From August 26-27, 2005, Camp Bisco 4 was held in Van Etten, NY at the Skyetop Festival Grounds, marking the first time the festival was not held in Pennsylvania. The festival grew this year, and would return even stronger in 2007 at Hunter Mountain before firmly establishing their presence in Mariaville, NY from 2008-2013.
Camp Bisco IV lineup
This weekend in particular held additional significance for the Philadelphia-based hosts of Camp Bisco, the Disco Biscuits. Original drummer Sam Altman would be leaving the band after this weekend to pursue a medical degree. With the fate of the band, and festival in question, Camp Bisco IV: The Trance-Formation was held to send Sammy out on a high note. The band would later welcome current drummer Allen Aucoin behind the kit at shows starting that fall.
Map of the festival grounds
Ahead of Camp Bisco IV, Meat Camp Productions (now MCP Presents) took over management of Camp Bisco and, being fans, the band felt the festival would be in good hands. MCP sought to make Camp Bisco a larger event by moving to Van Etten, and drew a reported 4,400 attendees, the largest Camp Bisco at that time.
Camp Bisco IV offered two sets of the Disco Biscuits each night, as well as 2005 up-and-coming bands Umphrey’s McGee, The New Deal, Conspirator, John Brown’s Body, The Benevento Russo Duo, Brothers Past, Big in Japan, and DJ’s Christian Bruna, Omen and D.R.O. (Final Phaze NYC), DJ Mauricio a.k.a. Fractalien (Portland), and Orchard Lounge (Chicago). Many acts can be seen on the Camp Bisco IV official DVD, which is incredibly still in stock.
Friday night would feature regular Camp Bisco acts including Brothers Past, Orchard Lounge and The New Deal. The Disco Biscuits would kick things off with “Astronaut” -> “Shem-Rah Boo” -> “Astronaut,” the start of over 100 minutes of non-stop playing in their first set of the weekend.
Day 2 of Camp Bisco IV featured even more music, as well as overcast skies that would lead to rain later that night. Lynch, featuring Jim Loughlin of moe., John Brown’s Body from nearby Ithaca, the Benevento Russo Duo, two sets of Chicago firebrand Umphrey’s McGee, and following two sets of Disco Biscuits, the trance-heavy sounds of Simon Posford projects Hallucinogen and Younger Brother.
Big in JapanThe Benevento Russo DuoLynchUmphrey’s McGee
Camp Bisco IV boasted not only a family-friendly environment, with a family camping area and child play-park (Mulberry’s Dreamland) as well as the first time Color War was a featured activity during the day. The event pitted four teams of festival attendees (Orange, Green, Yellow, Purple) in friendly competition, reminiscent of summer camp ‘color wars’ of the past. Activities included volleyball, dodgeball, capture the flag, a freestyle competition and much more. The Orange team was victorious in the first event, now a staple of Camp Bisco, held at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA since 2015.
Color War schedule of events, as created by Yancy Davis
The emotional build up of the weekend would take place late in the Disco Biscuits’ second set on Saturday, following “Floes.” Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig noted to the audience that there were some in attendance that night who were at the first Disco Biscuits show, saying, “So we feel like we have a lot of the old, a lot of the new, and everybody came together up here in the mountains for a very, very special night. The Professor, his last gig on the drums. Let’s hear it for Sammy.”
With that, the crowd roared with appreciation as the band played “A Song for Sammy,” referencing songs he wrote, inviting him back to perform whenever he wanted, tying an emotional bow on the weekend.
Appropriately, the band returned to the stage to perform “Spectacle,” with lyrics that spoke to the closing of one chapter of Disco Biscuits and Camp Bisco lore:
Asleep in the day, awake in the night, only so many roads to take your life.
The problem you see, you can’t mess with time, and take a different road you’d try.
“Spectacle”
Special thanks to Camp Bisco Color War HQ for photos of the first year’s events.
Some of jazz legend Mynton Marsalis’ best work of the last four decades has been influenced by socio-cultural and political issues. In 1985, his Black Codes(From the Underground) won a Grammy, in 1996, Blood on the Fields became the first jazz piece ever to win a Pultzier Prize, All Rise was performed by Symphonic Orchestras all across the world in 2002, and in 2007, From the Plantation to the Penitentiary was said to “[reveal] some important truth about this country with a lot of anger and heart.” It seems only fitting that now, during this historical time of national protest, Wynton Marsalis release a new work that reflects on these human rights issues.
