Duduka Da Fonseca has spent forty years translating samba and bossa into a jazz drum vocabulary, and Quadrilogy is the group where that work sounds most relaxed. Smalls is a sixty-seat basement on West Tenth Street where the band plays a foot from the front row. If you want Brazilian rhythm at close quarters instead of a concert-hall version of it, take the 9pm set.
What to expect
You go down a short staircase into a low-ceilinged room lined with chairs and a small bar at the back, with the band a foot from the front row. Two sets play with a break between them, and the room refills in the gap. Standing room along the back wall is normal once the seats have gone.
Good to know
- Take the 1 to Christopher St-Sheridan Sq or the A, C, E to 14th St
- Seats are unreserved, so arriving at the start of a set matters
- Admission covers the set; drinks are separate at the bar
- The room is below street level down a staircase
- Best for listeners happy to stand if the seats fill
- The late set often runs past its billed end time
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Common questions
Do I need a reservation?
Seating at Smalls is unreserved. Tickets can be bought online or at the door, but a good seat depends on arriving early.
What style is Quadrilogy?
Brazilian jazz built on samba and related rhythms, led from the drum kit by Duduka Da Fonseca.
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