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Dmitry Baevsky Quartet: New York, NY April 22, 2012
Dmitry Baevsky Quartet
Smalls Jazz Club
New York, NY
April 22, 2012 Going out to hear live jazz is seldom as easy as finding a suitable place, plunking down some hard-earned cash, and then simply taking in the sounds. Befitting a music that once thrived in dance halls, sporting houses and other places where art for art's sake wasn't a priority, there are extra-musical distractions to be tolerated--such as food and drink being ordered, served and consumed; ...
Sonny Rollins: A Diamond in the Rough
[Sonny Rollins was finishing up an extended tour at the time of this 1978 interview. Milestone Records had brought him together with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Al Foster to form a group called the Milestone Jazzstars that played 20 shows that year and recorded a live album. He talked about other tours, his work in film, and his continuing musical development.] Sonny Rollins doesn't get at all excited about being called the world's greatest tenor saxophonist. ...
Read MoreTower Of Power With Special Guests War: Westbury, NY, April 18, 2012
Tower of Power with Special Guests War
NYCB Theatre at Westbury
Westbury, New York
April 18, 2012
The Funk and Soul were flowing freely as Tower of Power and War both performed virtuoso sets at the NYCB Theater in Westbury, NY on this slightly chilly and overcast April evening.
At precisely 8pm, War took the stage to a smattering of claps and a few whistles. It wasn't very long after the band had played a number ...
Read MoreKate McGarry: Beauty and the Bus
The Bus I recently drove into the Big Apple to see singer Kate McGarry's band celebrate the release of their Girl Talk CD (Palmetto, 2012) at the Jazz Standard. It was a stressful drive, given the rush-hour timing and need to watch for idiots steering two tons of metal with their knees as they text “Wassup?" to their friends. But when I finally reached the club, I came upon a legal parking place, right there on the street. Huzzah! So ...
Read MoreLee Konitz, Dan Tepfer, Bill Frisell, Sam Amidon, Vinny Golia, Lisa Mezzacappa, Wayne Krantz & Cliff Almond
Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer
Jazz Standard
March 21, 2012
An improvising dialogue has been steadily developing between veteran alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and recently emerging pianist Dan Tepfer. Konitz is 84, Tepfer is 30. It's already been three years since their collaborative album on the Sunnyside label , 2009's Duets With Lee. The relationship continues, its aim a flowing exploration, but there's nearly always a tune at the core, often one with a deeply established ...
Read MoreSymphonic Jazz: Kenny Werner and The Brussels Jazz Orchestra at The Blue Note
Continuing in the tradition of Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer)) and {{Jim McNeely, pianist/composer Kenny Werner has recently employed a leading European orchestra to perform his compositions. The resulting serendipitous marriage between Werner and The Brussels Jazz Orchestra (featured on the Academy Award-winning soundtrack to the 2011 movie, The Artist) produced an evening of intriguing music on April 1, 2012, at the Blue Note.
The emergence of excellent jazz orchestras on the continent made international news in 1978 when Thad Jones ...
Read MoreAnoushka Shankar: New York City, NY, April 6, 2012
Anoushka Shankar
City Winery
New York, NY
April 6, 2012
Touring in support of Traveller (Deutsche Grammophon, 2012), Indian-born sitarist Anoushka Shankar kicked off the show at the Manhattan venue with a traditional raga backed by Sanjeev Shankar (shehnai) and Pirashanna Thevarajah (mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, moorsing ). The trio was then joined by Melón Jimenez (flamenco guitar), Sandra Carrasco (vocals) and Bernhard Schimpelsberger (cajon, Spanish percussion) for the material from Traveller, an experiment in bringing ...
Read MoreMelissa Stylianou Quartet: New York City, NY, April 3, 2012
Melissa Stylianou Quartet
Jazz Standard
New York, NY
April 3, 2012
During the second set of Toronto-born Melissa Stylianou's CD release event for Silent Movie (Anzic, 2012) at New York's Jazz Standard, the vocalist kicked things off with a rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein's “It Might As Well Be Spring," played at a slow tempo and showcasing guitarist Pete McCann.
The band was rounded out by pianist Jamie Reynolds, bassist Gary Wong and drummer ...
Read MoreRon Carter at 75: New York, March 27, 2012
Ron Carter at 75: A Life in Music
Alice Tully Hall
New York, NY
March 27, 2012 On the night of the Juilliard School's tribute to Ron Carter, electronic billboards lining 65th Street near Lincoln Center flashed bright pictures of the iconic jazz bassist. The event was a lot like the man and his music: there was an atmosphere of elegance and warmth, occasional touches of wry humor, some chamber music colorings mixed on a deep jazz ...
Pharoah Sanders Quartet: New York, March 20, 2012
Pharoah Sanders Quartet
Birdland
New York, NY
March 20, 2012 Tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders has long embodied the tradition, the musical voice, and the spirit of John Coltrane. He is arguably among the most truly authentic of Coltrane's disciples, considering that he was a member of the saxophonist's band during the last two years of his life. At the same time, Sanders offers an exuberant, inspired kind of expression that is all his own. Joining Sanders at ...
Monty Alexander: New York, February 20-March 4, 2012
Monty Alexander: 50 Years in Music & 50 Years of Jamaica
The Blue Note
New York, NY
February 20-March 4, 2012 Monty Alexander set out an ambitious agenda in trying to showcase all the many facets of his 50-year career in music during this two-week stint at the Blue Note. The pianist sure delivered, though, judging by three shows that featured Alexander side-by-side with several of his many collaborators over the years--some of the ...
Goodbye, Cecil's
In the hallway around the corner from the bandstand at Cecil's Jazz Club, hangs a poster for Slugs' Saloon. Through most of the 1960s, until its end in 1972, Slugs' was one of the most important jazz clubs in New York City. Unlike many of the upscale establishments that appeared in its wake, it was a small dive bar (complete with sawdust on the floor), which didn't deign to serve food. Management routinely admitted minors who weren't accompanied by adults. ...
Read MoreLive From The Allen Room: Thurston Moore, tUnE-yArDs, John Mayall & John Hammond
Thurston Moore
The Allen Room
February 2, 2012
It's impossible to escape the aura of respectable tradition that surrounds Lincoln Center's annual American Songbook series. The very concept evokes an established Broadway-and-beyond form that lies at the heart of U.S. popular music. The majority of the artists presented in Jazz At Lincoln Center's Allen Room hail from the mainstream, whether it be jazz, cabaret, country or pop, but the series has regularly encouraged a slightly subversive ...
Read MoreCecil’s Big Band with Mike Lee: West Orange, NJ, February 20, 2012
Cecil's Big Band with Mike Lee
Cecil's Jazz Club
West Orange, New Jersey
February 20, 2012 A completely packed crowd at Cecil's Jazz Club on a Monday night--not a common scene--but this was the beginning of the club's final week of operation and the final show for Cecil's Big Band. Led by tenor saxophonist Mike Lee for the last five years, the 17- piece band has played virtually every Monday night over that time, week in and ...
