Jazz Standard Announces July Concert Schedule

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JULY 2014 SCHEDULE

7/1 Jack Wilkins – 70^th Birthday Celebration

Jack Wilkins – guitar

Andy McKee – bass (1st set)

Harvie S – bass – (2nd set)

Billy Drummond – drums

With Special Guest Guitarists:

John Abercrombie

Howard Alden

Gene Bertoncini

Jimmy Bruno

Larry Coryell

Joe Diorio

Vic Juris

Jazz Standard is proud to host the 70^th birthday celebration of the great guitarist Jack Wilkins, a major figure on the international jazz scene from his 1973 debut album Windows to his latest MaxJazz release Until It’s Time. The Brooklyn native began playing guitar at age thirteen, and over time developed the flawless technique and imaginative chordal approach that have inspired collaborations with Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Bob Brookmeyer, and Buddy Rich, to name a few. A consummate accompanist, Wilkins has gigged and/or recorded with such renowned singers as Mel Torme, Ray Charles, Morgana King, Tony Bennett, Chris Conner, and Cassandra Wilson. Tonight he’ll welcome to the bandstand a host of musical friends including fellow six-string masters John Abercrombie, Howard Alden, Gene Bertoncini, Larry Coryell, and Bucky Pizzarelli. Jack Wilkins’ 70^th birthday is shaping up to be the jazz guitar event of the season—don’t miss it!

Music Charge: $30

7/2 – 7/6 The James Cotton Blues Band [except 7/4 – closed for Independence Day]

7:30pm & 9:30pm only

James Cotton, said the Chicago Tribune, “is a key link on the chain of great blues harmonica players—Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Junior Wells. Sometimes he out-rocks the Rolling Stones.” The Washington Post declares: “His spirit, stamina and sound make for a potent combination…he deliv­ers with authority.” Born 1935 in Tunica, Mississippi, by age seventeen Cotton was playing profession­ally and broadcasting live on West Memphis radio station KWEM. He was a pillar of the Muddy Waters band for twelve years, then left to launch his own career in 1966, releasing the first of four Verve/Forecast albums the following year. The James Cotton Band shared stages with the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Steve Miller, and B.B. King; in 1996, he earned the GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Blues Album with the Verve CD Deep In The Blues. His latest GRAMMY nominated recording, Cotton Mouth Man, released in 2013, features many guests paying tribute to this legend inclusive of Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’and more. Jazz Standard is proud to present a true living legend from the Golden Age of Chicago blues in his first appearance on our stage – don’t miss him!

Music Charge: $35

7/7 Mingus Big Band

 In tribute to the late great bassist, composer and bandleader Charles Mingus (1922–1979), our acclaimed “Mingus Mondays” residency continues tonight with two blazing sets by the GRAMMY Award-winning Mingus Big Band. “For sheer range of expression, his work has few equals in postwar American music: furious and tender, joyous and melancholy, grave and mischievous, ecstatic and introspective. It moves from the rapture of the church to the euphoria of the ballroom, from accusation to seduction, from a whis­per to a growl, often by way of startling jump cuts and sudden changes in tempo.” (Adam Shatz, “An Argument With Instruments: On Charles Mingus” — The Nation, 9.17.2013)

Music Charge: $25

7/8 Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society

Darcy James Argue – composer, conductor

Erica von Kleist, Sharel Cassity, Sam Sadigursky, John Ellis, Cark Maraghi – winds

Seneca Black, Tom Goehring, Matt Holman, David Smith, Jason Palmer, – trumpets

Mike Fahie, Marshall Gilkes, Jacob Garchik, Jennifer Wharton – trombones

Sebastian Noelle – guitar

Adam Birnbaum – piano

Matt Clohesy – bass

Jon Wikan – drums

Known as “a masterful tunesmith” (AllAboutJazz.com) with “a fresh take on what a jazz big band can do” (Ottawa Citizen), composer/conductor Darcy James Argue has developed “a nearly perfect creative synthe­sis between tradition and innovation” (BBC.com). His 18–piece big band Secret Society evokes an alternate musical history in which the dance orchestras of the Swing Era never went extinct but remained a popular and vital part of the evolving musical landscape. The group’s 2009 CD Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam Records) landed on the year-end best-of lists of The New York Times, Time Out New York, NPR’s Take Five and more. Secret Society’s 2013 album Brooklyn Babylon was GRAMMY nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and nominated for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year in the JUNOs (Canada’s national music awards). “Maximalist music of impressive complexity and immense entertainment value, in your face and then in your head…” (Richard Gehr, The Village Voice)

