JAZZ STANDARD, one of the natio'ns premier jazz clubs, presents another month of great jazz in February. On February 23, we present the exciting group Afinidad led by pianist Edward Simon and saxophonist David Binney along with some very special guests. Grammy Award-winner David Sanchez leads his group February 4-6. The thrilling jazz vocalist Rene Marie makes her long-awaited return to our stage for Valentines Weekend from February 1114. Two dynamic and different trios round out the month with the Cyrus Chestnut Trio February 17-21 and the Lionel Loueke Trio February 25-28. Throughout the month, Jazz Standard continues our celebrated Mingus Mondays residency with performances by Mingus Big Band (2/1, 2/22), Mingus Orchestra (2/8), and Mingus Dynasty (2/15). Below is a complete schedule of February performances at Jazz Standard, along with information on the musicians. For everything else, visit www.jazzstandard.com.
ALL SHOW TIMES: 7:30 & 9:30PM + 11:30PM ON FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS
Jazz Standard is located at 116 E. 27th Street (between Lexington and Park) Train 6 to E. 28th Street
NEVER A MINIMUM
Student Discounts (restrictions apply)
Enjoy NYCs Best Barbecue (Time Out New York) from BLUE SMOKE and an extensive wine, beer and cocktail list
Jazz for Kids every Sunday ─ Open for lunch at 1pm, music from 2-3pm
For reservations call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visit ticketweb.com
Artists and schedules are subject to change
FEBRUARY 2010 SCHEDULE
2/1 MINGUS BIG BAND
Wayne Escoffery, Scott Robinson tenor saxophone
Mark Gross, Vincent Herring alto saxophone, flute
Ronnie Cuber baritone saxophone
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, tba trombones
Lew Soloff, Earl Gardner, Kenny Rampton trumpets
David Kikoski piano
tba bass
Justin Faulkner - drums
The spirit of the man lives on in his music, and so author Nat Hentoffs words ring as true today as they did in 1963: A remarkable element in Mingus influence on his sidemen is his capacity to generate and sustain a fierce collective swing which is at the same time both loose and what I can best describe as spontaneously exclamatory. The seeming paradox of Mingus is that so forceful a personality can create situations which so irresistibly propel his sidemen to be so fully themselves. (From the liner notes to Impulse LP Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus, 1963) Music Charge: $25
2/2 2/3 AFINIDAD
Edward Simon piano
David Binney alto saxophone
Scott Colley bass
Antonio Sanchez drums
With Special Guests:
Gretchen Parlato vocals
Ben Monder guitar
Rogrio Boccato percussion
Back in 2000, composer/instrumentalists Edward Simon and David Binney shared a common vision: to create and perform adventurous music reflecting their wide range of musical influences and experiences. Simon and Binney joined forces with the skilled bassist Scott Colley and original drummer Brian Blade, and released their debut album Afinidad (Red Records, 2001). With grant support from Chamber Music America, this Jazz Standard double-header celebrates the continuing creative vitality of a dynamic group that now includes: on drums, the threetime Grammy Award winner Antonio Sanchez and (for these shows only) Afinidads very special guests Gretchen Parlato, Ben Monder, and Rogrio Boccato. Music Charge: $25
2/4 2/6 DAVID SANCHEZ GROUP
David Sanchez tenor saxophone
Lage Lund guitar
Orlando Le Fleming bass
Antonio Sanchez drums
Were delighted to welcome back to our stage the Grammy Awardwinning saxophonist David Sanchez, who plays with unforced authority and a searching, smoldering cadence (The New York Times) and possesses one of the most distinctive and vocalized sounds in jazz (The London Evening Standard). Davids 2008 album Cultural Survival, his first release for the Concord Picante label, was an outstanding entry in a bountiful discography (eight albums as a leader plus sideman appearances with Danilo Perez, Roy Haynes, Kyle Eastwood, and many more). That album and this engagement find David joined by the brilliant guitarist Lage Lund, winner of the Thelonious Monk Guitar Competition in 2005 and fellow Grammy Award-winner Antonio Sanchez. Music Charge: $30
