TYSHAWN SOREY
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Tyshawn Sorey is billed at the Village Vanguard for a performance associated with the Tyshawn Sorey Trio. The available information identifies the trio project but does not confirm its personnel for this particular date. Formed in 2021, the group performs Sorey’s original music alongside reimagined versions of the American Songbook. The set takes place in the Vanguard’s triangular downstairs room, with the stage set against its red curtain and the audience arranged at tables radiating outward from the band.
A Newark native, Sorey is a composer and multi-instrumentalist celebrated for bringing composition and improvisation into close conversation. His work has included performances with John Zorn, Vijay Iyer, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Jason Moran and Anthony Braxton. The trio’s listed formation is Sorey on drums, Aaron Diehl on piano and Harish Raghavan on double bass, though that lineup is not confirmed for this performance. The New York Times has called the trio “stunning” and described its music as “quietly stunning,” patient and enveloping. The Guardian writes that its interpretations of standard songs “don’t sound like anybody else’s.”
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.