EJ Strickland Project
Saturday, July 31st, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
E.J. Strickland - drums, Charenee Wade - vocals, Pauline Jean - vocals, Marcus Strickland - tenor & soprano saxophones, Jaleel Shaw - alto saxophone, Tom Guarna - guitar, Ben Williams - bass

Like his tenor-playing twin brother Marcus, drummer Enoch Jamal (E.J.) Strickland has emerged as one of the most precocious jazz musicians of his generation. According to Down Beat, he "can emit fields of cumulative energy, clouds of feather-touch and heavy-handed syncopations, latent with power like an oncoming storm." E.J. released his debut recording In This Day to great acclaim in 2009, and this week he'll build on that momentum with a powerful performance featuring two vocalists. "There are some instrumentals, and some ballads that feature one vocalist," writes E.J. "My goal is to create a feel-good experience - people have often told me that the group's vibe is just as pleasing to the eye as it is to the ear. If we do our job, everybody in the room (us included) should feel uplifted. Come and join us in a celebration of music, humanity, and life!!"

E.J. was born in Gainesville and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended The New World School of the Arts (Miami) for high school, studying classical music as well as jazz. In 1997, E.J. enrolled in the New School jazz program, where he studied piano, polished his skills as a composer and studied with some of the world's greatest drummers: Joe Chambers, Michael Carvin, Carl Allen, Ralph Peterson, Lewis Nash and Jimmy Cobb. Before earning a BFA in Jazz Performance, he had already worked with such artists as Wynton Marsalis, Nneenna Freelon, Abbey Lincoln, Christian McBride, Herbie Hancock, Wessell Anderson and Dianne Reeves. E.J. is also currently touring and performing with Cassandra Wilson, George Colligan's quartet and trio, and the David Gilmore trio.

Mark Guiliana's BEAT MUSIC
Friday, August 6th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Mark Guiliana - drums, Mike Severson - guitar, Jason Lindner - keyboards, Jason Fraticelli - electric bass

Mark Guiliana, a 29-year-old New Jersey native, brings a unique and uncompromised approach to drumming that has earned him international acclaim as both a leader and a sideman. In 2004, Mark created HEERNT, his New York-based "experimental-garage-jazz" trio; the band's debut record, Locked In A Basement, was released in the spring of 2006 and met with praise from critics and musicians alike. Legendary drummer Bill Bruford called the record "the most exuberant, dramatic, beautiful, sassy, genre-busting little outing that I've heard since I don't know when."

As a sideman, Mark's longest partnership is with world-renowned jazz bassist Avishai Cohen. He toured all over the world with Avishai from 2003 until 2008 while appearing on six studio records and a live DVD recorded at the Blue Note in New York. Mark has also recorded and/or performed with Me'shell Ndegeocello, Dhafer Youssef, Wayne Krantz, Matisyahu, the Jazz Mandolin Project, Jason Lindner, Brad Shepik, Gretchen Parlato, Bobby McFerrin, Tigran Hamasyan and many more.

Mark is currently working on his debut solo record Beat Music, which is being co-produced by Meshell Ndegeocello and is due out in early 2011. Now's your chance to hear this new music while it's still in formation.

John Hébert's Rambling Confessions
Saturday, August 7th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
John Hébert - bass, Bennie Wallace - tenor saxophone, Jen Shyu - vocals, Andy Milne - piano, Billy Drummond - drums

John Hébert, one of today's most in-demand bassists, was born in New Orleans, where he attended Loyola University on full scholarship. After two years of performing with many of the city's greatest musicians, he moved to the New York area to attend William Paterson University, where he continued his studies under Rufus Reid. Since that time John has worked alongside such world-famous artists as Andrew Hill, Lee Konitz, Paul Bley, John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Motian, David Liebman, Uri Caine, Greg Osby, Bill Stewart, Marc Copland, Fred Hersch, Maria Schneider and many others.

