Category: News

  • 2022 NYC Winter Jazzfest Announces Shift to Virtual Event Lineup

    Update: New York City Winter Jazzfest has moved all virtual for this year’s event, and will be broadcasting January 14 – 22 featuring 30+ different groups and 150 musicians performing from cities all over the world including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Johannesburg, Miami, St. Louis, Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, and more.

    In line with this year’s theme, “The Feel Good,” we asked many of the musicians to perform “Feel Good” music, especially now during these challenging times, when we cannot all be together, we need the valuable musical medicine these musicians provide us. We are so grateful to all of the artists for moving mountains to make this happen.

    NYCWJF founder Brice Rosenbloom

    The events will start on January 14, starting with the first of four Virtual Marathon Nights More in-person events will be announced in the coming weeks. The full schedule of performers can be found here.

    Performances can be accessed via winterjazzfest.com, on YouTube and Facebook. Select performances are also available on Qwest.TV and on WBGO channels.

    2022 NYC winter jazzfest

    2022 NYC Winter Jazzfest has announced its lineup running from January 13-22, 2022 presenting a full spectrum of jazz. The Artist-in-Residence will be Chicago composer and multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid. 

    This will be the 18th annual rendition of the NYC Winter Jazzfest. The festival was founded in 2005 and over the years has cemented a reputation as a hotbed of cultural discovery, supporting the rich growth and continued vitality of the jazz community. 

    This year’s festivities will include 10 nights of programming: marquee performances, including major world premieres, from artist-in-residence Angel Bat Dawid, Pino Palladino & Blake Mills, Ben LaMar Gay, Jaimie Branch, Fay Victor and Kate Gentile; a Summer of Soul screening/convo and “The Feel Good” Party with Questlove and guests; and once again our weekend multi-venue, multi-artist marathon, which has become recognized as one of New York’s most essential nightlife offerings, giving audiences full access to all participating venues and dozens of groups performing from early evening deep into the wee hours.

    2022 NYC Winter Jazzfest

    NYC Winter Jazzfest’s Artist-in-Residence is composer and multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid who is known in the world for the premiere of “Afro-Town Topics: A Mythological Afrofuturist Revue”. Inspired by Fats Waller, Bat Dawid presents a new original score using the traditional framework of a musical revue (a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches) as a compositional blueprint with the intention of creating and exploring the production of new Afro sonic realities and futures. Additionally, Bat Dawid will perform a DJ set at the opening night event at City Winery on January 13 and present her Sistazz of the Nitty Gritty on January 14 during the NYCWJF Marathon.

    With the support of South Arts, Mutual Mentorship for Musicians will hold its inaugural residency under the auspices of NYCWJF.  Supported by a consortium of public and private funders including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and nine state arts agencies, South Arts has, through its Jazz Road Creative Residency program, provided grants of up to $40,000 this year to 52 artists or groups including M3, in order to foster their artistic and professional growth while allowing them to engage in a wide range of artistic and community projects throughout the US. 

    M3 was cofounded by acclaimed musicians Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa in 2020 to address ongoing gender inequity and underrepresentation in the jazz and creative music worlds, and to foster partnerships among women and non-binary musicians around the world through new composer commissions, published writings, collective conversations and other programs. The M3 residency seeks to reverse the imbalance seen at many jazz festivals by presenting 21 women and non-binary bandleaders, showcasing them across 10 days as performers, composers, workshop leaders and facilitators. 

    Participants include Samantha Boshnack, Romarna Campbell, Caroline Davis, Miriam Elhajli, Ganavya, Eden Girma, Val Inc. AKA Val Jeanty, Maya Keren, Erica Lindsay, Lesley Mok, Camila Nebbia, Shanta Nurullah, Cleo Reed, Michele Rosewoman, Sara Serpa, Jen Shyu, Monnette Sudler, Anjna Swaminathan, Sumi Tonooka, Fay Victor and Malika Zarra.

