Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) June Experience 2022

JAS ANNOUNCES JUNE EXPERIENCE LINE-UP

 

Jazz, Soul, Blues, Funk, World Music, Gospel & More  

at Multiple Venues Across the Downtown Core

Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) has announced the initial line-up of both artists and venues for the JAS Experience, June 23-26 in downtown Aspen. The Experience will consist of multiple staggered shows daily, taking place at ten different venues, allowing attendees the opportunity to stroll around town and enjoy a full night of diverse music genres and settings. Unlike in 2021 when ticket buyers were assigned a set schedule, this years format will mirror the inaugural 2019 event, allowing attendees to pick and choose the shows they would like to attend at any given time during the night.

 

Passes for the event go on-sale Thursday, February 17 at 10am including the choice of a 2-day weekend pass (June 24-25), or a daily pass that will allow access into all participating venues on either June 24 or June 25. A weekend VIP pass is also available and will include three nights of dinner and private performances at the Aspen Art Museum (June 23-25).

 

In addition to the Aspen Art Museum, JAS plans to utilize space at the Belly Up, Wheeler Opera House, Limelight Hotel, W Hotel’s 39 Degrees, Sterling Club, Here House and Hotel Jerome’s Felix Coffee and Bad Harriet.

 

At this time JAS is requiring all attendees of the June Experience to show proof of full COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test result taken within 72 hours of arrival. JAS will also be enforcing the policies in place at each specific venue, which means a negative test result may not allow access to all sites, including the Belly Up which is currently requiring full vaccination. These conditions are subject to change based on CDC and Pitkin County Health guidelines at the time of the event.

 

Confirmed artists for Friday include: multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer  Kamasi Washington,  Latin jazz percussionist Poncho Sanchez with his 8-piece band, trailblazing trumpeter, singer and songwriter Bria Skonberg, 4-time GRAMMY nominated husband and wife duo The Baylor Project, the funk & soul-jazz concoctions of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman and Brazilian guitarist Ian Faquini performing a vast spectrum of music in three different languages, blues “wunderkind” guitarist-vocalist Jontavious Willis, Chicago hip-hop/jazz/ reggae/soul group the LowDown Brass Band and multilingual vocal and guitar duo from NYC and Argentina Eleanor Dubinsky and Dario Acosta Teich.

 

Saturday artists include: five-time GRAMMY winning blues guitarist/vocalist Keb’ Mo’, ten-time GRAMMY winners and the most awarded a cappella group of all-time Take 6, world-renowned seven-time GRAMMY winning Bassist Christian McBride, pianist Benny Green and percussionist Jeff Hamilton with their “Remembering Ray Brown” tribute, and Memphis-based soul/blues band Southern Avenue. Also performing again on Saturday are Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini, Jontavious Willis, LowDown Brass Band and Eleanor Dubinsky and Dario Acosta Teich.

 

The Experience will close on Sunday, June 26 with a Gospel Brunch taking place rooftop at the Aspen Art Museum featuring Niki Haris and Wycliffe Gordon. Information on brunch tickets will be released at a later date.

 

The full daily schedule can be found at jazzaspensnowmass.org.

 

General Admission Passes will be available for purchase Thursday at jazzaspensnowmass.org. The 2-day pass will be offered at $199 plus service and single day Friday or Saturday passes at $125 each plus service.

 

Donor/VIP passes are available now at jasstore.org or 970.920.4996. In addition to the nightly dinners VIPs will have the option to request reserved seating at 1-2 venues per night at select venues.

For more information please visit jazzaspensnowmass.org

For more information, please contact:

Jazz Aspen Snowmass · 970-920-4996  

Andrea Beard · abeard@jazzaspen.org

JAZZ NEWS: NAACP Image Award Nomination for The Baylor Project’s ‘Generations’

The Baylor Project’s Generations is Nominated for Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards

The 53rd Annual NAACP Image Awards will take place on February 26 at 8pm EST on BET

The news broke this past Tuesday, January 18. Jean and Marcus Baylor are nominated alongside Jazzmeia Horn, Ledisi, Freda Payne and Rubén Blades y Roberto Delgado & Orquesta. The 53rd Annual NAACP Image Awards will take place on February 26 at 8pm EST on BET.

On Tuesday, January 18, it was announced that the remarkable vocal-drumming duo The Baylor Project received an NAACP Image Awards nomination for Generations, their sophomore album release. Generations is nominated for the 53rd NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal category. Released on June 18, 2021 on the eve of Juneteenth during Black Music Month, Generations celebrates the Black experience, its nuances and layers, and the universality of the human condition. This marks The Baylor Project’s first NAACP Image Award nomination. 

“We are ecstatic to have been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for our album, Generations!  It is truly an honor to stand with so many great artists in a space that was created to advance African-Americans in every area of life,” The Baylors shared. “The NAACP’s cultural, educational, social and political efforts changed the landscape of American life for black people and we are proud to be a part of its rich legacy.”

