Hearing the Music In-Between the Synchronized Beats — Winter Jazzfest 2022 Review (Part 2)

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Wednesday, January 26, 2022

In today's Part 2 post about the Winter Jazzfest 2022 virtual marathon, we explore Jazz and the types Jazz within Jazz.

In Part 1 of exploring and sharing Winter Jazzfest 2022, “Winter Jazzfest 2022 – What’s It All About? Something for Everyone from the Comfort of Your Home”, I pointed out how it's really a festival that is a part of Northeast Jersey and a few ways to get there. 

I also demonstrated that pre-pandemic events such as the Winter Jazzfest 2020 contained over 21 stages over 11 nights, in Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, featuring over 700 artists and more than 170 groups (it’s impossible to see all in one night, so one usually attends multiple nights) and I reviewed the more traditional jazz performances. 

Well, this year’s pandemic-driven Winter Jazzfest 2022 virtual marathon contained 10 nights of programming across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and dozens of venues from around the globe. It contained over 100 groups and 500 musicians across 12 venues. That is, once again, more than anyone can listen to in 4 or 5 nights.

In this Part 2 Winter Jazzfest 2022 Review, I’ll introduce you to the Founder’s vision and my favorite WBGO Jazz Radio Station on-air personalities who are hosting the nightly sessions. Then, we’ll explore some straight-ahead jazz folks and also more of the avant-garde or free jazz jazz performances.  

The Founder, The Vision

The Winter Jazzfest founder is Brice Rosenbloom, and this visit and listening journey started on his Winter Jazzfest About page. I found statements like:

“… exciting and forward-thinking contemporary jazz music being made today… celebrates the music as a living entity, wherein history collides with the future in every note. Creative improvisation in the digital age continues to stimulate thought and emotion of its listeners… embracing innovation… defying instrumental boundaries and the old cliches of ‘What is Jazz?’”

Clearly, the festival is looking for more than straight-ahead and swing-type jazz, and clearly I need to hone some of my out-of-the-box listening skills. 

The other cool part of this virtual multi-day marathon is it was hosted by some of my favorite WBGO on-air personalities. 

Keanna Faircloth is the Host of WBGO Afternoon Jazz.

According to her bio on WBGO.org,

“She is a graduate of Howard University having majored in Music History with a minor in Classical Piano. Keanna has written for NPR Music, and worked for Radio One as an on-air personality, producer and voice-over talent […] she was recognized by Radio Ink Magazine as a 2019 African American leader in radio. […] Her mission to connect the jazz of yesteryear to the sound of today is what drives her, and she plans to continue to perpetuate the idea of ‘Sankofa’ - to ‘go back and get it.’”

My buddy Sheila Anderson, Host of Weekend Jazz After Hours, Salon Sessions and Sunday Night Music Mix, is the “Queen of Hang.” At the age of six, she fell in love with jazz and has been a member of WBGO for 33 years.

Sheila E. Anderson is a graduate of Baruch College, a (2017) Columbia University Community Scholar, and a inaugural Dan Morgenstern Fellow by the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers-Newark (2020). She is also an author of several books, with her latest book being How to Grow as a Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed. 

And now, it’s time to listen to some great, unique, and thought-provoking live jazz music performances. Just click the pic to listen, as I bring you this more avant-garde view of the festival.

Samara Joy

Being from the Bronx, I am of course proud of my hometown winner. Only recently celebrating her 21st birthday, Samara Joy is a winner of the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. She has one beautiful voice and is being touted as one of America’s most promising young vocalists. At this young age, Samara has already performed in many of the great jazz venues in NYC, including Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, The Blue Note, Mezzrow, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). She has also been working with jazz greats such as Christian McBride, Pasquale Grasso, Kirk Lightsey, Cyrus Chestnut, and NEA Jazz Master Dr. Barry Harris. Many proclaim she has “a voice as smooth as velvet” and that her “star seems to rise with each performance.” True to form, her first album “announces the arrival of a young artist destined for greatness.” You can learn more by listening to her on her Fox5 News TV appearance. 

