Virtual Club Hopping.....

Yesterday, I managed to catch both the Gerald Clayton Trio at 9:00 pm at the Village Vanguard, and the Joe Martin Group at Smalls at 10:30. Smalls is right down the street from the Vanguard in the West Village, but it wouldn't have made a difference if it were on Long Island, because I watched both sets from my apartment. Since Smalls and the Vanguard now stream video of performances, it's possible to go out on the town without getting out of bed.

Image of Gerald Clayton © Mike Quain

I loved how Gerald Clayton's set seemed at once old-fashioned and ultra modern, simultaneously swinging in the pocket and yet employing constant rhythmic capriciousness. Clayton's style ranges from Oscar Peterson to Robert Glasper. I can see why Ben Ratliffe says Clayton "might have gone down beautifully at the Roundtable or the Hickory House in late-1950s New York."

Joe Martin's set at Smalls had the pleasantly rugged feel of a jam session, owing in part to the fact that the group opened with a standard, "Stablemates" by Benny Golson. Abonding the polished approach of Brad Mehldau, who is featured on Martin's latest release Not By Chance, Kevin Hays brings mischief, setting up harmonic barbs for Chris Potter to navigate. One of my favorite parts was when the performance ended, and the camera remained trained on the musicians while they chatted about the set. I could overhear Martin saying something like, "you know when we were supposed to go to the interlude, and I completely forgot to look up..." and Potter and Hays discussing the consequences of a change in solo order. I felt like I was really at Smalls.
http://jazz.about.com/b/2010/02/11/virtual-club-hopping.htm