With the school year fast approaching, and the realization that I haven't left the state of Massachusetts all summer, I'm on the Boltbus down to NYC for a couple of days. The itinerary, beyond the usual seeacouplepeopleIain'tgottoinaminute (subject, of course, to radical change at any time) :
Music: Moition/Frisell/Lovano at the Vanguard tonight. (If you haven't seen them, drop what you're doing and go NOW. They're there for two weeks- no excuses.)
Tomorrow I'm going to try to hit the new LPR to see Nasheet Waits and the two trios he's involved in. Everything I see and here about the venue is so positive. (I thought about trying for the Zorn/Reed hit, but I dont' think I can handle that scene.)
Yoga: I hope to hit Yoga for the People and Big Apple Power Yoga, the new Baptiste affiliate in NYC.
On a totally unrelated note, it's the time of year where like so many other grunts, I put together my fantasy football team. I think I'm going to use the Facebook app this year, so if you're on facebook and want to form a league, let me know.
If you see me, please say hi. Suggestions are always welcome.
Showing posts with label New York is Now. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York is Now. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Monday, December 17, 2007
Ice and Hard Edges
This weekend I made a quick jaunt down to New York, to see a few friends, and catch some music, including Darcy's last hit of '07. Alas, mother nature intervened and cancelled all the buses, and I had to catch an early train to get back to Boston for a busy (and icy) Monday. I like these trips, beyond the excitement of New York, for a few hours uninterrupted to read and listen to music. That listening will bring some album reviews later this week, but first a few scattered thoughts.
I was at Stone last night for a performance by cornetist Graham Haynes and “sound designer” HardEdge (more on that later). I overheard the next piece of bad news- Downtown Music Gallery is moving from its Bowery location to a yet-to-be-determined new storefront. (Not coincidentally, you're starting to see empty storefronts. Something has to give eventually, and I hope, but doubt, that it's the rent prices) It is a victim of the continuing gentrification (I think that's too gentle a word at this point, how about baronizing) of the Bowery; their rent is being doubled. Manhattan continues to eat its young- even the East Village and the Lower East Side feel more and more like hipster caricatures rather than vibrant neighborhoods- signs on the subway advertise one bedrooms for “only $3K per month”. Meaning, realistically, you have to be making $70K minimum to live in what were tenements not too long ago. Huh? All of this has a predictable and chilling effect of the arts scene, which was one of the main attractions of the LES in the first place. The new gilded age.
This is the third or fourth time I've been to Stone this year, and while I appreciate many things about the place and the music it presents, I like the place less and less each time I go. Even great music isn't that fun to listen to there- the setting is so austere and cold, white walls and black ceilings, the musicians so nonchalant about the audience. I'm reading The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross, (fantastic, btw) and it reminds me of his description of Schoenberg's avant-garde scene in Berlin in the aughts. I think it's great that the artists and the music are priority one there, and agree with it, but does that inherently have to make it hard on the audience.
To be fair, I could've been at last night's gig on a high-end couch having grapes fed to me, and I'm not sure it would've increased my appreciation of last night's gig. (I should say I'm at the age where wearing sunglasses inside looks silly no matter who you are, so I wasn't predisposed for Mr. Edge from the get-go) HardEdge's sonic palate consisted of a lot of sounds that approximated radio noise, combined with very distorted and digitized voices- a very cold, very harsh aesthetic. Coming out of the beginnings of a snowstorm, it just reinforced the cold in my bones. Haynes contrasted effectively, with a deep rich tone on coronet enhanced by very wet reverb and delay effects. His material reminded me of very late Miles (i.e. late 80s) in its clear, clipped but warm approach. However, beyond this hot/cold bath, I wasn't finding much connection between the musicians for much of the set- occasionally HardEdge would fall into a bleepy groove, and Haynes would alternate between sitting in and floating on top of it lyrically. But mostly it hit my ears as a lot of noise, and not especially interesting noise at that. There was also a video artist, manipulating kaleidoscopic designs and wispy line patterns, sometimes over distorted images of the players. He was very in tune with what they were doing, and his interaction with them was fun to watch, thought they didn't reciprocate, or even really look at him. There was a second set, but a warm bed sounded better at the end of the first, especially with an ugly hail/snow starting to fall. .
