New York at Night
New York @ Night: July 2012
From the July 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — You might not think there’s room in the universe for another Thelonious Monk tribute. But pianist Eric Reed’s two most recent Savant discs, The Dancing Monk and The Baddest Monk, aren’t retreads in any sense: they’re consistently fresh and insightful, not to mention flat-out swinging. Leading a
New York @ Night: June 2012
From the June 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — Jazz musicians often develop uncanny systems of nonverbal communication. But tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, 85, and drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath, 76, share a closer and longer bond than most, and the playful onstage code they’ve evolved seems to guide every performance by the Heath Brothers Quartet. Kicking off
New York @ Night: May 2012
From the May 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — Pianist Craig Taborn has gigged with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Gerald Cleaver for a number of years, but it took the trio all this time finally to play New York. The late Saturday set at the Village Vanguard (April 7) moved from deep abstraction and stillness to
New York @ Night: April 2012
From the April 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — Drawing on material from his superb new Palmetto disc An Attitude for Gratitude, drummer Matt Wilson fronted his Arts and Crafts quartet in an inspired late Saturday set at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (March 3). Wilson is a funnyman in the finest Gillespie tradition, but watching him harness the
New York @ Night: March 2012
From the March 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — When bassist Ben Allison dedicated his Zankel Hall concert (Feb. 3) to New York City as a whole, he was glancing back at all the chameleonic work he’s done in town: music that has involved top jazz improvisers as well as figures like Joey Arias, the performance
New York @ Night: February 2012
From the February 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — The term “groove-oriented” usually describes jazz of a funkier, danceable sort. But it’s not how many would categorize the maddeningly complex music of Vijay Iyer and his trio with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Pulsing rhythm, however, has always played a significant role for Iyer,
New York @ Night: January 2012
In the January 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — In a cheerful and loquacious introduction at Bar Next Door (Dec. 4), guitarist Peter Mazza announced his plan for the evening: arrangements of standards, reflecting a passion for rich and intricate harmony. Flanked by Marco Panascia on upright bass and Roggerio Boccato on a scaled-down percussion kit, Mazza
New York @ Night: December 2011
In the December 2011 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — There was much to digest while watching Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society perform “Brooklyn Babylon,” an hourlong work programmed by BAM’s Next Wave Festival (Nov. 10). Danijel Zezelj, standing on a catwalk, painted haunting images in black and red, using a small roller on a wide and narrow canvas as