Renowned NYC-based reggae band Easy Star All-Stars have just released their new album Ziggy Stardub, a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Their newest track “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide” features vocals by the iconic multi-award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer Macy Gray. Offering a fresh spin, the band has created a laid-back atmosphere within the song through a bounding drum beat and swaggering horns.
Michael Goldwasser, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist of Easy Star says, “The main key was finding an emotive and groundbreaking vocalist, and we did just that with Macy Gray, who is truly inimitable in every song that she sings, including this one.” The track is paired with a stop motion video, taking viewers through the journey of two cats during an evening in a paper town.
After a run of sonically mesmerizing singles, the band releases their highly anticipated album Ziggy Stardub on the 21st.The project is a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and features guest performances by Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, Fishbone, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), The Skints, Mortimer, The Expanders, Samory I, and many others.
Blending musical versatility, instrumental prowess, beautiful vocal harmonies, and a premier rhythm section, Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts on the scene for over two decades. The band will also be performing at the Sea.Hear.Now music festival in New Jersey this September.
To watch the video for “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide,” click the link here.
Pianist and composer Angelica Sanchez put on a brilliant performance this past Saturday, April 15th at the St. Andrew and St. Luke Episcopal Church in Beacon. Sanchez, following no particular setlist and rather letting the music come to her in the intimate venue, did not fail to put on an incredible show for her captivated audience.
Angelica Sanchez
Sanchez, born in Arizona but now based in New York, is well-recognized for her jazz piano playing and has been featured in various publications like the New York Times, the Jazz Times, and the Chicago Tribune. She’s played multiple shows across NYC and the East Coast, and has another concert scheduled at Carnegie Hall for The Sophia Rosoff Concert Series: Jazz Piano Pairings 1. She is set to continue her tour until late November, playing venues across Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, the United Kingdom, France, Finland, and more.
Sanchez truly put on an outstanding performance in the dark-lit church venue. During one piece, she took out a drum mallet and began hitting the inside of the piano, adding a slow beat to her previously solo playing. The sheer silence of the crowd, coupled with the rain and thunder heard from the outside, beautifully matched the almost eerie ambiance of her piano playing. She masterfully blended dissonant chords and melodies together to create a panicky tone throughout her performance, with an incredible resolution toward the end. Her quiet humming to her crafted melodies entranced the audience members as they intently listened to her various eclectic compositions. The crowd stayed silent after each piece and waited to clap until the very end, making her one-hour set feel like a giant performance of a single piece.
Sanchez’s show was not something to miss. She is set to play many more shows across New York state throughout 2023, and her tour schedule can be found here.
The jazz scene in Western New York lost a legend last month, with the passing of vocalist Mary McMahon. A staple of the jazz community in Buffalo, her family’s music background, her years as an educator and her presence are eulogized here by JazzBuffalo Executive Director Tony Zambito, who shares the following tribute to McMahon.
When the endearing and lovely jazz vocalist Mary McMahon became part of a performance, you can always count on lots of smiles, pleasantries, joy, a gathering of friends and family, and her warm encouragement to bandmates. These characteristics are what always accompanied her exceptional talent and qualities as one of the finest jazz vocalists in the Buffalo region. Mary succumbed on March 30th of this year to the battle of facing cancer at the age of seventy-four.
Mary McMahon, August 30, 1948 – March 30, 2023
Mary’s effervescent smile became a staple for the community. Especially during the seven consecutive years of JazzMondays on the Tappo Rooftop Patio that featured My Cousin Toné. Where Mary took the microphone in her hands as the jazz vocalist for the jazz ensemble. We simply do not have enough fingers on our hands to count the many occasions of joy and outstanding performances by Mary in the seven-year run.
Mary McMahon was part of My Cousin Toné for nearly a dozen years. Serving as a platform for her return to performing after a hiatus of teaching and raising a family. In addition, Mary performed in special projects with several of the region’s most notable jazz musicians such as Dave Schiavone, Tim Clarke, Rick Strauss, Bobby Jones, Wayne Moose, Bud Fadale, Abdul-Rahman Qadir, Stu Weissman, and John Hasselback, Sr.
Mary McMahon came from a robust musical family. Her mother was a classical pianist and organist. Her father sang for musical theaters in Michigan, and one brother played the jazz organ. At one point, all members of her family were playing at various clubs in Buffalo. One of Mary’s favorite things to do was to reminisce about these times in conversation with others.
