"Guitarist Musillami is really on a roll lately, documenting a number of high quality sessions on his Playscape label," declared Cadence reviewer Jason Bivins. Critics called his latest, 2007's The Treatment, featuring his trio with violinist Mark Feldman, "scintillating and provocative" (Bill Milkowski, Absolute Sound), "an intensely rewarding and conceptually promising avenue for the future of jazz" (Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com) and "as convincing a statement of what’s still possible with the instrumentation as anything I’ve heard in years" (Brian Morton, PointofDeparture.org). It was also included in best-of-the-year lists in AllAboutJazz.com, Cadence, Coda, the Hartford Courant, Jazz Review and the Village Voice.

Musillami himself has been called “a superior guitarist” (John McDonough, DownBeat), "an adroit and creative musician" (Michael J. West, JazzTimes), "a fine composer of notable original music" (Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide) and "a modern-day jazz master" (Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal). "His compositions develop in leisurely style from quiet simplicity to intricate complexity," explained Jack Massarik in Jazzwise, "and the ensemble playing is civilized, sophisticated and clean." The Boston Phoenix's Jon Garelick adds, "Musillami sounds familiar—this is swinging jazz guitar, after all—but not quite like anyone else."

In a career that spans more than 25 years, Musillami has worked extensively as a performer, bandleader/composer and educator. In addition to his flagship trio with Fonda and Schuller, which has performed in the U.S., Canada and Europe and released three CDs since 2002, he has earned critical notice as the leader of groups ranging from duo to octet featuring such prominent collaborators as Cameron Brown, Thomas Chapin, Drew Gress, Mario Pavone, Michael Sarin and Matt Wilson. He is also the longtime Director of Jazz Studies at The Hotchkiss School and founder/director of the acclaimed Playscape Recordings label, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2009.   www.michaelmusillami.com

This recorded performance will also mark the beginning of Robbins offering mp3s of live shows for sale through his website.

"What do you get when an aspiring horn player grows up listening to guitar rock, sampled hip-hop and probably a fair bit of Miles Davis' electric jazzphase? You get a fresh new sound from rising jazz saxophonist Pete Robbbins."
- Virginia Prescott, Word of Mouth on New Hampshire Public Radio

"The alto saxophonist Pete Robbins favors a species of fusionesque post-bop that's complex but welcoming, and ultimately light on its feet. His third album, "Do the Hate Laugh Shimmy" (Fresh Sound/New Talent), borrows its title from E. E. Cummings, and it earns that whimsical association through tangles of intertwining melody and stutter-step rhythm." (
- Nate Chinen, The New York Times
 Cover $10   www.peterobbins.com ,  www.myspace.com/peterobbins

Douglas Light, author of the novel East Fifth Bliss, has had his short stories in StoryQuarterly, Hobart, Guernica, and other publications. His first published short story won an O. Henry Prize and was selected for 2003 The Best American Nonrequired Reading anthology.

Douglas will read his short story, "Animals"; and an excerpt from his novel East Fifth Bliss.

John McCaffrey's short stories, articles and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines as well as in Flash Fiction Forward. John received his Masters Degree in Creative Writing at the City College of New York, where he was a New York Times Fellow. He recently completed his first novel, The Book of Ash.

John will read two short stories "Tombstone Love"; and "The Sun Also Sets".

 Cover $7 (includes one house drink)

A new twist on the ancient tradition of oral history.

SpeakEasy is people telling stories-- true stories. Period. No scripts. No crib notes. No rehearsals. SpeakEasy has a dynamic and constantly changing cast of storytellers that include such greats as Mike Daisey, Jonathan Ames, and Reno, along with homemakers, lawyers, dog walkers, street magicians and writers

You never know what you'll hear. So join us for what could be a life changing experience!

 Cover $10   www.speakeasystories.com

Elektra Kurtis is a violinist and composer of Greek origin, leader of Ensemble Elektra. After arriving in New York City, from Finland, via Poland and Greece, Elektra has performed with such notable artists as Lester Bowie, Gerry Mulligan, Paquito d'Rivera, Lionel Hampton, Max Roach, Ray Barreto, Simon Shaheen and Israel “Cachao” Lopez. She has also worked with contemporary composers such as Anthony Davis, John Zorn, Henry Threadgill and Craig Harris. In 1997 she recorded on Steve Coleman's double CD. Her CDs “The Book of Time”(2000) and “AFROdite’s Smile”(2005) were released on Milo Records.   www.elektrakurtis.com

After touring internationally as a clogger (Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble) and an old-time musician (Uncle Earl), KRISTIN ANDREASSEN is now gaining attention for her songwriting and solo performances. She won two awards in the John Lennon Song Contest for 2007 (Best Children's Song and Finalist in the Gospel category), and appeared as a featured guest on the NPR radio show A Prairie Home Companion in November 2008. Kristin has been honored to work with multi-year Bluegrass Bass Player of the Year Mark Schatz (who produced her solo debut Kiss Me Hello) as well as modern stringband guru Dirk Powell and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones (who each produced an album for Uncle Earl).
 Cover $5   www.amandabaisinger.com ,  www.myspace.com/kristinandreassen

Arrive before 6 pm to sign up.

Featured Poet: Tony Gloeggler

Tony Gloeggler is a New York native, currently managing a group home for developmentally disabled men in Brooklyn. His work has been in numerous anthologies and journals including The New York Quarterly, Rattle and The Ledge. His chapbook, ONE ON ONE, received the 1998 Pearl Poetry Prize. His most recent collection, MY OTHER LIFE, was published by Jane Street Press in late 2004.

"When it comes to luck, you make your own." - Bruce Springsteen
 Cover $7 (includes one house drink)

What they say: “ … This acoustic album is heady, electric stuff, … what makes Playground work is the juxtaposition of Ban’s Old World intellectual romanticism and Sylvester’s earthy Third World fervor….”
Thomas Konrad, JAZZ TIMES.

“ …. Ban’s writing on Playground reveals influences spanning the early carefree Ornette and the early weighty Jimmy Giuffre; however, there’s nothing gratuitously off-center or ponderous about his compositions. Instead, Ban hones melody and harmonic movement into smartly constructed pieces that resonate, emotionally.”
-Bill Shoemaker, POINT of DEPARTURE.

“ …. a recording by the Asymmetry Quartet … we should be thankful for Lucian Ban’s abundant imagination”
- Jeff Stockton , All About Jazz.

Expect new music …. pulsating blues, post bop lines, intricate compositions and grooves together with free jazz outbursts …. the four musicians have to “be seen and heard” to get the full picture. This promises to be a special evening ! For more info, sounds, press, etc please visit
 Cover $12   www.lucianban.com ,  www.jorgesylvester.com

4 Storytellers, 3 True Stories, 1 Pack of Lies. Uncover the liar and win a prize worth its weight in fool's gold.

 Cover $12 (includes one house drink)

"Luiz Simas is not only a wonderful musician, singer and composer, he is an engaging performer who draws his audience into his witty, joyful, sensuous musical world. Simas epitomizes the fantasies we non-Brazilians have about that wonderful country, and with him, we all get to be Brazilian, at least for the a couple hours!"
- Judy Carmichael, pianist
 Cover $15   www.luizsimas.com ,  www.myspace.com/luizsimasmusic