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2017 Winter Jazz Fest Cheat Sheet

By Hank Williams
January 4, 2017 //

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Words by Hank Williams
 
This week, the Winter Jazz Fest is blowing back into town. The 13th edition of the ever-expanding annual showcase follows a familiar format: two marathon nights of music in venues scattered around the heart of Greenwich Village, with a few standalone opening and closing events – some of which are already sold out — and we’re told that tickets for even the marathon nights are going fast.

As we’ve done for the past few years, we’ll go through a shows with a viewers’ guide to some of our preferred picks, with an admitted lean toward former guests on the Suga in My Bowl radio show. Speaking of our show (shameless self-promotion time): you can catch our coverage featuring talks with pianist David Virelles and WJF promoter Brice Rosenbloom or drummer/percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett and trombonist Craig Harris.

I’ll point you toward the full schedule and artist lineup, but hopefully this will help wade through the myriad choices available each night. Obviously, there are several ways to experience the festival. You can either pick and choose key acts, take a more eclectic approach and see what you find, or some combination of the two. It’s all good.

FESTIVAL THEME AND FOCUS

This year’s theme is social justice and support of the broader discussion around Black Lives Matter, a theme that festival organizer Brice Rosenbloom notes came from the artists themselves: so many of them submitted proposals along those lines that it made sense to simply make the official festival theme reflect their work.
 
Andrew Cyrille 2017 WJF Resident Artist Andrew Cyrille | Photo credit: Joyce Jones
 
Other festival highlights are programming around groundbreaking pianist Thelonious Monk as 2017 marks the centennial of his birth and the selection of drummer/percussionist Andrew Cyrille as this year’s artist in residence. In addition to playing at the festival, Cyrille will be in conversation about his career and jazz on Saturday the 8th at 1 PM at The New School where he teaches. There are several other talks as well and you can browse the entire schedule to see what’s on offer.

If you (understandably) don’t want to wade through the wall of words here, you can jump directly to Thursday’s concert, picks for the first marathon day on Friday, second day on Saturday, or the Sunday-Tuesday sets.

TICKETS AND ADMISSION

WJF has several options available for the standalone shows, marathon nights (either one or both) or full festival passes for the hardcore enthusiasts. The one constant is that we strongly recommend getting tickets in advance, since even with the expanded venues at the New School, it’s possible to get closed out of nights. The “marathon” nights on Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th are sold for the entire night only: not for individual shows. They’re still a pretty good deal for how much music you get if you see more than a single show, and there’s likely something to suit almost everyone’s taste. 2-day passes and full festival passes get entrance to the marathon days as well. Separate tickets are necessary for the opening and closing events, with the exception of events that sell out, such as Pharaoh Sanders’ show on Thursday the 5th.

LOCATIONS AND LOGISTICS

The WJF’s heart is still in the center of the Village: with venerable institutions Zinc Bar, The Bitter End, and Le Poisson Rouge returning. Gone is the historic Judson Memorial Church, which has served as a check-in location and performance venue for the past two years. The New School continues as a festival sponsor and provides several spaces for the festival in its campus clustered around 13th Street off Fifth Avenue, including some much needed larger venues. All of these are close enough to comfortably (though maybe briskly) walk between for sets. Zinc Bar is small and popular, so be warned that seeing an act scheduled there means getting there very early, and possibly skipping something else in the process.

On the western frontier of the Village and Tribeca are SOB’s and the Django at the Roxy Hotel.

Nublu, the East Village mainstay, serves up their new satellite location at 151 Avenue C, between 9-10 Streets. It’s a brisk walk or quick bus or L train ride away from the action clustered near the center.

Bowery Electric, Subculture, and Bowery Ballroom are clustered together on the Lower East Side and round out this year’s venues.

Obviously, figuring out what one wants to see also means taking into account the logistics of who’s playing where and getting between venues.

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Photo credit: Winter Jazz Fest (screenshot)
 

THURSDAY JANUARY 5

The festival kicks off with the returning Jazz Legends for Disability Pride benefit concert at the Quaker Friends Meeting Hall. It’s the brainchild of pianist/organist Mike LeDonne, whose made it his mission. There’s a solid lineup on offer, including veteran pianist Harold Mabern.
 
Pharaoh Sanders | Joyce Jones Photo
Pharaoh Sanders | Joyce Jones Photo
 
Our pick for the night, however is the concert with saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders, with Shabaka and the Ancestors as opening act. Unfortunately, tickets are sold out, but it’s worth following the event’s Facebook page for possible last minute ticket releases or a wait list.

If you have tickets (or are willing to go the standby route), there’s the possibility of an extremely inspired and definitely memorable show by a jazz legend who’s earned his stripes and still plays with incredible intensity at times considering his age and the demands of his instrument.

Sanders is known for his early career work with Sun Ra, his appearances on John Coltrane’s later albums, followed by work with Alice Coltrane and his own solo career work. His signature style seemed to pick up where Coltrane left off with avant garde pieces of an epic scale and unrestrained playing that saw him push the limits of the instrument.

Sanders’s current playing has mellowed somewhat, but still shows the sings of his virtuosity and incredible command of the saxophone

Sanders’s current playing has mellowed somewhat, but still shows the sings of his virtuosity and incredible command of the saxophone, whether he’s going through his own work or covers of other artists. Not surprisingly, Coltrane covers appear regularly on his set list, but you might hear anything from the Blues (BB King’s “Every Day I Sing the Blues”) to versions of his own work, including “You’ve Got To Have Freedom” and crowd favorite “The Creator Has a Master Plan”. Last year, his performance at the Red Bull Music Academy’s “Night of Spiritual Jazz” seemed to inspire Sanders to pull out all the stops, including a searing version of Coltrane’s “Olé”, which matched anything he’s done recently. For a deeper dive see our show with him.

FRIDAY JANUARY 6

Pianist/vocalist Amina Claudine Myers takes the stage at 6:40 PM at New School’s 12th Street Auditorium. Myers is comfortable playing both highly improvised music as well as more straight ahead jazz. With a solo performance scheduled, we’d expect a lyrical, melodic set from Myers. For a deeper dive into her work see our show and interview with her.

Meanwhile, trombonist Craig Harris takes the stage at 7 PM around the corner in the appropriately expansive New School Tishman Auditorium for an epic work he titled “Breathe” in a clear nod to the late Eric Garner, who was choked to death by the NYPD. Harris put out a call last fall for musicians to collaborate with him on the work and the response was overwhelming and resulted in an electrifying performance that you can catch a version of. The 23-person ensemble includes Dick Griffin and Joe Daley (trombones).

In Tribeca at SOB’s at 7 PM, Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Coltrane Tribute is worth a look. Coltrane began looking toward the East–both spiritually and musically—and BRM looks at ‘Trane from the opposite direction, with an Indian-inflected look at Coltrane’s work with a heavy does of improvisation that’s the basis for both musical traditions. Pianist/keyboardist Marc Cary and harpist Brandee Younger join the collective this time for what should be a particularly raucous set of music.

Back at New School’s Tishman Auditorium at 8:20 PM, drummer Andrew Cyrille and saxophonist Bill McHenry take the stage. The two collaborated on the 2016 Proximity (Sunnyside) release, which should be a good guide for their set. The interplay between the two creates a very intimate space that lets them go between far-out avant garde playing, and more introspective, contemplative work.

Following that set, Songs of Freedom takes the Tishman Auditorium stage at 9:40 PM with vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater offering her take on the festival theme. One could do worse than simply camping out in that venue for the evening.
 
David Murray
David Murray at the 2016 WJF | Photo credit: Hank Williams
 
Around the corner, saxophonist David Murray leads his Class Struggle ensemble at New School’s 12th Street Auditorium at 10:40 PM. Murray was a featured performer at last year’s WJF, where he was workshopping some new material along with existing pieces. Expect a hard-hitting set from the ensemble here from the versatile Murray, who is as comfortable playing “out” as he is swinging hard. Here he is at the Vision Fest a few years ago.