His profile as a bandleader is also rising. One project is Byzantine Monkey, which released its debut on the Firehouse 12 label in 2009. Another is a trio featuring French pianist Benoit Delbecq and one of New York's most acclaimed drummers, Gerald Cleaver. This trio recently released its debut, Spiritual Lover, on the Clean Feed label. John arrives at the Gallery this week at the helm of another promising group, the Rambling Confessions quintet.

John has placed in Down Beat's 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Critics Poll as a rising star acoustic bassist. He was Andrew Hill's bassist of choice from 2001 until Hill's passing in 2007, and can be heard on Hill's final Blue Note release Time Lines, which was awarded Record of the Year in Down Beat's Critics Poll in 2006.

Shane Endsley & The Music Band
Friday, August 13th, 2010 to Saturday, August 14th, 2010

9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Shane Endsley - trumpet, Craig Taborn - piano, Matt Brewer - bass, Ted Poor - drums

Snehasish Mozumder & SOM
Friday, August 20th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Snehasish Mozumder - doubleneck mandolin, Vin Scialla -drums & percussion, Nick Gianni - soprano & baritone saxophones & flute, Jason Lindner - piano, Jason Hogue -bass, Bopa King Carre - percussion, Sameer Gupta - tabla

Taylor Ho Bynum New Sextet
Saturday, August 21st, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Taylor Ho Bynum - cornet, Jim Hobbs - alto saxophone, Bill Lowe - bass trombone, Mary Halvorson - guitar, Ken Filiano - bass, Tomas Fujiwara - drums
The New Sextet Book by Taylor Ho Bynum and the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet has been made possible with support from Chamber Music America's 2010 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Nate Smith I.N.S.: The Wink And The Gun
Friday, August 27th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Nate Smith - drums, Jaleel Shaw - saxophone, Nir Felder - guitar, Taylor Eigsti - rhodes, Fima Ephron - bass

Sofia Rei Koutsvitis Group
Saturday, August 28th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Sofia Rei Koutsvitis -vocals/charango, Eric Kurimski - guitar, Jorge Roeder - bass, Satoshi Takeishi - percussion, Tupac mantilla - percussion plus special guest - Gregoire Maret

Miguel Zenon Quartet
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Miguel Zenon - alto saxophone, Luis Perdomo - piano, Hans Glawschnig - bass, Eric Doob - drums

Lawrence Fields Quartet
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
1st set: $15.00 | $10.00 for Members
2nd set: $10.00 | $5.00 for Members, buy ticket
Lawrence Fields - piano, Josh Ginsberg - bass, EJ Strickland - drums

Aaron Parks Quintet
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 to Saturday, September 4th, 2010

9:00 & 10:30 pm
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Aaron Parks - piano, Dayna Stephens - tenor saxophone, Todd Neufeld - guitar, Thomas Morgan - bass, RJ Miller - drums

Ambrose Akinmsuire
Thursday, September 9th, 2010 to Friday, September 10th, 2010

9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00, buy ticket

Joe Sanders' INFINITY
Saturday, September 11th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Joe Sanders - bass, Logan Richardson - saxophone, Luis Perdomo - piano, Rodney Green - drums

Adam Cruz Sextet
Monday, September 13th, 2010 to Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Adam Cruz - drums, Chris Potter - saxophone, Steve Wilson - saxophone (set 1 both nights), Miguel Zenon - saxophone (set 2 both nights), Steve Cardenas - guitar, Edward Simon - piano, Ben Street - bass

Greg Ward Quartet
Thursday, September 16th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
1st set: $15.00 | $10.00 for Members
2nd set: $10.00 | $5.00 for Members, buy ticket
Greg Ward - also saxophone, David Bryant - piano, Joe Sanders - bass, Damion Reid - drums

Fabian Almazan Trio
Friday, September 17th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket

TARBABY
Saturday, September 18th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Stacy Dillard - saxophones, Orrin Evans - piano, Eric Revis - bass, Nasheet Waits - drums

Maria Neckam
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
1st set: $15.00 | $10.00 for Members
2nd set: $10.00 | $5.00 for Members, buy ticket

