NYS Music 202​2

Category: Queens

  • Dead & Company Reveal Dates For Final Tour

    Dead & Company are hitting the (golden) road once more with a final tour scheduled for Summer 2023. The dates have just been released and tickets are now on sale at the band’s website. The tour begins on Friday, May 19 in Los Angeles for what is being billed as the band’s last official tour since forming in 2015.

    Highlights for this final go-round include two shows at Wrigley Field in Chicago (Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10), performances at SPAC (Saturday, June 17 and Sunday, June 18) and Citi Field in NYC (Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22), and The Gorge in George, WA (Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8). The tour also features the band’s first ever three-night run at one of their favorite venues, Folsom Field in Boulder, CO. A full listing of the 2023 tour dates can be found below.

    Guests who prefer an enhanced experience for this memorable Dead & Company tour can purchase a variety of VIP and Travel Packages. Packages include seamless venue access, early GA entry, pre-show lounge with food and a cash bar, exclusive merchandise, or travel packages for multi-night runs in various cities. Packages from 100X Hospitality will go on sale October 12th at noon local venue time. For full details, click HERE.

    Dead & Company Summer Tour 2023

    05-19 Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
    05-20 Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
    05-23 Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
    05-26 Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
    05-28 Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
    05-30 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
    06-01 Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
    06-03 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
    06-05 Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
    06-07 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
    06-09 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
    06-10 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
    06-13 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
    06-15 Philadelphia, PA – Citizen’s Bank Park
    06-17 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    06-18 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    06-21 Queens, NY – Citi Field
    06-22 Queens, NY – Citi Field
    06-25 Boston, MA – Fenway Park
    06-27 Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
    07-01 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
    07-02 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
    07-03 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
    07-07 George, WA – The Gorge
    07-08 George, WA – The Gorge
    07-14 San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park
    07-15 San Fransisco, CA – Oracle Park

  • Flushing Town Hall Mashup Series Continues With “Jazz Piano Meets Venezuela”

    Flushing Town Hall’s ongoing concert series, Common Ground: Mini-Global Mashups, picks back up Sunday, September 18 with “Jazz Piano Meets Venezuela.”

    Common Ground, which started last October, brings together musicians from different national/artistic backgrounds for never before performed collaborative works. It’s curated by trumpeter and composer Frank London of The Klezmatics, who played in the original, large scale version of the series.

    flushing town hall venezuela
    Amina Claudine Myers (left) and María Fernanda González. (right)

    The two artists on program for this upcoming show at Flushing Town Hall are American jazz artist Amina Claudine Myers and Venezuelan musician María Fernanda González, a player of the bandola llanera, a guitar-like instrument native to Venezuela and Colombia.

    Myers, an Arkansas-born artist, composer, and educator, has had her musicianship recognized on an institutional level, having received multiple grants and awards from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet The Composer, and The New York Foundation for the Arts. She also was inducted as a member of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame in 2010.

    González, a Northwest Venezuelan artist, composer, educator, and journalist, is one of the only female musicians in the world playing her instrument, becoming the world’s first female electric bandola llanera player in 2016. She’s also participated in and won competitions at Colombia’s Joropo Festival.

    Information regarding tickets, schedule and more can be found on the Flushing Town Hall website.

  • Method Man Explains Absence From Wu Tang Clan’s New York State of Mind Tour

    Method Man responded to his conspicuous absence from Wu Tang Clan, Nas and Busta Rhymes’, NY State of Mind Tour. The legendary acts announced back in April they’d be joining forces an end of summer tour. However, fans who attended the tour’s first few shows were disappointed to learn that Meth wouldn’t be joining the rest of the Clan on tour.

    The Power Book II: Ghost actor gave reply to unhappy fans in a video, going on to say:

    Embed from Getty Images

    I’ma clear this shit up once and for all, I’ma say this one last time. One of the nicest muthafuckas in the world, but I am not a pushover. I have sacrificed so much over the years to satisfy the fans, and I’m pretty sure that’s vice versa and that’s why I love y’all, that’s why I don’t hesitate to go all-out for y’all.

