BRIC, a leading, multi-disciplinary arts and media institution anchored in downtown Brooklyn, unveiled the artists slated to perform at this year’s BRIC JazzFest.
Set to take place at BRIC House from October 19-21 with two stages, this year’s festival promises to be an extraordinary celebration of jazz and its influences. In addition to the live acts, BRIC JazzFest will kick off the first night with a special panel discussion exploring the intersection of Jazz and Hip-Hop, with an ongoing film series taking place onsite during the festival.
Some of the artists announced for the festival include Reggie Workman, one of the most original and technically gifted bassists in jazz and American contemporary music, vibrant and versatile jazz saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, and multi-instrumentalist and rising staple Ciso Swank. Other acts include Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Nite Bjuti featuring Candice Hoyes, Val Jeanty, and Mimi Jones, Strings N Skins, and Panikkar Rosner & Leigh. Also happening at the BRIC Jazzfest is Jonathan Michel: L’Ouverture, a world premiere concert featuring Emeline Michel, Riva Precil, and Val Jeanty, celebrating the vital role of Haitian women in music and culture.
Photo by Liz Ligon.
Previously announced headliners include Georgia Anne Muldrow and Terrace Martin, as well as Isaiah Collier, Amina Claudine Myers Trio, Melanie Charles / Orrin Evans Duo, B. Cool-Aid, BIGYUKI, Miki Yamanaka, and George Burton.
The festival’s closing night jam session promises an unforgettable experience with the Trill Mega Jam Featuring The Jungle and Guests, culminating in an “expanded sense of jazz” led by a well-known NYC party The Jungle, which will feature artists spanning across multiple genres. It is comprised of DJs, musicians, and artists delivering a stimulating sonic experience that traverses the African Diaspora, embracing Latin, Jazz, Afrobeat, Amapiano, Percussion, Brazilian, Caribbean, House and Soul.
Tickets for BRIC JazzFest 2023 are available now, with options for daily and three-day passes.
LINEUP
Oct. 19
Terrace Martin Melanie Charles / Orrin Evans Duo Isaiah Collier Reggie Workman Alexa Tarantino Panikkar Rosner & Leigh
Oct. 20
Georgia Anne Muldrow BIGYUKI George Burton Jonathan Michel: L’Ouverture Cisco Swank Strings N Skins
Oct. 21
Amina Claudine Myers Trio B. Cool-Aid Miki Yamanaka Origami Project Sarah Elizabeth Charles Trill Mega Jam Featuring The Jungle And Guests Nite Bjuti feat. Candice Hoyes, Val Jeanty and Mimi Jones
In partnership with Caffè Lena, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced that the popular Caffè Lena @ SPAC Festival will return for a free 1-day concert on Saturday, October 7 from 12-5:30pm. Taking place at SPAC’s Charles R. Wood stage, the festival will feature five bands, exploring genres including rock, bluegrass, jazz, reggae and more.
The featured performers will include Upstate, Los Sugar Kings, Soggy Po’ Boys, Amythyst Kiah, and The Clements Brothers. The Caffè Lena @ SPAC Festival highlights an ongoing collaboration between the arts center and the folk music venue in Saratoga Springs.
Upstate will close out the night with their signature blend of folk, bluegrass, jazz, and soul. The Woodstock-based collective is known throughout the state for their passionate songwriting, vulnerability, and stellar instrumentation.
This event combines the intimacy and style of Caffè Lena with the expansive outdoor setting of SPAC. Our organizations have had a great time collaborating on this project and the crowd has gotten bigger every year. This year’s line-up is really exciting featuring five inspiring artists, including our first GRAMMY nominee.
Sarah Craig, executive director of Caffè Lena.
The collaboration between SPAC and Caffè Lena first launched in 2017, resulting in jointly curated programs at both venues. Guests are welcome to bring food, drink, blankets, and lawn chairs for the concerts. Food concessions will be available. The concert will take place rain or shine.
Musician and festival curator Jess Novak has announced the F.I.R.E. (Females Inspire, Rock, Empower) Festival will return to the Oswego Music Hall on Oct. 15 from 1-5 p.m.
