| Q&A With Winter Jazzfest Producer Brice Rosenbloom
By Michael Tedder | Friday, Jan 6, 2012 | Updated 11:02 AM EST
For the past eight years Brice Rosenbloom has worked hard to make a Winter Jazzfest lineup that dares fans to brave the unforgiving January cold.
Based on the 2012 schedule, which features such notables as Bill Laswell, The Vijay Iyer Trio, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog, Nels Cline Singers and the Steve Lehman Trio, it would appear that the Jazzfest producer and owner of the production company Boom Collective has done it again. (A complete schedule and lineup for the festival that begins Friday is available here and tickets are available here.)
Completely rejecting the idea of the jazz festival as a museum-like ode to the past, Rosenbloom has assembled a schedule of both old guards like Ribot and Laswell as well as new jacks like the Iyer Trio, DJ Spinna and Mostly Other People Do the Killing who are doing their best to blow the cobwebs off and push jazz in all its forms in new directions.
Nonstop Sound recently talked with Rosenbloom about his vision for the festival, his take on the current jazz scene and dealing with purists.
Nonstop Sound: So, what was planning this one like? What do you have in store for your fans this time, and how do you think it differs from previous Jazzfests?
Brice Rosenbloom: "Every year the planning is a bit different, but stems from the primary goal to expand the audience for jazz. And we're confident the scene is growing. Based on last year we anticipate having the good fortune to tackle the problem of a sold out capacity audience. The festival has been growing every year. We began eight years ago presenting 19 groups in one night on three stages at the old Knitting Factory in Tribeca, and have grown to presenting 65 groups over two nights in five West Village venues each night. This year we have centralized the festival check-in at the 159 Bleecker street pop-up retail location to expedite ticket processing and crowd control. We've had some growing pains in recent years, which have given us the opportunity to mature into a stable annual festival."
NS: When organizing this, what is your mindset? Are you trying to take a snapshot of where you feel jazz is in this current moment, or are you trying to assemble a collection of personal favorites?
BR: "Each year’s lineup is very much a current snapshot of where we see the scene is at the moment and where it is going. We specifically reach out to artists that we feel are doing something interesting with the music, whether it’s a young newcomer or a more established artist showcasing a new project. Fortunately more often than not the music is also in line with our musical preference."
NS: Following up on this — and I apologize for getting lofty on you — but what is your take on the current state of jazz? Where do you think the genre is, and where do you see it going?
BR: "We're fortunate to live and love in NYC where the music is booming and we've seen evidence that audiences are growing. Our goal is to help make jazz more accessible, and in line with the informal performance settings at Winter Jazzfest, we attempt to break down the stigma that jazz can only be seen in a concert hall or a stuffy formal jazz club. People want to go out and see good music in a comfortable setting. Some people want a challenging listening experience and some want to shake their a**. The festival and today's jazz scene offers both and everything in between."
NS: I realize you probably don't want to play favorites, but are there and up-and-comers or people who don't get the recognition they deserve that you particularly hope people see?
BR: "Well there really is so much strong talent this year, and yes it’s hard to only recommend just a few. While we don't have traditional jazz festival headliners in our lineup, I’m sure many folks will be attracted to see the relatively bigger names on the festival such as Ravi Coltrane, David Murray, John Medeski, Marc Ribot, Nels Cline, Vijay Iyer and Bernie Worrell, but you really can't go wrong checking out some of the currently less known artists. Bassist Ben Williams performed as a side man in more sets than any other artist at last year's Winter Jazzfest and this year he's leading his own adventurous group Sound Effect at Sullivan Hall on Saturday night. Other young artists such as saxophonist Sharel Cassity and pianist Fabian Almazan are worth catching to get a sense of the future generation. There’s also a few equal collaborative ensembles who are pushing the boundaries of jazz improvisation such as the group Sifter featuring venerable drummer Matt Wilson, guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpeter Kirk Knuffke, and a group with a slightly heavier tone with bassist Shahzad Ismaily, drummer Ches Smith and Mat Maneri on violin."
NS: You have a very inclusive definition of jazz here, from more traditional types to funk-jazz people to noisy, avant-garde types. Do you ever get pushback from purists for throwing so wide a net? What do you say in response?
