JAZZ STANDARD Hosts a Roster of Stellar Artists Led by the Vijay Iyer Trio During the Month of November
Best Jazz Club 2008 (New York Magazine)
(New York City, NY) — JAZZ STANDARD, one of the nation’s premier jazz clubs, presents another month of great jazz in November. The acclaimed pianist Vijay Iyer and his trio will be in residence from November 6–8, followed by the wonderful Chilean singer Claudia Acuña, appearing November 12–15. From November 19 – 22, we proudly present saxophonist Steve Grossman in his first New York engagement in over fifteen years. From November 24 – 29, the Grammy Award winning jazz composer/conductor Maria Schneider brings her orchestra back to Jazz Standard for its much-anticipated annual Thanksgiving week engagement. This month, Jazz Standard continues our celebrated “Mingus Mondays” residency with performances by Mingus Dynasty (11/2, 11/23), the Mingus Big Band (11/9, 11/30), and the Mingus Orchestra (11/16). Below is a complete schedule of November performances at Jazz Standard, along with information on the musicians. For everything else, visit jazzstandard.com.
ALL SHOW TIMES: 7:30 & 9:30PM + 11:30PM ON FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS
Jazz Standard is located at 116 E. 27th Street (between Lexington and Park)
Train 6 to E. 28th Street
NEVER A MINIMUM
Student Discounts (restrictions apply)
Enjoy “NYC’s Best Barbecue” (Time Out New York) from BLUE SMOKE
and an extensive wine, beer and cocktail list
Jazz for Kids every Sunday ─ Open for lunch at 1pm, music from 2-3pm
For reservations call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visit ticketweb.com
Artists and schedules are subject to change
NOVEMBER 2009 SCHEDULE
11/1 Go Home
Charlie Hunter – guitar
Curtis Fowlkes – trombone
Ben Goldberg – clarinet
Scott Amendola – drums
Go Home brings together Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola’s rootsy, hard-driving grooves with the astute, lyrical interplay of Curtis Fowlkes and Ben Goldberg. This endlessly adventurous quartet builds its improvisations upon Goldberg’s spacious melodies, and the result charts the clarinetist/composer’s creative journey from the esoteric realms of the avant-garde to the simple pleasures of syncopation and melody.
Music Charge - $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
11/2 Mingus Dynasty
“Even without this gigantic personality Charles Mingus had, that personality is in the music and all the musicians will tell you that. It's so personal and emotional and at the same time it leaves all these spaces for these other musicians to come in to put in their own personality and individuality to the music. Which is why the guys have so much fun with it and why it is more modern than the many great composers in jazz.” (Susan Graham Mingus)
Music Charge - $25
11/3 Osmany Paredes Quartet
Osmany Paredes – piano
Junior Terry – bass
Ludwig Afonso – drums
Jhair Sala – percussion
Osmany Paredes’ stunning debut at our “New Dimensions in Latin Jazz” series in 2007 established the young Cuban pianist/composer as one of the outstanding participants in the new wave of Afro–Cuban jazz being created in New York. Osmany’s lyrical compositions and virtuoso technique draw on the training in Afro–Cuban rhythms
that began in childhood with his percussionist father, as well as the rigorous study of classical piano at Havana's National School of Music. Osmany’s newest project is a solo piano album, Ciclos/Cycles recorded at the New Orleans studio of the Grammy Award–winning producer John Fischbach. “Steeped in the European classical tradition, enamored of jazz, and fully conversant with Cuban popular music dating back to the 1920s, Osmany Paredes is a thrilling player who combines percussive attack with a vivid harmonic imagination.” (Andrew Gilbert, The Boston Globe)
Music Charge - $20
11/4 Gretchen Parlato
Gretchen Parlato – vocals
Taylor Eigsti – piano
Alan Hampton – bass
Justin Brown – drums
Jazz Standard welcomes back the wonderful jazz singer Gretchen Parlato and celebrates the release of In a Dream, her first album for the ObliqSound label and the successor to her self-titled 2005 debut. Gretchen embarks on a beguiling journey deep into the heart of both her own compositions (including the title track “In A Dream,” co-written with pianist Robert Glasper) and classic but rarely performed songs by the likes of Michael Jackson (“I Can’t Help It”), Duke Ellington (“Azure”), Herbie Hancock (“Butterfly”), and Wayne Shorter (“E.S.P.”). Gretchen makes this diverse repertoire her own and imbues In A Dream with all the warmth and compelling command of her much-heralded live performances.
