VISION FEST 2008

[bernard lyons]

Tuesday, June 10
Main Stage "Rev/Revolution" ART by Jo Wood Brown
7:00pm Opening Invocation with drums, chanting, and strings
Hamid Drake / Patricia Nicholson
7:30pm Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet
Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet) / Matt Bauder (ts, cl) / Mary Halvorson (g) / Evan O'Reilly (g) / Jessica Pavone (viola, b) / Tomas Fujiwara (dr)
8:30pm Dave Douglas Magic Circle
Dave Douglas (tp) / Uri Caine (p) / Bryan Carrott (vibes)

9:30pm NU Band
Mark Whitecage (as, cl) / Roy Campbell (tp) / Joe Fonda (b) / Lou Grassi (dr)
10:30pm Mark Dresser Duo
Mark Dresser (b), Denman Maroney (p)

Milagro “LUNAR” – ART by Kazuko Miyamoto
8:15pm Projections Vision Festival XII photos
9:15pm K.J. Holmes Dance / David Moss Bass within LUNAR by Kazuko Miyamoto
10:15pm Bill Mazza video art projection

Wednesday, June 11: KIDD JORDAN LifeTime Achievement
Main Stage "Rev/Revolution" ART by Jo Wood Brown
7:00pm Jordan / Bluiett / Burrell
Kidd Jordan (ts) / Hamiet Bluiett (bs) / Dave Burrell (p)
7:45pm Bang / Jordan / Parker / Drake
Billy Bang (vi) / Kidd Jordan (ts) / William Parker (b) / Hamid Drake (dr)
8:30pm Jordan/Fielder Quartet
Kidd Jordan (ts) / Joel Futterman (p) / William Parker (b) / Alvin Fielder (dr)
9:15pm New Orleans Pays Tribute
Kent Jordan (fl) / Marlon Jordan (tp) / Donald Harrison (as) / Darrell Lavigne (p) / Elton Heron (b) / Alvin Fielder (dr)
10:15pm Anderson / Jordan / Parker / Drake
Fred Anderson (ts) / Kidd Jordan (ts) / William Parker (b) / Hamid Drake (dr)

Milagro “LUNAR” – ART by Kazuko Miyamoto
5:30pm Panel on The role of Art in the healing of New Orleans – FREE
7:30pm Projection photos of Kidd Jordan by Michael Wilderman
8:15pm Kalamu Ya Salaam spoken word
10:00pm

Projection photos of Kidd Jordan by Michael Wilderman

Thursday, June 12
Main Stage "Rev/Revolution" ART by Jo Wood Brown
7:30pm Oliver Lake New Quintet Project
Oliver Lake (as) / Peck Allmond (tp) / Jared Gold (organ) /
Jonathan Blake (dr) / Jahi Sundance (DJ)
8:30pm James Spaulding Swing Expressions
James Spaulding (as, fl) / Richard Clements (p) / Eric Lemon (b) /
Reggie Nicholson (dr) / Sabor (perc) / Gregory Porter (v)
9:30pm Hamiet Bluiett Quartet
Hamiet Bluiett (bs) / Billy Bang (vi) /
Harrison Bankhead (b) / Hamid Drake (dr)
10:30pm Ensemble of Possibilities
Whit Dickey (dr) / Rob Brown (as) / Eri Yamamoto (p)
Daniel Carter (reeds, tp) / Jason Kao Hwang (vi) / Joe Morris (b)

Milagro “LUNAR” – ART by Kazuko Miyamoto
8:15pm Kazuko Miyamoto Dance - within LUNAR
9:15pm Steve Dalachinsky poetry music TBA
10:15pm Projections Vision Festival XII photos



Friday, June 13
Main Stage "Rev/Revolution" ART by Jo Wood Brown
7:30pm Quartet -Ullmann / Swell / Altschul / Greene
Steve Swell (tb) / Gebhard Ullmann (reeds) / Hilliard Greene (b) / Barry Altschul (dr)
8:30pm Simmons / Few
Sonny Simmons (as) / Bobby Few (p)
9:30pm Connie Crothers solo piano
10:30pm Sabir Mateen / Henry Grimes Quartet
Sabir Mateen (rds) / Henry Grimes (vi, b) / Rasul Siddik (tp) / John Betsch (perc)
11:30pm Wadada Leo Smith Golden Quartet
(tp) / Vijay Iyer (p) / Don Moye (dr) / John Lindberg (b)

