Alfred Kpebesaane & Brittany Anjou - Nong Voru / Fake Love (2021 Chant Records)

Nong Voru, translated from Dagara to English as 'Fake Love', captures the journey of xylophonist Alfred Kpebesaane's (pronounced Kway-Beh-SAH-Nay) origins from the Upper West Region of Ghana to NYC, channeling a novel and eclectic collaboration blending traditional Ghanaian xylophone (gyil) with computer processing and electronic synths by keyboardist producer Brittany Anjou. On Nong Voru, one hears Alfred’s characteristic eccentricities shouted atop his hypnotic master xylophone, Anjou’s melodic at-times-detuned mirroring keyboards playing the traditional role of support xylophone, and the rarest of rare: gyil sampled into electronic sounds of ping pong fractals, by creative Brooklyn-based computer musician Michael Clemow.

1. N Saa Kuuna Veso (The Orphan Song) 05:28

2. Gandaakpina Yangmaa Domme (The Landlord Passed Away) 03:58

3. Yuor Na Nume (Sweet Problem) 09:43

4. The Women Are Taking Over The Men 09:14

5. Nang Nyong Me (Be Poor and See) 08:40

6. The Impossible Song 05:41

Alfred Kpebesaane – vocals, gyil (Ghanaian xylophone)

Brittany Anjou – Nord Electro, Casio 1000P

April Centrone – drums

Oren Bloedow – bass on 3, 4, 5

Michael Clemow – live computer processing on 4, 5, 6

Rich Bennett – recording engineer, mixing engineer, sound design compositor

Kevin Reeves – mastering engineer

All music and lyrics by Alfred Kpebesaane. All tracks recorded on May 28, 2017 by Rich Bennett at Acme Hall Studios in Brooklyn, NY. Additional recording sessions with Michael Clemow and Brittany Anjou at Acme Hall Studios, and Oren Bloedow at The Owl Music Parlor completed in 2018. All tracks mixed at Acme Hall Studios by Rich Bennett. All tracks mastered at Universal Music in NYC by Kevin Reeves.

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Emmet Cohen Speaks with GRAMMY Museum's COLLECTION: live - AVAILABLE TODAY

Mack Avenue Music Group Pianist/Composer

and American Pianists Awards Winner EMMET COHEN Speaks with GRAMMY Museum® as Part of Their

Celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month

Will Discuss Critically Acclaimed Album Future Stride,

Popular Livestream Series "Live From Emmet's Place" and Past Experience with GRAMMY Museum

Exclusive Interview and Performance:

Online Now as Part of COLLECTION:live™

"Common threads on 'Future Stride’ include swinging, often

unpredictable rhythms, inventive interplay and wit.” — Associated Press

"Cohen’s boundless talent is clearly on display here as he draws

from tradition to create his own future path.” — Glide Magazine

"When Cohen is in full flight...he reminds me of Ahmad Jamal:

not the genteel Jamal you hear on record, but the wall-banging,

holy-shit Jamal I saw in concert a few years ago, who rolled

across the keyboard like a thunderstorm.” — Stereogum

Mack Avenue Music Group pianist/composer and American Pianists Awards winner Emmet Cohen has partnered with the GRAMMY Museum in their celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. An exclusive interview with GRAMMY Museum Host Scott Goldman as well as an exclusive performance is available now as part of their COLLECTION:live series and available through their platforms for 30 days.

COLLECTION:live is the GRAMMY Museum's official online streaming service, featuring an artfully curated collection of newly produced artist interviews, performances and livestreams, as well as special releases from the GRAMMY Museum archive. The Museum's popular Public Programs series has been recorded over the last decade from the Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles and has since surpassed the 1,000 program mark. Proceeds benefit the Museum's music education initiatives.

Cohen will be discussing his new critically acclaimed album Future Stride (released January 29, 2021 via Mack Avenue Records), where he revisits one of the earliest forms of jazz without a trace of quaintness or throwback pastiche by meticulously covering the genre’s lexicon spanning the past century and melding its context with “modern” music. He's joined here by his longtime rhythm section including bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole, as well as two of modern jazz's most progressive voices in trumpeter Marquis Hill and saxophonist Melissa Aldana, to find the immediacy in a stylistic approach that can speak volumes to modern listeners open to recognizing its thrilling vitality.

