travelin' man - Al was meant to follow the music...

Submitted by Al Kanovsky 11/19/12

I flew 1300 miles(one way) to visit my children and grand-kids. I drove 100 miles(round trip) to hear Troy Roberts(tenor sax), Emmet Cohen(keyboard) and Evan Sherman(drums). Both trips were well worth-while. Troy and the band were appearing at a place called "The Wayward". It is located in a N.Y. neighborhood that is yet to be "gentrified". The southeast corner of 9th St. and Ave.C. I walked into the past. The 12 or so light bulbs (in ceiling fixtures) were of the incandescent type and must have been among the first 50 made by Thomas Edison, the cash register was manufactured during the depression and the "jockey box" was older than me.Talk about atmosphere.  There is an absolute positive side. The drinks were unusually good and the menu, limited, but unusual and interesting. Good tasting too. advise checking out their web-site. But I didn't take the road trip to critique the venue. I went to listen to the music. I did. They opened the set with JAZZ's national anthem,"How High the Moon". During the set they paid tribute to Thelonius Monk and New Orleans by playing "In Walked Bud" with a traditional rhythm. A really nice rendition of "Skylark" gave Emmet and Evan a chance to "showoff" a little. It goes without mention that Troy is an exceptional talent. Emmet and Evan are two young cats that are talented, creative and definitely stars of the future...

I had a chance to chat with Troy and mentioned Aaron Lebos and the unusual 9/4 time signature Aaron had employed. Troy told me that he did a version of Stella by Starlight in "9" and it is on Youtube. The long drive back made it necessary for me to leave after the first set. I enjoyed the evening and the music. Robert (the owner) is a great fan of "live music" in a variety of genres and so has music most nights. Don't go for lunch--they don't open 'til 7PM.  If you're in The Apple it is well worth a visit. No matter how hard they try, it is not "The East Village" or the fashionable "Alphabet City". To me it will always be a neighborhood I knew so well, "The Lower East Side". 

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