Milagro “MOON” - ART by Kazuko Miyamoto
8:15pm Yvonne Meier dance / Saco Yasuma sax - within LUNAR by Kazuko Miyamoto
9:15pm David Budbill (poetry) / William Parker (b)
10:15pm Projection: By Night No Stillness 15mins
A Katy Martin / film collaboration featuring visual art by Katy Martin and Jo Wood-Brown / dance by / on frame drum

Saturday, June 14: AFTERNOON at the Milagro
1:00pm Poetry Reading: Hila Ratzabi, Jake Marmer, TBA
2:00pm Jeff Arnal Trio – at the Main Stage
Jeff Arnal (perc) / Gordon Beeferman (p) / John Dierker (ts, bcl)
3:00pm Nabaté Isles' Imagination
Nabaté Isles (tp) / David Gilmore (g) / Sam Barsh (keys) / Jaimeo Brown (dr)
4:00pm Kioku
Wynn Yamami (Taiko, pec) / Ali Sakkal (saxes, perc) / Christopher Ariza (el)
5:00pm Mazz Swift featuring James Peter Lee and Vernon Reid
(vi, v, el) / James Peter Lee (lap steel) / Vernon Reid (g, el)

Saturday, June 14: EVENING
Main Stage "Rev/Revolution" ART by Jo Wood Brown
7:30pm Celestial Moon Beams Funk
Lewis Barnes (tp) / Sabir Mateen (reeds) / Rob Brown (as) / Jason Kao Hwang (vi) Todd Nicholson (b) / Gerald Cleaver (dr)
Dance: Patricia Nicholson / Miriam Parker / Jason Jordan / Julia Wilkins
Capoeira: Solomon Nadaf & JonMichael Leccia
8:30pm Matthew Shipp Trio
Matthew Shipp (p) / Whit Dickey (dr) / Joe Morris (b)
9:30pm Dunmall / Ali / Grimes
Paul Dunmall (ts, bagpipes) / Henry Grimes (b) / Rashied Ali (dr, perc)
10:30pm George Lewis / Joelle Leandre
George Lewis (tb, electronics) & Joelle Leandre (b)
11:30pm Fabrizio Spera Quartet
Fabrizio Spera (dr) / Edoardo Marraffa (reeds) /
Alberto Braida (p) / Antonio Borghini (b)

Milagro “LUNAR” - ART by Kazuko Miyamoto
8:15pm Projections Vision Festival XII photos
9:15pm Bill Zavatsky spoken word
10:15pm Kazuko Miyamoto dance - within LUNAR

Sunday, June 15
Main Stage "Rev/Revolution" ART by Jo Wood Brown
6:00pm Lewis Barnes' Hampton Roads
Lewis Barnes (tp) / Rob Brown (as) / Darius Jones (as)
Todd Nicholson (b) / Warren Smith (dr)
7:00pm Roy Nathanson's Soto Voce
Roy Nathanson (as, vo) / Sam Bardfeld (vi) / Tim Kiah (b) / Napoleon Maddox (vo)
8:00pm Abdoulaye Alhassane Toure’s Deep Sahara
Abdoulaye Alhassane Toure (g, vo) / Kali Z. Fasteau (ss, nai, p, vo)/ bass /drums TBA
9:00pm William Parker`s Inside Songs Curtis Mayfield with Children's Choir
William Parker (b) / Hamid Drake (dr) / Lewis Barnes (tp) / Darryl Foster (s)
Sabir Mateen (s) / Dave Burrell (p) / Amiri Baraka (vo, words) / Leena Conquest (vo)

Milagro “LUNAR” - ART by Kazuko Miyamoto
3:00pm Panel Discussion on Building Arts into Community / NYC – RUCMA - FREE
6:45pm Part I Dance & Music Improvisations within LUNAR
an Art Installation by Kazuko Miyamoto
7:45pm Part II Dance & Music Improvisations within LUNAR
an Art Installation by Kazuko Miyamoto
8:45pm

Projection: By Night No Stillness 15 mins.
A Katy Martin / film collaboration featuring visual art by Katy Martin and Jo Wood-Brown / dance by / on frame drum

[Pete C]

I think I'm in for the 12th through the 14th. It looks like a dba hang on the 14th is in order, si?

[bernard lyons]

Me and Dunmall will be in for 13 and 14 before heading to Philly (Sunday 15) and Buffalo (Tuesday 17),so a meet on 14 may be good ..depends on his pre gig soundchecks etc but food is always a major priority!

