A few days into the new year, on January 4, Stefon Harris & Blackout rolled into Jazz Standard and blew us away with the creativity and cohesion of their interplay. Now the acclaimed vibraphonist and his quintet are back for this multi–night stand. When DownBeat’s John Murph attended the group’s Kennedy Center in D.C. in 2018, he heard “an exploratory, tightly focused set that placed high stakes on rhythmic agility, communica­tive alertness and spontaneous invention…Each member admirably held their own next to Harris, whose virtuosic and imaginative improvisations can certainly prove unnerving for lesser talents.” In 2018, Sonic Creed(Motema Music) was the first new release from Stefon Harris’ Blackout since 2009’s GRAMMY–nominated Urbanus. Family, community, legacy: “These core assets of the Black community are the messages of Sonic Creed,” says Stefon Harris, “and we honor our legacy by exploring the music of masters such as Bobby Hutcherson, Abbey Lincoln, Wayne Shorter and Horace Silver. Their music is timeless and is the literal aural expression of those community assets." Stefon Harris – vibraphone and marimba Casey Benjamin – saxophone and vocoder Marc Cary – piano Luques Curtis – bass Obed Calvaire – drums