this week in music

HARLEM WEEK: A GREAT DAY IN HARLEM

U.S. Grant National Memorial Park
West 122nd St. at Riverside Dr.
Sunday, July 27, free, 12 noon – 8:30 pm
Harlem Week continues in multiple locations through August 24
877-427-5364
www.harlemweek.com

On Sunday, July 27, “A Great Day in Harlem” kicks off the annual Harlem Week festivities, a month of free events including live music, film screenings, community fairs, a college expo, and more. This year’s theme is “Forever Harlem: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow,” honoring the past, present, and future of this historic part of Manhattan. The event, inspired by Art Kane’s legendary 1958 photo of fifty-seven jazz musicians, takes place in U.S. Grant National Memorial Park, featuring a cultural showcase with music and dance at 1:00, a gospel caravan with Bishop Hezekiah Walker and others at 3:00, and a fashion fusion showcase at 4:30, followed by “A Concert under the Stars,” which this year salutes Motown and the Philly sound, with appearances by members of the cast of Motown: The Musical, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, and special guests. Harlem Week continues through August 24 with such other events as the Dance Theatre of Harlem Street Festival on August 9; the Tri-State Jr. Tennis Classic August 14-17; “Summer in the City” on August 16 with the NYC Children’s Festival, Harlem Honey & Bears, the Historic Black College Fair & Expo, Dancing in the Street, the Fashion Flava Show, the Uptown Saturday Nite party, and ImageNation’s Outdoor Film Festival; “Harlem Day” on August 17 with the Upper Manhattan Auto Show, the NY City Health Village, the Upper Manhattan Small Business Expo & Fair, day two of the NYC Children’s Festival, and three stages of music, dance, spoken word, fashion, and more; the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run/NYC Health Walk-a-Thon for Peace in Our Communities on August 23; Golden Hoops in Rucker Park on August 23; and the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on August 23-24.

JON FADDIS QUARTET: 61st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Jon Faddis continues the birthday celebration at Dizzy's through July 27 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Jon Faddis continues his birthday celebration at Dizzy’s through July 27 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Jazz at Lincoln Center
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
Broadway at 60th St.
July 24-27, $40-$45, 7:30 & 9:30
212-258-9800
www.jalc.org
www.terangajazz.com

Musician, conductor, composer, and educator Jon Faddis couldn’t have picked a more perfect place to celebrate his “reverse-sweet-sixteen” birthday than Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, a beautiful, intimate venue named for Faddis’s mentor, Dizzy Gillespie, who once said about his protégé, “He’s the best ever, including me!” Trumpeter Faddis, joined by David Hazeltine on piano, Todd Coolman on bass, and Dion Parson on drums, paid tribute to his past during a dazzling early show on opening night, July 24, his actual birthday. As the sun slowly set on Central Park, the soft-spoken California native recalled such fellow jazzmen as Clark Terry, Michael Brecker, Roy Eldridge, Thad Jones, Lionel Hampton, and others as he played “Waltz for My Fathers & Brothers,” entered the Faddisphere on a gorgeous rendition of Lalo Schifrin’s five-movement “Gillespiana,” and even sang lead on Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” He joked with the audience and a table of Russians, traded trivia with host Phil Schaap, and smiled at Hazeltine’s feet as one of the piano pedals made a surprise musical squeak, which actually melded well with Faddis’s horn, in fine form all evening as Faddis effortlessly reached ridiculously high notes and crafted mesmerizing melodies. After Schaap led the crowd through “Happy Birthday,” Faddis was presented with a cake, receiving help from his three-year-old son in blowing out the candles. Not quite done yet, Faddis encored with part of “Teranga” before leaving the stage, only to come back out and hang for a bit with his adoring fans for handshakes, photos, and fist bumps. The Jon Faddis Quartet continues its celebratory run at Dizzy’s at 7:30 and 9:30 through July 27.

CHELSEA ART WALK SUMMER 2014

Churner and Churner will host live performances during opening reception for Ander Mikalson’s “Three’s Company for Eight Performers” during Chelsea Art Walk

Multiple locations in Chelsea
Thursday, July 24, free, 5:00 – 8:00
www.artwalkchelsea.com

More than one hundred galleries from Sixteenth to Thirtieth Sts. between Ninth and Eleventh Aves. will keep their doors open until 8:00 tonight for the fifth annual Chelsea Art Walk. The evening includes open studios, artist talks, panel discussions, book signings, receptions, photo shoots, and other events. Below are some of our recommended highlights.

Agora Gallery
Wearable Art Photo Shoot: Everyone is invited to show up wearing some kind of self-made art (clothing, makeup, hair, nails), 530 West 25th St., 6:30 – 7:30

Bertrand Delacroix Gallery
Sneak peek at Federico Infante’s fall exhibition, “The Space Between,” including raffle of original Infante drawing, 535 West 25th St., 5:00 – 8:00

Churner and Churner
Performance and reception for opening of Ander Mikalson’s “Three’s Company for Eight Performers,” 205 Tenth Ave., three performances, 5:00 – 8:00

Dean Borghi — NBR Contemporary
Book reading, White Collar Slavery: Based on a Bit of Truth and a Few White Lies by Laurance Rassin and Tracy Memoil, 5:00; live music by Clusterfunk and short film Art Sharks, 6:00 – 8:00, 547 West 27th St.

