1. Sweetcane
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Time: 10pm
Venue: Drom (85 Avenue A, NY, NY 10009, 212- 777-1157)
Ticket: $10
Genre: REGGAE & AFROBEAT
Sweetcane‘s distinctive vocal and innovative Reggae blends draw from a diverse background highlighting musical nostalgia in the afro cultural experience. From vintage beginnings in Jamaican group Waterhouse/Chicago, rocking an early guitar skank, to the depths of the Haitian “Racine” movement, where the debut classic ‘Roots Carnaval’ is embraced by the Vodoun intelligentsia,
Fronted by lead guitar playing singer-songwriter MARKO PANKOVICH, Sweetcane features NYC premier afro jazz drummer HARVEY WIRHT (from Angelique Kidjo, Hassan Hakmoun etc…) & deep Reggae bass from Rochester’s rootsy jam band scene, the incomparable ANCELMO JAMES (quickly quietly & SoSaLa), with ADO COKER‘s sultry female presence doubling on vintage keyboards and melodica while singing harmonies – quite a feat!
2. MATUTO w. Mariachi Flor de Toloache & Stringnskins
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Time: 8pm
Venue: BROOKLYN BOWL (61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718-963-3369)
Ticket: $5
Genre: Appalachia-gone-Afro-Brazilian/Mexican music
It’s Carnival in Recife. It’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans. And watch out: That just may be the Devil spinning through the dancing crowd, trying to get friendly with the saint in disguise, with the diamond in the rough. The rolling drums and quicksilver accordion licks, the earthy vibe and thoughtful reflections mingle on Matuto‘s latest refinement of their Appalachia-gone-Afro-Brazilian sound, The Devil and The Diamond (Motema Music; release: May 14, 2013).
3. Aum Prakash, Srikalogy and Jerry Moon
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Time: 10pm
Venue: The Ark (107 Green St. Apt G55, Brooklyn, NY)
Ticket: $5
Genre: Mantra to hip hop
AUM PRAKASH, bringing together elements from the Amazon to India, beatbox, overtones and beyond- U.F.AUM comes to earth with a message of wake the love up! travelling to the far regions of the globe and the cosmos to be a conduit for realization through music. conscious hip hop and live looping add to the flavor where ancient meets modern and time melts into experience.
SRIKALOGY is an MC, DJ, producer, and percussionist who has established solid footing – and an equally solid following – by creating hip-hop rooted in confidence without bravado, devotion without preachiness. The soul in his music is found not only in the rhythms, but in the energy and intention of each beat. “My music is about transformation. So much so, that if you stripped away the music, that message is still there,” he explains. srikalogy.com
JERRY MOON is an MC and poet from the Golden Drum community who frequently performs at The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (COSM).
4. Kavita Shah
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Time: 7:30 & 9:30 pm
Venue: JAZZ STANDARD (116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016-8942, 212-576-2232)
Ticket: $20
Genre: Nu Jazz
In May 2014, a new album entitled Visions announced the arrival of a strikingly original and globally- minded new voice in contemporary music. On her debut CD, New York-based singer and composer Kavita Shah blended her multicultural background with a rainbow of musical influences, combining the Indian tabla and West African kora with a traditional jazz quintet. Saxophonist Steve Wilson calls Kavita Shah “a musician’s singer…always taking risks and searching for new levels of understanding. Her music defies categorization.” NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan says: “Kavita Shah is a masterful vocalist with a deep, personal connection to the music.”
Kavita Shah – vocals, Michael Valeanu – guitar, Jon Cowherd – piano, Massimo Biolcati – bass and Kendrick Scott – drums
Concert Review: Kavita Shah’s Visions featuring the traditional sounds of the Indian tablas and West African kora interlaced with those of a jazz quintet…
5. Peter Geisselbrecht
Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Time: 9pm
Venue: Spectrum (121 Ludlow, Second Floor, New York, NY, 650-400-5100)
Ticket: $10
Genre: piano solo
In a rare appearance in NYC, German pianist Peter Geisselbrecht presents his CD with music by Charles Ives and Federico Mompou, two very different composers, who concerned themselves with images of nature and solitude. Plus we can hear the April Preludes by Vitezslava Kapralova, considered the most important woman composer of twentieth-century Czech music.
