JAZZ STANDARD:
JAZZ STANDARD:
WHERE THE MUSIC IS HOTTER THAN JULY!
• JON HENDRICKS’ L, H & R REDUX
• THE JOHN HANDY QUINTET
• DON BYRON PLAYS JUNIOR WALKER
• DAVID SANCHEZ
Jazz Standard, New York City’s “Best Jazz Club” (New York Magazine) serving “NYC’s Best Barbecue” (Time Out New York) from Blue Smoke with its signature style of warm hospitality, presents another month of great jazz in July.
From July 3-6, one of the greatest singers and lyricists in jazz history, Jon Hendricks, presents L, H & R Redux with a special solo segment entitled “50 Years of the Bossa Nova.” Appearing July 10-13 will be the John Handy Quintet featuring the blazing horns of John and Craig Handy up front along with pianist Kenny Drew Jr. and the Mingus Dynasty rhythm section. Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and clarinetist Don Byron plays Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker from July 17-20 with his exciting quintet and vocalist Dean Bowman. On July 24-27, saxophonist David Sánchez spotlights the music of his new Concord Picante CD, Cultural Survival.
Below is a complete schedule of July performances at Jazz Standard, along with information on the musicians.
JULY SCHEDULE
7/1 SAM NEWSOME & LUCIAN BAN present “THE ROMANIAN-AMERICAN JAZZ SUITE”
• Sam Newsome - soprano saxophone
• Alex Harding - baritone saxophone & bass clarinet
• Lucian Ban - piano
• Sorin Romanescu - guitar
• Arthur Balogh - acoustic bass
• Willard Dyson - drums
Now this is something else: “The Romanian-American Jazz Suite,” a multi-movement modern jazz composition based on traditional Romanian folk music. Transylvanian expatriate pianist Lucian Ban and soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome are the co-leaders of this ambitious new group and the creators of the new CD, The Romanian-American Jazz Suite (Jazzway Records). Lucian Ban, says All About Jazz, “plays with a fluency and sensibility that recalls Vladimir Horowitz as much as McCoy Tyner…” Meanwhile, on his new solo saxophone recital Monk Abstractions, Sam Newsome “utilizes an astounding catalogue of extended techniques including honks, multi-phonic fusillades, and Evan Parker-esque circular breathing.” (Leander K. Williams, Time Out New York)
Music Charge: $15
7/2 EDMAR CASTANEDA TRIO
• Edmar Castaneda - Colombian harp
• Marshall Gilkes - trombone
• David Silliman - drums
With his unique sound, prodigious technique, and the imaginative improvisations of his superb trio, the Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda continues to enchant audiences across the US and around the world. “Standing upright behind the midsized apparatus which he leans against one shoulder, Castaneda summons rippling harmony and melody with his right hand and propulsive bass lines with his left,” marveled David Adler, writing for the Philadelphia Weekly. “No, he’s not a one-man band. He’s practically a one-man orchestra, the Hendrix–or at least the Charlie Hunter–of the harp, linking a train of complex and richly textured sound to a locomotive of hot pan-American rhythm.”
Music Charge: $20
7/3 - 7/6 JON HENDRICKS’ L, H & R REDUX [7:30PM & 9:30PM ONLY]
• Jon Hendricks - vocals
• Aria Hendricks - vocals
• Kevin Burke - vocals
• Ray Gallon - piano
• Paul Meyers - guitar
• Paul Gill - bass
• Andy Watson - drums
He’s won Grammy Awards and Emmy Awards. He’s taught Jazz Studies at the University of Toledo and been inducted into the French Legion of Honor. He founded Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, widely acclaimed as the greatest jazz vocal group of all time. So what’s left for the great jazz singer/lyricist Jon Hendricks to achieve? The answer is plenty, like this much-anticipated four-night run at Jazz Standard with “L, H & R Redux” (featuring Jon’s accomplished daughter Aria Hendricks). In addition to a tribute to Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (thus L, H & R..) these performances will feature a special solo segment in each set that Jon calls “50 Years of the Bossa Nova” - another reason why a night with Jon Hendricks will be a night to remember!
