The Goings-On

August 2018

The end of summer is in sight, although we now find ourselves in the depths of it.

As I mentioned in the previous installment of this series, I’ll be traveling to Beijing in late August to lead the Blue Note Beijing Jazz Orchestra in two performances celebrating jazz saxophone icons Lester Young and Charlie Parker (born 8/27/09 and 8/29/20, respectively):



Before then, I’ll be making a few appearances around town:

—Tonight, August 8, with MUTE at The Jazz Gallery. We go into the studio next weekend to document the music we’ve had in the book since the band came together (just about a year ago).

—Friday, August 10, with Juanma Trujillo at the Cornelia Street Café. Juanma just released a wonderful album, EL VECINO (check out the design by Flóres Soláno!), and we’ll be playing music from the album as well as some new songs.

—Thursday, August 16, with Brian Krock’s BIG HEART MACHINE at The Jazz Gallery. Brian is a woodwind specialist who writes ambitious music for small and large ensembles, blending new music notated complexity with a personal sense of melodicism and orchestration. I’ll be part of the 18 piece band celebrating the release of his album for large ensemble; you’ll see me on tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, and recorder (yes, my New York debut on recorder—not to mention the soprano).

The trio returns after a seasonal hiatus next month, with a performance of new compositions from this summer at Wonders of Nature in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (September 13, sharing the bill with guitarist and fellow NEC alumnus Max Light).

I’ll also be returning to Beijing in late September for special 2nd anniversary concerts for the venue, which opened in September 2016; the marvelous trumpeter Ingrid Jensen will be our featured soloist for the occasion.

That's all I've got to share with you for now. Thanks for reading and thanks for listening.

-KS