The Woodstock Allstars is a revolving group of world-class musicians and friends who have played together in various combinations and configurations, but never all at the same time. What results is an intriguing, compelling blend of blues played with a jazz sensibility and rock stance. The name is borrowed from a friend; the late Artie Traum.

Led by venerable guitarist Malachowski (Shania Twain, Savoy Brown, Commander Cody) the Woodstock based band features some of the best musicians in the world. Bassist Graham Maby and drummer Gary Burke are thought by many to be the definitive Joe Jackson rhythm section, and it was Burke, Maby and Malachowski (as leader) that formed the core of the Shania Twain Band in the mid-nineties seen by millions. Burke –now with Professor Louie & the Crowmatix-was on Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Tour, and in the Rick Danko Band, Maby has also played with Natalie Merchant, They Might Be Giants and Joan Baez.

Singer Machan Taylor has her own Brazilian influenced band, and has been seen around the world singing with Sting, Pink Floyd and George Benson. Organ player Pete Levin spent years with the Gil Evans Orchestra, and has played with Jimmy Giuffre, Jaco Pastorius, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, and the Tony Levin Band, pianist Daniel Weiss tours with Joan Osborne and is in demand on Broadway, while Dennis Gruenling is simply one of the hottest harmonica player on the scene today. New addition Erik Lawrence is no stranger to Woodstock bands, he holds down the saxophone chair in the Levon Helm Band, has a dizzying array of credits, and leads his own outfit: Hipmotism.

Malachowski is no stranger to New York City, as a sideman he’s played Max’s Kansas City, CBGB, The Bottom Line, Joe’s Pub, as well as taped numerous television shows (Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Regis & Kathy Lee, Rosie O’Donnell, the Billboard Music Awards). This show at the prestigious Iridium will be his first as leader. Known for hosting the late Les Paul each Monday night for years, the Iridium is quickly garnering a reputation as being the place for hot guitarists to hold court.

Tour schedules make Allstars concerts rare, and members rotate; in the past, Harvey Sorgen, Tony Levin, Albert Cummings, Adam Widoff and Jill Stevenson have all been involved. The constant is improvised arrangements and emotional soloing -the heart of this band. They have never (and will never) rehearsed, and just go where the moment leads them. So it’s a given, an electricity is in the air as both band and audience don’t quite know what to expect.

You can expect a magical, memorable, one-of-a-kind evening.

You see, with the Woodstock Allstars, it’s all about the musicians.