Chris Dave & The Drumhedz Live at the Highline Ballroom
When looking at the stage at Manhattan’s Highline Ballroom, you can see Chris “Daddy” Dave’s drum kit shining from a distance. There are only two people on Earth that can be identified simply by observing the drum kit and nothing else: one is Neil Peart of Rush, and the other is Dave. His kit was more of a rhythm laboratory, adorned with four snares, a hi-hat with holes covered with a tambourine, spiraled crashes, bongos and a suspended floor tom.
Hans Schuman Preserves & Accelerates with JazzReach
As Founder and Executive-Artistic Director of JazzReach, Hans Schuman has been the man behind educational programs in over 75 communities since the organization’s inception. Dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation and teaching of jazz music by way of “widely acclaimed live multi-media educational programs for young audiences, captivating main-stage concerts for general audiences and informative clinics and master-classes for student musicians and ensembles,” JazzReach has become a staple of the jazz community supported by both fans and artists alike. This Sunday 4/14/13, Chris Dave and the Drumhedz will be performing a benefit concert for JazzReach at the Highline Ballroom. Check out more about the concert and cause below as we discuss with Schuman.
Feature Giveaway: Giant Step Presents José James at the Highline Ballroom
José James is gearing up to drop his highly anticipated No Beginning No End (NPR First Listen) and we’ve got a pari of tickets to giveaway to his Highline Ballroom Show! “No Beginning No End sums up how I feel about music right now, I don’t want to be confined to any particular style. I decided I didn’t want to be considered a jazz singer anymore and that was really freeing. Once I realized that jazz singing is just something that I do and it’s just a label, it freed me as an artist to just write without any boundaries.”
Giveaway: SummerStage’s Summer Preview Showcase
SummerStage is one of the most anticipated summer events in the Tri-State area and rightfully so with epic performances continuing year after year. Luckily this year the good folks at behind the event are bringing us a preview of summer in winter! The preview will feature a rare performance by the legendary and soulful Shuggie Otis, new wave indie-pop bearers People Get Ready, London producer Ofei, Gospel star/Hebrew teacher Joshua Nelson, and someone who needs no introduction, DJ Kool Herc. The best part? We’re giving away a pair of tickets to the event!
NuSkuMu at the Highline Ballroom: Three Generations of New School Jazz Alumni
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music hits the the Highline Ballroom Tuesday 9/18/12 to present three generations of alumni in their NuSkuMu concert.The alum-filled lineup includes Moon Hooch and Corey King and TAFFY, as well as world-renowned guitarist Peter Bernstein performing new music commissioned for this evening’s concert, presented by a band assembled exclusively for this performance which will include fellow alums Sam Yahel and Grégoire Maret, along with Dwayne Burno, and Greg Hutchinson.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble with Special Guest Phil Cohran Live at the Highline Ballroom
Unlike hip-hop and R&B music, who take from the past yet disrespect those who have come before them, this new crop of jazz musicians not only take the genre into new, exciting heights, but they outwardly respect those who inspired them. Such a display took a literal turn that night at the Highline Ballroom, when the eight piece Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (HBE), seven of them brothers, honored their past by playing alongside they father, former Sun Ra Arkestra lead trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Kelan Phil Cohran.
Ms. Lauryn Hill & Black Milk at Highline Ballroom 6/2/12
The ever-elusive Lauryn Hill has announced a show at the Highline Ballroom with an intriguing opening act: Black Milk and his live band (Aaron “Ab” Abernathy, Malik Hunter, and Zeb Horton. The downside is if you want to catch the show you’ll have to dish out $125 per ticket.
One-Night Only: Chick Corea Solo NYC Performance 4/5/12
Chick Corea makes the short-list of innovators of the piano and keys. His sound is unmistakable, and his influence undeniable. For all of the lucky NYC fans, he will be performing a one night only, two set, solo piano experience at the Highline Ballroom on April 5, 2012. This is a rare chance to see the man who has brought together some of the greatest musicians we know, in a stripped down, intimate setting.
Photo Essay: Robert Glasper Experiment by HUMAN Photography
He’s modern jazz. He’s innovative. He’s the future… I feel as though Robert has that baton – the baton that 20 years ago Bill Laswell and Herbie Hancock had in their hands runnin’ with it and all that came after it. His jazz chops are so on the ball they can start doing real progressive things! They can take those J Dilla chords and apply them to 7/8 meter. Especially when The Experiment is performing… they’re really doing some aggressive rhythmic stuff together. They’re really applying a lot of polyrhythms that really haven’t been executed before in hip hop or jazz. -Questlove on Robert Glasper
Gregory Porter: The Lion’s Song
Pursuing a career that includes countless accomplishments as both a recording artist and Broadway writer among other artistic endeavors, Gregory Porter has become one of the most unassuming, yet influential vocalists recording today. From his beginnings becoming immersed in recordings that ranged from Nat ‘King’ Cole to gospel hits and Donny Hathaway, to evolving into an accomplished and sought-after artist, Porter continues to amaze both fans and his own expectations. Read on as he takes us through his experiences growing up, on Broadway, and beyond.
Glasper Announces Black Radio Release Party
Along with the release of the Robert Glasper Experiment’s Black Radio on February 28th, the album release party will be at Highline Ballroom that same night at 9pm. The bill promises a slew of special guests which, considering some of the Experiment’s previous performances, should signal to any fan that this is a night not to miss.
