This Week @ The CORNELIA STREET CAFE—NOVEMBER 23-29, 2010
Showtimes: Weeknights: 6:00 PM, 8:30 PM, 10:00 PM, Weekends: 6:00 PM, 9:00 PM and 10:30 PM (doors open @ 5:45 PM-early shows, & @ 8:30 PM-late shows)
Admission: Cover charge varies, when known, indicated below
What makes The Cornelia Street Café a true New York City landmark, an epicurean destination, an artist's café that cultivates and inspires, and one of the few remaining Greenwich Village bastions for creative music, spoken word, art, theatre, cabaret and much more?:
-For more than thirty years the Café has provided food for the soul as well as the body, with more than 700 performances a year covering everything from science to songwriting, from Russian poetry to Latin jazz, from theatre to cabaret.
-When the Café opened its doors on July 4th weekend, 1977, it was run by three artists, Robin Hirsch, Judith Kallas and Bob Siegler, there was one room with a toaster-oven, a cappuccino machine and a refrigerator display case. Now, the three artists remain, but with two full kitchens and two full bars which serve more than thirty wines by the glass. There are three dining rooms, one with a working fireplace, and an audience and artist-friendly performance space. And in the summer there is one of the Village's loveliest sidewalk cafes.
-Singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega got her start at the Café, as did Eve Ensler's “Vagina Monologues." Senator & presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy & attorney-activist William Kunstler have read their poetry; Dr. Oliver Sacks continues to read his prose. Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann presents a monthly Science Series; members of Monty Python & the Royal Shakespeare Company intermittently perform.
-The Cornelia Street Café represents a long and excellent past with the jazz scene in New York City. One that extends from Sheila Jordan all the way to Paul Motian, and yet has plenty of room for up and coming artists who are redefining the modern vocabulary of what jazz improvisation is. It is this unique quality of providing a space which encourages the contemporary and new, while keeping any eye on the past, that truly sets the Café apart.
Tuesday, November 23, 8:30 PM
Tom Beckham GROUP
Tom Beckham, vibraphone, compositions; Chris Cheek, saxophones; Henry Hey, piano; Matt Clohesy, bass; Greg Ritchie, drums
Vibraphonist Tom Beckham has been called “a lyrical player with a flair for writing distinctive, memorable tunes" by jazz.com and “a fine composer" by Baltimore Magazine. “His exclamatory way with the mallets brings lots of fireworks to the instrument's naturally mellow personality" Jim Macnie, Village Voice. The performances on his recent CD “Rebound" were also praised by critics who appreciated “the impressive subtlety of his technique" CHYZ 94.3 FM, and “invites repeated listens, so compelling are the tune, the series of solos, and group interplay" Jazz.com. “Here's someone who makes the vibraphone sound like the most grand of jazz instruments" John Book, thisisbooksmusic.com. He has appeared as an active leader and sideman in the U.S. and Europe since 1994 performing in a wide stylistic range of bands and ensembles. Tonight his group will play new compositions, plus material from the books of 2 previous CD's Center Songs (Sunnyside Records) and Suspicions (Fresh Sound New Talent).
“Beckham's work has a sound all its own—which is what jazz is really about." Rhapsody.com. Cover $10
Wednesday, November 24 @ 8:30PM
DAN RUFOLO TRIO:CD RELEASE
Dan Rufolo, piano; Bill Thoman, bass; Arthur Vint, drums
The Dan Rufolo Trio is an up and coming New York area based jazz group. Their debut album, “Novelty," presents compositions in particular odd meters, free form improvisation, and striking harmonies. The trio plays as one weaving a complex set of emotions. “Novelty" is thought provoking, invigorating, and you'll find yourself holding your breath not to miss a note. Their influences include the Keith Jarrett Trio, Terence Blanchard Quintet, Paul Motion Trio, and the various incarnations of Chick Corea's bands. The Dan Rufolo trio is always thinking forward while making sure to keep a grasp on the jazz tradition. This performance is celebrating the release of their album, “Novelty." Cover $10
Friday & Satuurday, November 26 & 27, 9:00 & 10:30 PM
JOHN MCNEIL'S URBAN LEGEND
John McNeil, trumpet; Kenny Pexton, tenor, clarinet; Steve Cardenas, guitar; Ben Allison, bass; Rodney Green, drums
John McNeil's Urban Legend has been in existence for a half dozen years and is planning to record their first album in 2011. The original two members are John and versatile guitarist Steve Cardenas. They'll be joined by veteran bassist and composer Ben Allison, everybody's favorite drummer Rodney Green and newcomer to the New York scene Kenny Pexton on tenor sax and clarinet. The tunes are eclectic, ranging from atonal country-western to ECM- like grooves. The music is tuneful and there's something for everyone. You're sure to have a great time. Cover $10
Sunday, November 28 @ 8:30PM
Mark Dresser QUINTET
Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto saxophone; Michael Dessen, trombone; Denman Maroney, hyperpiano; Tom Rainey, drums; Mark Dresser, bass. Mark Dresser will be presenting a full evening of his most recent compositions with a band of distinguished improvisers who share many years of musical experience together.