The idea of the F.I.R.E. Festival is to promote women in music, art, and business. While many festivals boast all-male lineups with cover-centric headliners, F.I.R.E. will feature women playing original music. Vendors and artists include Unremorseful Art, AzureEyes Photography, Foxxy Bones (who creates art and jewelry from animal bones), and more. Musicians include local performers Amanda Rogers, Caitlin Barry, Ella Drotar, Novak, Buffalo-based artist Stress Dolls, and more. This year’s event will also include an open mic portion. This will allow female attendees to share on stage even if they aren’t regularly performing musicians, encouraging artists of all ages and talents the opportunity to be brave and perform.
“This was originally planned for March 2020,” Novak explains. “That didn’t happen because of COVID, but last October we brought it to life at Oswego Music Hall. It was so successful we started planning the next festival right away.”
Novak continues “When I was a kid, I never attended a musical event where women were as well-represented as men. This provides an opportunity for young people to see that anything they dream of – they can do.”
The event is part of the Oswego Music Hall guest curator series where people from the community pitch event ideas to utilize the space. The festival was created by Jess Novak who performs alongside the Jess Novak Band. She has performed over all over the country, recorded multiple albums, and is an award-winning journalist.
Just a few years ago, I was too afraid to sing on a microphone. I dreamed to be on stage but wasn’t brave enough to try it. I hope the open mic part of the festival will reach a few people who are just like I was: eager to perform, but too afraid to try. Now is your chance.
Jess Novak
Novak also plans to bring the festival to The Center for the Arts of Homer on Friday, March 8, 2024, International Women’s Day, hoping to establish northern and southern CNY versions of the event. All ages are welcome and admittance is $10 at the door (children under 12 are free). 50/50 raffles will be held and goods and art will be available for sale.
For more information on the F.I.R.E. Festival, visit here.
Lineup
Jess Novak
Starting Off Red Ella Drotar Caitlin Barry Brynn Race Jennifer Horstman Gina Holsopple Amanda Rogers Stress Dolls Unremorseful Art Golden Age Reiki Jamie Santos Wildebeest Publishing Co. Foxxy Bones Azure Eyes Photography
Miami-based concert promoter and event producer GMP Live is thrilled to announce the return of the North Beach Music Festival, happening from Dec. 1-3, featuring headliners The Disco Biscuits, Eggy, Heavy Pets, and many more.
Taking place at the Miami Beach Bandshell and the adjacent Bandshell Park, NBMF 2023 returns for its third year, and pledges to donate $1 per ticket sold to Backline. Live For Live Music stated that “NBMF combined the convenience of a city show, the immersive experience of a ‘farm’ festival, and the breezy inclinations of a beach vacation into one thoroughly enticing live music getaway,” in its inaugural year.
Reflecting on the return of the North Beach Music Festival, Gideon Plotnicki of GMP Live shares, “It’s been amazing to watch this event and the community around it grow over the past few years. We’re so excited to bring North Beach Music Festival back to South Florida this December with our biggest lineup yet!” Regarding this year’s lineup, Plotnicki states, “We’re thrilled to have The Disco Biscuits and Cory Wong as headliners. It’s exciting to have such talented bands from opposite ends of the musical spectrum at the top of our lineup, and we’re looking forward to showcasing just how musically diverse this scene is. We’ll see you at the Bandshell in a few months!”
The lineup welcomes headliners The Disco Biscuits for three sets over the weekend, with two sets scheduled on Friday, Dec. 1, and one set on Saturday, Dec. 2, in addition to Sunday’s headliner, Cory Wong. The festival’s third-year lineup also welcomes the likes of SunSquabi, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Eggy, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Mark Farina, Say She She, The Heavy Pets, Adam Deitch for both a quartet performance as well as a producer set, Electric Kif, Erica Falls & Vintage Soul, Ajeva, Twyn, and Brad Miller Trio feat. Oz Noy & Thomas Pridgen.
Photo by Slightly Skewed Photography.
Friday night’s festivities will take place exclusively in the Miami Beach Bandshell. While the Park will be open on Friday night, attendees can expect full food and craft vending, additional programming on the Park Stage, and the Park Stage’s immersive light show experience over Saturday and Sunday.
General on sale for the 2023 addition of NBMF starts this Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at 12:00 PM EST here. This year, the festival will once again offer two- and three-day ticketing options, as well as a new ticket type, GA+, and three different levels of VIP.
