New York-based producer and lo-fi sensation Chris Mazuera shares his latest album Let’s Take A Trip. The multi-instrumentalist released six singles leading up to the project, which received adds to Spotify’s chill lofi study beatsplaylist and Apple Music editorials such as “SLEEP” and “LoFi Jazz – Global.”
Mazuera is most known for his collaborative work, but Let’s Take a Trip is a solo album which is perfect for a chill relaxing study session. This project not only highlights his guitar skills, but also his beat making abilities, ranging from old-school boom-bap to more melodic, and guitar-driven jazz-hop.
“The album represents to me the musical growth that I’ve had,” says Mazuera, “more specifically in the last two years. I’ve learned better how to mold together all my different influences into a sound that’s more uniquely mine.”
From rock bands to lofi inspired hip-hop, Chris Mazuera has dabbled in a bit of everything and it brings out his unique style. A lover of music from a young age, Chris started his musical journey early by playing guitar for local bands in Miami.
When Chris moved to New York City, he began working with local producers in hip-hop and lo-fi. Energized by both the musical process and the ability to make entire tracks on his own in the genre, Chris released his first album Monstera in 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGn4_-ylcaI
The project’s emphasis on guitar solos is personal to Mazuera, calling back to his musical introduction to New York City. “I would busk in Grand Central soloing over the blues for hours,” he recalls. From start to finish, Let’s Take A Trip truly is a trip to be experienced.
Currently, Chris’ career has focused on collaboration and innovation across all musical genres. He has even produced for several artists such as FELIVAND, Nafets, Jessica Domingo, and Habe.
To check out Lets Take A Trip, click the link here.
On Friday, December 9, Rough Trade NYC will host revered indie rock guitarist Lee Ranaldo. The free night presented as part of The Birdsong Project will feature Ranaldo in concert and in conversation with project founder Randall Poster.
Lee Ranaldo, (pictured) best known for his work as lead guitarist of NYC indie rock act Sonic Youth.
Friday night will also mark the release and celebration of the project’s culmination. “The Birdsong Project Box Set” is a birdsong-inspired collection of music consisting of over 242 tracks with appearances from musicians, actors, Pulitzer Prize winners and more such as Olivia Wilde, Sean Penn, Robert Pattinson, Greta Gerwig, Mark Ronson, Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Ad-Rock, Bette Midler, Danielle Haim, Florence Welch, as well as hundreds of other contributors.
All proceeds from the collection go towards The National Audubon Society, a non-profit dedicated to bird conservation.
Recent projects of Randall Poster (pictured) include music curation on the French Dispatch (2021) and the Queen’s Gambit. (2020)
Poster, a film soundtrack supervisor who has worked with Martin Scorcese and Wes Anderson, spawned the idea for The Birdsong Project after quarantining during the first year of the pandemic. Having been inspired by the “stillness of nature,” he gained a curiosity for birdsong and bird life.
Ranaldo’s Birdsong Project concert is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. while his conversation with Poster as well as David Ringer, the Chief Network Officer of the Audobon Society, is marked for 9. Doors open at 8 p.m.
The New York Youth Symphony has appointed Andrew Jinhong Kim as its new Music Director beginning in the 2023-2024 season. He replaces Michael Repper, who will complete his tenure at the end of this season after six years. Kim is joining an illustrious roster of prior NYYS Music Directors, including Leonard Slatkin, David Alan Miller, Ryan McAdams, Joshua Gersen, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
This season, Mr. Kim was Assistant Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (DSSO) and Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Youth Orchestra. In this joint role he appeared in pops and subscription concerts throughout the season with DSSO and led the top ensemble of its youth orchestra program.
The NYYS Music Director Search Committee, chaired by Slade Mills, conducted an international search. More than 85 candidates were reviewed and vetted by the Committee and NYYS staff. Live auditions were held in October with the orchestra which allowed for the students’ opinions to be heard as well.
“Working with passionate young musicians is one of the most meaningful aspects of my life,” said Kim, “so I’m thrilled and honored to be joining the distinguished New York Youth Symphony family. I am immensely looking forward to creating a memorable journey from the first rehearsal to the concert and to engaging the community with the love of music and pursuit of excellence that everyone in the organization shares.”