“Mark Dresser needs no introduction. From his work in the '80s with the now “classic" Forces in Motion Braxton Quartet to his “90's work with Zorn and Threadgill and as a part of the Dave Douglas String Project, Dresser seems to be always at the center of what's happening next Complex but clear and emotional, edgy but tonal, always telling a story, this is perhaps as good as post-Free Jazz gets....Dresser may be among the premier Jazz bassists of our time.. Cadence Magazine. Cover $15
Monday, November 29 @ 8:30PM
Harris Eisenstadt AND CANADA DAY
Nate Wooley, trumpet; Matt Bauder, tenor saxophone; Chris Dingman, vibraphone; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Harris Eisenstadt, drums, compositions. “One of the new generation's leading composers," AllAboutJazz, Troy Collins, Harris Eisenstadt's working quintet Canada Day features some of the most distinctive young musicians on the New York scene. Canada Day's eponymous debut on the Portuguese label Clean Feed made numerous Best of 2009 lists, including the Village Voice, All About Jazz New York, Jazzhouse, WFMU, Ni Kantu, CKUT, Dusted Magazine, and Time Out Lisbon. Days after their gig at Cornelia, the group goes into the studio to record their second record for release summer 2011 on the Songlines label. “He's a true jazz composer, without being pretentious about it." Hank Shteamer, Time Out New York. Cover $10
Showtimes: Weeknights: 6:00 PM, 8:30 PM, 10:00 PM, Weekends: 6:00 PM, 9:00 PM and 10:30 PM (doors open @ 5:45 PM-early shows, & @ 8:30 PM-late shows)
Admission: Cover charge varies, when known, indicated below
What makes The Cornelia Street Café a true New York City landmark, an epicurean destination, an artist's café that cultivates and inspires, and one of the few remaining Greenwich Village bastions for creative music, spoken word, art, theatre, cabaret and much more?:
-For more than thirty years the Café has provided food for the soul as well as the body, with more than 700 performances a year covering everything from science to songwriting, from Russian poetry to Latin jazz, from theatre to cabaret.
-When the Café opened its doors on July 4th weekend, 1977, it was run by three artists, Robin Hirsch, Judith Kallas and Bob Siegler, there was one room with a toaster-oven, a cappuccino machine and a refrigerator display case. Now, the three artists remain, but with two full kitchens and two full bars which serve more than thirty wines by the glass. There are three dining rooms, one with a working fireplace, and an audience and artist-friendly performance space. And in the summer there is one of the Village's loveliest sidewalk cafes.
-Singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega got her start at the Café, as did Eve Ensler's “Vagina Monologues." Senator & presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy & attorney-activist William Kunstler have read their poetry; Dr. Oliver Sacks continues to read his prose. Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann presents a monthly Science Series; members of Monty Python & the Royal Shakespeare Company intermittently perform.
-The Cornelia Street Café represents a long and excellent past with the jazz scene in New York City. One that extends from Sheila Jordan all the way to Paul Motian, and yet has plenty of room for up and coming artists who are redefining the modern vocabulary of what jazz improvisation is. It is this unique quality of providing a space which encourages the contemporary and new, while keeping any eye on the past, that truly sets the Café apart.
