JS:10 Anniversary Concert Series featuring Honorary Artists + Audience Favorites
New York, NY: Hailed as one of the world's top jazz clubs, Jazz Standard celebrates 10 years as the premier stage for music legends, mavericks, and rising stars of tomorrow. Known for its warm hospitality, world-class artists, pitch-perfect sound and comfortable atmosphere, Jazz Standard leads as a zeitgeist of live music venues. Since its inception in 2002 under the management of Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), Jazz Standard has presented thousands of musicians, welcomed more than 500,000 patrons, served 10,000+ plates of ribs, produced 1 Grammy Award-winning album, and introduced the magic of jazz music to over 20,000 New York City children as part of its socially driven and impactful Jazz Standard Discovery Program.
“My colleagues and I are thrilled to be celebrating ten years of Jazz Standard—pairing the best of two authentic American originals: live jazz music and slow-smoked pit barbecue," said Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group. “In just ten years, Jazz Standard has built a deeper and more devoted following among world-class musicians and appreciative audiences than we ever could have imagined. As much fun as it is to showcase established and up-and-coming professional musicians, it's also especially meaningful to me that Jazz Standard has also become recognized for its impactful programs for children via the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra—a unique feature that further contributes to it being one of the most special live music establishments in the country."
From March—December 2012, the club's celebratory activities include JS:10, an ongoing anniversary concert series featuring special engagements by great artists who have established themselves over the years as audience favorites (concert schedule is below). Kick-starting JS:10 is a quartet of specially selected JS:10 artists March 13 -19: veteran tenor saxophonist Houston Person leads his quartet from March 13-16; the 2011 MacArthur “Genius" Grant recipient Dafnis Prieto plays a special one-niter with his Si ó Si Quartet on March 17; the Grammy-nominated pianist Fred Hersch gives a solo performance on March 18; and the Grammy Award-winning Mingus Big Band celebrates that auspicious day of March 19 when the club officially re-launched back in 2002!!
In addition, Jazz Standard celebrates by offering a customized JS:10 Blue Bossa martini, award-winning barbecue from its sister restaurant, Blue Smoke (who also turns 10 on March 19th!), and more.
Over the past 10 years, Jazz Standard has hosted everyone from Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Roy Haynes and Esperanza Spalding to special events including the annual Festival of New Trumpet Music, the traditional Thanksgiving residency featuring the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the popular weekly “Mingus Mondays" series, the Impulse Records! 50th Anniversary Week, and the co-presentation of the Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival concert series.
“Not only have we expanded our artistic programming over the years but, we've also attracted incredibly diverse audiences spanning both generations and the globe," explains Seth Abramson, Artistic Director of Jazz Standard. “We're fortunate to be playing an integral role in today's jazz industry and are looking forward to cultivating a new generation of both artists and audiences for years to come." Abramson recently steered Jazz Standard to the Grammy's with the release of the club's first album Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard, a 2011 Grammy Award winner for Best Large Jazz Ensemble album which he co-produced with Sue Mingus.
