SETS NIGHTLY AT 7:30 & 9:30
FRI & SAT, THIRD SET AT 11:30
SETS NIGHTLY AT 7:30 & 9:30
FRI & SAT, THIRD SET AT 11:30
Monday August 1
Mingus Big Band
Our acclaimed Mingus Monday series kicks off another stellar month with two exciting sets from the Mingus Big Band – winners of the 2010 Grammy Award in the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for their latest CD, Live At Jazz Standard.
Tickets: $25 - PURCHASE NOW
Tuesday - Wednesday August 2 - 3
ROBERT HURST QUARTET
In 2011, bassist/composer Robert Hurst’s protean accomplishments as in–demand sideman, film composer, and university educator led to the release of not one but two outstanding – and very different – new recordings on his own BeBob label. Bob Ya Head is an intriguing foray into world music and electronica, featuring Darryl “Munyungo” Jackson, Marcus Belgrave, and Karriem Riggins; UnreHurst Vol. 2 is an all–acoustic trio peformance recorded live in New York City in 2007, with pianist Robert Glasper and Chris “Daddy” Dave. For this much–anticipated Jazz Standard double–header, Hurst returns to the classic quartet format to play four sets of steaming straight–ahead jazz powered by the dynamic drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, and two rising stars in saxophonist Rafael Statin, from Hurst’s hometown of Detroit, and pianist Lawrence Fields.
Tickets: $25 - PURCHASE NOW
Thursday - Sunday August 4 - 7
DR. LONNIE SMITH NONET
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When Dr. Lonnie Smith led a blazing big band for some special New Year’s Eve appearances at Jazz Standard, Ben Ratliff of the New York Times said it “sounded superfine. What I heard operated on two settings: nasty funk and wine-dark ballads. That was enough…song after song, he dug a valley in the music and spread out…” Now the Doctor is IN with a brand–new nonet (or “little big band”) featuring top–shelf soloists like saxophonists John Ellis and Logan Richardson alongside Lonnie’s stalwart accompanists Jonathan Kreisberg (guitar) and Jamire Williams (drums).
Tickets: $30 - PURCHASE NOW
Monday August 8
MINGUS BIG BAND
The Washington Post says: “The best jazz orchestra in the world bears the name of the Mingus Big Band. A remarkable high standard of musicianship, energy and consistency!”
Tickets: $25 - PURCHASE NOW
Tuesday - Wednesday August 9 - 10
MAURICE BROWN EFFECT
The highly in demand trumpet virtuoso, Maurice Brown, takes a very short break from touring with the Tedeschi Trucks Band for a return engagement at Jazz Standard. He took another giant step forward as a player, composer, and bandleader with his 2010 CD, The Cycle Of Love (Brown Records). Maurice’s soulful melodies and infectious personality combine to create a soulful blend of sounds “from be-bop to hip–hop” with his tight–knit working group, The Maurice Brown Effect. His other impressive sideman credits range from Aretha Franklin and Roy Hargrove to Chicago jazz veterans Fred Anderson and George Freeman.
Tickets: $20 - PURCHASE NOW
Thursday - Sunday August 11 - 14
CARLA COOK QUINTET
Joel E. Siegel wrote in Washington City Paper: “It would be difficult to name a contemporary jazz singer with an instrument as arresting as Carla Cook’s rich, warm voice or one with such meticulous intonation.” Carla’s 1999 debut album, It’s All About Love, was nominated for a Grammy Award; its successor, Dem Bones, showcased “a singer resting comfortably in the arms of her band mates, who blow all around her, supporting her as she offers a unique and inimitable voice.” (DownBeat)
Tickets: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday - PURCHASE NOW
Monday August 15
MINGUS ORCHESTRA
Perhaps the most intellectually adventurous of the three active Mingus legacy bands is the Mingus Orchestra, with its singular blend of jazz and “non-jazz” instruments applied to some of its namesake’s knottiest compositions.
Tickets: $25 - PURCHASE NOW
Tuesday August 16
MANUEL VALERA & THE NEW CUBAN EXPRESS
Cuban pianist Manuel Valera represents the next generation of great performers and composers. His sound is fresh, inviting and evocative, and his goal is to forge innovative sounds that blend Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian with diverse styles and forms of jazz. Valeras latest MaxJazz release Currents features bassist James Genus and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Tonight Manuel brings in an explosive lineup calling them "The New Cuban Express." Described as "Jazz Cubano for Modern Times" and comprised of six prominent young musicians, this group features a contemporary compositional take on the music of the island of Cuba as well as original pieces. He leaves no doubt that he is destined to play a role in the future of jazz." (Philip Van Vleck, Billboard)
Tickets: $20 - PURCHASE NOW
Wednesday - Sunday August 17 - 21
AARON GOLDBERG & GUILLERMO KLEIN: BIENESTAN
In June 2011, a remarkable recording entitled Bienestan (Sunnyside Records) brought together two gifted pianist/composers, Aaron Goldberg and Guillermo Klein, with the former as featured soloist on songs written and/or arranged by the latter. (The two have been friends for two decades, dating back to their student days in Boston.) On Bienestan, The New York Times’ Nate Chinen heard “saxophonists Miguel Zenón and Chris Cheek exchanging meticulous phrases and vibrant solos” while “the full ensemble, with Matt Penman on bass and Eric Harland on drums, often shifts gears during a song, according to a sleek calculus of rhythmic modulation favored by Mr. Klein…The music is complex but never cold.”
