Visits

Friday, July 24, 2009

Jazz Listings

Jazz Listings


By THE NEW YORK TIMES


JAZZ


Full reviews of recent jazz concerts: nytimes.com/music.


HARRY ALLEN QUARTET (Friday and Saturday) Ebullient swing is always a priority for the tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, who displays a breezy familiarity with midcentury modern conventions. His quartet includes the pianist Rossano Sportiello, the bassist Hassan Shakur and the drummer Chuck Riggs. At 8 and 10 p.m., Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Avenue, at 38th Street , (212) 885-7119, kitano.com; cover, $25, with a $15 minimum. (Nate Chinen)


★ THE BBC (Thursday) Despite the handle, there is no broadcast affiliation for this powder-keg alliance of Berne (as in Tim, saxophonist), Black (Jim, drummer) and Cline (Nels, guitarist). Full-tilt improvisation is their shared objective here, and rough-hewn texture is among their formidable strengths. At 8 and 10 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)


★ TERENCE BLANCHARD (Friday through Sunday) As a trumpeter and composer, Mr. Blanchard favors a sleek post-bop sound informed by myriad sources. His new album, “Choices,” due out on Concord in August, will feature politically minded spoken-word contributions from Cornel West; here he leads a sharp young group with the saxophonist Walter Smith III, the pianist Fabian Almazan, the bassist Derrick Hodge and the drummer Kendrick Scott. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan , (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; cover, $35; $30 on Sunday. (Chinen)


GERALD CLAYTON TRIO (Wednesday) Gerald Clayton, a briskly confident young pianist, mingles standards with his own compositions in a trio with the bassist Joe Sanders and the drummer Justin Brown. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan , (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; cover, $20. (Chinen)


FREDDY COLE (Thursday) A charismatic and urbane vocalist, Mr. Cole accesses the standard songbook with easygoing grace. He has a fine new album, “The Dreamer in Me” (High Note), recorded at a New York club engagement last year; for this brief run at a different club, he has a good improvisational foil in the tenor saxophonist Harry Allen. (Through Aug. 2.) At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan , (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; cover, $25. (Chinen)


LOU DONALDSON QUARTET (Wednesday and Thursday) Bebop, blues and boogaloo are all fair game for the veteran alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, who works here with a supportive rhythm section. (Through Aug. 1.) At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton , (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; cover, $30 and $40, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)


JOHN ELLIS GROUP (Thursday) John Ellis is a tenor and soprano saxophonist drawn to loose-limbed funk, but he also has an interest in spacious modern jazz. For this free lunchtime performance he enlists sharp players comfortable in either style: the guitarist Mike Moreno, the pianist Aaron Goldberg, the bassist Alan Hampton and the drummer Greg Hutchinson. From 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., Plaza at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Lexington Avenue at 54th Street , (212) 935-2200, saintpeters.org/jazz. (Chinen)


PEDRO GIRAUDO JAZZ ORCHESTRA (Friday) Pedro Giraudo, an Argentine bassist and composer, draws here from a worthwhile self-released album, “El Viaje,” with a band that includes resourceful young improvisers like the alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village , (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; cover, $15; $10 for members. (Chinen)


★ CHARLIE HADEN INVITATION SERIES (Friday through Sunday) Revisiting a can’t-miss programming idea, the great bassist Charlie Haden engages in duologue with a few distinctive pianists here: Kenny Barron, the articulate modernist who teamed up with him for an exquisite album, “Night and the City” (Verve), about a decade ago (Friday); Paul Bley, an incorrigible explorer with whom he has worked memorably in trio format (Saturday); and Bill Charlap, a songbook specialist with an exacting style (Sunday). At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 475-8592, bluenote.net; $35 at tables; $20 at the bar; with a $5 minimum. (Chinen)


★ FRED HERSCH TRIO (Friday through Sunday) After an era of stability in the lineup of his trio, the pianist Fred Hersch makes substitutions here, bringing in John Hébert on bass and Eric McPherson on drums. Certain constants should remain: flexibility, interactivity and a firm commitment to melody. At 9 and 11 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village , (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; cover, $25, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)


