Postby steve(thelil) » September 14th, 2013, 7:29 am
Every week in NYC you can find some great jazz happenings. Looking thru the Jazz listings in Friday's NY Times Weekend section, it seems like this week is especially good. If that's not the case, then look at the following list as a typical week of offerings:
Fabian Almazan (Friday and Saturday) Fabian Almazan, a serious-minded pianist and composer originally from Cuba, has established himself as one of the important younger voices within the polyglot reality of modern jazz. He presents a new commission from the Jazz Gallery, featuring the vocalist Camilla Meza and a 16-member choir. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery at Salt Space, 1160 Broadway, fifth floor, at West 27th Street, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; $20, $10 for members. (Nate Chinen)
Karl Berger’s Improvisers Orchestra (Friday) Mr. Berger is a composer, conductor and former guiding spirit of the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, N.Y., now celebrating its 40th anniversary. His primary outlet of late is the Improvisers Orchestra, a group of several dozen musicians attuned to his designs (including his wife and collaborator, the poet and vocalist Ingrid Sertso). According to custom, the orchestra will play an open rehearsal at 7:30 p.m., followed by a performance at 9 p.m. El Taller Latino Americano, 2710 Broadway, at 103rd Street, Manhattan, (212) 665-9460, tallerlatino.org; suggested donation, $15, $10 for students. (Chinen)
★ Gary Burton Quartet (Tuesday through Sept. 22) The eminent vibraphonist Gary Burton recently released “Guided Tour” (Mack Avenue), the superb second album by a streamlined band he still calls the New Gary Burton Quartet, with Julian Lage on guitar, Scott Colley on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums. For this weeklong run, which doubles as a belated 70th birthday celebration, he also brings guests: Arturo Sandoval (Tuesday and Wednesday) and Terence Blanchard (Thursday and next Friday), both prominent trumpeters; and then the guitarist Larry Coryell, with whom Mr. Burton blazed a trail for jazz-rock in the ’60s (Sept. 21 and 22). At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 475-8592, bluenote.net; $45 cover at tables, $30 at the bar, with a $5 minimum. (Chinen)
Bill Charlap Trio (Tuesday through Sept. 22 and Sept. 24 through 29) The pianist Bill Charlap, the bassist Peter Washington and the drummer Kenny Washington make up this spit-and-polish trio, which favors a crisp approach to standard songbook fare. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village, (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; $25 cover, with a one-drink minimum. (Chinen)
Coltrane Revisited (Tuesday through Sept. 21) In advance of what would have been John Coltrane’s 87th birthday, the pianist Steve Kuhn — one of Coltrane’s sidemen, however briefly — assembles an astute and respectful cast. Mark Turner and Eric Alexander share tenor saxophone duties, each with his own style; the rhythm section has Lonnie Plaxico on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton, (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; $35 and $45 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
Stephan Crump’s Rosetta Trio (Saturday) Mr. Crump, a bassist, leads Rosetta Trio, a kind of chamber string ensemble with two guitarists, Liberty Ellman (acoustic) and Jamie Fox (electric). The group’s new album, “Thwirl” (Sunnyside), is a collection of intimate, engrossing originals likely to crop up again here. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; $10 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
★ Mark Dresser Quintet (Friday) A master of abstract texture and extended techniques, the bassist Mark Dresser has an expressive new album, “Nourishments” (Clean Feed), that puts a hard spin on the postbop quintet language. He’ll have one substitution here — enlisting the saxophonist Marty Ehrlich in place of Rudresh Mahanthappa — but otherwise feature the album’s lineup of Michael Dessen on trombone, Denman Maroney on prepared piano and Michael Sarin on drums. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; $15 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