    The visibly frustrated Method Man specified that his issues were not with his real fans and “not the ones that’d jump in your DMs and curse you the fuck out all call you all kinds of bitches.” The Grammy-winner went on to explain his absence from the tour,

    I fucking love Wu-Tang, wish I could have been on that tour with them. The booking came at a bad time, I was already booked to do a movie.

    While still showing respect to his brothers, Meth emphasized his displeasure at the backlash he’s received from some fans. Noting that the show was billed irregardless of his presence.

    And you know, these things happen and dudes do have to feed their families. Albums don’t sell the way they used to, I’m pretty sure you guys know that. So in order to preserve my lifestyle and to feed my family, I had to have alternative means of doing that. And I’m glad to say at 50 years old, I have options. Not everybody can say that. Everyone cannot say that they have options.

    https://youtu.be/rnHDCO_SClk

    Always the clan’s most marketable member, Method Man has branched out to a successful acting career. The How High actor will star in Paramount+’s feature, On the Come Up, from director Sanaa Lathan. He serves as the narrator for DC Comics’ Milestone Generations and will also lend his voice to Disney Channel’s upcoming animated series, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. He currently stars in Power Book II: Ghost, for which he won consecutive NAACP Image Awards in 2021 and 2022.

    The NY State of Mind tour kicked off August 30 and includes a stop at the Prudential Center on September 13. The tour wraps up on Oct. 4 with a performance at Los Angeles’ historic Hollywood Bowl.

    Tickets for the NY State of Mind Tour are on sale via Live Nation or Citi Entertainment.

  • Ethiopian Band QWANQWA Announce New Dates For Debut U.S. Tour

    Five-piece improvisatory group, QWANQWA is making their debut in North America this fall; travelling on their first tour in the U.S. in over 20 states. Their performance locations feature a variety of memorable places, including Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, Flushing Town of Hall in Queens, Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center, Saratoga’s Caffe Lena, Buffalo’s Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Centre, and more.

    QWANQWA, based in Ethiopia’s capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, are dedicated to furthering the country’s unique musical tradition rooted in string – classical music blended with new styles influenced by new compositions. Having recruited some of the most prominent names in the country’s music scene, they’ve created room for exploration of new sounds while implementing traditional and region-based beats and moods.

    QWANQWA Profile Diredawa 1.JPG

    QWANQWA’s released works include three critically-acclaimed albums, Volume One (2014) and Volume Two (2015); and Volume Three (2020). The group has performed at two major European tours with knockout shows at the Roskilde and WOMEX festivals in 2016 and 2017 and members of QWANQWA have performed with some of the biggest names in Ethiopian music and beyond: Getachew Mekuria, Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke, The EX, Thurston Moore, Fred Frith, Butch Morris, and more.

    QWANQWA 2022 U.S. Tour Dates

    8/28 Brooklyn NY– Bindlestiff Flatbed Follies

    9/1 Washington, DC – Bossa Bistro & Lounge

    9/3 Waynesville NC — FOLKMOOT 

    9/4 Black Mountain, NC — White Horse 

    9/8 Durham, NC — Motorco Music Hall  

    9/9 – 9/10 Greensboro, NC — NC Folk Festival 

    9/12 Atlanta, GA — The 529

    9/15 Champaign Urbana, IL — Spurlock Museum of World Cultures

    9/17 Boston, MA — Boston University Global Music Fest

    9/18 Cedar Rapids, IA — Legion Arts 

    9/24 Chicago, IL — Hyde Park Jazz Festival

    9/25 Milwaukee, WI — University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Recital Hall

    9/26 Minneapolis, MN — Cedar Center (Global Roots Festival)

