Brooklyn-based MC Skyzoo has dropped his newest studio creation, told from the point of view of “Franklin Saint”, the series protaganist of FX’s Snowfall. The video for lead single “Straight Drop” has also been released.
Skyzoo Releases New Concept Album
Art Imitating Art
Across this new 10 song character study, Skyzoo puts himself in the mind of the character, and raps about the motivations, surroundings, and the reality of the drug epidemic.
“When making this album, I wanted to do something that creatively pushed a button. Something that served a purpose, while trying to understand both sides of the fence that it represents. The idea of a fictional character, Franklin Saint, and what his innermost thoughts could be when dealing with the worlds he’s caught in between. What makes it so intriguing is that his character and his world are mirrors of a time and era that really happened. The birth of one of the world’s most addictive drugs and how its ripple effect took on a life that may seemingly never die. The crack era was one of the worst chapters in black America’s story. Using the Snowfall series as a vehicle to delve into both sides was truly fascinating as an emcee”.
Skyzoo
This companion experience comes at a perfect time, as the sixth and final season of FX’s Snowfall begins airing on February 22, 2023.
The Mind Of A Saint, Now available
A Successful Partnership
For this LP, Skyzoo once again teamed with D.C based The Other Guys. The production duo of Mighty Joe and Isaiah “Insanate” Mensah follow have been collaborating with Skyzoo for years. Their music chemistry is palpable on this project, which has relatable themes, even to those not familiar with Snowfall. The songs feature thoughtful interludes, and Pete Rock/DJ Premier-style outro beats at the end.
While not new to the ‘conceptual album” as evident on his previous projects, this is definitely Skyzoo’s most ambitious, and often grueling project.
“It was one of the most intense projects I’ve ever written. The idea of becoming a fictional character, which represents actual real-life events, making sure to hit every detail, from both the show and our real world, was a writing exercise like no other” Skyzoo claims. “I’m honored to have been able to do so, and I’m honored that The Other Guys trusted me to step outside a box, and truly push the envelope with this. Enjoy, and remember, like they told us in the ’80s: Just Say No.”
Skyzoo’s The Mind Of A Saint is now available at all DSP’s via First Generation Rich/HiPNOTT Records.
Teaming up for what promises to be an unforgettable jaunt of epic proportions, French heavy metal luminaries Gojira will join forces with iconic heavy rock band Mastodon for a massive co-headline tour across North America in 2023. “The Mega-Monsters Tour” finds these two juggernauts taking over arenas and amphitheaters throughout the Spring and Summer, alternating closing sets each night. They’ll be in at Coney Island Amphitheater on August 12 and Syracuse at the OnCenter the next day, August 13.
The tour kicks off at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR on April 18th and includes stops at legendary venues such as the Forum in Los Angeles, CA on April 21st. The first leg concludes at Santander Arena in Reading, PA on May 11th and resumes with a second leg that runs August 9th through September 2nd.
Special guest Lorna Shore serves as direct support on all dates. General on-sale will launch January 20that 10:00am local time with VIP ticket packages available at gojira-music.com and mastodonrocks.com.
Mastodon hit the road in support of their critically acclaimed ninth studio album, HUSHED AND GRIM. Meanwhile, Gojira are out supporting their seventh full-length album, Fortitude, which garnered a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Best Metal Performance” for “Amazonia.” These two titans previously canvased North America together in 2014, and this reunion represents yet another major milestone in their respective careers.
GOJIRA & MASTODON “THE MEGA-MONSTERS TOUR”WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LORNA SHORE
LEG 1
4/18 Portland, OR Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4/20 Concord, CA Concord Pavilion 4/21 Los Angeles, CA The Forum 4/22 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre 4/23 Las Vegas, NV Virgin 4/26 Dallas, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory 4/28 Houston, TX 713 Music Hall 4/29 Austin, TX Moody Center 4/30 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre 5/2 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium 5/4 Boca Raton, FL Sunset Cove Amphitheater 5/5 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre 5/6 Atlanta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre 5/7 Asheville, NC Harrah’s Cherokee Center 5/9 Richmond, VA Virginia Credit Union Live 5/10 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion 5/11 Reading, PA Santander Arena
LEG 2
8/9 Cincinnati, OH MegaCorp Pavilion 8/10 Cleveland, OH Jacob’s Pavilion 8/11 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE Outdoors 8/12 New York, NY Coney Island Amphitheater 8/13 Syracuse, NY OnCenter 8/15 Detroit, MI Masonic Temple 8/17 Toronto, ON RBC Echo Beach 8/18 Laval, QC Place Bell 8/19 Portland, ME Cross Insurance Arena 8/20 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall 8/23 Milwaukee, WI BMO Pavilion 8/25 Hammond, IN Horseshoe 8/26 Omaha, NE Westfair Amphitheater 8/27 Minneapolis, MN Waite Park Amphitheater 8/29 St. Louis, MO The Factory 8/30 Kansas City, MO Azura Amphitheater 9/1 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheater 9/2 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater
Phil Lesh & Friends have announced that they will be performing at The Capitol Theatre to ring in Lesh’s 83rd birthday and celebrate his 100th show at the theatre, since reopening in 2012.