The pianist has also proven to be one of the hardest working artists through COVID-19, having completed an international European tour and a recent trip to work in Russia, all while running a weekly livestream series, "Live From Emmet's Place." The popular series launched when Cohen and his rhythm section were returning from Canada and decided to quarantine together in his New York apartment. Over time, they began incorporating special guests as they improved audio and video capabilities and found safe ways to invite others in. So far, the series has seen guests including Jazzmeia Horn, Mark Whitfield, Houston Person, Samara Joy, and many others, amassing tens of thousands of views. The stream didn't stop when Cohen was traveling either -- those segments were hosted internationally.

Cohen will also discuss his own previous experience with the GRAMMY Museum's music education programs and detail how they've shaped his future and helped him reach where he is today. Educational opportunities have continued to play a significant role in Cohen's career, as this new album follows his win at the 2019 American Pianists Awards. He received a cash prize and two years of career advancement and support valued at over $100,000, making this one of the most coveted prizes in the music world and the largest for American jazz pianists. Cohen's recording contract with Mack Avenue Music Group was a part of the prize from the American Pianists Association as well.

Find the interview and performance on COLLECTION:live's website,

and keep up with the socials here: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

NEW Live Concerts | Exclusive Release from Irma Thomas

New Album and Concert Series

Irma Thomas – Love Is The Foundation

While supplies last, get an individual copy of this timeless release from the beloved Soul Queen of New Orleans – her first studio recording in over a decade.

"Thomas sounds like a precious jewel placed in an exquisite setting." – John Swenson, OffBeat

BUY YOUR COPY NOW

(limited availability)

Support Live Music This April

Coming this Friday April 9th at 8pm ET: John Patitucci, Yotam Silberstein, and Rogério Boccato!

With live performances all but eliminated due to the pandemic, we created Newvelle Live for fans who want to support artists and institutions who are continuing the legacy of improvised music for a new generation. Anyone can join. All we ask is that you consider making a contribution to support the musicians performing every Friday in April. Contributions will be divided equally among the 12 artists performing throughout the series.

This series is designed as a radical experiment: one that explores the relationship between musician and fan, and an attempt to strengthen our communities and support musicians at this critical time.

LISTEN NOW

Greg Abate - Magic Dance (The Music of Kenny Barron) April 2021 Whaling City Sound Records

Theres a beautiful marriage happening with Greg Abates Magic Dance."" Its the union between Abates multi-instrumental gift of bebop and Kenny Barrons varied and sublime compositions. Abate, with Barron, who handles keys on this recording session, are soulmates sharing this epic musical space. On their own, Barrons melodies are transcendent. In Abates skillful hands, thanks to his ability to shift between alto, tenor, baritone and soprano saxes and flute, the material takes on new tones, colors and patterns. One of the liberties Abate took with the material involved varying the choice and number of horns on these tracks. On two tracks, he even went so far as to arrange and overdub four additional sax parts, modeled on the reed section of the traditional big band, which give Barron's lush sounds even greater texture and intricacy.

Underneath it all is the hot-shot rhythm section of bass player Dezron Douglas and drummer Johnathan Blake, a New York City tandem born to support and elevate these arrangements. In fact, the ensemble work throughout this two-disc project is incredible, and reaffirms the health of 'real' bebop, a genre in which Abate has, through a five-decade career, been a dependable flame keeper. With this collaboration, Abate, with sidemen Barron, Douglas and Blake prove that the glory of straight-ahead jazz can still be purposeful, exhilarating, and, above all, like all great marriages, faithful and true.

1. Sunshower

2. Cook's Bay

3. Golden Lotus

4. Innocence

5. Water Lilly

6. Sonya Braga

7. Bud Like

8. Lemuria

9. Concentric Circles

10. Rain

11. Voyage

12. Magic Dance

13. Song for Abullah

14. And Then Again

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Masabumi Kikuchi - Hanamichi (April 16, 2021 via Red Hook Records)

The final studio recording from the late Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi,

Hanamichi is the culmination of a lifetime of musical exploration and discovery

Debut release by Red Hook Records features masterful, definitive performances 

“[Kikuchi] was continually searching for his ‘voice’ that he couldn’t articulate with words. It wasn’t until a few years before he died that his ‘voice’ found him!” – Gary Peacock

Six revelatory tracks by the late Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi are featured on Hanamichi, the debut release by Red Hook Records, due out April 16, 2021, in digital, LP, and CD formats. Recorded over a two-day New York session on a magnificent Steinway, the music marks a divergence from the mostly free improvising Poo (Kikuchi’s nickname), who died at age 75 in 2015, practiced during his final years. Kikuchi’s radiant playing sparkles with melodic exploration and expression in renditions of lesser-known tunes and popular standards.

