Other cities may have more tightly knit jazz communities (Peter Margasak and Andrey Henkin have made pitches for the vitality of Chicago), but none come close to approaching the size and diversity of the New York scene. On any given night, there are around two dozen jazz shows in the city, and it's not uncommon that I see two or three or ten that I want to check out. From the time I started going to clubs, I've dreamed of pulling off a "jazz marathon"—catch the early set here, move on to the late set there, and swing by somewhere else for the early morning jam.
Now, conditioned by the ready-made marathon of the Undead Jazzfest (five shows in three venues in four-and-a-half hours), I'm finally undertaking the all-night jazz endurance challenge. I'll be starting at 7 at the Abrons Arts Center for Muhal Richard Abrams playing solo piano, move on to Jason Moran, Mary Halvorson, and Ron Miles's 9:30 Jazz Standard set, and finish off the evening at City Winery for the CareFusion Herbie Hancock–tribute jam. I'll plan on Tweeting selected observations throughout the evening (although my BlackBerry has been temperamental of late, so no guarantees). A 16-year-old's dream finally realized by a 25-year-old with a free night...
