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NYC Winter Jazzfest 2016

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By Dan Bilawsky
January 19, 2016
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A midwinter's dream of an event that understands and emphasizes the hip factor in jazz of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

NYC Winter Jazzfest
New York, NY
January 13-17, 2016

If you make the rounds in New York City on any night of the week, during any week of the year, there's always an abundance of quality jazz to hear. But when NYC Winter Jazzfest takes hold, the cup truly runneth over. This massive annual event amplifies this already-vibrant scene, bringing it to critical mass while drawing in jazz fans, musicians, and industry members from near and far. Over the course of its existence, NYC Winter Jazzfest has grown in status, changing and evolving from insider's affair to institution, and, ultimately, becoming what it is today: A midwinter's dream of an event that understands and emphasizes the hip factor in jazz of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

The twelfth edition of this festival made that point just as well, if not better, than previous versions, appealing to catholic tastes and curious ears. With well over a hundred acts on the bill over the course of five days, attendees had the opportunity to create individualized listening itineraries that suited their interests and needs. There were notable stand-alone shows dotting the landscape—a triple bill kickoff at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Wednesday, January 13, featuring The Ex, the duo of bassist

Bill Laswell

bass
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Laswell and saxophonist

Colin Stetson

woodwinds

" data-original-title="" title="">Colin Stetson, and

Happy Apple

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Happy Apple; the Jazz Concert for Disability Pride at The Quaker Friends Meeting Hall on Thursday, January 14, bringing a slew of legends together for a worthy cause; and the fest-ending Channeling Coltrane, also at (Le) Poisson Rouge, with Rova's Electric Ascension featuring

Nels Cline

guitar, electric
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Nels Cline and an opening set from guitarist

Julian Lage

guitar, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Julian Lage—and the ever-popular Friday and Saturday marathons, with music filling a multitude of venues from 6pm until the wee small hours of the morning. There was also one unfortunate postponement—the highly anticipated concert from saxophonist

Kamasi Washington

saxophone
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Kamasi Washington, originally scheduled at Webster Hall on Thursday, January 14, had to be moved back to a late February date, as he was unable to travel due to an injury. But that notable snag couldn't dampen the spirit of NYC Winter Jazzfest. The show must go on, and boy, did it ever. Here's the scoop on one man's experiences over the course of the two marathon evenings:

Friday Marathon (January 15, 2016): "The Northbound Odyssey"

Those who've attended a NYC Winter Jazzfest marathon know that choice and opportunity become a double-edged sword. The one-ticket-covers-all-venues approach for the marathon event(s) allows for easy access to a tremendous amount of music, but there are far too many shows that deserve attention going on at the same time. Hard decisions have to be made as a route is sketched out, leaving some shows behind. It's a good problem, as this remains a pick-your-passion event with no wrong choices, but it's a problem nonetheless. For this writer, the ones that got away at the Friday Marathon were many and varied—drummer

Makaya McCraven

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Makaya McCraven, vocalist

Rene Marie

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Rene Marie,

Evan Christopher

clarinet
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Christopher's Clarinet Road featuring vocalist

Hilary Gardner

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Hilary Gardner, guitarist

James Blood Ulmer

guitar
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">James Blood Ulmer, bassist

Christian McBride

bass
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian McBride, trumpeter

Avishai Cohen

bass
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Avishai Cohen, saxophonist

Mark Turner

saxophone, tenor
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Turner, and drummer

Mark Guiliana

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Guiliana, to name just a few. With over sixty acts performing on a single night, you're guaranteed to miss a lot more than you see. But it's far better to appreciate and recap what was caught than lament what was missed.

The pathway for the evening—part planned, part spontaneous—turned into a northbound odyssey that started in Tribeca and ended at the border of Union Square. It began with a stop at one of the new participating venues—The Django, at the stylish Roxy Hotel. This cozy basement club played host to Chilean-turned-New Yorker

Camila Meza

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Camila Meza, who gave a powerful and entrancing performance in support of her forthcoming album—Traces (Sunnyside Records, 2016). Armed with guitar and voice, and accompanied by a killer unit featuring bassist

Linda May Han Oh

bass, acoustic
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Linda May Han Oh, drummer

Kendrick Scott

drums
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Kendrick Scott, and pianist

James Francies

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">James Francies, she delivered a set that spoke both to her adopted home and motherland. Her playlist included the title track from the aforementioned album, a winning take on Djavan's "Amazon Farewell," and a solo nod to Chile, all delivered with passion and dynamism. Unexpected harmonic shifts and metric twists were both part of the package, but they all served the music. Meza's reputation as a talented triple-threat—guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter/composer—proved true, and Scott was a force to be reckoned with. It was a brief but memorable show built on the marriage of stability and surprise. The Django, while off the beaten path at nearly a mile's walk away from the nearest participating festival venue(s), proved to be a fine addition to the mix, offering intimacy, great sound, and unobscured lines of sight.

