AKSHARA PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE Plays Cornelia Street Cafe
By: Gabrielle Sierra Jul. 12, 2010
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)
(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/
Fri Jul 16
9:00PM & 10:30PM ARUAN ORTIZ: THE QUINTET
(Aruan Ortiz, piano; Jeremy Pelt, trumpet; David Gilmore, guitar; Rashaan Carter, bass; Eric McPherson, drums)
The Quintet, a group lead by the pianist Aruán Ortiz, is inspired by eccletic influences such as Afro-Cuban music, jazz, contemporary classical composition and visual arts, etc. as the impetus for generating musical material. The idea of creating an ensemble that pushes boundaries and expands the language of the music from the foundation of jazz has been Aruán's goal since its beginning. The Quintet strives to be a source for open-minded composers and musicians from different backgrounds to interact and create a multicultural language that can only be expressed by the sounds of contemporary music.
Jazz fans applaud, and novices mark your calendars. Aruán Ortiz, critically acclaimed Cuban pianist is a must see," New
York Post
Cover $20 http://www.aruanortiz.net
Sat Jul 17
9:00PM & 10:30PM TONY MORENO GROUP
(Tony Moreno, drums, cymbals, compositions; Ron Horton, trumpet; Marc Mommaas, saxophone; Johannes Weidenmuller, bass; Gary Varsace, piano)
This Quintet is composed around a very special group of musicians. Everyone is both a wonderful performer and composer and bandleader in their own right. The repertoire is based on originals contributed from various band members. In addition, adding some compositions from Paul Motian, Gordon Parish and perhaps some standards.
The drummer Tony Moreno seeks a supple flow in his music, but also a subtle tension...
- New York Times More info: www.mommaas.com www.ronhorton.com www.garyversace.com www.bassistis.com www.allaboutjazz.com
Cover $10
Sun Jul 18
9:00PM FRANK LOCRASTO GROUP
(Frank LoCrasto, piano; Greg Ruggiero, guitar; Thomas Morgan, bass; RJ Miller,, drums)
Frank LoCrasto, born and raised in Texas, has been hailed by the New York Times as "a pianist-composer of modernity and promise." Since graduating from the New Schools jazz program, he has racked up credits with the likes of Jeremy Pelt, Greg Osby, Jose James, and more. This new group will pay respects to jazz composers George Shearing, Thelonious Monk, Hoagy Carmichael and Bill Evans playing their compositions and arrangements.
"IF HE WASN'T BEFORE, FRANK LOCRASTO CERTAINLY IS THE MASTER OF INTELLECTUAL JAZZ NOW. DEVIN OUYE YAMANAKA, KWCW 90.5 - WALLA WALLA, WA
http://www.franklocrasto.com
Mon Jul 19
8:30PM INTERNATIONAL ORANGE
(Dave Phelps, guitar; Todd Isler, drums; Rene Hart, bass)
A voyage exploding with color, rhythm, and ambience, stopping at different world ports, never lingering too long. A ride with reverence for the masters, an emphasis on spontaneity. IO love's tomorrow.
Cover $10 http://www.internationalorange.bandcamp.com
(Uncle Murphy, guitar, vocals; Frank York, lead vocals, fiddle; Mandola Joe York, bass,vocals; Jon York, middle fiddle, vocals; Jeff York, electric guitar; Ratzo Harris York, bass)
The repertoire of the String Messengers is a mix of original material composed by band members as well as "classic" string band material from the likes of the Louvin Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Frank Wakefield, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Harry Smith's legendary Anthology of American Folk Music. Among the String Messengers originals you might be expected to hear are the true-to-life "Dumped On Valentine's Day," "The Heartbreak Diet," and "Better Off Bein' Lonely," the Herman Melville-inspired "Confidence", and the spirit-induced "Pastis." The band also traditionally closes every performance with its notorious philosophical diatribe "The Two Kinds of Men." The String Messengers are: Frank York, lead vocals and fiddle; Mandola Joe York, bass vocals and various double-coursed pluckables; Jon York, middle fiddle (a.k.a. "vy-o-la"); Jeff York, electric guitar and effects; Ratzo "Hatzo" York, bass; and Uncle Murphy, guitar and vocals.
Cover $10
Spoken Word
Mon Jul 12
6:00PM MONOLOGUES & MADNESS
Actors, time limits, laughter, tears, our floorboards are used to perfection.
An Evening of Original Monologues. No slamming, no judges, just great material, excellent actors and YOU.
Come See These Amazing Daredevils Perform Without a Net!!!
Tulis McCall, host. Cover $10 http://www.monologuesandmadness.com
Tue Jul 13
6:00PM STORYTELLING
Storytelling occurs the second Tuesday of the month
New York STORY Exchange
FORMAT: Special Storytelling Olio!
BOB BASEY & TRACY WRIGHT, KEN CORSBIE, LORRAINE HARTIN-GELARDI, NICHOLAS ZAHARAKOS, RAJ VARMA
Bob "Bobaloo" Basey, NYC's storytelling troubadour tells stories with music and song, accompanied by musician/songwriter Tracy Wright.
