I-Beam Brooklyn Piano Marathon

More than most instruments, a piano is communal. Guitarists, saxophonists, even beleaguered drummers tote their equipment around, but pianists deal with what’s on site, pressing the same keys as their peers. So when a venue’s piano is due for repairs—as the Schimmel concert grand at the Gowanus performance space I-Beam currently is—it’s a shared dilemma. I-Beam has devised an apt method of raising the $1,800 it needs: a five-plus-hour marathon featuring brief sets from 16 jazz pianists, each one an experimental-minded virtuoso. Eclectic veteran Anthony Coleman performs in the first hour; Alex Marcelo, a funky and volatile young player, closes out the night. In between, take a crash course in state-of-the-art NYC keyboardism with Kris Davis, Angelica Sanchez, Jacob Sacks, Jesse Stacken and more.