The Ever Fonky Lowdown directly addresses the racism, deception, and greed that clouds the country’s chances of human rights for all and pushes us further away from democracy. It was written in 2018 to combat human suffering and exploitation on the universal scale, but is now, in 2020, more topical than ever. The album’s narrator, “Mr. Game,” says it himself: “We are here tonight, but this is an international hustle. It has played out many times across time and space and is not specific to any language or race. It takes on different flavors according to people’s taste, but always ends up in the same old place.” These issues have been happening to countless all throughout history, and it is time to strip away the distractions to attack the injustice’s sources directly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IurvhGqimkY
The Orchestra singers act like a narrative Greek chorus and call upon several different forms of jazz, Gospel, American folk, swing, New Orleans funk, and more. The celebratory music is its own character and satirically expresses the joy with which humans hurt one another. The 53 track piece is both entertaining and thought provoking.
“Usually I research and learn a lot of new material for longer pieces. For this one, I went with music and mythology that I have lived. From the music my father and great New Orleans drummer and composer James Black played in the 60’s, to the funk we played in the 70’s, to the modern jazz we have been blessed to play, teach and shape over these last decades, The Ever Fonky Lowdown is an antidote to the poisonous (and largely unquestioned) cultural mythology that continues to infect our general quality of life.”
Wynton Marsalis
Marsalis wants the listener to question what is shown to him: the propaganda, media, and populism. He encourages all to look beyond what is shown to us and find our immediate reality and work to improve it. Essentially, The Ever Fonky Lowdown asks, ‘Where do we go from here?’ Marsalis answers:
“There’s no real answer on the Left or the Right. The solution lies outside of the game. But, we have to rise above our position on the board to get a broader view…..and then decide individually, if we have the will to fight for a collectively better country (or world) populated with ‘others’. It boils down to the basic question of predation vs. symbiosis—do we want to help one another or exploit each other?”
Hamilton Leithauser announced his record release party will be held on a virtual platform for his upcoming record, Live! at Café Carlyle LP. The record release party is taking place on September 12, at 8PM EST.
Hamilton Leithauser is an american singer-songwriter best known for being the lead vocalist of the American indie rock band The Walkmen. He is also widely known for his solo work like “A 1000 Times” and “Here They Come” His newest record, Live! at Café Carlyle LP, was recorded at New York City’s landmark Café Carlyle in January 2020. The Café Carlyle is known for being a luxurious, mural-lined cabaret venue at the Carlyle Hotel. It’s a high end establishment with a dress code and is known for having many celebrity appearances and originally opened in 1955.
The record release party will be broadcasted from Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY where Hamilton Leithauser will be performing the album. Levon Helm Studios was established in 1975 and is famously known as an american studio and venue founded by Levon Helm who is widely known as the drummer and one of the vocalists in The Band who played Woodstock back in 1969. Tickets to the record release show can be bought here are available now and are $15 now and $20 on the day of the show.
For more information visit Hamilton Leithauser’s website.
In a year where things can’t seem to get any worse, Added Color provides a rare hopeful vision. The Brazilian-American Brooklyn rock band returns with their new song “Something Better,” the lead single for their upcoming November EP, If You Had It All.
“Something Better” impressively tackles a myriad of problems plaguing Western culture without skimping on any of them. Using topical slogans like “resist” and “I can’t breathe,” it sounds like a socially conscious mosh pit. The accompanying lyric video complements the song with a staticky aesthetic, depicting this year’s protests, inedible fast food, and corrupt politicians. But despite including the likes of Donald Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, Added Color believes these presidents merely personify deep-rooted societal issues:
We feel that the greed, corruption, and cruelty that is embodied by world leaders such as Trump and Bolsonaro is a symptom of something that’s been decaying for quite a while now. A lot of people are depressed; a depressing amount of people are addicted to drugs. Police brutality is a massive issue—it seems we hear a new heart-wrenching tale of senseless loss of life on a daily basis. Access to decent healthcare is a nightmare for millions of people in what is supposed to be the richest country in the world. Fast food franchises reign supreme; it’s a challenge to eat decently in a lot of places.
It all amounts to a huge macro need for Something Better. The capitalization is not just because it’s the name of a song. It’s an idea for another world: one that we all deserve, and one that we can create together.” Of course, the song’s bridge decides that “Something Better starts with you.
