NYS Music 202​0

Author: Marilyn Feerick

  • Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Annual Summer Concerts Cancelled Due to COVID-19

    Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a non-profit organization which works to provide all with rich and diverse art through performances as well as education, has announced it has cancelled its annual Pavilion season.

    bethel woods cancelled
    Photo courtesy of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

    Since 2004, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has been holding Summer concerts at its outdoor pavilion. The performances would continue even under horrible circumstances: through “torrential rain, lightning, and squalls of wind,” Chief executive Eric Frances says.  However, due to the continued threat of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Pavillion stage would not open this year. This year’s set was supposed to include artists such as Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Norah Jones, and the Black Crowes.

    Although not all concert dates have been rescheduled yet, some have announced plans to perform in 2021. Frances announces that Bethel Woods is still “[looking] to provide alternative programming throughout this year” by “utilizing [their] amazing venue in a responsible manner” even in this time of uncertainty. Bethel Woods is looking forward to being able to open their museum exhibits, the event gallery, and their outdoor augmented reality tour as soon as it is safe to do so. 

    Photo courtesy of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

    As Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a 501(3)c non-profit organization, all of their revenue comes though ticket sales and donations. Because their Summer sets are cancelled, Bethel Woods could be in financial trouble. To encourage otters to participate, its Board of Trustees has graciously offered to match each each donation which is given to Bethel to increase finances. 

    In the video in which Frances announces this unhappy news, he delivers and important message to the public: with the upcoming 51st anniversary of Woodstock, its original message of the “strength in unifying for peace” is crucial for everyone to remember right now. It is more important than ever to remember that “we are one.”

  • Hearing Aide: Carter, Shipp, Parker, and Cleaver ‘Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1’

    After playing together for years, long-time jazz musicians Daniel Carter (tenor sax, trumpet, flute), Matthew Shipp (piano), William Parker (bass), and Gerald Cleaver (drums) have collaborated to release their first album as a group, Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1.

    Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1

    Carter and Parker have been working together since the 70s early into their music careers. Shipp began playing with the duo in the 80s, and Cleaver joined the mix more recently. This is the first recording which features the trio along with Cleaver. The four work together extremely well and manage to create an album which is easy-listening while still incredibly interesting. The three songs are a feast for the listener who is taken through a journey with each minute.

    The album kicks off with “Majestic Travel Agency,” which effectively sets up the tone of the whole album quickly with piano that seems incongruent from the other instruments; this incongruence, surprisingly, brings the whole piece together. Things may seem slightly out of place, but in a clearly purposeful and harmonious way that makes the music all the more interesting. “Scintillate” is the shortest and brightest of the three, but still has an edge to it. The album’s ‘harmonious incongruence’ is shown most clearly in the final song, “Ear-regularities,” which is significantly darker than the two before it.

    Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 is available on Bandcamp. The album’s second volume will be released at a later date.

  • “Talk – Action = Zero”: a New Album to Combat Injustice

    On Friday, June 5, Bank Robber Music and Rough Trade Publishing released Talk – Action = Zero, a collaborative album which hopes to create awareness and fight against the injustices that the Black community face as a result of police brutality.

    Talk Action Zero


    The album was created after the recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Their stories mirror those of countless other African Americans. This collaboration album is a reaction to these injustices and will hopefully make more Americans aware of the wrongful treatment of BIPOC all over the country. The album has been the group project of Jay Watts, Bartees Strange, Rogue Wave, Crashing Hotels, Nick Andre, Lateef The Truthspeaker, Superchunk, Damon & Naomi, as well Lonemoon, a trans woman of color.

    Several New York-based artists have also made contributions to the album; Phantogram (Saratoga Springs) and New York City artists Jesse Malin, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Worriers, as well as Sulene, lead guitarist of Fun., all make contributions to the album.

    All of the proceeds of the album will go towards Black Visions Collective, an organization founded in 2017 which aims to bring about justice for all Black people and work to create “a world in which ALL Black Lives Matter”. The organization is based in Minnesota, where George Floyd was wrongfully murdered by police on May 25. The officers are currently being brought to justice, but the fight for equality is far from over.

    Talk – Action = Zero is now available on Bandcamp and donate to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s families if possible.

  • A Step Towards Reform for Broadway

    With the recent murders of African-American men and women like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, several BIPOC Broadway workers–actors and crew members alike–have begun to speak out against the racism which plagues Broadway and other theatre communities all across the country. Many, like writer and actor Griffin Matthews, have expressed that they are tired of the relentless racism which exists on Broadway, and reform is on the way.

    broadway reform

    Even in the time of this global halt, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition will hold a three-part forum for the African-American members of the Broadway community. The forum will be held over three days: June 10, 11, and 12. 

    Day one is dedicated to healing, where all will be welcome to share any experience in which they have been forced to deal with racism in the theatre industry. Day one is intended to be a safe space of only African-American people. Day two is for listening; African-American industry professionals will tell their experiences and look towards breaking the bias held in white allies and encouraging those allies to look inward and examine this bias. Day three, which is an extension of day two, is centered around accountability. Broadway’s inherently racist building blocks will be examined, and the group will discuss building a better Broadway which is truly more inclusive. 

    This forum is not only to be a means of support for countless African-American Broadway workers, but will hopefully force Broadway to begin to recognize its roots in racism and rebuild the system in a more honest way. Registration for each online event is available now.

  • Movement to make The Apollo Theater an official Broadway House gains momentum

    There are 41 theaters on Broadway and they each have one thing in common: none are owned by African-Americans. The Apollo Theater, located on 125th street in Harlem, opened its doors to the public in 1914 and has been a vibrant piece of New York’s history and culture ever since. Many jazz, R&B, and soul legends began their paths to fame at the Apollo theater’s famous amateur nights. The theater has been both a state and city landmark since 1983 and still remains an important part of New York theater to this day. Despite this, it is not considered a Broadway theater.

    apollo theater broadway
    photo by Jamie Huenefeld

    The only thing which distinguishes Broadway from Off-Broadway is the number of a theater’s seats. All Broadway theaters must have 500 seats or more; theaters with 99-499 seats are deemed Off-Broadway. The Apollo Theater has 1,506 seats.

    A petition to make the Apollo Theater a Broadway theater has been attracting attention in the past few days. If it were a Broadway theater, yhe Apollo would be eligible for Tony Awards and become involved in Tony nominations. As the Apollo Theater works to represent the cultural diversity of New York City, many believe that more BIPOC actors and team members would be nominated for Tony awards were the theater given leeway in the nominations.

    The Apollo Theater is currently closed with no events scheduled through June 30.