Performatist
    Jazz
    Free

    WED 8 & 9:30 Ralph Alessi and Escalation w/Matt Mitchell, John Hebert, Ches Smith

    Illustration for WED 8 & 9:30 Ralph Alessi and Escalation w/Matt Mitchell, John Hebert, Ches Smith

    Wednesday, August 19, 2026

    8:00 PM

    Bar Bayeux

    515 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205

    Free

    Scheduled

    About This Event

    Trumpeter-composer Ralph Alessi brings his group Escalation to Bar Bayeux, a band that favors focused ensemble conversation and lets structure emerge in real time. Pianist-composer Matt Mitchell, who moves between through-composed material and open forms, joins Alessi alongside drummer-composer Ches Smith—whose collaborations include Marc Ribot, John Zorn and Dave Holland—and John Hebert.

    About the Artists

    Escalation

    Escalation

    hardcore

    Escalation is a jazz group led by trumpeter and composer Ralph Alessi, heard in New York City at Smalls Jazz Club. The band sits within Alessi’s long-running work as a composer-bandleader, alongside projects such as the Baida Quartet and This Against That.

    Matt Mitchell

    Matt Mitchell

    Matt Mitchell is a pianist and composer working across classical, jazz, and free-improvised music in New York City. He appears at venues such as Roulette and Bar Bayeux, leading ensembles and moving easily between through-composed material and open forms.

    John Hebert

    John R. Hébert is an American librarian and author. He was employed at the Library of Congress for over 43 years when he retired in 2012.

    Ches Smith

    Ches Smith

    free jazzexperimental jazzavant-gardejazz

    Ches Smith is a drummer, percussionist, and composer based in New York. He has collaborated with a host of artists including Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Darius Jones, David Torn, John Tchicai, Nels Cline, Mary Halvorson, Trevor Dunn, Terry Riley, Kris Davis, Dave Holland, Secret Chiefs 3, Xiu Xiu, Good for Cows, Theory of Ruin, and Mr.