Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 8:00 pm

NY3
Anat Cohen, clarinet/saxophone
Martin Wind, double-bass
Matt Wilson, drums

The Sound It Out series presents NY3 – the all-star trio of clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, drummer Matt Wilson and double-bassist Martin Wind – in a very rare performance at the Greenwich House Music School. Cohen has won hearts and minds the world over, with her expressive virtuosity and delightful stage presence having earned her top spots on both the critics and readers polls in DownBeat magazine several years running. Reviewing Cohen’s 2008 headlining set with her quartet at the North Sea Jazz Festival, DownBeat said: “Cohen not only proved to be a woodwind revelation of dark tones and delicious lyricism, but also a dynamic bandleader who danced and shouted out encouragement to her group. . . With her dark, curly, shoulder-length hair swaying to the beat of the music as she danced, she was a picture of joy.” The irrepressible Wilson is a first-call drummer for sessions ranging from straight-ahead jazz to the avant-garde, as well as bandleader in his own right with such groups as the popular Arts & Crafts. Wind has played with the top European jazz orchestras and with icons from Phil Woods to Pat Metheny, as well as leading his own bands.  

This will be only the second show to date by NY3, so sparks are sure to fly as the trio airs fresh takes on standards and a brace of new originals. Cohen, who will be playing both clarinet and tenor saxophone, says: “The music we perform as a trio comes from the jazz tradition, but it’s very playful – we have fun with sounds and melodies, following our instincts, without over-analyzing. Matt Wilson is like a kid onstage, and that’s what I like to be – it’s great to have a partner in crime like him. Matt gets these incredible sounds from the drums, and Martin has this deep, round, almost classical sound on the bass, using his bow in such a musical way. And not having a traditionally harmonic instrument in the band, no piano or guitar, it frees us from pre-assigned roles, so we can really explore the music – so we can play in every sense of the word.”