Chick Corea's Lyric Suite for Sextet is one of the few jazz-with-strings projects that treats the string players as improvisers' equals rather than decoration, and it is almost never staged. Warren Wolf is the most technically fearsome vibraphonist working, and Rose Hall's rooms sit on the fifth floor with Central Park through the glass behind the stage. If you want a jazz night with real programming ambition, this is the weekend's most interesting ticket.
What to expect
Two sets each evening in a purpose-built jazz room, with clear sightlines and the acoustic detail that a string ensemble demands. Expect a listening-room atmosphere rather than a club buzz. The venue sits inside the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle with restaurants and bars on the lower floors.
Good to know
- The A, B, C, D and 1 to 59th Street-Columbus Circle put you in the building
- Arrive early — the elevator up to the jazz floors backs up before set times
- The later set is typically the less crowded of the two
- This is a listening room; talking through sets is genuinely discouraged
- The venue is fully accessible with elevator access to all levels
- Columbus Circle has plenty of pre-set food inside the same building
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Common questions
What is the Lyric Suite for Sextet?
It's a Chick Corea composition written for piano, vibraphone and string quartet, blending written chamber material with improvisation.
Where exactly is the venue?
Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall occupies the upper floors of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, not the main Lincoln Center campus.
Are there two different sets?
Yes, each evening has two set times, and they are separately ticketed.
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