2/7 CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT
2/8 MINGUS ORCHESTRA
In the liner notes to the 1972 album Let My Children Hear Music, Charles Mingus unwittingly predicted the formation of the Mingus Orchestra with its unique blend of jazz and orchestral instrumentation: “If you like Beethoven, Bach or Brahms, that's okay. They were all pencil composers. I always wanted to be a spontaneous composer. I think it is time our children were raised to think they can play bassoon, oboe, French horn, English horn, full percussion, violin, cello. If we so-called jazz musicians who are composers, the spontaneous composers, started including these instruments in our music, it would open everything up. Music Charge: $25
2/9 EMILIO SOLLA & THE TANGO JAZZ CONSPIRACY
Emilio Solla piano
Chris Cheek saxophones
Victor Prieto accordeon
Jorge Roeder bass
Richie Barshay drums
The gifted pianist and composer Emilio Solla emerged from a generation of classicallytrained Argentine musicians nurtured on a rich diet of traditional and nuevo tango of Buenos Aires, the folklore music of northwest Argentina, called folklore, and modern jazz. I dont care much for labels, says Emilio. Personally, I am in search of a language to improvise over this music using its own rhythmic and melodic elements, as opposed to blues or bebop licks as one friend put it, improvisar en Argentino. The journey continues with the release of Bien Sur! on the Fresh Sounds label and one special night of exciting music by the group Emilio calls The Tango Jazz Conspiracy. Music Charge: $20
2/10 STEVE KUHN/RAVI COLTRANE DUO
Steve Kuhn piano
Ravi Coltrane tenor saxophone
In August 2009, Steve Kuhn led a master class in the art of the piano trio when he appeared on our stage with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Al Foster. This month, Steve is back in an intimate duo with the incisive saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Steve was 22 years old and a recent graduate of Harvard when he joined the quartet led by Ravis father John Coltrane for a few unforgettable months in 1960. This association was commemorated on Steve Kuhns 2009 album Mostly Coltrane (ECM) and a series of memorable live gigs that captured the feeling of loose, natural expression inside discrete parts of a quiet, controlled set. (Ben Ratliff, NY Times) Of course, Ravi Coltrane is himself among our foremost bandleaders and composers with four distinctive discs to his credit in addition to his sideman work with (among others) Elvin Jones, Steve Coleman, and David Gilmore. Music Charge: $25
2/112/14 RENE MARIE
Rene Marie vocals
Kevin Bales piano
Mark Simon bass
Quentin Baxter drums
Connoisseurs of great jazz singing cant get enough of Rene Marie, who released four critically lauded CDs on MaxJazz between 2000 and 2004. (JazzTimes, for example, hailed one of the most sensuous songbirds ever captured on disc, Marie's torch burns hotter, and oft-times brighter, than any of her peers.) But in 2005, Rene left the label in search of true creative autonomy. Two years later, she self-released her most adventurous recording to date, Experiment In Truth; featuring O Nina, a heartfelt tribute to the late great Nina Simone. I have never forgotten the early lessons learned about the power of music, says Rene Marie. Today, I try to imbue that feeling of emotion into every song I write every song I sing every time. Music Charge: $30
2/15 MINGUS DYNASTY
Wayne Escoffery tenor saxophone
Jaleel Shaw alto saxophone
Tatum Greenblatt trumpet
Ku-umba Frank Lacy trombone
David Kikoski piano
Boris Kozlov bass
Donald Edwards drums
Celebrating its 30th year in 2010, the original Mingus legacy band is back and blazing at Jazz Standard! Charles Mingus jazz illustrates a truism: the way to extend a medium is to work faithfully with what is there and to extend it along lines implicit in its nature, wrote jazz scholar Martin Williams in his liner notes to the artists 1962 album Tijuana Moods. Mingus uses improvisation, a strong rhythmic power, works with blues tonalities, vocal tone, spontaneity. His forms are not skillful moulds into which notes and devices are to be poured, but spring naturally and inevitably from emotional/musical necessity, and sound like it. Music Charge: $25
