Charles Davis Walker’s 8 pm 

• Tyroon; Yuki Ishikawa The Blue Owl 7 pm $5 




Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 


��HNH: Joe Hertenstein, Pascal Niggenkemper, Thomas Heberer 

Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm 

• Seung-Hee Quintet Saint Peter’s 5 pm 

• Greg Diamond Band with Mike Eckroth, Edward Perez, Henry Cole 

Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50 

• Linda Ciofalo Trio with Mark Marino, Marcus McLaurine 


• Iris Ornig Quartet; David Coss and Trio; Ryan Anselmi Quartet 






• Chuchito Valdés Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $15 

• Chris Sands Quartet Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20 

• Mingus Dynasty Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25 

• Jimmy Bruno solo; Ari Hoenig Group with Tigran Hamasyan, Sam Minaie; 

Spencer Murphy Jam Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Yoni Kretzmer Trio with Sean Conly, Mike Pride; Nora McCarthy, Dom Minasi, 

Ras Moshe; Avram Fefer with Alex Harding, Michael Bisio, Michael Wimberly; Charles 

Downs’ Centipede with Matt Lavelle, Larry Roland, Ras Moshe 


• Asuka Kakitani Jazz Orchestra Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 

• Elisabeth Lohninger and Beat Kaestli with Walter Fischbacher, Matt Wigton, 

Fred Kennedy Zinc Bar 7:30 pm $7 

• Marta Topferova/Ben Monder; Marta Topferova with Aaron Halva, Pedro Giraudo, 

Neil Ochoa Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10 

• Afro-Semitic Experience Bar Mitzvah show 

Sixth Street Synagogue 8:30 pm $10 

• Shayna Steele Trio with David Cook, Pete McCann 


• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Stan Killian Quartet 


• Jon Crowley Shrine 7 pm 


��Randy Weston and African Rhythms with TK Blue, Alex Blake, Neil Clarke, Lewis Nash 

Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 

• Alvester Garnett’s Artwork Ensemble 


��Jacky Terrasson Trio with Ben Williams, Jamire Williams 


��Hub Art - Music of Freddie Hubbard: Nicholas Payton, Donald Harrison, 

George Cables, Dwayne Burno, Lenny White 


��Grace Kelly Quintet with Jason Palmer, Doug Johnson, Evan Gregor, Jordan Perlson 


• Kirk Nurock solo Cornelia Street Café 8:30 pm $10 

• Nikki Yanofsky Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

��Jacob Sacks with Yoon Sun Choi, Dan Weiss; Andrew Bishop 


• Jorge Sylvester and Ace NYC Baha’i Center 8, 9:30 pm $15 

• Marianne Solivan; David Budway Trio with Gianluca Renzi, Bruce Cox and guest 

Rob Schepps; Alex Stein Quintet with Lawrence Leathers, Paul Sikivie, Marc Devine, 

Matt Brown Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Aaron J. Johnson Quintet with Salim Washington, Onaje Allen Gumbs, Robert Sabin, 

Victor Lewis University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $15 

• Matt Blostein/Vinnie Sperrazza Group with Jacob Garchik, Geoff Kraly 

Korzo 11 pm 

• Brahim Fribgane/Ben Tyree Watty & Meg 10 pm $15 

• George Petit 3 with Phil Palombi, Eric Halvorson; Frank Fontaine Quartet with 

Kerong Chok, Lage Lund, Francisco Mela 

Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Vince Villaneuva Trio Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Jack Wilkins, Joe Giglio, John DeCesare 

Bella Luna 8 pm 

• Cecilia Coleman Big Band; Michika Fukumori Trio 



��Brad Mehldau solo Zankel Hall 7:30 pm $46-54 

��Wayne Escoffery Quintet with Adam Holzman, Orrin Evans, Hans Glawischnig, 

Jason Brown Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $20 

• Kneebody and guest Wayne Krantz Southpaw 8:30 pm $12 

��Kyoko Kitamura/Russ Lossing; Areni Agbabian with Qasim Naqvi, Tony Malaby 



��Gerald Cleaver Group Barbès 8 pm $10 

• Hendrik Meurkens Samba Jazz Quartet with Misha Tsiganov, Gustavo Amarante, 

Rogerio Boccato The Kitano 8, 10 pm 

• Conal Fowkes solo; James Zollar Group Tribute to Louis Smith with Dwayne Clemons, 

Greg Glassman, Rick Germanson, Bim Strasberg, Bruce Cox; Bruce Harris Quartet 

with Jack Glottman, Yasushi Nakamura, Aaron Kimmel 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

• Ed Ricart Quintet with Herb Robertson, Steve Swell, Andrew Barker 


• Danielle Freeman; John Dokes/George Gee Group with Hilary Gardner, 

Shawn Edmonds, Steve Wiseman, Michael Hashim, Ed Pazant, Jason Marshall, 

Dave Gibson, Steve Einerson, Marcus McLaurine, Willard Dyson 

Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Yuko Okamoto Trio Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Brian Villegas Trio Flute Bar Gramercy 8 pm 

• Melanie Marod Trio Flute Bar 8 pm 

• Matt Parker Quartet Puppet’s Jazz Bar 8:30 pm $5 


Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 



��Jacky Terrasson Trio with Ben Williams, Jamire Williams 





• Nikki Yanofsky Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35 

• Richie Vitale Trio with Hilary Gardner 

Essex House Hotel 6:30 pm 

• Kurt Bacher Quartet; The Anderson Brothers 


• Alexander Clough Quartet Shrine 6 pm 

• KT Sullivan/Jon Weber Saint Peter’s 1 pm $7 



��Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute: Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid, John Medeski, 

Cindy Blackman Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45 

• Stanley Jordan Trio Iridium 8:30, 10:30 pm $35 

• John Abercrombie Quartet with Greg Osby, Drew Gress, Billy Hart 


��Chris Lightcap’s Bigmouth with Craig Taborn, Chris Cheek, Tony Malaby, 

Gerald Cleaver; Gerald Cleaver The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

• Spike Wilner/Ned Goold; Loren Stillman Group with Nate Radley, Gary Versace, 

Ted Poor; Carlos Abadie Quintet with Jonathan Lefcoski, Luca Santaniello, 

Joe Sucato, Jason Stewart Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12:30 am $20 

• Tom Hamilton, Susan Alcorn, Steve Swell; Steve Gunn/John Truscinski 

Issue Project Room 8 pm $10 

• Alexander McCabe Quartet with Uri Caine, Ugonna Okegwo, Rudy Royston; 

Raviv Markovitz/Ethan Kogan Quartet 

Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Erika Matsuo Quintet with Carlton Holmes, Freddie Bryant, Essiet Essiet, 

Willard Dyson The Kitano 8, 10 pm 

• Casey Benjamin Group with Nir Felder, Kris Bowers, Sangmin Lee 


• Becca Stevens Band with Liam Robinson, Chris Tordini, Jordan Perlson; 

Rebecca Martin Band with Bill McHenry, Larry Grenadier 

Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10 


• Alexis Cuadrado Trio with Donny McCaslin, Dan Tepfer 


• Marc Devine Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Aki Ishiguro Trio with Brad Whiteley, Nick Anderson 


• Marcus Persiani Trio Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm 

• Shareef Clayton Shrine 7 pm 

• Kneebody and guest Busdriver Southpaw 8:30 pm $12 


Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 



• Jacky Terrasson Trio with Ben Williams, Jamire Williams 





• Harlem Speaks: Tommy LiPuma Jazz Museum in Harlem 6:30 pm 

• Bernal/Eckroth//Ennis; John David Simon Trio 



��Mephista: Sylvie Courvoisier, Ikue Mori, Susie Ibarra; Angelica Sanchez Trio with 

Johannes Weidenmueller, Ted Poor The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

• Helen Sung Trio The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25 

• Eric Alexander Quartet Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

• Chris Byars Octet with Scott Wendholt, John Mosca, Ari Roland, Stefan Schatz, 

Mark Lopeman, Brad Linde; Emilio Solla and The Tango Jazz Conspiracy with 

Victor Prieto, Chris Cheek, Jorge Roeder, Richie Barshay; Spike Wilner Trio 

Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 1 am $20 

��Linda Oh Ensemble with Strings Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20 

