JazzNights is a series of house concerts begun in 2002 by Mary Wisnovsky and Maitland Jones. Over the years, we have hosted some of the best jazz musicians in the world. We would be pleased to have you join us; just browse the website and contact us if you are interested. Reservations by email to: mjjr@princeton.edu. 

JazzNights (106) NOW AT WAITLIST

Ron Horton (trumpet/flugelhorn), Jim Ridl (piano, Marty Ehrlich (Alto), Dean Johnson (bass), Marc Mommaas Itenor), and Tim Horner (drums) play the music of Andrew Hill (and Ron Horton!)

On Sunday, April 28th at 4 pm JazzNights will present this great group. The event will be held in the Hockaday/Jones Barn at 78 Moores Mill Mt. Rose Road, Hopewell, NJ 08525. Directions are posted on our website. We are asking for a contribution of $55 per person. As always, we offer about two hours of great music, good snacks, and an open bar.

Please email your reservation to mjjr@princeton.edu. You can either send me a check at the address above or pay at the door. Please do not use my NYU email address. If you reserve but can’t make it, PLEASE let me know by email so we can give away your reservation to someone on the wait list.

Andrew Hill is a legend, revered by what Ben Ratliff years ago called “the jazz underground.” Well, that underground is now very much above ground, but their affection for Mr. Hill and his music has not abated. Mr. Hill left behind many albums, but two of them, Point of Departure (1964) and Dusk (1999) remain classics. Point of Departure featured modern musicians of the time (Eric Dolphy, Richard Davis, Anthony Williams) with the venerable bop trumpeter Kinny Dorham, a typical Hillian departure from the norm. Dusk, which resurrected Hill’s career after a ten year hiatus, is one of my favorite albums.

“There’s something determined – almost stubborn in Andrew Hill’s music…..You don’t pick up and read through an Andrew Hill tune, you try to enter a world view. A new perspective. A strange truth, plainly told.” Elan Mehler

This April Ron Horton leads a stellar group playing the music of Mr. Hill, as well as some of Mr. Horton’s takes on Hill’s music. Both Mr. Horton and altoist Marty Ehrlich appeared on Dusk and are joined by a remarkable rhythm section, all of whom have graced JazzNights before (Dean Johnson, whom I once introduced at a JazzNights concert as “Ron Johnson” - a running back for the New York Gants, Tim Horner (whodoubled on violin at one of our evenings), and Jim Ridl, one of the really good pianists today. They appear on Elan Mehler’s two disk vinyl release of this group, “A Prayer for Andrew.” This is a beautiful set with Elan’s usual super high standard production.

“Epitomizing the new face of the creative mainstream, Horton is equal parts swinging hard bop stylist, modern classicist and exploratory avant-guardist.”

Tony Collins, All About Jazz

This event marks bassist Dean Johnson’s sixth appearance (25, 29, 70, 89, 91 and now 106) at JazzNights. As befits a “first-call” musician, he has played all over the world from Kyrgystan to Japan as both sideman and leader. His virtuosity is coupled with a relentless swinging beat, and remarkable sensitivity. Dean Johnson’s musical sensibility was molded by a ten-year association with Gerry Mulligan, and I think it is especially telling that he has accompanied an all-star list of brilliant singers: Sheila Jordan, Carol Sloan, Jackie and Roy, Kendra Shank, Mark Murphy, Helen Merrill, Ernestine Anderson among them. Those folks only sing with the best.

Jim Ridl appeared ” at JazzNights 47 leading his “Blue Corn Enchilada Dreams.” I was turned on to Jim Ridl by the always-reliable Mark Reboul, who told me that I had to catch Jim’s quartet at the Kitano. I did, and Mark was completely right – it was one of the best nights of the year.

"Seemingly unfettered by technical limitations, Ridl can move from an evocative sonic telling of a scene from his North Dakota childhood to a ferocious romp in an unconventional meter that would daunt all but the most adventurous of Jazz pianists.

Cadence

In November of 2016, Horton and Ehrlich were at the Stone (with Frank Kimbrough and Marc Mommaas) playing Hill’s music to an audience that included Joanne Hill, Andrew’s widow. It was a wonderful evening that began with a performance of “Dusk”, and my notes repeatedly single out Mr. Horton’s playing. “10 bazillion [that’s a technical term we quantitative types use] stars for RH’s solo” was a typical comment.

Earlier, in September at the Jazz Standard a group led by Kimbrough that featured Horton and Ehrlich, opened with “Dusk” in a very different version. Will we hear it this April in still another take on this most atmospheric tune? I hope so.

Please join us and find out!