The National Jazz Museum in Harlem October Schedule of Events
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
The Count Basie Years
The 1930s solidified the place of jazz in American society and culture as a popular and fine art. Grounded deeply in the blues, and the powerful propulsion that Albert Murray calls the velocity of swing, the Count Basie big band of those years, with Lester “Pres” Young swinging with melodic and lyrical finesse, is iconic to the period. Come dig Young’s counter-statement to the wide influence of the “father” of the tenor sax, Coleman Hawkins.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Harlem Speaks
George Cables, pianist
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
(55 West 13th St., Arnhold Hall, 5th floor )
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Equally skilled as a leader or as a sideman, George Cables helped to define modern mainstream jazz piano of the 1980s and '90s. At the age of 18 at Mannes College, he formed the Jazz Samaritans with Steve Grossman and Billy Cobham. Cables gained recognition during his stints with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and Sonny Rollins (both in 1969), Joe Henderson (1969-1971), and Freddie Hubbard (1971-1976). He swang with Dexter Gordon (1976-1978) during the tenor's successful return to the United States, and became known as Art Pepper's favorite pianist (1979-1982). In addition to his occasional work with Bebop and Beyond (starting in 1984), Cables appeared in countless situations through the years, and has recorded frequently as a leader, most notably for Contemporary (including the 1979 classic Cables Vision), Concord, and SteepleChase.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
With Billie Holiday: Two of the same mind
Song stylist supreme Billie Holiday and sound innovator Lester Young shared a spiritual bond expressed in music, beyond the limitations of words. Together, the two captured a jazz reflection of the concept of “soul mates.” Gestures, feelings, nuances of inflection were the stuff of their magical communication. Come hear the bliss, as Loren Schoenberg taps deep into the archives of the jazz tradition.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Jazz at the Players
Russell Malone, guitarist
With bassist David Wong
7:00pm
Location: The Players
(16 Gramercy Park S. | get directions)
$20 | Reservations: reservations@theplayersnyc.org or 212-475-6116
Russell Malone's first guitar was a plastic green toy his mother bought him. Only four years old, Malone strummed the little guitar all day long for days on end trying to emulate the sounds he had heard from guitarists at church in Albany, Georgia. As a child, Malone developed an interest in blues and country music after seeing musicians on television like Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Son Seals, and B.B. King. Then, at age 12, he saw George Benson perform with Benny Goodman on Soundstage. Malone has said, “I knew right then and there that I wanted to play this music.”
Malone is one of the most commanding and versatile guitarists performing. He moves from blues to gospel to pop to R&B and jazz without hesitation, a rare facility that has prompted some of the highest profile artists in the world to call upon him: Diana Krall, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Natalie Cole, David Sanborn, Shirley Horn, Christina Aguilera, Harry Connick, Jr, Ron Carter, and Sonny Rollins.
Along the way, Malone has made a name for himself combining the bluesy sound of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell with the relentless attack of Django Reinhardt and Pat Martino. After hearing Malone play in Connick's band, former Sony head, Tommy Mottola, brought Malone over to Columbia. Malone's self-titled debut, Russell Malone, in 1992 quickly went to #1 on the radio charts.
Russell Malone was quickly followed by his second album, Black Butterfly in 1993, with Paul Keller on Bass, who later became his trio mate with Diana Krall. Diana Krall's label, Verve Records, came calling next and released three albums by Malone: Sweet Georgia Peach (1998), Look Who's Here (2000), and Heartstrings (2001). Heartstrings features a full orchestra with arrangements by Johnny Mandel, Don Caymmi, and Alan Broadbent, accompanied by the all-star rhythm section team of Kenny Barron (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums).
Malone joined Diana Krall in 1995, contributing to Krall's first four Grammy-nominated albums. For the past year or so, Malone has had the honor and privilege of playing in tenor titan Sonny Rollins’ band.
This performance by a great guitarist is not to be missed!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
Counterpoint: with John Lewis, Nat Cole
Last week we pursued the relationship of Billie Holiday and Lester Young. This week we peer into the musical meeting of the minds of Lester Young and pianist, arranger John Lewis, and Nat “King” Cole, a true style bridge between swing and bebop. Young was a native New Orleanian, and played inventive counterpoint when pared with a brilliant pianist. Join NJMH's Loren Schoenberg for a close listening session to some of Young's most inspired recordings. Experience vintage clips that remain timeless.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tune Talk
“On Green Dolphin Street”
7:00pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
TUNETALK: Where do our favorite jazz songs come from and how did they evolve into standards?
