Steven Bernstein's Sexmob
Steven Bernstein's Sexmob brings their explosive blend of downtown avant-garde jazz and raucous party atmosphere to the Joe Henderson Lab as part of a special four-night Summer Sessions run. Led by Bernstein's distinctive slide trumpet — an instrument that splits the difference between trumpet and trombone, avoiding both the braying honk and queasy lurch — Sexmob has built a cult following over two decades with their wild reinterpretations of everything from James Bond themes to Prince to Nino Rota.
The band's core lineup features Bernstein alongside alto saxophonist Briggan Krauss, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Kenny Wollesen — all outstanding improvisers who create "great bubbling cauldrons of sound." This particular performance, titled "Psychedelic SF," is a special tribute to 1960s Bay Area rock and features guitarist Liberty Ellman as a special guest.
What sets Sexmob apart from other downtown NYC bands is their infectious sense of fun. They take familiar tunes and "mangle them and reinvent them," creating music that can sound like free jazz one moment and New Orleans funk the next. Reviews describe Bernstein as "a gracious and at times manic bandleader" who establishes "great repartee with the audience," while the band delivers "nonstop" sets mixing classic jazz covers by Monk and Ellington with contemporary pop melodies and plenty of in-the-moment improvisation.
The stage energy is palpable — one reviewer noted the "hotbed of delirious, pulsating energy" with Bernstein "conducting through spirited flurries of motion and gesture." Another praised how they "make experimental jazz fun," describing a show where they "saw so many people smiling at the music." The Grammy-nominated group balances infectious melodies with well-chosen blasts of dissonance, creating what critics call a "provocative and loose-limbed embrace" of America's musical spectrum.
This Summer Sessions residency offers a rare chance to experience Sexmob's virtuosic mix of bebop, experimentalism, and "cartoon antics" in the intimate Joe Henderson Lab setting.