2/16 SEAMUS BLAKE QUINTET
Seamus Blake tenor saxophone
Lage Lund guitar
David Kikoski piano
Matt Clohesy bass
Bill Stewart drums
Seamus Blake is a busy man now more than ever, following the release of the Criss Cross album Bellwether, his seventh CD as a leader. Bellweather is one of two recordings issued in 2009 by this gifted saxophonist, following on the extravagant double-disc set Live In Italy. (As exhilarating as a shot of espresso, this album should rank among the best of 2009. AllAboutJazz.com) In addition to leading his own stellar ensembles like tonights quintet, Seamus is a long-time member of the Mingus Big Band (featured on six albums) and continues to gig and record with the fine group led by drummer Victor Lewis. Music Charge: $20
2/17 2/21 CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIO
Cyrus Chestnut piano
Dezron Douglas bass
Neal Smith drums
In a review of Cyrus Chestnuts incandescent solo recital Spirit (Jazz Legacy, 2009), Dan Rodricks wrote in The Baltimore Sun: His new recording shows why many regard Mr. Chestnut as the best pianist of his generation. One hears in his smart stylings not only the gospel sounds at the root of his very being, but classic some say nostalgic jazz adorned with utterly uninhibited improvisations, flashes of pop and bop, whimsy and wit. Cyrus Chestnut began his musical training at age five and made his first public performance at age seven at his fathers Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Maryland; in 1994, he released Revelation, the first of his seven CDs for the Atlantic label. Cyrus approach to his instrument draws on a deep and profound historical knowledge of jazz piano. Close listeners will detect the influences of Art Tatum, Hank Jones, Red Garland, and Tommy Flanagan. But the end result is pure Cyrus Chestnut. Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
2/22 MINGUS BIG BAND
Seamus Blake, Scott Robinson tenor saxophone
Mark Gross, Craig Handy alto saxophone, flute
Jason Marshall baritone saxophone
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Andy Hunter, tba trombones
Lew Soloff, Alex Sipiagin, Brandon Lee trumpets
David Kikoski piano
Hans Glawischnig bass
tba - drums
Mingus was simultaneously singular and diverse in his music. I don't get caught in any one groove, he used to say, Everything I do is Mingus. He didnt like to use the word jazz. Everything he did was Mingus music. And that ranged from long symphoniclike compositions to blues to musical portraits to harsh evocations of racism. Nat Hentoff, from the liner notes to the Rhino/Atlantic reissue Blues & Roots (1997) Music Charge: $25
2/23 2/24 LAVAY SMITH & HER RED HOT SKILLET LICKERS
Two decades ago, this wonderfully entertaining and seriously musical San Francisco band pioneered the nouveau-swing revival. Today, Lavay and the boys have outlasted nearly all their competitors in the field and are riding high on a terrific new album, Miss Smith To You! (Fat Note, 2009), featuring such classic tunes as Deed I Do, Miss Brown To You, and It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing). A notable exception to the retro-swing norm. The saucy vocalist and her eight-piece crew actually know the difference between jump music and bland R&B in corny suits. They have been a working unit since 1989 and sound as tight as the legendary musicians they choose to emulate. (Bob Blumenthal, The Boston Globe) Music Charge: $25
2/25 2/28 LIONEL LOUEKE TRIO
Lionel Loueke guitar
Massimo Biolcati bass
Ferenc Nemeth drums
Any appearance on our stage by the great Lionel Loueke is cause for celebration, whether as a charismatic leader or invaluable sideman. But this engagement is particularly auspicious, celebrating the 2/9/2010 release of Lionels new Blue Note album Mwaliko (pronounced mwah-LEE-koh, a Swahili word for invitation). The album is a series of searching, intimate duets with Lionels special guests Angelique Kidjo, Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona and drummer Marcus Gilmore, combined with three new tracks featuring his longtime trio with Massimo Biolcati and Ferenc Nemeth. Its a striking addition to Lionel Louekes growing discography which includes appearances on Herbie Hancocks Grammy Awardwinning River: The Joni Letters (2008) and Terence Blanchards Grammynominated Flow (2005). A spellbinding presence. He has quickly earned a reputation in jazz circles as a startlingly original voice, the kind of player who gets others talking. (Nate Chinen, NY Times) Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