• Girls Gone Mild!: Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, Chris Tordini, 

Larry Grenadier Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10 

• Macroscopia Quartet: Daniel Carter, Claire de Brunner, Ken Silverman, Tom Zlabinger 

Zora Space 8 pm 


• Barbara King’s Spirit of Jazz Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Adriano Santos Trio Piano Due 8 pm 

• Kat Calvosa with Sam Minaie, Sean Fitzpatrick, Perry Smith, Joe Abba; Pam Fleming 

and Fearless Dreamer with Allen Won, Jim West, Peter Calo, Leo Traversa, Todd Isler 

Miles’ Café 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Paul Meyers’ Euphoria Trio with Santi Di Briano, Vanderlei Pereira 


• Jenny Hills; Broken Reed Quartet Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 8 pm 

• Evan Schwamm Quartet Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 

• Natalie Cressman Quintet Shrine 7 pm 




• Adam Larson 5 Iridium 12 am $20 



• Kneebody and guests Busdriver, Mark Giuliana 

Southpaw 8:30 pm $12 


Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35 








• Kendra Shank Group with Ben Monder 

55Bar 6:30 pm 

• Jason Yeager Trio Puppet’s Jazz Bar 6 pm $5 

• Nick Moran Trio; Kevin Dorn and the BIG 72 



��Charles Lloyd New Quartet with Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland 


��David Fiuczynski’s KiF BAMCafé 9 pm 

��Promised Land: Myra Melford, Brandon Ross, Stomu Takeishi 

92YTribeca 8 pm $12 

• Deborah Latz with Hendrik Meurkens, Yoshi Waki 

Cornelia Street Café 6 pm 

• Gerald Cleaver’s Uncle June with Andrew Bishop, Mat Maneri, Tony Malaby, 

Stacy Dillard, Craig Taborn, Javier Moreno 

Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10 

��Ralph Alessi and This Against That with Tony Malaby, Andy Milne, Chris Lightcap, 

Mark Ferber; Nasheet Waits The Stone 8, 10 pm $10 

��Darius Jones with Adam Lane, Jason Nazary; Darius Jones with Matt Mitchell, 

Adam Lane, Ches Smith University of the Streets 8, 10 pm $10 

• Jon Irabagon Trio with Pat Bianchi, Rudy Royston 


• Neil Clarke Group Sistas’ Place 9, 10:30 pm $20 

��Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra Jazz Gallery 9, 10:30 pm $20 

• No Mor Musik: Weasel Walter/Nondor Nevai; Marc Edwards’ The Rat Bastard 

Experience Issue Project Room 8 pm $10 

• Gato Loco de Bajo ACE Hotel 10 pm 

• Cynthia Holiday Lenox Lounge 8:30, 10 pm $20 

• Tobias Meinhart/Hironori Momoi Quartet; Marc McDonald Quartet with Jim Ridl, 

Karl Spicer, Gene Lewin; The Britton Brothers Band with Jeremy Siskind, 

Taylor Waugh, Austin Walker Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Bruce Harris Trio Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Sarah Hayes Quartet Piano Due 8 pm 

• Peter Fish Group; Shai Maestro Trio with Ari Hoenig, Sam Minaie 

Puppet’s Jazz Bar 6, 9 pm $10-12 

• Will Terrill Quartet Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm 

• Helen Sung Trio The Kitano 8, 10 pm $25 

��Jeremy Udden’s Torchsongs Trio with Ben Monder, Ziv Ravitz; Jesse Stacken Trio 

with Eivind Opsvik, Jeff Davis I-Beam 8:30, 10 pm $10 

• Eric Alexander Quartet Smoke 8, 10, 11:30 pm $30 

• Richie Vitale Quintet; Emilio Solla and The Tango Jazz Conspiracy with Victor Prieto, 

Chris Cheek, Jorge Roeder, Richie Barshay; Stacy Dillard Trio with Diallo House, 

Ismail Lawal Smalls 7:30, 10 pm 1 am $20 






• Kneebody and guest Daedelus Southpaw 8:30 pm $12 

��Randy Weston and African Rhythms with Billy Harper, TK Blue, Alex Blake, Neil Clarke 

Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $35 








• Marsha Heydt; Andrew Hadro Quartet; Virginia Mayhew Quartet 



��Stone Benefit Night: Tony Malaby, Angelica Sanchez, William Parker, Nasheet Waits, 

Ralph Alessi The Stone 8, 10 pm $20 

• Skye Steele’s Holy Holy Holy with Andrew D’Angelo, Bryan Drye, Mike Lavelle, 

Mike Pride Barbès 7 pm $10 

• Daniel Bennett Brooklyn Lyceum 9, 10:30 pm $10 

• Sean Ali Large Ensemble ABC No Rio 7 pm $5 

• Peter Leitch/Ugonna Okegwo Walker’s 8 pm 

• Andrea Wolper Quintet Puppet’s Jazz Bar 7 pm $5 

• Noriko Tomikawa with Joe Fitzgerald, Ian Froman; Kenneth Salters with Linda Oh, 

Brad Whiteley; Angela Rossi Miles’ Café 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Chieko Honda/Toru Yamauchi The Blue Owl 7 pm $5 

• Gerald Cleaver’s Uncle June with Andrew Bishop, Mat Maneri, Stacy Dillard, 

Craig Taborn, Javier Moreno Cornelia Street Café 9, 10:30 pm $10 






��Randy Weston and African Rhythms with Billy Harper, TK Blue, Alex Blake, Neil Clarke 

Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $30 



• Mike Baggetta, Kirk Knuffke, Jeff Davis 

Downtown Music Gallery 6 pm 

• Theodicy Jazz Collective Saint Peter’s 5 pm 

• Remembering Gigi Gryce: Mike DiRubbo, Bruce Harris, Helen Sung, Luques Curtis, 

Darrell Green Creole 5 pm $20 

• Vic Juris Trio with Kate Baker Blue Note 12:30, 2:30 pm $24.50 

• Roz Corral Trio with Jonathan Kreisberg, Boris Kozlov 


• Evan Schwam Quartet; David Coss and Trio; Dylan Meek Trio 






• Mingus Big Band Jazz Standard 7:30, 9:30 pm $25 

• Les Paul Trio with Stanley Jordan Iridium 8, 10 pm $35 

• Jonathan Kreisberg; Ari Hoenig Group with Gilad Hekselman, Orlando Le Fleming, 

Tigran Hamasyan; Spencer Murphy Jam 

Smalls 7:30, 9:30 pm 12 am $20 

• Cyrille Aimee Surreal Band Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $20 

• Vocal Improv Session #8: Dori Levine, Rosie Hertlein, Simon Jermyn; 

Rosie Hertlein solo; Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys with Darius Jones, 

Peter Bitenc, Alexis Marcelo; Harvey Valdes/Damion Reid 


• Russ Spiegel Jazz Orchestra Tea Lounge 9, 10:30 pm 

• Thomas Stempkowski All-Bass Quartet with Ken Filiano, Charles Sullivan, 

Tom Zlabinger Illinois Jacquet Performance Space 7 pm 

• George Petit 3 Tomi Jazz 9:30 pm $10 

• Becca Stevens Trio with Liam Robinson, Chris Tordini 


• Howard Williams Jazz Orchestra; Carol Sudhalter 


• Tom Tallitsch Quartet Puppet’s Jazz Bar 6 pm $5 

R E G U L A R E N G A G E M E N T S 

MONDAYS 

• Tom Abbott Big Bang Big Band Swing 46 8:30 pm 

• Ron Affif Trio Zinc Bar 9, 11pm, 12:30, 2 am 

• Sedric Choukroun and The Brasilieros Chez Lola 7:30 pm 

• Steve Coleman Present Jazz Gallery 9 pm $15 

• Pete Davenport/Ed Schuller Jam Session Frank’s Cocktail Lounge 9 pm 

• Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band The Carlyle 8:45 pm $75-100 

• Smoke Big Band; John Farnsworth Quartet Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm 

• George Gee Swing Orchestra Gospel Uptown 8 pm 

• Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks Sofia’s 8 pm (ALSO TUE) 

