NY Times: The Brooklyn Big Band Bonanza

Photo by Chad Batka for The New York Times

Nate Chinen reviews Monday night’s Brooklyn Big Band Bonanza at The Bell House in today’s New York Times.

The performances of all three ensembles are recounted, including the headliners, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, which Chinen writes, “played a bracing final set” featuring “an array of backbeats, breakbeats and Latin American polyrhythm, with the flow largely dictated by Mr. Argue, who conducted with brisk, acute gestures.”

If you missed them on Monday, you can catch Argue and the band at tonight’s New Amsterdam Records/Cantaloupe Music CMJ Showcase at Le Poisson Rouge and on November 25th at Iridium Jazz Club.

Darcy James Argue Live Tonight And Wednesday

© 2009 Oliver Heisch/Moers Festival

New Yorkers will have two chances to catch Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society live in concert this week.

Tonight the group headlines SearchandRestore.com’s Brooklyn Big Band Bonanza, which will also feature The Industrial Jazz Group and Travis Sullivan’s Björkestra, at The Bell House.

Wednesday night’s performance will be part of the joint New Amsterdam Records/Cantaloupe Music CMJ Showcase, also featuring music by David Lang, Julia Wolfe and The NOW Ensemble, at Le Poisson Rouge.

Darcy James Argue At CMJ October 21st

© 2009 Oliver Heisch/Moers Festival

Two weeks from tonight, on Wednesday, October 21st, Darcy James Argue and his acclaimed 18-piece big band, Secret Society, will perform as part of the Cantaloupe Music/New Amsterdam Records CMJ Music Marathon showcase at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge.

The event will also feature pianist Ning Yu performing music by David Lang, bagpipe player Matthew Welch performing music by Julia Wolfe and the NOW Ensemble performing a mix of New York premieres and older favorites.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the music begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 with free admission for CMJ Badge holders. Learn more at http://www.cmj.com/marathon

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society will also perform on October 19th at The Bell House in Brooklyn as part of SearchandRestore.com’s Brooklyn Big Band Bonanza and on November 25th at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club.

Dragon’s Head + Shakti On CMJ Jazz Top 20

We’re pleased to report the Mary Halvorson Trio’s Dragon’s Head (Firehouse 12 Records), released October 28th, has returned to the top 20 on this week’s CMJ Jazz Chart (#1092).

The same chart features David S. Ware’s Shakti (AUM Fidelity) at #12, the slot it’s maintained for the past three weeks.