After earning degrees in Music and Elementary Education, and before teaching in Buffalo for 25 years as well as raising a family, Mary played in a Top 40s group with jazz pianist Tom Paladino and jazz guitarist Ralph Fava. She then joined jazz pianist legend Bobby Jones for a long engagement with his group, Things To Come. Several can attest to the many times someone might evoke the “remember when” phrase about Mary’s time as a young woman singing in these groups.
After Mary retired from teaching, she began singing classic jazz standards with the jazz ensemble group My Cousin Tone’, which became her most prominent presence in the last dozen years. Mary’s love for the jazz standards was deeply passionate. She poured her heart into rehearsing and making songs by the likes of Cole Porter and Gershwin uniquely her own with warm tones and captivating storytelling. She was well known by audiences for at first mentioning the song, the composer, the year, and any little story she may have gathered about the jazz standard she was about to sing.
In addition to singing with My Cousin Toné, Mary performed special themed shows. Such as appearing at MusicalFare Theatre for a show devoted to the Great American Songbook and Quiet Nights – The Music of Jobim. In addition, The Mary McMahon Project performed at Pausa Art House, the Hotel Henry, and the Northwest Jazz Festival in Lewiston, NY. Mary performed at the jazz festival in Lewiston, NY with My Cousin Toné, including a memorable performance by her on the Main Stage.
In the early days of the newly launched JazzBuffalo Poll, Mary was a favorite to the emerging jazz audiences beginning to support jazz anew. Winning in 2014 as the favorite in the nascent JazzBuffalo Readers and Fan Poll for Female Vocalist of the Year. At the same, giving of her time generously to help mentor the up-and-coming young vocalists during that time and in the past few years. She was especially fond of mentioning the band named, My Cousin Toné, and how the band earned similar recognition in the JazzBuffalo Poll for Favorite Large Jazz Ensemble of the Year.
To Mary’s bandmates in My Cousin Toné, which include previous and current members Jim Matteliano, Bill Basil, Bill Savino, Pete Dauphin, Andy Peruzzini, Dalton Sharpe, Tony Zambito, Karen Russo, Tim Martin, and Tom Marinaro, her loss will be profoundly felt. Especially, when the music and the joy on the Tappo Rooftop Patio return once again.
Mary’s loving presence, we are assured, will be felt by bandmates and audiences alike.
Mary was the cherished companion for 10 years to Paul Guglielmo; adored mother of Kevin D. McMahon and Katie (Mitch) Grennell; beloved grandmother of Molly, Clara, and Rosalie McMahon, and Charlotte and Jacob Grennell; loving sister of Thomas (Natalie) and the late Skip (late Kathy) Beiring. A constant ray of light and love, Mary leaves behind a tremendous and diverse community of family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary’s memory to two causes that were near and dear to her heart: The Special Olympics of New York and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at DenglerRobertsPernaKenmore.com.
Pioneering Australian/British composer, pianist and flautist Keyna Wilkins will mark her first American “mini-tour” tour with a Big Apple debut at Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Music Center on April 20 at 9 p.m.
A two-time finalist for the Australian Art Music Awards, Wilkins is the writer of over 60 compositions that have been performed internationally – in solos, with small ensembles and orchestras. Her eclectic music is informed by her passion for human rights, astronomy, Indigenous culture, jazz, intuitive improvisation and existential quests. As an innovative soloist on piano and flute and leader of cutting-edge ensembles, she has been heralded by UK’s Jazz Journal as a“powerhouse player”, and “fine and nuanced playing”by Limelight Magazine and is described by Australian Jazz as being “unconstrained by labels and is constantly exploring new ways to express herself musically.” She has composed 4 major orchestral works including “Celestial Emu”, a didgeridoo concerto in collaboration with indigenous didgeridoo player Gumaroy Newman for The Metropolitan Orchestra, and a triple flute concerto “Solar Triumvirate” which was described by Sydney Arts Guide as “sensational,.. with incredible freshness of gesture”.
Wilkins’ tour was made possible via a collective effort of artists who are involved with Music for Musicians, MFM. MFM is an advocacy group for musicians’ rights founded by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi, whose board, supporters and membership includes leading names like Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman and Dr. Cornell West.
When the organization’s members found out that Wilkins, one of its first international members, was seeking to tour the U.S., they combined forces to help her find and promote gigs.
For the April 20 show at Williamsburg Music Center, Wilkins will be joined on the bill by two active MFM members, Dawoud the Sufi Renegade and NYSMusic.com book reviewer/feature writer Sal Cataldi (aka Spaghetti Eastern Music). The trio will perform solo sets and also collaborate. For info, visit the Eventbrite page here.