★ Peter Evans at the Stone (Friday through Sunday) Peter Evans is a trumpeter with a dizzying command of timbre and texture, and he isn’t afraid to clobber you with it. He concludes his residency at the Stone with a different group each night, beginning on Friday with a quintet featuring Ron Stabinsky on piano, Tom Blancarte on bass, Sam Pluta on electronics and Jim Black on drums. On Saturday he’ll lead an octet that includes all of the above, along with Brandon Seabrook on guitar and banjo, Dan Peck on tuba and bass, and Ian Antonio on percussion. Sunday’s two shows will feature Rocket Science, with Mr. Pluta, the pianist Craig Taborn and the British saxophonist Evan Parker, who’ll begin his own residency at the club with the same group. Friday and Sunday at 8 and 10 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; $15 for each set on Friday, $20 on Saturday and Sunday; $10 for students. (Chinen)
Alan Ferber Big Band (Tuesday) “March Sublime” (Sunnyside) is the smartly contemporary debut album by this ensemble, led by the trombonist, composer and arranger Alan Ferber. This one-nighter will feature a crew nearly identical to the one on the album, with perceptive players like the guitarist Anthony Wilson, the trumpeter Taylor Haskins and the saxophonists John O’Gallagher, John Ellis and Chris Cheek. At 8:15 p.m., ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn, shapeshifterlab.com; $15. (Chinen)
★ Festival of New Trumpet Music (through Oct. 2) This annual hornucopia founded by Dave Douglas shines a light on new works by or for trumpeters, and the offerings within the next week fit the bill. Among the highlights are the Douglas Detrick Quartet, on Saturday at Village Zendo in NoLIta; the Laura Kahle Trio, on Sunday at Douglass Street Music Collective in Brooklyn; Matt Holman, on Monday again at Douglass Street Music Collective; and a mini-series organized by Jeremy Pelt on Tuesday and Wednesday at Smoke on the Upper West Side, featuring younger trumpeters like Josh Evans, Vitaly Golovnev and Bria Skonberg. A full schedule is at fontmusic.org. Saturday, starting at 8 p.m., Village Zendo, 588 Broadway, Suite 1108, at West Houston Street; suggested donation, $20. Sunday and Monday, starting at 8 p.m., Douglass Street Music Collective, 295 Douglass Street, near Third Avenue, Gowanus, Brooklyn, 295douglass.org; suggested donation, $10. Tuesday and Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m., Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th Street; no cover. (Chinen)
Louis Hayes and the Jazz Communicators (Friday through Sunday) If the name of the band sounds vaguely reminiscent of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, there’s good reason: like Blakey, Mr. Hayes is a locomotive hard-bop drummer with a history of grooming younger players. On this bandstand that means the saxophonist Abraham Burton, the vibraphonist Steve Nelson, the pianist Anthony Wonsey and the bassist Dezron Douglas. At 7:30 and 9 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, (212) 258-9595, jalc.org; $35 to $45 cover, with a $10 minimum; $20 and $25 for students. (Chinen)
★ Ahmad Jamal and Wynton Marsalis (Thursday through Sept. 21) Ahmad Jamal is one of the foundation masters for how jazz is now played — and you should see him not just for reasons of history but your own thrills: few people control a band, and your sense of tension and release, like he does. He’ll play a few Jazz at Lincoln Center programs of large-ensemble collaborations with Wynton Marsalis, one of his biggest admirers. At 8 p.m., Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, (212) 721-6500, jalc.org; limited availability. (Ben Ratliff)
Stanley Jordan Trio (Friday through Sunday) A few years ago the guitarist Stanley Jordan released “State of Nature” (Mack Avenue), his first proper release in more than a decade. He draws largely from that album here, using his trademark tapping technique. At 8 and 10 p.m., Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street, (212) 582-2121, theiridium.com; $35 cover, with a $15 minimum. (Chinen)
Dave King, Billy Peterson, Bill Carrothers (Friday through Sunday) “I’ve Been Ringing You” (Sunnyside) is the first album by Dave King, the drummer in the Bad Plus, to evoke a standard jazz outing. But of course its traditionalism comes at a slant, starting with the choice of partners: the bassist Billy Peterson and the pianist Bill Carrothers, who like Mr. King are Upper Midwesterners adept with melodic abstraction. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village, (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; $25 cover, with a one-drink minimum. (Chinen)
