Elissa Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 (edited) Guitarist Ron Affif has played Mondays at the Zinc Bar for over ten years with unfailingly great rhythm sections. Tain and Essiett Essiett for instance were on the gig for likely half the decade. These days I don't drop by more than once every couple months, but last night was another typically cool one. We went after Benny Powell's 75th Bday party at Sweet Rhythm, where he played with the killing ensemble he coaches at the New School. After the wonderful Charli Persip sat in for a closing tune, I brought him with me a few blocks east to the Zinc. The Zinc is also pretty much the only jazz club open after 11pm anymore - and there they don't close the doors til 4am. Ugonna Okegwa was on bass last night as was a great cuban drummer whose name I didn't catch. Russell Malone sat in the third set as, did Greg Hutchinson. My favorite pianist Eric Lewis stopped in, as he usually does after his own Monday night gig uptown at Cleopatra's Needle, and played a couple solos that filled me with enough joy to last til Spring really does arrive. Used to be, when American jazz musicians were still invited to the European festivals (I kid - a little) you couldn't hit one without running into a Zinc crew. Roy Hargrove lives just down the street so can often be found jamming here; Franck Lacy is a good bet when he's in town. Guitarist Saul Rubin inevitably shows up, and the lovely singer Lezlie Harrison. But then in a sense aren't Mondays jazz nights? Edited March 8, 2005 by Elis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Guitarist Ron Affif has played Mondays at the Zinc Bar for over ten years with unfailingly great rhythm sections. Tain and Essiett Essiett for instance were on the gig for likely half the decade. These days I don't drop by more than once every couple months, but last night was another typically cool one. We went after Benny Powell's 75th Bday party at Sweet Rhythm, where he played with the killing ensemble he coaches at the New School. After the wonderful Charli Persip sat in for a closing tune, I brought him with me a few blocks east to the Zinc. The Zinc is also pretty much the only jazz club open after 11pm anymore - and there they don't close the doors til 4am. Ugonna Okegwa was on bass last night as was a great cuban drummer whose name I didn't catch. Russell Malone sat in the third set as, did Greg Hutchinson. My favorite pianist Eric Lewis stopped in, as he usually does after his own Monday night gig uptown at Cleopatra's Needle, and played a couple solos that filled me with enough joy to last til Spring really does arrive. Used to be, when American jazz musicians were still invited to the European festivals (I kid - a little) you couldn't hit one without running into a Zinc crew. Roy Hargrove lives just down the street so can often be found jamming here; Franck Lacy is a good bet when he's in town. Guitarist Saul Rubin inevitably shows up, and the lovely singer Lezlie Harrison. But then in a sense aren't Mondays jazz nights? Elis, What city, state, country did all this take place in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elissa Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 nyc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makpjazz57 Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 How is Benny Powell doing health-wise? So glad to hear he is teaching and gigging. Didn't he go on dialysis a long time ago? Marla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 How is Benny Powell doing health-wise? So glad to hear he is teaching and gigging. Didn't he go on dialysis a long time ago? Marla Marla, I saw Benny this past September at the Chicago Jazz Festival and he looked/played well.....big smile on his face the entire time (not when he was actually playing ). Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makpjazz57 Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 How is Benny Powell doing health-wise? So glad to hear he is teaching and gigging. Didn't he go on dialysis a long time ago? Marla Marla, I saw Benny this past September at the Chicago Jazz Festival and he looked/played well.....big smile on his face the entire time (not when he was actually playing ). Mark That is great news!!! Thanks, Mark. Seems as though older jazz legends and the younger musicians are so much more health conscious today. I know that doesn't speak for everyone, but just my perception based on what I've read, who I know personally, etc. Marla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elissa Posted October 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 (edited) Last night Ron Affif's gig was pretty fun - they were sounding very happy, groovy and New Orleansy. It was Roy Hargrove's bday so he was in; Pablo Calogero is in town and played his bass clarinet beautifully; Jerry Gonzalez is in from Madrid and sat in most of the night, as did killing guitarist and sweetest of hearts Saul Rubin. Saul was telling me he's penned a couple tunes for the Big Band album Roy's going to cut. The magnificent Lezlie Harrison sang a version of You Don't Know What Love Is that got me all choked up. Ugonna Okegwa on bass and a wonderful drummer named Nat whose last name it embarrasses me to say I forgot. Shall likely drop into the Zinc for Halloween - Alex Diaz and Son de la Calle will be there. Edited November 1, 2006 by Elis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elissa Posted September 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 After some friends' record release party at Marion's (Tony Scheer, Chris Brown and Kate Fenner) I dropped into the Zinc last night - first Monday in ages. Eric Lewis on piano, Montez Coleman on drums, Essiet Essiet on bass, Marcus Strickland on tenor. Enough to make a girl love New York anew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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