J. Walter Hawkes & Friends Play Bennie Green
Bar LunÀtico486 Halsey Street, New York 11233
J. Walter Hawkes leads a sextet through a curated selection from trombonist Bennie Green’s catalogue, with Stacy Dillard on tenor, Sharp Radway on piano, Melissa Slocum on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums and Renato Thoms on percussion. The program draws on Green’s swing, bebop and R&B-inflected work, including the buoyant jazz he recorded for labels such as Blue Note, Decca and Prestige.
Originally from Pascagoula, Mississippi, Hawkes has been based in New York City since 1995. A trombonist, performer, composer and arranger-orchestrator, he is a four-time Emmy winner and Golden Reel recipient for television composing work.
A basement club in Bedford-Stuyvesant, LunÀtico is a musician-owned space where live music starts at 9pm nightly, following dinner service. The stage is modest, with a single chair for the band, and the audience sits on wooden booths or the floor, close enough to feel the energy. The room is lit by dim bulbs, with walls lined with vintage posters and a few well-worn speakers. There's a bar with original cocktails, craft beer, and wine, and a dinner menu available from 6pm to 11pm. Shows are donation-based, with a $10 recommendation in cash. It's a place where people listen to music and talk afterward, in a familiar, unpolished setting.