Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, New York City's hottest jazz club, is bringing style, elegance, and the best-in-the-business to the stage overlooking Central Park and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.
"To make the melodies swing, and the beats sing‹while creating one of the most carefree and comfortable listening environments in the world‹that is the wonderful mandate that we do our best to fulfill each and every night at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola," says Artistic Manager Todd Barkan. "Highlights of our Summer Nights '06 schedule include one of the most exciting bands in the world, the Joe Locke/Geoff Keezer Quartet; the second annual Latin in Manhattan Festival, featuring the radiant voices of Claudia Acuna and Grady Tate as well as a celebration of South American classics by the red hot Hilton Ruiz; and a steamy August cavalcade starting with the soul blues of the Eddie Durham Festival, two weeks with hard-bopping pianist-composer Cedar Walton, an appearance by the reigning monarch of jazz drums, Roy Haynes, and his Fountain of Youth Quartet, and trombonist Steve Turre's joyous salute to Rahsaan Roland Kirk with Dave Valentin, Billy Harper, Mulgrew Miller, Vincent Herring, and others."
Here's a rundown of the summer schedule at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola including the Latin in Manhattan Festival:
June 6-11: "Locke-ing Up the Keys"‹Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Quartet
Locke is considered by many to be the most gifted vibraphonist of his generation. His international reputation as a player, composer, band leader, and conceptualist has been further enhanced by the accolades he has received for recent touring and recording projects, namely his 4 Walls of Freedom (voted one of the top ten CDs of 2003 by DownBeat magazine), and his work in the U.S. and Japan with the Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Quartet. This unit's live performance at the Ballard Jazz Festival in Seattle was awarded the Earshot Jazz 2005 Golden Ear Award as Concert of the Year. Recently, Locke's recording Re-velation, a tribute to vibes master Milt Jackson, stayed at number one on Jazz Week's national radio chart for eight weeks. He has 20 recordings as a bandleader, and appears on more than 100 as a guest artist.
June 13-18: "The Philadelphia Story"‹Randy Brecker, Lew Tabackin, Eric Reed, Byron Landham, and Dwayne Burno
Tabackin is an artist of astonishing vision. His playing is at once virtuosic, cross-cultural, and passionate. In addition to being a leader in his own right, Tabackin has enjoyed stints with Elvin Jones, Donald Byrd, Cab Calloway, Clark Terry, Mel Lewis and Thad Jones, Duke Pearson and many others. He is married to jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi.
Brecker has been shaping the sound of jazz, R&B, and rock for more than three decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn performances have graced hundreds of albums by a wide range of artists from Parliament-Funkadelic to Frank Sinatra. In 1966 Brecker moved to New York City and quickly joined Clark Terry's Big Band, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, and the Duke Pearson Big Band with whom he recorded two albums. He also began his foray into jazz-rock by joining Blood, Sweat and Tears. Subsequently, he performed with the Horace Silver Quintet, then joined forces with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers before teaming up with brother Michael, and Barry Rogers, Billy Cobham, and John Abercrombie to form the seminal fusion group, Dreams, which disbanded in 1971. Brecker remains a highly influential, much in demand, and prolific sideman and leader.
An ubiquitous pianist, composer, and arranger, Reed grew up playing gospel music in his father's storefront Baptist church, starting at the age of five. He was bitten by the jazz bug at a young age after hearing recordings of Blakey, Ramsey Lewis, and Dave Brubeck. Reed started out in the bands of Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wilson, Clora Bryant and John Clayton. He attended Cal State Northridge for one year during which he toured briefly with Wynton Marsalis at age 18. A year later, Reed joined the Marsalis Septet (1990-91; 1992-95). He spent two years with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (1996-98) and also worked in the bands of Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson (1991-92). He continues to perform and record with an assorted multitude of masters from Wayne Shorter to Clark Terry.
June 19-22: Richard Galliano and The New York Trio
Galliano was born in Le Cannet, France, in 1950. In a search to expand his ideas on the accordion he began listening to jazz, particularly the records of the great Clifford Brown, and eventually wound up being tutored by Astor Piazzolla, who became his mentor.
June 23-25: Surprise special guest artist to be announced.
As the saying goes, "You never know who's going to show up at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola." Stay tuned.
The schedule for the rest of the summer is as follows:
June 27-July 2: Herlin Riley & Friends, featuring Reginald Veal and Eric Reed
July 3-9: The Club will be closed for renovations and maintenance.
July 11-31: Latin in Manhattan Festival, including The Claudia Acuna Quartet, Grady Tate & New World with special guests, and A Celebration of Ray Barretto & Hilton Ruiz
August 1-6: Eddie Durham Jazz Festival
August 8-13: Cedar Walton Quintet
August 15-20: Cedar Walton Quartet‹The Music of Eastern Rebellion
August 22-27: Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Quartet
August 29‹September 3: Steve Turre Septet
September also features the second annual Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival.
For reservations to Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, call 212-258-9595. For club listings and the complete Jazz at Lincoln Center 2006-2007 schedule, visit www.jalc.org.
Scott H. Thompson is Assistant Director for Public Relations at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
