Preview: Music Moves Indoors, or Onstage at Late-Season Festivals
A PLACE FOR JAZZ REVS UP STRONG
The Pilc Moutin Hoenig Trio of (mostly) European stars opens the 39th season of A Place for Jazz Friday in the Carl B. Taylor Auditorium of the SUNY Schenectady County Community College music school. Both pianist Jean-Michel Pilc and bassist François Moutin hail from Paris, though Pilc was raised in Montreal and teaches at McGill University’s music school.
Jean-Michel Pilc, piano; François Moutin, bass; Ari Hoenig, drums. Photo provided
Philly-born drummer Ari Hoenig trained in the jazz crucible at the University of North Texas, met Pilc and Moutin in New York in the mid-1990s and formed this trio. Recording their debut album and several others live onstage testifies to their performing power as intuitive collaborators.
Pilc also served as Harry Belatonte’s musical director and has composed film scores in addition to his own albums; and he received the French Jazz Academy’s Django Reinhardt Prize. His unique phrasing shows both elegant restraint and aggressive, Monk-like exploration.
The precocious Mouton started playing guitar at five and piano at 11 before switching to bass and teaming up at 29 with his twin brother-drummer Louis in a quintet that still performs and records. Moutin has played with jazz masters in traditional and modern styles, often showcasing a distinctive guitar-like upper register.
In addition to 13 albums as a leader since 1999, the versatile Hoenig has released five with Pilc and many more with such diverse artists as Macy Gray’s neo-soul, the string-band zip of the Jazz Mandolin Project and the globe-spinning curiosity of Armenian keyboardist Tigran Hamasyan.
This year, showtime is 7 p.m.; the format is two sets with intermission and the seating is general admission at $25, $10 for students with ID. Membership – check www.aplaceforjazz.org for details – offers package deal discounts.
This season’s concerts are in memory of the late, great Tim Coakley, longtime leader of the non-profit all-volunteer A Place for Jazz. Season underwriters are Joel Blumenthal and John and Donna Moroney.
While this year’s line-up may lack some categories familiar in recent years, no big band and no local acts, its range and quality remain typically impressive.
Oct. 2: Nicole Zuraitis Quartet. The young singer-songwriter-pianist scaled a top peak in jazz with the Grammy-winning (Best Jazz Vocal Album, 2024) “How Love Begins.” Her sixth album, co-produced with bassist Christian McBride, this marks the first time a jazz singer also wrote and arranged an entire Grammy-winning album.
Oct. 16: The Cookers. An all-star octet, these cats came together after co-starring in top bands, some since the 1960s: drummer Billy Hart, trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weisse, saxophonists Donald Harrison and Azar Lawrence, pianist George Cables and bassist Cecil McBee.
Oct. 30: Ernie Watts Quartet. Underwriters: Musicians Peg and Bill Delaney. Watts has led his quartet for 18 years while also collaborating busily; straight ahead jazz with Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden, vocals-centered projects with singers Kurt Elling and Diane Schurr, fusion with Frank Zappa, blues with Corky Siegel, global fusion with Dr. L. Subramaniam and more.
Nov. 13: Ali Ryerson Quartet. Daughter of jazz guitarist Art Ryerson, flutist Ali followed into the family business, training with top classical players, founding the NFA Jazz Flute Big Band, authoring an instruction book and teaching. Her quartet comprises Hudson Valley players familiar to area audiences: pianist Larry Ham, bassist Lou Pappas and drummer Tom Melito.
THREE GUITARS
Grammy-honored guitarists play here this week and next: soulful bluesman Robert Cray Friday at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (30 Second St.), the ever-funky Wooten Brothers Saturday at The Egg (Empire State Plaza, Albany) – where jazz giant Pat Metheny plays next Wednesday with his often-changing band Side-Eye.
With five Grammys and admission to numerous halls of fame, Cray delivers the whole package: effortless-looking dazzle and swing at the guitar, songwriting and singing from the heart. He commands the stage in a confident presentation of timeless depth and right-now sincerity. Side notes: Bluesman Albert Collins played Cray’s high school graduation party, and Cray played a soul band bassist in “Animal House.” 8 p.m. Tickets 518-273-0038 http://www.troymusichall.org.
The Wooten Brothers at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, October 7, 2024; from left: Regi Wooten, guitar; Roy “Futureman” Wooten, drums; Victor Wooten, bass; Joe Wooten, keyboards.
