Elena Pinderhughes
Blue Note131 West 3rd Street, New York 10012
Elena Pinderhughes is billed for the late set at Blue Note on November 3. No accompanying players or special program are announced, so the billing puts the focus on Pinderhughes herself rather than a named group, guest, release celebration, or tribute. It is a chance to hear a solo artist whose work brings flute and voice into a contemporary jazz setting, with the exact lineup for this engagement unlisted.
Raised in the Bay Area and described by KQED as being from Berkeley, Pinderhughes is an award-winning flutist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter. Her music moves between jazz, R&B, and hip-hop influences, while her solo work also draws on neo-soul. She has performed with Herbie Hancock, Chief Adjuah, Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, Terrace Martin, Common, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Future. The Guardian called her “the most exciting and creatively assured jazz flautist to have emerged in years,” and her own bio frames her work as expanding what the flute can do in contemporary music. Reviewing a recent single, Jazz Sensibilities called it “an effective opening statement” and noted that “interaction is what makes the composition move.”
Blue Note Jazz Club is a dedicated listening room in the heart of Manhattan's jazz district, where the music is the focus and the space is designed to let the sound fill the room. The club features a stage with a small audience area, and the atmosphere is one of quiet concentration on the music. Shows typically begin at 8:00 PM with a second set at 10:30 PM, and the audience sits on chairs close to the stage. The club has a bar, and drinks are available. The experience is primarily about listening to live jazz, with occasional gospel and soul performances, and the audience often stays to talk and enjoy the music after the sets.