Date: Thursday, January 5, 2012
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge (NY)

Review by Matt Cole

On Thursday, 5 January 2012, the Jessica Lurie Ensemble opened up a 4-band pre-2012 NY Winter Jazzfest concert at La Poisson Rouge with a very strong set, which was dominated by selections from her upcoming album, Megaphone Heart. Naturally, this band is led by multi-instrumentalist Jessica Lurie, who is known for her saxophone pyrotechnics in Living Daylights and The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet. In addition to Ms. Lurie on the saxophone, flute, and vocals, the band consisted of longtime JLE stalwarts Allison Miller on drums, Erik Deutsch on keyboards, along with frequent collaborator Will Bernard on guitar and a (so far) rare appearance by Chris Lightcap on double bass.

It is very hard to pin down the JLE with regards to genre or style. The band can go from Balkan sounds, to avant jazz, to rock, to gentle ballads and back again in the space of a set (and sometimes within the space of one song). All of the musicians are virtuoso players on their respective instruments, and have excellent listening and communication skills.

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CD review by Matt Cole

Artist: The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet
Title: Strange Flower
Cat.#: 884501405928
Label: Zipa! / Spoot Music
Genre: Jazz/Balkan Beat
Listen to and buy the CD

Strange Flower, recorded in June of 2010 and dropped this winter, is the 10th release by the The Tiptones Saxophone Quartet  (plus drums), the 6th since the band reformed in 2002, and the 2nd featuring the band’s current lineup of, Amy Denio  (alto sax, clarinet, voice),  Jessica Lurie  (alto & tenor sax, voice), Sue Orfield  (tenor sax, voice), and Tina Richerson (baritone sax, voice). Chris Stromquist (of Kultur Shock, Slavic Soul Party, and other fame) holds down the drums on this album.

The Tiptons are named for Billy Tipton, a successful big band saxophone player, pianist, and band leader who was born a woman but dressed and then lived as a man, in order to play the music that he loved without being relegated to novelty acts; except for a few family members and friends, most of Tipton’s friends and musical collaborators did not learn of his anatomical gender until after his death.

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Date: March 3, 2011 
Venue: Brooklyn Public Library’s the Dweck Center

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Reviewd by Matt Cole

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1. The O’Farrill Family Band w/Arturo O’Farrill, Adam O’Farrill, Zack O’Farrill, Ivan Renta & Shawn Conley

Date: Monday, September 6, 2010
Times: 7:30pm & 9:30pm
Venue: Dizzy’s Club – Jazz at Lincoln Center (Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor New York, New York 10023)
Ticket: $20
Genre: Latin Jazz

Arturo O’Farrill who is the son of  Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill is the leader and pianist of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Under his direction the group recorded the Grammy-nominated album Noche Involvidable in 2005, and Song for Chico in 2008. He was also a professor of jazz at The University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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