Close Up Music Venue & Bar, located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side at 154 Orchard Street, the latest addition to the city’s landscape, is a relaxed, artist-driven jazz club dedicated to pushing the parameters of jazz to a boundless sky. Granted, some of the marquee names may not be familiar, but be assured they play on all cylinders with creative abandon. The venue offers performances six nights a week with jam sessions, cocktails, and a Venezuelan-inspired food menu.
On Nov. 28, the inventive duo of pianist Matthew Shipp and alto saxophonist Rob Brown will give a rhythmic close-up on how improvisation can be simultaneously unhinged and captivating. Two sets at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Brown, a native of Hampton, Virginia, studied two years at Berklee College before moving to Boston, MA., where he met pianist Shipp. His first issued recording was the duet with Shipp, “Sonic Explorations” (Cadence Jazz 1988), and since then has been actively leading groups or working as a sideman with Shipp, William Parker, Whit Dickey, Joe Morris, and Steve Swell. Shipp and Brown have been collaborating since their first recording. Their chemistry continues to evoke new equations flowing outside the realm of jazz.
Since the early 1990s, Shipp has appeared on dozens of albums as a leader, sideman, or producer. His piano has played prominent keys in a variety of bands such as Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory and David S. Ware’s quartet, along with bassist William Parker, and a succession of drummers that began with Marc Edwards. In 2001, jazz critic Gary Giddins described Ware’s quartet as “the best small band in jazz today.”
Shipp’s latest solo work, “Cosmic Piano,” on New York City’s (Cantaloupe 2025) label is run by the Bang on a Can performing arts organization, which has built a reputation on modern classical music tagged as “experimental classical” or “alternative classical.” It’s also known for collaborations across all genres. This unique organization offers Shipp a chance to present his music in a different context outside of his unwanted categorization as an avant-garde musician. “Cosmic Piano,” which runs for an hour, displays Shipp’s improvisational cosmic voice, solo piano, no accompaniment, no voices, just Shipp’s genius that keeps transcending us to a far-out galaxy where creativity rules.
Established in 2024, Close Up NYC offers audiences a journey through the genre’s history and dynamic present, inviting jazz aficionados and novices to experience the magic of live jazz. New York City jazz is more than just music; it’s a vibrant culture, that strut, the way you talk, the cadence that flows like a hip Miles Davis tune. From hip sounds of classic jazz to the innovative rhythms of contemporary styles, it’s a heartbeat that resonates through the city’s soul. For more info, visit closeupnyc.com.
The artistic foundation of jazz drumming was built on the innovative versatility and roaring veracity of three generations of pioneer drummers: Papa Jo Jones, Philly Joe Jones, and Elvin Jones.
On December 3, the young drummer Jonathan Barber pays homage to his influential drumming ancestors as he restructures their music in the moment of now; Jonathan Barber: Jones, Jones, Jones. With an all-star band and fresh takes on timeless standards, Barber delivers powerful solos, deep grooves, and a pulse that drives the ancestors’ music forward in colorful directions. forward.
Barber will be joined by trumpeter Bruce Harris, pianist TBA, saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and bassist Luques Curtis. The latter two, like Barber, are alumni of The Artists Collective, founded by legendary saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Jackie McLean and his wife Dollie McLean (in Hartford, CT.). They were under the tutelage of noted composer and saxophonist Rene McLean, who familiarized Barber and Curtis with jazz and African rhythms.
In addition to his first-call status as a sideman, Barber has recently stepped forth as a composer and leader with his Vision Ahead band, featuring saxophonist Godwin Louis, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, bassist Matt Dwonszyk, and pianist Taber Gable. Even with Barber’s history of high-profile gigs and recordings taken into consideration, DownBeat magazine calls Vision Ahead’s self-titled debut album his “greatest accomplishment to date.” Released on Rockwood Music Hall’s largest stage in May 2018.
This high-energy Jonathan Barber: Jones, Jones, Jones celebration honors the past while welcoming audiences of all backgrounds into the vibrant world of jazz. For reservations visit jazz.org.