Arctic Monkeys played two sold out shows at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY over September 8-9, as part of their ongoing North American tour. The second evening at Forest Hills Stadium coincided with the tenth anniversary of their self-titled album, and marked their return to Forest Hills Stadium after last playing there in 2018.
Arctic Monkeys at Forest Hills Stadium, NY. Photography by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
Beloved post-punk outfit Fontaines DC opened for Arctic Monkeys both nights. They played powerful hard-hitting sets, warming up the crowd before the Arctic Monkeys took the stage.
Fontaines DC at Forest Hills Stadium, NY. Photography by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
On the second night, legendary poet John Cooper Clarke introduced the band with his spoken word poem “I Wanna Be Yours,” which the band had covered in their self-titled album.
John Cooper Clarke introduces Arctic Monkeys at Forest Hills Stadium, NY. Photography by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
After taking the stage to rapturous applause, Arctic Monkeys started the second evening’s set with the opening track on their self-titled record, “Do I Wanna Know.”
Arctic Monkeys at Forest Hills Stadium. Photography by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
Fans of all ages seemed to know the words to every song, occasionally even singing the guitar melodies along with the band.
Arctic Monkeys at Forest Hills Stadium. Photography by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
The setlist featured many of the band’s most iconic tracks from their catalog, including “Brianstorm,” “Why Do You Only Call Me When You’re High,” and “Fluorescent Adolescent.” At the end of “There Better Be a Mirrorball” from their latest record, a large disco ball descended from above, bearing the singular word “Monkeys” on both sides. They immediately launched into “505” and the mirrorball lit up, spreading dots of glowing white light throughout the stadium and its 13,000 fans. This induced a seemingly-involuntary cheer among the audience, who lost themselves in the moment that was certainly a highlight from the show.
Arctic Monkeys at Forest Hills Stadium. Photography (captured on a point-and-shoot) by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
For their encore, the band returned to the stage to play their cover of John Cooper Clarke’s “I Wanna Be Yours,” and closed their sold out two-night run with “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” and “R U Mine?” (which they started with the opening chords to The Strokes’ “Last Nite”).
Arctic Monkeys at Forest Hills Stadium. Photography (captured on a point-and-shoot) by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
Arctic Monkeys North American tour with Fontaines DC continues, and you can check out their upcoming tour dates here and stream their music here. And if you like the Monkeys, you should definitely listen to Fontaines DC’s catalog here.
Check out our full gallery below, with photography by David Reichmann.
Taper’s Choice, the Los Angeles jamband super group have announced fall tour dates, kicking off with a pair of shows at Union Pool in Brooklyn over September 15-16. They’ll also make a stop at Woodsist Fest, held in Accord, NY on September 22.
Taper’s Choice – Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), Dave Harrington (Darkside), Zach Tenorio-Miller (Arc Iris) and Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend) – will make stops in Montague, Mass for a show at Big Brown, then head up to Burlington for a show at the famed Nectar’s. They’ll then head back down toward the Hudson Valley for their appearance at Woodsist Festival, which will also see performances by Kevin Morby, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Avery Tare, Woods, Cass McCombs, Bombino, Natural Information Society, Scientist, MJ Lenderman, Water from Your Eyes and more.
As Aquarium Drunkard notes in their interview with Taper’s Choice, the band took the stage to a sold out crowd at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood, CA, without having played a note together. The crowd was in agreement as the musicianship on display thrust the band into conversations among jamband aficionados, quickly becoming a sought after ticket at clubs around the country.
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.
On Thursday, August 31, Jackson Browne and his band performed at the Koussevitzky Music Shed in Lenox, Massachusetts, performing as part of Tanglewood’s 2023 Popular Artist Series.
With the ring of the shed bell, the show began promptly at 7pm. Jackson, taking to the stage solo with one of his many guitars that he would use through the night, performed “Don’t Let Us Get Sick”, a Warren Zevon cover, before motioning for his band to join him on stage.
The evening was filled with a stellar setlist, fantastic vocals and an outstanding instrumental performance. Jackson shared stories that inspired the songs that were played. The night was filled with many well-known hits such as, “Somebody’s Baby”, “Doctor my Eyes” and, “Running on Empty” to name a few.
