Six Sets, Two Nights, One City: A Jazz Weekend In New York
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- 8 min read
I love going up to New York to hear jazz. But it had been a while since I'd made a solo trip up to the city. So when I saw a free weekend approaching on my schedule, I figured I'd seize the opportunity and immerse myself in the music for a few days - Thursday 4/23 to Saturday 4/25. I started out as any sensible person would - checking to see who would be playing at The Village Vanguard that week. Amazingly, pianist Brad Mehldau was appearing with a trio with Larry Grenadier (bass) and Marcus Gilmore (drums). Jazz doesn't get much better than that. So I went to make my reservations - nearly four weeks in advance - and was confronted with the words "SOLD OUT". For the whole week! My trip was off to a poor start. Would I be able to get tickets for anything? (Fortunately this proved to be the exception rather than the rule.)
I quickly found a website that was new to me - the "NYC Jazz Record", which publishes a comprehensive listing of pretty much every jazz club in the NYC area. From looking at these listings I was able to put together a schedule for myself that was temporally and geographically feasible - and utterly exciting. I made all of my reservations online and had all of my e-tickets squared away. The stage was set for two very action-packed nights of jazz.
On Thursday I took the train to Penn Station in Manhattan and headed to The American Dream Hostel, my lodging for this trip. This is a (very reasonably priced) hostel in the Flatiron District. It wasn't fancy but it was quiet and clean, and at any rate I certainly wasn't there to hang out in my hotel room! This place was a nice discovery (for which I thank my brother-in-law Jamie for the tip).
After a short rest I was ready to take on my ambitious itinerary. So I hopped in a cab and headed uptown. SET #1: SF JAZZ COLLECTIVE @ BIRDLAND (7pm)
Chris Potter tenor & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet
David Sánchez tenor saxophone
Mike Rodriguez trumpet
Sasha Berliner vibraphone
Edward Simon piano
Matt Brewer bass
Kendrick Scott drums
This was a strong start. SF Jazz Collective is an all-star group whose home base is the SF Jazz Center in San Francisco - a truly amazing space which you should make an effort to get to if you're ever out there. Fortunately for us they also go on tour, and I was so excited to see this lineup. The Collective plays very modern, impressionist / romantic jazz, highly chromatic and idiosyncratic music. Tunes are generally original compositions by members of the group. Notably there were no swing feels for the entire set (this is very on-brand for these guys). Vibraphonist Sasha Berliner was subbing for Warren Wolf who was in Idaho performing at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.
Their theme for last year's season was "The 50th anniversary of Wayne Shorter's 'Native Dancer'". So the first two tunes were from that recording. Here's their set:
• Walking in Rainbow Rain (Mike Rodriguez)
• Everything So Far (Matt Brewer)
• Ziandi (Chris Potter) (for Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland)
• Tarde (Milton Nascimento) (arr. Edward Simon) • Um Belem Para Eddie (David Sanchez, for Eddie Palmieri)
This set was about modernism and exploration, and very high-level, precise ensemble playing. These are master musicians brought together to push the envelope and express their own creativity.
SET #2: BRUCE HARRIS SEXTET @ JAZZCULTURAL (9pm)
Bruce Harris trumpet
Matt Martinez alto saxophone
Steve Davis trombone
Jeb Patton piano
Paul Sikivie bass
Kenny Washington drums
This band provided a strong contrast to what I had just seen at Birdland.
Bruce Harris came to celebrate the classic Blue-Note era of jazz, delighting in presenting hard-bop hidden gems and mostly tunes that were new to me:
• Home Is Africa (Horace Parlan)
• Blue Silver (Blue Mitchell) (same changes as "Peace")
• The Vamp (Hank Mobley)
• So Sweet My Little Girl (Duke Pearson)
• The Morning After (Hank Mobley)
• The Long Four Six (I didn't catch the composer here)
A three horn front line playing hard bop really stirs the soul. These guys brought it. Seeing Kenny Washington on drums was a spiritual renewal for me. I got to play with Kenny 30 years ago when I was in the Monk Competition and that was an honor for me then. Everyone in this band was just wonderful. Also - JazzCultural!! NYC's newest jazz club and an addition to Spike Wilner's fine clubs Smalls and Mezzrow, I found this room to be just perfect - a nice size and shape, with every seat providing a great vantage point for the music. Great vibes, and a very welcome addition to NYC's current club offerings. I'll be back.
SET #3: GEOFF KEEZER TRIO @ THE DJANGO (11:15pm)
Geoff Keezer piano
Noriko Ueda bass
Ryan Sands drums
I knew Geoff Keezer was good - ridiculously good - but I had forgotten, really, how much magic this one guy can conjure. When Geoff touches the piano, incredible things start to happen. I sat through this entire set with my mouth open. Geoff just does what he wants, completely immersed in his creative process, smiling beatifically the whole time. The rhythm section looked like they were having the time of their lives and Geoff's communication with Ryan Sands (drums) was otherworldly. And I was knocked out by the skill and driving swing of bassist Noriko Ueda. This whole set was one of the best things I've ever experienced in music.