Also working on a post Vision gig on Monday 16 with Kevin Norton,Tony Malaby and others to be confirmed..venue is up in the air at the moment but hopefully will have info soon

[walto]

I'd like to see Leandre/Lewis. Maybe something is possible.....

[Gary Sisco]

Nice to see Lewis Barnes getting time in his own right.

Wish I could go.

[Scott Dolan]

Hmmmm...

[Gary Sisco]

I'd go if I could. Looks good to me.

[Scott Dolan]

Yeah, it does look like a much stronger line-up than last years.

I'm probably not going to have to moolah for it though since we'll be traveling to Cleveland in May and Chicago in July.

Phooey...:(

[Gary Sisco]

It's heartening for me to see Barnes on his own on the bill. He's one of jazz's criminally underrated trumpet players.

Interesting to see Dave Douglas on the Vision lineup, too.

One time I asked Ray Anderson why he hadn't been on the Vision bill, which seemed a no-brainer to me, and he's in New York as well. Ray said, "Well, the short answer is that I've never been asked."

[walto]

Ah, "criminally underrated"!

[Rob C]

Chicago in July.



Ohh, hate to tell you this, but I think Chicago is closed for July....

[Scott Dolan]

Crap...:(

[Gary Sisco]

Walto, You're right. I should have said criminally unrecognized.

[Derek Taylor]

Nice diversity in the schedule this year, moreso than rosters past & a decent rejoinder to critics who claim it’s strictly a “closed shop”.

Trying to get logistics in order to catch at least a couple days starting w/ the Kidd celebration. Been out of the loop for the past couple. :(

That's too bad about Ray Anderson, but it doesn't seem like it'd be too difficult for him to secure a slot, assuming there isn't any "bad blood" for some reason... might necessitate HIM asking though.

[Frisco]

Me and Dunmall will be in for 13 and 14 before heading to Philly (Sunday 15) and Buffalo (Tuesday 17),so a meet on 14 may be good ..depends on his pre gig soundchecks etc but food is always a major priority!

Also working on a post Vision gig on Monday 16 with Kevin Norton,Tony Malaby and others to be confirmed..venue is up in the air at the moment but hopefully will have info soon

Yeah Bernard! Please give me a good reason to stick around for a few days after the festival. Last time Paul and Tony hooked up in NY it was a killer.
And hopefully I can break some bread and bottles with you guys again.

Getting there in time for the festival will be tough this year. My last days of work before summer vacation. I'll definitely miss the first night but can't miss Kidd's night!

Really looking forward to George Lewis/Joelle Leandre and seeing Rasul Sadik for the first time in ages!

[Gerardo A]

The lineup looks pretty good, wish I could make it this year but I can't. My friend Remi Álvarez is definitely going, though. He played with Dennis at the JC/Vision hang two years ago.

[Dick Bowman]

There seem to be an awful lot of "likely suspects" missing from the schedule.

I do hope for some "under-the-Vision" alternative.

[Pete C]

There seem to be an awful lot of "likely suspects" missing from the schedule.



Change, baby!

[Gordon B]

I hope to be there for Friday and Saturday night.

[Pete C]

Missing from the announcement above:

WHERE:
Clemente Soto Velez
www.csvcenter.com (http://csvcenter.com/2005/)
107 Suffolk St. (at Rivington St.)
New York, NY 10002
F train to Delancey street or JMZ to Essex Street

[relyles]

I just received confirmation today that I am going to be in St. Louis at a conference from the 14th to the 17th, so it looks like I will have to miss out on any hang this year. Darn! I have been looking forward to another new culinary delight from Pete since last year's arepas. I actually made some myself one day. They were not bad, but no where near as good as what we enjoyed that day. Enjoy all.

[Scott Dolan]

I just received confirmation today that I am going to be in St. Louis at a conference from the 14th to the 17th, so it looks like I will have to miss out on any hang this year. Darn! I have been looking forward to another new culinary delight from Pete since last year's arepas. I actually made some myself one day. They were not bad, but no where near as good as what we enjoyed that day. Enjoy all.


Hey!!

Drop me a pm closer to that date, Brother!

I'll be happy to buy you dinner while you're in town. :)

Phillies will be in town that weekend to play the Cards, if you're into baseball at all. I should have no problem scraping up some tickets.

[relyles]

Hey!!

Drop me a pm closer to that date, Brother!

I'll be happy to buy you dinner while you're in town. :)

Phillies will be in town that weekend to play the Cards, if you're into baseball at all. I should have no problem scraping up some tickets.