While they kept to their planned setlist, they did play the audience’s request of “Lawyers, Guns and Money” during the 2nd set. The audience was filled with people of all ages having a great time dancing and singing along throughout the evening.
Jackson Browne – Koussevitzky Music Shed in Lenox, Massachusetts – August 31, 2023
Set 1: Don’t Let Us Get Sick (Warren Zevon cover), Downhill From Everywhere, Until Justice Is Real, For Everyman, My Opening Farewell, Time The Conqueror, The Long Way Around, Call It a Loan, Sky Blue and Black, The Indifference of Heaven (Warren Zevon Cover), Doctor My Eyes, These Days, The Barricades of Heaven.
Set 2: Farther On, The Naked Ride Home, Too Many Angels, I’m Alive, Fountain of Sorrow, For A Dance, Love Needs a Heart, Boulevard, Rock Me on The Water, Somebody’s Baby, Lawyers, Guns and Money (Warren Zevon cover), Your Bright Baby Blues, Sleep’s Darker and Silent Gate, The Pretender, Running on Empty
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.
In a historic revival of Grateful Dead music culture, CEG Presents and Keeping the Dead Alive, are thrilled to announce the launch of weekly Grateful Dead night “Dead Country Tuesdays.”
This event marks the return of a weekly Dead Night to Manhattan after a hiatus of over two decades. The festivities are set to kick off Tuesday, Sept. 12 at Hill Country Live on 26th Street east of 6th Avenue in Manhattan.
The inaugural evening will feature a high-energy performance by the hot, up-and-coming Grateful Dead tribute band, Strangers Stopping Strangers out of Jersey City. Fans can expect a mix of classic Dead tunes and energetic interpretations from the group, whose commitment to capturing the lively essence of the Grateful Dead has garnered them a cult following.
Dayna Bauman, co-creator of “Dead Country Tuesdays,” expressed, “Memento Mori is remembering that things pass. The Dead taught us that when they do if we show up together, we can transmute them once again into something beautiful. That’s our hope here, to honor this legacy while supporting the birth of the next generation of music.”
Bauman founded Keeping the Dead Alive to introduce the musicians who have been inspired by the Grateful Dead, particularly the next generation of original musicians who are influenced by the group. She has worked tirelessly to preserve and promote the music and ethos of the Grateful Dead. “Dead Country Tuesdays” is a testament to her unwavering commitment to keeping the spirit of the Dead alive.
Tickets for “Dead Country Tuesdays” can be purchased online here.
“Dead Country Tuesdays” Schedule
September 12 Strangers Stopping Strangers 19 Shakedown Citi 26 Near Dead Experience October 24 Steely Dead 31 Bearly Dead November 7 tba 14 Workingman’s Jed 28 Knock ‘Em Dead
Dubbed the Gruesome Twosome when Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie toured together 13 years ago, the pair have reunited for their Freaks on Parade 2023 co-headlining tour that brought them to the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY this past Saturday, September 9, for another haunted hell ride. Joined by industrial pioneers Ministry and the eclectic alternative rockers Filter, these special guests have opened every show on the massive, 38-date trek of North America.
Alice Cooper | Photo Credit: Michael Dinger
Cooper, the 75-year old “Godfather of Shock Rock,” is promoting his 22nd solo album Road (earMusic), released last month. Bringing a signature style of macabre rock, Cooper’s stage show included a boa constrictor brandished across his shoulders and escaping from a straight jacket only to meet his maker guillotine-style at the hands of his wife Sheryl, in the gowned guise of Marie Antoinette. Cooper and his bandmates – “Hurricane” Nita Strauss (guitar), Tommy Henricksen (guitar), Chuck Garrick (bass) and Glen Sobel (drums) – offered up a set filled with classic tracks, including “I’m Eighteen” (the 1971 single that put him on the map), “Feed My Frankenstein,” “Poison,” and the closing number, “School’s Out.”