Hudson Valley music-lovers will be able to catch Keyna on April 22 at an intimate concert in the home of another MFM member, pianist/composer Peter Wetzler, at his studio in Kingston, N.Y. Wetzler will also perform at the event, along with poet-artist Julie Hedrick. For info, visit here.
Wilkins will conclude here New York performances on April 25 at 9 pm with a solo performance at the Downtown Music Gallery. Info here.
Wilkins has released 9 albums of original music on all streaming platforms including 4 solo albums. Her latest album in 2021, “Set Me Free”, a collaboration with a 9-year innocent detained refugee poet-artist, Jalal Mahamede.
Fans of all ages wearing fancy attire attentively listened to Laufey’s captivating vocals as she sang multiple songs from her latest jazz album, Everything I Know About Love. People traveled from Puerto Rico, Florida, and New York City for this one time show.
Laufey
Laura Elliot opened the show with an incredible set, singing multiple songs off of her first album People Pleaser to celebrate one year since its release. Born and raised in the Hudson Valley she gained recognition after collaborating with Lizzy McAlpine on “weird,” and joining artists like The Walters on tour before having her own People Pleaser tour in 2022.
Laura Elliot
After a twenty minute intermission, Laufey took the stage at 9:05, causing a stream of excited screams to erupt from her eager crowd. The 23-year-old jazz-pop artist got her start in 2020 when her singing videos gained huge recognition on TikTok. Growing up in Iceland and now living in LA, Laufey attended Berklee College of Music and grew up around classically-trained musicians. Since she was young, she listened to jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, who largely inspired the type of music she writes today. Laufey is currently off tour, but previously played at the Bowery Ballroom in 2022 during her Everything I Know About Love tour across North America and Europe.
Laufey writes a majority of her songs about heartbreak, which is evident in both her raw and meaningful lyrics and in the short spoken monologues she gave to introduce each song. Her performances of tracks like “James,” “Let You Break My Heart Again,” and “Dear Soulmate” touched on her difficult experiences with past partners, breakups, and feeling lost in the realm of love. Lit by the starlike backdrop of the beautiful Mahaiwe theater, Laufey ran onto the stage with her shiny red guitar and played an incredible show with just her voice and her instruments. Her awed fans—consisting of elders, middle-aged adults, teenagers, and children wearing suits, ties, long flowy skirts, dresses, heels, and intricate updos—stayed completely silent during each performance. No phones were present, as people went to truly enjoy the show. Nearing the end of her set, Laufey announced the workings of a second album, and even performed two unreleased songs for the first time that would feature on it.
After playing her last song, “Falling Behind,” Laufey made a quick exit before re-entering to play an encore. She performed a beautiful rendition of “Two Sleepy People” on the stage’s grand piano, and called it a “lullaby” for her audience of one thousand.
Setlist: Fragile, Street by Street, Best Friend, I Wish You Love, Dear Soulmate, Valentine, Let You Break My Heart Again, Like the Movies, Promise (unreleased), From the Start (unreleased), Beautiful Stranger, James, Magnolia, Falling Behind Encore: Two Sleepy People (Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser cover)
Bill Orcutt, one of the most distinctive voices in experimental and alternative guitardom, brought his latest disc, Music for Four Guitars, to life before a sell-out crowd at downtown Brooklyn’s home to all things sonically avant-garde, Roulette, on March 27.
Orcutt is the former guitarist and founder of the notorious ‘90s group Harry Pussy. His sound is a stuttered reimagining of blues guitar, one weaving looping melodic lines and angular attack into a dense, fissured landscape of American primitivism, outsider jazz, and a stripped-down re-envisioning of the possibilities of the guitar.
Bill Orcutt’s Music for Four Guitars is comprised of 14 brief pieces built upon tiny minimalist phrases which evolve into dense tapestries of sound, texture and mood. On the disc, Orcutt plays all the parts. For the performance at Roulette, he was abetted by three of the most noteworthy players who are bending and mutating the borders of guitaring – Wendy Eisenberg, Ava Mendoza and Shane Parish.
The 12-tune set began with “A different view,” the album opener. This is a knotty Gamelan guitaring affair, one that brings to mind some of the work of ‘80s era King Crimson with the dirty guitar tones reminiscent of Trout Mask Replica Captain Beefheart. For this and many of the compositions, the players stayed close to the tight arrangements on the record.
