We've reached October! The weather is finally calming down, going places is less painful and people are back at school again!

There's a ton of great stuff to check out and I wish I could include it all in this Month's edition of "My Friends Play Music"

For this month I've decide to do something a little different and list shows by venue since Many things are happening at the same location.

Hopefully this will make things easier and more organized for everyone.

Parkside Lounge-

October 1st 9:20pm: Alyssa Jean - TONIGHT! Alyssa plays a set at the parkside lounge as a part of an artist showcase! Alyssa is an incredible songwriter and lyricist who’s also secretly a practiced mage. If you go to her show she might share a few spells with you but don’t get your hopes up. Either way, it’s going to be great so go if you can.

Korzo-

October 2nd 9pm: Mareike Wiening Quintet - Mareike is one of my favorite drummers in the city who also happens to be one of the friendliest, tolerant, and all around kind human beings you’ll ever meet. Her music is top tier and her band is amazing. She’s very busy so make sure you take the opportunity to catch her as a bandleader tomorrow at 9pm! Her band will feature Ole Mathisen on Saxophone, Alex Goodman on Guitar, Glenn Zaleski on Piano, and Johannes Felscher on Bass!

Wonders of Nature-

October 8th 9pm: Brickwork - The infamous trio (formerly called Mughal Muesli) will be playing their always quirky yet intense music again this month which is great to see! They had a few months hiatus due to bassist Mat Muntz being abroad but I’m happy to see them back in the city and doing the thing. I’m not very secretive about my opinions and if we’ve talked about saxophonists I’ve probably mentioned Xavier del Castillo as my favorite tenor player in the city and possibly the world along side the ever masterful Vicente Hansen Atria.

55 Bar-

October 9th 10pm & 11:30pm: Adam O'Farrill's Stranger Days Boosts back to their regular 55 bar gig next week indulging in their post album life. In these crazy times, stranger days are always to be anticipated. (Excuse me..)

The Jazz Gallery (7:30pm & 9:30pm)-

The Jazz Gallery continues to crush it as my favorite venue in the city. Believe it or not I had to greatly slim down the list of shows I wanted to give a shoutout to at the gallery alone. These are what made the cut. I’ll try to be as brief as possible.

October 4th: Micah Thomas Trio - Micah is a virtuoso of the piano and dabbler on the drums who’s approach to the piano blends countless influences and does each of them justice. Catch this show I promise you’ll at the very least be blown away.

October 11th: Patrick Bartley - Pat is one of those hyper genius cats who’s as intense as the desert sun. He’s still very young and is already incredibly established in the jazz scene. Not to mention, he’s a fellow J-music and Japanese culture enthusiast. I’m super excited to hear this and have had it written down in my books since it was announced.

October 13th: Jihye Lee Duo - Known as a fantastic big band composer and arranger, Jihye is doing something a bit different and giving us a taste of her incredible vocal skills in an album release show. Joined by pianist Kevin Hays, the pair will perform her originals! Definitely check it out.

October 18th: Lex Korten Sextet - This show has been in my calendar since before it was even announced. Lex is an incredible musician who’s also among my closest friends. He’s bringing a large group to the stage this month featuring a collection of equally skilled cats. Davy Lazar on trumpet, Yuma Uesaka on tenor saxophone, David Leon on alto saxophone, Nick Dunston on bass and Kayvon Gordon on drums.

October 24th: Nick Dunston - Formerly known from the legend of Neil Duncan; Nick Dunston brings a recently formed quintet to this familiar stage showcasing a synergy of delicate sounds that create a push and pull of emotional peaks. This gestural extravaganza is sure to intrigue listeners of all levels.

October 25th: Arta Jekabsone - This incredible vocalist from Latvia is truly special. Those that hear her cannot forget her immensely positive energy and refined mastery of craft that is truly one of a kind. She has won multiple large scale competitions and is building quite the rep. We met over 3 years ago in a New School elective ensemble and since then I’ve been a total fan.