Oliver Lake Big Band (Tuesday) Oliver Lake, an alto saxophonist with a penetrating sound and an estimable stature in the post-’60s avant-garde, draws from his fine new album, “Wheels” (Passin’ Thru), with a stouthearted crew, including partners like the trumpeter Freddie Hendrix and the alto saxophonist Darius Jones. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, (212) 258-9595, jalc.org; $35 cover, with a $10 minimum; $25 for students. (Chinen)
Dave Liebman (Friday and Saturday) An incantatory saxophonist and flutist working in the post-Coltrane idiom, Dave Liebman appears here with a well-stocked big band directed by Gunnar Mossblad. At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton, (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; $35 and $45 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
Lionel Loueke Trio (Friday through Sunday) The guitarist Lionel Loueke specializes in an intelligently earthy music informed equally by modern jazz and the music of Benin, his West African homeland. Fingerpicking and vocalizing, often in a hypnotic tandem, he brings a go-anywhere ethos to a trio setting; here he works with the bassist Michael Olatuja and either of two drummers, John Davis (on Friday) or Nate Smith (on Saturday and Sunday). At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., with an 11:30 p.m. set on Friday and Saturday, Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; $25 and $30. (Chinen)
Lage Lund Trio (Thursday) The deftly imaginative guitarist Lage Lund has a recent album, “Live at Smalls” (SmallsLIVE!), that confirms his easy command in small-group settings. He’ll have a different band here than on the album, retaining only Jochen Rueckert on drums; on bass is Orlando le Fleming. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Bar Next Door, 129 Macdougal Street, near West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 529-5945, lalanternacaffe.com; $12 cover, with a one-drink minimum. (Chinen)
★ Matt Mitchell and Ches Smith (Saturday) Matt Mitchell, a hyperacute pianist recently heard to great effect in bands led by Tim Berne and Dave Douglas, is about to release “Fiction” (Pi Recordings), his own proper debut. It’s an unusual outing: a collection of self-invented études, often harrowingly complex, played in coordination with Ches Smith, the drummer in Mr. Berne’s quartet. This concert will feature the same book of music. At 8 p.m., Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow Street, West Village, (212) 242-4770, greenwichhouse.org; $15, $12 for students. (Chinen)
★ Miles Okazaki 4tet (Friday and Saturday) As on his thrillingly heady recent album, “Figurations” (Sunnyside), the guitarist Miles Okazaki presents his own conceptually driven compositions for a next-level postbop quartet featuring Dan Weiss on drums. His other partners in this four-night residency, which precedes a European tour, are the tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin and the bassist François Moutin. At 9 p.m., Seeds, 617 Vanderbilt Avenue, at St. Marks Avenue, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, seedsbrooklyn.org; suggested donation, $10. (Chinen)
★ Johnny O’Neal (Wednesday) Still something of a best-kept secret in jazz circles, Johnny O’Neal is a pianist in the Art-Tatum-and-Oscar-Peterson lineage, and a singer of gruff erudition. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, (212) 258-9595, jalc.org; $30 cover, with a $10 minimum; $15 for students. (Chinen)
★ Evan Parker at the Stone (Tuesday through Sept. 22) A titan of the British jazz avant-garde, and one of the leading saxophonists in his idiom anywhere, Mr. Parker will be in residence at the Stone next week, kicking off on Tuesday with a group called Rocket Science, with Peter Evans on trumpet, Craig Taborn on piano and Sam Pluta on electronics. On Wednesday Mr. Parker will interact with a different set of partners, including the drummer Tyshawn Sorey; on Thursday he’ll play an early set with the Bleeding Edge Trio, featuring Mr. Evans and the cellist Okkyung Lee, and a late set in duologue with the guitarist Han Earl Park. At 8 and 10 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; $20 for each set, $25 on Sept. 21; $10 for students. (Chinen)
Marcus Roberts Trio (Thursday through Sept. 22) Marcus Roberts draws few distinctions between the playful and the professorial; as a pianist, bandleader and composer-arranger, he balances erudition against reserves of charisma and wit. His fine working trio features Rodney Jordan on bass and Jason Marsalis on drums. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, (212) 258-9595, jalc.org; $35 to $45 cover, with a $10 minimum; $20 to $25 for students. (Chinen)
