Any experienced musician knows that it takes a great deal of skill and control to pull off a quiet and subtle performance that retains a sense of passion. During Friday night’s first set at the Kennedy Center’s KC Jazz Club, bassist extraordinaire John Patitucci (pictured) remarked, “You guys are so quiet tonight!” Indeed, there was pin drop silence within the crowd, but it was not due to boredom or a lack of appreciation. Rather, the…
>> Those who want to hear smooth sounds with global influences should head down to Blues Alley this week as guitarist Jonathan Butler comes to town for a 3-night stand beginning Thursday. Tickets to the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets are available here. $43 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge. >> Mavis “Swan” Poole, an up-and-coming young vocalist who is an alum of the prestigious Betty Carter Straight Ahead Jazz Workshop will perform at Twins Jazz on…
The Mancuso-Suzda Project, an adventurous local avant-garde jazz duo, is currently serving as artist-in-residence at Strathmore. The program selects a different local performer each month and provides educational and performance opportunities in order to cultivate local talent in the fine arts. Previous artists-in-residence include Laura Burhenn of Georgie James, jazz harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet, jazz percussionist Kush Abadey, singer/songwriter LEA, and Celtic harp player Lily Neill. Like so many groups these days, the Mancuso-Suzda Project came…
To call pianist Tigran Hamasyan an “up-and-comer” is a misnomer, because even though he is still quite young, this talented artist, by any measure, has already arrived. In addition to winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2006, the 20-year-old has been a finalist in numerous international competitions and has performed at clubs and festivals all over the world. Hamasyan will bring his latest sounds to the Kennedy Center’s KC Jazz Club on Friday…
>> Rachelle Farell, one of the few vocalists who successfully straddles the line between jazz, R&B and pop, will be playing at Blues Alley tonight, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sets are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The rather outrageously priced tickets are available here. $60 + $10 food/drink minimum. >> Two local ladies of jazz come to Twins Jazz tonight for our first must see. Trombonist Jen Krupa, a member of the Navy Commodores…
While the “nature v. nurture” argument may rage for years to come, two respected musical patriarchs showed that regardless of which is the more important, nature and nurture in tandem are a most formidable combination. Oliver Lake (pictured right), a trailblazing elder statesman of jazz, and Ravi Shankar (pictured below), the most celebrated Indian classical musician in the world, each performed at the Kennedy Center this past weekend with gifted progeny in tow. The result…
After years of jamming together in the East Village jazz club Nublu, the Brazilian Girls released their eponymous debut to critical acclaim in 2005. On that album and this year’s follow-up, Talk to La Bomb, BG are New Yorkers through and through: ultra-sophisticated, inventive, and à la mode. None of the members of BG are Brazilian, and only lead singer Sabina Sciubba is a girl, but we suspect they chose their name because, like supermodel…
Intoxication was the theme, and our host was appropriately buzzed for the event, or so she told us. The tables were packed early for the season’s opening night of Speakeasy at HR-57, a monthly event featuring storytellers of all talent levels, from captivating veterans to nervous amatuers. It was standing room only by the time Reuben Jackson, associate curator at the National Museum of American History, took the stage at eight sharp. A master storyteller,…