 
There’s a tough call for the late set, so I’ll present both possibilities. At 12:20 AM at SOB’s, guitarist Vernon Reid’s Zig Zag Trio with drummer/percussionist Will Calhoun and bassist Melvin Gibbs promises a memorable set for fans of fusion or rock, which is to be expected from a trio with members drawn from Living Colour and Harriet Tubman. However, they’re equally influenced by the work of the late drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and the electric blues as well. I’ll point you to my write-ups from their winter and summer shows last year at Iridium for more details, but it’s a show not to be missed. There are plans for a recording session this spring, but until then, you’ll have to settle for catching them live. Here they are in a live show last year.


 
Closer to the center of the action, a quartet anchored by the incredibly prolific bassist William Parker, who leads one of the many permutations of his In Order to Survive ensemble with frequent collaorator drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake, go onstage at New School’s 12th Street Auditorium in the slightly earlier midnight slot. Expect a highly avant garde, improvised set from the quartet, who are all vets of Arts for Art’s Vision Fest. You can go to our show with Drake for a deeper look at his work or see the video of them raising the roof at the 2012 Vision Fest.

SATURDAY JANUARY 7

Drummer Jaimeo Brown’s Transcendence kicks off the evening set at SOB’s. Their 2016 Worksongs (Motéma) release was a stunning example of Jazz, hip hop, Blues, and pop done right. The release mixed classic prison worksongs with sampled/ looped sounds and the improvisation of Brown’s ensemble laid on top of it all. This set is one that should appeal to listeners who lean more toward the pop and hip hop end of the spectrum, while possibly drawing in a few who can appreciate thoughtful contemporary reworkings of the classics. What they do is easy to mess up and difficult to do right. Transcendence nailed the balance with this one.


 
If your tastes swing more to the avant garde and electric end of the scale, then consider guitarist Mary Halvorson Octet’s 7 PM set at The New School’s 5th Floor Theater. Halvorson’s been gigging around New York City for a while now and is starting to emerge as a leader in her own right. (A recent profile by NPR’s Joel Rose should help her cause too.) The group features an ensemble of emerging young players who work together on various projects. Halvorson’s enticing electric guitar combined with Susan Alcorn’s steel pedal guitar should yield yet another highly experimental, innovative set. It’s one of WJF’s smaller spaces, so the hot tip is to get there early.

Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings and the Ancestors are at Le Poisson Rouge at 7:40 PM. If you didn’t get a ticket for Thursday’s show, then you have another shot to catch them.

At 8:40 PM, there are two groups going head to head that you might consider. Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and pianist David Virelles team up for a duo at New School’s Tishman Auditorium. Expect a melodic set from the duo with contemplative passages and occasional bursts of fire.

Also on tap in the 8:40 PM slot is percussionist Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures who are at Subculture. The ensemble includes incredibly versatile drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake and Graham Haynes on cornet.

In a different direction, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington leads Social Science at SOB’s in the 9:20 PM set. Carrington’s no stranger to the WJF, having previously performed with David Murray and Geri Allen. This time, Carrington’s teamed up with keyboards, vocals, and a DJ, so we expect a set that’ll lean in the pop direction.

Later on in the evening, Zinc Bar hosts two sets featuring current and former members of the Sun Ra Arkestra at 10:20 and 11:40 PM under the “OUT OF RA” banner. George Burton’s Quintet has the earlier set, while drummer/percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett’s AfroHORN Superband has the later set. An expanded AfroHORN features poet Abiodun Oyewole whose probably best known for his work with The Last Poets and fellow Arkestra alum Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet. Look for extremely improvisational free-form sets with both groups using the concepts of the Arkestra as springboards for their own work. The issue with both of them will likely be getting into Zinc, since it’s one of the smallest WJF spaces and known for lines. Seeing either of these groups might mean sacrificing an earlier set or a dinner break to line up.


 
If the above doesn’t work out, then a solid backup plan for the 10:20 PM set is another performance by WJF artist-in-residence Andrew Cyrille, this time with Haitian Fascination at the spacious New School 12th Street Auditorium.

Marc Ribot and the Young Philadelphians: It’s an idea that seems too crazy to work, but work indeed it does

Yet another pick (and probably where I’ll end up) is the 10:40 PM set at SOB’s with guitarist Marc Ribot and the Young Philadelphians. The group—one of many different combinations Ribot is involved with—reworks classic 1970s hits from the disco era into improvisational masterpieces with a dual electric guitar attack by Ribot and Mary Halvorson with backing by bassist Jamaladeen Tacuma and drummer G. Calvin Weston and a string section. It’s an idea that seems too crazy to work, but work indeed it does. Weston and Tacuma are alums of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time ensembles, so there’s a healthy does of harmolodics as well. They brought the house down the last two times they appeared at WJF with their high energy level is high and infectiously good grooves.


 

If you can manage to stay up late again, harpist Brandee Younger leads a trio at Nublu that’s worth a look. Last year, Younger’s WJF set was dedicated to the late Jazz harp pioneer Dorothy Ashby, whose work had a large influence on her. This year, you’ll probably still hear some Ashby, but some Alice Coltrane and some of her own compositions are likely on tap as well.

SUNDAY-TUESDAY SETS

If all that weren’t enough already, the WJF has standalone sets on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with separate admission for each. Sunday, the show goes on the road to Littlefield in Brooklyn and is all about Monk, with 12 different musicians interpreting his Solo Monk album. Marc Ribot, Andrew Cyrille, David Virelles, and Hamid Drake are some of the ones tasked with interpreting Monk’s angular stylings.

Monday and Tuesday finds WJF back in the Village at Le Poission Rouge. Andrew Cyrille has a solo set on Monday.

On Tuesday, WJF goes out swinging hard with the Liberation Music Orchestra, led this time by pianist Geri Allen. The LMO was a project of the late bassist Charlie Haden and took an explicitly political tone in its work. Like the Sun Ra Arkestra, it’s being kept alive by its members (and is usually helmed by pianist Carla Bley). Expect a rousing set to close out the festival.

We’ll be wrapping up our radio coverage of this year’s event on Sunday January 8 at 11 PM on WBAI Radio (99.5 FM or streaming online) with a preview of the Liberation Music Orchestra’s performance and an interview with Joe Daley.

Are you planning to go? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments.
 
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Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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Categories Jazz Festivals, Previews

Preview: The 2016 BRIC JazzFest

By Hank Williams
October 8, 2016 //

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Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin | Photo via BRIC Arts Media (screenshot)
 
BRIC Arts Media, probably best known for the long-running popular Celebrate Brooklyn Festival that annually offers up top notch summer concerts in Prospect Park, has built up something of a media empire in downtown Brooklyn. In addition to the festival, they administer the boro’s public access cable TV, curate art shows, run a performance venue, and offer an impressive array of media production courses.
 
Since last year, you can add running an interesting and well-curated jazz festival to the list of activities.
 
2015’s inaugural BRIC JazzFest had saxophonist Kamasi Washington as a headline act in addition to a few other artists who would appear later at the Winter Jazz Fest in January, a programming choice undoubtedly related to WJF promoter Brice Rosenbloom’s presence as one of the BRIC JazzFest curators. It’s a good choice, as Rosenbloom’s built up an excellent track record over the years programming both the WJF and securing acts for Le Poisson Rouge.
 
Location and Logistics
 
This year the BRIC JazzFest expands to a run spanning two weekends starting this weekend with screenings of three classic documentary films on October 8-9 followed by standalone concerts on the 11th and 12th and three “marathon” nights of music from the 13th-15th.
 