I will definately make an effort to remember to do that. The conference I am attending has our schedule pretty tied up (including meals), but I am sure there will be some room to get away somewhere in there. A baseball game would be cool. A coworker from St. Louis tells me it is a very nice stadium.

[Scott Dolan]

It's a beautiful stadium. And the view of downtown St. Louie from it cannot be rivaled, IMO.

I'll shoot you a pm later.

[Gordon B]

It's a beautiful stadium. And the view of downtown St. Louie from it cannot be rivaled, IMO.

I'll shoot you a pm later.

Scott, what's the deal on the 4/18 Cards-Giants game?

[Scott Dolan]

Aw crap.

Let me e-mail Kelly real quick. Forgot all about that.

I'll e-mail you the details tonight.

[Frisco]

Can't wait to see Albert Pujols at Vision Fest!

[Scott Dolan]

Hahahahahaha.....:D


Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread.

[Frisco]

That's Ok. As long as your Royals are dominating my Tigers, I have nothing to say. Besides having Oliver Lake play makes anything St. Louis relevant.

[bernard lyons]

A change to Paul Dunmalls concert at Vision Festival.Its not on Vision website yet but this is the confirmed trio..

SAT 14 JUNE at 9.30PM
PAUL DUNMALL (tenor saxophone,bagpipes)
HENRY GRIMES (double bass,violin)
ANDREW CYRILLE (drums)

@ VISION FESTIVAL 2008
CLEMENTE SOTO VELEZ
107 Suffolk St. (at Rivington St.)
New York, NY 10002

[Lois Gilbert]

It's official at the Living Theater
June 13 from midnight till 2am

details to follow

[bernard lyons]

Paul Dunmall will also be doing post Vision gig on Monday 16 June at Living Theater at 1opm. Joining him so far will be Tony Malaby and Kevin Norton..others tba.

[bernard lyons]

Final line up for Living Theatre, Monday 16 June @10pm...

Paul Dunmall, Tony Malaby,Mark Helias and Kevin Norton

[Improvised_Communications]

On Wednesday, June 11th, Vision Festival XIII (http://www.visionfestival.org/visionfestival13.php) will present an entire night of music dedicated to this year's special honoree, New Orleans saxophonist and educator Edward "Kidd" Jordan (http://www.allaboutjazz.com/kiddjordan). Five groups, four featuring Jordan himself, will pay tribute to a musical legacy that spans more than a half century.

Jordan will be joined on stage by collaborators from throughout his career, including Fred Anderson, Billy Bang, Hamiet Bluiett, Dave Burrell, Hamid Drake, Alvin Fielder, Joel Futterman, Clyde Kerr and William Parker. Two of his five musician children, sons Kent and Marlon, will be part of a group called New Orleans Pay Tribute to Kidd Jordan, featuring such former students as Donald Harrison, Jr., celebrating his importance to the city's jazz heritage.

The evening will also feature spoken word by poet, author, teacher and NOMMO Literary Society founder, Kalamu Ya Salaam, and images from photographer Michael Wilderman, documenting Jordan's work over the past 10 years. The night will begin with a panel discussion on the role of art in the healing of New Orleans. Jordan is one of many New Orleans residents still unable to move back into their homes three years after Hurricane Katrina.

"To know and work with Kidd Jordan is an honor," explains Vision Festival founder and organizer, Patricia Nicholson-Parker. "He is not only one of the very best musicians I know, he is also one of the finest human beings I know. His dedication to children and community, and his simple kindness, is an inspiration to all of us. He has withstood the personal struggle and lack of acknowledgment that is too often a part of being a great avantjazz artist. It is our privilege to acknowledge his great genius and numerous accomplishments."

This night-long tribute to Jordan on June 11th will take place on the second of six days of events at this year's Vision Festival, which runs from Tuesday, June 10th through Sunday, June 15th at Manhattan's Clemente Solo Vélez Cultural Center (http://csvcenter.com/2005/index.htm). The Vision Festival is a presentation of Arts for Art, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to building awareness and understanding of avantjazz and related expressive movements while encouraging a sense of community amongst artists and their audiences. An annual event since 1996, the festival has grown to become New York's premier artist-run, multi-disciplinary celebration of creative improvised music and the culture that surrounds it, drawing both concertgoers and performers from all around the world.

