I satisfied my live jazz jones by attending bass player Greg August's sextet gig last night at Fat Cat, a jazz club/pool hall on Christopher Street in the West Village.

I had never heard of August until last summer when his CD came out and the "Times" reviewed it and compared his composition skills to that of the great pianist Cedar Walton. It was a sextet again last night and August said the band was about to hit the recording studio again
and they were working through the tunes they plan to record.

It was a long set -- at least 75 minutes -- and the band really stretched out as they played only four tunes. August didn't call the first tune's name out, but the second tune was called "Sixth Finger" or something like that. The third tune was a ballad that featured alto player Myron Walden and up-and-coming tenor player Stacey Dillard called "In Dedication." The final tune was something like "Nascimento" or something to that effect.

Usually I roll my eyes when musicians play their own tunes on sets, but August is the real deal and is a terrific composer. Joining Waldon and Dillard on the front line was a trumpeter new to me, John Bailey, who was flat out terrific. He has great chops and plays with a lot of authority and confidence. I don't know why our paths haven't crossed. Prior to last night I had never heard of him.

As mentioned, bass is August's axe and he was joined on the back line by pianist Luis Perdomo and a drummer also new to me, Reggie Royster (sic).

A terrific gig, but given yesterday's monsoon-like rains, only a handful of people at the gig, less than 10. It was a shame because it was flat out terrific. Folks get another shot at hearing August & Company because they are playing at the club Smoke tonight.

I caught the second or 9:30 set of "The Cookers," a band set up to play hard bop tunes and named after a legendary LP Freddie Hubbard recorded for Blue Note in 1965.

Trumpeter David Weiss put a septet together for the gig and he organized some heavyweights, many of whom recorded on the Blue Note label during its heyday. Included were tenor player Billy Harper, one of my favorites, trumpeter Charles Tolliver, back on the NYC scene after a long hiatus, alto player & flutist James Spaulding, and bassist Cecil McBee. Rounding out the band was one of my favorite pianists, veteran George Cables, and drummer Gene Jackson, best known for his work with the past-his-prime Herbie Hancock.

In any event, the band got off to a rocky start when they played a Freddie Hubbard tune called "Coinage" or something like that. The rhythm section was not swinging and the whole band was uninspired.

Things got a little better on the second tune of the set, a Spaulding original called "Kryptonite." Finally, the highlight of the evening was a Harper tune called "Priestess," which if not a jazz standard, should be. Just a terrific tune. The band really found its legs on this one.

Despite a long set (90 minutes) the band only played four tunes, with the band concluding by playing the Monk chestnut, "Round Midnight," in an arrangement penned by Tolliver.

All in all a good night. The Jazz Standard continues to do well with a good crowd on hand for the second set on a weeknight, a time when jazz clubs having trouble drawing flies.

I went to my first live jazz gig in over a month last night when trumpeter Dizzy Reece made a rare appearance in New York City at the Himalayan Museum, which has started a Friday night jazz program called "Harlem to Himalayas."

There is nice performance space, a good, concert piano and the place was packed, much to my surprise because Dizzy Reece is not exactly a household name.

It was a pickup band with Reece backed by Mike Longo, best known for his long musical association with the "other" Dizzy, Gillespie, on piano; Lee Hudson, new to me, on bass; and veteran and long-time Reece compadre Jimmy Wormworth on drums. Reece's chops proved to be in relatively good shape, though his range appeared to be limited.

He stuck to standards, including Monk's "Round Midnight," Bird's "Now's the Time" and several other standards than I can no longer remember. Oh, they played "Green Dolphin Street" as well.

Jazz royalty in the house included the late, great tenor sax player Clifford Jordan's widow, and saxophonist Paul Jeffrey.

I've cut way, way back on attending live jazz gigs, but last night headed out to Merkin Concert Hall where elusive pianist (elusive in NYC anyway) Freddie Redd was gigging. It was billed as a concert where he would play music from the play THE CONNECTION.

The first half of the set, though, was basically a blowing session that featured alto legend and, like Redd, Blue Note label icon Lou Donaldson. I hadn't seen Donaldson gig in almost 15 years so it was nice to see him in fine fettle. The quartet, which also included bassist Mickey Bass and drummer Louis Hayes, played mostly standards, including "Bye, Bye Blackbird" which Donaldson said "was a tune associated with Miles Davis when he was still playing jazz." I couldn't agree more. Donaldson also sang on a tune and he remains a national treasure and consumate entertainer.

The second half of the show featured music from the soundtrack to the aforementioned CONNECTION and alto player Donald "Duck" Harrison replaced Donaldson. The tunes were ok, but didn't seem to be coherent or part of a whole. It just sounded like the band blew on tunes. You would never know the tunes were connected (no pun intended) to THE CONNECTION. Redd, who is based in California, appeared to be disorganized and couldn't remember what tunes he played/didn't play.

And I've never seen this happen before, but halfway through the second half of the concert, which was close to sold out, bass player Dwayne Burno appeared at the lip of the stage and called out "Mickey" and Bass put his bass down mid-tune and walked off stage and Burno, with his jacket still on, replaced him. Burno never took his coat off and at one point, after the tune ended, Redd said "I don't know what happened to Mickey" and introduced himself to Burno, who finished the concert.

And Redd, who first gigged with Donaldson back in 1949, called Donaldson back to the stage for the finale, but, alas, Donaldson had left.

Kind of a disorganized concert, though it was nice to see Donaldson again after along hiatus and to see Freddie Redd for the very first time.

I went to see a British band called Polar Bear last year. That remains the best gig that I have been to. Fantastic. I would recommend any jazz collector to check out their stuff.