All events happen at the BRIC House at 647 Fulton St. in downtown Brooklyn. The Jazz Film marathon, two warmup performances on October 11-12, and the first marathon night of music on the 13th are all free with required ticket reservations. That already puts it as a exceptional value, but even the days with admission (Friday and Saturday’s marathon nights) are worth your time for some performances that should be excellent. Tickets are available separately for either the Friday or Saturday Marathon nights ($25 advance; $30 door) or as a discounted rate ($45) for both nights. Reserving tickets beforehand is recommended, as the events could sell out.
 
Jazz Film Marathon
 
The Jazz film marathon (free admission with RSVP!) features post-screening talkbacks with noted cultural critic, author, and filmmaker Nelson George leading the discussions. Films run over the course of both nights, so it’s possible to see more than one.
 
A Great Day in Harlem (1994) documents the process behind photographer Art Kane’s iconic 1958 picture that captured many central figures in jazz history in front of a Harlem brownstone.
 


 
Jaco (2015), produced by Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, jumps ahead a few decades to look closely at bassist Jaco Pastorius, a key member of Weather Report and leader in his own right.
 

 
Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser (1988) delves into the life of another jazz great whose approach to the piano and phrasing expanded the possibilities of approaching the instrument. It nicely complements the Jazz Loft Project documentary currently playing at Metrograph Theater that devotes a good section of the film to preparations for Monk’s Town Hall concert. While Robin D.G. Kelley’s Monk bio is a must read on the subject, this will give a quick overview.
 
Director Bert Stern’s Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1959) offers a window into the granddaddy of festivals with its look at the 1958 Newport Jazz Fest. The spectacular cinematography captures many musicians from the golden era of jazz at the top of their careers and in front of live audiences. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is one to cross off the bucket list.
 

 
On Tuesday October 11, the festival warms up with a free concert (RSVP required) by Brooklyn Raga Massive, whose melding of Indian rhythms and jazz carries on the tradition of artists like the Coltranes and John McLaughlin, who’ve looked east for musical inspiration.
 
On Wednesday October 12, Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda takes the stage in another free concert.
 
BRIC JazzFest Marathon Day 1: Thursday October 13
 
On Thursday, the fest kicks into high gear, with the first “marathon” night of music. The formula is simple and repeated all three nights: concerts happen at 3 different spaces inside BRIC’s massive headquarters and attendees are free to wander between shows and catch different acts as they want. It’s the buffet approach that’s used at many festivals, though in this case all the action’s under the same roof, so it’s theoretically easier to hop between performances if that’s one’s goal.
 
BRIC is offering free tickets for the first marathon evening, thanks to sponsorship from the Mayor’s Office of media and Entertainment. Best to jump on them before they sell out.
 
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David Murray at the Winter Jazz Fest | Hank Williams Photo
 
With that out of the way, let’s look at a few highlights. Saxophonist David Murray’s been on our radar since we featured him on our show. Murray’s Infinity Quartet reprises an electrifying set from the 2015 Winter Jazz Fest and is an opportunity to see a versatile player with roots in the avant/free jazz scene. Murray’s Be My Monster Love release featured Macy Gray and Gregory Porter and he spent a fair amount of time workshopping the material with poet and vocalist Saul Williams. While it’s not clear if they’ll have a guest vocalist here, Murray’s set is one to keep an eye on.
 

 
An under-the-radar pick for the evening is vocalist Inyang Bassey. Bassey did an excellent job of warming up the stage for Marc Ribot and the Young Philadelphians earlier this year. Bassey’s soulful voice coupled with her excellent range and vocal control make her one of the acts on my must-see list for this year’s fest and I’m especially eager to see her applying her talent in the jazz genre.
 
BRIC JazzFest Marathon Day 2: Friday October 14
 
The marathon continues on Friday and Saturday (combination tickets are available for $45) with a similar format to Thursday with multiple acts in separate rooms and the complete schedule is here.
 
Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin has been building a well deserved reputation. Here, we see her leading the Soulsquad, which Suga in My Bowl host Joyce Jones describes as “a super funky party band.” With this set, the lack of seating should be the least of your worries. It’s also a good set for friends who might not be into jazz, per se.
 
Pianist Eddie Palmieri’s Latin Jazz Septet is the headline act for the evening, with the set scheduled to kick off at 10:45 PM.
 
BRIC JazzFest Marathon Day 3: Saturday October 15
 
The fest comes to a roaring conclusion on Saturday evening. The full schedule’s here, but here are a few highlights.
 
Guitarist Julian Lage leads a trio with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wollesen. When we talked to Lage, he had just finished his World’s Fair release of solo guitar and he performed several pieces from it at the 2016 Winter Jazz Fest. He’s now back in a trio setting and Colley and Wollesen should meld well with Lage’s style. Expect a laid-back but swinging set that should be a change of pace from some of the other acts at the festival.
 

 
One can never be quite sure what pianist/keyboardist Marc Cary will do because of his broad range of interests and influences. When we talked to him in 2015, the Washington DC native was delving into the Go Go genre that came from his hometown after having finished a tribute album to the late Abbey Lincoln, whose band Cary was in. Here, he won’t be with his usual Focus Trio, but will be paired with trumpeter Maurice “Mobetta” Brown.
 
Electric guitarist Marc Ribot is a must see for the final night and is here with a trio with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Chad Taylor. The trio’s Spiritual Unity (2005) release pays homage to the late saxophonist Albert Ayler (who Grimes played with) and their Live at the Village Vanguard release includes another Ayler classic (“Bells”) while giving a nod to John Coltrane (“Sun Ship” and “Amen”).
 
Although this should give somewhat of a sense of what’s in store for the evening, it’s made more complex by the trio’s range of influences and they can easily decide to go into the Blues. Ribot’s incredibly adventurous explorations on electric guitar are nicely complemented here by Grimes’s acoustic bass and violin, which can swing, keep time, or join in the all out frenzied avant ruckus. All of it’s held together by Taylor behind the drum kit.
 
All three musicians have several diverse projects (indeed, when we talked to Ribot, one difficulty was in addressing the myriad consecutive groups he’s a part of), so it’s not all the time that you can catch them together. Expect their set to lean toward the avant garde side of things. That may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but beyond that, this is a set by a group of seasoned musicians whose musical connection runs deep and should present a master class in collective improvisation.
 

 
Check back with us for review coverage when it’s all done.
 
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Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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Categories Previews

Preview: 2016 Vision Fest

By Hank Williams
June 7, 2016 //

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Suga’ in My Bowl host Joyce Jones and I refer to the annual Vision Fest as the high holy days of jazz and we’re only half-kidding. The festival has managed to outlast competing fests with much deeper pockets and big name corporate sponsors behind them while still managing the delicate balancing act between being a smaller artist-focused event willing to take risks and keeping up with the times and technology. So while you can now buy tickets online and follow their various social media feeds, Vision is unafraid to feature poets in prime time slots or book quirky acts. It’s all part of the scene and that’s why we’ve been going for several years now and have featured numerous performers as guests on the show. In full disclosure, WBAI Radio returns as a media sponsor this year and happily so: it fits the station’s vibe fairly well.
 
Suga’ in My Bowl previewed this year’s festival in our last show, interviewing festival organizer Patricia Nicholson Parker for a “big picture” view, along with pianist Geri Allen (in her first time Vision appearance), guitarist Marc Ribot, drummer Andrew Cyrille and composer/vocalist Lisa Sokolof all speaking on the influence and importance of bassist Henry Grimes. If you missed that, be sure to catch WBAI producer Basir Mchawi’s Education at the Crossroads show on Thursday June 9 st 7 PM EST, where Patricia Nicholson Parker will be giving an update.
 
Vision started on Sunday June 5th with 3 classic films celebrating the 60th year of the Sun Ra Arkestra at Anthology Film Archives. While none of the film’s are new, provided a good opportunity to see John Coney/Sun Ra’s Space is the Place, The Magic Sun, or Robert Mugge’s Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise again. Mugge’s documentary has aged well and does about as good a job as anyone could of giving a broad overview of Ra himself and the Arkestra. Coney’s film, on the other hand, is pure fun: a sci-fi/Blaxploitation mashup that’s the ultimate fan experience.
 