Sometimes I'm beginning to think it's just me. I had breakfast with my friend who recently hung out with a colleague from my NEC days, one I haven't seen or played with at all in four years. She recounted his description of me, and said she didn't really recognize the person he was talking about. I did, and sometimes winced at his accurate descriptors, but it's not the same person who's playing and teaching and writing now. This is inevitable, I suppose; we all change, like it or not, and I'm much happier now than I was then. But I couldn't help but think- would that me have been more into last night, into Stone in general? More complimentary, or harsher about records I review, concerts I see? Does it matter, and how? I wonder...
I was at Stone last night for a performance by cornetist Graham Haynes and “sound designer” HardEdge (more on that later). I overheard the next piece of bad news- Downtown Music Gallery is moving from its Bowery location to a yet-to-be-determined new storefront. (Not coincidentally, you're starting to see empty storefronts. Something has to give eventually, and I hope, but doubt, that it's the rent prices) It is a victim of the continuing gentrification (I think that's too gentle a word at this point, how about baronizing) of the Bowery; their rent is being doubled. Manhattan continues to eat its young- even the East Village and the Lower East Side feel more and more like hipster caricatures rather than vibrant neighborhoods- signs on the subway advertise one bedrooms for “only $3K per month”. Meaning, realistically, you have to be making $70K minimum to live in what were tenements not too long ago. Huh? All of this has a predictable and chilling effect of the arts scene, which was one of the main attractions of the LES in the first place. The new gilded age.
This is the third or fourth time I've been to Stone this year, and while I appreciate many things about the place and the music it presents, I like the place less and less each time I go. Even great music isn't that fun to listen to there- the setting is so austere and cold, white walls and black ceilings, the musicians so nonchalant about the audience. I'm reading The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross, (fantastic, btw) and it reminds me of his description of Schoenberg's avant-garde scene in Berlin in the aughts. I think it's great that the artists and the music are priority one there, and agree with it, but does that inherently have to make it hard on the audience.
To be fair, I could've been at last night's gig on a high-end couch having grapes fed to me, and I'm not sure it would've increased my appreciation of last night's gig. (I should say I'm at the age where wearing sunglasses inside looks silly no matter who you are, so I wasn't predisposed for Mr. Edge from the get-go) HardEdge's sonic palate consisted of a lot of sounds that approximated radio noise, combined with very distorted and digitized voices- a very cold, very harsh aesthetic. Coming out of the beginnings of a snowstorm, it just reinforced the cold in my bones. Haynes contrasted effectively, with a deep rich tone on coronet enhanced by very wet reverb and delay effects. His material reminded me of very late Miles (i.e. late 80s) in its clear, clipped but warm approach. However, beyond this hot/cold bath, I wasn't finding much connection between the musicians for much of the set- occasionally HardEdge would fall into a bleepy groove, and Haynes would alternate between sitting in and floating on top of it lyrically. But mostly it hit my ears as a lot of noise, and not especially interesting noise at that. There was also a video artist, manipulating kaleidoscopic designs and wispy line patterns, sometimes over distorted images of the players. He was very in tune with what they were doing, and his interaction with them was fun to watch, thought they didn't reciprocate, or even really look at him. There was a second set, but a warm bed sounded better at the end of the first, especially with an ugly hail/snow starting to fall. .
Sometimes I'm beginning to think it's just me. I had breakfast with my friend who recently hung out with a colleague from my NEC days, one I haven't seen or played with at all in four years. She recounted his description of me, and said she didn't really recognize the person he was talking about. I did, and sometimes winced at his accurate descriptors, but it's not the same person who's playing and teaching and writing now. This is inevitable, I suppose; we all change, like it or not, and I'm much happier now than I was then. But I couldn't help but think- would that me have been more into last night, into Stone in general? More complimentary, or harsher about records I review, concerts I see? Does it matter, and how? I wonder...
Monday, May 07, 2007
Spider Senseless
I spent a few hours away from diminished scales and downward dogs this weekend to see SpiderMan 3. (I was a major league comic book geek in middle school, so most of the comic book movies have been required viewing. Except the pastel version of Batman, that was just silly. And Daredevil; I didn't know a film could be that bad) I won't bore you with a full review- briefly, pretty good, not great by any standard. Amazing effects, too many underdeveloped plots, ridiculous ending. But one thing relevent to this space caught my attention.
