TYSHAWN SOREY
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Tyshawn Sorey is billed at the Village Vanguard in Manhattan. The available listing names Sorey alone: it does not identify an ensemble, guests, or a particular program, so the shape of the set remains unannounced. The Vanguard's triangular, red-curtained room seats 123, with tables radiating from the stage; listeners are asked for silence before the performance, keeping attention on the music.
From Newark, New Jersey, Sorey is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays percussion, trombone, and piano. He is known for bringing composition and improvisation together across musical idioms, and has worked with Vijay Iyer, John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Marilyn Crispell, and Claire Chase. His established trio with pianist Aaron Diehl and double bassist Harish Raghavan plays original music alongside reimagined American Songbook material, though that lineup is not confirmed for this date. The New Yorker called Sorey “an extraordinary talent who can see across the entire musical landscape”; the New York Times described the trio as “stunning,” noting its “tractor-beam intensity” and “patient or enveloping” sound.
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.