Phil Lesh announced on his Instagram account the set of dates at the theatre, from March 15, 17, 18, and 19. He will be celebrating his 83 birthday on March 15, and also on one of the dates he will be celebrating his 100th show at the venue.
At the shows there will be special guests, composed of industry heavy-hitters and former colleagues of the bandleader. Topping the lineup is Goose’s Rick Mitarontonda, followed by Medeski Martin & Wood mainstay John Medeski. Violinist Katy Jacoby will perform alongside them, as well as Lesh’s son and Midnight North guitarist/vocalist Grahame Lesh.
Other guests include songstress Nicki Bluhm, as well as the beloved members of the Trey Anastasio Band’s horn section: James Casey, Natalie Cressman and Jennifer Hartswick. Percussionist John Molo will also be performing each night.
Lesh announced on his 82nd birthday his Phil-O-Ween run, which occurred last October at The Capitol Theatre. He continues the tradition of having birthday shows at his favored venue. Tickets will go on sale to the general public starting on Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. to learn more, go here.
The Helen Sung Quartet will perform as part of the Lost Jazz Shrines series at Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Satuday, February 18. The performance will recall the Greenwich Village jazz club Boomer’s, as well as hard bop jazz pianist Cedar Walton.
The Lost Jazz Shrines series is dedicated to bringing legendary NYC jazz clubs back into the consciousness of the world with a thorough remembrance and celebration. Boomer’s was a jazz club in Greenwich Village during the 1970s and a venue for bebop musicians, with artists Barry Harris and Kenny Barron playing there.
At the club, Cedar Walton recorded the albums A Night at Boomers, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Cedar Walton was an American hard bop jazz pianist who came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey’s band before establishing a long career as a bandleader and composer. Several of his compositions have become jazz standards, including “Mosaic”, “Bolivia”, “Holy Land”, “Mode for Joe” and “Fantasy in D.”
The Helen Sung Quartet is comprised of Sung (piano), Jaleel Shaw (alto saxophone), Reuben Rogers (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums). Pianist/composer Sung is a graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance and won the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition. Her newest album Quartet+ garnered a 4.5 star DownBeat review and inclusion in its “Best of 2021 Albums” list, and a JazzTimes cover story (January 2022 issue). In addition to her own band, Helen has performed with such luminaries as the late Clark Terry, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Regina Carter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and more.
Helen’s 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship is being applied toward a multi-movement composition for big band; one of the movements, “Wayne’s World,” won the 2022 BMI Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize.
Tribeca Performing Arts Center is located at 199 Chambers Street. For performances in Theatre 1, enter the West. St. Gate, on 190 West St., north of Chambers St. and south of Harrison Street.
Before the concert, join for a free Conversation With Helen Sung at 7PM, with Artistic Director of Jazz Programming Willard Jenkins interviewing Helen Sung. Tickets are available here.
After years of delay, De La Soul will release their catalog on streaming services on March 3, 2023, the 34th anniversary of the release of 3 Feet High and Rising the Amityville groups’ debut release. The album, which went platinum, reached the top of the R&B chart, and even made it into the Top 40 of the pop music charts, including the single “The Magic Number.”
The influential Long Island group, including members Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove and Pasemaster Mase found new life for “The Magic Number” after an appearance in the credits of Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021. The song would sample from the 1973 Bob Dorough song “3 is the Magic Number” – Somewhere in this hip-hop soul community / Was born three Mace, Dove, and Me / And that’s the magic number – as well as sampling James Brown, Johnny Cash and Eddie Murphy.
In addition to the digital reissue, “The Magic Number” has also been made available in a handful of physical formats, including a 7″ single and a cassette single.
