this week in music

MEDITATE AMERICA FOR A HEALTHY NATION

Who: Sting, Angelique Kidjo, Graham Nash, Elvis Costello, Kesha, Jim James, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Dr. Tony Nader, Hugh Jackman, Deborra-lee Furness, Katy Perry, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Dr. Jennifer Ashton
What: National celebration and benefit concert
Where: David Lynch Foundation
When: Thursday, December 3, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: David Lynch began doing Transcendental Meditation in 1973 and opened the David Lynch Foundation in 2005 “to help prevent and eradicate the all-pervasive epidemic of trauma and toxic stress among at-risk populations through promoting widespread implementation of the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation program in order to improve their health, cognitive capabilities, and performance in life.” On December 3 at 7:00, the foundation is sponsoring “Meditate America,” a benefit concert seeking to bring TM to healthcare workers, veterans, and families under trauma and stress during the Covid-19 crisis. The free presentation will be hosted by Hugh Jackman, Deborra-lee Furness, Katy Perry, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Dr. Jennifer Ashton and will feature performances by Sting, Angelique Kidjo, Graham Nash, Elvis Costello, Kesha, Jim James, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Neuroscientist and international TM head Dr. Tony Nader will receive the Peace on Earth award.

AILEY FORWARD VIRTUAL SEASON

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater reimagines Revelations at Wave Hill for sixtieth anniversary of company masterpiece (photo by Nicole Tintle)

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER: CELEBRATING SIX DECADES OF REVELATIONS
December 2-31, free, donations encouraged
www.alvinailey.org

It’s not the holidays without our annual visit to City Center to take in a few performances of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s monthlong winter residency. But with the pandemic lockdown, the venue is closed, so the season, dubbed “Ailey Forward,” is going virtual. From December 2 to 31, AAADT will present nine livestreamed programs, each of which will be available for one week following its debut, centered on a celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Revelations. Admission is free, although donations are encouraged to help support the company.

“Despite adversity, Ailey’s holiday tradition will move forward this December with virtual performances sharing characteristic warmth, spirit, and artistry,” artistic director Robert Battle said in a statement. “Offered as a source of inspiration and unity, Ailey’s groundbreaking season will share special programs celebrating six decades of Revelations, reinvent classic works by our beloved founder, and honor Glenn Allen Sims and Linda Celeste Sims, whose long and illustrious career exemplifies why the Ailey dancers are so applauded.”

The season includes world premieres by Jamar Roberts and the trio of Matthew Rushing, Clifton Brown, and Yusha-Marie Sorzano; newly filmed excerpts from classics; talks with Wynton Marsalis, Toshi Reagon, and others; thematic evenings on the topics of spirit and social justice; and a tribute to two of the company’s most beloved dancers, Glenn Allen Sims and Linda Celeste Sims, who have been together since the late 1990s and got married in 2001. Below is the complete schedule.

Wednesday, December 2, through December 9
Opening Night Virtual Benefit: “Revelations Reimagined,” with excerpts filmed at Wave Hill in the Bronx, followed by a dance party, free with RSVP, 7:30

Saturday, December 5, through December 12
Family Program: Ailey & Ellington / BattleTalk with Wynton Marsalis, featuring Ailey’s Night Creature (performed by Ailey Extension in the streets, with commentary by teacher Sarita Allen, whom Ailey gave the lead role), Reflections in D (new solo by Vernard Gilmore), and Pas de Duke, filmed at the Woolworth Tower Residences in the Woolworth Building, followed by a discussion with Wynton Marsalis and Robert Battle, 2:00

Monday, December 7, through December 14
Dancing Spirit, with Hope Boykin performing the “This Little Light of Mine” excerpt from Matthew Rushing’s 2014 Odetta, two Alvin Ailey students performing a new duet by student performance group rehearsal director Freddie Moore set to Toshi Reagon’s “The Sun Will Never Go Down,” followed by a discussion with Battle, Reverend Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman, and Reagon, 7:30

Wednesday, December 9, through December 16
Celebrating Glenn Allen Sims & Linda Celeste Sims, with premiere of new recording of central duet from Billy Wilson’s 1992 The Winter in Lisbon, excerpts of the married couple performing in Night Creature and Polish Pieces and “Fix Me, Jesus” from Revelations, Linda in a solo from Ailey’s 1979 Memoria, Glenn in the finale of Ailey’s 1972 Love Songs, and a discussion with Linda, Glenn, and Ronald K. Brown, 7:30