Angel Bat Dawid with the Cosmic Mythological Ensemble 

“NYC Winter Jazzfest artist-in-residence composer/multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid presents Afro-Town Topics: A Mythological Afrofuturist Revue. Inspired by Fats Waller, Dawid presents a new original score using the traditional framework of a musical revue (a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches) as a compositional blueprint with the intention of creating and exploring the production of new Afro sonic realities and futures.” — www.winterjazzfest.com

Nite BJuti with Candice Hoyes, Val Jeanty & Mimi Jones

Jazz Gender Initiative Supporters using improvised electronica, percussion/vox/bass. The artists are  @valjeanty + @candicehoyes + @mimijonesmusic.

I found this extremely entertaining, but my description would not do justice to the performance so I'm glad I found this writeup of Nite BJuti by this Jazz Times writer:

“As I stood in line at the Moxy Hotel to pick up my Winter Jazzfest Marathon press pass, three female musicians set up in a corner across from the baked-good stands captured my attention. I couldn’t leave that spot for a full hour as the trio, Nite Bjuti, slung low bass cadences through Kansas City and New Orleans, visited Africa via electronic percussion and blasted beats, and traveled spaceward with vocals sampled, woven, spun, and finally ejected free to engage the cosmos. Percussionist LP / beat maker Val Jeanty, vocalist/sampler controller Candice Hoyes, and double bassist Mimi Jones were the biggest revelation of WJF (so far), creating dense sound vistas and pure improvisations. Jones’ heavy, funky bass slaps buffeted Jeanty’s turbulent rhythms and Hoyes’ unique vocals, the trio’s spiritual hookup immediate and profound.”

Zoh Amba — Loove Labs, Brooklyn

“Zoh Amba is a saxophonist and composer from Tennessee. While growing up in the mountains, Amba played in the forest and emerged into the sound world. After moving to San Francisco in 2018, she spent two years at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she played at venues such as the Black Cat and SFJAZZ. Outside of school, she studied under saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh.” — thelaurelofasheville.com

Amba has recorded and played with great sound painters like William Parker, Vijay Iyer, Matthew Shipp, Eric Harland, Marc Edwards, Cooper-Moore, and Francisco Mela. She just recorded her first record with Mr. William Parker and Francisco Mela, expected to be released in early 2022.

BBC Presents Ishmael Ensemble — Soma Centre

Ishmael Ensemble is a Bristol-based collective led by saxophonist & producer Pete Cunningham, who’s also a DJ and multi-instrumentalist. I found this to be representative of being at the intersection of “defying instrumental boundaries'' and the old cliches of “What is Jazz” as described in the Winterfest description. Lots of traditional instruments and electronic music for sure. They have said that “Ishmael Ensemble stage show is quite a big technical endeavor so it’s not really in our nature to do pop-up or jammed gigs as some bands do.” This performance felt more like rock jazz and next minute I felt like I was in an enchanted forest, but hey, what do I know, I’m just a listener. 

Amir Elsaffar — Hermitage Artist Retreat  

“Composer, trumpeter, santur player, and vocalist Amir ElSaffar has been described as “uniquely poised to reconcile jazz and Arabic music,” (the Wire) and “one of the most promising figures in jazz today” (Chicago Tribune). A recipient of the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and a 2018 US Artist Fellow, ElSaffar is an expert trumpeter with a classical background, conversant not only in the language of contemporary jazz, but has created techniques to play microtones and ornaments idiomatic to Arabic music that are not typically heard on the trumpet.” — www.amirelsaffar.com

From my world of straight ahead and swing jazz, to the more avant garde performances, there’s nothing like discovering new music through the creativity of live music performance.  So what do you think?

I'm also very happy as this is definitely in line with my mission of KEEPING JAZZ ALIVE. If just one more person discovers one of the above musicians, that's fantastic! 

Let me know your thoughts.

About the Writer

Gregory Burrus books bands and produces, promotes, captures, and records live music events along with various community and private activities. 

My mission is to help my customers, which are community groups, live music bands, and local nonprofits, reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life. 

Learn more:  
https://24hoursofmusicjamboree.com 
https://gregoryburrusproductions.com 

Winter Jazzfest 2022 – What’s It All About? Something For Everyone From the Comfort of Your Home

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Thursday, January 20, 2022

“Winter Jazzfest illustrates just why the City is aptly known as the Jazz capital of the world.”
It’s on now and it’s smoking hot!

