Mary Lou Williams: The Zodiac Suite

MUSIC
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2021
7:00 PM

Chris Pattishall Quintet
The Amph, Little Island
Pier 55, Meatpacking District, Manhattan

Free (registration required)
https://littleisland.org/events/nyc-free:-chris-pattishall-quintet:-the-zodiac-suite/24003AMTQLPKDJDPKJBQGBHDNNBNGPNMD

This one is for everybody who wants to claim that the recent emphasis on programming pieces by composers who aren't Straight White Males has led to the presentation of inferior work that has no independent claim to be heard. Mary Lou Williams was one of the great jazz composers, in the Morton/Ellington/Monk/Mingus lineage. There's only one conceivable reason why she isn't played, much less revered, the way those undisputed worthies are — and it isn't a good one. The Zodiac Suite is her chef d'oeuvre.

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Japanese-inflected cocktails and bar snacks at Katana Kitten may not be quite as good as those at Bar Goto — but that's setting a mighty high bar!