    9/28 Boulder, CO — Dairy Arts Center  

    10/1 Ivins, UT — Kayenta Center For The Arts

    10/2 Springdale, UT — Z-Arts

    10/3 Las Vegas, NV — Sahara West Library 

    10/4 Las Vegas, NV — Whitney Library

    10/5 Las Vegas, NV — Winchester Cultural Center 

    10/7 West Hollywood, CA – Petit Ermitage

    10/8 Topanga, CA — Corazon Center for Arts

    10/13 Santa Cruz, CA — Kuumbwa Jazz Center  

    10/14 Berkeley, CA — Freight & Salvage 

    10/15 Healdsburg, CA — Little Saint

    10/16 Mount Shasta, CA – Jefferson Center  

    10/17 Eugene, OR — WOW Hall 

    10/18 Portland, OR — Mississippi Studios

    10/21 Seattle, WA — Town Hall

    10/22 Boise, ID — The Olympic

    10/27 Rochester, NY  — Eastman School of Music Presents 

    10/29 Flushing, Queens, NY  — Flushing Town Hall

    11/1: Bar Harbor, ME – College of the Atlantic

    11/2:  Brooksville, ME – Tinder Hearth

    11/2 Belfast, ME — Colonial Theatre  

    11/3 Portland, ME — Space Gallery 

    11/4 Keene, NH — Nova Arts Fiddle Madness

    11/5 Beacon, NY — Howland Cultural Center

    11/6 Saratoga Springs, NY — Caffe Lena 

    11/8 Buffalo, NY – Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Cente

    11/9 Pittsburgh, PA — City of Asylum

    11/10 Elkins, WV — The Old Brick Playhouse

    11/11 – 11/12 Marlinton, WV — Pocahontas County Opera House

    11/13 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall

    11/14 Washington DC – Hill Center

    11/15 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle

    11/16 New Haven, CT — Café 9

    11/17 Hartford, CT — Real Art Ways  

    11/18 Putney, VT — Next Arts

    11/19 Amherst, MA — The Drake

    QWANQWA performing in Berlin, 2018

  • Lenny White & Friends To Honor Chick Corea In Queens

    On Friday, September 23, Flushing Town Hall will present a unique jazz fusion with GRAMMY-winning American jazz drummer Lenny White and Friends at 8 PM EST.

    Lenny White

    The performance will feature White’s original compositions with Tom Guarna (guitar), Quinton Zoto (guitar), Richie Goods (bass), and Vince Evans (piano and synthesizers). It will be a daring tribute to the 23-time GRAMMY-winner and DownBeat Hall of Famer Chick Corea.

    “I first became aware of Lenny White when he played with my uncle, the great Bill Withers. So I am personally very honored and excited to finally be able to present an evening of music with Lenny White & Friends at Flushing Town Hall—the jazz capital of Queens! This is a one-of-a-kind musical event not to be missed.

    Clyde Bullard

    Leonard “Lenny” White III was born in Jamaica, Queens and taught himself drum during his early years. White began his career playing with groups in the New York jazz scene and recorded the album “Bitches Brew” with his hero Miles Davis at 19. He joined the group Return To Forever as one of the original members, where he had cherishful experiences with Chick Corea. In the late 1980s, White joined a Queens-based funk trio, the Jamaica Boys, with Marcus Miller on the bass and singer Dinky Bingham. Through out his current career, White has won three GRAMMY awards with five nominations and one Latin GRAMMY.

    Lenny White is often described as one of the founding fathers of the jazz-rock movement and has emerged as one of the premier drummers in jazz. White has played and collaborated with music artists such as Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Gato Barbieri, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, Ron Carter, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton, Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan and many more. Today, he is sharing his music knowledge as part of the Music Adjunct Faculty at NYU Steinhard as Composer-in-Residence.

    The concert begins at 8:00 PM and live streamed performance is also available on YouTube for $5. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: https://flushingtownhall.org/event-detail.php?id=248

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkezlJVrXas

  • Fleet Foxes Hold Serve at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium

    Indie rock veterans Fleet Foxes wrapped up the North American leg of the Shore Tour on Saturday, August 13th, at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens. Shore was released almost two years ago in September, 2020 and the band was finally able to kick off the lengthy tour earlier this summer with a hometown show at Seattle’s Moore Theater. Support for the show came from Nigerian-born and North Carolina-raised Uwade, who also joined Fleet Foxes for several songs and covers. Check out the full photo gallery below.

    fleet foxes forest hills
    Fleet Foxes at Forest Hills Stadium, 8/13/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

    Fleet Foxes played a lengthy, 27-song setlist in Queens, including several covers and some songs performed solo by frontman Robin Pecknold. During the main set, the band covered “Phoenix” by Big Red Machine and “The Kiss” by Judee Sill. During the encore, Uwade rejoined the band for a rendition of The Strokes’ “Under Control”. For the encore, the band dressed the part and sported all white, custom tennis whites; a classic look for the long-standing tennis club of Forest Hills.

