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So what are we playing at Smalls (on Wednesday April 6, sets at 7:30 and 9)? Belasco's Revenge, a tribute of sorts to the Trinidadian pianist Lionel Belasco; Damnation, a gospel-type meditation on....well, damnation. Ralphie's Theme, a somewhat sideways version of a more famous tune. Two ballads for now-departed friends: Goodbye Barry Harris, and Memories of Jaki; In the Jungles, a look back at the New York dance and stride scene of James P. Johnson et al, named after the joints he played in the New York Neighborhood of San Juan Hill (where Lincoln Center is today. Innuendo in Blue, our non-Ellington piece inspired by the fascinating way in which Duke wrote for his band, in a kind of continuous musical sentence. Not to mention the ballad Duke Dreams, which evokes my own sleepless year roaming in the dark, as part of my suite by the same name; also, In the Dark: Delirium, a memory of those nights when I felt like I was on the edge of a strange and shallow precipice. Hassan's Nap, a sequel to Hassan's Dream; and Hiding from a Riff, a semi-bebop tune written in the Mop Mop style (we come not to bury bebop but to praise bebop.....) Now we may not get to all of these, but there's only one way to find out.....remember that I only play out a handful of times every year, and like Halley's Comet it may be a while before I make my next appearance (or before I crash and burn). and for tickets: https://www.smallslive.com/events/23738-allen-lowe-octet/