Welcome to Jazz Standard

THU - SUN MAY 1 - 4

Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet

Ben Riley – drums
Don Sickler – trumpet, arranger
Bruce Williams – alto & soprano saxophones
Wayne Escoffery – tenor & soprano saxophones
Jay Brandford – baritone saxophone
Freddie Bryant – guitar
Cameron Brown – bass

When drummer Ben Riley was enlisted to play on the 1964 Columbia recording sessions for the album It’s Monk’s Time, he’d never played with Thelonious Monk—not even a single rehearsal. But Riley was an experienced pro who’d worked with Randy Weston, Sonny Rollins, and Stan Getz. He readily met the demands of the leader’s thorny compositions and inimitable, unorthodox piano style for the duration of his four-year association and on such memorable Columbia albums as Monk. and Straight, No Chaser. The Santa Barbara Independent hailed the Concord CD Memories of T by the Monk Legacy Septet as “one of 2006’s best jazz albums,” noting: “Trumpeter Don Sickler’s cool arrangements cleverly divvy up the melodic material between players, and guitarist Freddie Bryant is a stand-out soloist.”

Tickets: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday

MON MAY 5

Ben Sidran’s “Talking Jazz"

Ben Sidran – piano, vocals
David "Fathead" Newman – tenor saxophone
Mike Richmond – bass
Leo Sidran – drums

Ben Sidran has been a consistent and dynamic presence in American popular music for over 40 years—from his mid-Sixties days with the Steve Miller Band to a long string of fine solo albums and his award-winning NPR program “Sidran On Record.” Through music and conversation, Ben Sidran’s “Talking Jazz” bring his listeners “up close and personal” with major jazz artists. Tonight, Ben will partner with the veteran saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman, whose illustrious career includes a ten-year association with Ray Charles during the Genius’ peak years 1954-1964.

Tickets: $25 plus tax

TUE MAY 6

Fleurine

Fleurine – vocals
Chico Pinheiro – guitar
Freddie Bryant – guitar
Doug Weiss – bass
Gilad – percussion
Special Guest: Brad Mehldau - piano

On the heels of her fourth and finest album, San Francisco (Sunnyside), this remarkable Dutch artist – who speaks and sings in six languages – makes a welcome return to our stage. The new CD is a tribute to three of Brazil’s finest singer/songwriters: Francisco “Chico” Buarque de Hollanda, Francis Hime, and Francisco “Chico” Pinheiro—and both Chico Pinheiro and the superb pianist Brad Mehldau will join Fleurine for this special one-night stand. In a Los Angeles Times review of her 2005 album Fire, critic Don Heckman wrote: “[Fleurine’s] emphasis is on musicality; in each case, her warm, enveloping sound and gentle, rhythmic drive transform the songs into something well beyond the original sources.”

Tickets: $20 plus tax

WED MAY 7

Pablo Aslan’s Tango Standards Quintet

Pablo Aslan – bass
Noah Bless – trombone
Oscar Feldman – saxophones & flute
Abel Rogantini – piano
Raul Jaurena – bandoneon

In 2007, bassist, bandleader and composer Pablo Aslan left New York to spend several months performing and recording in Buenos Aires. This experience led to the recording of his latest Zoho Music CD, Buenos Aires Tango Standards – a unique blend of tango and jazz in a program of tango standards like “El Pollo Ricardo,” “Verano Porteño,” and “Tinta Verde.” PopMatters.com calls Buenos Aires Tango Standards “an amalgamation of Argentinean feel and bebop sensibility: the art tango. Aslan has succeeded in bringing a tango idea to jazz and, in the process, bridging the gap between two cultures.”

Tickets: $20 plus tax

THU MAY 8

Marty Ehrlich’s Rites Quartet

Marty Ehrlich – saxophones, clarinet, flute
Erik Friedlander – cello
James Zollar – trumpet
Pheeroan akLaff – drums

For more than two decades, Marty Ehrlich has ranked among the most celebrated jazz artists of his generation. He is equally fluent on clarinet, saxophone, and flutes, and in 2004 he received a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in Composition. Jazz Standard is proud to present this exceptional musician with two different but equally stellar bands, beginning tonight with the Rites Quartet. “It would be hard to conceive of a player who sounds less like anyone else and more like he’s speaking directly through his horn than Marty Ehrlich.” (James Hale, DownBeat)