For more than a quarter century, Damn Sam Productions has held Harvest Festival and Freedom Fair in locations throughout Eastern New York and the Catskills. Now, the festival has found a home in Trumansburg, just outside of Ithaca, giving solid ground for the October 6-9 celebration of music and cannabis culture.
The 2023 lineup features Skeleton Keys, Dogs in a Pile (2 sets Friday), Immortal Technique, The Garcia Project, and Sophistafunk, but as promoter Rob Robinson notes, “The headliner of Harvest Fest has always been cannabis.”
Add to the music lineup plenty of pro-cannabis speakers and vendors – among them, Tim Tyler, sentenced to life in prison for possession/distribution of LSD under a federal three-strikes law, and later saw his life sentence commuted by President Obama.
Also speaking at this year’s Harvest Fest and Freedom Fair is Donnie Greenthumb, who has been growing medical marijuana for decades, starting out working in a greenhouse at 13 years old, where he learned organic tricks, compost teas, and the importance of soil ph. At 20 years old he wrote for High Times Magazine with John Holmstrom and from the years 1989-2015, he assisted with writing 187 articles about basic questions, problems with growing, and how to get started in the great outdoors. He also wrote about pests and diseases in the Horticulture Medical Growers Bible by Jorge Cervantes. Donnie has had various discussions with many different cultivators throughout the region and brings a great deal of knowledge to a state that is now allows citizens to grow their own.
With these speakers, Harvest Festival and Freedom Fair continues a legacy of music and activism that is now more than a quarter century strong.
History of Harvest Fest
Starting out in Beacon, Damn Sam Productions held an initial event in 1991 dubbed ‘HempSplash’ at Arrowhead Ranch in the Catskills, and after four years, an offshoot festival, Harvest Fest, was held in Modena, NY at an apple orchard.
The festival would move around over the last two decades, holding the event in the small towns of Earlton, Warrensburg, Afton, Bainbridge, hill towns near Oneonta, Camp Minglewood (which would later host Catskill Chill for five years), Monticello, New Berlin, the Washington County Fairgrounds in Saratoga Springs, and finally, Trumansburg, at the home of Grassroots Festival.
Being that this was the 1990s, a drug culture festival being held at a time when cannabis was not nearly as prevalent as it is today, nor legal anywhere in America, was a risky move, but this was part of founder Rob Robinson’s vision – to rally cannabis allies together for a ‘protestival.’
At these early festivals, the speakers now amount to a ‘who’s who’ of cannabis culture – Jack Herer, Ask Ed Rosenthal, “Saint” Steven and Ida May Gaskin (the modern day mother of midwifery in America, also ran a commune in Tennessee), and Pete Seeger all took part in Harvest Festival and Freedom Fairs over the last 25 years. Seeger in particular was a tough sell to play the event – Robinson knew him from growing up in Beacon, and Pete always declined. But after 16 years, Pete said to Rob “You don’t belong in jail, I’ll play your event.” And with that, the legend who wrote “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Which Side Are You On?” took his well worn voice and shared it at Harvest Fest.
Harvest Festival even attracted national attention with Peter Jennings from ABC news arriving at the second annual event to film a segment that would be aired as “Pot of Gold.” Featuring footage from Cannabis Cup, you could see scenes from Harvest Fest, yet there were no interviews or faces seen in the episode. When Robinson and his team reached out to ask why the footage wasn’t used, they said simply that they didn’t want to be the reason they went to jail. The mid-1990s were a time when New York State still held cannabis as a criminalized drug and Rockefeller Drug Laws were in effect, meaning Robinson and others could have faced 15-25 years in prison.
All over the use of a plant that has killed no one.
The Musical Legacy of Harvest Fest
The last 25 years of Harvest Fest has seen an amazing number of musicians make their way to the event: Cabinet, Pete Seeger, Richie Havens, Melvin Seals and the Persuasions, Ghostface Killah, George Clinton & the 420 Funk Mob, Hamilton Morris, Immortal Technique, dead prez, Alex & Alison Grey, The Wailers, Bluestar Radiation, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dead Milkmen, Levon Helm, Particle, High Times Cannabis Cup Band, Col. Bruce Hampton, Fishbone, John Kadlecik, Ike Willis, Ed Mann, Napoleon Murphy Brock, DJ Logic, The Real Radio Rahim, Frankie Bones, DANK, Queen Mother (wife of Baba Olatunji), Max Creek, ecoustic hookah, Moonalice, The David Nelson Band, Tony Vacca & World Rhythms with Massamba Diop, Garth Hudson & The Dharma Bums, Vassar Clements, Buddy Cage, Steve Hagar, Dogs in a Pile, Deep Banana Blackout and many, many more.