6. Lauren Lee/Charley Sabatino “Velocity Duo”
Date: Thursday, September 4, 2014
Time: 7pm
Venue: The Astor Room (34-12 36th St, Queens, New York 11106)
Ticket: $ t.b.a.
Genre: jazz
The Velocity Duo with Lauren Lee on vocals & piano and Charley Sabatino on bass providing an evening of jazz classics and originals.
Concert Review: Lauren Lee Jazz Project – a boundary-pushing ensemble led by Lauren Lee, a highly skilled and very imaginative pianist and singer
7. Dafnis Prieto Sextet
Date: Thursday, September 4 through Sunday, September 7, 2014
Time: 7:30 & 9:30 pm
Venue: JAZZ STANDARD (116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016-8942, 212-576-2232)
Ticket: $25 & $30
Genre: Cuban jazz
When Dafnis Prieto arrived in New York from his native Cuba at the turn of the 21st century, his free- ranging creativity and masterful technique put every rhythm section in the city on notice. Prieto’s mastery of the clave combined with his willingness to assay any kind of groove led to a MacArthur Foundation fellowship and a series of outstanding albums including Live at Jazz Standard (2009, with his Si O Si Quartet) and his latest release, Proverb Trio (2012). “A spectacularly proficient Cuban drummer… Dynamic to the extreme, his music advances a slippery amalgam of complex polyrhythm and incantatory melody. There’s always a lot going on, especially at the level of his forceful but supple drumming.” (New York Times)
Peter Apfelbaum – tenor saxophone, Mike Rodriguez – trumpet, Felipe Lamoglia – alto saxophone, Manuel Valera – piano, Johannes Weidenmueller – bass and Dafnis Prieto – drums
8. Basement Bhangra
Date: Thursday, September 4, 2014
Time: 7pm
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012, Phone: 212- 505-3474)
Ticket: $10 and $15
Genre: club/Bhangra music
Basement Bhangra The first Thursday of every month, entrancing partygoers experience DJ Rekha’s trademark blend of South Asian bhangra music merged with hip-hop, dancehall, and electronic sounds that create an unforgettable New York City dance experience. Starting with a 2-hour happy hour in the Gallery Bar featuring eclectic programming, the night then accelerates to the main space with the aid of a live drummer. The signature Basement Bhangra dance lesson guides the uninitiated and the diehards into a high-energy night that has made Basement Bhangra a16-year plus club land institution.
DJ Rekha is a British born, New York City based DJ, curator, record label owner, educator and activist. Called the “Ambassador of Bhangra” by the New York Times and named one of the most influential South Asians by Newsweek, Rekha is among the first DJs to merge classic Bhangra and Bollywood sounds into the language of contemporary electronic dance music. Since establishing herself on the club scene with her inaugural event, Basement Bhangra in 1997, held the first Thursday at Le Poisson Rouge), Rekha has produced some of the longest running and most successful parties in New York including Bollywood Disco, and Mutiny.
DJ Petra is a DJ, dancer, writer and organizer. She started throwing parties at her apartment in Washington Heights four years ago, and since then Petra has played all over NYC, including Bembe, South Paw, The Cove, Public Assembly, The Bowery Electric, The Delancey, Katra and others. She has studied with DJ Rekha and DJ Chela, and continues to study dancefloors everywhere. Petra is currently a contributing writer for Okayplayer, and hosts the weekly radio mix show “Hip Hop & Her Family” on WNYU with Genesis Be. Find out more at DJ Petra on Twitter
9. AJ BLOCK: Didgeridoo – World Rhythm and Drone
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2014
Time: 5pm – 6:30pm
Venue: Cumbe (558 Fulton Street, 2nd Floor (Right by Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
Ticket: $15
Genre: workshop and didgeridoo music
AJ BLOCK is a didgeridoo player and teacher inspired by the musical and spiritual traditions of the world. As director of the New York didgeridoo awareness organization Didge Project, AJ has built his work around the integration of sound and healing. For didgeridoo community info visit www.didgeproject.com.
