I happened to be in the vicinity of Jazz at Lincoln Center last night, and decided to pop my head into
Dizzy's to see what was happening. Sure enough, the brilliant pianist
Marcus Roberts and his longtime trio (
Jason Marsalis, drums; Rodney Jordan bass) were lighting up ,the spacious, comfortable room overlooking Central Park, remixing standards in the vein of his latest release,
New Orleans Meets Harlem, Vol. 1. Forget the fact that Roberts is blind: he is hands down the greatest jazz pianist of his generation, and it's a kick to see him settling into the old masters.
The late night set featured Marsalis – brother of Wynton and Branford – on the vibes with his own quartet (Will Goble, bass; Austin Johnson, piano; David Potter, drums), which Marsalis explained was set up to cover the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet. "But, we're gonna put our own spin on it, of course," he told us. With $5 drinks and cover (free for those who saw Roberts), this is one of the best jazz deals in the city, if you can hack it.
More pics on the photo page.