• Patience Higgins Sugar Hill Quartet Lenox Lounge 9:30 pm $10 

• JFA Jazz Jam Local 802 7 pm 

• Long Island City Jazz Alliance Jam Session Domaine 8 pm 

• Roger Lent Trio Jam Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm $10 

• John McNeil Jam Session Puppet’s Jazz Bar 9 pm 

• Iris Ornig Jam Session The Kitano 8 pm 

• Les Paul Trio with guests Iridium 8, 10 pm $35 

• Stan Rubin All-Stars Charley O’s 8:30 pm 

• Emilio Solla y la Inestable de Brooklyn Miles’ Café 9:30 pm $10 

• Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Village Vanguard 9, 11 pm $30 

• Melvin Vines Kortet with Kay Mori St. Nick’s Pub 10 pm 

TUESDAYS 

• Ben Allison Trio Kush 8 pm $10 

• Irving Fields Nino’s Tuscany 7 pm (ALSO WED-SUN) 

• Joel Frahm Bar Next Door 8 pm $12 

• George Gee Swing Orchestra Swing 46 8:30 pm 

• Loston Harris Café Carlyle 9:30 pm $20 (ALSO WED-SAT) 

• Art Hirahara Trio Arturo’s 8 pm 

• Yuichi Hirakawa Trio Arthur’s Tavern 7, 8:30 pm 

• Sandy Jordan and Larry Luger Trio Notaro 8 pm 

• Mike LeDonne Quartet; Dan Christensen Trio Smoke 7, 9, 10:30, 11:30 pm 

• Joey Morant Lenox Lounge 8 pm $10 

• Iris Ornig Quartet Crooked Knife 7 pm 

• Annie Ross The Metropolitan Room 9:30 pm $25 

• Robert Rucker Trio Jam Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm $10 

• Dred Scott Trio Rockwood Music Hall 12 am 

• Slavic Soul Party Barbès 9 pm $10 

WEDNESDAYS 

• Astoria Jazz Composers Workshop Waltz-Astoria 6 pm 

• Bill Cantrall Trio 718 Restaurant 8:30 pm 

• Sedric Choukroun and the Eccentrics Chez Oskar 7 pm 

• Walter Fischbacher Trio Water Street Restaurant 8 pm 

• Jeanne Gies with Howard Alden and Friends Joe G’s 6:30 pm 

• Frank Lacy St. Nick’s Pub 10 pm 

• Les Kurz Trio Cleopatra’s Needle 7 pm $10 

• Jazz Jam Session Sucre Café 7:30 pm 

• Jonathan Kreisberg Trio Bar Next Door 8:30, 10:30 pm $12 

• Guillaume Laurent Trio Bar Tabac 7 pm 

• Jed Levy and Friends Vino di Vino Wine Bar 7:30 pm (ALSO FRI) 

• Nat Lucas Organ Trio Lenox Lounge 8 pm $3 

• Jacob Melchior Philip Marie 7 pm (ALSO SUN 12 PM) 

• Arturo O’Farrill solo Puppet’s Jazz Bar 7 pm $10 

• Alex Obert’s Hollow Bones Via Della Pace 10 pm 

• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Centennial Band Birdland 5 pm $10 

• Stan Rubin Big Band Swing 46 8:30 pm 

• Bobby Sanabria Big Band FB Lounge 7:30, 9:30 pm $10 

• Alex Terrier Trio Antibes Bistro 7:30 pm 

• Vocal Wednesdays Zeb’s 8 pm 

• Justin Wert/Corcoran Holt Benoit 7 pm 

• Bill Wurtzel/Tony Decaprio American Folk Art Museum Lincoln Square 2 pm 

• Jordan Young Group Bflat 8:30 pm 

THURSDAYS 

• Eric Alexander and Joe Farnsworth Ibiza Lounge 8, 10 pm $10 

• Jason Campbell Trio Perk’s 8 pm 

• Sedric Choukroun Brasserie Jullien 7:30 pm (ALSO FRI, SAT) 

• Claude Diallo Domaine Wine Bar 9 pm 

• Aki Ishiguro Jam Session Solo Kitchen Bar 9 pm 

• Jazz Vocal Workshop University of the Streets 8:30 pm $5 

• Edward Perez Afro-Peruvian Collective Tutuma Social Club 8:30 pm 

• Gregory Porter Smoke 7, 9, 10:30 pm 

• Eri Yamamoto Trio Arthur’s Tavern 7 pm (ALSO FRI-SAT) 

FRIDAYS 

• Gabriel Alegria Sextet Tutuma Social Club 8, 10:30 pm (ALSO SAT-SUN) 

• Steve Blanco Trio Domaine Wine Bar 9 pm (ALSO SAT) 

• Deep Pedestrian Sintir 8 pm 

• Charles Downs’ Centipede The Complete Music Studio 7 pm 

• George Gee Swing Orchestra Swing 46 9:30 pm 

• Greg Lewis Organ Trio Night of the Cookers 10 pm 

• Kengo Nakamura Trio Club A Steakhouse 11 pm 

• Open Jazz Jam Session University of the Streets 11:30 pm $5 (ALSO SAT) 

• Albert Rivera Organ Trio B Smith’s 8:30 pm (ALSO SAT) 

• Brandon Sanders Trio Londel’s 8, 9, 10 pm (ALSO SAT) 

• Bill Saxton and Friends Bill’s Place 10 pm 12 am $15 

• Donald Smith St. Nick’s Pub 10 pm 

SATURDAYS 

• Jesse Elder/Greg RuggieroRothmann’s 6 pm 

• Guillaume Laurent/Luke Franco Casaville 1 pm 

• Wayne Roberts Duo City Crab 12 pm (ALSO SUN) 

• Jazz-A-Teria; Lea DeLaria Smoke 11:30 am, 1, 3 pm (ALSO SUN) 

• Skye Jazz Trio Jack 8:30 pm 

• Michelle Walker/Nick Russo Anyway Café 9 pm 

• Bill Wurtzel Duo Henry’s 12 pm 

SUNDAYS 

• Bill Cantrall Trio Crescent and Vine 6:30 pm 

• Marc Devine Trio TGIFriday’s 6 pm 

• Noah Haidu Jam Cleopatra’s Needle 8 pm $19 

• Ear Regulars with Jon-Erik Kellso The Ear Inn 8 pm 

• Marjorie Eliot/Rudell Drears/Sedric Choukroun Parlor Entertainment 4 pm 

• Sean Fitzpatrick and Friends Ra Café 1 pm 

• Enrico Granafei solo Sora Lella 7 pm 

• Lafayette Harris Lenox Lounge 7 pm $10 

• Stan Killian Trio Ocean’s 8 8:30 pm 

• Bob Kindred Grouo Café Loup 12:30 pm 

• Lapis Luna Trio Bocca 7 pm 

• Alexander McCabe Trio CJ Cullens Tavern 5 pm 

• Junior Mance/Hide Tanaka Café Loup 6:30 pm 

• Peter Mazza Bar Next Door 8 pm $12 

• Tony Middleton Trio The Kitano 11 am 

• Zack O’Farrill Quartet Puppet’s Jazz Bar 12 pm $6 

• Rose Rutledge Trio Ardesia Wine Bar 6:30 pm 

• Gabrielle Stravelli Trio The Village Trattoria 12:30 pm 

• TC III’s Singer Workshop St. Nick’s Pub 10:30 pm 

• Jason Teborek Quartet Smoke 11:30 pm 

• Cidinho Teixeira Zinc Bar 10, 11:30 1 am 

• Jazz Jam hosted by Michael Vitali Comix Lounge 8 pm 

• Brian Woodruff Jam Blackbird’s 9 pm

CLUB DIRECTORY 

• 5C Café 68 Avenue C (212-477-5993) 

Subway: F to Second Avenue 5ccc.com 

• 55Bar 55 Christopher Street (212-929-9883) 

Subway: 1 to Christopher Street 55bar.com 

• 718 Restaurant 35-01 Ditmars Boulevard 

(718-204-5553) Subway: N, Q to Ditmars 718restaurant.com 

• 92nd Street Y Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street 

(212-415-5500) Subway: 6 to 96th Street 92y.org 

• 92YTribeca 200 Hudson Street (212-601-1000) 

Subway: 1, A, C, E to Canal Street 92ndstreety.com 

• ABC No Rio 156 Rivington Street (212-254-3697) 