10. Daniel Schlappi / Marc Copland Duo
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2014
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Jazz Gallery (290 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013)
Ticket: $22
Genre: modern jazz/ambient jazz
Daniel Schlappi – bass and Marc Copland – piano
11. ANDREW LAFKAS AND Ensemble
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2014
Time: 8pm – 9:00pm
Venue: Church of the Annunciation
Ticket: $15
Genre: modern music/ambient orchestrated music?
Music for Contemplation continues Saturday September 6th with a new large-scale ensemble work by New York-based composer Andrew Lafkas. Arising out of a dossier of ideas under the title Two Paths with Active Shadows under Three Moons and Surveillance, this new work represents the second phase of an ongoing project that began with phase one in a performance earlier this year at Eyebeam art and technology center.
Phase two was composed specifically for this concert and will be performed by a diverse ensemble that includes Marcia Basset (electric guitar), Barry Weisblat (electronics), Ron Stabinsky (organ), Che Chen (violin), Laura Ortman (violin), C Spencer Yeh (violin), Michael Bullock (bass), Andrew Lafkas (bass), Rick Brown (cymbal), Ryan Sawyer (cymbal), Sean Meehan (cymbal and snare), Brian Chase (bass drum), Sandy Gordon (bass drum), Gil Arno (microphone and recording), Wolfgang Gil (microphone and recording), Daniel Neumann (microphone and recording) and Ben Owen (microphone and recording).
12. Buzzcocks & Titus Andronicus
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2014
Time: 8pm
Venue: Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street, NY)
Ticket: $30
Genre: punk roc/alternative rock
There are hardly any bands performing today that genuinely deserve the adjective ‘legendary’. Buzzcocks are one of those very few. Their achievements are staggering: one of the original holy trinity of British punk (with the Sex Pistols and the Clash), innovators of the independent record scene and genuine punk rock superstars who have been cited as inspirational by bands as diverse as REM, Nirvana and Green Day. Eight studio albums, over twenty singles and EPs, a constellation of compilations, covers by other bands and songs on film soundtracks and advertisements have put Buzzcocks among the top echelons of British recording artists. A Mojo Inspiration award in 2006 is just one of the many accolades they have received for their work.
13. Underdog Horns with Bombino & Mamarazzi
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2014
Time: 8pm
Venue: BROOKLYN BOWL (61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718-963-3369)
Ticket: $12
Genre: Afro Funk-Bhangra-New Orleans grooves
Underground Horns is a Brooklyn based brass band playing Afro Funk Bhangra
New Orleans grooves and beyond. AllAboutJazz called their 2009 debut record
FUNK MONK “kick-ass dance music.that brushes up against psychedelia.with
shots of funky brass juice.”
In 2010 they recorded their second album BIG BEAT which was reviewed by Ken
Waxman in The New York Jazz Record calling them “an unapologetic party band
with brains…with tonal inflections from the Big Easy, central Africa, the
Maghreb and the Baltic states.”
Concert Review: Underground Horns’ performance exuded superlative musical skill
Omara “Bombino” Moctar, a young Tuareg guitarist and songwriter, was raised during an era of armed struggles for independence and violent suppression by government forces. His electrifying jams capture the spirit of resistance and rebellion while echoing with guitar riffs reminiscent of fellow Africans Tinariwen and Ali Farka Touré not to mention rock and blues icons such as Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Page. Already a superstar in the Tuareg community, with the release of Agadez on Cumbancha Discovery Bombino’s stature as one of Africa’s hottest young guitarists has been revealed to the world.
14. Renegade Sufi
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2014
Time: 9pm
Venue: PIANOS (158 Ludlow St., New York, NY 10002
Ticket: free
Genre: nu Indian-electronic-psychedelic-free style music
Renegade Sufi is an ensemble led by multi-instrumentalist/composer/improvise Dawoud who has performed and recorded with such artists as Lauryn Hill, James Blood Ulmer, and Nona Hendryx. Renegade Sufi plays a singular blend of sitar-based electronic jazz. The group expands upon classical raga with otherworldly electronics, hypnotic drum loops, and free-jazz-style improvisation to produce deep, trancelike grooves. Dawoud from the midwest, USA, yet a Muslim-Sufi somehow steeped in the mysticism of the Far East, carrying the Ravi Shankar/George Harrison banner into the next generation.