    The current lineup for NYC Winter Jazzfest includes: Angel Bat Dawid (Artist-in-Residence), Alan Braufman, Alicia Olatuja, Allison Miller, Anjna Swaminathan, Antonio Sánchez – A Bad Hombre Project, Ben LaMar Gay, Brianna Thomas, Camila Nebbia, Camille Thurman, Caroline Davis, Chien Chien Lu, Cleo Reed, Code-Switch with Nasheet Waits, JD Allen, Eric Revis, Connie Han Trio, Craig Taborn, Dave Harrington Pranksters East, Eden Girma, Erica Lindsay, Fay Victor, Ganavya, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Gilles Peterson (virtual), Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade, Harriet Tubman, In Common: Walter Smith III and Matt Stevens featuring Kris Davis/Harish Raghavan/Terri Lyne Carrington, Jaimie Branch, James “Blood” Ulmer, James Brandon Lewis, James Francies, Joel Ross, Blaque Dynamite, Jen Shyu, Joel Ross, Julian Lage, Julius Rodriguez, Kassa Overall, Kate Gentile, Lakecia Benjamin, Lesley Mok, Louis Hayes, Madison McFerrin, Mahogany Browne, Makaya McCraven, Malika Zarra, Marc Ribot Trio, Marshall Allen, Matthew Whitaker, Maurice Brown, Maya Keren, Melanie Charles, Michele Rosewoman, Miki Yamanaka, Miriam Elhajli, Monnette Sudler, Nate Mercereau, Nate Smith +KINFOLK, Nduduzo Makhathini, Pino Palladino and Blake Mills featuring Sam Gendel and Abraham Rounds, Questlove, Ray Angry, Romarna Campbell, Rudresh Mahanthappa Hero Trio, Sam Gendel, Samantha Boshnack, Samara Joy, Samir LanGus, Samora Pinderhughes GRIEF, Sana Nagano, Sara Serpa, Sarah Elizabeth Charles SCOPE, Shai Maestro Quartet, Shanta Nurullah, Sistazz of The Nitty Gritty, Steph Richards +Supersense, Sumi Tonooka, SuperBlue: Kurt Elling featuring Charlie Hunter, Takuya Kuroda, Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet, Terri Lyne Carrington & Social Science, Thana Alexa, The Bad Plus, The Jazz Gallery All-Stars, Theo Croker, Tim Berne Duo with Gregg Belisle-Chi, Val Inc. AKA Val Jeanty, and Zoh Amba.

    For more information on 2022 NYC Winter Jazzfest visit their website.

  • Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival Announces 2022 Dates

    Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival announced it’s 2022 dates. The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 but will be back on July 15 and 16 of 2022. 

    Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival

    This will be the fourth annual rendition of the Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival will take place in the Historic Cobblestone District in Downtown Buffalo, NY, stemming from its Buffalo Iron Works headquarters on Illinois Street. The festivities are being put on by Twenty6 Productions, Buffalo Iron Works, and Lockhouse Distillery & Bar. It will feature two large outdoor stages and two indoor stages, a vendor village, local artisans, food trucks, and local beverage stations throughout the festival grounds.

    Josh Holtzman who is one of the founders of the festival, co-founder of Twenty6 Productions, and owner of Buffalo Iron Works spoke on the 2022 version of the festival saying, “We can’t wait to bring Cobblestone Live back to the Buffalo community. From 2017 through 2019, we watched this festival grow into something we could’ve never imagined. It will be so rejuvenating to welcome everyone back to the streets of the Historic Cobblestone District on July 15th and 16th.”

    Tickets include two options the GA “Blind Faith” Two-Day Pass for $20.00 and the VIP Two-Day Pass: $100.00.The VIP ticket includes:access to two private VIP areas at each outdoor stage, front of stage viewing area, premium bar with craft beverages, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and snacks, lounge area under VIP Tent, private bathroom access, tables & chairs for sitting options, and VIP commemorative credentials & lanyard. Blind Faith & VIP Tickets are now on sale here. The artist lineup hasn’t been announced yet but hopefully more information will be released in the coming months. 

