Where To Go & Who To See Since 1982

February 2017 www.hothousejazz.com

Dianne ReevesPage 17JALC

MOPDTKPage 10Cornelia Street Underground

Page 10BirdlandPage 21Cutting Room

Noah HaiduMatthew Shipp

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THE LATIN SIDEOF HOT HOUSE P33

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By George Kanzler

10 MOPDTK cover photo by Peter Gannushkin, Reeves by Jerris Madison, Shipp by Barbara Januszkiewicz.

WINNING SPINSTHE TWO ALBUMS THAT COM-prise this Winning Spins both featuresmall groups with a three-horn frontline,as well as original compositions by theleaders. They also have one musician incommon—saxophonist Jon Irabagon. And,in each case, they present work inspired byliterature.

But the results are startlingly different:while pianist Noah Haidu develops hismusic solidly within the conventions of themainstream of today's jazz, bassist MoppaElliott conjures up flights of fancy thatchallenge conventional ideas, creating afunhouse mirror take on early jazz styles.

Loafer's Hollow, Mostly Other PeopleDo the Killing (Hot Cup), is from the lat-est configuration of MOPDtK, Moppa's flu-idly configured small group, this time aseptet with Jon on soprano or tenor sax,joined in the frontline by Steven Bernstein,trumpet and slide trumpet, and DaveTaylor, bass trombone. Rounding out thegroup are Brandon Seabrook, banjo andelectronics; Ron Stabinsky, piano; Moppaon bass, and Kevin Shea, drums.Brandon's ubiquitous banjo sound perme-ates most of the music, bringing a vintagehue to a warped, surrealistic take on tradi-tional jazz.

The CD's opening track, "Hi-Nella,"steps jauntily along on a two-beatDixieland rhythm, Ron's strums and slapsare prominent throughout. Jon's sopranosax evokes Sidney Bechet and NewOrleans; Steven's sliding, smeared notescreating an a cappella centerpiece. Thetrad jazz feel continues on "Honey Hole,"Ron's banjo and Moppa's bass anchoringthe Twenties pulse as Kevin ranges towardpost-bop rhythmic freedom on his drumkit—all under a shower of wah-wah solo-ing from Steven and Dave.

The next five tracks are all dedicated to,and inspired by, the writing of novelistsMoppa admires: James Joyce, KurtVonnegut, Thomas Pynchon, CormacMcCarthy and David Foster Wallace (inthat order). "Bloomburg" evokes Joyce'sonrushing prose through Jon's cascadingtenor sax and tag-team solos, climaxing intandem improvisations, from muted trum-pet and trombone.

Off-kilter rhythms vie with strains ofstride from Ron's piano, periods of nearsilence and mouthpiece exhalations on"Kilgore;" "Mason and Dixon" features astop-time banjo solo and Jon's tenor lead-ing a polyphonal ensemble; Steven and Jon(tenor again) share solo space on the slow-er "Meridian," with echoes of "Makin'Whoopee."

"Glen Riddle" begins as two-beat Dixiethat veers through decades with Ron andMoppa going modern before Brandonbrings the vintage sound back. The albumends with "Five (Corners, Points, Forks),"a piece incorporating trad conventionswith contemporary attitudes.

Infinite Distances, Noah Haidu (CellarLive), finds a very different, adaptable Jonagain on soprano and tenor saxes; JeremyPelt, trumpet and flugelhorn; SharelCassity, alto sax; and either PeterBrendler or Alejandro de la Portilla, bass;John Davis or Mark Ferber, drums. Noah,who dominates a lot of the solo space onthe album, studied piano with KennyBarron at Rutgers, and his playing sharessome of the architectonic sense of form andflow we hear in Kenny's work.

Central to this 11-track CD is the six-part suite, "Infinite Distances," inspired bya passage from the writer Rainer MariaRilke: "Among the closest people thereremain infinite distances." Piano soloing,against the horns and in a drop-out a cap-pella section, and Jon's tenor share thespace on the suite's eponymous first move-ment. Alan's drums dominate the short"Against the Sky."

"Hanaya" is a leisurely waltz infusedwith passion by Noah's piano and Sharel'ssax solos; swirling lines weave through thefast rhythms of "The Great Darkness;""Can We Talk" has a catchy, short melodicline and gospel beat, Noah's piano soloappealingly accessible. Suspended time vieswith accelerating, ostinato-fueled rhythmson the suite closer, "Guardians of Solitude,"Noah soloing at different tempos andSharel closing it out with convincing flair.

Four more tracks complete the album:three reworked Noah tunes originallyrecorded in a piano trio format, plus thelate Joe Henderson's "Serenity." The latteris a quartet feature for piano and Jon'ssoprano sax. Both soprano and Sharel'salto sax share solo space on the boppish"Juicy," along with John's chatteringdrums. Jeremy is front and center on"They Who??," a sinuous, rolling excursion.Jeremy and Sharel comprise the frontline,and tandem solos, on the riff tune"Momentum." All in all, this is an ambi-tious and highly successful showcase forNoah's piano, compositions and ensembleconception.

Mostly Other People Do the Killingperform at Cornelia Street Under-ground Feb. 19. Noah Haidu has a CDrelease gig at Birdland for InfiniteDistances with his band on Feb. 9.

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PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR:Gwen Kelley (formerly Calvier)gwen@hothousejazz.comCOPY EDITOR: Yvonne Ervinyvonne@hothousejazz.comPRODUCTION & ART DIRECTOR:Karen Pica karen@hothousejazz.comCONTRIBUTING WRITERS:Ken Dryden, Yvonne Ervin, Ken Franckling,Seton Hawkins, Eugene Holley Jr.,Stephanie Jones, Nathan Kamal, George Kanzler, Elzy Kolb, Ralph A. Miriello, Michael G. Nastos, Emilie Pons, Cary Tone, Gary Walker, Eric WendellPROOF READER: Robert AbelCONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Fran Kaufman

For advertising requests and listing info contact Gwen Kelley

Toll Free Phone: 888-899-8007/gwen@hothousejazz.com

Hot House Jazz Magazine is published monthly and allcopyrights are the property of Gwen Kelley. All rights

reserved. No material may be reproduced without writtenpermission of the President. No unsolicited manuscriptswill be returned unless enclosed with a self addressed

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international $50.PUBLISHER EMERITUS: Dave N Dittmann

CO-FOUNDERS: Gene Kalbacher, Lynn Taterka & Jeff Levenson

For press releases and CD revues send a copy toGwen Kelley: PO Box 20212 - New York, NY 10025

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CLUBS & HALLS

For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

UPPER MANHATTAN

(Above 70th Street)BILL’S PLACE: 148W 133rd St (bet Lenox &7th Avs). www.billsplaceharlem.com. 212-281-0777. Fri-Sat: 8&10pm $20 don BillSaxton Bebop Band.

CAVATAPPO: 1712 1st Av (bet 88th & 89thSts). www.cavatappo.com. 212-987-9260.Sets: Mon 7-10pm free adm, Thurs 9-11pm$10 adm. Mon: Roger Lent. Feb 2: PasqualeGrasso; 7: 6-8pm Bucky Pizzarelli/Ed LaubTrio; 9: Mafalda Minozzi; 14: 8-10pmGabrielle Stravelli; 16: Nick Myers; 23: JasonTiemann.

CLEOPATRA’S NEEDLE: 2485 Bway (bet92nd & 93rd Sts). www.cleopatrasneedleny.com. 212-769-6969. Sets: Early (E), Late (L);Sun E 4-8pm, L 9pm-1am; Mon-Tues E 8-9pm, L 10pm-1am; Wed-Thurs E 7-11pm, L11:30pm-2:30am; Fri-Sat E 8pm-12am, L12:30-3am. Free adm/$10 min. Trios exceptMon&Thurs Duets. L Jam. Residencies: SunE Open mic w/Keith Ingham, L Kelly GreenDuet; Mon Jon Weiss; Tues Marc Devine;Wed E Open mic w/Les Kurtz, L NathanBrown; Thurs L Kazu; Fri L Ben Zweig; Sat LT. Kash. Feb 2: Roel Tempelaar; 3: JulieBluestone; 4: Masami Ishikawa; 9: Joel Fass;10: Dona Carter; 11: Justin Lees; 16: KateCosco; 17: John David; 18: Brandon Sanders;23: Matt Baker; 24: Art Lillard; 25: WalterWilliams & Gitesha.

GINNY’S SUPPER CLUB: At Red Rooster.310 Lenox Av (bet 125th & 126th Sts).www.ginnyssupperclub.com. 212-792-9001.Sets: 7:30&9:30pm $15 adm. Feb 2&9:Johnny O’Neal; 3: Evan Sherman Big Band;4: Pauline Jean; 10: Chris Turner.

MILLER THEATRE: At Columbia University.2960 Bway at 116th St. 212-854-7799.www.millertheatre.com. Feb 4: 8pm $25-45adm Marcus Roberts Trio.

MINTON’S: 206W 118th St (bet St. Nicholas Av& Adam Clayton Powell Blvd). 212-243-2222.www.mintonsharlem.com. Feb 1: 6:30-9:30pm Jerome Sabbagh; 3: 7-10:30pmLaurin Talese.

NATIONAL JAZZ MUSEUM IN HARLEM:58W 129th St at Malcolm X Blvd. 212-348-8300. www.jmih.org. $10 don. Feb 4: 2pmSaturday Sessions Ellington & StrayhornJam; 9: 7pm Jazz for Curious Listenersw/Nicholas Payton; 11: 3:30pm Move &Groove Yoga Vinyasa Jazz Flow; 12: 1pmJazz for Curious Listeners ZahIntergenerational Jazz Jam.

PARIS BLUES: 2021 Adam Clayton Powell Jr.Blvd at 121st St. www.parisbluesharlem.com.212-222-9878. Sets: Early (E) 5-9pm, Jam9pm-1am. Free adm. Sun: E Double G & thePossee, 9pm 1st & 3rd La Banda Ramirez,last Elliot Pineiro & Sumbaswing. Mon: JohnCooksey & Spontaneous Combustion; Tues:The Sultans of Soul; Wed: Les Goodson &the Intergalatic Soul Jazz Band; Thurs:Tyrone Govan & Top Secret; Fri: tba; Sat:alternate The 69th Street Band/The AntoineDowdell Gp.

SHRINE: 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd

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13For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

(bet 133rd & 134th Sts). 212-690-7807.www.shrinenyc.com. Sets unless otherwisenoted: Early (E) 6-7pm, Late (L) 7-8pm.Residencies (R): Sun 5-8pm except 02/5 Jamw/Lu Reid; Fri E Alfredo Colon Qrt. Feb 3: R;8: L Dillon Mansour Trio; 9: E Joe Pino Qnt;10: E R, L Jeffrey Krol Gp; 12: R; 14: 8-10pmBlu Cha Cha; 15: E-L Drew Zaremba; 17: E R;18: E-L Shawn Maxwell & New TomorrowBand; 19: R; 24: E R; 25: E AlessandroFadini; 26: R.

SILVANA: 300W 116th St at FrederickDouglass Blvd. www.silvana-nyc.com. 646-692-4935. Sets unless otherwise noted: Early(E) 6-7pm, Late (L) 7-8pm. Feb 2: E-L MikeSailors; 9: E-L Josh Lawrence; 11: 8-10pmBlue Cha Cha; 13: E-L Kevin Sun Trio; 14: E-L Drew Zaremba; 16: E-L Travis Sullivan; 17:E Ben Holtzman; 18: E-L J-MUSIC Ens; 23:E-L Noah Bless; 24: E Joe Pino Qnt; 27: E-LJoe Breidenstine Qnt.

SMOKE JAZZ & SUPPER CLUB: 2751Bway (bet 105th & 106th Sts). 212-864-6662.www.smokejazz.com. Sets: Early (E), Late(L), Brunch (B); Sun B 11:30am,1&2:30pm, E7,9&10:30pm, L 11:30pm; Mon E 7&9pm, L10:30pm; Tues-Thurs E 7,9&10:30pm, L11:30pm; Fri-Sat E 7,9&10:30pm, L 11:45pm&12:45am; Adm/min vary. Residencies: SunB Annette St. John Trio, L Willerm DelisfortQrt; Mon (R) E Vincent Herring Qrt, L SmokeJam; Tues (R) E Mike LeDonne & GrooverQrt, L Emmet Cohen Organ Trio w/guests;Wed L Nathan Peck & The Funky ElectricalUnit; Thurs L Nickel & Dime OPS; Fri L02/3,17&24 John Farnsworth Qrt, 02/10Patience Higgins & Sugar Hill Qrt; Sat LJohnny O’Neal & friends. Feb 1: Juan CarlosPolo Qrt; 2: Bill Cantrall & Axiom; 3-5: DavidBerkman Sxt; 6-7: R; 8: Rick Germanson Qnt;9: Gregory Generet; 10-12: Drumbattle featJoe Farnsworth vs. Kenny Washington; 13-14: R; 15-16: Alexis Cole; 17-19: DaveLiebman Gp; 20-21: R; 22: KJ Denhert Qrt;23: Cynthia Scott; 24-26: Wayne EscofferyQrt; 27-28: R.

SUGAR BAR: 254W 72nd St (bet Bway & WestEnd Av). 212-579-0222. www.sugarbarnyc.com. Sets: 8pm/$10 adm unless otherwisenoted. Residencies: Wed Electrikana; Thurs9pm Open Mic w/Sugar Bar All Star Band.Feb 4: Irini Res & the Jazz Mix; 10: 8:30pmAbe Ovadia Trio; 11: Project Grand Slam; 24:8&9:30pm $15 Joe Bonacci feat Ty Stephens& Vivian Sessoms.

