Miguel Zenón at the Zinc Bar
Imagine over 70 bands performing at five different venues in New York City over two nights. No, it’s not South by Southwest or Coachella, it’s the Winter Jazzfest, now in its eighth year. The festival is sponsored by BOOM Collective, Search & Restore, and Revive Music Group and looks to “invigorate NYC’s jazz scenes…by promoting and supporting young and deserving new jazz artists while bringing increasingly growing audiences to the music.” Considering that over 4,000 people attended the festival, myself included, I would have to say, “Mission accomplished.”
Due to a looming thesis deadline, I was only able to attend Friday night’s showcase, but what I saw was a jazz scene in full swing. My night started at Kenny’s Castaways with Ben Allison performing on bass with Jenny Scheinman (of Mischief & Mayhem, among other groups) on violin and Steve Cardenas on guitar. The tiny venue was packed so I was pushed to the balcony above the stage where people sat on the floor as well as on stools and couches. Allison joked that the last time he played at Kenny’s Castaways was in 1986 with a metal band, which was hard to imagine given the melodic, introspective original compositions the group played (one was inspired by Al Green, another by Dick Cheney). Most of the songs were off of Allison’s latest album, “Think Free,” which features Scheinman and Cardenas in addition to Shane Endsley (Trumpet) and Rudy Royston (Drums), and the crowd ate them up, clapping enthusiastically and puncturing the end of each set with heartfelt “YEAH!’s.” Don’t be too worried if you missed their performance—they’re headed to Carnegie Hall on February 3! And if you can’t make that concert, their May 9 performance in NYC with poet Robert Pinsky (who wrote a poem for Vassar’s sesquicentennial birthday) is sure to be interesting as well.
I then headed over to the Zinc Bar to catch the saxophonist Miguel Zenón. I got there a little early so I caught the end of a performance by Malika Zarra, a Moroccan singer who sweetly sings in Berber, Arabic, French, and English, and her worldly band. It was a good thing that I arrived so early as the space was quickly overflowing with people who couldn’t even see the stage. Zenón was playing with Luis Perdomo (piano), Hans Glawischnig (bass), and Henry Cole (drums) and largely featuring songs from his new album “Alma Adento,” which he calls the Puerto Rican Songbook. Their level of musicianship was incredible and all had plenty of solo time with which to show off—Glawischnig had a lovely solo on “Perfume de Gardenias” and “Silencio” was especially spellbinding. The night belonged to Zenón’s masterly playing and understated leadership, but Cole’s fiery drum solo was the most memorable moment. I’m not usually a big fan of drum solos, but even my jaw was on the floor, as my eyes remained riveted on Cole’s pained face. If you can’t believe that you missed this performance, check them out at Montclair State University in New Jersey on February 4.
After Zenón et al., I traced my footsteps back to Kenny’s Castaways to secure a prime seat for Rudresh Mahanthappa’s midnight set. I was lucky to hear the last couple songs played by Marika Hughes and her group Bottom Heavy, whose sound can best be described as blues rock meets jazz through Hughes’s soulful voice and genre-bending approach to the cello. They’re tight, but in a fun and funky way and will be back in NYC on February 21 at Joe’s Pub. My last show of the night was Mahanthappa on saxophone, Rez Abassi on guitar, Rich Brown on electric bass, and Rudy Royston on drums (who also played on Ben Allison’s latest album). What do you get when you put together a classically trained African-American drummer, a Pakistani jazz guitarist, a young black bassist from Toronto, and an Indian saxophonist? Eardrum-blasting, heart-palpitating contemporary jazz that made the somewhat elderly woman sitting next to me squirm with excitement. Between songs, Mahanthappa revealed a sarcastic sense of humor. For example, he asked the engineer, “Can we put a little reverb on the horn? Not Kenny G., just Kenny Garrett. Don’t even turn the knob, just look at it.” He dedicated the song “Enhanced Performance” to Olympic athletes who took steroids and “breakfastlunchanddinner” to the Rent is Too Damn High political movement. The bass and drums worked well to create a tight rhythm section and the guitar and sax often doubled on the melody, which helped inflect the songs with some Indian flavor. Listening to Puerto Rican-flavored sax then Indian-flavored sax showed the versatility of the instrument and highlighted the differing artistic visions of its performers. At the end of the set, Manhanthappa told the packed crowd that they could find out more information about the group and future performances by checking out “YouTwitFace” and said, “If you want to ‘poke’ us, come talk to us.” They will be back in town for a performance at Carnegie Hall on April 21 to play the premiere of the Samdhi suite.
As for me, I went home exhausted but exhilarated with the prospect of new jazz albums to play on repeat. I’ll feature some on my show this Wednesday, January 11 from 8-9 p.m., but the rest I’ll leave up to you!
-Sarah Scott ’12, Program Director and Jazz Director
To read more check out the New York Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/arts/music/winter-jazzfest-with-herculaneum-and-erimaj-review.html?emc=eta1 and what NPR had to say about some of the artists: http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2012/01/04/144690488/5-bands-to-discover-at-winter-jazzfest.
