1. On Ka’a Davis and his Famous Original Djuke Music Big Band

Date: Monday, October 8, 2012
Time: 7:30-open rehearsal & 9pm-performance
Venue: The Stone (is located at the corner of Avenue C and 2nd Street)
Ticket: $10
Genre: big band jazz/improve

There are 5 Mondays this October,and every one of them will feature the On Ka’a Davis and his Famous Original Djuke Music Big Band  directed by  On Ka’a Davis. Drawing inspiration from the outer realms and more into the squat politics of the East Village basement jam…polyrhythmic complexity and primal passions…an incessant pulse beat that tears the roof off the cerebral avant garde…another world never imagined possible from the undying, ever growing counter culture crucible of downtown New York.

Featuring: On Ka’a Davis (director, guitar, violin, electro), Andrew Lamb (tenor sax), Avram Fefer and Nick Gianni (saxes, flutes), Nonoko Yoshida (alto sax), Matt Cole (baritone sax), Welf Dorr (bass clarinet), Cavassa Nickens and Albey Balgochian (basses), Peter Barr, Dalius Naujo, Kenny Wollesen and Eric Eigner (drums), Evans Thompson (piano), Naomi Watanabe (percussion), Brandon Terzic (ngoni) and Dave “Smoota” Smith (trombone).

2. HONK NYC Festival Kickoff Party

Date: Tuesday, October 9 , 2012
Time: 8pm
Venue: Paper Box (17 Meadow Street, Brooklyn, New York 11206)
Ticket: $12
Genre: brass band music

A bunch of New York City bands are bringing the BONK!* back to Gotham with HONK NYC!, the sixth gathering of radical street bands, 21st century style, in NYC! Don’t miss the opening night party in East Williamsburg at The Paper Box!
Featuring Out of Towners:
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago)
Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin)
Pink Puffers Brass Band (Rome, Italy)

and Local Favorites:
Underground Horns
Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars
Read more here about the bands and their schedules.

3. Save The Village: A Benefit Concert

Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Time: 8pm
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012, ph: 212- 505-3474)
Ticket: $25
Genre: various music styles

Save The Village: A Benefit Concert with John Zorn , Thurston Moore , Jesse Harris , TriBeCaStan, Flutterbox, John Kelly, Gary Lucas, Red Baraat, David Amram and MYCALE (vocal music of John Zorn).

NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan is a group of over 400 of NYU’s own faculty members who are working together to fight NYU’s outrageous multi-billion-dollar expansion in Greenwich Village. The Sexton Plan, we believe, is financially reckless (and will certainly result in rising tuition at a school where the students are the most heavily indebted in nation), disregards faculty input and governance, will further erode the rich cultural history of the Village, and will bring more than 10,000 more people in foot traffic per day to an already over-developed area with little green space, amongst other harmful effects. We urge NYU’s administration to focus on education, not real estate.
All donations go to pay the law firm that is working with the community against the Plan; our small group of staff and consultants; and to create materials to spread information about our struggle.

4. Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators

Following an amazing sold-out week of performances last Fall, Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators celebrate a much anticipated return back to Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, in celebration of his newly released Vinyl/CD recording entitled Flower by the Dry River, a recording whose proceeds will go directly to the DirectGrace Fund.

The concept of syncopation is intrinsic to Cuban pianist and composer Elio Villafranca – who is deeply inspired by Duke Ellington’s approach to music of the 1940’s. Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators is the artistic and cultural synthesis of his vision of Ellington’s Colored Syncopators musical approach, applied to contemporary Jazz idioms and Villafranca’s Latin heritage.

In this project Villafranca challenges the boundaries of Jazz by fusing it with the syncopated nature of Afro-Caribbean music from Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Congolese rhythms of Makuta and tambor Yuka, as it is called in his home town of Pinar del Rio, Cuba.  The band will be joined by a folkloric dancer and a diverse group of musicians.

Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators are: Lewis Nash- drums, Terell Stafford – trumpet, Vincent Herring- alto sax, Greg Tardy – tenor sax, Carlos Henriquez – bass, Elio Villafranca – piano / compositions
+ Special Guests: Julia Loisa Gutierrez-Rivera & Maria Rivera – folkloric dancers, Anthony Carrillo & Jonathan Troncoso – percussion

5. Oliver Lake: Improvised Duos (Oliver Lake 70th Birthday Celebration!)

Date: Friday, October 12, 2012
Time:  8pm
Venue: The Roulette (509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217)
Ticket: $15
Genre: jazz/improve

Roulette continues the 70th birthday celebrations for outstanding musician Oliver Lake. A Melon Jazz Living Legacy Award recipient, Lake has embraced a diverse array of musical styles and disciplines throughout his long and highly acclaimed career, he has an array of extraordinary talents including composer, saxophonist, flautist and bandleader that have made him a world-renown artist. At Roulette, he will be presenting a night of improvised duets featuring an all star cast of musicians: featuring: Orrin Evans, piano; Nasheet Waits, drums; Alex Harding, bari  sax; Jason Marshall, bari  sax;  Jason Hwang, violin; Joel Harrison, guitar; Joe Daley, tuba; Pheeroan Ak Laff, drums.

6. CHICO HAMILTON

Date: Sunday, October 14, 2012
Time:  7:15pm
Venue: Drom (85 Avenue A, NY, NY 10009, 212- 777-1157)
Ticket: $15
Genre: jazz

As evidenced on his latest recording Revelation (Joyous Shout!), 90 year-old drummer/leader Forestorn “Chico” Hamilton is still creating vivid, positive, uplifting, and relevant music.  Saluted by the Kennedy Center as a “Living Jazz Legend”, and appointed to the President’s Council on the Arts, this NEA Jazz Master is considered one of the most important living jazz artists and composers. DROM presents EUPHORIC – Celebrating the Life & Music of Chico Hamilton for three Sunday night performances this Fall (OCT – DEC) featuring Chico and his long-time touring band featuring Nick Demopoulos (guitar), Paul Ramsey (bass), Evan Schwam (flute + reeds), Mayu Saeki (flute), and Jeremy Carlstedt (drums + percussion) as well as special featured guests TBA.  Program includes mostly Chico originals off of Revelation ranging from the samba-ish gem “Footprints in the Sand” to the ballad “Every Time I Smile.”

7. ZAMIN

Date: Sunday, October 14, 2012
Time:  9:30pm
Venue: Drom (85 Avenue A, NY, NY 10009, 212- 777-1157)
Ticket: $10
Genre: mixing Indian vocal techniques with classical and folk, but also a bit of rock and light jazz.

“Zamin is a very interesting young band from Chicago, fronted by Zeshan Bagewadi, a fluid vocal marvel with European and Indian classical training. The quintet’s niche is mixing Indian vocal techniques with underpinnings of less-exotic U.S. musics — usually classical and folk, but also a bit of rock and light jazz. Zamin crafts tight polyglot post-pop three-minute songs that are downright commercial at times, even though they are sung in Urdu and other Indian languages. It’s all acoustic music, a blend of Bagewadi’s supple and amazing vocals with cello, stand-up bass, guitar and various hand drums.” – Surowicz, Minneapolis Star Tribune

8. Anders Nilsson’s CD Release Party!