SYMPHONY SPACE: 2537 Bway at 95th St.212-864-5400. www.symphonyspace.org. BarThalia (BT). Feb 10: 9pm BT Rale Micic'sGuitar x 2 series; 19: 3:30&6:30pm Peter &Will Anderson, 7pm BT The Mini-monicw/spec guests Jim Saporito & HarrisonHollingsworth.

BIRDLAND: 315W 44th St (bet 8th & 9th Avs).212-581-3080. www.birdlandjazz.com. Sets:8:30&11pm, except Mon 7&9:30pm, Sun6,9&11pm. Adm varies. Residencies: Sun9pm (R) Arturo O’Farrill Afro-Latin Jazz Orch;Mon 9:30pm Jim Caruso Cast Party; Wed5:30-7pm David Ostwald & Louis ArmstrongEternity Band; Fri 5:15-7pm Birdland BigBand by Rob Middleton & Glenn Drewes; Sat6pm Barbara Carroll. Feb 1-4: Carmen Lundy;5: 6pm Melanie Marod, 9pm R; 7-11:Bossabrasil feat Marcos Valle w/spec guestCelso Fonseca; 9: 6pm Noah Haidu Qrt; 12: 6pm Benny Benack III, 9pm R; 14-18: Catherine Russell; 16: 6pm Veronica

MID-TOWN MANHATTAN(Between 35th & 69th Street)

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Swift; 19: 6pm Laila Biali, 9pm R; 21-25:Cyrus Chestnut Qrt; 23: 6pm The EmpathiaJazz Duo; 26: 6pm Carrie Jackson & AllStars, 9pm R; 28-Mar 4: John Pizzarelli.

CARNEGIE HALL: 57th St & 7th Av. 212-247-7800. www.carnegiehall.org. Feb 15: 8pmKeith Jarrett Solo.

CLUB BONAFIDE: 212E 52nd St (bet 2nd &3rd Avs). 3rd Fl. www.clubbonafide.com. 646-918-6189. Sets: Early (E) 7:30pm, Late (L)9:30pm, Night (N) 11pm. Residency (R): TuesE Latin & Jazz Jam w/Robert Rodriguez. Feb2: E Emilio Teubal Trio; 3: E Do-Do Orch, LJoe Pino Qnt; 4: E Malena Dayen/DavidRosenmeyer Trio, L Maz; 5: E Giuseppe DeGregorio & the NYC Gospel Jazz Syndicate;7: R; 10: E Duke Guillaume & The Power OfPraise Band, L Max Pollak Rumba Tap; 11: ECookin’ Hooks w/Billy Ruegger; 12: E FredyGuzman; 14: R; 15: E Larry Corban 3; 16: LEvil Giraffes on Mars; 17: E Anders TAndersen, L Dom Palombi Project; 21: R; 22:L Erin McDougald Qnt; 23: E Albino MbieBand, L Zack Okello; 24: E Aleks Fadini, LIrka Mateo y La Tirindanga; 25: E TyStephens & the SoulJaazz, L TheChardavoine Band; 28: R.

DIMENNA CENTER FOR CLASSICALMUSIC: 450W 37th St (bet 9th & 10th Av).www.dimennacenter.org. 212-594-6100. Feb1: 7:30pm Composers Now Festival featMuhal Richard Abrams, Edmar Castenada,Jessie Montgomery.

DIZZY’S CLUB COCA-COLA: At Jazz @Lincoln Center. 10 Columbus Cr at 60th St.5th Fl. www.jalc.org. 212-258-9800. Sets/adm unless otherwise noted: 7:30&9:30pm,11:30pm Late Night Sessions; Sun $35, Mon$25, Tues-Wed $30, Thurs-Fri $40, Sat $45;$10 min. Feb: 1-2: $35 02/2 Javon JacksonBand; 3-5: $35 02/3, $25 02/5 Gerry GibbsSxt feat Tom Harrell; 6: Devin Bing; 7: CamilleThurman; 8: The Flail; 9-12: Freddy Cole Qrt;13: Sarah McKenzie; 14: $140 (incl 3-coursemeal w/entrée wine pairing) Brianna Thomas;15: $35 Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown JazzOrch; 16: $45 Andrew Cyrille Qrt; 17-19: $3502/17 Benny Green Trio; 20: Juilliard JazzEnsembles; 21-22: $35 Jason Marsalis VibesQrt; 23-26: Dexter Gordon Legacy Ensw/Abraham Burton, Josh Evans, 02/23-24Louis Hayes, Alan Palmer, 02/25-26 DavidBryant, Eric McPherson, 02/23-25 GeraldCannon, 02/26 Peter Washington; 27: $35William Paterson University Big Band &Ensembles; 28: $35 Mardi Gras celebrationw/Riley Mulherkar & Alphonso Horne. LateNight Sessions w/Feb 1-4: Kali Rodriguez-Peña; 7-11: Atla & Matt DeChamplain; 14-17:Evan Sherman Entourage; 18: Evan ShermanBig Band; 21-25: Caroline Davis Qnt; 28-Mar4: Barry Stephenson.

IGUANA RESTAURANT: 240W 54th St atBway. www.iguananyc.com. 212-765-5454.Mon-Tues: 8-11pm Vince Giordano & TheNighthawks.

IRIDIUM: 1650 Bway at 51st St. 212-582-2121.www.theiridium.com. Feb 13: 8pm $25 admEd Palermo Big Band; 16: 8&10pm $25 “BlindBoy” Paxton.

JAZZ AT KITANO: 66 Park Av at 38th St. 212-885-7119. www.kitano.com. Sets/adm: Sun12-2:30pm, Mon-Tues 8-11pm, Wed-Sat 8-9:15&10-11:15pm; Sun $40 buffet, Mon-Tuesfree/$15 min, Wed-Thurs $17/$20 min, Fri-Sat $32/$20 min. Residencies (R): Sun JazzBrunch w/Tony Middleton; Mon Jam w/IrisOrnig. Feb 1: Melissa Hamilton Qrt; 2: GeoffGallante Qnt; 3: Joyce Breach Trio; 4: ScottRobinson Qrt; 5-6: R; 7: Micah Thomas Solo;8: Danny Bacher Qrt; 9: Kathleen Landis Trio; 10-11: Frank Kimbrough Trio; 12-13: R;

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1515For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

14: Angelo Di Loreto Solo; 15: New YorkBrazilian & European Connection feat JohnSnauwaert; 16: Daryl Sherman Duo; 17-18:Roni Ben-Hur Qrt; 19-20: R; 21: MicahThomas Solo; 22: William Tatge Trio; 23:Charito w/John di Martino Trio; 24-25: LeeKonitz Qrt; 26-27: R; 28: Angelo Di LoretoSolo.

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER: 10 ColumbusCr at 60th St. 5th Fl. www.jalc.org. 212-258-9800. Rose Theater (RT). Feb 10-11: 8pm RTDianne Reeves; 17-18: 8pm RT Jazz of the'50s feat the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchw/Wynton Marsalis.

SAINT PETER’S CHURCH: 619 LexingtonAv at 54th St. (Citicorp Bld). www.saintpeters.org. 212-935-2200. 1st Mon: 7:30pm$5 adm International Women in Jazz Jam;Wed: 1pm $10 don Midtown Jazz at Midday;Sun: 5pm free adm Jazz Vespers. Feb 1: BenCassara; 5: Janet Planet/Tom Washatka featGene Bertoncini; 8: Ayako Shirasaki/NorikoUeda; 12: Joel Frahm; 15: Russ Kassoff BigBand w/Catherine Dupuis; 16: 7:30pm DukeEllington Society feat Krin Gabbard; 19: LuisPerdomo & The Controlling Ear Unit; 22:Marlene VerPlanck/Tomoko Ohno; 26: T.K.Blue & friends.

STEINWAY HALL: 11155 6th Av bet 44th &45th Sts. www.steinwayhall.com. 212-246-1100. Feb 13: 7pm the Louis ArmstrongHouse Museum feat Davell Crawford.

SWING 46: Jazz & Supper Club. 349W 46th St(bet 8 & 9th Avs). www.swing46.com. 212-262-9554. Sets: Sun-Thurs 8:30-11:30pm,Fri-Sat 9:30pm. Residencies (R): MonSwingadelic; Tues George Gee Swing Orch;Wed Stan Rubin Orch w/Joe Politi; Thursexcept 02/2 David Berger & The Sultans ofSwing. Feb 1: R; 2: George Gee 17 PieceSwing Orch; 3: Ron Sunshine Swing Orch; 4:Gordon Webster & friends; 5: VanessaTrouble & Red Hot Swing; 6-9: R; 10: GeorgeGee Orch; 11: closed; 12: ProfessorCunningham & His Old School; 13-16: R; 17:George Gee Orch; 18: Swingadelic; 19:Timatha Kastan T.K.O Band; 20-23: R; 24:Ron Sunshine Swing Orch; 25: Crescent CityMaulers; 26: Jerry Costanza Gotham CitySwingers; 27-28: R.

TOMI JAZZ: 239E 53rd St (Bet 2nd & 3rd Avs).Lower level. www.tomijazz.com. 646-497-1254. Sets: Early (E), Late (L), Night (N);Sun: 8-11pm; Mon&Wed L 8-11pm, N 11pm-12:30am; Tues E 8-9:20pm, L 9:40-11pm, N11pm-12:30am; Thurs 9-11:30pm; Fri 9pm-1am; Sat E 6-7:30pm, L 8-10:30pm, N 11pm-1:30am. Adm: Sun-Wed free/$5 min, Thurs-Sat $10/10 min. Feb 1: L Raquel Rivera Duo,N Abel Mireles Trio; 2: tba; 3: Craig BrannTrio; 4: E Rocco John Duo, L Greg DeAngelis,N tba; 5: David Love Duo; 6: L Akemi YamadaTrio, N Lee Ryeog Jeong Duo; 7: E ClaireNatirbov Trio, L The Embers Trio, N KennyBrooks Duo; 8: L Chieko Honda Trio, N MattGordeuk Duo; 9: Greg Merritt Trio; 10:Takenori Nishiuchi; 11: E Kathryn Allyn Duo, LStandard Procedures, N Paul Lee; 12: TheTruthseekers; 13: L Bill Stevens Trio, NNicholas Brust Duo; 14: E Yun Huang Trio, Ltba, N George Dulin Duo; 15: L Racha Fora,N Alan Kwan Duo; 16: Linda Pregraves; 17:Kuni Mikami Trio; 18: E Sharp Tree Trio, LDaniel Bennett Gp, N Jun Xiao Trio; 19: TheHigh Liners; 21: E Hyuneng Kim Trio, LAmanda Ruzza, N Annie Chen Duo; 22: LMichael Gallant Trio, N Dayeon Seok Duo;23: Senri Oe; 24: Takenori Nishiuchi; 25: EAkihiro Yamamoto Trio, L Yuko Ito Trio, NCandice Reyes; 26: Kengzo Yamada; 27: LWishing On Stars Trio, N Hattie Simon Duo;28: E Charles Rhyner Trio, L Antonio FeulaDuo, N Eric Plaks Duo.

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16 For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

The TOWN HALL: 123W 43rd St (bet 6&7thAvs). www.thetownhall.org. 212-840-2824.Feb 17: 8pm $32-67 adm Gregory Porter; 23:8pm $40-75 Laurie Anderson & ChristianMcBride.

55 BAR: 55 Christopher St (bet 6th & 7th Avs).212-929-9883. www.55bar.com. Sets: Early(E) 7-9pm except Sun&Fri-Sat 6-9pm, Late(L) 10pm. 1st Mon: E Sean Wayland; 1stThurs: E Amy Cervini; 1st Sat: E Ayana lowe;2nd Thurs: E Nicole Zuraitis; 2nd Fri: E TessaSouter; last Wed: E Paul Jost; last Fri: EKendra Shank. Feb 22-25: E Duchess Trio.

BAR NEXT DOOR: 129 McDougal St. 212-529-5945. www.lalanternacaffe.com. Sets:Sun 8&10pm, Mon-Thurs Early (E) 6:30-7:45pm, Late (L) 8:30&10:30pm, Fri-Sat7:30,9:30& 11:30pm. Adm: $12 all night + 1drink min/set except Fri-Sat $12/set + 1 drinkmin/set, E free. Trios unless otherwise noted.Mon-Thurs: E Emerging Artists series; Mon: LVocal Mondays series. Residencies (R): SunPeter Mazza, Wed L Jonathan Kreisberg. Feb1: E Prawit Siriwat, L R; 2: E David Kuhn, LRich Perry; 3: Jeff Barone; 4: Freddie Bryant;5: R; 6: E Peter Amos, L Beat Kaestli; 7: E TalYahalom, L Matt Marantz; 8: E AndrewShillito, L R; 9: E Bobby Katz, L JonathanGreenstein; 10: Tom Dempsey; 11: MarkCocheo; 12: R; 13: E Paul Jubong Lee, LElisabeth Lohninger; 14: 4,6,8&10pm $92 incl5-course dinner w/Champagne feat MarkPhillips; 15: E Alicyn Yaffee, L R; 16: ETommaso Gambini, L Paul Pieper; 17:Quentin Angus; 18: Warren Chiasson; 19: R;20: E Flavio Silva, L Roz Corral; 21: E JeffMiles, L Nadav Peled; 22: E LeandroPellegrino, L R; 23: E NanJo Lee, L RavivMarkovitz; 24: Paul Meyers; 25: World on aString; 26: R; 27: E Andrew Shillito, LChristine Tobin; 28: E Sam Zerna, L HendrikMeurkens.