After a brief spin on Broadway, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst, doing her best acting of the series thus far, which I know is damning with faint praise) takes a job as a singing waitress at a club called the Jazz Corner. (This is fantasy New York, where geography doesn't matter, but it looks like one of those converted factory spaces in the West 20s.) This is interesting for two reason- one, the club looks like how I imagine the late lamented Detour if it were three times as large as it is, er, was. Long, somewhat dark, and a little dingy, with gorgeous, occasionally talented, singing waitresses. The music, at least as much of it as you hear, is mostly standards sung cabaret style (the two songs featured in the film are "They Say It's Wonderful" and "I'm Through with Love". Points for good songs that fit the movie.)
Second, except for one side character at the Daily Bugle, seemingly every single speaking actor in the film is white. (again, a fantasy New York, one that doesn't speak too well of the filmmakers.) But, magically, at the Jazz Corner 50% or more of the crowd is African-American. Again, something I've rarely seen at a jazz club south of Harlem. I don't know what that says about anything but it caught my eye.
For the record, Kirsten Dunst sings her own parts, and she's not good. Not good at all-. At least it makes the losing her Broadway role after three performances more believable.
After a brief spin on Broadway, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst, doing her best acting of the series thus far, which I know is damning with faint praise) takes a job as a singing waitress at a club called the Jazz Corner. (This is fantasy New York, where geography doesn't matter, but it looks like one of those converted factory spaces in the West 20s.) This is interesting for two reason- one, the club looks like how I imagine the late lamented Detour if it were three times as large as it is, er, was. Long, somewhat dark, and a little dingy, with gorgeous, occasionally talented, singing waitresses. The music, at least as much of it as you hear, is mostly standards sung cabaret style (the two songs featured in the film are "They Say It's Wonderful" and "I'm Through with Love". Points for good songs that fit the movie.)
Second, except for one side character at the Daily Bugle, seemingly every single speaking actor in the film is white. (again, a fantasy New York, one that doesn't speak too well of the filmmakers.) But, magically, at the Jazz Corner 50% or more of the crowd is African-American. Again, something I've rarely seen at a jazz club south of Harlem. I don't know what that says about anything but it caught my eye.
For the record, Kirsten Dunst sings her own parts, and she's not good. Not good at all-. At least it makes the losing her Broadway role after three performances more believable.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The B section
I'm a little late to this, but the Voice covered Take it to the Bridge's protest at New York City Hall. It's heartening to see the city councilor for the district step up.
The issues that are hitting the Lower East Side are very much at play here in Boston, and I wonder if similar solutions would help. I'll have to talk to my city councilor about it next time I see him. (I'm lucky enough to know my city councilor, who happens to be a decent guy and very supportive of the arts.)
The issues that are hitting the Lower East Side are very much at play here in Boston, and I wonder if similar solutions would help. I'll have to talk to my city councilor about it next time I see him. (I'm lucky enough to know my city councilor, who happens to be a decent guy and very supportive of the arts.)
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
frozen apples
Aren't nearly as tasty...
I think there are two kinds of ex-New Yorkers, a band I now count myself among. There are those that still enter the city ga-ga eyed, and continue to be swept away by its inherent scale and romance of the place. Then there are those who wax nostalgic about how it was when they lived there, and how much worse it is now. (It’s not limited by age; I hear folks my age saying things like I played (The Knitting Factory, Bar 54, Wetlands, Bradley’s, insert club here) when it MEANT something to play there. In other words, they put their old New York game face on whenever they go to visit. I try to avoid either extreme when I visit. That, and the extreme cold does tend to harden one's opinions, and this weekend was damn cold.
That said, I can’t help noticing…
Maybe it’s just because of the holiday weekend, bet the subway stops are cleaner than I remember then, and the trains even slower and more infrequent.
Speaking of Bar 54 (the one by the Letterman show), it closed. Damn, another venue gone.
