Re-opened Lark Tavern has a jazzy feel now
Storied venue offers place on Tuesdays for both local, national musicians
Jazz music has another venue in the Capital Region with the reopening of the Lark Street Tavern in Albany and pushed by perhaps jazz music’s best ally in the region, the ubiquitous Joe Barna.
Chris Pratt purchased the tavern, once a hot spot for live music, at the end of 2021. As it reopened, Pratt wanted to restore the music in the refurbished space. He was thinking in terms of jazz and the search for the right person to lead the effort led to one person: Barna. A superb drummer and composer, Barna is a native of the area and has settled here after a musical career that took him to New York City and tours around the country and around the globe.
Barna still tours frequently with his band Sketches of Influence and in other formations. But he is always busy spreading the gospel of jazz, getting gigs for local musicians, bringing to the area top talent from New York City, and finding more venues where talented musicians can be put on display. And get paid.
Jazz at the Lark will happen each Tuesday night, featuring local talent but also occasional national figures.
“He's a mover and a shaker,” said Gray Smulyan, an elite jazz talent who will play at the Lark on Tuesday, June 14. He is a multiple winner of “top baritone saxophonist” in polls by Jazz Times, Downbeat and the Jazz Journalists Association and is a six-time Grammy award winner for his work with B.B. King, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. He’s played with a bevy of first-rate players and band leaders and he has a new album coming out in October of songs from noted jazz pianist/composer Tad Dammeron with young phenom singer Anais Reno.
“He makes things happen and music is better off for it,” Smulyan says of Barna. “He's provided a lot of opportunities for people from New York to come up and play in the Capital area. He really knows how to get clubs open and get people to come up to play. He's really gifted that
way. Not everybody can do that.”
The importance of bringing back live music “was huge,” said tavern owner Pratt, who used to lead open mic nights at the old Lark Tavern in the early 2000s. “I enjoy music of all types — jazz, blues, rock. I used to go to some of the shows (the Lark Tavern) had . ... From the beginning I was passionate about making it happen.”
The series started in early May. Sessions involving local musicians are open to walk-ins. There will be ticketed events, like the Smulyan gig, periodically. Saxophonists Joel Frahm and Eric Person are two musicians who will also put on special shows in the future.
“It's a slow build,” Barna said of the new jazz series. He also has a jazz ses
sion on Mondays at 518 Craft in Troy that has been successful. Over the years, there have been many more venues where Barna has curated the music.
“I want to keep it away from the weekends because there's so much competition," he said. "If you can keep it Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, you've got a much larger chance of being successful.
“It will take off. You got to build trust. The Lark Tavern has been closed. It's not a familiar name anymore. People have started going other places. So what you have to do is you have to get them excited about something new, and something that is also familiar."
Barna, 46, said he has been involved in marketing the music and producing shows since he was 22.
“I do a lot of free marketing for clubs," he said. "I go out of my way for these people and the musicians around here. I’ve hired more musicians. I kept the jazz scene alive for the last two years. It was dead. Nobody was playing and I didn't stop. I played right through this whole thing (pandemic shutdowns and slowdowns). I was playing three nights a week . ... I was trying to get the guys around here working.
“That's why I'm doing the thing down at Lark. I don't want to see these guys not playing. I don't want to see people pushed out. I don't want to see people alienated. I don't want to see four guys from New York City come up and take over that club for a night. I really believe in this place."
As for Barna, he continues to gig. In late May he did CD release gigs for his new album “The Purpose,” which was recorded live at the Strand Theater in Hudson Falls. He’s working on material for another album that could be recorded later this year. Smulyan’s local gig will have Barna on drums, Nick Masters on piano and Jason Emmond on bass.
“I've played with him many times,” said Smulyan. “I've been up to the Capital area, through the years, quite a number of times. Albany has a very rich jazz history. A lot of great musicians have come from Albany. Upstate New York is just a treasure trove of great musicians,” especially
Nick Brignola, a worldclass baritone saxophonist who called the Capital Region home and is an idol of Smulyan. “He's like, the standard-bearer (for baritone sax). He was one of the best musicians ever.”
Smulyan said he has been extra cautious during the pandemic and the Lark gig will be his first indoor show since 2020.
“There's an intimacy in a small jazz club that you really can't get in a concert hall or an outdoor festival. It's always a thrill to be able to be that close to the audience . ... For me, personally, I love playing in small clubs,” he said. “I'm looking forward to it.”
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It will take off. You got to build trust. The Lark Tavern has been closed. It's not a familiar name anymore. People have started going other places. So what you have to do is you have to get them excited about something new, and something that is also familiar.”
— Joe Barna