Learn more at http://www.visionfestival.org

==

Events scheduled for Wednesday, June 11th:

5:30 p.m. [Free Admission]
Panel: The Role of Art in the Healing of New Orleans

7:00 p.m.
Jordan/Bluiett/Burrell
Kidd Jordan, tenor saxophone; Hamiet Bluiett, baritone saxophone; Dave Burrell, piano

7:30 p.m.
Projection of photos of Kidd Jordan by Michael Wilderman

7:45 p.m.
Bang/Jordan/Parker/Drake
Billy Bang, violin; Kidd Jordan, tenor saxophone; William Parker, bass; Hamid Drake, drums

8:15 p.m.
Spoken word by Kalamu Ya Salaam

8:30 p.m.
Jordan/Fielder Ensemble
Kidd Jordan, tenor saxophone; Alvin Fielder, drums; Clyde Kerr, trumpet; Joel Futterman, piano; William Parker, bass

9:15 p.m.
New Orleans Pays Tribute to Kidd Jordan
Kent Jordan, flute; Marlon Jordan, trumpet; Donald Harrison, alto saxophone; Darrell Lavigne, piano; Brian Quezergue, bass; Alvin Fielder, drums; Maynard Chatters, piano strings

10:00 p.m.
Projection of photos of Kidd Jordan by Michael Wilderman

10:15 p.m.
Anderson/Jordan/Parker/Drake
Fred Anderson, tenor saxophone; Kidd Jordan, tenor saxophone; William Parker, bass; Hamid Drake, drums

Advance tickets are available at 1-800-838-3006 or online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/30125.

[Improvised_Communications]

John Sharpe's interview with Vision Festival organizer Patricia Nicholson Parker posted today at AAJ.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=29621

[Improvised_Communications]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/arts/music/06visi.html

[Improvised_Communications]

Steve Dollar profiles (http://www.nysun.com/arts/kidd-stays-in-the-picture/79617/) saxophonist Edward "Kidd" Jordan on the eve of the Vision Festival (http://www.visionfestival.org/visionfestival13.php)'s celebration of his lifetime achievement as a musician and educator.

[Improvised_Communications]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91384626

[Improvised_Communications]

The reviews are in for the lifetime achievement celebration of Kidd Jordan on Wednesday night at Vision Festival XIII.

New York Press:
http://ftl.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=77143832

New York Sun:
http://tinyurl.com/3snmeq

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/arts/music/13visi.html

The Vision Festival continues through Sunday night.

Learn more at:
http://www.visionfestival.org/visionfestival13.php

[Pete C]

If they use the same space next year I won't be going back. The room on Friday was stiflingly hot, stuffy and unbearable, and I hear it was worse earlier in the week. The Steve Swell & Simmons/Few sets were both good, but I left after that when I saw that Wadada Leo Smith wouldn't be on until at least 11:30 (the website had the group listed at 9:30). I think they actually went on at midnight. I heard from friends and strangers alike that the Henry Grimes-Sabir Mateen set was a total disaster.

[walto]

the Henry Grimes-Sabir Mateen set was a total disaster.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->


NO! Really?! :eek:

[Al in NYC]

If they use the same space next year I won't be going back. The room on Friday was stiflingly hot, stuffy and unbearable, and I hear it was worse earlier in the week.

It was definitely awful on Thursday. A little better last night. But you have to wonder about using a low ceilinged un-air conditioned room (well, not entirely - there's one poor little window unit in the back corner, which cools the 2 feet directly in front of it) with little or no cross-ventilation for a festival in a NYC summer. The little bar room was kinda nice though.

[Pete C]

On the other hand the acoustics were better than Orensanz, FWIW.

Maybe a comfortable place with good sound wouldn't fit in with the DIY Kumbaya spirit of the festival.

[Steve Reynolds]

I thankfully had to miss it all as I am at my 3rd week at a new job. I say that hearing about the heat conditions above.


I cannot and will not put up with no air conditioning for long nights of music. I havn't had the opportunity to see much live music lately as I have been very busy with this job transition as well as the other things I do to keep my sanity on a daily basis so if I am going to take some time out down the road for the music I love, I hope to hear it in conditions that are not tortuous.


It is simply unexcusable. I know there are limited funds and limited audiences for this music but it makes all the difference in the world for this music to me.

[Dennis Gonzalez]

Wadada's set was beautiful, and by then, the temp had gone down and it was more bearable.

[Dennis Gonzalez]

I thankfully had to miss it all as I am at my 3rd week at a new job. I say that hearing about the heat conditions above.



Still haven't met you...