BR: "The one thing I’m not worried about is pushback from any one jazz perspective, whether it’s from purists or others. I’ve always felt it’s important as a respectful listener to have a broad acceptance of the many styles and interpretations of this music. Talented musicians are working and reworking the music today and using so many different influences whether from personal or borrowed experiences and the outcome has the potential to hit hard at the soul. Why try to limit that potential? Yes, we're looking for quality players that successfully say something and strike people with their music. That impact can come from a straight-ahead pianist, an avant-garde horn player or a masterful turntablist."
NS: Early January can be brutally cold. How do you get people to come out?
BR: "How can you stay away from so much talent! We offer a very economical opportunity to see dozens of groups at a package bargain price. The affordability encourages people to take a chance on the festival and have an open mind to allow themselves to stumble upon their new favorite band. And more importantly the energy of the scene truly is invigorating. When you have hundreds of musicians hanging out next to you all night on one of the coldest weekends of the year you know you're in the right spot."
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| NY CULTURE
JANUARY 6, 2012
The Jazz Scene: Pay Attention to the Words
Winter JazzFest 2012
Various Venues
www.winterjazzfest.com
Friday-Saturday
Imagine 50 buffets and two dozen smorgasbords being served simultaneously in adjacent rooms. Every January, thousands of arts presenters gather for the APAP Conference to sample the wares of what seem like trillions of performers, encompassing everything from re-creations of the Rat Pack and salutes to disco's greatest hits to some of the most avant-garde jazz and classical music extant. The Winter JazzFest, which consists mostly of downtown-style, cutting-edge groups playing hourlong sets in five different West Village clubs, is the most public (and affordable) aspect of the event. But there's tons of jazz, cabaret, pop, folk, chamber music and everything else being presented in show rooms at the Hilton (many of the bands and singers I'd recommend are in the Hilton's Harlem Suite, hosted by singer Allan Harris), and all kinds of folks show up, both to perform and to listen.
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Jazz Listings for Jan. 6-12
Published: January 5, 2012
★ Winter Jazzfest (Friday and Saturday) For New York City jazz fans, the Winter Jazzfest has become a perennial postholiday splurge and a righteous kick-start to the new year. Held this year in five separate clubs, all within a tight radius in Greenwich Village, it puts forth a profusion of available talent with an unspoken emphasis on cosmopolitan chic. With dozens of groups on board, it’s all too much to enumerate here; for details, see winterjazzfest.com. The festival’s base of operations is Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village; $35, or $45 for two-day pass. (Chinen)
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| POP MUSIC | THE YEAR AHEAD
Pop Will Thrive in Greenwich Village
By JON PARELES
Published: December 29, 2011
There’s little need to wait for two of 2012’s most promising events. Thanks to the intrepid Association of Performing Arts Presenters, which braves January in New York City for its annual convention, a brigade of jazz and world-music performers converges in downtown Manhattan next weekend. On Jan. 6 and 7, the Winter Jazzfest shares five Greenwich Village clubs within a three-block radius, each presenting half a dozen acts nightly. Then, on Jan. 8, Globalfest offers a dozen acts on three stages in Webster Hall in the East Village. First-rate music awaits those willing to endure scrimmages at doorways and chatty audiences.
Winter Jazzfest features internationally known jazz musicians, like the saxophonist David Murray, leading his Cuban Ensemble, and the keyboardist John Medeski (of Medeski Martin & Wood) playing solo. The trumpeter Wallace Roney, the pianist Vijay Iyer, the guitarist Marc Ribot, the keyboardist Bernie Worrell, the drummer Cindy Blackman, the guitarist Lionel Loueke, the slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein and the bassist Bill Laswell are also appearing. If past years are any guide, the rest of the bill should be a strong one, too. (Jan. 6 and 7 at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, 212-505-3474, and nearby clubs; $35 for one night, $45 for both.)