Music Charge: $20

7/9 Nir Felder

Nir Felder – guitar

Shai Maestro – piano

Matt Penman – bass

Nate Smith – drums

Nir Felder is a new voice in jazz guitar, his playing and compositions inspired by icons from John Coltrane to Jimi Hendrix. Upon arriving in New York in 2006, he quickly became one of the city’s most sought-after sidemen, working in the bands of Esperanza Spalding, Jack DeJohnette, Greg Osby, Joey DeFrancesco, and Jose James, and performing on Terri Lyne Carrington’s GRAMMY Award-winning album Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue. Since 2010, Felder has led his group in shows throughout NYC and around Europe: “I felt like when we played, no matter who was in the band, the audience re­acted in a way that let us know that what we were doing was something they felt was missing in their musical experience, something they thought was special…The response was always that this was some­thing new and exciting for them, something they felt strongly about.” Golden Age, Nir Felder’s debut album on the Sony-distributed OKeh label, deals with themes of political, cultural and technological up­heaval, with ennui and redemption, with paradise lost and then regained – as the music crisscrosses the boundaries between jazz and the rock, hip-hop, and pop music Felder grew up listening to.

Music Charge: $20

7/10 – 7/13 Charles McPherson Quintet

Charles McPherson – alto saxophone

Brian Lynch – trumpet

Jeb Patton – piano

Kiyoshi Kitagawa – bass

Justin Brown – drums

More than a half-century into his professional career, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson remains a po­tent creative voice in jazz both here and abroad. McPherson logged an epic twelve-year run with the Charles Mingus group (1960–1972) and has released some two-dozen albums as a leader including Live at the Five Spot (Prestige, 1966) and First Flight Out, (Arabesque, 1994). In 1988, Charles was the fea­tured alto player on the soundtrack of Clint Eastwood’s film Bird. Joining McPherson in the front line of this outstanding quintet will be GRAMMY Award-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch, a leader in his own right who’s also worked extensively with Phil Woods and Eddie Palmieri. “The craft and sincerity, the discipline and passion that Charles McPherson brings to the alto saxophone is a tribute to the beauty of jazz.” — Stanley Crouch

Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday

7/14 Mingus Big Band

“The 15-piece band…[brings] the kind of vivacious, sometimes outrageous feel that Mingus him­self pulled from his groups…right down to the shouts of encouragement voiced by the participants.” (The Los Angeles Times)

Music Charge: $25

7/15 – 7/16 Julian Lage Trio

Julian Lage – guitar

Scott Colley – bass

Kenny Wollesen – drums

Reporting for NPR Music in 2012, Patrick Jarenwattananon noted that “the guitarist Julian Lage came to prominence as a child prodigy; still a young twenty-something, he’s become a thoughtful composer and bandleader too.” Gary Burton was an important mentor to Julian, who gained pivotal early exposure through touring with the vibraphonist and appearing on Burton’s Generations (2004) and Next Generation (2005) as well as on the reunion album Common Ground (2010) by the New Gary Burton Quartet (with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Antonio Sanchez). Lage’s 2011 release Gladwell “is a brilliantly unassuming concept album that sketches an idyllic imaginary town, with each track detailing a particular location or situation,” wrote Andrew Gilbert for the website of the Boston Globe. “…With its constantly shifting moods, transparent textures, and unexpected references, Gladwell rewards repeated listening; it’s a destination that sounds like nothing else on the map.”

Music Charge: $25

7/17 – 7/20 Sean Jones Quartet

Sean Jones – trumpet

Orrin Evans – piano

Luques Curtis – bass

Obed Calvaire – drums

Anyone who thinks of jazz as an overly serious and cerebral art form just hasn’t been exposed to trum­peter Sean Jones, whose soulful swing and physical charisma has left Jazz Standard audiences shouting for more every time he’s taken our stage. The former lead trumpeter with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra has released six albums under his own name including the beautiful arranged and emotionally compelling love song collection No Need For Words (2011). “Incorporating the fierceness of Freddie Hubbard and the smooth composure of Terence Blanchard, Jones possesses his own style that can deliver blistering notes or silky tones at the drop of a hat. But he is also a deft composer and an ardent bandleader…” (Mark F. Turner, AllAboutJazz.com)

Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday

7/21 Mingus Big Band

“He was a great bass player. But he was hard to get along with, especially about music, because he had his own definite ideas about what was good and what was bad, and he didn’t mind telling anybody what he had on his mind. In that way, we were a lot alike. Our musical ideas were different sometimes. But he was always an inventive, hard-driving, imaginative musician.” — Miles Davis on Charles Mingus, from Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1989)

Music Charge: $25

7/22 Lenny Pickett **CD Release**

Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophone

Tuffus Zimbabwe – piano

James Genus – bass

Wayne Krantz – guitar

Steve Wolf – drums

Making his Jazz Standard debut is tenor saxophonist Lenny Pickett.  A Tower of Power alumnus, Lenny has been a member of the Saturday Night Live Band for almost 30 years, 20 of which he has served as its leader. In a rare club date, he releases his newest album, The Perscription, which features him in front of a big band playing his original music. Joining Lenny for this celebration will be SNL bandmates James Genus and Tuffus Zimbabwe, guitarist Wayne Krantz, and drummer Steve Wolf, in yet another rare club appearance.

