The NYC Winter Jazz Fest rolled on with the Jazz Fest Marathon, which included 6 venues in Brooklyn with a myriad of jazz verticals. One ticket was accepted at any location, allowing fans to customize their music experience. This review will focus on coverage from the legendary Brooklyn Bowl, located on the waterfront in Williamsburg.
Kendra Morris
Singer-songwriter Kendra Morris and her four-piece band kicked off the festivities with their “soul meets indie” jazz sound. Most of their material was originals written by Morris, and soul-fully executed by her adept band. Her beautiful voice electrified the crowd when she belted out the classic Pink Floyd tune “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”
Felix Pastorius and Hipster Assassins
Felix Pastorius, son of jazz legend Jaco Pastorius, and Hipster Assassins, his experimental bass-driven jazz band, was up next. Their eclectic mix of a guitar, bass, drums and saxophone raised the bar of modern jazz. Their free flowing sound yielded a creative and fresh take on the classic jazz tune, “Butter Biscuit.”
Kung Fu
Following Pastorius was Kung Fu, the Connecticut-based jazz group led by guitarist Tim Palmieri, who delivered non-stop funk for the people. Their intense set included a nice groove and contagious stage energy between the band members. Palmieri’s performance was nothing short of legendary, diving on his knees and playing off the energy of the crowd. The band hit a high note during the cover of the jazz classic “Birdland.”
DJ Logic
The evening wrapped up with a late night performance by DJ Logic and friends, supported by Billy Martin and Shanir Blumenkranz. This set was filled with beats and scratching, care of DJ Logic. The organic percussion of Martin and the various string instruments played by Blumenkranz created a perfect harmony with the digital elements.
Tim Palmieri of Kung Fu
Overall, the NYC Winter Jazz Fest Marathon was a delightful way to enjoy a number of bands under one or more roofs, depending on the tastes of the listener. Head on over to their website for more information about future Jazz Fests.
It was cold in the Beacon and the lights were low. Spirits were high, as masses of Umphrey’s McGee fans piled into the Beacon Theatre, shaking off those winter blues with some good ol’ fashioned rock n roll.
Photo by Zach Culver
Umphrey’s started off their tour, playing their first show of 2020 in NYC at The Beacon Theatre. They returned Friday night, then played Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl. Friday night featured an afterparty with Doom Flamingo at Sony Hall. Saturday’s after Party was also held at Sony Hall and featured Supernatural Beings with Jake as a special guest.
They wasted no time and played a first first set starting with Unsung Hero > Jajunk > Ocean Billy. The first set escalated quickly and stayed at an eclectic high with a triumphant finish with special guest Kanika Moore of Doom Flamingo sitting in on vocals on Anthem by Rush!
Photo by Zach Culver
Second set opened up with an intro by Stasik of a champion of Jam On fantasy football quickly followed by Suxity> Jajunk, Breaker, Wappy Sprayberry (featuring a Jumping Jack Flash jam)! The second set was of to a hell of a start and seemed to escalate through the end, ending the second set with It Doesn’t Matter.
The encore proved to be well worth the wait, The Weight Around actually followed by The Silent Type which featured a Crazy Train jam. What a way to start the year for Umphrey’s Mcgee.
Legendary German metal band, Rammstein, have teased a US tour over the past few days with social media posts featuring a map of the US with several states including NY being highlighted in the German colors. A Rammstein bannered Zeppelin flies high over major US cities, with he hashtag: #GETREADYAMERICA – all backed by a new music video “RAMMERIKA,” which explicitly credits the Apollo space program – as if foreshadowing a massive touchdown:
In the method ultimately employed, lunar orbit rendezvous, a powerful launch vehicle (Saturn V rocket) placed a 50-ton spacecraft in a lunar trajectory (Brittanica.com, as linked from the ).
The states teased in the image are as follows:
New York
Quebec
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Massachusetts
Illinois
Minnesota
Texas
California
Mexico City
Rammstein last performed in NY at Jones Beach on June 25, 2017. While no official locations have been named yet, it is likely they will return to Jones Beach.