Guitarist Regi Wooten funks up The Egg with his brothers. Regi is the eldest, revered as “the Teacher.” Bassist-leader Victor (the youngest Wooten, who recently celebrated a birthday) may be the most famous as member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and solo albums with many collaborators. Drummer/electro-percussionist Roy “Futureman” is a fellow Flecktone. Keyboardist Joe has toured for decades with the Steve Miller Band. Another brother, saxophonist Rudy, died in 2010, memorialized by the Nashville jazz club Rudy’s. Onstage, the four Wootens play very together, bringing the funk like they’re all carrying the same suitcase, dancing steps, ganging up on their instruments two at a time. They’ve played together as a family since 1985, winning 10 Grammys. 7 p.m. 518-473-1845 www.theegg.org
Ever-fluent jazzman Pat Metheny needs a wide mantle for his 20 Grammys in several categories. He started recording a decade before the Wootens, both with his own self-named Group and many collaborators; but recently started an ambitious youth movement project. Even before he played in the recent all-star memorial to somewhat older musical friend and neighbor Jack DeJohnette, Metheny had launched a next-generation band that achieved impressive unity despite its fluid membership. Called Side-Eye III+, it now comprises keyboardist Chris Fishman, drummer Joe Dyson, bassist Jermaine Paul and singer-percussionist Leonard Patton. 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Backstage after a show in a Saratoga jazz club years back, I complained to Metheny that he only played here about every 18 months, wanting more. He mildly explained that he likes to wait until he has new music before returning. He checks that box with his 4,723rd album – I’m exaggerating, a little – “Side-Eye III+,” released in February.
FYI; Two top rock guitarists played Troy’s Hangar on the Hudson recently: local-and-everywhere hero Eddie Angel with his surf-rock powerhouse Los Straitjackets, and Johnny Spampinato who followed his years with NRBQ by leading the Loss Leaders.
TWO FESTIVALS
The recent “Yikes!-Summer’s-Ending!” calendar cluster of festival after festival keeps rolling this weekend. Last Saturday blurred with Schenectady hosting Little Italy, Caribbean and Greek festivals on the same day as Albany’s PearlFest – obviously all with music.
This weekend, Jazz at the Lake (George) in its 42nd year and Schenectady’s much younger PorchFest are all music and both are free.
Local/regional artists play indoors all over Lake George Village Friday starting at 7:30 p.m., Saturday morning, the new Shepard Park amphitheater presents an introductory tour at 9 a.m. and jazz with coffee at 10 a.m.
Saturday afternoon, new breakthrough acts play the amphitheater starting at 1 p.m. with Kneebody headlining at 7.
Sunday afternoon, more established acts take over the amphitheater, the veteran Paul Winter Consort opening at 1 p.m., young singer Ekep Nkwelle from Cameroon at 3 and pianist Miguel Zenon closes, starting at 5 p.m.
Details on music and food vendors: https://www.lakegeorge.com/annual-events/jazz-festival/#:~:text=This%20incredible%20jazz%20event%20will,what%20food%20vendors%20to%20expect!
Like every free festival, it’s a wide open discovery zone to find out about acts that could become favorites.
So is Schenectady’s Porchfest: https://schenectadyporchfest.org/. It’s both a walking tour of the shady GE Plot neighborhood on the city’s north side and a showcase for 15 area artists on six porches and a sidewalk by a church.
Scenes from Porchfest 2025, below
These include such jazz scene stalwarts as the Art D’Echo Trio, MB Jazz Vibes, Keith Pray, Matty Stecks and more; plus the hard-to-categorize crews Nice Hockey and Unken Brew. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Festival time jams the calendar of In-demand players. For example, tenor saxophone ace Brian Patneaude plays this Friday at 6 p.m. with his Trio at the Landing Hotel of Rivers Casino in Schenectady. Saturday at 1 p.m., he’s with Dylan Canterbury’s Quintet at Schenectady Porchfest. And Sunday at 1 p.m., he’s with keyboardist Rob Lindquist’s Group at Wayward Lane Brewing in Schoharie.
TWO ETHNO-CULTURAL FESTS
This Saturday, Albany hosts the Ukrainian Festival at the Polish Community Center (225 Washington Ave. Ext.; Albany) and the New York State Hispanic Heritage Celebration at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.
Both feature live music. However, the musical menu is TBA at the Ukrainian Festival which charges admission and the music is for dancing 6 p.m. to midnight.
The Hispanic Celebration is free and presents Miriam Cruz, TKA, Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra and. DJ Boy Boy 5 to 9 p.m.
Hoke's Jukebox 