David Adler
November 2001

New York @ Night
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By David R. Adler

Life in New York is returning to "normal," although the threat of further violence and the political upheaval of war continue to consume the mind’s attention. Music can feel like a luxury these days, despite what we all know about its healing, transformative power. But downtown is now largely accessible, and life, despite everything, goes on.

With an eye toward new beginnings, the Jazz Composers Collective opened its concert season on October 18 with a showcase for the Herbie Nichols Project. Playing music from its new disc, Strange City (Palmetto), the band was fired up and as solid as ever. Ron Horton’s flugelhorn feature on "Enrapture" was a highlight, as was the beautiful "Change of Seasons," featuring pianist Frank Kimbrough and bassist Ben Allison in a duo setting, with drummer Matt Wilson adding percussive colors toward the end. There was a certain solemnity in the air, however, and Kimbrough gave it voice when he spoke to the audience about his experience on September 11 — specifically, watching from the window of his living room as the second plane collided and both towers eventually fell. Kimbrough couldn’t play or listen to music for two weeks. He struggled with feelings of helplessness. "What we do in the world is so trivial," he said, "but in the end I’m proud to be a musician. I’m proud to be involved with these people in bringing just a little bit of beauty into the world." A lot of beauty, I’d say.

September Shows That Fell Through the Cracks

Apologies to pianist David Berkman, who played a marvelous early September showcase at Smoke. Together with saxophonists Chris Cheek, Dick Oatts, and Sam Newsome, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and drummer Brian Blade, Berkman premiered a jazz suite by the name of "Knots" — a work made possible by a grant from Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation. Berkman’s stature as a composer continues to rise; a CD is in the works.

Leon Parker came to the Jazz Gallery in early September as well, his ensemble graced by Newsome and also the fabulous vocalist Elizabeth Kontonmanou, who joined the frontline as a de facto third horn. Her improvisations were chromatically complex, keeping pace with the horns at every step. She indulged in a certain amount of flash, but always in the service of interaction and musicality. Parker’s sets, however, tend to meander after a while, although they always get off to an inspiring start.

Greg Tardy came to the Gallery as well, with a quartet that featured Vincent Bourgeyx on piano, Sean Conly on bass, and Jaimeo Brown on drums. The four played music from Tardy’s several discs, including the latest Palmetto, Abundance. Tardy’s Christian spiritualism, culminating in the sign-off "I Love You Lord," felt welcome in the post-disaster climate.

The October Highlights

Bassist-composer Reid Anderson got October off to a fiery start, leading his brilliant Vastness of Space quintet at the Knitting Factory Old Office. Andrew D’Angelo and Bill McHenry were on saxes, Marlon Browden was on drums, and Ethan Iverson played Wurlitzer (subbing for the group’s regular guitarist, Ben Monder). "I’d only play electric piano for Reid," Iverson mused between sets. Anderson’s distinctive, almost rock-like melodies are a blast — some of the most non-imitative music around. The band played music from the latest CD and also dipped into some newer and/or unrecorded tunes, like "Undersea Reflection" and the furious, out-of-tempo "Space Station." They closed with "Love Is the Answer," an Anderson original that has found its way into Mark Turner’s book. The tune also appears on Anderson and Iverson’s tremendous new trio release, The Bad Plus (Fresh Sound), featuring Minnesota-based drummer David King.

Trumpeter Russell Gunn brought his Ethnomusicology outfit to the main KF stage the next night. The follow-up to 1999’s Ethnomusicology Vol. 1 just came out on the Justin Time label. Gunn brought along his excellent new tenor player, Kebbi Williams, although Branford Marsalis came out and played on the opening number, a funk-hop version of "Epistrophy." As jazz/hip-hop hybrids go, Gunn’s isn’t exactly high-concept; it’s essentially get-down-and-groove funk with turntables (played by DJ Neil Armstrong). Fun, perhaps not as revolutionary as it’s cracked up to be, but pointing toward something significant.

Drummer Dafnis Prieto brought a quintet to the Jazz Gallery, establishing himself as a leader to be watched. A fairly recent arrival in NYC, Prieto has worked with Henry Threadgill, Andrew Hill, John Benitez, and others. His hip, highly complex Latin charts gave listeners a lot to chew on. Ravi Coltrane and Yosvany Terry made up the front line. Carlos Enriquez played bass; Vijay Iyer held the piano chair on Friday, Luis Perdomo on Saturday.

Bill Frisell’s two-week run at the Vanguard first featured Tony Scherr on bass and Kenny Wolleson on drums, with violinist (and fairly recent Bay Area émigré) Jenny Scheinman joining for the second week. Frisell continues to embrace an idiosyncratic country-rock aesthetic. Among selections from Nashville, Gone, Just Like a Train, and other records, Frisell and crew offered a stunning acoustic version of "Your Cheating Heart," then embarked on a wicked mountain jam with Scherr taking up slide acoustic guitar. The guitars at this point were entirely unplugged — no mics, no nothing. It was music in the round; you might call it "chamber-country." The room was totally quiet, and the music was all the more powerful at pianissimo.