Adam Larson Sextet
Thursday, September 30th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
1st set: $15.00 / $10.00 for Members
2nd set: $10.00 / $5.00 for Members, buy ticket
Adam Larson - saxophone, Zubin Hensler - trumpet, Can Olgun - piano, Martin Nevin - bass, Nils Weinhold - guitar, Bastian Weinhold - drums

Matt Stevens 4tet
Thursday, October 7th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
1st set: $15.00 | $10.00 for Members
2nd set: $10.00 | $5.00 for Members, buy ticket

Ben Williams & Sound Effect
Friday, October 15th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket

Tyshawn Sorey Quartet
Saturday, October 16th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Presenting a new work titled Acts.

Tyshawn Sorey - percussion, Aaron Stewart - woodwinds, Taylor Ho Bynum - brass, John Escreet - piano

Jason Palmer and the Public Option
Thursday, December 9th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 pm
1st set: $15.00 | $10.00 for Members
2nd set: $10.00 | $5.00 for Members, buy ticket
Jason Palmer - trumpet, Michael Thomas - alto saxophone,Greg Duncan - guitar, Lim Yang - bass, Lee Fish - drums

Ziv Ravitz's MINSARAH
Friday, July 30th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
The official CD release concert in NY for Minsarah's latest album Blurring the Lines on ENJA Records.

Ziv Ravitz - drums, Florian Weber - piano, Jeff Denson - bass

Drummer Ziv Ravitz has worked at the Gallery in a collaborative trio with pianist Omer Klein, and he returns this week with another fascinating trio project: Minsarah with pianist Florian Weber and bassist Jeff Denson. Having released a 2006 self-titled debut on Enja/Justin Time, the group followed up in 2009 and 2010 with two gripping titles featuring the great Lee Konitz (himself no stranger to the Jazz Gallery bandstand). On Deep Lee the trio undertook "a fascinating interaction between abstract textures and dramatic exposition of melody" (All About Jazz); on this year's Live at the Village Vanguard, released under Konitz's name, Minsarah extends that dialogue in a remarkable display of intergenerational fellowship. This week Minsarah returns to celebrate another fine Enja release, the trio encounter Blurring the Lines.

Ziv was born in Beer-Sheva, Israel to a family of musicians, and was drawn to music at an early age. He moved to the U.S. in the summer of 2000 and since then has had the opportunity to perform with musicians such as Hal Crook, Greg Hopkins, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Eugene Friesen, Mick Goodrick, Eli Degibri, James Genus, George Garzone, Ben Monder, Avishai Cohen and more. He has toured extensively all across Europe with various groups such as TAQ, Minsarah, Sin, the Nicolas Simon Group and the Iasi Romanian Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2004 Ziv graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Jazz Composition; he is currently an ENJA recording artist.

Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra
Friday, July 23rd, 2010 to Saturday, July 24th, 2010

9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Pedro Giraudo - bass, Alejandro Aviles/Todd Bashore/Luke Batson/Carl Maraghi - reeds, Jonathan Powell/Miki Hirose/Joe Fiedler/Mike Fahie - brass, Jess Jurkovic - piano, Jeff Davis - drums, Tony De Vivo - cajon, Sofia Tosello - voice

Bassist-composer Pedro Giraudo was one of the leading lights of our recent Large Ensemble Commissions Series, premiering his newly commissioned suite “Campo: A musical interpretation of my memories as a boy and the thoughts of others.” Pedro and his group have just finished documenting that suite for release on CD in the near future. Meanwhile, we’re proud to welcome him back to our bandstand for two nights this weekend.

Born in 1977, Pedro is a native of Cordoba, Argentina, and has been making his way on the New York scene since moving to the city in 1996. Influenced by the musical traditions of his home country, but also by Ellington and Mingus and beyond, he has assembled a number of bands, drawing on the talents of New York’s finest instrumentalists. The latest release by the 12-piece Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, El Viaje, followed up 2006’s Desconsuelo with a riot of rhythmic energy and blossoming harmonic color, with blistering improv and laser-targeted ensemble interplay. Hailed by critic John Murph as “an opulent listening experience,” El Viaje racked up no fewer than five Best of 2009 citations from Latin Jazz Corner.