“Something Better” precedes Added Color’s November EP, If You Had It All. The band is releasing the EP through Damp Interactive, in partnership with global distributor Symphonic Distribution. Recorded and produced by Johann Meyer (Gojira, Mastodon, Shinedown) and Jamie Uertz (Blind Melon) in Brooklyn, guitarist and vocalist Kiko Freiberg says If You Had It All is “darker, more political, and more powerful” than past projects. Drummer and singer Daniel Freiberg elaborates:
“The EP attacks the ‘free world’ as a society designed for failure, where corporations and government work hand in hand to thrive off the backs of the oppressed. Unfortunately, it took a pandemic to make the world pay attention to the societal diseases that plague our revered ‘Western Society.’ It’s time to make a change.”
Added Color has played in over 25 states as well as internationally. They’ve toured in Morocco five times, including at the 2019 L’Boulevard Festival, and played at some of Brazil’s biggest music festivals. Since the pandemic has stopped them from touring, they’ve instead planned live performances online. Every Tuesday at 3:00 P.M. ET, the band streams their “Chevy Expressions” series on Instagram Live.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CESO8ZHDjns/
Stream “Something Better” here, and visit Added Color’s website for more information.
They say you never know how good something is until you try it, who knew that peanut butter and jelly would set the world ablaze? Sometimes, pairing opposites makes for a grand result. This was the case when pop star –Mariah Carey — remixed her hit record “Fantasy,” featuring the most erratic member of the Wu Tang Clan, ODB.
Also known as Ol’ Dirty Bastard — “because there ain’t no father to his style” — is recognized as one of the most raw, unorthodox, unpredictable and authentic personalities to ever grace hip hop. As such, he was an unusual pick to feature on Mariah Carey’s chart-topping single. Known for his free nature and wild behavior, the mixture of his tainted public image alongside Mariah Carey’s pristine image made for a head scratcher to many.
The late Ol’ Dirty Bastard has had his fair share of discrepancies
The original record was the lead single off her Mariah’s fifth studio album, 1995’s Daydream, written by Carey and Dave Hall and produced by Bad Boy Records.
Known primarily as a pop star, Mariah Carey wanted to make a splash in the hip-hop scene and personally requested to have ODB on the remix. In an interview with Genius, hip hop journalist, Rob Markman, praised her for making collaborations with hip hop artists popular, as she went on to explain why she was so intent on having Wu Tang’s bad boy on the record. Divulging that since she grew up in New York, she listened to the same music as everybody else, and since hip hop was major in New York, she loved it and wanted to incorporate some of their production in her music. Her fandom of the late rapper was the reason behind her request, despite the disapproval of label executives.
Sweet, sweet fantasy baby
In a 2016 Billboard feature, the backstory on how the record came together was revealed. Corey Rooney (A&R for the track), said he reached out to ODB, who wanted $15,000 to rap on the record and since it wouldn’t have put a dent in Mariah Carey’s budget, it was fine with him.
On the day of the recording, ODB showed up three hours late, drunk, and on the phone, arguing with his girlfriend. After the commotion, he asked for some Moet and a box of Newports before recording, to which Rooney responded that they were already behind schedule, which resulted in him accusing the assistants of being “white devils who don’t want to let black people have anything.” He ended up throwing a bottle of Heineken in disgust when it was all the crew could find.
The “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” rapper proved to live up to his reputation of being difficult to work with by only rapping one line at a time and napping in between lyrics. Eventually they were able to complete the verse but, had to pay him another $15,000 to appear in the video.
Gone but never forgotten
The remix differs slightly from the original, as it sampled Tom Tom Club’s 1981 record “Genius of Love” (per Mariah Carey’s request, as it was one of her favorite songs growing up), as well as, Dirty’s “Baby C’mon” and “Goin’ Down.”
The record made Mariah Carey he first female artist in history to have a record debut at the top of the Billboard 100, spending eight consecutive weeks at number 1. The cover for the single was done by photographer Steven Meisel and Mariah Carey made her directorial debut as she created the video concept and picked the location.
Carey and Dave Hall wrote the song about a woman who was in love with a man and every time she saw that man, she started having fantasies about him and a potential relationship that was impossible. ODB’s verse was nothing to write home about, as it was a drunken freestyle.
