Yoni Kretzmer has embraced a more lyrical voice on tenor saxophone over the past year. Evidence of his significant development in recent years as a musician, composer, and bandleader were on full display on Tuesday night at the Zürcher Gallery in Manhattan. The quartet played four pieces, many of which appear on their 2015
I have never heard “environmental improvisation” used as a term, but it seems fitting to describe the music of the Sandra Weiss Quintet that I experienced at the 65Fen Series at Delroy’s Cafe and Wine Bar last night. The band is led by the Swiss reeds player (bassoon and alto saxophone) and is comprised of
SHE premiered to a sold-out crowd at New York Live Arts on Monday, April 11. Conceived of by dancer and choreographer Jinah Parker, the performance included a sweeping array of art forms including video, poetry, storytelling, voice, instrumental music, a DJ, and of course dance. The suite was born out of a Parker’s desire to
Craig Taborn played six nights at the Stone this past week in a highly anticipated residency. Taborn, who is widely regarded as one of the most talented and innovative piano players since he emerged in the mid-1990s, put on a broad range of fascinating performances. Each night featured different bands and he drew from his
Saxophonist Matana Roberts put together a brilliant series of bills for her residency at the Stone last week, January 12-17, drawing upon an eclectic array of musicians in promising formations, while paying tribute to the contemporaries that have impacted her, musically or personally, through the years she has spent in New York. One of the
Tenor saxophonist Michael Foster performed a stunning solo set last night at the 65Fen music series held at Delroy’s Wine Bar & Cafe. It was one of the most intimate and gripping performances I have seen in quite some time. As part of a series of short sets included in the series’ first anniversary show,
Macedonian singer-songwriter Krste Rodzevski played a splendid set of music last Monday before a sell-out crowd at Joe’s Pub. The occasion was the release of Rodzevski’s debut record, Batania (Much Prefer Records). The live set featured a series of sensual, yet edgy ballads featuring Rodzevski’s lyrics over acoustic guitar. The lyrics themselves were composed in
One of the most promising series for creative music in Brooklyn to open in recent months occurs weekly at Rye (247 S. 1st St, Williamsburg) every Wednesday night, at 9 pm. The series has been going since February and was originally presented and inspired by A.E. Randolph and curated by bassist Will McEvoy and saxophonist
Amirtha Kidambi (voice, harmonium) led her group Elder Ones, a quartet including Matt Nelson (soprano saxophone), Brandon Lopez (bass), and Max Jaffe (drums), last night at Roulette. The music was a fantastic fusion of South Asian music and avant garde jazz among other musical influences that when brought together achieved a well-proportioned and sophisticated dynamism.
This past weekend, Cornelia Street Cafe hosted two significant record release concerts. On Friday, guitarist Mary Halvorson and bassist Stephan Crump teamed up with their Secret Keeper project to debut their second record, Emerge (Intakt). On Saturday, Tomas Fujiwara & the Hook Up (including Halvorson, Jonathan Finlayson, Brian Settles, and Michael Formanek) debuted their third
