Andy Arnold trio @ the Shrine

Great music and a great audience @ the Shrine in Harlem (Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. @ 133-134 st) – Andy Arnold (guitar and compositions), Moto Fukushima (electric bass), Jared Schonig (drums). I would say at least two of the three of them sounded as if they were in love. Lots of good energy and hip playing 😀 And I found a $4 margarita. Was quite strong but way too sweet.

Friday Night: Breezin’ in Harlem

The Shrine

Spent a lovely evening (the weather was really fine for a change) with Gordon Polatnick’s Jazz Tour in Harlem.  As Gordon Polatnick said, there is no place like Harlem – I totally agree. It is so much different from any other NY neighborhood.  Gordon has this really relaxed laid-back kind of humor and a lot of connections all around Harlem – which make the tours a lot of fun besides being informative. We had a nice walk through some important spots from the early history of jazz,  followed by a really nice east-asian/mediterranean/mexican/african tasting dinner at a place called the Shrine (with live jazz music that evening, but it’s generally more like a world music venue) at 133-134 St. I really liked the place a lot, it had a great fresh and lively vibe going on.

St Nick's Pub

Afterwards, it was back to St Nick’s Pub with the group. I think it was the house band playing, standards like “All of Me” and so on. It was nice, but a little later I felt like going for some more adventurous kind of music, so I started for John Zorn’s Improvisation Night at a club called the Stone (in East Village). I actually didn’t make it further that 2 blocks from St. Nick’s – there I met a really beautiful stanger and for even for my own surprise joined him for his party in Harlem.  I think he was a mix black and Spanish and turned put to be an amazing dancer. Besides some wild dancing we had a couple of beers and a smoke (they were looking for a roommate and I almost moved in with him and a white girl who was also living there – we would have formed a real crazy power trio) and then returned to St. Nick’s a little before midnight. The band that was playing there was just amazing – it was so groovin’ that you could eat pure love out of the air!  One of my top groove experiences ever 🙂  They were playing songs like George Benson’s Breezin’ ,  light and happy love music. I’m really a fan of St.Nick Pub and Harlem now. Incredible place.

Friday Night: Breezin' in Harlem

The Shrine

Spent a lovely evening (the weather was really fine for a change) with Gordon Polatnick’s Jazz Tour in Harlem.  As Gordon Polatnick said, there is no place like Harlem – I totally agree. It is so much different from any other NY neighborhood.  Gordon has this really relaxed laid-back kind of humor and a lot of connections all around Harlem – which make the tours a lot of fun besides being informative. We had a nice walk through some important spots from the early history of jazz,  followed by a really nice east-asian/mediterranean/mexican/african tasting dinner at a place called the Shrine (with live jazz music that evening, but it’s generally more like a world music venue) at 133-134 St. I really liked the place a lot, it had a great fresh and lively vibe going on.

St Nick's Pub

Afterwards, it was back to St Nick’s Pub with the group. I think it was the house band playing, standards like “All of Me” and so on. It was nice, but a little later I felt like going for some more adventurous kind of music, so I started for John Zorn’s Improvisation Night at a club called the Stone (in East Village). I actually didn’t make it further that 2 blocks from St. Nick’s – there I met a really beautiful stanger and for even for my own surprise joined him for his party in Harlem.  I think he was a mix black and Spanish and turned put to be an amazing dancer. Besides some wild dancing we had a couple of beers and a smoke (they were looking for a roommate and I almost moved in with him and a white girl who was also living there – we would have formed a real crazy power trio) and then returned to St. Nick’s a little before midnight. The band that was playing there was just amazing – it was so groovin’ that you could eat pure love out of the air!  One of my top groove experiences ever 🙂  They were playing songs like George Benson’s Breezin’ ,  light and happy love music. I’m really a fan of St.Nick Pub and Harlem now. Incredible place.