Vision settles in for the week at Judson Memorial Church from the 7-12 with nightly performances highlighting the career of bassist Henry Grimes. It retains its usual informal atmosphere and you’re likely to see musicians hanging out and checking out other sets. Everything happens in the main upstairs space, while the basement houses a marketplace and food vendors. It’s a good place to pick up some of the music you’ll hear over the course of the week and you can usually even get your CD autographed, too!
 
Tuesday night is all about this year’s Vision honoree: bassist/violinist Henry Grimes. Grimes leads two groups over the course of the evening and participates in a third. Pianist Geri Allen and drummer Andrew Cyrille join Grimes for the first set, while the final set of the night features a Grimes-led septet as an expended version of Marc Ribot’s trio with Grimes and drummer Chad Taylor, whose collaboration was captured in the 2014 Live at the Village Vanguard release.
 
Grimes’s story is a remarkable one. He was in high demand in the 1960s, especially in the free jazz scene, where he played with notables like Sunny Murray, Sonny Rollins, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor — to name only a few. Grimes suddenly dropped out of the music scene after getting stuck in Los Angeles with a broken bass he had no money to repair before being rediscovered. Bassist William Parker sent Grimes one of his basses and Grimes practiced feverishly to prepare for his reemergence on the jazz scene. Appropriately enough, his big return to New York was punctuated by a performance at the 2003 Vision Fest and he’s been a regular ever since.
 

 
Wednesday night has poet Quincy Troupe (who we talked to in May for a Miles Davis birthday show) given his own slot to read some of his work in prime time. Pianist Connie Crothers then leads a trio as a lead-in to the night’s closing act: the Sun Ra Arkestra led by the 92 year old saxophonist Marshall Allen.
 
While the Arkestra can be wildly uneven in the quality of their performances, they’ve been solid lately, including at last year’s Vision where they closed an evening with a phenomenal show, at the Winter Jazz Fest earlier this year, where they brought the house down with a midnight set at Judson Memorial Church, and an inspired performance at a Red Bull Music Academy-sponsored “Night of Spiritual Jazz” earlier this year. Much of what I wrote for their Winter Jazz Fest date still applies, including the vitality that vocalist Tara Middleton has brought to the ensemble. I’d add that the Arkestra is actually a perfect intro for people new to jazz and while they have showmanship and performance honed to a science, their level of performance lately has been high. Fortunately, you won’t have to stay up all night to see the Arkestra do their thing this time, since the scheduled descent to Earth is at a relatively early 9:40 PM.
 

 
Thursday night’s lineup starts with multi-instrumentalist Bill Cole, who leads his “UnTempered Ensemble” featuring saxophonist Ras Moshe–who channels the spirit of John Coltrane with nearly every breath he takes–followed by Vision veteran saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc’s ensemble and a first Vision appearance by poet Tonya Foster.
 
Trombonist Steve Swell leads a trio as a lead-in for the night’s closing set with drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake (who we profiled in 2014) backed by an all-star cast of saxophonist Kidd Jordan, pianist Cooper-Moore, and bassist Michael Bisio.
 
Friday night’s lineup has early sets of ensembles led by drummer William Hooker and pianist Cooper-Moore before a closing set with pianist Michele Rosewoman’s “New Yor-Uba” ensemble. We profiled Rosewoman in 2013, for the CD release of her New Yor-Uba project. Look for an inspired spiritual set from Rosewoman, as she blends Yoruba songs with jazz improvisation and expect a special touch of freedom for the Vision crowd.
 

 
Saturday night’s lineup highlights saxophonist Hamiett Bluiett and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, each leading ensembles. Bluiett wrapped up last year’s Vision on the last night leading a rousing performance with a cast so large that it spilled off the stage and needed to commandeer space on the floor to accommodate everyone. It was a grand vision (pun unintentional) of swirling sounds that captured much of what the festival is about. The enormity of the sound produced nearly shook the building at times. Expect a slightly less magisterial treatment this year, as he “only” leads a quartet, however, with solid backing from pianist DD Jackson and drummer Hamid Drake, expect a wild ride.
 
Sunday night’s lineup has saxophonist Kidd Jordan’s ensemble given the duties of closing out the festival: an honor Jordan’s been tasked with before and handled brilliantly.
 
I can only scratch the surface here while keeping this a readable length (and may have failed in the latter already). Check the full schedule to see all the acts with our preliminary recommendations in mind. My ultimate recommendation is to show up, watch, listen, and just get lost in the atmosphere. I always walk away from Vision blown away by someone I was vaguely aware of beforehand, but that’s the magic of this festival.
 
We wrap our coverage with a show interviewing drummer Andrew Cyrille on Sunday June 12 from 11 PM – 1 AM EST on WBAI. If you scoot home quickly after the Kidd Jordan set, you’ll be able to catch the tail end before calling it a night and wrapping it all up until this time next year. If you miss it, not to worry: we archive shows on our website.
 
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Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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Categories Jazz Festivals, Previews

RBMA Streams Night of Spiritual Jazz with Kamasi Washington, the Arkestra, Pharoah Sanders

By Hank Williams
May 7, 2016 //

5_8_Kamasi-Washington---Pharoah-Sanders-_-Sun-Ra-Arkestra
Photo: Red Bull Music Academy’s Night of Spiritual Jazz
 
When Suga’ in My Bowl host Joyce Jones and I first heard about The Red Bull Music Academy’s “night of spiritual Jazz” featuring Pharoah Sanders, the Sun Ra Arkestra, and Kamasi Washington on May 8, it sounded like the perfect lineup and we immediately cleared our schedules to go. Details were sparse–and the location was unannounced until about a week ago–when the organizers also announced that it is sold out!
 
A few commenters on social media who signed up for notices say that the tickets went fast. Although the organizers have finally announced a location–Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse at 73 West St.–good luck getting tickets. Fortunately, you can catch some of the action in the comfort of your own home.
 
If you tune in at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time to the Red Bull Music Academy’s Live radio channel and they’ll be streaming the concert there!
 
While it’s not quite the same as being there, it’s better than nothing and–depending where you live–either your only option or better than trekking out to a historic Greenpoint waterfront that looks to be a good walk from the G train.
 
Another option is checking into the event’s Facebook page, where people are asking for tickets. But the standard warnings obviously apply about safety and avoiding potential scammers.
 
Getting back to the radio channel, however, while scrolling through their online schedule, there were several interesting related broadcasts that are worth checking out:
 

  • A 2014 live performance of the Sun Ra Arkestra at 1 PM EST on Saturday
  • A “Fireside Chat” with Arkestra lead Marshall Allen at 9 AM EST on Sunday
  • A “Fireside Chat” with saxophonist Kamasi Washington at 10:30 PM EST Sunday

    •  
    They appear to rebroadcast things, so it’s worth checking back and scrolling through the complete schedule. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t point you to our own shows on Pharoah Sanders, Kamasi Washington, and the Sun Ra Arkestra/Marshall Allen, which all live in our audio archives.
     
    And if it’s some consolation, you can catch the Arkestra at this year’s Vision Fest on June 8th and Kamasi Washington in a free show on June 19th at Central Park’s Summerstage. Sanders recently finished a run at Birdland; I’d look for him to return in the late fall. I’ll revisit Vision Fest with a longer preview later on (and a quicker take of the Summerstage Jazz lineup’s on the way too), but for now the audio stream will have to tide many of us over.
     
    If you’re one of the lucky few to get tickets, let us know or feel free to leave some impressions of the performance in the comments.
     