Add to the list this year’s headliner, Skeleton Keys, the keyboard centric electronic exploration of the Grateful Dead, will feature founder Alex Mazur (Gratefully Yours), Aron Magner (Disco Biscuits, Billy and the Kids), Chris J. English (Sam Grisman Project, FUNKNUT) and Tom Pirozzi (Ominous Seapods, Lo Faber), plus sets by Immortal Technique, The Garcia Project, Sophistafunk and many more, and the full music festival aspect is locked down and continuing to deliver memorable sets and join a pantheon of past performers.
Never Straying from the Original Mission
The original goal of Harvest Festival was to raise money for lobbying in favor of hemp and cannabis legalization. This being in the 1990s, the pitch to legalize cannabis, let alone hemp, was a tough sell and would lead to decades of activism by the New York Cannabis Action Network, later renamed the New York Cannabis Alliance. This continual activism led Rob Robinson to serve as NORML state chair for 5 years in the 1990s, and being twice named High Times Freedom Fighter of the Year.
With legalization, the mission of the festival has evolved. For an event that was started under prohibition and continued to be run that way, Robinson admits “it’s not the best way to judge cannabis, but it is the funnest way to judge cannabis.” Over the years, production value has risen as the event has evolved into being a true festival, putting the focus on the music and celebration, and not just legalization and activism, although the latter still exist in this American cultural event.
Every person wants to change their conscientiousness – some do it through religion, some through exercise, some through substances, some through all three.
Rob Robinson
With prohibition ending in many states (24 have fully legalized), and the medical value becoming clear (38 states allow medical use) the mission encourages folks to explore and embrace the benefits of cannabis.Yet lobbying wise, there is still a black market and mis-management of the dispensary license process has held back progress for the cannabis industry in New York. The new focus is on other drugs being decriminalized, with a focus on this being a land of the free.
The 26th year of Harvest Fest and beyond
One of the only festivals in 2020 to be held during Covid, Robinson notes there were no infections and the festival held like a ‘Drive In’ event, which helped the festival sustain that year and led to continued growth, unabated.
The 2022 location, the Washington County Fairgrounds, was looking to have Harvest Fest return, but with Cannabis being illegal federally, the location had some issues that led to the event needing to be moved to Trumansburg, out of necessity.
“The Ithaca scene is totally different, and a part of NY Harvest Fest has not visited yet. The cannabis part of the Finger Lakes is huge and always has been (likewise the Catskill Mountains), so we’re bringing Harvest Fest to cannabis activists and growers who have been ‘in the closet’ for 30 years.”
Cannacup at Camp Minglewood
Harvest Fest will take place in Trumansburg, NY over October 6-9, 2023, offering a way for people to commune over a shared love of cannabis and all it has to offer. As Robinson puts it, cannabis is the “non-lethal alternative to alcohol and tobacco,” and when joined by the music lined up for the festival, a momentous celebration of freedom is on tap this fall in the Finger Lakes.
The Caffè Lena School of Music will present a special fundraiser at Saratoga Springs‘ beautiful High Rock Park: Fiddles and Foliage. This is a festival like no other, styled after an old-time carnival, showcasing Caffè Lena’s School of Music.
Caffè Lena’s School of Music has been serving the community with classes for children, adults, and seniors, both in person and online. Swing by High Rock Park (112 High Rock Ave Saratoga Springs, NY 12866) to support Caffè Lena’s programming, and for fun games, songs, and food by PJ’s BAR-B-QSA, that’s fitting for the whole family. The event will run from 12-4PM on September 24, rain or shine.
See schedule and ticket information below.