Kim received his master’s degree at Ithaca College under the mentorship of Octavio Mas-Arocas. In addition to assisting the IC Symphony and Chamber Orchestras he worked with the IC Siinfonietta and the Contemporary Ensemble and enjoyed frequent collaborations with friends for recital performances and composition premieres.
The NYC Winter Jazzfest is returning for its 19th year in mid-January, with a weeklong series of events at over a dozen venues with over 70 performers total.
Beginning on January 12, opening night will feature the first-ever onstage presentation of jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards Live project. New Standards Live is composed of her book “New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers” and “New Standards, Vol. 1,” an album bringing to life music from this book. Musicians in January’s performance include Michele Rosewoman, Melanie Charles, Michael Mayo, Linda May Han Oh, Kris Davis, Tia Fuller, Caroline Davis, Helen Sung and Mary Halvorson.
Opening night will also showcase French accordionist Vincent Peirani and French saxophonist Émile Parisien leading their respective ensembles, with trumpeter Avishai Cohen joining with his quartet in this concert at LPR. Lastly, UK radio broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner Gilles Peterson will DJ a set at Nublu.
Next are the festival’s marathons in Manhattan on the 13th at (Le) Poisson Rouge, City Winery, City Winery Loft, Zinc Bar, the Bitter End, Nublu, and the Jazz Gallery, and in Brooklyn on the 14th at Brooklyn Opera House, Brooklyn Bowl, Superior Ingredients, Baby’s All Right, National Sawdust, Loove Labs, Club Curious.
The weekend will include a Marshall Allen-led Sun Arkestra set, and at Brooklyn Bowl, a tribute concert to late jazz music promoter Meghan Stabile, who passed away in June at 39. This show will feature Late Show bandleader Louis Cato, revered hip-hop producer Pete Rock with his band, the Soul Brothers, and Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band, as well as a number of different special guests. Both nights will run from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
To close the weekend, on Sunday the 15th, the festival will also present a tribute to late trumpeter Jaimie “Breezy” Branch, who passed away in August at 39. The program, starting 8 p.m. at Nublu, will feature Jeff Parker, Chad Taylor, Fay Victor, and more.
On Tuesday the 17th at 7 p.m., pianist and composer Samora Pinderhughes will present his politically charged multimedia project “Grief & Process,” a collaborative exhibition and performance series taking place at The Kitchen’s temporary location at The Westbeth’s West Side Loft.
At 8pm that same night, multi-instrumentalist Nate Mercereau will direct “Take Two,” in which audience and performers alike will listen to Pharoah Sanders’ 1974 album Elevation in its entirety, after which the musicians will take to the stage for a live reinterpretation of what they just heard.
As in past years, the festival will also present a series of “Jazz Talks” for the afternoons of January 15-17, covering the topics of jazz and gender, wellness, social justice and more.
On the 18th, NYC Winter Jazzfest will close with a concert at Nublu. Information regarding tickets and more can be found on the festival’s website.
Harlem Stage will host the holiday concert Uptown Nights: Kings Return, featuring the Grammy-nominated, Dallas-based vocal quartet to the Harlem Stage Gatehouse for two special concerts.
The intimate and uplifting celebrations will showcase the group’s genre-spanning artistry, with amazing a cappella arrangements of holiday classics and originals, that combine jazz, classical, gospel, R&B and soul. They’ll also perform fan favorites alongside tracks from Merry Little Christmas and their debut, Rove. Throughout the performances, Kings Return will also share stories behind their favorite holiday songs.
Kings Return
Formed in 2016 from pre-existing friendships, Kings Return rose to fame recording and performing covers of well-known ballads and anthems in an Arlington church stairwell. With a nostalgic old-school a cappella sound and beautifully arranged harmonies, the group has brought joy and chills to hundreds of thousands of viewers and audience members. They are nominated for a 2023 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, for their interpretation of “How Deep Is Your Love.”