    fleet foxes forest hills
    Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes, 8/13/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

    The show in Queens was the last in the US for Fleet Foxes. The band heads to Europe at the end of August for a short leg of dates in the UK and across Europe. Head over to the band’s website for the full tour schedule.

    fleet foxes forest hills
    fleet foxes forest hills
    fleet foxes forest hills
    fleet foxes forest hills

  • 2022 Green Soul Studios Series Announced in Forest Hills

    The 2022 Green Soul Studios lineup has been announced at the studio in Forest Hills, Queens, with many jazz artists.

    green soul studios lineup

    Pianist/vocalist Kelly Green and her partner, bassist Luca Soul Rosenfeld turned their living room into a top-notch intimate performing space where they have had performances, recording sessions, and more since 2020. It all started with the duo performing for neighbors and friends, and has expanded from where people from all over want to come and see them play.

    Green has performed at notable clubs and venues such as the Kennedy Center, Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Birdland Theater, and various well-known musicians. Rosenfeld is a native New Yorker, who has been studying and playing music since the age of 8. Since 2015, he has curated and produced an underground concert series in Manhattan at The Treehouse.

    green soul studios
    Green Soul Studios

    Green Soul Studios was a great release for the couple after the pandemic ruined the live music scene. The couple agreed that the studio “was and is a true blessing, and a worthy project to sustain.”

    2022 Green Soul Studios Lineup

    8/14 – KG & The Shades– featuring Kelly Green on piano and voice, Luca Soul on bass, Dierk Peters on vibraphone, and Kenny Wollesen on drums.

    8/28 – Green Soul + Rich Perry

    9/11 – Green Soul + Bill Mobley 

    9/25 – Green Soul + Art Baron

    10/9 – Green Soul + Elijah Thomas

    11/20 – Green Soul + Tim Armacost 

    12/4 – TK Blue

    12/18 – Green Soul + Bruce Williams

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMKaLATiWk

  • Dead and Company’s Grand Slam Tour Finale Hits Citi Field

    A perfect summer night greeted Dead and Company as the group returned to Citi Field for their two-night tour closing run in Queens over July 15 & 16. After a quick introduction by Bravo Network’s Andy Cohen (also Anderson Cooper’s New Year’s Eve television sidekick and huge Grateful Dead fan), the show kicked off with a high energy version of “Bertha” which set the tone for the weekend.

    dead and company citi field

    Drummer Billy Kruetzman had been sitting out most of Dead & Co.’s summer tour due to some back issues but made a humble return for the tour closers. The crowd’s raucous cheers every time the cameras focused on him brought out a smile on his face. Jay Lane had been filling in for Kruetzman for most of the tour and came back out during Saturday’s show to join the band on stage.

    Dead & Co.’s setlist was orchestrated with the perfect ebb and flow of leisurely moments and dancing feet while maintaining full speed ahead. Set 2’s “Terrapin Station,” “Standing on the Moon,” and drums/space blended brilliantly with heaters “China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider,” “Not Fade Away,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and the extended jam evolving “Space” into “The Other One.”

    dead and company citi field

    With Dead & Co.’s summer tour grand finale at Citi Field, here’s looking forward to what we hope to be more tours from the band. Check out photos from Friday’s show below, as well as setlists from both nights.

    Dead and Company – Citi Field – Queens

    Friday July 15:

    Set 1: Bertha -> Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo. Shakedown Street -> Sugaree, Tennessee Jed, Bird Song -> Don’t Ease Me In

    Set 2: Althea. Viola Lee Blues, Terrapin Station, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider -> Drums -> Space  -> The Other One -> Standing on the Moon, Not Fade Away

    Encore: Sugar Magnolia

    Saturday July 16:

    Set 1: Playing in the Band -> Uncle John’s Band, Dear Mr. Fantasy -> Hey Jude, Ramble On Rose, Brown-Eyed Women, Jack Straw

    Set 2: Truckin’, Wang Dang Doodle -> Scarlet Begonias -> Franklin’s Tower, St. Stephen -> William Tell Bridge -> The Eleven -> Drums (with Jay Lane) -> Space -> All Along the Watchtower, Morning Dew, Deal -> Playing in the Band Reprise

    dead and company citi field
    dead and company citi field
    dead and company citi field
    dead and company citi field
    dead and company citi field
    dead and company citi field

