Tyshawn Sorey

“

The composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey, a Newark native...is among the most formidable denizens of the in-between zone...Here is an extraordinary talent who can see across the entire musical landscape.

“

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra began its life as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966.The world-famous Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City booked the newly formed band for three Monday nights that February. Those performances were wildly successful and the engagement was extended indefinitely. The Village Vanguard’s owner, Max Gordon, told Mel Lewis, “We’ll keep it going until it tapers off.” Over half a century and more than 2700 Monday nights later, it still hasn’t. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra stands apart from all other modern ensembles of its kind and is still as strong and vital as ever.

“Both in sound and improvisational approaches, the two offer fascinating contrasting and complementary sensibilities. Lovano’s cobalt-blue tone on tenor saxophone paired with Douglas’ crimson-tinged trumpet flares create startling timbres when they play in unison or intertwine improvisational lines.

“He radiates such facility and generosity from behind that piano. With his eloquence flooding our ears, we were suddenly invited to listen for a private friction in his brain...We’ll never be able to hear those firing synapses, only the decisions that they create. That’s fine. That’s music. Instead of settling into the center of his expanding soundworld, Moran decides to keep moving. We can learn something about who he is by where he decides to go, how he decides to get there, and what he decides to do once he arrives

“Changes come and go in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood, but the basement club occupying 178 Seventh Avenue South since 1935 remains a stable and revered New York City landmark.