Last week I wrote about the recently issued First Recordings by the Schlippenbach Trio, the peerless free-improvising trio that features drummer Paul Lovens and Evan Parker and is nominally led by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. Although he was one of the key figures in the development of a bona fide European jazz aesthetic, that doesn’t cancel out Schlippenbach’s fluency in the American tradition. Back in 2002 he launched his brilliant Monk’s Casino project—joined by the four members of the superb Die Enttäuschung, he performed and recorded every extant tune composed by Thelonious Monk.
Over the last few months bassist Jason Roebke has been organizing solo performances of improvised music followed by discussions with each player at Asado Coffee in Ukrainian Village, but he’s stepping his game up in two weeks with a two-day festival featuring some of the city’s best musicians. On Friday, February 20, there are sets from guitarist Matthew Schneider, saxophonist Dave Rempis, and vibist Jason Adasiewicz; it begins at 6:30 PM. On Saturday, February 21, there are sets from bass clarinetist Jason Stein, cellist Tomeka Reid, and saxophonist Keefe Jackson; it begins at 4:30 PM.