  • Flushing Town Hall Announce “Gospel Meets Côte d’Ivoire” Concert on July 24

    Flushing Town Hall’s popular series, Mini-Global Mashups, will present another installment this summer on Sunday, July 24 at 1 PM with its Gospel Meets Côte d’Ivoire concert. Featuring American gospel singer Joshua Nelson and Côte d’Ivoire traditional dance and drum master Vado Diomande with additional accompanist drummer Moussa Drame, this concert will maintain the popularity and high quality of the series.

    Joshua Nelson and Vado Diomande

    Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a Smithsonian affiliate, presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and New York City, in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts.

    Audiences will enjoy the unique performing collaboration of two solo musicians with distinct musical and cultural backgrounds when American gospel singer Joshua Nelson and Ivory Coast traditional dance and drum master Vado Diomande on stage. After the performance there will be a Q+A conversation between the artists and the audience.

    Joshua Nelson is both a Jewish Gospel singer in the tradition of Mahalia Jackson and a full-time Hebrew teacher when he is not on the road. He is director of music at Hopewell Baptist Church in Newark, NJ, which is housed in the building of a former synagogue (the former B’nai Jeshurun). Nelson has performed with musical legends including Wynton Marsalis, Aretha Franklin, Stephanie Mills, and Billy Preston, as well as gospel singers Albertina Walker, the Barret Sisters, and so on.

    Since the age of four, Vado Diomande has learned the Mahouka dance and drum traditions. Vado learned over 60 ethnic dance and drumming traditions from the Ivory Coast and other West African countries. His repertoire elevated his career to eventually choreographing and touring extensively throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. His troupe’s goal is to inspire joy and understanding through the power of dance and drum, promoting the exchange of culture worldwide. He continues to strengthen his experience as a choreographer, artistic director, teacher, and performer.

    Our Mini-Global Mashups are always a great experience – and Gospel Meets Côte d’Ivoire will be another ride of discovery for our audience. Joshua Nelson and Vado Diomande are extraordinary talents and it will truly be an honor for them to grace our stage.

    Flushing Town Hall Executive & Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek

    In-person tickets are $12 for Flushing Town Hall members and $15 for non-members. A free livestream is available. For more information, please visit this link.

  • Nas Executive Produced ‘Supreme Team” Doc Premieres on Showtime

    The Supreme Team documentary, chronicling the rise and fall of the infamous organized crime syndicate, premiered on Showtime on July, 10. The three-part docu-series — which was made available on the Showtime streaming service on July, 8 — explores the inner-workings of the criminal enterprise and its mob influenced structure.

    In addition, director Peter J. Scaletarr (who holds producer credits on the Wu Tang Clan documentary, Of Mics and Men) probes into Queens history and their community ethos. Painting a vivid image into just how the men who made the Supreme Team famous came to be. Nas narrates (and Mass Appeal produces) and interviews Queens native LL Cool J throughout part 1 of the docu-series. While various members of the Supreme Team — including leader Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff and underboss Gerald “Prince” Miller, who are both serving life sentences — shared insider details.

    The Supreme Team served as the influence for many of hip hop’s premier and most recognizable rhymers. LL Cool J, who is considered one of hip hop’s first superstars, mimicked the Supreme Team’s style and would frequent their parties and events in order to rub elbows with the popular hustlers. 50 Cent, who also hails from Southside neighborhood of Jamaica Queens, was fairly close to the Supreme Team’s leader, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. He was also a close mentee to one of the organization’s lieutenants, Black Just.

    The Supreme Team’s mob like structure was a rarity among street gangs, as their aura gained them recognition throughout all of New York City. In reality, they were much more than a gang but rather a large syndicate with a meticulously planned out infrastructure.

    Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted for the murder-for-hire of Eric “E MoneyBags” Smith and drug trafficking. Gerald “Prince” Miller was indicted on federal drug charges in 1992 and is currently incarcerated.

    Part 2 of the “Supreme Team” documentary-series will air on Sunday, July 17 at 10 p.m. eastern.