Neljas päev – Harlem

Magasin päris kaua, sest viimasel ajal pole veel kordagi enne 2AM  koju jõudnud. Käisime Christine’iga toidupoes.  Selgus, et teistel on oma toas eraldi külmkapid (mis on vist Ameerikas tavaline) ja sellepärast köögi külmkapp nii tühi ongi.
Õhtuks oli mul kokku lepitud kokkusaamine Gordon Polatinickuga, kellega olin juba Eestist e-maili teel suhelnud, et tema jazz tours tegevusest osa võtta (http://www.bigapplejazz.com/). Õnnetuseks ajasin segi kokkusaamise koha – see muutus mitu korda ja mul jäigi lõpuks valesti meelde… Mina läksin Sheratoni, mis asub W 53rd St ja umbes 20 minutit enne kella kukkumist tuli meelde, et koht oli hoopis Apollo Theater (W125 St) Harlemis. Siis oli väike paanikamoment. Võtsin esimese hooga takso, aga sain üsna pea aru, et taksoga kuluks vist kohale jõudmiseks tunde… Meeletu liiklus. Ja siis ma võtsin A Train-i 😀 mis teadupärast viib Harlemi. Ehkki enam mitte Sugar Hilli nagu vanasti. Aga jah A Train is the quickest way to Harlem :D! Ekspress. Jõudsin õigeks ajaks…
Külalisteks oli kaks bussitäit kanada õpilasi (mingist kooli jazzbandist). GP viis nad Harlemi ajaloolistesse kohtadesse, kus New Yorgi jazz on alguse saanud, kuid praegu täiesti unustatud. Oli nimelt teatud kohad, kus omal ajal kõik hängisid :), suitsetasid, bändiliikmeid värbasid. Kokkusaamiste määramise kohaks oli tavaliselt “on the corner“, mis tähendas konkreetset tänavanurka Harlemis. Harlem on endiselt väga ehe koht, mustade rajoon, värvikas ja pulbitsev, aga mitte enam ohtlik piirkond nagu mõned aastad tagasi, seetõttu enam mitte ka eriti odav.

Käisime vaatamas tapdancer Omar’i ja tema naist, kes väikese lava peal päris metsikult tantsisid. Sealsamas kõrval asus jazziklubi St. Nick’s –  mulle tundub, et päris tuntavalt gay jazzclub! Mustade gayde jazzclub! Päris enneolematu vaatepilt, sest ma eriti ei teagi jazzmuusikute hulgas gay’sid, kuuldavasti oli Billy Strayhorn üks, aga selliseid asju tavaliselt eriti ei rõhutata ja ega vaja polegi. Aga mustad gayd? Polnud vist varem näinudki neid. Väga lahe klubi.

Tuur Kanada koolilastega sai läbi ja edasi liikusime GP-ga Harlemist Sugar Bar’i, mis asus kusagil Midtownis.  GP sugulane tähistas law-school‘i lõpetamist ja oli kutusunud mõned sõbrad välja jazziklubide tuurile. Sugar clubis esines Black Betty oma bändiga. Sõime ja jõime kreooli toite, mina võtsin krevette valge veiniga. Kreooli köök ongi NYs praegu popp, olen ma aru saanud. Mul õnnestus sel õhtul ise mitte kordagi maksta, mis on alati tore variant 😀 Kuigi Ameerikas on see raha teema pidevalt päevakorral ja inimesed jubedalt arvestavad ja rehkendavad. Paistab, et kellelgi eriti raha pole praegu.

Siis sõitisme taksoga Harlemisse tagasi, läksime Bill’s Place’i, mis tähendaski pmst otseses mõttes, et läksime Billi poole.  Bill on üks saksimees, kes reede õhtuti enda pool teeb jazziõhtuid, bring your own booze variandis. Selles samas majas oli juba 30ndatel-40ndatel hangimise ja jämmimise koht, kus tagaõues suitsetati ja tsillliti. Täpselt sama tegime ka praegu, aastal 2009 :). Juba sisse astudes oli mulje maksimaalne – mängis Grant Green Complete Quartets with Sonny Clarke album. Mida veel ühele hangile minnes tahta 🙂 ? Pärast hakkas bänd mängima ja see oli ka väga hea, Bill on täitsa kõva saksimees, meenutas mulle natuke Hank Mobley’t ja Coltrane’i. Vähemalt mingis osas. Vähem kompleksselt mängis, aga tunne oli ülimalt ehe ja bänd swingis kõvasti. And the drinks were plentyful , üldse oli väga lõbus. Uskumatu, et ka sel ajal on olemas kodused peod sellise live musaga. Seltskond osutus samuti väga toredaks ja ma sain kõvasti tähelepanu, see Eesti värk tundub kõigile nii huvitav ja ma ise pole ka vist eriti tüüpiline tegelane 🙂 Koju jõudsin umbes 4 AM.

Hmm.. aga metroos ma vist seekord mingit uut muusikat ei kuulnudki? … Ühte india sitari mängijat nägin uuesti. Näod hakkavad varsti korduma 😀