[Jon Abbey]

just reading about it, but which room/s at Clemente Soto did they use? did they set up two stages in the room to the right (looking from the entrance) and none in the one back to the left? that seems like a recipe for disaster right there.

[Lore]

just reading about it, but which room/s at Clemente Soto did they use? did they set up two stages in the room to the right (looking from the entrance) and none in the one back to the left? that seems like a recipe for disaster right there.

Main stage was to the big room to the right, the second stage was through the gallery and back to the left.

[Frisco]

Wadada's set was beautiful, and by then, the temp had gone down and it was more bearable.

Yes it was. I was awed by the dual percussion work of Moye and Pheeroan Ak Laff. Turned out to be one of my favorite sets of the festival. It was tough though. By that time, many of us had roasted through the entire evening so it became hard to relax and really enjoy the music.

I loved the duo between Joelle Leandre and George Lewis. They were brilliant despite being miserable. Joelle exclaimed as she was leaving the stage something like "that was impossible". Prior to that, Dunmall/Grimes/Cyrille did an excellent set. Paul later said that he nearly passed out.

The Kidd Jordan night was great. I thought Bluiett's work was the best I've heard of him in years. Kalaparush joining Kidd and Fred on tenor's was a treat. Kidd was in top form, playing in four of the five sets that night and really presented a diverse approach using not only his patented Ayler-esque forays but also some very mesmerizing Coltrane-esque flurries of sound.

Also great sets from Connie Crothers, Ullmann/Swell/Greene/Altschul, Flip Barnes, and the Patricia Nicholson set with Rob Brown, Flip, Jason Hwang, and Sabir soaring above a loose groove that four young dancers had a ball with.

[Frisco]

If they use the same space next year I won't be going back. The room on Friday was stiflingly hot, stuffy and unbearable, and I hear it was worse earlier in the week. The Steve Swell & Simmons/Few sets were both good, but I left after that when I saw that Wadada Leo Smith wouldn't be on until at least 11:30 (the website had the group listed at 9:30). I think they actually went on at midnight. I heard from friends and strangers alike that the Henry Grimes-Sabir Mateen set was a total disaster.

I thought the Simmons/Few set was even more of a disaster. It started nicely enough with Few gliding romantically across the keys and Sonny playing some nice, rather melancholy lines alongside. But it never went anywhere, in fact degenrated to the point where Sonny broke into a vocal of Sinatra's "It was a Very Good year". His English Horn sat on a chair untouched and the set ended before time had expired (the only time that happened). Perhaps Sonny was anxious to get off and try to hustle drinks, as he proceded to refuse autographs to people unless they bought him a beer!

At least Sabir's set DID develop into something. There were major problems early on. But by the time they got to the final piece, one by Rasul Siddik, the band began to gel and that piece was excellent. And it was great to hear Siddik and also John Betsch for the first time in years.

But you're right Pete. I couldn't take another day let alone festival in those miserable conditions.

[Gary Sisco]

Be thankful you weren't performing in the same conditions.

I went to hear Abdullah Ibrahim once in a small hall that was almost literally suffocating. It was vicious outside and worse inside. The venue had huge windows but they were all locked down. When I stepped over to try and open one to let some oxygen into the room, a room-cop ran over and told me sternly to leave the windows shut. "The air conditioners won't work if you open the windows."

Duh? Um, they're not working at all with the windows closed! People won't work if you deprive them of oxygen.

I can't imagine how Ibrahim was able to deliver that night at a level as high as any I've heard from, or how his trio was able to stay concentrated enough to swing that hard, that slowly.

Beautiful concert. If you could stand it.

[Cem]

Well, maybe a bit of a discussion on what would be a good venue for Vision Fest is in order. Aren't there any appropriate venues in the Lower East Side?

[Gary Sisco]

Venues that are affordable get fewer and further between.

I tell ya, guys like us? We get no respect.

[Al in NYC]

Well, maybe a bit of a discussion on what would be a good venue for Vision Fest is in order. Aren't there any appropriate venues in the Lower East Side?

Hmmm... The Living Theater?

[Gary Sisco]

Har!

Good one.

[Jon Abbey]

Well, maybe a bit of a discussion on what would be a good venue for Vision Fest is in order. Aren't there any appropriate venues in the Lower East Side?

I'd think with the size of the crowds I heard were there (Bruce Gallanter just told me 400-500, although having done a festival myself in that room, I believe that's literally impossible unless people were standing on each other's shoulders), and the prices that they charge for admission that they should be able to find an acceptable venue somewhere in Manhattan.