2023 NYC Winter Jazzfest - Official Program Guide

We are back!

After two years of you-know-what, Winter Jazzfest is back in-person as it should be. Winter Jazzfest has been so many things over the past 18 years – the discovery, the hang, the schmoozing, jazz and justice, the talks, the chin-scratching, the feel good, the energy, the late nights. Yet what is most important is that intoxicating feeling of us all being together, audiences and performers sharing in the elation of live music. While we are giddy with excitement to welcome you back, we encourage you to remain mindful of the health and safety of one another, so please wear a mask especially when indoors.

We kick off the festival with New Standards Live at City Winery, curated by Terri Lyne Carrington and hosted by Melanie Charles, with four unique ensembles performing selections from the New Standards songbook of all women composers. At LPR, another opening night showcase will feature acclaimed French musicians, accordionist Vincent Peirani and saxophonist Emile Parisien, along with trumpeter Avishai Cohen and his quartet, and Nicole Glover with her trio. The night ends late with DJ and Brownswood Recordings founder Gilles Peterson on the decks at Nublu.

Our signature two-night marathon begins at seven venues spanning Lower Manhattan from City Winery (West Side Highway) to Nublu (East Village) on January 13, and continues across the East River at seven venues in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Your two-night marathon pass gives you access to 70 different groups performing throughout the two nights. Don’t miss the salute to Meghan Stabile & Revive Music at Brooklyn Bowl, the celebration of living legend Marshall Allen leading the Sun Ra Arkestra, or the late night sets at Nublu and Superior Ingredients.

As the mission of Winter Jazzfest is to support and amplify the sounds of new voices in jazz we encourage your discovery of new music. We are pleased to partner with Verve and Impulse Records on January 16 at LPR and showcase young artists Samara Joy, Julius Rodriguez, and Brandee Younger. Our Jazz Talks series includes pre-show conversations and a series at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem on January 15 and 17. Check out page 10 for more details. As we are all filled with enthusiasm and anticipation, we do expect large crowds especially on the Friday and Saturday marathon nights. To avoid showing up to a completely full venue please go to winterjazzfest.com/CROWDS for real-time venue capacity updates. We are proud of every single performance and are confident you will be happy wherever and whenever you end up.

As we mourn the loss of many vital individuals from our community this past year we dedicate the 2023 festival in memory of Pharoah Sanders, jaimie branch, and Meghan Stabile. We also remember Abdul Wadud, Arnold Jay Smith, Badal Roy, Barbara Morrison, Betty Davis, Charles Eubanks, Charnett Moffett, Creed Taylor, David Ornette Cherry, Eric Jackson, Ernie Andrews, Gal Costa, Gene Santoro, Grachan Moncur III, Jessica Williams, Joey DeFrancesco, Khan Jamal, Michael G. Nastos, Michael Henderson, Mick Goodrick, Monnette Sudler, Montez Coleman, Ramsey Lewis, Ron Miles, Ronnie Cuber, Roz Corral, Sue Mingus, and Sy Johnson. We are genuinely grateful to all the venues and their staff, and we are especially indebted to our invaluable festival team, and partners. Our deepest appreciation goes out to all the musicians performing this week; the talent and lifelong commitment to their art continually sparks renewed passion and meaning in our lives. And of course we value all of YOU, our audience, supporting us and celebrating this music together. Please take care of you; take care of your friends and look out for others that may need your care. Stay mindful and open, and keep the music moving forward! Looking forward to sharing many impactful nights of live music, thank YOU for joining us!

