Eric Nemeyer’s - Jazz Inside · PDF fileda with Pat Martino’s band and soon after I ... At that time there was no Real Book in Cuba. ... love with that tune,

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Jazz At Lincoln Center, November 3-4

Interviews Dafnis PrietoDafnis Prieto Jazz At Lincoln Center, Nov 3-4

Scott RobinsonScott Robinson Jazz Standard, October 31

Bobby SanabriaBobby Sanabria Dizzy’s Clu, Nov 17-19

Maria SchneiderMaria Schneider Jazz Standard, November 21-26

Warren WolfWarren Wolf Dizzy’s Club, Nov 10-12

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Jazz Inside Magazine

ISSN: 2150-3419 (print) • ISSN 2150-3427 (online)

October-November 2017 – Volume 8, Number 8

Cover Photo (and photo at right) of Elio Villafranca

by Jerry Lacay; Photo at right by Eric Nemeyer

Publisher: Eric Nemeyer Editor: Wendi Li Marketing Director: Cheryl Powers Advertising Sales & Marketing: Eric Nemeyer Circulation: Susan Brodsky Photo Editor: Joe Patitucci Layout and Design: Gail Gentry Contributing Artists: Shelly Rhodes Contributing Photographers: Eric Nemeyer, Ken Weiss Contributing Writers: John Alexander, John R. Barrett, Curtis Daven-port; Alex Henderson; Joe Patitucci; Ken Weiss.

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CONTENTSCONTENTS

CLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTSCLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTS 13 Calendar of Events, Concerts, Festi-

vals and Club Performances

18 Clubs & Venue Listings

FEATUREFEATURE 4 Elio Villafranca

INTERVIEWSINTERVIEWS 20 Dafnis Prieto 24 Scott Robinson 27 Bobby Sanabria

30 Warren Wolf 34 Maria Schneider

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Fea

ture

Elio VillafrancaElio Villafranca

Interview & Photo by Eric Nemeyer

Jazz Inside: Could you provide a glimpse

into how you discovered your passion for jazz

and the people and or opportunities that

opened the door for your immersion and de-

velopment in the music.

Elio Villafranca: I discovered my passion for

jazz when I first went to the International Jazz

Festival in Havana, Jazz Plaza, and experi-

enced my very first jazz performance with

Richie Cole’s quartet. At the time I didn’t

know what blues was, but his performance

impacted me so much, that from there on I

knew that I wanted to become a jazz musi-

cian. I was 16 years old. After that experience,

some of the Cuban musicians who traveled a

lot to the exterior would provide me with jazz

recordings and charts so I could listen, learn,

and study. In the U.S. I received jazz piano

lessons in Philadelphia from pianists Ed Si-

mon, Farid Baron, and Tom Lawton. Also in

Philly I became involved in the free jazz sce-

ne with Bobby Zankel and Charles Gayle.

Gradually, I began to get other opportunities

to play with people I admired like Sonny For-

tune, Jon Faddis, Johnny Pacheco, and Ralph

Peterson. A good friend of mine, Ron Berg,

put his faith in my music and supported me in

producing my first two albums, Incantations/

Encantaciones and The Source In Between. I

had the opportunity to tour Europe and Cana-

da with Pat Martino’s band and soon after I

moved to New York City where I continued

my immersion in jazz. My development as a

jazz musician is an ongoing process as I play

with and learn from other musicians. These

have included Wynton Marsalis, Billy Harper,

Billy Hart, Victor Lewis, Vincent Herring,

Lewis Nash, JD Allen and others. Music pro-

ducer Todd Barkan and Roland Chassagne

opened the doors of the beautiful Dizzy’s

Club Coca Cola to my music, and my most

recent recordings have been financially sup-

ported by Jim Luce, and Robin Wyatt. One of

my greatest opportunities came in November

(Continued on page 6)




2010 when Chick Corea invited me to spend a

few hours jamming with him at the Jazz Gal-

lery in New York. Since Chick is one of my

biggest influences in music, it was a tremen-

dous honor to play with him and talk music.

JI: Could you discuss your recording, Dos Y

Mas, on Motema and how the initial germ of

an idea evolved into the completed artwork

for release?

EV: The idea of doing this collaboration was

first initiated by Arturo Stable. Over the last

nine years, Arturo and I have worked on many

different projects together, including my pre-

vious album The Source In Between. Realiz-

ing that we had many similar musical inter-

ests, Arturo suggested we develop a body of

original works and record a duet album. From

the beginning we established that we didn’t

want our new project to focus exclusively on

Cuban or Afro-Cuban music. We also agreed

that we wanted to create something different

from what we had each done in our previous

projects as bandleaders, something creative,

but at the same time friendly and accessible to

listeners. The idea became that of fusing vari-

ous musical elements and genres that we love

and that shaped us as musicians, such as jazz,

flamenco, Afro Cuban, Middle eastern, Rum-

ba, free jazz, son, and danzón, along with

other rhythms we came up with in the session,

hoping to create a world music sound. During

the year of preparation, the project expanded

into a cultural exploration much greater than

what we could have anticipated, which led me

to suggest the title, Dos Y Mas (Two and

More.) Working with Arturo was great. His

musicality and ability to play many different

hand drum instruments with ease created a

wide range of musical possibilities not easily

found in other similar duets. Working with

him was also effortless because we have simi-

lar musical tastes, concepts and aspirations--

perhaps because he started his musical career

as a pianist and then changed to percussion,

while I started as a percussionist and then

changed to piano.

JI: What kinds of challenges and opportuni-

ties did you experience in Cuba as you pur-

sued this creative path as a pianist and com-

poser?

EV: Like many Cubans, I learned about popu-

lar music, rock, jazz and rumba in the streets.

At that time there was no Real Book in Cuba.

We would learn jazz by transcribing what we

heard. I came from the small town of Pinar

del Rio to Havana and my family was my

only means of support. They gave me 45 Cu-

ban pesos per month to survive in the big city.

I would use it to buy cassette tapes, which

cost fifteen pesos each! Often I would buy 2

cassettes and then go to the homes of other

musicians who could travel outside of Cuba--

like pianists Ernan Lopez-Nusa, Pucho Lopez,

or Chucho Valdes — to see what new music

had come out and I would ask them if they

could make me copies. Sometimes they did

and sometimes they didn’t. But once I had a

copy in my possession I would listen to it over

and over and transcribe the music. That’s how

I learned all of the standards. I remember

spending hours at a table at Gonzalo Rubal-

caba’s home copying by hand the entire

Herbie Hancock solo on “The Eye of the Hur-

ricane,” while he practiced piano at the same

time. Jazz was something that was not al-

lowed at my school, so I had to go out side the

school to learn it. The one club where I used

to play some jazz and experiment with im-

provisation was The Maxim, the only jazz

club in Havana at the time. The first time I

played out was with trumpeter and singer

Bobby Carcases who would play regularly at

that club. Actually, I have a funny story play-

ing with Bobby: In one of my early visits to

the club, Bobby and his group played the

standard “On Green Dolphin Street.” I fell in

love with that tune, so I made the commitment

to learn it and play it in my next visit to the

club. As I mentioned before, I didn’t have a

real book, so I asked many musicians for a

copy of that standard. Finally I got a record-

ing, which I transcribed and learned in a hur-

ry. One night I went to the club with the sole

idea of playing that tune. Lucky enough, Bob-

by’s pianist didn’t show up that night, and

without my knowledge his bass player intro-

duced me to Bobby as a pianist who could do

the job for the night. When Bobby approached

me and asked me if I could do the job, I said

yes, thinking that I would finally have the

opportunity to play “On Green Dolphin

Street.” What I didn’t realize was that he was

asking me to play the entire gig that night, and

not just the only tune I knew from this band. I

spent the night luchando in the dark with no

charts, and the bassist leaning over my shoul-

der shouting out chord changes! What was

most frustrating of all, they never called “On

Green Dolphin Street.”

JI: With your Conservatory studies in Cuba

having been focused on composition and per-

cussion, how have those influenced

the processes you pursue in composing and

improvising?

EV: The earliest influences on my music ca-

reer were on the streets of my hometown, San

Luis, where I witnessed rehearsals and perfor-

mances of the Afro Cuban folkloric ensemble

of Tambor Yuka. The Tambor Yuka is one of

three important variations of Congolese music

in Cuba (along with Tambor Palo and Maku-

ta). My studies began at age 11 and continued

in varying levels of intensity until I was se-

lected into the Instituto Superior de Arte

(I.S.A.) where I developed a serious interest

in composition and continued studies in Per-

cussion. My training in composition was total-

ly in classical music. I never took a jazz or a

popular music course. Such courses were not

offered at the school, but that didn’t stop me

from writing my first jazz compositions and

founding my first jazz ensemble named

Ferjomesis. I see composing and improvising

as one thing, especially when I’m playing jazz

or free improvising. You have to be creative

instantly, compose something that is meaning-

ful and perform those ideas while they are just

forming in your head; there are no second

chances to re-write it or to change it. You

have to take what’s there and turn it into art in

the moment. My years of studies in Havana’s

music schools were essential in my harmonic

(Continued from page 4)


Elio Villafranca

“I see composing and improvising as one thing, especially when I’m playing jazz or free improvising. You have to be creative instantly,

compose something that is meaningful and perform those ideas while they are just forming in your head; there are no second chances to

re-write it or to change it. You have to take what’s there and turn it into art in the moment.”


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and melodic development, while the earlier

exposure to Congolese roots in my home

town, gave me a very important rhythmic

foundation that is a signature in my style of

playing and composing.

JI: Talk about your departure from Cuba and

your move to the United States.

EV: I immigrated to the U.S. in 1996 and the

reason was music. At the time I was a mem-

ber of singer songwriter Carlos Varela’s

group, I was on the faculty at the Instituto

Superior de Arte in Havana, where I was

teaching harmony courses to the students as

well as Latin jazz courses to American musi-

cians who would travel to Cuba to learn our

music. I was offered the opportunity to come

to Philadelphia to teach the same courses at

the Asociacion de Musicos Latino America-

nos in Philadelphia. I love my country, but I

needed to explore more about myself and im-

merse myself in the music I loved and wanted

to play, so I took the opportunity. Being deep-

ly interested in jazz, I knew that I needed to

come to the United States if I wanted to study

jazz seriously. In Cuba I only had the oppor-

tunity to play my music once a year, if I was

lucky enough to be selected to play at the Jazz

Festival. I also wanted to experiment with

different styles of music, not just Cuban or

American genres. I wanted to explore the

world musically and I knew that I wouldn’t be

able to do that from Cuba. The economy and

politics also played a small roll in my deci-

sion, but the main impetus was music.

JI: How has life in the United States benefit-

ed your creative pursuits and the business side

of the music for you?

EV: For me there is always a conflict between

the creative side and the business side of

things. During my training years in Cuba, I

would mostly focus on the creative side,

which is very important, but in America I

have to learn how to balance those two oppo-

site energies. I learned that art is not just the

way artists express themselves, it is also the

way we make money to survive in a capitalist

society, especially when art is not widely sup-

ported by the government. Living in New

York has given me the possibility to perform

with some of the must talented artists and

musicians in the world and made it possible to

have my music more widely heard and appre-

ciated. However, with all of these benefits I

still find it challenging to combine the artistry

and business sides of music, and be as honest

with my art as I hope to be.

JI: What kinds of understandings have

you discovered about people and/ or cultures

in your travels and performances recently?

EV: Learning about other cultures is the core

and most important thing about traveling.

Culture, and therefore music, comes from

people’s imaginations, and what we can imag-

ine comes from all the threads that are the

fabric of our lives. This may sound simple and

obvious for many, but I think that as musi-

cians, we often believe that listening to music,

transcribing tunes, and playing it are enough

to learn about a culture. However, when we

add to our knowledge of the music and history

of a place, the experience of eating their food,

observing their walk, hearing the melody of

their language, and where possible living

where they live, then we can really say we

start to be familiar with their culture, and our

understanding of their music is amplified. An

example: I had heard recordings of Ecuadori-

an marimba, so when I got a chance to visit

the country, I went to the province of Es-

meraldas where there is a strong African cul-

tural tradition. My friends brought along their

friend, Lucho, who drove a taxi and ensured

that we got to savor local foods and experi-

ence how people lived there. He introduced

me to a family of musicians who constructed

marimbas in a beautiful workshop full of

wooden instruments, performed the dances,

and carried the legends and oral traditions of

Afro Ecuadorian culture from one generation

to the next and to the larger community. A

spontaneous visit to the workshop with the

man who made the instruments where I

learned about the construction of the different

types of instruments, turned into an afternoon

of playing the marimbas with family members

dancing around us and long discussions about

their music and history. Later, I visited the

family’s elderly matriarch who sat in the af-

ternoon breeze and told Afro Ecuadorian sto-

ries, occasionally breaking into song. I went

with the man to a class at a local orphanage

where he taught the children how to play the

rhythms and melodies of marimba music. The

children then taught me their dances. The

whole experience added many dimensions to

my understanding of that particular portion in

the Ecuadorian culture.

JI: How have your activities as a music edu-

cator at Temple University influenced your

artistic pursuits and understanding?

EV: I enjoy teaching. I think it is a big part of

my training as a musician. Sharing my experi-

ences with the students and answering ques-

tion they may bring to the class helps me as

much as it helps them to achieve a higher lev-

el of understanding and consciousness about

my playing and music in general. I think curi-

osity is key in music’s development. I have

found Temple University to be a fertile terrain

where curiosity is fostered among teachers

and students.

JI: Talk about what you've learned about

leadership from one or more of the jazz artists

with/for whom you have worked.

