The moving, engrossing, impactful, fiery words of the 20th Dodge Poetry Festival, held at NJPAC, comes to an end on Oct. 19. Poet, author, and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni will appear in a jazz atmosphere created by tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, nine-time Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride, and pianist Jeremy Manasia. Giovanni’s poetic words will dance in the rhythms of this musical quilt.
Since recording their first album together, “The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni” (2022), the poet and saxophonist have become somewhat of a collaborative team, recording their second album earlier this year, “Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies” (2024). This album selects some of Giovanni’s favorites—standards from the Great American Songbook, many of them originally composed for Hollywood classics, as well as some of Jackson’s own compositions. Their NJPAC repertoire for the afternoon will include music from their first gospel-oriented album and music from the movies, along with some originals. The performance begins at 2 p.m.
For more information, visit njpac.org. NJPAC is at 1 Center Street, Newark, N.J. This performance requires a separate ticket purchase.
Smalls, the tiny jazz club at 183 W. 10th Street in the West Village that spotlights exceptional musicians who, for whatever reason, are not on the jazz radar, will feature saxophonist Eric Person and his Quintet on Oct. 17, with two shows (7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.).
Person will be joined by trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, pianist Tim Regusis, bassist Adam Armstrong, and drummer Peter O’Brien. Person has played with a variety of jazz masters, from McCoy Tyner, Donald Byrd, John Hicks, Houston Person (their sax duet Person to Person), and Dave Holland. He’s also mixed it up with the rock and funk sounds of Vernon Reid and Bootsy Collins. Here, jazz lovers will experience the worthy musicianship of Person, who deserves more exposure in the Big Apple.
On Oct. 18, Smalls welcomes one of the few living legends of the bebop era: Detroit native vocalist Sheila Jordan. Her abled Quartet will feature guitarist Roni Ben-Hur, longtime bassist Harvie S, and drummer Billy Drummond. The NEA Jazz Master continues to enjoy a blissful career, having played many gigs in those early days with her friend and pianist Barry Harris in their native Detroit. Her vocals were the early sauce that contributed to bebop and scat stylings. She was a member of Charlie Parker’s band. Her early membership with the vocal trio of Skeeter, Mitch, and Jean (she was Jean), who sang versions of Parker’s solos, may have been the improvisational chart for the later trio of Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross.
If you have yet to witness Jordan performing live, doing what she has done best for more than seven decades, don’t miss out. Two shows, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
For more information, visit smallslive.com.
On Oct. 17, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame will honor Kenny Clarke, a bebop innovator and one of its pioneers along with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian, and Charlie Parker that was brewed at Harlem’s Minton’s Playhouse. He had a stint with the Modern Jazz Quintet and appeared on early recordings of Miles Davis. Clarke was instrumental in pioneering the use of the ride cymbal to keep time, rather than the hi-hat, along with the use of the bass drum.
The live performance by Carl Allen Quintet features trumpeter Eddie Allen, tenor saxophonist Keith Loftis, pianist Michael LeDonne, bassist David Wong, and drummer Carl Allen.
The same evening, at 9:30 p.m., the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame will honor Latin jazz salsa pianist Eddie Palmieri. The pianist, along with others, spearheaded the Latin revolution in New York City and particularly in the Bronx. If you lived in the Bronx in the 1960s (the projects, to be more specific) and you claimed hipness, it was mandatory to have Palmieri’s album “Azucar pa’ Ti” (1965) under your arm or his album “Bamboleate” (1967) with Cal Tjader.
Today, Palmieri is still breaking records with his many fans, who transform his live concerts into salsa fiestas. Live performance for the evening will include the gusto of musicians trombonist Conrad Herwig, pianist Hector Davila, bassist Luques Curtis, and drummer Camilo Molina.
For more information, visit jazz.org.
The 10th annual BRIC JazzFest, now a Brooklyn institution, will be in orbit Oct. 17–19. This year’s theme celebrates a decade of resilience, artistic growth, and genre-bending exploration. The 2024 BRIC Artist Curator is harpist Brandee Younger. She has evolved from a young and new musician in 2015 to an exploring, inventive musician whose artistry symbolizes the spirit of the festival.
The three-night marathon fest boasts established musicians, vibrant stride-makers, and newcomers. Some of the highlights from the impressive list of artists include Younger; NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz; multi-instrumentalist and composer Kassa Overall; NEA Jazz Masters Terri Lyne Carrington and Reggie Workman; Ebban and Ephraim Dorsey (20- and 21-year-old saxophonists and bandleaders); the Jungle; saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin; and conga player Joaquin Pozo, among others. Genres cross paths and even collide at the BRIC JazzFest.
For a complete schedule and tickets, visit bricartsmedia.org.