12:00PM – Opening Welcome & Land Blessing with Joe Bruchac
12:10-1:00PM – Oona Grady, James Gascoyne, Matt Griffin, and Folk Ensemble students
2:00-2:45PM – The Adirondack Song Dogs
3:00-4:00PM – Open Mic/Band Scramble
Tickets are $10/adult and $8/kid under 14. For more information, visit their website. For questions and inquiries, call 518-583-0022, or email musicschool@caffelena.org.
Swing by to enjoy an afternoon of music, food, and community, with all proceeds benefiting the programming of Caffè Lena’s School of Music.
The Brooklyn Blues Society presents its 13th annual Big Eyed Blues Festival, a two-day event filled with nothing but blues from September 21-22.
The Big Eyed Blues Festival is made possible by The Brooklyn Blues Society, founded by Bereather Reddy, a long-time blues listener and singer. The BBS mission is to preserve Blues music and culture by presenting it underserved youth and communities through performances, workshops, and lectures. Various artists will be attending this year’s Big Eyed Blues Festival, such as Adjua Ajamu, the NU GYPSIES, and other highly anticipated events and artists listed below.
Thursday, September 21
(7-10PM) Blues Dance Party – 275 Park Ave, Brooklyn, NY
The Madame Pat Tandy Band. A legend in the NYC jazz scene, widely known as the First Lady of New Jersey Jazz.
Bearather & The Brown Liquor Sounds. Words fail to describe their artistic aura: visit this link to see what they can do.
Blues People. A NY/NJ band exploring the effects of blues on current American culture.
Friday, September 22
“Blues for All Seasons and Reason” – Jalopy Theatre, 315 Columbia St. Brooklyn, NY
Adjua Ajamu. Combines relaxing modern sounds with the old-fashioned vibes of blues.
Keith “The Captain” Gamble & NU GYPSIES. Completed a three-nation European tour, showing the world what he can do–which is a lot. Keith is a singer/songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player, doused in everything blues music can offer.
Six years after the fateful Curveball, Phish will once again host a summer music festival, this time in Dover, Delaware, on the grounds of Firefly Music Festival.
The news was broken on social media today, with a Save the Date for August 15-18, 2024.
The announcement – nearly 11 months before the event kicks off, included the following message:
“Save the Date for the next Phish festival! August 15-18, 2024 at The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware. More info about tickets, camping, Glen Close and travel packages coming later this fall. Make sure you’re signed up for the Phish Update to hear about it first (via email + our shiny new SMS list). Sign up at phish.com/update.”
Phish last held a festival in 2015 with Magnaball in Watkins Glen, their 11th overall music festival. Curveball in 2018 was cancelled just before the musics started, due to water supply issues, leaving many fans wondering if a Phish festival would ever return to Watkins Glen, or anywhere else. Today, Phish fans can rest assured as they plan for a unique music festival experience, featuring only Phish as well as plenty of unexpected surprises, art installations, and much more. Stay tuned for updates on Phish’s first shows in Delaware since 1994.
Jazz enthusiasts near Lake George, NY: mark your calendars for the highly anticipated Jazz at the Lake festival, taking place Friday, September 15 through Sunday, September 17. In its 39th year, curated by Daniel Kelly, Jazz at the Lake continues to be one of the Northeast’s premier jazz festivals.
Jazz at the Lake is an annual celebration of the vibrant and diverse world of jazz music, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake George. The festival showcases the talents of exceptional jazz musicians from across the entire country, creating an immersive experience like no other.
Known as one of Jazz’s most promising emerging artists, Endea Owens is a Detroit-raised artist, bassist, and composer. The triple-threat has been mentioned by jazz icons such as Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron Carter. She has toured and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Holliday, Diana Ross, Rhonda Ross, Solange, and Jon Batiste. Since Endea had graduated from The Juliard School in 2018 and joined the Late eShow with Stephen Colbert as a member of the house band, Stay Human, she has won an Emmy, Grammy Award, and a George Foster Peadbody Award.
(7:30PM) Jazz Around Town Immerse yourself in great food, drink and jazz at various venues across town featuring exceptional regional jazz acts that include:
Performing at Gaslight Wood Fired Bistro (91 Canada Street, LG), the Scott Hopkins Jazz Trio features stalwart jazzers: Lou Smaldone on bass and Brian Melick on drums, with Hopkins on electric banjo. Repertoire of the trio includes a combination of standards and contemporary tunes with flares of bluegrass and folk undertones.