Governors Ball Music Festival has released its 2020 lineup, returning for the 10th year to Randall’s Island Park in New York City, the festival will take place Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7.
To celebrate the milestone, over 65 acts are slated to take the stage including: Tame Impala, Flume, Vampire Weekend, Stevie Nicks, Solange and Miley Cyrus. Joining the all-star lineup is Missy Elliott in her first NYC headlining performance in over ten years. There will also be surprise pop-up performances from local subway and street performers, as in years past.
Governors Ball 10th year lineup
Tickets are on sale now, including a festival pass to the entire event. The three day GA and VIP tickets, including payment plan options, HERE.
Check out Missy Elliott’s newest single “Why I Still Love You”.
Antibalas will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a return to their Williamsburg roots on their latest Daptone Records studio album, Fu Chronicles, due out on February 7, 2020. Today, Antibalas releases the single “Amenawon.”
A pre-gentrified Williamsburg serves as the backdrop for Fu Chronicles, a voyage back to the early days of when Antibalas and revered soul label, Daptone Records, were spawned out of lead singer Duke Amayo’s kung fu dojo. A senior master of the Jow Ga Kung Fu School of martial arts, Duke Amayo along with Antibalas’ founder/baritone saxophonist, Martín Perna, guide listeners through an epic journey where kung fu ingeniously intersects with Afrobeat on Fu Chronicles.
WNWNYC’s New Sounds exclusively premiered Antibalas’ latest from The opening track and first single off Fu Chronicles, “Amenawon,” Tuesday. It honors Amayo’s late mother, whose middle name was Amenawon. She is also depicted on the cover of Fu Chronicles standing as tall as the Statue Of Liberty, carrying a baby.
With the literal meaning translating to “may the water you will drink, not pass you by,” the composition speaks to rain water washing away pollution and the unveiling of government lies. Amayo pays homage to the Yoruba River goddess, Yomoja, whose healing powers can be accessed by invoking her name. Water is further a symbol in kung fu reflecting one’s ability to adapt to any situation.
At age 12 in Lagos, Nigeria, Amayo began his kung fu practice while simultaneously witnessing the spiritual leader Fela Kuti perform at his famous nightclubs the Afro-Spot and Afrika Shrine in Lagos. Living in the same neighborhood of the Afro-Spot and sneaking into the clubs to experience the force of nature that was Fela Kuti, a young Amayo was enlightened on his path destined for greatness in America.
Attracted to the cosmopolitan lifestyle of fashion, dance, martial arts, and music, Amayo moved beyond the highlights of his football career to launch a singular clothing brand and open a kung fu dojo in Williamsburg, dubbed the Afro-Spot Temple. Upon opening the dojo, Daptone co-founder Gabe Roth and Martín Perna inquired about classes, and soon invited Amayo to join Antibalas. The dojo became the headquarters for the band and label with Antibalas’ classic sophomore album, Talkatif (2002), being recorded onsite at the dojo’s recording studio. Coming full circle, Fu Chronicles sees Gabe Roth in the producer’s chair with Antibalas laying down the tracks at Daptone’s House of Soul in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Fu Chronicles transports listeners to where universal equilibrium and indefinite possibilities unite within a dream world of a child’s limitless mind. The transcendent long-form Afrobeat compositions decolonize our psyches through movements traversing with melodies to realign us with a purpose of finding balance in our coexistence. The fiery Antibalas ensemble — widely renowned as one of America’s fiercest live bands — along with an additional five musicians transform Amayo’s opus into hypnotic and invigorating compositions with singular rhythms of resistance.
Over the course of its lauded 20-year career, Antibalas has toured across four continents and produced eight studio albums, establishing them as the premier Afrobeat band in the West. In addition to their integral role as the backing band for the Tony Award-Winning Broadway musical “Fela,” Antibalas has served as the house band for several star-studded tribute shows at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater paying tribute to the music of Aretha Franklin, David Byrne, Paul Simon, and Billie Holiday.
