Jazz Mandolin Project
Rockwood Music Hall
New York, NY
September 24

It was Frank Zappa who once said “Jazz isn’t dead. It just smells funny.” There are perhaps fewer bands that better personify this quote than Jazz Mandolin Project. While the band has a strong connection to the jam world there is little that separates JMP from a standard jazz act. The members exchange solos; the music is entirely instrumental; but, they do not play jazz-standards. Instead, the songs are the product of Jamie Masefield’s compositional genius, the only musician on the jam scene, aside from Trey Anastasio, to have been schooled by the legendary Ernie Stires.

Jazz Mandolin Project returned to the road on September 24th, kicking off a brief tour that began at New York’s coveted Lower East Side music hub, the Rockwood Music Hall. The latest incarnation of JMP features a familiar cast of faces including Peter Apfelbaum on sax, keys and percussion; Scott Richie on bass; and Mark Guiliana, who is considered by many to be the hottest up-and-coming drummer on the New York jazz scene. While all four members have played with JMP in the past, this was the first time these musicians shared the stage as a group.

The show, which began shortly after 11PM on a Friday night, kicked off with a short mandolin introduction from Masefield before the band launched into the “The Baobab Tree.” The combination of Guiliana’s uncanny sense of time and Richie’s Bossa Nova thick bass lines created a mesh of sound that allowed Masefield and Apfelbaum to glide above with relative ease. The show also included an energetic take on the fan-favorite “Spiders” , as well as the live debut of “Reich’s Boogie” (off Jungle Tango ) that paid tribute to the minimalist compositional style of Steve Reich.

Masefield seemed extremely reserved in his playing throughout the night which allowed the other musicians an opportunity to step to the forefront. Whether it was Apfelbaum playing sax and keys simultaneously, or Guiliana’s assault on the drum kit, Masefield frequently allowed his fellow musicians the ability to display their own chops throughout the night. Perhaps this was because it was the first show the band played together, or perhaps Masefield was equally awed by the level of talent shown from these musicians.

Maybe it was the $12 ticket price (shows at Rockwood are most often free), or maybe it was just an off-night, but the crowd was smaller than an average night at the venue. While this was surely disappointing for Masefield, who made several comments about his desire to play Rockwood, it had little effect on the music. For those who were in attendance, the show was a refreshing take on the constantly evolving experiment that is Jazz Mandolin Project.