The Baylor Project features vocalist Jean Baylor and drummer Marcus Baylor, who present nine original compositions and two covers on Generations. The record, released in June, celebrates the Black experience, its nuances and layers, and the universality of the human condition. While the majority of Generations was recorded prior to 2020, the coronavirus pandemic kept the project from reaching completion until 2021. The record features an overabundance of first-call collaborators including special guests Kenny Garrett, Dianne Reeves, Jazzmeia Horn, Jamison Ross, and Sullivan Fortner.

Musically, Generations pulls from married musical partners Marcus’ and Jean’s varied backgrounds rooted in the church, and steeped in soul, jazz, gospel and blues. Storytelling has always been central to The Baylor Project’s creative output, and they have shown a particular adeptness at making their personal stories universally felt. They accomplish this and then some on Generations, which presents as a soulful sonic story quilt released via their own independent record label, Be A Light. 

Photos by Deneka Peniston

Announced in November 2021, Generations is also GRAMMY® nominated in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category at this year’s 64th GRAMMY® Awards taking place in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. This marks The Baylor Project’s fourth GRAMMY® nomination, following a 2020 nod to the single “Sit On Down” in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category and two 2017 nominations from their debut recording, The Journey, in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category and Best Traditional R&B Performance for the single “Laugh And Move On.” A critical and commercial success, The Journey debuted at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart and #8 on the Billboard Jazz Chart upon release. Since its release in June, Generations collected parallel praise from top tier media outlets worldwide, including NPR, WBGO, Glide Magazine, a 4-star mark from Jazzwise and an 11-week run in the Top 5 of JazzWeek’s radio chart.

The Baylor Project is made up of two music industry veterans. Before forming The Baylor Project in 2013, Jean Baylor burst onto the scene in the mid-1990’s as part of the groundbreaking R&B duo Zhané. Marcus Baylor first rose to prominence in the early 2000’s as the drummer for the world-renowned, GRAMMY® Award winning fusion group The Yellowjackets. Both Marcus and Jean have performed and toured with various jazz legends, ranging from Kenny Garrett and John Scofield to Marcus Miller and Harold Mabern. 

Joining Jean and Marcus Baylor in the Outstanding Jazz Album Vocal category at the NAACP Awards is Dear Love by Jazzmeia Horn, Ledisi Sings Nina by Ledisi, Let There Be Love by Freda Payne and Salswing! by Rubén Blades y Roberto Delgado & Orquesta. The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will take place on Saturday, February 26th and air live on BET at 8pm. 

Voting is now open to the public in select categories to determine the winners of the 53rd NAACP IMAGE AWARDS by visiting www.naacpimageawards.net – Winners will be revealed during the 53rd NAACP Image Awards telecast. For all information and the latest news, please visit the official NAACP Image Awards website at www.naacpimageawards.net or on Facebook at naacpimageawards and Twitter @naacpimageaward (#NAACPImageAwards).

About NAACP:

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas at naacp.org.

About BET Networks:

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news, and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant AfricanAmerican consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks – BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

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NEW RELEASE: The Baylor Project, 3X Grammy Nominated Duo, Presents New Album 'GENERATIONS' on June 18, 2021 via Be A Light

3X GRAMMY® Nominated Duo The Baylor Project to Release Second Full-Length Album Generations on June 18, 2021 via Be A Light

Be A Light proudly announces the release of Generations, the highly-anticipated new album by 3X GRAMMY® nominated duo The Baylor Project. Set for release during Black Music Month and on the eve of Juneteenth, June 18th, 2021, this soulful sonic story quilt celebrates the universality of the human condition, viewed through the lens of the Black experience. Married musical partners Marcus and Jean Baylor welcome listeners to their proverbial kitchen table, as they pass on stories of family and faith, and love and legacy over the course of nine original compositions, and two covers. Generations is available for pre-order now for digital download only on iTunes, and includes an instant download of the lead track “Strivin’” featuring special guest Kenny Garrett. 

Anchored by Jean’s crystal-clear vocals, and Marcus’ commanding mastery on the drums, Generations features an overabundance of first-call collaborators including special guests Kenny Garrett, Dianne Reeves, Jazzmeia Horn, Jamison Ross, and Sullivan Fortner, as well as a rock-solid band featuring pianists Shedrick Mitchell and Terry Brewer, bassists Dezron Douglas, Ben Williams, D.J. Ginyard, Richie Goods guitarists Rayfield “Ray Ray”Holloman and Marvin Sewell, saxophonists Keith Loftis and Korey Riker, trumpeters Freddie Hendrix and Christopher Michael Stevens, trombonists Mark Williams and Aaron “Goody” Goode, percussionists Pablo Batista and Aaron Draper and harpist Brandee Younger. A pristine string section augments three of the albums’ tracks, delivering lush string arrangements by Geoffrey Keezer and Darin Atwater.

Storytelling has always been central to the Baylor Project’s creative output, and they have shown a particular adeptness at making their personal stories universally felt. They accomplish this and then some on Generations, which shares poignant stories of the Black experience, influenced by their own unique perspective. In his liner notes for Generations, noted cultural critic Andre Kimo Stone Guess introduces the age-old traditions of quilt making in Black families, and how when these tri-layer textiles are passed down from one generation to the next, their stories go with it. Generations is just like this, he says, but instead of sewing squares, Marcus and Jean poured their heart and soul into a meaningful audio capsule that celebrates love, family, community and faith. 