About Jazz Standard
In spring 2002, Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) opened Blue Smoke and Jazz Standard, offering mouthwatering real pit barbecue and world-class live jazz. The restaurant and jazz club were named “Best Barbecue" and “Best Jazz Club" respectively in 2003 by Citysearch.com. Whether you're a jazz aficionado or a budding fan, the club delivers a fun and memorable evening filled with soulful music and mouthwatering barbecue. Awarded “Best Jazz Club" by New York Magazine and “Top 5 Nightclubs" in the country by JazzTimes Magazine, Jazz Standard continues to bring the legendary artists of today and the brightest stars of tomorrow ranging from classic jazz to funk, R&B, blues, and more. http://www.jazzstandard.com
3/13-3/16 HOUSTON PERSON QUARTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Houston Person—tenor saxophone
John Di Martino—piano
Ray Drummond—bass
Lewis Nash—drums
Houston Person and Jazz Standard go way back—to May 2002 (to be precise), when the veteran tenor saxophonist made his first appearance on our stage. In January 2012, Houston Person played a rare London engagement at Ronnie Scott's that had audiences on their feet and critics singing his praises. In The Guardian, John Fordham wrote: “His sound has become uniquely characterful: an idiosyncratic edit of all he has learned, expressed in shrugging hoots, briefly cantering bop sprints, spacious and softly blown ballads." And in his Observer review of Houston's latest HighNote CD So Nice, Dave Gelly attested: “Houston Person's tenor saxophone has all the hallmarks—poise, simple elegance and that mix¬ture of gravitas and slight swagger that comes from having nothing left to prove...Person is now 77 and his playing just goes on getting better." Don't miss this gentle giant of the tenor saxophone, this week at Jazz Standard! Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday
3/17 DAFNIS PRIETO SI Ó SI QUARTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Peter Apfelbaum—tenor & soprano saxophone
Manuel Valera—piano
Yunior Terry—bass
Dafnis Prieto—drums
Our tenth anniversary series gala continues tonight with Dafnis Prieto, who first performed at Jazz Standard in August 2002 with Dave Samuel's Caribbean Jazz Project. Since then, Dafnis has returned to our stage on numerous occasions at the helm of his own groups, and recorded the Si o Si quartet live at Jazz Standard for his 2009 release on his own label Dafnison Music.
Perhaps the best description of the art of Dafnis Prieto comes from the MacArthur Foundation, which awarded him a coveted “genius grant" in 2011: “A per¬cussionist whose dazzling technical abilities electrify audiences and whose rhythmically adventurous compositions combine a range of musical vocabularies...As a composer, Prieto melds modern jazz har¬monies, Cuban clave rhythms, other Latin and African influ¬ences, and funk—inspired arrangements to cre¬ate works of great stylistic diversity that evoke a broad spectrum of moods." Music Charge: $30
3/18 FRED HERSCH SOLO
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Fred Hersch—piano It's always an honor to welcome Fred Hersch back to Jazz Standard, but especially as part of our tenth anniversary celebration. Fred first appeared on our stage in September 2002 as part of a Verizon Music Festival solo piano convocation and returned many times in the ensuing decade. We congratulate Fred on earning two 2012 Grammy Award nominations for the solo CD Alone at the Vanguard—remarkably, his eighth solo piano recording—for Best Jazz Album; and the track “Work" (composed by Thelonious Monk), for Best Jazz Solo. Fred Hersch, wrote Steve Futterman in The New Yorker, “has developed an intensity of intelligence and emotional directness unparalleled among his peers." Music Charge: $30
3/19 MINGUS BIG BAND
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Craig Handy, Wayne Escoffery—tenor saxophone
Alex Foster, Abraham Burton—alto saxophone, flute
Ronnie Cuber—baritone saxophone
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Jeff Nelson, Earl McIntyre—trombones
Alex Sipiagin, Philip Harper, Greg Gisbert—trumpets
David Kikoski—piano
Boris Kozlov—bass
Adam Cruz—drums
Special Guest: Carolyn Leonhart—vocals
Who better to help us mark the tenth anniversary of Jazz Standard tonight than the Mingus Big Band—right back on the stage where the MBB recorded its 2011 Grammy Award—winning album, Live at Jazz Standard. “The Mingus Big Band—musician for musician—is one of the most spirited and technically gifted bands in the country." (Seattle Examiner) “The hippest big band in the universe—robust, earthy, sanctified." (Time Out New York) Music Charge: $25
4/4-4/8 CHANO DOMÍNGUEZ: FLAMENCO SKETCHES
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Chano Domínguez—piano
Omer Avital—bass
Blas Cordoba—vocals/percussion
Dafnis Prieto—drums
