Dena DeRose Trio to Perform in High Def from NYC

By Lee Mergner
Here at JazzTimes, we often feel both guilty and resentful about previewing the incredible performances that happen in New York City every week. Guilty because we know that many of our readers have no opportunity to see the shows. Resentful because we have no opportunity to see the shows. That’s what makes the performance by the Dena DeRose Trio at The Kitano on Saturday, December 19 so special. We don’t have to be neighbors of Woody Allen or Spike Lee to check out the show. Featuring Martin Wind on bass and Matt Wilson on drums, the DeRose Trio’s show on Saturday night will be broadcast (if that’s the right word these days) by High Definition Live Concerts on the Web.

Speaking by phone from NYC after arriving the night before from Europe, DeRose said that she was excited to be offered the opportunity to do a show for the whole world from a club that seats about 75-80 people. “For me, it’s more about documenting this group. We’ve been working together for about 10 years and we don’t really have any video of the group that we can use. I’ve got students who have better videos than me!”

DeRose is hoping that the performance will be seen by lots more people on the Web. “I know we’ve gotten the word out ourselves directly to about 25,000 people. And the HD Live Concerts site has its own audience. It’s exciting that someone in any part of the world could see this group perform and think, wow, I want to come to NYC or I want to see them play when they come to my area.”

We wondered with that old ham Matt Wilson on drums what sort of high-def antics he and the bassist Martin Wind might have cooked up for the performance. DeRose laughed. “Who knows? I’ve worked with Matt for about 12 years. We have a ball. You know, he’s really a great supporting drummer.” DeRose admitted that the circumstances of this show forced her to think of a different approach to the selection of material. “We’ll be doing sort of our ‘greatest hits’ picking out some of the better stuff from our earlier records.”

Most of us are somewhat self-conscious about our appearance and high-definition video can be unforgiving in portraying people with clarity almost beyond that of ordinary eyesight. Did DeRose worry about that aspect? “I didn’t really think about that. They showed me the footage from a show they’d done before at Kitano and it was really great. Beautiful stuff. Remember that the lighting is subdued and not like concert stage lighting at the Monterey Jazz Festival. I think it will be fine.” Will she watch it herself after the show is done? “Yes, I want to see this group perform myself. And I’ve never seen myself in high-def before.”

To watch the show from wherever you might be, you’ll need to buy a ticket, but at least you know you’ll have a good seat, unless your dog beats you to your easy chair. You’ll also be able to view the performance anytime during the 48 hours For tickets and information, go to the HD Live web site.