June’s “Third Thursdays” features a freewheeling acoustic quartet w/Tony Malaby (tenor sax), John Turner (bass), Eric Rosenthal (drums) and Dave Bryant (keys/host).
“Third Thursdays” lineup for June 2023
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – May 31, 2023 – PRLog — Improvising keyboardist Dave Bryant, curator and host of the “Third Thursdays” series of monthly harmolodic jazz concerts, has invited tenor sax player Tony Malaby, bassist John Turner, and drummer Eric Rosenthal to join Bryant in a freewheeling acoustic performance.
June’s “Third Thursdays” concert will feature veteran jazz improvisors Bryant, Malaby, Rosenthal, and Turner’s first performance as a quartet.
Bryant notes that: “I’m looking forward to connecting with new friend Tony Malaby in the company of old friends John Turner and Eric Rosenthal, with whom I’ve probably spent more time than any other rhythm section. It will be a long-awaited reunion combined with a wonderful new adventure.”
This is the third concert in year two of the “Third Thursdays” series. This second year (running from April 2023-March 2024) will continue to periodically feature artists who are also former Ornette Coleman colleagues. The ultimate goal of “Third Thursdays” is to share experiences of free jazz played using Coleman’s unique approach. Each month’s concert is a totally different experience, catapulting performers—and their listeners—out of their usual comfort zone with ear-catching transcendent musical moments.
Plans are already in the works for July 20th’s “Third Thursdays” concert, with a re-engagement of the electrifying “Listen To This” who performed with Bryant at May 2022’s concert. This time around Bryant (keys) will be joined by Jerome Deupree (drums), Russ Gershon (woodwinds, organ), Bryan Murphy (trumpet), Todd Brunel (bass clarinet), J. Johnson (guitar), Rick McLaughlin (bass), and Rick Barry (percussion)
“Third Thursdays” performances and interviews have been documented at dbryantmusic.com/
Listings information for June:
“Third Thursdays” with Dave Bryant and Friends: a monthly harmolodic jazz series. Continues on Thursday, June 15, 8:00 pm, with Dave Bryant (acoustic piano) joined by special guests Tony Malaby (tenor sax), John Turner (bass), and Eric Rosenthal (drums). For further updates, visit dbryantmusic.com/
About “Third Thursdays” June guest artists:
Tony Malaby (tenor sax):
Called by the NY Times as one “of the best players” of his generation, Malaby is an integral member of New York City’s improvised music community. He has collaborated with such artists as Nasheet Waits, William Parker, Paul Motian, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, to name a few. college.berklee.edu/
John Turner (bass):
A veteran of the New England jazz scene, bassist John Turner has performed and recorded with the Either/Orchestra, Charlie Kohlhase, Scott Hamilton, Roswell Rudd, Lee Konitz, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, members of Ornette Coleman’s band, and the White Heat Swing Orchestra. He is also a member of the five-time Grammy nominated Roomful of Blues. jpmc.us/john-
Eric Rosenthal (drums):
Drummer Eric Rosenthal, a former student of Ed Blackwell, has cross pollinated his jazz drumming expertise by also delving into West African traditional and South Indian classical styles of percussion. Rosenthal has performed and improvised with Anthony Braxton, Mat Maneri, Pandelis Karayorgis, Mario Pavone, the Either/Orchestra, and more. allaboutjazz.com/
Further background information on “Third Thursdays” curator and host:
Dave Bryant (“Third Thursdays” host, keyboards) has been based in Cambridge, MA for many years. Early in his musical career, Bryant was a protégé of harmolodic jazz genius Ornette Coleman, having studied with him, then invited by Coleman to be the first electric keyboardist to perform in his Prime Time group. Bryant joined Prime Time in 1990, touring worldwide and performing on Prime Time’s Tone Dialing album. Bryant’s own first album, Shock Exchange, with liner notes by Coleman, was recorded in 1986 with his trio at that time, bassist John Turner and percussionist Chris Bowman. In 1999, Bryant released The Eternal Hang with Turner, Bowman, George Garzone, Bob Gullotti, and recording engineer Roger Nichols. That same year he performed on the John Tchicai/Charlie Kolhase Quintet disc, Life Overflowing, which was named “Jazz Album of the Year” by Boston Music Awards. In 2015, Bryant released The Garden of Equilibria, which features performances by Bryant, performing in a variety of settings, both acoustic and electric, with Tom Hall, Neil Leonard, Curt Newton, Eric Rosenthal, Jeff Song, and Jacob William. Bryant’s most recent recording Night Visitors is a 2020 collaboration with bassist Charnett Moffett and percussionist Gregg Bendian, which “finds Bryant adapting the Coleman aesthetic to an intensely personal ripple and rumble piano style.” (Mike Hobart, jazz critic for the Financial Times). Jazz journalist Howard Mandel considered Night Visitors one of the best jazz albums of 2020. Other credits include performances with Leroy Jenkins, Bern Nix, Eric Person, Badal Roy, Wadada Leo Smith, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Calvin Weston, and more. Bryant has also performed and lectured in Chicago, San Francisco, Paris, and Istanbul. Bryant teaches at Longy School of Music of Bard College. dbryantmusic.com (https://dbryantmusic.com/)
Further background on the “Third Thursdays” monthly series:
The “Third Thursdays with Dave Bryant and Friends” harmolodic jazz series began in April 2022, with the overall goal of showcasing a diverse range of Boston-area musical artists, as well as Dave’s fellow Ornette Coleman sidemen. A few months ago, it was announced that the funding for “Third Thursdays” monthly series has been extended for another year, starting in April 2023. Dave Bryant is honored that the series has received additional support from the Appalachian Springs Foundation (ASF) in order to continue this 12-month cycle extension.
The intent of “Third Thursdays” is to provide a venue for free jazz improvising artists, both local and national, to perform their work in an acoustically sympathetic performance space with professional video and sound recording to document the event. Dave Bryant was a long-time student and sideman of free jazz legend Ornette Coleman as a member of Coleman’s Prime Time group. Consequently, another key purpose of the series is to document the experiences, reminiscences, and musical contributions of members of Coleman’s bands for presentation in a podcast. The series is providing well-deserved exposure locally and internationally for local free jazz artists and for Coleman collaborators as well as first-hand insights and information from those collaborators about Coleman’s musical processes and philosophy.
All “Third Thursdays” sessions are held monthly at the Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, located a short walking distance from Harvard Square. Audience seating capacity will abide by whatever health and safety protocols are in place on any given month. The “Third Thursdays” harmolodic jazz series is funded in part by the Appalachian Springs Foundation (ASF), a private foundation located in Charleston, WV. As a nonprofit arts and educational organization, ASF has supported dance, film, music, and educational projects. Many of the “Third Thursdays” concert and interview videos that have been recorded since April 2022 can be found at dbryantmusic.com/
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