As Kevin Whitehead writes in these excerpts from the album’s liner notes:

“I don’t have any technique,” Kikuchi protested to the New York Times’ Ben Ratliff, a year and a half before recording Hanamichi. More accurate to say he’d developed his own. He played with fingers curved, hands moving crablike or poised banana-bunched. Sometimes his palms drooped below the keyboard, and sometimes he played with hands crossed or overlapping. You can hear the resultant sonic knots on “Improvisation” and the first “My Favorite Things”: churnings from which instant melodies suddenly arise.

For Hanamichi, producer Sun Chung nudged him toward playing tunes, in addition to his free improvisations. That proved to be a good idea. Poo didn’t bring music or a setlist, calling selections in the moment. One is a personal standard, a staple of  his sets since 1970, the ballad for his daughter “Little Abi.”

You can measure how radically Kikuchi transforms Mabel Wayne’s brisk Spanish waltz “Ramona” by the seven-second gap between the first and second notes of the melody once he finally gets around to it. Languid tempo lets him build, and the final melody statement in a new key is freighted with accumulated feeling. That tempo lets us hear Kikuchi’s command of pedaling and of overtones at the margins: the high thin sheen of ringing harmonics that persists through changing chords.

While some pianists who ride sustain pedal overplay, Kikuchi pares back, choosing notes with extra care for clarity. Humming piano harp is a shifting backdrop to present action, not a heavy curtain descending on it. Kikuchi’s “Summertime” announces the melody with playfully ambiguous barroom tremolos and distorts the graceful timing of Gershwin’s internal cadences. All those dynamics he minds are on display: piano rings in many ways, across the registers — another zone of dynamic variation. In the performance’s back half, an overflight of chattering birds/dissolving high chords unhatches Poo’s eerie buzzard voice. Other pianists sing along with their right hands; Kikuchi’s keening would beam in from beyond, an independent voice. On Hanamichi, his utterances are few and surprisingly on point, intensifying musical effect.

Two radically different “My Favorite Things” confirm Hanamichi’s improvisatory spontaneity: two days, two perspectives. Taking his time on the longer take, Kikuchi finds implications in the melody and harmony that skirling modal versions gloss over. As on “Abi” he strikes hammered-anvil chords, dynamic alloys of timbre, harmony and attack. They signify, and remind us, that Masabumi Kikuchi’s piano music is not about rippling over the keys but making the instrument sound.

Ramona (L. Wolfe Gilbert and Mabel Wayne) 06:40

Summertime (George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin) 11:23

My Favorite Things I (Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers) 05:08

My Favorite Things II (Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers) 06:30

Improvisation (Masabumi Kikuchi) 05:36

Little Abi (Masabumi Kikuchi) 05:52

Masabumi Kikuchi - piano

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Fredrik Nordström - Dolores: One (April 23, 2021)

There is undoubtedly a very special atmosphere when Swedish saxplayer Fredrik Nordström pulls the threads in the debut album of his new band, Dolores. The personal expression and creativity of the bandmembers contribute to place the music in an original strain of contemporary jazz - beautiful and melancholic. The starting point for the many things happening in the music is in Fredrik’s compositions, complemented in the release by a freely improvised track and an interpretation of John Coltrane’s “Central Park West”.

Fredrik Nordström says:

"I composed the material for Dolores with the purpose of creating music that was bare and dynamic. At the same time, perhaps due to the band's drumless setting, I wanted it to maintain a rhythmic dimension and movement that brought it forward. I have been inspired by folk music, perhaps mainly from Scandinavia and from North America. The different musical and cultural backgrounds of the musicians in this band influenced me in the writing process and contributed greatly to the final result."

1. Algorithm Changes 05:40

2. Signpost

3. Way up North

4. Rise

5. 19 Southbound

6. Turns

7. The Big Question

8. Central Park West

Fredrik Nordström - tenor & baritone saxophones, clarinet

Staffan Svensson - trumpet

Andreas Hourdakis - guitar

Ilaria Capalbo - double bass

All compositions by Fredrik Nordström except Rise by Capalbo/Hourdakis/Nordström/Svensson and Central Park West by John Coltrane (Jowcol Music/Universal Music Publishing)

Recorded on November 23-24 2020 at BAS in Bandhagen, Sweden by Mats Äleklint

Mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström at Bluenord Studio

Produced by Fredrik Nordström

Illustrations by Jenny Svenberg Bunnel

Design by LOUP Studio

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TrioTrio - TrioTrio Live (April 20, 2021)