Miles Davis’ version of “On Green Dolphin Street” in 1958 firmly established the song’s place among the standard repertoire of mainstream jazz. But earlier versions, and the original context of the song in a 1947 MGM movie, form a natural history of the song’s existence in the public sphere of jazz.
For instance, there’s an interesting version by trombonist Urbie Green from 1955, taken at a ballad tempo, which features his silken-toned trombone with pianist Jimmy Lyon on the seldom-heard-in-jazz instrument, the celeste.
The 1957 recording by the Poll Winners (of the Downbeat magazine’s readers’ poll in 1956) features guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne, and turned out to be almost the template version for the tune, taken at a medium tempo with a Latin feel.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Harlem Speaks
Jason Miles, keyboardist and producer
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Brooklyn born Jason Miles attended Indiana State University in the 1970s. At the height of the fusion revolution, Miles returned to New York to immerse himself in the Big Apple session scene and gradually gained acceptance from like-minded innovators in the highly competitive field of electronic music.
His forward-looking synth programming techniques firmly planted his feet in the fusion world, a style popular in the 1970s. In 1979, he made his first recording as a leader, Cosmopolitan, which featured bassist Marcus Miller and saxophonist Michael Brecker. Only recently released, that project kicked off a continuous working relationship with both highly regarded artists. A longtime advocate of electronic music, Miles has been a well-respected figure on the New York studio scene since the '80s as a first-call keyboard programmer and player for A-list artists such as Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, David Sanborn, and Michael Jackson.
His To Grover With Love project, as well as the recently released Grover Live, which he produced, pays tribute to the rich legacy and memory of soulful saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.
Most recently, his Global Noize group—the jazz, funk, electronica and world fusion collective Miles co-leads DJ Logic and Falu—released their sophomore album, A PRAYER FOR THE PLANET.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Harlem in the Himalayas
Honey Ear Trio
7:00pm
Location: Rubin Museum of Art
(150 West 17th Street)
$18 in advance | $20 at door |
For tickets: RMA Box Office or call 212-620-5000 ext. 344
Erik Lawrence, Saxophones, Flute
Rene Hart, Bass, Electronics/Looping
Allison Miller, Drums, Percussion
Honey Ear Trio is the new incarnation of Brooklyn based, long time musical cohorts Erik Lawrence, Rene Hart and Allison Miller. Together, these three passionate musicians approach music with playfulness and elasticity. Honey Ear Trio fuses the acoustic sound of a traditional saxophone trio with modern electronics derived from Hart's manipulation of his acoustic bass sound. They also explore mixing multiple genres (jazz, rock, soul, folk) while bending, stretching, and decompressing the rhythmic and harmonic characteristics of the music.
Erik, Rene and Allison have performed as a core group in larger ensembles with Steven Bernstein, David Amram, John Medeski and the poet Robert Pinsky. They also draw upon their wide ranging experience as sidemen and featured artists with Sonny Sharrock, Levon Helm, Marty Ehrlich, Don Braden, James Hunter, Allen Toussaint, Ani DiFranco, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Martin Medeski and Wood, Bilal, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, Branford Marsalis, Trey Anastasio and Anat Fort. The debut Honey Ear Trio recording, Steampunk Serenade, was released in March of 2011.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Saturday Panels
Lester Young Day: Afternoon of a Basie-ite
12:00 – 4:00pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Come immerse yourself in the recordings and film footage of Lester “Prez” Young, whose influence as an improviser and stylist in jazz is only matched by icons of jazz such as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker (whom he influenced), and John Coltrane.
You’ll also learn about his life, and hear excerpts from interviews, as Loren Schoenberg and other jazz experts provide a rounded picture of Lester Young as a man, a legend, and an artist of first rank.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
New discoveries from the Savory Collection
The Savory Collection find and acquisition of 100 hours of swing era music with, for instance, the Basie band at the height of their powers in 1938, with Lester Young creating masterpiece after improvisational masterpiece, is what Loren Schoenberg has called “the motherlode.” Selections from full broadcasts of the Basie band at the Famous Door and more will be shared in this last session of focus on the legendary tenor saxophone pioneer Lester Young.