Performing at The Barnsider Restaurant (2112 U.S. 9, LG), Heard is a collective of musicians that bring their skills and passion for world music, jazz, and improvising together to create irresistible grooves set in a unique sonic tapestry. Together for 15 years, their electrifying sound incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and beyond.
Performing at The Caldwell Lake George Library (336 Canada St, LG). The Listening Room: The Ria Curley, Chuck Lamb & the Curley Lamb Nu-Soul-Jaz Project group features the dynamic duo of singer/songwriter Ria Curley & pianist/composer Chuck Lamb, joined by an alternating lineup of one or more of their talented musician friends, performing a unique combination of instrumental & vocal, original and standard, Jazz/Fusion and Smooth R&B/Pop/Rock.
Performing at The East Cove Restaurant (3873 NY-9L, LG). Bassist Dylan Perrillo (from Hot Club of Saratoga and the Dylan Perrillo Quartet) will be joined by NYC-based guitarist Brad Brose for a one-of-a-kind jazz experience that will have fans of swing jazz dancing in their seats.
Saturday, September 16: (10AM) Coffee and Jazz
Performing at The Caldwell Lake George Library (336 Canada St. LG). For the jazz early birds: join the new Jazz at the Lake program that combines the melodies of jazz with coffee, all surrounded by fellow jazz enthusiasts. Indulge in a free coffee and enjoy the music of James Rissacher: a jazz musician who has performed in classic music venues throughout the U.S. and Europe for over 20 years, and has recorded with numerous other musicians.
Coffee and Jazz is made possible by a Long Time Fan of Jazz Weekend.
Awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2021 for composition, Voted #1 Rising-Star Guitarist in the 2013 DownBeat Critics Poll and subsequently placed in the top-ten guitarists alongside luminaries Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny, guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi, is one of the most original voices on the current scene. Making New York home for the past 25 years, Abbasi is considered by many to be one of the foremost modern jazz guitar players. He has honed his skills with performances throughout Europe, Canada, the U.S., Mexico and India. He has performed and recorded with many jazz greats, including: Grammy winner Ruth Brown, Peter Erskine, Kenny Werner, Barre Phillips, Gary Thomas, Dave Douglas, John Beasly, Ronu Majumdar, Kadri Gopalnath, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Vijay Iyer, Marilyn Crispell, Greg Osby, Howard Levy, and a host of others. He will be sure to bring his best performance every single time.
Aubrey Johnson is a New York-based vocalist, composer, and educator who specializes in jazz, Brazilian, and creative contemporary music both with lyrical and purely instrumental. She holds a Master of Music degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory. As a student, she won two DownBeat Collegiate Student Music Awards for “Best Jazz Vocalist” and “Jazz Vocalist, Outstanding Performance.” She currently teaches at Berklee College of Music in the Voice Department, and in the Jazz Masters Program at Queens College in New York City. She also held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory and Montclair State University.
Grammy-Award winning drummer, composer & bandleader Jared Schonig has toured and/or recorded internationally with Nicholas Payton, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Donny McCaslin, Darcy James Argue & Secret Society, The 8-Bit Big Band, and Ernie Watts among others. A favorite among vocalists, Schonig has toured with Grammy Award-winners Kurt Elling, The New York Voices, Kristen Chenoweth, Cynthia Erivo, Katherine McPhee, Jessica Vosk and singer/songwriter Donna Lewis. He has performed around the world, from sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall, to festivals in Zimbabwe. Schonig co-led The Wee Trio, which released five critically-acclaimed albums over the past 8 years and recently released two solo albums of original music (one quintet and one big band) in the fall of 2021 to critical acclaim. When back home in the big apple, Schonig is a jack-of-all-trades, dipping his toes in both jazz and Broadway. He recently held the drum chair for the critically acclaimed Tony, Grammy, and Emmy-award winning Broadway Revival of The Color Purple, and is currently playing drums and percussion for the esteemed 10-time Tony-winning Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Five-time Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the US, and Cuba. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, received The Order of Canada, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, most recently, The Premier’s Award for Excellence. With Maqueque, Bunnett has created something new and phenomenal in the world of jazz. What started out five years ago as a project to record and mentor young brilliant Cuban female musicians has become one of the top groups on the North American jazz scene. Since 2015, they have played in major jazz festivals like Newport and Monterey, been featured on NPR’s program Jazz Night in America, won a Juno Award for their first album. Both Jane Bunnett and Maqueque were even nominated for a Grammy Award for their second release, Oddara, and were nominated for a Juno Award for their latest release, On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme. Most recently, they were voted as one the top ten jazz groups by the prestigious DownBeat magazine’s critics poll.