★ ETHAN IVERSON, REID ANDERSON, PAUL MOTIAN (Tuesday through Thursday) Mr. Iverson, an acutely contemporary pianist, and Mr. Anderson, a warmly decisive bassist, make up two-thirds of the Bad Plus. Their output here — with the master drummer Paul Motian, a slippery influence on both — should suggest a similar full-tilt musical engagement, but perhaps with less steely certainty and more unanswerable questions. (Through Aug. 2.) At 9 and 11 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village , (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; cover, $25, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)


BOB JAMES AND EARL KLUGH (Tuesday through Thursday) It has been 30 years since the release of “One On One” (Columbia), an album that capitalized on the shared melodic instincts of the keyboardist Bob James and the guitarist Earl Klugh. Revisiting that summery achievement from a present-day vantage, the two contemporary-jazz musicians seek out new rewards within familiar comforts. (Through Aug. 2.) At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 475-8592, bluenote.net; cover, $35 at tables; $20 at the bar; with a $5 minimum (Chinen)


★ JAZZ IN JULY (Monday through Thursday) This venerable series, now in its fifth season under the direction of the pianist Bill Charlap, concludes next week with memorials to three of jazz’s more distinctive mainstream modernists. On Monday Mr. Charlap leads a smart-looking tribute to Gerry Mulligan, with Gary Smulyan filling the hot seat on baritone saxophone. Tuesday’s program involves the music of Vince Guaraldi, both in “Peanuts” and elsewhere. And a Saxophone Summit on Thursday will feature heavyweights young and old: Phil Woods and Steve Wilson on alto, and Jimmy Heath, Harry Allen and Jimmy Greene on tenor. At 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue , (212) 415-5500, 92y.org; $50 and $60; $25 for those 25 and younger. (Chinen)


★ LEE KONITZ (Friday through Sunday) The alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, now 81, has long been one of the towering improvisers in jazz, though his subtle, interrogatory style may not bring such monumental claims to mind. He doesn’t work often enough with Paul Motian, a drummer no less wise or inscrutable than himself — their last album together was released a decade ago — so this Birdland engagement, with the pianist Dan Tepfer, falls under the category of Something Special. Then as a postscript, Mr. Tepfer and Mr. Konitz will perform on Sunday under the Jammin’ on the Hudson banner, celebrating the release of their intimately scaled new album, “Duos With Lee” (Sunnyside). Friday and Saturday at 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton, (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; cover, $30 and $40, with a $10 minimum. Sunday at sunset, Riverbank State Park, Riverside Drive at 145th Street , brownstoneentertainment2.com; free. (Chinen)


PAT MARTINO TRIO (Friday through Sunday) A powerfully proficient guitarist, Pat Martino favors a brand of turbocharged postbop that has more than a little in common with fusion, another area of his expertise. His trio for this run will feature a rhythm team, recently heard to great effect, with the pianist Jacky Terrasson, Ben Williams on bass and Jamire Williams (not a relative) on drums. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Iridium, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street , (212) 582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com; cover, $35, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)


SETH MEICHT AND THE BIG SOUND ENSEMBLE (Friday) Mr. Meicht is a tenor saxophonist with a robust tone and a venturesome streak, though he isn’t averse to swinging. Dropping in for a night from his home base, Philadelphia, he leads a group with a scaled-down big-band instrumentation: three saxophones, two trumpets, one trombone, with a rhythm section. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Tea Lounge, 837 Union Street, near Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn , (718) 789-2762, tealoungeny.com; suggested donation, $5. (Chinen)


BEN MONDER (Saturday and Monday) Mr. Monder, a guitarist known for his beguilingly fluid technique, mixes standards with originals in a trio set on Saturday, uniting both in a streamlined approach. On Monday he performs in duo with the vocalist Theo Bleckmann, who shares his attraction to the ethereal. Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m., Bar Next Door, 129 Macdougal Street, near West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 529-5945, lalanternacaffe.com; $10 with a one-drink minimum. Monday at 9:30 and 11 p.m., Royale, 506 Fifth Avenue, between 12th and 13th Streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn , (718) 840-0089, royalebrooklyn.com; suggested donation, $5. (Chinen)