EV: I don’t think there is a musician in the

business that takes leadership more seriously

than Wynton Marsalis and Chick Corea. I

learned a lot playing with Marsalis: While we



“In times of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned find

themselves beautifully equipped to succeed in a world that

no longer exists.” — Eric Hoffer, American Philosopher

Elio Villafranca

“Living in New York has given me the possibility to perform with some of the must talented artists and musicians in the world and made it possible

to have my music more widely heard and appreciated. However, with all of these benefits I still find it challenging to combine the artistry and business sides of music, and be as honest

with my art as I hope to be.”


xxxxxxxxxxx

were waiting to come out to the stage of the

Allen room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, he was

hanging with the musicians and making sure

we all felt comfortable. Then on the stage, he

would speak to the audience, making sure

they felt comfortable as well. His casual style

is at once engaging and warm while his music

is so precise and so tight it is almost formal in

its execution. I try to follow that model for my

own performances. Watching pianist Chick

Corea at a sound check during the 2011 Re-

turn to Forever Tour was another great experi-

ence. His concept of leadership is to free eve-

rybody and trust in their contributions to the

music. He doesn’t control the interactions, no

matter what direction the music takes, Chick

is there to support the music as it develops. As

bassist John Patitucci described him… “Chick

is like your best friend, he is always there no

matter what.” I had also learned a great deal

about leadership from music producer Jeff

Levinson during the recording of Tree of Life

by Francisco Mela for Half Note Records.

Different from other producers, he would nev-

er interfere in the creative process. Instead he

would encourage me to expand my ideas

without pushing his own, and felt like good

leadership, necessary in a studio environment.

JI: Could you share some words of wisdom

you've heard, or understandings or advice

you've picked up about music or business or

life from one or more of the artists with whom

you've worked: Pat Martino, Wynton Marsal-

is; Jon Faddis; Sonny Fortune or others?

EV: The advice that most recently impacted



“Culture, and therefore music, comes from people’s imaginations, and what

we can imagine comes from all the threads that are the fabric of our lives.”


me came from my friend and indirect mentor

Chick Corea. In November I went to see his

last performance of a month at the Blue Note,

NYC, with his electric band. Impressed with

his performance I told him about my upcom-

ing recording with my Jass Syncopators, and I

wished out loud that my project would be as

strong as his. He said, “…never compare your

work with others at the time of the perfor-

mance. That will lower your ability to fully

express yourself. I have seen your Jass Synco-

pators project at Dizzy’s with Billy Hart, Sean

Jones and the others, and it is very strong.

You should always be in the moment and put

all your energy and thoughts in that moment.

Send me a copy of the recording when you

finish!”

JI: Is there anything you'd like to talk about

that I haven't prompted you about?

EV: I recorded the album Flower by the Dry

River at Soundsmith Corporation, Peekskill,

Neq York my group Elio Villafranca & The

Jass Syncopators. The idea was to do a rare

form of recording known as Direct to Disc to

support Direct Grace Fund for Children of the

World subject to abuse, starvation and pov-

erty. Everyone involved in this project, musi-

cians, photographers, videographers, execu-

tive producers, and sound engineers, got very

excited and donated their time and talent to

contribute to the cause. One hundred percent

of the money generated by the sales of the

vinyl edition, as well as a large percent of the

money generated by the sales of the CD, will

be donated to Direct Grace to support its cam-

paign in helping millions of kids deprived of

the basic things in life such as freedom, secu-

rity, and food. The Jass Syncopators featuring

Victor Lewis, drums, Vincent Herring, alto

sax, J.D. Allen, tenor sax, Bruce Harris, trum-

pet, Gregg August, bass, Juango Gutierrez-

barril, Camilo, Molina-barril, and myself,

piano, recorded original music I composed,

which I dedicate to all children of the world

who suffer from horrible conditions. This is a

beautiful project that we all can be proud of!


Elio Villafranca

“Sharing my experiences with the students and answering question they may bring to the class helps me as much as it helps them to achieve a

higher level of understanding and consciousness about my playing and music in general. I think

curiosity is key in music’s development.”


Frank WessFrank Wess Scott Robinson (interview on page 24) commented: “It’s one of the great oppor-Scott Robinson (interview on page 24) commented: “It’s one of the great oppor-

tunities of what I do. In baseball, kids grow up idolizing Mickey Mantle for exam-tunities of what I do. In baseball, kids grow up idolizing Mickey Mantle for exam-

ple. If they’re fortunate enough to get to a point where they can actually become ple. If they’re fortunate enough to get to a point where they can actually become

a major league player, Mickey Mantle is long gone. But I get to play with “Mickey a major league player, Mickey Mantle is long gone. But I get to play with “Mickey

Mantle.” I grew up listening to Frank Wess Mantle.” I grew up listening to Frank Wess –– and I reached a point where I can go and I reached a point where I can go

play at the Vanguard with Frank Wess.”play at the Vanguard with Frank Wess.” Photo taken at Newport Jazz Festival, August 14, 2004 © Eric Nemeyer


Joey DeFrancesco Monk Centennial, Dizzy’s Club Jazz At Lincoln Center, October 12-15 © Eric Nemeyer

13 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 October-November 2017 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com

Sunday, October 1 Freddy Cole, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Randy Weston / Billy Harper Duo, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Monday, October 2 Mingus Big Band, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

John Colianni’s Jazz Orchestra, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Tuesday, October 3 Rodney Green Trio, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center

Steve Cardenas With Adam Kolker, Ben Allison, Matt Wilson, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Renee Rosnes Quartet, Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Wednesday, October 4 Nicki Parrott Celebrates Blossom Dearie, Dizzy's, JALC, 60th & Bdwy

Mike Moreno Monk Centennial Band, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Renee Rosnes; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Thursday, October 5 Jean Baylor & Marcus Baylor, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center

Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Renee Rosnes Quartet, Chris Potter, Tenor; Renee Rosnes, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Lenny White, Drums; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Friday, October 6 Big Band Sound Of Rufus Reid, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln

Center



Saturday, October 7 Big Band Sound Of Rufus Reid, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln

Center



Sunday, October 8 Big Band Sound Of Rufus Reid, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln

Center


Renee Rosnes Quartet, Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Monday, October 9 Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Lee Konitz 90th Birthday Celebration Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Monk Centennial, Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble: Monk Dreams,

Hallucinations, And Nightmares, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center

Tuesday, October 10 Monk Centennial, Ts Monk Sextet, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln

Center

Joey Alexander Trio With Charnett Moffett, Ulysses Owens, Jr., Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Eddie Palmieri 80th Birthday Celebration, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, October 11 Monk Centennial, T.S. Monk Sextet, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln

Center, 60th & Bdwy

Kenny Barron, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

The Bad Plus, Bill Frisell, Guitar; Ethan Iverson, Piano; Reid Ander-son, Bass; Dave King; Drums; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.


Thursday, October 12 Joey Defrancesco Plays Monk, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center

John Beasley's Monkestra, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Bad Plus, Bill Frisell, Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.


Friday, October 13 Monk Centennial, Joey Defrancesco Plays Monk, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz

At Lincoln Center



Saturday, October 14 Monk Centennial, Joey Defrancesco Plays Monk, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz

At Lincoln Center



Sunday, October 15 Monk Centennial, Joey Defrancesco Plays Monk, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz

At Lincoln Center

Andrew Cyrille, David Virelles, Ben Street, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.


Monday, October 16 Monday Nights With WBGO - Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom, Dizzy’s

Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center


Tuesday, October 17 Dizzy Centennial - Josh Evans Big Band: To Diz With Love, Dizzy’s


Frank Kimbrough Quartet Plays Monk At Town Hall 1959, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Chico Freeman Plus+Tet, Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

McCoy Tyner, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, October 18 Dizzy Centennial, Josh Evans Big Band: To Diz With Love, Dizzy’s


Brian Lynch Quintet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Chico Freeman Plus+Tet, Chico Freeman, Saxophone; Anthony (Continued on page 14)

CALENDAR OF EVENTSCALENDAR OF EVENTS

How to Get Your Gigs and Events Listed in Jazz Inside Magazine Submit your listings via e-mail to [email protected]. Include date, times, location, phone,

tickets/reservations. Deadline: 15th of the month preceding publication (Oct 15 for Nov) (We cannot guarantee the publication of all calendar submissions.)

ADVERTISING: Reserve your ads to promote your events and get the marketing advantage of con-trolling your own message — size, content, image, identity, photos and more. Contact the advertising department:

215-887-8880 | [email protected]

http://www.jazz.org


Wonsey, Piano; Kenny Davis, Bass; Gust Tsilis, Vibes; Billy Hart, Drums; Terri Lyne Carrington; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life & Friends - Monthly Fall Residency, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Thursday, October 19 Dizzy Centennial, Dizzy At 100 With Jon Faddis, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz

At Lincoln Center

Charles Tolliver Tentet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Chico Freeman Plus+Tet, Chico Freeman, Saxophone; Anthony Wonsey, Piano; Kenny Davis, Bass; Gust Tsilis, Vibes; Billy Hart, Drums; Terri Lyne Carrington; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Friday, October 20 Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra Songbook, 30th Anniversary

Landmark Concert With Wynton Marsalis Performs Favorite Original

Works - Composed By Members Of The Orchestra, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Dizzy Centennial, Dizzy At 100 With Jon Faddis, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center



Saturday, October 21 Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra Songbook, 30th Anniversary -

Landmark Concert With Wynton Marsalis Performs Favorite Original Works, Composed By Members Of The Orchestra, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Dizzy Centennial, Dizzy At 100 With Jon Faddis, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center

Caleb Wheeler Curtis Quintet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30, 116 E. 27th.



Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Sunday, October 22 Dizzy Centennial, Dizzy At 100 With Jon Faddis, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz

At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy



Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Monday, October 23 Greg Reitan Trio, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &

Bdwy


Harold López-Nussa Trio, Ft Gregoire Marét, Pedrito Martinez & More, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Tuesday, October 24 Oran Etkin’s Reimagining Benny Goodman, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At

Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Azar Lawrence Quartet With Benito Gonzalez, Essiet Essiet, Lenny White, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Terell Stafford, Trumpet; Tim Warfield, Saxophone; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Billy Williams, Drums; Village Van-guard, 178 7th Ave S.

Harold López-Nussa Trio, Ft Gregoire Marét, Pedrito Martinez & More, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, October 25 Oran Etkin: Gathering Light, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center,

60th & Bdwy

Azar Lawrence with Benito Gonzalez, Essiet Essiet, Lenny White, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Lea Delaria With Special Guest Norm Lewis, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.


Arturo Sandoval, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Thursday, October 26 Mike Ledonne Trio Featuring Ron Carter, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At

Lincoln Center

Yosvany Terry, Baptiste Trotignon Quartet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Arianna Neikrug, Lea Delaria With Special Guest Norm Lewis, Bird-land, 315 W. 44th St.



Friday, October 27 Marilyn Maye & Tedd Firth Big Band, Appel Room, Jazz At Lincoln

Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Georgia Horns, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.


Birdland Big Band, Lea Delaria With Special Guest Norm Lewis, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Saturday, October 28 Marilyn Maye & Tedd Firth Big Band, Appel Room, Jazz At Lincoln


Georgia Horns, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Vinnie Sperrazza, Peter Brendler, Bruce Barth, Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th.


Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

Terell Stafford, Trumpet; Tim Warfield, Sax; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.


http://www.jazz.org/dizzys


http://www.jazzstandard.com



Sunday, October 29 Georgia Horns, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Frank Perowsky Jazz Orchestra, Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Monday, October 30 Manhattan School Of Music Jazz Orchestra, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At

Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Ari Hoenig Trio, Jonathan Barber Group & After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Natalie Douglas Celebrating Shirley Bassey, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.


Odean Pope Sax Choir Birthday Celebration Ft. Ravi Coltrane, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Tuesday, October 31 Makoto Ozone Trio Featuring James Genus And Jeff “Tain” Watts,

Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Scott Robinson & The Heliotones: A Halloween Spectacular With Phillip Harper, Frank Lacy, Gary Versace, Pat O’Leary, Jazz Stand-ard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Ann Hampton Callaway "Jazz Goes To The Movies", Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

Fred Hersch, Piano; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, November 1 Dan Nimmer Trio, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &

Bdwy

Andrew Gould Quartet, Josh Lawrence "Color Theory", Jovan Alexan-dre, After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.




Thursday, November 2

George Coleman Quintet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Dan Nimmer Trio, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy

Christopher Mcbride Quintet, Luca Santaniello Quartet, Davis Whit-field, "After-Hours" Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Ann Hampton Callaway, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Friday, November 3 George Coleman Quintet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Nuevo Jazz Latino, 30th Anniversary Landmark Concert With Elio Villafranca, Yosvany Terry, Dafnis Prieto, Pedrito Martinez, Carlos Henriquez, Mike Rodriguez, Appel Room, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Eliane Elias: From Bill Evans To Brazil, Pianist, Vocalist, And Grammy Award Winner, Eliane Elias Performs The Music Of Bill Evans, Brazili-an Classics And Originals, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Vinicius Cantuaria, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy

Mark Gross Quintet, George Colligan Quintet, Corey Wallace "After-Hours", Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Ann Hampton Callaway, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

Fred Hersch, Piano; John Hébert, Bass; Eric McPherson, Drums; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.


Saturday, November 4 George Coleman Quintet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Nuevo Jazz Latino, 30th Anniversary Landmark Concert With Elio Villafranca, Yosvany Terry, Dafnis Prieto, Pedrito Martinez, Carlos Henriquez, Mike Rodriguez, Appel Room, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Eliane Elias: From Bill Evans To Brazil, Pianist, Vocalist, And Grammy Award Winner, Eliane Elias Performs The Music Of Bill Evans, Brazili-an Classics And Originals, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Vinicius Cantuaria Quintet, Dizzy’s Club, 60th & Bdwy

Smalls Showcase: Mike Bond Trio, Mark Gross Quintet, George Colligan Quintet, Brooklyn Circle, Small’s, 183 W. 10th




Sunday, November 5 George Coleman Quintet, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Vocal Masterclass With Marion Cowings, Ai Murakami Trio Feat. Sacha Perry

Behn Gillece Quartet, Richie Vitale Quintet, Hillel Salem, After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

John Colianni Jazz Orchestra, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Monday, November 6 Triangular: Ralph Peterson Trio Featuring The Curtis Brothers, Diz-

zy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center

Theo Hill Trio, Jonathan Michel Group & After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.