By coincidence I ended up spending some time at the new plaza at Columbus Circle, or whatever they call it. What a facility, especially when I think about walking by the decrepit old armory that was there for years. Whatever you think about Jazz at Lincoln Center, the physical space and venues are spectacular, and the view is great. However, when I walk into the mall and Miles playing “Autumn Leaves” is coming at me, loud, in unusually high fidelity, I can’t help but feel like I’m being force fed.
I barely recognized the Village Voice by looking at it, or by its quality. I though the lead article- about the sexual (mis)adventures of a 31-year old man with developmental disabilities had no business being a lead article based on either quality of writing or subject matter. I had heard about all the cutbacks and generally bad editorial decisions being made, but hadn’t seen it myself. Yikes. The Boston Phoenix might be a better paper right now, something that was unfathomable five years ago. (I said might.)
I paid my first visit to Union Hall, a new-ish (to me, anyway) bar/performance space/bocce court in Park Slope. Yup, indoor bocce. Very, very hipster, but it still managed to be pretty hip. (Anywhere with Chimay on tap can’t be all bad)
In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty burned out on hipster.
By good luck David Ryshpen and I happened to be in the same neighborhood, and hit the early part of the jam session at Cleopatra’s Needle. It was my first time hearing Dave play live- we were both on Cruise Ship X, but not at the same time- and even in this somewhat limiting setting his imagination and command are evident. He auditioned at NEC, and I’m hoping we can pull him into Boston for a couple of years. I say limiting because at one point of the session the pianist was 6, and the drummer 13. And both of them acquitted themselves nicely. Not ready for a record contract, but certainly competent and musical well beyond any reasonable expectations of your average kid. I seem to hear this more and more often, and wonder what it means for this music in the future. Perhaps I’ll fold that into a forthcoming IAJE rant.
In the meantime, the home front beckons. Notable additions to the local gigs of note list include Monika Heidenman and band at Ryles tonight (oops), Sofia Kousivitkis and band at Ryles Saturday evening, Alarm Will Sound playing Colin Naracrow at the Gardiner on , and The Bad Plus at the MFA on Sunday afternoon. If I’m lucky I’ll make half.
I think there are two kinds of ex-New Yorkers, a band I now count myself among. There are those that still enter the city ga-ga eyed, and continue to be swept away by its inherent scale and romance of the place. Then there are those who wax nostalgic about how it was when they lived there, and how much worse it is now. (It’s not limited by age; I hear folks my age saying things like I played (The Knitting Factory, Bar 54, Wetlands, Bradley’s, insert club here) when it MEANT something to play there. In other words, they put their old New York game face on whenever they go to visit. I try to avoid either extreme when I visit. That, and the extreme cold does tend to harden one's opinions, and this weekend was damn cold.
That said, I can’t help noticing…
Maybe it’s just because of the holiday weekend, bet the subway stops are cleaner than I remember then, and the trains even slower and more infrequent.
Speaking of Bar 54 (the one by the Letterman show), it closed. Damn, another venue gone.
By coincidence I ended up spending some time at the new plaza at Columbus Circle, or whatever they call it. What a facility, especially when I think about walking by the decrepit old armory that was there for years. Whatever you think about Jazz at Lincoln Center, the physical space and venues are spectacular, and the view is great. However, when I walk into the mall and Miles playing “Autumn Leaves” is coming at me, loud, in unusually high fidelity, I can’t help but feel like I’m being force fed.
I barely recognized the Village Voice by looking at it, or by its quality. I though the lead article- about the sexual (mis)adventures of a 31-year old man with developmental disabilities had no business being a lead article based on either quality of writing or subject matter. I had heard about all the cutbacks and generally bad editorial decisions being made, but hadn’t seen it myself. Yikes. The Boston Phoenix might be a better paper right now, something that was unfathomable five years ago. (I said might.)
I paid my first visit to Union Hall, a new-ish (to me, anyway) bar/performance space/bocce court in Park Slope. Yup, indoor bocce. Very, very hipster, but it still managed to be pretty hip. (Anywhere with Chimay on tap can’t be all bad)
In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty burned out on hipster.