1. Lullaby Of Birdland

2. Let's Cool One

3. All Blues

4. All The Things You Are

5. Down By The Riverside

6. Someone To Watch Over Me

7. Almost Like Being In Love

Harry Mitchell: Piano

Karl Florisson: Double Bass

Ben Vanderwal: Drums

Recorded Live on August 10 at All Saints College Perth 2020 by Christian Peterson

Mixed and Mastered by Brodie Stewart

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Steen Vig - Blue Boat (Remastered 2021) April 16, 2021 Storyville Records

In 1993, Steen Vig was one of the danish musicians to receive the Jazzpar Award which consisted of appearances on the Jazzpar concert tour with the opportunity of inviting one or two international musicians of the recipients’ own choice followed up by a recording. Steen Vig decided to invite Gene “Mighty Flea” Conners and Cornell Dupree to record with him and his “Bluesicians”. The result was Blue Boat: An eclectic album spanning from Dixieland and swing to blues and funky soul jazz tunes. Unfortunately, Steen didn’t live to see the album released. He died of a heart attack in his home on January 1., 1994. He was 49.

Originally released in 1994, Blue Boat is now reissued as part of the Jazzpar Remastered series, including albums by Roy Haynes, Geri Allen, Lee Konitz and more. The Jazzpar Prize was initiated by the Danish Jazz Center in 1990. Back then, musicians spoke unofficially of the “big” and the “small” Jazzpar. The “big” Jazzpar being a statuette and a cash award of DKR. 200.000, given to a musician of international acclaim, while the “small” Jazzpar was given to two Danish artists; in 1993, those two were Steen Vig and Kim Kristensen.

The guest stars on Blue Boat gives a good indication of the stylistic range: Gene ‘Mighty Flea’ Conners, with a career covering everything from blues and early RnB to dixieland and swing jazz, joins Ole ‘Fessor’ Lindgreen on the trombone, while guitarist Cornell Dupree, who has worked with artists like Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker and Bill Withers, brings a funky guitar and some great blues solos to the album. With energetic performances from both international stars and danish top musicians like Ole ‘Fessor’ Lindgreen and Hugo Rasmussen, this album displays Steen Vig playing at the top of his game. And he always did that:

“He was one of those musicians who gave everything he had in him each time he performed, and if necessary, he would find an extra ten percent deep down in some recess of hidden resources. He was also one of the funniest men I’ve ever met. (Listen to this album’s closing track with the Dadaistic title Hotel Blækregning – roughly translated from Danish: Hotel Arithmetic Homework,)” Paul Banks recalls.

Banks continues: “He was a long-term member of Fessor’s Big City Band, but most Mondays he played at the Copenhagen jazz club Vognporten with the Steen Vig Swingsters. Their eclectic mixture of blues, traditional jazz, swing, funky New Orleans, Beatles tunes – you name it - drew huge crowds. The band was great, but what we really came for were Steen’s saxophones. His Bechet-inspired soprano was touching and powerful, and the growling sound of his tenor was huge, warm and swinging. Sometimes when he felt the need to shift to an even higher gear, he would play both at the same time.“

Steen was one of those musicians you wanted to hear on stage for the full experience, but this recording does a good job at capturing that experience. Backed by a group of some his favorite Danish musicians and augmented with Gene ‘Mighty Flea’ Conners on trombone (and vocal) and Cornell Dupree on guitar, this album will give you a taste of why those packed evenings in Vognporten were so special.

1. Blue Boat

2. Memphis Blues

3. Soul Country

4. The Flea Is Jumping

5. Blue Turning Grey Over You

6. Taps Miller

7. We Sure Do Need Him Now

8. Tee

9. Kansas City Man Blues

10. Copenhagen Hip Hop

11. Foo Foo Blues

12. Hotel Blækregning

Gene ‘Mighty Flea’ Conners - Trombone

Ole ‘Fessor’ Lindgreen - Trombone

Cornell Dupree - Guitar

Hugo Rasmussen - Double Bass

Thorkild Møller - Drums

Søren Kristiansen - Piano

Steen Vig - Saxophone

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Gabriel Evan Orchestra - Global Entry (April 30, 2021)

New York saxophonist Gabriel Evan’s sophomore album Global Entry is a playful, skillful exploration of pre-war jazz, early chamber jazz, and bug music. Inspired by the classical-tinged sound of the John Kirby Sextet - one of the most celebrated bands on 52nd St. in the 1930’s - the Gabriel Evan Orchestra takes you on musical trip around the world. While bringing a fresh spin on traditional jazz classics, incorporating 1930s Cuban music and even mid-century exotica, Global Entry maintains the Kirby tradition of arranging classical music for jazz band.