    —-
    Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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    Categories Event Listings, Previews

    2016 Winter Jazz Fest Cheat Sheet: Part 2

    By Hank Williams
    January 16, 2016 //

    WJF2016_Schedule_Cheat_Sheet
     
    In this part of the preview, I’ll look at a few select acts on Saturday night (Friday’s picks were in my previous post) and take a quick look at Sunday evening’s show that wraps up the festival.
     
    Again, there’s an admitted bias toward musicians featured on our Suga’ in My Bowl radio show since we like to keep long-term tabs on the people we profile. But we think you’ll like them too — or at least should give them a shot.
     
    As a reminder, the festival has several new stages this year–at New School University, WNYC Radio’s Greene Space, and elsewhere. The WJF is adding extra check-in tables at different venues (PDF), which should shorten some of the long lines from previous years, but it’s still best to plan to arrive really early for the sets you want to catch. The linked PDF gives a good overview of the logistics and you should take a quick look at it before you leave.
     
    With that out of the way, let’s get to the music.
     
    Saturday Highlights
     
    Ibrahim Maalouf: New School Auditorium @ 66 W 12th St. 7:40 PM

    Lebanese saxophonist Ibrahim Maalouf shows yet another of the intriguing directions jazz takes when interpreted by players worldwide. Maalouf’s work blends Arabic sounds with the jazz tradition and solid playing. Maalouf is coming off a successful show at Jazz at Lincoln Center and backed by bassist Larry Grenadier, his show will be one to catch. Here’s a clip from a live show in Istanbul.


     
     
    Chris Potter Quartet: New School Tishman Auditorium @ 63 5th Ave. 8:40 PM

    To be honest, saxophonist Chris Potter wasn’t really on my radar until he popped up on Pat Metheny’s new releases with the Unity Band. I’m fixing that omission now and beginning to appreciate Potter’s voice on the instrument, which shone more on the 2013 Kin recording (Nonesuch) with an expanded Unity Group that revisited some of the musical concepts of Metheny’s mid-90s recordings. With pianist (and longtime collaborator) David Virelles, drummer Marcus Gilmore (fresh off last night’s set with Vijay Iyer’s trio), and bassist Joe Martin, expect a hard charging, open set of music. Here they are live in Hanover, Germany.


     

    Will Calhoun Celebrating Elvin Jones: New School Jazz Building 5th Floor Theater @ 55 W 13th St. 9:40 PM

    Full disclosure here: I’ve been a fan of Will Calhoun since seeing Living Colour in the mid-90s and wore out the cassette of their critically acclaimed self-titled first release. Since then, he’s matured as a musician and gone in interesting directions, seriously applying his skills to jazz and African percussion. The Elvin Jones tribute makes perfect sense and complements Calhoun’s drumming style well, as he can play with the power (and volume) and finesse Jones was known for. Beyond that, however, Calhoun has an impressive narrative ability on the drum kit and, like Jones, can inscribe multiple textures and layers of meaning into a solo and carry it seemingly forever while still keeping it interesting. Here, he’s joined by a slightly different line-up than is on the planned release, but they’re easily up to the task. This is one set I’m really looking forward to. For a deeper dive, see our 2013 show profiling Will, or for a quick take, watch this preview of the Jones project.

     

    Lakecia Benjamin: The Bitter End (147 Bleecker St) — 9:40 PM

    The 9:40 PM conflicting shows gives an idea of the breadth of the WJF. Lakecia Benjamin’s been at the festival before and usually heads the Soulsquad, which derives as much from the wells of funk and soul as it does from the jazz tradition. Add the vocals of Nicole Phifer and The Bitter End’s loose atmosphere, and you have a party with equal appeal to listeners who aren’t diehard jazz fans or are new to the music. Don’t write her off as a novelty act, though. Her 2012 RETOX (Motéma) release showed her depth and range as a musician and just as Will Calhoun shows one way forward for jazz, Benjamin shows yet another possible direction. Choice is a good thing.


     

    OGJB Quartet: New School Auditorium @ 66 W 12th St. — 10:20 PM

    It’s hard to write a short intro to saxophonist Oliver Lake, because what do you omit? Lake, who has roots in the Black Arts Movement has been steadily playing and expanding his reach since then and currently works on a variety of projects. In addition to being a member of TRIO 3, with veteran players Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille, Lake leads several combos of his own including a big band and an organ quartet. Lake’s as comfortable playing “out” as he is swinging in a more relaxed setting, his command of the sax and ability to finesse the instrument clear no matter who he’s with. He appeared at last year’s WJF with TRIO 3 and his own organ quartet; this year you get to see what he does in a different setting altogether. For a deeper dive, see our 2014 show on him or watch this clip from a 2015 quartet performance with bassist Joe Fonda (who’ll also be at WJF) at the 2015 Krakow Jazz Festival for a quick take.


     

    Sun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen: Judson Memorial Church — Midnight

    If you haven’t seen the Sun Ra Arkestra in action, they’re a must see. Even if you have, they’re worth seeing again. They’re still led by saxophonist Marshall Allen, who’s been part of the ensemble since nearly the beginning and assumed conducting and leading duties after the deaths of Sun Ra himself and fellow saxophonist John Gilmore. Don’t be fooled, however: the Arkestra’s far from a novelty or throwback act. The 91-year-old Allen plays with astonishing power and enthusiasm that belies his age and has done an impressive job of honoring the tradition of the Arkestra while giving Ra’s compositions a fresh new spin and looking toward the future — which, of course, is what they’re all about. It helps that Ra was a prolific composer (Allen told us that he still has boxes of new work that he still hasn’t gone through) and the addition of vocalist Tara Middleton’s restored a welcome dimension to their performances, with a voice reminiscent of June Tyson, but fantastic depth and range. For a deeper dive, you can see our 2014 show, or for a quick take, watch this performance from 2015. Here they are live in Poland in 2015.

     

    Julian Lage Trio: Subculture (45 Bleecker St) — 12:20 AM

    Julian Lage has gone from a child prodigy on guitar, playing with luminaries such as Carlos Santana (at the age of eight, no less), Pat Metheny, and subject of the documentary film Jules at Eight to being the mature musician he is today. His latest recording (World’s Fair, Modern Lore: 2015) is a solo effort, but the interplay with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wollesen should be particularly good. And you have the opportunity to see him solo, too, as he opens for Sunday’s closing show (scroll down for details). We talked to him last December and here’s the same trio in action at the Vermont Jazz Center in 2015.


     

    Sunday Show

    Channeling Coltrane: Rova’s Electric Ascension: Le Poisson Rouge 6 PM

    If you still haven’t had enough after two marathon days, then why not wrap up the weekend in style with the Rova Saxophone Quartet? Guitarist Julian Lage is scheduled to open for them with a solo set drawing on his World’s Fair release. Rova themselves exemplify the large format free-form type of playing that’s a rare find outside venues like these. Their take on Coltrane’s classic and complex Ascension promises to be an incredibly challenging and exhilarating performance. If that’s you cup of tea, then it’s a must-see set. Here’s the Rova Saxophone Quartet live in 2012.

     
    Lastly, I’ll point you to the full performance schedule. They also have a handy guide to full group line-ups, which you can check to see if a favorite musician is on the list somewhere. Finally, there’s a map of the various venues, but you will get all that at the check-in sites (PDF).

    And if you still haven’t had enough, Vision Fest promoters Arts for Art have a monthlong “Justice is Compassion” festival running through the next week across town at the Clemente Soto Velez Center that’s definitely worth a look and I’ll profile later.

    So that’s it. Again, it’s a lot of acts and I’ve only scratched the surface here, but they’re all really good and different in fun ways. Find who’s to your liking and take some time to see someone you haven’t — you might become a fan of a new group — or see how someone you’ve already seen interprets material this time. Look for a full review after it’s all over and I’ve gotten some sleep.

