Issue #37
February 28, 2005
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ARTS All That Jazz by Sten Grynir A number of jazz events are coming up that are noteworthy. Neal Miner, the talented jazz bassist whose CD "The Real Neal" I reviewed in an earlier issue of New York Stringer (Neal Miner, November, 2001), is doing a series of performances at Small's, the jazz club at 10th Street and 7th Avenue. Tunes written by Neal and arranged by Chris Byars are the focus of The Neal Miner Sextet. Consisting bass, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone, piano and drums, the Sextet appeared at Smalls on October 25th and 26th, and will be appearing again on November 15th and 16th. Sextet sets begin at 10:00PM.
I attended the first set on October 26th. Neal's compositions, like his base playing, reflect a well-developed melodic sense, and are easy to listen to, unlike much of the jazz played today. Ease of listening doesn't mean unchallenging, however. Both melodically and rhythmically complex, these pieces reward the attention of the listener. My favorite number that evening was "A Clever Air", written for his girlfriend. This piece starts Latin, gets bluesy in the middle, returns to a Latin beat, and runs for a while in bebop mode. The melodic development negotiates the shifting styles smoothly. The excellent arrangement and solid professionalism of the sextet members made this and the other pieces of the set a delight to hear.
Another Small's event will take place November 3rd. Chris Byars will be leading a sextet in performing the music of Gigi Gryce, a jazz master who worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk and others. A biography of Gryce's life has been written by Noal Cohen and Michael Fitzgerald, who will be holding a book signing at this event. There will be two performance sets: 7:30 and 10:00PM.
Small's has a $10 cover charge.
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