Oh, when you walk by every night
Talkin’ sweet and lookin’ fine
I get kinda hectic inside
Mmm, baby, I’m so into you
Darlin’, if you only knew
All the things that flow through my mind
Mariah set the mood with her opening verse singing about how the man walks through her mind and how she perceives him talking sweet to her. ODB’s verse was all over the place but his melodic flow carried him throughout the record.
Me and Mariah
Go back like babies with pacifiers (That’s right)
Old Dirt Dog’s no liar
Keep your fantasy hot like fire
Jump, jump, let me see you do the stump
Girls, let me see you shake your rump
Brothers, hit it from the back and front
And let’s do it, do it, do it, uh-huh
I’m a little bit of Country
I’m a little bit of Rock and Roll
And I’m soul to soul
Big letters, all big and bold
Old Dirty Bastard across the globe
While not that long, the verse was still impactful, as his raw and unorthodox rap style gave it the extra credibility it needed to appeal to hard-core hip-hop fans.
The influence of “Fantasy” has had a long-lasting effect. It introduced R&B to hip-hop — and with Mariah Carey’s status as a pop superstar — helped grow the genre. Yet, for many, the song will always be remembered for Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s iconic feature. Not because of the quality of his verse, but because his mere presence and his unapologetic way of living was a representation of everything hip hop was about and he didn’t change for anyone.
Throughout the summer, protests surrounding the shootings of unarmed Black Americans led to calls for police reform, with success that can already be seen across the country and world. Black Lives Matter has changed the national dialogue on race and brought it out of the shadows. There is one musician who has been using his improvisation skills to bring to light those who have been killed or injured at the hands of the police – Donald Sturge Anthony McKenzie II.
McKenzie is a prolific improvisational drummer with a fierce discipline and connections to the late ’80s hip hop scene in Brooklyn. Learning from Everett Collins (Isley Brothers) and world-renowned drumming teacher, Dom Famularo, McKenzie has developed a firm basis in theory and has evolved thanks to his discipline behind the kit. Having traveled the world performing, McKenzie has toured and recorded with instrumentalist Elliott Sharp, guitarist Marc Ribot, and Grammy nominated jazz composer Roswell Rudd, among others, and backed hip hop and R&B artists including Pharoahe Monch, P.Diddy, Grave Diggaz, New Kingdom, to name a few. McKenzie also serves as musical director for Kat DeLuna, and teaches master classes at the Brooklyn Music School.
Best known for Silenced and Silenced II, two extremely powerful albums with tracks named after a POC who lost their lives due to police brutality, McKenzie is wrapping up Silenced III, a double album to be released in late 2020.
McKenzie spoke with NYS Music about Black Lives Matter and his Silenced albums, playing with Nels Cline, how Vernon Reid has helped him along in his career, and the next chapter for the compelling improvisational drummer.
Upon first glance at Silenced, the track names stand out, each being a Black American who were victims of police violence, many lesser known names. The tracks themselves are entirely (99.5% as estimated by McKenzie) first takes and unedited version. While smaller parts may need to be cleaned up, the goal was to have it completely unedited and completely improvisational. McKenzie shared his insight into these two unique factors:
If one person can be drawn to my music, my art, for music’s sake, the musicality of my work, and they see a song title – if one person goes to Google and researches their name, I think I’ve done a service to the world. A lot of people are not as aware of the injustices and the every day trauma of living in America in Black skin.
It’s a way to move a person closer to acknowledgement of certain people’s humanity. Not 100% of name titles are people that have been killed by police, some are people who were killed in tragic circumstances.
McKenzie wants people to research these individuals – he does not seek to tell people to do this, or to be shamed or browbeaten into researching someone. Giving these names to song titles allows, in this words, for “the art to travel while he sleeps.”
If it leads to someone saying “Who is Malissa Williams?,” then it is a service to the world and the people as well. Let’s say my album is being played in Ukraine – everybody has their own strife and troubles and drama – they could be listening to this and wondering, ‘Who are these people?’ I wanted people’s names to resonate on a global scale, as far as my art can take it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCeAOg2iyYI
Linking up with Wilco’s Nels Cline would lead to the high-powered “Sandra Bland,” the first track off Silenced. The pair did not discuss what they would play, nor did they run down or plan it out – the track is fully improvised, purely organic and in the moment. You can hear the first to the last note they played together on “Sandra Bland.” And they’ve played together since, with Sean Lennon and Captain Kirk (The Roots), but the first notes from McKenzie and Cline are on Silenced.