According to K. Leander Williams in Time Out New York, Pedro’s music “harks back those historic Latin American–flavored collaborations between Carla Bley and Charlie Haden.” His extensive knowledge of Argentine folkloric forms and his virtuosity as a jazz musician allow him to draw on ostensibly simple traditional music and bring to it unexpected levels of harmonic sophistication, resulting in compositions of great beauty. “My thinking is much more ‘chamber’ than ‘big band,’” Pedro explains. “I rarely think about sections. When I think of Duke, I consider that a kind of symphonic writing, while with my band, it’s more of a chamber concept.”

Critic Peter Watrous has hailed Pedro’s music thusly: “The writing, supple and sophisticated, is an example of how a composer, especially one gleefully between traditions, can draw on an immense amount of music. It’s often brilliant, and it’s always careful.” Hank Shteamer of Time Out New York declares: “El Viaje showcases his superb command of a large ensemble, as well as his broad emotional palette. Sometimes tender, sometimes brash and always arranged for maximum emotional punch.”

Jean-Michel Pilc Trio
Friday, July 16th, 2010 to Saturday, July 17th, 2010

9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Jean-Michel Pilc - piano, Boriz Kozlov - bass, Billy Drummond - drums

Week of 7-12-10

We’re back from summer break and ready to kick off a stellar July and August calendar! This week we present two nights with the incredible Jean-Michel Pilc and his trio.


Pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, “among today’s titans of the instrument” (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune), has proved to be an incendiary presence at the Jazz Gallery for nearly 10 years. He’s appeared here in a variety of contexts, including dates with his classic François Moutin-Ari Hoenig trio, a 2007 duo outing with vocalist J.D. Walter and a 2008 “new trio” appearance featuring Boris Kozlov on bass and Billy Hart on drums — a prelude to Jean-Michel’s 2010 Dreyfus Records trio release True Story.

Born in Paris in 1960, based in New York since 1995, Pilc has gained a reputation as “a physical and densely harmonic player, a splashy stunner who also has a Rubik’s-cube mind for chord substitutions” (Ben Ratliff, New York Times). He has built up an astounding discography on the Dreyfus label, displaying wit and technical mastery on standards and originals, in solo (Follow Me), trio (Live at Iridium, New Dreams) and expanded ensemble (Cardinal Points) formats. In addition, Jean-Michel Pilc: A Portrait, a film by John McCormick, is now available on DVD.

For two nights this weekend, come witness this pianist’s “iconoclastic strength, a freedom, a sense of space, a sense of humour, a taste for rhythmic discontinuity and for surprise which are absolutely astounding” (Jazz magazine).

The Jazz Gallery will be CLOSED for summer vacation.
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 to Thursday, July 15th, 2010

See you in two weeks!

Dual Identity - CD Release Concert
Sunday, June 27th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$20.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
CD Release Concert for Dual Identity from Clean Feed.

Steve Lehman - alto saxophone, Rudresh Mahanthappa - alto saxophone, Liberty Ellman - guitar, Matt Brewer - bass, Damion Reid - drums

Separately, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Steve Lehman have built reputations as incendiary alto saxophonists, each of them pushing jazz vocabulary in new and compelling directions. When they unite to co-lead the quintet Dual Identity, they do more than double their already considerable impact - they goad each other into uncharted territory. They recently released an eponymous recording on Clean Feed that does them ample justice.

Rudresh, a winner of the coveted Guggenheim Fellowship, has incorporated the culture of his Indian ancestry and fused myriad influences to create a truly groundbreaking artistic vision. We're proud to say that he's played a major role in the Gallery's programming for years, notably in duo and quartet formats with acclaimed pianist/composer Vijay Iyer, with his own groups (Black Water Mother Tongue, Codebook), and also with Carnatic saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath (hear the universally acclaimed 2008 Pi release Kinsmen). As the New York Times has put it, Rudresh has "a tone like iron and charges from 0 to 80 in about four seconds."