Ken Corsbie, the authentic and complete Caribbean Storyteller, stand-up comic, poetry performer, Dramatist - teller of personal stories/folktales - to sum up: an entertainer!
Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi spins "Tales of Imagination and Inspiration" that touch the heart!
Raj Varma is a New Zealand born Indian who came to America for love. Tonight he shares with you why he left Paradise for the Big Apple! www.thoseindianguys.com
Nicholas Zaharakos, a short story writer, cooks up O'Henry-style New York tales, flavored with a unique ethnic spice.
"...Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write for only in such response do we find truth." - Madeleine L'Engle (Reflections on a Writing Life)
www.barbaraaliprantis.org
Barbara Aliprantis. Cover $7 http://www.caribvoices.com
Wed Jul 14
6:00PM PERFORMANCE
(Jennifer Rawlings, comic, writer, filmmaker, and a kick-ass mom; Michèle LaRue, actress)
Award winning performer Jennifer Rawlings presents readings from her one - woman show " I Only Smoke in War Zones" - a collection of true stories from the battlefield (both at home and abroad.)
LaRue tours nationally with several one-woman plays--The Yellow Wallpaper (dramatized and directed by Warren Kliewer from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1890 feminist horror story), Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Monologue (Marie Jenney Howe's 1912 satire), Eve's Diary (Gayle Stahlhuth's adaptation of several Mark Twain stories), Places, Please, Act One, Kliewer's vibrant "poems around and about theatres," and a varied repertoire of American short stories written at the turn of the previous century. She has played over 200 performances of these productions in 12 states, from Maine to Oklahoma, Minnesota to Virginia.
In the vibrant tradition of Charles Dickens' public readings, Michele LaRue brings to life turn-of-the-century American short stories, by authors ranging from the well-remembered (Twain and O. Henry) to the undeservedly "lost" (Mary Wilkins Freeman, Alice Brown, Edith Wyatt ...). Michele's series of Tales Well Told is your great-great-grandparents' Selected Shorts.
In this, her fourth appearance at the Cafe, Michele presents Miss Jewett's Miss Esther's Guest: a sweet summer tale of country mouse meets city mouse ... with a twist.
Cover $8 http://www.michelelarue.com
Fri Jul 16
6:00PM SON OF PONY
The Friday night legendary open mic poetry series.
Arrive before 6 pm to sign up.
Kat Georges, host. Cover $7
Sat Jul 17
6:00PM TRAVELS WITH MA OWN SELF
(Deborah Latz, Writer, performer; Don Flagg, director; Daniela Schachter, piano; Oleg Osenkov, bass, guitar)
Deborah Latz , writer, performer; Don Flagg, director; Daniela Schachter, piano, keyboard; Oleg Osenkov, bass, guitar
In ‘Travels With Ma Own Self', Deborah Latz takes us on a whacky and wonderful odyssey through the Mideast and Europe told in story and song. From the mud baths in El Chama, to a wise old woman in Kalamata, to an insanely jealous opera singer in Rome, to nude modeling in Arles, and to finding herself plastered all over le Metro de Paris... Deborah leads us through a madcap journey while discovering that the three muses of her life have actually been guiding her way.
"A brilliant performance!"
"You will leave the theater, grab a taxi and head straight to JFK!"
Deborah is a renowned jazz vocalist, who has performed numerous times at Cornelia Street Cafe and has recently returned from a European tour promoting her sophomore jazz vocal album, ‘Lifeline'. Ms. Latz has had an award-winning career in dramatic and musical theater, where she garnered a "Best Actress Award" at the Jerzy Grotowski Theatre Festival in Poland for her one-woman performance of ‘Juliet'. She studied at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England and with avant-garde theatre director Anne Bogart in New York City.
Cover $15 http://www.deborahlatz.com
Sun Jul 18
6:00PM COLLABORATE
(a cast of thousands)
A semi-regular series where artists of different genres collaborate around a given theme.
Tonight It's all about FAMILY.
SET 1: Poet-writer Iris N. Schwartz, actor-director-writer David B. McConeghey, and actor-writer Mickey Pizzo perform prose and poetry
SET 2: Poet Jean Lehrman performs with cellist-composer Barry Kornhauser
SET 3: Poet Madeline Artenberg performs with guitarist-composer Nelson Alxndr
SET 4: Fiction writer-poet Thaddeus Rutkowski performs with percussionist-composer Peter Catapano
This time, we're not keeping it in the family.
Iris N. Schwartz, host. Cover $7
Mon Jul 19
6:00PM NEW YORK QUARTERLY
(Tony Gloeggler; Cindy Sostchen-Hochman; Jeanann Verlee)
A rare summer treat, an extra evening of Ted and the fine poets from the pages of one of our best literary journals.
Ted Jonathan, host. Cover $7
Videos