NICK DUNSTON - Melissa Almaguer - Eliana Fishbeyn
Close Up154 Orchard St, New York 10002
Nick Dunston, Melissa Almaguer and Eliana Fishbeyn meet at Close Up for a three-way electroacoustic performance. Dunston plays amplified washboard, Almaguer contributes tap dance, and Fishbeyn handles electronics. The billing presents the evening as an encounter among sound art, percussive movement and electronic processing rather than a conventional band set, with two performances of the program.
Dunston is an acoustic and electroacoustic composer, improviser and sound artist active in Berlin and New York’s experimental music scenes. His work explores ancestral memory, materiality, embodiment, decolonization and Afro-surrealism, and his collaborators include Marc Ribot, Vijay Iyer, Mary Halvorson, Tyshawn Sorey, Moor Mother and JACK Quartet. The New York Times called him an “indispensable player on the New York avant-garde,” while Pitchfork wrote of his trio work that “no two songs of his ever sound alike.” Almaguer is a Mexico-born, New York City-based tap dancer, performer, educator, producer and creator, also described as an experimental tap dancer. Fishbeyn’s work includes electronic processing and manipulation, composition, production, editing and mixing; her pieces have transformed vocal samples through electronic manipulation.
Close Up offers a focused jazz experience in a sleek, minimalist space on Manhattan's Lower East Side, where the sound system and acoustics bring every note into sharp relief. The venue features a small back room that invites close connection with the performers, creating a setting where music is the main event and distractions are minimal. Shows run six nights a week with multiple sets, encouraging a deep dive into the music rather than a casual night out. A bar serves Latin American-inspired bites and cocktails, complementing the listening experience without overwhelming it. The crowd tends to be attentive, drawn by the artist-driven programming that blends classic jazz traditions with fresh, innovative sounds. This is a place to settle in, listen closely, and savor the evolving jazz scene in a refined yet approachable environment.