Mark my words. People will remember 2010 as the year the LIC Jazz scene came to prominence!
So far 2010 has been an amazing year for LIC Jazz--and it's just getting started! In just a few short months a potent and powerful jazz scene has reared its head. The sleeping giant has awoken!
This didn't exactly happen overnight.There have been some heavy players living in the neighborhood for years, but after a series of smaller jazz shows at neighborhood haunts like Creek and The Cave, Domaine & LIC Bar, a real scene has started to coalesce. On top of that people often forget that Queens has a very rich jazz heritage. It was a home for greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Jordan and many more.
On March 28th, 2010 the first ever Long Island City Jazz Festival was held at The Secret Theatre. It was a terrific success, a great celebration of our homegrown talent. It not only dazzled the audience but inspired musicians to seize the moment and take control of their collective destinies. In April a collective of jazz musicians, supporters and enthusiasts formed the Long Island City Jazz Alliance.
The Alliance was created to strengthen and develop the LIC Jazz scene by using its collective resources to create more and better opportunities for jazz musicians. The Long Island City Jazz Alliance has already shown itself to be swift in their actions because there is now something resembling a tidal wave of jazz heading toward the neighborhood!
On Sunday, June 13th The Long Island City Jazz Alliance will be forming a local "supergroup" led by guitarist Amanda Monaco to kick off the popular Live At The Gantries outdoor concert series.
LIC Bar has declared June its Jazz Month by filling its calendar with many jazz concerts as well as a special and innovative residency by saxophonist and composer Anthony Cekay. A large piece composed by Cekay called "The Spectacular War Museum" will be broken up into four separate shows each Monday in June. And to make it even more interesting, Cekay will be the first artist in LIC (at least to my knowledge) to stream live video of an entire residency.
Also don't forget about Domaine Wine Bar--the original hub for LIC Jazz--where every Tuesday and Friday pianist Steve Blanco continues to fan the flames of the scene he helped to spark.
New on the scene: just a few train stops away on the 7 train on the LIC/Sunnyside border is The Ra Cafe. Ra features live jazz concerts every Thursday and a jazz brunch every Sunday. The majority of their shows are devoted to neighborhood jazz musicians.
Keep your dial tuned to LICNotes for the latest developments in the jazz community!
From the desk of Silbin Sandovar