Subway: J,M,Z to Delancey Street abcnorio.org 

• ACE Hotel 20 West 29th Street 

(212-679-2222) Subway: N, R to 28th Street acehotel.com 

• American Folk Art Museum 45 W 53rd Street (212-265-1040) 

Subway: E to 53rd Street folkartmuseum.org 

• Antibes Bistro 112 Suffolk Street 

(212-533-6088) Subway: J, Z to Essex Street antibesbistro.com 

• Antique Garage 41 Mercer Street (212-219-1019) 

Subway: N, Q, R, W to Canal Street 

• Anyway Café 34 E. 2nd Street (212-533-3412) 

Subway: F to Second Avenue 

• Apple Store Upper West Side 1981 Broadway at 67th Street 

(212-209-3400) Subway: 1 to 66th Street apple.com 

• Ardesia Wine Bar 510 West 52nd Street 

(212-247-9191) Subway: C to 50th Street ardesia-ny.com 

• Arthur’s Tavern 57 Grove Street (212-675-6879) 

Subway: 1 to Christopher Street arthurstavernnyc.com 

• Arturo’s 106 W. Houston Street (at Thompson Street) 

(212-677-3820) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street 

• BAMCafé 30 Lafayette Ave at Ashland Pl, Fort Greene, Brooklyn 

(718-636-4139) Subway: M, N, R, W to Pacific Street; Q, 1, 2, 4, 5 to 

Atlantic Avenue bam.org 

• Bflat 277 Church Street (between Franklin and White Streets) 

Subway: 1, 2 to Franklin Streets 

• Banjo Jim’s 9th Street and Avenue C 

Subway: L to 1st Avenue; 6 to Astor Place banjojims.com 

• Bar 4 15th Street and 7th Avenue, Brooklyn (718-832-9800) 

Subway: F to 7th Avenue, N, M, R, D to Prospect Avenue 

bar4brooklyn.com 

• Bar Next Door 129 MacDougal Street (212-529-5945) 

Subway: A, C, E, F to W. 4th Street lalanternacaffe.com 

• Barbès 376 9th Street at 6th Avenue, Brooklyn (718-965-9177) 

Subway: F to 7th Avenue barbesbrooklyn.com 

• Bella Luna 584 Columbus Avenue Subway: B, C to 86th Street 

• Benoit 60 W. 55th Street 

Subway: F to 57th Street, N, Q, R,W to 57th Street 

• Birdland 315 W. 44th Street (212-581-3080) 

Subway: A, C, E, to 42nd Street birdlandjazz.com 

• The Bitter End 147 Bleecker Street between Thompson and 

LaGuardia Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street 

• Blackbird’s 41-19 30th Avenue (718-943-6898) 

Subway: R to Steinway Street blackbirdsbar.com 

• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Street at 6th Avenue (212-475-8592) 

Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street bluenotejazz.com 

• The Blue Owl 196 Second Avenue (at 12th Street) 

(212-505-2583) Subway: L to First Avenue 

• Bocca 39 East 19th Street (212-387-1200) 

Subway: 4, 5, 6, L, N, R, Q, W to Union Square 

• Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery (212-614-0505) 

Subway: 6 to Bleecker Street bowerypoetry.com 

• Brecht Forum 451 West Street (212-242-4201) 

Subway: A, C, E, L, 1, 2, 3, 9 to 14th Street brechtforum.org 

• Bronx Museum of the Arts 1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th Street) 

(718-681-6000) Subway: 4 to 161st Street 

• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 58 Seventh Avenue 

Subway: F to Seventh Avenue, N, R to Union Street bqcm.org 

• Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue (718-857-4816) 

Subway: R to Union Street brooklynlyceum.com 

• Buona Sera 12th Street and University Place 

Subway: 4, 5, 6, L, N, R, Q, W to Union Square 

• CJ Cullens Tavern 4340 White Plains Road, Bronx 

Subway: 2 to Nereid Avenue/238th Street 

• Café Carlyle 35 East 76th Street (212-744-1600) 

Subway: 6 to 77th Street thecarlyle.com 

• Café Loup 105 W. 13th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues 

(212-255-4746) Subway: F to 14th Street 

• Café Orwell 247 Varet Street 

(347-294-4759) Subway: L to Morgan Avenue 

• Caffe Vivaldi 32 Jones Street between Bleecker and W. 4th Streets 

Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, Q to W. 4th Street-Washington Square 

• The Cake Shop 152 Ludlow Street 

(212-253-0036) Subway: F, V to Second Avenue cake-shop.com 

• Casaville 633 Second Avenue 

(212-685-8558) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street casavillenyc.com 

• Charley O’s 1611 Broadway at 49th Street (212-246-1960) 

Subway: N, R, W to 49th Street 

• Chez Lola 387 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn (718-858-1484) 

Subway: C to Clinton-Washington Avenues bistrolola.com 

• Chez Oskar 211 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn (718-852-6250) 

Subway: C to Lafayette Avenue chezoskar.com 

• City Winery 155 Varick Street 

(212-608-0555) Subway: 1 to Houston Street citywinery.com 

• Cleopatra’s Needle 2485 Broadway (212-769-6969) 

Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th Street cleopatrasneedleny.com 

• Club A Steakhouse 240 E. 58th Street (212-618-4190) 

Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 59th Street clubasteak.com 

• Cobi’s Place 158 West 48th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues 

(516-922-2010) Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street 

• Comix Lounge 353 W. 14th Street Subway: L to 8th Avenue 

• The Complete Music Studio 227 Saint Marks Avenue, Brooklyn 

(718-857-3175) Subway: B, Q to Seventh Avenue 

completemusic.com 

• Cornelia Street Café 29 Cornelia Street (212-989-9319) 

Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street 

corneliastreetcafé.com 

• Creole 2167 3rd Avenue at 118th Street 

(212-876-8838) Subway: 6 th 116th Street creolenyc.com 

• Crescent and Vine 25-01 Ditmars Boulevard at Crescent Street 

(718-204-4774) Subway: N, Q to Ditmars Boulevard-Astoria 

• Crooked Knife 29 East 30th St between Madison and Park Avenue 

(212-696-2593) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street thecrookedknife.com 

• Czech Center New York 321 East 73rd Street 

Subway: 6 to 68th Street bohemiannationalhall.com 

• Dizzy’s Club Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor (212-258-9800) 

Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle jalc.org 

• Domaine Wine Bar 50-04 Vernon Boulevard 

Subway: 7 to Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue 

• Douglass Street Music Collective 295 Douglass Street 

Subway: R to Union Street myspace.com/295douglass 

• Downtown Music Gallery 13 Monroe Street (212-473-0043) 

Subway: F to East Broadway downtownmusicgallery.com 

• Drom 85 Avenue A 

(212-777-1157) Subway: F to Second Avenue dromnyc.com 

• The Ear Inn 326 Spring Street at Greenwich Street (212-246-5074) 

Subway: C, E to Spring Street 

• ESP-Disk Ltd. 990 Bedford Avenue (800-685-2163) 

Subway: M to Bedford-Nostrand Avenues espdisk.com 

• Essex Gate Hotel 154 Central Park South (212-484-5120) 

Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle 

154southgate.com 

• FB Lounge 172 E 106th Street (212-348-3929) 

Subway: 6 to 103rd Street fondaboricua.com 

• Fat Cat 75 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue (212-675-6056) 

Subway: 1 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square fatcatmusic.org 

• Feinstein’s 540 Park Avenue (212-339-4095) 

Subway: 6 to 77th Street feinsteinsattheregency.com 

• Fetch 1649 Third Avenue between 92nd and 93rd Streets 

(212-289-2700) Subway: 6 to 96th Street 

• The Fifth Estate 506 5th Avenue (718-840-0089) 

Subway: F to 4th Avenue fifthestatebar.com 

• Flute Bar 205 W. 54th St.between 7th Avenue and Broadway 

(212-265-5169) Subway: B, D, E to 7th Avenue 

• Flute Bar Gramercy 40 E. 20th Street 

(212-529-7870) Subway: 6 to 23rd Street 

• Frank’s Cocktail Lounge 660 Fulton St. at Lafayette, Brooklyn 

(718-625-9339) Subway: G to Fulton Street 

• Galapagos 16 Main Street, Brooklyn (718-782-5188) 