Tickets: $25 plus tax

FRI - SUN MAY 9 - 11

Marty Ehrlich Sextet

Marty Ehrlich – saxophones, clarinet, flute
James Zollar – trumpet
Ray Anderson – trombone
David Berkman – piano
Greg Cohen – bass
Matt Wilson – drums

Did we mention that Marty Ehrlich has performed with pianist Myra Melford in the Melford/Ehrlich Duo and with Andrew Cyrille and Mark Dresser in the “C/D/E” trio; was a Visiting Artist/Artist-In-Residence at Harvard and Dartmouth; and has appeared as a sideman with ensembles led by (among others) Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Chico Hamilton, Julius Hemphill, Andrew Hill, Oliver Lake, George Russell, and John Zorn? No surprise, then, that The New York Times calls Marty Ehrlich “one of the most versatile jazz musicians, in terms of style, of the last 40 years.” Tonight he leads a sextet with a three-horn front line, ace drummer Matt Wilson, and Ornette Coleman bassist Greg Cohen.

Tickets: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday

MON MAY 12

Ben Sidran’s “Fathers and Sons Talking Jazz”

Ben Sidran – piano, vocals
Mike Leonhart – trumpet
Jay Leonhart – bass
Leo Sidran – drums

This special edition of “Talking Jazz” brings together two generations of musicians: Ben Sidran and his son, percussionist Leo Sidran; and the veteran bassist and tunesmith Jay Leonhart and his son, trumpeter Mike Leonhart. (Jay’s other offspring is vocalist Carolyn Leonhart, a Jazz Standard headliner in her own right.)

Tickets: $25 plus tax

TUE - WED MAY 13 - 14

John Ellis & Doublewide

John Ellis – saxophones
Matt Perrine – sousaphone
Gary Versace – Hammond B-3, accordion
Jason Marsalis – drums

It doesn’t take more than the first minute of John Ellis’ third and latest CD, Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow (Hyena Records), to let you know that something wholly sanctified is about to transpire. With the low rumble of Matt Perrine’s sousaphone, the churchy swell of Gary Versace’s Hammond B3 organ, and John’s deep, soulful tenor moan, everybody’s bound to be (in the words of the title track) “All Up In The Aisles.” Songs like “Three Legged Tango In Jackson Square” and the brass band-flavored “Trash Bash” take John back to his musical roots in the Crescent City, where he studied with Ellis Marsalis, Harold Batiste, and Victor Goines. “New Orleans has always known how to live for the day,” says John Ellis, “and how to dance like there’s no tomorrow.”

Tickets: $20 plus tax

THU - SUN MAY 15 - 18

Taylor Eigsti Quartet

Taylor Eigsti – piano, keyboards
Julian Lage – guitar
Reuben Rogers – bass ( May 15th and 18th)
Eric Harland – drums (May 15th and 18th)
Harish Raghavan – bass (May 16th and 17th)
Greg Hutchinson – drums (May 16th and 17th)

Special Guests:
Edmar Castaneda – harp (May 15th only)
Donny McCaslin – tenor sax (May 18th only)
Dayna Stephens – tenor sax (May 17th and 18th)

“When I was 23, it was a very good year…” That’s the song Taylor Eigsti should be singing after 2007. His Concord Music CD, Lucky to Be Me, landed him on the covers of both JAZZIZ and Keyboard Magazine. The prodigiously gifted pianist made the DownBeat Critics Poll for the second consecutive year; was featured in his own BET Television special, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Jazz Solo. Taylor Eigsti has earned worldwide recognition for his innovative, intense improvisations and (more recently) his skillful integration of electronic effects with acoustic grand piano. Taylor's next album, Let It Come To You (Concord Music), his sixth album as a leader, will be released on May 6th, and includes guest appearances by saxophonist Joshua Redman and harpist Edmar Castaneda. Taylor's Jazz Standard engagement will celebrate the new CD release, and will include a complete performance of his latest compositional endeavor, Fallback Plan Suite, on Sunday night only (featuring Donny McCaslin and Dayna Stephens guesting on Tenor saxophones).

