Previous weeks our Jazz Stream column has had a healthy mix of legendary performers and newer artists. For Jazz Stream: September 29th – October 4th, lesser-known artists take center stage. It isn’t that some of them aren’t well known, but each of the artists listed this week deserves a bigger audience than they currently have.
New York’s Village Vanguard, which has featured weekly performances by jazz legends, is taking some time off to address some technical issues with their streaming efforts. We’ll be sure to let you know when they are back up and running.
Sit back, relax and explore some truly fine artists who are performing and now find their place on this week’s Jazz Stream: September 29th – October 4th.
Barry Stephenson “The Iconoclast” Album Release – September 30th – Smalls – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PM PDT
On Wednesday, bassist Barry Stephenson is releasing his new album The Iconoclast. To celebrate the album’s release, he is performing at Smalls in New York.
Stephenson has performed with established veterans like Diane Schuur, Nicholas Payton and David Sanborn. He’s also performed with some of the newer jazz musicians on the scene including Jazzmeia Horn, Theo Croker and Cyrille Aimée.
Joining Stephenson for this performance are Patrick Bartley Jr on alto sax, Stacy Dillard on tenor sax and Kush Abadey on drums. You might recall we previously had one of Stacy Dillard’s shows on our Jazz Stream listings.
Spike Wilner Quartet – October 1st – Smalls – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PM PDT
A passion for the music of Scott Joplin lead Spike Wilner to take an interest in ragtime, stride and jazz. While his passion for the music might have started with the traditions set by the likes of Fats Waller, his playing can also be exactly the music you’d expect to hear in a small smoky club in New York.
Wilner and his fellow musicians are known for playing until late in the evening. As this performance takes place in the late afternoon, they won’t be playing that long, but close your eyes, pour yourself an early cocktail and take in the music.
Joining Wilner for this show are Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Peter Washington on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums.
Catherine Russell Trio – Jazz at Lincoln Center – October 1st – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT
Vocalist Catherine Russell is comfortable singing rock ‘n’ roll (she sang back-up with David Bowie for years) and singing jazz and blues. She’ll be showcasing the latter when she helps re-launch Live from Dizzy’s Club (part of Jazz at Lincoln Center.)
For more on Russell, you can read my interview with her here. She’s immensely talented and has had an interesting and diverse career.
This show will be live streamed on Thursday. There will be an encore showing of the performance at 10:30 PM EDT/7:30 PM PDT.
Joining Russell for this show will be Matt Munisteri on guitar and Tal Ronen on bass.
Tickets for the live performance or encore presentation are “Pay What You Can,” but the suggested minimum donation is $10.
John Ellis – The Jazz Gallery – October 1st – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PDT & 9:30 PM EDT/6:30 PM PDT
Earlier this year saxophonist John Ellis released his eleventh album, When the World Was Young. The album features songs by Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis (with considerable help from Chuck Wayne) and the standard, How High the Moon.
He will be performing two sets at New York’s The Jazz Gallery. The first set is at 7:30 PM EDT and the second is at 9:30 PM EDT. Tickets to live stream the sets are $15 for non-members/$5 for members per set.
Ellis loves jazz and has a particular fondness (vis-a-vis his band Double Wide) and passion for New Orleans style jazz.
Joining him for these two sets are Kevin Hays on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums.
James Carter Organ Trio – October 1st – Blue Note – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
Both readers and critics have regularly included saxophonist James Carter on their list of best baritone sax players. In addition to 19 albums as a leader, Carter has performed with Kathleen Battle, Lester Bowie, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis and his cousin, Regina Carter. In other words, he’s perhaps the best known musician on this week’s list.
Carter is enormously talented and a truly fine improviser. His playing is challenging at times and comfortable at others. His organ trio is amongst the most interesting trios in jazz right now.
Tickets to watch this live performance are $15. There will be a re-stream of the concert at 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT the same night.
Bobi Céspedes – SFJAZZ – October 2nd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
If you aren’t from the Bay Area, you might not be familiar with Cuban jazz singer Bobi Céspedes. Now’s your chance to get acquainted.
In June she released her most recent album, Mujer y Cantante. The album celebrates son music of Cuba – a style of music that mixes African and Spanish influences.
John Santos, who appears with his sextet in the clip above, joins as her special guest for this concert from 2019.
This concert is part of SFJAZZ’s Fridays at Five series. To watch the show requires signing up for either a one-month membership ($5) or a one-year membership ($60). Either will give you access to this show and either a full month of upcoming shows or a full year.
Joey Alexander – Blue Note – October 2nd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT $15
Pianist Joey Alexander released his most recent album, Warna, earlier this year. The Verve Records album takes its name for the word for color is Alexander’s native Indonesian language of Bahasa. All of 17 years old, this marks Alexander’s sixth album.
When his album Eclipse came out in 2018, I interviewed him about the project and his approach to music. You can read that interview here.
Some of the other BlueNote concerts are filmed in advance, this performance (as well as James Carter’s) will stream live from the New York venue. Joining Alexander for this performance are Daniel Winshall on bass and Tyson Jackson on drums.
Tickets to stream the concert are $15.
Victor Lewis Quintet – October 3rd – Smalls – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PM PDT
Kenny Barron, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Bobby Hutcherson, Earl Klugh, Hubert Laws, Abbey Lincoln, David Sanborn, Wood Shaw and Grover Washington Jr. have all at one time or another called on drummer Victor Lewis to join them in the recording studio or on the road.
Like most jazz musicians, Lewis functions as both a sideman and a leader. It is as a leader with his quintet that Lewis will be taking the stage at Small’s on Saturday afternoon. Lewis is considered one of the best drummers working today.
This clip does not show Lewis with his quintet, but does show off his fierce skills.
Joining Lewis will be Josh Evans on trumpet, Abraham Burton on tenor sax, Dave Kikoski on piano and Ed Howard on bass.
Brian Charette Piano Trio – October 4th – Smalls – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PM PDT
Brian Charette has played piano and organ throughout his career. For this gig at Smalls, he’ll be at the piano with his trio: Joe Martin on bass and Ari Hoenig on drums.
A fixture on the jazz scene in New York, you most commonly will find Charette playing the organ. He’s recorded and/or performed with Lou Donaldson, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon and Kamasi Washington. He also had the late Roy Hargrove as a special guest at a Smalls performance in 2017. For that gig, he was at the piano.
He performs less frequently on the piano. Sunday’s concert will offer an opportunity to see and hear what Charette does with a single keyboard. It should be terrific.
That’s the full line-up for Jazz Stream: September 29th – October 4th. Enjoy the jazz and have a terrific week.
Photo of James Carter courtesy of his website.