Joe Lovano's Paramount Quartet With Uncle Rick
When the music gods blessed a couple of jazz heads at the legendary Village Vanguard
Event Details:
Date: February 24, 2024
Venue: Village Vanguard (Manhattan)
Ticket Price: Free!
Artists:
Paramount Quartet: Joe Lovano - Saxophone, Julian Lage - Guitar, Santi Debriano - Bass, Will Calhoun - Drums
There are a handful of people that have had a profound impact on my taste in music and I can thank my Uncle Rick for my love of jazz. Ever since he gave me a few burned CDs with a collection of classic jazz standards about 15 years ago it was like a whole new world of music opened up for me. Naturally, it only made sense for a couple of jazz heads to try to find a show while he was visiting NYC this weekend; however, the only problem was that all of the shows we were interested in were sold out!
After dinner, we decided to stop by Village Vanguard (yes, THE Village Vanguard) to see if there was any chance we could get a couple of seats for the early show. It was about a quarter past 8 PM and the first show had already begun as we were making our way down the narrow staircase. One of the venue staff members intersected us at the entrance and kindly told us to come back a bit early for the late show starting at 10 PM, since they usually let in a extra few guests at the door.
Around 9 PM we returned to the venue to start our wait in the cold. They split the lines and poor Rick and I were the only people without tickets but we remained optimistic. Suddenly, a couple approached us and said the other two members of their party decided to go home at the last minute so they offered the two extra tickets to us for free. They were also the first people in line so we were eventually seated at a table no more than seven or eight feet from the stage. Talk about luck!!
After a nice conversation with our new angel friends from Orlando it was showtime! Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed so you just get my ramblings for this post but the performance was spectacular. Joe Lovano was joined by one of the current stars in the jazz world, guitarist Julian Lage, who I was probably more excited about seeing. He was phenomenal to say the least and at one point during one of the first couple of songs he was absolutely shredding it up when I gave Rick one of those “can you fucking believe this guy” nudges and we both chuckled in amazement.
Rightfully so, Joe and Julian were the “stars of group” if you will but Rick and I both agreed the bass player, Santi Debriano, stole the show. The upright bass is a massive instrument and can seem intimidating even for a bass player, but Santi completely owned his instrument. Walking his fingers up and down the bass neck, stretching and bending in all directions, mixing in flavorful harmonics, seamlessly switching between using his bow and different finger techniques. He had a bag full of tricks. Not only could you hear that warm bass tone filling the jam-packed room but you could see him express every note on his face. It was a joy to watch.
Sometimes you just get lucky or karma swings back your way. Either way, I am super thankful to those kind strangers on 7th Ave for making it possible to enjoy a great show with my Uncle Rick.
Cheers and keep rocking!