January Pre-Festival Shows

Sphere: Gary Bartz, Kenny Barron Buster Williams and Ben Riley
23 JAN THU 8:30pm: $16; 24 JAN FRI 7:30 & 10pm: $16
25 JAN SAT 7:30 & 10pm: $18
Formed in 1979 as an all-star collaborative project of saxophonist Charlie Rouse, pianist Barron, bassist Williams and drummer Riley to celebrate the music of Thelonious Sphere Monk, Sphere was one of those rare happenings-a gathering of all-stars without attitude. The band broke up in 1988 with Mr. Rouse's passing. It reformed ten years later with the coming of saxist Bartz, and the new foursome continues the group's relaxed credo-no big concepts, nothing extraneous, just superb swinging done with delicacy and intelligence.

The Ken Schaphorst Ensemble
28 JAN TUE 8:30pm: $12
Composer/educator Schaphorst has returned to Boston after a long stint as chairman of the Jazz Department of Lawrence College in Appleton, WI to take the Jazz Studies Chair at NEC. Mr. Schaphorst, an early member of the Jazz Composers' Alliance, returns to the R with veteran bandmates Donny McCaslin and Doug Yates (saxes), John Carlson (tp) and Curtis Hasselbring (tb), among others, for an evening of cutting edge nostalgia.