The first time I met Nels Cline I was on a trio gig with Elliot Sharp and Melvin Gibbs, and Nels was on the same bill and I just loved his sound and his playing. While I was recording these albums, I wondered if I could get him on this. I was walking by the music store Main Drag, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and just by chance he just happened to be walking out and I was like, ‘Nels, what’s up?’ and we made arrangements to play and he was the first one that recorded on this album.”
Once he cut “Sandra Bland” with Cline, McKenzie sent an unmixed version to Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, who, according to McKenzie, “went crazy,” and expressed interest in being on a track, which would later be titled “Eric Garner.” It turns out McKenzie and Reid have a long history going back to Living Colour’s rise to prominence in 1988 with the release of “Cult of Personality,” and the two would link up to perform in Reid’s Masque.
I think that improvisation (with Cline) set a high bar, and while some musicians might have been scared off from the studio concept, and some are competitive (especially guitar players) Reid loved the challenge and having played together since 1995, we have a great musical relationship. It was superb.
I met Vernon around 1988-90 when I was 17. Living Colour had a special place in young Black musicians’ hearts, esp those who were playing instruments. Most people were pure hip-hop heads, into the drum machine, and that’s great too, but as a drummer and those who were guitar players (Eddie Reyes – Taking Back Sunday) – we’d all go in the house and play Living Colour covers, Slayer and Metallica covers, all in my parents garage. Vernon was an idol of mine. The video for “Cult of Personality” changed a lot of people’s trajectory in life; that was a big deal for me.
I was playing (drums) in the rap group New Kingdom and I was at the record label, on top of Tower Records at 4th and Broadway. In that building was Island Records and I used to hang out the label, drink the water, absorb the whole thing of being in the music business. There was a release party for a Gravediggaz album that I was on and Vernon came to pick up his invite. He gave me a copy of his first solo CD with Masque. I was so impressed I went home and practiced it; I was just so impressed that he would semi-remember me from stalking him as a teenager.
Long story short, something happened with his (Masque) drummer, a friend of mine, Curtis Watts, and Vernon asked me to step in and I showed up at rehearsal, I was over-rehearsed – I knew every song, every inflection.
From connecting in 1995, to recording with Masque, Reid would use McKenzie in many of his projects, with the Yohimbe Brothers and DJ Logic, the third Masque album, live performances, improv, and soundtrack work. McKenzie notes the depth of the connection: “Vernon is just my guy, Vernon is like a musical father to me.”
McKenzie’s collaborations started when he was 16 and recorded a demo for TBT records with the band Three Feet Deep. And while the band was not signed, listening back recently, McKenzie notes, “It’s still happening.” The next group he performed with, Gravediggaz, would lead to broader connections.
I used to be at the recording studio hanging out with Wu Tang Clan – this was Firehouse Recording Studios – and I went to the same high school as De La Soul in Amityville – they knew I was eager and into my music, so they always wanted me around, so that was a big deal.
This connection at age 16 would allow McKenzie to hang out with rising artist A Tribe Called Quest, who he has memories of going to a Hampton’s homecoming game with on the bus, alongside De La Soul, Tribe, Hieroglyphics, and road manager Chris Lighty (Violator).
I started out playing more straight material – less improvisational music – but as I’ve developed and gone on in my career and life, I’ve realized that more of a Cecil Taylor improvisational path is better for me, as opposed to recording in sections. I love playing in the moment, and in an improvisational setting. That’s where I’ve seen my individuality and creativity coming to life. That’s where my head is right now and I want to just move forward and push forward with that.
Two years sinceSilenced II, a new project is in the works – a double album – inspired in part by the Black Lives Matter movement and protests this summer.
I’m working on a double album right now. I don’t want to be the guy to milk this cow. I made a statement, and the statement is relevant today. I think that capitalism under this American imperialism and colonialism, it will still say relevant. We seem to try to disconnect ourselves from the violence and oppression overseas and the violence of the military and violence of the police; it’s just different GPS points. I made a statement and it’s relevant, but it would be suppressive and anti-creative to keep doing the same thing.