The group revealed in 2019 that their six albums released while under contract with the Tommy Boy record label would be on streaming services soon. Disagreements with the label, as well as an exploitative contract that cut royalties for the group also made it difficult to clear samples used on the album. After Tommy Boy was acquired by Reservoir Media, a resolution was reached in 2021, leading to the six albums – 3 Feet High And Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001) – to appearing on streaming services, effective March 3, 2023.
De La Soul’s last album was 2016’s And The Anonymous Nobody…, featured Talking Heads’ David Byrne, Little Dragon, 2 Chainz, Snoop Dogg, Samon Albarn, Estelle, Usher and more and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rap Album category.
The band, in speaking with Apple Music, reflected on their catalog, with Trugory saying “3 Feet High and Rising was inspired, maybe just the state that we were in as kids, just not afraid to say, ‘This is me.’ At the same time, it also gave birth to an era, a sound, a style in Hip Hop.”
Posdnuos added: “Dealing with how the media was labeling us, purposely putting us as the champion of gangsta rap or… None of that really mattered to us. We’re part of something that’s truly bigger than us, so now it’s even another thing of having a responsibility to continue on just for, one, three being three Black men who stuck together; two, being a part of a culture that wasn’t supposed to happen.”
The hip-hop collective will be touring the UK in April, playing shows in London, Glasgow, Nottingham and Manchester.
Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele will star in the new Kander & Ebb musical New York, New York, which will begin previews at Broadway’s St. James Theatre March 24, 2023 prior to an official opening April 26, 2023. A love story set in post-World War II New York, Kander & Ebb’s newest venture will sure to delight.
Ryan (Girl From The North Country, The Girl From Plainville) will play Jimmy Doyle with Uzele (Dear Edward) as Francine Evans. Additional cast and creative team members will be announced at a later date.
Inspired by the 1977 film of the same name, New York, New York, marks the first new John Kander & Fred Ebb musical to open on Broadway since 2015’s Tony Award Nominee, The Visit. This project will reunite Kander with director and choreographer Stroman, book writer Thompson, and co-writer Washington, who collaborated with Kander and the late Ebb on Broadway’s The Scottsboro Boys, which was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Additional lyrics will also be by Academy Award nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda, while direction and choreography will be headed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman.
Jimmy Doyle will be played by Broadway alum Colton Ryan. Ryan is perhaps most recognizable from his performance in Girl From The North Country for which he received the 2019 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance. Viewers from the silver screen will recognize Ryan from the film adaptation of “Dear Evan Hansen”, reclaiming his role from the stage production.
Colton Ryan, Broadways newest Jimmy Doyle
New York New York’s female lead will be played by actress Anna Uzele. Uzele is most famously know for originating the role of ‘Catherine Parr’ in the Broadway debut of Six. She and the cast were recently nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Though she has passed her crown on, fans of Uzele will sure to be delighted with her ‘Francine Evans’.
ANNA UZELE to star as Francine Evans
Performances begin Friday, March 24, 2023 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street). Tickets are on sale now at NewYorkNewYorkBroadway.com
Over its 20-year history, globalFEST has become one of NYC’s most anticipated annual concert events, a multi-act spectacular that has introduced intrepid music-lovers and professional tastemakers alike to over 200 dynamic artists from 70 different countries.
On Sunday, January 15, its 2023 edition spanned three stages at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall showcasing 10 electrifying acts, from the Cambodian-American psychedelic rock of Dengue Fever to Mexico’s punk and marimba-inflected Son Rompe Pera to America’s new first family of gospel and 2022 NEA Heritage Fellows, The Legendary Ingramettes.
L to R – Meera Dugal, 2023 guest curator; Ian Thake, gF administrator; Isabel Soffer, co-founder and director; Bill Bragin, co-founder and co-director; Shanta Thake, co-director and Lincoln Center Artistic Director.
globalFEST takes place during JanArtsNYC, an annual collective of hot festivals showcasing all forms of performing arts during New York’s coldest month – from theater and dance to opera and jazz, the latter via the also much-anticipated WinterJazzFest. Importantly, these all coincide with APAP, The Association of Performing Arts Professionals. This convention brings hundreds of bookers from performing arts centers and independent venues all across the country to sample new artists whom they can contract for performances. In large part via coinciding with APAP, globalFEST has helped jumpstart the domestic touring careers of notables like Antibalas, Angelique Kidjo, Amythyst Kiah, Martha Redbone, Rhiannon Giddens to name a few. This year’s lineup was curated by festival co-directors Bill Bragin, Isabel Soffer and Shanta Thake, who helped bring the event to Lincoln Center via her role as its Chief Artistic Officer. Meera Dugal served as a guest curator.
globalFEST is not only one of the most original and ear-opening music festivals, but one of the most well-run and compact. Within the space of five hours, attendees can revel in truly original sounds from a multitude of artists covering many distinct genres from every corner of the globe.