Tuesday, November 23, 8:30 PM
Tom Beckham GROUP
Tom Beckham, vibraphone, compositions; Chris Cheek, saxophones; Henry Hey, piano; Matt Clohesy, bass; Greg Ritchie, drums
Vibraphonist Tom Beckham has been called “a lyrical player with a flair for writing distinctive, memorable tunes" by jazz.com and “a fine composer" by Baltimore Magazine. “His exclamatory way with the mallets brings lots of fireworks to the instrument's naturally mellow personality" Jim Macnie, Village Voice. The performances on his recent CD “Rebound" were also praised by critics who appreciated “the impressive subtlety of his technique" CHYZ 94.3 FM, and “invites repeated listens, so compelling are the tune, the series of solos, and group interplay" Jazz.com. “Here's someone who makes the vibraphone sound like the most grand of jazz instruments" John Book, thisisbooksmusic.com. He has appeared as an active leader and sideman in the U.S. and Europe since 1994 performing in a wide stylistic range of bands and ensembles. Tonight his group will play new compositions, plus material from the books of 2 previous CD's Center Songs (Sunnyside Records) and Suspicions (Fresh Sound New Talent).
“Beckham's work has a sound all its own—which is what jazz is really about." Rhapsody.com. Cover $10
Wednesday, November 24 @ 8:30PM
DAN RUFOLO TRIO:CD RELEASE
Dan Rufolo, piano; Bill Thoman, bass; Arthur Vint, drums
The Dan Rufolo Trio is an up and coming New York area based jazz group. Their debut album, “Novelty," presents compositions in particular odd meters, free form improvisation, and striking harmonies. The trio plays as one weaving a complex set of emotions. “Novelty" is thought provoking, invigorating, and you'll find yourself holding your breath not to miss a note. Their influences include the Keith Jarrett Trio, Terence Blanchard Quintet, Paul Motion Trio, and the various incarnations of Chick Corea's bands. The Dan Rufolo trio is always thinking forward while making sure to keep a grasp on the jazz tradition. This performance is celebrating the release of their album, “Novelty." Cover $10
Friday & Satuurday, November 26 & 27, 9:00 & 10:30 PM
JOHN MCNEIL'S URBAN LEGEND
John McNeil, trumpet; Kenny Pexton, tenor, clarinet; Steve Cardenas, guitar; Ben Allison, bass; Rodney Green, drums
John McNeil's Urban Legend has been in existence for a half dozen years and is planning to record their first album in 2011. The original two members are John and versatile guitarist Steve Cardenas. They'll be joined by veteran bassist and composer Ben Allison, everybody's favorite drummer Rodney Green and newcomer to the New York scene Kenny Pexton on tenor sax and clarinet. The tunes are eclectic, ranging from atonal country-western to ECM- like grooves. The music is tuneful and there's something for everyone. You're sure to have a great time. Cover $10
Sunday, November 28 @ 8:30PM
Mark Dresser QUINTET
Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto saxophone; Michael Dessen, trombone; Denman Maroney, hyperpiano; Tom Rainey, drums; Mark Dresser, bass. Mark Dresser will be presenting a full evening of his most recent compositions with a band of distinguished improvisers who share many years of musical experience together.
“Mark Dresser needs no introduction. From his work in the '80s with the now “classic" Forces in Motion Braxton Quartet to his “90's work with Zorn and Threadgill and as a part of the Dave Douglas String Project, Dresser seems to be always at the center of what's happening next Complex but clear and emotional, edgy but tonal, always telling a story, this is perhaps as good as post-Free Jazz gets....Dresser may be among the premier Jazz bassists of our time.. Cadence Magazine. Cover $15
Monday, November 29 @ 8:30PM
Harris Eisenstadt AND CANADA DAY
Nate Wooley, trumpet; Matt Bauder, tenor saxophone; Chris Dingman, vibraphone; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Harris Eisenstadt, drums, compositions. “One of the new generation's leading composers," AllAboutJazz, Troy Collins, Harris Eisenstadt's working quintet Canada Day features some of the most distinctive young musicians on the New York scene. Canada Day's eponymous debut on the Portuguese label Clean Feed made numerous Best of 2009 lists, including the Village Voice, All About Jazz New York, Jazzhouse, WFMU, Ni Kantu, CKUT, Dusted Magazine, and Time Out Lisbon. Days after their gig at Cornelia, the group goes into the studio to record their second record for release summer 2011 on the Songlines label. “He's a true jazz composer, without being pretentious about it." Hank Shteamer, Time Out New York. Cover $10
For more information contact Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity.
