Anant Pradhan With Larry McDonald
Bar LunÀtico486 Halsey Street, New York 11233
Anant Pradhan leads a seven-piece band with Jamaican percussionist Larry McDonald for two sets of instrumental reggae rooted in the sounds of 1960s and 70s Jamaica. Pradhan plays saxophones and McDonald congas, joined by Mike Sarason on keys, Preet Patel on bass, Rich Terrana on drums, Brett Tubin on guitar and Yoshi Takemasa on percussion. The group revisits the approach of innovators including Cedric Brooks and Roland Alphonso, and has released Sally’s Song on Brooklyn label Names You Can Trust.
New York-based Pradhan is described by McDonald as “the steward of our music going forward.” McDonald brings more than half a century of recording and performance history with artists including Gil Scott-Heron, Taj Mahal and Lee “Scratch” Perry; he and Pradhan are also described as members of the Skatalites’ touring group.
A basement club in Bedford-Stuyvesant, LunÀtico is a musician-owned space where live music starts at 9pm nightly, following dinner service. The stage is modest, with a single chair for the band, and the audience sits on wooden booths or the floor, close enough to feel the energy. The room is lit by dim bulbs, with walls lined with vintage posters and a few well-worn speakers. There's a bar with original cocktails, craft beer, and wine, and a dinner menu available from 6pm to 11pm. Shows are donation-based, with a $10 recommendation in cash. It's a place where people listen to music and talk afterward, in a familiar, unpolished setting.