In (early) observance of Martin Luther King Day, New York City was treated to a concert by two of the most joyfully fieriest jazz players the 60s and 70s produced, respectively: Andrew Cyrille and Oliver Lake. This took place in the performance space of Manhattan’s Museum For African Art, a small but impressive museum and store. Both fellows have played together off and on for years, most notably in the group Trio3 with bassist Reggie Workman, but tonight was devoted to the concept of the duo. T

Pianist/composer Andrew Hill has been on the fringes of the jazz scene for decades a flurry of activity, discs on Blue Note, Soul Note and Palmetto, then back to low profile-land. But if it’s quality not quantity you value, Hill fills the bill and then some. In recent years he’s taken to performing with a quintet or sextet, but for this go-‘round he has a big band, billed as The Andrew Hill Sextet +11. On this Saturday night, devoted fans filled New York’s small, elegant Birdland to catch th

The NYC jazz club/restaurant Iridium used to be located in the upper west side, near Lincoln Center now, it’s located near the heart of the bustling Times Square area. (For the benefit of those not familiar, the streets are lousy with people virtually ‘round the clock.) It’s at the bottom of a stairway, and has two levels of tables it sort-of reminded me of the old TV Show Playboy After Dark, where Hef would serve as host to a variety of talents. The menu consists of - well, there’s no way aroun

NYC-based trombonist Josh Roseman is of the newer generations of jazz players who’ll play in a funky groove-oriented band one night, a cutting edge avant garde group the next and a hard bop unit the night after that. In times past, most jazz musicians would find the stylistic "niche" in which they thrive the most and then stay there unto death. Without lacking anything in the commitment department, Roseman and many of his 20/30-something contemporaries joyously and unashamedly embrace many style

Composer/pianist Satoko Fujii makes it to NYC about once a year or so, so this show was indeed An Event. Though she lives in Japan (and she studied music at Berklee, incidentally), she's maintained a semi-regular American trio with Mark Dresser (bass) and Jim Black (bass), with who she's recorded several CDs on the Tzadik, Enja and Ewe labels. It was this trio that blew the roof off the mothersucka NYC jazz/etc. club Tonic on one otherwise calm 'n' cozy September night. Fujii has a nift