The second stop of the evening was (Le) Poisson Rouge, where the ever-zany Sexmob—slide trumpeter

Steven Bernstein

trumpet
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Steven Bernstein, saxophonist

Briggan Krauss

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Briggan Krauss, bassist

Tony Scherr

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Scherr, and drummer Kenny Wolleson—celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Winter Jazzfest founder Brice Rosenbloom and his partner-in-production, Adam Schatz, spoke warmly and humorously in their introductions of this mercurial band, but the music did most of the talking. Bernstein and Krauss sputtered, spewed, and stammered out avant-melodic thoughts; Wolleson engaged his comrades and the audience with gong warfare and groove-making; and Scherr, by and large, played the straight man, holding things down with solid riffs while the aural shenanigans came from all other sides.

From there it was a short trip to Judson Memorial Church, where saxophonist

Dayna Stephens

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Dayna Stephens was getting ready with his band—3wi featuring

Sam Yahel

organ, Hammond B3

" data-original-title="" title="">Sam Yahel. Sound problems seemed to plague the group at the beginning of the set—guitarist

Gilad Hekselman

guitar
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Gilad Hekselman was visually displeased and the mix was a little off—but that didn't stop 3wi from exploring its sound to the fullest. Hekselman's liquid lyricism was on display for all to hear during "Like Someone In Love," drummer

Adam Arruda

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Arruda held everything in place, and Yahel and Stephens (on EWI) brought a distinctive blend to bear on the room.

That show was sparsely attended, but there was quite an audience for the follow-up event: a performance by organist Dr. Lonnie Smith's Evolution that, not surprisingly, proved to be the feel-good event of the night. The always-boomy acoustics of the church played to Smith's advantage, as his stylish smears, swirling sounds, and viscous chords filled the air. His set took off with a high energy "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," continued with "Straight No Chaser," and climaxed with "My Favorite Things" and a modulating soul winner that put guitarist

Jonathan Kreisberg

guitar
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Jonathan Kreisberg in the spotlight. Through it all, the drumming team of Jonathan Blake and

Allison Miller

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Allison Miller—flanking Smith and alternately working alone and together—provided incredible grooves and horsepower.

After spending a considerable amount of time at Judson Church, the night called for a change of venue, a different viewpoint, and another decent walk—a straight shot through Washington Square Park and up 5th Avenue to The New School's Tishman Auditorium. That's where the eagerly anticipated ECM Records showcase was taking place on both marathon evenings. At that point in time, the trio of drummer-percussionist

Ches Smith

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Ches Smith, pianist

Craig Taborn

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Craig Taborn, and violist

Mat Maneri

viola
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Mat Maneri was mid-set, delivering a series of outward bound chamber works that could be cunning, confounding, and/or caustic in nature. Smith moved between drums and vibes, delivering bedrock beats and questing/questioning statements; Maneri skirted expectations with his every thought and whim; and Taborn reminded the audience that the piano is both a construct of melodic and harmonic intent and a percussion instrument. Taborn's clawing and hammering attacks were startling, as were Smith's shifts in mood and Maneri's angular expressions.

The auditorium was near capacity for that show, and most if not all of the remaining seats were quickly occupied before the

Vijay Iyer

piano
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Vijay Iyer Trio took to the stage. That band's mesmeric set was filled with rhythmic crosscurrents, poetic-cum-powerful gestures, and hypnotic tidewaters. The emotion-rich music, which highlighted the deepening relationship between Iyer and his longtime trio mates—bassist

Stephan Crump

bass, acoustic
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Stephan Crump and drummer

Marcus Gilmore

drums
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcus Gilmore—was awe-inspiring. Once that set ended, the auditorium cleared out, leaving a much smaller listening pool in wait for pianist

David Virelles

piano
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">David Virelles' Mboko. Many, no doubt, anxiously rushed out to try to catch part of

The Bad Plus

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.2000

" data-original-title="" title="">The Bad Plus' "surprise" midnight show at Judson Hall; some, likely, went off to other venues; and more than a few probably called it quits—as this writer did—after a long and fruitful night of listening. After all, this two-day endurance event—like the marathon itself—requires pacing.

Saturday Marathon (January 16, 2016): "New Night, New School"

After a Friday full of trekking around, a change of plan was in order for Saturday. The new strategy, built both for interest(s) and comfort, involved gathering moss while exploring the Winter Jazzfest offerings at The New School. First up was an extended stay at the aforementioned ECM showcase. Bassist

Michael Formanek

bass, acoustic
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Formanek kicked off the evening with Ensemble Kolossus—a bold big band stacked with an incredible pool of left-of-center talent that included guitarist

Mary Halvorson

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Halvorson, drummer

Tomas Fujiwara

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Tomas Fujiwara, pianist

Kris Davis

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Kris Davis, cornet player

Kirk Knuffke

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Kirk Knuffke, and saxophonist

Chris Speed

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Speed, to name but a few. The group's lengthy set, which consisted of material from The Distance (ECM, 2016), truly had it all—free excursions, tightly executed unison work, braying declamations, clustered chords, small group interplay, and full band roar. It was a sonic epic that intelligently fused the act of surrender, the adoption of serenity, the brilliance of post-gothic architecture, and jazz in the key of strife. It was also the first of many Saturday night sneak peeks of what ECM has in store for the coming months and year.