Music Charge: $30
7/7 JOANNE BRACKEEN QUINTET with special guest JANE IRA BLOOM
• JoAnne Brackeen - piano
• Jane Ira Bloom - soprano saxophone
• Tia Fuller - alto & soprano saxophones, flute
• Ugonna Okegwo - bass
• Nasheet Waits - drums
Jazz Standard celebrates pianist and composer JoAnne Brackeen, a true living legend, of Our Music, with four exclusive performances on consecutive Mondays in July, the month of her birth. Since her emergence as a leader in the late Seventies, critics and fans consistently have ranked JoAnne with Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, and Chick Corea as one of the finest pianists in jazz. Her writing is remarkable for its stylistic range, emotional depth, and whimsical spirit. The late Bill Evans called JoAnne Brackeen “a pianist-composer of phenomenal capacity” while Tony Bennett hailed her as “a visionary of extraordinary depth.” Tonight, JoAnne leads a mostly-female group featuring saxophonists Jane Ira Bloom and Tia Fuller.
Music Charge: $25
7/8 STEPHANE WREMBEL
• Stephane Wrembel - guitar
• Ari Folman Cohen - bass
• Julien Augier - drums
Speaking of his latest album, Barbes-Brooklyn, Stephane Wrembel says: “I didn’t want it to be another ‘Django Reinhardt covers’ kind of album. Yes, you’ll find Django’s influence but also sounds from the Middle East and maybe some impressionistic colors too.” Barbes-Brooklyn is this brilliant guitarist’s third release as a leader, following Introducing Stephane Wrembel and Terre Des Hommes, and his most fully realized recording to date including Stephane’s inventive treatment of the Mongo Santamaria classic “Afro Blue.” Josh Baron, writing in Relix Magazine, insists: “Do not miss an opportunity to see one of the greatest guitar players I’ve ever seen…and I don’t say that lightly.”
Music Charge: $20
7/9 SPENCER DAY
A largely self-taught performer just 29 years of age, vocalist Spencer Day reaches for the vulnerability of Chet Baker or Jeff Buckley and the phrasing and swing of Ella Fitzgerald. This self-proclaimed perfectionist and workaholic has released the well-received albums Introducing Spencer Day (2004) and Movie of Your Life (2005); he co-wrote and starred in Someday, Love, a full-length stage musical performed in 2005 at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theater. Spencer has made four national television appearances and headlined everywhere from Bay Area jazz spot Yoshi’s to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Catch this rising star for one night only at Jazz Standard!
Music Charge: $20
7/10 - 7/13 JOHN HANDY QUINTET
• John Handy - alto saxophone, saxello, clarinet, oboe
• Craig Handy - tenor saxophone
• Kenny Drew Jr. - piano
• Boris Kozlov - bass
• Donald Edwards - drums
Multi-reed instrumentalist John Handy is a consummate world musician and teacher who has devoted his life to elevating the human spirit through music. A veteran of the Charles Mingus group of the late Fifties, he soon stepped out as a bandleader and recording artist with a series of excellent albums on Columbia and later ABC/Impulse, including the 1976 crossover R&B hit “Hard Work.” John’s protégé, Craig Handy, has been a significant figure on the New York scene for over two decades with his big, burly tenor sound and sharp musical wit. Craig has worked with Betty Carter, Roy Haynes, and Abdullah Ibrahim in addition to releasing four albums under his own name. For this special engagement, the Handy quintet will feature pianist Kenny Drew Jr. and the Mingus Dynasty rhythm section of bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Donald Edwards.
Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
7/14: JOANNE BRACKEEN’S “BREATH OF BRAZIL” with special guest EDDIE GOMEZ
• JoAnne Brackeen - piano
• Eddie Gomez - bass
• Adam Cruz - drums
• Zé Mauricio - percussion
Tonight, JoAnne Brackeen revisits one of her most beloved recordings, The Breath of Brazil. On this unusual 1991 disc, JoAnne performed songs by Jobim, Ivan Lins, and Gilberto Gil (along with three originals) in the company of two masterful Brazilian musicians, drummer Duduka Da Fonseca and percussionist Waltinho Anastacio. The bassist on the session was none other than Eddie Gomez–who returns as JoAnne’s special guest at Jazz Standard.