Harlem Stage is the performing arts center that bridges Harlem’s cultural legacy to contemporary artists of color and dares to provide the artistic freedom that gives birth to new ideas. Uptown Nights is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Uptown Nights: Kings Return holiday show takes place Friday, December 16, and Saturday, December 17, at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse (150 Convent Avenue, New York, NY, 10031). Tickets, $25-35 can be purchased at harlemstage.org.
This holiday season, the Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR in Soho will be presenting a window display of “Christmas Mountain,” a family friendly 21-day multimedia story event from NYC live arts collective Piehole.
Beginning with an opening night celebration on Thursday, December 1, presenting daily chapters of its story in an advent calendar fashion until the winter solstice on the 21st. WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer will narrate the tale about of a town of mice scurrying to fix their TV signals in time for the night of the solstice. The display will be available in-person until January 9 and on the “Christmas Mountain” website.
The Greene Space opening night celebration, along with debuting the first episode of “Christmas Mountain,” will feature a brief panel on the history of Christmas celebrations in NYC that inspired the project. The doors will open at 6 p.m. with the event beginning at 6:30.
Incorporating the work of over 20 different artists, the presentation will include animatronics, embedded videos, and original music.
Piehole, having been founded in 2008, has produced live art for theaters, galleries, and digital spaces such as collaborations with the LA-based Tender Claws in AR and VR: Tendar (2018) and The Under Presents (2019).
Classic holiday songs by the acclaimed Mariah Carey will be premiered, along with an orchestra performance, in Broadway Sings on December 5th at Sony Hall in New York City. Carey’s prominent festive albums, Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas II You, are planned to be part of the concert series for this season.
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Broadway stars Jeannette Bayardelle from the Girl from the North Country musical, Amber Ardolini of Funny Girl, Alysha Deslorieux of Hamilton, Keri Rene Fuller of Six and more will be featured in the cast to sing memorable Christmas tunes, including “Silent Night,” “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “O, Holy Night”. A 14-piece orchestra will be along with the song performances to be held at the venue that is owned by Blue Note Entertainment Group.
Sony Music Hall in New York City
Doors for “Broadway Sings Mariah Carey” on December 5 open at 6pm and the show begins at 8. Tickets can be purchased on the Sony Hall website.
Broadway Performer Sings Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”
In the early stages of a 24-date North America excursion that kicked-off last week, The Smile (a side project by Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, along with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner) came to New York City this past weekend for a set of three consecutive shows.
Thom Yorke (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
The run began with two nights at the majestic Kings Theatre in Brooklyn (November 18-19) and the third at Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan (November 20), a turn-of-the-century opera house. NYS Music was front and center for The Smile’s opening night at King’s Theatre on Friday evening and the NYC finale at Hammerstein Ballroom Sunday night.
The Smile, who take their name from a collated poem in Ted Hughes’ 1970 literary work Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow, are touring in support of their 13-track debut album that was released in May 2022, A Light for Attracting Attention (XL Recordings). Furthering the Radiohead connection, the record was produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. Born during the 2019 COVID lockdown, as many creative endeavors have, The Smile released a string of singles and eventually, the announcement of a world tour.
The current trek marks the first shows on American soil for Yorke and Greenwood since August 2018, when Radiohead wrapped up their world tour in support of 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool. Yorke was slated to tour North America in 2020 with stops at Kings Theatre behind his excellent solo album Anima, but this tour was ultimately postponed and canceled as a result of the pandemic.
Supporting The Smile for the tour’s duration is Robert Stillman, a multi-instrumentalist and composer born in Maine who has called the United Kingdom his home for the past decade. Like his tour mates (with whom he contributed to their album), Spillman is presenting new material from his eighth studio album What Does It Mean to Be American? (Orindal Records/KIT Records), released in January 22.
Robert Stillman (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
Taking the stage at approximately 8:15 pm each night, dressed in white from head to toe, Stillman unassumingly acknowledged the audience for a moment before taking to his synthesizer. For approximately 30 minutes, Stillman mesmerized the audience each night with a deliberate looping process between his synthesizers and a tenor saxophone, curating an eclectic sonic palette drawing on elements of jazz, drone and psychedelia.