Globalfest’s lineup covers five continents. It includes the United States debuts of the Malian hip-hop group SMOD and the Chinese jaw-harp virtuoso Wang Li; the Cape Verdean songs of Mayra Andrade; the Brazilian samba singer Diogo Nogueira; the Haitian songwriter BélO; the French chanteuse Zaz; the modernized Italian tarantellas of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino; the Middle Eastern fusion of Yemen Blues; exploratory Irish music from the Gloaming; and the Silk Road Ensemble, which uses ancient Asian instruments in new pieces. (7 p.m. on Jan. 8 at Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street, 212-353-1600; $40.)
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| Marc Ribot will be in the lineup at Winter Jazzfest, two days of well-known and new acts in five Greenwich Village clubs. |
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| Goings On About Town: Night Life
New York Winter Jazzfest
Half a dozen years since its inception, this feisty mini-festival has become one of the most anticipated jazz events of the year. The rafters are packed, and bands (as well as eager listeners) willingly forgo comfort for the possibility of experiencing musical bliss. More than sixty artists, including Marc Ribot, David Murray, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Miguel Zenón, and Jenny Scheinman, are expected to perform on Jan. 6-7 in five Village clubs on or near Bleecker Street. (For more information, visit winterjazzfest.com.)
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| CHILL OUT
The Winter JazzFest gets even better
By JIM MACNIE
At first, it was a hoot because of all of the bands you could see for a dirt-cheap flat fee. After several years, it has become a better-be-there confab whose Catholic programming impressively unites an audience that sometimes doesn’t recognize itself in the mirror. Meaning, the Winter JazzFest is a rather crucial gathering these days. The math speaks for itself: two nights, five venues, 60 groups. The music is constant. But the ’tween-show conversations are key as well. Appraising, positioning—the performance parade (with artists easily accessible) makes the event a forum of ideas. If you want to know what’s happening in New York jazz right now, you’d be a cluck to stay home. This year’s must-sees? Nels Cline Singers, Michael Blake’s Hellbent, SIFTER, Burnt Sugar, and Mostly Other People Do the Killing. And prepare yourself for a goosepimple or two when Joel Harrison offers his Paul Motian salute.
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| NYC Winter Jazzfest
[Critics Pick]
This two-night, multivenue Greenwich Village takeover is one of the undisputed highlights of the annual NYC jazz calendar. Not to mention the fact that it's a heck of a deal: If you're game for some strategic legwork, you can catch something like 50 sets over the course of the weekend. The highlights are too numerous to run down in full, but we're especially psyched about Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, Miguel Zenón and Joel Harrison's String Choir on Friday, and David Murray's Cuban Ensemble, Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom and the Steve Lehman Trio on Saturday. We strongly encourage you to check winterjazzfest.com for the full schedule—and to spring for the two-night pass if you're on the fence.
Kenny's Castaways, Jan 06, 2012 - Jan 07, 2012 7pm.
Sullivan Hall, Jan 06, 2012 - Jan 07, 2012 7:45pm.
Zinc Bar, Jan 06, 2012 6:15pm; Jan 07, 2012 7:15pm.
Le Poisson Rouge, Jan 06, 2012 6pm; Jan 07, 2012 6:45pm.
The Bitter End, Jan 06, 2012 7:15pm; Jan 07, 2012 7:30pm.
Subway: A, C, E, B, D, F, M to W 4th St
$35, two-night pass $45
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| New York Magazine |
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| Nightlife | Winter Jazzfest
Now in its eighth year, the Winter Jazzfest has become the city’s most dazzling comprehensive jazz festival, packing five Greenwich Village clubs for two heady (and often freezing) nights. Catch serious acts as different as the mischievous Millennial Territory Orchestra (playing Sly & the Family Stone), Miles Davis protégé Wallace Roney, and the relentlessly inventive Vijay Iyer Trio.
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| WINTER PREVIEW | NIGHT LIFE
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
MORE COOL FESTIVALS
The annual NYC Winter Jazzfest runs Jan. 6-7, heating up the night with performances by Bill Laswell, Cindy Blackman, Marc Ribot, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Steve Bernstein, David Murray, Nels Cline, Vijay Iyer, and others. | GlobalFest brings a dozen artists to three stages at Webster Hall on Jan. 8. The Haitian singer-songwriter Bélo, the Brazilian samba star Diogo Nogueira, and Smod, a folk-rap group from Mali that includes the son of Amadou and Mariam, are slated to perform. | The Ecstatic Music Festival, mixing classical and avant-pop, opens at Merkin Concert Hall on Feb. 4, as Jherek Bischoff and the Wordless Music Orchestra are joined by David Byrne, Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Zac Pennington (Parenthetical Girls), and Mirah. The festival runs through March 28; among the many performers are Oneida, Rhys Chatham, and Dan Deacon.