Subway: F to York Street galapagosartspace.com 

• The Garage 99 Seventh Avenue South (212-645-0600) 

Subway: 1 to Christopher Street garagerest.com 

• Gershwin Hotel Living Room 7 East 27th Street 


• Goodbye Blue Monday 1087 Broadway, Brooklyn (718-453-6343) 

Subway: J, M train to Myrtle Avenue goodbye-blue-monday.com 

• Gospel Uptown 2110 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard 

(212-280-2110) Subway: A, B, C, D to 125th Street 

gospeluptown.com 

• Greenwich House Music School 46 Barrow Street (212-242-4770) 

Subway: 1 to Christopher Street greenwichhouse.org 

• Greenwich Village Bistro 13 Carmine Street (212-206-9777) 

Subway: A,C,E,F,V to W. 4th Street 

• Henry’s 2745 Broadway (212-866-060) 1 to 103rd Street 

• I-Beam 168 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues 

Subway: F to 4th Avenue ibeambrooklyn.com 

• Ibiza Lounge 220 W. 242nd Street, Bronx 

(646-256-9968) Subway: 1 to 242 Street ibizany.com 

• Illinois Jacquet Performance Space 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., 

Subway: E to Jamaica Center york.cuny.edu 

• Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Street (212-582-2121) 

Subway: 1,2 to 50th Street iridiumjazzclub.com 

• Issue Project Room 232 Third Street (at the corner Third Avenue) 

Subway: M to Union Street issueprojectroom.org 

• Jack 80 University Place Subway: 4, 5, 6, N, R to 14th Street 

• Jazz 966 966 Fulton Street (718-638-6910) 

Subway: C to Clinton Street illbrew.com/Jazz966.htm 

• Jazz Gallery 290 Hudson Street (212-242-1063) 

Subway: C, E, to Spring Street jazzgallery.org 

• Jazz Museum in Harlem 104 E.126th Street between Park and 

Lexington Avenues (212-348-8300) Subway: 6 to 125th Street 

jazzmuseuminharlem.org 

• Jazz Standard 116 E. 27th between Park and Lexington Avenue 

(212-576-2232) Subway: 6 to 28th Street jazzstandard.net 

• Joe G’s 244 West 56th Street (212-765-3160) 


• Joe’s Pub 425 Lafayette Street (212-539-8770) 

Subway: N, R to 8th Street-NYU; 6 to Astor Place joespub.com 

• Kenny’s Castaways 157 Bleecker Street between Thompson and 

Sullivan Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street 

• The Kitano 66 Park Avenue at 38th Street (212-885-7000) 

Subway: 4, 5, 6 to Grand Central kitano.com 

• Knickerbocker Bar & Grill 33 University Place at 9th Street 

(212-228-8490) Subway: N, R to 8th Street-NYU 

knickerbockerbarandgrill.com 

• Korzo 667 5th Avenue (between 19th and 20th streets), Brooklyn 

(718-285-9425) Subway: R to Prospect Avenue 

eurotripbrooklyn.com/info.html 

• Kosciuszko Foundation 15 East 65th Street 


• Kush 191 Chrystie Street 

(212-677-7328) Subway: F to Second Avenue thekushnyc.com 

• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street (212-228-4854) 

Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street lepoissonrouge.com 

• Lenox Lounge 288 Lenox Avenue between 124th and 125th Streets 

(212-427-0253) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Street lenoxlounge.com 

• Leonard Nimoy Thalia 2537 Broadway at 95th Street 

(212-864-5400) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 9 to 96th Street 

symphonyspace.org 

• Littlefield 622 Degraw Street 

(718-855-3388) Subway: M, R to Union Street littlefieldnyc.com 

• The Local 269 269 East Houston Street at Suffolk Street 

Subway: F to Second Avenue rucma.org 

• Local 802 322 W. 48th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues 

(212-245-4802) Subway: C to 50th Street jazzfoundation.org 

• Londel’s 2620 Frederick Douglas Boulevard (212-234-6114) 

Subway: 1 to 145th Street londelsrestaurant.com 

• Mercury Lounge 217 E. Houston Street (212-260-4700) 

Subway: F, V to Second Avenue mercuryloungenyc.com 

• Metropolitan Room 34 West 22nd Street (212-206-0440) 

Subway: N, R to 23rd Street metropolitanroom.com 

• Miles’ Café 212 E. 52nd Street, 3rd floor (between Second and 

Third Avenues) (212-371-7657) Subway: 6 to 51st Street; E to 

53rd Street MilesCafe.com 

• NYC Baha’i Center 53 E. 11th Street (212-222-5159) 

Subway: 4, 5, 6, N, R to 14th Street-Union Square bahainyc.org 

• New School 55 W. 13th Street 

(212-229-5488) Subway: F, V to 14th Street jazz.newschool.edu 

• Night of the Cookers 767 Fulton Street, Brooklyn 

(718-797-1197) Subway: C to Lafayette Avenue 

• Nino’s Tuscany 117 W. 58th Street (212-757-8630) 


ninostuscany.com 

• North Square Lounge 103 Waverly Place at McDougal Street 

(212-254-1200) Subway: A, B, C, E, F to West 4th Street 

northsquarejazz.com 

• Notaro Second Avenue between 34th & 35th Streets (212-686-3400) 

Subway: 6 to 33rd Street 

• Nublu 62 Avenue C between 4th and 5th Streets (212-979-9925) 

Subway: F to Second Avenue nublu.net 

• Nuyorican Poets Café 236 E. 3rd Street between Avenues B and C 

(212-505-8183) Subway: F, V to Second Avenue nuyorican.org 

• Ocean’s 8 at Brownstone Billiards 308 Flatbush Avenue 

(718-857-5555) Subway: B, Q to Seventh Avenue 

• Parlor Entertainment 555 Edgecombe Ave. #3F between 159th and 

160th Streets (212-781-6595) Subway: C to 155th Street 

parlorentertainment.com 

• ParlorJazz 119 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn (718-855-1981) 

Subway: G to Clinton-Washington parlorjazz.com 

• Piano Due 151 West 51st Street (212-399-9400) 

Subway: 1 to 50th Street pianoduenyc.net 

• Pianos 158 Ludlow Street Subway: F, V to Second Avenue 

• The Players 16 Gramercy Park South (212-475-6116) 

Subway: 6 to 23rd Street theplayersnyc.org 

• Prospect Series 363 Prospect Avenue, ground floor between 

Sixth and Seventh Avenues 

Subway: F,G to 7th Avenue; R to Prospect Avenue 

• Puppet’s Jazz Bar 481 5th Avenue, Brooklyn (718-499-2622) 

Subway: F to 7th Avenue puppetsjazz.com 

• Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street (212-477-4155) 

Subway: F to Second Avenue rockwoodmusichall.com 

• Rose Live Music 345 Grand Street between Havemeyer and Marcy 

(718-599-0069) Subway: L to Lorimer Street liveatrose.com 

• Rose Theater Broadway at 60th Street, 5th floor (212-258-9800) 

Subway: 1, 2, 3, 9, A, C, E, B, D, F to Columbus Circle jalc.org 

• Roulette 20 Greene Street (between Canal and Grand Streets) 

(212-219-8242) Subway: 1 to Franklin Street roulette.org 

• Rubin Museum 150 West 17th Street (212-620-5000) 

Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street rmanyc.org 

• Rue 57 60 West 57th Street 

(212-307-5656) Subway: F to 57th Street rue57.com 

• SOB’s 204 Varick Street 

(212-243-4940) Subway: 1 to Varick Street sobs.com 

• St. Nick’s Pub 773 St. Nicholas Avenue at 149th Street 

(212-283-9728) Subway: A, C, B, D to 145th Street 

• Saint Peter’s Church 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street 

(212-935-2200) Subway: 6 to 51st Street saintpeters.org 

• Showman’s 375 West 125th Street at Morningside) (212-864-8941) 

Subway: 1 to 125th Street 

• Shrine 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (212-690-7807) 