Joe Sample and the CreoleJoe Band (Friday through Sunday) The pianist Joe Sample has stayed true to the cause of melody and groove since his days with the Crusaders, which he recently regrouped. His CreoleJoe Band seeks an amalgam of groove, with collaborators like the Zydeco accordionist C.J. Chenier and the R&B singer and guitarist Ray Parker Jr. At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 475-8592, bluenote.net; $45 cover at tables, $30 at the bar, with a $5 minimum. (Chinen)
★ Jenny Scheinman’s Mischief & Mayhem (Monday) Ms. Scheinman, a violinist, favors a style both folksy and exploratory, leaning a bit more to the latter with this working band, which draws here from a recent album. Her partners are the engagingly prickly guitarist Nels Cline, the stalwart bassist Todd Sickafoose and the polymorphically propulsive drummer Jim Black; playing an opening set, unaccompanied, is the effervescent young guitarist Julian Lage. At 6 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $15 in advance, $18 at the door. (Chinen)
★ 76 Moments of Joseph Jarman (Sunday) Joseph Jarman, a multireedist and spiritual guide hailing from the first wave of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, will turn 76 this weekend, providing both a sense of occasion and a framing device for this concert. At 7 p.m. he’ll perform with the John Ehlis Ensemble, featuring Mr. Ehlis on guitar, Thurman Barker on drums and Douglass Ewart on woodwinds and spoken word. At 8:15 p.m., a small assembly of poets, including David Henderson and Thulani Davis, will pay homage to “Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City,” his interdisciplinary piece from the late ’60s. The final performance, at 9:30 p.m., will feature the Lifetime Visions Dojo Band, established by the pianist Chris Chalfant as an extension of Mr. Jarman’s practice as a Shinshu Buddhist priest. ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn, shapeshifterlab.com; $15. (Chinen)
★ Sex Mob Residency (Friday and Saturday) Sex Mob, the rugged and irreverent quartet led by the slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein — also with Briggan Krauss on alto saxophone, Tony Scherr on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums — continues its three-night engagement at ShapeShifter Lab, pairing with a different opening act each night. On Friday it’ll be the experimental trio Thiefs, and on Saturday it’ll be the singer-songwriter Shilpa Ray. At 8:15 and 9:30 p.m., 18 Whitwell Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn, shapeshifterlab.com; $15 each day, $12 for students. (Chinen)
Warren Wolf and Wolfpack (Thursday through Sept. 22) A driving, expressive young vibraphonist from Baltimore and influenced by Milt Jackson, Mr. Wolf took a step forward recently with his second record, “Wolfgang.” He’s also on the way to finding a strong group sound with his quartet, Wolfpack. Now is the time to listen closely. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., with 11:30 sets on Sept. 20 and 21, Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; $25 and $30. (Ratliff)
★ Miguel Zenón Rhythm Collective (Tuesday and Wednesday) The MacArthur-winning alto saxophonist Mr. Zenón has kept a side-project band going for 10 years with a quartet of fellow Puerto Ricans; it’s precise on micro levels and freewheeling on macro levels — even more so than his regular music — using polyrhythm and collective improvisation and Afro-Latin grooves. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; $20. (Ratliff)
★ Zorn @ 60: Masada Marathon (Sunday) If the output of any composer can be likened to a world, then John Zorn’s Masada is a sprawling continent, with its own richly varied climate, its own regional twists on a governing tongue. Among those traversing it here, as part of Mr. Zorn’s 60th birthday festivities, are the Masada String Trio and Electric Masada; the similarly committed ensembles Bar Kokhba and the Dreamers; the clarinetist David Krakauer; the cellist Erik Friedlander; and the experimental rock band Secret Chiefs 3. At 7 p.m., N.Y.U. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, at Washington Square South, Greenwich Village, (866) 811-4111, nyuskirball.org; $35 to $60. (Chinen)