★ DAFNIS PRIETO SI O SI QUARTET (Sunday) The Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto, an essential fixture on New York’s insurgent Latin jazz scene, convenes a regular cohort — Peter Apfelbaum on saxophones, Manuel Valera on piano and Charles Flores on bass — for a performance partly inspired by New Orleans parade music and Cuban carnival. At 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.), Sculpture Garden, Museum of Modern Art, (212) 708-9400, moma.org; free, but first come first served. (Chinen)


★ MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO (Friday through Sunday) Marcus Roberts has been an exemplar of blues-based modern jazz piano since his tenure with Wynton Marsalis in the 1980s. He has a fine new album, “New Orleans Meets Harlem, Vol. 1” (J-Master), that he’ll probably draw from here, in a trio engagement with the bassist Rodney Jordan and the drummer Jason Marsalis. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway , (212) 258-9595, jalc.org; cover, $30, with a minimum of $10 at tables, $5 at the bar. (Chinen)


ALFREDO RODRÍGUEZ TRIO (Tuesday) The young Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez has won the support of some friends in high places — this one-night stand bears the handle “Quincy Jones Presents” — and it isn’t hard to see why. His playing, proficient and soulful, projects a spirited, youthful charm, especially when he enlists partners like the bassist Charles Flores and the drummer Dafnis Prieto, who join him here. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan , (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; cover, $20. (Chinen)


WALLACE RONEY QUINTET (Thursday) “Jazz” (HighNote), the most recent release by the trumpeter Wallace Roney, documents a fierce and free-spirited post-bop band, a version of which he leads here, with Antoine Roney (his brother) on saxophones, Aruán Ortiz on keyboards, Rashaan Carter on bass and Kush Abadey on drums. (Through Aug. 2.) At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Iridium, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street , (212) 582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com; cover, $30, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)


BADAL ROY (Friday through Sunday) Mr. Roy, a specialist on tabla, may not seem like a natural fit for an Afro-Peruvian music series. But here he is, crossing borders and genres in an ensemble that includes the guitarist Yuri Juárez, the bassist Ramon de Bruyn and the percussionist Freddy (Huevito) Lobatón. At 8 p.m., Tutuma Social Club, 164 East 56th Street, Manhattan , (646) 300-0305, tutumasocialclub.com; no cover or minimum. (Chinen)


HARVIE S TRIO (Wednesday) The bassist known as Harvie S leads a trio featuring the fine pianist James Weidman, covering stylistic terrain that includes the Latin jazz of a fairly recent album, “Funky Cha” (Zoho). A preceding set, at 7:30 p.m., will feature another bassist, Jay Leonhart, playing in a solo format. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Smalls, 183 West 10th Street, West Village , (212) 252-5091, smallsjazzclub.com; cover, $20. (Chinen)


JALEEL SHAW TRIO (Thursday) The alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw has a progressive take on bebop, and a way of assembling bruising rhythm sections like this one, with Dwayne Burno on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums. At 8 p.m., Bar Next Door, 129 Macdougal Street, West Village, (212) 529-5945, lalanternacaffe.com; $10. (Chinen)


LEW TABACKIN TRIO (Friday and Saturday) A garrulous tenor saxophonist and a highly lyrical flutist, Lew Tabackin plays at his loosest when backed by only a bassist and a drummer, as he is here on Friday night. But the addition of the trumpeter Jim Rotondi on Saturday should generate both sparks and ideas. At 10:30 p.m. and midnight, Smalls, 183 West 10th Street, West Village , (212) 252-5091, smallsjazzclub.com; cover, $20. (Chinen)


U. O. PROJECT (Thursday) The initials stand for Ulysses Owens, a dynamic young drummer with a background in church and a degree from Juilliard. He leads a promising group featuring one of his mentors, the pianist Mulgrew Miller, along with the saxophonist Tim Green and the bassist Ben Williams. At 8 and 10 p.m., Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Avenue, at 38th Street , (212) 885-7119, kitano.com; no cover, with a $15 minimum. (Chinen)


★ CEDAR WALTON TRIO (Tuesday through Thursday) As a pianist and composer, Cedar Walton heeds an articulate, almost courtly variety of hard bop; his excellent working trio includes David Williams on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. (Through Aug. 2.) At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway , (212) 258-9595, jalc.org; cover, $30, with a minimum of $10 at tables, $5 at the bar. (Chinen)
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