Steve Lehman is one of the most advanced musical minds to emerge in the last decade, winning widespread plaudits for his latest octet recording Travail, Transformation, and Flow. It followed up the probing quintet discs On Meaning (Pi) and Artificial Light (Fresh Sound) as well as an exceptional quartet album called Manifold (Clean Feed), recorded live in Portugal. Steve has done invaluable work with Anthony Braxton, Dave Burrell, Liberty Ellman, the collaborative trio Fieldwork (with Vijay Iyer) and more. On his own recordings, he has demonstrated a remarkable versatility and depth of vision, whether he's pushing the sonic envelope on the unclassifiable Demian As Posthuman, writing string quartet music or authoring scholarly articles in the journal Critical Studies in Improvisation.

Gema y Pável - CareFusion Jazz Festival *FIRST SET IS SOLD OUT*
Saturday, June 26th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$15.00 | $10.00 for Members , buy ticket
Gema Corredera - vocals, Pável Urkiza - guitar/vocals, Yosvany Terry - alto saxophone/chekeré, Yunior Terry - bass, Dafnis Prieto - drums, Axel Tosca - piano

Gema & Pável, the scintillating vocal/guitar duo, originated in Cuba in 1990 and then relocated to Spain in 1993, becoming a fixture of that country's musical landscape. With several acclaimed recordings and years of international touring experience to their credit, Gema & Pável continue to draw on a wealth of influences: from the Beatles to Caetano Veloso; from old Cuban boleros to the even older songs of the Trova; from Spanish melodies to the African rhythms of the Orishas; from the blues to psychedelic. In this very special appearance at the Gallery, the duo will be bolstered by some of the leading lights of the New York Afro-Cuban jazz scene, including Yosvany Terry and Dafnis Prieto. With this confluence of globalist outlook, musical intelligence and raw, spirited talent, Gema & Pável are guaranteed to shine.

Jason Lindner & BREEDING GROUND - CareFusion Jazz Festival
Friday, June 25th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$15.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Jason Lindner - piano/keyboards, Panagiotis Andreou - bass, Mark Guiliana - drums, Jeff Taylor - vocals, Mazz Swift - violin, Curtis Stewart - violin, Carmel Raz - viola, Will Martina - cello, John Beaty - alto saxophone, Jorge Continentino - saxophones/flute, Rafi Malkiel - trombone

For three nights in April-May 2009, pianist, composer and bandleader Jason Lindner presented a new project called "Breeding Ground" as part of the Jazz Gallery Large Ensemble Commissions Series. At the core of this large group is the trio known as Now vs. Now, with bassist/vocalist Panagiotis Andreou and drummer Mark Guiliana. On top of that Jason has conceived added layers with strings, woodwinds and vocals to forge a new sound world. The group returns this week for the CareFusion Jazz Festival, writing the next chapter in its evolution.

A Brooklyn native, Jason Lindner has been a crucial part of the Jazz Gallery's programming vision since the beginning. He premiered his "Monseraté" here in 2002 as part of the venue's first-ever Composers Series. As leader of the stellar Jason Lindner Big Band he released Live at the Jazz Gallery, recorded here in our intimate space, an effort that made Jazz Times magazine's list of top CDs of 2007. In addition to the big band, Jason also leads the groove-oriented electric small group Now vs. Now; collaborates with Omer Avital and Luisito Quintero in the Ab Aeterno Trio; and has played a pivotal role in bands led by Claudia Acuña, Dana Leong, Anat Cohen, Avishai Cohen and Lauryn Hill.