    For more information visit Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival’s website.

  • Judy Collins Releases ‘Spellbound’, First Album Of All Her Own Compositions

    Folk singer Judy Collins is releasing her 29th album titled Spellbound, filled with all her compositions, a first for Collins.

    On the 6th she released “When I Was A Girl In Colorado,” a nostalgic slow song about a young Collins living in Colorado. The song is haunting and beautiful, with soft yet vibrant vocals.

    judy collins spellbound
    Judy Collins photo by Shervin Lainez

    Collins began her musical career in the 60s playing folk music in Colorado and Connecticut. She made her break in Greenwich Village and released her first album A Maid of Constant Sorrow in 1961. Over her life, she has played with icons like Stephen Stills, Randy Newman, and Joni Mitchell.

    Collins spoke about making Spellbound and said that she created it because of this time of uncertainty.

    They say after the plague came the Renaissance. Now felt like the perfect time to make this record because, after all that’s happened in the world, we need something beautiful and inspirational to lift us up.

    The album’s name comes from her pure love of the outdoors, and how it lured her to consider being a park ranger. On the record, she also worked with different musicians. These included Alan Silverman and Ari Hest– Hest being nominated along with Collins for a duet record at the GRAMMYs.

    Collins has had a busy past couple of years, releasing five albums in five years and recently launching a podcast, Since You’ve Asked, where she talks about her prolific life with a number of her favorite musicians.

    judy collins spellbound

    Last month, she returned to live to perform at New York’s Town Hall, centered around her album Winter Stories.

    Judy Collins is also going on tour to accompany the release of Spellbound and will be stopping at two NY dates, and tickets to purchase can be found here.

    Judy Collins 2022 Tour Dates

    January 7, 2022 – Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center in The Villages, FL

    January 12, 2022 – Key West Theater in Key West, FL

    January 14, 2022 – Lillian S. Wells Hall at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale, FL

    January 16, 2022 -Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, FL

    January 26, 2022 – City Winery Atlanta in Atlanta, GA

    February 11, 2022 – Carriage House Theater, Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA

    February 12, 2022 – Carriage House Theater, Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA

    February 13, 2022 – SOKA PAC in Aliso Viejo, CA

    February 15, 2022 – Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA

    February 18, 2022 – Blue Note Hawaii in Honolulu, HI

    February 19, 2022 – Blue Note Hawaii in Honolulu, HI

    February 23, 2022 – Edmonds Center for the Arts in Edmonds, WA

    February 25, 2022 – Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia, WA

    February 26, 2022 – Admiral Theatre in Bremerton, WA

    February 28, 2022 – Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR

    March 1, 2022 – Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR

    March 2, 2022 – Tower Theatre in Bend, OR

    March 4, 2022 – One World Theater in Austin, TX

    March 7, 2022 – Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, NM

    March 8, 2022 – Fox Tucson Theatre in Tucson, AZ

    March 10, 2022 – Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ

    March 11, 2022 – McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts in Palm Desert, CA

    March 13, 2022 – College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA

    March 18, 2022 – Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ

    March 24, 2022 – Fox Theatre in Hutchinson, KS

    March 26, 2022 – The Stanley – Estes Park, CO

    March 29, 2022 – Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN

    March 31, 2022 – Grand Theatre in Frankfort, KY

    April 22, 2022 – State Theatre in Portland, ME

    April 23, 2022 – 1932 Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor, ME

    April 28, 2022 – Homer Center For The Arts in Homer, NY

    April 29, 2022 – Sugarloaf PAC in Chester, NY

    May 18, 2022 – St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids, MI

    May 22, 2022 – Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS

    July 22, 2022 – Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, OH

    July 24, 2022 – Botanical Gardens – Denver, CO

    Collins and Hest performing a song off of their album.
  • Celebrate David Bowie’s Birthday With Remixed and Reimagined Albums and a Giveaway

    Celebrating David Bowie’s Birthday will be easy this year with remixed and reimagined versions of five of his albums being released by the Bowie Estate and a Giveaway from A Bowie Celebration and Licorice Pizza Records. 