Kings Theatre (Friday, November 18)
On Friday night, fans lined up early ahead of doors at Kings Theatre in Flatbush, donning various Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Sons of Kemet and other associated apparel. The recently renovated classical movie theater is an exquisite example of how a modern music venue can be incorporated into a historic space. The cavernous venue, decorated with red velvet and ornate gold accents, boasts a deep sonic experience that continually attracts artists of all genres who want their music experienced in such a gorgeous space.
The show got underway with Yorke, Greenwood and Skinner taking to the front of the stage as they basked in a thunderous ovation, with a return of gratitude to the fans. With Yorke behind a familiar piano, Greenwood on bass guitar and Skinner behind the kit, “Pana-vision” started the festivities. The song begins with a swirling piano arpeggio before a dark, jazzy rhythm kicks in. Yorke drives the song with his signature falsetto as his voice swells and calms for several waves of the song. The band then dove into a tight rendition of “Thin Thing”, a psychedelic Kraut-rock song which highlights The Smile’s style perfectly. The music is “stripped back” in a sense that it is confined to a trio, but the blend of dissonant vocals, driving punk rock infused strings, and jazzy percussions creates a dense palette which overwhelms in a live setting.
In addition to the songs from A Light for Attracting Attention, the band has been playing many unreleased songs on this tour. On Friday at Kings Theatre, Stillman joined the band and contributed his saxophone for two such songs “Colours Fly” and “People on Balconies”. Other new songs performed Friday were “Bending Hectic” and “Read the Room”. The main set ended with the vintage punk sounding “You Will Never Work In Television Again”, which got fans bouncing all over the venue. The final song of the night was surprisingly long-time favorite Thom Yorke solo song “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses”, self-released back in 2009.
Although doors were more than two hours away, a large (and rapidly growing) contingent of fans already lined the West 34th Street sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan on a near freezing late Sunday afternoon. Mercifully, at 6:30 pm, the shivering fans hoping to get a spot on or near the stage rail were ushered into the warm confines of the Hammerstein Ballroom lobby, housed within the Manhattan Center. Extensively renovated in 1997, elaborate architectural decorations adorn the historic venue which seats 2,500 (all of which would be sold out tonight) – complete with box seats, three balconies, a proscenium arch and a hand-painted ceiling mural 75-feet above depicting an “orchestra of angels on a heavenly stage”.
At approximately 9:20 pm, The Smile took to the stage, with Yorke pausing along the stage apron as the audience’s applause and wild cheers rained down. After assuming their stage positions (Yorke at stage right, Greenwood at center stage and Skinner on his kit at stage left), The Smile commenced their 90-minute set backed by a large video screen displaying broken, horizontal line patterns. Bathed in red stage lighting, the first of ten offerings from A Light for Attracting Attention was “The Same”. With Greenwood seated at the piano, Yorke took up his vintage Guild Starfire II bass and let his haunting, signature falsetto do the rest.
Thom Yorke (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael DingerJonny Greenwood (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael DingerTom Skinner (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
Throughout the evening, Yorke and Greenwood seamlessly interchanged their instruments, each playing guitar, bass and piano. Ensuing magnificent presentations of “Thin Thing”, “The Opposite” and “Speech Bubbles”, guided by the loose-limbed Skinner and his punishing rhythmic dialogues, Yorke briefly addressed the audience as he took his seat at the piano for “Pana-vision”. “We’re a new band called The Smile, but I guess you knew that”. Up next was “A Hairdryer”, with Greenwood bowing his Fender Precision bass during the opening refrain of the 8-minute masterpiece.
The night’s only snafu followed approximately one-third into the show, a technical malfunction that led to “Waving a White Flag” being scratched from the set. While two other tracks (“Open the Floodgates” and “Free in the Knowledge”) from The Smile’s debut album were not performed Sunday night, fans were treated to three new, currently unreleased songs – “Bending Hectic”, “Read the Room” and “Bodies Laughing”.
Up next was “Skirting on the Surface”, developed from an unreleased Radiohead song and featuring Greenwood’s guitar arpeggios. As Yorke introduced “People on Balconies”, he acknowledged The Smile fans in attendance a second time. “I very much enjoy being back to New York City. We wish we had another week, or two, at least”. After welcoming Robert Stillman and his sax back to the stage, The Smile gave us “The Smoke” and “You Will Never Work in Television Again”, a banger in every sense of the word. Following an encore break, the last fifteen minutes of the epic show comprised “Just Eyes and Mouth”, “Colours Fly” (with Stillman rejoining the band) and “Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses”.