ANTIBALAS – WINTER & SPRING 2020 TOUR DATES
Tuesday, February 11 — The Siren — San Luis Obispo, CA
Wednesday, February 12 — Moe’s Alley — Santa Cruz, CA
Thursday, February 13 — The Regent — Los Angeles, CA
Friday, February 14 — The Independent — San Francisco, CA
Saturday, February 15 — The New Parish — Oakland, CA
Sunday, February 16 — The Independent — San Francisco, CA
Thursday, February 20 — Neptune Theatre — Seattle, WA
Friday, February 21 — Rickshaw Theater — Vancouver, BC
Saturday, February 22 — PDX Jazz — Portland, OR
Sunday, February 23 — The Olympic — Boise, ID
Wednesday, February 26 — Knotty Pine — Victor ID
Thursday, February 27 — The Commonwealth Room — Salt Lake City, UT
Friday, February 28 — Washington’s — Fort Collins, CO
Thursday, March 19 — The Sinclair — Boston, MA
Friday, March 20 — Brooklyn Bowl — Brooklyn, NY
Saturday, March 21 — Brooklyn Bowl — Brooklyn, NY
Thursday, March 26 — Terminal West — Atlanta, GA
Friday, March 27 — The Grey Eagle — Asheville, NC
Saturday, March 28 — Cat’s Cradle — Carrboro, NC
Friday, April 3 — Sleeping Village — Chicago, IL
Saturday, April 4 — SPACE — Evanston, IL
Friday, April 10 — Lee’s Palace — Toronto, ON
Saturday, April 11 — Lee’s Palace — Toronto, ON
Friday, April 17 — Theatre of The Living Arts — Philadelphia, PA
The third ever Brooklyn Podcast Festival, produced by City Farm Presents, will be held next week, January 22-26, 2020 in Brooklyn. Featuring more than 15 podcasts over five days, the festival will be hosted between three venues – The Bell House, Union Hall, and BRIC House.
The 2020 Brooklyn Podcast Festival features established, as well as up-and-coming shows, including: An Evening With Osiris, Featuring Goose with hosts Phish songwriter, Tom Marshall and RJ Bee; The Bowery Boyshosted by Thomas Meyers and Gregory Young; The Bechdel Castwith Jamie Loftus & Caitlin Durante; Secret Keepers Club hosted by Girl Code’s Carly Aquilino and Netflix’s Emma Willmann; as well as NPR’s Ask Me Another with hosts Ophira Eisenberg and “in-house musician” Jonathan Coulton with their special guest, HBO’s Ben Sinclair.
Prince, William. That’s one of the hardest working commas you will see, and this isn’t a post about drama with the British Royals. Juno-winning singer-songwriter, William Prince, sprinkled plenty more punctuation throughout his two-set show for Honest Folk at Restaurant Good Luck in Rochester, on Monday night.
It started with a question mark. “Does anyone know who I am?” he asked in singsong banter before opening the night with “Young,” a song he wrote only two days prior. “Yours are the first human ears to hear that song,” he remarked. It was an unusual start for a musician who is touring ahead of his sophomore album release, due out February 8. But Prince would prove to be someone who plays by his own rules. He opened the second set with another new one written within the last two months.
After an album is created he just continues to write new music, he explained. It isn’t surprising. The man is oozing music. Songs drifted in and out of each other with ellipses. His banter was sung, spoken over a picked guitar, or both, and was as engaging as the very personal, emotionally attached music. It served to enhance the songs meaning, bring the crowd into his life and turned an already intimate show into virtually one-on-one conversations with each audience member.
Many incredible words were bracketed by quotation marks throughout the night, both in song and out: from the funny, “if you have marijuana, meet me outside at the break,” to the wise, “You can sit in a garage all you want, but you’ll never turn into a car.” Or the insightful, “Flesh and blood needs flesh and blood, and where there’s blood there’s pain.”
Prince’s rich voice, fluid guitar picking, and the tenor of his songs, combined for a sound that sat squarely in the most traditional folk music. Unlike much from the genre, his lyrics found optimism, hope and love in even the darkest times. So much of his writing centered on the love of family, his parents, partners, and his son.