Tickets: $25 / $30 Friday & Saturday

MON MAY 19

Ben Sidran’s Talking Jazz

Ben Sidran – piano, vocals
Mike Mainieri – vibraphone
Mike Richmond – bass
Leo Sidran – drums

The third and final installment of “Talking Jazz” finds Ben and Leo Sidran in the company of two more outstanding players. Bassist Mike Richmond backed Miles Davis for his final Montreux appearance; played sitar master Ravi Shankar in Bombay, and was the original bassist of the Mingus Dynasty Band after Charles Mingus died in 1979. Vibraphonist Mike Mainieri was a jazz-rock pioneer in the late Sixties with Jeremy Steig & the Satyrs. In the Seventies, Mike founded the best-selling jazz/fusion group Steps Ahead; its leading alumni include Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Eliane Elias, Rachel Z, and Mike Stern.

Tickets: $25 plus tax

TUE - WED MAY 20 -21

Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra

Fred Hersch – piano
Ralph Alessi – trumpet
Richie Barshay – percussion
Jo Lawry – voice

Jazz Standard welcomes Fred Hersch in his fifth appearance on our stage following his fabulous Fall 2007 duo series pairing Fred with six different pianists. This double date marks the debut of Fred’s new ensemble, the Pocket Orchestra, a bass-less quartet that (in the leader’s words) “frees me to orchestrate for the group…it’s a showcase for my compositions, half of them with words and half without.” Fred’s latest CD releases are the ambitious Concert Music 2001-2006 (Naxos) and a new jazz trio recording, Night and the Music (Palmetto), with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Nasheet Waits. “…An intensity of intelligence and emotional directness unparalleled among his peers.” (Steve Futterman, The New Yorker)

Tickets: $25 plus tax

THU MAY 22

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet with the Imani Winds

Mike DeMicco – guitar
Chuck Lamb – piano
Chris Brubeck – bass, trombone
Dan Brubeck – drums
Valerie Coleman – flute
Torin Spellman-Diaz – oboe
Mariam Adam – clarinet
Jeff Scott – French horn
Monica Ellis – bassoon

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is an exciting jazz group featuring two members of one of America’s most accomplished musical families, drummer Dan Brubeck and bassist/trombonist Chris Brubeck. The BBQ has performed at clubs, colleges, and jazz festivals across North America and Europe including collaborations with the Utah Symphony and various chamber music groups. The quartet’s style is rooted in “straight-ahead” post-bop jazz, but in performance and on their latest album Classified (Koch International Jazz) the BBQ blends composed and improvised music while naturally integrating the influences of funk, blues, and world music. The centerpiece of the new album, a multi-part suite entitled “Vignettes for Nonet,” features the Imani Winds—the Grammy-nominated reed quintet that will join the Brubeck Brothers on our stage tonight.

Tickets: $25 plus tax

FRI - SAT MAY 23 - 24

Ignacio Berroa Quartet

Ignacio Berroa – drums
Xavier Perez – tenor saxophone
Robert Rodriguez – piano
Ricky Rodriguez – bass
t.b.d. – special guest

Upon arriving in New York in 1980, Ignacio Berroa (born 1953 in Havana) began working with Mario Bauza, who in turn introduced him to Dizzy Gillespie. Soon after, the drummer joined Dizzy’s quartet and later became a key player in such Gillespie-led ensembles as the Grammy Award-winning United Nations Orchestra. A severely abbreviated list of other Ignacio Berroa credits would include McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Jackie Mc Lean, Charlie Haden, Phil Woods, Michael Brecker, and Joe Lovano. Ignacio Berroa’s 2006 Blue Note label debut, Codes, was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Latin Jazz Album. “He is a gift to our music.” (Peter Erskine) “One of the greatest drummers of our time.” (Dennis Chambers)

Tickets: $30 plus tax

SUN MAY 25

Private Event

MON MAY 26

Closed for Holiday

TUE - SUN MAY 27 - JUNE 1

Terence Blanchard Quintet

Terence Blanchard – trumpet
Brice Winston – tenor saxophone
Fabian Almazan – piano
Derrick Hodge – bass
Kendrick Scott – drums

In 2007, Terence Blanchard took a giant step on his continuing creative odyssey with his Blue Note album, A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina). This beautiful and impassioned song cycle about the physical and emotional ravages launched by Hurricane Katrina upon Blanchard’s native city of New Orleans won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Also in 2007, Terence composed and recorded his forty-first career movie score, this one for the Kasi Lemmons film Talk to Me starring Don Cheadle. “He plays the most coolly expressive trumpet in jazz,” declared Vanity Fair, “transmuting the instrument’s repertoire of smears, growls, peeps, and blasts into an astonishingly fluid language both luxurious and controlled.”

Tickets: $30 / $35 Friday & Saturday

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