MUSIC
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
8:00 PM

Matthew Shipp/Allen Lowe/Gerald Cleaver/Kevin Ray
(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan

$20
https://lpr.com/lpr_events/shipp-lowe-cleaver-ray-august-11th-2018/

Normally, when a band includes Matthew Shipp -- one of the great visionary pianists in jazz, and a guy who routinely makes skeptics forget they're dubious about the jazz avant-garde -- you fixate on him.  But this roundly excellent jazz collective also includes alto saxophonist Allen Lowe, one of the more interesting figures on the current music scene.  Working entirely off the grid, Lowe self-publishes fascinating jazz/pop histories and accompanying compilation records -- and creates his own music that draws together disparate vernacular threads in ways that often surprise but usually convince.  To be able to see him at all, much less in the company of a bunch of master players (I mean, drummer Gerald Cleaver:  right?), is a rare treat.

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT:  Before the show:  the Brooklyn Modern Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn has opened a sandwich shop in the Village called Llamita(why oh why couldn't they have stuck with their original name "Deli Llama"?)!  The menu looks great!  I am REALLY excited about this.  After the show: Existing Conditions is a new avant-cocktail bar from avant-cocktail king Dave Arnold, cocktail publisher/entrepreneur Greg Boehm, and cocktailian secret weapon (until now!) Don Lee.  The cocktails are stunning, superb, great (right now I'm pretty hot for the Canary -- but don't rule out the Helicopter).  I haven't tried Chef Josh Eden's food yet, but it looks really good as well.