BLUE NOTE JAZZ CLUB: 131W 3rd St at 6thAv. 212-475-8592. www.bluenotejazz.com.Sets: 8&10:30pm + Fri-Sat 12:30am LateNight Groove series, Sun 11:30am&1:30pmSunday Brunch. Adm varies. Feb 1-5: CountBasie Orch feat Dee Dee Bridgewater; 6-7:McCoy Tyner; 8: Fabrizio Sotti & friends featMelanie Fiona & M1 of Dead Prez; 9-12:Rachelle Ferrell; 13: The Baylor Project; 14-19: Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton; 20: Loop LoftAllStars; 21-22: Ivan Neville; 23-26: KermitRuffins & The BBQ Swingers; 27: tba; 28-Mar1: Donald Harrison feat Henry Butler. LateNight Groove w/Feb 4: Phony Ppl; 10:Satellite Mode; 17: Phony Ppl; 24: NickHakim; 25: Prodigy. Sunday Brunch w/Feb 5:Rich Shemaria Big Band; 12: LaurenHenderson; 19: Ferber/Nussbaum/Essiet; 26:Joey Morant & Catfish Stew.

The CAVE: At St. George’s. 209E 16th St atRutherford Pl. www.olmstedsalon.com. 2ndFri: 7:30&9:30pm $15 adm. Feb 10: DominickFarinacci Qnt.

CORNELIA STREET UNDERGROUND: 29Cornelia St. www.corneliastreetcafe.com.212-989-9319. Sets unless otherwise noted:Sun 8:30&10pm, Mon-Thurs 8&9:30pm, Fri-Sat 9&10:30pm. Adm varies. Feb 1: TobiasMeinhart Qnt, 9:30pm Matt Marantz Qrt; 2:Steve Sandberg & Alaya; 3: Aubrey JohnsonGp; 4: George Garzone & Boston Collective;6: 8:30pm Amram & Co; 7: Maya Nova,

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LOWER MANHATTAN

(Below 34th Street)

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17Reeves photo by Jerris Madison.

REEDS AND STRINGS PLAY SOFT-ly under indigo hues illuminating cor-

ners of the stage. A melodic hum swells,soars and releases. Dianne Reeves closesher eyes to receive the moment, before ashimmering cascade of lyrics escapes herlips.

Since the master vocalist and songinterpreter began singing as a child,Dianne's appetite for exploration andexperimentation has only expanded. Heropen invitation for sounds and texturesextends as far back as the 1960s. "My lan-guage comes from a time when music wasvery open. There were no fences aroundmusic," she says.

"The word 'genre' was not even part ofanything, which was fantastic. There wereall these amazing people who developedtheir own sound in a way that was sounique. If you heard Sarah, you didn't hearanybody else who sounded like Sarah; youheard Marvin Gaye and there was nobodyelse who sounded like him. It was almosttaboo to try to sound like somebody else. Tobe inspired by them was one thing, but tosound like them was taboo."

Individualism is more than a word; toDianne, it's a legacy. "I always say: Defineit, refine it, respect it and protect it in away that you know that it's yours," shesays. Over the evolution of her career, andthrough her refinement of sound, she haslearned to embrace human imperfectionsin concept and execution as true art. Partof her own approach that comprises subtleharmonic tendencies, conversationalphrasing and that pure, resonating tone,often depends on her interpretation of thesong itself.

Even as a young player, her eagernessto collaborate with Billy Childs, ClarkTerry, Jimmy Rowles and her cousin, thelate George Duke, allowed her to make dis-coveries in lyrical delivery as part of over-all musicianship. "I think what taught mehow to interpret a song was coming up at atime when jumping off the edge was every-thing," she says.

"We got to try out things. We got toexperiment and go places—even if wecouldn't get back. It was okay. We had theopportunity to feel what it feels like to notthink about it, but to feel about it." Whileembracing experimentation with manydistinctive American contemporaries,Dianne delighted in hearing musical inter-pretations of artists from all over theworld. Observing peers collaborate with

musicians from India, Cuba and Brazil,she welcomed a moment of clarity: "It wasall about color," she says. "That you couldactually paint a song with vocal color—that was where it all started for me."

When she speaks, Dianne's words bub-ble over at a decibel that's at once enthusi-astic and reflective. But her soft and shim-mering pattern of speech only intensifiesthe message of her words.

Dianne's visceral understanding of com-posing and performing resists what sheconsiders a more modern notion of genre."I grew up in a time when a lot of artistsappreciated one another, and it was like abig sound stage because there was so muchmusic," she says. "You had the music ofMotown, church music, traditional jazz,more freedom in jazz, more experimenta-tion—people were changing forms andsongs; so, you had great writers like StevieWonder and Joni Mitchell who were mov-ing away from A-A-B-A form songs andwriting really new, wonderful melodiesthat were [using] fantastic poetry."

Believing true artists collaborate, notonly to stretch their own sound, but toenhance the unique sound of their peers—and witnessing this kind of collaborationamong the younger generation's players—Dianne is hopeful for the future of themusic. "That's what I love about theseyoung people—they facilitate these voices."

Her latest release produced by TerriLyne Carrington, the Grammy award-win-ning Beautiful Life (Concord, 2014),engages many distinctive female artiststhat, in part, comprise the record's power-ful, modern voices that range in age fromEsperanza Spalding and Gerald Clayton toRobert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway toher longtime musical partner GeorgeDuke. Knowing all the personnel shecalled for the recording to be in some wayinfluenced by the music she heard growingup, Dianne had considered that particularpoint of origin to be "the perfect meetingplace." Of the younger players, she says,"They're all very fearless; they're all verystrong in their own voices; and they're allcollaborators."

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18

By Ken Dryden, Ken Franckling, Seton Hawkins, Stephanie Kassoff photo by Craig Collins, Kimbrough by Marielle Solan, Marsalis by Zack Smith, Sayer by Gary Spector, Silberstein by Gulnara Khamatov

S P O T LYOTAM SILBERSTEINJAZZ STANDARD / FEBRUARY 8Israeli guitarist Yotam Silberstein's distinctive, warm tone and his splendid beboplines have made him an asset for many Big Apple-based jazz bands since arriving inNew York 11 years ago. The 2005 Monk Competition finalist has worked with saxo-phonists Antonio Hart and David Sanborn, pianist Monty Alexander and the PaquitoD'Rivera-led Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, among others. This performance cel-ebrates the release of The Village, his fifth CD as a leader. Its title reflects Yotam'sartistic home in Greenwich Village, as well as the global musical village throughwhich he has absorbed Israeli, Arabic, Brazilian, Caribbean, Flamenco, the blues andother melodic and rhythmic influences in his playing and writing. His band includespianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland. KF

CYNTHIA SAYERTRIBECA PAC / FEBRUARY 9While the banjo might not be as closely associated with jazz these days, its pedigreein the music's history and relevance in early rhythm sections is important to recalland celebrate. Enter banjoist and vocalist Cynthia Sayer, whose consistently swing-ing and delightful projects make one wonder why it left, and wish for a large-scalereturn of the instrument to jazz. Sporting strong solo chops and an effortless sense forcomping, Cynthia takes full advantage of the instrument's brassy qualities and hasproduced classic records alongside a bevy of talents, including Bucky Pizzarelli, MiltHinton and Kenny Davern. Appearing at the 44th anniversary Highlights in Jazzwith her ensemble Joyride, Cynthia presents a joyful and utterly irresistible set. Alsofeatured are Vince Giordano and his Nighthawks, and Ms. Vinnie Knight. SH

TATUM GREENBLATTSMALLS JAZZ CLUB / FEBRUARY 9Without a doubt, one of the most versatile trumpet talents on the scene today, TatumGreenblatt has graced the albums and projects of artists and groups ranging fromRichard Bona to the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and from the Captain BlackBig Band to Grizzly Bear. Indeed, on his solo efforts, in particular his fantastic albumImprints, Tatum can leap across genres, covering Afro-Latin styles, soul jazz, hardbop and more, with a trumpet sound that can switch from dazzlingly bright high-endpyrotechnics to breathy and intimate ballad work. Joined at Smalls by MishaPiatigorsky on piano, Sam Minaie on bass, and Donald Edwards on drums, Tatumdemonstrates why he's a first-call talent for many artists, and why he's so deservingof broader acclaim. SH

THE BAYLOR PROJECTBLUE NOTE / FEBRUARY 13With roots deep as their faith is strong, spouses Jean and Marcus Baylor are embark-ing on a musical exploration together. Their debut release as The Baylor Project, TheJourney (Be A Light), 2017, marks the culmination of an extended partnershipbetween uniquely expressive artists. The singer/drummer duo—both of whom com-pose and arrange on the release featuring Keyon Harrold and Dezron Douglas, amongother collaborators—flourished in the church as children of pastors. Associationswith Kenny Garrett, Cassandra Wilson and The Yellowjackets have allowed theBaylors to stretch their sound and shape their vision, but their profound mutualadmiration truly informs the authenticity of their music. They feature ShedrickMitchell, Yasushi Nakamuria, Keith Loftis, Freddie Hendrix and Stephanie Fisher. SJ

DELFEAYO MARSALISDIZZY'S CLUB COCA-COLA / FEBRUARY 15 Trombonist and composer Delfeayo Marsalis' groove and gravitas has graced numer-ous projects with his incomparable tone, exciting and delighting the ears of the lis-tener. Whether producing albums for Harry Connick Jr. and Terence Blanchard, per-forming as a sideperson with Art Blakey and Slide Hampton or leading his owngroups, Delfeayo's tasteful sonority is a cut above. In addition to his performanceschedule, Delfeayo founded the Uptown Music Theatre in 2000 and instituted themusic program Kidstown After School in several grammar schools in New Orleans asa means of inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians. For this concert Delfeayois joined by his group, The Uptown Jazz Orchestra, to perform selections from theirlatest album Make America Great Again! (Troubadour Jass Records) EW

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nie Jones, George Kanzler, Michael G Nastos & Eric Wendell amatova, The Baylor Project by Deneka Peniston, Towner by Caterina di Perri, Whitfield by Deneka Peniston.

L I G H T

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RUSS KASSOFFSAINT PETER'S CHURCH / FEBRUARY 15With nearly 20 years as a big band leader, NYC pianist Russ Kassoff has plenty ofmaterial to offer interesting charts for his talented sidemen. Supporting singers isnothing new for Russ having worked prominently with Frank Sinatra and LizaMinnelli. Growing up in Brooklyn and Long Island, he began working in the Catskillsat age 13, he holds a 1974 Bachelors degree in performance from the Crane School ofMusic SUNY Potsdam. His sidemen since the formation of the orchestra in 2003 haveincluded Ted Nash, Greg Gisbert, Pete McGuniness, Dave Bargeron, Dennis Mackreland Gene Bertoncini. Russ is also an adept composer and producer. His recent CDs areBird Fly By and Somewhere. For this midday show at Saint Peter's, he features long-time collaborator, vocalist Catherine Dupuis. MGN

BILL MOBLEYMEZZROW / FEBRUARY 24-25Memphis native Bill Mobley has long been a part of the New York jazz scene. Thetrumpeter and flugelhornist is best known for his creative compositions and arrange-ments for groups of all sizes, while his rich tone, expressiveness and extended range onboth horns are an asset to any ensemble. Mobley has also been in demand as a side-man, having worked with George Coleman, the Mingus Dynasty Band and the MariaSchneider Orchestra, in addition to small groups led by James Williams, Geoff Keezer,T.S. Monk and others. His latest CD, issued by Space Time, is Hittin' Home, featuringpianist Kenny Barron, guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Essiet Essiet and vibraphon-ist Steve Nelson. The latter two musicians join Mobley at Mezzrow, along with pianistJames Weidman. KD

MARK WHITFIELDTHE DJANGO / FEBRUARY 17-18Guitarist Mark Whitfield was one of the Young Lions who revitalized the mainstream-modern jazz scene in the last decades of the 20th Century. Since then he has released11 albums and appeared with a who's who of jazz heavyweights. Currently he tourswith the trumpeter-singer Chris Botti. Now Mark, who is 50, has realized a lifelongdream, assembling a Whitfield Family Band with his sons, drummer Mark Jr. andpianist and keyboardist Davis, who are, like Mark was when he emerged on the scene,also in their 20's. Their new album, with Yasushi Nakamura on bass, Grace (MarksmanProductions), is spotlighted at this CD release weekend. The quartet appears on Feb.17 and is joined by Sy Smith, who sings on the CD's title song, on Feb. 18. GK

CRAIG TABORNVILLAGE VANGUARD / FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 3With boundless imagination that challenges the values of jazz, pianist Craig Tabornhas become an in-demand sideman with some 80 CDs alongside many major names inprogressive music. His star has also risen as a leader with recordings on the ECMlabel. By 2011, Downbeat magazine readers and critics named him a winner forElectric Keyboard and Rising Star piano and organ categories. The Minneapolis nativecame to Ann Arbor as a U-Michigan student, collaborating with saxophonist JamesCarter, drummer Gerald Cleaver, and the Lunar Octet. His improvising often adopts amodular approach, in which he begins with small units of melody and rhythm and thendevelops them into larger forms and structures. Clarinetist and saxophonist ChrisSpeed, bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Dave King round out the quartet. MGN

CYNTHIA SCOTTSMOKE JAZZ AND SUPPER CLUB / FEBRUARY 23A top-notch, albeit underrated, vocalist brandishing an entrancing contralto voice,Cynthia Scott first came to public acclaim as a member of Ray Charles' legendary sup-porting vocal team the Raelettes. The lessons gleaned from that ensemble have stayedwith her, as Cynthia has continued to broaden her artistic scope, beautifully integrat-ing jazz, blues, R&B, and soul stylings into her performances, which can comfortablystraddle both small ensemble and big band settings. At Smoke, Cynthia is in superbcompany, joined by pianist James Weidman, bassist Paul Beaudry and drummer CookBroadnax, all broad-minded and genre-defying artists in their own rights. For fans ofNancy Wilson and of early Sarah Vaughan, Cynthia is a must-see, a soulful andinspired vocalist who conjures a classic era of singing. SH

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20 For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

9:30pmDeanna Kirk/John Di Martino; 8:Noam Wiesenberg Qnt; 9: 6pm Cowboys &Frenchmen, 8pm The Powell Brothers; 10: AriHoenig Brazilian Trio; 11: Lage Lund; 12:Anouman; 14: Nancy Marano & Jack WilkinsDuo, 9:30pm Kevin Burke; 15: Alexa Barchini;16: Martin Nevin Gp; 17: Sara Serpa Trio; 18:Kinan Azmeh & City Band; 19: Mostly OtherPeople Do the Killing; 21: Dan Weiss Trio; 22:Tom Guarna & Wishing Stones Project,9:30pm Jon Cowherd Mercy Project; 23: PaulJones Sxt; 24: The Crash Trio + One; 25: TomChang Qnt; 26: Sofia Ribeiro; 28: MartaSanchez Qnt, 9:30pm Carmen Staaf.