Getting from New Jersey to New York is easy. However, getting to enjoy the full scope of the NYC Winter Jazzfest performances is always a challenge for many reasons. So let’s meet the Jazzfest happening right across the water. The New York Times praised the last in-person Winter Jazzfest for growing from its original one-day single-location program, to a 2020 itinerary that spanned 21 stages over eleven nights, in Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, featuring over 700 artists, and more than 170 groups. Winter Jazzfest is an unparalleled experience for educated consumers of jazz, experimental sound, and global creative impulses. In 2020, that meant welcoming 17,000 deeply engaged audience members. Yes, Winter Jazzfest is a beacon of the New York City jazz scene, gathering leading musicians from around the world.

Rolling Stone magazine described it this way:

“New York’s annual Winter Jazzfest marathon can be a mad scramble. For two nights in freezing January, dozens of groups in every imaginable style take over various downtown venues. Sets overlap, venues span nearly the whole width of downtown Manhattan from Alphabet City to Soho, crowds can swell to capacity, and if you’re trying to see everything, you might come away vexed.”

Taking the NY Waterways Ferry across the Hudson River to Downtown Manhattan.

Having lived on the waterfront in Jersey City for over 5 years, I can vouch for the fact New York is part of most folks’ lives in this Northern part of New Jersey. These events are just a short 9-minute JerseyNYC Path Train Ride away, a 6-minute NY Waterways Ferry Ride from Hoboken or Jersey City, or a 20-minute NJ Transit ride from Newark. Once in the city, npr.org described Winter Jazzfest visually as:

“Hardy winter folk seek and soak in an exhaustive regeneration over two evenings. Warriors sprint through snow and hop around lower Manhattan for brief encounters. Less ambitious but smarter listeners concentrate in small jewel boxes and take in music as concentrate.”

Hitting the many Winter Jazzfest events in numerous venues all across the lower Manhattan/Brooklyn region is definitely a challenge. I found this awesome guide on All About Jazz produced by Ludovico Granvassu titled “2020 Winter Jazzfest Marathons. A Survival Guide.” It's truly a work of art and provides great insight to the normal depth and breadth of this event. I was so looking forward to future versions, but as you know the pandemic and social distancing changed it all.

2022 Winter Jazzfest

Due to the pandemic shutting venues down again and the fact that this year the Northeast is experiencing freezing cold days of 7-15 (F) degrees, life just got a little easier for attendees. Now, I have to sidetrack and say me being a live music lover, event producer and promoter, in April 2020 when we all were forced to stay inside I had to quickly decide whether to put my much smaller 24 Hours of Music Jamboree Festival on or not. We finally did do it online, and it was no small feat to do it all within 30 days.

Therefore I clearly understand the massive challenge and endless amount of hard work that the Winter Jazzfest founder Brice Rosenbloom and his team went through for this clearly much larger, major event. I watched in disappointment, like many, as his event was canceled on Dec 23, 2021 due to rapidly rising pandemic concerns. I was extremely happy to see his Jan 13, 2022 announcement that said,

“We pivoted, @nycwjf Marathons go virtual starting Friday night Jan 14, and continuing four nights of sets from NYC, Brazil, South Africa, Switzerland, and more. Broadcast at 8pm nightly at WinterJazzfest.com“.

Yes!!!!!!

And now, the Winter Jazzfest website, supported by its partner and my Radio station WBGO, IS live and the 2022 schedule is on the website. To listen to events, check out the Media page which is regularly updated. You can listen live as the festival proceeds right now on the Winter Jazzfest YouTube page. Now, onto a few highlights from some of my favorite artists that I follow, discovered, and listened to this year.

Performances

Click the image and you can see their actual performance within the VIRTUAL MARATHON timeline.

Samurai Hotel Recording Studios – Miki Yamanaka Trio – VIRTUAL MARATHON NIGHT 2. Take a listen.

I saw Miki Yamanaka perform a few years ago at Newark Bethany Baptist Church with Antonio Hart, and she was awesome. She has gotten better and better. 

HighBreedMusic Recording Lounge – Nikara presents Black Wall Street. Take a listen.

Bowery Ballroom – Melanie Charles – VIRTUAL MARATHON NIGHT 1.  Take a listen.

From Switzerland – Camille Thurman with The Darrell Green Trio — VIRTUAL MARATHON NIGHT 1.  Take a listen.

