After 18 months New York City’s iconic red neon “Vanguard” sign shines brightly once again. On a beautiful September night, jazz enthusiasts of all ages stood single file down 7th Ave. S and even blocked off traffic eagerly awaiting the welcome inside.
The Village Vanguard is back and selling out shows every night since its official pandemic reopening this month. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking a massive hit on the city, the Village Vanguard closed its doors on March 16, 2020, canceling the multiple bands that were performing each night, including New York University and New School students, and was unsure when it would open again. On this special night, I had the pleasure of witnessing a magical connection between four jazz musicians back on stage again.
I stood fully vaxxed, ID in hand, and with my ticket checked, on the steps that lead down to the famous club that I had heard stories about but never experienced for myself. I was unsure what to expect and wondered what the audience would be like and how the musicians would bring themselves to the stage.
Once inside I saw various instruments spread across the floor, and a red velvet curtain hung over the stage. This historical jazz club opened its doors on Feb. 22, 1935. Founded by the Jazz Promoter Max Gordon, his club history lives on today in the photographs of Vanguard acts like Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and Horace Silver. As the stage lights turned on, a Village Vanguard employee introduced the night’s musicians, and a reopening performance at the Vanguard began.
Each musician, Ron Miles on trumpet, Bill Frisell on guitar, Brian Blade, the drummer, and Thomas Morgan, the bass player, worked in constant collaboration to improvise on various jazz pieces throughout the evening. Bill Frisell worked with Thomas Morgan and other musicians to create “When You Wish Upon A Star” in 2016, a Grammy-nominated Contemporary music album. Miles and Frisell have played together over the years in ensemble groups, maintaining a relationship.
The Village Vanguard has a special kind of energy. Having attended several outdoor rock and jazz concerts at Pier 17 and Central Park during the summer, my experience at the Vanguard was like no other. I had the opportunity to listen to an array of music all in one venue. Fellow concertgoers and I were invited to be spellbound by the sweet sound of jazz music. No one had their phones out, no one spoke; we all absorbed the talent and took in the moment in its entirety.
Frisell was electrifying on the guitar, and his stoic face was void of smiles as he concentrated. He silently spoke with Miles, who was on the trumpet. Miles used improvisation to his advantage and patiently waited for the perfect time to introduce his trumpet to the mix of sounds. Once the moment arrived, the horn’s sound came bellowing out and I was mesmerized. The relationship between the four musicians was apparent and energetic.
Morgan, the bass player, serenaded the audience with multiple solos throughout the night. The tips of his fingers gently touched the thick strings and changed the progression of the chords as he increased the speed of his hand moved up and down the neck of the bass. As Morgan moved quicker, Blade, the drummer, banged against the drum’s surface to create high and medium tones to match the sound. Blade got so into the performance that he even lost a drumstick. Luckily, it landed at Miles’s feet and not in the audience.
Jazz music is a creative expression of the artists, imagining music together. Although the pianist Jason Moran was not in attendance, the music shared was a success. As a former pianist, I missed hearing the beautiful sound of the keys, but it was still an incredible piece without them.
After a couple of songs, Miles shared how thankful he was for an audience after the hard times during the pandemic. He mentioned how special it was to see the audience in front of him, taking in the music and feeling their energy as he played. He also said how he and the other musicians enjoy playing at the Village Vanguard and are thankful it has reopened. Miles’ fingers gracefully tapped on the trumpet’s valves as his speech came to a close, and he began to play again.
As the night went on, the musicians strayed away from their more abstract style and played louder solos and collaborative pieces that still had a mix of improvisation. Each musician shared their unique take on the music, with intensity coming from one instrument at a time, directing our focus to them. Blade frequently grazed his drumsticks across the tops of the drums, creating gentle sounds that crawled down my spine and then transitioned to louder beats directly after.
As the performance came to a close, I clapped loudly as the musicians proudly walked off the stage. As I got out of my seat and left the historical jazz club, I felt a sense of peace and excitement at what I had just experienced, and I look forward to being in that incredible scene again.