    Shameless self-promotion time: if you’re not already a listener, check out our show that airs alternate Sunday nights from 11 PM – 1 AM on WBAI Radio and streams online. As part of our coverage, we talked to festival director Brice Rosenbloom and two musicians performing — guitarists Julian Lage and James “Blood” Ulmer — to get a variety of perspectives.

    Are you going? Anyone in particular you’re looking forward to seeing? Let me know in the comments.

    Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York. Find him on Twitter: @streetgriot

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    Categories Event Listings, Jazz Festivals, Previews

    2016 Winter Jazz Fest Cheat Sheet: Part 1

    By Hank Williams
    January 15, 2016 //

    WJF2016_Schedule_Cheat_Sheet

    This year’s Winter Jazz Fest celebrates its 12th birthday by expanding to 12 different stages in and around Greenwich Village. It’s grown into a mainstay of the New York music scene, providing a welcome respite from the unpredictable depths of winter, joining the longtime summer mainstays the Charlie Parker Jazz Fest and Vision Fest (who are running a parallel festival throughout January this year) along with the newer Blue Note Jazz Festival.

    The fest kicked off Wednesday January 13, with a preview show at Le Poisson Rouge and featured an event spearheaded by Mike LeDonne to support the Disability Pride Parade (held for the first time last year) on Thursday. Saxophonist Kamasi Washington, who headlined last October’s BRIC Arts Jazz Fest and whose appropriately titled 3-CD debut The Epic has gotten a lot of great press, broke his ankle and had to have his performance postponed until February 24 at Le Poisson Rouge Webster Hall. I’ve already got it saved on my calendar.

    Friday and Saturday the 15th and 16th are again the big days. The Jazz Fest bills them as two “marathon” nights of music and they’re not wrong: this is where the majority of the action will take place. It’s a huge, wonderful spectacle with lots of choices and sets starting as early as 6 PM and as late as 1 AM at some venues for the diehards. As I did last year, I’m going to highlight a few of the acts I’ll be keeping an eye on, with an admitted bias toward musicians featured on our Suga’ in My Bowl radio show since we like to keep long-term tabs on the people we profile. Hopefully that’ll give you a head start as well if you don’t already have favorites you want to catch.

    I’ll focus on Friday for this post and Saturday/Sunday in the next post.

    Festival Logistics

    The festival has several new stages this year, thanks to a new partnership with New School University, which gives some badly needed extra space, although they’re further from the main venues slightly further south in the Village.

    To compensate for that, the WJF is adding extra check-in tables at different venues (PDF), which should shorten some of the long lines from previous years, but it’s still best to plan to arrive really early for the sets you want to catch.

    In addition to the main check-in areas in the basement of Judson Memorial Church (Thomson St side entrance) and New School University Center (63 5th Ave, bet 13-14 Sts.), there are secondary check-ins at Subculture (45 Bleecker St, off Lafayette) and at WNYC Studios’ Greene Space (43 Charlton St.).

    There are several options for tickets, depending what you want to catch. I’d recommend full passes for Friday and Saturday nights as the best bets and an insanely good deal for how much music there is, but you can do either day separately. There’s also a shorter closing event on Sunday that I’d recommend as well — and will cover it in part 2 of our cheat sheet.

    Friday Highlights

    Quarktet Burnt Plays Ornette, Sunny, and Wayne: Judson Memorial Church 6 PM

    Greg Tate’s large ensemble and one of the many permutations of The Burnt Sugar Arkestra earns a leadoff spot at the main stage this year. Expect a lot of excitement, energy, and electronics as they work their way through the catalogs of Ornette Coleman, Sunny Murray, and Wayne Shorter. As a bonus, you’ll also get to Mikel Banks play the freak-a-phone! I have no idea what it is, but it’s gotta be cool. See the embedded YouTube clip (audio only) of their interpretation of Shorter’s “Footprints” will give a little taste of what to expect.

    James “Blood” Ulmer: New School Auditorium @ 66 W 12th St. 9 PM

    Ulmer’s a solo act here and his set promises to pull deep from the dual wells of the blues and Ornette Coleman’s harmolodics, which Ulmer absorbed during his stint with the late saxophone innovator in the 1970s. Ulmer’s done a lot since then and approaches shows with the wisdom of a veteran who can call up ideas from a widely diverse background. Ulmer lit up the 2014 Vision Fest with his Music Revelation Ensemble and had equally spirited performances in 2015 at The Stone and a rare duo with fellow guitarist Marc Ribot at City Winery. Suga’ in My Bowl profiled Ulmer on January 10 and he promised to be playing the Blues. You listen to the full show on our website and for a quicker take, check out his solo performance at the 2015 Skopje Jazz Festival.

    Dr. Lonnie Smith’s Evolution: Judson Memorial Church 9:20 PM

    You’ll have an inside track for Hammond B3 organ master Dr. Lonnie Smith’s forthcoming Evolution release if you catch his set. Smith is a veteran of the fabled Blue Note record label in the 1960s and made his name as a sideman on influential albums like Lou Donaldson’s Alligator Boogaloo before striking out on his own illustrious career. While the WJF highlights new and upcoming acts, the ability to see someone like Smith whose still at the top of his game is a definite highlight of the festival. Smith, appropriately, gets a coveted slot on the Judson main stage in prime time. For a much deeper dive, see our show on Dr. Lonnie, or see them in action at the 2015 BRIC Arts Jazz Fest in the embedded video.

    Charenee Wade Group: The Music of Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson: New School Jazz Building 5th Floor Theater @ 55 W 13th St. 9:40 PM

    Vocalist Charenee Wade’s deservedly gotten a lot of positive press for her latest Motéma Records Offering release, a tribute to the music of Gil Scott-Heron and longtime Heron collaborator pianist/keyboardist Brian Jackson. It’s not easy to do covers of well-known work — and they’re often poorly done or add little understanding to the originals. That’s not the case with Wade’s effort. Her turn on Scott-Heron’s question “did you ever turn your sick soul inside out so the world can watch you die?” gives the work a haunting quality and fresh new spin that’s balanced by Stefon Harris’s vibes on the CD. Nikara Warren will be handling vibraphone duties for this set, but bassist Lonnie Plaxico, pianist Brandon McCune, guitarist Dave Stryker, and saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin (who we’ve previously profiled) will be part of the combo and appear on the release. Drummer Darrell Green rounds out the sextet. The preview video of Offering will give you a quick take of what to expect.

    René Marie: Zinc Bar 10:20 PM

    If you manage to get into Zinc Bar, then you might as well stay around, especially if your tastes run toward vocalists working with the traditional jazz songbook. René Marie’s last effort was a tribute to the iconic Eartha Kitt, whose stage presence had Marie so enamored with Kitt’s work that she broke a promise she had made to resist doing a release of song covers. Marie handled the material just fine and her soulful, soothing vocals might be just the antidote you need on a hectic Friday night. We interviewed her back in 2013 and you can see her in action in the following clip.

    Christian McBride: New School Auditorium @ 66 W 12th St. 10:20 PM

    If you’re already at the New School for the aforementioned James “Blood” Ulmer show, there’s a strong case for sticking around to see bassist Christian McBride in action. He’s joined here by drummer Nasheet Waits, trumpeter Josh Evans, and saxophonist Marcus Strickland. McBride’s seemingly all over the place these days, either hosting National Public Radio’s “Jazz Night in Ameica” or appearing in various combos. He’s a versatile bassist who’s earned his stripes and, especially with the combo at the WJF, is always someone to look out for. We profiled him in 2011 and had so much fun that we brought him back into the studio to talk about Jazz Fusion. See him in a live session for NPR in the embedded video.

    Vijay Iyer Trio: New School Tishman Auditorium 11:20 PM

    Pianist Vijay Iyer returns to this year’s festival with his usual trio of bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Their last release Break Stuff was deservedly well-reviewed and saw the group pulling their inspiration from hip hop sampling and toying with the idea of “the break” as a theme. We wrote up a short blurb around the video preview (which is fantastic, BTW) and did a full show on Iyer back in 2015. See the band perform “Hood” live at the Portland Jazz Festival.