Matana Roberts' COiN COiN - CareFusion Jazz Festival
Thursday, June 24th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$15.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Matana Roberts - alto saxophone, Shane Endsley - trumpet, Shoko Nagai - piano, Hill Greene - bass, Tomas Fujiwara - drums, Jeremiah - voice

"My main goal for my work is to use it as a direct tool to heal and celebrate the human experience by deep examination of my own levels of familiarity, culture and personal background," says alto saxophonist and composer Matana Roberts, the youngest member of the historically important Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Exploring and broadening the mythical, spiritual roots of African American expression, Matana is "a deep traditionalist who looks beyond the rigid distinctions and definitions of musical style," according to the Chicago Defender. She has made a mark as a co-leader of the acclaimed trio Sticks and Stones; as leader on a compelling 2008 homage to her hometown called The Chicago Project, featuring her mentor Fred Anderson; as collaborator in an unusual trio called Grace for reeds, piano and bass; and as mastermind of the "large sound scale narrative" that she calls "COiN COiN." This 12-segment multimedia work is based on personal family history utilizing a compositional construct Matana is developing called PSQ 
(Panoramic Sound Quilting). Join her for a night of vibrant experimentation.

MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK Second Line
Monday, June 21st, 2010 | 10:00 a.m. - Noon
FREE
Make Music New York is a live, free musical celebration across the city that is now marking its third year in existence. On June 21 each year, public space throughout the five boroughs - sidewalks, parks, community gardens, and more - become impromptu musical stages and dance floors and social meeting points, highlighting everything from hip-hop to opera to Latin jazz to punk rock. The event is based on France's Fete de la Musique, which has been a great success for 25 years. Since it was inaugurated, the festival has become an international phenomenon, celebrated on the same day in more than 300 cities in 108 countries, including Germany, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Australia, Vietnam, Congo, Cameroon, Togo, Colombia, Chile, Mongolia and Japan.

The Jazz Gallery is proud to take part in this fun but also meaningful celebration, which highlights the arts' centrality to human societies around the globe.

Eric Revis Quartet - CareFusion Jazz Festival
Saturday, June 19th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$15.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Eric Revis - bass, Ken Vandermark - saxophones, Jason Moran - piano, Nasheet Waits - drums

In August 2009, bassist Eric Revis gathered Jason Moran, Ken Vandermark and Nasheet Waits under one roof and turned in one of the more memorable performances of the year at the Gallery. Now the remarkable quartet returns this week under the auspices of the CareFusion Jazz Festival.

For over 10 years, Eric has lent ingenuity and muscle to the music of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, and he's surfaced recently in a number of varied and compelling trio contexts as well. He appears on Ritual, a probing date for Clean Feed by multireedist Avram Fefer; Reflections by guitar great Kurt Rosenwinkel; and in a freely improvising touring trio with Peter Brötzmann and Nasheet Waits. Eric has also released Laughter's Necklace of Tears, his fiery second offering as a leader (following up 2004's Tales of the Stuttering Mime). In addition, Eric co-leads the cutting-edge collective Tar Baby, which drew much acclaim in 2009 for its self-titled debut record on Orrin Evans's Imani label.

Praised for his "huge sound" and "unshakable rhythmic confidence" (Downbeat), Eric has drawn worldwide attention since receiving early training from the likes of Ellis Marsalis and Betty Carter. Having worked with everyone from Russell Gunn, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Joe Locke, Ralph Peterson and Steve Coleman, Eric continues his journey as a solo artist.

John Ellis' "The Ice Siren" - CareFusion Jazz Festival
Friday, June 18th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$15.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
John Ellis - tenor saxophone/clarinet/bass clarinet, Gretchen Parlato - voice, Miles Griffith - voice, Hiroko Taguchi - violin, Olivier Manchon - violin, Corrina Albright - viola, Christopher Hoffman - cello, Tim Collins - vibes, Mike Moreno - guitar, Dan Peck - tuba, Daniel Sadownick - drums/percussion, Daniel Barnidge - conductor

Saxophonist, composer and bandleader John Ellis premiered "The Ice Siren" as part of our 2009 Jazz Gallery Large Ensemble Commissions Series, and he returns this week to revisit this fascinating "jazz opera" in development, a through-composed hourlong musical narrative co-written with playwright Andy Bragen.

