The Jazz Gallery Presents: Alfredo Colon's Big Head

Saxophonist Alfredo Colon would be the first to tell you that he has a big head. That outsized cranium birthed an inside joke with bassist Nick Dunston, which in turn became the name of Colon's newest project. While Colon has established himself as an adept practitioner of the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), with Big Head, he seeks to spawn energetic interplay in an acoustic environment. In an interview with Jazz Speaks, Colon spoke about how the timbral possibilities of the EWI have impacted his sound on saxophone:

On saxophone, there are range limits and there’s resistance on the instrument so you get a lot of notes that sound crackly and broken up, and they don’t sound anywhere near as clean as on the EWI. That’s something which I personally like about that sound—just the distressed sound of reaching for something that isn’t easily accessed. I like the sound of struggling to play around your limits. A lot of my favorite players have that kind of sound—if you listen to Jackie McLean records like Dr. Jackle, that music sounds evil, you know? It sounds like they recorded it in the Black Lodge. Or when you hear Logan Richardson start going into it, and his sound just starts gurgling or cracking up, that’s when it gets the best for me.

This Thursday, June 6, Colon and Big Head return to The Jazz Gallery for two sets. Colon will be joined by regular bandmates Jacob Sacks on piano and Connor Parks on drums, while bassist Steve Williams will fill in for Nick Dunston. Before coming out to hear the band, take a listen to the band's recording from their previous show at the Gallery, below.Alfredo Colon's Big Head plays The Jazz Gallery on Thursday, June 6, 2019. The group features Mr. Colon on saxophone, Jacob Sacks on piano, Steve Williams on bass, and Connor Parks on drums. Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. $15 general admission (FREE for members), $20 reserved cabaret seating ($10 for members) for each set. Purchase tickets here.