Three National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters are performing this week. Some highly-acclaimed and fast-rising stars are, too. That makes this Jazz Stream: September 22nd – September 27th a particularly interesting and exciting list.
So let’s get to it. Here is this week’s Jazz Stream: September 22nd – September 27th:
The Early Set with Gabrielle Stravelli – Facebook – September 23rd – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT
In 2018 I profiled singer Gabrielle Stravelli. You can read my interview with her here. She’s a terrific singer with an absolute appreciation of the women vocalists who came before her. As she told me, “Ella was the person I grew up listening to and then Carmen McRae and Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan. I’m not ever going to be those women. Nobody can be. For me I’m not trying to be them, but to be as great as they were. That’s a joyful, beautiful thing to reach for.”
This weekly show she does is a combination of conversation and music. Any opportunity to hear her sing is one worth exploring.
Roni Ben-Hur Quartet – Smalls – September 23rd – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PM PDT
Israeli-born guitarist Roni Ben-Hur had his 2001 album, Anna’s Dance, named one of the best jazz albums of the year by the Village Voice. He has been hailed as one of the most lyrical guitarists of our time.
In 2018 he recorded an album called Introspection that found Ben-Hur collaborating with bassist Harvie S. They two will be reunited fort his performance from Smalls in New York. Also joining them will be George Cables – piano and Victor Lewis – drums.
Mark Sherman Quartet – Smalls – September 24th – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PDT
Mark Sherman doesn’t play just one instrument. Rather, he plays several including vibraphone, percussion and drums. For this show at Smalls, he will be at the piano.
Sherman has been performing multiple styles of music throughout his career. He has played percussion for several Broadway shows; he has worked with singers Peggy Lee, LaVerne Butler and Maureen McGovern; he’s performed with many of the world’s best-known orchestras and conductors and then there’s the jazz.
He has performed and/or recorded with Kenny Barron, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Wynton Marsalis and more.
Joining Sherman for this performance will be Bob Franceschini – tenor sax; David Wong – bass and Anthony Pinciotti – drums.
Danilo Pérez Trio with Ben Street & Adam Cruz – DC JazzFest – September 24th – 8:30 PM EDT/5:30 PM PDT
If you’ve been reading Cultural Attaché for any period of time, you know we usually talk about pianist Danilo Pérez as being a member of Wayne Shorter’s band. This time we’re previewing one of his own shows from DC JazzFest.
I’ve been following Pérez’s career for years and have always loved both his playing and the diversity of the material he performs. His solo material and his trio work has always challenged and moved me.
Just as Shorter has his regular musicians, as does Pérez. He’s been touring with double-bassist Ben Street and drummer Adam Cruz for several years. They will be joining him for this performance.
Pérez has released over a dozen albums, including Secrets Are the Best Stories, a collaboration with Kurt Elling that was released earlier this year.
Nate Chinen, writing in the New York Times, called Pérez’s approach to music, “A distillation of ideas developed over roughly the last 15 years — mingling elements of classical form, jazz flexibility and Latin-American folk melody — it’s impressive for both its design and its execution, and for the strong implication that those two qualities are inextricable, even indivisible.”
Nicole Glover Quartet – Smalls – September 25th – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PDT
Tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover has performed with Mel Brown, Mike Clark, Kenny Garrett, Chuck Israels, Geoffrey Keezer, Bennie Maupin, Bill Stewart and Esperanza Spaulding.
She and drummer Nic Cacioppo (who joins her for this performance from Smalls) recently released an album called Literature. This record is bold and challenging. It is simply sax and drums. It’s a terrific album and portends well for Friday’s show.
Also joining them will be Davis Whitfield – piano and Daniel Duke – bass.
John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme 50th Anniversary Concert – SFJAZZ – September 25th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
One of jazz music’s most important recordings is being showcased in this week’s Fridays at Five from SFJAZZ. John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme will be celebrated by musicians Ravi Coltrane (the composer’s son and also a saxophonist), tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Geri Allen, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Ralph Peterson Jr.
