ETHAN IVERSON SEXTET
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Ethan Iverson leads his sextet at the Village Vanguard, writing for three horns and drawing on jazz classics by Mal Waldron and Thelonious Monk alongside his own compositions. For the Tuesday through Friday portion of the engagement, the venue lists Sam Newsome, Jacob Garchik, Peter Washington, Kush Abadey and trumpeter Skylar Tang with Iverson. It is a six-player setting built around Iverson’s arrangements rather than a solo-piano date.
Iverson is a pianist and composer, mainly known for his work with The Bad Plus. He left high school in Wisconsin for New York in 1991 and is described by ECM as Brooklyn-based. His collaborators include Mark Turner, Billy Hart, Lee Konitz, Joshua Redman, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Tim Berne. His work with the Billy Hart Quartet has produced two lauded albums, while a separate live Village Vanguard quartet recording of standards and blues was described by a reviewer as “contemporary, current, inspired jazz.”
A narrow basement staircase leads to a triangular room with a red curtain and a stage at the point, where musicians play for a small audience of 123. Tables open like spokes from the stage, and the walls hold portraits of jazz legends. The acoustics are excellent, and the only sound before the music begins is the hum of the room. No food is served, only drinks at a bar. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with seating beginning at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively. The atmosphere is focused entirely on the music, with silence requested before the concert begins.