A carefully constructed arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers opens the record, paying homage to the arranging style of trumpeter Charlie Shavers, reimagining the languid waltz into a fun, hot swing number, suitable for a Looney Tunes Nutcracker tribute. As a matter of fact, most of this record is suitable cartoon accompaniment - so much so, that GEO’s first two singles, Rumba Azul and Arabian Nightmare are released as cartoon music videos (Waikiki Wabbit [1943] & Chicken a la King [1937] respectively). Both Rumba Azul and album closer  Rumba Tambah are timeless classics from the Lecuona Cuban Boys, one of the most famous early Caribbean ensembles.

Arabian Nightmare - one of three Charlie Shavers arrangements on the record - is a brilliant take on Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, echoing the haunting Dorian theme of the classic work before springing into swing. Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes is a hip pre-bop arrangement of a 1616 classic by English playwright Ben Jonson. Effervescent Blues, a Shavers original, is a slow swinger with standout solos from Joe Goldberg (clar.), John Zarsky (tmp.) and “Big” Joe Kennedy (p), before a horn soli brings it on home.

The jazz capitol New York City is well represented by Duke Ellington’s red hot Jubilee Stomp, as well as two NYC inspired Evan originals: Negotiations of South Williamsburg, a klezmer rollercoaster featuring clarinetist Joe Goldberg shredding and wailing; and South 5th Street, written while Evan lived in South Williamsburg - a high-energy, pseudo-Broadway show tune, with a stomping 2 & 4 heartbeat. Global Entry is a brilliant tribute to the “biggest little band in the land,” as Kirby’s band was often called.

1. Waltz of the Flowers (Tchaikovsky) 4:14

2. Rumba Azul (Ernesto Vasquez) 3:15

3. Arabian Nightmare (Rimsky-Korsoakov) 1:59

4. South 5th Street (G. Evan) 3:30

5. Diane (Tropical Moon) (Traditional) 2:57

6. Singin’ the Blues (Original Dixieland Jazz Band) 3:05

7. Jubilee Stomp (Duke Ellington) 2:58

8. Negotiations of South Williamsburg (G. Evan) 5:25

9. Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes (Ben Jonson) 2:58

10. Lujon (Henry Mancini) 2:30

11. Effervescent Blues (Charlie Shavers) 3:12

12. Rumba Tambah (Leo Blanc & Rafael Hernandez) 3:29

All songs arranged by Gabriel Evan except 3, 9, & 11, arranged by

Charlie Shavers, and 6, arranged by Frankie Trumbauer

Gabriel Evan - Alto & Soprano Saxophones

Joe Goldberg - Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone

John Zarsky - Trumpet

Joe Kennedy - Piano

Ben Fox - Upright Bass

Michael Voelker - Drums, Percussion

Gabriel Evan Website

Umbra Arts Collective - Voodoo Blues Poetry Opera (2021)

The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre” is a multimedia theatrical presentation that chronicles the journey of Richard Wright from his migration from Mississippi to Chicago. This live presentation is comprised of a nonet (nine-piece ensemble) and features spoken word poetry, singing, saxophone, piano, upright bass and drums. This soundscape features bonus tracks, outtakes, and a 21-page color booklet. This presentation was recorded live at The Cabaret (Indianapolis, IN).

1. Movement 1: The Traveler Speaks 02:53

2. Wigwag Whistle Post 06:59

3. Movement 2: The Traveler Speaks 02:03

4. A City Speaks 06:04

5. Movement 3: The Traveler Speaks 02:03

6. Same Ol Blues 10:40

7. Movement 4: The Traveler Speaks 01:36

8. Freedom Summer 06:18

9. Movement 5: The Traveler Speaks 01:41

10. Corpus Delecti 10:45

11. Movement 6: The Traveler Speaks 01:45

12. Chicago 11:36

13. A City Speaks alternate take 07:40

14. Freedom Summer outtake 1 02:14

15. Freedom Summer outtake 2 03:05

16. Freedom Summer outtake 3 02:30

17. Freedom Summer outtake 4 02:22

18. Freedom Summer original 06:50

Lasana D. Kazembe (spoken word, librettist)