Music Charge - $20
11/5 Gene Bertoncini Trio
Gene Bertoncini – guitar
Sean Smith – bass
Rich DeRosa – drums
Back in March, jazz guitar great Gene Bertoncini left our audience spellbound when he performed with a string quartet. Gene plays solo acoustic on most of his local gigs, but for this special one-nighter “the Segovia of jazz” has recruited the sensitive and swinging rhythm section of bassist Sean Smith and drummer Rich DeRosa. One of the pre-eminent jazz guitarists on the scene today, Gene Bertoncini has gigged and/or recorded with instrumentalists ranging from Benny Goodman to Wayne Shorter, and with such superstar singers as Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and Nancy Wilson.
Music Charge - $25
11/6–11/8 Vijay Iyer Trio
Vijay Iyer – piano
Stephan Crump – bass
Marcus Gilmore – drums
“Presto! Here is the great new jazz piano trio,” wrote Ben Ratliff in The New York Times, and this Jazz Standard engagement is a celebration of the group’s new CD Historicity, released by the German label ACT. Historicity is Vijay Iyer’s first “repertory” album, with songs culled from sources as diverse as M.I.A. (“Galang”), Andrew Hill (“Smoke Stack”), and Leonard Bernstein (“Somewhere,” from the musical West Side Story). More from Ratliff: “The new music by this New York pianist, 38, is just as quick coursing and strict rhythm dodging as the rest of his work back to the mid-1990s. (He loves working with long, percussive piano vamps in odd time signatures, and Mr. Gilmore can make them dance and stagger.) But here the result is sleeker, more stylish and tuneful, powerful without unnecessary bulk.”
Music Charge - $30 / $25 Sunday
11/9 Mingus Big Band
“Blue Monday” got a lot brighter since Jazz Standard inaugurated our “Mingus Mondays” series in 2008, and the action continues tonight with two powerhouse sets by the mighty Mingus Big Band. “The huge group performs some of Mingus’ most complex works with spirit, virtuosity, and plenty of color.” (Scott Yanow, AllMusic.com)
Music Charge - $25
11/10 New School Jazz Presents “The Shape of Ornette to Come” | Directed by Jane Ira Bloom
Jan Ira Bloom – soprano saxophone
Rick Savage – soprano saxophone
Joe Hartnett – alto saxophone
John Collinge – tenor saxophone
Josh Olken – guitar
Glenn Zaleski – piano
Marcos Varela – bass
Max Jaffe – drums
A creator of diverse sounds and an artist of immense accomplishment, the saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom is also a respected faculty member at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. For this special one-night stand, Jane will conduct the New School Jazz Ensemble in a program of Ornette Coleman compositions. “There’s something about Ornette’s music that frees musicians to be more like themselves,” says Jane Ira Bloom. “It’s been my pleasure to share the spirit of his music with young musicians who are reinvigorating his songs through their own experience. I think he would like it that way.”
Music Charge - $20
11/11 Kat Edmonson
Kat Edmonson – vocals
Kevin Lovejoy – piano
John Ellis – tenor saxophone
Danton Boller – bass
JJ Johnson – drums
Chris Lovejoy – percussion
“Kat Edmonson, 26, has had no formal training, no big-shot mentor. Instead she has a preternaturally gifted voice, sense of rhythm, and ability to swing. Where other singers her age tend to belt out a tune, she retreats, nearly whispering the lyrics, with a timbre that recalls Blossom Dearie. With an imaginative repertoire that includes jazzy remakes of the Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’ and the Cardigans’ ‘Lovefool’ and updates of such classics as ‘Angel Eyes’ and ‘Just One of Those Things,’ Edmonson might be the most promising American jazz singer to come along since Cassandra Wilson.” (Steve Greenlee, The Boston Globe)
Music Charge - $20
11/12–11/15: Claudia Acuña Claudia Acuña – vocals
Juancho Herrera – guitars
Jon Cowherd – piano
Mark Kelley – bass
Yayo Serka – drums
The Chilean singer Claudia Acuña possesses one of the most beautiful and compelling voices in jazz and creative music. While singing primarily in Spanish, her music crosses the language barrier to communicate with power and deep feeling. Claudia has toured and performed with such artists as George Benson, Danilo Perez, Roy Hargrove, and Billy Childs; in April 2008, she released her Marsalis Music label debut, En Este Momento. “Claudia sings in the tradition of the great ones,” declared Abbey Lincoln. “Her sound is her own.” Branford Marsalis says: “Claudia has great instincts, and is one singer who is actually a musician – one of us.”