The New York Times said, “For Women in Jazz, a Year of Reckoning and Recognition.” NPR said, “Camille Thurman Is A Rare Jazz Double Threat.”

What can I say, she's fantastic. 

Lakecia Benjamin ‘Pursuance’ — VIRTUAL MARATHON NIGHT 3. Take a listen.

“Charismatic and dynamic saxophonist/bandleader Lakecia Benjamin […] has played with Stevie Wonder, Prince, Alicia Keys, The Roots and Macy Gray.” (Read more here.)    

NYC Winter Jazzfest artist-in-residence composer/multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid presents Afro-Town Topics: A Mythological Afrofuturist Revue. Inspired by Fats Waller, Dawid presents a new original score using the traditional framework of a musical revue (a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches) as a compositional blueprint with the intention of creating and exploring the production of new Afro sonic realities and futures.

 All I will say is you have to watch it to get it.

Brooklyn HighBreed Recording Studio – Samir LanGus in VIRTUAL MARATHON NIGHT 3. Take a listen.

“Samir LanGus is a Grammy-nominated musician, born and raised in the city of Ait Melloule, Morocco whose passion for music stems from the variety of street sounds of his city.” (Read more here.)

I love the style and energy. Very cool band, and I love the sax player.   

SOME CONCERTS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT WHEN THEY OCCUR here on YouTube.

• Brandee Younger Quintet – Virtual Marathon Night 3

• Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science

• Helen Sun 48:46 Virtual Marathon Night

Podcasts

Also, if you want to hear some more about what the artists are thinking and where jazz is headed, check out this podcast which is very cool and informative: Make Jazz Trill Again.

When it comes to the artist and what they want from Jazz, here’s an example of the Jazzfest musicians liking the new, addressing gender inequality, but wanting to bring back the best of the past when Jazz was dance music. Take a listen, as I found it enlightening:

“Make Jazz Trill Again Podcast is anti-institutional take on life, music and inspiration hosted by Melanie Charles and Yunie Mojica. Keeping in mind that Jazz and Black Music were birthed in the streets by and for the people, Make Jazz Trill Again Podcast is for the streets, for the people, to dance to. Join hosts, vocalist, flutist, and producer, Melanie Charles and Yunie Mojica, saxophonist, producer and GRAMMY-nominated composer, as they converse with fellow women musicians, creators, movers and shakers.” (Read/watch here.)

Don’t forget to check the full list of events here.

So despite the fact live music revenue streams are still taking a bit hit as venues shut down, I hope this quick introduction to a truly wonderful Jazzfest helps a little. It can be heard online and will provide some relief in today’s stress, or, as the Winter Jazzfest Anteloper Bandleader (VIRTUAL MARATHON NIGHT 2) said, “Music can be like medicine. It makes us feel just a little better.”

About the Winter Jazzfest Founder and Producer: Brice Rosenbloom

“Live music promoter and event producer Brice Rosenbloom is the Co-Artistic Director of Le Poisson Rouge and founder of the NYC Winter Jazzfest. His company, Boom Collective, presents hundreds of concerts a year in venues all over New York City. “ (Read more here.)

“Winter Jazzfest was founded by Brooklyn-based music curator and concert promoter Brice Rosenbloom. Rosenbloom is President of NYC concert promotion and production company Boom Collective, presenting concerts and festivals in NYC and beyond. […] The New York Times calls Winter Jazzfest ‘the city’s most renowned jazz festival.’

In these current times Rosenbloom has pivoted attention to supporting the music community and towards racial justice activism. In April 2020 Rosenbloom helped launch Jazz Coalition, a grass-roots organization committed to unifying the jazz community around efforts that uplift musicians during the pandemic. The Jazz Coalition’s Commission Fund has raised over $100,000 to date and has commissioned over 100 jazz musicians worldwide with grants to create new work. In June Rosenbloom became a steering committee member of The Blacksmiths, an organization committed to fostering racial equity in the arts sector, and to infusing the racial justice movement with art and music.” (Read more here.)

About the Writer

Gregory Burrus books bands and produces, promotes, captures, and records live music events along with various community and private activities. 

My mission is to help my customers, which are community groups, live music bands, and local nonprofits, reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life.  

Learn more at 24hoursofmusicjamboree.com and gregoryburrusproductions.com