NYC Winter Jazzfest took place across several venues during Jan 8-10, 2015. On Jan 10, I braved the cold to choose my own adventure down in the village. This year there were 10 venues and 100+ bands which made itineraries and combinations a tricky affair. I tried the best I can to fit in different bands and different venues. Clearly, I can't seem to just sit still in one or two places (which would make things much easier logistically).
The Prep
Prior to the weekend, I browsed through the bands' albums on the Winter Jazzfest itunes playlist. There I found I really enjoyed listening to Hadar Noiberg (I play the flute so always looking for flute performances) and marked her appearance on my prep list. I also think it's interesting to read through the personnel listing to find out what instruments / people are listed for the different groups.
Check-in and Stop 1 - Piano
The check-in at the Judson Church was wrapped around two street block corners. I was in no mood to stand in line in the brutal, wind-chilled evening so opted to take my chances at the secondary check-in site at Subculture. Luckily, there was no line and I caught the end of a performance and grabbed a Crisp beer. While taking a break between acts, I took the opportunity to review the official program (paper is better than mobile phone) and mark up bands/venues with a small highlighter. Some of it is purely logistics (trying to make my way across the different venues) while others feature bands/instruments that I'm interested in (flute, cello, trumpet, etc). I also bookmarked the crowd report site which gave an indication of the space capacity at various venues every 15 minutes.
Subculture http://subculturenewyork.com/
Alfredo Rodriguez Trio (band link)
I really enjoyed the ballad piece called veinte anos (20 years).
Stop 2 - Electric Cello Hip Hop
Bowery Electric http://www.theboweryelectric.com/
Dana Leong Trio (band link)
I wish I had seen more of this performance. Very good crowd energy and really, what beats electric cello hip hop? have to look into more of their shows.
Stop 3 - Flute Melodies
Now I know why there was a huge line last time I tried to go here. It's not a huge space and the immediate area next to the stage are sit-down seats/tables only (no standing). Luckily I got a seat not too far from the crowd and was able to enjoy the show. Very cozy space and good drinks, probably will come back for other shows.
Zinc Bar http://www.zincbar.com/homepage
Hadar Noiberg Trio (band link)
I enjoyed the piece called Persian love song. need to see what type of flute she has because it certainly sounded different.
I ordered "the A train" with gin (with cucumber, lime, pimms, and white cranberry juice).
Stop 4 - Sax Magic
Minetta Lane Theatre http://minettalanenyc.com/index.php
Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Calls (Charlie Parker project) http://rudreshm.com/
Stop 5 - Dancin' Good Hearty Warm Jazz
Greenwich House Music School http://www.greenwichhouse.org/music_school/index
David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band (David link) - they perform every Wed at Birdland!
I loved "Dream a little Dream", "Stardust" and really everything they played. The crowd loved them too.
of course after reading a bit more about them, I realized that the band does not always feature the same members. Listing some other performers and their site(s) so you can check them out too. I listed them according to order in pic above (left to right)
Clarinet/ Tenor Sax - Adrian Cunningham
Banjo / Guitar - Jared Engel
Trumpet - Bria Skonberg
Tuba/Lead - David Ostwald
Trombone - Dion Tucker (official site?)
Drums - Joe Saylor (official site?)
some other pics
previous Winter Jazzfest write-up [link]
look forward to the next winter jazzfest!
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