AKSHARA PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE Plays Cornelia Street Cafe

This Week At Cornelia Street Cafe Mon Jul 12 at 9:00PM AKSHARA PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE 

(Bala Skandan, mridangam, kanjira; Nitin Mitta, tabla; Arun Ramamurthy, violin; Trina Basu, violin; Amaili Premawardhana, cello)
Akshara is an exciting new percussion group rooted in Indian classical musical traditions. Comprised of virtuosic performers in Carnatic and Hindustani classical genres, Akshara performs an energetic blend of classical Indian melody and rhythm highlighted with solo and scale-based improvisations. The group performs original compositions by Bala Skandan, demonstrating the powerful and complex rhythmic structures inherent in South Indian classical music. The leading instrument is Mridangam, a double-barreled drum that produces a deep rich tone and played with both hands to produce powerful and complex rhythm patterns. Other percussion instruments include Tabla, the main Hindustani percussion instrument North Indian equivalent of Mridangam, and Kanjira, the South Indian frame drum with a bass tone. Melodic accompaniment is provided using Carnatic Violins and Cello.

More info: http://www.balaskandan.com/akshara.html
Cover $10

Tue Jul 13
8:30PM CHRISTIAN COLEMAN QUARTET
(Christian Coleman, drums, compositions; Mike Dopazo, alto saxophone; Broc Hempel, piano; Dan Fabricatore, bass)
Drummer Christian Coleman hails from Nebraska and moved to New York last summer. Since his arrival in New York, he has been steadily gigging throughout the boroughs, bringing his elegant sensibilities to the groups of Steve Blanco, Pat O'Leary and Amanda Monaco. His debut album, 5th St. Stoop, will be released this month and features Coleman's original compositions interpreted by a quartet that includes famed Australian saxophonist and Art Blakey alumnus Dale Barlow.
"Another aspect of Coleman's musicianship that adds to his improvisational ability is a unique blend: a very finely honed sensitivity towards other musicians combined with an independent exploratory streak that can urge fellow musicians onto greater heights."
- Caviarmusic.com

More info: http://www.myspace.com/christiancolemandrums
Cover $10

Tue. 10PM PETER BRENDLER TRIO
(Peter Brendler, bass; Rich Perry, tenor saxophone; Jeff Davis, drums)
Bassist Peter Brendler brings an exciting new trio to Cornelia Street Café. The group features Rich Perry on tenor saxophone and Jeff Davis on drums. The band will be exploring some daring new compositions which reflect Brendler's vast and varied influences and which were written specifically for this fantastic new trio.
Press quote: On Peter Brendler's playing with the John Abercrombie trio: "...able trio mate Peter Brendler played sensitive solos that were particularly well received by the audience." -Ralph A. Miriello (jazz.com)

More info: http://www.myspace.com/peterbrendler
http://www.myspace.com/richperrymusic
http://www.jeffdavisdrums.com
Cover $10

Wed Jul 14
8:30PM DAN WEISS TRIO
(Dan Weiss, drums, compositions; Jacob Sacks, piano; Thomas Morgan, bass)
Dan Weiss has proved indispensable to a number of groundbreaking bands, including David Binney's Balance, Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition and Quartet, Miles Okazaki's Generations group, Ohad Talmor's Newsreel, Rez Abbasi's ensembles and many more. But Dan also has a growing list of accomplishments as a leader. He has studied tabla extensively with Pandit Samir Chatterjee, and his 2005 release Tintal Drumset Solo and forthcoming Jhaptal Drumset Solo reveal an innovator's mind at work, as he transplants classical Indian rhythmic concepts to the drumset, a practice that has begun to inform his work in a wide variety of jazz contexts.
In addition, Dan's trio endeavors with pianist Jacob Sacks and bassist Thomas Morgan have been documented on their 2006 debut Now Yes When and the brand new Sunnyside release Timshel, which they gather to celebrate this week. The trio first played here in April 2008, and Dan returned for a fascinating duo encounter with Jason Lindner in September '09.

The New York Times Jazz Listings:
DAN WEISS TRIO (Saturday) "Dan Weiss is a drummer of adaptable flow and microscopic focus, as he has shown in a range of instrumental settings. His own working trio, with the pianist Jacob Sacks and the bassist Thomas Morgan, just released its first album, "Timshel" (Sunnyside), proof that Mr. Weiss is on equally sound footing as a bandleader."
More info: http://danweiss.net
Cover $10

Thu Jul 15
6:00PM HAVE SONGS, WILL TRAVEL
(Darcy Dunn, mezzo-soprano; Mark Singer, baritone; Mimi Stern-Wolfe, piano)
This program features the music of the legendary Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, and the beautiful and lyrical melodies of contemporary composer, Mira J. Spektor. They are sung by the husband and wife vocal team of Darcy Dunn, mezzo-soprano, and Mark Singer, baritone, under the musical direction of pianist, Mimi Stern-Wolfe.
Cover $10 (plus $ 10 Drink Minimum)

Thu 9:00 PM MATT DARRIAU AND PABLO ASLAN - WORLD TANGO PROJECT
(Matt Darriau, winds; Pablo Aslan, bass; Katie Down, flute, percussion, ukulele; Sam Bardfeld, violin; Jofre Romarion, bandoneon)
"A long time simmering collaboration between the clarinet world music maven Matt Darriau (Klezmatics, Paradox, Ballin' The Jack) and the argentine bassist and tango jazz pioneer Pablo Aslan (Avantango, Paquito D'Rivera, NY Tango Trio). They zero in on international 1930's tango songs as a point of departure. Expect no drums but lots of rhythm, a chamber jazz world music sound from the heart of Brooklyn..."
Cover $10 http://www.myspace.com/mattdarriau
http://www.pabloaslan.com/