    David Bowie’s Birthday
    David Bowie during David Bowie’s 50th Birthday Celebration Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Patti Ouderkirk/WireImage)

    David Bowie was born on January 8, 1947. There are 26 studio albums released of Bowie’s extensive works. This celebration will be focusing on five of Bowie’s albums in particular Heathen, Reality, A Reality Tour (Live), The Next Day, and  ★ (pronounced “Blackstar”). These albums have been remixed and reimagined exclusively in 360 Reality Audio by the David Bowie Estate. It features a new immersive music experience driven by Sony’s spatial sound technology. The content is the latest David Bowie music to be mixed in 360 Reality Audio, following Space Oddity, which is currently available on 360 Reality Audio-supported streaming platforms.

    These albums are being released in conjunction with the ongoing Bowie 75 – an extended celebration of David Bowie’s 75th birthday featuring two physical pop up locations in NYC and London equipped with 360 Reality Audio listening experiences at each location. Longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti has crafted 360 Reality Audio mixes of the albums and they will be available for streaming in 360 Reality Audio beginning January 21, 2022 on Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer, and TIDAL.

    A Bowie Celebration and Licorice Pizza Records are partnering to give away the ultimate David Bowie haul, as well as seven additional vinyl prizes, in honor of Saturday’s A Bowie Celebration livestream which will be taking place on January 8, 2021 in celebration of Bowie’s birthday and the 35th anniversary of Labyrinth. The event will be available on Rolling Live Studios website.

    A Bowie Celebration  David Bowie’s Birthday

    The grand prize includes Bowie’s Brilliant Adventure 18-LP box set and the A Bowie Celebration Supreme Bundle, which includes a one-on-one Zoom with Bowie pianist Mike Garson, a streaming ticket to the January 8 event, virtual set list, access to the virtual Q&A with members of the band, show laminate, enamel pin, Bowie’s Piano Man book signed by Garson, the limited edition event t-shirt and a second Bowie t-shirt (total value $772).

    All people have to do to enter is follow @bowietour, @licoricepizzarecords or @rollinglivestudios on Instagram, comment on the post about the contest, tagging at least five friends who love Bowie and asking them to follow. Whoever generates the most new follows  wins, and will be announced at Noon PST Friday. Seven additional winners selected at random will receive one of the following Bowie albums: self-titled (aka Space Oddity), Station To Station, Aladdin Sane, Scary Monsters, Last Dance, Bowie Pinups and Bowie Glastonbury 2000 (three records).

    Between the remixed and reimagined versions of five albums released by the Bowie Estate and a Giveaway from A Bowie Celebration and Licorice Pizza Records there will be many ways to celebrate Bowie’s birthday this year. For more information visit Rolling Live Studios website and 360 Reality Audio’s website.

    Updated on 1/13/2022: Access to the A Bowie Celebration livestream has been extended through Sunday, January 16, 2022.

  • Long Island Music Hall of Fame announces 2021 Music Education of Note Award Honoree

    The Long Island Music Hall of Fame announced the 2021 Music Educator of Note Award recipient, Kim Löwenborg-Coyne. The LIMHOF gives the award to those who do outstanding work in Long Island music education.

    Long Island music award
    The Long Island Music Hall Music Educator of Note Award recipient- Kim Löwenborg-Coyne.

    Dr. Löwenborg-Coyne was born in Lynbrook, NY. She earned a B.A. in Music Performance and also a B.A. in Philosophy from Molloy College. She also has a M.A. in Musicology and a Ph.D. in Higher Level Music Education from NYU.

