David Amram’s symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival

If there’s a better pairing than David Amram and the Village Trip festival, we’d like to see it!

Amram, a Greenwich Village living legend, had his first gig in New York City in 1955, playing with Charles Mingus’ band. His resume is much too long to include here, but we will mention that he’s played with Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins and Jack Kerouac, just to name a few.

It was with Kerouac that the first poetry/jazz performance that is so common now was created. Leonard Bernstein chose Amram to be the first composer in residence for the New York Philharmonic; he went on to compose the score for Elia Kazan’s “Splendor In The Grass;” plays 35 instruments; has performed all over the world; and, remarkably, he’s still performing (and composing).

The voluminous Village Trip festival opened on Sept. 14, with the almost 94-year-old Amram dominating the free concert at West 4th and Jones Streets. He opened with his band, gave the stage up to “Our Band,” and came back for another set before ceding the stage to three artists curated by the Music Inn, whose owner Jeff Slatnik is also a notable part of the Village’s musical history.

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 2 — Almost 94, David Amram was indefatigable on SaturdayPhoto by Bob Krasner

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 3 — David Amram getting into it at the Village Trip festivalPhoto by Bob Krasner

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 4 — Positive vibes on West Fourth Street (L-R): Jim Seeley, Justin Poindexter, David Amram, unidentified percussionist, Avram Pengas, Rene Hart, Adam AmramPhoto by Bob Krasner

Those artists — David Segovia, The Fightscuffs (featuring Coulee Slatnick) and Fabio Fantuzzi — were important to the festival concept, as Cliff Pearson, the joint artistic director of the event, explained.

“We want to highlight the history of the Village but also point to the future,” he said.

Amram’s two sets featured a fine band that included his son Adam Amram on percussion with Jim Seeley (trumpet), Justin Poindexter (guitar), Rene Hart (bass), Kevin Twigg (drums) and Avram Pengas (bazouki, vocals).

Pengas may hold the title of MVP for the day, with his virtuoso musicianship and his ability to sing in Greek, Arabic and Yiddish. The latter was showcased with his rousing rendition of “Bei Mir Bist Du Shayn,” a song written for a 1932 Yiddish musical that became a hit for the Andrews Sisters (in an English version) a few years later.

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 5 — Liz Thomson, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of The Village Trip enjoying the show with Cliff Pearson, the Joint Artistic DirectorPhoto by Bob Krasner

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 6 — Photo by Bob Krasner

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 7 — Photo by Bob Krasner

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 8 — David Amram playing the Husule, a chinese flutePhoto by Bob Krasner

The rest of the program ran the gamut from straight jazz (’Take The A Train”) to a traditional Kenyan farewell song (“Kwahere”) to music from Israel, Brazil and Ireland, among others.

“Meanderin’ in Mandarin’ is Amram’s tribute to Chengdu, China. “It’s where I first heard the Chinese Hulusi and realized that its haunting sound was perfect for playing the blues in E-Minor,” he explains.

Various tunes featured his vocals, which were frequently improvised lyrics that sometimes name-checked old friends like the late beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 9 — Sasha Papernik of “Our Band” sat in with AmramPhoto by Bob Krasner

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 10 — David Amram playing the pennywhistlePhoto by Bob Krasner

David Amram's symphony plays on, at 93 years young, at The Village Trip music festival 11 — West Fourth St. was the perfect setting for this year’s Village Trip opening showPhoto by Bob Krasner

East Village artist Ruth Oisteanu had a great time, telling us, “The Village Trip concert was a total joy! With perfect weather we were treated to an ensemble with none other than the great, iconic world musician David Amram. His energy permeated his entire group of musicians and brought the audience a soulful, marvelous, entertaining concert.”

And, she added, “We love you David!”

Pearson was quite pleased with the day, noting that “about 500 people came and went, and many of them stayed for the whole show.”

Check out the remaining Village Trip schedule this coming week — which includes a James Baldwin tribute at the Judson Memorial Church on Sept. 24 and a free concert in Washington Square Park on Sept. 28 featuring Janie Barnett, Tish and Snooky and BETTY.

Further info on Amram is available at davidamram.com. The Village Trip schedule can be found at thevillagetrip.com