The Baylor Project notably rose to prominence in 2017 when they released their debut album The Journey. A smashing international success, it debuted at #1 and #8 on the iTunes and Billboard Jazz charts respectively, garnered world-wide acclaim from top-tier media, and went on to receive two GRAMMY® nominations (for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance for their song “Laugh And Move On”). “The Journey was an introduction to the Baylor Project and established that foundation of our sound,” explains Marcus. “Generations is an extension of that sound and goes way deeper into our story, life and culture.” 

While the majority of Generations was recorded prior to 2020, the coronavirus pandemic kept the project from reaching completion. However, the Baylors continued to work on new music. In April 2020, they released “Sit On Down”, a pandemic-era anthem that went on to snag them their third GRAMMY® nod. They also took this downtime to refocus, and to really re-familiarize themselves with who the Baylor Project really is. By the time Generations was a wrap, Marcus and Jean had created their most fully realized and extraordinary project to date. 

Musically, Generations pulls from Marcus and Jean’s varied backgrounds rooted in the church, and steeped in soul, jazz, gospel and blues. Album opener “Strivin’”, featuring special guest and Marcus’ former bandleader, saxophonist Kenny Garrett, is an invigorating boogaloo bounce that immediately sets the mood with it’s Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles leanings. The interlude that follows instantly transports listeners into the Baylor’s living room, as family members of all ages reminisce on love and life. This endearing introduction gives way to the shuffling high point “Happy To Be With You”, which emits an after-church, celebratory air.

Gears shift on the reflective reimagining of “Loves Makes Me Sing”, made famous by R&B songwriter and singer Michael Wykoff in 1980. On this contemporary update, Jean’s crystalline vocals find support in a lush string arrangement by Geoffrey Keezer. Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes,” featuring original lyrics by Jean, comes next, followed by one of the album centerpieces. That would be “2020”, a prayer sang in the form of a blues that takes a page from the Negro Spitirual in spirit. The pulse of the beat leads into the heart of Jean’s wrenching cry, which draws parallels between the racial oppression of yesterday, with the all too prevalent injustices seen today.  That same pulsating beat culminates in a fiery drum solo by Marcus that encapsulates the song in its entirety.

A major highlight of Generations is the upbeat vocal summit in session on “We Swing (The Cypher)”. Jean is the intergenerational bridge between Dianne Reeves and Jazzmeia Horn, a couple of powerhouse jazz vocalists representing two different generations in this celebration of resilience and love. The lush “Becoming” takes inspiration from the majestic balladry of Shirley Horn, and lyrically nods to Michelle Obama’s inspiring biography “Becoming”. “[“Becoming”] really connects the story of Generations by highlighting our individual and collective process of growth through seasons of life,” says Jean. 

“Black Boy” is a somber and telling drama shaped by the age-old realities of racism in current society. Haunting and beautiful, this sweeping composition is also adorned by strings, this time arranged by Darin Atwater. This song asks questions nobody can answer – but yet, even in its heaviness, undeterred faith remains strong. The R&B/soul infused “Walk On By” comes next, followed by the Thelonious Monk-inspired “Do You Remember This?” This reminiscence of earlier times features Jean and Sullivan Fortner in angular vocal-piano interplay before easing into a hard-swinging common time break.

Generations comes full circle toward the end, as it brings listeners back to the Baylor Project’s Gospel roots with the help of the multifaceted Jamison Ross on vocals. Coming from a similar upbringing in the Black church like Marcus and Jean, Jamison, the grandson of a pastor, is the perfect vessel to convey a wise parting message that faith is the answer through the darkness. This is further reinforced with the last track “The Benediction”, which closes the album with an electrifying message of purpose delivered by their brother, Apostle Larry J. Baylor. 

On Generations, The Baylor Project has created a masterful musical exploration that is both timely and timeless. “We hope every listener enjoys this celebration and comes away with a renewed desire to honor those who came before us while positively impacting the next generation,” says The Baylors. 

1. Strivin’ (feat. Kenny Garrett) (5:15)

2. A Love Story (Interlude) (1:46)

3. Happy To Be With You (6:12)

4. Love Makes Me Sing (5:27)

5. Infant Eyes (5:49) 

6. 2020 (7:27)        

7. We Swing “The Cypher” (feat. Jazzmeia Horn & Dianne Reeves)  (5:38)

8. Becoming  (7:29)

9. Black Boy (8:53)

10. Walk On By  (6:18)

11. Do You Remember This? (feat. Sullivan Fortner) (6:32)

12. Only Believe (feat. Jamison Ross) (5:42)  

13. The Benediction (feat. Apostle Larry J. Baylor)  (1:57)

All songs written and arranged by The Baylors with the exception of “Infant Eyes” written by Wayne Shorter and “Love Makes Me Sing” written by Michael Wykoff.

Pre-order