NYC Winter Jazzfest – A Photographic Journey

NYC Winter Jazzfest was founded ten years ago and it was initially conceived as a space for musicians to showcase their current projects. This year the festival stretched for five days and it presented over 90 musicians in a dozen venues and concert halls – a significant growth from one night/one venue event ten years ago. It is definitely one of the best live music events to attend in NYC in January. The 5-day long program was packed with stellar musicians drawing thousands of people to venture out to enjoy this spectacular event despite the impossibly schizophrenic weather. The schedule for Friday and Saturday was intense and I had to be strategic in picking the shows I wanted to see – I went for the mix of the artists I knew and the ones I never heard before that sounded promising.  You had to be there to experience the full effect of this exhilarating event, but here are some of the highlights:

#WJF10: Day 1.

Tuesday night was blistering cold, but the opening night at Le Poisson Rouge was smoking hot. The Jazzfest kicked off with a stunning performance by Bobby’s Previte’s Terminals.

 

The coming together of the classical percussion ensemble So Percussion featuring very special guests – John Medeski and Nels Cline – was unforgettable.

The sheer energy of the musicians and their carefully coordinated performance exceeded my expectations. Great show to start the festival with!

 

#WJF10: Day 2.

Winter Jazzfest collided with the 75^th anniversary of Blue Note Records and the concert at Town Hall brought together Robert Glasper and Jason Moran, two stunning pianists signed by Blue Note Label.

The concert was a tribute to the very first Blue Note recording in 1939, a four-hand piano concert with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis. 75 years later the duo played flawlessly, trading back and forth with ease and imagination, the sound of two grand pianos merging into one at times. These spectacular musicians were joined by Alan Hampton on bass, Eric Harland on drums and Ravi Coltrane on saxophone with a special appearance by Bilal. The show ended with a standing ovation.

#WJF10: Day 3.

Thursday night, back at Le Poisson Rouge, the Revive Big Band.

They played original compositions written by Igmar Thomas  and other members of the band (all of them are established artists with their own records). They also played a selection of classics from Thelonius Monk and Wayne Shorter arranged especially for the Big Band. Dr. Lonnie Smith, a legendary master of the Hammond B3 organ, was a special guest and his mesmerizing performance, just like his presence, radiated happiness, lightness and depth turning the crowd ecstatic.The Big Band will be performing at the annual Summer Stage/Charlie Parker festival this summer.

#WJF10: Day 4.

The Jazzfest marathon started on Friday, drawing close to 5,000 people to music venues scattered around Greenwich Village. The first show I saw was Melissa Aldana & “Crash Trio” at Le Poisson Rouge.  Melissa Aldana is the first female saxophonist to receive a prestigious Thelonious Monk award last year and her trio sounded beautiful! Her sound is deep, rich and mysteriously dark. It was unfortunate that I didn’t catch the full show, but given the format of the festival it is not surprising. Each band played a fairly short set, no longer than 45 minutes – it is just enough time to discover new artists and enjoy the ones you already know.

The next show on my list was Ches Smith Trio playing at the reception hall of the New York University Law School. Ches Smith was one of the most memorable discoveries for me this year. He is a very dynamic, experimental drummer and he blends jazz, rock and experimental music. His trio, with Mat Maneri on viola and Craig Taborn on piano, was unbelievable. I came back to see Ches Smith play with Mary Halvorson Septet, this time at Judson Church. And it I didn’t regret the decision even for a second.

The last show was the late night set by Roy Hargrove Quintet at Le Poisson Rouge.The only thing that was not enjoyable about this set was the number of people it attracted.

 

#WJF10: Day 5.

Saturday night started with Henry Threadgill’s “Ensemble Double-Up”, a tribute to a conductor Lawrence “Butch” Morris who died a year ago. In retrospect, it is not surprising that Judson Church was packed: it was an epic performance! The ensemble played two shows – the only exception during the festival – and the only time the audience was asked to leave after the set to ensure that other people could enjoy this terrific group. The all-star ensemble held everyone captivated for the whole hour.

The last show at Le Poisson Rouge – Big Chief Donald Harrison & Congo Square Nation -was phenomenal.

Coming from New Orleans, the band was swinging hard and Donald Harrison was alternating between blowing the sax, playing hand drum and telling stories in betweensongs.  The crowd was clapping, dancing and showing much love to this energetic band.

Mark Ribot’s Ceramic Dog with Mary Halvorson on guitar and Ches Smith on drums was incredible. It was definitely one of the sets I was looking forward to. Marc Ribot is a true master of avante-guard guitar, he defies labels, endlessly experimenting and mixing up genres and styles and it was by far a very memorable show.

The final destination? Blue Note for the late night set. The club hosted only two late night shows on Saturday night and there was quite a line waiting outside in the rain to get in. Luckily, people did leave and in the end I caught The NEXT Collective, wrapping up their set.

The very last band, Now vs. Now, put on a great show playing originals from their new CD, their sound was fresh and different and Jason Lindner was amazing on keys.

This was an amazing week, impossible to forget. I wish I could have been in different places at the same time. There was so much happening simultaneously that no matter where you went, you knew that you were missing another special performance. The excitement of discovering new artists is overwhelming, I do hope to see many of them again, perhaps in a slightly more intimate and relaxed setting.

Text/photos by Anna Yatskevich