When I made that statement with Silenced and Silenced II, I had no idea that the situation in America would come closer and bring people closer to what I was saying years ago. But that’s what’s happened. It’s been three years since I got in the studio and played these tunes. I have more work than play but I don’t want to tip my hat, a good way to maybe give you an inkling, yes it will be a majority improvisational, which is I think a really strong way to express myself at this point in my life, and it will be a double album and really like an audio Jackson Pollak.
With two young children, McKenzie has been focusing on parenting during the pandemic, doing his best to mitigate the damage of sudden isolation from school and peers.
I’ve been able to use the studio and just be here for days on end and just practice and practice and listen to music and a lot of great drummers. I get inspiration from visual things so I look at different artists and get different sounds from different art. Someone said they hadn’t ever heard birds chirping in Brooklyn, because there were no cars, and no one was out, and that has been a source of inspiration.
Overall, McKenzie has been spending time with his children who have been the focus of his attention as he moves forward in a positive way for everyone’s benefit.
He’s also been in the studio, using French band Gojira‘s studio space since they are out of town and admire what he does. “Stuff like that would never happen if the lock down didnt happen, the studio would be full up,” said McKenzie. They love what McKenzie is doing and offered up the studio for him. His next studio offering drops this fall.
This fall, Saratoga’s Caffe Lena is expanding its music school. First announced back in January, the Caffe Lena School of Music has proven so popular it’s offering even more classes for children and adults alike.
Photo from Caffè Lena’s website.
“With people cooped up and needing a positive outlet, especially school kids, the timing turned out to be unexpectedly good,” said Caffè Lena School of Music Coordinator, Vivian Nesbitt.
Saratoga musicians Oona Grady and James Gascoyne will continue overseeing the children’s program, with fall classes beginning on September 15. Courses include beginner and intermediate fiddle, ukulele, and guitar, as well as Irish tin whistle and fiddle tunes. If students qualify for free or reduced school lunch, the school offers full scholarships for their lessons and instruments.
Each class consists of 10 weekly 40 lessons over Zoom in groups of four. Despite the distance, Caffè Lena seeks to uphold the tradition of teaching and learning folk music as a group. Parents have praised the program, calling it “a stellar service” that inspires “motivation to keep the creative spark alight.”
“This is how people entertained themselves before radio and television turned us into music listeners instead of music makers,” said Nesbitt. “It fills our hearts to make music together, even if it has to be online for now.”
Adult classes are 4 weekly lessons of 90 minutes each, also via Zoom. Two-time Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer have joined the faculty, teaching beginner clawhammer and guitar. Other adult classes include songwriting and accompaniment with Dan Navarro, blues guitar with Guy Davis, and clawhammer banjo and old-time fiddle with Bruce Molsky. Caffè Lena’s website has suggested experience levels for some courses.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDl79mnpImi/
“We believe in the power of music to get us through the hard times,” continued Nesbitt. “Zoom is not what we had in mind when we launched the School of Music, but it won’t be long before these students are on stage in front of a live audience. Our dream is that the next generation of folk musicians will be born out of this crisis.”
Thanks to its increased online presence, the legendary folk venue is still going strong despite restricted operations. In addition to its burgeoning music school, the cafe has been offering a near-nightly “Stay Home Sessions” streaming series on YouTube. The full calendar of Caffè Lena events is available on their website.
Mariah Carey announced her upcoming compilation album, The Rarities, out on October 2. While the Songbird Supreme has previously released seven compilation albums, The Rarities is the first to feature new material instead of past hits. The album’s lead single, “Save The Day,” features vocals from Ms. Lauryn Hill and samples The Fugees’ cover of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
Mariah started recording “Save The Day” back in 2011, but scrapped it for unbeknownst reasons. Co-written by frequent collaborator Jermaine Dupri, it was originally meant to be a charity single. Thankfully, its message of hope and unity is even more relevant in 2020 than when it was first conceived. The only disappointment is that Lauryn Hill fades into the background: she doesn’t have a solo or new lines beyond the iconic sample.
The Rarities has 32 tracks and two discs: one with unreleased music from every era of her career, another with live performances from Mariah’s Tokyo Dome show in 1996. The album coincides with her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, out on September 29. Mariah first teased The Rarities back in June to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her debut album, but postponed its release to focus on the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, she’s devoting the rest of the year to #MC30 festivities for her fans.
