The anticipation is over! Jazzcultural, the much-needed jazz club, recently celebrated its premiere with sold-out shows for the entire weekend. Located in the pulsating heartbeat of Times Square at 349 West 46th Street on the historical treelined block of Restaurant Row, it seems to be the perfect fit for hip jazz enthusiasts and theater crowd.
History buffs will linger in glee knowing they are only blocks away from the fabled West 52nd Street, once known as “Swing Street,” the block that had more boppin’ jazz clubs than anywhere on the planet.
Of course, I passed quite a few restaurants that actually piqued my interest as possible eateries before arriving at Jazzcultural. Some folks were hanging in front under the new awning and bright lights, joyfully lost in conversation. Just a few steps and I was inside being greeted by the manager, who escorted me past the bar on my left into the listening space where he offered me a few seats of my choice. All the seats upfront were occupied but be assured there’s no problem seeing performances from any angle or distance in the 90-seat listening room. Most importantly, the one-drink minimum was extremely reasonable, and non-drinkers weren’t penalized with overpriced fruit punches or forced to buy a beer to meet that special charge. “It was a pleasure being one of the first artists to play in Spike [Wilner]’s new club Jazzcultural, I felt very comfortable playing there,” said tenor saxophonist and composer Eric Wyatt.
This first sold-out weekend featured the Jesse Davis Quartet with pianist Spike Wilner, bassist John Webber, and the great drummer Lewis Nash. The band was in rare form. It was my first time seeing Davis, a riffing saxophonist, who knows his way around Thelonious Monk tunes and hard bop, the expatriate lives in Italy. When it comes to versatility, Nash is the man, with a firm grasp of how to integrate melodies in any direction, combining with Webber’s deep bass bellows, and with Spike’s weaving rhythms in the moment giving an understated force.
I found Jazzcultural to be very relaxed. The chairs and tables aren’t pushed together giving customers the sense they are rehearsing for their next life as canned sardines. After the set, there’s the option to leave or hang at the bar. Following the second set, I spoke with a few artists before stopping at the bar. Upon leaving I hung outside in front, talking to friends and meeting some new folks. This club, like Spike’s Smalls and Mezzrow, will be the new hangout for jazz folks. “Spike has picked up the ball for NYC jazz, he has a jazz reality that the other club owners lack,” said Wyatt.
Unlike most NYC jazz clubs, the room isn’t cleared out for each set, which allows for a friendly socializing atmosphere. Most of the crowd that evening were real jazz heads, not many tourists — though of course that is sure to change given the location. SSShhhhh! I think the spirits of those smooth hipsters have made their way from the dark stages of “Swing Street” to the new digs here at Jazzcultural. This space was originally Swing 46, the home of live music and dancing, a sanctuary for musicians, swing dancing and jazz fans. Do you suppose the spirits from both spaces have converged here to compare notes from beyond?
The raised platforms from the old dance hall had been removed, and the familiar Swing 46 bar remained. Spike demolished most of the old space and reimagined the back room as what he calls “almost like a theater,” as stated in w42st.com. Spike was familiar with the venue, having performed there on previous occasions. When the building became available, he reached an agreement with owner John Akhtar allowing him to make a clean break with a new lease and new liquor licenses.
Setting a new jazz standard, Jazzcultural will swing as a daytime cafe serving light-fare breakfasts, sandwiches, soups, and salads until 5 p.m. The jazz room will open at 7 p.m. No food will be served in the performance space, only in the cafe. That really does make a big difference — we have all been distracted in various clubs by scurrying servers taking orders and leaning over you. Food service will begin sometime during the end of April or mid May.
Like any creative artist, Spike thrives in the daring realm beyond structured jazz clubs with the same old format. His jazz clubs, Smalls and Mezzrow, have defied such goings on. Now all three have varied hours from breakfast and afternoon jam sessions to late night sessions that run until 4 a.m. He presents at least two different acts per night enticing serious intergenerational audiences.
Spike seems to be creating a jazz dynasty as the only independent or corporate club owner with three New York city venues to his credit. He seems to be the only proprietor forging his own path, pushing jazz performances in new directions.
On April 9-12, Jazzcultural presents Gregory Hutchinson’s Kind of Now, two shows at 7pm and 9pm. and David Gibson Quintet 10:30-11:30 p.m. (4/9 only); Jason Marshall Quartet (4/10-11only). For reservations visit smallslive.com.
Pianist, composer, arranger, and exploring adventurer Orrin Evans recently blazed Birdland’s formalized jazz room with his conceptualized trio configuration of drummer Will Calhoun and guitarist Anthony Tweed. Together they played through blues, soul, black power, and straight-up electronica. His brother poet Todd Evans and sister, spoken-word artist Racheal Maianno, were special guests.
There were no black berets, no clenched fists, but the message was clear: It’s nation time, time to build political awareness, and time to instigate change,understanding and healing. “The message is always there, the idea of spoken word is something I will always push,” said Evans during a phone interview. “Sonia Sanchez was performing with me in 2000 which is a result of my growing up with the Black Arts Movement and Amiri Baraka.”
Rachael drops dagger lyrics like “Hear the sound of justice/Among Just us/share this justice farther and farther than just us.” Black man you ain’t free/the fight has been nullified/wrongly imprisoning me I am free serving life infused with a few bars of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
The poet expressed “I write cause I can’t take it anymore/the melting pot is boiling over, it’s very hot.” As the words find solace in listeners’ hearts, Evans played invigorating improv piano. His deliberate rhythms called out, you can’t just sit. “Unfortunately, performers and writers don’t perform together as they once did but the art is coming back, that is why I invited my siblings to be a part of these performances.”
It was my first time hearing Evans sing, a beautiful ballad tinged with gospel blues dedicated to his mom Frances Evans, who was an opera singer. “The message can scare people but the message needs to be told,” said Orrin. “Also realize that everyone isn’t ready to hear it. When honoring truth there’s a potential for tears.” The young lady sharing my table, a tourist from Europe, actually cried.
Orrin’s music references our times, agitated tyranny in the global streets, precipitated by someone called president of the U.S. His Birdland performance served as a healing force, awareness of injustice that has never died and Hope, moved forward with his positive music energy.
The pianist noted he’s been shaping fusion/electronics into his sound since 2004 with his project Luvpark that featured a multi-dimensional large ensemble with Will Calhoun. “These are elements of performing I’ve been doing for a while. I have to remind myself to keep these things going,” said Orrin. “I knew Will would bring something that would fit. He speaks the same language regardless of what he uses — he speaks to the motherland Africa and that’s what I wanted.”
“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.” — Toni Morrison.