New York thru 20 February

[BeBop]

I'm back in New York through the 20th. My month here in November was so busy, I never made it to any concerts...any shops...or any restaurants. Nada. Even missed the Arkestra. I've committed to myself to do better this time. I'm monitoring the usual suspects (the big clubs, gothamjazz.com, AllAboutJazz, VVoice, et cetera). Clue me in to anything unusual that I might miss.

Knowing myself, I'm more likely to make the time for something one-of-a-kind than Nicholas Payton at Birdland or Chris Potter or Regina Carter, or even Wayne Shorter. George Coleman is tempting.

Any borough. I'm empowered by subway mobility.

Edited January 31, 2011 by BeBop

[Hardbopjazz]

Coleman at the Jazz Standard looks real fine. I will be there Friday.

Chris Potter at the Vanguard also look tempting.

Where is Shorter playing at in New York?

[BeBop]

Wayne Shorter Quartet at Town Hall - 123 West 43rd - February 9, 8:00PM absolutelylive.net

[Steve Reynolds]

Ellery Eskelin Trio with Gary Versace and Nasheet Waits @ Cornelia Street Cafe 2/19 - sets @ 9 & 10:30. The band is smoking hot

[BeBop]

Ellery Eskelin Trio with Gary Versace and Nasheet Waits @ Cornelia Street Cafe 2/19 - sets @ 9 & 10:30. The band is smoking hot

Any comparison to "One Great Day" (Hatology) with Andrea Parkins on accordion?

Edited January 31, 2011 by BeBop

[Steve Reynolds]

quite a bit more in the groove than the classic Eskelin-Parkins-Black recordings on hat ART. Versace is a staright player but his grooves and improvisations on the organ were over the top and very exciting. Waits in this format plays to his strength - maybe as close to Elvin Jones as a drummer can get when he really gets it going. He was much better than he was in a quartet with Tony Malaby and Ben Monder ealier last year.

My wife loved the band - she is no big jazz fan - she said they should be on Jay Leno - it didn't hurt that we were 5 or 6 feet from the band!

[BeBop]

Thanks. This is n my shortlist. A bit more of a groove on One Great Day would have suited me fine.

[kh1958]

I have been appreciating Smalls more and more my last few visits. In that regard, the Jeremy Pelt group (with J.D. Allen and Danny Grisset) on Feb. 2 and 3 looks good. Then on Feb. 20, also at Smalls, David Schnitter.

I see some good stuff on the Fat Cat Schedule: Shimrit Shoshan at 7 on Feb. 5; George Braith on Feb. 7. And on Feb. 19, both Charles Persip and Freddie Redd.

[Uncle Skid]

McCoy Tyner, Feb 14, 15, 16 at the Blue Note.

He was here (Grand Rapids, MI) last week... very glad I was able to go.

(I suppose that the Blue Note may not be "off the beaten path"..., but, in case you didn't already know about it...)

Edited February 1, 2011 by Uncle Skid

[PHILLYQ]

Roulette may have some interesting shows, and the Living Room has Jim Campilongo on Mondays.

The Blue Note is a very nice venue but not cheap. Table reservations are $45, so nurse that drink! I didn't try any food there, but entrees are in the $25-$40 range.

Edited February 2, 2011 by PHILLYQ

[marcello]

I'll be at Dizzy's while Joe Locke is playing there (Feb. 15 - 20) with vocalist Kenny Washington, Geoffrey Keezer, George Mraz and Clarence Penn, and after hours Christos Rafalides is playing the late night sets with his Manhattan Vibes band. If you dig the vibes, it's the place to be.

Thursday ( Feb. 17), after the last set, Joe and I are going down to Smalls to hear Hal Galper who will have our Seattle friends John Bishop (drums) and Jeff Johnson (bass). John is also one of the owners of the Origin Records label.

[bertrand]

I'll be at the Shorter gig, front row apparently. Anyone else?

Bertrand.

[JETman]

This is the one I'll be attending:

2/19 at the 55Bar

Binney, McCaslin, Colley, A. Sanchez

[BeBop]

This is the one I'll be attending:

2/19 at the 55Bar

Binney, McCaslin, Colley, A. Sanchez

This one looks good too. Same day as the Ellery Eskelin.

[JETman]

This is the one I'll be attending:

2/19 at the 55Bar

Binney, McCaslin, Colley, A. Sanchez

This one looks good too. Same day as the Ellery Eskelin.

Yeah, I know. Tough choice. It may come down to how cold it is, as 55 Bar does not take reservations and I've been told to expect a long wait outside prior to the show.

[Steve Reynolds]

If you get reservations for Cornelia Street Cafe and get there by 8:30 you can be at one of the front tables like I will be and be 5 or 10 feet from Nasheet's kit which is one intense experience.

Gary Versace on the organ is also a mind fuck and it should go without saying that Ellery Eskelin is one of the truly great tenor saxophonists playing today or any day. I have seen him play many times and he is always on his game.

[BeBop]

Others I've added to my short list:

2/19 Jazz Panel with Joe Wilde at National Jazz Museum in Harlem

Sundays: Junior Mance/Hide Tanaka at Cafe Loup

Ned Goold - Anywhere (Fat Cat, Smalls...)