Hauser & Wirth
Sterling Ruby “Sunrise Sunset” panel discussion with Michael Darling, Jeremy Strick, and Huma Bhabha, 511 West 18th St., 6:30

Onishi Project
Opening reception for group show “Summer Garden” featuring works by Osamu Kobayashi, Shinji Murakami, and Gail Stoicheff, with free special Mizu Shochu cocktails and live performance by Zander Padget at 7:00, 521 West 26th St.

Sragow Gallery
“The Art of Painting Portraits,” lecture by artist Alphonse van Woerkom, 115 West 30th St., 5:15

Yossi Milo Gallery
Book signing, Horizons by Sze Tsung Leong, 245 Tenth Ave., 6:00 – 8:00

GUITAR BAR WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT 2014

Hoboken’s Guitar Bar will try to set a world record for most people playing the same song on July 24 in Sinatra Park

Sinatra Park
Sinatra Drive between Fourth & Fifth Sts., Hoboken
Thursday, July 24, free, 7:00
www.facebook.com/events

At the May 2012 Thanks Jimi Festival in Wrocław, Poland, 7,273 guitarists set the world record for most people playing the same song, Hendrix’s “Hey Joe.” On July 24 at 7:00, Hoboken’s Guitar Bar will attempt to set a new high when they bring together instrumentalists of all skill levels in Sinatra Park to play Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” The world record attempt will be led by the Guitar Bar All Stars, teachers and staff of the popular Guitar Bar and the nearby Guitar Bar Jr. The setlist will also feature some combination of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane,” Patti Smith’s “Gloria,” Outkast’s “Hey Ya!,” Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash’s “Jackson,” Hank Williams’s “Jambalaya,” the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and “Jersey Girl.” Feel free to just show up with whatever instrument you want; you can get a song tutorial here.

HOT! FESTIVAL: KIDNAP ME

Tyler Ashley’s KIDNAP ME premieres July 21 at the HOT! Festival at Dixon Place (photo by Catherine Sun)

Dixon Place
161A Chrystie Street
Monday, July 21, $12-$15, 7:30
Festival continues through August 5
www.dixonplace.org
www.tylerashleyinfo.tumblr.com

Things are liable to get even hotter when Tyler Ashley premieres his latest work, Kidnap Me, at the twenty-third annual HOT! Festival: The NYC Celebration of Queer Culture. Last summer, the Brooklyn-based choreographer and dancer shed his clothes for Swadhisthana: The Event at NYPAC; the multidisciplinary genderqueer artist has also presented pieces on the High Line and Times Square while also dancing with STREB, Walter Dundervill, and others. His first evening-length work, the ninety-minute Kidnap Me, is a durational performance, inspired by Béla Tarr’s 2011 film The Turin Horse and the music of the late African American composer and performer Julius Eastman, that examines hunger, family, and stardom, focusing on the creative process. In his artist statement for New York Live Arts, Ashley explains, “I conduct experiments in desire, endurance, vulnerability, and determination by creating image-based dances inspired by sport, nightlife, physical labor, and excessiveness. . . . I work to push myself closer to the audience, challenging what they may expect and unsettling the performance space. I exploit the chaos present in the search for resolution.” Kidnap Me premieres July 21 at Dixon Place and will be performed by Ashley, Aranzazu Araujo, Sarah McSherry, Diego Montoya, Shane O’Neill, Rakia Seaborn, and Gillian Walsh. HOT! continues at Dixon Place through August 5 with such other programs as Lucas Brooks’s Cootie Catcher, Vincent Caruso’s Clueless, Joe Castle Baker’s Just Let Go, Anna/Kate’s Fear City / Fun City, Jack Feldstein’s Three Months with Pook, and J. Stephen Brantley’s Chicken-Fried Ciccone: A Twangy True Tale of Transformation.

A MEMORIAL CONCERT FOR PETE AND TOSHI SEEGER / NEW SONGS OF JUSTICE: AN EVENING HONORING PETE SEEGER

A pair of concerts will honor folksinger and activist Pete Seeger and his wife, filmmaker and activist Toshi

A pair of free concerts will honor folksinger and activist Pete Seeger and his wife, filmmaker and activist Toshi Aline Seeger

A MEMORIAL CONCERT FOR PETE AND TOSHI SEEGER
Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Damrosch Park Bandshell
Sunday, July 20, free, 4:00
www.lcoutofdoors.org

NEW SONGS OF JUSTICE: AN EVENING HONORING PETE SEEGER
SummerStage, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
Monday, July 21, free, 6:00
www.summerstage.donyc.com