Music Charge: $25

7/23 Pascal’s Triangle featuring Miguel Zenon & Donny McCaslin **CD Release**

Pascal Le Boeuf – piano

Miguel Zenón – alto saxophone

Donny McCaslin – tenor saxophone

Charles Altura- guitar

Linda Oh – bass

Justin Brown – drums

Following 2013’s ambitious Pascal’s Triangle, Pascal LeBoeuf comes to Jazz Standard to release his second trio album, Blackout Lullaby. Inspired by the effects of Hurricane Sandy on October 31st, 2012, Blackout Lullaby is a collection of acoustic piano trio works created to express the experience of forced restfulness, peace and rebirth in the space that follows such events.  The other titles are linked to the same theme of involuntary moments of silent reflection: the uncanny quiet of urban spaces, the forest at night, sleep walking, dreams, alcoholism and environmentalism.  Pascal brings with him an impressive array of special guests for the occasion, including the innovative saxophonists Donny McCaslin and Miguel Zenón. “Pianist Pascal Le Boeuf is a 21st century renaissance man. He’s made inroads in the worlds of classical music, indie-rock, and jazz . . . here is at least as much Debussy evident in his compositional style as there is Bill Evans . . . listeners who prefer quality over flash will be amply rewarded.” (The Rochester City Paper)

7/24 – 7/27 Donald Harrison Quintet with special guest Steve Turre

Donald Harrison, Jr. – saxophone

Zaccai Curtis – piano

Max Moran – bass

Joe Dyson – drums

With Special Guest:

Steve Turre – trombone, shells

Saxophonist, bandleader, composer, singer, actor, costume maker, custom furniture designer & builder, and educator: New Orleans native Donald Harrison, Jr. is a true renaissance man of modern music. In 2012, Harrison’s album Quantum Leap explored new concepts in time, harmony, and melody, melding cutting-edge jazz with New Orleans funk. He’s gigged and/or recorded with a roster of boldface names ranging from Art Blakey and Lena Horne to Dr. John and Eddie Palmieri; and mentored such rising stars as trumpeter Christian Scott and singer/horn man Trombone Shorty. This much-anticipated Jazz Standard engagement will feature a very special guest: trombonist and shells player Steve Turre, another Blakey veteran and an esteemed bandleader and recording artist in his own right.

Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday

7/28 Mingus Big Band

Music Charge: $25

7/29 – 7/30 Chris Bergson Band

Chris Bergson – guitar, vocal

Ellis Hooks – vocals

Steven Bernstein – trumpet

David Luther – tenor sax

Ian Hendrickson–Smith – baritone saxophone

Craig Dreyer – organ, Wurlitzer piano, backing vocals

Matt Clohesy – bass

Ethan Eubanks – drums

Welcome back, modern blues master Chris Bergson, whose latest CD is also his first to be recorded Live at Jazz Standard. The CD was cited as MOJO Magazine’s “Blues Album of the Month,” with reviewer Tony Russell awarding four stars and declaring “the music is as tight as a hangman’s knot.” The new album is further evidence that this skilled singer/guitarist also is “one of the most inventive songwriters in modern blues music” (All Music Guide). Chris Bergson has performed and/or shared the stage with Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, B.B. King, Norah Jones, John Hammond, Etta James, and Bettye LaVette, to name just a few.

Music Charge: $20

7/31 – 8/3 Kenny Barron Quartet featuring Stefon Harris

Stefon Harris – vibes & marimba

Kenny Barron – piano

Kiyoshi Kitigawa – bass

Johnathan Blake – drums

Kenny Barron’s unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms is what inspired the Los Angles Times to name him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world” and Jazz Weekly to call him “the most lyrical piano player of our time.” Born 1943 in Philadelphia, both Kenny and his late brother, saxophonist Bill Barron, were playing professionally while still in their teens. When Kenny joined Dizzy Gillespie’s band in 1962 for a five-year stint, he was ele­vated to the upper echelons of the New York jazz world, and he was soon in demand by such leaders as Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, Buddy Rich and Yusef Lateef. In 1974, Barron re­leased his first album, Sunset To Dawn (Muse) — first of the nine-time GRAMMY Award nominee’s more than 40 recordings as a leader. This week at Jazz Standard, the Kenny Barron Quintet welcomes its very special guest, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, whose gorgeous playing graced the pianist’s 2006 CD The Perfect Set: Live At Bradley’s, Part Two.

Music Charge: $30