On “Or from being,” Mendoza was a standout riding the higher melody guitar parts and taking a lengthy solo spot followed by Parish. For many of the compositions, Orcutt and Parish held down the bottom while Mendoza and Eisenberg took to the melodic rafters. Eisenberg takes the prize for the most melodically out soloing, for an extended run across the pulse-y tune, “Only at dusk.”
In the dense jungle of weaving guitars and harmonies, a listener gets many musical cross-currents – a bit of fractal boogie, Irish reels, the dense orchestral guitar minimalism of Glenn Branca and, as mentioned earlier, elements of Beefheart, Crimson and Fripp’s League of Crafty Guitarists and Gamelan.
About six songs in Orcutt spoke to audience in an entertaining and self-effacing manner. No naming of the tunes played, just an introduction of his collaborators then a jump into one of the most pleasant chapters of the evening – a traditionally melodic, very spacious unaccompanied solo reminiscent of his “Odds Against Tomorrow” from his 2019 disc of the same name. All the players would get their solo moments and demonstrate differences in approach – unique melodic and textural languages that are adding a fresh face to this very been-around-the-block instrument.
A guy who does with words what Orcutt does with the guitar, the edge-pushing alt.poet and writer William A. Lessard, accompanied me to the show. A lover of pretty much every boundary pushing genre of music, he had his own observations:
“The surprise for me was the moments when the music would drift into Stained Class-era Judas Priest, then give way to microtonal playing by Wendy Eisenberg. Eisenberg, for me, was the big surprise of the night, bringing that Pete Cosey groove into a new context. Anyone who has the chance should see this band; watching them weave together all these influences is a delight.”
The set will soon be available for a limited time at Roulette’s Live Stream Channel on YouTube.
Setlist: A different view, Seen from above, At a distance, In the rain, Out of the corner of the eye, Or from behind, Only at dusk, On the horizon, Barely driving, In profile, From below, Or head On
Gotham Jazz announced their Gotham Jazz Festival at The DTA in lower Manhattan on Sunday, April 16. Fans can enjoy their favorite hot jazz, swing and blues tunes from 1pm-12am.
The Gotham Jazz Festival is an annual celebration which features New York City’s best hot jazz, swing, and blues bands. The DTA, otherwise known as the exquisite and exclusive private club from the Gilded-Age, contains four ballrooms and lounges that will showcase performances with over 100 musicians & 20 bands.
The commemoration was founded in 2017 by Prohibition Productions. In the following year, Prohibition Productions partnered with New York Hot Jazz Camp to exhibit performances by their splendid faculty, students, & alumni. The camp is a seven-day educational experience that allows adults to connect with the city’s top traditional jazz players. It is located at the Greenwich House Music School and has been running for six years. Prohibition Productions and The New York Hot Jazz Camp have now announced their partnership with The Gotham Jazz Festival.
All music enthusiasts are encouraged to attend and savor the eleven-hour musical marathon of harmonious jazz featuring an eclectic star-studded line-up.
Tickets and more information about The Gotham Jazz Festival can be accessed here.
NYHJC All-Star Band:
Catherine Russell, Bria Skonberg, Dan Levinson, Ron Wilkins,Cynthia Sayer, Rossano Sportiello, Tal Ronen, Kevin Dorn.
EYAL VILNER BIG BAND
FRANK VIGNOLA & VINNY RANIOLO
DANNY JONOKUCHI & THE REVISIONISTS
MONA’S HOT FOUR – led by Dennis Lichtman
STÉPHANE SÉVA SWING ONDULE 4TET (from France)
TERRY WALDO’S GOTHAM CITY BAND feat. Tatiana Eva Marie
HOT TODDIES JAZZ BAND feat. Hannah Gill & Queen Esther
Ellen Pieroni, a Buffalo based saxophone player, multi-instrumentalist, music educator + promoter, will release her debut album, The Encyclopedia of Soul, Vol. I, on Friday, March 31st at Sportsmens Tavern. The record presents a refreshing brand of smooth-infused soul jazz, for fans of Grover Washington Jr., Freddie Hubbard, King Curtis, and the Crusaders.
Pieroni has been playing the saxophone since she was 8 years old, and has been a sidewoman in a multitude of bands for about a decade, including Folkfaces and Intrepid Travelers, to name a few.
The Encyclopedia of Soul, Vol. I boasts 6 original compositions by Pieroni, as well as two “soul standards”. The sound is driven by earworm melodies and thoughtful improvisation from all members over deep pocket grooves. After a solid year of hitting the pavement as an ensemble, there is an undeniable musical chemistry between the musicians.