Rob Dixon (musical director, saxophone)

Kenny Phelps (drums, percussion)

Steven Jones (piano)

Brandon Meeks (bass)

Okara Imani (vocals)

Allison Victoria (vocals)

Keesha Dixon (narration, vocals)

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Varun Das - Solitude EP (April 2021)

The compositions of this EP portray both the positive and negative connotations behind the word, “solitude,” with relevance to the COVID pandemic. But for me personally, the pandemic has proven to be a journey of solitude and emotional silence. I initially feared this would stimulate feelings of loneliness, isolation, depression, and longing because we are secluded from one another. It’s been quite the contrary. Being in solitude has helped free up my mind from many distractions of everyday life, allowing me to realize what really matters to me; it has made me reach out to unexplored creative domains to express myself in ways I have never done before. I consider myself very fortunate.

1. Inner Demons 01:37

2. Roots Embraced 03:03

3. Neptune 03:06

4. Until We Resume 02:00

5. Out of the Void 03:22

Composer / Producer: Varun Das (BMI)

Vibraphone: Juan Diego Villalobos

Piano: Esteban Castro

Recording Engineer: Felipe Fournier, Joystick Cafe Studio, New York, USA

Piano Recording: Parade Sound Studios, Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, USA

Mixing Engineer: Joel Hamilton, Studio G, Brooklyn, New York, USA

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April 10-11: William Parker & Melissa Aldana trios perform in Central Park as part of Walk With The Wind

Artist-focused non-profit Giant Step Arts partners with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! for new edition of acclaimed concert series Walk With The Wind

April 10-11 free performances at NEW LOCATION in Central Park: Summit Rock in Seneca Village

Concerts honor legacy of congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis

Featuring William Parker Trio, James Brandon Lewis Freed Style Free Trio, Melissa Aldana Trio, Chris Potter Trio, Antonio Sanchez Trio, Marquis Hill Quartet, Michael Thomas Quartet, Nasheet Waits, Mark Turner, Marika Hughes, Johnathan Blake, Abraham Burton, Jason Palmer

"Sitting socially distanced on The Mall and listening to live jazz feels like an optimistic moment...Jimmy Katz and Giant Step Arts are plugging a gap with Walk With The Wind." - Dan Bergsagel, London Jazz News

Giant Step Arts in partnership with Jazz Generation’s KEYED UP! continues the acclaimed performance series Walk With The Wind honoring civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis. The concerts – curated by Jimmy Katz and Nasheet Waits – will take place at pop up locations in New York City’s Central Park. Shows will be rescheduled in case of inclement weather.

CONCERT SCHEDULE

• Saturday, April 10 at Summit Rock in Seneca Village

Noon – Robert Lotreck Quartet–  with Sarah Hanahan, Anthony Hervey, Phil Norris

1 p.m. – William Parker Trio with Cooper Moore and Hamid Drake 

• Sunday, April 11 at Summit Rock in Seneca Village

Noon – Robert Lotreck Quartet with Sarah Hanahan, Drew Anderson, Phil Norris

1 p.m. – Steve Slagle Trio with Marty Kenney, Jason Tiemann

2 p.m. – Melissa Aldana Trio with Pablo Menares and Kush Abadey

More concerts HERE

Bayfront Jazz Festival Miami: Roy Ayers | Dee Dee Bridgewater | Chucho Valdés | Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola | Mark Guiliana | April 30 - May 1

BAYFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL 2021 

INAUGURAL EDITION TO KICK OFF MIAMI’S LIVE MUSIC EVENTS TO BRING BACK JOY

CELEBRATING JAZZ / AFRO-CUBAN / LATIN / ELECTRONIC MUSIC MASTERS

Roy Ayers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola and Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music

ICONIC OPEN AIR FPL SOLAR AMPITHEATER HAPPENING 

ON UNESCO’S  INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY

PARTIAL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO HOSPITALS FIGHTING COVID-19

"Jazz is not just music, it is a way of life, it is a way of being, a way of thinking." – NINA SIMONE

"The story of Jazz is written into the quest for human dignity, democracy and civil rights. It has given strength to the struggle against discrimination and racism. UNESCO believes in the power of Jazz as a force for peace, dialogue and mutual understanding." – UNESCO/International Jazz Day

The 2021 inaugural edition of the Bayfront Jazz Festival will take over Miami's Bayfront Park for two magical days as Miami’s "Post-Covid recovery calendar" kicks off one of the first LIVE musical events on April 30 and May 1, 2021. The first Miami festival of its scale, Bayfront's mission is to honor and celebrate the current and future giants of Jazz, Afro-Cuban/Latin & Electronic music and for fans from the world over to enjoy music's greatest heroes and masters play with a real audience for the first time in over a year at a stunning, iconic Miami open air venue. The concerts will host 1500 people, rather than the usual 10G and will respect  all Covid-19 sanitary rules of social distancing.