Subway: B, 2, 3 to 135th Street shrinenyc.com 

• Sintir 424 E. 9th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue 

(212-477-4333) Subway: 6 to Astor Place 

• Sistas’ Place 456 Nostrand Avenue at Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn 

(718-398-1766) Subway: A to Nostrand Avenue sistasplace.org 

• Sixth Street Synagogue 6th Street between First and 

Second Avenues (212-473-3665) Subway: 6 to Astor Place 

eastvillageshul.com 

• Smalls 183 W 10th Street at Seventh Avenue (212-252-5091) 

Subway: 1,2,3,9 to 14th Street smallsjazzclub.com 

• Smoke 2751 Broadway between 105th and 106th Streets 

(212-864-6662) Subway: 1 to 103rd Street smokejazz.com 

• Sofia’s 221 W. 46th Street Subway: B, D, F to 42nd Street 

• Solo Kitchen Bar 1502 Cortelyou Road (between E 16th and 

Marlborough Road) (718-826-0951) Subway: Q to Cortelyou Road 

• Sora Lella 300 Spring Street 

(212-366-4749) Subway: C, E to Spring Street soralellanyc.com 

• Southpaw 125 Fifth Avenue between Sterling and St. John’s Place 

(718-230-0236) Subway: M, N, R to Union Street spsounds.com 

• The Stone Avenue C and 2nd Street 

Subway: F to Second Avenue thestonenyc.com 

• Sucre Café 520 Dekalb Avenue (718-636-2000) 

Subway: G to Bedford-Nostrand Avenues 

• Sullivan Hall 214 Sullivan Street (212-634-0427) 

Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street sullivanhallnyc.com 

• Swing 46 349 W. 46th Street (646-322-4051) 

Subway: A, C, E to 42nd Street swing46.com 

• Sycamore 1118 Cortelyou Road (347-240-5850) 

Subway: B, Q to to Cortelyou Road sycamorebrooklyn.com 

• Tea Lounge 837 Union Street, Brooklyn (718-789-2762) 

Subway: N, R to Union Street tealoungeNY.com 

• Tomi Jazz 239 E. 53rd Street (646-497-1254) 

Subway: 6 to 51st Street tomijazz.com 

• Town Hall 123 W. 43rd Street (212-997-1003) 

Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd Street-Times Square 

the-townhall-nyc.org 

• Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers Street 

(212-220-1460) Subway: A, 1, 2, 3, 9 to Chambers Street 

tribecapac.org 

• Tutuma Social Club 164 East 56th Street 646-300-0305 

Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 59th Street TutumaSocialClub.com 

• University of the Streets 130 East 7th Street (212-254-9300) 

Subway: 6 to Astor Place universityofthestreets.org 

• Via Della Pace 48 East 7th Street and Second Avenue 

(212-253-5803) Subway: 6 to Astor Place 

• The Village Trattoria 135 West 3rd Street (212-598-0011) 

Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street thevillagetrattoria.com 

• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South at 11th Street 

(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street villagevanguard.com 

• Vino di Vino Wine Bar 29-21 Ditmars Boulevard, Queens 

(718-721-3010) Subway: N to Ditmars Blvd-Astoria 

• Walker’s 16 North Moore Street (212-941-0142) 

Subway: A, C, E to Canal Street 

• Waltz-Astoria 23-14 Ditmars Boulevard (718-95-MUSIC) 

Subway: N, R to Ditmars Blvd-Astoria Waltz-Astoria.com 

• Water Street Restaurant 66 Water Street (718-625-9352) 

Subway: F to York Street, A, C to High Street 

• Watty & Meg 248 Court Street 

(718-643-0007) Subway: F, G to Bergen Street wattyandmeg.com 

• Zankel Hall 881 Seventh Avenue at 57th Street (212-247-7800) 

Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th Street carnegiehall.org 

• Zeb’s 223 W. 28th Street Subway: 1 to 28th Street 

• Zebulon 258 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn (718-218-6934) 

Subway: L to Bedford Avenue zebuloncafeconcert.com 

• Zinc Bar 82 West 3rd Street (212-477-8337) Subway: A, C, E, F, 

Grand Street Shuttle to W. 4th Street zincbar.com 

• Zora Space 315 4th Avenue between 3rd and 2nd streets 

(718-832-4870) Subway: F train to 9th street; M, R to Union Street 

zoraspace.com 


(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6) 

music students didn’t understand harmony or any of 

that kind of stuff…so my whole workshop shifted to 

being based on a kind of modal approach, where I was 

using pentatonics [five-note scales] and things like 

this. 

AAJ-NY: Do you see a musical ‘Esperanto’, or a trade 

language like Swahili, emerging in creative 

improvisation? For example, mainstream jazz entails 

playing over standard chord progressions using 

certain techniques and vocabulary and you could even 

say there’s an M-Base - I don’t want to say 

‘mainstream’ - but you hear it when someone uses a 

‘drum chant’; there’s a certain sound to that. 

SC: Yeah, yeah. There are certain devices which 

become popular. If a musician does something, once 

you put it out there, it gets beyond your control…and 

it takes on a life of its own by what everybody else is 

doing. And so there are certain things that I was doing 

in the ‘80s, the beginning of those ideas, when people 

thought, “That’s very, very weird.” And I remember 

friends of mine telling me, “Man, you’re not going to 

ever be successful with this. Nothing’s going to 

happen. Nobody can even figure out what you’re 

doing.” And I used to tell them, “You’d be surprised at 

how flexible human beings are.” [laughs] And what 

we’re doing today would’ve been un-thought of 

before. I give a lot of workshops and a lot of things like 

that and things get disseminated that way; people get 

little parts of the language. I’ve had my band Five 

Elements since about 1980, 1981 and a lot of guys and 

women have gone through the band and then many of 

them have gone on to start their own bands. That’s 

CURTIS FULLER - I WILL TELL HER 

#1 on the Jazz Week national radio chart! 

“If you dig those Blue Note label hard bop releases of yore, 

you are sure to want to grab a copy of this excellent double 

release that celebrates life, love. friendship and music of an 

outstanding jazz artist.” Brad Walseth – Jazz Chicago 

“The Fuller band takes no prisoners on this set of studio and 

live tracks. The style of jazz it plays may be 50 years old, but 

these youngbloods surrounding Curtis are deadly serious 

about the music.” **** Kirk Silsbee – Downbeat 


quite a long time ago and, over the course of all of that, 

different people are learning different parts of things 

and then of course they’re bringing their own 

thing…they’re adding their own languages. K 

For more information, visit m-base.com. Coleman and Five 

Elements are at Winter Jazzfest Jan. 8th. Coleman is also at 

Jazz Standard Jan. 18th-19th with Jeff “Tain” Watts and 

Jazz Gallery Mondays (except Jan. 3rd). See Calendar and 

Regular Engagements. 


• Dave Holland Quintet - Jumpin’ In (ECM, 1983) 

• Steve Coleman Group - Motherland Pulse 

(JMT-Winter & Winter, 1985) 

• Dave Holland Trio - Triplicate (ECM, 1988) 

• Steve Coleman and Five Elements - Curves of Life 

(RCA-Victor, 1995) 

• Steve Coleman and Five Elements - 

Resistance is Futile (Label Bleu, 2001) 

• Steve Coleman - Invisible Paths: First Scattering 

(Tzadik, 2007) 

(LABEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12) 

labels and promoting their club through these records. 

I have been approached by other club owners 

interested in doing the same thing as Smalls, asking 

me details of how it works.” 

Although Wilner has high hopes for smallsLIVE 

(which has an international distribution deal for 

physical CDs with Harmonia Mundi and an 

arrangement with Apple’s iTunes for online digital 

sales), he doesn’t hesitate to speak candidly about all 

“Altogether, a fine set and one that 

should have a wide appeal to all lovers 

of jazz in the post-bop mainstream.” 

Bruce Crowther – Swing2Bop 

“The title song and two-disc set 

are dedicated to a true love, but the 

music is clearly for the audience. 

I Will Tell Her, by trombonist 

Curtis Fuller, achieves plenty.” 

