Friday, December 16th
6:30pm
at Corbett vs. Dempsey
This event is free and open to the public
J.D. Allen is one of the contemporary titans of tenor saxophone. Originally from Detroit, he came up through the ranks of Betty Carter’s band, landing in New York, where he has built a reputation as one of the most important voices on the horn. The New York Times has called him “a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant, and hard-driving style.” With his trio, he has now recorded a series of extremely strong CDs for the Sunnyside label, including last year’s magnificent Graffiti. Few musicians are capable of pushing the Sonny Rollins legacy along the way Allen has, but as a composer, bandleader, and improvisor, he’s creating some of the most bracing and substantial music to come squarely out of the jazz tradition. With his trio, Allen performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival this year, and he’s back for a night with his trio at Constellation. For this extremely rare event at Corbett vs. Dempsey, he will perform unaccompanied saxophone. If you’ve never been to CvsD to hear music, this may well be the one to draw you out, even on a bitterly cold winter’s eve. Miss it and you’ll hear about it later!