New Jazz Series Kicks Off Thursday in Downtown Echo Park

Jazz in Echo Park, a new monthly series, kicks off Thursday night at

Producer Drew Tewksbury  has pulled together some of  his favorites from L.A.’s young jazz scene including virtuoso pianist Austin Peralta (and son of original Z-boy and documentarian Stacy Peralta), who brings firebrand bassist--and Flying Lotus collaborator--Thundercat. This is a rare small venue show offering a ringside seat for Peralta’s stellar style. 

Following Peralta’s early performance is Brazilian 7 string guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento from the avant bossa nova outfit Triorganico.

And closing out the night is the Gypsy, Italian, French, Romanian, Spanish, Hungarian, Brazilian, Russian sounds of AK and Her Kalashnikovs.

Echo Park Patch asked Drew a couple questions about the night, which he hopes to hold every last Thursday of the month.

Why jazz in Echo Park?

I’ve been covering the L.A. music scene for a while now, and in the last two or three years, I’ve noticed that jazz was starting to creep into the local music I was hearing. I could hear jazz in the producers at Low End Theory. I could hear it in the noise bands at the Smell. Then I interviewed Steve Ellison, aka Flying Lotus for NPR, and we talked briefly about how there needed to be a jazz club on the east side. I thought about it for a while. Then later, I checked out the amazing Soul in the Park series run by Rani De Leon in Highland Park, and saw that audiences were coming out for jazz, and I figured that now was the time to continue the conversation.

I've seen AK and her Kalashnikovs at the Russian-retro club Malabomba. You seem to have a very eclectic definition of jazz. What is it?

Jazz, to me, is an idea. Jazz is all about challenging expectations and pushing the boundaries of how music sounds and feels. The first jazz players were seen as punks back in the day; they were iconoclasts. I’m trying to present artists who have that spirit. From Austin Peralta’s frenetic piano explorations to Fabiano’s avant Brazillian soundscapes to AK’s gyspy jazz dance party, you can feel their own energy turned into sound.

What kind of mood and scene are you going for the night? Can the old people come too?

Lot 1 is a special venue. It’s an intimate space where you actually have options. You can be in the room with the artist, up so close you could practically join them, or you can chill in the second room and focus on enjoying the music over a cocktail and a conversation. Inclusion is the aim.

 You have been a music critic for a long while, writing about a lot of different kinds of music. How does curating a series like this challenge you?

I have a new respect for bookers and club owners, that’s for sure. Like in writing, the hardest thing is to edit. Don't try not to put too many ideas into one night. The other challenge is knowing that by inviting my friends and peers to the show, I’m also inviting a bunch of critics.

What other great Echo Park jazz groups do you have your eye on out there?

I’m trying to connect with university jazz programs and music schools to offer a showcase for younger musicians. I also want to bring in players in Echo Park rock bands, who love jazz, but don't get to play it. Lastly, I've also been in contact with some seasoned musicians who don't have the outlets that they used to. I want to see what happens when we mix them all together. I hope to eventually reserve the final hour of the night as a time for free form improvisation and collaboration, bringing together sounds and ideas from across generations.

This is an 21+ show and doors open at 8:00pm. $7. Music begins at 8:30 p.m.