Rockwood Music Hall-

October 6th 11:30pm: Eyehear (Stage 3) - This is a group I’ve heard so much about but sadly have yet to fully see. The roster of musicians is quite remarkable and their music is a blend of experimental jazz, metal, and free improvisation. This show will feature new compositions!

October 10th 7pm: Bianca Muniz (Stage 2) - Bianca was a classmate of mine at The Nevv School who has quickly ascended in popularity both locally and beyond! Her music is quite special and she’s a role model to many! This is a great night to be around Rockwood!

October 10th 11:59pm:JK and Chris McCarthy (Stage 1) - As mentioned above, this is the night to hang at Rockwood. JK Kim and Chris McCarthy perform at stage 1 at midnight! These guys are complete virtuosos and are one of the only groups in this generation who don’t take themselves too seriously… Seriously a great time.

The Owl Music Parlor-

October 4th 9pm & 10pm: Gaya Sings Connie//Kat and Jesse - The Owl’s one of my favorite places to hear music in the city and these two groups are a perfect fit for the venue. Every single on of Gaya’s projects is spot on and her voice is like no other. Kat Lee and Jesse Bielenberg play on the same bill afterwards! Another group I haven’t heard before, but Kat was one of my first friends in NYC and anything she’s a part of is worth checking out!

October 19th 9pm: Caroline Kuhn - Later this month at the Owl will also be a special performance by Caroline Kuhn who is a fantastic singer, banjoist and songwriter. Originally from NY recently graduated from NEC. I’ve been listening to her music on bandcamp and it’s not only super awesome but the perfect fit for the venue!

The Stone-

October 16-20 8:30pm: Joel Ross - Joel is an amazing musician who has played quite a few times at the Stone. He's well established in the Jazz world but has an incredibly eclectic skill set. He’ll be playing this entire week with various configurations all of which will be interesting.

Cornelia Street Cafe-

October 14th 8pm//9:30pm: Almog Sharvit Quintet + Adi Meyerson Trio - This fantastic bassist double bill is part of the Israeli jazz spotlight! Almog Sharvit, the bassist from Kadawa will be playing at 8pm with his group followed by Adi Meyerson’s Trio! Both former classmates of mine in College.

BRIC -

October 20th 7:30pm - Noa Fort will be performing as part of the BRIC jazz festival. In BK! Noa writes amazing music and also plays the piano with an amazing atmospheric and haunting touch. This event will featuring tons of great acts so if you’re local definitely go check it out!

Birdland-

October 2nd & 5th 7:30/9:45pm: Benny Benack III Italian Quartet - Benny is an amazing trumpeter and singer who I’ve admired for quite some time. Recently picked up on some of his trails in Japan and it seems he was quite a hit there! I originally met him at Adam O’Farrill’s 20th birthday party and have followed him on social media for quite some time. He will be playing at Birdland Jazz twice this month! Swing on by.

October 25th 5:30pm: Alex Frondelli Quartet - Alex Frondelli is a recent friend of mine who’s also a phenomenal guitarist! He’ll be doing an EP release show later this month with a killer band featuring Sam Townse on piano, Mikey Migliore on bass, and Jason Wastor on drums!

TBD -

Nathan Kamal and Xiaoxiao Yuan will be playing a duo show on 10/27 that is a part of the monthly HOWL performance series! These musicians are both incredibly special and I’ve had the unique pleasure of working with both of them quite a few times. Nathan is a composer and multi string instrumentalist who always brings a good vibe to the scene and Xiaoxiao is a fantastic bassoonist. Stay posted for a location!

There’s a lot to see in October so no one will need to sit around looking for something to do! Hope to see you at one of these shows and I apologize for anything I couldn’t include.

I’ve decide to take a small break this month from bandleading to focus more on my own hustle (teaching and otherwise) but I still plan to be heavily involved in the scene supporting live music! Please reach out to me if you have shows next month as well I may not be able to include everything in the post (This is already over 1500 words as it is), but I love hanging and supporting you all even if it is from a distance.

I’ll do my best to keep the calendar updated as well!