A Love Supreme was recorded in 1964 and released in early 1965. This concert, therefore, dates back to December 13, 2014. It has long been considered Coltrane’s masterpiece and it also one of the most influential jazz albums ever recorded.
I haven’t seen this concert that SFJAZZ will be streaming. But A Love Supreme runs just over 33 minutes, so an hour-long concert is time enough to perform the entire album. If so, that should be a treat. I once saw Wynton Marsalis and his band perform A Love Supreme in concert and I can tell you hearing this music live is an experience not-to-be-missed.
Kenny Barron Trio – Village Vanguard – September 25th – September 26th
2010 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Kenny Barron is this week’s performer at New York’s Village Vanguard. The pianist, who was asked to join Dizzy Gillespie’s band solely on the recommendation of James Moody without Gillespie hearing him, has been making great music for over 50 years.
He’s recorded and performed with Terence Blanchard, Roy Haynes, Freddie Hubbard, Yusef Lateef, Milt Jackson, Lee Morgan, Buddy Rich, David Sanchez, Stanley Turrentine and more. He’s also recorded over 40 albums as a leader.
Giovanni Russonello, in recommending upcoming concerts in 2019, wrote in the New York Times, “At age 76, this piano eminence and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master remains an exemplar of pianistic intellect and poise.”
Joining Barron for this performance will be Kiyoshi Kitagawa – bass and Johnathan Blake – drums.
Tickets to watch this performance are $10.
Ramsey Lewis – September 26th – 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT
85-year-old jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis has retired from touring, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still performing. The Grammy Award winner and NEA Jazz Master performs the last Saturday of every month in a series he calls Saturday Salon.
I previously listed one of these salons as worthy of your attention and this weekend is no exception. The one-hour concert costs $20 to watch, but some of the proceeds from this (and each monthly performance) go to The Jazz Foundation of America. JFA supports jazz musicians and perhaps at no other time has that support been more necessary with the lack of opportunities to perform live in venues for an audience.
Marcus Strickland Trio – Blue Note – September 26th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
When musicians Dave Douglas, Roy Haynes, Christian McBride and others have needed a saxophonist for their recordings, they have called on Marcus Strickland to join them.
Strickland was named “Best New Artist” in the 2006 JazzTimes Reader’s Poll. In Critic’s Polls for DownBeat he was named the 2008 “Rising Star on Soprano Saxophone” and the 2010 “Rising Star on Tenor Saxophone.”
He’s been releasing albums since 2001’s At Last. His most recent recording was 2018’s People of the Sun. All it takes is one listen to hear immediately why Strickland has received such praise.
Joining Strickland for this performance are Ben Williams – bass and his twin-brother E.J. Strickland – drums.
Tickets to watch this concert at $15. It will also be re-streamed on September 26th at 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT.
Lloyd-Hussain-Lage Trio – Healdsburg Jazz – September 26th – 10:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT
The Lloyd in this trio is legendary saxophonist (and flautist) Charles Lloyd. The Hussain is tabla-master Zakir Hussain and the Lage is guitarist Julian Lage. But you had me at Lloyd.
I interviewed Charles Lloyd in 2018 when he was headlining at the Playboy Jazz Festival. You can read that interview here. Two years ago he said “It’s like my original groups, I thought I could change the world with my creativity. I was naive enough to think that.” History will ultimately decide whether or not he could change the world with his creativity, but he has certainly carved out his own unique path within jazz.
His most recent album was 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero). The album was recorded at a concert that celebrated his 80th birthday. Lage was part of that concert. (Trivia: Lage first performed with Lloyd when he was 12 years old.)
Lloyd joins a few others in this week’s listings as being an NEA Jazz Master.
This concert will be live from Healdsburg, California. The three musicians will be playing safely together in The Paul Mahder Gallery.
There is a minimum donation of $15 required to see the concert. You can watch it live and also for 72 hours after the conclusion of the performance.
Those are my picks for Jazz Stream: September 22nd – September 27th. Enjoy the music!
Photo: Marcus Strickland (Photo by Petra Richterova/Courtesy Strickland’s website)