Songs of his parents became songs about his parenthood, songs of his childhood became songs about his child. Passed down like his heritage as descendant of First Nations people in Canada. Songs about his departed father weren’t steeped in sadness, but concentrated more in loving memory. Even songs about his ex were happy and loving. He preferred not to dwell in the negative, putting positive spins on some of the lower points in life and simple misunderstandings alike.
The show-opening question mark was answered with a resounding exclamation point by show’s end, with multiple standing ovations and a mutual admiration from musician and audience.
Honest Folk might be batting 1.000 when it comes to eliciting an expression of amazement from the artist upon announcing the next show. And so it was with the announcement that Joe Pug would be playing Good Luck February 17. Early bird tickets are on sale now.
Winter Jazz Fest continued at Brooklyn Bowl last night with the worldwide debut of The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo. Opening for Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus!, this “no strings attached” powerhouse of wind instruments and drums featured Stuart Bogie on tenor sax fronting a nine-piece band: one flute (sometimes three), two saxophones (tenor and baritone), two trombones, two trumpets, one tuba, one percussion, and one octo-Russo on drums. One minute into the opening set, it became clearly evident that crossing the Verrazzano on a Sunday night after a long and exhausting weekend would be supremely worth it. Stuart Bogie has such an easy way about him, and he was perfectly comfortable on a stage he’s graced many times before, as this collection of Brooklyn’s finest musicians took the stage in front of an eager audience, both respectful and rabid in equal measure.
Just as I was starting to recognize this local all-star troupe of musicians from Antibalas (Jordan McLean), Rubblebucket (Adam Dotson), and Reverend Vince Anderson’s Love Choir (Smoota, real name Dave Smith), the band toyed with a seemingly appropriate take on the All in the Family theme song. Bogie jumped back and forth between tenor sax and flute, while also playing band director on more than one occasion, both with the crowd and his eponymous band. At one point, he addressed the crowd, “You got one part. It’s to say hey. We’re going to cultivate and nurture a collective force. It could prove useful for more than just this song,” as he coaxed the crowd to join in a deep and guttural heyyy in time with the song’s climax. During a few softer moments, Russo moved from his signature savagery on the drum kit to a xylophone of sorts, stainless steel rectangles on an egg crate, highlighting the beauty of the quieter and more delicate jams.
While this debut set was highly anticipated, I perhaps underestimated how hard the music would coax me to dance and sweat. Stuart Bogie is a musician who creates and takes risks, and this one paid off hand over fist. As the 45-minute set came to its unfortunate end, the musicians left the stage single file, in a slow march to Russo’s waning bell play. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo, and feeling very grateful to have had the chance to write these words and cover this spectacular debut performance.
Check out Headrush, Pt. 1, a recently released single on spotify, with a full album coming soon.
Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus!, exploring the works of Jerry Garcia, Howard Wales and others, was the featured set of this Winter Jazz Fest installment. Another all-star cast of musicians featuring Stuart Bogie (tenor sax), Erik Deutsch (keys), Jonathan Goldberger (guitar), Dave Harrington (bass), Kevin Kendrick (vibraphone), Jordan McLean (trumpet), and Joe Russo (drums) recreated Jerry Garcia’s 1971 Hooteroll? album. As Russo would later explain after one of the + Plus! selections, “We’re going to play the whole Hooteroll? record plus. This last song was the Pherboney Love Theme, the first track off my new record. We wanted to intersperse the record with songs that make sense.” Um, good choice, Joe!
Last night’s set, and the album upon which it was based, was a master class in guitar-shreddy acid jazz, cut with blues and highly danceable rock ‘n roll, all set to the tempo of Russo and Harrington’s world class rhythm section. Erik Deustch played the role of Howard Wales, Garcia’s partner and mentor of sorts on this storied album, as he graced the crowd with the gorgeous sounds of his vintage Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3. Goldberger melted faces, as he is wont to do, with a variety of stunning solo work on both the electric and acoustic guitars. Kevin Kendrick’s contributions on the vibraphone gave the music an ethereal feel, soft and beautiful. If music satisfied the sense of touch, then Kendrick’s contribution was swathed in velvet. Bogie and McLean’s horn play was the bacon on this jam sandwich, making everything better as it occasionally stole the spotlight. Speaking of spotlights, there were none. Everyone shone. Focus may have drifted from one musician to the next as subtle flourishes highlighted this or that musician, only to realize that the full band was firing on all cylinders at all times.
