Myra Melford's Snowy Egret 10/14/17 Firehouse 12

Another barn-burner at the Firehouse, as Melford's group was staying in town to sharpen their chops and record at the fabulous F-12 recording studio. Melford on piano and bandleader wore a red leather jacket with dangly earrings and cool glasses. Maybe in her fifties, she looked like a librarian at a school of the future. She plinked and plunked looking like one of those bobbing flamingoes whose beak kept getting wet. Song structure changes and titles were her responsibility, as she let her supporting cast solo the heck out of the evening. Ron Miles on cornet oozed downtown cool. With his jacket and tie, he looked like a cross between Don Cherry and Malcolm X. He made great use of plunger mute on top of a straight mute, that's right double mute. Liberty Ellman was on guitar. I have seen him with Henry Threadgill' s group and he added a Marc Ribot flavor to the set. Tyshawn Sorey was on drums. In, around, and all over the standard kit. TS looked like Rosie Greer with drumsticks rather than knitting needles. He pummeled the kit as if to insure no one nodding off in the back. Scraped cymbals and nimble stick work was a real treat. The highlight was electric bassist Stomu Takeishi. ST looked to be of indeterminate gender. He had girly hair and wore what seemed to be a hospital johnnie. Shoeless on stage, ST tore it up, with bizarre facial gestures and sounds to complete the effect. If he recently escaped from a hospital, it was the "hospital of chops". Song titles like Attic, and The Other Side of Air made for a thoroughly enjoyable set.