    Nublu Orchestra “We play for you, Butch Morris”: New School Auditorium @ 66 W 12th St. 1 AM

    The WJF is sticking to its proud history of keeping the idea of the after hours session alive and sweetening the pot by scheduling a few fiery acts late at night. So it is with the Nublu Orchestra, which takes its name from an unlikely East Village spot that happens to host some seriously experimental jazz acts – the biggest name among them being the Sun Ra Arkestra (who lands @ the WJF on Saturday), harking back to their days at the long lost Five Spot Café. While I haven’t seen them in person, the Nublu Orchestra–with a nod to the late conductor Butch Morris, who casts a wide shadow over avant garde jazz—looks to be an ensemble that’ll push the boundaries of the form itself in the spirit of the Arkestra. With a long subway trip back to The Bronx awaiting me, I’m not sure I can stay up that late, but after watching the following live video of a Butch Morris memorial, I may have to re-evaluate that plan.

    Lastly, I’ll point you to the full performance schedule. They also have a handy guide to full group line-ups, which you can check to see if a favorite musician is on the list somewhere. Finally, there’s a map of the various venues, but you will get all that at the check-in sites (PDF).

    So that’s it. That’s a lot of acts! But they’re all really good. Find who’s to your liking and take some time to see someone you haven’t—you might become a fan of a new group. Check out part 2 of our cheat sheet for Saturday/Sunday in the next post and I’ll check back in with a full review after it’s all over.

    Shameless self-promotion time: if you’re not already a listener, check out our show that airs alternate Sunday nights from 11 PM – 1 AM on WBAI Radio and streams online. As part of our coverage, we talked to festival director Brice Rosenbloom and two musicians performing — guitarists Julian Lage and James “Blood” Ulmer — to get a variety of perspectives.

    Are you going? Anyone in particular you’re looking forward to seeing? Let me know in the comments.

    Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York. Find him on Twitter: @streetgriot

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    Categories Event Listings, Jazz Festivals, Previews

    On the Bandstand: December 20, 2015 Edition

    By Hank Williams
    December 20, 2015 //

    bandstand_picPhoto Credit: Hank Williams

    Welcome to Suga in My Bowl radio‘s weekly feature, On The Bandstand, where we collect upcoming NYC area shows from current and past Suga’ guests. We’re online weekly and on the air on NYC’s WBAI-FM radio alternate Sunday nights from 11 PM -1 AM. Keep up with us via Facebook, the blog here, or our main website, or Twitter and we’ll keep track of the schedule for you.
     
    Suga’ in My Bowl is off the air this week: we’re back on December 27th with another preview of the 2016 Winter Jazz Fest. If you missed our last show with promoter and WJF director Brice Rosenbloom, then head on over to our our audio archives for that and much more. Now let’s take a look at some upcoming gigs.
     
    Saxophonist Gary Bartz leads a quartet at Smoke until December 21st.
     
    Also at Smoke is pianist Harold Mabern in a John Coltrane Festival from the 22nd to the 31st. He’s joined by trombonist Steve Turre on the 26-27th.
     
    Pianist and vocalist Diane Schuur is at Iridium for a Frank Sinatra centennial celebration from the 26-28.
     
    Guitarist Marc Ribot is at The Stone with John Zorn on the 29th.
     
    Trombonist Craig Harris is at Sistas’ Place on New Year’s Eve.
     
    Saxophonist Lou Donaldson leads a quartet the Jazz Standard from January 1-3.
     
    banner_AFA_EvolvingJan_website
    Looking ahead, Arts for Art (producers of the annual Vision Fest) are sponsoring a nearly monthlong “Justice is Compassion” festival at Clemente Soto Velez Center from January 4-24 with dancer Patricia Nicholson Parker, bassist William Parker and many more.
     
    Looking even further ahead, the annual Winter Jazz Fest blows into town from January 13-17 with so many past, present (and future) Suga’ guests that it needs its own coverage, which we’ll get to this week. But for now, you can head on over to their site and check out the complete rundown for yourself. If that’s too overwhelming, don’t worry, we’ll have you covered with a cheat sheet like we did last year.
     
    That’s all for now. Suga’ in My Bowl is back on WBAI‘s airwaves on December 27. We’ll also have another edition of “On the Bandstand” online next Sunday with a fresh set of listings.
     
    —-
    Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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    Categories Event Listings, Jazz Festivals, On the Bandstand, Previews

    Preview: DOC NYC Fest 2015 Picks for Jazz Fans

    By Hank Williams
    November 16, 2015 //

    DOC-NYC-600x400
    You might think a film festival is an unusual place for jazz fans – and you might be right – unless the festival in question is DOC NYC. The annual celebration of documentary film usually has several music selections and this year’s no exception. We’re going to pull out a few that jazz fans might want to keep an eye out for, including some unexpected picks. Even if you miss them here, the festival circuit offers a trial run for films and often result in wider release for ones that garner positive reactions.
     
    Baddddd Sonia Sanchez
     
    Sanchez is a major figure in African American poetry and one of the key people in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s-79s. As with many artists in the movement, Sanchez drew lots of inspiration for her sound from the rhythms of jazz — particularly free jazz – that was the soundtrack of the time. See, for instance “a/coltrane/poem” that approximates the latter’s style with her phrasing and vocal inflections or “pharaoh sanders blowin’”, a homage to ‘Trane’s late career collaborator whose bloomed into a saxophone legend in his own right.

    We interviewed Sanchez and devoted a full show to her in 2009 and talked to the directors in 2013, so needless to say we’re excited to see the finished product. You can, too, and if you show up on November 19th, you’ll get to see a talkback with co-directors Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Barbara Attie, and Janet Goldwater. Sanchez herself is scheduled to attend, as is poet Byronn Bain. The film has already been picked up for distribution by California Newsreel.


     
    Hustler’s Convention
     
    This is another film centered around a poet who gained fame in the Black Arts Movement — Jalal Nurddin — though Nuruddin’s work is much different from Sanchez’s. Nuriddin was fascinated with the street vernacular and prison toasts he heard while growing up and fused that with the political sensibility of the 1960s as a member of The Last Poets.

    The film frames Nuruddin’s work in the context of the period and explores how he came to poetry and some of the struggles he’s faced along the way. The film centers around a 1974 release he did for Douglas Records under the pseudonym of Lightnin’ Rod that collects a few of the aforementioned prison toasts. While its only DOC NYC screening has passed, it’s worth keeping an eye on for a follow-up theatrical run after the festival ends.


     
    The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith
     
    At the first screening, director Sara Fishko – who also presented much of the material that forms the basis of the film as a 10-part series for public radio station WNYC – said that she didn’t initially think of doing a documentary film while poring through the vast collection of still photographs and audio Smith left. But it works spectacularly well as a film, nonetheless.

    Smith lived in a ramshackle loft at 821 Sixth Ave in the 1950s-60s in what was then in the middle of a district where wholesalers of flowers were concentrated. At that point, the area was rundown and solidly commercial, which made it the perfect spot for musicians to congregate. Smith, a professional photographer with credits in the legendary Life magazine and elsewhere, moved in to focus on his work. Musicians started showing up at the loft for late night jam sessions that would sometimes last for days on end and Smith captured lots of it on audio tape. Monk is the most prominent of the people at the loft and happened to do most of the rehearsals for his Town Hall concert there and this audio is the film’s centerpiece.

    We’re working on a full review of the film, but until then here’s a video made for an exhibit of the materials made by the New York Public Library that will give you a feel for it and, of course, you can dive in and listen to the original radio series on WNYC.


     
    What Happened, Miss Simone?
     