In 1959, “Flamenco Sketches" was one of the most haunting tracks on Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue—later to become the best—selling album in jazz history. Now, Flamenco Sketches is the title track of a new Blue Note CD by Chano Domínguez, wherein this brilliant Spanish flamenco jazz pianist offers a fresh and invigorating take on the songs of Kind Of Blue. Flamenco Sketches was recorded live on our stage (and co-produced by Seth Abramson, Artistic Director of Jazz Standard, and Joan Cararach of the Barcelona Jazz Festival) over four incredible nights as part of the 41st Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival. Born 1960 in Cadíz, Spain, the artist transcended early influences like Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk to become an explorer of flamenco forms through the lens of the post—bop tradition, including collaborations with Paquito D'Rivera, Paco de Lucía, and Wynton Marsalis. Chano first played Jazz Standard as a featured artist in the “Catalan Days | Barcelona Nights" event in May 2009, and we welcome him back to celebrate our tenth anniversary. Music Charge: $30
4/12-4/15 STEVE WILSON SUPER BAND
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Steve Wilson—alto & soprano saxophone
Patrice Rushen—piano
James Genus—bass (4/12-13, 4/15)
Kenny Davis—bass (4/14)
Billy Kilson—drums
Our tenth anniversary celebration would not be complete without an appearance by Steve Wilson, who's been playing Jazz Standard for more than a decade and continues to be “essential to this city's jazz landscape" (Wall Street Journal). Formerly a crucial sideman in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Dave Holland, Buster Williams, and Chick Corea; his recording career as a leader began in 1991 with New York Summit (Criss Cross). During the past year, Steve has played rapturously received sets at the Detroit Jazz Festival with his post—bop quartet, Wilsonian's Grain; and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. with his moving Charlie Parker tribute “Bird With Strings." This week, Steve returns to Jazz Standard with an exceptional quartet including the wonderful multi-Grammy nominated and first female Musical Director of the Grammy Awards (46th-48th) pianist/keyboardist Patrice Rushen (remember her Eighties hits “Remind Me" and “Forget Me Nots?"). “That's why I call this Super Band—I don't want to put this into a certain category, I want free range for us all to explore, be creative, and most of all have fun." (Steve Wilson) Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday
4/26-4/29 AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE QUINTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Ambrose Akinmusire—trumpet
Walter Smith III—tenor saxophone
Sam Harris—piano
Harish Raghavan—bass
Justin Brown—drums
Our tenth anniversary festivities continue this week with this gifted young trumpeter, who first played Jazz Standard in April 2008 (with a stellar quintet of Mark Turner, Aaron Parks, Ben Street and Eric Harland). Ambrose will be back on the bandstand bearing rave no¬tices from critics and a wave of support from a steadily growing fan base. Writing in The New York Times in December 2011, Nate Chinen named his Blue Note label debut When The Heart Emerges Glistening as the Number One album (jazz or otherwise) of the year. Chinen called Akinmusire “an ear¬nest young trumpeter with a bracingly original style" and his CD “a smart dispatch from the new post—bop frontier." Meanwhile, in a four—star review for DownBeat, John Corbett wrote: “Akinmusire's force¬ful outing is as noteworthy for the strength of the overall concept as for the individual accomplishments of its leader, head-turning as they are...Clearly something very special and personal is at work here, a vision of jazz that's bigger than camps, broader and more intellectually restless than blowing sessions." Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday
5/10-5/13: PAULA WEST with the GEORGE MESTERHAZY QUARTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
CD Release—Live at Jazz Standard
Writing in the New York Times, Stephen Holden declared: “To hear the San Francisco jazz singer Paula West stamp her personality on songs by Bob Dylan and Cole Porter in the same program is like encountering someone with a multilingual gift." He added: “No singer can be all things to all people...But Ms. West comes as close as any jazz singer nowadays to carrying off that impossible feat." To kick off this month's celebration of our tenth anniversary, Jazz Standard welcomes back Paula West for four gala nights celebrating the release of her new album Live At Jazz Standard with longtime pianist and musical director George Mesterhazy who, among many other career credits, arranged Shirley Horn's 1997 Grammy—nominated album Loving You. Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
5/22-5/27: FRED HERSCH DUOS & TRIO
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
“The most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade or so" (Vanity Fair) and “a master who plays it his way" (New York Times), Fred Hersch has been a favorite of Jazz Standard audiences for years. Nominated for Best Jazz Album and Best Jazz Solo in the 2012 Grammy Awards, Fred returns to our stage for a special tenth anniversary program with some very special musical friends.
