Sunday and Monday: Two Sides of the Many-Sided Taylor Ho Bynum

Brooklyn’s own experimental Jazz cornetist/composer [Taylor Ho Bynum] plays in a myriad of groups, formats and styles, but he maintains his experimental streak and scouring-pad phrasing throughout. This Sunday and Monday, Bynum presents listeners with an opportunity to hear two completely different sides of his creativity. First, on Sunday night at Roulette, his [Spider Monkey Strings](http://www.multikulti.com/go/_info/?id=18453) group performs the world premiere of “Madeleine Dreams,” which is based on novel [Madeleine is Sleeping](http://www.womenwriters.net/winter05/MadeleineIsSleeping1.htm) by Bynum’s sister Sarah Shun-lien Bynum.

Sleeping chronicles the personal, creative, and sexual awakening of its protagonist as it veers between reality and the illusory world of dreams – the latter an ongoing musical preoccupation of Taylor’s. Chamber ensembles that improvise (and incorporate electronic touches) are becoming less and less rare, but the thrill of the unknown, the exoticism of the new artform they’re creating, still permeates these kinds of performances. Bynum’s group is all the more alluring for being led by the cornet, an instrument that doesn’t get the spotlight very often.

Keep in mind that Spider Monkey Strings will challenge you no matter what your reference point is. Straddling the line between too-classical-sounding for the experimental set and too experimental for tradition-minded fans of classical, SMS bravely mine that tight, almost claustrophic spot in between. Some passages flow with that familiar classical elegance. Most of the time, though, the ensemble undermines conventional harmony with a rough touch for a raw edge that seems to threaten the music’s placidity at all times.

Meanwhile, flailing joyfull on the other end of the Bynum spectrum is the progressive Latin group [Positive Catastrophe]. A “trans-idiomatic ten-piece little big band” co-led by Bynum and percussionist/vocalist Abraham Gomez-Delgado, the group plays the final night of its March residency at Tea Lounge Monday night.

Don’t let the word “idiom” scare you: this is the audio equivalent of a funhouse mirror – and just as easy to relate to. The tune “Travels 4,” for example, sounds like a low-speed collision between Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War,” Julea London’s “Cry Me a River” and Chano Pozo’s Dizzy Gillespie vehicle “Manteca” – all mashing together while the drivers giggle. In stark contrast to the spectral chill of Spider Monkey Strings, Pos-Cat maintains a playful, even giddy vibe as it bends its Latin, swing, and progressive vibes so that they’re each recognizable but delightfully warped. If you’ve been hungering to hear Latin-based jazz in a new light, your prayers have been answered, and the Tea Lounge is where you need to be Monday night. And there’s even a movie between sets.

Sunday, March 30th at 8:30 p.m. Taylor Ho Bynum & SpiderMonkey Strings WORLD PREMIERE of Madeleine Dreams [ Roulette] - 20 Greene Street Admission is $15; $10 students and seniors Reservations available at (212) 219-8242

Monday, March 31st, sets at 8 and 9:30 p.m. Positive Catastrophe (w/ screening of A Night at the Opera at 9:30) [ Tea Lounge], 837 Union Street, Park Slope (Bklyn) No cover/$5 donation encouraged. (718) 789-2762

Photo by Scott Friedlander