Hosted by Melrose Media at the FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park in Miami, the Bayfront Jazz Festival will take place on the UNESCO International Jazz Day, intended to raise awareness of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for empathy, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.

FPL Solar Amphitheater

This year’s unique line-up includes Roy Ayers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola and Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music who will be participating at the festival throughout 2 days of spiritual and joyful music.

The FPL Solar Amphitheater is situated in the middle of the Bayfront Park, directly on the Oceanfront. The Bayfront Park has 500-panel solar installation, including solar trees, which generates about 250 kilowatts of emissions-free energy – more than the power used during the Amphitheater’s concert season. 

Physical tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster. An Internet ticketed livestream video will also be in place through EluvioLIVE allowing happy fans from the world to enjoy the Jazz musicians play in front of a real audience, which has not been possible for one year ! All payments will be accepted, including Crypto currencies to purchase the live streaming.

The livestream will be available on mobile, desktop, tablets,  Apple TV and Roku TV all in 4K.

Partial proceeds will be given to hospitals fighting Covid-19.

“Artists and audiences crave for live music in an outdoor venue and we had to fight to make that event happen. We took engagements with the venue and the City to protect our audience with masks, gels and social distancing,” said Manuel Molina, Managing director of Melrose Media. His co-producer Rozenberg added, “We wanted to bring back live jazz in the heart of the Miamians and feed their souls with iconic musicians vibes. There will only be 1500 happy people in the venue but everybody likes the sunshine. So everybody will be able to follow that hybrid event on a livestream”.  Molina wanted to add “We are so glad to put back on the map a new Jazz Festival, especially after the cultural chaotic Covid and bring back joy with live music.”

Bayfront Jazz Festival (30 April – 1 May 2021)

Tickets Bayfront Jazz Festival: via bayfrontjazz.com for the livestream and Ticketmaster.

Passes and vouchers are limited in number

FRIDAY 30 APRIL 2021- MAIN STAGE

9:30 PM: CHUCHO VALDES QUARTET

CHUCHO VALDÉS—PIANO

JOSE ARMANDO GOLA—BASS

DAFNIS PRIETO—DRUMS

ROBERTO VIZCAINO JR.—PERCUSSION

7:30 PM: ROY AYERS QUINTET

ROY AYERS—VIBES & VOCALS

MARK ADAMS—KEYBOARD

TREVOR ALLEN—BASS GUITAR

CHRISTOPHER DECARMINE—DRUMS

DASHILL SMITH—HORN

SATURDAY 1 MAY 2021 - MAIN STAGE

9:30 PM: DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER & THE MEMPHIS SOULPHONY

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER—VOCALS

BARRY CAMPBEL— BASS

CHARLTON JOHNSON—GUITAR

BRYANT LOCKHART—SAX

CURTIS PULLIAM—TRUMPET

SKYLER JORDAN, MONET OWENS—BACKGROUND VOCALS

CARLOS SARGENT—DRUMS

FARINDELL "DELL" SMITH—KEYS & ORGAN

7:30 PM: GONZALO RUBALCABA & AYMEE NUVIOLA

GONZALO RUBALCABA—PIANO, SYNTHESIZERS AND PERCUSSION

AYMEE NUVIOLA—LEAD VOCALS

CRISTOBAL “EL PROFE” VERDECCHIA—BASS

REINIER GUERRA—DRUMS

NEIGER “MAJITO” AGUILERA—PERCUSSION

YANIER HORTA—SAXOPHONE 

LOURDES NUVIOLA—LEAD VOCALS AND BACKING VOCALS; 

ALFREDO LUGO—BACKING VOCALS

5:30 PM: MARK GUILIANA BEAT MUSIC

MARK GUILIANA —DRUMS AND ELECTRONICS

NICK SEMRAD —SYNTHESIZERS

CHRIS MORRISSEY —ELECTRIC BASS

Gabe Terracciano Trio - Three Part Invention (April 2021 Ligonia Records)

“Three Part Invention”

Available on April 2nd 2021 from Ligonia Records

"Adventurous, but always melodic...Terracciano plays with Joe Venuti's

grace and Zbigniew Seifert's swagger."