Music Charge - $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
11/16 Mingus Orchestra
The Mingus Orchestra was created to play those compositions of Charles Mingus most reflective of his classical and avant-garde influences and aspirations. Surprising “non-jazz” instruments such as oboe and bassoon are integrated into an outstanding jazz ensemble, and the result sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before.
Music Charge - $25
11/17 James Weidman Sextet
Ray Anderson – trombone
Marty Ehrlich – alto sax, clarinet
Jay Hoggard – vibes
James Weidman – piano
Brad Jones – bass
Francisco Mela – drums
Three Worlds is James Weidman’s fourth album as a leader, and its original compositions, striking arrangements, and spirited execution combine to demonstrate his mastery of the art of jazz. Tonight at Jazz Standard, an all-star septet will enable James to deploy the various lineups featured on Three Worlds, from the trio arrangement of the timeless African-American spiritual “Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho” to exuberant ensemble performances like “Razz 2.0.” James Weidman has been a valued sideman and accompanist in many settings over the past 20 years, from Abbey Lincoln and Steve Coleman to Kevin Mahogany and Joe Lovano. Three Worlds is an important marker of his growing significance as a bandleader and composer.
Music Charge - $20
11/18 Juan-Carlos Formell & Johnny's Dream Club with Dr. Michael White
Juan-Carlos Formell – guitar & vocals
Lewis Kahn – trombone & violin
Pedro Giraudo – bass
Elio Villafranca – piano
Jorge Leyva – percussion
With special guest Dr. Michael White – saxophone, clarinet
Grammy-nominated Cuban guitarist/composer Juan-Carlos Formell re-ignites the musical connections between New Orleans and Havana with his explosive new project, “Johnny's Dream Club". Joined by the renowned clarinetist Dr. Michael White, Formell and an all-star Latin quartet map the tumultuous force field where Cuban music and jazz converge in an intense, lyrical, dangerously dream-like sound. “Juan-Carlos Formell continues to open new doors for a pan-Latin sound: Cuban song forms working as a fulcrum to create tunes without boundaries. David Byrne and Caetano Veloso have used this approach, yet Formell adds a technical brilliance and sense of grounding." (Variety)
Music Charge - $20
11/19–11/22: Steve Grossman Quartet
Steve Grossman – tenor saxophone
David Hazeltine – piano
John Webber – bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
The return of Steve Grossman is among the most significant events of this jazz season: The saxophonist has lived and worked in Europe for roughly two decades, and he has not performed in New York for at least fifteen years. Born 1951 in New York City, Grossman was just 18 years old when he replaced Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax in the Miles Davis band, a period documented on Miles’ groundbreaking albums A Tribute To Jack Johnson, Miles At Fillmore, and Live-Evil. Steve went on to play with Lonnie Liston Smith and Elvin Jones; he emerged as a leader with such acclaimed albums as Some Shapes to Come (1973), Perspective (1974), and the first of his many recordings for the Dreyfus label, In New York (1991, with McCoy Tyner and Art Taylor). In his Los Angeles Times review of the latter disc, Zan Stewart wrote: “Mixing the melodic complexity of Sonny Rollins with the hue and cry of John Coltrane, Grossman is generally ablaze. For sheer exhilarating energy and fire in the post-bop mode, this session is hard to top.” Welcome home, Steve Grossman!