    We talked to director Liz Garbus and others in July about What Happened, Miss Simone? when it debuted on Netflix (where it’s still available to stream) and had a short New York theatrical run. If you didn’t catch it then (or just want to see it on the big screen), then you have two more shots at it. Garbus is expected to attend the screening on November 17 for a talkback.

    What Happened, Miss Simone? takes a biographical trip through the singer’s life and does so courtesy of Simone’s daughter Lisa Simone (who is interviewed extensively) and with full cooperation of the Simone estate, so there’s plenty of rare film footage and a lot of Simone’s songs are featured here.


     
    Head on over to the DOC NYC website for remaining showtimes and a full list of films.
     
    —-
    Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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    Categories Event Listings, Film, Previews

    On the Bandstand: November 8, 2015 Edition

    By Hank Williams
    November 8, 2015 //

    bandstand_picPhoto Credit: Hank Williams

    Welcome to Suga in My Bowl radio‘s weekly feature, On The Bandstand, where we collect upcoming NYC area shows from current and past Suga’ guests. We’re online weekly and on the air on NYC’s WBAI-FM radio alternate Sunday nights from 11 PM -1 AM. Keep up with us via Facebook, the blog here, or our main website, or Twitter and we’ll keep track of the schedule for you.
     
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    WBAI’s fall fund drive is coming to an end, which means you have one more chance to pledge for the DVD of our “Who Owns Music” panel discussion from earlier this year. Even a relatively small pledge of $5 helps a lot and sends the message to station management that people want to hear jazz and will support it. Now let’s see what else is going on musically this week.
     
    Pianist Vijay Iyer is at the Met Museum of Art on the 12th with Holding it Down: the Veteran’s Dreams Project.
     
    Bassist Christian McBride is at NJPAC in Newark NJ on November 12 and returns to play with vocalist Dianne Reeves on the 14. Both events are part of the James Moody Jazz Festival.
     
    The Doc NYC Festival from the 12-17th has several films of interest to jazz fans – and a few definitely to keep an eye on for Suga’ fans. The Sonia Sanchez documentary Baddd Sonia Sanchez, will get screenings, as will The Jazz Loft According to W Eugene Smith, culled from the extensive and eclectic ephemera of the photographer’s years in a Sixth Ave loft building frequented by several jazz luminaries, and Hustler’s Convention featuring members of The Last Poets.
     
    Saxophonist René McLean is at Sista’s Place in Brooklyn on the 14th.
     
    Trumpeter Hugh Masekela is at Monmouth University in West Long Branch NJ with Larry Willis on November 14 and the Landmark in Port Washington Long Island on the 15th. See our review of Masekela and Willis at Jazz Standard for a preview of what you’ll see.
     
    The Wilbur Ware Institute’s annual festival/fundraiser is at the new Cassandra’s Jazz club in Harlem this year and features pianist Harold Mabern and pianist/vocalist Andy Bey on November 14 and presents a lifetime achievement award to bassist Bob Cranshaw on the 15.
     
    Vibraphonist Roy Ayers is at the Blue Note from November 17-22.
     
    If you missed the weeklong run of Jeff Lieberman’s The Amazing Nina Simone documentary in NYC, you’ve got another shot on the 18th, when it screens at Huntington LI’s Cinema Arts Centre. Those of you (far) north of the city can catch it in Rhinebeck NY on the 20th and Woodstock on the 21st at Upstate Films.
     
    Drummer/percussionist Bobby Sanabria leads the Multiverse Big Band at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club from November 19-22.
     
    That’s all for now. Suga’ in My Bowl is back on WBAI‘s airwaves on November 15. We’ll also have another edition of “On the Bandstand” online next Sunday with a fresh set of listings.
     
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    Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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    Categories Event Listings, Film, On the Bandstand, Previews

    Concert Review: Hugh Masekela and Larry Willis at Jazz Standard

    By Hank Williams
    November 8, 2015 //

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    Words by Hank Williams | Photos by Joyce Jones. Creative Commons CC-NC-BY-ND. Main photo: Hugh Masekela.
     
    “What you see us do may look like we’re having fun, but we’re working hard”. That was Hugh Masekela‘s way of giving a polite hint that it was time to get out of the green room and let him and pianist Larry Willis take a breather after the night’s second set. It also accurately summed up their appearances last week at New York’s Jazz Standard, where they indeed made the difficult look deceptively easy.
     
    Masekela and Willis initially met as students in the early 1960s at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Although the institution has embraced jazz and now sports a substantial program in the field, at that time conservatories took a dim view of jazz — when they even acknowledged it. Masekela recalled that his initial meeting of Willis was at a rehearsal for an opera, which the latter was training in at the time.
     
    Aside from being the only other Black student in the room, Willis — according to Masekela — was wearing a ridiculous outfit required for the production that made him look “like George Washington”.
     
    “Man, you have no idea what it was like at that time”, Willis confided after the set. “If they caught you playing jazz in the practice rooms, they’d kick you out”.
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    Fortunately, New York offered a rich hands-on training in the form, including ample listening opportunities. Masekela recalled the ability to work one’s way downtown for an evening, going from club to club along the way.
     
    One perk of being a student was that clubs offered free admission, clustering them all around the bar in a section called the peanut gallery. Masekela soaked up all the lessons the city had to offer — formal and otherwise —while seeing the great musicians of the golden age of jazz in their prime.
     
    Masekela recalled the advice he got from Miles Davis, which would prove crucial in the shaping of his sound. He originally wanted to play bop. Instead, Masekela took Davis’s typically pithy words to heart: “If you combine the shit [African musicians are] doing there with the shit we’re doing here: shiiiiiiiit ….”

    Masekela weaved biographies of Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller and shorter reflections on Miriam Makeba and Herbie Hancock to introduce each song

    He did just that and the result was aptly reflected in the night’s program, which was a seamless diasporic view of both African and American currents in jazz, punctuated by a master class in jazz history as Masekela weaved biographies of Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller and shorter reflections on Miriam Makeba and Herbie Hancock to introduce each song in addition to revealing all of the above.
     
    Masekela’s signature song, “Stimela” was done to perfection with Masekela alternating between singing, playing the flugelhorn, and cow bell. It didn’t suffer at all from the lack of a larger ensemble, with Masekela and Willis filling in all the gaps themselves. It’s a song that seems wrong to enjoy, given all the suffering that was necessary for Masekela to be able to document the history of Black South African coal mine workers as he does.
     
    Masekela honored Armstrong’s legacy to jazz with a version of “Sleepytime Down South”, pointing out his crucial role in the shaping and popularity of the form.
     
    A cover of “Until the Real Thing Comes Along”, popularized by Fats Waller, similarly allowed Masekela to step back into the dual role of griot/djali and master musician that he clearly enjoys and does well.

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    Masekela was in good form throughout the set, displaying his command of the flugelhorn (his chosen instrument for the night) and his vocal ability, still intact after decades of performance. Masekela’s unmistakable voice showed excellent control and seemingly undiminished range, as he alternated between storytelling and singing, with just a hint of rasp and the deliberate addition of the occasional growl for texture or to punctuate a point.
     
    Masekela and Willis ended the set with a cover of Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island”.
     
    Willis left the bulk of the storytelling to Masekela and most of their communication was musical. But, after 55 years of friendship, not much needs to be said and their musical conversation made extra commentary unnecessary.
     
    Masekela will be the featured guest on Suga’ in My Bowl on November 15 from 11 PM – 1 AM EST on WBAI Radio.
     
    Masekela and Willis are on tour in the US through early December 2015 and return to the New York City area on November 14 and 15 at Monmouth University in West Long Branch NJ and the Landmark in Port Washington Long Island, respectively.
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    Hank Williams is an associate producer for Suga’ in My Bowl on WBAI Radio and webmaster for the Suga’ and Behind the Mic sites. He is also a PhD candidate in English and Africana Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Hunter and Lehman Colleges and The City College of New York.

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