http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/arts/music/kirk-lightsey-headlines-at-the-village-vanguard.html 2014-09-21 06:20:47 Kirk Lightsey Headlines at the Village Vanguard The pianist Kirk Lightsey, a first-tier fixture on the New York jazz scene, will headline at the Village Vanguard in a rare performance in the city. === There was a time when the pianist Kirk Lightsey was a first-tier fixture on the New York jazz scene, at Greenwich Village clubs like Bradley’s and Sweet Basil. That time spanned roughly a decade, beginning with his arrival in the early 1980s and ending with his abrupt move to Paris in 1992. He has led a productive career in Europe since then, but his nearly total avoidance of New York has made him seem like that rarest of species: the one that got away. This week, he’ll headline at the Village Vanguard, where he reckons he last worked in a band led by the saxophonist David (Fathead) Newman, recording a live album that was released in 1989. Mr. Lightsey, 77, has put together a band of associates from back in the day: the guitarist Ed Cherry, the bassist Rufus Reid and the drummer Victor Lewis. You can expect to see a row of pianists along the back of the room, catching up on what they’ve been missing. (Tuesday through Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village; 212-255-4037,