Music Charge - $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
11/23 Mingus Big Band
In 1988, Mingus Dynasty expanded into the Mingus Big Band for a one-time-only performance. It was such a resounding success that the 14-piece group has been in consistent demand ever since for concert and club appearances. Of its nine recordings, six have been nominated for Grammy Awards including the 2006 release Listen Now: Live in Tokyo at the Blue Note (Sue Mingus Music/Sunnyside). “Unlike some, this repertory band doesn't grow stale or ossified – the reasons are threefold. One, the touring personnel is constantly shifting, bringing in fresh approaches. Two, the repertory of Mingus is so vast, varied and unpredictable that it might always be a renewable resource. Three, founder/guiding light Sue Mingus won't let the spirit wither.” (Daily Variety) Music Charge - $25
11/24 – 11/29 Maria Schneider Orchestra
Maria Schneider – composer and conductor
Steve Wilson, Charles Pillow, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin, Scott Robinson – reeds
Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, Laurie Frink, Ingrid Jensen – trumpets
Keith O’Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Elliot Mason, George Flynn – trombones
Ben Monder, John Hart (11/29 only) – guitar
Toninho Ferragutti – accordion
Frank Kimbrough – piano
Jay Anderson – bass
Clarence Penn – drums
Maria Schneider’s Thanksgiving residency at the head of the orchestra she founded in 1992 is an annual tradition and one of the most-anticipated weeks on our 2009 calendar. This two-time Grammy Award winner “paints musical landscapes full of glowing pastel harmonies and sharp-angled rhythms. Listen to her sweepingly ambitious compositions, and hear the next wave in jazz taking shape before your very ears." (Time Magazine) The Maria Schneider Orchestra has performed at festivals and concert halls worldwide, but there’s nothing quite as intimate and thrilling as hearing her splendid aggregation live at Jazz Standard!
Music Charge - $35
11/30 Mingus Dynasty
No group better captures the restless, questing spirit of Charles Mingus than the seven-piece Mingus Dynasty. The original Mingus legacy group, its illustrious alumni role includes Jimmy Knepper, Roland Hanna, Dannie Richmond, Joe Farrell, Jack Walrath, and George Adams. Their living tradition of powerful, provocative, swinging music continues tonight at Jazz Standard.
Music Charge - $25
Best Jazz Club 2008 (New York Magazine)
(New York City, NY) — JAZZ STANDARD, one of the nation’s premier jazz clubs, presents another month of great jazz in November. The acclaimed pianist Vijay Iyer and his trio will be in residence from November 6–8, followed by the wonderful Chilean singer Claudia Acuña, appearing November 12–15. From November 19 – 22, we proudly present saxophonist Steve Grossman in his first New York engagement in over fifteen years. From November 24 – 29, the Grammy Award winning jazz composer/conductor Maria Schneider brings her orchestra back to Jazz Standard for its much-anticipated annual Thanksgiving week engagement. This month, Jazz Standard continues our celebrated “Mingus Mondays” residency with performances by Mingus Dynasty (11/2, 11/23), the Mingus Big Band (11/9, 11/30), and the Mingus Orchestra (11/16). Below is a complete schedule of November performances at Jazz Standard, along with information on the musicians. For everything else, visit jazzstandard.com.
ALL SHOW TIMES: 7:30 & 9:30PM + 11:30PM ON FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS
Jazz Standard is located at 116 E. 27th Street (between Lexington and Park)
Train 6 to E. 28th Street
NEVER A MINIMUM
Student Discounts (restrictions apply)
Enjoy “NYC’s Best Barbecue” (Time Out New York) from BLUE SMOKE
and an extensive wine, beer and cocktail list
Jazz for Kids every Sunday ─ Open for lunch at 1pm, music from 2-3pm
For reservations call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visit ticketweb.com
Artists and schedules are subject to change
NOVEMBER 2009 SCHEDULE
11/1 Go Home
Charlie Hunter – guitar
Curtis Fowlkes – trombone
Ben Goldberg – clarinet
Scott Amendola – drums
Go Home brings together Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola’s rootsy, hard-driving grooves with the astute, lyrical interplay of Curtis Fowlkes and Ben Goldberg. This endlessly adventurous quartet builds its improvisations upon Goldberg’s spacious melodies, and the result charts the clarinetist/composer’s creative journey from the esoteric realms of the avant-garde to the simple pleasures of syncopation and melody.
