Encore, Sort Of…
Review: Alex Slomka and Friends at Jazz on Jay; Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 See an artist twice in a short time and we notice different things. Seeing trombonist Alex Slomka at Jazz on Jay Thursday felt objectively different from his July show at the Van Dyck: different players except for bassist Lou Smaldpne who played…
Sliding Into Jazz on Jay
Preview: Alex Slomka & Friends at Jazz on Jay, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 Trombonist Alex Slomka reunites Thursday with bandmates from pre-COVID Albany shows. Alex Slomka “We often played at the Speakeasy 518 in Albany years ago,” he says, listing bandmates bassist Lou Smaldone, guitarist Shaun McCarthy and drummer Eric Binder. (Now sadly closed, the…
Birthday, 2 and 3
“Surprise!” tells of my surprise birthday party; but that was just part 1. My actual birthday Saturday began on son Zak-and-Charlotte’s nearby porch, holding their daughter/our first grand-baby Ophelia. She was eight days old the day I turned 80; the day between the birthdays of NRBQ founders Terry Adams and Joey Spampinato. That afternoon, I…
Elegant Voice, Fine and Flexible Trio
Review: The Kaitlyn Fay Quartet at Jazz on Jay; Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 Thursday at Jazz on Jay, Kaitlyn Fay said jazz-ified Broadway show tunes constitute her comfort zone, her bread and butter as a singer; and that songwriting is her scary frontier. She sounded confident in both, however, relying on her elegant, usually understated…
Thursday’s Schenectady Jazz Two-Fer; Both Free
Preview: The Kaitlyn Fay Quartet at Jazz on Jay at noon; and the SUNY Schenectady Faculty Jazz Combo with featured guest Jon Faddis at Music Haven at 7 p.m. Yeah, you can do both. Kaitlyn Fay Quartet: Vocals with Rhythm Section Kaitlyn Fay’s music celebrates connection; to family in childhood productions, to area players, and…
Blues BBQ Cooks at Music Haven
Review: Ronnie Baker Brooks, Misty Blues, and Mulebone Sunday Ronnie Baker Brooks claimed “I’ve got blues in my DNA” Sunday at Music Haven and made us believe. His blues DNA came from father Lonnie Brooks who brought the younger Brooks onstage at nine. Brooks also claimed B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy…
Surprise!
I’ll be writing “thank you”s until Thanksgiving. “Thank you for adding a few days onto your visit from Atlanta to be in town for this.” “Thank you for driving from Nazareth, PA with your wife and year-old baby.” “Thank you for smoke-screening/distracting me with a road trip to a terrific photo show at the Center…
Precocious, Then Polished, Powerful and Original
Preview: The Cribtet Plays Originals Thursday at Jazz on Jay The Cribtet didn’t form a band when they were still in their cribs, but they did start making music as teenagers. The son of area music teachers, drummer-leader Dan Jantson studied voice and cello in Bethlehem schools and didn’t play drums until freshman year. He…
Cool Universe, on a “Lovely Day” to Play Indoors
Review: Cool Universe at Jazz on (or Near…) Jay Like a smooth-jazz radio station in the room, Cool Universe charmed a good deal and awed some on Thursday at Jazz on Jay. An audience that has learned to be mobile followed them from the usual outdoor stage at Jay Square into the dry air-conditioned Proctors…
Cool Universe; Where Jazz, Classic Jazz and Modern Song Meet
Preview: Cool Universe Plays Thursday, July 30 at Jazz on Jay Bassist-singer Ben Odom leads Cool Universe, with keyboardist-singer Azzaam Hameed, drummer Jack Kelle and saxophonist Eric Walentowicz. “Our music is a mix of jazz and classic jazz and modern inflections of jazz on modern song,” says Odom. Ben Odom, bassist-singer with Cool Universe. Robyn…
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