Guitarist Peter Bernstein’s crisp, punctuated melodies are what caught the ear of organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, earning him a regular chair in his band. Dr. Smith often referred to Bernstein as his favorite guitarist. His masterful playing has earned him stints with Lou Donaldson, Mike LeDonne, and Larry Goldings, having recorded more than 30 albums as a leader and more than 50 more as a productive group member.
The Bernstein Quartet will make its way to the Village Vanguard stage for what will be an exciting five-night stand from March 5-10. He will be joined by pianist Sullivan, whose visions continue to expand; Sullivan Fortner, bassist Doug Weiss, who through his accentuated comps opens the groove; and Miles Davis alumnus drummer Al Foster. The threesome, with the exception of Fortner, are familiar band mates.
For tickets visit villagevanguard.com.
TransArt presents for March, a month of Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m. in the Gallery @ 107 for Rhythm Salon, a new weekly live music series featuring their artists in residence with special guests. March 10 features trombonist and composer Craig Harris Trio with bassist Melissa Slocum and poet Zakiyah Modeste; March 17 is the Duo of Double Bass with Christopher Dean Sullivan and Ken Filiano; March 24 will feature the Firey String Sistas: pianist Mala Waldron, cello Nioka Workman, violinist Marlene Rice, and bassist Beldon Bullock; and on March 31, master percussionist Chief Baba Neil Clarke Trio Plus.
The Sunday afternoon Salons take place at 107 Henry Street in Kingston, New York. Granted it is not Manhattan for such groups of this caliber, but the excitement is well worth the drive, train, or bus ride.
RSVP: info@transartinc.org or call 845-943-2900. Cover charge is $10 at the door.
The iconic saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins chose to lead piano-less groups out of expressive creativity. But out of necessity, Harlem’s little speakeasy jazz club Room 623 at 271 West 119th Street has been using its small electric keyboard donated by the club’s creative director, host, and MC Marcus Goldhaber.
Most recently, that little keyboard was upgraded to a brand-new Yamaha U1 PE upright piano, gifted by Harlemite and arts patron Stuart Holland. The unveiling and celebration was a big deal that summoned a varied list of invited guests and members of the press. In addition to remarks by the club owner and manager and the Holland family, the evening also highlighted performances by three of Harlem’s prominent pianists: Bertha Hope, Danny Mixon, and Luther S. Allison.
The story of how the club got the piano is an excellent example of, in Goldhaber’s words, how “Harlem works when Harlem works together.” Some time ago, Goldhaber put out the word that the club needed a piano. He received several messages from people offering second-hand instruments, but from experience, he felt that “secondhand pianos don’t always hold the action, they can’t sustain the tune.” About nine months ago, another email came from a patron who was willing to donate a piano. Goldhaber asked to see the instrument, but to his delight, Holland said he was thinking of purchasing a new piano for the space.
Holland, a member of Room 623 and a self-described student of history, was “impressed by the club’s efforts to keep jazz alive in Harlem, and he was inspired to give the piano to the club by his musical family: the Greenes, Hollands, Jacksons, and Teasdales.“My mother attended the High School of Music & Art when it was affiliated with City College of New York in Hamilton Heights,” Holland proudly recalls.“My Uncle Richard was heavily influenced by classical music. His daughters played violin when they were young.He compiled a list of Black classical composers and supported their careers in classical music. He was also an avid jazz fan and introduced me to some well-known artists. My great Aunt Thelma was a music teacher and piano instructor, and my cousin William Moore Jr. was an arranger for Tommy Dorsey in the 1940s and later wrote songs for The Peters Sisters from 1953 to 1960.”
With that background of music running through his family, it’s easy to see why Holland would consider such a generous donation. It is a perfect example of how Harlemites join forces to keep the musical legacy of the community alive and thriving.
“The piano is well-miked and mixed, and everyone’s really feeling this uplift of a dream come true,” Goldhaber says. “There’s a legitimacy that an upright acoustic piano lends to a jazz club. Having the acoustic sound spells out what people come out for. It becomes more palpable, and that joy is elevated for everyone.”
The club is underneath Brunch Harlem (formerly B Squared/Billie’s Black), owned and founded by Harlem-born restaurateur Adriane Ferguson and now co-owned by Joseph Bailey.
For more information on events, dining, membership and ticket prices at Room 623, please visit https://www.room623.com, connect on social media @room623nyc, call (212) 589-8979, or e-mail bluelight@623.com.
This week’s book is “Black Manhattan” by James Weldon Johnson (Alfred A. Knopf, 1930). When reflecting on the Black history of New York, and Harlem in particular, this may be the best book ever written on the community by a Black scholar, writer, resident, and, most importantly, a witness. As Johnson notes in the preface, “It has not been my intention to make this book in any strict sense of a history. I have only attempted to etch in the background of the Negro in latter-day New York, to give a cut-back in projecting a picture of Negro Harlem.”
Since we are wading in the history of Harlem, let’s go with suggested albums: anything by pianists James P. Johnson (composer and a pioneer of stride piano playing) and the legendary Art Tatum. You can refer to him as a genius, master, or even God, and that still doesn’t describe his masterful playing—maybe he was just pure magic.