"While the jazz ethos is universal, Komeda's music distills the essence of Poland and pours it into the jazz bottle. Widely acclaimed as one of the prime creators of modern European jazz, Komeda's relatively short career had an enormous impact that is still being felt."
- Budd Kopmann/allaboutjazz.com

While best known for his haunting soundtracks to Roman Polanski films, the Polish pianist and composer made plenty of music that commands full engagement. This quintet explores that rich musical terrain.
- - New York Times/June2007

Among music fans, jazz people typically possess an exaggerated need for new stimuli. To hear something that has not been heard before is their endless quest. They are hereby directed to "Crazy Girl" by the Komeda Project. My admiration for the album continued to grow as I listened to it.

I think it is one of the strongest albums I have heard this year - and I get a LOT of albums in the mail! Performance: 4 Stars
- - Thomas Conrad/Stereophile Magazine/July2007

A very exciting project. The excitement, energy and the logical yet free structure of Komeda's work is readily apparent in the arrangements and playing. ... these tracks are not meant to be museum pieces, but rather a reaction in the present to the very core of Komeda's music. A wonderful introduction to the musical world of Krzysztof Komeda. Highly recommended.
- - Budd Kopman/allaboutjazz.com
 Cover $10   www.komedaproject.com

Jackie is back to feature Ellen Bass.

In 1973, Ellen Bass co-edited the groundbreaking book, No More Masks!, the first major anthology of women's poetry. Since then she's published several poetry books, including Mules of Love which won the Lambda Literary Award and The Human Line just published in June by Copper Canyon Press, as well as best-selling non-fiction, including The Courage to Heal. Among her other awards are a Pushcart Prize, The Pablo Neruda Prize, and the Larry Levis Prize. She teaches in Santa Cruz, CA and in the MFA program at Pacific University.

Arrive before 6 pm to sign up.

 Cover $7 (includes one house drink)

Now he is back in the West Village leading his own group!
 Cover $12   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Altschul

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

Have dinner while being fed a line: Four performers tell stories that will make you laugh or just make you glad you don't live with them. But listen carefully, because one of these basically honest people is making it all up. Interrogate the storytellers and expose the fraud to win an unbelievable "I Can Tell A Lie" t-shirt. $12 (includes one house drink)

Mike Daisey (NY Times, Wired)

James Braly (NPR, Edinburgh Fringe)

Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central)

Mark Katz (former Bill Clinton speech writer)

with host, Andy Christie (Moth Storytelling GrandSlam Champion).
 Cover $12 (includes one house drink)   www.TheLiarShow.com

Eade performs regularly in the U.S. and Europe. A frequent nominee for outstanding jazz vocalist in the Boston Music Awards since 1988, and the 1997 and 1999 winner in this category, Eade was also designated "Best Jazz Singer" in Entertainment Weekly's Regional Raves in 1997 and nominated for best new artist by the First Annual Jazz Awards (New York) in 1998. She was recognized in the 1998 Down Beat critics poll as "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition."

Her debut CD on RCA Victor, "When the Wind Was Cool," appeared in 1998 Top Ten lists in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Boston Phoenix, and in Jazz Times and Jazziz magazines; her second RCA Victor CD, "The Long Way Home," was released in 1999, with contributions by Dave Holland, Victor Lewis, Mick Goodrick, and Bruce Barth. Her earlier CD, "My Resistance Is Low," was voted one of the top ten jazz CDs of 1995 by Billboard.

Eade has recorded with Bruce Barth, Stanley Cowell, Alan Dawson, Benny Golson, Fred Hersch, Dave Holland, George Mraz, Lewis Nash, and Steve Nelson, and has performed with Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell, Mark Helias, Gene Bertoncini, Peter Leitch, Donald Brown, Butch Morris, Mick Goodrick, Ran Blake, and a number of contemporary ensembles.

Her latest recording, "Open" (Jazz Project) has been receiving much praise, and is featured in the June 2007 edition of Down Beat magainze in their "Hot Box" critics picks section.
 Cover $10   www.dominiqueeade.com ,  www.benmonder.com

What do galaxies, grapes, soil food webs, Zen ensos and dance troupes have in common? They are all patterns made of interacting parts. Tonight environmental scientist (and patternologist) Tyler Volk of NYU explores the nature of patterns in nature, culture, and the rest of the universe, and asks if there could be a science of everything based on patterns. His thoughts spin on the complementarity between patterns and their functions, for remarkable convergences are born when the forms that are woven by diverse scales of nature and culture (and even our minds) share common roles.

And, you ask, what more quintessential patterns of culture are there than dance and music? When Claude Debussy chastised Erik Satie, remarking that the eccentric composer ought to "soigner sa forme"--pay better attention to form--Satie replied, not in words, but in music. His riposte is the "Three Pieces in the Form of a Pear," a short suite for piano four-hands whose witty irony (not without a touch of sarcasm) is already signaled by the fact that the music consists not of three pieces, but seven.

