A month of special shows began auspiciously with AACM drum stalwart Thurman Barker playing an intimate date at the East Village's Bowery Poetry Club. Thurman's last appearance in New York was a part of Muhal Richard Abrams' double trio show at the New York Society for Ethical Culture two Novembers ago. There he played as the rhythmic foil to Abrams and Mangelsdorffian West Coast trombonist George Lewis.

The chance to see a drummer who was involved in the nascent scene of Chicago improvisation should have brought out crowds in droves. But it did not. Six people showed up to the 4 pm hit. The crowd was filled out a little by club owner Bob Holman and the 20-year-old poet Juan Martinez who provided pre- and between set verse.

Since only six people showed up to this show, unfortunate as Barker plays New York so infrequently and will probably be in no rush to come back, we will enumerate the reasons why this show should have had more attendees; one for each person scattered around the room.

• Barker is a technically proficient drummer in all styles. He doesn't sacrifice technique for mindless bashing but still plays loud and raucous enough to accompany a free-spirited improvisation, of which there were several during the first set of the show.
• Barker fills both the drum and composer chair for this trio. Drummer/composers are rare enough; more so in avant-garde circles. This allows him to determine the rhythmic shifts more actively. The result is music that retains its shape and moves outwards with firm support. The music was drawn from his last two self-released albums.
• His sideman, New York String Trio guitarist James Emery and bassist Jerome Harris (playing acoustic bass guitar) are equally comfortable playing grooves or free improvisations. The show found them doing both, often in the same number. The miniscule audience was spared a substanceless and repetitive jam session. It was obvious this music was rehearsed and considered carefully. It was written for compositional variety and played as such.
• The chance to see three talented musicians in a small environment, particularly ones who have carved out a space for themselves in the bloated free improv scene by attention to their instrument rather the "genre" they play in, is a rare treat.
• Besides being talented, these guys have seen history. Barker especially has played with an A-list of creative musicians. There are so many hacks out there. Why not see the real thing every once in a while?
• Maybe you have something better to do on a 4 pm on Sunday (unlikely since football season is over). However, with the dearth of places to see quality music for reasonable prices, the "scene" needs your support. Seeing Thurman Barker will help him, help the Bowery Poetry Club keep filling the need for good music and not prevent you from seeing another show in the evening. Everyone can win; it is a shame only six people did.