Friday, December 11, through December 18
Dancing for Social Justice / BattleTalk with Kyle Abraham, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar & Bryan Stevenson, featuring excerpts from Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s 1998 Shelter and Kyle Abraham’s 2016 Untitled America, followed by a discussion with Battle, Abraham, Zollar, and Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, 7:30

Jacqueline Green and Yannick Lebrun perform Alvin Ailey’s Pas De Duke atop the Woolworth Building for winter season (photo courtesy of Ailey)

Monday, December 14, through December 21
World Premiere: A Jam Session for Troubling Times / BattleTalk with Jamar Roberts, featuring world premiere of Ailey dancer and resident choreographer Jamar Roberts’s A Jam Session for Troubling Times, filmed by Emily Kikta and Peter Walker, part of the global Bird100 centennial celebration of Charlie Parker, preceded by a discussion with Battle and Roberts, 7:30

Thursday, December 17, through December 24
World Premiere: Testament, a contemporary response to Revelations, by associate artistic director Matthew Rushing, company member and assistant to the rehearsal director Clifton Brown, and former company member Yusha-Marie Sorzano, featuring cinematography by Preston Miller and an original score by Damien Sneed, filmed at Wave Hill, followed by a discussion with Rushing, Brown, and Sorzano, 7:30

Saturday, December 19, through December 26
Family Program: Revelations, featuring a workshop of “Wade in the Water” and “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” from Revelations and a company performance of the work, with a focus on the word unique, 2:00

Wednesday, December 23, through December 31
Decades of Revelations, featuring highlights from sixty years of performances of Revelations, 7:30

ELEGIES FOR ANGELS, PUNKS, AND RAGING QUEENS WORLD AIDS DAY BENEFIT

Who: Brooks Ashmanskas, Laura Bell Bundy, Lena Hall, Robin de Jesús, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nathan Lane, Norm Lewis, Kevin McHale, Jessie Mueller, Cynthia Nixon, Anthony Rapp, Krysta Rodriguez, Seth Rudetsky, JK Simmons, Alysha Umphress, Paul Castree, Richard Chamberlain, Charity Angél Dawson, Fran Drescher, J. Harrison Ghee, Gideon Glick, Lisa Howard, James Monroe Iglehart, Cherry Jones, Francis Jue, Vicki Lewis, Telly Leung, Stanley Wayne Mathis, Eric William Morris, Michael Notardonato, Okieriete Onaodowan, Kirsten Scott, Matthew Scott, Michael James Scott, Evan Todd, Mariand Torres, Michael Xavier, Danny Burstein, Judith Light, Billy Porter, Michael Urie, more
What: Abingdon Theater Company benefit for World AIDS Day
Where: Broadway on Demand
When: Tuesday, December 1, free, 5:00
Why: First produced at the Ohio Theatre in New York City in 1989, composer Janet Hood and lyricist Bill Russell’s Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens consists of monologues from the perspective of AIDS victims and songs that explore the reaction of their deaths from friends and family. On World AIDS Day, Broadway on Demand, in conjunction with the Abingdon Theater Company, is hosting a virtual revival of the show, featuring an all-star cast of more than fifty actors, including Brooks Ashmanskas, Lena Hall, Fran Drescher, Nathan Lane, Norm Lewis, Richard Chamberlain, Jessie Mueller, Cynthia Nixon, Anthony Rapp, Krysta Rodriguez, James Monroe Iglehart, Cherry Jones, Seth Rudetsky, and JK Simmons, with special appearances by Danny Burstein, Judith Light, Billy Porter, and Michael Urie. It’s free to stream, although donations are encouraged for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The stories were inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology collection of interrelated free-verse poems and features such songs as “I’m Holding On to You,” “I Don’t Do That Anymore,” “I Don’t Know How to Help You,” and “Celebrate.”