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| Winter Jazz Fest 2012 (Jan 5-7 in NYC)
Winter Jazz Fest is returning to NYC in 2012 and will take place in multiple Greenwich Village venues from January 6-7 including Le Poisson Rouge, Sullivan Hall, Kenny's Castaways, Zinc Bar, and The Bitter End. Artists performing this year include Bill Laswell, DJ Spinna, John Medeski, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog, Nels Cline Singers, Vijay Iyer Trio, Tyshawn Sorey, Mary Halvorson, Bernie Worrell, Marco Benevento, Jenny Scheinman, and many more. Two day passes and single day tickets are on sale now. There is also a kickoff show happening at Le Poisson Rouge on January 5 with Medeski / Skerik / Deitch, Red Baraat, and Marc Ribot's Young Philadelphians.
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| NEW YORK
Previewing New York’s Winter Jazz Fest
By Rebecca Dalzell | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT JANUARY 01, 2012
NEW YORK - When Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker helped invent bebop in the 1940s, there were those who thought they hit the wrong notes. Some found their dissonant harmonies and fractured rhythms hard to sit through. But anyone who stuck around caught something infectious. Music unique to the time and city, it just felt right.
Many clubs preserve the music of that era, but its spirit has moved on. It’s wherever musicians are experimenting and finding their own voice. That doesn’t make tunes abstruse - plenty are melodious - but the audience still has to keep an open mind. To hear the sound of New York jazz, you have to be ready for surprises.
A rich sampling of the current generation is on offer Friday and Saturday at Winter Jazzfest. Five Greenwich Village clubs will host 65 bands, ranging from the acclaimed Vijay Iyer Trio to the hip-hop vibes of drummer Jamire Williams to harmonica whiz Gregoire Maret. You get to explore a lot of music for the $45 two-night pass.
Winter Jazzfest feels utterly unlike the now-defunct JVC Jazz Festival, which used to hold court at Carnegie Hall. Legs dangle from the balcony of Kenny’s Castaways and crowds press against the stage at Le Poisson Rouge. Where JVC showcased graying beboppers, Jazzfest is more representative of what you find in the city year-round: inventive offerings that stray far from traditional perceptions of the music.
The word “jazz’’ is its own biggest marketing challenge, says Adam Schatz, festival co-producer. Many sets this weekend won’t swing or channel Dizzy Gillespie, but they are united by improvisation and energy. “Great jazz musicians put their personality forward in a way you can relate to,’’ Schatz says. “There’s nothing to get. It’s almost like meditation: Just let the music flatten you.’’
A Newton native, Schatz, 24, moved to New York in 2006 and runs Search & Restore, a nonprofit that promotes “new jazz and improvised music.’’ Besides working on Winter Jazzfest and spring’s smaller Undead Jazzfest, he recently built a website (searchandrestore.com) to document the community. With a growing library of videos, it allows you to watch artists in various bands and find upcoming shows, a useful portal for newcomers and armchair tourists.
For visitors, the jazz scene is so large and diverse that it is hard to know where to start. Fans here are more loyal to musicians than clubs. I have heard the great pianist Fred Hersch at venues as varied as the Village Vanguard, Chelsea’s Rubin Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn restaurant Korzo, which hosts an excellent Tuesday-night experimental series.
One approach is to follow those with regular shows. Drummer Ari Hoenig’s popular Monday session at Smalls always makes for a memorable evening. Calling his style “punkbop,’’ Hoenig leads a rotating group that is a sort of rite of passage for upstarts. Saxophonist David Binney and his tight quartet often bring their exploratory postbop to 55 Bar, also in the Village. Every Sunday, guitarist Stephane Wrembel’s gypsy jazz electrifies Barbès, a hole-in-the-wall in Park Slope.
