Smoke Jazz Club, recently reopened and refurbished after being closed for over two years is again thriving as a destination for classic and modern jazz. The fall season comprises the following:
Thr-Sun Sep 1-4: Al Foster Quintet: Reflections (Smoke Sessions Records) CD Release
Chris Potter – tenor saxophone
Nicholas Payton – trumpet
Kevin Hays – piano
Vicente Archer – bass
Al Foster – drums
Available now on Smoke Sessions Records, Foster’s Reflections pays tribute and offers thanks to loved ones and mentors such as Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. Foster is well-known for his long association with Miles Davis. Foster’s life in music has numerous other highlights including important work with Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, and Joe Henderson.
Thr-Sun Sep 8-11: Eddie Henderson Quintet
Eddie Henderson – trumpet
Donald Harrison – alto saxophone
George Cables – piano
Gerald Cannon – bass
Lenny White – drums
Trumpet master Eddie Henderson’s “deft feel and plush sound made him a central figure in the worlds of jazz-funk and hard-bop in the 1970s” according to The New York Times. But the eternally youthful Henderson’s more recent recordings have also been widely acclaimed and prove that he is making some of the most important music of his career into his 80s.
Wed Sep 14: Steve Turre Sextet: Generations (Smoke Sessions Records) CD Release
Steve Turre – trombone & shells
Wallace Roney Jr. – trumpet
Emilio Modeste – tenor saxophone
Isaiah Thompson – piano
Corcoran Holt – bass
Orion Turre – drums
Steve Turre, an innovator on both the trombone and seashells, celebrates the release of his new album Generations (Smoke Sessions Records, TBR 9/16). Turre’s career includes work alongside music legends such as Ray Charles, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Woody Shaw, and he has consistently won both the Readers’ and Critics’ polls in JazzTimes, Downbeat, and Jazziz for “Best Trombone” and for “Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist (shells).” A versatile master and true jazz original, he’s equally at home on everything from swinging classic bop lines or conjuring Rahsaan over a deep groove.
Thr-Sun Sep 15-18: Vijay Iyer Trio
Vijay Iyer – piano
Harish Raghavan – bass
Jeremy Dutton – drums
featuring special guest
Graham Haynes – trumpet (Fri & Sat only)
Vijay Iyer was described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway.” He is also one of the most celebrated and renowned pianists and composers of the 21st century. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, among many accolades, and was named Downbeat’s Jazz Artist of the Year four times in the last decade. He was called “an American treasure” by Minnesota Public Radio and has been praised by Pitchfork as “one of the best in the world at what he does.”
Thr-Sun Sep 22-25: One For All
Jim Rotondi – trumpet
Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone
Steve Davis – trombone
David Hazeltine – piano
John Webber – bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
Originally influenced by the music of Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Art Farmer, and Benny Golson, the sextet One for All has been called “New York’s premier hard bop supergroup,” by Jazz Times. The band’s name is taken from Steve Davis’s composition and title track for Blakey’s final Jazz Messengers album, One for All.
Wed Sep 28: Micah Thomas Trio
Micah Thomas – piano
Dean Torrey – bass
Kayvon Gordon – drums
Pianist Micah Thomas is one of the emerging leaders of a new generation that is bringing fresh perspective and creative energy to the modern jazz tradition. In addition to leading his trio, Thomas is a steady member of the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet and the Giveton Gelin Quintet, and as a sideman for Ambrose Akinmusire, Lage Lund, Joel Ross, Nicole Glover, Melissa Aldana, Gabe Schnider and others.
Thr-Sun Sep 29-Oct 2: Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators CD Release
Elio Villafranca – piano
Steve Wilson – alto & soprano saxophone
Vincent Herring – tenor saxophone and flute
Alex Norris – trumpet
Edward Perez – bass
Dion Parson – drums
Mauricio Herrera – percussion
Cuban jazz pianist and composer Elio Villafranca celebrates the release of his latest album Standing at the Crossroads. This recording speaks about his own life experiences as an artist, growing up in the small town of San Luis, Pinar del Rio, surrounded by Congolese drums, educated in Russian classical music, while falling in love with jazz. Elio Villafranca leads his exciting group the Jazz Syncopators. Villafranca is a spellbinding pianist who has recorded and performed with master artists such as Pat Martino, Terell Stafford, Billy Hart, Paquito D’Rivera, Eric Alexander, Lewis Nash, David Murray, and Wynton Marsalis.
Thr-Sun Oct 6-9 Cyrus Chestnut Quartet
Cyrus Chestnut – piano
Freddie Hendrix – trumpet
TBA – bass
Willie Jones III – drums
Thr-Sun Oct 13-16 Bird & Diz: Dizzy Gillespie Celebration
Wed Oct 19: Amina Figarova Sextet
Amina Figarova – piano
Wayne Escoffery – tenor saxophone
Alex Pope Norris – trumpet
Bart Platteau – flutes
Yasushi Nakamura – bass
Rudy Royston – drums
Thr-Sun Oct 20-23: The Music of Monk: Hays/Lovano/Foster/Street
Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone
Kevin Hays – piano
Ben Street – bass
Al Foster – drums
Thu-Sun Oct 27-30: Russell Malone Quartet
Russell Malone – guitar
Rick Germanson – piano
Vincent Dupont – bass
Neal Smith – drums
Thr-Sun Nov 3-6: Charles McPherson Quartet
Charles McPherson – alto saxophone
Terell Stafford – trumpet
Jeb Patton – piano
David Wong – bass
Billy Drummond – drums
Thr-Sun Nov 10-13 Nicholas Payton Trio featuring Buster Williams & Lenny White (Smoke Sessions Records) CD Release
Nicholas Payton – trumpet, piano & Rhodes
Buster Williams – bass
Lenny White – drums
Fri-Sun Nov 25-27 Wayne Escoffery Quintet (Smoke Sessions Records) CD Release
Tickets are from $25 to $60. For more information and to make reservations, please visit SMOKEjazz.com.
Smoke is located at 2751 Broadway (between 105/106th Streets), New York, NY
