Jazz Vespers: Hector Martignon Quartet
Saint Peter's Church619 Lexington Avenue, New York 10022
Hector Martignon leads a quartet for this Sunday Jazz Vespers, a jazz prayer service. The lineup for the evening is Martignon on piano, with John Benitez on bass, Carly Maldonado on drums and percussion, and Dennis Hernandez on trumpet.
The Colombian-born, New York-based pianist and composer brings improvisational jazz into conversation with European classical music, Latin American folklore and other world-music traditions. He has worked with Paquito D’Rivera, Gato Barbieri, Tito Puente, Max Roach’s Project America and Ray Barretto’s ensembles; reviewers have called his playing “technically clean and stylistically imaginative” and praised its “crisp invention.”
Saint Peter's Church offers a unique setting where jazz music and spiritual history intertwine beneath the streets of Midtown Manhattan. The venue is a 178-seat space located in the church's lower level, featuring a recently restored Strayhorn piano that highlights its deep jazz roots. The room’s acoustics are carefully designed to support a range of performances, from intimate jazz sets to more expansive musical events, with a digital sound system enhancing every note. The audience can expect a focused listening experience in a space that balances reverence and artistic expression, often accompanied by a bar but no full restaurant. Shows are typically ticketed, and the environment encourages attentive appreciation rather than casual conversation, making for an evening where music and history resonate together.