The first act I caught at this year’s event was The Legendary Ingramettes. Inspired by the Black male gospel quartets of the 1940s and 50s, this multi-generational female singing trio, founded by the late Maggie Ingram and now led by her dynamic daughter Almetta, brought roof-raising harmonies and explosive lead vocals to light an early fire at globalFEST. Aletta and crew imparted a Sunday church vibe with pulverizing takes on up-tempo numbers like “Take A Look In the Book” and “Time Is Winding Up.” They then soaked every ounce of pathos out of their gospelized ballad including “I’ve Endured,” the classic by Appalachian folkie Ola Belle Reid, and Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands.”
Another standout performance was that of Llergo (Maria Jose), a young flamenco singer from Andalucia, Spain with a deep knowledge of both the classic form and a penchant for experimentation and avant-garde touches. Her set began with a stirring ballad accompanied by the stellar guitar work of Marc Lopez, who served up fiery runs and foot stomping percussives to adorn her alternatively whispering and searing vocals. In later songs in the set, they were accompanied by a keyboardist who introduced ethereal synth textures and trip hop beats from his laptop – modern flavors that bring to mind the groundbreaking work of another great Latina who fuses tradition with electronica, Juana Molina.
The duo of Brit Justin Adams and Italian Mauro Durante was another highlight. Adams, who has been the producer of Mali’s guitar greats Tinariwen’s albums and also guitarist for Robert Plant’s world music forays, laid down a distorted post-punk take on Arabic and African trance blues. This was complemented by Durante’s searing violin solos, tambourine and vocals. Their collaboration contained shades of delta blues, Southern Italian “taranta” dance songs and even a bit of No Wave/free jazz that brought to mind guitarist James “Blood” Ulmer’s wonderful Odyssey trio of the mid-1980s. The performance by Malian/French quartet Tamikrest also plied the Saharan desert blues sound. Unlike their better-known counterparts, Mdou Moctar, Tamikrest is more intent on building collective danceable grooves rather than serving as a rhythmic backdrop for Hendrix-inspired soloing.
The award for best crowd work at globalFEST 2023 definitely goes to Khadija El Warzazia’s Bnat el Houariyat & Esraa Warda. A collective of six female artists from Morocco, Algeria and the U.S., they served up a high-energy set of celebratory trance music, one featuring call-and-response singing, roaring percussion and complex polyrhythms. The mesmerizing Algerian-American dancer Esraa Warda completed the sensory assault with non-stop gyrations and a “hair-swaying dance” that was copied by more than a few in the audience. An almost as engaging performance was that of Moonlight Benjamin. Born in Haiti and living in France, she is both vodou priestess and a powerful singer-songwriter in the rock mode. Moonlight was supported by a killer band featuring dueling guitarists who employed a smart use of stomp boxes and an uncaged noise pop sensibility.
One of the biggest draws of the event was Dengue Fever, the L.A.-based band that has been providing a singular psychedelic take on the Cambodian pop of the 1960s since 2002. The band, which had played the 2007 edition of globalFEST, spun-out a crowd-pleasing set comprised of tunes from their six-album discography. As always, the attention was focused on their lead singer Chhom Nimol, who gracefully populated the role of the cool, elegant chanteuse in a bedazzled mini-dress. While the focus is firmly on the singer and the songs, Dengue Fever provided plenty of instrumental fire from the spaced out guitaring of Zac Holtzman, the gut-bucket tenor sax of David Ralicke and in an extended solo by bassist Senon Williams.