Dave Harrington. Just… WOW. I mean, he’s a guitar player, and a bass is technically a guitar, but he rarely, if ever, plays bass. Maybe it’s like his secret talent. In fact, I don’t know of the last time (which doesn’t mean it didn’t happen) since April of 2017, when this same ensemble recreated Hooteroll? in Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre. Wait, …, what?!?! Dave Harrington may have stolen the show if this wasn’t such a collective project. Tucked behind Russo, he seemed to be soloing all night, never playing the same riff, as his fingers ran up and down the bass with unthinkable speed and dexterity. My hips could barely keep up as my jaw hung open. What he did last night was something special; when this guy picks up a bass again, miss it at your own peril!
In addition to the awesome musicianship and shared love for Jerry Garcia and this incredible record, the level of trust in the room was a tangible phenomenon that was perhaps the defining factor that put last night’s show into the record books. Let’s remember that Russo, Kendrick, Deutsch and Goldberger all share history with Fat Mama. Harrington and Russo are regulars on the improvisational NYC circuit. Bogie and McLean both play in Antibalas. Bogie plays with JRAD from time to time. Everyone plays with everyone all over the local scene. The comfort and joy that these musicians shared was a joy to behold and manifested itself in every peak and, even more so, quiet valley. From the listener’s perspective, the crowd, too, displayed perfect trust, as we were patient, present, and secure in the knowledge that wherever the music took us is where we were supposed to be. And the band clearly enjoyed the crowd enjoying them, as the room’s energy was in a constant state of reciprocal motion.
A hundred minutes later, at the culmination of yet another monster jam, Russo just shrugged and gave The Bogie Band mates an “I think we’re done here look,” returning to thunderous applause for a fifteen-minute encore that would bring the show to the two-hour mark, capping off this all-too-rare project for the ages.
Trey Anastasio Band )TAB) closed a sold out, two-night run at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, on Saturday. Fresh off ringing in a new decade, up in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, Trey and his amazing band warmed up the theatre with energy and ease. The original rock palace served as a perfect setting, allowing for a more intimate and special-filled night of fan favorites, and debuts.
The weekend was a springboard for a short winter tour to begin mid-January.
The night kicked off with a mellow “Everything’s Right.” The highlight of the first set came with the debut of “Silver Light,” only to kick back with “Ocelot,” and round out with “Rise/Come Together.” After a short break, the second set ensued: “46 Days,” a bass heavy “Sand,” an eight-minute “Mr. Completely,” and a classic “First Tube,” to close out a great night. The octet returned to the stage for a 12-minute encore (of a not-so) “Brief Time” and “Push on Till the Day”
Set One: Everything’s Right, Cayman Review, Acting The Devil, Alive Again, Sometime After the Sunset, Silver Light, Mozzambique, Ocelot, Curlew’s Call, Rise/Come Together.
Set Two: Burlap Sack and Pumps, 46 Days, Magilla, Sand, A life Beyond The Dream, Liquid Time, Heavy Things, Traveler, Mr. Completely, Dark and Down, First Tube.
The Capitol Theatre has had a lot of impressive shows in recent times: a Neil Young pop up show, multi-night runs with legendary rockers Ween, the opening night of a three-night-only touring run for the vintage jam project Vida Blue, and lots of others. On December 21, 2019, the Port Chester, NY music venue hosted a concert as special or even more so, the “80th Birthday Celebration” of Del McCoury.
