This Friday, February 5th, The Jazz Gallery is proud to welcome Peter Apfelbaum's Sparkler back to our stage. This multi-generational group featuring sprightly improvisation within potent, danceable tunes made its Gallery debut last March. In an interview with Jazz Speaks, Apfelbaum described the origin of this project:

About three years ago I was thinking that I wanted to write lyrics more, and I kept having ideas that would come from random things, like even conversations overheard in an airport, or something like that. I wanted to steer away from writing a song in the conventional sense, part of it being because it was a little intimidating. I’ve always written music and lyrics have been a little bit more challenging for me. But I also was getting into groups like  Cibo Matto, a more downtown group that got really big in the 90s, and they just got back together (they’re these two Japanese women who do kind of rap, and they’ll have songs about food and random stuff). So I started realizing that the subject matter could be actually really broad, and I could write lyrics that wouldn’t necessarily be a song. I could focus on a groove, which is kind of one thing that I’ve always done, and then have lyrics come in and out.

You can check the rest of the wide-ranging interview here. In the meantime, take a listen to their track "I Colored It In For You" and get ready for some deep grooves this Friday at The Jazz Gallery. Peter Apfelbaum's Sparkler performs at The Jazz Gallery on Friday, February 5th, 2016. The group features Mr. Apfelbaum on piano/organ/tenor sax/vocals, Natalie Cressman on trombone/bass/vocals, Jill Ryan on alto sax/flute/vocals, Will Bernard on guitar, Kyle Sanna on bass, and Charlie Ferguson on drums/loops. Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. $22 general admission ($12 for members) for each set. Purchase tickets here.