“Catch The End” is the debut single from the new album is available now on all streaming platforms, and the digital album pre-order is available for purchase on Bandcamp.
The Encyclopedia of Soul, Vol. I features Adam Bronstein (guitar), James Benders (bass), Tyler James (piano, Fender Rhodes, organ), Isaiah Gethers (drums, auxiliary percussion), as well as Pieroni on saxophone and flute. The album was recorded at GCR Audio in Buffalo and engineered/mixed/mastered by Brad Lauchert.
The album release party will take place on Friday, March 31st at Sportsmens Tavern, presented by Lavender Haze Collective. The band that evening features all of the musicians from the album’s session, better known as the Encyclopedia of Soul or EoS. The show kicks off a mini-tour for EoS, as they will play shows in Syracuse, Rochester, and NYC in the following week.
CDs and vinyl pre-orders of the album will be available for purchase at the show.
Tickets are $10 and are available here and at the door.
The Jazz Foundation of America will host their annual “A Great Night in Harlem” benefit gala and concert at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 30 to raise funds for the JFA’s Musicians’ Emergency Fund.
Danny Glover, Ann Curry, Jeffrey Wright and Mario Cantone will emcee the event, held at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. “A Great Night in Harlem” will honor musicians considered to have helped define jazz and who have left a meaningful cultural impact through their work in jazz, blues, R&B and soul. In addition to the honorees, musical director Steve Jordan will lead a concert featuring artists such as John Batiste and Betty LaVette.
The event hosts eight honorees this year. The JFA wants to honor Benny Golson to recognize his solo career that followed his rise to prominence touring with Dizzy Gillepsie and Lionel Hampton’s big bands. The founding director and vice chairman of the JFA, Wendy Oxenhorn, will also be honored for her life’s work in offering humanitarian support to jazz musicians. Native New Yorker and 90-year-old Mike Stoller, will also be recognized for his invaluable contribution to mainstream rock and roll and R&B music through his songwriting prowess. And finally, The Titans of Jazz Bass, a group of jazz basists made up of Cecil McBee, Rufus Reid, Larry Ridley, Paul West, Buster Williams and Reggie Workman will be honored as iconic members of the jazz bass tradition.
Steve Jordan is to direct musical performances Jon Batiste, Bettye LaVette, Monty Alexander, Ray Parker Jr., Kenny Barron, Robert Cray and more.
The evening will also include a special tribute to the great composer and pianist Ramsey Lewis, who died in September of last year. Lewis founded the Ramsey Lewis Foundation and Ravinia’s Jazz Mentor Program, and he was on the board of trustees for various music and arts schools, leaving a legacy that will last into the next generation of jazz musicians.
Funds raised through the annual gala will support the Jazz Foundation of America’s Musicians’ Emergency Fund, which provides housing assistance, pro bono medical care, disaster relief and emergency financial support to musicians in need. Tickets for the gala range from $75 to $250, and tickets that include access to the JFA’s exclusive after party start at $500. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show is set to start at 8 p.m. Tickets can be found here.
The Northwest Jazz Festival in Lewiston, NY has announced its Main Stage of headliners, groups, and musicians who will appear throughout the two day festival in August 2023.
The festival is scheduled for Friday, August, 25th, and Saturday, August 26th. Visiting for the festival’s twenty-first year will be such jazz luminaries as Randy Brecker, Vincent Herring, James Carter, Benny Benack, III, and more. The festival will also include the tandem performance of vocalist Alex McArthur (JazzBuffalo winner for Jazz Female Vocalist of the Year) and saxophonist John Troy.
The Northwest Jazz Festival lineup, curated by Music Director Tony Zambito, will welcome a lineup of all-stars to the main stage, with two special projects highlighting each day. The festival’s main stage will open with the United States Air Force Rhythm in Blue Jazz Ensemble, and close with Jazz supergroup SOMETHING ELSE! performing a powerhouse Soul Jazz Revue. The super group will celebrate and perform classic soul jazz and hard bop songs by Cannonball Adderley, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, and more by an all-star septet ensemble.
Continuing an initiative started in 2017, the Northwest Jazz Festival will once again provide a stage for local youth to shine with performances by Matt’s Vocal Performance Team on the Center Street Stage on Friday, August 25.
For more information on Northwest Jazz Festival 2023 and to purchase tickets, please visit the festival’s website.