ALL SHOW TIMES: 7:30 & 9:30PM + 11:30PM ON FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS
Jazz Standard is located at 116 E. 27th Street (between Lexington and Park) Train 6 to E. 28th Street
NEVER A MINIMUM
Student Discounts (restrictions apply)
Enjoy NYCs Best Barbecue (Time Out New York) from BLUE SMOKE and an extensive wine, beer and cocktail list
Jazz for Kids every Sunday ─ Open for lunch at 1pm, music from 2-3pm
For reservations call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visit ticketweb.com
Artists and schedules are subject to change
FEBRUARY 2010 SCHEDULE
2/1 MINGUS BIG BAND
Wayne Escoffery, Scott Robinson tenor saxophone
Mark Gross, Vincent Herring alto saxophone, flute
Ronnie Cuber baritone saxophone
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, tba trombones
Lew Soloff, Earl Gardner, Kenny Rampton trumpets
David Kikoski piano
tba bass
Justin Faulkner - drums
The spirit of the man lives on in his music, and so author Nat Hentoffs words ring as true today as they did in 1963: A remarkable element in Mingus influence on his sidemen is his capacity to generate and sustain a fierce collective swing which is at the same time both loose and what I can best describe as spontaneously exclamatory. The seeming paradox of Mingus is that so forceful a personality can create situations which so irresistibly propel his sidemen to be so fully themselves. (From the liner notes to Impulse LP Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus, 1963) Music Charge: $25
2/2 2/3 AFINIDAD
Edward Simon piano
David Binney alto saxophone
Scott Colley bass
Antonio Sanchez drums
With Special Guests:
Gretchen Parlato vocals
Ben Monder guitar
Rogrio Boccato percussion
Back in 2000, composer/instrumentalists Edward Simon and David Binney shared a common vision: to create and perform adventurous music reflecting their wide range of musical influences and experiences. Simon and Binney joined forces with the skilled bassist Scott Colley and original drummer Brian Blade, and released their debut album Afinidad (Red Records, 2001). With grant support from Chamber Music America, this Jazz Standard double-header celebrates the continuing creative vitality of a dynamic group that now includes: on drums, the threetime Grammy Award winner Antonio Sanchez and (for these shows only) Afinidads very special guests Gretchen Parlato, Ben Monder, and Rogrio Boccato. Music Charge: $25
2/4 2/6 DAVID SANCHEZ GROUP
David Sanchez tenor saxophone
Lage Lund guitar
Orlando Le Fleming bass
Antonio Sanchez drums
Were delighted to welcome back to our stage the Grammy Awardwinning saxophonist David Sanchez, who plays with unforced authority and a searching, smoldering cadence (The New York Times) and possesses one of the most distinctive and vocalized sounds in jazz (The London Evening Standard). Davids 2008 album Cultural Survival, his first release for the Concord Picante label, was an outstanding entry in a bountiful discography (eight albums as a leader plus sideman appearances with Danilo Perez, Roy Haynes, Kyle Eastwood, and many more). That album and this engagement find David joined by the brilliant guitarist Lage Lund, winner of the Thelonious Monk Guitar Competition in 2005 and fellow Grammy Award-winner Antonio Sanchez. Music Charge: $30
2/7 CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT
2/8 MINGUS ORCHESTRA
In the liner notes to the 1972 album Let My Children Hear Music, Charles Mingus unwittingly predicted the formation of the Mingus Orchestra with its unique blend of jazz and orchestral instrumentation: “If you like Beethoven, Bach or Brahms, that's okay. They were all pencil composers. I always wanted to be a spontaneous composer. I think it is time our children were raised to think they can play bassoon, oboe, French horn, English horn, full percussion, violin, cello. If we so-called jazz musicians who are composers, the spontaneous composers, started including these instruments in our music, it would open everything up. Music Charge: $25