- Ian Patterson, All About Jazz

"This latest effort from Gabe Terracciano, arguably the brightest lit of the current crop of emergent jazz violin luminaries, takes a European stance with its acoustic trio setting evocative of the gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt as well as intriguing takes on classical music gems, yet at its core is undeniably of the American canon, expressed at its most joyous heartfelt best." 

- David Balakrishnan, founding violinist/composer of the two-time Grammy winning Turtle Island Quartet

"Gabe Terracciano and his trio have made something remarkable: an album that’s at once unabashedly virtuosic and suffused with sweetness and intimacy. This is gregarious, generous music; an animated conversation that sweeps you in with a welcoming embrace."

- Tanya Kalmanovitch, genre-bending violist and entrepreneurial visionary

"I have a crush on Gabe Terracciano‘s new album: it’s ethereal, bright, intimate, effortlessly erudite, and incredibly generous. The dimension of thought that went into the choice of repertoire and manner of interpretation makes « Three Part Invention » some of the best recorded music I’ve heard in a long time, appealing to both my penchants for jazz and classical music — I could expect no less from such an excellent and versatile artist."

– Tatiana Eva-Marie, acclaimed singer and leader of the Avalon Jazz Band

"Gabe Terracciano is the golden goose and 'Three Part Invention' is his egg. A Masterpiece. Please use your ears to discover for yourself."

- Ari Hoenig, groundbreaking drummer and improviser

From Ligonia Records and acclaimed violinist Gabe Terracciano, this album provides a new take on chamber music. All nine pieces on this album explore the intersection of jazz and classical music, and how the potentials for stylistic crossover are always available, no matter what the genre. Featuring guitarist Josh Dunn and bassist Ian Hutchison, all three musicians on this recording are veterans of the New York jazz scene, and have been playing together as a trio for years leading up to this project. This fully virtual release is the culmination of a shared love of both jazz and classical music, and a desire to create new sounds out of the ones that came before.

The album opens with “Crazy Rhythm”, firmly establishing the trio as one that can tackle standard jazz repertoire with style. The music then makes its first forays into the world of classical music, first with “Invention No.4/Beautiful Love” that pairs a Bach piano invention with a well known jazz standard, and followed by the trio’s lush arrangement of Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No. 3”, featuring Terracciano on viola. The trio then picks up the tempo with “Flèche D’Or”, a lesser-known Django Reinhardt composition that brings some fire after Satie’s soothing melancholy.

Terracciano goes back to viola on the next piece, Alex North’s “Spartacus (Love Theme)”, which was inspired by Joe Venuti’s rendition of the cinematic classic from 1978. Moving from the twentieth century to the sixteenth, the trio tackles a medley of compositions by Italian composer Luca Marenzio, “Ad Una Fresca Riva” and “Al Primo Vostro Sguardo”. The complex interplay highlights the similarities between classical chamber music and playing in a smaller jazz setting - stripping down the music to the basic elements of melody, bass, and chords, smaller and more intense conversations between musicians, improvisations and divisions over standard tunes, the list goes on.

Coming back to the present day, the trio next tackles the one original composition on the album, Terracciano’s “Dance for Jimmy”, inspired by the small ensemble interplay of Jimmy Giuffre. The raw blues and collective improvisation returns the trio to a sound that will be more familiar with jazz listeners. The album then closes with two classic compositions. First, “Sonata ‘Pathétique’ II. Adagio cantabile” by Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the first classical pieces that Terracciano arranged for the trio, and “Sweet Chorus”, a Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli composition that bookends the album with dynamic takes on swing repertoire.

1. Crazy Rhythm 02:13

2. Invention No. 4/Beautiful Love 06:37

3. Gymnopédie No. 3 02:53

4. Flèche D'Or 05:01

5. Spartacus (Love Theme) 05:51

6. Ad Una Fresca Riva​/​Al Primo Vostro Sguardo 04:46

7. Dance for Jimmy 04:38

8. Sonata "Pathétique" II. Adagio cantabile 05:52

9. Sweet Chorus 03:55

Gabe Terracciano - Violin and Viola

Josh Dunn - Guitar

Ian Hutchison - Bass

Recorded on May 19, 2019 at Soluri Studios

Mixed by Patrick Soluri

Mastered by Vlad Orzhekhovskiy

Artwork by Cait Jones

Design by Claire Lorman

©2021 Ligonia Records

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