Dengue Fever was followed on the big stage by Meridian Brothers & El Grupo Renacimiento, one of the most wildly creative bands to come out of Colombia in many years. Per their bio, the band works to “excavate the forgotten sounds of the fantastical (imaginary)1970s salsa dura band, El Grupo Renacimiento. The group identifies as “B-class” salsa whose music explores human struggles in the urban city landscape, with themes such as police brutality, social marginalization and addiction.” Like Dengue Fever, there’s an accent on psychedelic effects and exploration, with deluges of reverb and dub stylings in the mix. Fans of Brazil’s Tropicalia pioneers, Os Mutantes, will definitely love Meridian Brothers. They had the crowd in their hands from the first number, a psychedelic spin on Dusty Springfield’s classic, “Son of A Preacher Man,” sung in Spanish of course.
Other artists on the roster included the classically-inspired New York Arabic Orchestra and the garage-marimba-cumbia rock of Mexico City’s Son Rompe Pera, two sets I unfortunately missed. Credit should also go to event production manager Danny Kapilian who made sure the sets went off seamlessly with top-notch sound and lighting.
Those who missed the event can catch NPR Music’s Tiny Desk meets globalFEST, a series that will return for its third year, January 24 – 26 on the NPR Music YouTube channel. The series will present exclusive video performances from nine artists filmed in their respective homelands and a different lineup from the festival at Lincoln Center. NPR’s Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST will once again be hosted by five-time Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo, who performed at the first globalFEST festival in 2004.
To hear more, check out globalFEST 2023’s Spotify playlist
The JazzBuffalo community has weighed in on their favorite Jazz acts for 2022. The 8th Annual JazzBuffalo poll saw nearly 1900 ballots submitted in 36 categories, including voters favorite jazz artists, groups, performances, and supporters.
Winners Of The 2022 JazzBuffalo Poll
Celebrating the Buffalo Jazz Community
“The JazzBuffalo Poll allows the community to be engaged with jazz in a unique way. Strengthening the bond between audiences and jazz performers,” said the founder of JazzBuffalo Tony Zambito. “The poll is reflective of how the jazz community continues to evolve as an integral part of the city’s growing arts and cultural scene.“
This years awards include the John Hunt Jazz Artist of the Year Award, which recognizes an individual that has made a substantial contribution to jazz in Greater Buffalo and contributions to the Greater Buffalo community. This years winner is George Caldwell. “Since moving to Buffalo more than a decade ago, George has made a measurable impact on the jazz community as a performer, bandleader, mentor, educator, community supporter, and advocate for jazz” says Zambito.
Other notable accolades include Jazz Crusader of the Year, won by Jack Zuff for his photography skills, which captured the most memorable performances in 2022. Dave Schiavone is the winner in both the tenor and alto saxophone categories for the first time since the poll began. Ed Croft returns as the winner not only in the bass categories but also as this year’s Rising Star of the Year. Alex McArthur repreats once again as a favorite and winner of Jazz Female Vocalist of the Year. As did Zach Carr for Jazz Male Vocalist of the Year. Donny Frauenhofer and his trio, DF3, made an impact in the genres of fusion and funk, winning in both categories. Dozo My Lady featuring Carolyn Lansom became a first-time winner in the Jazz-Pop category.
Donny is determined, so talented, and so inspiring. Every time I have seen Donny and any project he is in, it has been truly amazing. He is so so good, and strives to make the Buffalo music scene a better place!
JazzBuffalo Voter
Full List Of Winners and Runner Ups
Jazz Tenor Saxophone – Dave Schiavone
Runner-up: Nelson Rivera
Jazz Alto Saxophone – Dave Schiavone
Runner up: Bobby Militello
Jazz Baritone Saxophone – Laura Anderson
Runner-up: Ken Kuriscak
Jazz Trumpet – Tim Clarke
Runner up: Griffith “Kaz” Kazmierczak
Jazz Trombone – Brendan Lanighan
Runner up: John Hasselback, Jr.
Jazz Guitar – Jared Tinkham
Runner up: Rick Strauss
Jared Tinkham is an amazing educator and musician and has inspired multiple students like me, I got into my dream arts college and will be moving to New York City, If it weren’t for Jared Tinkham’s passion for music I would have never discovered the same emotion in my artistry, he is highly respected and definitely my favorite teacher through my years of middle and high school.
JazzBuffalo Voter
Jazz Piano – George Caldwell
Runner up: Jim Beishline
Jazz Organ – Doug “Trigger” Gaston
Runner up: Jim Beishline
Jazz Upright Bass – Ed Croft
Runner up: Stephen Parisi
Jazz Electric Bass – Ed Croft
Runner up: Jack Kulp
Jazz Vibes – Alec Dube
Runner up: Jamie Sunshine
Jazz Drums – John Bacon, Jr.