Music Charge - $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
11/2 Mingus Dynasty
“Even without this gigantic personality Charles Mingus had, that personality is in the music and all the musicians will tell you that. It's so personal and emotional and at the same time it leaves all these spaces for these other musicians to come in to put in their own personality and individuality to the music. Which is why the guys have so much fun with it and why it is more modern than the many great composers in jazz.” (Susan Graham Mingus)
Music Charge - $25
11/3 Osmany Paredes Quartet
Osmany Paredes – piano
Junior Terry – bass
Ludwig Afonso – drums
Jhair Sala – percussion
Osmany Paredes’ stunning debut at our “New Dimensions in Latin Jazz” series in 2007 established the young Cuban pianist/composer as one of the outstanding participants in the new wave of Afro–Cuban jazz being created in New York. Osmany’s lyrical compositions and virtuoso technique draw on the training in Afro–Cuban rhythms
that began in childhood with his percussionist father, as well as the rigorous study of classical piano at Havana's National School of Music. Osmany’s newest project is a solo piano album, Ciclos/Cycles recorded at the New Orleans studio of the Grammy Award–winning producer John Fischbach. “Steeped in the European classical tradition, enamored of jazz, and fully conversant with Cuban popular music dating back to the 1920s, Osmany Paredes is a thrilling player who combines percussive attack with a vivid harmonic imagination.” (Andrew Gilbert, The Boston Globe)
Music Charge - $20
11/4 Gretchen Parlato
Gretchen Parlato – vocals
Taylor Eigsti – piano
Alan Hampton – bass
Justin Brown – drums
Jazz Standard welcomes back the wonderful jazz singer Gretchen Parlato and celebrates the release of In a Dream, her first album for the ObliqSound label and the successor to her self-titled 2005 debut. Gretchen embarks on a beguiling journey deep into the heart of both her own compositions (including the title track “In A Dream,” co-written with pianist Robert Glasper) and classic but rarely performed songs by the likes of Michael Jackson (“I Can’t Help It”), Duke Ellington (“Azure”), Herbie Hancock (“Butterfly”), and Wayne Shorter (“E.S.P.”). Gretchen makes this diverse repertoire her own and imbues In A Dream with all the warmth and compelling command of her much-heralded live performances.
Music Charge - $20
11/5 Gene Bertoncini Trio
Gene Bertoncini – guitar
Sean Smith – bass
Rich DeRosa – drums
Back in March, jazz guitar great Gene Bertoncini left our audience spellbound when he performed with a string quartet. Gene plays solo acoustic on most of his local gigs, but for this special one-nighter “the Segovia of jazz” has recruited the sensitive and swinging rhythm section of bassist Sean Smith and drummer Rich DeRosa. One of the pre-eminent jazz guitarists on the scene today, Gene Bertoncini has gigged and/or recorded with instrumentalists ranging from Benny Goodman to Wayne Shorter, and with such superstar singers as Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and Nancy Wilson.
Music Charge - $25
11/6–11/8 Vijay Iyer Trio
Vijay Iyer – piano
Stephan Crump – bass
Marcus Gilmore – drums
“Presto! Here is the great new jazz piano trio,” wrote Ben Ratliff in The New York Times, and this Jazz Standard engagement is a celebration of the group’s new CD Historicity, released by the German label ACT. Historicity is Vijay Iyer’s first “repertory” album, with songs culled from sources as diverse as M.I.A. (“Galang”), Andrew Hill (“Smoke Stack”), and Leonard Bernstein (“Somewhere,” from the musical West Side Story). More from Ratliff: “The new music by this New York pianist, 38, is just as quick coursing and strict rhythm dodging as the rest of his work back to the mid-1990s. (He loves working with long, percussive piano vamps in odd time signatures, and Mr. Gilmore can make them dance and stagger.) But here the result is sleeker, more stylish and tuneful, powerful without unnecessary bulk.”
