We at AAJ-NY continue to make a point of faithfully covering the furthest stretches of New York City, providing a jazz map of sorts for listening excursions throughout the month. To hear a triumvirate of ever-creative septuagenarians or older, here are a few sample jazz “field trips” you could take through the month of November: In Greenwich Village, you can hear veteran vocalist Sheila Jordan, who celebrates her 77th birthday with a special one-night appearance at Sweet Rhythm (On The Cover, pg. 9). Uptown a bit to Dizzy’s Club on the West Side at Columbus Circle, the just-turned 83-year old Chicago tenor titan Von Freeman makes a rare visit from the Windy City (Encore, pg. 11). Down and over to the Lower East Side’s 5C Café, check out the venue’s new Sunday “Listen Loud” series (this month curated by and featuring guitarist Dom Minasi), which brings in on two occasions the inimitable pianist Borah Bergman (Interview, pg. 6) soon to celebrate his 78th birthday. A little younger but no less worthy of attention, just down the street The Stone welcomes the ever-versatile Swedish reedman Mats Gustafsson (Artist Feature, pg. 7). And then there’s the borough by-ferry you don’t hear too often in jazz circles: Staten Island. Might we recommend your first stop be the Cargo Café (Club Profile, pg. 8)?
Of the various concert series happening in the next month, Tribeca seems the place to be. The Tribeca Performing Arts Center is where “Jazz In Progress - Monk in Motion” hosts the three finalists of the annual Thelonious Monk International Competition (this year’s instrument being guitar) For a preview into one of the winning performers, see Listen Up! (pg. 12). It is also the site of New York’s longest ongoing jazz concert series (now in its 33rd season): Highlights in Jazz, this month featuring Freddy Cole, Ken Peplowski, Marty Grosz and Vince Giordano. And in midtown, the Django Reinhardt NY Festival settles into an entire week at Birdland!
See you at the shows... Laurence Donohue-Greene & Andrey Henkin
For more information contact All About Jazz.