Israeli-born bassist Omer Avital debuted as a leader recently with the wonderful Think With Your Heart (Fresh Sound). At the Jazz Gallery he had Jimmy Greene on tenor and soprano, Avishai Cohen (a different one) on trumpet, Avi Lebovich on trombone, Jason Lindner on piano, and Marlon Browden on drums. Bass-wise, Avital’s a monster; his tunes refer to Afro-Caribbean, Brazilian, and North African musics, not to mention funk and soul. Lindner is the orchestral linchpin in this live show, which is interesting since there’s no piano on the record.

Guitarist Liberty Ellman saw his September engagement at the Gallery postponed, for obvious reasons. He was back on October 12 with his quartet, featuring pianist Vijay Iyer, bassist Stephan Crump, and drummer Derrek Phillips. Iyer contributed much to Ellman’s rhythmically daunting music (the guitarist usually plays trio). Programatically, the set’s high point was "Man from Mars," a track from Ellman’s Orthodoxy record, cleverly interpolated with "El Pueblo Unido," a traditional South American melody. Ellman also weighed in with Hale Smith’s "Feathers," the tune that closed Eric Dolphy’s 1960 album Out There. The finale was "Chance," with its cascading major seventh harmonies and surprise reggae outro.

When David Sanchez played the Vanguard, joined by altoist Miguel Zenon, pianist Edsel Gomez, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and drummer Antonio Sanchez, the ground practically shook. Playing music from the new Travesía and last year’s Melaza, Sanchez displayed fierce tenor chops and drove his band to the limit. Zenon’s no slouch in the frontline, and he’s a promising composer as well (check out "Joyful" on the new disc). Major-label status hasn’t interfered with Sanchez’s artistic independence one bit.

Joe Henderson received a posthumous tribute at St. Peter’s Church on the 22nd, an event that drew a full house of musicians and fans. Our stay was brief, but long enough to catch Joe Lovano and Charlie Haden play duo on "Relaxin’ at Camarillo." Don Sickler led a sextet (featuring James Spaulding and Conrad Herwig, among others) for a run-through of "The Kicker," followed by George Cables playing "Lush Life" with Rufus Reid and Louis Hayes. Renee Rosnes then read letters of tribute from Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea before ambling over to the piano bench herself, joining Lovano, Larry Grenadier, and Billy Drummond for a satisfying "Serenity." Grenadier and Drummond remained on stage to back John Scofield playing "Isotope." Scofield’s sound was just dirty enough, without being harsh. Drums can sound hopelessly loud and clattery in St. Peter’s, but not with Drummond at the kit — he played the room perfectly. It occurred to me later that the first time I heard Larry Grenadier was in the early 90s, at a Joe Henderson gig at Fat Tuesday’s. And what a gig it was, with Larry Willis on piano, can’t remember who on drums, and Joe sounding sublime.

Eric Alexander set up shop for a week at the Vanguard with Harold Mabern on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Conceptually, Alexander’s bag is old-school and clean-cut, but the energy was high and the leader’s facility often astounding. (His mic was way too hot, though; after a while he stopped using it.) Mabern and Farnsworth really had some communication going as well. The set was nearly ruined, however, by a drunken young clod in a suit who couldn’t stop talking to his buddies and — of course — took a cell phone call during a climactic tenor cadenza.

At the lovely Loft at Quilty’s, one of Soho’s best-kept secrets, guitarist Dave Stryker played a stripped-down set with bassist Scott Colley and percussion master Manolo Badrena. In addition to some strong originals (including one by Badrena, who sang and played acoustic guitar), Stryker played an unaccompanied "America The Beautiful" to set up "My Ship." This in turn segued into "A Child Is Born," a tribute to the imminent birth of the first Colley baby. Stryker and Colley played beautifully, and if you’ve never seen Badrena perform, you must. He’s a force of nature.

Finally, took a friend to hear the New York Philharmonic play Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (the 6th). Also on the bill were "The Swan of Tuonela" by Sibelius and "Serenade in F Major" by the Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar. (This series marked the debut of conductor Alan Gilbert.) It’s striking how much power an orchestra commands, and how much freedom this gives the composer. Want a legato bass line that’s nothing short of thunderous? Have eight basses play it.

Shows I Shouldn’t Have Missed, But Did

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, I couldn’t get it together in time to see Charles Lloyd in a rare New York run at the Blue Note, with Geri Allen on piano, John Abercrombie on guitar, and others. Ditto Martial Solal’s perhaps even rarer appearance at the Vanguard, joined by bassist Francois Moutin and drummer Bill Stewart.

Records I Should’ve Reviewed, But Didn’t

Dino Govoni, Breakin’ Out (Whaling City) — burning tenor man out of Boston, backed by Henry Hey, Eddie Gomez, Bob Gullotti, and more.

Jim Rotondi, Destination Up! (Sharp Nine) — straightahead trumpet date, featuring the ever-incredible Mulgrew Miller.

James Chirillo, Sultry Serenade (Nagel-Heyer) — this one’s a bit older, but guitarist Chirillo is well worth checking out, and his repertoire is rich.