Music Charge - $30 / $25 Sunday
11/9 Mingus Big Band
“Blue Monday” got a lot brighter since Jazz Standard inaugurated our “Mingus Mondays” series in 2008, and the action continues tonight with two powerhouse sets by the mighty Mingus Big Band. “The huge group performs some of Mingus’ most complex works with spirit, virtuosity, and plenty of color.” (Scott Yanow, AllMusic.com)
Music Charge - $25
11/10 New School Jazz Presents “The Shape of Ornette to Come” | Directed by Jane Ira Bloom
Jan Ira Bloom – soprano saxophone
Rick Savage – soprano saxophone
Joe Hartnett – alto saxophone
John Collinge – tenor saxophone
Josh Olken – guitar
Glenn Zaleski – piano
Marcos Varela – bass
Max Jaffe – drums
A creator of diverse sounds and an artist of immense accomplishment, the saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom is also a respected faculty member at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. For this special one-night stand, Jane will conduct the New School Jazz Ensemble in a program of Ornette Coleman compositions. “There’s something about Ornette’s music that frees musicians to be more like themselves,” says Jane Ira Bloom. “It’s been my pleasure to share the spirit of his music with young musicians who are reinvigorating his songs through their own experience. I think he would like it that way.”
Music Charge - $20
11/11 Kat Edmonson
Kat Edmonson – vocals
Kevin Lovejoy – piano
John Ellis – tenor saxophone
Danton Boller – bass
JJ Johnson – drums
Chris Lovejoy – percussion
“Kat Edmonson, 26, has had no formal training, no big-shot mentor. Instead she has a preternaturally gifted voice, sense of rhythm, and ability to swing. Where other singers her age tend to belt out a tune, she retreats, nearly whispering the lyrics, with a timbre that recalls Blossom Dearie. With an imaginative repertoire that includes jazzy remakes of the Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’ and the Cardigans’ ‘Lovefool’ and updates of such classics as ‘Angel Eyes’ and ‘Just One of Those Things,’ Edmonson might be the most promising American jazz singer to come along since Cassandra Wilson.” (Steve Greenlee, The Boston Globe)
Music Charge - $20
11/12–11/15: Claudia Acuña Claudia Acuña – vocals
Juancho Herrera – guitars
Jon Cowherd – piano
Mark Kelley – bass
Yayo Serka – drums
The Chilean singer Claudia Acuña possesses one of the most beautiful and compelling voices in jazz and creative music. While singing primarily in Spanish, her music crosses the language barrier to communicate with power and deep feeling. Claudia has toured and performed with such artists as George Benson, Danilo Perez, Roy Hargrove, and Billy Childs; in April 2008, she released her Marsalis Music label debut, En Este Momento. “Claudia sings in the tradition of the great ones,” declared Abbey Lincoln. “Her sound is her own.” Branford Marsalis says: “Claudia has great instincts, and is one singer who is actually a musician – one of us.”
Music Charge - $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
11/16 Mingus Orchestra
The Mingus Orchestra was created to play those compositions of Charles Mingus most reflective of his classical and avant-garde influences and aspirations. Surprising “non-jazz” instruments such as oboe and bassoon are integrated into an outstanding jazz ensemble, and the result sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before.
Music Charge - $25
11/17 James Weidman Sextet
Ray Anderson – trombone
Marty Ehrlich – alto sax, clarinet
Jay Hoggard – vibes
James Weidman – piano
Brad Jones – bass
Francisco Mela – drums
Three Worlds is James Weidman’s fourth album as a leader, and its original compositions, striking arrangements, and spirited execution combine to demonstrate his mastery of the art of jazz. Tonight at Jazz Standard, an all-star septet will enable James to deploy the various lineups featured on Three Worlds, from the trio arrangement of the timeless African-American spiritual “Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho” to exuberant ensemble performances like “Razz 2.0.” James Weidman has been a valued sideman and accompanist in many settings over the past 20 years, from Abbey Lincoln and Steve Coleman to Kevin Mahogany and Joe Lovano. Three Worlds is an important marker of his growing significance as a bandleader and composer.
