Wednesday night brings the last of the three late summer performances in the Firehouse Theater. The first featured a duet between guitarist Gary Kalar and drummer Pippin Barnett. The second was the quiet and joyful performance of a quartet led by drummer Scott Clark featuring Bio Ritmo, No BS Brass, and band trumpeter Bob Miller, adventurous bassist Adam Hopkins and Miramar/Quarto Na Bossa singer Laura Ann Singh. Those players will return on the series namesake finale: the album release recent for genre-spanning pianist Curt Sydnor’s “Revolutionary Etudes.”
Sydnor, like Hopkins, is a recent Brooklyn transplant. The new recording, drawing on influences ranging from Chopin to Stereolab, seems perfect for the intimate black box theater. The Firehouse has long been one of the best venues in town for music that rewards attentive listening. And if the quietly joyful intensity of last Wednesday’s performance from Clark’s band is any indication, it should be a memorable evening.
Here’s a track from the new album featuring music by Ornette Coleman and text by Walt Whitman arranged by Curt Sydnor (piano):
Music series streaming live from Firehouse on Wednesday, Sept 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 here.