The CUTTING ROOM: 44E 32nd St (betMadison & Park Av). 212-691-1900. www.thecuttingroomnyc.com. Feb 9: 7:30pm MatthewShipp Trio.

The DJANGO: At Roxy Hotel. 2 Av of theAmericas at Walker St. www.roxyhotelnyc.com. 212-519-6600. Feb 17-18: 10&11:30pmMark Whitfield.

DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY: 13 MonroeSt (bet Market & Catherine Sts). 212-473-0043. www.downtownmusicgallery.com. Sun:6pm In-Store shows.

The EAR INN: 326 Spring St (bet Greenwich &Washington Sts). www.earinn.com. 212-431-9750. Sun: 8-11pm EarRegulars feat Jon-ErikKellso & friends.

FAT CAT: 75 Christopher St at 7th Av. 212-675-6056. www.fatcatmusic.org. $3 adm/no min.Sets unless otherwise noted: Early (E), Late(L), Night (N); E 7pm except Sun-Mon&Fri6pm; L 9pm except Thurs&Sat 10pm, Fri add10:30pm; N 1:30am except Sun 1am, Mon-Wed 12:30am. Residencies (R): Sun E TerryWaldo & Gotham City Band, N Brandon Lewis& Renee Cruz; Mon N Billy Kaye; Tues Eexcept 02/28 Saul Rubin Zebtet; Wed Eexcept 02/1 Raphael D'Lugoff Trio + 1, N NedGoold; Fri L The Supreme Queens; Sat NGreg Glassman. Feb 1: E 4 IN' 1, L GrooverTrio, N R; 2: E The Flail, L Saul Rubin Zebtet,N Pablo Bencid; 3: E Ai Murakami Qnt, L R +Jared Gold/Dave Gibson, N Ray Gallon; 4: ERobert Quintero, L Raphael D'lugoff Qnt, N R;5: E R, 8:30pm Jade Synstelien & FCBB, N R;6: E Osso String Qrt, L Miki Hiyama, N R; 7:E R, L David Oquendo & Havana 3, N JeremyManasia; 8: E R, L Harold Mabern Trio, N R;9: E Rodney Green Qrt, L Greg GlassmanQnt, N Mimi Jones; 10: E Oscar Williams, L R+ Jerome Jennings, N Avi Rothbard; 11: ENoller/Sylla, L Antoine Drye, N R; 12: E R, LCaroline Davis Qnt, N R; 13: E Eric Fraser, LNed Goold Qrt, N R; 14: E R, L Peter Brainin& the Latin Jazz Workshop; 15: E R, L DonHahn/Mike Camacho Band, N R; 17: L R; 18:N R; 19: E&N R; 20: L George Braith, N R; 21:E R; 22: E&N R; 23: L P.O.D; 24: L R + DavidWeiss & Point of Departure; 25: L KamarataJazz, N R; 26: E&N R; 27: N R; 28: L Itai Kriss& Gato Gordo, N John Benitez & Latin Bop.

GREENWICH HOUSE MUSIC SCHOOL: 46Barrow St (bet 7th Av S & W 4th St). 212-242-4770. www.greenwichhouse.org. SoundIt Out series w/Feb 4: 7:30pm $18/15 TakaKigawa + Sebastien Ammann & Color Wheel;11: 8pm $15/12 Nick Millevoi & DesertionTrio; 18: 8pm $20/18 Francois Courturier/AnjaLechner Duo.

HIGHLINE BALLROOM: 431W 16th St (bet9th & 10th Avs). www.highlineballroom.com.212-414-5994. Feb 3: 7pm $25-100 adm WéMcDonald w/spec guest Matthew Whitaker &friends; 17: 8pm $25/30 Cyrille Aimée.

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JAZZ GALLERY: 1160 Bway at 27th St. 5th Fl.www.jazzgallery.org. 646-494-3625. Sets:7:30&9:30pm $15/10 adm, $22/12 Fri-Sat.Feb 1-2: Melissa Aldan Sxt/Glenn Zaleski Sxt;3-4: Joel Ross Good Vibes; 8: ImmanuelWilkins Qrt; 9: Andy Milne & Dapp Theory;10-11: David Virelles; 15: Talujon + CTRL-Z;16: Ches Smith/Craig Taborn/Mat Maneri; 17:Christine & Ingrid Jensen w/Ben Monder; 18:Ferenc Nemeth; 22-23: Threadgill + Iyer +Prieto; 24: Adam Larson Qrt.

JAZZ STANDARD: 116E 27th St (bet Park &Lexington Avs). www.jazzstandard.net. 212-576-2232. Sets/adm unless otherwise noted:7:30&9:30pm; $30 except Mon-Wed $25.Residencies: Sun 1:30-3pm Jazz for Kids;Mon (R) Mingus Monday feat Mingus BigBand. Feb 1-4: $53 02/1-2, $40 02/3-4 MontyAlexander; 5: closed; 6: R; 7: TheoBleckmann; 8: Yotam Silberstein; 9-10:Alfredo Rodriguez/Pedrito Martinez; 11-12:Alfredo Rodriguez Trio; 13: R; 14: $30 BriaSkonberg; 15-16: $30 02/15 Ralph TownerSolo; 17-19: Mingus Big Band Festival; 20: R;21-26: $30 02/21-23&26, $35 02/24-25 RaviColtrane Qrt; 27: R; 28: Wolfgang Muthspiel.

JOE’S PUB: At Public Theater. 425 LafayetteSt & Astor Pl. www.joespub.com. 212-967-7555. Adm varies. Feb 3: 7:30pm PedroGiraudo Tango Ensembles w/spec guestSofia Tosello; 4: 7:30pm Jazz Storiesw/Bernard Purdie & David Haney; 5: 9:30pmMichael Mwenso.

KNICKERBOCKER BAR & GRILL: 33University Pl at 9th St. 212-228-8490.www.knickerbockerbarandgrill.com. Fri-Sat:9pm-1am. Feb 3-4: Jill McCarron/ChrisHaney; 10-11: John Colianni/Boots Maleson;17-18: Robert Silverman/Davis Zox; 24-25:Mike Longo/Paul West.

LE POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleecker St atThompson St. www.lepoissonrouge.com.212-796-0741. Adm varies. Feb 8: 7:30pm$20/25 adm Dhafer Youssef.

METROPOLITAN ROOM: 34W 22nd St (bet.5th & 6th Avs). www.metropolitanroom.com.212-206-0440. Sets unless otherwise noted:Early (E) 7pm, Late (L) 9:30pm. Residency(R): Tues L Annie Ross. Feb 3: E MonikaRyan; 4: E Luiz Simas & Nanny Assis, L JohnMinnock; 6: L Ryan Allen; 7&14: L R; 16: LEnrique Haneine; 17: E Jorge Altamirano;21&28: L R.

MEZZROW: 163W 10th St (bet 7th Av &Waverly Pl). www.mezzrow.com. 646-476-4346. Sets/adm: Early 8-10:30pm, Late (L)11pm-close; adm varies. Residencies: Sun LJohn Merrill & friends; Mon L PasqualeGrasso; Tues L Jam w/Miki Yamanaka & AdiMeyerson; Wed L Tony Hewitt & friends;Thurs L Spike Wilner w/spec guest; Fri LJohnny O'Neal. Feb 1: Roberta Piket; 2:Claudia Acuña; 3-4: George Burton; 4: L TheoHill; 5: JP Jofre; 6: Dan Tepfer; 7: FredHersch; 8: Mike Eckroth; 9: Ben Allison; 10-11: Orrin Evans; 12: David Hazeltine; 13:Kate McGarry; 14: Sheila Jordan; 15: GlennZaleski; 16: Ben Wolfe; 17-18: Jonny King;19: Dave Frank; 20: Steve Ash; 21: JoannaWallfisch; 22: Wilerm Delins; 23: BillO'Connell; 24-25: Bill Mobley & Steve Nelson;26: Michael Kanan; 27: Sam Yahel; 28: BrynRoberts & Lage Lund.

NEW YORK CITY BAHA’Í CENTER: 53E11th St (bet Bway & University). 212-222-5159. www.bahainyc.org. Tues: 8&9:30pm$10/15 adm. Feb 7: Jorge Sylvester & theACE Collective; 14: Mike Longo Trio; 21: LouCaputo & Not So Big Band.

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ONE CAN BE FORGIVEN FOR NOThaving heard all the entries in pianist

Matthew Shipp's discography. This is notdue to any deficiencies of the material, but,rather simply, because his recorded outputis massive. In 2016 alone, Matthew eitherled or served as a prime collaborator on tenrecords. But while this level of work mightbe daunting to track, it also is intenselyrewarding to hear, offering an utterlyengrossing glimpse into the multi-decadeartistic development of one of today'sgreatest pianists and composers.

This year, Matthew leads his trio fea-turing longtime collaborator Michael Bisioon bass and drummer Newman TaylorBaker, a comparative newcomer to theensemble. Together, they release PianoSong, the second record of the trio andMatthew's 19th and final album forThirsty Ear Records, a label whose BlueSeries imprint has been largely forged byMatthew's vision as its artistic director.

Piano Song serves as a pitch-perfect tes-tament to the capabilities of the group.Sometimes hard swinging, often boundarypushing, yet at moments intensely reflec-tive, personal, and even atmospheric,Piano Song provides devoted fans with athrilling array of material to absorb. Fornewcomers, the album serves as a welcomeintroduction, effectively utilizing a time-honored ensemble format to create aunique alchemy of the familiar and theunexpected.

"The piano trio is a well-establishedconfiguration within jazz parlance; there’sa great history of jazz trios," Matthewnotes. "That can be intimidating becausethere's been so much great work done, butit's also liberating because there are nospecific rules to hold you in." Indeed, thatrefusal to correspond to proscribed rules orhanded-down musical strictures has

helped Matthew's ensembles and perform-ances achieve a distinctive and somewhatparadoxical result, managing to be unmis-takably Matthew's music even as theyhighlight his ability to voraciously absorband incorporate many different sounds andgenres.

Recognizing this skill to create a uniquemusical universe that accommodates dif-ferent stylistic planets, helps to guide onethrough the sometimes dizzying display ofMatthew's discography: from the hypnoticloop fusion of Harmony and Abyss to thesolo piano work that offers a uniqueglimpse into Matthew's love for pianistslike Mal Waldron and Bud Powell: I'veBeen to Many Places. While other artistsmight share this talent, Matthew excels atit, perhaps due to a crucial formative peri-od in his career: a 15-year tenure in thequartet of the late master David S. Ware.

Joining the saxophonist's ensemble in1989, Matthew quickly established himselfas the perfect keyboard complement toDavid's work. "David hasn't gotten his dueyet," Matthew says. "He was a free thinkerand an iconoclast, but also very disci-plined. I don't call his music 'free jazz.' Weweren't always playing 4/4, or in a cycle ofrepeating chord changes, but what weplayed was in a specific universe whoseaspects were as defined and disciplined asthose of any other group."

To be sure, Matthew's own projects arenot stylistic copies of the Ware Quartet.However, this more abstract concept ofbuilding clearly defined musical universesprovides a link between the ensembles. "Ithink of David as a conceptualist andthinker of his own universe, and I think ofmyself in the same way," he explains. "Thefact that my language worked in his uni-verse has made me feel grateful that Icould have my own musical world, yet stillfit into someone else's while still beingmyself musically."

Matthew's leadership style extends tocollaborators at the same level of opennessand communication that David offered tohim. On Piano Song, plaintively melodicbass work and the rhythmically omnivo-rous drumming coexist gorgeously withMatthew's own ferocious technique. As aresult of this avowed openness, Piano Songdemonstrates a continued growth for thetrio, and thus shows off a distinct newsound the group has forged even since its2015 release The Conduct of Jazz.