    In 1996, she started teaching in Rockville Centre Schools and became the Director of Art and Music Programs for North Babylon. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall as an accompanist for the NBHS Choir.

    Long Island music award

    In 2008, Dr. Löwenborg-Coyne raised grant funds to bring Pierre Dulaine’s Ballroom Dance program to Long Island. She has been trying to bring culturally diverse residency programs to North Babylon as well. She has made sure the all kids get quality instruments, amazing technology, and world music education.

    Dr. Kim never takes no for an answer when it comes to the children of North Babylon!

    Superintendent of Schools Kim Skillen

    Dr. Löwenborg-Coyne deeply honored to receive the award, alongside her husband and two children.

  • Albany Symphony Welcomes Guest Conductor Erina Yashima for Performance at Proctors

    Special guest conductor Erina Yashima is leading the Albany Symphony Orchestra on January 8 at Proctors Theater in Schenectady. Yashima will lead Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, as well as Vivian Fung’s A Child’s Dream of Toys and Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto.

    Yashima is a German conductor and a rising star in the industry. She has played worldwide with acclaimed ensembles and orchestras.

    The Albany Symphony Orchestra is two-time GRAMMY award-winning, and their performance is described as “virtuosic” and features classical work that is lesser-heard. The symphony also has more ASCAP awards than any other orchestra.

    erina yashima albany symphony
    The Albany Symphony, conducted by Maestro Miller.

    Founded in 1930, the symphony serves an audience of more than seven counties and parts of three states. The symphony is the only organization to have made multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall’s Spring for Music festival.

    The symphony is led by music director David Alan Miller who is beginning his 30th year of service. The symphony also provides award-winning education in their program Symphony in Our Schools.

    erina yashima albany symphony

    Tickets for the Albany Symphony with Erina Yashima at Proctors Theater on January 8 can be found here. The event will also be streamed online, tickets for which can be found here.

  • Rob Derhak of moe. releases solo album “Songs For Other People”

    Rob Derhak, bassist for moe. on Tuesday released a surprise solo album titled Songs For Other People, on Bandcamp. A project that came together over the pandemic while touring was paused, the eight track LP includes compositions commissioned by fans.

    rob derhak
    Album art and design by Becca Childs Derhak

    Performing all vocals, as well as guitars, bass, keyboards and drum programming, Derhak is joined only by his daughter Emma, who performs backing vocals on “Beautiful Mess.” Emma recently joined moe. on stage at The Capitol Theatre on December 11.

    Rob Derhak shared the following about Songs For Other People:

    This album is a collection of songs that I wrote and recorded during moe.’s time off the road during the pandemic. It was an experiment in song writing for me. They were commissioned pieces, in which fans provided the initial catalyst, and subject matter. I put some of the proceeds in my pocket, and the rest into a fund that was set up for our road crew. I learned a ton doing this, and found out that I enjoyed writing in a “Tin Pan Alley” style. I also found that writing and recording everything by myself is an insane amount of work, and in the the end, because I’m a perfectionist, I found that I probably made about 5 or 6 bucks an hour. I found that the feeling I got from writing and recording in my little studio space was beyond satisfaction. I seriously hope you appreciate the album, as much as I do. It is a departure from the music I write for moe. and is not a collection of jams or serious instrumental pieces. These are all fairly simple songs that are written from the heart, for other folks. They’re a combo of mine, and their experiences, and processed through my weird brain. Enjoy.

    Rob Derhak

    Listen to Songs For Other People below and pick it up on Bandcamp.

  • Bill Charlap Trio Announces Performance at Flushing Town Hall in April

    Bill Charlap Trio have announced a new date for their upcoming performance at Flushing Town Hall on Friday, April 8, 2022. Bill Charlap is a multi-nominated GRAMMY artist with four nominations and one win back in 2015 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album with The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern. The show was originally planned for January 15 but was postponed due to the omicron wave of COVID-19.