SEATTLE ROCK ICONS FOUNDERS AWARD: ALICE IN CHAINS

Who: Korn, Billy Corgan, Metallica, Dave Navarro, Mastodon, Krist Novoselic, Taylor Hawkins, Mike McCready, Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Chris Chaney, Corey Taylor, Dallas Green, Duff McKagan, Chris DeGarmo, Fishbone, Liv Warfield, Shooter Jennings, Kim Thayil, Mark Lanegan, Tad Doyle, Ayron Jones, Maggie Björklund, Bill Herzog, Martin Feveyear, Bubba Dupree, Jennifer Johnson, Jillian Raye, Nathan Yaccino, Shaina Shepherd, Taylor Hawkins, Les Claypool, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, Sammy Hagar, Vernon Reid, Tom Morello, Robert Downey Jr., Lily Cornell Silver, more
What: Museum of Pop Culture Founders Award presentation to Alice in Chains and fundraiser
Where: MoPOP Facebook, Amazon Music Twitch
When: Tuesday, December 1, free with RSVP (donations accepted), 9:00
Why: Formed in 1987 in Seattle, Alice in Chains has released a mere six studio albums in its history, from 1990’s Facelift to 2018’s Rainier Fog, spreading its unique brand of heavy metal grunge in its own way, primarily live. On December 1, the band, consisting of lead guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez, and rhythm guitarist William DuVall, will be honored with the Museum of Pop Culture’s Founders Award in an online presentation that features performances and tributes from such famous fans as Korn, Billy Corgan, Metallica, Dave Navarro, Krist Novoselic, Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Duff McKagan, Fishbone, Shooter Jennings, Kim Thayil, Mark Lanegan, Les Claypool, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, Sammy Hagar, Vernon Reid, Tom Morello, and Robert Downey Jr. in addition to the debut of Lily Cornell Silver, the daughter of Chris Cornell and Susan Silver. AIC will take the virtual stage as well; the evening will also include songs from Sound Off! artists Katy Rose, Human Missile Crisis, David’s Van, and Talaya.

“It feels truly special to receive the MoPOP Founders Award in our home town of Seattle. It’s also humbling to be joined by so many of our friends, peers and heroes to rock some AIC tunes,” Cantrell said in a statement. “I hope people watching enjoy the show as much as we did putting it together. A big hearty thanks to everyone who participated in making this virtual thing happen during these strange times. Music has the power to unite, heal and inspire. It is all of ours. Let’s continue to create and celebrate that which feeds the soul. Rawk on!” Cofounder Kinney added, “When we got to make our first record, I thought, great, we will be able to make one record, do our thing, and hope for the best. Now, thirty years later, to get this award and still be touring and making music is the most amazing feeling. We are brothers with all of the craziness that goes with it. This is for Layne [Staley], Mike [Starr], and for all of us now. We can’t wait to get back out on the road once this hellish pandemic is behind us.” The event will be streamed live on Facebook and Twitch; admission is free but donations will be accepted for the museum, which is based in Seattle.

L’DOR V’DOR: GENERATION TO GENERATION

“Generation to Generation” benefit features Michael Zegen, Golem, and the Butnick family

Who: Michael Zegen, Stephanie Butnick, Golem, Howard and Elyse Butnick and Family
What: Virtual program with music and discussion
Where: Museum of Jewish Heritage, Facebook, YouTube
When: Wednesday, December 2, free (donations accepted), 7:00
Why: The Museum of Jewish Heritage’s annual “L’dor V’dor: Generation to Generation” goes virtual this year, streaming live on Facebook, YouTube, and mjhnyc.org The event, which raises funds and awareness to fight bigotry and anti-Semitism, will feature an interview between third-generation Holocaust survivor and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Michael Zegen with Tablet deputy editor and Unorthodox podcast cohost Stephanie Butnick, live music by Klezmer faves Golem, and a tribute to museum trustee and son of Holocaust survivors Howard Butnick and his family. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. As the museum notes, “History is now.”