As the trio prepares for its performanceat The Cutting Room, Matthew views it asa continuation of the process begun on thealbum. "The album, as a document, cankind of define the group," he says. "The livegigs, however, can serve as extrapolationsand further conversations from thatalbum. So any performance for us is a partof the continuum, from when we first gottogether as a group, to The Conduct of

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22 For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

NORTH SQUARE: At Washington SquareHotel. 103 Waverly Pl at McDougal.www.northsquareny.com/about-jazz. 212-254-1200. Sun: 12:30&2pm free adm JazzBrunch Trios. Feb 5: closed; 12: Roz Corralw/Jim Ridl & Jay Leonhart; 19: Scott Morgan;26: Roz Corral w/Ron Affif & Paul Gill.

NUYORICAN POETS CAFÉ: 236E 3rd St(bet Avs B & C). www.nuyorican.org. 212-780-9386/212-505-8183. Sets: 9:30pm. Tues:$10 adm Latin Jazz feat 1st Tues ChemboCorniel, 2nd Tues Bronx Conxión, 4th TuesWillie Martinez & La Familia Sxt; 1st Wed:$13 All That - Hip Hop Poetry & Jazz; 1st Sat:$15 Banana Puddin’ Jazz series feat RomeNeal + Jam 02/4 w/Leonieke Scheuble.

SHEEN CENTER: 18 Bleecker St @ ElizabethSt. www.sheencenter.org. 212-925-2812. Feb10-11: 7:30pm $45 adm Lindsey Webster.

SMALLS JAZZ CLUB: 183W 10th St at 7thAv. 212-252-5091. www.smallslive.com. Sets:Afternoon (PM) Sun 4:30-7pm, Sat 4-7pm,Early (E) 7:30-10pm, Late (L) 10:30pm-1am,Night (N) 1-4am; jam following N; adm varies.Residencies (R): Sun 1pm Vocal masterclassby Marion Cowings, PM Ai Murakami Trio featSacha Perry, N Hillel Salem; Mon L except02/6 Ari Hoenig, N 02/6&13 Jonathan Michel,02/20&27 Jonathan Barber; Tues N 02/7&21Jovan Alexander, 02/14&28 Jon Beshay; WedN 02/1&15 Aaron Seeber, 02/8 SanahKadoura; Thurs N 02/2&16 Joel Ross,02/9&23 Sarah Slonim; Sat N 02/4&18Brooklyn Circle, 02/11&25 Philip Harper. Feb1: E Ari Hoenig Qrt, L Jared Gold Trio, N R; 2:E Todd Herbert Gp, L Ken Fowser Qnt, N R;3: E Dan Block Qnt, L Joe Farnsworth Qrt, Ntba; 4: PM Robert Edwards, E Ralph Lalama& Bop-Juice, L Joe Farnsworth Qrt, N R; 5:1pm-PM R, E Johnny O'Neal Trio, L CharlesOwens Qrt, N R; 6: E Kenneth Salters &Haven, L J.D. Allen Trio, N R; 7: E SpikeWilner Trio, L Lucas Pino Nnt, N R; 8: E SeanNowell Qrt, L Curtis Nowosad & CNQ, N R; 9:E Tatum Greenblatt Qrt, L Nick HemptonBand, N R; 10: E Behn Gillece Qrt, L DuaneEubanks Qnt, N Joe Farnsworth; 11: PMTuomo Uusitalo, E Saul Rubin Qrt, L DuaneEubanks Qnt, N R; 12: 1pm-PM R, E JohnDokes Qnt, L Ilya Lushtak Gp, N R; 13: EJosh Lawrence, L-N R; 14: E Jeremy ManasiaTrio, L Steve Nelson Gp, N R; 15: E AkikoTsuruga Gp, L Harold Mabern Gp, N R 16: EJeff Hirschfield Gp, L Carlos Abadie Qnt, N R;17: E Chuck Redd Gp, L Ken Peplowski Qrt,N tba; 18: E Will & Peter Anderson Qnt, L KenPeplowski Gp, N R; 19: 1pm-PM R, E LezlieHarrison Gp, L Jerry Weldon Gp, N R; 20: EThe Marquis Hill Blacktet, L-N R; 21: E TheMarquis Hill Blacktet, L Frank Lacy Gp, N R;22: E Gilad Heksleman Trio, L Jim Pryor Qrt,N tba; 23: E Gilad Hekselman Trio, L TroyRoberts Qrt, N R; 24: E Taru Alexander Gp, LSam Newsome Qrt, N tba; 25: E Chip WhiteDedications Sxt, L Sam Newsome Qrt, N R;26: 1pm-PM R, E Rodney Green Gp, L IanHendrickson-Smith Gp, N R; 27: E GregMurphy & The Murphtet, L-N R; 28: E SpikeWilner Trio, L Steve Nelson Gp, N R.

The STONE: 2nd St at Av C. www.thestonenyc. com. Adm varies. Tues-Sun: 9pm weeklyresidencies. Feb 1-5: Simon Hanes; 7-12:Kris Davis; 14-19: Brandon Ross; 21-26:Chris Dingman; 28-Mar 5: Oscar Noriega.

SUBROSA: 63 Gansevoort St (bet Washington& Greenwich Sts). www.subrosanyc.com.212-997-4555. Sets: 8&10pm $20 adm.Residencies (R): Mon Latin Jazz Monday;

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Tues 7&9pm Pedrito Martinez, Sat 12amHabana Nights. Feb 3: Luis Blasini Y Iroko LaBanda; 4: 12am R w/Gerardo Contino Y LosHabaneros; 6: R w/Rodrigo Bonelli Qnt; 7: R;10 7:30&9:30pm, 11 8&10pm: Sie7e; 11:12am R w/The Quintero Project; 13: Rw/Chameleon; 14: R; 17: 7:30&9:30pmGregorio Uribe; 18: R w/Gerardo Contino YLos Habaneros; 20: R w/Robby Ameen; 21:R; 25: 12am R w/Carlitos Padron; 27: Rw/Jiyoun Lee Trio; 28: R.

TRIBECA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER:199 Chambers St. www.tribecapac.org. 212-220-1460. Feb 4&18: 7:30pm $30/20 admMonk-in-Motion feat 02/4 Orrin Evans, 02/18Charenee Wade; 9: 8pm $45/50 admHighlights in Jazz series feat Vince Giordano& the Nighthawks, Ms. Vinnie Knight, CynthiaSayer & Joyride Band w/Adrian Cunningham.

VILLAGE VANGUARD: 178 7th Av S at 11thSt. 212-255-4037. www.villagevanguard.com.Sets: 8:30&10:30pm. Adm: $30/1 drink min.Residency (R): Mon Vanguard Jazz Orch.Feb 1-5: Ambrose Akinmusire Qrt; 6-13:Vanguard Jazz Orch; 14-19: Miguel ZenónQrt; 20: R; 21-26: Joe Lovano & DaveDouglas Sound Prints; 27: R; 28-Mar 5: CraigTaborn.

ZINC BAR: 82W 3rd St (bet Thompson &Sullivan). 212-477-8337. www.zincbar.com.Sets: Early (E) 7pm except Sat 8pm +9,11pm&12:30am except Fri 8pm, Mon +2am. Adm varies. Residencies: Sun 9pm-12am Tango w/Fernando Otero; Mon 10pmRon Affif Trio; Tues 11pm $10 Evolution Jamby Revive Music; Thurs: 11pm&12am $15Roman Diaz Midnight Rumba; Sat10,11:30pm&1am Monika Oliveira & TheBrasilians. Feb 6: 10pm-2am VandoJam featMike Lee.

AN BEAL BOCHT CAFÉ: 445W 238th St.718- 884-7127. www.lindasjazznights.com.1st Wed: 8&9:30pm $25-10 adm Linda's JazzNights. Feb 1: Emily Braden Qrt.

65FEN: 65 Fenimore St. www.65fenmusicseries.tumblr.com. Mon: 9&10pm $10 don65Fen Music series. Feb 6: 9pm Musicianer,10pm Lukas Kœni; 13: 9pm E PennimanJames/Eric Reeves/Lisanne Tremblay, 10pmThe Good Owls; 20: 9pm Jaimie Branch,10pm Will Greene/Zoe Christianson; 27: 9pmSam Sowyrda Solo, 10pm Devin Gray &Fashionable Pop Music.

440 GALLERY: 440 Sixth Av. 718-499-3844.www.440gallery.com. 1st Sun: 4:40pm $5 donMe, Myself and Eye. Feb 5: Briggan Krauss.

BAMCAFÉ: 30 Lafayette Av. 718-636-4100.www.bam.org. 9:30pm/free adm. Feb 10:Braxton Cook; 18: The Ed Stoute Experience.

BARBÈS: 376 9th St at 6th Av. Park Slope.www.barbesbrooklyn.com. 718-965-9177.Residencies: Sun 9pm Stephane Wrembel;Mon 7pm Brain Cloud; Tues 9pm Slavic SoulParty; Wed 10pm Mandingo Ambassadors.Feb 1: 8pm Andy Statman.

BRIC ARTS: 647 Fulton St. 718-683-5600.www.bricartsmedia.org. Feb 16: 8pm $15/18adm Roy Ayers/Shareef Keyes & The Groove.

BRONX

BROOKLYN

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23

NEW JERSEY JAZZGary Walker, “Morning Jazz Host”, WBGO, 88.3 FM/wbgo.org

JOEY ALEXANDERBETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH / FEBRUARY 4Joey Alexander starts every day quietly at the piano, playing gospel music andthinking about his day. For this young man, the ascension has been an incrediblejourney from his beginnings in Bali to attention and performances on stages at fes-tivals around the globe. Mostly self-taught, aided by listening to his father's exten-sive record collection, it's a journey of endless expression, technique and talent,bringing laser focus to Joey's remarkable abilities to create and draw legions to hisunexplainable gift. Two recordings, My Favorite Things and Countdown (Motéma),capture an array of new looks at old nuggets, along with inspiring originals thatdemand repeated listening. With a playful musicality and keen sense of swing, Joeycreates a crowded excitement, a delight he shares with his trio in Newark.

PAUL MEYERSLUNA STAGE / FEBRUARY 26On the New York scene for many years, guitarist Paul Meyers has shared his skillswith Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Sonny Fortune and Geri Allen, and toured withthe legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks. His recordings, including those with FrankWess and Andy Bey, and World On A String (Miles High) are testament to Paul'sdiversity of melody, harmony and style, from Arlen/Koehler to John Lennon, BillyStrayhorn, Cole Porter and the Gershwins. Paul's own compositions mirror thisflexibility. Paul says, "jazz has always had an explorer's heart. For me, a beautifulpart of that exploration is in the rhythms, dimensions that push the form forward."With bassist Leo Traversa, drummer Vanderlei Pereira and saxophonist Mike Lee,Paul shares the marriage of jazz with Brazilian and Latin music.

FRANK VIGNOLABERRIE CENTER / FEBRUARY 25Guitar icon Les Paul once told The Wall Street Journal that Frank Vignola was oneof his five most admired guitarists. A Long Island native, Frank developed his fastfingered technique working in the worlds of jazz, classical, rock, R&B and pop. Hehas toured with Les, Wynton Marsalis and Queen Latifah. Frank's Hot Club ofFrance tributes brought to life the music of Django Reinhardt and StephaneGrappelli. Frank teamed up with fellow guitarist Vinny Raniolo for Melody Magic(Azica), a recording showing skill and affinity for Beethoven and Bach, The Beatles,Sting and more. Hear for yourself why Guitar Player Magazine calls Frank "one ofthe most vicious tremolo-pickers on the scene" when Frank, Vinny and bassist GaryMazzaroppi bring alive the spirit of Les Paul.

KEVIN MAHOGANYDORTHAAN'S PLACE AT NJPAC / FEBRUARY 12Vocalist Kevin Mahogany's Kansas City roots surrounded him with a feeling forjazz. He learned to swing like Charlie Parker, sing a ballad like Lester Young anddeliver the blues like Big Joe Turner, dripping with Gates Barbecue Sauce. Kevinhas demonstrated on numerous recordings his feeling for standards, Jobim, Monk,Ellington, Sam Cooke and Motown, approaching each with a baritone styling thatfits nicely with a small group, and drives a big band to head turning heights.Kevin's latest recording, The Vienna Affair (Mahogany Jazz), captures him live,showing an added ability for original stories in song. There's a richness in everyphrase that many seek but few attain.

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24 For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

continued from page 22 10:15pm Matt Malanowski; 16 8pm LibertéBig Band; 18: 9pm Rogiérs; 19: 9pm GuyMintus Trio; 23: 8pm Dan Pugach Nnt; 25:10pm Mughal Muesli, 11:15pm JacobVarmus; 26: 9pm Fuck Squad.

The 9th NOTE JAZZ & SUPPER CLUB: 15Bank St. Stamford. www.the9thnote.com.203-504-8828.

BUTTONWOOD TREE: 605 Main St.Middletown. www.buttonwood.org. 860-347-4957. Sets: 8-10pm. Feb 4: Daniel Meron SkyBegins Trio; 10: The Charter Oak Jazz Qrt;18: Uri Shaham; 25: Luke Hendon.

RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE: 80 East Ridge.Ridgefield. www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org.203-438-5795. Feb 8: 7:30pm Tiempo Libre;18: 8pm Rita Moreno feat Russ Kassoff.

The SIDE DOOR JAZZ CLUB: At Old LymeInn. 85 Lyme St. Old Lyme. 860-434-0886.www.thesidedoorjazz.com. Sets: 8:30pm.Feb 3: Mike Casey; 10: Andy Milne & DappTheory.