    Bill Charlap Trio
    Bill Charlap Trio, Photo Credit: Philippe LEVY-STAB

    Bill Charlap Trio will be performing at Flushing Town Hall will host pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington. The Trio was formed nearly 25 years ago by Bill Charlap back in 1997 and has earned GRAMMY nominations for Uptown Downtown (Impulse!/Verve), Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard (both on the Blue Note label). 

    Bill Charlap was born in New York City in 1966 and started playing the piano at the young age of three. His father was Broadway composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include Peter Pan, and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman, appeared on the Ed Sullivan and Perry Como shows, and earned a GRAMMY nomination for her recording of “My Coloring Book.” He has performed with many of the well known artists ranging from Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. He is known for his interpretations of American popular songs and has recorded albums featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin. 

    The performance will take place on Friday, April 8, 2022 at 8PM. In-person tickets are $25/$20 Members. Those unable to attend in person can join the livestream and tune in virtually for free at here, but donations are greatly appreciated. For tickets and more information, visit here or call (718) 463-7700 x222.

    COVID Policy: In adherence with Mayor Eric Adams’s Covid policy for performance venues, Flushing Town Hall will require all visitors ages 12 and up, performers, and staff to show proof of vaccination. Masks will be required at all times for everyone. For more details on Flushing Town Hall’s Covid-safety measures and vaccine requirements, please visit here.

    For more information on Bill Charlap Trio’s performance at Flushing Town Hall visit Flushing Town Hall’s website.

  • Live at Seneca One Jazz Series Announces Dates Beginning in January 2022

    Live at Seneca One Jazz Series has announced dates beginning in January of 2022, produced by JazzBuffalo.

    The Rhythm Future Quartet
    The Rhythm Future Quartet

    The series will run January through June and will host monthly concerts, (apart from the month of May) in the Seneca One Auditorium. The Auditorium will be providing the experience of pre-concert music, food, and drinks available in the Seneca One Lobby and Bar, and high-quality sound and lighting for the community to enjoy.

    SVETLANA
    SVETLANA

    The “Live at Seneca One” jazz series will focus on next-generation rising stars, as well as a unique variety.  Concerts will include the Rhythm Future Quartet with prodigy phenomenon Henry Acker, rising star swing jazz vocalist Svetlana, Grammy® nominated rising star saxophonist and composer Remy Le Boeuf, the young jazz vocalist taking New York and beyond by storm Anaïs Reno, and the winner of the 2019 Sarah Vaughn International Jazz Vocal Competition Samara Joy with rising star jazz guitarist Pasquale Grasso.

    The Remy Le Boeuf Quartet
    The Remy Le Boeuf Quartet

    The first event of the series is “The Rhythm Future Quartet Celebrate Django Reinhardt Birthday.” The event will take place on Friday, January 21, 2022 at 8PM – 10PM at the Seneca One Tower. The second event will be “SVETLANA Love at the Movies.” The event will take place on Friday, February 11, 2022 at 8PM- 10PM at the Seneca One Tower. The third event will be “The Remy Le Boeuf Quartet.” The event will take place on Friday, March 18, 2022 at 8PM – 10PM at the Seneca One Tower. The fourth event will be “Anaïs Reno with Juliet Kurtzman and Pete Malinverni.” The event will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 8PM – 10PM at the Seneca One Tower. The fifth event will be “Samara Joy featuring the Pasquale Grasso Trio.” The event will take place on Friday, June 24, 2022 at 8PM – 10PM at the Seneca One Tower. 

    Tickets to all the events are $29. Details and links on each “Live at Seneca One” concert are available on the Live at Seneca One page on JazzBuffalo’s website.  People will be able to purchase tickets directly at the JazzBuffalo.org event listing or through Eventbrite.