- Woodrow Wilkins – AllAboutJazz.com 

“Curtis Fuller is one of the last of the 

1950s to 1960s Blue Note recording 

artists still playing, and though his travels 

are mostly limited to sideman duties, it is 

such a treat to find this two-CD issue, 

where he can show his skills are still 

strongly intact. I highly recommend I Will 

Tell Her to his fans.” ****1/2 

- Jeff Krow - Audiophile Audition 

“Overall, this is one of the better 

recordings in the latter-period days of 

Fuller, chock-full of spirit, and comes easily 

recommended.” (4 Stars) 

- Michael Nastos - All Music Guide 

www.caprirecords.com 

the upheaval that has been taking place in the music 

industry. Wilner points out that today’s jazz musicians 

are operating in an environment in which brick-andmortar 

CD stores have been disappearing, many 

younger listeners are buying individual songs as 

downloads instead of buying CDs and most major 

labels have greatly downsized or eliminated their jazz 

departments. 

“There’s a whole new paradigm,” Wilner notes. 

“The demise of the jazz record industry has taken 

everyone by surprise and the guys who’ve been in it a 

long time have been caught with their pants down. But 

people still want to hear music; they still want to buy 

music. The sale of music isn’t ending. It’s just 

transforming.” 

“I’m excited about this label,” Wilner says. “I’m 

passionate about it. I’m trying to document some great 

jazz music that’s being played in my club and that’s 

what we’re doing with smallsLIVE. My label and my 

club are interconnected; the two of them go hand in 

hand.” K 

For more information, visit smallslive.com. Artists 

performing this month include Omer Avital at Jazz Gallery 

Jan. 14th-15th with Avishai Cohen; Peter Bernstein at 

Smalls Jan. 6th-8th and Bar Next Door Jan. 20th; Kevin 

Hays at Smoke Jan. 14th-15th with Bill Stewart and Iridium 

Jan. 19th as a leader; Ari Hoenig at Smalls Mondays and 

Zinc Bar Jan. 8th as part of the Winter Jazzfest, Cornelia 

Street Café Jan. 11th as a leader and 20th-21st with George 

Garzone and Puppet’s Jazz Bar Jan. 29th with Shai Maestro; 

Ethan Iverson at Village Vanguard Jan. 1st with The Bad 

Plus; David Kikoski at Jazz Standard Jan. 20th-23rd with 

Jeff “Tain” Watts; Ian Hendrickson-Smith at Smalls Jan. 

22nd and Spike Wilner at Smalls Jan. 1st, 11th with Tom 

Guarna, 13th, 18th. 23rd and 27th-28th. See Calendar.

Francisco Aguabella 

Johnny Alf 

Eugene Amaro 

Fred Anderson 

Kenny Baldock 

Danny Bank 

Brenton Banks 

Gary Bannister 

Edgar Bateman 

Harry Beckett 

Dave Blumberg 

Derek Boulton 

Bob Bowen 

Leon Breeden 

Willem Breuker 

Jack Brokensha 

Marion Brown 

Dick Buckley 

John Bunch 

Tito Burns 

Hadley Caliman 

January 1 

†Papa Celestin 1884-1954 

†Al McKibbon 1919-2005 

†Milt Jackson 1923-99 

Sonny Greenwich b.1936 

†Susannah McCorkle 

1946-2001 

Chris Potter b.1970 

James Shipp b.1980 

January 2 

†Nick Fatool 1915-2000 

†Arthur Prysock 1929-97 

Noah Jarrett b.1978 

January 3 

†Preston Jackson 1902-83 

†Herbie Nichols 1919-63 

Musa Kaleem b.1921 

John Jenkins b.1931 

Motohiko Hino b.1946 

James Carter b.1969 

January 4 

†Frankie Newton 

1906-54 

†Joe Marsala 1907-78 

†Slim Gaillard 1916-91 

Frank Wess b.1922 

Al Dreares b.1929 

John McLaughlin b.1942 

Eugene Chadbourne 

b.1954 

Alex and Nels Cline b.1956 

January 5 

†Wild Bill Davison 

1906-89 

†Lennie Hastings 1927-78 

Dizzy Reece b.1931 

Chuck Flores b.1935 

Myra Melford b.1957 

Reminiscing the piano greats 

Willie “The Lion” Smith (Vogue) 

January 29th, 1959 

Himself also one of the piano greats, 

for this album Willie “The Lion” 

Smith, still going strong in his mid 

60s, fêtes a number of his 

predecessors and contemporaries like 

Scott Joplin (“Maple Leaf Rag”), 

Lucky Roberts (“Pork And Beans”), 

Eubie Blake (“Chevy Chase”) and 

Jelly Roll Morton (“Buddy Bolden’s 

Blues”). But by this point in his career, 

some 20 or 30 years after the heyday 

of Stride, of which Smith was one of 

the major proponents, the pianist 

presents the 11 tunes in his own style 

rather than as impressionistic takes. 

Tony Campise 

Captain Beefheart 

Bob Celusak 

Tony Cennamo 

Dave Chapman 

Ian Christie 

Gloria Coleman 

Buddy Collette 

Gene “Mighty Flea” 

Conners 

Chris Dagley 

John Dankworth 

Vincent Davis 

Bruno De Filippi 

John Defoor 

Diz Disley 

Bill Dixon 

Aaron Dodd 

Jesse Drakes 

Martin Drew 

Francis Dreyfus 

January 6 

†Bobby Stark 1906-45 

†Keith Christie 1931-80 

†Danny Moore 1941-2005 

Barry Altschul b.1943 

Adam Larson b.1990 

January 7 

†Henry “Red” Allen 

1908-67 

†Chano Pozo 1915-48 

†Keg Purnell 1915-65 

†Sam Woodyard 1925-88 

†Kenny Davern 1935-2006 

†Eldee Young 1936-2007 

January 8 

†Wendell Culley 1906-83 

†Bobby Tucker 1923-2007 

Bill Goodwin b.1942 

Thurman Barker b.1948 

Marilyn Mazur b.1955 

Dan Tepfer b.1982 

January 9 

†Kenny Clarke 1914-85 

†Jimmy Maxwell 

1917-2002 

†Betty Roche 1920-99 

†Roger Guerin 1926-2010 

Bucky Pizzarelli b.1926 

†Carson Smith 1931-97 

Malcolm Cecil b.1937 

January 10 

†Haywood Henry 1913-94 

†Buddy Johnson 1915-77 

†Max Roach 1924-2007 

†Willie Dennis 1926-65 

†Allen Eager 1927-2003 

William Parker b.1952 

Mike Stern b.1954 

The Way Ahead 

Archie Shepp (Inpulse) 


Cecil Taylor was saxist Archie 

Shepp’s first boss so it is clear where 

he got his uncompromising approach 

to music. Shepp’s records for Impulse, 

which began prior to his involvement 

with John Coltrane’s Ascension, are 

some of the label’s finest, featuring 

many of Shepp’s contemporaries in 

the ‘60s New Thing. This date features 

Jimmy Owens (trumpet), Grachan 

Moncur III (trombone) and the 

rhythm section of Walter Davis Jr., 

Ron Carter and Roy Haynes for four 

tunes including a take of Moncur’s 

‘hit song’ “Frankenstein”. 