Tuesday, November 7 Triangular: Ralph Peterson Trio Featuring The Curtis Brothers, Diz-

zy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Frank Lacy Group, Abraham Burton Quartet & After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Django Reinhardt NY Festival All Stars, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

Ravi Coltrane, Saxophone Adam Rogers, Guitar Dezron Douglas, Bass E.J. Strickland, Drums; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Rebirth Brass Band, Residency, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, November 8 Israeli Jazz Celebration: 7:30pm—Guy Mintus Trio; 9:30pm—Yotam

Ben-Or Quartet, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Michael Zilber Quartet, Ryan Keberle & Catharsis, Aaron Seeber, After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Django Reinhardt NY Festival All Stars; David Ostwald's Louis Arm-strong Eternity Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.


Rebirth Brass Band, Residency, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.


Leonard Bernstein At The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis Celebrates The Leonard Bernstein Centennial; Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Sullivan Fortner, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

New York Jazz Nine, Nick Hempton Trio, Jonathan Thomas, After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.



Talib Kweli – Live band residency: “Quality” album 15th Anniversary, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Friday, November 10 Leonard Bernstein At The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With

Wynton Marsalis Celebrates The Leonard Bernstein Centennial; Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Warren Wolf, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Tim Ries Quintet, The Flail, After-Hours Jam Session With Joe Farns-worth, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.



Talib Kweli, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Saturday, November 11 Leonard Bernstein At The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With

Wynton Marsalis Celebrates The Leonard Bernstein Centennial; Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Warren Wolf, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Jon Roche, The Flail, Philip Harper Quintet, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.



Ravi Coltrane, Saxophone Adam Rogers, Guitar, Dezron Douglas, Bass E.J. Strickland, Drums; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.


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Talib Kweli – Live band residency: “Quality” album 15th Anniversary, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Sunday, November 12 Warren Wolf, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Ai Murakami, Sasha Dobson, David Schnitter, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Django Reinhardt NY Festival All Stars; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Monday, November 13 Neal Smith Berklee Octet Featuring Billy Pierce, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz

At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Tim Hegarty Group, Jonathan Barber Group & After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.



Tuesday, November 14 Jerome Jennings Group Featuring Jazzmeia Horn, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz


Brian Blade, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Lucas Pino Nonet, Abraham Burton, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Diane Schuur, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

John Zorn's Masada: Book Three, Masada At The Vanguard; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Stanley Clarke Band with Lenny White, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, November 15 Jerome Jennings Group Featuring Jazzmeia Horn, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz



Curtis Nowosad, Harold Mabern, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Diane Schuur; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

John Zorn's Masada: Book Three, Masada At The Vanguard, Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Stanley Clarke Band with Lenny White, Beka Gochiashvili, Salar Nadar, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.


Embrace: A Musical Celebration Of Friends And Collaborators Of The Incredible Honk, Roswell Rudd, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.


Alex Lore, Brandon Sanders, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Diane Schuur; Steve Sandberg Quartet; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.


Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Friday, November 17 Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: West Side Story At 60 Reimag-

ined, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.


Michael Cochrane, John Fedchock, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Diane Schuur; Birdland Big Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Saturday, November 18 Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: West Side Story At 60 Reimag-

ined, Dizzy's Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.


Kristina Koller, Mike Clark Quartet, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Veronica Swift; Diane Schuur, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Sunday, November 19 Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: West Side Story At 60 Reimag-

ined, Dizzy's Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.


Ai Murakami, Tardo Hammer, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Veronica Swift; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Monday, November 20 Steve Nelson Salutes Bobby Hutcherson, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At

Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Ari Hoenig Trio, Jonathan Barber, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.



Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life & Friends, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Tuesday, November 21 Yotam Silberstein, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &

Bdwy.

Maria Schneider Orch, Jazz Standard, 7:30, 9:30 PM. 116 E. 27th.

Steve Nelson Quintet, Abraham Burton Quartet & After-Hours Jam Session, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.


Jason Moran, Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, November 22 Wycliffe Gordon, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy.


Taylor Eigsti, Asaf Yuria, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Louis Armstrong Eternity; Veronica Swift; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.




Wycliffe Gordon, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy.

Taylor Eigsti, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.


Jason Moran, Piano; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.


Friday, November 24 Wycliffe Gordon, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy.


Brandon Lee Quartet, Jerome Jennings Sextet, After-Hours Jam Session With Corey Wallace, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Veronica Swift With The Benny Green Trio; Birdland Big Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

Jason Moran, Piano; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.


Saturday, November 25 Wycliffe Gordon, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy.


Michael Stephans, Philip Harper Quintet, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Veronica Swift, Benny Green; Birdland Big Band; 315 W. 44th St.



Sunday, November 26 Wycliffe Gordon, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy.


Marion Cowings, Ai Murakami, David Gibson, Small’s, 183 W. 10th



Monday, November 27 MSM Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln


Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato, Jonathan Michel, Small’s



Tuesday, November 28 Dayna Stephens with Taylor Eigsti, Peter Bernstein, Ben Street, Billy

Hart, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Spike Wilner, Abraham Burton, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Marcus Roberts Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.

Terell Stafford, Trumpet; Tim Warfield, Saxophone; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S.

Fourplay, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Wednesday, November 29 Dayna Stephens with Taylor Eigsti, Peter Bernstein, Ben Street, Billy

Hart, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Nate Radley, Steve Davis, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Marcus Roberts; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



David Chesky: Jazz In The New Harmonic, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Hailey Niswanger, Steve Davis, Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.

Marcus Roberts Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.



Friday, December 1

Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan & Charlie Musselwhite: The Blues Triangle Memphis, Texas, And Chicago And More; Rose Theater. Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Fabulous Dorsey Brothers With Peter And Will Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Brianna Thomas, Bruce Harris, And More; The Appel Room, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.


Friday, December 2

Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan & Charlie Musselwhite: The Blues Triangle Memphis, Texas, And Chicago And More; Rose Theater. Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Fabulous Dorsey Brothers With Peter And Will Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Brianna Thomas, Bruce Harris; Appel Room, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Fourplay, Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St

Tuesday, December 13

Big Band Holidays Featuring The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis And Vocalists Catherine Russell And Kenny Washington; Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

Wednesday, December 14

Big Band Holidays Featuring The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis And Vocalists Catherine Russell And Kenny Washington; Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy.

“...among human beings jealousy ranks distinctly as a

weakness; a trademark of small minds; a property of all small minds, yet a property

which even the smallest is ashamed of; and when accused of its possession will

lyingly deny it and resent the accusation as an insult.”

-Mark Twain

“Some people’s idea of free speech is that they are free

to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back that

is an outrage.”

- Winston Churchill

“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth.

Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”

- W. Clement Stone


5 C Cultural Center, 68 Avenue C. 212-477-5993. www.5ccc.com

55 Bar, 55 Christopher St. 212-929-9883, 55bar.com

92nd St Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128,

212.415.5500, 92ndsty.org

Aaron Davis Hall, City College of NY, Convent Ave., 212-650-

6900, aarondavishall.org

Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Broadway & 65th St., 212-875-

5050, lincolncenter.org/default.asp

Allen Room, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Broadway and

60th, 5th floor, 212-258-9800, lincolncenter.org

American Museum of Natural History, 81st St. & Central Park

W., 212-769-5100, amnh.org

Antibes Bistro, 112 Suffolk Street. 212-533-6088.

www.antibesbistro.com

Arthur’s Tavern, 57 Grove St., 212-675-6879 or 917-301-8759,

arthurstavernnyc.com

Arts Maplewood, P.O. Box 383, Maplewood, NJ 07040; 973-378-

2133, artsmaplewood.org

Avery Fischer Hall, Lincoln Center, Columbus Ave. & 65th St.,

212-875-5030, lincolncenter.org

BAM Café, 30 Lafayette Av, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, bam.org

Bar Chord, 1008 Cortelyou Rd., Brooklyn, barchordnyc.com

Bar Lunatico, 486 Halsey St., Brooklyn. 718-513-0339.

222.barlunatico.com

Barbes, 376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.), Park Slope, Brooklyn,

718-965-9177, barbesbrooklyn.com

Barge Music, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn, 718-624-2083,

bargemusic.org

B.B. King’s Blues Bar, 237 W. 42nd St., 212-997-4144,

bbkingblues.com

Beacon Theatre, 74th St. & Broadway, 212-496-7070

Beco Bar, 45 Richardson, Brooklyn. 718-599-1645.

www.becobar.com

Bickford Theatre, on Columbia Turnpike @ Normandy Heights

Road, east of downtown Morristown. 973-744-2600

Birdland, 315 W. 44th St., 212-581-3080

Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd, 212-475-8592, bluenotejazz.com

Bourbon St Bar and Grille, 346 W. 46th St, NY, 10036,

212-245-2030, [email protected]

Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery (at Bleecker), 212-614-0505,

bowerypoetry.com

BRIC House, 647 Fulton St. Brooklyn, NY 11217, 718-683-5600,

http://bricartsmedia.org

Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, 2nd Fl, Brooklyn,

NY, 718-230-2100, brooklynpubliclibrary.org

Café Carlyle, 35 E. 76th St., 212-570-7189, thecarlyle.com

Café Loup, 105 W. 13th St. (West Village) , between Sixth and

Seventh Aves., 212-255-4746

Café St. Bart’s, 109 E. 50th St, 212-888-2664, cafestbarts.com

Cafe Noctambulo, 178 2nd Ave. 212-995-0900. cafenoctam-

bulo.com

Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones St, NYC; caffevivaldi.com

Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St, Trenton. 609-695-9612.

Carnegie Hall, 7th Av & 57th, 212-247-7800, carnegiehall.org

Cassandra’s Jazz, 2256 7th Avenue. 917-435-2250. cassan-

drasjazz.com

Chico’s House Of Jazz, In Shoppes at the Arcade, 631 Lake Ave.,

Asbury Park, 732-774-5299

City Winery, 155 Varick St. Bet. Vandam & Spring St., 212-608-

0555. citywinery.com

Cleopatra’s Needle, 2485 Broadway (betw 92nd & 93rd), 212-769-

6969, cleopatrasneedleny.com

Club Bonafide, 212 W. 52nd, 646-918-6189. clubbonafide.com

C’mon Everybody, 325 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn.

www.cmoneverybody.com

Copeland’s, 547 W. 145th St. (at Bdwy), 212-234-2356

Cornelia St Café, 29 Cornelia, 212-989-9319

Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, New Jersey

07701, 732-842-9000, countbasietheatre.org

Crossroads at Garwood, 78 North Ave., Garwood, NJ 07027,

908-232-5666

Cutting Room, 19 W. 24th St, 212-691-1900

Dizzy’s Club, Broadway at 60th St., 5th Floor, 212-258-9595,

jalc.com

DROM, 85 Avenue A, New York, 212-777-1157, dromnyc.com

The Ear Inn, 326 Spring St., NY, 212-226-9060, earinn.com

East Village Social, 126 St. Marks Place. 646-755-8662.

www.evsnyc.com

Edward Hopper House, 82 N. Broadway, Nyack NY. 854-358-

0774.

El Museo Del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave (at 104th St.), Tel: 212-831-

7272, Fax: 212-831-7927, elmuseo.org

Esperanto, 145 Avenue C. 212-505-6559. www.esperantony.com

The Falcon, 1348 Rt. 9W, Marlboro, NY., 845) 236-7970,

Fat Cat, 75 Christopher St., 212-675-7369, fatcatjazz.com

Fine and Rare, 9 East 37th Street. www.fineandrare.nyc

Five Spot, 459 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 718-852-0202, fivespot-

soulfood.com

Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY, 718-

463-7700 x222, flushingtownhall.org

For My Sweet, 1103 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 718-857-1427

Galapagos, 70 N. 6th St., Brooklyn, NY, 718-782-5188, galapago-

sartspace.com

Garage Restaurant and Café, 99 Seventh Ave. (betw 4th and

Bleecker), 212-645-0600, garagerest.com

Garden Café, 4961 Broadway, by 207th St., New York, 10034,

212-544-9480

Gin Fizz, 308 Lenox Ave, 2nd floor. (212) 289-2220.

www.ginfizzharlem.com

Ginny’s Supper Club, 310 Malcolm X Boulevard Manhattan, NY

10027, 212-792-9001, http://redroosterharlem.com/ginnys/

Glen Rock Inn, 222 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ, (201) 445-2362,

glenrockinn.com

GoodRoom, 98 Meserole, Bklyn, 718-349-2373, goodroombk.com.

Green Growler, 368 S, Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson NY.

914-862-0961. www.thegreengrowler.com

Greenwich Village Bistro, 13 Carmine St., 212-206-9777, green-

wichvillagebistro.com

Harlem on 5th, 2150 5th Avenue. 212-234-5600.

www.harlemonfifth.com

Harlem Tea Room, 1793A Madison Ave., 212-348-3471, har-

lemtearoom.com

Hat City Kitchen, 459 Valley St, Orange. 862-252-9147.

hatcitykitchen.com

Havana Central West End, 2911 Broadway/114th St), NYC,

212-662-8830, havanacentral.com

Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th St (between 9th & 10th Ave.

highlineballroom.com, 212-414-4314.