Music Charge: $25
7/15 ERIC LEWIS
• Eric Lewis - piano
• TBA - bass
• TBA - drums
Plenty of people study music but Eric Lewis inhabits it. Eric’s intuitive genius in melding modern day rock and traditional jazz, combined with impeccable technique, has made him one of today’s most sought-after musicians and a vital contributor to the music of Cassandra Wilson, Roy Hargrove, and Wynton Marsalis, among others. Tonight, Jazz Standard welcomes back Eric Lewis, a past winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition.
Music Charge: $20
7/16 FRANK CATALANO
• Frank Catalano - tenor saxophone
• Theo Hill - piano
• Jay Anderson - bass
• Rick Drumm - drums
Chicago tenor man Frank Catalano was mighty impressive in his February appearance on our stage, and now he’s back again. BANG! is Frank Catalano’s new CD on Savoy Jazz–the successor to his best-selling 2006 album Mighty Burner and the first definitive statement of his mature style. The set includes tour de force interpretations of the timeless ballad “My One and Only Love,” Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints,” and finely-crafted F.C. originals like “Soul Burner,” “Damn Right,” and “God Made It Beautiful.” “That the 28-year-old musician can perform classic bebop, honking R&B, tender 1930s balladry and harmonically adventurous modernism with equal aplomb deepens the appeal of his work.” (Howard Reich, The Chicago Tribune)
Music Charge: $20
7/17 - 7/20 DON BYRON PLAYS JUNIOR WALKER
• Don Byron - tenor saxophone & clarinet
• David Gilmore - guitar
• George Colligan - Hammond B-3 organ
• Brad Jones - bass
• Rudy Royston - drums
• Dean Bowman - vocals
In December 2005, composer/instrumentalist Don Byron launched a new group dedicated to the music of a true soul legend, the Motown saxophonist and singer Junior Walker (1931-1995). This stellar aggregation recorded and released (in October 2006) Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker–Don’s sixth album as a leader for Blue Note Records. With its head-turning interpretations of “Shotgun,” “(I’m A) Roadrunner,” and “What Does It Take To Win Your Love,” Don Byron’s Boomerang “is a complete departure even from his other pastiches, which explored music as far afield as klezmer and blaxploitation soundtracks…But Do the Boomerang doesn’t set Junior Walker spinning in his grave; if anything, it’s got him on the prowl.” (Michael J. West, Washington City Paper)
Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
7/21 JOANNE BRACKEEN: THE BIG THREE [ART BLAKEY, JOE HENDERSON, STAN GETZ]
• JoAnne Brackeen - piano
• Javon Jackson - tenor saxophone
• Jeremy Pelt - trumpet
• Ugonna Okegwo - bass
• TBA - drums
JoAnne Brackeen explores the music of her three most well-known associations, including her four-year stint as the first and only female member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and her tenures with Joe Henderson (1972-1975) and Stan Getz (1972-1977). Joining the pianist will be Blakey alumnus Javon Jackson (tenor sax) and young lion Jeremy Pelt on trumpet. This promises to be a superlative evening of soulful, swinging music in the tradition of three now-departed greats.
Music Charge: $25
7/22 ED REED
• Ed Reed - vocals
• Peck Allmond - trumpet, tenor sax, flute, clarinet, cornet
• Jamie Fox - guitar
• Russell George - violin
• Gary Fisher - piano
• David Ambrosio - bass
• Willard Dyson - drums
One year ago, against all odds, Bay Area jazz singer Ed Reed made his recording debut at the age of 78. Issued on his own Blue Shorts label, Ed Reed Sings Love Stories received strongly positive reviews and brought Ed to Jazz Standard in October 2007 for his New York club debut. Immediately following this engagement, Reed recorded a worthy follow-up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Peck Allmond–and the new Ed Reed album, entitled The Song Is You, was released May 20, 2008 on Blue Shorts Records. The culmination of a decades-long odyssey through heroin addiction, the California penal system, and hard-earned sobriety, Ed’s two albums more than fulfill his youthful musical promise. “I never saw this coming,” says the singer of his burgeoning career. “I had no idea, in my wildest imaginings, that my dreams would come true.”