The JAZZ LOFT: 275 Christian Av. StonyBrook. 631-751-1895. www.thejazzloft.org.Sets/adm: 7pm $20-10. Wed: 7-8pm $10,8pm $5 Jam w/FM Band. Feb 2: The Jazz LoftBig Band; 4: 7:30pm Swing Dance LongIsland; 16: Rich Iacona & The Little Big Band;18: Andrea Veneziani Trio feat Kenny Werner;23: Interplay Jazz Orch; 24: Bill Rignola Qrt.

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY-POST: 720Northern Blvd. Brookville. www.liu.edu/post.www.tillescenter.org. 516-299-2895. Feb 10:8pm $22 adm Tiempo Libre.

TREME: 553 Main St. Islip. 631-277-2008.www.tremeislip.com. Sets: 7-11pm. Feb 1:ELEW; 8: Eric Berg Qrt; 12: Tim Siciliano Trio;15: Swing Sessions w/Dudley; 16:Latintology; 19: John Ray & Irving GrossmanSpt; 24: Spike Wilner; 26: Jam; 28: NawlinsFunk Band.

BERGENBERGEN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER:30 N Van Brunt St. Englewood. 201-227-1030. www.bergenpac.org. Feb 16: 8pm $99-39 adm Chris Botti.

BERRIE CENTER: Sharp Theater. 505Ramapo Valley Rd. Mahwah. 201-684-7844.www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter. Feb 25: 8-10pm $30-24 adm Frank Vignola Trio.

PUFFIN CULTURAL FORUM: 20 Puffin Way.Teaneck. www.puffinculturalforum.org. 201-836-8923. $10 don. Feb 4: 8pm Emilio SollaTango/Jazz Trio; 11: 8pm Lorens Chuno; 24:7pm Roni Ben-Hur.

ESSEXBETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH: 275WMarket St. Newark. www.bethany-newark.org. 973-623-8161. Feb 4: 6-7:30pmJazz Vespers feat Joey Alexander.

DORTHAAN’S PLACE: At Nico Kitchen + Barcontinued on page 30

BROOKLYN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC:58 7th Av. www.bqcm.org. 718-622-3300. 1stFri: 7pm $5 adm Open Stage. Feb 4: 7:30pm$15 adm Brooklyn Jazz Wide Open seriesfeat Min Xiao-Fen Solo & Duo w/SatoshiTakeishi + WORKS.

The DRAWING ROOM: 56 Willoughby St #3.www.drawingroommusic.com. Sets: 7pm. Feb4: $15 adm Lena Bloch Qrt; 5: $20 AlanBroadbent; 12: $20 Peter Bernstein/MichaelKanan; 19: $20 Gene Bertoncini.

KORZO RESTAURANT & BAR: 667 5th Av(bet 19th & 20th Sts). 718-499-1199.www.facebook.com/konceptions. Tues:9&10:30pm $10 don/$10 min KonceptionsMusic series by James Carney. Feb 7:Caroline Davis Qrt, 10:30pm Jen Shyu; 14:9pm tba, 10:30pm Richard Bonnet/JamesCarney; 21: 9pm The Horns Band, 10:30pmLeo Geno; 28: 9pm Noah Garabedian Qrt,10:30pm tba.

KUMBLE THEATER: 1 University Pl (betDeKalb & Willoughby). 718-488-1624.www.kumbletheater.org. Feb 25: 8pm $35adm Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio.

NATIONAL SAWDUST: 80N 6th St. 646-779-8455. www.nationalsawdust.org. Feb 18:11am $20/5 adm Oran Etkin & Timbalooloo;22: 7pm $20 The Stone feat Matt Mitchell.

ROULETTE: 509 Atlantic Av at 3rd Av.www.roulette.org. 917-267-0363. Sets: 8pm$25-15 adm. Feb 1: James Brandon LewisTrio; 9: 8pm Robert Dick/Ursel Schlicht; 21:Weasel Walter Large Ens; 28: RichardSussman Evolution Ens.

SHAPESHIFTER LAB: 18 Whitwell Pl.www.shapeshifterlab.com. 646-820-9452.Sets/adm unless otherwise noted: Early (E)7pm, Late (L) 8:15pm, Night (N) 9:30pm; $10adm. Feb 1: $8 E Ammann/Davis Qrt, L CalebCurtis Double Trio, N Conscience Collective;3: E Charles Blenzig & NYC HiphopjazzOrkistra; 4: 4-6pm Amy Winehouse Teen JazzEns; 6: E New Forum; 7: E $8 Nathan Peck &the Funky Electrical Unit/Andy Bianco Qnt, NCamera con Camera; 8: E Schapiro17, L tba,N $15 Schapiro17; 9: 8pm Josh Deutsch, PatCarroll, Jure Pulk, Frank Cohen w/PatriciaWichmann; 10: E Clockwork Trio, LSuperBrian; 12: L Amazonas Strings, N $15Markus Reuter & Mark Wingfield w/specguest Marko Djordjevic; 13: 6pm New Forum;15: 8pm Sergej Avanesov Qrt; 16: E SeanNoonan & Soap; 17: L $8 Funk Pterodatyl;20: 6pm New Forum; 22: 7:30&9pm EricaSeguine & Meg Okura Ens; 23: E Mute theCommercials, L $8 Matt Robbins Gp; 24: E-LRetrosonik.

SIR D’S LOUNGE: 837 Union St. 718-623-9065. www.facebook.com/Sirdslounge. Mon:8-11pm Monday Night Big Band Jazz. Feb 6:Jon De Lucia Oct; 13: Steve Feifke Big Band;20: Art Lillard & Heavenly Big Band; 27: LouCaputo & Not So Big Band.

SISTAS’ PLACE: 456 Nostrand Av at JeffersonAv. www.sistasplace.org. 718-398-1766. Sat:9&10:30pm $20/25 adm. Feb 4: ReggieNicholson Gp; 11: T.K. Blue; 18: Chuk Fowlerw/Patsy Grant; 25: Carl Bartlett Jr.

WILLIAMSBURG MUSIC CENTER: 367Bedford Av. www.wmcjazz.org. 718-384-1654. Fri: 10pm-2am free adm/2 drink minGerry Eastman Qnt w/spec guests + Jam.Feb 2: 8pm The Liberté Big Band; 4: 10pmDavid Acker, 11:15pm Rubens Salles; 5: 9pmKen Ychicawa; 9: 9pm Kevin Sun, 10pmConSoul Big Band; 12: 9pm Harry Smith,

CONNECTICUT

LONG ISLAND

NEW JERSEY

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25

ANOTHER REASON TO CELEBRATEBy Elzy Kolb

Rock solidCamille Thurman has been singing

since age 4, but when it came time to studymusic, she chose the saxophone over voice.She wanted to excel on sax and didn'tthink she could reach her goals withoutgiving the instrument 100 percent of herattention and effort. That changed, howev-er, when colleagues at a Jazz in July pro-gram overheard her singing in the shower.

"They gathered around to find out whowas singing," recalls Camille, who was per-suaded to add voice to her studies. "Voice isthe first human instrument, everyone canrelate to it. An instrumentalist needs thataspect to tell a story with the melody. I'mblessed to have both gifts, they help eachother in a beautiful way." Though she ini-tially felt shy about both playing andsinging on gigs, Camille has noticed thatshe's felt more confidence, personally andmusically, since adding the vocal compo-nent.

Listeners will get a chance to hear itthemselves at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola onFeb. 7, when Camille and the DarrellGreen Trio debut material from theirupcoming CD paying tribute to the greatHorace Silver. Camille has arranged andwritten lyrics to some of Silver's seldom-heard tunes from the 1970s and 1980s. Shebegan listening to the vintage recordingson the advice of her mentor Antoine Roney,and was further inspired by Let's Get tothe Nitty-Gritty: The Autobiography ofHorace Silver.

"Reading that gave me a little under-standing of him. I was moved by his com-passion, his awareness of what's going onin society, and how he used his music toshare his views," Camille explains. "Thatmessage is relevant today, for humanity tobe conscious of one another, to be mindfulof our place, to be helpful, supporting andnurturing."

Learning Silver's story—how he createdhis music, how he named his compositions,who he played with, his relationshipsbeyond the bandstand—fired her imagina-tion in preparing for the upcoming tributealbum, which will be released later thisyear.

History of all kinds intrigues Camille,who has a degree in geology and environ-mental sciences. "I fell in love with geology,I could get lost in looking at the rock inCentral Park, seeing evidence of the gla-cier that passed over the earth," shemuses. "If you just look around, you canunderstand the history of where you are.Seeing how rivers flow across the land,everything is working together. We're soconnected with our environment, we can'tlive without one another."

Appreciating history, whether musical,geological or societal, is key for Camille."When we get beneath the layers webecome better people, we have a betterunderstanding of society and the world,"she points out. "We can use that under-standing as an inspiration. That's how wefix things. That's our job; that's what we'resupposed to do."

Full immersionPianist and composer Frank

Kimbrough counts fellow pianist andcomposer Paul Bley among his greatestinfluences, and describes him as his mainmentor. "His playing was great, but histhought process was very provocative; hecould drive you crazy," Frank says. WhileBley never practiced, he was always turn-ing over ideas about music in his mind."He could be like a crazy person mutteringto himself in the street, he thought about itall the time without ever touching aninstrument. He'd save it up so there wouldbe a certain anticipation, a certain rushwhen he did play."

Camille Thurman, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola

Frank Kimbrough, Jazz at Kitano

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ANOTHER REASON...continued from page 25

Frank mentions a few tips from Bleythat he took to heart, but doesn't sharewith his students at Juilliard: Don't prac-tice; don't play much; don't give a lot ofdirection to other musicians.

Of course, all it takes for this method towork is years of practice, regular playingand building relationships. But it doeswork, as evidenced by Frank's latest CD,Solstice (Pirouet), with bassist JayAnderson and drummer Jeff Hirshfield.

Released in November, when Frankturned 60, most of the tunes on Solstice arefirst takes—one is a sound check. "It waslike falling off a log; there was no workinvolved. We just walked in and hit it," henotes. "I don't tell them what to do. I hirepeople to do what they do; when they dothat, it will be correct."

He continues, "It's a three-way conver-sation, not solo and backup. Jeff and Jayhave been playing together for 35 years;I've known them for 20 years. It's all aboutconcentrated listening. There's a lot of giveand take, an intimate conversationbetween us. Listeners get to eavesdrop onthe conversation."

Frank took a stack of 15 or 20 tunes intothe session, "We just played, I had no orderwritten down, then later I cut out the fat."When he chose the tracks for the album,Frank noticed that coincidentally, five arewritten by women, and another he hadlearned from Shirley Horn, his mentor. "Itwasn't about picking women; these werejust things I like. The music comes first,the back story happens afterward whenyou start to see patterns. These composersall influenced me or were close to me some-how." Frank's wife, Maryanne DeProphetis, wrote the title track; Carla Bleyand Annette Peacock (she wrote two of thetunes) both composed for Paul Bley; Frankhas been a mainstay of Maria Schneider'sband for more than two decades.

Solstice also contains a Kimbrough orig-inal, "Question's the Answer." Frankpoints out that he's not as prolific a writeras in his youth, but notes that quantitydoesn't necessary equal quality. "Sittingdown to write is putting the cart before thehorse. I could write ten tunes to have onegood one." These days, he takes anapproach Paul Bley would recognize: "Imight have an idea for a tune, then walkaround the park with it for six months." Bythe time he writes it down, it's fully real-ized.

Catch Frank, Jay and Jeff in action atJazz at Kitano Feb. 10-11, where theycelebrate the release of Solstice, and mostlikely play other originals and some stan-dards.

Time zoneGuitarist/composer Ralph Towner has

written and recorded so much music, he'ssurprised whenever he comes across hisdiscography. "I've been on so many recordsbecause I'm so old at this point," he sayswith a laugh. "I've been busy over the last50 years; I've written more than 400songs." Besides dozens of recordings asleader or co-leader with the band Oregonand players such as John Abercrombie,Gary Peacock, Gary Burton and PaoloFresu, Ralph also appears on albums byDuke Pearson, the Paul Winter Consort,Weather Report, Kenny Wheeler, KeithJarrett, Jan Garbarek, the folk singer TimHardin and many others.

His latest effort is a solo guitar album,My Foolish Heart (ECM), which comprises11 originals, along with the title track, anOscar-nominated standard from a 1949movie of the same name.

Starting out as a young pianist in NewYork in 1968, Ralph was inspired by aniconic version of "My Foolish Heart" playedby Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and PaulMotian. "I was so moved by that," herecalls. "I wanted to feel what it's like to bein that space, play that way, have thatfeeling, that reverence." Studying the trio'splaying on the tune set Ralph on the pathto developing his own style. “I squeezedevery drop of inspiration from that recordon first impact. I internalized the feeling,which was the whole point: internalize,change it slightly and make it your own."

About three years later, Ralph experi-enced a similar breakthrough when—on awhim—he bought a guitar, which soonbecame his primary instrument. "A guitaris actually an ancestor of the piano, it hasa pianistic function similar to a keyboard.It's kind of a portable piano with a specialpersonal sound," he points out. "It's like asmall orchestra. Everyone sounds differenton guitar."

Approaching his 77th birthday onMarch 1, Ralph is grateful for finding hisflow through the Evans recording and thefluke purchase that turned him into a gui-

Ralph Towner, Jazz Standard

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27Saxton photo by Paul Aresu.