The Smile will continue their string of U.S. dates until a pair of Los Angeles concerts on December 21 and 22 close out the run for the year. A 2023 show has also already been announced at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on February 16.
Kings Theatre Setlist: Pana-vision > Thin Thing > The Opposite > Speech Bubbles > Free in the Knowledge > A Hairdryer > Waving a White Flag > Colours Fly (with Robert Stillman) > We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings > Read the Room > Skrting on the Surface > Just Eyes and Mouth > People on Balconies (with Robert Stillman) > The Smoke (with Robert Stillman) > You Will Never Work in Television Again (with Robert Stillman) > Encore: Open the Floodgates > The Same > Bending Hectic > Encore 2: Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses (Thom Yorke song)
Hammerstein Ballroom Setlist: The Same > Thin Thing > The Opposite > Speech Bubbles > Pana-vision > A Hairdryer > Bending Hectic > We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings > Read the Room > Bodies Laughing > Skrting on the Surface > People on Balconies (with Robert Stillman) > The Smoke (with Robert Stillman) > You Will Never Work in Television Again (with Robert Stillman) > Encore: Just Eyes and Mouth > Colours Fly (with Robert Stillman) > Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses (Thom Yorke song)
Phish’s Trey Anastasio has announced the release of The Beacon Jams which will commemorate the artist’s legendary eight-show virtual residency at New York City’s legendary Beacon Theatre in the Covid-riddled fall of 2020. These iconic shows will now be encapsulated in the form of an 18-track, 145-minute new anthology that will be available digitally on Friday, November 25. Proceeds will benefit The Divided Sky Foundation, an initiative launched by Anastasio to finance a residential recovery program in Ludlow, VT, which is set to open next year.
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch
Performed at an empty Beacon Theatre and livestreamed around the world over the course of eight Fridays, The Beacon Jams saw Trey teaming with a range of collaborators to boldly reimagine music spanning his three-decade career. It includes performances from Trey Anastasio Band cohorts like Cyro Baptista (percussion), James Casey (saxophone, vocals), Natalie Cressman (trombone, vocals), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals), Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), and, in his final performances with the group, the late Tony Markellis (bass).
Also featured are frequent collaborators Jeff Tanski (keyboards), Celisse Henderson (vocals), and Jo Lampert (vocals), as well as the debut of The Rescue Squad (Katie Kresek – violin, Maxim Moston – violin, Rachel Golub – viola, Anja Wood – cello).
In addition to great music and different interpretations of Phish and TAB songs, the Beacon residency also saw Anastasio interacting with fans via Twitch between songs for a completely unique live music experience in a time where pandemic restrictions made such things close to impossible. “What made it feel successful to me was that we weren’t trying to recreate a live concert,” Anastasio says. “What I was hoping was that it would be a fresh form of entertainment – turning lemons into lemonade. I feel like that turned out to be the case.”
photo by Jake Silco
Tracklist: Corona, A Wave of Hope, What’s The Use, And Flew Away, The Moma Dance, The Silver Light, Pebbles and Marbles, Bouncing Around the Room, Carini, I Never Left Home, Money Love and Change, Last Tube, Quantegy, You Enjoy Myself, Goodbye Head, Tube, Slave to the Traffic Light, First Tube
On Tuesday, November 15, Black Star took the stage at Sony Hall in Times Square for a once in a lifetime performance, presented by Blue Note Entertainment Group and co-presented by podcast platform Luminary.
Black Star is Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, the internationally recognized icons of rap, activism, and entertainment. This night, they performed songs from their iconic debut Mos Def & Talib KweliAre Black Star, as well as their new album No Fear Of Time, which was released after an extended hiatus of nearly 25 years. In addition to the Black Star originals, they both performed hits from their individual catalogs.
The Sony Hall show followed their SNL debut on Saturday, November 12th, where Black Star performed “So be it.”
