When 14-year-old Xander Rosenblum slipped through The Pocket’s dimly lit dining room, squeezing between linen-covered tables on his way to the stage, he looked slightly out of place among the adults gathered for a night of jazz.
But once the teenage drummer started playing, he hit every beat, effortlessly providing the rhythm for the band. He was in a rhythm himself, the kind of “flow state” musicians often refer to as “being in the pocket.”
The performance just so happened to take place inside The Pocket Jazz Club on 46th Street in Manhattan. The club opened in May and is owned by Martin Porter and Grant Gardner, who had been working on the project since 2020.
The Fat Cats were the opening act that night for Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, which was entering the eighth week of its residency at The Pocket. O’Farrill designed his set as a journey exploring the countries and cultures that inspire his music.
From the Afro-Andean beats of Peru to the complex sounds of Brazilian jazz fusion, O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s set was curated to send a message.
The Pocket Jazz Club brings generations of jazz players to the stage.Photo by Jack Bulik
“Jazz is not just an American adventure,” O’Farrill said.
“Jazz is an inheritance from a total disaster called the slave trade, but that took place in all of the indigenous lands in Latin America,” he continued. “Wherever the slaves were brought, they brought that magic, and it crashed into the music of the colonizers.”
He said he intentionally chose music from living composers rather than relying on dead composers from a previous era.
“If you’re not careful, you can embalm this music,” O’Farrill said. “I make sure I play the music of living composers, including my own music — I mean, I don’t think I’m that bad.”
O’Farrill told amNewYork that clubs can make quick money by focusing on familiar classics rather than modern compositions. But he trusts the owners of The Pocket to run their club the right way.
Porter and Gardner met at the Jazz Standard. When the club closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the two men were flooded with questions about what its future would look like.
The Pocket Jazz Club brings generations of jazz players to the stage.Photo by Jack Bulik
“We didn’t want that idea to die, of an amazing place with the best music in the city and food that you’d be proud to serve,” Porter said.
Porter said The Pocket serves as a “spiritual successor” to the Jazz Standard.
The two owners divide the club’s day-to-day operations. Porter oversees the music, while Gardner manages the food and beverages.
Gardner drew on experience in Michelin-starred kitchens to build a menu featuring ribeye, smoked salmon and a New Orleans muffuletta.
“The people who opened The Pocket are committed to the art form,” O’Farrill said. “They ran the Jazz Standard, which was my favorite club of all time, because they had established musicians while also giving a platform to younger musicians.”
The Pocket Jazz Club brings generations of jazz players to the stage.Photo by Jack Bulik
That commitment to placing established musicians alongside younger performers was visible throughout the night.
After the final set, O’Farrill came down from the stage to congratulate Rosenblum. O’Farrill was complimentary, but the praise seemed to bounce right off the young drummer.
O’Farrill told amNewYork that Rosenblum’s demeanor was comparable to that of a young Tony Williams, who is regarded as one of jazz’s great drummers.
“He seems to have the right vibe because you tell him he’s going to be one of the greats and it just flies right past him,” O’Farrill said. “I really believe if you spoke to Tony Williams when he was young, he’d have the same vibe.”
For more information, visit thepocketnyc.com.