2/9 EMILIO SOLLA & THE TANGO JAZZ CONSPIRACY
Emilio Solla piano
Chris Cheek saxophones
Victor Prieto accordeon
Jorge Roeder bass
Richie Barshay drums
The gifted pianist and composer Emilio Solla emerged from a generation of classicallytrained Argentine musicians nurtured on a rich diet of traditional and nuevo tango of Buenos Aires, the folklore music of northwest Argentina, called folklore, and modern jazz. I dont care much for labels, says Emilio. Personally, I am in search of a language to improvise over this music using its own rhythmic and melodic elements, as opposed to blues or bebop licks as one friend put it, improvisar en Argentino. The journey continues with the release of Bien Sur! on the Fresh Sounds label and one special night of exciting music by the group Emilio calls The Tango Jazz Conspiracy. Music Charge: $20
2/10 STEVE KUHN/RAVI COLTRANE DUO
Steve Kuhn piano
Ravi Coltrane tenor saxophone
In August 2009, Steve Kuhn led a master class in the art of the piano trio when he appeared on our stage with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Al Foster. This month, Steve is back in an intimate duo with the incisive saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Steve was 22 years old and a recent graduate of Harvard when he joined the quartet led by Ravis father John Coltrane for a few unforgettable months in 1960. This association was commemorated on Steve Kuhns 2009 album Mostly Coltrane (ECM) and a series of memorable live gigs that captured the feeling of loose, natural expression inside discrete parts of a quiet, controlled set. (Ben Ratliff, NY Times) Of course, Ravi Coltrane is himself among our foremost bandleaders and composers with four distinctive discs to his credit in addition to his sideman work with (among others) Elvin Jones, Steve Coleman, and David Gilmore. Music Charge: $25
2/112/14 RENE MARIE
Rene Marie vocals
Kevin Bales piano
Mark Simon bass
Quentin Baxter drums
Connoisseurs of great jazz singing cant get enough of Rene Marie, who released four critically lauded CDs on MaxJazz between 2000 and 2004. (JazzTimes, for example, hailed one of the most sensuous songbirds ever captured on disc, Marie's torch burns hotter, and oft-times brighter, than any of her peers.) But in 2005, Rene left the label in search of true creative autonomy. Two years later, she self-released her most adventurous recording to date, Experiment In Truth; featuring O Nina, a heartfelt tribute to the late great Nina Simone. I have never forgotten the early lessons learned about the power of music, says Rene Marie. Today, I try to imbue that feeling of emotion into every song I write every song I sing every time. Music Charge: $30
2/15 MINGUS DYNASTY
Wayne Escoffery tenor saxophone
Jaleel Shaw alto saxophone
Tatum Greenblatt trumpet
Ku-umba Frank Lacy trombone
David Kikoski piano
Boris Kozlov bass
Donald Edwards drums
Celebrating its 30th year in 2010, the original Mingus legacy band is back and blazing at Jazz Standard! Charles Mingus jazz illustrates a truism: the way to extend a medium is to work faithfully with what is there and to extend it along lines implicit in its nature, wrote jazz scholar Martin Williams in his liner notes to the artists 1962 album Tijuana Moods. Mingus uses improvisation, a strong rhythmic power, works with blues tonalities, vocal tone, spontaneity. His forms are not skillful moulds into which notes and devices are to be poured, but spring naturally and inevitably from emotional/musical necessity, and sound like it. Music Charge: $25
2/16 SEAMUS BLAKE QUINTET
Seamus Blake tenor saxophone
Lage Lund guitar
David Kikoski piano
Matt Clohesy bass
Bill Stewart drums