Rob Zombie | Photo Credit: Michael Dinger
An acclaimed cult horror filmmaker, Zombie is said to be turning his attention back to music and is currently working on his first new material since he dropped his seventh studio album, The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (Nuclear Blast), back in 2021. Backed by Piggy D. (bass), Ginger Fish (drums) and Mike Riggs (who is back with the band after replacing guitarist John 5), Zombie delivered a theatrical, mind-blowing performance to the near 15,000-capacity crowd.
The stagecraft was impeccable, complete with pyrotechnics, a hovering flying saucer, large-scale puppetry and eye-popping, next-level videos displayed across numerous high-def screens. Zombie and company delivered a 14-song set (including an epic drum solo) comprised of notable hits like “House of 1000 Corpses” and “Living Dead Girl,” along with two covers by his former band White Zombie – “More Human Than Human” and “Thunder Kiss ’65.” The night concluded with Zombie’s most notorious anthem, “Dragula.”
Filter Setlist: The Drowning > For the Beaten > Obliteration > Take a Picture > Welcome to the Fold > Hey Man Nice Shot
Ministry Setlist: Thieves > The Missing > Deity > Stigmata > Supernaut > Burning Inside > N.W.O. > Just One Fix > Goddamn White Trash
Alice Cooper Setlist: Lock Me Up > No More Mr. Nice Guy > I’m Eighteen > Under My Wheels > Billion Dollar Babies > Hey Stoopid > Lost in America > Snakebite > Feed My Frankenstein > Poison > “The Black Widow” segment from Alice Cooper: The Nightmare > Nita Strauss Guitar Solo > Black Widow Jam > Ballad of Dwight Fry > Killer > I Love the Dead > Elected > School’s Out
Rob Zombie Setlist: The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition) > Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown > Feel So Numb > Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O. > What Lurks on Channel X? > Superbeast > Demonoid Phenomenon > The Lords of Salem > House of 1000 Corpses > Drum Solo > Living Dead Girl > More Human Than Human (White Zombie song) > Thunder Kiss ’65 (White Zombie song) > Dragula
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
09/12 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena 09/13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center 09/15 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Azura Amphitheater 09/16 – Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre 09/19 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater 09/20 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre 09/22 – Concord, CA @ Toyota Pavilion at Concord 09/23 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center 09/24 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre 10/04 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre 10/05 – Wilmington, NC @ Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College 10/07 – Evansville, IN @ Aiken Theatre 10/08 – Wheeling, WV @ Wesbanco Arena 10/10 – Troy, OH @ Hobart Arena 10/11 – Wabash, IN @ Honeywell Center 10/13 – Paducah, KY @ The Carson Center for the Performing Arts 10/14 – North Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena 10/15 – Lafayette, LA @ Heymann Performing Arts Center 10/17 – Enid, OK @ Stride Bank Center 10/19 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts 10/20 – Rio Rancho, NM @ Rio Rancho Events Center 10/21 – Tucson, AZ @ AVA Amphitheatre 10/23 – Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre 10/25 – Highland, CA @ Yaamava’ Resort & Casino 10/26 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort and Casino 10/28 – Las Vegas, NV @ Zappos Theater
The Brooklyn Bowl has announced its 12th annual Bowl Hashanah, set for Saturday, Sept. 16, featuring morning services and a number of well-known musicians.
Presented by The Friday Night Jam & FANS.live, the event will kick off at 10:30 AM with Rosh Hashanah morning services led by Rabbi Daniel Brenner with musical director Jeremiah Lockwood, Antibalas’ Jordan McLean (who just wrapped a performance at Newport Jazz Festival), Antibalas’ Timothy Allen, drummer John Bollinger, saxophonist Stuart Bogie and Yula Berri on vocals and bass.
In addition, Taper’s Choice/Darkside member Dave Harrington, Taper’s Choice/Real Estate member Alex Bleeker, Dr. Dog member, and Kevin Morby collaborators Erick Slick and Will Epstein will all make guest appearances. Afro-beat group Armo will also perform a spiritual set. Internationally based teacher Aliza Rivka will lead a guided meditation at each event. After services at 12:30 PM, a lunch will be provided by Blue Ribbon with a ticket purchase.