May 22: Fred Hersch & Miguel Zenon
Fred Hersch kicks off the duos week with alto saxophonist, and MacArthur Foundation “genius grant" winner, Miguel Zenon, who's 2011 CD Alma Adentro was nominated for a Grammy. Music Charge: $25
May 23: Fred Hersch & Ambrose Akinmusire
Rising—star trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's Blue Note debut, When The Heart Emerges Glistening, was among the most acclaimed jazz recordings of 2011. Tonight he steps out from his working band for some intimate music—making with Fred Hersch. Music Charge: $25
May 24: Fred Hersch & Julian Lage
Sounding Point, Julian Lage's Grammy—nominated 2009 CD, was hailed by Time Out New York as “a major find." In this evening of duets with Fred Hersch, the gifted guitarist will show yet another side of his artistry. Music Charge: $25
May 25-26: Fred Hersch Trio with Dave Holland and Billy Hart
Need we say more than repeat those names: Fred Hersch...Dave Holland...Billy Hart. Fans of classic jazz piano trios—or of just plain great music—will miss these Jazz Standard 10th anniversary performances at their peril! Music Charge: $30
May 27: Fred Hersch & Rene Marie
One of the most daring and soulful of contemporary jazz singers, Rene Marie can make “time fly by as if it were an instant, with sizzling grooves...and shimmering, sliding vocal work."(Roanoke Times) And she could ask for no more sympathetic an accompanist than Fred Hersch. Music Charge: $30
New York, NY: Hailed as one of the world's top jazz clubs, Jazz Standard celebrates 10 years as the premier stage for music legends, mavericks, and rising stars of tomorrow. Known for its warm hospitality, world-class artists, pitch-perfect sound and comfortable atmosphere, Jazz Standard leads as a zeitgeist of live music venues. Since its inception in 2002 under the management of Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), Jazz Standard has presented thousands of musicians, welcomed more than 500,000 patrons, served 10,000+ plates of ribs, produced 1 Grammy Award-winning album, and introduced the magic of jazz music to over 20,000 New York City children as part of its socially driven and impactful Jazz Standard Discovery Program.
“My colleagues and I are thrilled to be celebrating ten years of Jazz Standard—pairing the best of two authentic American originals: live jazz music and slow-smoked pit barbecue," said Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group. “In just ten years, Jazz Standard has built a deeper and more devoted following among world-class musicians and appreciative audiences than we ever could have imagined. As much fun as it is to showcase established and up-and-coming professional musicians, it's also especially meaningful to me that Jazz Standard has also become recognized for its impactful programs for children via the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra—a unique feature that further contributes to it being one of the most special live music establishments in the country."
From March—December 2012, the club's celebratory activities include JS:10, an ongoing anniversary concert series featuring special engagements by great artists who have established themselves over the years as audience favorites (concert schedule is below). Kick-starting JS:10 is a quartet of specially selected JS:10 artists March 13 -19: veteran tenor saxophonist Houston Person leads his quartet from March 13-16; the 2011 MacArthur “Genius" Grant recipient Dafnis Prieto plays a special one-niter with his Si ó Si Quartet on March 17; the Grammy-nominated pianist Fred Hersch gives a solo performance on March 18; and the Grammy Award-winning Mingus Big Band celebrates that auspicious day of March 19 when the club officially re-launched back in 2002!!