Seamus Blake is a busy man now more than ever, following the release of the Criss Cross album Bellwether, his seventh CD as a leader. Bellweather is one of two recordings issued in 2009 by this gifted saxophonist, following on the extravagant double-disc set Live In Italy. (As exhilarating as a shot of espresso, this album should rank among the best of 2009. AllAboutJazz.com) In addition to leading his own stellar ensembles like tonights quintet, Seamus is a long-time member of the Mingus Big Band (featured on six albums) and continues to gig and record with the fine group led by drummer Victor Lewis. Music Charge: $20
2/17 2/21 CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIO
Cyrus Chestnut piano
Dezron Douglas bass
Neal Smith drums
In a review of Cyrus Chestnuts incandescent solo recital Spirit (Jazz Legacy, 2009), Dan Rodricks wrote in The Baltimore Sun: His new recording shows why many regard Mr. Chestnut as the best pianist of his generation. One hears in his smart stylings not only the gospel sounds at the root of his very being, but classic some say nostalgic jazz adorned with utterly uninhibited improvisations, flashes of pop and bop, whimsy and wit. Cyrus Chestnut began his musical training at age five and made his first public performance at age seven at his fathers Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Maryland; in 1994, he released Revelation, the first of his seven CDs for the Atlantic label. Cyrus approach to his instrument draws on a deep and profound historical knowledge of jazz piano. Close listeners will detect the influences of Art Tatum, Hank Jones, Red Garland, and Tommy Flanagan. But the end result is pure Cyrus Chestnut. Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
2/22 MINGUS BIG BAND
Seamus Blake, Scott Robinson tenor saxophone
Mark Gross, Craig Handy alto saxophone, flute
Jason Marshall baritone saxophone
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Andy Hunter, tba trombones
Lew Soloff, Alex Sipiagin, Brandon Lee trumpets
David Kikoski piano
Hans Glawischnig bass
tba - drums
Mingus was simultaneously singular and diverse in his music. I don't get caught in any one groove, he used to say, Everything I do is Mingus. He didnt like to use the word jazz. Everything he did was Mingus music. And that ranged from long symphoniclike compositions to blues to musical portraits to harsh evocations of racism. Nat Hentoff, from the liner notes to the Rhino/Atlantic reissue Blues & Roots (1997) Music Charge: $25
2/23 2/24 LAVAY SMITH & HER RED HOT SKILLET LICKERS
Two decades ago, this wonderfully entertaining and seriously musical San Francisco band pioneered the nouveau-swing revival. Today, Lavay and the boys have outlasted nearly all their competitors in the field and are riding high on a terrific new album, Miss Smith To You! (Fat Note, 2009), featuring such classic tunes as Deed I Do, Miss Brown To You, and It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing). A notable exception to the retro-swing norm. The saucy vocalist and her eight-piece crew actually know the difference between jump music and bland R&B in corny suits. They have been a working unit since 1989 and sound as tight as the legendary musicians they choose to emulate. (Bob Blumenthal, The Boston Globe) Music Charge: $25
2/25 2/28 LIONEL LOUEKE TRIO
Lionel Loueke guitar
Massimo Biolcati bass
Ferenc Nemeth drums
Any appearance on our stage by the great Lionel Loueke is cause for celebration, whether as a charismatic leader or invaluable sideman. But this engagement is particularly auspicious, celebrating the 2/9/2010 release of Lionels new Blue Note album Mwaliko (pronounced mwah-LEE-koh, a Swahili word for invitation). The album is a series of searching, intimate duets with Lionels special guests Angelique Kidjo, Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona and drummer Marcus Gilmore, combined with three new tracks featuring his longtime trio with Massimo Biolcati and Ferenc Nemeth. Its a striking addition to Lionel Louekes growing discography which includes appearances on Herbie Hancocks Grammy Awardwinning River: The Joni Letters (2008) and Terence Blanchards Grammynominated Flow (2005). A spellbinding presence. He has quickly earned a reputation in jazz circles as a startlingly original voice, the kind of player who gets others talking. (Nate Chinen, NY Times) Music Charge: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday
For more information contact AMT Public Relations.
