Benefit Concert at Caffe Lena supports Horns for Haiti with renowned jazz musicians

Evan Christopher’s Clarinet Road Benefit for Horns for Haiti at Caffe Lena; Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.

Caffe Lena’s Benefit Dinner and Concert for Horns for Haiti Thursday stars four world-class jazz musicians, three are locals; and funds a non-profit providing musical instruments, repairs and mentoring to musicians in Haiti. Clarinetist Evan Christopher headlines the two-set show, with pianist David Gleason, bassist Mike Lawrence and drummer Bob Halek. Gleason and Lawrence played with Christopher at Galway’s Cock ’N’ Bull in August; Thursday. Christopher adds Halek as rhythmic bridge between Haiti and New Orleans where Christopher played for 25 years before moving recently to Manhattan with his family.

A SHARED ADDRESS AND MISSION

The benefit also highlights how instrument sellers and repairers, and performing venues, closely support musicians and audiences. Horns for Haiti founder Bill Cole’s Woodwind Shop is literally downstairs from Caffe Lena, which has hosted Horns for Haiti fundraisers since 2019. They share both address and mission.

Instrument repair shops like Cole’s are oases that musicians cherish, as Cole’s customer roster shows, and his book “With the Band: Memoirs of a Music Shop Owner” recounts.

Christopher said by phone last week that he’s never played Caffe Lena; a friend for 25 years, Cole once led him upstairs to see the place and has repaired Christopher’s clarinets during decades playing everywhere including Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. Christopher happily agreed to play Cole’s Horns for Haiti benefit after a meet-up at the Cock ’N’ Bull when Cole explained the project to him.

Cole first went to Haiti in 2016 to repair instruments, as he recounted recently on WMHT’s Aha! (A House for Arts) program. Expecting a helpful one-time visit – he’s since returned four times – he found the island full of music and musicians needing his services as both donated-instrument provider and repair expert.

As the great Al Quaglieri wrote in Metroland about the Haitian band Boukman Eksperyans at Music Haven years ago, some of the greatest music comes from the world’s most miserable places. 

To foster creativity there, Cole connected musicians on the island with benefactors here. The late much-missed Matt McCabe of Saratoga Guitar was a natural ally; others include the Waldorf School, D’Addario Co., Ferree’s band instrument tool company, Music Medic, “To Love a Child,” Missionary Flights International and others. A golf bag musicians John Kirk and Trish Miller donated was repurposed as the “TTT” – Triple Trombone Transporter. When two Cole Haitian apprentices opened their own repair shop, humble, easy-going Cole was at first dismayed that they named it Shop Billy; then relieved that they’d named it after Cole’s son, also Billy, who runs the shop when his father is in Haiti.

There, Cole distributes donated instruments – hundreds, to date – and holds repair workshops at Holy Spirit School in Lascahobas and Hope on a String in Acahaie. As he does here, he’s found allies: the Business and Technology Institute in Les Cayes and Mission Experience in Croix-des-Bouquets. As he said by email, they are united “all with the common goal: healing through the power of music.” This aligns so perfectly with his upstairs neighbor, Caffe Lena: “to provide music, connection and learning from a legendary venue” that Caffe Executive Director Sarah Craig serves on the Horns for Haiti board. “Her expertise and experience proved to be helpful beyond words of appreciation,” said Cole.

The Caffe has hosted a 2019 Horns for Haiti fundraiser, spotlighted the organization in its 2022 TrueSongs event starring Hold on Honeys and its ongoing “Art of Community” conversation series.

THURSDAY’S STOP ON A CLARINET ROAD

Leader of the band in Thursday’s benefit concert and dinner Evan Christopher calls his bands Clarinet Road for the instrument powering his journey from southern California to New Orleans. There he earned an honored place among “agony stick” masters Sidney Bechet, Barney Bigard, Pete Fountain, Dr. Michael White, Victor Goines and street busker supreme Doreen Ketchens.