Runner up: John Anderson
Jazz Percussion – Wendell Rivera
Runner up: Joey Gonzalez
Jazz Female Vocalist – Alex McArthur
Runner up: Cheryl Ferris
Jazz Male Vocalist – Zach Carr
Runner up: Dalton Sharp
Zach is a quintessential artist who takes vocal performance, preparation, and health very seriously and treats every performance like the most important one, whether he’s addressing a few people or a packed audience. He is wildly talented and yet humble and kind, supporting other artists and performers.
JazzBuffalo Voter
Jazz Classic Group – Bobby Militello Quartet
Runner up: My Cousin Toné
Jazz World – Hot Club of Buffalo
Runner up: The Paper Rose Band
Jazz Trad/NOLA/Swing – Buffalo Dolls
Runner up: Back Room Jazz Band
Jazz Fusion – Donny Frauenhofer Trio (DF3)
Runner up: Damone Jackson Outcome
Latin Jazz – Wendell Rivera Latin Jazz Ensemble
Runner up: The Joey Gonzalez Collective
Jazz Big Band – Anderson Big Band
Runner up: East Street Big Band
Jazz Large Ensemble – Brendan Lanighan Octet
Runner up: My Cousin Toné
Jazz Soul/Funk – Donny Frauenhofer Trio (DF3)
Runner up: Universal Phunk
Jazz Pop – Dozo My Lady
Runner up: Miller and The Other Sinners
Jazz Venue – Pausa Art House
Runner up: Sportsmen Tavern
Jazz Major Performing Arts Center – Kleinhans Music Hall
Runner up: UB Center for the Performing Arts
Most Memorable Jazz Performance – A Charlie Brown Christmas: Ed Croft Trio – Seneca One Auditorium
Runner up: Summer Wind: Zach Carr Tribute To Frank Sinatra – Northwest Jazz Festival in Lewiston, NY
Most Memorable International Jazz Performance – Herbie Hancock at Kleinhans Music Hall
Runner up: Emmet Cohen, Mark Whitfield, Troy Roberts, Kyle Poole – Tribute to Joey DeFrancesco at the Northwest Jazz Festival in Lewiston, NY
Jazz CD/EP Release – The Mark Filsinger Chamber Big Band – “Groovin’ High”
Runner up: Jay/Sharp-tet – “For You My Love”
Middle School/High School Educator – Brendan Lanighan
Runner up: Jared Tinkham
College/University Educator – John Bacon, Jr.
Runner up: Bobby Militello
Jazz Rising Star – Ed Croft
Runner up: Brendan Lanighan
Jazz Ex-Pat – Chris Ziemba
Runner up: Don Menza
Jazz Crusader – Jack Zuff – Photographer / JazzBuffalo Contributor
Runner up: Linda Appleby – Historic Colored Musicians Club
John Hunt Jazz Artist of the Year – George Caldwell
Madonna announced Madonna: The Celebration Tour, taking fans through the catalog of her past 40-plus years of music.
Madonna, photo by Ricardo Gomez
Madonna isthe best-selling female solo touring artist of all time, with 38 top 100 hits on Billboard. Some of her hits include “Vogue,” “Music,” “Crazy For You,” “Like a Virgin,” “Like a Prayer,” “Justify My Love,” “Live to Tell” and “Papa Don’t Preach.” Madonna states that she is “excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for.” The tour will also “pay respect to the city of New York, where her career in music began.”
The Celebration Tour will offer a one-of-a-kind experience with special guest Bob the Drag Queen a.k.a.Caldwell Tidicue across all dates on the global tour. In her announcement video, she featured many prominent figures, including Diplo, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Bob The Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter, Eric Andre, and more. The 35-city global tour will kick off in North America on Saturday, July 15 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC with a stop at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, and Thursday, Aug. 24, with added shows on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 due to demand. She will also come to Barclays Center on Dec. 13 and 14.
Tickets go on sale starting Friday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. local time. For more information about the tour and to purchase tickets, go here.