If there is one place where you can reliably catch the breadth and energy of the scene, it is the Jazz Gallery. The second-floor space feels like a listening loft, with art on the walls, folding chairs, and no bar. A 17-year-old nonprofit, it fosters young musicians and commissions new works. This winter it will host a residency for bassists and open its doors for rehearsals during off-hours, a project funded by Kickstarter donations.
The Gallery has an impressive track record for spotting new talent: three MacArthur grant recipients have frequented its stage, including Miguel Zenón, a resident artist last year. Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, a recent Blue Note Records signee, once worked the door. Musicians graduate from here to bigger things.
“We’re focused on nurturing the future,’’ says Deborah Steinglass, executive director. “There are no artistic constraints, so musicians can take risks and bring different material here than they would elsewhere.’’
Maybe it’s the homey atmosphere, but you get a sense of community at the Gallery. Students come to support their friends, audience members talk to one another, and bands onstage clearly have fun. “Jazz musicians are so invested in each other, and that feeling infuses the environment,’’ says Steinglass. She has watched mentorships grow, citing a show when Akinmusire invited an unknown saxophonist, Adam Larson, onstage; Larson has since brought his own band to the Gallery’s Thursday-night debut series.
Another place to get a feel for jazz camaraderie is the Evolution Jam Session, held late Tuesday nights at Zinc Bar, a sultry Village club. There are daily jam sessions across the city, usually in the wee hours and filled with students from the Manhattan School of Music lugging horns. They take their places, choose a standard tune, and alternate solos. Some songs are better than others, but every so often a virtuosic riff jolts you upright.
The Evolution jam is presented by Revive Da Live, a promoter that, like Search & Restore, aims to bring jazz to new audiences. Its shows tend to be inflected with R&B and hip-hop, which is a more natural connection than you would expect: Hip-hop artists increasingly include jazz musicians in backup bands. “It’s an organic hybrid,’’ says Meghan Stabile, Revive founder. “Jazz is in hip-hop’s DNA.’’
Stabile, 29, started Revive in 2006 while a student at Berklee College of Music, hoping to overturn jazz’s stodgy reputation. “It’s important to honor the tradition of the music, and we still have shows that do that,’’ she says. “But we also have to honor the music of today and make it more relevant.’’
Evolution has grown into one of the city’s biggest and best jams. An opening band starts things off, a changing group of top musicians who might otherwise be playing at the Jazz Standard, such as Gerald Clayton or Ben Williams. Though that group is often worth the price of admission, the jam is also a chance to glimpse the creative process and maybe catch a future star. One night a teenager, trailed by his guardian, slid onto the piano bench and the keys seemed to suddenly ignite. It was Beka Gochiashvili, 15, from Tbilisi, Georgia, who came to Juilliard with the help of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. I will be surprised if I don’t see him again.
This sense of possibility imbues the New York jazz world. Every combination of musicians has its own alchemy, and you never know if sparks will fly. When they do, it’s intoxicating.
In September I went to a show at Smalls, an informal piano trio with Aaron Goldberg, Greg Hutchinson, and Joe Sanders. It was an ordinary Saturday-night gig that mixed originals and standards. “We’re just going to play some fun, happy music,’’ said Hutchinson at the beginning of the set. “Feel free to get up and move.’’ Then Goldberg bounced a few chords on the piano and the band skid off into McCoy Tyner’s “Effendi.’’
They danced around the melody, spinning off and landing on it again. Goldberg and Hutchinson eyed each other as if preparing to pounce. They would give Sanders room to sidle off on the bass and then crash on top of him. It wasn’t always clear where they were going, but we were all following, hooked on the music.
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| Norton Wisdom (left) and Nels Cline of Nels Cline’s Stained Radiance performed at Le Poisson Rouge during the 2011 Winter Jazzfest. |
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| Top 20 winter concerts
Chill out at these hot events during the next three months.
By TONY Music
Jan 6, 7 Winter Jazzfest
Shake off that first-week-back-at-work lethargy and prepare for a two-night, five-venue West Village jazz safari, where the wildlife includes too many star improvisers to name. (For starters, leave room in your clubhopping schedule to catch David Murray, pictured, and his Cuban Ensemble, Fabian Almazan and Strings, and Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom.) New for 2012: a crucial agreement with the local musicians' union, which guarantees fair payment for all performers. Locations vary (see website); $35, two-day festival pass $45.
