Secret Society

FRIDAY, NOV. 30 & SATURDAY, DEC. 1

SECRET SOCIETY @ THE JAZZ GALLERY
290 Hudson St., New York NY
Sets at 9:00 PM & 10:30 PM (both nights)

Photo: Lindsay Beyerstein

The Jazz Gallery is one of the greatest places to hear music in the entire world. Anyone who's ever seen a show there knows this. I've seen master improvisers like Henry Threadgill and Lee Konitz from the Gallery's front row, sitting mere inches from their horns. I've been envelopped by the sound of large ensembles packed ino the tiny space -- groups led by Sherisse Rogers, Pedro Giraudo, and other amazing composer-bandleaders. It's a stage that encourages and nurtures new artists -- when they invited us to perform there for the first time, back in 2007 they were the first"real" jazz venue to offer us a gig! Before we recorded our first album, Infernal Machines, we warmed up with a weekend at The Jazz Gallery that included the premiere of two works commissioned by their Large Ensemble Comissioning Series -- "Obsidian Flow" and "Jacobin Club." (What other jazz venue  has a large ensemble comissioning series?)

Sadly, The Jazz Gallery have been forced to move out of their much-loved current location in mid-December. (Never fear, we fully expect them to rise again, phoenix-like, before too long — you can help them do it here.) Meanwhile, this weekend, we are celebrating the living history of the current location with two nights of music, including the two works comissioned by The Jazz Gallery, and a preview of our upcoming recording, Brooklyn Babylon. We hope you'll join us for this final bigband blow-out at one of my all-time favorite venues.

WINDS
Ben Kono
Rob Wilkerson
Janelle Reichman
John Ellis
Carl Maraghi

TRUMPETS
Jonathan Powell
Tom Goehring
Matt Holman
Nadje Noordhuis
David Smith

TROMBONES
Mike Fahie
Ryan Keberle
Shannon Barnett
Jennifer Wharton

RHYTHM
Sebastian Noelle, guitar
Adam Birnbaum, piano
Matt Clohesy, bass
Jon Wikan, drums

COMPOSER-CONDUCTOR
Darcy James Argue

Can't come back till the water comes down

Vintage synths, wrecked by Sandy

New Amsterdam Records, home to Secret Society, our co-conspirator Sam Sadigursky, and many, many friends and kindred spirits on the New York music scene, has suffered a devastating loss. Their new headquarters, located at 98 Van Dyke Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn -- just 300 feet from the waterfront -- was innundated by the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy. This converted industrial location/biker hangout(!) was what you might call a fixer-upper, and renovating the space was genuine labor of love for the label's co-founders and staff. It wasn't just an office, it was to be a venue for rehearsals and performances and fundraisers and much else. To see all their efforts cruelly undone by the storm is especially hearbreaking.

From NewAm's official announcement:

Despite the many hours we spent on Sunday preparing for the storm–stacking furniture on cinder-blocks and moving everything we could to higher ground–our space was flooded with almost four feet of polluted sea water.  As a result, about 70% of our catalog of CDs has been destroyed–CDs we hold on behalf of our artists (we do not own them). Literally ALL of our financial records were destroyed, including our back-up hard-drive. Sewage, gas, spilled paint thinner, and bleach all blended with seawater, creating a toxic mess. A mess that is sure to corrode our newly installed drywall, kitchen cabinets, and office furniture. Even the basics like doors and plumbing are compromised and will need to be replaced. Musical equipment, amps, and priceless vintage synthesizers were also destroyed, along with countless personal items, clothing, two couches, records, and other furniture. We will need to move swiftly to acquire industrial dehumidifiers and hire professional mold-cleaners to help us combat the high risk of toxic mold.  We have yet to assess the damage to our donated Steinway grand piano which we wrapped with a plastic tarp prior to the storm; the water mark from the flood was drawn inches from the piano’s lid.

Read more.

Their efforts to obtain flood insurance for their space were rebuffed (turns out insurers are reluctant to issue policies to business located on the Red Hook waterfront for some reason... ). The cost and scope of the cleanup is daunting.

New Amsterdam believed in Secret Society and supported us long before anyone outside of a very small circle had the slightest idea who we were or what we were about. Please support them in their time of need.