In addition, Jazz Standard celebrates by offering a customized JS:10 Blue Bossa martini, award-winning barbecue from its sister restaurant, Blue Smoke (who also turns 10 on March 19th!), and more.
Over the past 10 years, Jazz Standard has hosted everyone from Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Roy Haynes and Esperanza Spalding to special events including the annual Festival of New Trumpet Music, the traditional Thanksgiving residency featuring the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the popular weekly “Mingus Mondays" series, the Impulse Records! 50th Anniversary Week, and the co-presentation of the Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival concert series.
“Not only have we expanded our artistic programming over the years but, we've also attracted incredibly diverse audiences spanning both generations and the globe," explains Seth Abramson, Artistic Director of Jazz Standard. “We're fortunate to be playing an integral role in today's jazz industry and are looking forward to cultivating a new generation of both artists and audiences for years to come." Abramson recently steered Jazz Standard to the Grammy's with the release of the club's first album Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard, a 2011 Grammy Award winner for Best Large Jazz Ensemble album which he co-produced with Sue Mingus.
About Jazz Standard
In spring 2002, Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) opened Blue Smoke and Jazz Standard, offering mouthwatering real pit barbecue and world-class live jazz. The restaurant and jazz club were named “Best Barbecue" and “Best Jazz Club" respectively in 2003 by Citysearch.com. Whether you're a jazz aficionado or a budding fan, the club delivers a fun and memorable evening filled with soulful music and mouthwatering barbecue. Awarded “Best Jazz Club" by New York Magazine and “Top 5 Nightclubs" in the country by JazzTimes Magazine, Jazz Standard continues to bring the legendary artists of today and the brightest stars of tomorrow ranging from classic jazz to funk, R&B, blues, and more. http://www.jazzstandard.com
3/13-3/16 HOUSTON PERSON QUARTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Houston Person—tenor saxophone
John Di Martino—piano
Ray Drummond—bass
Lewis Nash—drums
Houston Person and Jazz Standard go way back—to May 2002 (to be precise), when the veteran tenor saxophonist made his first appearance on our stage. In January 2012, Houston Person played a rare London engagement at Ronnie Scott's that had audiences on their feet and critics singing his praises. In The Guardian, John Fordham wrote: “His sound has become uniquely characterful: an idiosyncratic edit of all he has learned, expressed in shrugging hoots, briefly cantering bop sprints, spacious and softly blown ballads." And in his Observer review of Houston's latest HighNote CD So Nice, Dave Gelly attested: “Houston Person's tenor saxophone has all the hallmarks—poise, simple elegance and that mix¬ture of gravitas and slight swagger that comes from having nothing left to prove...Person is now 77 and his playing just goes on getting better." Don't miss this gentle giant of the tenor saxophone, this week at Jazz Standard! Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday
3/17 DAFNIS PRIETO SI Ó SI QUARTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Peter Apfelbaum—tenor & soprano saxophone
Manuel Valera—piano
Yunior Terry—bass
Dafnis Prieto—drums
Our tenth anniversary series gala continues tonight with Dafnis Prieto, who first performed at Jazz Standard in August 2002 with Dave Samuel's Caribbean Jazz Project. Since then, Dafnis has returned to our stage on numerous occasions at the helm of his own groups, and recorded the Si o Si quartet live at Jazz Standard for his 2009 release on his own label Dafnison Music.