HE CELEBRATION TOUR NORTH AMERICAN DATES:
Sat Jul 15 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena SOLD OUT
Tue Jul 18 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena SOLD OUT
Wed Jul 19 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
Sat Jul 22 Phoenix, AZ Footprint Center On sale Jan. 27/23
Tue Jul 25 Denver, CO Ball Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Thu Jul 27 Tulsa, OK BOK Center On sale Jan. 27/23
Sun Jul 30 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center On sale Jan. 27/23
Wed Aug 02 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse On sale Jan. 27/23
Sat Aug 05 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Mon. Aug 07 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Wed Aug 09 Chicago, IL United Center SOLD OUT
Thu Aug 10 Chicago, IL United Center
Sun Aug 13 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena SOLD OUT
Mon Aug 14 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena SOLD OUT
Sat Aug 19 Montreal, QC Bell Centre SOLD OUT
Sun Aug 20 Montreal, QC Bell Centre SOLD OUT
Wed Aug 23 New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT
Thu Aug 24 New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT
Sat Aug 26 New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT
Sun Aug 27 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Wed Aug 30 Boston, MA TD Garden SOLD OUT
Thu Aug 31 Boston, MA TD Garden
Sat Sep 02 Washington, DC Capital One Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Tue Sep 05 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Thu Sep 07 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena SOLD OUT
Sat Sep 09 Miami, FL Miami-Dade Arena SOLD OUT
Sun Sep 10 Miami, FL Miami-Dade Arena
Wed Sep 13 Houston, TX Toyota Center SOLD OUT
Thu Sep 14 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Mon Sep 18 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center SOLD OUT
Tue Sep 19 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Thu Sep 21 Austin, TX Moody Center SOLD OUT
Fri Sep 22 Austin, TX Moody Center
Wed Sep 27 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena SOLD OUT
Thu Sep 28 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena SOLD OUT
Sat Sep 30 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena SOLD OUT
Sun Oct 01 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena
Wed Oct 04 San Francisco, CA Chase Center SOLD OUT
Thu Oct 05 San Francisco, CA Chase Center SOLD OUT
Sat Oct 07 Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena SOLD OUT
Sun Oct 08 Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena
THE CELEBRATION TOUR NORTH AMERICAN DATES (PART TWO):
Wed Dec 13 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center On sale Jan. 30/23
Thu Dec 14 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center On sale Jan. 30/23
Sun Jan 7 2024 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum On sale Jan. 30/23
Mon Jan 8 2024 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum On sale Jan. 30/23
THE CELEBRATION TOUR EUROPE DATES:
Sat Oct 14 London, UK The O2 SOLD OUT
Sun Oct 15 London, UK The O2 SOLD OUT
Tue Oct 17 London, UK The O2 SOLD OUT
Wed Oct 18 London, UK The O2 SOLD OUT
Sat Oct 21 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis SOLD OUT
Sun Oct 22 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis
Tue Oct 24 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena SOLD OUT
Thu Oct 25 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Sat Oct 28 Stockholm, SE Tele2 Arena
Wed Nov 01 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi SOLD OUT
Thu Nov 02 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi
Mon Nov 06 Lisbon, PT Altice Arena SOLD OUT
Tue Nov 07 Lisbon, PT Altice Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Sun Nov 12 Paris, FR Accor Arena SOLD OUT
Mon Nov 13 Paris, FR Accor Arena SOLD OUT
Sun Nov 19 Paris, FR Accor Arena On sale Jan. 27/23
Wed Nov 15 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena SOLD OUT
Tu. Nov. 16 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena
Thu Nov 23 Milan, IT Mediolanum Forum SOLD OUT
Sat Nov 25 Milan, IT Mediolanum Forum SOLD OUT
Tue Nov 28 Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena SOLD OUT
Venezualachian music duo Larry & Joe are headed to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday, January 25 as part of their first ever tour to the Northeast.
Duo Larry & Joe
Larry & Joe is the latest project of Joe Troop, founder and bandleader of former GRAMMY-nominated Latingrass ensemble Che Apalache, and Larry Bellorín, a powerhouse of Llanera music who’s also an asylum-seeking migrant.
Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. These two will bring their unique fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music to the Capital Region, with an electric show that is sure to be a treat for all ages. The duo fuse their respective Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions (hence, Venezualachian) on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, and maracas. Their bilingual program will include storytelling, humor, and singalongs. This show will feature both distinct blend of their musical traditions as well as storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce.
Fusion Duo Larry & Joe
Tickets are $20 for general admission, $18 for members, $10 for students and children, and $5 for livestream. Tickets available on Eventbrite and at the door. Doors for seating open at 7 pm, show begins at 7:30 pm. All ages encouraged to attend. For more information, visit www.larryandjoe.com