By good luck David Ryshpen and I happened to be in the same neighborhood, and hit the early part of the jam session at Cleopatra’s Needle. It was my first time hearing Dave play live- we were both on Cruise Ship X, but not at the same time- and even in this somewhat limiting setting his imagination and command are evident. He auditioned at NEC, and I’m hoping we can pull him into Boston for a couple of years. I say limiting because at one point of the session the pianist was 6, and the drummer 13. And both of them acquitted themselves nicely. Not ready for a record contract, but certainly competent and musical well beyond any reasonable expectations of your average kid. I seem to hear this more and more often, and wonder what it means for this music in the future. Perhaps I’ll fold that into a forthcoming IAJE rant.
In the meantime, the home front beckons. Notable additions to the local gigs of note list include Monika Heidenman and band at Ryles tonight (oops), Sofia Kousivitkis and band at Ryles Saturday evening, Alarm Will Sound playing Colin Naracrow at the Gardiner on , and The Bad Plus at the MFA on Sunday afternoon. If I’m lucky I’ll make half.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Little man in the big town
With the onset of school vacation for the local schools, I'm headed down to New York for a few days, to hear some music you just can't get here, connect with some old friends, and soak up a little of the city. The itenerary:
Tonight: still in Boston, I'm undecided between the Danielo Perez trio at the Regattabar, and traditional Irish superand Solas at the Somerville Theatre. I've seen both before, and they're both fantastic.
Saturday: thanks to a heads-up from Ethan, will hit the Malaby/Matana Roberts twin-bill at Stone.
Sunday: ???
Monday- Behearer interview #1 during the day, then up in the air for the evening.
Haven't decided on where to practice (yoga, that is). Hoping to check out the Dharma Yoga center.
Suggestions on both are most welcome.
Tonight: still in Boston, I'm undecided between the Danielo Perez trio at the Regattabar, and traditional Irish superand Solas at the Somerville Theatre. I've seen both before, and they're both fantastic.
Saturday: thanks to a heads-up from Ethan, will hit the Malaby/Matana Roberts twin-bill at Stone.
Sunday: ???
Monday- Behearer interview #1 during the day, then up in the air for the evening.
Haven't decided on where to practice (yoga, that is). Hoping to check out the Dharma Yoga center.
Suggestions on both are most welcome.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Destination Brooklyn
(I know this is a little slow in coming, but I got home from NYC in time to start apartment hunting, which ate my life this week. But it's over for now, I think)
I never know quite what to expect in a visit to New York anymore. I'd like to hear from others in who used to be New Yorkers, but are no longer, but I think it's a very different experience than a tourist or a rookie who's looking to move there. There's the excitement of being THERE, but also the nostalgia that comes with visiting any old haunt, and the feeling of being an anachronism- they put that THERE? (Case in point, the newish shiny Chase building at Cooper Union, and the scaffolding and red brick where CB's used to be.) I actually enjoyed this trip more, partially because I don't have any plans to live there again soon, and I don't feel quite so attached to any particular idea of New York. It's nice to come, and nice to leave again.
That said, some highlights. I stayed with old, old friend Tim Kiah, who as I write this is on his way to Europe on tour with Roy Nathanson's new project, a 4-star in Downbeat project no less. (Side note, if you had asked anyone who knew us as teens who of the five NYC-bound musicians at my high school who would stick, I guarantee Tim would've been #4 at best. We're all gone, and he's still there; goes to show you.) We had a great time catching up, and enjoying his great new apartment in Brooklyn. I also sat in with Citigrass, the "urban bluegrass band" he anchors. The "urban" part is covering tunes by Def Leppard, the Pointer Sisters, and Sisquo in a bluegrass style. I took an extended alto solo on the "Thong Song", trading 4s with the fiddle player. Even after eight months on the boat, that ranks as the most absurd musical experience I've had all year. That said, they all play great, and the music, food and company was a lot of fun.
Sunday night it was off to Park Slope to catch James Carney at his own Konceptions series at Bar 4, tonight in trio with Dan Weiss and Chris Lightcap. The bar itself is a nice, cozy place with good beers on tap and a little stage in front. (It also hosts a monday night series run by old friend and up and coming guitar player Mike Gamble.) I am an enormous fan of Jim's compositions, and he is a great pianist, facile and smart, so the gig was a pleasure. I think, though, I am a jinx on Jim; every time I go to one of his gigs, I seem to be one of six people or so, and last night was no exception, sadly.