Joel Frahm - Anywhere

2/11 Armen Donelian at Bean Runner

2/12 Oliver Lake at Cecil's

2/10-13 Gato Barbieri at Blue Note (Somehow, I've never caught him live before. Not an absolute top fave, but I'd like to hear him sometime)

Ultimately, it'll require getting off work to attend any of these. When I was in town in November, I made it to a total of zero shows. But one can always hope.

[JETman]

Others I've added to my short list:

2/19 Jazz Panel with Joe Wilde at National Jazz Museum in Harlem

Sundays: Junior Mance/Hide Tanaka at Cafe Loup

Ned Goold - Anywhere (Fat Cat, Smalls...)

Joel Frahm - Anywhere

2/11 Armen Donelian at Bean Runner

2/12 Oliver Lake at Cecil's

2/10-13 Gato Barbieri at Blue Note (Somehow, I've never caught him live before. Not an absolute top fave, but I'd like to hear him sometime)

Ultimately, it'll require getting off work to attend any of these. When I was in town in November, I made it to a total of zero shows. But one can always hope.

Expect to pay (unjustified) big bux at the Blue Note, one of the city's most "full of themselves" jazz clubs IMHO.

[BeBop]

Yeah, I know what to expect at the Blue Note. And it doesn't make me happy, but it's for me, a rare opportunity.

Another: Charles Gayle Trio with Charles Waters and Andrew Barker at Issue Project Room. Gayle isn't always my cup of tea, but maybe I'm in the right frame of mind.

And Wednesday, Michael Formanek and Tim Berne at Jazz Wide Open.

[JETman]

Yeah, I know what to expect at the Blue Note. And it doesn't make me happy, but it's for me, a rare opportunity.

Another: Charles Gayle Trio with Charles Waters and Andrew Barker at Issue Project Room. Gayle isn't always my cup of tea, but maybe I'm in the right frame of mind.

And Wednesday, Michael Formanek and Tim Berne at Jazz Wide Open.

Personally, I would much rather hear younger, more vital musicians rather than older ones living on past glories. But that's just me. YMMV.

[BeBop]

Yeah, I know what to expect at the Blue Note. And it doesn't make me happy, but it's for me, a rare opportunity.

Another: Charles Gayle Trio with Charles Waters and Andrew Barker at Issue Project Room. Gayle isn't always my cup of tea, but maybe I'm in the right frame of mind.

And Wednesday, Michael Formanek and Tim Berne at Jazz Wide Open.

Personally, I would much rather hear younger, more vital musicians rather than older ones living on past glories. But that's just me. YMMV.

I agree, but I do hate to miss the veterans that I've missed in 40 years of concert going.

Here's another vet, this one I have heard a few times: Roscoe Mitchell 70th birthday, 2/17 at Roulette.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

I'm headed up to see One For All at Smoke (feb 18/19). Jeremy Pelt is in for Rotondi.

[paul secor]

Yeah, I know what to expect at the Blue Note. And it doesn't make me happy, but it's for me, a rare opportunity.

Another: Charles Gayle Trio with Charles Waters and Andrew Barker at Issue Project Room. Gayle isn't always my cup of tea, but maybe I'm in the right frame of mind.

And Wednesday, Michael Formanek and Tim Berne at Jazz Wide Open.

Personally, I would much rather hear younger, more vital musicians rather than older ones living on past glories. But that's just me. YMMV.

I agree, but I do hate to miss the veterans that I've missed in 40 years of concert going.

Here's another vet, this one I have heard a few times: Roscoe Mitchell 70th birthday, 2/17 at Roulette.

Roscoe Mitchell is an older musician - hard to say that, as I remember photos of him in Down Beat as a young man - who's never lived off past glories. Seems like he's always making it new.

Edited February 5, 2011 by paul secor

[Steve Reynolds]

I would love to hear the Formanek group - but mid week is hard for me to swing form Jersey.

which younger more vital musicians than those 4 are playing in NYC these days?

Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn are not old and they are not that young but who are the younger jazz musicians playing the next 2 weeks who are more vital than these guys?

I saw Taborn with Joe Maneri's band in the early 90's and he was great then and I am damn sure he is even better now.

Formanek & Berne might be a BIT over 50 but damn I think they are pretty damn great improvisers/composers

as far as Gayle, he is 72 but I am sure if you are into what he does, he is probably still blowing doors off many younger saxophonists.

[JETman]

I would love to hear the Formanek group - but mid week is hard for me to swing form Jersey.

which younger more vital musicians than those 4 are playing in NYC these days?

Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn are not old and they are not that young but who are the younger jazz musicians playing the next 2 weeks who are more vital than these guys?

I saw Taborn with Joe Maneri's band in the early 90's and he was great then and I am damn sure he is even better now.

Formanek & Berne might be a BIT over 50 but damn I think they are pretty damn great improvisers/composers

as far as Gayle, he is 72 but I am sure if you are into what he does, he is probably still blowing doors off many younger saxophonists.

I think you are being a bit over the top in your interpretation of my comments.