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At the outset of 2008, Marco Benevento set up shop at New York City’s brand new Greenwich Village music space, Sullivan Hall, for a month-long residency. Calling it home for five Thursday nights in January, Benevento invited a who’s who in modern jazz and improvisational rock music to perform with him each week in various configurations. Benevento
hauled his own baby grand piano from his Brooklyn apartment to the Sullivan Hall stage to host both musical friends and heroes. Each night he’d lead his musical co-conspirators through two sets of daring and consistently breathtaking improvisations. Whether it was the Bitches Brew-esque sonic explorations of the Benevento-Steven Bernstein-Bobby Previte-DJ Olive collaboration, or the glorious post rock ferocity of Benevento-Brad Barr-Joe Russo, or Benevento’s own trio with Reed Mathis and Andrew Barr celebrating the release of their debut album Invisible Baby, each performance took on a life completely its own. As the sold out crowds from week to week will attest, these shows were the stuff of legend in the recent history of downtown New York City’s music scene. Thankfully, all five nights were shot on high definition video along with multi-track recordings that are now set for a DVD release entitled Marco Benevento (& Friends): Live In NYC: The Sullivan Hall Residency. While it’s Marco Benevento’s name at the top of the billing, what the film portrays is a dynamic family of fearless, faithful, one-of-a-kind artists who are making some of the most vital music of their time.
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