I wrote recently about a new scene for hot jazz — the late-Wednesday sessions led by Jim Fryer at the Tryon Public House, 4740 Broadway, a few blocks from the Dyckman Street station on the A line. The sessions run from 11 PM to 1 AM.*
Last Wednesday, intrepid and intent, I took the A all the way uptown and found the place — cheerful, run by nice people, full of friends: Michelle DeCastro, Ana Quintana, Stephanie Robinson, Peter Mintun, Bliss Blood, Charlie Levenson, Sarah Spencer . . . and the Hot Jazz Rabble: Jim, trombone, vocal; Mike Davis, trumpet, vocal; Glenn Crytzer, banjo; Jennifer Vincent, string bass (arco and pizzicato). Later, Sarah sat in for two fine numbers; then (after I left to go home to suburbia) Bliss, Jay Lepley, and Jordan Hirsch sat in.
The food looked good; the beer looked better; I was told there was parking on Broadway. No cover, no minimum, a yearning tip jar.
Musically, I had the time of my life.
Three glorious samples from the first set:
I FOUND A NEW BABY (hotter than the devil’s kitchen, even when someone trips over my tripod — and then apologizes, bless him — at about 3:40):
A great Tim Laughlin original with a delightful title, SUBURBAN STREET PARADE:
Mike Davis’ BLUE TURNING GREY OVER YOU, where he sounds nicely like the Master to Jim’s Mister Tea:
I’ll have two more visceral ones to post featuring Sarah Spencer, too.
This scene is really worth being a little sleepy on Thursday morning.
*And incidentally, if you have old-fashioned notions of “uptown” being “a bad neighborhood,” Broadway up there was brightly lit, populated by a charming mix of people — nothing to be afeared of.
May your happiness increase!