Upcoming: “Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60” Tour to Make NYC Stop

Karrin Allyson, Clarence Penn, Ben Allison, Anat Cohen, Mark Whitfield, Randy Brecker and Peter Martin (Photo Credit: Jimmy Katz)

“Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60”

March 4 - 6 

Jazz Standard

116 E 27th Street (btw Park & Lexington)

New York, NY

Set Times: 7:30PM & 9:30PM

Tickets: $35

AND

“Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60”

March 7 - 8 

Jazz Standard

116 E 27th Street (btw Park & Lexington)

New York, NY

Set Times: 7:30PM, 9:30PM & 11:30PM

Tickets: $35

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the world-renowned Newport Jazz Festival® (August 1-3, 2014), the “Newport Jazz Festival®: Now 60” Tour makes a stop in New York City at the Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, March 4-8. Featuring clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, vocalist/pianist Karrin Allyson, bassist Ben Allison, pianist Peter Martin, guitarist Mark Whitfield, trumpeter Randy Brecker and drummer Clarence Penn, the band has been receiving rave reviews since it kicked off a 17-city tour on February 8 in Atlanta. The first leg of the tour winds down March 30 and will continue with more dates during June, July and August in North America and Europe (including a set at its namesake festival on August 2). 

Set times at the Jazz Standard are 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm on March 4-6, with an 11:30 pm set added on March 7-8. For tickets and more information, call (212) 576-2232 or visit www.jazzstandard.net. 

This multi-gender, multi-national and multi-generational group of musicians was especially selected by festival founder/producer George Wein and with his long-time associates and the tour’s producers, Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC and Darlene Chan of FestivalWest, Inc., to represent the incredible diversity of talent that the Newport Jazz Festival® has presented over the last six decades. (Melnick is also the associate producer of the Newport Jazz Festival®.) 

Upcoming: Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival To Take Place May 4 - 10

The Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile have once again teamed up to put on the week-long, multi-venue Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival.  The festival takes place May 4 - 10.  Check out the schedule of events below.

Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival

May 4 - 10, 2014

All Tickets Start at $10, unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

4:00 pm – Columbia University presents Jazz Vespers featuring Brianna Thomas. Abyssinian Baptist Church

Monday, May 5, 2014

6:30 pm – Live Wire presents Latin Jazz: A Conversation with Christopher Washburne and others. Apollo Theater. Free with reservation.

7:30 pm – Jazzmobile presents Minton’s Playhouse Legends on the Bandstand: A Conversation on Charlie Parker with Stanley Crouch and Farah Jasmine Griffin. Minton’s. Two drink minimum, appetizers available. $10.

10:00 pm - 1:00 am - Jazzmobile presents Minton’s Playhouse: Legends on the Bandstand: Late Night Jam with Antonio Hart. Minton’s. Two drink minimum, appetizers available. $10.

Minor Alps - “Waiting For You”

Minor Alps, the collaboration between Nada Surf's Matthew Caws and Juliana Hatfield, released a video for their track “Waiting For You” about a month ago.  The clip stars Julie Gayet and Philippe Rebbot and was directed by Emilie and Sarah Barbault.  Check it out below.

Minor Alps released their debut album Get There in October 2013.

Over the last two decades, both Caws and Hatfield have carved out long-lasting - and strikingly independent - careers within a dependably fickle music business, Caws with his now 20-year-old New York City group Nada Surf, and Hatfield with the Boston-reared Blake Babies, the Juliana Hatfield Three, Some Girls, as well as a number of releases under her own name.

 

Hatfield and Caws not only share lead vocals and co-writing credit on each of the eleven songs that comprise Get There; aside from some drumming and programming by Parker Kindred (Jeff Buckley, Antony and the Johnsons) and Chris Egan (Solange, Computer Magic), the pair plays every instrument and conjures every sound - from primitive electronic dub pulse ('Buried Plans')-- to straight-up rock hook ('I Don't Know What To Do With My Hands') to stripped-down electric guitar punch ('Mixed Feelings') to eerie trance-allure ('Radio Static') to hypnotic guitar drone ('Waiting For You').