Other highlights included the Union Square Farmers Market, which even so late in the season was teeming with people and great food, a visit with relatives I haven't seen in several years, and my first trip to Jikvamukti Yoga (that gets its own post later). Side note: Union Square has become yoga central in New York, with both Jivamukti and Prana Yoga, featuring Baptiste protege now rival Rolf Gates, Om Yoga, and a few other wmaller entries within eight blocks of each other. No lack of down dogs...
For those interested, the playlist for the journey was:
Ngyuen Le: Dancing on the Tiger's Tail (this one will get it's own post)
The Police: Message in a Box
Telephon Tel Aviv: Map of What is Effortless
Johnny Cash: American V: A Hundred Highways (via Tim)
Bill Frisell: Further East, Further West
Booker Little: Booker Little & Max Roach
I never know quite what to expect in a visit to New York anymore. I'd like to hear from others in who used to be New Yorkers, but are no longer, but I think it's a very different experience than a tourist or a rookie who's looking to move there. There's the excitement of being THERE, but also the nostalgia that comes with visiting any old haunt, and the feeling of being an anachronism- they put that THERE? (Case in point, the newish shiny Chase building at Cooper Union, and the scaffolding and red brick where CB's used to be.) I actually enjoyed this trip more, partially because I don't have any plans to live there again soon, and I don't feel quite so attached to any particular idea of New York. It's nice to come, and nice to leave again.
That said, some highlights. I stayed with old, old friend Tim Kiah, who as I write this is on his way to Europe on tour with Roy Nathanson's new project, a 4-star in Downbeat project no less. (Side note, if you had asked anyone who knew us as teens who of the five NYC-bound musicians at my high school who would stick, I guarantee Tim would've been #4 at best. We're all gone, and he's still there; goes to show you.) We had a great time catching up, and enjoying his great new apartment in Brooklyn. I also sat in with Citigrass, the "urban bluegrass band" he anchors. The "urban" part is covering tunes by Def Leppard, the Pointer Sisters, and Sisquo in a bluegrass style. I took an extended alto solo on the "Thong Song", trading 4s with the fiddle player. Even after eight months on the boat, that ranks as the most absurd musical experience I've had all year. That said, they all play great, and the music, food and company was a lot of fun.
Sunday night it was off to Park Slope to catch James Carney at his own Konceptions series at Bar 4, tonight in trio with Dan Weiss and Chris Lightcap. The bar itself is a nice, cozy place with good beers on tap and a little stage in front. (It also hosts a monday night series run by old friend and up and coming guitar player Mike Gamble.) I am an enormous fan of Jim's compositions, and he is a great pianist, facile and smart, so the gig was a pleasure. I think, though, I am a jinx on Jim; every time I go to one of his gigs, I seem to be one of six people or so, and last night was no exception, sadly.
Other highlights included the Union Square Farmers Market, which even so late in the season was teeming with people and great food, a visit with relatives I haven't seen in several years, and my first trip to Jikvamukti Yoga (that gets its own post later). Side note: Union Square has become yoga central in New York, with both Jivamukti and Prana Yoga, featuring Baptiste protege now rival Rolf Gates, Om Yoga, and a few other wmaller entries within eight blocks of each other. No lack of down dogs...
For those interested, the playlist for the journey was:
Ngyuen Le: Dancing on the Tiger's Tail (this one will get it's own post)
The Police: Message in a Box
Telephon Tel Aviv: Map of What is Effortless
Johnny Cash: American V: A Hundred Highways (via Tim)
Bill Frisell: Further East, Further West
Booker Little: Booker Little & Max Roach
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
New York is (finally) Now
After a month of procrastinating and delaying, I'm (finally) headed down to New York for a quick visit this weekend. The current plan is to hang with old friend Tim Kiah , maybe catch his band CitiGrass, and Sunday night hear the great and underappreciated James Carney at Bar4 in Brooklyn, and maybe catch the Evan Parker solo show at Stone. Saturday night is still open- haven't seen anything I like so far. Suggestions for musical ingestion are greatly appreciated.
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