The great jazz reed-player and student of style Don Byron is a dedicated pusher of envelopes whose career has proceeded in a series of deeply committed, even reverent genre explorations and studies, beginning with the fusion of klezmer and modern jazz that brought him to national attention, moving through episodes of funk, eccentric swing, gospel, serious Minimalism and (surprisingly little) free-jazz skronk. There is no jokey referentiality to his appropriations. Byron confers seriousness and the harmonic depth of jazz upon the genres that he studies and masters. The genres, in turn, render Byron’s catalogue one of the most listenable, joyous and unpredictable in all of serious and cerebral jazz.
When Don Byron returns to the stage at the Falcon on Sunday, February 23, he and his quartet will offer Byron originals, standards and interpretations of Hank Williams, as well as the Bach sonatas and partitas for violin. Sounds like Don Byron. There is no cover charge at the Falcon, but generous donation is why we get the likes of Don Byron here.
Don Byron, Sunday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m., Donation, The Falcon, 1348 Rt. 9W, Marlboro, (845) 236-7970, www.liveatthefalcon.com
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