Tickets: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday - PURCHASE NOW
Monday August 22
MINGUS BIG BAND
“Mingus gener¬ates and keeps generating such personal force that if you have been listening to jazz at all, it is almost impossible not to recognize his bass, his compositions, his small combos and his orchestras instantly. Like Duke. Like Monk. And like them, unlike anybody.” – Author Nat Hentoff, from his liner notes to Charles Mingus (Prestige 2–LP reissue)
Tickets: $25 - PURCHASE NOW
Tuesday - Wednesday August 23 - 24
EDMAR CASTANEDA TRIO plus special guest ANDREA TIERRA
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“A jazz harpist of imposing talent” (The New York Times), Edmar Castaneda transforms the unique and beautiful sound of the Colombian harp with his commanding technique and ingenious improvisations. Edmar has performed and recorded with Paquito D'Rivera, John Scofield, Trio De Paz, Lila Downs, and Chico O'Farrill’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra. Paquito D’Rivera calls Edmar Castaneda “an enormous talent” and “one of the most original musicians living in the Big Apple” – don’t miss his trio, with special guest vocalist Andrea Tierra, as they record live at Jazz Standard for future CD release!
Tickets: $20 - PURCHASE NOW
Thursday - Sunday August 25 - 28
CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIO
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Cyrus Chestnut began his musical training at age five and made his first public performance at age seven at his father’s Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Maryland; between 1994 and 2001, he released seven CDs for the Atlantic label. CC’s latest trio recording, Journeys (Jazz Legacy, 2010) showed that he “remains a distinctive original pianist whose work has continued to grow.” (Ken Dryden, AllMusic.com) “One hears in his smart stylings not only the gospel sounds at the root of his very being, but classic – some say nostalgic – jazz adorned with utterly uninhibited improvisations, flashes of pop and bop, whimsy and wit.” (Dan Rodricks, The Baltimore Sun)
**Due to storm conditions, and with the safety and well-being of our team and guests in mind, Jazz Standard will be closed Sat, 8/27 & Sun, 8/28. We are open for all 3 Cyrus Chestnut Trio sets tonight (Fri, 8/26)), and look forward to welcome you back next week with the Mingus Orchestra on Monday and the Ron Carter Big Band Tuesday-Sunday.
Tickets: $25/$30 Friday & Saturday - PURCHASE NOW
Monday August 29
MINGUS ORCHESTRA
With its unique blend of jazz and classical instrumentation, “the ten–piece Mingus Orchestra has all the depth and muscle needed to render the master bassist–composer’s tempestuous fantasias.” (Time Out New York)
Tickets: $25 - PURCHASE NOW
Tuesday - Sunday August 30 - September 4
RON CARTER BIG BAND (7:30 & 9:30 Only)
Throughout his illustrious career, the legendary Ron Carter has played it alljumping in headlong as an integral member of Miles Daviss classic 60s quintet, anchoring the groove for almost every CTI Records session in the 70s, then launching into multifarious new projects, including his cello-infused, chamber-jazz nonet and his piano-guitar-bass trio.
But in his lifelong calling to find the right notes that has spanned six decades, Carter had never recorded a big-band album. So, the time was ripe for the 73-year-old tall, slim maestro of the upright bass to break new ground. The result is the delightful and swinging album Ron Carters Great Big Band, set into motion by esteemed arranger Bob Freedman (who over the years has written arrangements of songs for many of Carters recordings, including Dear Miles, The Golden Striker, When Skies Are Grey and Peg Leg) and Somerled Charitable Foundation trustee Wendy Macdonald (who serves as producer) and featuring an all-star cast of supporting musicians.
In the liner notes, Dan Ouellette quoted Ron ruminating about a live performance with the group expressing: If we could play this live, the music would become even better. If we had a week to work on this material in front of an audience, it would be different every night. That would be something. Well, this week Ron Carters Great Big Band brings this stirring program to life only at Jazz Standard!
**Ron Carters Great Big Bandofficial release date is September 13, 2011 on Sunnyside Records, but the CD will be available at Jazz Standard during Ron Carter's August 30-September 4 engagement.
Tickets: $30 - PURCHASE NOW