IN MEMORIAM 2010 

Herb Ellis 

Allyn Ferguson 

Bill Fitch 

William P. Foster 

S. Neil Fujita 

Hotep Idris Galeta 

George Garanian 

Ernst Gerber 

Brian Grice 

Roger Guerin 

Guru 

Jake Hanna 

Chuck Hedges 

Carl Hendrix 

Peter Herbolzheimer 

Campbell Scott Hood 

Lena Horne 

Noah Howard 

Robbie Jansen 

Jane Jarvis 

Eddie Johnson 

January 11 

†Wilbur De Paris 1900-73 

†Louis Bacon 1904-67 

†Tab Smith 1909-71 

†Bob Enevoldsen 

1920-2006 

†Osie Johnson 1923-66 

†Cal Massey b.1927-72 

January 12 

†Trummy Young 1912-84 

†Jay McShann 1916-2006 

†Guy Lafitte 1927-98 

Ronald Jackson b.1940 

Ernst Bier b.1951 

Jane Ira Bloom b.1955 

Ivo Perelman b.1961 

Ingrid Jensen b.1966 

Gene Lake b.1966 

January 13 

†Quentin Butter Jackson 

1909-76 

†Danny Barker 1909-94 

†Otis Johnson 1910-94 

†Melba Liston 1926-99 

†Joe Pass 1929-95 

January 14 

†Jimmy Crawford 

1910-80 

†Billy Butterfield 1917-88 

Joe Muranyi b.1928 

Kenny Wheeler b.1930 

Grady Tate b.1932 

Nguyen Le b.1959 

January 15 

†Gene Krupa 1909-73 

†Artie Shapiro 1916-2003 

†Bob Maize 1945-2004 

Baikida Carroll b.1947 

BIRTHDAYS 

January 16 

†Irving Mills 1884-1985 

Aldo Romano b.1941 

January 17 

†Big Sid Catlett 1910-51 

Cedar Walton b.1934 

†Ted Dunbar 1937-98 

Billy Harper b.1943 

Pheeroan akLaff b.1955 

January 18 

†Irene Kral 1932-78 

Don Thompson b.1940 

Al Foster b.1944 

Steve Grossman b.1951 

Clark Gayton b.1963 

Dominic Lash b.1980 

January 19 

†Israel Crosby 1919-62 

†JR Monterose 1927-93 

Horace Parlan b.1931 

Hod O’Brien b.1936 

Phil Wilson (tb) b.1937 

†Sam T. Brown 1939-77 

Joe Magnarelli b.1960 

January 20 

Jimmy Cobb b.1929 

Valery Ponomarev b.1943 

Chuck Domanico b.1944 

Andy Sheppard b.1957 

Jeff “Tain” Watts b.1960 

Tatsuya Nakatani b.1970 

January 21 

Bob Whitlock b.1931 

Steve Potts b.1945 

Lou Grassi b.1947 

Kevin Norton b.1956 

Jason Moran b.1975 

Dick Johnson 

Hank Jones 

Harold Kaufman 

Stanley “Kay” Kaufman 

Clyde Kerr Jr. 

Harry Klein 

Myna Lake 

Gene Lees 

Erwin Lehn 

Herman Leonard 

Abbey Lincoln 

Wendell Logan 

Max Lucas 

Gene Ludwig 

Andy McCloud III 

Rob McConnell 

Betty MacDonald 

Jim Marshall 

Mitch Miller 

Jackie Mills 

Art Mineo 

ON THIS DAY 

by Andrey Henkin 

Social Sketches 

Marc Levin (Enja) 


Marc Levin, who plays everything 

from cornet and flute to percussion 

and melodica, is one of those 

shadowy figures from ‘60s-70s jazz 

known only to the cognoscenti. He 

worked with Bill Dixon and then put 

out a handful of records on labels like 

BYG and his own Sweet Dragon. This 

album was recorded in Finland with a 

quartet of native players including the 

equally multi-instrumental Seppo 

Paakkunainen (alto, bari, flute, violin 

and percussion), five tunes with 

intriguingly politicized titles like 

“Student Days New York 1965”. 

January 22 

†Juan Tizol 1900-84 

†Teddy McRae 1908-99 

†JJ Johnson 1924-2001 

†Teddy Smith 1932-79 

†Jean-Louis Viale 1933-84 

Alan Silva b.1939 

Eberhard Weber b.1940 

Maarten Altena b.1943 

Michael Urbaniak b.1943 

January 23 

†Django Reinhardt 

1910-53 

†Teddy Napoleon 1914-64 

†Scoops Carry 1915-70 

†Ray Abrams 1920-92 

†Marty Paich 1925-95 

†Curtis Counce 1926-63 

Harold Ousley b.1929 

Gary Burton b.1943 

Andre Hayward b.1973 

January 24 

†Avery Parrish 1917-59 

†Jimmy Forrest 1920-80 

†Joe Albany 1924-88 

Lennie McBrowne b.1933 

†Bobby Scott 1937-90 

†Julius Hemphill 1938-95 

Marcus Printup b.1967 

Duane Eubanks b.1969 

January 25 

†Wellman Braud 

1891-1966 

†Truck Parham 1913-2002 

†Floyd Smith 1917-82 

Barbara Carroll b.1925 

†Antonio Carlos Jobim 

1927-95 

Alexis Cuadrado b.1971 

James Moody 

Buddy Morrow 

Paulo Moura 

Jamil Nasser 

Bobby Negri 

Steve Neil 

John Norris 

Mike Pacheco 

Johnny Parker 

Jack Parnell 

Walter Payton 

Harvey Pekar 

Graciela Perez-Gutierrez 

Jeannine “Mimi” Perrin 

Trudi Pitts 

Harvey Phillips 

Benny Powell 

Steve Reid 

Ahmad Salaheldeen 

Montego Joe 

Tom Saunders 

January 26 

†Stephane Grappelli 

1908-97 

Alice Babs b.1924 

Dick Nash b.1928 

Benny Golson b.1929 

Aki Takase b.1948 

January 27 

†Oran “Hot Lips” Page 

1908-54 

Jimmie Smith b.1938 

Bobby Hutcherson b.1941 

January 28 

†Ronnie Scott 1927-96 

Buddy Terry b.1941 

Bob Moses b.1948 

Kent Kessler b.1957 

Lorenzo Sanguedolce 

b.1975 

January 29 

†Arnold Ross 1921-2000 

Ed Shaughnessy b.1929 

†Derek Bailey 1932-2005 

†Jeff Clyne 1937-2010 

†Jeanne Lee 1939-2000 

January 30 

†Roy Eldridge 1911-89 

†Bernie Leighton 1921-94 

†Ahmed Abdul Malik 

1927-93 

†Tubby Hayes 1935-73 

Tony Levin b.1940 

January 31 

†Bobby Hackett 1915-76 

Garnett Brown b.1936 

Frank Ricotti b.1949 

Per Zanussi b.1977 

Live at the D.I.A. 

Griot Galaxy (Entropy Stereo) 


The Griot Galaxy, under the 

leadership of saxist Faruq Z Bey, kept 

the city of Detroit relevant to the jazz 

scene in the ‘70s and ‘80s after most of 

its original stars had gone eastwards. 

The band made few albums since its 

founding in the early ‘70s and this 

particular one, recorded at the Detroit 

Institute of Arts Museum, was only 

released decades after the event. 

Alongside Bey on this two-disc set are 

Anthony Holland and David 

McMurray (saxes), Jaribu Shahid 

(bass) and Tani Tabbal (drums) for 

several lengthy AACM-esque tunes. 

Manfred Schulze 

Johnny Scott 

Joya Sherrill 

Sid Simmons 

Neville Skrimshire 

Dennis Stock 

Irving Sturm 

Monty Sunshine 

Ed Thigpen 

John Tirabasso 

Jack Tracy 

Art Van Damme 

Luigi Waites 

Larry Warrilow 

Wally “Gator” Watson 

George Webb 

George David Weiss 

Harry Whitaker 

Ed Wiley Jr. 

Jimmy Wyble 

Mike Zwerin 

AKI TAKASE 


Pianist Aki Takase made 

her eponymous recording 

debut in her native Japan 

in 1978 (check out the 

cover if you can find it). 

Very quickly she 

established herself as an 

important voice but got 

her start in a more 

traditional style than to 

what current listeners are 

accustomed. By the late 

‘80s and early ‘90s she had 

fallen in with the Euro 

free-improvising crowd, 

including future husband 

and collaborator Alex von 

Schlippenbach. She has 

worked extensively with 

bass clarinetist Rudi 

Mahall, including some 

excellent duo albums, but 

also released fine paired 

albums with David 

Murray and more recently 

Louis Sclavis. -AH 

After the Demon’s Leaving 

Santacruz/Lowe/Charles (AA) 


Frank Lowe was one of the firebreathing 

saxists that came to 

attention during the Loft Era during 

the ‘70s. He worked with Noah 

Howard, Rashied Ali and Don Cherry 

early on before becoming a leader on 

labels like ESP-Disk, Freedom, Black 

Saint, Marge, Palm, Karma and others 

during a very productive first decade 

on the scene. This session finds Lowe 

in the company of French bassist 

Bernard Santacruz and legendary 

avant drummer Denis Charles for a 

number of originals, including the 

collaborative title suite.

heart of gold - The New York City Jazz Record

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