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
The Count Basie Years
The 1930s solidified the place of jazz in American society and culture as a popular and fine art. Grounded deeply in the blues, and the powerful propulsion that Albert Murray calls the velocity of swing, the Count Basie big band of those years, with Lester “Pres” Young swinging with melodic and lyrical finesse, is iconic to the period. Come dig Young’s counter-statement to the wide influence of the “father” of the tenor sax, Coleman Hawkins.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Harlem Speaks
George Cables, pianist
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
(55 West 13th St., Arnhold Hall, 5th floor )
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Equally skilled as a leader or as a sideman, George Cables helped to define modern mainstream jazz piano of the 1980s and '90s. At the age of 18 at Mannes College, he formed the Jazz Samaritans with Steve Grossman and Billy Cobham. Cables gained recognition during his stints with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and Sonny Rollins (both in 1969), Joe Henderson (1969-1971), and Freddie Hubbard (1971-1976). He swang with Dexter Gordon (1976-1978) during the tenor's successful return to the United States, and became known as Art Pepper's favorite pianist (1979-1982). In addition to his occasional work with Bebop and Beyond (starting in 1984), Cables appeared in countless situations through the years, and has recorded frequently as a leader, most notably for Contemporary (including the 1979 classic Cables Vision), Concord, and SteepleChase.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
With Billie Holiday: Two of the same mind
Song stylist supreme Billie Holiday and sound innovator Lester Young shared a spiritual bond expressed in music, beyond the limitations of words. Together, the two captured a jazz reflection of the concept of “soul mates.” Gestures, feelings, nuances of inflection were the stuff of their magical communication. Come hear the bliss, as Loren Schoenberg taps deep into the archives of the jazz tradition.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Jazz at the Players
Russell Malone, guitarist
With bassist David Wong
7:00pm
Location: The Players
(16 Gramercy Park S. | get directions)
$20 | Reservations: reservations@
Russell Malone's first guitar was a plastic green toy his mother bought him. Only four years old, Malone strummed the little guitar all day long for days on end trying to emulate the sounds he had heard from guitarists at church in Albany, Georgia. As a child, Malone developed an interest in blues and country music after seeing musicians on television like Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Son Seals, and B.B. King. Then, at age 12, he saw George Benson perform with Benny Goodman on Soundstage. Malone has said, “I knew right then and there that I wanted to play this music.”
Malone is one of the most commanding and versatile guitarists performing. He moves from blues to gospel to pop to R&B and jazz without hesitation, a rare facility that has prompted some of the highest profile artists in the world to call upon him: Diana Krall, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Natalie Cole, David Sanborn, Shirley Horn, Christina Aguilera, Harry Connick, Jr, Ron Carter, and Sonny Rollins.
Along the way, Malone has made a name for himself combining the bluesy sound of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell with the relentless attack of Django Reinhardt and Pat Martino. After hearing Malone play in Connick's band, former Sony head, Tommy Mottola, brought Malone over to Columbia. Malone's self-titled debut, Russell Malone, in 1992 quickly went to #1 on the radio charts.
Russell Malone was quickly followed by his second album, Black Butterfly in 1993, with Paul Keller on Bass, who later became his trio mate with Diana Krall. Diana Krall's label, Verve Records, came calling next and released three albums by Malone: Sweet Georgia Peach (1998), Look Who's Here (2000), and Heartstrings (2001). Heartstrings features a full orchestra with arrangements by Johnny Mandel, Don Caymmi, and Alan Broadbent, accompanied by the all-star rhythm section team of Kenny Barron (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums).
Malone joined Diana Krall in 1995, contributing to Krall's first four Grammy-nominated albums. For the past year or so, Malone has had the honor and privilege of playing in tenor titan Sonny Rollins’ band.
This performance by a great guitarist is not to be missed!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
Counterpoint: with John Lewis, Nat Cole
Last week we pursued the relationship of Billie Holiday and Lester Young. This week we peer into the musical meeting of the minds of Lester Young and pianist, arranger John Lewis, and Nat “King” Cole, a true style bridge between swing and bebop. Young was a native New Orleanian, and played inventive counterpoint when pared with a brilliant pianist. Join NJMH's Loren Schoenberg for a close listening session to some of Young's most inspired recordings. Experience vintage clips that remain timeless.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tune Talk
“On Green Dolphin Street”
7:00pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
TUNETALK: Where do our favorite jazz songs come from and how did they evolve into standards?
