Try repeating it out loud: VIL-lage VAN-guard, VIL-lage VAN-guard.

February 1, 2013 9:21 AM

Village Vanguard. For 70 years, that alliterative name has swung in 4/4 time, marking the center of the known jazz universe to an international circle of musicians and music fans. Since late 2008, NPR Music has been streaming monthly jazz concerts in their Live at the Village Vanguard series.

Lots of great music contained herein. If you want a place to start, why not try the performance by the Sound Prints Quintet -- Dave Douglas (t), Joe Lovano (ts), Lawrence Fields (p), Linda Oh (b), Joey Baron (d)?

posted by .kobayashi. (8 comments total)

Wow! I wish NPR Music got more attention. It's exciting NPR is finally building a label, and it's a live concert label as well. Very innovative.
posted by parmanparman at 9:59 AM on February 1, 2013

VIL-lage VAN-guard

Actually, we Brits say it as a pyrrhic followed by a trochee.
posted by Decani at 10:39 AM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Wow indeed! Thanks very much for this; I love the Vanguard, and it's one of the things I miss most about NYC (now that Gotham Book Mart and the Donnell Library are gone, not that I'm bitter...). And I'm a big Dave Douglas fan, so you picked a great place to start as far as I'm concerned.
posted by languagehat at 10:54 AM on February 1, 2013

These are great but it's too bad there is nothing by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the hottest house big band around. I've been there many a Monday night. Always a great show.
posted by freakazoid at 12:21 PM on February 1, 2013

> [...] it's too bad there is nothing by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the hottest house big band around.

Today is your lucky day: The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, 13 February 2012. I haven't heard that one yet. But I'll be streaming it next.
posted by .kobayashi. at 12:26 PM on February 1, 2013

Well, what a nice surprise on a kind of crappy day!
posted by freakazoid at 4:24 PM on February 1, 2013

My uncle plays sax in the VJO - one of the coolest cats I know. While I've seen him play at family functions and such, sadly, I never got to the Vanguard to catch the show. Thanks for posting this!
posted by sundrop at 8:08 AM on February 2, 2013

Oh, and it's worth a mention that Douglas, Lovano, and Baron play together on the Masada Quintet disc, Stolas, which turns the Masada project inside-out, and is all the more subversive for its accessibility. Worth tracking down, even if you're not a huge fan of the Zorn/Masada stuff usually.
posted by .kobayashi. at 8:45 AM on February 2, 2013 [1 favorite]