For fans of bluegrass, it doesn’t get much more important than Del, at least in terms of still living musicians. Across his more than sixty-year career, Del shaped the way modern bluegrass guitarist approached their instruments, as well as the way they sing a ballad or write an instrumental tune. He has performed with nearly everyone that made a mark upon the genre, which is perhaps fitting that this eightieth celebration show was billed as an evening with special guests. Players both classically recognized and recently popular were invited to be a part of this one of a kind, free-for-all style celebration of one of the guys who helped to start it all.
Del and his family group, The Del McCoury Band, tore open the evening with the invigorating, breakdown-style tune “Traveling Tear Drop Blues.” What was cool about this – it is a song that many bluegrass bands coming up in the past decade or so, from Yonder Mountain String Band to The Infamous Stringdusters, have covered regularly. Pretty much all of the songs being performed this evening at The Cap were now historically famous numbers that Del had either written himself or put his spin on decades ago. It links a sense of timelessness to the man himself.
At 80 years old, not only does Del pick a guitar as well as ever, but he’s spry in both mind and spirit. The entire night saw him bantering back and forth with an incredibly enthusiastic crowd. People screamed covers endlessly, which made him chuckle every time. Calls for perhaps what is his most famous cover, Richard Thompson’s Del joked to the crowd: “Yes, we’ll get that Vincent, for ya, we will! Maybe right after the show’s over!”
But it’s not just a Del show. The Del McCoury Band, who have toured in recent years without their founding father — that there’s three generations of McCoury ripping it up on stage right now. There’s Del, his sons Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo, who have been in the band since the 1980s. As of late there is also Heaven McCoury, who takes after his grandfather and picks a mean guitar. Heaven might have hung in the back quietly most of the night, but whenever it was his turn to step up to the mic, he impressed.
Soon enough, after the core band had whipped the audience around for a bit, they brought out the night’s first special guest. “He’s one of the best in the entire world on his instrument,” introduced Ronnie McCoury, “please welcome, Jerry Douglas.” Yes, he is even objectively speaking probably the single greatest dobro player of all time, but in addition, he matches Del’s smile and charm. He instantly helped pick one of Del’s most famous tracks, “Nashville Cats.” The first set ended on a fantastic, strong note. Douglas lead the way on a quick but searing instrumental breakdown tune.
Set breaks aren’t usually magical, yet The Capitol Theatre always surprises its audiences with tricks. As The Del McCoury Band watched backstage, The Cap played a montage clip of musicians giving sentiments about the eighty-year-old legend on the venues wall. Giants from Paul Simon and Robert Plant, to jam scene heroes Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, and bluegrass newcomers Trampled By Turtles and Chris Thile, all spoke words of thanks and admiration towards Del. His limitless influence upon them, and American music in general, was clear.
Post montage, Del ushered the second half of the night with a duo, alongside noteworthy David Grisman. Grisman, just a few years younger than Del (as he made sure to point out humorously this evening), also earned his place in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, across countless records and collaborations with others of the genre. Del and Dawg, as they have billed themselves over the past few years, have an old folkster sort of camaraderie. Corny jokes were as present as the solos traded off back and forth.
The rest of the evening absolutely shined, getting better with each song and new guest called up. The last two guests, Leftover Salmon’s guitarist Vince Herman and mandolinist Drew Emmitt, ensued a full bluegrass ensemble – it was a magnificent sight and sound to behold. The entry of Andy Falco, guitarist for the Grammy-winning jamgrass outfit The Infamous Stringdusters, was especially touching as it was his first time getting to sing on stage with Del.
With all centered around Del, musicians picked in glorious, uniform and flawless fashion. All the songs “Midnight Blues” again a classic number but once that saw a resurgence of popularity with Leftover Salmon’s cover in the early 2000s, was a highlight of the night. It brought that great, country-rock kind of groove, but amplified with the intensity of a lot more players, and of course brought sharp solo after solo, after solo.
After a double encore of one of the most famous bluegrass songs of all time, “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” Del’s 80th Birthday Celebration clocked close to three hours, with the main McCoury strumming and singing as effortlessly as he did around its opening. If that doesn’t speak to the fascinating amount of vitality this man commands as a performer, nothing will.