The Percussionist; author and producer, born in Rio de Janeiro, Duduka Da Fonseca is a 4-time Grammy® Award Nominee Drummer. He has appeared on over 250 albums alongside American Jazz and Brazilian Jazz icons, including 25 albums as a leader/co-leader, making him one of the most recorded Brazilian drummers in this idiom. In 2002 Duduka’s first solo album, Samba Jazz Fantasia, was the first “Samba Jazz” instrumental album ever to be nominated for the American Grammy® Award. He has recorded and toured with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gerry Mulligan, Astrud Gilberto, Phil Woods, Kenny Barron, Lee Konitz, Eddie Gomez, Herbie Mann, Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Wilson, John Pizzarelli, John Scofield,Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Oscar Castro Neves, and many others.
“CONNECTED” was formed in 2020. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Richie Goods and Chien Chien decided to do a project that would unify people and invoke imagery of love and peace. As often happens, music was the catalyst that bridged the gap and resulted in a rare collaboration; a partnership that produced “The Path” Sep. 2020, “We Three Kings” Nov. 2020, and “Rain” Dec. 2021. They decided to cement their musical relationship by creating “Connected.” Together, Richie and Chien Chien create an exciting, new, energetic listening experience and attract audiences everywhere. Their new release, “Richie Goods & Chien Chien – Connected” was released January 13, 2023, and has been on the jazz charts for 12 weeks.
Latin Grammy winner and multi-Grammy nominee, Argentine-born and New York-based pianist and composer Emilio Solla’s first band, Apertura, (1983-1989) was praised by Astor Piazzolla as one of the most interesting new sounds in the Buenos Aires scene in 1986. Today, with eleven CDs as bandleader and more than forty as arranger/producer, he is regarded by peers and critics as one of the most outstanding and unique composers in the Tango-Jazz field, a musical language which blends Argentine tango and folk with jazz and other contemporary music styles. He has performed all around Europe, Japan, the US and Latin America. The Tango Jazz Orchestra (TJO) is Emilio’s most ambitious project to date. A full 17-piece jazz orchestra which replaces the guitar by a bandoneon. This large ensemble has allowed Solla to take his blend of tango and Latin American music with jazz to a whole new level. The orchestra recorded and released its first work, “Puertos, Music of International Waters” in 2019. One of Solla’s compositions was nominated that same year for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement (sharing the honor with Vince Mendoza, John Williams and Jacob Collier) and the full album was awarded the 2020 Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.
For more information on each individual artist, as well as more festival details, visit their website. For updates and festival highlights, be sure to follow their Facebook and Instagram.
The City of Albany’s 21st Annual Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival will kick off on Saturday, September 9th. The all-day free event will begin at 12 pm at the Corning Preserve Boat Launch under the 787 bridge. Five live acts will take the stage throughout the day, concluding at 8 pm with a fireworks display.
Since the debut event in 2002, the City of Albany Jazz Festival features an eclectic array of musical greats, acclaimed up-and-coming artists, as well as local favorites. The festival features food, beverages, and great vendors for all ages. Admission is free.
Local favorites include Kevin McNeal, an Albany native, who excels in the local jazz scene. He leads his group, BluesWing, for the first live performance of the event.
In addition to music, the Henry Johnson Award for Distinguished Community Services will be presented to Valerie Alexander-Moseley. Alexander-Moseley is a local community leader with a passion for economic and social justice throughout West Hill and the city of Albany.
Ground rules for the event include no glass, animals, or recording of performances. All City of Albany parks are now curb-to-curb tobacco-free and marijuana-free. In the event of inclement weather, the Jazz Festival will be held at the Corning Preserve Boat Launch. More information and updates are available at albanyevents.org.
