"JAZZ IS MUSIC MADE BY AND FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO FEEL GOOD IN SPITE OF CONDITIONS": DAN BLOCK, ROBERT REDD, SEAN SMITH (Cafe Ornithology, Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, October 30, 2025)

"The sentiments are from legendary tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, and they were never not true. Music uplifts us if we allow it entrance, and we can always choose to do so. I offer you living, breathing evidence: quietly brilliant music from three lyrical swinging explorers: Dan Block, tenor saxophone and clarinet; Robert Redd, piano; Sean Smith, double bass. October 30, 2025, at Cafe Ornithology, 1037 Suydam Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City."

"BLUE ROOM / PURPLE GAZELLE / TIME ON MY HANDS / EMILY / IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH ME. Please allow yourself the luxury of watching and listening at leisure: the singular and collective creativity here is a great reward. Even better: this trio will be playing, in as many dimensions as you care to tabulate, at Cafe Ornithology, on January 7, 2026. Wear your warm coat, bring cash for the tip jar, and prepare for an infusion of what Ruby Braff called "aesthetic vitamins." In fewer syllables, I call it joy. May your happiness increase!"

Music uplifts when listeners allow it entrance, and choice enables that uplift. Three lyrical, swinging musicians — Dan Block on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Robert Redd on piano, and Sean Smith on double bass — deliver quietly brilliant performances. A performance took place October 30, 2025, at Cafe Ornithology, 1037 Suydam Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn. The set included Blue Room, Purple Gazelle, Time on My Hands, Emily, and It's All Right With Me. Listeners are invited to watch and listen at leisure and to attend a further performance on January 7, 2026. Audience guidance: wear a warm coat and bring cash for the tip jar. The music offers an infusion of "aesthetic vitamins," summing as joy and increasing happiness.

Read at JAZZ LIVES