Side Saddle - “Don’t Wait For Him” + Upcoming EP

Side Saddle, the moniker Ian McGuinness writes under, recently released his new single, “Don’t Wait For Him”, from his upcoming debut EP.  The Postcard is scheduled to be released on March 25.  Check it out below.  He also premiered his video for the song on Baeble.

Upcoming: Lily Kershaw at Rockwood Music Hall on 2/25

Lily Kershaw

Tuesday, February 25

Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 3

185 Orchard Street

New York, NY

Doors: 9:15PM / Show: 9:30

Tickets: $12 

$10 drink minimum

21+

Lily Kershaw released her John Fields produced album, Midnight In The Garden in September 2013 via Nettwerk Records.

Neon Trees Announce North American Tour + NY Show

Neon Trees announced their North American tour this week.  They’ll be making a stop in NYC at Central Park Summer Stage on Monday, July 7.  Doors are at 5:30.  Tickets go on-sale tomorrow, Friday, February 21 and it’ll cost you $35.  See below for more details and dates.

Also, Neon Trees will release their new album, Pop Psychology, on April 22.

Neon Trees

Smallpools / Nightmare & the Cat

Monday, July 7

Central Park Summer Stage

69th St At 5th Ave 

Entrance/Rumsey Field, Central Park

New York, NY

Doors: 5:30PM / Show: 6:30PM

Tickets: $35

Rain or Shine Event, General Admission, Standing Room Only

All Ages

Tour Dates
Smallpools and Nightmare and the Cat supporting on all dates

• 5/12 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
• 5/14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
• 5/16 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
• 5/19 - Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
• 5/20 - Richmond, VA @ The National
• 5/22 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
• 5/23 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
• 5/24 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
• 5/25 - North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 5/27 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
• 5/28 - Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor
• 5/29 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
• 6/1 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
• 6/2 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek
• 6/4 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto Theatre
• 6/5 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan
• 6/9 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
• 6/10 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
• 6/11 - Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
• 6/13 - Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
• 6/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
• 6/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
• 6/17 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
• 6/21 - Louisville, KY @ Fourth Street Live!
• 6/23 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
• 6/24 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
• 6/29 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
• 6/30 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
• 7/1 - Dewey Beach, DE @ Bottle & Cork
• 7/3 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
• 7/4 - Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
• 7/7 - New York, NY @ Central Park Summer Stage
• 7/10 - Wallingford, CT @ The Dome at Toyota Presents
• 7/11 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
• 7/13 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

TONIGHT: Prospector at Cameo Gallery, 2/18

This is happening…

The Bowery Riots / Prospector / JM Airis and the Wild Birds

Tuesday, February 18

Cameo Gallery

93 N 6th Street 

Brooklyn, NY

Doors: 8PM

Tickets: $8

21+

...you should definitely go. 

Tysson Debut New Single: “Lost”

Tysson, the new project from John Michael Rouchell with Joe Dyson, Alvin Ford, Jr., Max Moran and Joe Shirley released their debut single “Lost” recently.  If memory serves me correctly, the last time JM played NYC, these were the cats that played with him ... all but Ford.  They were seriously tight.  Judging by this track, there are good things to come from this project.  I’m looking forward to more tunes from these gents.  For now, we’ll have to settle for “Lost” which they are offering as a free download.  Check it out below and enjoy.

Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray To Release New Album + Tour

Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray are set to release their sophomore studio album Lean Into The Wind on March 25th via Seven Dead Arson Records.  Check out a sneak peak of one of the tracks, "Drifter's Compass", at the bottom of the post. You'll get caught up in Miss Shevaughn's voice; once that happens, there's no turning back and why would you want to?

They’ll be hitting the road in support of the record in what is dubbed the “Honeymoon Tour” aptly named because Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray will be tying the knot on March 1st.  Congratulations!  There will be a stop in NY over in Brooklyn at The Grand Victory on April 11.  Doors are at 7PM and it will cost you $8.  See below for more details & dates.

Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray

Friday, April 11

The Grand Victory

Brooklyn, NY

245 Grand Street

Doors: 7PM

Tickets: $8

21+

Lean Into the Wind, the second full-length album from hard touring rock band Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray is the product of a year plagued by the chaos of friends passing, illness, depression and self-doubt, but also one of adventure, travel, friendship and the kinds of life events that ultimately help us to cut through the noise. 

“We had a pretty emotional year, I don’t think you can assign one emotion to something as complex as a series of songs, emotion shouldn’t be a stylistic choice. Unless you’re sedated, no one exists like that. Sometimes you feel happy or angry or inadequate, this album captures every nuance of what we were feeling last year,” explains Yuma Wray. 

For the two songwriters settling, for the moment, in California seems to have had more than just a slight effect on their music. Many of the dreamy guitar and vocal textures harken back to the days of the Flying Burrito Brothers or the Byrds Sweetheart Of The Rodeo period. Lean Into The Wind is as twangy as it is fuzzy - striking a perfect balance between the jittery, noisy heyday of the late sixties and the more subdued, experimental sounds of the early seventies.  

The album opens with a nod to those sounds, and introduces the rich three-part vocal harmonies that are woven into the fabric of the album. “Drifter’s Compass” is a manifesto of sorts. “It’s a kind of defiant anthem for the underdogs and artists who create outside of the mainstream because they just simply must, “ says Miss Shevaughn.    

This record, that celebrates those who travel the outskirts and explores the push and pull between creativity and destruction, hope and despair, ends much as it started, with a statement of defiance, spirit and perseverance. Lean Into the Wind invites the adventurous to time travel with the band through the past, present and several imagined futures. Whispers and roars fill these songs - yet each tune, in it's own way, has a thin veneer of that California sunlight that streams golden just before the sun sets over the mountains.

Tour Dates

• 3/6 - Alex's Bar - Long Beach, CA
• 3/7 - The Press Restaurant - Claremont, CA
• 3/8 - TBA - Phoenix, AZ
• 3/9 - The Lost Leaf - Phoenix, AZ
• 3/11 - Cowgirl BBQ - Santa Fe, NM
• 3/12 - Adobe Bar - Taos, NM
• 3/14 - Bufalo Bob's Chalupa Wagon - Austin, TX
• 3/15 - Cherrywood Coffee - Austin, TX
• 3/21 - The Nick - Birmingham, AL
• 3/23 - Hendershot's - Athens, GA
• 3/24 - Eddie's Attic open mic - Decatur, GA
• 3/25 - The Basement (new faces showcase) - Nashville, TN
• 3/27 - Emerald Lounge - Asheville, NC
• 3/28 - Slim's Downtown - Raleigh, NC
• 3/29 - Common Market - Charlotte, NC
• 4/2 - IOTA - Arlington, VA
• 4/11 - Grand Victory - Brooklyn, NY
• 4/12 - The Bus Stop Music Cafe - Pitman, NJ
• 4/16 - Bossy Grrl's Pinup Joint - Columbus, OH
• 4/17 - TBA - Dayton, OH
• 4/18 - Southgate House - Newport, KY
• 4/19 - TBA - Louisville, KY
• 4/20 - Melody Inn - Indianapolis, IN
• 4/22 - Acorn Theater - Three Oaks, MI
• 4/24 - Woodruff's - Ypsilanti, MI
• 4/26 - Kingman Island Folk & Bluegrass Festival - Washington DC
• 4/30 - The Frequency - Madison, WI
• 5/02 - Frank's Power Plant - Milwaukee, WI
• 5/3 - Ritual Cafe - Des Moines, IA
• 5/9 - The Pioneer Inn - Nederland, CO
• 5/14 - Cowgirl BBQ - Santa Fe, NM
• 5/19 - Pappy & Harriet's - Pioneertown, CA
• 5/23 - Trillium Cafe - Hood River, OR 

Little Brother Eli - “Injection of Blue”

There's a new video from UK based band Little Brother Eli.  Check out “Injection of Blue” below.