One of the more successful big bands in NYC, certainly of those run by young people, the Eyal Vilner Big Band can be heard at big public events like Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center. That exposure makes them feel a part of New York City and probably brings their name to some people who aren’t chasing jazz around but love it when they find it.
In the absence of those public events last year they began busking near the benches in Washington Square Park. The spot has been a point of entrance for many jazz musicians we’ve covered, a place they went after moving to the Big Apple to jam and wait for their schedule to fill up with gigs to the point they can muse about missing their sidewalk days.
Usually these jams in the park are rather informal, and though sometimes there might be quite a few musicians on hand they lean towards spontaneous trad jazz and not big organized arrangements. But 2020 was not a normal year. With nowhere inside to even practice in person, let alone perform, the Eyal Vilner Big Band staked out a time on Sunday afternoons and began a routine of playing their with the whole band (up to 18 pieces) every week. As fall set in and crept towards winter, and they realized the joy and community they had found in the park wouldn’t last forever, they decided to professionally record this November 8th show for posterity.
Plenty of large bands play parks—brass
