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Live From Philadelphia

Geno Thackara reports on the month's best live shows from the City of Brotherly Love.

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA June 24, 2016

Tord Gustavsen with Simin Tander and Jarle Vespestad at Fringe Arts

By GENO THACKARA

Tord Gustavsen (with Simin Tander and Jarle Vespestad) Fringe Arts jny: Philadelphia, PA June 20, 2016 The music of this trio project is “a mystical and spiritual journey," Tord Gustavsen declared early in the set during his first-ever appearance in Philadelphia, an endeavor about “finding the divine light within ourselves instead of looking somewhere outside." He's self-effacingly quiet and unassuming at the microphone, which is no surprise to anyone familiar with his ...

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA May 6, 2016

Center City Jazz Fest: Five Years Strong

By GENO THACKARA

Center City Jazz Festival Philadelphia, PA April 30, 2016 “The Fifth Annual Center City Jazz Festival is officially sold out!" Thus tweeted a spokesperson from @ccjazzfest two days before the start of jny:Philadelphia's annual celebration (most likely its founder, local trombonist Ernest Stuart). I'm not sure if there was any backup plan for late stragglers; clearly the familiar crowd knew they didn't want to wait too long to get in on the festivities. The timing had ...

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA April 29, 2016

Brad Mehldau Trio / GoGo Penguin at World Cafe Live

By GENO THACKARA

If there's one thing about music that keeps us all going, it has to be endless adaptability. There's no instrument or genre that doesn't have some fresh possibilities still to discover (except maybe hair metal, I suppose). jny:Philadelphia's World Cafe Live offered yet another illustration of the idea by hosting two exceptional piano trios within the space of a week. The basic setup may be the same, but the results could have hardly been more different. Brad Mehldau ...

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA April 4, 2016

Hiromi: The Trio Project at the Annenberg Center Live

By GENO THACKARA

Hiromi: The Trio Project Annenberg Center Live jny: Philadelphia, PA April 1, 2016 She walks onstage without a word, makes sure to gesture towards the other players for their share of applause, and gives the cheering a minute to subside before getting down to business. The first song starts with a light cascade of high piano notes, the kind of slow intro that could usher in a classic acoustic set from any era. The crowd ...

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA March 14, 2016

Sittin' In with Korey Riker at the Kimmel Center

By GENO THACKARA

Korey Riker SEI Innovation Studio @ The Kimmel Center Sittin' In jny: Philadelphia, PA March 9, 2016 It's what jazz is all about: sharing the experience, connecting face-to-face and not knowing exactly what's coming. Philadelphia's Kimmel Center supports the tradition with an almost-monthly free showcase called Sittin' In--an unpredictable combination of concert and informal open jam. For the March installment, the center's 2016 jazz-composer-in-residence Korey Riker and an exuberant group of local figures offered ...

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA October 5, 2015

Philadelphia's Cutting Edge Big Band: Bobby Zankel's Warriors of the Wonderful Sound

By VICTOR L. SCHERMER

Anyone familiar with the music business can tell you that it's hard enough to get a big band together for an occasional gig, let alone sustain it over an extended period of time. The time and effort involved in composing and arranging new charts, covering the cost of twelve or more musicians, and meshing their complicated schedules, all militate against the longevity of such enterprises. Thus, a working big band that features the best players performing challenging cutting edge jazz ...

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA May 4, 2014

Jazz Appreciation Month 2014 in Philadelphia: A Recap

By JASON FIFIELD

This April was a month of truly spectacular music on all fronts in jny: Philadelphia. I know I missed a whole lot (see Philadelphia Jazz Project and Ars Nova Workshop) but here's my take. I kicked off the month with my trio Mischa Machez at our monthly First Friday Happy Hour at the Dog and Bull, always a well-attended event, with keyboardist David Dzubinski and drummer Phil Horwitz. That night was also the opening of this year's performance ...

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA April 5, 2013

March 2013: Billy Hart Quartet

By RJ JOHNSON

Billy Hart QuartetPhiladelphia Art AlliancePhiladelphia, PAMarch 20, 2013The music of the Billy Hart Quartet demonstrates a thorough amalgamation of intriguingly disparate musical elements which retains both the mastery of a group of accomplished veterans and the perpetually transformative nature of a leader dedicated to a lifetime of artistic pursuits. The ensemble, consisting of drummer Hart, bassist Ben Street, pianist Ethan Iverson and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, has been Hart's working band since ...