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NYC's Jazz Standard Announces May Line-Up

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JAZZ STANDARD Presents Some of Todays Leading Vocalists and Pianists During the Month of May

JAZZ STANDARD, one of the nations premier jazz clubs, presents another month of great jazz in May. Pianist Mulgrew Miller will lead a trio introducing vocalist Alvin Stone Maddox (May 45) followed by his all-star septet Wingspan (May 69). The beautiful duet sounds of vocalist Nancy King and pianist Fred Hersch will be heard (May 1112), followed by trumpeter Wallace Roney and his allstar group (May 1819) and the outstanding singer Paula West accompanied by the George Mesterhazy Quartet (May 2730).

Jazz Standard continues our celebrated Mingus Mondays residency this month with performances by Mingus Big Band (May 3 and 17), Mingus Orchestra (May 10), and Mingus Dynasty (May 24). Below is a complete schedule of May 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

MAY 2010 SCHEDULE

5/1 5/2 PAQUITO DRIVERA SEXTET
Paquito DRivera - clarinet
Diego Urcola - trumpet & valve trombone
Alex Brown - piano
Ben Williams - bass
Eric Doob - drums
Arturo Stable percussion
A powerfully expressive multiinstrumentalist, an ingenious composer, and a fearless explorer of multiple musical genres, Paquito DRivera is one of the most admired and acclaimed performers on the world stage today. His long run of Grammy Awards began in 1995 with the album Portraits of Cuba; his ninth and latest Grammy was earned in 2007 for Funk Tango (on his own Paquito Records) as Best Latin Jazz Album. No less impressive are Paquitos classical performances with the London Symphony, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, just to name a few. D'Rivera tours worldwide with three different ensembles: the Chamber Jazz Ensemble, the Paquito DRivera Big Band, and the Paquito DRivera Quintet. This Jazz Standard engagement will preview some exciting new music from Paquito DRivera, performed by a handpicked group of talented sidemen.
Music Charge: $30

5/3 MINGUS BIG BAND
Our Mingus Mondays series continues this month with two roof-raising sets by the mighty Mingus Big Band. Ranging from 14 to 20 musicians strong, the group has released nine albums since 1993s Nostalgia In Times Square, six of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards. The Washington Post says: The best jazz orchestra in the world bears the name of the Mingus Big Band. A remarkable high standard of musicianship, energy and consistency.
Music Charge: $25

5/4 5/5 MULGREW MILLER TRIO with ALVIN STONE MADDOX
Alvin Stone Maddox vocals
Mulgrew Miller piano
Ivan Taylor bass
Rodney Green drums
Mulgrew Miller needs no introduction to jazz fans or to many of our long-time patrons: One of Americas most inventive and talented jazz pianists (All About Jazz), hes graced our stage many times over the years with various topquality ensembles. But for the first two nights of his sixnight run this month, Mulgrew Miller and Jazz Standard proudly introduce the thrilling new jazz singer Alvin Stone Maddox. The pianist first heard Alvin about three years ago at the Churchill Grounds club in Atlanta and last year invited him to sit in on a Miller gig at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. The unsuspecting crowd went wild. He has a remarkable voice, the kind that doesnt need a microphone, says Mulgrew, who knows something about great jazz singing from his work with Diane Reeves and other acclaimed vocalists. Alvins range is between tenor and baritone hes especially effective on ballads like Lush Life although well do some up-tempo tunes as well.
Music Charge: $25

5/6 5/9 MULGREW MILLER & WINGSPAN
Antonio Hart alto saxophone
Duane Eubanks trumpet
Steve Nelson vibraphone
Mulgrew Miller piano
Ivan Taylor bass
Rodney Green drums
Can it really be that 27 years have passed since the release of the self-titled debut album by Mulgrew Miller & Wingspan? Those whove followed this outstanding group from its inception have witnessed the development of one of the most creative and cohesive small bands in jazz, with pianist Miller and vibraphonist Steve Nelson as its everpresent mainstays. A pianist with an earthy style and a particular gift for the blues. But in this ensemble he pursues an airier sensibility, with help from sharp accompanists like the vibraphonist Steve Nelson and the trumpeter Duane Eubanks. (Nate Chinen, The New York Times)
$25/$30 Friday & Saturday

5/10 MINGUS ORCHESTRA
The Orchestra uses jazzplus-classical instrumentation to explore some of Mingus most striking compositions, always to scintillating effect. As a youth, I read a book by Debussy and he said that as soon as he finished a composition he had to forget it, because it got in the way of his doing anything else new and different. And I believed him. Charles Mingus, from the liner notes to Columbia LP Let My Children Hear Music (1972)
Music Charge: $25

