Will Sellenrad Quartet - 55 Bar - West Village NYC - Music Performance Review

The great aspect of small clubs and bars in NYC's Village is the sense of intimacy it gives to certain types of music. Known for alot of its acid jazz in the day, Christopher Street plays host to many musical stylings. The 55 Bar uses its down home dive quality to present a dirty mysticism of music. The key with using certain standards and making them cool along with originals is the necessity of influence. In this quartet populated by musicians of different experience and caliber, the word that comes to mind is compromise because each player must be integrated with their own mind of play. The drummer , an older cat named Victor Lewis, offers a very exceptional undertone of breathe that when combined with the equally steady and understood riffs of bass player Rene Hart creates an intense backbone, especially on the third and fastest moving rhythm of the 1st set.Integrating original compositions like "Been A Long Time" with the percolating manevolence of "Balance", the key in creating an acid like structure showed how age played into the equation. Sax player Abraham Burton  understood the timing of strength and poise as he worked through the song set. In moments of pure energy, the intensity of emotion is reflected in his use of octave and not on how many notes were being played. That step beat rhythm which Davis kept intriniscally ritualizing gave Burton  the opportunity to attain some visceral nirvana though one can tell, despite potential, that the talent he has still has a ways to go. The focus and technique however are there. The rhythm guitarist by comparative note related his personification by being a little bit too indulgent. Within a more sultry standard, he understood the necessity of holding the notes while snapping back and forth with the drums. However, by far the youngest of the bunch, his repeated infraction rested in the use of too many notes in an unneeded structure. This is the fault of many young jam musicians who realize that more does not mean better. Taking your time to get the job done makes the work more effective in the long run no matter what the intention. This player just needs time to figure it out.55 Bar gives a taste of the jazz still available in the Village with cats still honing their craft in a space that allows the organic elements to reign free.