New York at Night
New York @ Night: April 2014
From the April 2014 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — The clarinet looms large in Chris Speed’s work, though he spent the first two nights of his residency at the Stone solely on tenor saxophone. In the last of four trio sets with bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Dave King (Mar. 12), Speed focused mainly on music from
New York @ Night: January 2014
From the January 2014 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — When the George Coleman New Octet began its second set at Jazz Standard (Dec. 11), one band member wasn’t easily visible: George Coleman. The veteran tenor saxophonist began his solo on “Waltzing Westward” and revealed his position, seated in a chair on the floor just off the bandstand. Though he
New York @ Night: December 2013
From the December 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — When cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum and his sextet finished their first set at the Jazz Gallery (November 9th), someone from the venue reached up to put a delicate framed photograph on the wall. “Did we knock that down?” Bynum joked, but the thought was plausible: his band rose
New York @ Night: November 2013
From the November 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — Celebrating the release of Ängsudden Song Cycle (482 Music) at Roulette (October 13), multi-reedist Mike McGinnis could barely be seen during the concert’s first half. He was up in the balcony playing “Ängsudden Abstracts” for solo soprano saxophone while dancer Davalois Fearon performed onstage below. In a way,
New York @ Night: September 2013
From the September 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — When the collaborative quartet Ideal Bread played Ibeam (Aug. 12th) the clock was running on a Kickstarter appeal for Beating the Teens, the band’s third album devoted to the music of Steve Lacy. Beating the Teens is a twist on Scratching the Seventies (Saravah), the landmark Lacy collection,
New York @ Night: August 2013
From the August 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — One of bassist Ben Allison’s recent obsessions is the music of Jim Hall, which he’s explored live with the gifted Steve Cardenas on guitar. In a four-night run at Dizzy’s, Allison maintained a focus on Hall at least in part while changing up the personnel. Saxophonist Ted Nash and drummer
New York @ Night: July 2013
From the July 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — In the best sense of the term, vocalist Gregory Porter is a crowd-pleaser. His performance at SubCulture (June 10th) was like a neighborhood event, brimming with audience goodwill and easy banter, the mood no doubt enhanced by Porter’s recent signing to Blue Note. There were songs, or
New York @ Night: June 2013
From the June 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — For the second year the Undead Music Festival kicked off with a night of Improvised Round-Robin Duets, but the lineup at Brooklyn Masonic Temple (May 1st) couldn’t have been more of a departure. Simply put, this wasn’t strictly a jazz event. Jazz players did take part, however, and