Smalls never fails to amaze me. There’s just something about the place that appeals to people – and I mean all people, not just the musicians who are integral, but to people from all over the world, all walks of life. There’s a vitality and essence that if you’ve not experienced it is hard to describe. Something warm. Something real. Something comforting and really human. Smalls is a lonely-hearts club – a place you can go alone and sit and be warmed by the friendliness and humanity of the place. You can stay late – you can live there. This is the ineffable essence of Jazz music – this human feeling. It’s what’s been lost in our corporate culture and in popular music of today where there’s no love. Jazz is about joy, fundamentally. It seems that everyone has something to say about this music – the word “jazz†has been maligned and vilified. Countless threads exist on Facebook about the word “jazz†– as if a word in itself has any relevance. And, love it or hate it, this word is now belongs to the culture of Earth and Humanity. Whatever it’s origins or original meaning, it now represents 100 years of culture – of great artists laying down their lives for the fundamental essence of Humanity, which is Love. Embrace our art, it’s vital. Protect our art, it’s essential. Come to Smalls and be warmed by the fires of this great music and the living tradition that still exists over one century to this very day!
Our Live Video Stream:
I have made the decision to take down the pay wall and make our live video stream free to anyone who wants to watch it. To all of the people who have been subscribers – my most profound thank you! You will not be charged again and your current password will continue to work. If you never had a password, go to the site and click on “live video†– you’ll need a valid email address. We will send you an email and there will be a link for you to click to validate. We anticipate the launch of our new site by the end of the spring. In our new site, all of our archived video and audio will be available for a subscription (the live stream will remain free). Revenue from these subscriptions will be pooled and distributed fairly to the artists based on how much they get listened to. Please spread the word and enjoy.
This Week At Smalls:
Monday:
We start our week with a pianist who has been a quiet force on the scene for years – Jon Davis. Jon is one of the most knowledgeable musicians I know and a truly amazing pianist. He’ll be coming in with his longtime bass player Gianluca Renzi and will be playing music from his CD “One Up Front. After Jon is the wonderful Ari Hoenig and his quartet which features Gilad Hekselman, Eden Ladin, Tivon Penicott and Noam Weisenberg. Afterhours is the domain of Spencer Murphy and his group.
Tuesday:
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house – Ned Goold will be playing the duet slot at 7:30 PM. At 9:30 PM will be your gracious host, me, and my trio with Yotam Silberstein and Paul Gill. For our afterhours we are lucky to have the wonderful bassist Tal Ronen and his trio to bring in the holiday in style.
Wed. & Thur:
This Wednesday and Thursday for our 9:30 PM show is the magnificent Peter Bernstein and his quartet. Peter is bringing in a stellar group for this two nighter and will feature the truly awesome Steve Nelson on vibraphone, Dwayne Burno on bass and the great Billy Drummond on drums. I’d say get here early for this one because it’s bound to be packed. Stick around for our “Round Midnight†concert on Wednesday which showcases drummer Craig Wuepper and his quartet with David Schnitter, Paul Odeh & Adam Cote.
Fri. & Sat:
Our 10:30 PM show for this weekend showcases the fiery talent of alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo and his quintet. Mike is a true phenom of the alto with a brilliant tone and an amazing energy. Matching him on trumpet is the fantastic Josh Evans. In the rhythm section is the creative Brian Charette playing piano (not organ!), Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Rudy Royston on drums.
Our 7:30 PM concert on Friday features the Smalls favorite Ralph LaLama and his trio “Bop Juice†with the legendary Clifford Barbaro on drums and Mike Karn on bass. Our 7:30 PM concert on Saturday showcases David Schnitter and his quartet with Spike Wilner, Ugonna Okegwo & Anthony Pinciotti.
Sunday:
This Sunday we have at 5PM another installment of our classical chamber music concert series. This time we have some veteran classical musicians including the wonderful cellist Lutz Rath and the amazing David Oei on piano. They’ll play Brahms, Beethoven and some other repertoire. At 7:30 PM is vocalist Mary Mackenzie and pianist John Chin presenting the music of John Harbison. At 10PM is the legendary Johnny O’Neal. For our “Round Midnight†we bring back Smalls old-time Charles Owens and his fantastic group.
As always, I urge you to do good deeds and be compassionate to others and yourself. Thank you for your support of this music and the club. Hope to see you at Smalls.
Spike
Mon. 12/23
Jon Davis Duo
7:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Jon Davis - Piano
Gianluca Renzi - Bass
Wed. & Thurs.
12/25 & 12/26
Peter Bernstein Quartet
9:30 PM to 12:00 AM
Peter Bernstein - Gtr
Steve Nelson - Vib.