Born and raised in the rural "tobacco country" of North Carolina, now living in New York, John Ellis has brought a body of rich Southern folkloric material into his writing, leavening it with a finely wrought jazz sensibility. This is apparent on his recordings Roots, Branches and Leaves, One Foot In The Swamp, By a Thread and most recently, the sousaphone-driven Dance Like There's No Tomorrow and Puppet Mischief. John has spent significant periods of time in the musical cauldron of New Orleans. He has studied and performed with Ellis Marsalis, toured extensively in Singapore and other Far Eastern ports of call and worked as a member of bands lead by drummer Jason Marsalis, bassist Todd Sickafoose, guitarist Charlie Hunter, R&B sensation Bilal Oliver, violinist and composer Olivier Manchon and many more. He took second place in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition.

"The Ice Siren" features an 11-piece ensemble including two singers. This is Ellis and Bragen's second collaboration - the first, "Dreamscapes," had its premiere at the Jazz Gallery during the venue's Composers Series II in December 2007. A single composition, largely sung through, "The Ice Siren" draws on traditions in jazz, opera and theatre. Taking inspiration from horror films, nightmares, puppetry and animated films, it is scary, romantic and sometimes quite funny.

In "The Ice Siren," a young man visits his dead lover's crypt and is lured down into it by an ethereal voice. Once in the crypt he discovers a moonlit frozen lake, and again he is drawn forward, as if in a dream, toward the mysterious voice, which may or may not belong to his dead lover. The siren claims her victim, seducing him and wrapping him up with ice, so that they may freeze together, for eternity.

The Jazz Gallery All-Stars at Symphony Space - CareFusion Jazz Festival
Friday, June 18th, 2010 | 8:00 p.m.
$15.00, buy ticket
Roy Hargrove - trumpet, Claudia Acuna - vocals, Ambrose Akinmusire - trumpet, Luge Lund - guitar, Pedro Martinez - percussion, Kendrick Scott - drums, Ben Williams - bass, Miguel Zenon - alto saxophone

The Jazz Gallery has nourished the careers of many of today's leading young artists, but we don't usually present them all at once. Now as part of the CareFusion Jazz Festival, The Jazz Gallery All Stars take the stage uptown at Symphony Space. We'll have the accomplished Chilean vocalist and Marsalis Music recording artist Claudia Acuña, Grammy winner Roy Hargrove, Grammy nominee Gerald Clayton, MacArthur fellow Miguel Zenon, Herbie Hancock band member Kendrick Scott and no fewer than four Monk Competition winners (Lage Lund, Ambrose Akinmusire, Ben Williams, Pedro Martinez). Under the Gallery's roof, they've matured as individual artists and sympathetic collaborators. With their combined resources it's sure to be a show to remember.

Craig Taborn Quintet - CareFusion Jazz Festival
Thursday, June 17th, 2010 | 9:00 & 10:30 p.m.
$15.00 | $10.00 for Members, buy ticket
Craig Taborn - piano, Chris Speed - saxophone, Jonathan Finlayson - trumpet, Thomas Morgan - bass, Dan Weiss - drums

Pianist Craig Taborn is a leading figure on the current jazz and improvised music scenes, working in a wide array of acoustic and electronic settings with the likes of David Binney, Tim Berne, Drew Gress, Mat Maneri, Roscoe Mitchell, Dave Douglas, Chris Potter's Underground, Carl Craig, Lotte Anker, David Torn, William Parker and more. Originally from Minneapolis, Craig grew up in the same neighborhood as Reid Anderson and David King of the Bad Plus, and he continues to collaborate with them in various contexts. Craig's own groups have been heard at the Stone and other venues, and documented on such fine albums as Light Made Lighter and Junk Magic. But this is his first time at The Jazz Gallery, making this event - with an extraordinary all-star lineup - a rare and especially meaningful one.