Cornelia Street Cafe Welcomes Jason Rigby Quarter & Michael Musillami Trio + 3

Sat Feb 27 9:00PM & 10:30PM
JASON RIGBY QUARTET

(Jason Rigby, tenor saxophone; Cameron Brown, bass; Michael Holober, piano; Mark Ferber, drums)

Jason Rigby has been hailed as "a truly lyrical musician" and "New York's rising star of tenor sax." His unique voice deftly combines many influences - critics recognize the creative mindset of Wayne Shorter, the energy of John Coltrane, and the elasticity and compositional style of Ornette Coleman and Paul Motian - emerging as something wholly new, compelling and yet recognizable. His leader releases "Translucent Space" (2006) and "The Sage" (2009), Fresh Sound Records, received stellar reviews and feature Rigby originals in a larger format, the latter of a quintet. This TRIO outing features a whole new collection of compositions penned exclusively for this band, and brings forth a fresh expression of the celebrated tradition of tenor trio.

"...the saxophonist's quintet sustains a daunting finesse while swinging full tilt on the new The Sage."

- Jim Macnie, The Village Voice

Cover $10 http://www.jasonrigby.net

Sun Feb 28 8:30PM
MICHAEL MUSILLAMI TRIO + 3

(Michael Musillami, guitar & compositions; Joe Fonda, bass; George Schuller, drums; Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Marthy Ehrlich, alto saxophone; Matt Moran, vibraphone)

"These players are not only able to maneuver the tricky ins and outs of these pieces, but also seem to be genuinely inspired by them," writes AllAboutJazz-New York's Robert Lannapollo. "From Seeds shows Musillami, Fonda and Schuller to be one of the finest working units in jazz today, with or without the '+3'." Critics called the record "exceptional in all respects" (Chris Kelsey, JazzTimes) and "a marvelous new music recording of great depth and vision" (Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic.com), while also noting "the distinctiveness of Musillami's compositions" (Nic Jones, AllAboutJazz.com), "consistently imaginative and effective use of the horns" (Ed Hazell, Jazziz) and "a tone that's impossible not to love" (James Hale, DownBeat).

Musillami has worked extensively as a performer, bandleader/composer and educator for more than 25 years. When not touring with his acclaimed trio, which has performed in the U.S., Canada and Europe and released four CDs since 2002, he has earned critical notice as the leader of a variety of groups featuring such prominent collaborators as Cameron Brown, Thomas Chapin, Drew Gress, Mario Pavone, Michael Sarin and Matt Wilson. He is also the longtime Director of Jazz Studies at The Hotchkiss School and founder/director of the highly respected independent label, Playscape Recordings, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009. Learn more at www.michaelmusillami.com
Cover $10

CORNELIA STREET CAFÉ
29 Cornelia Street, NYC, New York 212-989-9319
http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com
between West 4th and Bleecker Sts, Greenwich Village
1 Subway to Sheridan Square; A, C, E, B, D, V, F to West 4th St.