5/11 5/12 FRED HERSCH & NANCY KING
Fred Hersch piano
Nancy King vocals
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Larry Blumenfeld called Fred Hersch among the most graceful and able pianists in jazz and cited the albums The Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra Live at Jazz Standard and Fred Hersch Plays Jobim as two of the best jazz recordings of 2009. When this gifted and prolific musician joined forces with the nonpareil jazz singer Nancy King, the result was Nancys latest MaxJazz CD Live at Jazz Standard celebrated by the duos much-anticipated return to our stage. A supple voice, a flawless ear and the instincts of a true jazz improviser. (The Oregonian, Portland OR) Music Charge: $25

5/13 5/16 ANDY BEY TRIO
In one of the most remarkable comebacks in jazz history, the nonpareil vocalist and pianist Andy Bey broke a 22-year absence from recording in 1996 with Aint Necessarily So the first of four acclaimed albums, culminating in his Grammy nominated live set American Song (12th Street Records). These discs not only brought Andy back to the airwaves, but also attracted a new generation of listeners to his brilliant live performances. One of those listeners was best-selling British vocalist Jamie Cullum, who caught Andys act every night during a weeklong run at Ronnie Scotts in London: I got into a huge amount of debt going to see Andy Bey! What I love about him is that he creates an atmosphere as soon as he opens his mouth, youre transported to another place. Writing in The New York Times in 2007, Nate Chinen hailed one of the great jazz singers of our time. His voice is still an extraordinary instrument, capable of foggy depths, penetrating highs and a sort of mezzo-falsetto that stretches his supple baritone into the alto range. Andy Bey is alive and well at Jazz Standard dont miss him!
Music Charge: $30 / $25 Sunday

5/17 MINGUS BIG BAND
Charles Mingus was more than jazz. His audacious ear for dissonance put him on par with Charles Ives, while his penchant for layering various patterns to create a complex and dissonant contrapuntal web matched Stravinskys prowess with the orchestra. Mingus works did not seem like hybrids at all. They were not beholden to two different traditions but rather emerged out of the compositional sensibilities that informed twentieth-century American music without a concern for what was or was not jazz. (Chadwick Jenkins, PopMatters.com, April 2009)
Music Charge: $25

5/18 5/19 WALLACE RONEY QUINTET
Wallace Roney trumpet
Antoine Roney tenor & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet
Rashaan Carter bass
Aruan Ortiz keyboards
Kush Abadey drums
Born in Philadelphia in 1960, Wallace Roney is one of the select musicians of his generation to have learned his craft personally and directly from the masters of post-WWII jazz: Tony Williams, Ornette Coleman, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Walter Davis Jr., McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Curtis Fuller, and Dizzy Gillespie. But his most important and meaningful relationship was with Miles Davis, beginning in 1983 with a gala birthday performance at Carnegie Hall and peaking in 1991 when Miles chose Wallace to share the stage at his historic final appearance at the Montreux Festival. Wallace Roney has kept alive the Miles Davis tradition of nurturing young talents as key components of his working band: His current configuration features bassist Rashaan Carter, Aruan Ortiz on keyboards, and 19yearold drummer Kush Abadey. This Jazz Standard engagement celebrates Wallace Roneys new album, If Only For One Night, due out April 20 on High Note Records.
Music Charge: $25

5/20 5/21 DAFNIS PRIETO PROVERB TRIO
Kokayi vocals
Jason Lindner keyboards
Dafnis Prieto drums
In 2009, Dafnis Prieto marked his tenth year as a resident of New York City. In the course of that decade, Dafnis has performed as a sideman with major artists ranging from Eddie Palmieri to Roy Hargrove; created music for dance, film, and chamber ensembles; and recorded three acclaimed albums as a leader (About The Monks, Absolute Quintet, and Taking The Soul For a Walk). A two-time Grammy Award nominee, Dafnis composed the title track of Song For Chico by Arturo OFarrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, winner of the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. Dafnis Prietos innovative Proverb Trio adds the exceptional keyboards player and composer Jason Lindner to the original duo of Dafnis on drums and Kokayi on vocals, which made its debut at the 2004 Saalfelden Jazz Festival in Austria.
Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday

5/22 5/23 DAFNIS PRIETO SI O SI QUARTET
Peter Apfelbaum saxophones
Manuel Valera piano
Charles Flores bass
Dafnis Prieto drums
In his four-star Down Beat review of Live At Jazz Standard by Dafnis Prietos S O S Quartet, Jim Macnie wrote: The Cuban drummers decision to document his foursomes controlled delirium was a wise movePrieto has made some exciting albums previously, but those who catch him on a regular basis know that the bandstand is where the real action isHe's expert at calibrating his incredible chops to suit the tune at hand. Turn up the volume on S O Ss work and discover what happens when judiciousness and exhilaration make a deep connection. Jazz Standard welcomes Dafnis and his dynamic combo back to our stage for two nights of invigorating, endlessly creative music.
Music Charge: $30/$25 Sunday

5/24 MINGUS DYNASTY
Reviewing a 2009 London performance by Mingus Dynasty, The Evening Standards Jack Massarik wrote: One was struck by how well Mingus ensemble arrangements are now played, far more precisely than when he was alive. His original soloists were superb but it has taken 50 loving years for section players to reel off his complex orchestral visions. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a classic requiem for Lester Young, inspired masterly tenor sax playing from London-born Wayne Escoffery and a powerful new vocal he took him a white wife and some saw red/ enough to drive them from their hotel bed by trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy. Hear the excitement for yourself on this Mingus Monday at Jazz Standard!
Music Charge: $25

5/25 WORDS & MUSIC featuring ROBERT PINSKY, VIJAY IYER, BEN ALLISON & MATT WILSON
Robert Pinsky spoken word
Vijay Iyer piano
Ben Allison bass
Matt Wilson drums
Past poetry-with-jazz evenings at Jazz Standard have attracted avid fans of both art forms as well as some perceptive and positive reviews. Tonight we celebrate the return of Robert Pinsky former Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, acclaimed translator of the writings of Czesław Miłosz and Dante Alighieri, and the author of nineteen books in performance with the all-star trio of Vijay Iyer, Ben Allison, and Matt Wilson. Listening to Pinsky perform Ginza Samba during a previous appearance on our stage, Alexander Gelfand of The Tablet heard the poet neatly place both Stan Getz (this great-grandchild of the Jewish Manager of a Pushkin estate) and Charlie Parker (a great Hawk or Bird, with many followers) in the same imaginary family tree, distant cousins related through European immigration, the African slave trade, and a 19th-century Russian poet. Seeing Pinsky do this live, I felt as if I were watching a man recite a poem and act it out at the same time. The whole tableau was as striking an illustration of the hybrid nature of America as the tune that inspired it.
Music Charge: $20

5/26 EDMAR CASTAEDA & JOE LOCKE DUO
Edmar Castaneda Colombian harp
Joe Locke vibraphone
Edmar Castaeda fell in love with the Colombian harp as a boy growing up in Bogota. But when he moved to the U.S. with his family at age 16 (as he told National Public Radio), Edmar found that “in high school here, they have bands. They didn't have harps. And then I wanted to play jazz. So I went to college playing the trumpet, and it was great, because I learned all the jazz improvisation, and I just passed it to the harp. Edmar has added his masterful technique and exploratory improvisations to the music of Lila Downs and Paquito D'Rivera, but among his most frequent collaborators is the wonderful fourmallet vibraphonist Joe Locke Edmars duet partner for this special Jazz Standard one-nighter and a featured player on Entre Cuerdas, the harpists second release as a leader and his first for ArtistShare. Joes most recent release is For the Love of You, which features vocalist Kenny Washington.
Music Charge: $20

5/27 5/30 PAULA WEST with THE GEORGE MESTERHAZY QUARTET
Paula West vocals
Ed Cherry guitar
George Mesterhazy piano
Paul Beaudry bass
Jerome Jennings drums
Rarely has The Great American Songbook sounded so captivating as when sung by Paula West. Her dusky, soulful voice has captured the hearts of critics and audiences alike, from The Plush Room in San Francisco to The Oak Room in New York. Some voices are astringent like gin, some sweet like sherry, wrote Joe Brown in The San Francisco Chronicle. West has a red wine voice a deep, mellow Cabernet voice. And she's blessed with Ella-mentary precision and pitch control, too. Pianist George Mesterhazy came up on the Atlantic City scene and learned from the greats (like arranger Billy May) before going on to work with Rebecca Parris. George played piano for the late Shirley Horn (following her diabetes-related surgery) and arranged her Grammynominated album Loving You.
Music Charge: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday

5/31 JAZZ STANDARD CLOSED FOR MEMORIAL DAY

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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting212.576.2232end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

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