Next up was

Theo Bleckmann

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Theo Bleckmann's Elegy—a yet-to-be-recorded project that will ultimately serve as the vocalist's leader debut for ECM. In short, it was an earthly encounter with an angelic vocal presence. The gleaming sonic haze of

Ben Monder

guitar
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Monder's guitar melded with Bleckmann's live looped vocals, pianist

Shai Maestro

piano
b.1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Shai Maestro built gentle pools of reflective sound, drummer

John Hollenbeck

drums
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">John Hollenbeck delivered everything from cymbal dusting to propulsive gestures, and bassist

Chris Tordini

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Tordini added to the ethereal mixture with his arco work. Bleckmann's electronic tinkering, masterful use of the microphone's full range of possibility, and poetic grasp of sound were all on display during this beauty of a set.

Saxophonist

Chris Potter

saxophone, tenor
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Potter, in keeping with the soon-to-be-recorded subtext, followed Bleckmann with his own new project—a quartet featuring pianist

David Virelles

piano
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">David Virelles, bassist

Joe Martin

bass
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Martin, and drummer

Marcus Gilmore

drums
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcus Gilmore. The auditorium was packed for this world premiere, and the band didn't disappoint. After delivering a strong, odd-metered opener with fluid tenor work and an impressive piano solo, the group moved in a variety of different directions. Potter went on to display his mastery of soprano as the semi-balladic follow-up took off, he took to his bass clarinet for a journey through a mournful pseudo-spiritual, and then he returned to his tenor to take the show to its conclusion. While this band is in its infancy, there was already a clear group identity stamped on all of the music. If this show is any indication, the album should be a real stunner when it arrives.

After spending three-and-a-half hours in the same place, it was time to stretch the legs and take a short walk down the block to The New School's jazz building. That's where the 5th Floor Theater—a compact little venue with space for less than a hundred listeners—could be found. Drummer

Will Calhoun

drums
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Will Calhoun's "Celebrating

Elvin Jones

drums
1927 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Elvin Jones" project was already at it, delivering a crowd-pleasing brand of music. Some of the material (early on) seemed to lack the oomph factor that only the late Elvin Jones could've given it, but the set, by and large, was a success. Trumpeter Keyon Harrold clearly came to play, saxophonist

Antoine Roney

saxophone, tenor
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Antoine Roney had his fair share of things to say, and Calhoun's tribal-cum-chopsy drum solo late in the set brought the energy level up to, if not beyond, the Jones level of intensity. The finale—a spirited performance of

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's immortal "Mr. P.C."—proved to be the perfect ending to the performance.

Pianist

Shai Maestro

piano
b.1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Shai Maestro's trio followed Calhoun's group there, performing music that was alternatively ruminative and restless. Drummer

Ziv Ravitz

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Ziv Ravitz's morphing beats pointed to everything from rock and jazz to EDM and drum and bass, with choppy broken phrases and steady-as-they-go grooves all working into the picture; Maestro alternately painted kinetic art and fragility across the piano; and bassist

Jorge Roeder

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Jorge Roeder proved to be a compelling presence, gluing everything together and speaking with clarity and emotion through his instrument. Their set, which included "When You Stop Seeing" from Untold Stories (Motema Music, 2015) and a medley of a brand new number and "Gal," was an entrancing escape into a world of wondrous sounds.

At that point in the evening—nearly midnight—a return to Tishman Auditorium was in the cards. After hearing the tail end of trumpeter Ralph Alessi's quartet show, the duo of pianist

Ethan Iverson

piano
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Ethan Iverson and saxophonist

Mark Turner

saxophone, tenor
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Turner closed out the ECM stage. This pair, nattily dressed for the occasion, delivered a set built around new music. "We Come From The Future" was the duo's nod to science fiction, with classically-infused arpeggiated notions and a sense of mystery working hand-in-hand; "Time And Tide" accentuated the after hours vibe in the room at the point, as the duo showed a keen understanding of the value of space and flow; "On The Beat," complete with finger snaps, was all about the art of movement and masking; and "Turner's Chamber Of Unlikely Delights" was Iverson's way of utilizing Turner's talents with difficult material. Iverson spoke between each number, setting up the performances with knowledge and humor, and he took the time to address the legacy of the late

Paul Bley

piano
1932 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Bley near the end of the set.

As with Friday, there were more than a few acts that were sadly missed—pianist

Fabian Almazan

piano
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Fabian Almazan, the

Sun Ra

piano
1914 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Sun Ra Arkestra directed by saxophonist

Marshall Allen

saxophone, alto
b.1924

" data-original-title="" title="">Marshall Allen, vocalist

José James

vocals
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Jos�� James, and guitarist

Rez Abbasi

guitar, acoustic
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Rez Abbasi were high on that list—but there were no regrets with the chosen ones. Both marathon evenings offered innumerable riches that pointed to the inclusive nature of this event and the musical equipoise at work in the programming. NYC Winter Jazzfest remains a boon to the New York scene and the entire jazz community. Long may it thrive.

Photo Credit: Bart Babinski

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