NATKINS FUNHOUSE PRESENTS: THE LAST WALTZ AT HOME

Who: Nicole Atkins, Ray Jacildo, Ancient Cities, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Binky Griptite, Buffalo Hunt, Courtney Marie Andrews, Caleb Elliott, Dancey Jenkins, Davey Horne, Eric D. Johnson, Erin Rae, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jaime Wyatt, John Gallahger Jr., John McCauley, John Paul White, Justin & the Cosmics, Kashena Sampson, Langhorne Slim, Lilly Hiatt, Lola Kirke, the Lone Bellow, Midlake, Oliver Wood, Patrick Sweany, Phil Cook, the Pollies, Raul Malo, Shakey Graves, the Smoking Flowers, Suzanne Santo, the War and Treaty, Van Darien, more
What: Livestream concert re-creating The Last Waltz
Where: Natkins Funhouse online
When: Friday, November 27, $12, 8:00
Why: On Thanksgiving night, November 25, 1976, the Band played its farewell concert, The Last Waltz, at the Winterland in Sand Francisco, joined by an all-star lineup of luminaries that included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, and others. Recently, a wide range of musicians have been gathering every other year or so at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester to re-create the show; last November, Warren Haynes, Jamey Johnson, Lukas Nelson, Don Was, Cyril Neville, and John Medeski, among others, joined in the fun. With the pandemic lockdown closing all music venues, singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins has taken the reins and turned it into a virtual event. “I called a bunch of my musician buddies who are all homebound themselves and love the music of The Last Waltz and miss all being together to perform it in a theater, club, or dive bar for sweaty, singing, smiling humans and this, ‘The Last Waltz from Home,’ became our solution,” she posted on Facebook.

On November 27 at 8:00, Atkins and jazz pianist Ray Jacildo will be hosting “The Last Waltz at Home,” an online concert featuring more than two dozen performers going song by song through the remarkable Last Waltz setlist, from Ancient Cities, Binky Griptite, Courtney Marie Andrews, Eric D. Johnson, and Jaime Wyatt to John McCauley, Justin & the Cosmics, Langhorne Slim, Lilly Hiatt, Lola Kirke, Raul Malo, and more. Atkins and Jacildo will share stories and give out prizes, and everyone can take part in the live chat as the bands make their way from “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Shape I’m In” to “I Shall Be Released” and “Baby Don’t You Do It.” Virtual admission is $12; Atkins also noted on Facebook, “All of the money raised from tickets, tipping, and poster sales will go directly to the artists performing. Our industry has taken quite the beating in this pandemic and many of our tours and work has been cancelled. The silver lining in all this has been you, our fans, and your support throughout this time is beyond appreciated.” Last Waltz devotees will also want to check out the online photography exhibit “The Last Waltz: A Commemorative Retrospective” at the Morrison Hotel Gallery here.

BRICKMAN FOR BROADWAY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Who: Jim Brickman, Kelli O’Hara, Matt Doyle, Sierra Boggess, Megan Hilty, Wayne Brady, Shoshana Bean, Santino Fontana, Adrienne Warren, Norm Lewis, Max Von Essen, Jane Lynch
What: Holiday concert benefiting the Actors Fund
Where: Zoom
When: Saturday, November 28, $20-$200, 8:00
Why: Solo pianist, songwriter, and author Jim Brickman is celebrating the holidays this year with a new album and virtual tour. The just-released Brickman for Broadway Christmas features an all-star lineup singing seasonal favorites, including Santino Fontana’s “Coming Home for Christmas,” Adrienne Warren’s “Hear Me,” Megan Hilty’s “Merry Christmas Darling,” Norm Lewis’s “’Twas The Night Before Christmas,” Shoshana Bean’s “Sending You a Little Christmas,” Sierra Boggess’s “Fa La La,” Max Von Essen’s “Christmas Is,” and Kelli O’Hara’s “O Holy Night.” On November 28 at 8:00, all of those Broadway performers will join Brickman and special guests Wayne Brady and Jane Lynch for a livestreamed interactive concert benefiting the Actors Fund.

“Recording duets with Broadway stars has always been on my career bucket list,” Brickman said in a statement. “The Brickman for Broadway Christmas project to benefit the Actors Fund was a perfect opportunity to record my songs with theater’s best and to raise money for such a worthy cause during this challenging time in the world. And to hear such phenomenal singers bring these songs to life was a thrill.” Admission to the show itself is $20; for the $75 Gold Package you can hang out with Brickman and others in a Zoom room and get a stocking of Christmas presents (CD, autographed photo, program, more) delivered to your door; and the $200 Diamond Package adds all of the above along with access to a preshow party. Brickman will also be hosting “Comfort & Joy at Home” concerts with special guests November 29 through January 2, each concert benefiting a different organization and/or theater.