Music Charge - $20
11/18 Juan-Carlos Formell & Johnny's Dream Club with Dr. Michael White
Juan-Carlos Formell – guitar & vocals
Lewis Kahn – trombone & violin
Pedro Giraudo – bass
Elio Villafranca – piano
Jorge Leyva – percussion
With special guest Dr. Michael White – saxophone, clarinet
Grammy-nominated Cuban guitarist/composer Juan-Carlos Formell re-ignites the musical connections between New Orleans and Havana with his explosive new project, “Johnny's Dream Club". Joined by the renowned clarinetist Dr. Michael White, Formell and an all-star Latin quartet map the tumultuous force field where Cuban music and jazz converge in an intense, lyrical, dangerously dream-like sound. “Juan-Carlos Formell continues to open new doors for a pan-Latin sound: Cuban song forms working as a fulcrum to create tunes without boundaries. David Byrne and Caetano Veloso have used this approach, yet Formell adds a technical brilliance and sense of grounding." (Variety)
Music Charge - $20
11/19–11/22: Steve Grossman Quartet
Steve Grossman – tenor saxophone
David Hazeltine – piano
John Webber – bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
The return of Steve Grossman is among the most significant events of this jazz season: The saxophonist has lived and worked in Europe for roughly two decades, and he has not performed in New York for at least fifteen years. Born 1951 in New York City, Grossman was just 18 years old when he replaced Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax in the Miles Davis band, a period documented on Miles’ groundbreaking albums A Tribute To Jack Johnson, Miles At Fillmore, and Live-Evil. Steve went on to play with Lonnie Liston Smith and Elvin Jones; he emerged as a leader with such acclaimed albums as Some Shapes to Come (1973), Perspective (1974), and the first of his many recordings for the Dreyfus label, In New York (1991, with McCoy Tyner and Art Taylor). In his Los Angeles Times review of the latter disc, Zan Stewart wrote: “Mixing the melodic complexity of Sonny Rollins with the hue and cry of John Coltrane, Grossman is generally ablaze. For sheer exhilarating energy and fire in the post-bop mode, this session is hard to top.” Welcome home, Steve Grossman!
Music Charge - $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
11/23 Mingus Big Band
In 1988, Mingus Dynasty expanded into the Mingus Big Band for a one-time-only performance. It was such a resounding success that the 14-piece group has been in consistent demand ever since for concert and club appearances. Of its nine recordings, six have been nominated for Grammy Awards including the 2006 release Listen Now: Live in Tokyo at the Blue Note (Sue Mingus Music/Sunnyside). “Unlike some, this repertory band doesn't grow stale or ossified – the reasons are threefold. One, the touring personnel is constantly shifting, bringing in fresh approaches. Two, the repertory of Mingus is so vast, varied and unpredictable that it might always be a renewable resource. Three, founder/guiding light Sue Mingus won't let the spirit wither.” (Daily Variety) Music Charge - $25
11/24 – 11/29 Maria Schneider Orchestra
Maria Schneider – composer and conductor
Steve Wilson, Charles Pillow, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin, Scott Robinson – reeds
Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, Laurie Frink, Ingrid Jensen – trumpets
Keith O’Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Elliot Mason, George Flynn – trombones
Ben Monder, John Hart (11/29 only) – guitar
Toninho Ferragutti – accordion
Frank Kimbrough – piano
Jay Anderson – bass
Clarence Penn – drums
Maria Schneider’s Thanksgiving residency at the head of the orchestra she founded in 1992 is an annual tradition and one of the most-anticipated weeks on our 2009 calendar. This two-time Grammy Award winner “paints musical landscapes full of glowing pastel harmonies and sharp-angled rhythms. Listen to her sweepingly ambitious compositions, and hear the next wave in jazz taking shape before your very ears." (Time Magazine) The Maria Schneider Orchestra has performed at festivals and concert halls worldwide, but there’s nothing quite as intimate and thrilling as hearing her splendid aggregation live at Jazz Standard!
Music Charge - $35
11/30 Mingus Dynasty
No group better captures the restless, questing spirit of Charles Mingus than the seven-piece Mingus Dynasty. The original Mingus legacy group, its illustrious alumni role includes Jimmy Knepper, Roland Hanna, Dannie Richmond, Joe Farrell, Jack Walrath, and George Adams. Their living tradition of powerful, provocative, swinging music continues tonight at Jazz Standard.
Music Charge - $25
For more information contact AMT Public Relations.