]]>The Campus Current is featured in an article this week in the Miscellany News, Vassar’s campus newspaper. This week’s issue will be available around campus beginning Thursday, December 8th, but you can catch a sneak peek on their website: http://www.miscellanynews.com/2.1579/campus-current-offers-forum-for-discussion-1.2681209#.Tt_-864mC8E. As always, if you’re interested in being involved with radio journalism, e-mail Rachel at newsdirector@wvkr.org. The Campus Current’s last show of the semester was December 6th, but tune in Tuesday, January 31st at 5 p.m. for our first show of the spring semester!
]]>If you haven’t checked out Vassar’s homepage yet this year, it’s high time to visit www.vassar.edu. In honor of the college’s 150th anniversary, the website homepage has featured a new photograph every day with a link to more information about what event or historical period that photo represents. WVKR was featured the other day when a photo from the 1940s graced the homepage, showing students working together on the “Radio Workshop Committee.” Check out the photo here:http://www.vassar.edu/archives/2011/10/17. For more information about WVKR’s history, visit the Vassar encyclopedia here: http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/organizations-events-activities/vassar-radio-wvkr-fm.html.
-Sarah Scott ‘12, Program Director
]]>Before October break we talked with Thea Ballard, about her field work at a gallery in New York City, Kaylee Knowles, the head of the Vassar Feminist Alliance, and Zoe Van Buren, who spent the last summer in Alaska on an URSI fellowship. This week, on October 25th, we’re discussing Occupy Wall Street, the involvement of Vassar student’s in various capacities, and what this means for us as Vassar Students in a general sense.
On November 8th, we’re focusing on education and activism, with a summary of the lecture entitled “Education Under Siege: Race, Poverty, and the Mania of Testing in our Public Schools” given by Jonathan Kozol, the author of Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools, in the Chapel on November 3rd at 5:30 pm. We will also speak with graduating seniors, pursuing careers in educations, as well as speak with members of the Vassar After School Tutoring program.
On November 22nd, we have a show that is celebrating and complicating Thanksgiving. We will speak with Professor Molly McGlennan and students in the Native American Studies correlate program about indigenous peoples in America, as well as have WVKR DJ Carly, who does a storytelling show from 11am-12pm on Wednesdays, curate a series of Thanksgiving stories and memories.
We hope that at least something up there piques your interest, but more importantly, we’re also interested in you participating beyond just listening. If you have an idea for a show or interview, an organization doing interesting work, a professor writing a cool book, a student doing something extraordinary, let us know. Feel free to email me at newsdirector@wvkr.org if you had a great idea, or even if you’re interested in helping out. We’re hoping this can be outlet that both covers the many wonderful things happening on campus, but also for any budding radio journalists ready to get in on the action.
Hopefully in the near future we will have the prerecorded segments of the show available for streaming and download, as well as more information about our guests. In the mean time, every other Tuesday, 5-6pm, listen in!
]]>The duo seems to have tapped into something big. Slaats informed us today that the podcast, available on the show’s website, has had over 100 downloads in the last week. One listener even tuned in from Colorado, writing in an email: “Pretty amazing — from Poughkeepsie to Pueblo with a click.”
Matthew & Christopher in the Studio
Sounds like a great start for a new program. Keep it up Matt & Chris! You can listen to Dead Hare Radio Hour on Tuesdays 5-6pm.
]]>Let us know if you are going to SXSW, we will most certainly say hello.
See you in Austin and if you can’t make it, we’ll be tweeting our way through the extravaganza. That way we’ll always be in touch.
toodles,
WVKR
"omg killer new shows"
That’s right folks. Our NEW fall schedule comes complete with 9 new students shows. Here’s a quick preview:
On Sunday from 2-3 am join “Theater in the Sky” for music from where else? Musical theater. But it’s not just a greatest hits of Broadway: there’s lots of stuff you’ve never heard before.
On Tuesday from 2-4 am, we present “Wall of Sleep” with the very best of Stoner, Sludge and Doom metal. Slow, br00tal riffs to carry you through the hellish night. Turn it up loud.
As a change of pace, Tuesday from 9-10 am, “Dynamic Encounters” explores 20th and 21st century classical compositions for a little taste of the avant garde first thing in the morning.
On Thursday from 2-4 am, join Gabe for “Return to Cool,” a program featuring jazz cuts, primarily from the 1950s and 60s. Perfect for the late night.
Just a few short hours later, from 6-8 am on Thursday, we have “Atmos in Suspension” where Matt explores the cutting edge of post-rock as the sun rises.
Also new on Thursday from 9-10 am is “Sound on Film,” a collection of the last century’s best and often most obscure music from the world of film. WVKR is your new home for Morricone and porno jams.
Back in the late night, on Fridays from 1-3 am we have “Electron Microscope” with live-mixed electronic jams, both sprawling and banging from Scandinavia to New York.
Immediately following “Electron Microscope” we have “Pop Connections” from 3-4 am. Riley takes you through the pop music canon with a focus on new releases that relate in mysterious, or literal ways.
And finally, on Saturdays from 2-3 am, “Tripspotting” rounds out our new programming with a hour of new music of the electronic variety, featuring “trip-” and “hip-” hop.
WVKR: tune in, tune in, and tune in.
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