By Seton Hawkins

HOT FLASHESDouble Hat: Musician/Club Owner

TUCKED AWAY IN UPPER HAR-lem lies one of the best live jazz experi-ences for people who truly love the music:Bill's Place. Every Friday and Saturdaynight, Harlem saxophonist Bill Saxton'sclub, which is built upon the site of aHarlem speakeasy on the original leg-endary Swing Street, offers up a blend offerociously swinging, intensely melodichard bop steeped in Harlem's rich history.A dry venue, in relatively close quarters,Bill's Place is for many listeners a dreamoutcome: a small, intimate space to hearuncompromising music, surrounded byaudience members there for the listeningexperience. Bill Saxton explains it best:"what we sell is music."

In 2004, Bill and his wife, scholar andauthor Theda Palmer Saxton, sought topurchase a building, and came across aspace on 133rd street that needed signifi-cant renovation, but proved promising.Buying the building as a home and a per-formance space, as well as for rental units,the Saxtons stumbled onto a treasure ofjazz history. "Randy Weston was the firstperson to suggest to me that there wassomething special going on with the blockI'm on," Bill explains. "He encouraged meto research it. Sonny Rollins said the sameto me, saying it was one heck of a block.

Then I saw an article on Swing Street, andit went on to list all the speakeasies inHarlem during Prohibition, and myaddress was one of them! Later, we foundout that Billie Holiday was discovered byJohn Hammond in this spot. So when Iperform here, I let people know aboutwhere they are, and what came before."

Opened in 2006 following a two-yearrenovation project, Bill's Place has man-aged to maintain its drive and quality evenas other venues around it come and go,thanks to the ingenuity and tenacity of Billhimself. Indeed, since its founding, Bill'sPlace has held steady even amidst the clo-sure of St. Nick's Pub and Lenox Lounge,as well as the re-opening, closing, and re-opening of Minton's Playhouse. Over theyears, it has grown into a role as one of, ifnot the, last authentic voices of Harlem'sjazz heritage.

While the story and legacy of Bill'sPlace may draw initial attention, what pro-pels its staying power is the quality of themusic it has engendered across genera-tions of artists. Bill's playing alone is atremendous draw: sporting a massive toneand ample saxophone chops, Bill can con-jure artists ranging from ColemanHawkins to Jackie McLean, and to be sure,his ensemble playing reflects the wealth ofmentorship he received from artists likeRoy Haynes (who donated the drums atBill's Place), Dannie Richmond, ClarkTerry and many others. In turn, Bill haspassed and continues to pass on these les-sons to young artists, notably through hisproject ATYMONY (And the YoungMusicians of New York).

"Some of these young artists learn fromme, because they don't otherwise have theopportunity to learn in the way I got tolearn," Bill says. "I was fortunate to playwith Clark Terry and with Frank Foster,and I've been able to teach younger artiststhe lessons I learned on the road." Bill'smentoring efforts span several generationsof younger artists, as Theo Hill, AliJackson, Kyle Poole and many others cancount Bill among their teachers and advo-cates.

Ultimately, to Bill the challenges ofrunning a venue are worth the sacrifice inservice of honoring Harlem's jazz heritageand in passing it onto future generations."Being born and raised in Harlem, I want-ed to bring something back for the commu-nity," he explains. "I believe if you want

Bill Saxton

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By Nick Dunston

FRESH TAKES

HOT FLASHES...continued from page 27

Sarah Vaughan and Bing Crosby." When talking about some of her compo-

sitional approaches, Leonieke mentions"Often, I'll start by composing a melodyover a set of the chord changes to a tunethat I know andlove." She followsup, "The tunes thatI write are oftenvery influenced bythe music that I'mlearning at thetime."

Hear LeoniekeScheuble play atthe NuyoricanPoet's Cafe onFeb. 4.

IF THERE'S ANY NEW TALENT NOTto be missed, it's organist and pianistLeonieke Scheuble. She is performing atthe Nuyorican Poet's Cafe this month. Withimpressive skills in organ playing, pianoplaying and composing, Leonieke is an up-and-coming force with a fresh, new soundin the New York jazz scene.

Showing an aptitude for piano at anearly age, then shortly after, learningorgan, Leonieke says, "I don't really have apreference, I enjoy both and they're so dif-ferent. I make sure to learn tunes on bothinstruments, and then I just decide which Ilike better."

When asked about her musical influ-ences, she says, "I really love BobbyTimmons, Joey DeFrancesco, Dr. LonnieSmith and vocalists like Billie Holiday,

something, you have to do it yourself andtake a chance. This industry can stress youout, and make you question yourself. And Irefuse to deal with that, because if you getcaught up in it, you will be lost. I hope Ilive my life as a model of what a musiciancan do, rather than wait for someone togive a gig."

Bill's Place holds live music everyFriday and Saturday night, two sets eachnight. To learn more, visit www.billsplaceharlem.com.

Movies, Exhibitions, Valentine's Day,and Residencies

Say What! A Geriatric Proposal is thebrainchild of jazz violinist AaronWeinstein and his brother Jeremy, andfollows the story of a young jazz artiststruggling with the travails of life on the

road. A funny and engaging animatedshort, Say What can be viewed athttps://www.rescuedogfilms.com/say-what.

The works of mixed media visual artistSam Middleton is featured at GPContemporary, beginning Feb. 1 in anexhibition entitled The Sam I am isCollage. Reflecting Sam's upbringing inNew York City and immersion in Harlem'sJazz scene, the exhibit showcases hisexceptional work in watercolor, gouache,and collage. The gallery is open Mondaythrough Friday; for more details, visitwww.gpgallery.com.

New York City offers a wide range ofromantic jazz possibilities on Valentine'sDay. Vocalist Brianna Thomas has a spe-cial themed concert titled It Had to Be Youat Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola; learn more atwww.jazz.org/dizzys. Nonpareil vocalistCatherine Russell appears at Birdlandon Valentine's Day, tickets are available atwww.birdlandjazz.com. Bria Skonbergmakes a one-night-only appearance at JazzStandard, offering up a superb mix ofmaterial with special guest HoustonPerson. See more details at www.jazzstandard.com. Kevin Mahogany brings hissingular crooning talents to Smoke Jazz &Supper Club for a special performance.Make a reservation at www.smokejazz.com.

One of the last bulwarks for creativeand experimental music in Manhattan,The Stone will commence its final 12months of life beginning this month, offer-ing fans a beautiful series of residencies to

Bria Skonberg

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B A C K S TA G E PA S S

REEVES...continued from page 17

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close out its tenure. Of note, vibraphonemaster Chris Dingman holds a residencyFeb. 21-26, bringing in an incredible rosterof collaborators, including FabianAlmazan, Ike Sturm, Tyshawn Sorey andmany more. For a full list of events, visitwww.thestonenyc.com.

As she looks forward to her upcomingperformance at Jazz at Lincoln Center,where she'll be premiering new music withfamiliar bandmates, Dianne reflects on themost important component of concept:"You have to continue to develop youruniqueness—your authenticity," she says,"because nobody is like anybody else, orhas the same experiences as anybody else."And after three decades of contemplativeinterpretation, harmonic conversation andresonating sound, no one's concept is moreauthentic than Dianne Reeves'.

Dianne Reeves performs at JALCFeb. 10-11.

Jazz, through to Piano Song, to going onthe road."

The Matthew Shipp Trio performsat The Cutting Room on Feb. 9 to cel-ebrate the release of Piano Song.

JAZZ ANECDOTE BY BILL CROWBill Crow's books "Jazz Anecdotes" and "From Birdland to Broadway" can be

found at your favorite bookstore, and at www.billcrowbass.com along with many interesting photos and links.

Lloyd Wells sent me a note expressing his sorrow at hearing that jazz guitarist HowieCollins had passed away. Howie had done a lot of subs for Lloyd when he was doingBroadway shows. Lloyd remembered seeing a Merv Griffin show that Howie subbed on forJim Hall. Merv said something about the band, and the camera panned over to the band-stand, stopping right on Howie, who's face was buried in a roast beef sandwich.

Bill Wurtzel and Joe Roccisanowere quietly playing a gig in a restaurant. A guest whohad been sitting with friends, came over and praised them by saying, "With other bands youcan't carry on a conversation."

A Moment You Missed by Fran Kaufman Hot HouseContributing Photographer

Pianist, arranger and composer HelenSung and vocalist Charenée Wade areclearly enjoying themselves as they sharea look at upcoming arrangements back-stage at the APAP meeting at the HiltonHotel on Jan. 8. Both artists performed inthe New York Suite with reedman OranEtkin when he showcased his charmingand informative program for kids.

ANOTHER REASON...continued from page 26

tarist. "I'm blessed to have this as a profes-sion. It's a wonderful thing to be able to do,a wonderful experience to be in that zone;there's nothing like it. It's an out of bodyexperience when things are going well.When you're playing really well peoplebreathe with you, they're in tune with thesmallest sound. It's fun and you don't gettired of it."

Now based in Rome, Ralph visits NewYork to celebrate the release of My FoolishHeart at Jazz Standard Feb. 15-16. TheCD's title is a bit of an in-joke, he reveals,laughing: "I had a little problem with myheart two or three years ago, that's all fixednow, but there's a bit of dark humor, a lit-tle irony in the name of the record."

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30 For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

continued from page 24 MORRISBICKFORD THEATRE: 6 Normandy HeightsRd. Morristown. 973-971-3706. Concerts 8-9:30pm. www.njjs.org. $17/20 adm. Feb 6:Marty Eigen & Amani Qrt w/guest LeoniekeScheuble; 20: Dan Levinson Band w/MikeDavis, Matt Mussleman.

MAYO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: 100South St. Morristown. www.mayoarts.org.973-539-8008. Feb 17: 8pm $99-49 admChris Botti.

SHANGHAI JAZZ: 24 Main St. Madison. 973-822-2899. www.shanghaijazz.com. Free adm.Sets: Sun 6-8:30pm, Tues 6:30-9pm, Wed-Thurs 7-9:30pm, Fri 6:30&8:30pm, Sat6:30&8:45pm. Closed Mon. Feb 7: JohnKorba; 8: Harry Allen Trio; 17: Rob PaparozziTrio; 18: Nilson Matta Trio; 19: 3-5:30pm JazzSocial feat Elise Axelrad; 21: NickiParrott/Rossanno Sportiello; 28: John Korba.

OCEANOCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE: College Dr.Toms River. 732-255-0500. www.ocean.edu.$18/22 adm. www.njjs.org. Feb 15: 8-9:30pmRicky Riccardi.

PASSAICWILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY: 300Pompton Rd. Wayne. www.wpunj.edu. 973-720-2371. Feb 12: 4pm Claudio Roditi w/WPLatin Jazz Ens dir by Chico Mendoza; 19:4pm Vincent Herring & Eric Alexander Qnt.

SOMERSETWATCHUNG ARTS CENTER: 18 Stirling Rd.Watchung. www.watchungarts.org. 908-753-0190. Feb 4: 8pm $22-10 adm JaZZ in theGallery feat Carrie Jackson All Stars.

UNIONUNION COUNTY PERFORMING ARTSCENTER: 1601 Irving St. Rahway. 732-499-8226. www.ucpac.org. Feb 19: 7-9:30pmJersey City Jazz Collective.

WARRENRUTHERFURD HALL: 1686-R Rte 517.Allamuchy. 908-852-1894. www.rutherfurdhall.org. Feb 26: 3-5pm $25/20 adm Jazz atthe Rutherfurd feat Pete McGuinness Sxt.

76 HOUSE: 110 Main St. Tappan. 845-359-5476. www.76house.com. Wed: 8-11pm freeadm Quintets w/Mark Hagan & feat artists +Jam. Feb 1: Andy Gravish; 8: MichaelRabinowitz; 15: Bobby Level; 22: MattHaviland, Oscar Feldman.

FALCON ARTS: 1348 Rte 9 West. Marlboro.www.liveatthefalcon.com. 845-236-7970. $20don suggested. Sets: 7-10pm; Sun 10am-2pm Brunch (B). Feb 5: B Big Joe Fitz & TheLo-Fis, 7pm David Amram Qnt & friends; 8:Jazz Sessions at The Falcon Underground;11: Ed Palermo Big Band; 12: Noah HaiduQrt; 16: Latin Jazz Express; 26: RolandVazquez Qnt.

TURNING POINT CAFÉ: 468 Piermont Av.Piermont. www.turningpointcafe.com. 845-359-1089. Mon: 8-11:30pm $5 adm MondayJam by John Richmond.

DEER HEAD INN: 5 Main St. Delaware WaterGap, PA. www.deerheadinn.com. 570-424-2000. Sets: Sun 5-8pm, Thurs 8-11pm, Fri-

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in NJPAC. 1 Center St. Newark. 888-466-5722. www.njpac.org. Feb 12: 12pm $45/15adm Jazz Brunch feat Kevin Mahogany.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH: 40SFullerton Av. Montclair. 973-744-6560.www.outpostintheburbs.org. Feb 26: 3:15-5:15m $10 adm Spiritual DrummingWorkshops by Richard Reiter.

LUNA STAGE: 555 Valley Rd. West Orange.973-395-5551. www.lunastage.org. Feb 26:7pm $18/20 adm Paul Meyers & World on aString.

SOPAC: 1 SOPAC Way. South Orange. 973-313-2787. Feb 19: 7pm Jazz in the Loft featFrank Noviello.

TRUMPETS: 6 Depot Square. Montclair. 973-744-2600. www.trumpetsjazz.com. Admvaries. Feb 4: 8-11pm Jack DeSalvo; 12:7:30-10pm Lou Caputo & Not So Big Band;13: 7-8:30pm Gabriel Alexander, AphroditeDaniel & Achilleas Wastor; 24: 8&10pm T.K.Blue.