Five years ago, more than fifty musicians paid tribute to Pete Seeger on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday at an all-star concert at Madison Square Garden, highlighted by several appearances by Pete along with some of his family members; the setlist featured such classic folk songs as “If I Had a Hammer,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “There’s a Hole in My Bucket,” “Goodnight Irene,” “Bring ’em Home,” and “This Land Is Your Land.” Last July, his wife of nearly seventy years, filmmaker and activist Toshi Seeger, passed away at the age of ninety-one. Six months later, Pete died at ninety-four. Over the next few days, their legacies will be celebrated in a pair of free concerts in Manhattan. On Sunday, July 20, Lincoln Center Out of Doors is presenting “A Memorial Concert for Pete and Toshi Seeger,” beginning at 4:00 at the Damrosch Park Bandshell. The impressive lineup that will be singing the praises of the longtime couple includes Judy Collins, Peter Yarrow, Holly Near, the Paul Winter Consort, Martha Redbone, Dar Williams & Dan Zanes, Guy Davis, Tom Chapin & the Chapin Sisters, David Amram with Adira & Alana Amram, Mike + Ruthy with Penny Bossom-Seeger, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, the Hudson River Sloop Singers, and others, along with such speakers as Harry Belafonte, George Wein, and Michael Moore; the show will be hosted by Pete and Toshi’s grandson Kitama Cahill-Jackson. (If you can’t make it to the show, you can watch the live stream here.) On Monday, July 21, SummerStage and WFUV are honoring the legendary folksinger and activist with “New Songs of Justice: An Evening Honoring Pete Seeger” at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park at 6:00, hosted by Gina Belafonte and Cahill-Jackson. Scheduled to perform are Steve Earle, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, James Maddock, Anti-Flag, Toni Blackman, the Chapin Sisters, Rebel Diaz, Elizabeth Mitchell & Dan Zanes, Mike + Ruthy, Nyraine, the Tony Lee Thomas Band, and Amanda Palmer, with DJ sets by Kool Herc. Pete loved sing-alongs, so be sure to come with your best voice for these two very special programs.

THE HISTORIC HARLEM PARKS FILM FESTIVAL: BROTHERS HYPNOTIC

Documentary follows Hypnotic Brass Ensemble as brothers travel the world sharing their artistic vision

SUMMER OF MUSIC: BROTHERS HYPNOTIC (Reuben Atlas, 2013)
Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell
148th St. & Bradhurst Ave.
Thursday, July 17, free, music 7:45, film 8:45
212-582-6050
www.maysles.org
www.hypnoticbrassfilm.com

A real family affair, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble includes eight sons of jazz musician Kelan Phil Cohran, a trumpeter who played with such legends as Jay McShann and Sun Ra, cofounded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and started the Affro-Arts Theatre in Chicago. HBE’s compelling story is told in Reuben Atlas’s spirited feature documentary debut, Brothers Hypnotic. Atlas followed the band for four years, from its hometown of Chicago to Amsterdam, from Ireland to London, and to numerous spots in New York City, a kind of second home for the group, which consists of siblings Gabriel “Hudah” Hubert on trumpet, Saiph “Cid” Graves on tenor trombone, Amal “Baji” Hubert on trumpet, Tycho “L.T.” Cohran on bass/sousaphone, Jafar “Yosh” Graves on trumpet, Uttama “Rocco” Hubert on euphonium, Seba “Clef” Graves on bass trombone, and Tarik “Smoove” Graves on trumpet (in addition to Christopher Anderson on drums). Atlas shows the band playing its unique blend of funk, jazz, and hip-hop at major festivals, in clubs, on the street, in the subway, and in the studio. Their music comes together organically, as evidenced onstage and on such albums as Flipside, Bulletproof Brass, and The Brothas, highlighted by such original songs as “War,” “Balicky Bon,” “Touch the Sky,” “Black Boy,” and “Party Started.” The members of HBE talk about what it was like being raised by two mothers on Chicago’s South Side (the eight brothers come from three different women; their father has nearly two dozen children total) and a father who would get them up at six in the morning to start rehearsing in what became the Phil Cohran Youth Ensemble. They discuss their father’s legacy and their career strategies, in particular an offer from Atlantic Records; meet with managers Knox Robinson and Mark Murphy; and, later, hang with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, who runs the independent label Honest Jon’s. Along the way, they get to play with Yasin Bey (Mos Def) and Prince while striving to maintain their artistic integrity and high moral values. It’s a feel-good tale that turns poignant when they reconvene with their father near the end of the film. Brothers Hypnotic is screening for free in Jackie Robinson Park on July 17 at 8:45 as part of the Historic Harlem Parks Film Festival, in conjunction with Maysles Cinema’s Summer of Music series, and will be preceded by a “Horn Section” DJ set with DJ Laylo. The Historic Harlem Parks Film Festival continues July 23 in St. Nicholas Park with The Night James Brown Saved Boston.