“You know who calls it the ‘agony stick’?” Christopher asked, laughing. “Saxophone players! Saxophone is easy!” He said, “I was small for my age and young for my grade,” so he chose a rented clarinet at 11 in his middle school band – for how it looked in old photos, how it sounded on his father’s records by Artie Shaw and Acker Bilk, and how it felt. “A heavier instrument didn’t really appeal to me,” he said.

INSTRUMENTAL AREA TALENTS

Seeking a piano player to play the Cock ’N’ Bull last August, Christopher found David Gleason on videos of Jazz Vespers. “The one good thing about the pandemic was it increased peoples’ YouTube output! When I saw him I knew he was my guy.”

Gleason got his first piano at 13. “It was an upright with a heavy touch,” Gleason said last week. “It was a bit of a workout to play it and that helped me develop strong hands.” A busy teacher and instrumentalist – leader of Sensemaya and the Art D’echo Trio and valued member of Keith Pray’s Big Soul Ensemble – Gleason also came highly recommended by mutual musician friends, as did bassist Mike Lawrence, Gleason’s band-mate in the Art D’Echo Trio.

Starting on cello in 4th grade, the son of musician parents, Lawrence switched to bass in 5th, at 10. “It was certainly cool being the only kid on that instrument…plus I got to stand up where everyone else had to sit down!”

Of playing with Christopher at the Cock ’N’ Bull, Lawrence said, “We had a great time.” Christopher brought charts for standards and originals, and included a Gleason original in the show.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in the same room as such a talented clarinetist, let alone on stage,” said Lawrence. “It’s truly a joy to listen to Evan play. He’s truly a master of his craft and I look forward to learning more from him on the job January 4.” He added, “Bill Cole’s Horns for Haiti is a wonderful cause to raise funds for. I’ve been lucky to know a few fantastic Haitian musicians.”

Gleason shared Lawrence’s admiration for Christopher. “When I play with world-class musicians the first thing I notice is their sound,” he said. “Evan has sweet and dark tone that fills the air with tight and resonant vibrations. It feels great to play next to that. Evan is a true jazz master, you can tell that because of both the beautiful sound and a deep swing feel.” Gleason explained, “He has an immense knowledge of the repertoire too. I knew as soon as we started I would have to work diligently to accompany his musicianship. We clicked nicely as a band because we were all listening intently. I noticed right away how beautiful and relaxed his swing is and I worked to lock in and help create a complimentary feel. The audience really enjoyed our performance and we all had a wonderful time performing for them.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY

Looking ahead to Jan. 4 at Caffe Lena, Gleason said, “Evan is still finalizing the set list, but I hope we play some of his originals. He writes tasty tunes that are well crafted and are really enjoyable to perform. I imagine we might also play some jazz classics by Sidney Bechet or Duke Ellington…and some choice standards.”

“My original music is pretty open ended,” said Christopher, with “a lot of room for people to be themselves.” He balances formal organization – “to keep things from falling apart” – with humor, and freedom. “The path isn’t super narrow,” he said, “but it’s well-marked, and the signage is clear.”

So is the musical bridge from New Orleans, where he built his career, to Haiti whose musicians benefit from Horns for Haiti. Spanning the Caribbean, he said, are both the clarinet and drums.

Christopher plays French-made Selmer clarinets from the 1920s and 30s – he calls them “antiques,” and said their fingering system is “favored by the Creole musicians” of both New Orleans and Haiti. 

“Haiti also has a wonderful street-music tradition, so it’s a cousin to New Orleans music,” he said. He strengthens that connection by adding drummer Bob Halek to the band. “That’s why I wanted to have drums because the rhythms are important. If we’re going to have a discussion about Haiti, I gotta have me some drums.”

Horns for Haiti Thursday combines a concert by Evan Christopher and Clarinet Road with dinner by Hatties. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dessert by Nothing Bundt Cakes. Concert Only: Doors at 6:30, show time 7:00 p.m. Dinner and concert $79.88; concert only $53.24. 518-583-0022 www.caffelena.org.