All proceeds will support the non-profit organization Shalom Y’all Jams, which works to organize holiday services at non-traditional locations.
We have said for years that Brooklyn Bowl is our sanctuary, clubhouse, church and synagogue, so it only makes sense that it has grown into the spiritual home for our musically inclined Rosh Hashanah services over the years. Especially at a time when so many of us have been apart from our friends and family due to the pandemic, we hope that our suite of traditional-but-open-minded-and-inclusive services will allow us to connect with each other as we ‘begin again’ at the start of this new year.
Relix’s Editor-in-Chief Mike Greenhaus
The Brooklyn Bowl was ranked the #1 busiest club in NYC and #7 busiest club in the world in 2017 by Pollstar. Featuring groundbreaking integration of premiere music, 16 lanes of bowling, a bar featuring locally crafted beers, and food by the acclaimed Blue Ribbon restaurant group, the venue, aka “rock and roll heaven” (Village Voice) boasts a sound system and amenities that “no other local rock club can offer” (The New York Times). Environmentally sustainable, the venue is the first L.E.E.D.-certified bowling alley in the world and serves paper straws.
The Friday Night Jam & FANS.live have a number of other spiritually and musically inclined High Holiday Services which can be streamed live here. Each service will be led by Rabbi Daniel Brenner and musical director Jeremiah Lockwood, featuring Antibalas’ Jordan McLean, Yuli Beeri, saxophonist Stuart Bogie, and a full live band. Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye, The Lonesome Prairie Dogs’ Heidi Lieb, and drummer Amir Ziv will also perform live at the Relix Studio during the streams.
Livestream Schedule
Friday, SEPT 15 @ 7:30 PM EST from The Relix Studio
Saturday, SEP 16 @ 10 AM EST from Brooklyn Bowl
Sunday, Sept 24 @ 7:30 PM from The Relix Studio (stream live via Fans.live)
Monday, Sept 25 @ 10 AM from The Relix Studio (stream live via Fans.live)
As part of the event’s anniversary celebration, during the Sunday, Sept. 25 service, Lockwood’s The Sway Machinery will present Hidden Melodies Revealed 15 at Brooklyn Bowl. This new iteration of the concert-ritual will celebrate the widening circles of cantorial revival, and Yiddish experimental expressive culture that have emerged in the last decade. Offering a counterpoint to The Sway Machinery’s futurist sound, a second stage will be set up in the middle of the venue that will host a “radical traditionalist” band performing new arrangements of Jewish ritual music on strings.
For more information on Bowl Hashanah, visit here.
Mexican music group Marca MP announced additional dates to their upcoming tour, including a show at NYC’s Palladium on March 9. The first leg of the 11-city tour kicks off on October 6 in Atlanta, GA, with the second leg beginning on March 1 in Sacramento, CA.
Marca MP, a romantic and old-fashioned yet daring musical group, consists of Chato (vocals/guitar), Omar Valdivia (guitar), and Ernesto Franco (tuba). With their simple arrangement of guitars, bass, and tuba, the band’s style shines through with the minimalistic framework.
The upcoming tour is in support of their most recent single, “Déjame Ser,” now available on all streaming platforms.
The general on-sale for Brindo Tour will start on Friday, September 8 at 10 AM at LiveNation.com.
BRINDO 2023/2024 TOUR DATES:
Fri, Oct 6 — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy
Sun, Oct 8 — Charlotte, NC — Ovens Auditorium
Fri, Oct 13 — El Paso, TX — Plaza Theatre
Sat, Oct 14 — Houston, TX — 713 Music Hall
Fri, Oct 20 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center
Sat, Oct 28 — Palm Desert, CA — Acrisure Arena
Sat, Nov 4 — Phoenix, AZ — Footprint Center
Fri, Mar 1 — Sacramento, CA — Golden 1 Center
Sat, Mar 2 — Las Vegas, NV — The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Fri, Mar 8 — Rosemont, IL — Allstate Arena
Sat, Mar 9 — New York, NY — Palladium Times Square
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.