Dwayne Burno - Bass
Billy Drummond - Drums
Fri. & Sat.
12/27 & 12/28
Mike DiRubbo Quintet
10:30 PM to 1:00 AM
Mike DiRubbo - Alto Sax
Josh Evans - Trumpet
Brian Charette - Piano
Ugonna Okegwo - Bass
Rudy Royston - Drum
Mon. 12/23
Ari Hoenig Quintet
10:00 PM to 12:30 AM
Tivon Pennicott - T.Sax
Gilad Hekselman - Gtr
Eden Ladin - Piano
Noam Wiesenberg - Bass
Ari Hoenig - Drums
7:30 PM to 10:00 PM - The Jon Davis Duo Jon Davis - Piano , Gianluca Renzi - Bass 10:00 PM to 12:30 AM - The Ari Hoenig Quintet Gilad Hekselman - Guitar , Eden Ladin - Piano , Tivon Pennicott - Tenor Sax , Noam Wiesenberg - Bass , Ari Hoenig - Drums , 12:30 AM to close - Afterhours with: Spencer Murphy Spencer Murphy - Bass ,
Tuesday, December 24th
7:30 PM to 9:15 PM - The Ned Goold Duo Ned Goold - Tenor Sax , 9:30 PM to 12:00 AM - The Spike Wilner Trio Yotam Silberstein - Guitar , Paul Gill - Bass , Spike Wilner - Piano , 12:30 AM to close - "Round Midnight With" The Tal Ronen Trio Tal Ronen - Bass ,
Wednesday, December 25th
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Tap Dance Jam! Hosted by Michela Lerman ($10 cover/Musicians free) Michela Marino Lerman - Tap Dancer , 9:30 PM to 12:00 AM - The Peter Bernstein Group Peter Bernstein - Guitar , Steve Nelson - Vibraphone , Dwayne Burno - Bass , Billy Drummond - Drums 1:00 AM to close - Afterhours with: The Craig Wuepper Trio and "Earsight" David Schnitter - Tenor Sax , Craig Wuepper - Drums , Paul Odeh - Piano , Adam Cote - Bass
Thursday, December 26th
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - The "Early Bird" Session hosted by: Zaid Nasser Zaid Nasser - Alto Sax , 9:30 PM to 12:00 AM - The Peter Bernstein Group Peter Bernstein - Guitar , Steve Nelson - Vibraphone , Dwayne Burno - Bass , Billy Drummond - Drums 12:30 AM to close - Round Midnight with: The Tyler Mitchell Group Tyler Mitchell - Bass ,
Friday, December 27th
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM ($10 for non-musicians) - FRIDAY AFTERNOON OPEN JAM SESSION 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM - Ralph Lalama & "Bop-Juice" Ralph Lalama - Tenor Sax , Mike Karn - Bass , Clifford Barbaro - Drums 10:30 PM to 1:00 AM - The Mike DiRubbo Quintet Mike DiRubbo - Alto Sax , Josh Evans - Trumpet , Brian Charette - Piano , Ugonna Okegwo - Bass , Rudy Royston - Drums 1:30 AM to close - Afterhours with: Lawrence Leathers Lawrence Leathers - Drums ,
Saturday, December 28th
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM ($10 for non-musicians) - SATURDAY AFTERNOON OPEN JAM SESSION 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM - The David Schnitter Quartet David Schnitter - Tenor Sax , Ugonna Okegwo - Bass , Spike Wilner - Piano , Anthony Pinciotti - Drums 10:30 PM to 1:00 AM - The Mike DiRubbo Quintet Ugonna Okegwo - Bass , Mike DiRubbo - Alto Sax , Rudy Royston - Drums , Josh Evans - Trumpet , Brian Charette - Piano 1:30 AM to close - Afterhours with: Eric Wyatt Eric Wyatt - Tenor Sax , Lawrence Fields - Piano , Eric Wheeler - Bass , Shinnousuke Takahashi - Drums
Sunday, December 29th
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings $20 entry - $40 to participate Marion Cowings - Vocalist 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM - Smalls Sunday Afternoon Chamber Music Salon Amy Kang - Cello , 7:30 PM to 9:45 PM - The John Harbison Project: Songs After Hours Mary Mackenzie - Vocalist , John Chin - Piano , Dayna Stephens - Tenor Sax , Joe Martin - Bass , Dan Rieser - Drums 10:00 PM to 11:30 PM - The Legendary Johnny O'Neal Johnny O'Neal - Piano , Paul Sikivie - Bass , Charles Goold - Drums Midnight to close - The Charles Owens Trio Charles Owens - Tenor Sax , Andrew Randazzo - Bass , Devonne Harris - Drums