Hopewell Valley Bistro, 15 East Broad St, Hopewell, NJ 08525,

609-466-9889, hopewellvalleybistro.com

Hudson Room, 27 S. Division St., Peekskill NY. 914-788-FOOD.

hudsonroom.com

Hyatt New Brunswick, 2 Albany St., New Brunswick, NJ

IBeam Music Studio, 168 7th St., Brooklyn, ibeambrooklyn.com

INC American Bar & Kitchen, 302 George St., New Brunswick

NJ. (732) 640-0553. www.increstaurant.com

Iridium, 1650 Broadway, 212-582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com

Jazz 966, 966 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY, 718-638-6910

Jazz at Lincoln Center, 33 W. 60th St., 212-258-9800, jalc.org

Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th St., 5th Floor

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Reservations: 212-258-9595

Rose Theater, Tickets: 212-721-6500, The Allen Room, Tickets:

212-721-6500

Jazz Gallery, 1160 Bdwy, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org

The Jazz Spot, 375 Kosciuszko St. (enter at 179 Marcus Garvey

Blvd.), Brooklyn, NY, 718-453-7825, thejazz.8m.com

Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St., 212-576-2232, jazzstandard.net

Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St & Astor Pl.,

212-539-8778, joespub.com

John Birks Gillespie Auditorium (see Baha’i Center)

Jules Bistro, 65 St. Marks Pl, 212-477-5560, julesbistro.com

Kasser Theater, 1 Normal Av, Montclair State College, Montclair,

973-655-4000, montclair.edu

Key Club, 58 Park Pl, Newark, NJ, 973-799-0306, keyclubnj.com

Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Ave., 212-885-7119. kitano.com

Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, 33 University Pl., 212-228-8490,

knickerbockerbarandgrill.com

Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St, 212-219-3132, knittingfacto-

ry.com

Langham Place — Measure, Fifth Avenue, 400 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10018, 212-613-8738, langhamplacehotels.com

La Lanterna (Bar Next Door at La Lanterna), 129 MacDougal St,

New York, 212-529-5945, lalanternarcaffe.com

Le Cirque Cafe, 151 E. 58th St., lecirque.com

Le Fanfare, 1103 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn. 347-987-4244.

www.lefanfare.com

Le Madeleine, 403 W. 43rd St. (betw 9th & 10th Ave.), New York,

New York, 212-246-2993, lemadeleine.com

Les Gallery Clemente Soto Velez, 107 Suffolk St, 212-260-4080

Lexington Hotel, 511 Lexington Ave. (212) 755-4400.

www.lexinghotelnyc.com

Live @ The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W, Marlboro, NY 12542,

Living Room, 154 Ludlow St. 212-533-7235, livingroomny.com

The Local 269, 269 E. Houston St. (corner of Suffolk St.), NYC

Makor, 35 W. 67th St., 212-601-1000, makor.org

Lounge Zen, 254 DeGraw Ave, Teaneck, NJ, (201) 692-8585,

lounge-zen.com

Maureen's Jazz Cellar, 2 N. Broadway, Nyack NY. 845-535-3143.

maureensjazzcellar.com

Maxwell’s, 1039 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ, 201-653-1703

McCarter Theater, 91 University Pl., Princeton, 609-258-2787,

mccarter.org

Merkin Concert Hall, Kaufman Center, 129 W. 67th St., 212-501

-3330, ekcc.org/merkin.htm

Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St NY, NY 10012, 212-206-

0440

Mezzrow, 163 West 10th Street, Basement, New York, NY

10014. 646-476-4346. www.mezzrow.com

Minton’s, 206 W 118th St., 212-243-2222, mintonsharlem.com

Mirelle’s, 170 Post Ave., Westbury, NY, 516-338-4933

MIST Harlem, 46 W. 116th St., myimagestudios.com

Mixed Notes Café, 333 Elmont Rd., Elmont, NY (Queens area),

516-328-2233, mixednotescafe.com

Montauk Club, 25 8th Ave., Brooklyn, 718-638-0800,

montaukclub.com

Moscow 57, 168½ Delancey. 212-260-5775. moscow57.com

Muchmore’s, 2 Havemeyer St., Brooklyn. 718-576-3222.

www.muchmoresnyc.com

Mundo, 37-06 36th St., Queens. mundony.com

Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. (between

103rd & 104th St.), 212-534-1672, mcny.org

Musicians’ Local 802, 332 W. 48th, 718-468-7376

National Sawdust, 80 N. 6th St., Brooklyn. 646-779-8455.

www.nationalsawdust.org

Newark Museum, 49 Washington St, Newark, New Jersey 07102-

3176, 973-596-6550, newarkmuseum.org

New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark, NJ,

07102, 973-642-8989, njpac.org

New Leaf Restaurant, 1 Margaret Corbin Dr., Ft. Tryon Park. 212-

568-5323. newleafrestaurant.com

New School Performance Space, 55 W. 13th St., 5th Floor (betw

5th & 6th Ave.), 212-229-5896, newschool.edu.

New School University-Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., 1st

Floor, Room 106, 212-229-5488, newschool.edu

New York City Baha’i Center, 53 E. 11th St. (betw Broadway &

University), 212-222-5159, bahainyc.org

North Square Lounge, 103 Waverly Pl. (at MacDougal St.),

212-254-1200, northsquarejazz.com

Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel, 59 W. 44th St. (betw 5th and

6th Ave.), 212-840-6800, thealgonquin.net

Oceana Restaurant, 120 West 49th St, New York, NY 10020

212-759-5941, oceanarestaurant.com

Orchid, 765 Sixth Ave. (betw 25th & 26th St.), 212-206-9928

The Owl, 497 Rogers Ave, Bklyn. 718-774-0042. www.theowl.nyc

Palazzo Restaurant, 11 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair. 973-

746-6778. palazzonj.com

Priory Jazz Club: 223 W Market, Newark, 07103, 973-639-7885

Proper Café, 217-01 Linden Blvd., Queens, 718-341-2233

Clubs, Venues & Jazz ResourcesClubs, Venues & Jazz Resources

— Anton Chekhov

“A system of morality

which is based on relative

emotional values is a mere

illusion, a thoroughly vulgar

conception which has nothing

sound in it and nothing true.”

— Socrates


Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th St. & Prospect Park W., Brooklyn,

NY, 718-768-0855

Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro, 16 Prospect St. Westfield, NJ,

908-232-7320, 16prospect.com, cjayrecords.com

Red Eye Grill, 890 7th Av (56th), 212-541-9000, redeyegrill.com

Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main St.,

Ridgefield, CT; ridgefieldplayhouse.org, 203-438-5795

Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St, 212-477-4155

Rose Center (American Museum of Natural History), 81st St.

(Central Park W. & Columbus), 212-769-5100, amnh.org/rose

Rose Hall, 33 W. 60th St., 212-258-9800, jalc.org

Rosendale Café, 434 Main St., PO Box 436, Rosendale, NY 12472,

845-658-9048, rosendalecafe.com

Rubin Museum of Art - “Harlem in the Himalayas”, 150 W. 17th

St. 212-620-5000. rmanyc.org

Rustik, 471 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 347-406-9700,

rustikrestaurant.com

St. Mark’s Church, 131 10th St. (at 2nd Ave.), 212-674-6377

St. Nick’s Pub, 773 St. Nicholas Av (at 149th), 212-283-9728

St. Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington (at 54th), 212-935-2200,

saintpeters.org

Sasa’s Lounge, 924 Columbus Ave, Between 105th & 106th St.

NY, NY 10025, 212-865-5159, sasasloungenyc.yolasite.com

Savoy Grill, 60 Park Place, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-286-1700

Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., 212-491-2200,

nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html

Shanghai Jazz, 24 Main St., Madison, NJ, 973-822-2899, shang-

haijazz.com

ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11215

shapeshifterlab.com

Showman’s, 375 W. 125th St., 212-864-8941

Sidewalk Café, 94 Ave. A, 212-473-7373

Sista’s Place, 456 Nostrand, Bklyn, 718-398-1766, sistasplace.org

Skippers Plane St Pub, 304 University Ave. Newark NJ, 973-733-

9300, skippersplaneStpub.com

Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St. (at 7th Ave.), 212-929-7565,

SmallsJazzClub.com

Smith’s Bar, 701 8th Ave, New York, 212-246-3268

Sofia’s Restaurant - Club Cache’ [downstairs], Edison Hotel,

221 W. 46th St. (between Broadway & 8th Ave), 212-719-5799

South Gate Restaurant & Bar, 154 Central Park South, 212-484-

5120, 154southgate.com

South Orange Performing Arts Center, One SOPAC

Way, South Orange, NJ 07079, sopacnow.org, 973-313-2787

Spectrum, 2nd floor, 121 Ludlow St.

Spoken Words Café, 266 4th Av, Brooklyn, 718-596-3923

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 165 W. 65th St., 10th Floor,

212-721-6500, lincolncenter.org

The Stone, Ave. C & 2nd St., thestonenyc.com

Strand Bistro, 33 W. 37th St. 212-584-4000

SubCulture, 45 Bleecker St., subculturenewyork.com

Sugar Bar, 254 W. 72nd St, 212-579-0222, sugarbarnyc.com

Swing 46, 349 W. 46th St.(betw 8th & 9th Ave.),

212-262-9554, swing46.com

Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, Tel: 212-864-1414, Fax: 212-

932-3228, symphonyspace.org

Tea Lounge, 837 Union St. (betw 6th & 7th Ave), Park Slope,

Broooklyn, 718-789-2762, tealoungeNY.com

Terra Blues, 149 Bleecker St. (betw Thompson & LaGuardia),

212-777-7776, terrablues.com

Threes Brewing, 333 Douglass St., Brooklyn. 718-522-2110.

www.threesbrewing.com

Tito Puente’s Restaurant and Cabaret, 64 City Island Avenue,

City Island, Bronx, 718-885-3200, titopuentesrestaurant.com

Tomi Jazz, 239 E. 53rd St., 646-497-1254, tomijazz.com

Tonic, 107 Norfolk St. (betw Delancey & Rivington), Tel: 212-358-

7501, Fax: 212-358-1237, tonicnyc.com

Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., 212-997-1003

Triad Theater, 158 W. 72nd St. (betw Broadway & Columbus

Ave.), 212-362-2590, triadnyc.com

Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St, 10007,

[email protected], tribecapac.org

Trumpets, 6 Depot Square, Montclair, NJ, 973-744-2600,

trumpetsjazz.com

Turning Point Cafe, 468 Piermont Ave. Piermont, N.Y. 10968

(845) 359-1089, http://turningpointcafe.com

Urbo, 11 Times Square. 212-542-8950. urbonyc.com

Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S., 212-255-4037

Vision Festival, 212-696-6681, [email protected],

Watchung Arts Center, 18 Stirling Rd, Watchung, NJ 07069,

908-753-0190, watchungarts.org

Watercolor Café, 2094 Boston Post Road, Larchmont, NY 10538,

914-834-2213, watercolorcafe.net

Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, 57th & 7th Ave, 212-247-7800

Williamsburg Music Center, 367 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

11211, (718) 384-1654 wmcjazz.org

Zankel Hall, 881 7th Ave, New York, 212-247-7800

Zinc Bar, 82 West 3rd St.

RECORD STORES

Academy Records, 12 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011, 212-242

-3000, http://academy-records.com

Downtown Music Gallery, 13 Monroe St, New York, NY 10002,

(212) 473-0043, downtownmusicgallery.com

Jazz Record Center, 236 W. 26th St., Room 804,

212-675-4480, jazzrecordcenter.com

MUSIC STORES

Roberto’s Woodwind & Brass, 149 West 46th St. NY, NY 10036,

646-366-0240, robertoswoodwind.com

Sam Ash, 333 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001

Phone: (212) 719-2299 samash.com

Sadowsky Guitars Ltd, 2107 41st Avenue 4th Floor, Long Island

City, NY 11101, 718-433-1990. sadowsky.com

Steve Maxwell Vintage Drums, 723 7th Ave, 3rd Floor, New

York, NY 10019, 212-730-8138, maxwelldrums.com

SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, CONSERVATORIES

92nd St Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128

212.415.5500; 92ndsty.org

Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music, 42-76 Main St.,

Flushing, NY, Tel: 718-461-8910, Fax: 718-886-2450

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 58 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn,

NY, 718-622-3300, brooklynconservatory.com

City College of NY-Jazz Program, 212-650-5411,

Drummers Collective, 541 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011,

212-741-0091, thecoll.com

Five Towns College, 305 N. Service, 516-424-7000, x Hills, NY

Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St., Tel: 212-242-

4770, Fax: 212-366-9621, greenwichhouse.org

Juilliard School of Music, 60 Lincoln Ctr, 212-799-5000

LaGuardia Community College/CUNI, 31-10 Thomson Ave.,

Long Island City, 718-482-5151

Lincoln Center — Jazz At Lincoln Center, 140 W. 65th St.,

10023, 212-258-9816, 212-258-9900

Long Island University — Brooklyn Campus, Dept. of Music,

University Plaza, Brooklyn, 718-488-1051, 718-488-1372

Manhattan School of Music, 120 Claremont Ave., 10027,

212-749-2805, 2802, 212-749-3025

NJ City Univ, 2039 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, 888-441-6528

New School, 55 W. 13th St., 212-229-5896, 212-229-8936

NY University, 35 West 4th St. Rm #777, 212-998-5446

NY Jazz Academy, 718-426-0633 NYJazzAcademy.com

Princeton University-Dept. of Music, Woolworth Center Musical

Studies, Princeton, NJ, 609-258-4241, 609-258-6793

Queens College — Copland School of Music, City University of

NY, Flushing, 718-997-3800

Rutgers Univ. at New Brunswick, Jazz Studies, Douglass Cam-

pus, PO Box 270, New Brunswick, NJ, 908-932-9302

Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies, 185 University

Avenue, Newark NJ 07102, 973-353-5595

newarkrutgers.edu/IJS/index1.html

SUNY Purchase, 735 Anderson Hill, Purchase, 914-251-6300

Swing University (see Jazz At Lincoln Center, under Venues)

William Paterson University Jazz Studies Program, 300 Pompton

Rd, Wayne, NJ, 973-720-2320

RADIO

WBGO 88.3 FM, 54 Park Pl, Newark, NJ 07102, Tel: 973-624-

8880, Fax: 973-824-8888, wbgo.org

WCWP, LIU/C.W. Post Campus

WFDU, http://alpha.fdu.edu/wfdu/wfdufm/index2.html

WKCR 89.9, Columbia University, 2920 Broadway

Mailcode 2612, NY 10027, 212-854-9920, columbia.edu/cu/wkcr

ADDITIONAL JAZZ RESOURCES

Big Apple Jazz, bigapplejazz.com, 718-606-8442, gor-

[email protected]

Louis Armstrong House, 34-56 107th St, Corona, NY 11368,

718-997-3670, satchmo.net

Institute of Jazz Studies, John Cotton Dana Library, Rutgers-

Univ, 185 University Av, Newark, NJ, 07102, 973-353-5595

Jazzmobile, Inc., jazzmobile.org

Jazz Museum in Harlem, 104 E. 126th St., 212-348-8300,

jazzmuseuminharlem.org

Jazz Foundation of America, 322 W. 48th St. 10036,

212-245-3999, jazzfoundation.org

New Jersey Jazz Society, 1-800-303-NJJS, njjs.org

New York Blues & Jazz Society, NYBluesandJazz.org

Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St, New York, NY,

212-620-5000 ex 344, rmanyc.org.