Perhaps the best description of the art of Dafnis Prieto comes from the MacArthur Foundation, which awarded him a coveted “genius grant" in 2011: “A per¬cussionist whose dazzling technical abilities electrify audiences and whose rhythmically adventurous compositions combine a range of musical vocabularies...As a composer, Prieto melds modern jazz har¬monies, Cuban clave rhythms, other Latin and African influ¬ences, and funk—inspired arrangements to cre¬ate works of great stylistic diversity that evoke a broad spectrum of moods." Music Charge: $30
3/18 FRED HERSCH SOLO
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Fred Hersch—piano It's always an honor to welcome Fred Hersch back to Jazz Standard, but especially as part of our tenth anniversary celebration. Fred first appeared on our stage in September 2002 as part of a Verizon Music Festival solo piano convocation and returned many times in the ensuing decade. We congratulate Fred on earning two 2012 Grammy Award nominations for the solo CD Alone at the Vanguard—remarkably, his eighth solo piano recording—for Best Jazz Album; and the track “Work" (composed by Thelonious Monk), for Best Jazz Solo. Fred Hersch, wrote Steve Futterman in The New Yorker, “has developed an intensity of intelligence and emotional directness unparalleled among his peers." Music Charge: $30
3/19 MINGUS BIG BAND
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Craig Handy, Wayne Escoffery—tenor saxophone
Alex Foster, Abraham Burton—alto saxophone, flute
Ronnie Cuber—baritone saxophone
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Jeff Nelson, Earl McIntyre—trombones
Alex Sipiagin, Philip Harper, Greg Gisbert—trumpets
David Kikoski—piano
Boris Kozlov—bass
Adam Cruz—drums
Special Guest: Carolyn Leonhart—vocals
Who better to help us mark the tenth anniversary of Jazz Standard tonight than the Mingus Big Band—right back on the stage where the MBB recorded its 2011 Grammy Award—winning album, Live at Jazz Standard. “The Mingus Big Band—musician for musician—is one of the most spirited and technically gifted bands in the country." (Seattle Examiner) “The hippest big band in the universe—robust, earthy, sanctified." (Time Out New York) Music Charge: $25
4/4-4/8 CHANO DOMÍNGUEZ: FLAMENCO SKETCHES
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Chano Domínguez—piano
Omer Avital—bass
Blas Cordoba—vocals/percussion
Dafnis Prieto—drums
In 1959, “Flamenco Sketches" was one of the most haunting tracks on Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue—later to become the best—selling album in jazz history. Now, Flamenco Sketches is the title track of a new Blue Note CD by Chano Domínguez, wherein this brilliant Spanish flamenco jazz pianist offers a fresh and invigorating take on the songs of Kind Of Blue. Flamenco Sketches was recorded live on our stage (and co-produced by Seth Abramson, Artistic Director of Jazz Standard, and Joan Cararach of the Barcelona Jazz Festival) over four incredible nights as part of the 41st Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival. Born 1960 in Cadíz, Spain, the artist transcended early influences like Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk to become an explorer of flamenco forms through the lens of the post—bop tradition, including collaborations with Paquito D'Rivera, Paco de Lucía, and Wynton Marsalis. Chano first played Jazz Standard as a featured artist in the “Catalan Days | Barcelona Nights" event in May 2009, and we welcome him back to celebrate our tenth anniversary. Music Charge: $30
4/12-4/15 STEVE WILSON SUPER BAND
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Steve Wilson—alto & soprano saxophone
Patrice Rushen—piano
James Genus—bass (4/12-13, 4/15)
Kenny Davis—bass (4/14)
Billy Kilson—drums
Our tenth anniversary celebration would not be complete without an appearance by Steve Wilson, who's been playing Jazz Standard for more than a decade and continues to be “essential to this city's jazz landscape" (Wall Street Journal). Formerly a crucial sideman in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Dave Holland, Buster Williams, and Chick Corea; his recording career as a leader began in 1991 with New York Summit (Criss Cross). During the past year, Steve has played rapturously received sets at the Detroit Jazz Festival with his post—bop quartet, Wilsonian's Grain; and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. with his moving Charlie Parker tribute “Bird With Strings." This week, Steve returns to Jazz Standard with an exceptional quartet including the wonderful multi-Grammy nominated and first female Musical Director of the Grammy Awards (46th-48th) pianist/keyboardist Patrice Rushen (remember her Eighties hits “Remind Me" and “Forget Me Nots?"). “That's why I call this Super Band—I don't want to put this into a certain category, I want free range for us all to explore, be creative, and most of all have fun." (Steve Wilson) Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday
4/26-4/29 AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE QUINTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
Ambrose Akinmusire—trumpet
Walter Smith III—tenor saxophone
Sam Harris—piano
Harish Raghavan—bass
Justin Brown—drums
Our tenth anniversary festivities continue this week with this gifted young trumpeter, who first played Jazz Standard in April 2008 (with a stellar quintet of Mark Turner, Aaron Parks, Ben Street and Eric Harland). Ambrose will be back on the bandstand bearing rave no¬tices from critics and a wave of support from a steadily growing fan base. Writing in The New York Times in December 2011, Nate Chinen named his Blue Note label debut When The Heart Emerges Glistening as the Number One album (jazz or otherwise) of the year. Chinen called Akinmusire “an ear¬nest young trumpeter with a bracingly original style" and his CD “a smart dispatch from the new post—bop frontier." Meanwhile, in a four—star review for DownBeat, John Corbett wrote: “Akinmusire's force¬ful outing is as noteworthy for the strength of the overall concept as for the individual accomplishments of its leader, head-turning as they are...Clearly something very special and personal is at work here, a vision of jazz that's bigger than camps, broader and more intellectually restless than blowing sessions." Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday
5/10-5/13: PAULA WEST with the GEORGE MESTERHAZY QUARTET
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
CD Release—Live at Jazz Standard
Writing in the New York Times, Stephen Holden declared: “To hear the San Francisco jazz singer Paula West stamp her personality on songs by Bob Dylan and Cole Porter in the same program is like encountering someone with a multilingual gift." He added: “No singer can be all things to all people...But Ms. West comes as close as any jazz singer nowadays to carrying off that impossible feat." To kick off this month's celebration of our tenth anniversary, Jazz Standard welcomes back Paula West for four gala nights celebrating the release of her new album Live At Jazz Standard with longtime pianist and musical director George Mesterhazy who, among many other career credits, arranged Shirley Horn's 1997 Grammy—nominated album Loving You. Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
5/22-5/27: FRED HERSCH DUOS & TRIO
(JS:10 ANNIVERSARY CONCERT)
“The most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade or so" (Vanity Fair) and “a master who plays it his way" (New York Times), Fred Hersch has been a favorite of Jazz Standard audiences for years. Nominated for Best Jazz Album and Best Jazz Solo in the 2012 Grammy Awards, Fred returns to our stage for a special tenth anniversary program with some very special musical friends.
May 22: Fred Hersch & Miguel Zenon
Fred Hersch kicks off the duos week with alto saxophonist, and MacArthur Foundation “genius grant" winner, Miguel Zenon, who's 2011 CD Alma Adentro was nominated for a Grammy. Music Charge: $25
May 23: Fred Hersch & Ambrose Akinmusire
Rising—star trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's Blue Note debut, When The Heart Emerges Glistening, was among the most acclaimed jazz recordings of 2011. Tonight he steps out from his working band for some intimate music—making with Fred Hersch. Music Charge: $25
May 24: Fred Hersch & Julian Lage
Sounding Point, Julian Lage's Grammy—nominated 2009 CD, was hailed by Time Out New York as “a major find." In this evening of duets with Fred Hersch, the gifted guitarist will show yet another side of his artistry. Music Charge: $25
May 25-26: Fred Hersch Trio with Dave Holland and Billy Hart
Need we say more than repeat those names: Fred Hersch...Dave Holland...Billy Hart. Fans of classic jazz piano trios—or of just plain great music—will miss these Jazz Standard 10th anniversary performances at their peril! Music Charge: $30
May 27: Fred Hersch & Rene Marie
One of the most daring and soulful of contemporary jazz singers, Rene Marie can make “time fly by as if it were an instant, with sizzling grooves...and shimmering, sliding vocal work."(Roanoke Times) And she could ask for no more sympathetic an accompanist than Fred Hersch. Music Charge: $30
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