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| DAVID MURRAY's Cuban Ensemble |
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| events
don't miss: january
by nycgo.com staff, 12/21/2011
Winter Jazzfest
January 6–7
A convergence of summer festivals used to mark the high point of the NYC jazz calendar, but with many of those showcases defunct or on the ropes, the annual Winter Jazzfest has become arguably the genre's top local draw. Spread across five West Village venues and featuring a dazzling array of talent, the event is both a bustling forum of discovery and a guaranteed blast. (Spring for the two-night pass—a definite steal.) This year's roster includes Nels Cline, the Steve Lehman Trio, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog, Dominick Farinacci, Jenny Scheinman's Mischief & Mayhem, Lucy Woodward, Miguel Zenon and tons more.
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| Ben Williams. Photo: Jati Lindsey |
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| Manhattan Magazine, Modern Luxury |
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| Blues and Bebop
by Devyn Jorgensen | Manhattan magazine | December 23, 2011
Break out your dancing shoes for the eighth annual Winter Jazzfest.
Kick off 2012 with a tribute to the West Village’s jazzy roots. Presented by BOOM Collective and Search and Restore, more than 60 groups and solo performers will descend upon the storied neighborhood for two days of rhythm and blues. Take your pick from downtown hot spots: Le Poisson Rouge, Sullivan Hall, Kenny’s Castaways, Zinc Bar and Bitter End, and jam out to the likes of John Medeski, the Vijay Iyer Trio and the Bernie Worrell Orchestra. January 6–7. Tickets $35–$45. Various venues, winterjazzfest.com
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| Butch Morris at the 2011 NYC Winter Jazzfest; photography by Lev Radin |
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| New Jersey Star Ledger |
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| On Jazz: WinterJazzfest: Loueke, Roney, Jerseyband
Published: Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 6:43 AM Updated: Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 7:46 PM
By Tim Wilkins/For The Star-Ledger
The jazz scene has more imagination, energy and humor than many realize — and the Winter Jazzfest is an opportunity to take in much of this variety in one fell swoop. From 6 p.m. Friday until early Sunday morning, the festival spreads along New York’s Bleecker Street to present more than 60 groups at five clubs in hourlong sets.
At $45 for a two-day pass or $35 for one night, the festival is a bargain if you have the stamina to take it all in. Sparks fly when well-known artists, such as drummer Matt Wilson, keyboardist Bernie Worrell and saxophonist Miguel Zenón, engage with up-and-coming performers like Jamire Williams and Tyshawn Sorey in the festival’s DIY atmosphere. Visit winterjazzfest.com for tickets and the full lineup of artists and venues.
North Bergen guitarist Lionel Loueke performs at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Zinc Bar, 82 W. 3rd St. From Benin, Loueke studied jazz in Paris, Boston and at the Thelonious Monk Institute in California before he hit the road with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Sting. Loueke’s signature bare-fingered style combines a subtle harmonic sense with hypnotic melodies and rhythms that evoke the West African music of his youth.
Jerseyband combines the energy of heavy metal with sophisticated horn arrangements and rhythmic zigzags into a heady, enthusiastic blend they call “lungcore.” The band, with drummer Ted Poor, Mike Chiavaro on bass, Brent Madsen on trumpet, and saxophonists Alex Hamlin, Ed Rosenberg and Matt Blanchard, performs at 12:45 a.m. on Saturday morning at Sullivan Hall, 214 Sullivan St.
Montclair trumpeter Wallace Roney performs at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, also at Sullivan Hall. A protegé of Miles Davis and former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Roney sets his sights on taking the hard-bop tradition into the 21st century, in a style he sometimes calls “retro-nouveau.”
Don’t be fooled by the name of the Nels Cline Singers: There are no vocalists in this group, which is the fevered brainchild of guitarist Nels Cline from the rock band Wilco and Tenafly drummer Scott Amendola. Joined by Yuka C. Honda on keyboard and Trevor Dunn on bass, the group alternates between delicate lyricism and driving, rock-fueled riffs. The group performs Friday at 8:30 at Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St.
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