Our man in NYC 3

CJ Intern's NYC Adventures Part 3: Lion Songs and Lion Kings, or Does This Emmet Guy Need Any More Internet Exposure?

By Jeremy Tsuei

Whew, we're two-thirds through. It's been a whirl - and there's a lot more to go. On the music front, I've had two out of what will now be six bass lessons - one with Neal Caine and one with Matt Penman, with Joseph Lepore, John Benitez, and some followup lessons on the horizon. I've also been to plenty of gigs...

Thursday: David Gibson Quartet

Another Smalls jam, this time featuring the trombone-led David Gibson quartet. Tight band and sound - Gibson mentioned that, unlike a lot of Smalls groups, these guys were a 'real' band (i.e. that they played together and rehearsed together, and weren't just together on that night on call). This one was fun, and we went well into the night. My intention was to get home earlier compared to the last late jam I went to, but that didn't end up happening...

Friday: The Lion King

Of course, I had to do the NYC tourist thing and get some cheap(er) last minute Broadway tickets. But hey - when in New York, do New York things, right?

The Lion King was one of the first - if not the first - musicals I saw, and I'm now well entrenched in Canberra's community musical theatre scene, so there's that. It's also where I learnt what an 'hour' was as a kid, after we arrived early to the theatre and were told we'd have to wait an hour. The Lion King, the film, is also one of those films that seems almost untouchable for me - certainly, I don't really get how someone could say that they dislike it. The recent remake can promptly be forgotten though...

Which is partly why seeing this musical was so good, especially after 20 years of growth and that cultural conversation of what The Lion King is and what it means. Unlike the recent CGI remake, the musical is unabashed in its use of artifice, and proudly displays its reliance on stage-craft - big puppets, colourful costumes, people pretending to be animals. The result is something that's much more abstract than either of the films, and a product which is able to pull so much more richly from ancient and contemporary theatre genealogy, including its South African heritage, Greek theatre, possibly a bit of Balinese theatre, and of course Shakespeare and modern Broadway. This is maximalist theatre in many ways (the puppets are incredible!), but minimalist too in the simplicity of its story, and its agreement with the audience to acknowledge that, yes we are at the theatre, yes we are watching artifice, yes we're watching a story about talking and singing animals, but through all that, and because of all, that there is something deeply and commonly human. For all the reasons I mentioned above I'm biased, but I gotta say - I shed the odd tear at a few points.

Saturday: Ornithology double bill

Two gigs at the adjoining Ornithology clubs tonight, including a late night jam. I didn't catch the name of the first, a sax/bass/drums trio who were playing in the Cafe Ornithology, but they were by far the most experimental group I'd seen so far - very Ornette-like in how upfront the saxophonist was. Angular and brutalist harmonic structures, with a lot of freedom sans a piano or guitar to provide chords.

Next was the Juanga Lakunza quintet, who played long, conversational tunes with a healthy dose of Latin and Afro-Cuban influences. I got to meet Oscar Perez (piano) and John Benitez (bass) afterwards - all really humble musicians who were really open with sharing their experiences and how they inform their artistry. Benitez in particular was using a full-sized double bass which just spoke and filled the room. This gig evolved into the late-night Jazz Dialogue Open Jam, and I made the rookie mistake of playing a song I didn't know - there were no hard feelings, but it was definitely a lesson well learnt...

Sunday: Ryo Sasaki with Bill Crow and Steve Little

Talk about jazz royalty! Bill Crow and Steve Little are legends - and apparently have been playing together since 1955! Neither were wearied with age, with quick tempos and strong tones on full display throughout the whole gig. Nothing especially complicated - but you could tell that their souls were just so intimately connected to the music they were sharing.  

I got to meet Bill, who's turning 97 in September, and he was a darl. I also got to play behind him when he went up to sing! What a treat - I'm still reeling from the fact that that happened. What a strange thing that can probably only happen in settings like this - veterans and new learners sharing the stage and creating music together on the spur of the moment. There is something about jazz and about these jam session formats which goes beyond countries, languages, ages, identities, and origins - a connectedness which I think we all wish we could get more of. 

Tuesday: Kenny Wessel and Emmet Cohen Trio 

Big gigs tonight. Kenny Wessel is one of the teachers at the Manhattan School of Music, and along with his rhythm section, he exhibited such a confident tone and command of the instrument, along with a real sense of lyricism and creativity. From Cole Porter, to some of his originals, to some Keith Jarrett, the collection of tunes was incredibly tasteful. 

Emmet Cohen Trio - what more needs to be said?

Well, first off, they're not like how they are online. Somehow, they're more. A friend of mine before I went off on this trip commented how he wasn't such a fan of Cohen's. To that I have to say - just listen to what these guys are doing. There is so much connection and respect for the jazz tradition, and the chops and connectedness are on full display. You get the sense that Emmett is a student and knows he's a student - standing on the shoulders of giants and all - but he's mastered being a student. The Ahmad Jamal comparisons have, of course, already been made.

These guys - bassist Phil Norris and drummer Kyle Poole along with him - went through songs, feels, sections with seeming ease. There was a 20-minute or so medley which stitched together several songs which just captivated. Emmet described the music as one of extremes - extremes of loud and soft, fast and slow, sensitive and intense - with the drive to find every gradient in between. That's a bold claim to make when classical music exists, but these guys sure went for it. A real expressive ride for the musicians and the audience - just this insatiable commitment to make art, and put it together at the highest standard (seemingly without breaking a sweat, of course). And we got some Christmas tunes with guest trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack at the end too!.

Other stuff!

Of course, it's not all been music - I've attached some photos of the beautiful hiking country around New York City and surrounds too for some breathing room.

And we'll need this breathing room, because we're going to need to hold space for the last week of my trip here. Lessons and gigs galore - we're definitely not easing up as we reach the finish line. 

But for the meantime - Jeremy the CJ Intern signing out...