LAFAYETTE GILCHRIST
Barbès376 9th St, New York 11215
Lafayette Gilchrist is billed at Barbès for a late-night appearance, with no accompanying musicians or specific project named in the listing. Expect the pianist’s personal vocabulary to be the focus: the venue describes a keyboard approach grounded in New Orleans barrelhouse piano, Ravel’s Impressionism and Duke Ellington’s jagged solo-piano language, with the swing and rhythmic pull of classic D.C. go-go central to the conception.
Baltimore-based and raised in Washington, D.C., Gilchrist is a pianist, composer and bandleader whose work spans jazz history from stride to free improvisation, while drawing on hip-hop, funk and go-go. His compositions have appeared in David Simon’s The Wire, The Deuce and Treme, and he has toured extensively with David Murray. His collaborators include Cassandra Wilson, Macy Gray, Oliver Lake, Andrew Cyrille, Orrin Evans, Paul Dunmall, Hamid Drake, William Parker and the Sun Ra Arkestra. NPR’s Kevin Whitehead called him “an old soul at ease in the modern world”; Giovanni Russonello wrote in The New York Times that on Dark Matter, “the hypnosis of the pocket comes through.”
Barbès offers a compact, warmly worn space where the music feels immediate and close, with a long wooden bar and a back room under a scarlet ceiling that hosts nightly performances. The venue champions a broad spectrum of global sounds, from Balkan brass and klezmer to Afrobeat and experimental jazz, often featuring residencies like the Slavic Soul Party. The audience gathers around small tables or at the bar, sharing drinks crafted with a nod to French spirits, while the music invites attentive listening rather than loud conversation. Shows usually have a suggested donation instead of a cover charge, creating a welcoming environment where the focus is on the artists. The venue’s commitment to accessibility and its role in Brooklyn’s cultural fabric make it a distinctive spot for an evening of richly diverse live music.