Avant Music News

From NYTimes.com:

Joe Lovano, jovial but focused, brought his tenor saxophone to his lips at Birdland on Wednesday night, taking charge without preamble or pause. With his first few notes he traced a syncopated vamp, quickly adopted by the bassist Lonnie Plaxico and the drummer Andrew Cyrille. Then Mr. Lovano pulled back, letting the groove lock in, and started splashing colors around: a plunging eighth-note line, a foghorn low tone, a fast chromatic scribble. He was making himself at home, with casual effort but concentrated effect.

Coming to NY’s ISSUE Project Room:

09/25 @ 8pm – Byron Coley and Andy Schwartz with Loren Connors
ISSUE Project Room presents author and poet Byron Coley reading from an unpublished novel about record collectors called ”Dominos”… with musical accompaniment by the legendary Loren Connors, plus a reading by former editor of “New York Rocker” Andy Schwartz. Click to Share on Facebook and other sites

09/26 @ 8pm – Alex Waterman reads Robert Ashley
a conversation with Robert Ashely, scored using one of Ashley’s early graphic scores, in memoriam…Esteban Gomez (1963) Alex Waterman is a founding member of the Plus Minus Ensemble, based in Brussels and London, specializing in avant-garde and experimental music. In New York he performs with the Either/Or Ensemble. Alex has worked with musicians such as Robert [...]

From NYTimes.com:

THURMAN BARKER/MATANA ROBERTS (Friday) The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians presents one of its sporadic New York concerts in two parts: Ms. Roberts, a younger member of the organization, performing a solo recital on alto saxophone, and Mr. Barker, a veteran drummer, leading his ensemble Strike Force, which largely consists of percussive instruments. At 8 p.m., Community Church of New York, 40 East 35th Street, Manhattan , aacm-newyork.com; $25; $12 for students. (Chinen)20090924

? ORNETTE COLEMAN (Saturday) At 79, Mr. Coleman is still playing his alto saxophone with fire and scintillating purpose, and he has developed his working band — with Al MacDowell on electric bass, Tony Falanga on acoustic bass and his son, Denardo Coleman, on drums — into a single ecstatic instrument. This will be Mr. Coleman’s first appearance under the auspices of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and almost certainly among the standout jazz events of the year. At 8 p.m., Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway , (212) 721-6500, jalc.org; $83 to $128. (Chinen)20090924

? FESTIVAL OF NEW TRUMPET MUSIC (Thursday) This admirably eclectic roundup of present-tense trumpeter-bandleaders, now in its seventh year, kicks off next week with a group led by the incisive Ambrose Akinmusire, winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2007 (when it was trumpet-focused). His band is first-rate: Vijay Iyer on piano, Chris Tordini on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums, with a guest turn by his fellow trumpeter Avishai Cohen. (Through Oct. 4.) At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan , (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; $25. (Chinen)20090924

FREESTYLE MUSIC SERIES (Wednesday) This weekly avant-garde series continues with several successive performances, including a 9 p.m. set by the saxophonist Stephen Gauci, with the bassist Mike Bisio and others; and a 10 p.m. set with the trombonist Ben Gerstein, the saxophonist Tony Malaby, the bassist John Hébert and the drummer Dan Weiss. Local 269, 269 East Houston Street, at Suffolk Street, Lower East Side , (212) 228-9874; $10. (Chinen)20090924

? HEAVEN ON EARTH (Wednesday) The name of this all-star supergroup may seem a stretch, unless your idea of heaven is a place where every solo raises the rafters, and funk reigns supreme. And if that’s the case, the lineup should already have you sitting up straight: James Carter on saxophones, John Medeski on keyboards, Adam Rogers on guitar, Christian McBride on bass and Matt Wilson on drums. The band is celebrating the release of its self-titled live debut, on the Half Note label. At 8 p.m., Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, Chelsea , (866) 468-7619, highlineballroom.com; $25. (Chinen)20090924

JOHN HÉBERT QUARTET (Friday and Saturday) “Byzantine Monkey” (Firehouse 12) is the new debut from John Hébert, a bassist of deep intuition and extensive experience as a sideman. He draws partly from the album here, in a weekend stand featuring Tony Malaby and Michäel Attias on saxophones, Adam Kolker on flute and bass clarinet, Satoshi Takeishi on percussion, and Mike Sarin on drums. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10, with a one-drink minimum. (Chinen)20090924

? NEW LANGUAGES FESTIVAL (Friday and Saturday) Now in its fifth year, this musician-run festival draws a range of left-of-center musicians under its umbrella. For this closing weekend the lineup is especially strong: on Friday the trumpeter Amir ElSaffar and the saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh engage in duologue (at 8:30 p.m.) before a collective performance by the alto saxophonist Pete Robbins, the bassist Mario Pavone and the drummer Tyshawn Sorey (at 10); and a set by the alto saxophonist and composer Tim Berne, playing a rarely heard suite by Julius Hemphill (at 11:30). On Saturday night the percussionist John Hollenbeck and the vocalist Theo Bleckmann start things off (at 8:30) before successive sets featuring the saxophonist Aaron Shaikh (at 10) and the Akoya Afrobeat Orchestra (11:30). McCarren Hall, 98 Bayard Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn , newlanguages.org; $10 per night. (Chinen)20090924

? EVAN PARKER (Thursday) A titan of the British jazz avant-garde, and one of the leading saxophonists in his idiom anywhere, Mr. Parker will be in residence at the Stone for the first half of next month. His first two sets provide a fitting introduction: at 8 p.m. he performs solo improvisations on soprano and tenor saxophone; at 10 he teams up with Richard Teitelbaum, on electronics. The Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $20 per set. (Chinen)20090924

DRED SCOTT TRIO/JDT/REUT REUGEV (Tuesday) Ropeadope, an indie label specializing in knockabout grooves, presents three bands next week as part of its continuing 10th-anniversary festivities. The Dred Scott Trio, led by its namesake pianist, will welcome a guest saxophonist, Kenny Brooks of the jam band Ratdog. JDT — shorthand for the Jason Domnarski Trio, also led by a pianist — will dig into a jazz-rock vein. And Reut Regev, an Israeli trombonist, will draw from her self-assured new album, “This is R*time,” with a three-piece band. At 9:30 p.m., Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village , (212) 967-7555, joespub.org; $12. (Chinen)20090924

TELLURIC CURRENTS SERIES (Friday and Saturday) Organized by the clarinetist Jeremiah Cymerman, this series presents intrepid improvisers in an industrial but companionable setting. Among this weekend’s highlights are a solo performance by the violist Jessica Pavone (Friday at 8 p.m.); a set by Mr. Cymerman, the pianist Anthony Coleman and the cellist Christopher Hoffman (Friday at 9 p.m.); another solo stand, by the drummer Ches Smith (Saturday at 9 p.m.); and an established duo of Jon Irabagon on saxophones and Mike Pride on drums (Saturday at 10 p.m.). I-Beam, 168 Seventh Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn , ibeambrooklyn.com; $10 suggested donation. (Chinen)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Jazz Listings (nytimes.com)
• Medeski, Martin and Wood: Radiolarians III (jambase.com)
• Firehouse 12 To Present The Matt Wilson Quartet September 25th (improvisedcommunications.wordpress.com)