Flushing Town Hall is joining Global Music Month with a virtual concert series. A collective of world music festivals and events across the U.S. and Canada, GMM 2020 consists of 19 presenting organizations. Throughout September, the historic arts landmark in Queens will showcase archived “Global Mashup” concerts as well as live Latin and Korean music.
No two Global Music Month events are the same, and each concert offers a unique blend of sounds and cultures. The Town Hall is kicking off the festivities with replays of their 2018 Global Mashups, where two types of international music come together. Each band performs a solo set, then they combine their talents and jam out together.
The first such concert, “Latin Boogaloo Meets Afrobeat,” technically isn’t part of Global Music Month because of its pre-September date, but it airs at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 25. After that, the series will continue weekly at the same time through September 22. Subsequent mashups include “Egypt Meets Haiti,” “Mexico Meets Guinea,” “Balkans Meet El Barrio,” and “Texas Meets Peru.”
Besides the archived 2018 mashup series, Flushing Town Hall has assembled two nights of live music.
Latin American Rhythms Night starts at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16, exploring New York City’s colorful Brazilian, Mexican, and Argentinian artists. The night features live and pre-recorded performances from David Vieira, Sinuhe Padilla, and Pedro Giraudo. The show is hosted and curated by Martin Vejarano of the Cumbia River Band, and also features “Spanglish” stories and interviews.
Finally, psychedelic Korean folk band Coreyah is closing out Global Music Month at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29. Since 2010, the band has melded a contemporary pop sound with traditional Korean music.
“As a cultural institution whose mission is to bring people together by presenting global arts for a global community, we couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this unique and diverse consortium and to participate in the Global Music Month 2020 online festival,” says Ellen Kodakek, Flushing Town Hall’s Executive & Artistic Director. “The fact of it being virtual means audiences throughout the country and around the world can enjoy our content and not just those in New York, where our venue is located. We are especially proud to present this programming free of charge.”
While all Global Music Month shows are free, Flushing Town Hall still encourages donations. The full Flushing Town Hall Global Music Month lineup is available on their website.
JazzFest White Plains announced virtual festival dates. The virtual festival will take place September 8-11 and will host a variety of artists. The 9th annual JazzFest White Plains will be streamed on Zoom and on Facebook.
The four days of Jazz will include not only performances but conversations as well. It will feature a mixture of artists at the forefront of jazz and rising stars. From Westchester jazz talent to jazz masters the festival will be something spectacular for Jazz enthusiasts. JazzFest White Plains are teaming up with the spirit of Arts Westchester’s annual ArtsBash.
The festivities will start at 4:30 – 5:30PM on September 8 with the “ArtsBash Virtual Mixology” event making Jägermeister cocktails and live jazz music by The Rico Jones Trio. Then at 6PM there will be a “presenting Jazz in the time of COVID-19” conversation. At 8PM the night will wrap up with “Westchester Jazz: Then and Now” featuring Art Bennett on sax, Kathryn Farmer on piano and vocals, Kenny Lee on trumpet, and Rocky Middleton on bass.
The second day will start at noon on September 9 with a performance form “Isabella Mendes & Flavio Lira Duo.” At 6PM there will be “Jazz Education in Westchester” conversation. Wrapping up at 8PM the “Jazz, From One Generation to the Next” event will happen featuring conversations and performances by Alexis Cole and Lucy Wijnands, Bobby Sanabria and Gabrielle Garo, and Ulysses Owens Jr. and Aaron Jennings.
On the third day September 10 the fun will start bright and early at 8AM with “Jazz at the Intersections” performances featuring Amir ElSaffar with an Arabic music and jazz combination, Jomion & the Uklos with a West African/Carribean music and jazz combination, and Pablo Mayor with a Columbian music and jazz combination.
On the last day September 11 the festival will wrap up at 8PM with “Jazz’s Rising Stars” featuring performances of Connie Han on piano, Matthew Whitaker on piano, Veronica Swift on vocals, and Alicia Olatuja on vocals. There will also be a moderated discussion about what it’s like to be a young rising star in jazz today which will be moderated by Keanna Faircloth, WBGO.
The festival is free to the public but is accepting donations online here. People wanting to register for certain events to get the zoom link can do so on JazzFest White Plains’ website. The events will also all be live streamed on Arts Westchester’s Facebook Page.
For more information visit JazzFest White Plains’ website.