Choreographer Christopher Caines, together with members of his dance company, presents excerpts from a new work in progress (specially arranged for the Cornelia Street Café) exploring this pivotal score in Satie's oeuvre. Caines, a 2006 Guggenheim Fellow, should prove the ideal choreographer to illuminate questions of structure, form, and pattern in the relation of dance to music.
 Cover $10

Through the exciting entertaining and diverse compositions of Christian Finger, and the effortless capacity of an elite ensemble of master musicians, the CHRISTIAN FINGER BAND explores American jazz tradition and mixes it with European sensitivity. Colorful and eclectic tunes mesmerize the audiences and enhance the intuitive and interactive playfulness of the band. The result is diverse: fast-paced and exciting, hauntingly beautiful and evocative, spontaneous and playful - all within a melodious framework that makes concerts by the CHRISTIAN FINGER BAND unique and accessible.

“… Great CD and playing and commitment to the moment, you should be proud, congratulations!”
-Jeff Ballard (Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau)
 Cover $10   www.christianfinger.com

New York City-based poet and actress Janet Ward, whose poems have been published in jazz album liner notes and on buses and subways, has been scribbling poems most of her life. In 2006 she was among the winners chosen for the Bridport Prize in London, which published her poem "99c dream" in their 2006 anthology. In 2003 she won the Poetry Society of America's 10th Anniversary Poetry-In-Motion Contest. She studied with Ron Koertge at Pasadena City College, and with Chana Bloch and Steven Ratcliffe at Mills College where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1995.
 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 $8   www.speakeasystories.com

written and performed by Peter Carlaftes

Lenny Bruce is back. The controversial stand-up comic, writer, social critic and satirist, who died in 1966, returns to earth and the stage for a one-night hiatus from the afterlife, this time inhabiting the body of Peter Carlaftes.

And Lenny sure has plenty to talk about. His hilarious afterlife perspective gives him a knowledge of all that came before, as well as all that's destined to happen in the future. For instance:

• The Shoe Bomber meets Sen. Larry Craig. "Of all the guys he starts tapping his feet next to in the airport bathroom, it's the Shoe Bomber!" What happens next is a real disaster.

• The dinosaurs are coming back. "Remember how the dinosaurs disappeared? Nobody knows why. Well, they come back. Nobody knows why."

• Cold War II. You think the first Cold War was bad? Brace yourself.

Lenny knows the heirarchy of heaven. And because no one can persecute him, he's a new man, with a new attitude, and a wealth of new material, that takes its cue from such Lenny classics as Religions, Inc., How Hitler Got Started and To Is a Preposition, Come Is a Verb.

Peter Carlaftes fully embodies the essence of the comic genius: "Carlaftes is the reincarnation of Lenny Bruce," SF Weekly). In this world premiere event, he intends to make everyone discover a new perspective on Lenny, and a new definition of "what is."
 Cover $12 (includes one house drink)

Rob Arthur is a singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist, currently on tour with Peter Frampton. As a keyboardist, the list is far too long to name everyone Rob has worked for, but to name a few: Five For Fighting, Joan Osborne, The Holmes Brothers, Kate Pierson of the B-52s, Will Lee, Keri Noble, etc. Rob's list of production credits is also impressive and as a composer, he has written music for Lifescapes, selling over 2 million copies. This work ranges from "Coctail Party"(inspired by Booker T and the Mg's) to "Timeless Romance"(Edith Piaf-flavored). Rob is also a painter and his work has been featured in Fine Art Magazine. Quite the versatile and talented fellow.
www.robarthur.com

Tabitha Fair is arguably one of the best singers the world over. Her stunning instrument transcends audiences with its dynamic nuances, and sparkling colors. Tabitha is often compared to divas Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. In fact, all of these artists have achieved great success with songs that were first demoed by Tabitha, who has long been a favorite studio singer for platinum songwriters.
www.tabithafair.net

Ann Klein is a singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer. As a composer/songwriter, she has: toured in Europe consistently for 10 years; written music for three documentaries for French television; written music for THE ENERGY FACTORY (an organization committed to tackling the growing problem of child obesity in the United States); written music for MetroMusic - a hip and happenin' library in NYC. As a guitarist, Ann has had the honor of playing with Kate Pierson of the B-52s, Joan Osborne, PM Dawn, Sara Lee, Toshi Reagon, Keri Noble, Mary Lee Kortes, Sara Wendt, Valerie Ghent and Ani DiFranco, among others. She has also produced several artists with her partner, Tim Hatfield, of Cowboy Technical Services. Ann was also the recipient of a grant to attend the McDowell Colony in the summer of 2000. However, Ann is most proud of her ability to wah wah her way out of any solo, any time.
www.ann-klein.com

Zak Alister started playing and listening to the Blues and American Roots music in his early teens, and decided to hitch across the country as soon as he could to get a feel for how and where that music evolves. After settling in Virginia and playing in various bands, most notably War Honey and New Amsterdam, (both of which also toured in Europe) in the 90s, he moved to New York where he has just finished recording his latest CD: "Under the Influence", retracing and paying homage to all the guitarists and music which keeps his passion alive. Playing with him on the CD are: Will Lee and Tony Garnier on Bass, Charley Drayton on drums, Bashiri Johnson on Percussion and Rob Arthur on keyboards, who also produced the CD.
www.zakalister.com
 Cover $7

Cindy Scott has a warm, sexy tone with clear presentation of lyrics and attention to melody. In her singing can be heard the influences of well-known jazz artists Sarah Vaughan and Karrin Allyson, with a touch of Ricki Lee Jones mixed in. She either swings hard or floats dreamily, depending on the song. Scott's passion for jazz comes out in her delivery and endears her to her listeners.
 Cover $10   www.cindyscott.us