Info

A look inside The Jazz Gallery

Posts by Kevin Laskey

From L to R: Dave Liebman, Adam Rudolph, Tyshawn Sorey. Photos courtesy of the artists.

This week, acclaimed improvisers Dave Liebman, Adam Rudolph, and Tyshawn Sorey come to The Jazz Gallery, performing together as a trio for the first time. Rudolph is the connecting tissue in the ensemble, having invited both Liebman and Sorey to play with him at different residencies at The Stone in recent years. After playing there together in 2016, Liebman and Rudolph recorded The Unknowable (Rare Noise) with percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani.
Later, during Rudolph’s 2018 Stone residency, he and Liebman joined forces with percussionist Hamid Drake, yielding the live album Chi (Rare Noise).
In 2019, Rudolph and Sorey presented 2 nights of scintillating duo performances.

With this long track record of collaboration, the trio of Liebman, Rudolph, and Sorey will yield sounds both fresh and lived-in. (more…)

Photo courtesy of the artist.

In July 2020, pianist Fabian Almazan and bassist Linda May Han Oh relocated from their Harlem apartment to Perth, Australia to be close to Oh’s family. Now with their first child in tow, Oh and Almazan have just returned to the United States. After playing a duo show in Columbus, Ohio earlier this month, Almazan will return to The Jazz Gallery stage on Saturday, September 25 with a quintet of long-time collaborators.

In addition to the personal milestones of this past year, Almazan has continued to deepen his own musical practice as well. He put together a hybrid online performance with his Perth-based group and members of the Detroit Symphony in November 2020, as well as a scintillating solo piano set, featuring extensive live electronic processing, which you can check out below.

Alongside saxophonist Dayna Stephens, guitarist Charles Altura, bassist Chris Tordini, and drummer Henry Cole, Saturday’s performance is sure to be a musical reunion worth the wait. (more…)

Photo by Jimmy Katz, courtesy of the artist.

With the COVID-19 pandemic sapped jazz of its lifeblood—live, in-person audiences—musicians improvised new ways of connecting. For guitarist Mike Moreno, that meant starting a podcast and livestream series. From his New York apartment, Moreno and a special guest would chat about life and music, followed by live duo set. Since starting the series in Fall 2020, Moreno has played with a who’s who of jazz guitarists, including the likes of Mike Stern, Mark Whitfield, Ben Monder, Marvin Sewell, Ben Monder and beyond.

But while Moreno stretched his work into a new medium, he leaned on a reliable musical foundation—jazz standards. In particular, Moreno dove deep into jazz standards from classic films, teaching an online course, and performing them solo in concert, below:

Moreno’s interviews and performances have drawn listeners from all around the world, sustaining a sense of community during a time of isolation.

This Friday, September 24, Moreno returns live to The Jazz Gallery stage, playing two sets alongside frequent collaborators Jon Cowherd on piano, Matt Brewer on bass, and Obed Calvaire on drums. To get a sense of what’s in store, check out the quartet performing at Smalls last month, with Taylor Eigsti filling in on piano.

(more…)

Photo courtesy of the artist.

This Thursday, September 16, The Jazz Gallery is pleased to welcome bassist Ben Tiberio and his quintet to our stage for two sets. Not only is this Tiberio’s first time at the Gallery as a leader (after playing here alongside the likes of Joel Ross, Immanuel Wilkins, and Sasha Berliner), it also marks the almost-release of his debut album, Rare Piece (Outside in Music). The album features 10 original compositions by Tiberio, written across a decade, a decade which saw him finish college, move to New York City, and become an integral member of his improviser peer group.

The compositions are deeply personal, representing what Tiberio calls his “deep perception of the emotional auras of people around me.” This kind of raw connection is reflected in Tiberio’s own wordless vocals on these tracks, including the lead sing “[e]motion,” which you can check out below.

For this release show at the Gallery, Tiberio will be joined album collaborators Nathan Reising on alto saxophone, Lex Korten on piano, and Evan Hyde on drums, as well as tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens. Come to the Gallery this Thursday to experience what Tiberio describes as “this unifying force, which is pervasive and essential in music, provides us with sanctuary and fills us with hope.” (more…)

Yosvany Terry

Photo courtesy of the artist.

This Saturday, September 11, The Jazz Gallery is pleased to welcome saxophonist Yosvany Terry and his quintet back to our stage. Terry has deep roots at The Jazz Gallery, leading the “Jazz Cubano” series house band in the year 2000, and working with bassist Darryl Johns as part of the Gallery’s Mentoring Series in 2017.

For this performance, Terry has convened his working quintet, alongside longtime collaborators like bassist-brother Yunior Terry, and pianist Osmany Paredes. Before hearing the band at the Gallery, take a listen to their scintillating performance as part of Harvard University’s African & African American Studies 50th anniversary symposium, back in February 2020.

(more…)