VAN VLECK HOUSE & GARDENS: 21 VanVleck St. Montclair. www.vanvleck.org. 973-744-4752. Feb 11: 6:30-8pm $250 adm, 8-11pm $150 Jazz House Kids benefit feat TheJazz House Alumni Band, Claudio RoditiBossa Trio, Matthew Whitaker.

HUDSONMILLER BRANCH LIBRARY: 489 Bergen Av.Jersey City. 201-547-6907. Feb 25: 8-10pmT.K. Blue.

MERCER1867 SANCTUARY AT EWING: 101 ScotchRd. Ewing. www.1867sanctuary.org/seriesjazz. 609-392-6409. Feb 4: 8pm L TownExpress; 26: 3pm Odean Pope/GloriaGalante Qrt.

CANDLELIGHT LOUNGE: 24 Passaic St.Trenton. www.candlelightevents.way.to. 609-695-9612. Sat: 3:30-7:30pm free adm/$10min. www.jazztrenton.com. Feb 4: Lynn Riley;11: Jeanne Brooks; 18: Landom Brothers; 25:Andrae Mutcherson.

MCCARTER THEATRE: 91 University Pl.Princeton. 609-258-2787. www.mccarter.org.Feb 15: 7:30pm Chris Botti.

MIDDLESEXDUE MARI: 78 Albany St. New Brunswick.www.duemarinj.com. 732-296-1600. Fri:6:30-9:30pm free adm The New BrunswickJazz Project/www.nbjp.org. Feb 3: KateCurran Duo; 10: 8-11pm Emma Larsson Duo;17: Kate Baker Duo; 24: Mike Bond Duo.

GEORGE STREET ALE HOUSE: 378George St. New Brunswick. www.gsalehouse.com. 732-543-2408. The NewBrunswick Jazz Project/www.nbjp.org. Tues:8-11pm Emerging Artists + Jam.

HYATT HOTEL: 2 Albany St. New Brunswick.www.newbrunswick.hyatt.com. 732-873-1234. Thurs: 8-11pm free adm The NewBrunswick Jazz Project/www.nbjp.org. Feb 2:Stephen Fuller Qrt; 9: Ralph Peterson &Triangular III; 16: Steve Fidyk Qrt; 23: DaveSchumacher Qrt;

INC RESTAURANT: 302 George St. NewBrunswick. www.increstaurant.com. 732-640-0553. Wed: 8-11pm free adm The NewBrunswick Jazz Project/www.nbjp.org. Feb 1:Jerome Jennings Trio; 8: Felix Peikli Trio; 15:Nat Adderley Trio; 22: Mike Bond Trio featTim Ries.

MONMOUTHCOUNT BASIE THEATRE: 99 Monmouth St.Red Bank. www.countbasietheatre.org. 732-842-9000. Feb 19: 4pm Russ Kassoff w/RitaMoreno.

NEW YORK STATE

PENNSYLVANIA

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By Cary Tone

B R I D G E C R O S S I N G S

Ross photo by Junya Suzuki.

BRANDON ROSS' MUSIC IS SOME-times quiet and deep, sometimes loudand mysterious. His guitar playing andcompositions reveal themselves as simul-taneously soothing and unsettling with anaesthetic, as you will read here, and hearwhen you listen, that is never static,always searching.

Q- Brandon, you have a few differentgroups you lead or co-lead. Tell us whatyou're working on with Harriet Tubman,Blazing Beauty, For Living Lovers? Or doyou currently have other musical priori-ties? A- Currently, my musical focus is on

music I've written for a Chamber MusicAmerica New Jazz Works grant project,"Immortal Obsolescence" which is a musi-cal response to a visual chronicle of psy-chotherapeutic artifacts, documented byVenezuelan visual artist, designer andphotographer, Carolina Munoz. The musicis composed for For Living Lovers—myacoustic duo with acoustic bass guitaristStomu Takeishi—and additional instru-mentation through a song cycle of 11 com-positions for improvisation.

In addition to Harriet Tubman, (whichhas a new CD releasing on Feb. 24 onSunnyside Records, Araminta) andBlazing Beauty, which will perform duringmy Stone residency this year (Feb. 14-19),I've found myself engaging with aspects ofsound creation in the Glyph band,DarkMatterHalo, with sound designer,Hardedge and electric guitarist DougWieselman. Those are the projects thathave released CDs in the last year.Additionally I have an "experimental" continued on page 32

ensemble, Brandon Ross Pendulum,(Hardedge; Kevin Ross, electric bass; ChrisEddleton, drums) which I am developing.Q- You've played with such a wide array

of musicians. Cassandra Wilson, MuhalRichard Abrams, Tony Williams, ArtoLindsey, Archie Shepp, Oliver Lake, BillLaswell, Henry Threadgill only a partiallist. How have you developed such a broadpallet?A- I think Roscoe Mitchell put it very

succinctly in an interview once. He saidsomething like, and I'm paraphrasinghere: "... If you are in love with music, ifyou're having a love affair with music, thenyou are going to listen to all kinds of musi-cal expression…"

I don't foster an attitude of musicalapartheid. It's about whatever touches meor gets my positive attention. In terms ofbeing able to function musically with thoseartists, as I look at it, those people are peo-ple who have been and are, musicallythemselves. When I first came to NYC, Ihad the good fortune to meet OrnetteColeman when I was invited to play at hisplace in the school building he had onRivington Street, on LES. He said to me,"Always be musically, yourself." I assumedI knew what that meant. I did not. I havecome to understand it, and live by it, and tohave found myself in the company of musi-cal mentors and colleagues who have madethat choice also.

Q- If you weren't a musician what otherdirections would your life have taken?A-When I graduated from high school I

was either going to music college or dramaschool. I was very active in theatre in highschool, and won a few awards for roles Iplayed and I love something about theengagement with a director and interpret-ing direction through a character. I followactors the way I do musicians.Interestingly, when I work with the pro-ducer/musician Kip Hanrahan, it is very

I know that it is crucialto cultivate my Self, orto allow my Self to

cultivate me. A solitarysingular pursuit.If I can realize it,

I am my own reward.

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Sat 7-11pm. Adm varies. Residency (R):Thurs Jam w/Bill Washer & friends. Feb 2: R;3: La Cuchina & Unplugged; 4: Dave Liebman& Expansions; 5: Patrick McGee Qrt; 9: R; 10:Iris Ornig; 11: Bob Dorough; 12: EricaGolaszewski Qrt; 14: Marianne Solivan Qrt;16: R; 17: Mike Collins Qrt; 18: SilvanoMonasterios; 19: Phil Markowitz & ZachBrock; 23: R; 24: Davey Lantz Trio; 25: KateBaker & Vic Juris; 26: Bill Charlap Solo; 27: 5-8pm Delaware Water Gap Orch.

FLUSHING TOWN HALL: 137-35 NorthernBlvd. Flushing. www.flushingtownhall.org.718-463-7700. 1st Wed: 7pm $10 adm Jamw/Carol Sudhalter. Feb 18: 8pm $25/35Mozayik feat Tulivu-Donna CumberbatchHenry; 24: 8pm $16/10 adm Grace Kelly.

JACKSON ROOM: 192-07 Linden Blvd. StAlbans. www.jacksonroom.com. 718-525-2387. Last Sat: 8&10pm $15 adm inclsnacks/beverage feat Ed Jackson Qrt.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG HOUSE MUSEUM:34-56 107th St. Corona. 718-478-8274.www.louisarmstronghouse.org. Sun&Sat 12-5pm, Tues-Fri 10am-5pm: $10 adm GuidedTours of Louis Armstrong House.

BEANRUNNER CAFÉ: 201 S Division &Esther St. Peekskill. 914-737-1701.www.beanrunnercafe.com. Fri-Sat: 8-10:30pm $10 adm. Feb 3: Chico Alvarez &Mauricio Smith w/Ran Kan Kan; 4: Wali Ali;11: Eric Person Qrt; 18: Mala Waldron Qrt; 25:The Voyagers.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: 199NColumbus Av at E Lincoln Av. Mount Vernon.www.pjsjazz.org. 914-636-4977. 2nd Sun:5:15-9pm $25 adm Second Sunday Jazzseries. Feb 12: Antonio Hart.

Hot House is not responsible for any errors in the listings which may have occured from late changes or incorrect information supplied to us. Please call the venues or check website for up to date calendars.

QUEENS

WESTCHESTER

BRIDGE CROSSINGS...continued from page 31

much like being directed theatrically. I singon Kip's records as well as play guitar, andKip's lyrics (which are more often prose-like than lyrical) can be elliptical and hardto align with the music they've been writ-ten for—as well as being written in the stu-dio, sometimes line by line and handed tome while we're recording—so he and I haveestablished this 'pas de deux' that mightwell be a convergence of my theatrical andthe musical inclinations.

Q- What do you know today that youdidn't know 20 years ago?

A- I know today, that the importance ofbeing oneself, and accepting oneself is the-most important ability to cultivate in any(creative) endeavor.When I first met Ornette in '83, (I've

shared this story a lot) the first thing hesaid to me was "How's the music business?"To which I sheepishly replied (being youngand star struck) that I didn't know enoughabout it to say. After which he said,"There's the music world and the musicbusiness. A long time ago, I decided that I'drather be a part of the music world." I know that it is crucial to cultivate my

Self, or to allow my Self to cultivate me. Asolitary singular pursuit. If I can realize it,I am my own reward.

Q- What have you been listening to late-ly?

A- Lately, I have been listening to DoriCaymmi's Poesia Musicada.

Q- Is the nature of jazz and improvisa-tion a political statement?

A- In the context of politics, it wouldseem to be. In the context of true reality, itis a poetic facsimile of same. I define cul-ture as the way of our lives. Politics wouldthen be, in the way of our lives. The thingswe call jazz and improvisation are culturalgestures within a process of organizationand manifestation. It's what humans do.Daily. Some more than others.

Q- What's the last truly great piece ofmusic you listen to live or recorded?

A- It was a concert. A great concert, byJeff Beck, in August 2016. I find it so satis-fying to experience any artist who managesto be self-possessed, more or less complete;themselves, gestural, natural, revelatory,inspired and inspiring. That was a timewhen those qualities showed up for me. Ihad a teacher who used to use the term, "Itof itself" as a description of what was inef-fable. Jeff Beck was that.Q- You're having a dinner party and can

invite three musicians. Who would they be?A- Ornette Coleman, Lawrence D.

"Butch" Morris and Toru Takemitsu.

Brandon Ross has a weeklong resi-dence at The Stone Feb. 14-19

For the complete interview, visit our website:http://hothousejazz.com/blog/Brandon-Ross.

For comprehensive daily updated listings with sort-by options—by artist, location, day or time—go to www.hothousejazz.com.

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33

THE LATIN SIDEOF HOT HOUSE

By Emilie Pons

WHEN HE WAS YOUNG, PIANISTMike Eckroth listened to the John

Scofield album Blue Matter and the OscarPeterson's Soul Espanol, in which Petersonplays Brazilian and Latin music. Thesetwo albums were precursory of Mike's col-orful and diversified career. Mike belongsto many worlds and cultures and he is partof diverse projects. You might have lis-tened to him if you ever watched John'slive concert video The Paris Concert, but ifyou are a fan of Cuban, Afro-Peruvian andBrazilian music, you probably know Mike'ssound as well.

His humility is only exceeded by his tal-ent: Mike, whose hazel eyes sizzle withintelligence, refuses to identify as anexpert. But his eclecticism is riveting. Hejust graduated from NYU with a Ph.D. inethnomusicology. During his studies, he notonly transcribed and analyzed more than70 solos by the bigger improvisers in Cubanmusic, he explains, but he also met gui-tarist John Scofield, who hired him from2009 until 2011.

For his dissertation, titled "Cuban pianoimprovisation on record from 1937 to 1949,"Mike wrote about "the Cuban stylisticaspects of the 1940s that were carried on bylater pianists." He is now looking into pub-lishing a method book based on hisresearch, the only one about that topic, hesays.

Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba is oneof Mike's favorite musicians, along withBrazilian pianist Cesar Camargo Mariano.In Brazilian music, Mike loves the feel, theimprovisation and the style, he says. "I justlike doing things that have groove andrhythm in them," he adds. Mike just fin-ished a mambo big band music recording inCuba for the singer Pepito Gomez. He alsoplays a lot of salsa and Latin jazz with per-formers such as percussionists Johnny"Dandy" Rodriguez and Ralph Irizarry.Regardless, he remains humble: "Evenafter playing Cuban music for ten years,"

he says, "I am still learning so much aboutit."

One of Mike's projects, the trio La Voz deTres, features a Chilean singer and aBrazilian seven-string guitar player. Healso plays with the Spanish Afrobeat bandPeliroja, and his upcoming album Pianoand Rhythms is influenced by classicCuban records such as the Peruchin's Pianocon Mona album. Another of Mike's trade-marks is that he plays with a lot of gui-tarists, a pairing that speaks to his sensi-bility and, one more time, his talent.

Mike also performs and records withbassist Ron McClure. New York, he says, isthe only place where he sees himself whenit comes to making a living as a jazz musi-cian and supporting his family: after all, heis now a father of three. Mike is busy, andhis dream is to replicate what he was ableto achieve with John. Up to now, "John wasdefinitely the height of my career," he read-ily admits.

For his duo set at Mezzrow on Feb. 9,Mike features Matt Clohesy on bass. It willbe a straight ahead gig, Mike explains.Regardless, the pianist is likely to exudehis usual technical and improvisatory dex-terity, spanning many genres, manydecades, and many sensibilities.

Mike Eckroth is at Mezzrow Feb. 8in a duo with Matt Clohesy

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