Christian McBride Quartet featuring Roy McCurdy
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Christian McBride brings his quartet to the Village Vanguard, with Roy McCurdy featured on the bill. This is the late set in the Vanguard’s triangular basement room, where the stage sits at the point of the space and tables fan out before it. The club seats 123, its walls are lined with portraits of jazz legends, and the room asks for silence before the music begins. With no food service, the focus remains on the performance and the bar between sets.
The available material identifies the act as the Christian McBride Quartet featuring Roy McCurdy, but gives no further biographical information about the quartet, McBride, or McCurdy. It does not name the other members of the group, describe the programme, identify a hometown or musical background, or include previous collaborators. No reviews, quoted critical notices, record-release details, guest information beyond McCurdy’s billing, or account of the group’s history are provided. What is clear is the evening’s billed format: a quartet performance with McCurdy featured, presented in a room built for close listening rather than conversation.
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.