Music Charge: $20
7/23 ERIN BODE
• Erin Bode - vocals
• Adam Maness - piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3, acoustic guitar
• Syd Rodway - bass
• Derrek Phillips - drums
With her exquisite voice and endearing stage presence, Erin Bode (pronounced BOH-DEE) has won over audiences from Soho to South Africa while evoking favorable comparisons to Norah Jones and the late Eva Cassidy. On her MAXJAZZ debut album, Don’t Take Your Time, Erin offered her personal take on a well-chosen assortment of pop classics and Great American Songbook selections as well as her first original composition, “Don’t Take Your Time.” Her new album, Over and Over, features additional original tunes and adventurous arrangements–a welcome expansion of a special artistry just now reaching its full bloom.
Music Charge: $20
7/24 - 7/27 DAVID SANCHEZ
• David Sánchez - tenor saxophone
• Lage Lund - guitar
• Orlando Le Fleming - bass
• Henry Cole - drums
David Sánchez continues to fuse his fierce, straight-ahead jazz sound with African, Afro-Cuban and Caribbean influences on Cultural Survival - his eighth career album and first for the Concord Picante label. On five of the disc’s eight tracks, the four-time Grammy Award nominee debuts a piano-less quartet featuring Lage Lund, the 2005 winner of the Thelonious Monk Guitar Competition. Highlights include “Adoración,” an urgent tribute to Eddie Palmieri (”a person who is very important in my musical development” - D.S.) and the ambitious “La Leyenda del Cañaveral,” which sets to David’s music a poem written by his sister Margarita.
Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
7/28 JOANNE BRACKEEN QUARTET with special guest RAVI COLTRANE
• JoAnne Brackeen - piano
• Ravi Coltrane - tenor saxophone
• Ugonna Okegwo - bass
• TBA - drums
The JoAnne Brackeen Quartet wraps up the artist’s Monday night series with birthday greetings (July 26th) to our fearless, free-spirited leader and a mix of standards and originals from her more than two dozen recordings as a leader. JoAnne will lead her working group along with special guest Ravi Coltrane–and there’s no telling who else might step up to the bandstand!
Music Charge: $25
7/29 - 7/30 ALI JACKSON’S “WHEELZ KEEP ROLLIN’”
• Michael Rodriguez - trumpet
• Vincent Gardner - trombone
• Jonathan Batiste - piano
• Carlos Henriquez - bass
• Ali Jackson - drums
• Jennifer Sanon - vocals
A genuine percussive prodigy, Detroit native Ali Jackson Jr. studied under Elvin Jones and Max Roach. He went on to perform and record with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick, Jr., KRS-1, Marcus Roberts, Joshua Redman, Diana Krall and the New York City Ballet. Ali can be heard on George Benson’s Irreplaceable (GRP, 2004) and The Magic Hour (Blue Note, 2004) by the Wynton Marsalis Quartet. He continues to perform with Wynton’s quintet while spearheading the exciting new project he calls “Wheelz Keep Rollin’.”
Music Charge: $20
7/31 - 8/3 VIJAY IYER QUARTET
• Vijay Iyer - piano
• Rudresh Mahanthappa - alto saxophone
• Stephan Crump - bass
• Marcus Gilmore - drums
One of “today’s most important pianists” (The New Yorker), Vijay Iyer is a forceful, rhythmically invigorating, and largely self-taught performer who weds a cutting-edge sensibility to a unique sense of compositional balance. His exuberant improvisations–anchored in cyclical rhythmic structures and ringing harmonies–draw upon African, Asian, and European musical lineages to create fresh, original music in the American creative tradition. Alto sax mainstay Rudresh Mahanthappa “has a tone like iron and charges from 0 to 80 in about four seconds.” (The New York Times) Tragicomic is Vijay Iyer’s latest CD release on Sunnyside Records and his first quartet recording since Reimagining in 2005.
Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday