Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet took over Manhattan’s Jazz Gallery on Saturday night for a couple sets of relatively traditional jazz. Drawing from their Family First material and beyond, the four-piece band displayed top-notch musicianship and chemistry during the set.
The group played tracks from their full-length album Family First with sly deviations from the studio version. Guiliana, a masterful drummer, truly feels out his kit, working around fills and textures unlike anyone else can. At one point I heard a blast-beat, at one point he made sounds that I’ve never heard out of a cymbal.
Aside from the Family First material, Guiliana also led the band in a couple of covers. Bob Marley’s “Johnny Was” was covered, with saxophone player Jason Rigby taking over the vocal melody as ears perked up around the room. A track by David Bowie, who enlisted Guiliana on his last album ☆, also snuck its way into the set, acting as a moment of reflection and ultimately celebration for the NYC audience.
Jazz Gallery was the perfect venue for Guiliana and his band of top-ranking jazz cats. The venue is intimate and musically-minded, with some jazz paintings donning the wall just to make things extra, well, jazzy. You can check their upcoming shows here. As for Guiliana, he brings his Jazz Quartet to Europe later this month for some shows.
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