* Cover is given where known * There is a one-drinkminimum per set * Reservations for shows downstairs can only be made by phone:212-989-9319
6PM Justine F. Chen presents scenes from an opera in the works: Joan of Arc
7PM Gilda Lyons brings in her Seraphim Trio
Justine F. Chen is a native New York violinist and composer. Though a relative new-comer to vocal writing, she has a long history of theatrical work, both as composer and performer. After writing her first opera in 2005, she has become devoted to exploring new incarnations of American opera and vocal music. Her first opera, The Maiden Tower, was performed at New York City Opera's VOX 2006 Showcase. She is currently the composer-in-residence in North Carolina for Long Leaf Opera.
The evening will introduce scenes from Justine's newest opera, Jeanne, based on the life of Joan of Arc. Her stellar cast showcases Jennifer Zetlan, Alison Tupay, Douglas McCormick Jr., Giuseppe Spoletini, and Matt Boehler.
It is a rare and wonderful event for a chamber ensemble to spring into existence with a concert repertoire entirely tailored to its nature and its personnel by composers of distinction. Such has been the great good fortune of Seraphim, a trio consisting of two voices and cello, founded in the autumn of 2005 around the premieres of three substantial new works written specifically for this unique combination by composers Daron Hagen, Paula M. Kimper, and ensemble member Gilda Lyons. Performed repeatedly to acclaim, the success of this initial program has inspired the ensemble to explore musical languages of the broadest possible stylistic range — re-examining and re-imagining ancient music, the cello suites of Bach, 19th century Evangelist hymn tunes, and traditional Christmas carols — and to collaborate in such projects as Amy Pivar Dances' Songs for Solo Dance and Voice; and ComposersCollaborative Inc.'s Serial Underground series. Seraphim's first concert was also the inaugural program of The Phoenix Concerts series, and Seraphim is delighted to serve as the series' Ensemble in Residence. The trio remains committed to contemporary music; commissions in the 2006-07 season included new works written for Seraphim by composers Hayes Biggs and Paula M. Kimper. 2007-08 commissions include new works by composers Eric Moe and Slavko Krstic. New York performances in the 2007-08 season include appearances at the Cornelia Street Cafe and the Center for Jewish History; the ensemble returns to The Phoenix Concerts series in spring of 2008. Cover $10 www.thephoenixconcerts.org/players/index.html , www.justinefchen.com
What's immediately apparent on this album is a band chemistry of the highest level, such as only a long-established group can achieve. The trio has been together since 2003, when they met in the halls of the New England Conservatory in Boston. Since then, they have toured through the US, Europe, Japan and Peru, spending countless hours learning to know each other. The experience shows.
Taken individually, the band members are distinguished musicians in their own right. Pianist/composer Dan Tepfer has played with jazz greats Lee Konitz and Steve Lacy and has recently won a number of competitions, including the first prize and the audience prize at the 2006 Montreux Solo Jazz Piano Competition. Bassist Jorge Roeder, originally from Peru, is the winner of the 2007 International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition. Drummer Richie Barshay has been playing with Herbie Hancock for the past four years, and has also recorded with Chick Corea.
Dan Kaufman has emerged as a promising young voice in jazz piano. He has performed for audiences around the world with many of the most prominent figures in jazz from legends like Slide Hampton and Jimmy Heath to younger stars including Wynton Marsalis and Mark Turner. Since finishing Juilliard in 2003, Kaufman has joined the working bands of Donald Harrison, Nnenna Freelon, Ben Wolfe, Wycliffe Gordon, and Rodney Green. He currently resides in Manhattan and performs in the city and tours abroad as a sideman, bandleader and as a solo pianist.
cover $8 pr set/both sets $12
www.dantepfer.com , www.dankaufmanmusic.com
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
Cover $7 (includes one house drink) http://aletheablack.com
www.noahjazz.com Cover $15 www.amandamonaco.com
"A pianist-composer of modernity and promise" Nate Chinen, New York Times Cover $10 www.franklocrasto.com , www.myspace.com/franklocrasto
Arrive before 6 pm to sign up.
This week's featured reader is Peter Carlaftes.
Peter Carlaftes is a Bronx-born Greek-Italian poet, playwright, actor and director. Five collections of his poetry have been published including Nightclub Confidential, The Bar Essentials, Sheer Bardom, I Canto Cantos and Drive-by Brooding. Nine of his plays have been staged, to critical acclaim, among them Anity, Frontier-A-Go-Go, Spin-Dry and Closure. Along the way to becoming a writer, Carlaftes performed as a stand-up comic and taught improv courses in his native New York, laid bricks, cracked safes, sold cable and tended bar, acquiring a unique ability to blend classic themes with tragi-comic street reality throughout the body of his creative work. He now resides in Greenwich Village. Cover $7 (includes one house drink)
Cover is given where known Many spoken words events are free There is always a one-drink minimum per set; times are door opening times
August 31-September 07, 2007 
