John Carlson’s “Buzz” at Public Records

On May 15th, John Carlson’s “Buzz” will be performing at Public Records. One of the newer and more promising rooms in a city that continually refuses to be put down by the exploding real estate development, it’s a room that fuses experimental and progressive programming with a love of, well, records and recorded music. Long ago, in another time, the act of finding and discovering music was a sacred and personal one. The thrill of discovering that special LP in the back of a dusty bin. The mixtapes we would make to share our unique discoveries. That mysterious process of trying to find more information about an artist (before the internet). The adventure and search made musicians and their albums that much more delicious, and that adventure of discovery was part of the journey as a listener and music lover.

Public Records is fusing the burgeoning resurgence of interest in records, and high-quality audio listening, with live music and progressive, non-conforming programming. Instead of using a Spotify playlist during off-hours, they have record collectors, spinning their collections and their favorite discoveries and deepest cuts. This cultivates an all-inclusive atmosphere of respect and reverence for the sonic space and meaning in the room.

Trumpeter John Carlson is bringing his group, “Buzz,” to the space on May 15. He’ll be joined by Eric Hipp (sax), Shawn McGoin (bass) and Pheeroan Aklaff (drums). Carlson is a perfect voice to be playing in this room. Though he’s equally at home playing in groups led by Machito, Julius Hemphill, Cab Calloway, or Slavic Soul Party, he’s most comfortable playing free improvised music, where his voice is able to really shine. That doesn’t just take chops, but mindfulness, awareness, consciousness of the room, the moment, and the place in which the music is being made. This is what Public Records was built for, and this is the type of listening space the city desperately needs.

The group will be playing improvised music that will wind in and out of new and old compositions. Carlson will be joined by legendary drummer Aklaff, whose relationships with folks like Cecil Taylor, Henry Threadgill, and Oliver Lake make him a formidable collaborator. Alongside bandmates from Carlson’s long-running group, “Free Range Rat,” Hipp on tenor sax and McGoin on bass will round out the group to an exciting and adventurous night of music in what promises to be a great addition to the city’s musical landscape.

Public Records is located at 233 Butler St. For more info, their website is https://publicrecords.nyc.

– Stefan Zeniuk