Miles Davis’ version of “On Green Dolphin Street” in 1958 firmly established the song’s place among the standard repertoire of mainstream jazz. But earlier versions, and the original context of the song in a 1947 MGM movie, form a natural history of the song’s existence in the public sphere of jazz.
For instance, there’s an interesting version by trombonist Urbie Green from 1955, taken at a ballad tempo, which features his silken-toned trombone with pianist Jimmy Lyon on the seldom-heard-in-jazz instrument, the celeste.
The 1957 recording by the Poll Winners (of the Downbeat magazine’s readers’ poll in 1956) features guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne, and turned out to be almost the template version for the tune, taken at a medium tempo with a Latin feel.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Harlem Speaks
Jason Miles, keyboardist and producer
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Brooklyn born Jason Miles attended Indiana State University in the 1970s. At the height of the fusion revolution, Miles returned to New York to immerse himself in the Big Apple session scene and gradually gained acceptance from like-minded innovators in the highly competitive field of electronic music.
His forward-looking synth programming techniques firmly planted his feet in the fusion world, a style popular in the 1970s. In 1979, he made his first recording as a leader, Cosmopolitan, which featured bassist Marcus Miller and saxophonist Michael Brecker. Only recently released, that project kicked off a continuous working relationship with both highly regarded artists. A longtime advocate of electronic music, Miles has been a well-respected figure on the New York studio scene since the '80s as a first-call keyboard programmer and player for A-list artists such as Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, David Sanborn, and Michael Jackson.
His To Grover With Love project, as well as the recently released Grover Live, which he produced, pays tribute to the rich legacy and memory of soulful saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.
Most recently, his Global Noize group—the jazz, funk, electronica and world fusion collective Miles co-leads DJ Logic and Falu—released their sophomore album, A PRAYER FOR THE PLANET.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Harlem in the Himalayas
Honey Ear Trio
7:00pm
Location: Rubin Museum of Art
(150 West 17th Street)
$18 in advance | $20 at door |
For tickets: RMA Box Office or call 212-620-5000 ext. 344
Erik Lawrence, Saxophones, Flute
Rene Hart, Bass, Electronics/Looping
Allison Miller, Drums, Percussion
Honey Ear Trio is the new incarnation of Brooklyn based, long time musical cohorts Erik Lawrence, Rene Hart and Allison Miller. Together, these three passionate musicians approach music with playfulness and elasticity. Honey Ear Trio fuses the acoustic sound of a traditional saxophone trio with modern electronics derived from Hart's manipulation of his acoustic bass sound. They also explore mixing multiple genres (jazz, rock, soul, folk) while bending, stretching, and decompressing the rhythmic and harmonic characteristics of the music.
Erik, Rene and Allison have performed as a core group in larger ensembles with Steven Bernstein, David Amram, John Medeski and the poet Robert Pinsky. They also draw upon their wide ranging experience as sidemen and featured artists with Sonny Sharrock, Levon Helm, Marty Ehrlich, Don Braden, James Hunter, Allen Toussaint, Ani DiFranco, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Martin Medeski and Wood, Bilal, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, Branford Marsalis, Trey Anastasio and Anat Fort. The debut Honey Ear Trio recording, Steampunk Serenade, was released in March of 2011.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Saturday Panels
Lester Young Day: Afternoon of a Basie-ite
12:00 – 4:00pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Come immerse yourself in the recordings and film footage of Lester “Prez” Young, whose influence as an improviser and stylist in jazz is only matched by icons of jazz such as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker (whom he influenced), and John Coltrane.
You’ll also learn about his life, and hear excerpts from interviews, as Loren Schoenberg and other jazz experts provide a rounded picture of Lester Young as a man, a legend, and an artist of first rank.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Hosted by Loren Schoenberg
New discoveries from the Savory Collection
The Savory Collection find and acquisition of 100 hours of swing era music with, for instance, the Basie band at the height of their powers in 1938, with Lester Young creating masterpiece after improvisational masterpiece, is what Loren Schoenberg has called “the motherlode.” Selections from full broadcasts of the Basie band at the Famous Door and more will be shared in this last session of focus on the legendary tenor saxophone pioneer Lester Young.