• Black and Tan Fantasy (Duke)
• Ghost in the Photograph (Geoff Keezer)
• Fractured (Geoff Keezer)
• The Kindest Soul (Geoff Keezer, for his mentor James Williams)
And then Geoff just sort of started playing this vamp which turned into "Footprints" but words cannot begin to describe what this was, it was so different and interactive and crazy
• Finally Geoff played this little medley - a tune called "Ugunde" or some such which morphed into "Give Peace A Chance" (Lennon)
After these three sets in three different clubs I was WRUNG OUT. The question at this time of night (12:30am or so) in NYC is always "To Smalls or not to Smalls"? (Meaning, am I going to go over to the ultimate musicians hang: The all night jam-session at Smalls in the Village). Dear reader, I did not go. I got in a cab and went back to my room, head swimming with jazz, love and inspiration. But the trip wasn't over yet. • DAY #2 - FRIDAY
My first set of jazz wasn't until 7pm and I had a whole day in New York. I had an absolutely wonderful time in the city all day (I logged 23,000 steps, around 10-11 miles). Highlights were walking The High Line, handmade soba noodles at Soba Ulala, Rudy's Music, some shopping at a few nice places, and a taco or three. But then it was time to get back to it. After a quick refresh at the hostel, I headed to the East Village. SET #4 - RYAN DEVLIN QUARTET @ FIVE SPOT JAZZ (7pm)
Ryan Devlin - tenor saxophone
Tal Cohen - piano
Ian Ashby - bass
Nazir Ebo - drums
I wanted to hear Ryan Devlin because he so strongly embodies the spirit of tenor saxophone legend Steve Grossman. I think there is a little bit of Steve in almost every post-Coltrane tenor saxophonist who tries to bring that intense, dark energy to their playing. But Ryan is maybe one of the strongest examples of this that I've heard in recent memory. The energy of these guys and of Ryan in particular (but notably also bassist Ian Ashby) really knocked me back in my chair.
One fun thing for me about this show is that the piano player Tal Cohen and I had exchanged messages on Facebook as early as 2016. I introduced myself and we immediately fell into talking about music and life as though we'd known each other for a while - which in a way we had. It was nice.
The drummer, Nazir Ebo, was to me the perfect archetype of an NYC jazz drummer - just on fire with ideas, perfect driving time, an immaculate cymbal beat and an Elvin Jones-esque vocabulary of ideas. And then the band closed with Coltrane's "Liberia" and I just fell out of my chair. I've never heard anyone play that live and it was an emotional high point for me. Every hair stood up. I thanked the band at the end and told them that "I felt renewed", because I truly did.
• Devlin Time
• Two Crows Joy (contrafact on "Yardbird Suite")
• The Hardest Part Is Starting
• (A ballad Ryan wrote for his wife which I can't remember the name of)
• Liberia
SET #5: GLENN ZALESKI TRIO @ MEZZROW (9pm)
Glenn Zaleski piano
Dave Baron bass
Adam Arruda drums
Glenn Zaleski is a new discovery for me. I recently started using "The Feel Book", a new playalong app which I highly recommend. It features actual recordings of real NYC jazz musicians which you can interact with somewhat similarly to "iRealPro" (another playalong app). Glenn is featured prominently on this app and I came to love his incredibly sensitive and detailed comping.
This trio was a revelation. It was a nice contrast from the intensity of the group I'd just heard. Glenn is a pianist's pianist - a light, deft touch, incredibly dextrous, and in the quiet intimacy of Mezzrow - which is what this club is all about - this music came to life. There's nothing like the interaction in a great piano trio and these guys brought it.
• Is That So (Duke Pearson)
• Toninho (Glenn Zaleski)
• Pat (Glenn Zaleski) (for Pat Metheny)
• Mosaic (Glenn Zaleski) • You Must Believe in Spring (LeGrand / Alan and Marilyn Bergman)
I had a nice conversation with Glenn afterward - he was surprised that I'd become a fan of his from hearing him play on this playalong app, but we laughed about it. I found out later that Glenn was a semifinalist in the 2011 Monk Competition, which also impressed me. I'm looking forward to seeing him play again.
SET #6: KEVIN HAYS QUARTET @ THE DJANGO (11:15pm)
Kevin Hays Piano
Nir Felder Guitar
Massimo Biolcati Bass
Timothy Angulo Drums
Kevin Hays is one of my favorite pianists. He's been a part of so many incredible recordings over the years (including Chris Potter's incredible "Lift: Live At The Village Vanguard"), I knew this was a show I didn't want to miss. And I was excited to hear Nir Felder too, the only guitarist I was hearing on this entire trip - an interesting, Strat-wielding, forward-looking voice in modern jazz guitar. Sold!
The Django was also the only venue I attended twice on this trip. I don't get the impression that it's a jazz club on the level of the others I went to but I think it's an interesting space, good acoustics and a nice vibe. No complaints except that they stuck me in the corner for this last set and the bartender didn't know how to make a Brooklyn.
• Cheryl (Charlie Parker, nice reharm)
• Embrace (Kevin Hays I think)
• How High the Moon (standard)
• New Sky (Kevin Hays, for Wayne Shorter)
• DANNY BOY (traditional)
That last song is not a misprint. Yes dear reader, suddenly out of nowhere Kevin Hays started playing and singing "Danny Boy". And it was really, really good. A beautiful reharm and a very nice vocal. NYC is full of surprises! Kevin, my hat is off to you. This was a beautiful set of music.
Alas, once again I didn't make it to Smalls. But I did walk approximately one hour back uptown to the hostel. It was a beautiful night and a beautiful walk and I was so grateful for everything I'd heard and experienced in the city. And I truly did feel renewed.
I knew I would learn a lot from this trip. My biggest takeaway is this: I've noticed that every solo I play at The Jazz Workshop since I came back, I feel a greater conviction and sense of purpose than I did before. I truly do feel "renewed" in the music. Inspired, sure, but to see these musicians engaging in their life's work helped to remind me that it's my life's work as well. I'll be back! (And maybe very soon, becuase I see that Kurt Rosenwinkel will be at the Vanguard soon with a ridiculous quintet. Where's my credit card?)