“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world

and moral courage so rare.”

— Mark Twain

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Dafnis Prieto

Learning From Everything

Interview by Eric Nemeyer, Photo by Ken Weiss

JI: What kinds of challenges did you experi-

ence to your creativity and musical develop-

ment while you lived in Cuba?

DP: I always like challenges specially in mu-

sic and I think I have had lots of them around

my musical development, in Cuba one of my

biggest challenge was to play, learn and create

music with the band “Columna B.” We were

always looking for some new ideas and the

understanding of the music itself.

JI: What prompted you to migrate to the

United States, and how did that happen?

DP: I was living in Barcelona, Spain and I

wasn’t satisfied with my career there, then I

was invited by Jane Bunnett to perform in

Canada and the U.S. so I came and I decided

that I had to make a step forward with my

professional life and make the move to New

York, so I did , that was in 1999, I wanted to

live in a place where I could meet and play

with different kind of musicians, I wanted to

develop myself as much as I can, and New

York was the place for it.

JI: Could you talk about how elements of

Afro-Cuban rhythms or music play a founda-

tional role in your conception and approach to

all genres of music?

DP: Well, I was born with the Afro Cuban

music around me and I have been always in-

terested in learning from it. Afro-Cuban music

has a very deep development in Rhythms

structures, chants, melodies and it has a great

diversity of genres. But when I approach my-

self into other genres of music I try to be open

and not get stuck only where I’m coming

from, for me it’s also where I want to go with

the ideas and how much of myself I can put

in.

JI: How did you make the acquaintance of

Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnett on whose

Blue Note album you recorded? What kinds

of discussions with Jane did you have, or what

suggestions did Jane make, and how did that

association influence you?

DP: I met Jane Bunnett for the first time in

France, then she came to Cuba and we talked

and played some music together, after that she

invited me to tour with her band Spirits of

Havana, we also made an album together title

Ritmo + Soul on Blue Note and EMI Records,

I liked the mix she had of AfroCuban tradi-

tional music with the Jazz elements.

JI: How did your experiences at the National

School of Music in Havana benefit you, or

challenge you? How did it provide the

groundwork for your career?

DP: At the time that I was at the National

School of Music in Havana I was learning

from the school all the European classic music

from J.S Bach to more contemporary Europe-

an music like Stravinsky, so I did my training

as a classic percussion such as timpani, xylo-

phone etc. I developed my reading and har-

mony, I learned about music history in gen-

eral, I also had the time to practice drums by

myself and that’s what I did almost for the

whole time. I’m self-thought on drum set. I

also had a great teacher for snare drum his

name is Roberto Concepcion he was a great

inspiration for me.

JI: What kinds of listening or study of jazz

drummers and jazz groups did you do to help

you gain proficiency to the level that your

background in Afro Cuban music provided?

DP: I listened a lot of Elvin Jones mostly with

the John Coltrane Quartet, also Tony Wil-

liams with Miles and Jack DeJohnette, Buddy

Rich, Steve Gadd and many others. I liked to

figure things out by myself, I didn’t have that

many drum books to learn from, so I learned

mostly the drum set by listening.

JI: What kinds of challenges-in terms of mu-

sic, business, career-did you experience upon

your arrival in the United States?

DP: The life of the musician in America is

hard but at least I’m doing what I like to do,

the challenge is that sometimes I have to play

music that I don’t really like and just because

I have to pay my bills, I have to go and make

it happen.

JI: Could you compare the goals, perspective

and or leadership styles of a few of the artists

for whom you have worked: Steve Coleman,

Jane Bunnett, Henry Threadgill, Michel

Camilo, Arturo O’Farrill?

DP: That’s a big question because they all

have different ways to approach music in the

first place, from the conception of the music

in their heads to the sound that come as a con-

sequence of it, They are all great but very

different....

JI: In brief, what kinds of impact did each of

these musicians make upon your artistry?

DP: I think they all influenced me and they all

challenge me to make myself a better drum-

mer and a better musician.

JI: Tell us about your experience working

with Herbie Hancock?

DP: That was a perfomance I did at the Eco-

nomic Forum. It was an All Star band with

Quincy Jones as a director, I can’t really tell

you that much about the experience because it

was only a couple of tunes that I played with


InterviewInterview

“The life of the musician in America is hard but at least I’m doing what I like to do, the challenge is that sometimes I have to play music that I don’t really like and just

because I have to pay my bills, I have to go and make it happen.”



him and I saw Herbie five or then minutes

before the gig.

JI: How does your approach or perspective

differ when you are in the role of being a side-

man as compared to a leader?

DP: I try to play all the music with the same

passion as if it were mine, but when I’m play-

ing my music I know what I wrote and what I

meant in each piece, so it’s quite easier.

JI: How did your deal with Zoho Records

develop?

DP: I met Joachim from Zoho Music when he

was starting with a the Label called Khaon.

He approached me to make my own Record

but I wasn’t ready for it at that time, since

then we have been in touch and now I have

two records on Zoho Music Label, the first is

title About the Monks and the second album is

Absolute Quintet.

JI: What kinds of suggestions or direction

from producers did you receive in the creation

of your various albums?

DP: I produced my first record myself and the

second album it was produced by Roberto

Occhipinti and myself. In this case the music

kept the same with not big change, that is

great for me to work with him because I’ve

known him for many years and he knew the

kind of music I was writing for this new al-

bum, good producer also get really specific on

how the band should articulate or interpret

parts in the music and so on ... this kind of

music is more about the sound of the whole

album and to make sure that it’s recorded well

too I’m talking about live music of course.

JI: Could you talk about how you have devel-

oped your compositional skills?

DP: Well, learning from everything. I hear

what I want and I what I don’t want as a

sound projection in my bands. I study scores

and charts from jazz composers and also from

European music, African music, Indian music

and the music that comes from Cuba. I follow

a lot my intuition when I sit at the piano to

write music. It feels great when I’m doing it

but is a lot of work when you have a lot of

music to write…

JI: What processes do you go through to de-

velop those compositions?

DP: Sometime the idea comes from a simple

bass line or from a melody or from a rhythm

structure, I don’t follow a role in my writing

and I liked that way. I walk around with my

recorder player and I record those ideas any

where — when I’m walking, waiting for the

subway etc. That way I make sure that the

idea is not going to fly away from me.

JI: What words of wisdom have you received

from a teacher or mentor, or is there a quota-

tion or fragment of wisdom that has inspired

you or that you abide by?

DP: There are a lot of them that I’ve fol-

lowed, but I know them in Spanish ... haha …


Jazz

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“I walk around with my recorder player and I record those ideas any where — when I’m walking, waiting for the subway etc. That way I make sure that the idea is not going to fly away from me.”

Dafnis Prieto





By Eric Nemeyer

JI: Who and what were your initial inspirations to

focus on baritone sax?

SR: Well that’s an interesting question. I actually

don’t focus on the baritone sax although a lot of

people think I do. I never played much baritone

until I came to New York. I started getting some

calls from people that needed a baritone sax player.

So I started playing it more and then I started get-

ting more calls to play it, and I played it with a lot

of big bands. Most of that has come to an end. I’m

still playing it with Maria Schneider’s band, and I

was playing it with Bob Brookmeyer. I actually

really do love the instrument and I think I managed

to develop a personal sound and approach to it

which helps to get me a lot of attention. The prob-

lem is that there’s something about the baritone

that once you start playing it and you get good at it

and you get a reputation for being good at it, no-

body wants to know that you do anything else - and

the tenor has always been my primary voice. I

found myself faced with a situation where people

weren’t calling me to play tenor anymore. Then it

became even worse. After a few years of this, if

people did see me somewhere playing tenor, I start-

ed hearing comments like, “Wow, you sound really

great. I didn’t even know you played tenor.” This

became kind of disturbing to me and troublesome. I

began to feel that I was losing my identity and my

personal voice. I never wanted to back off from the

baritone because I love the instrument. But I was

kind of forced to back off of it because of the reali-

ty that if I didn’t, my voice on the tenor would just

become lost. So I started taking fewer jobs on bari-

tone and focusing more on tenor and telling certain

people to call me for tenor and call somebody else

for baritone.

JI: How has that worked out?

SR: It’s worked out well because now I’m playing

tenor all the time. I didn’t really want to do it that

way because it’s my nature to add rather than sub-

tract. That’s why my life gets so complicated. I’m

always adding things in - and it’s hard for me to

say no and take something out. I haven’t taken the

baritone out, but I’ve cut way, way back on it. If

you look back over my recorded work, I’m on

more than 200 CDs at this point. There’s a lot of

baritone sax in there. But if you look at just the

ones I’ve done under my own name, going all the

way back to the beginning in 1984 - there’s very

little baritone sax in there. I enjoy the instrument

but it’s never been my primary focus. I’m more of

a B-flat guy. I play tenor and B-flat. I skip over the

baritone and play the bass sax a lot on my own

projects. Even though for several years now I’ve

been really focused on the tenor, some people

aren’t aware of it. I played at the Newport Jazz

Festival with two different bands — Maria Schnei-

der and Ryan Truesdale’s Gil Evans’ Project. Ma-

ria wrote a brand new piece, a big tenor sax feature

— and I stood up in front of the band for the entire

piece and played tenor. Later, I saw a review of the

Newport Festival and it said that Scott Robinson

sounded stellar on the baritone sax.

JI: When I used to go to hear Thad Jones’ band,

Pepper Adams played the woodwind doubles that

were written for bass clarinet on baritone sax –

transposing on the spot.

SR: There’s a logic to that transposition that makes

it doable, at least in a certain register. When I start-

ed playing in Mel Lewis’ band, I became Gary

Smulyan’s number one sub back in the days. I

played many, many times in that band and went to

Japan with them. I always brought the bass clarinet

and the guys were like, “Wow, nobody ever does

that.” But for me it was kind of fun, and fun to hear

those parts played as they were intended, on a bass

clarinet. I like doubling. I like playing all the dif-

ferent sounds. I have great respect for specializa-

tion. Some people really specialize and hone a

particular skill and really get it to a very, very high

level and part of me wishes I were more that way.

But I have to be true to my nature. It seems to be

my nature to have a thousand interests and to get

all excited about a million different things and add

them all into what I do - so it quickly spirals out of

control and I end up with these big complicated

projects in various stages, full of instruments that I

have to haul around. But it’s all part of the fun.

JI: What is your “laboratory” like?

SR: Well, you know, I’m attracted to science. I’m

not any kind of scientist and I never went to school

for any of that but I’m attracted to the aesthetics of

science and I use that in my music. I use it a lot. I

like taking scientific materials and looking at them

from an aesthetic viewpoint, and using them in

composition and in performance. If you came into

my lab, you’d see a lot of amazing instruments, all

kinds of unbelievable sound sources and strange

devices. You’d also see some actual laboratory

equipment, some chemical, glassware and stuff like

this. Strange beakers and vials kind of hanging

around the room and that’s just part of the vibe out

there. I have a round disc that lights up. It looks

like lightning sort of, and it responds to sound - and

they used these in Star Trek when the board is re-

charging. They use these weird plates that describe

these strange electrical arcs. I just like to turn it on

and it really puts a vibe in the room - puts a kind of

science meets music-of-the-future feeling in the

room.

JI: Let’s talk about some of the artists with whom

you’ve played who have made an impact on your

artistry and/or your perspectives about music.

You’ve played with such a wide variety of artists,

including those whose roots are in another era, the

Swing Era - like Buck Clayton and Lionel Hamp-

ton.

SR: My earliest heroes in this music were Lester

Young, Ben Webster, Louis Armstrong, Albert

Ayler, Rahsaan Roland Kirk. These are people that

I listened to when I was a boy. I don’t get caught

up in the debates over whether the music of the 20s

is more or less valid than the music of the 30s or

whether be bop was somehow the end of jazz. We

call Bebop modern jazz. Well, it’s from the 1940s,

you know? It’s a long time ago now. It’s splitting

hairs really to me to argue about Bebop versus

Swing or others. But there are a lot of people out

there that are ready to go to the mat over these

kinds of distinctions. I love the music. To me, it’s a

big river. The music is all connected. Every part of

it feeds on every other part of it and it moves to-

gether with a purposefulness all of its own. What

Scott Robinson I get to play with “Mickey Mantle.”

InterviewInterview

“The problem is that there’s something about the baritone [sax] that once you start playing it and you get good at it

and you get a reputation for being good at it, nobody wants to know that you do anything else - and the tenor has

always been my primary voice. I found myself faced with a situation where people weren’t calling me to play

tenor anymore.”



appears to us to be part of the river is more a refer-

ence to the landscape around it because the water is

moving. The river itself has already moved on. I

love the music, if it’s good creative music. If it’s

part of that great continuum, then I love it with all

my heart and to be able to play with the masters of

this music from different eras is one of the great

treasures of my life. It’s one of the great opportuni-

ties of what I do. In baseball, kids grow up idoliz-

ing Mickey Mantle for example. If they’re fortu-

nate enough to get to a point where they can actual-

ly become a major league player, Mickey Mantle is

long gone. But I get to play with “Mickey Mantle.”

I grew up listening to Frank Wess – and I reached a

point where I can go play at the Vanguard with

Frank Wess. That is such an incredible thing. I’m

so grateful for that. I got to play with Buck Clayton

in his band, and record with him. I got to play with

Illinois Jacquet.

JI: What kinds of ideas did you pick up in terms of

leadership from some of these artists?

SR: I’ve worked for some pretty tough people. I’ve

worked for some people that are not very nice and

I’ve worked for some people who are really great

leaders. Maria Schneider is very demanding in a

certain way. She really knows what she wants to

get out of the music. It’s never sufficient to just

play the written notes and snore your way through

parts. You’ve got to really bring it to life. She’s

always asking for dynamics and emotion — and

you’ve got to put a lot of feeling into it. You’ve got

to understand the intent of the music, and really

give it what it needs to come to life. She’s very

specific about these things. But at the same time,

she loves spontaneity. She loves the creative people

that she’s brought into the band and she loves to

wind them up and let them go—and when they go,

she just revels in it. She’s very grateful to her musi-

cians for what they do. She does what a lot of band

leaders never do: she sends cards or calls up the

next day and leaves a message saying, “Oh, Scott,

that was just so incredible what you played last

night. I can’t believe it. I’m still flying.” Not every-

body does that. She really is communicative and

she’s just a great, great gal. She’s got everyone’s

respect — and I’ve worked for plenty of people

that are not that way. They know who they are.

JI: Could you elaborate a bit about how she com-

municates some of the things that she wants during

a rehearsal?

SR: She’ll gesture with her hands, and she’ll say,

“That part needs to rise up. Think of yourself as

flying. Think of yourself as flying through the

clouds and you’re soaring over everything and

you’re a little bit afraid.” She’ll give you ideas like

that - emotional things, almost programmatic con-

siderations that inform how the music is supposed

to sound … how it’s supposed to be realized. Much

of her music tells stories - and the players need to

understand the type of story that’s being told so

that they can …. we’re actors in a way, aren’t we?

We’re playing a role. We’re playing a role in some

larger drama. So as actors, we need to find the

voice and the mannerisms that bring the drama to

life. Her music is very dramatic. There’s a lot of

story in it - so it places those types of demands on a

performer where somebody else’s music might not.

JI: By comparison, how does that compare to

someone like Anthony Braxton for example?

SR: Working with Anthony Braxton … there’s

another great example of somebody that I idolized

from boyhood and eventually found myself per-

forming with. He is a real treasure. He’s something

very, very special - very powerful work ethic, in-

credibly productive person, also very demanding in

a certain way. Of course, his music is very different

from Maria Schneider’s. Much of the music I

played with Braxton was highly notated and very,

very complex. I did one quintet performance with

him where we played standards, actually, interpret-

ed in a very freewheeling manner.

JI: I remember an album of his from the 1970s on

ECM where he played Charlie Parker’s harmoni-

cally-developed “Donna Lee.”

SR: Yeah, right, right. He did a couple of albums

like that. One of them was with Hank Jones. I

asked Hank about that. I said, “What did you think

of that?” He said, “That cat has a very individual

sound and approach to music, and I respected that

and I really enjoyed the sessions.”

JI: Over the years I have read attacks on Anthony

Braxton by some well known players.

SR: Yeah, Anthony Braxton gets thrown into the

slop bucket termed “free jazz” - which is kind of

ludicrous. He’s certainly capable of playing in a

free, improvised manner. He does a lot of that but

the bulk of his work is compositional. His are high-

ly original compositions. He’s much more interest-

ed in that then in just a lot of free, open blowing.

When you play in his ensemble, you have a certain

amount of freedom to make personal statements.

But you must hue to the intent of the music and the

arc that’s being described compositionally. That’s

what’s important. Braxton is an amazingly hard

working person, incredibly prolific. He’s written all

this music … and all these operas. A term like free

jazz becomes very silly when you’re speaking of

someone like Braxton. You asked what I appreciat-

ed about Braxton. The strongest comment I could

make is that he’s a great example - maybe the

greatest living example - of someone who has real-

ly created his own world in this music. As much as

he loves standards, and he loves Lester Young, and

he loves the whole spectrum of the music … but

within the genre, he’s beyond it really. He’s man-

aged to create a world all of his own. I keep an

Anthony Braxton file, a Sun Ra file, a Mel Lewis

file.

JI: Did he provide you with any particular direc-

tion or suggestions that you found particularly

noteworthy?

SR: Well, I know you like motivational kinds of

comments. I met him again after I moved to New

York. This might have been 1985. My first album

came out in 1984. It was an LP. I saw Braxton at

Sweet Basil and I brought him a copy of the LP. He

was incredibly enthusiastic about it. He looked at it

and all the different instruments, and wow. He was

really grateful for it and incredibly friendly. He

started saying, “You know, we’re in a difficult

cycle right now. There are a lot of problems in the

world. But the important thing is that people like

you and I keep on playing music like our lives

depend on it.” He said that very emphatically and

with great passion. That stuck in my mind. He’s

very enthusiastic about other people’s work. Years

later he started talking to me about that record and I

realized wow, he really did go and listen to it and

pay attention – so that years later he can come back

and talk to me about it. It was amazing. He loves

music. I don’t know how he finds the time to listen

to all the stuff he loves listening to, and write all

the stuff that he writes. Another guy that I used to

speak with a lot was Sun Ra. I used to see Sun Ra

all the time - any chance I got. He was very friend-

ly to me and we would sit and talk for hours some-

times. He was very giving of his time, very encour-

aging. He gave me his book, signed it for me and

everything and wouldn’t take any money for it. He

was a really nice guy to me. He was another amaz-

ing person who created his own world.


Scott Robinson

“It seems to be my nature to have a thousand interests and to get all

excited about a million different things and add them all into what I do - so it quickly spirals out of control and I end up with these big complicated projects in various stages, full of in-struments that I have to haul around.

But it’s all part of the fun.”


Interviw by Eric Nemeyer, Photo by Ken Weiss

JI: What are some of the key understandings

and words of wisdom - encouragement and or

warnings - you’d like to share or do share with

students and peers about career pursuits, creat-

ing music, the music business and so forth?

BS: I tell my students that it is imperative that

they know what is happening in the other arts -

dance, theater, poetry, literature, etc. That they

have to know what’s happening in the world -

politically, socially, artistically, scientifically.

I occasionally ask, “What was the last book

you read?” You’d be surprised at the stares. I

find that unfortunately we live in an era were

we have more access to information, culture,

history, science, etc., than ever before, but

many times we are the most uninformed artists

on planet earth. It didn’t used to be that way.

A true artist is totally aware of the world

around him. It informs their art constantly,

thus keeping them relevant. As a musician,

you want to be as versatile as you can possibly

be. In other words be able to fit in any musical

situation you’re thrown in, not just jazz. Every

type of music in the world has improvisation

in it, not just jazz. Have ideals, an ethos, a

sense of dignity about what you do as an artist,

but don’t become an arrogant jazz snob. Be-

cause if you do you’re gonna’ miss out on a lot

of interesting stuff that’s happening all around

you, particularly musically. You don’t know

everything, you haven’t live that long. Respect

is one the most supreme forms of love. Listen

— your ears are your best teacher. When some

tidbit of knowledge is given to you, write it

down, record it, whatever needs to be done to

retain. Knowledge is power, those tidbits add

up. Respect all elders. They’ve lived longer

than you, they must’ve done something right.

The last piece of advice? Learn how to dance,

you’ll swing harder. Particularly mambo on 2.

[smile]

JI: Could you talk about the growth and de-

velopment of the Manhattan School of Music

Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (MSM ACJO)?

BS: Justin Dicioccio who is head of the jazz

department at MSM called me up and asked

me to actually create and teach this particular

band about 16 years ago. I had just finished a

year of teaching at my alma mater the Berklee

College of Music in the percussion depart-

ment. I was teaching ten hours on Monday’s,

flying up there and flying back that same

night. It was very rewarding, and I had great

students, but with all my other endeavors I

was just burnt out. With the traveling, etc. it

would really turn into a 20 hour day. The good

thing is that before I decided to relinquish the

position I was asked to produce and conduct a

mega-concert at the school’s performance cen-

ter in honor of Tito Puente using a student big

band. I made one stipulation to the administra-

tion. I wanted to the band to be made up com-

pletely of Latino students at the school. You

have to understand, when I was freshman there

in 1975 the faculty and student body didn’t

even know who musicians like Tito Puente,

Eddie Palmieri were. I’m a Nuyorican from

the Bronx, in New York, the first one at that

had attended the school. There was a Costa

Rican, my buddy from high school band, Da-

vid Carmona a trumpeter who turned me on to

the school, three or four Brazilians and one

Argentinean. Nobody on the faculty, except

for a gentleman who changed my life, Keith

Copeland, had the slightest idea of what Latin

music, culture really was. They only knew

Santana, Milton Nascimiento because he had

recorded an album with Wayne Shorter and

Airto because everyone in the jazz world had

him playing Brazilian percussion on their al-

bums to add some type of exotica. When you

saw a chart it would say, “Latin” on it. I was

shocked, the people I mentioned like Tito and

Eddie were some of the many that I grew up

listening to and were my heroes. I remember

when I told Eddie’s older brother, the virtuosic

pianist Charlie Palmieri, he told me - “Listen

kid, once you drive up I -95 and get past New

Haven Connecticut, people start asking - ‘Tito

who?’ “My presence at the school as the first

student of Puerto Rican descent was important

in that in my own way I began to teach others

about the music, culture, etc., simply because

of my presence. By the time I had started

teaching there years ago, that had completely

changed. When J.D. asked me to come to

MSM it was the day that I informed Berklee I

wouldn’t return. It was just kismet. I don’t

even think Justin even knew I was teaching

there. But I loved teaching and I’m good at it.

Mind you, this is before the paradigm that

exists now where everyone is trying to get a

teaching gig because performance has dimin-

ished. I was always involved in teaching,

which is basically sharing ones knowledge and

mentoring. When I was a student at Berklee I

used to hold listening parties in my dorm room

teaching about the music, culture, etc. That all

started because fellow students would knock

on my dorm room and ask, “Are you the guy

with the Latin records?” A friend told me, “If

you don’t do it, who is? You’re the most quali-

fied.

JI: How did your CD ¡Qué Viva Harlem! -

which is performed by Manhattan School of

Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (MSM AC-

JO) - develop?

BS: For the last several years the school has

initiated a series of themes that encompass


Bobby Sanabria

“When we’re on the stage we’re also teaching.”

InterviewInterview

“When you’re young you rarely think about the future. I was always blessed

with a love of history and science which I inherited from my father. It has given

me perspective. My playing, composing and arranging is something that has

given me a lot of fulfillment, but I never thought I would get the same feeling

from teaching. It’s given me a satisfaction that only someone else

who is inspired by teaching can explain.”



both the jazz and orchestral/classical depart-

ments. Each year a theme is decided upon.

Several years ago the year was dedicated to

cinema and we did a series of concerts with

the MSM ACJO dedicated to move themes.

Last year was dedicated to Harlem, so my vi-

sion was to do a concert first of Harlem Hot-

houses dedicated to many of the clubs that

once existed there and finally a concert in trib-

ute to all the different parts of the cultures that

make up Harlem. I wanted to represent the

Harlem renaissance of the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and

of course the great migration of the Puerto

Rican community that started in the 1930’s

and continued through the 50’s. Most people if

you asked them where Afro-Cuban/Latin jazz

was born would say Cuba, but it really started

at an old Jewish catering hall, The Park Palace

Ballroom on East 110th Street and Fifth Ave-

nue where in 1939 the Machito Afro-Cubans

under Mario’s musical direction created the

genre. On the new CD we feature music by

Duke, Billy Strayhorn, Juan Tizol, Clarence

Williams, Machito, and several original multi-

movement large scale works that are monu-

mental in nature by Gene Marlow and current

grad student in jazz Kyle Athayde. For the

most part every single concert at the school,

whether large or small is recorded. I’ve heard

that somewhere there are tapes of Max

Roach’s pieces being performed when he was

student at the school back in the 1950’s

[laughs]. After doing all these concerts at the

school over the years and they being great

events I thought it was sad that they were just

fleeting moments in time with no life after the

performance. Some of the most creative play-

ing, composing, and arranging is coming from

the college level, in particular at MSM. The

band I had that year was beyond superb. Every

single chair in the band was a stellar soloist. I

remember the first day of the semester after

the rehearsal/class saying to myself, “Holy

shit, this is the best group of students I’ve ever

had.” Since the school already records the

concerts, why don’t we release them – and

have the money after expenses all go to the

school’s scholarship fund. It’s a win-win situa-

tion. The company gets visibility and a reputa-

tion for putting their money where its mouth is

by supporting jazz education, the students who

are fabulous get visibility, the school gets visi-

bility, and I get to continue my passion for the

art of the big band in between my own record-

ings. Justin has been completely supportive as

has the administration. We didn’t just recreate

the original album. This is an iconic album for

fans of Latin jazz, it featured Candido, Doc

Cheatum, Patato, Cannonball, Eddie Bert, Ray

Santos, Mario, I could go on and on, so some-

thing special had to be done with it. I took the

entire album and re-conceived it with new

arrangements done by students I selected and

supervised along with some arrangers I truly

respect and have worked with like Joe Fiedler,

Michael Philip Mossman and others. Every

chart has some quirky addition to it that I add-

ed. Some of the pieces were in multi-

movements, one was even in an odd meter,

something the Machito orchestra never did.

The Borden auditorium at the school, which

holds about 900 people, was packed to capaci-

ty, the school had to close the outside doors

and turn people away. The performance of the

orchestra was superb. The resulting CD, Ken-

ya Revisited Live!!! released in 2008 was nom-

inated for a Latin Grammy in the Latin Jazz

category. The subsequent recording Tito

Puente Masterworks Live!!! in 2011 was nom-

inated for Latin Grammy in the Latin Jazz

category. Mark Ruffin at Sirius Satellite Jazz

Radio has said, “The MSM ACJO is a group

of professionals masquerading as students.”

JI: How is your work as an educator in gen-

eral helping to promote, preserve and advance

Latin music, Afro-Cuban music and or jazz?

BS: When you’re young you rarely think

about the future. I was always blessed with a

love of history and science which I inherited

from my father. It has given me perspective.

My playing, composing and arranging is

something that has given me a lot of fulfill-

ment, but I never thought I would get the same

feeling from teaching. It’s given me a satisfac-

tion that only someone else who is inspired by

teaching can explain. Everywhere I go I see

former or current students of mine making an

impact on the jazz scene. If you go to any jazz

club in New York City on any given night I

guarantee you, you will more than likely see/

hear someone whom I’ve had the privilege of

teaching. Most of my colleagues at the New

School and MSM, or any of the other great

institutions where America’s greatest art form

is taught, will tell you the same thing. The

great thing is that most of us don’t know it, but

when we’re on the stage we’re also teaching.

Teaching and reaching. [smile] Milt Hinton

said it best, “Those are my children out there

playing.”


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“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes.

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- John Maxwell

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JI: How does that balance work for you? When

you’re out on tour and you come back is there kind

of a down period? What’s the work like when you

get back, the difference in activity?

WW: Well there’s definitely a down period. I’ve

been on the road, period, since almost 2004. Not

just with Chris, it’s just been with a lot of other

people too. But Chris McBride came into play in

2009, like around June, 2009. But when people in

this area, I’m speaking mainly of just Baltimore

and Washington, DC, when they start seeing that I

was gone a lot—especially the best times to work

with are Thursday through Sunday. When they start

seeing that I’m never here Thursday through Sun-

day or if they call and I just keep saying all the

time no, I’m sorry I can’t make it, I’m out of town,

I’m out of town, if I keep saying that over and

over, people will just stop calling after a

while. However, there were two people who under-

stood that I was gone a lot, but they always knew

well Warren has to come home sometimes. He

can’t work all the time so let’s give him a call. So

there were two or three artists in Baltimore and DC

who would call from time to time but it kind of

dwindled down. People, like I said, they just

stopped calling because they assume that you’re

out of town all the time. But I have to kind of put it

out there, like you said, on Facebook and tell peo-

ple hey, I am home. Call me for some work. Let’s

do it. I’m not out of town all the time. I just look at

that as a form of giving back. I very much enjoy

playing locally just as much as I do playing inter-

nationally. There definitely are some down

times. Surprisingly, this summer we had some off

time because Christian was out touring with Chick

Corea. And we just released a new record with

Christian on Mack Avenue called People Music. So

surprisingly I thought we were going to tour that

this summer but things like that happen in the mu-

sic business so we were off this summer. But things

again they’ll pick up starting next week, not for

Christian but there are other people.

JI: So when you were at school, how did your

experiences in the academic settings at Peabody

and at Berklee from which you earned degrees

support or challenge your artistic efforts and in-

come-producing pursuits during those periods?

WW: Well let me start with Peabody. Peabody, I

didn’t go to the conservatory, it was more prepara-

tory. I went there from the ages of five until thir-

teen. So I really can’t talk about that one so much.

JI: Were your parents pushing you to go there or

what?

WW: Oh, yes. My parents are a big part of

that. I’ve been playing music since I was three

years old. My father is retired now but he was a

history teacher for the Baltimore City public school

system. He taught U.S. and World History. But on

the side he was also a musician, not touring nation-

ally. He just had a local band around town, they do

a few gigs. But I’ve grown up watching him prac-

tice. So my dad, his name is Warren Wolf senior,

he plays drums and vibraphone and piano and all

that stuff too. So he started teaching me at the

young age of three. So I was practicing five days

per week, 90 minutes per day with him. And then

on Saturday mornings I would go to the Peabody

preparatory and I would take lessons with a guy,

with a former member of the Baltimore Symphony,

his name is Leo LePage. The great thing about Leo

was not only was he a classical musician but he

was a jazz drummer in the Boston area back in the

day. I honestly used to think the guy was Buddy

Rich because they kind of looked like each oth-

er. My parents were definitely pushing me on for

that.

JI: Well that’s a good thing.

WW: And what was the next part of that question?

JI: So when you were at school then, what were

the challenges going through an academic setting

versus—of course the old school jazz world people

didn’t go to school? It wasn’t as codified as it is

now, as Gary Campbell told me one time in an

interview. He said he got down to the University of

Miami and he said it was codified like scrip-

tures. But when I started playing, I had to tran-

scribe all of these solos, which I enjoyed. You

learn things note for note. Things weren’t as laid

out as they were, and you learned by making a lot

of mistakes on the bandstand. How did that com-

pare by comparison to your experiences in the aca-

demic world and of course you’re on the band

stand too?

WW: I can give two examples, kind of. My high

school, Baltimore School for the Performing Arts,

one of the top high schools in the country, we did a

lot of classical music training. Jazz music was

more like an elective. But I really didn’t understand

what all the classical training was doing for me

until a later age. Jumping to college, Berklee, yes,

everything is laid out for you. They tell you what to

do, and ear training and harmony, song writing

classes and all of that other stuff. But for me, de-

pending on what you want to do, if you want to be

in the production business, OK, I guess you have to

be in the classroom. But for me, I knew I wanted to

play. Did any of that stuff necessarily help me? I

would say to a certain degree, yes. But for the most

part, my true lessons came from being out Friday

and Saturday nights at the club learning from the

guys that were better than me and just picking up

pointers from them, not saying I actually sat down

and practiced with them. Because the great thing

about me is that I have perfect pitch. So I can hear

what they’re doing and just go ahead and play it

right back. And I can listen to so many different

things, like if the piano player happens to play a

minor seven flat five chord straight to a major or

change it to a minor the next time, I can hear all of

that stuff. So my true lesson again was just on the

bandstand like you were saying. School and the

academia part, that helped me in certain areas I

would say as far as writing music because when I

first got to Berklee I wasn’t that great at writing

music at all. What else?

JI: Do your mother or your father have perfect

pitch?

WW: Oh, no. For some reason my father nowa-

days he’s kind of developed it. I don’t know how

he did it. I would say not perfect. He has good

relative. It’s to the point where he can sit down and

listen to a recording. He still has his band. So now

that he’s retired he likes to write out charts. And it

takes him a little while to do it. I don’t know if

that’s just because of him getting up in age or it

just takes him a while period. But he definitely has

relative pitch. Me, I’m just like dead on, and it’s

not just like one note. I can hear up to about five to

six notes at one time. And I’m very quick at it.

JI: That’s great.

WW: My mom, she’s not a musician but she’s

actually teaching herself how to play piano

now. She’s retired also.


“Berklee, yes, everything is laid out for you … But for the most part, my true

lessons came from being out Friday and Saturday nights at the club learning from

the guys that were better than me and just picking up pointers from them…”

Warren Wolf “… it kind of starts with the rhythm ...”

InterviewInterview



Joseph Jarman

JI: Yes. Did she teach as well?

WW: No, no, no. She worked at the Baltimore Gas

and Electric Company. She was a supervisor there

for about 25 to 30 years. So both of my parents

retired around the age of 60 or 59, somewhere

around there. They just live a life of playing music

together [Laughter].

JI: Do you have brothers and sisters who play too?

WW: I have two older sisters. I’m the young-

est. My sister in the middle, she used to play violin

in her elementary school days. That didn’t last. So

right now, she’s just singing a lot around Balti-

more/Washington with a few local groups. She’s

out there doing like wedding gigs and stuff like

that. I have three children. My children, they live in

Boston with their mom. My youngest son, his name

is Caden, Caden Wolf, I think he might start play-

ing drums at some point. And my daughter, she’s

the oldest, she’s a hell of a singer. She’s 13 so I’m

curious to see where she’s going to go with it. I am

33—and the last artistic person in my family is my

wife, my current wife. She’s a ballet dancer.

JI: What is your schedule like?

WW: It depends. I’ve kind of paid attention to my

schedule. It seems like every year there’s always at

least one month, I’m not saying one whole month

but if you just add up all the days, there’s always

about a month, maybe a month and a half where

I’m home. The rest of the time, the majority of the

time I’m always out. And that doesn’t mean on the

road. I just might be out around Baltimore/DC

doing some type of work.

JI: What do you do when you’re on the road? Do

you do a lot of reading? How do you occupy your

time when you’re not playing?

WW: It depends. It depends on where we’re travel-

ing to because I know sometimes it will be early

flights. We tend to get into the hotel and a lot of the

musicians, well I can’t speak for everybody, I

know what I like to do for the most part is sleep. It

can be one or two things, two or three things, I’m

sorry. I’ll read, I’ll sleep or I go exercise. I’m a big

fan of staying in the gym. As a matter of fact right

before I called you I had just left the gym.

WW: I don’t think so.

JI: Talk about some of the mentors musically that

you’ve had who have shared some words of wis-

dom or a quote or some guidance with you that has

made an impact on your artistry as well as on your

human nature, your character and integrity.

WW: It’s funny. A lot of the guys that I play with

they’ve never given me any quotes I should say. I

would say the one quote that I’m always hearing

from everyone, it’s just kind of like a universal

thing, is just to keep playing, keep playing, keep

playing. Some of the people who have been a big

significant part of my musical life, I can easily say

Christian McBride, Mulgrew Miller, he was

one. Mulgrew was one of the first person to actual-

ly, well the second person to take me out on the

road. The first person was saxophonist Ken

Warfield. He’s from New York. So Ken gave me

my first call back in 2003. He took my down to

St. Louis for 4 nights with his group. And then

Mulgrew took me on a tour to Japan with his group

Wingspan. He gave me a call like two days after

Ken called me. So through Mulgrew I had my first

tour of Japan. So while we were in Japan, he intro-

duced me to a guy named Hiro Yamashita, I think

that’s his last night. But definitely his name is Hiro.

He was a record producer for this company called

M and I, like Man and Ice, M and I. And through

that deal I did two records for the Japanese compa-

ny. We recorded the records in New York. So the

first record that came out was Incredible Jazz

Vibes. That record featured myself, Mulgrew,

Kendrick Scott on drums and Vicente Archer on

bass. And then the second record we did was titled

Black Wolf. That record featured again Mulgrew

Miller, Jeff “Tain” Watts and Rodney Whitaker on

bass. But Mulgrew was definitely like a big help

for me just getting me started and getting my name

just out there. And he’s been that way for many

people. So when he passed that was a big shock for

everybody. Yes, just getting those things, getting

my career going, he called me to New York for a

few gigs. He was always, to me at least, he was

very soft spoken and he didn’t say a lot of things

like well this is what this person said back in the

day. You know a lot of jazz guys do that. But he

would just always say Warren, just keep play-

ing. The music will take care of you as long as you

take care of the music. So he would say things like

that to me. He meant a lot to me and that kind of

hurt when he passed. He helped me out a

lot. Christian, like I said, was definitely another

one. He gave me my first world experience. We’ve

been everywhere. I’ve been touring with him for

five years and through him kind of I would say we

got the Mack Avenue deal. I can also include Tia

Fuller in that category too. I’ve worked with Tia

for a little bit, actually playing drums not vibes.

Even though I recorded vibes on her CD, I played

drums on her band for a bit. So there are a lot of

people. I could keep going down the line forever.

JI: When you were doing your first and second

album for Mack Avenue Records, what kind of

direction were you getting or suggestions about

what they wanted if anything?

WW: Nothing. This is what I tried to model my

records after. I tried to model artists on my records

after Christian because I like what he did. Like

when his first record was getting into it, and then

he went to Number Two Express, he had a whole

bunch of all stars of jazz on both of those rec-

ords. What I tried to do with the first record, and I

can’t speak for the second record for Mack Adams

because I don’t have one yet. I tried to do on the

first record what any typical jazz artist should do

on their first record is basically to come out and

play. Don’t try to get too fancy by showing all of

your original compositions and things like that. I

wanted to show that I can play and here I am. This

is Warren Wolf. I’m a bad cat. I can play my tail

off. So that was the objective with the first rec-

ord. The second record, the Wolf Gang that’s com-

ing out tomorrow, is more the type of record—it’s

still showing that I can play but it’s just showing

who Warren Wolf is as a composer. So Mack Ave-

nue actually never said anything like why don’t

you try this or why don’t you try that. It’s kind of

like I had the full thing, I could do what I want. I

have my own direction. And I pretty much know

how to do this because even though this is my sec-

ond record for Mack Avenue, it’s honestly my

sixth record as a leader. So I’ve been down this

path before so I think I know what it takes to make

a decent record.

JI: You’ve got the ears for it. All you’ve got to do

is put two and two together. You have all the expe-

rience so it should work out great each time. What

did the guys in Japan want from you? Did they

have any specifics that they were stipulating up

front?

WW: The thing about the Japanese, they are very

specific on really hearing standards for the most

part. You can do a few of your originals but their

main concern, what they like is to hear stand-

ards. So I would say for each record, let’s just say

if we had 8 to 9 tracks on each record, I would

probably do about 6 standards on each record. And

I didn’t rearrange anything. I just kind of just

played it straight down how it is. That stuff is real-

ly powerful in Japan too. Just play the tune how it



Warren Wolf

“I’m a homebody. So a lot of my thinking times and when I can just relax honestly as hard as it is just lifting weights and running. That’s when I can kind get to sit back and

just think and think about the future.”


is and they love you forever.

JI: Were you able to go through that pretty quickly

in one or two takes or how did that work out?

WW: Pretty much. Let me think. The first record

we did, we recorded the record in two days. We

only did it in two days because something broke on

the vibraphone. I remember when I was using it, a

string had popped and I think by that time I was

just pretty tired. I was getting worn out so I just

said let’s just call it a day because for most people

when they book a studio session they pretty much

like to reserve the studio for one or two days, may-

be even three just in case we need the time. So we

did that one in two days. The second record for the

Japanese label, we did that one in one day because

we had a pretty good rehearsal. So it was just a

matter of going in and just putting it down on tape.

JI: What kind of vibes are you playing?

WW: I’m not endorsed with anybody. The model

that I prefer is a Musser M55. I prefer those but I

have been playing so many different things. It de-

pends. I’ve shown up to gigs and I’ve seen Yama-

ha’s. I don’t know the model numbers on any of

those. But I prefer the Musser M55. I own a

Musser ProVibe but the only negative part about

that and I really can’t tell it that much is that it’s

tuned to A-442, and that kind of sticks out some-

times when you’re playing a ballad. Generally I

like to play Mussers.

JI: One of the first set of vibes which I still have

and I’m still looking at it over there is Deagan 592

Commander. The lower fifth, the bars are a little bit

narrower, ever so slightly narrower than the

Musser. But one of the things is when I got that,

Deagan’s A-440, everything was tuned. Their ano-

dizing machine actually broke down and I was

dying to get this thing. You know when you’re a

teenager and you can’t wait to get your instru-

ment. When I finally got it, I learned about the

instrument a lot more, that they were turning to A-

440 and Musser was tuning A-442 I guess always. I

guess if you want to call it a cleaner sound or a

different, I don’t know. I don’t really regard it as

cleaner. But apparently Yamaha modeled their line

after the Deagan line. That’s what I heard.

WW: I’ll have to check that out.

JI: There was an instrument that’s made over in I

think it’s the Netherlands or Denmark, I can’t re-

member the brand. I had seen the thing and it’s got

the hookups on every bar and really portable. The

thing was four octaves. And one of the things that

the guy Hal Trommer told me years ago when he

was working at Deagan, I guess he was the head of

things, this was back in the 80’s, was that the prob-

lem with the four octave vibraphone was they

couldn’t get the lower fifth straight.

WW: What do you mean they couldn’t get it

straight?

JI: Well, they couldn’t get the lower, let’s say

when you went down from E down to C, they

couldn’t get for a while, and they put out a four

octave one. In fact, I think I still have the catalog

which shows Terry Gibbs playing it or something,

and they couldn’t get the C, C sharp, D, D sharp

and E to resonate the way they could with the low

F.

WW: Got you.

JI: So talk about some of your practice approaches.

WW: Nowadays a lot of my practicing really is

kind of just running through scales for the most

part, just making sure I’m very accurate in nailing

each note and as far as getting my timing

down. Timing is a very big thing for me. This is

one of the things my dad used to do with me when

I was younger. He would take his stick and hit the

side of a chair and make sure I’m always like and

make sure I’m always dead on with time. So be-

tween just running through scales for the most part

and also, what else am I doing, kind of just like

freshening up on a lot of 2-5-1’s and things like

that. A lot of times when I’m practicing, I practice

freely. I’m not practicing things like necessarily in

time. I can pick any song. Let’s just say “Satin

Doll” or something like that. I’ll kind of play

through the song as if there’s no time behind me

for the most part. I’m kind of just flowing through

the song and playing through all the changes, it’s

just not in time. So I’ll kind of just do things like

that for the most part. And just trying out different

things on the instrument because I’ve kind of come

to the conclusion that there is no wrong note when

it comes to improvising, it’s just all a matter of

how you resolve it. So I’ll just try out different

things. It’s not anything in particular. I’ll just kind

of play some things and see where I end up but I

always end up in the right spot.

JI: So how about when you’re composing, where

do you find you’re drawing your inspiration or

ideas from?

WW: Well for me it kind of starts with the

rhythm. Since I’m very much a drummer it kind of

starts with the rhythm right there. It has to be some

type of rhythm going on. It doesn’t necessarily

have to be swing because there are so many types

of rhythms out here that we can use in jazz. That’s

number one. A lot of my influence on compositions

they come from stories. I have to be influenced by

something like for instance, my wife. She’s been a

big part of my influence, of course she’s my wife,

but she’s been a big part of my life. So I have four

songs already because of things that we’ve talked

about or things that she’s done that’s made me

compose a song. Like one of the songs on the rec-

ord is because of her. It’s called

“Annoyance.” Now it’s funny, when people hear

that title they’re like “Annoyance?” Wait a mi-

nute. You married a girl and she annoyed you? But

it’s really not like that. There’s a big story behind

that. Just rhythm and stories for the most part. I’m

not to the point where I can just—I mean I can do it

if I really sit down and do it, but I really don’t like

to just sit at a piano and I tend to right all my songs

for the piano. I can’t sit at the piano and just start

writing for the most part. I have to have something

that’s went on in my life that would make me want

to write.

JI: That’s good. What do you do to decompress

when you’re not on the road and you’re not sleep-

ing?

WW: Man, I’m a homebody. So a lot of my think-

ing times and when I can just relax honestly as hard

as it is just lifting weights and running. That’s

when I can kind get to sit back and just think and

think about the future. I try to run four miles per

day and then I do a lot of just heavy, heavy weight

lifting and things like that. So I can do that, other

things, typical male things for the most part, just

going to a football game, just hanging out with the

guys, going out to get something to eat, things like

that, sitting back and watching a movie.


I’ve kind of come to the conclusion that there is no wrong note when it comes to improvising, it’s just all a matter of how

you resolve it.

“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth.

Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living

your life with integrity.”

- W. Clement Stone

Warren Wolf


Harold Mabern September 8-10, 2017 Dizzy’s Club at Jazz At Lincoln Center © Eric Nemeyer© Eric Nemeyer

By Eric Nemeyer

JI: One of my favorite pieces that you wrote is

“Lately.” I really like how you developed the

thematic material and built it.

MS: It’s from the live album Days Of Wine And

Roses. The band really swings when they play

that. That’s one of the cuts on that record that I

felt like, “Wow the rhythm section was slam-

ming.”

JI: Are you ever struggling with a voicing or

twisting your fingers at the piano from time to

time?

MS: Oh yeah. I’m always trying to figure out

little details. And then there’s that other part of

it that’s just like, “now I know what I want this

to feel like.” I start to hear how I want it to

sound—and now how do I get it? How do I get

with these instruments? How do I get all these

lines to work; and what are these chords.

What’s happening at the same time? How do I

get it to work with these instruments, while I’m

hearing this color. It’s just the technical nuts

and bolts.

JI: Gil Evans used sit there for hours, just

working on one chord and twisting his fingers

as well.

MS: Yeah me too. I’d see that with Gil too.

Locking the door, he would be playing a cluster

in his underwear, and he’d be just sitting there

twenty minutes hitting that little cluster and then

he would turn around and hand it to me and say,

“Okay it’s done.” It’s like he had to be sure. I

know that. And that attention to detail is what

makes his music just ugh—it’s so, it’s like a

blotch. Nothing extra. You take such care, never

just slopping stuff down on the page.

JI: When you do clinics and work with students

in educational settings, how do those experienc-

es impact your artistry?

MS: I think the aliveness you feel, sometimes

the wish of these students, the freshness, re-

membering what I was like at that age. I tend to

talk to them about the things have helped me

along the way and things that I think will help

them and help them find themselves in their

music. I’m telling them exactly the things that

are important to me. And me finding my music

and me finding my art and, when I’ve got the

wrong voices going off in my head, the things

that I need to hear. I try to remind them about

what it is to be alive and how amazing it is to

create music and dive into your feelings and

communicate. And how important it is and how

essential it is that you maintain being in touch

with yourself and your own taste and your own

voice. What may be considered the wrong way

to do something might be your voice. Gil Evans

had very unorthodox ways of orchestrating. I

want to always remind students that what the

jazz world considers to be hip is one path, but

you should never follow a path that you consid-

er to resonate with you and love it just because

everybody else loves it. What do you love?

What do you want to do? Okay: learn it. Every-

day put a little attention to who you are and

what you are and talk to teachers about it. I feel

that sometimes it’s the most valuable thing that

I can talk about to them about.

JI: Tell us about the processes that led to the

development of your album Sky Blue.

MS: Well, the music was written over a period

of time. They are all commissions except for

one. And, so it wasn’t conceived—actually

none of my records have really been con-

ceived—totally as a record. What I do is I take

commissions and when I start to see that there

might be something that could fit together then

maybe I try to fill it out with one piece that

might connect it or something. But, generally, I

kind of hope that because I’ve written the music

in the same period of time that it’s going to

have some connecting element to it. I think this

music is pretty disparate. It’s like, there’s the

thing with the Peruvian influence, then there’s

some things that really have much more influ-

ence by like the landscape of my home town.

JI: Going from Peru to Minnesota is a long

way.

MS: It’s a long ways. But, what? It’s not that

long if I think about it. When I was a kid, my

father used to work in South America and Mex-

ico a great deal in the agriculture business. We

lived in a small farm town. He was involved in

designing machinery that a lot people who man-

ufactured fibrous materials in Mexico and Peru

and different places used. My father would go

there and assist with operations and things. So I

was kind of exposed to a little bit of Latin

American culture as a kid, even though I lived

in this very rural town, with like 4,000 people. I

was always fascinated by it—fascinated by the

people, the music, the exotic-ness of it. To this

day I just have such fascination with South

America. I think it’s my favorite place to visit.

Mostly I’ve been to Brazil. In Peru I was ex-

posed to a new kind of music called lando. Then

the other pieces just came out of… Most of my

music is very autobiographical. If I was to de-

scribe my music, I would say that I’m a story

teller. I love to share stories. It’s kind of a way

to share a story and all its essence in a much

clearer way than maybe words do—or in some

kind of direct emotional way. It’s not through

description so much, but I think music has so

much power that way. All the arts are some

special window to soul like that, and that’s what

I’m doing in my music: hopefully touching peo-

ple. And maybe in ways that they intellectually

describe but hopefully that they just feel. That’s

my wish. After we recorded this record, I was

really excited. I even made the bold statement,

on my website, which might have been, because


Maria Schneider Attention To Detail

InterviewInterview

“I try to remind them about what it is to be alive and how amazing it is to create music and dive into your feelings and communicate. And how important it is

and how essential it is that you maintain being in touch with yourself and your

own taste and your own voice. What may be considered the wrong way to do

something might be your voice.”


I was sharing the whole process. I tend to share

my insecurities as well as my securities. Vulner-

ability is the thing that connects people always.

Actually, when I first starting doing the whole

ArtistShare thing and I did my first record, I

was in the middle of writing this piece “Concert

in the Garden,” and I was in a complete crisis. I

was writing some journal stuff on the website

and I was saying how I was really in a crisis and

blah blah blah. My father called me up and said,

“Geez, Pinky, nobody’s going to want to buy

this record.” He kind of panicked me because,

in a way, I felt, “Well it’s true.” Then I said to

him, “Yeah, but this is about sharing the pro-

cess.” And I’ve gone through this thing every

single time I’ve ever written a piece. So part of

me knows and hopes it comes out the other side.

I don’t want to create any illusion that this stuff

comes out of me like the baby Mozart.

JI: Composing can be a real struggle.

MS: It can be. It almost always is.

JI: Do you find that there are days that you

have great ideas and other days when you are

struggling with a little motive that’s in one

measure.

MS: Oh yeah, and usually struggling with what

the big picture is. “Where is this thing going?”

…and struggling with the timing issues. For me

the most difficult thing in writing music is how

long should something happen. How long

should this development be, how long should

this section going from here to—for instance in

the “Bird” piece, there was this section where I

really wanted to give the sort of evocative feel-

ing, imagining what it would be like for a little

warbler to be migrating amongst other warblers

with all the little wings fluttering by the light of

the moon and the stars navigating in the night.

Thousands of kilometers without stopping - that

journey takes weeks. Here I am, writing a 22

minute piece, and this is one little part of it. So

how do you create that feeling for the right

amount of time for the music? Make it kind of

meditative and make it not feel dull. Those

kinds of things I really struggled with.

JI: Do you sketch out the ideas or a direction,

or is it really evolving organically?

MS: Not really at this point, because the materi-

al that I’m using isn’t something that is really

like a chunk of bars or a phrase. It’s more like

I’m developing something out of a motif. I

mean, here and there there’ll be something

that’s a tune like that and sort of works that

way. But there are a lot of other sections and

things that are very much more like writing

classical music. And so it’s trying to come up

with this balance. I love tunes. I love the evoca-

tiveness of classical music as opposed to, some-

times, jazz. Sometimes it is fun or it’s exciting

or it’s beautiful. But is it taking you on this

journey? I want to take people on this little trip.

All those decisions I’m making are really guid-

ed by something very internal in me: my heart

and my imagination. Trying to imagine this

journey myself and always trying to imagine

what it’s like to hear a piece for the first time.

Trying to create a feeling of suspense, some-

times beauty, tension, resolution, lushness—but

not too much lushness. More and more, I think

joy is an element in my music - wanting to do

that without pushing it over the top. Like, “Oh

I’m so joyful!.” It’s trying to get to notes on the

paper to speak truthfully about the way I’m

feeling and trying to be dedicated enough in

every moment to not stop until I get across what

I feel like I want to get across. Not giving up.

That’s the struggle. I tend not to give up, so the

frustration is I’m not satisfied until I’m satis-

fied. And that point of satisfaction, sometimes I

press that bar pretty hard and high for myself,

so it’s like, “Ahh, God, am I ever going to get

this sounding the way I want?” And if it’s not

exactly what I want, I’m just tremendously dis-

appointed. It’s not a little thing. Kind of make a

big deal about it, which maybe you’ll under-

stand.

Hear Maria Schneider and her Big Band at

Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St., November 21-26.


Maria Schneider


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No one does “vintage” better, and you deserve the best.

Steve Maxwell

JAZZINSIDE_full-page_VintageExpert.indd 1 12/17/13 5:07 PM

http://www.maxwelldrums.com

Visit JohnALewisJazz.com

New CD Release from Dallas Area Pianist

John A. Lewis

John A. Lewis, piano Merik Gillett, drums Robert Trusko, bass TRACKS: Backstory Deadline Jacked Complicity Bylines Liable Precocity Excerpt from the "Ancient Dance Suite" What Say I A Cautionary Ruse All compositions by John A Lewis

http://www.johnalewis.com

Documents

Eric Nemeyer’s - Jazz Inside · PDF fileda with Pat Martino’s band and soon after I ... At that time there was no Real Book in Cuba. ... love with that tune,