Stay inspired, Brice Rosenbloom

NYC Winter Jazzfest Founder/Producer

2023 WJF Team:

Founder/Producer: Brice Rosenbloom Associate Producer: Myles Glover Marketing Director: Melanie Nañez Production & Operations: Mat Pepino Box Office Manager: Katie Felten Art Director: Ertaç Uygun Marketing Assoc / Editor: Kyla Marshell Advertising Manager: Hannah Poole PR Team: Fully Altered Media (Matt Merewitz, Taylor Haughton) Brand Partnerships: Rep & Repeat (Sherry Riad) WJF Talks Team: Keanna Faircloth, Freda Knowles, Ryan Maloney, Kyla Marshell Writers / Contributors: Naomi Extra, Willard Jenkins, Piotr Orlov, Gilles Peterson, Ahmet Ulug Special Thanks To: Adam Schatz, Dahlia Ambach Caplin, Oliver Schrage, Danny Melnick, Makia Matsumura, Bonnie Barrett, Justin Kantor, Brendan Mulvihill, Catherine Hoffman, Jacob Montgomery, Jesse Soll, Isabella Biberaj, Lolivone De La Rosa, Vanessa Reed, Jill Strominger, Andrea DaSilva, Meg Porter, Fabian Almazan, Gabrielle Armand, Colleen Verbus, Leif Ellington, Georgina Javor, Jason Olaine, Jake Cohen, Matt Fleeger, Carol Handley, Joseph Petrucelli, Simon Rentner, Sarah Geledi, Sébastien Vidal, Alexis Thalamy, Maria Rodriguez, Vincent Bessières, Amelie Salembier, Ilhan Ersahin, Bilur Pinar Karpuzoglu,

Gul, Caio Carvalho, Shlomo Lipetz, Grace Blake, Ryan Ertrachter, Ellen Gold, Rubin Richardson,

Matthew Schwalm, Juliette Veale, Caroline Creaser, Lucas Sacks, Paul Bacher, Brett Tabisel, Ruben Perez, Jay Eigenman, Shannon J. Wiles, Jake Korolev, David Handler, Nicole Merritt, Zan

MacAleavey, Sruly Lazaros, Sara Casella, Angelique Rosales Salgado, Legacy Russell, Tassja Walker, Zack Tinkelman, Alex Kay, Paul Rizzo, Rio Sakairi, Brian Kelly, Paris Patterson, Kyle Brunette, Reid Masak, Linleigh Smith, Alex Gleeson, Billy Jones, Josh Roseman, Kevin Ray, Louis DeVecchis III, John Wiseman, Rachel Reynolds, Naomi Palmer, Alba Martin, Matt Ranaldo, Kate Branch, Kim Alpert, Lester St. Louis, Matt Pierson, Chris Mees, Matei Predescu, David Passick, Peter Cerritu, Samuel Ngahane, Jared Proudfoot, Tinku Bhattacharyya, Angela Gil, Katie Jones, Tom Korkidis, Marie Le Claire, Mike Epstein, Stefany Calembert, Chris Weller, Ryan Anderson, Russell Brantley, Ian Fintak, Emily Stock, Suzanne Despres, Gail Boyd, Steven Saporta, Julian McCall, Jonathan Mattson, Mariah Wilkins, Sonny Daze, Thomas Vermynck, Rahima Tacuma, Amy Davidman, Haley Brown, Alexandra Idiart-Benavides, Mathieu Deranlot, Jeff Molek, Pascal Pilorget, Marcello Farno, Myles Weinstein, Ian White, Chris Colbourn, Kathleen Page, Megan Frestedt, Alex Kadvan, Spencer Pinson, David Hoffman, Jared Cohen, Frank Riley, Jay Steele, Daniel Arano, Jack Reich, Elson Nascimento, Andrew Friedman, Patricia Parker, Gene de Souza. And a deserved shout out to our advertisers: Appreciation Association, Arts For Arts, Blue Note Records, City Parks Foundation SummerStage, City Winery, Craft Recordings, DC Jazz Festival, DoNYC, ECM, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Forum, Jazz Foundation of America,

Onur

Sarah Weiss,

Emerson, Garth

MELISSA ALDANA

JOE CHAMBERS

DOMi & JD BECK

BILL FRISELL

JULIAN LAGE

CHARLES LLOYD

JAZZ TALKS

Thursday, January 12

WHY THE JAZZ WORLD NEEDS GENDER EQUITY

Join us for a discussion about why initiatives like Next Jazz Legacy are a critical resource for women and non-binary jazz artists, and how those artists are shaping the music’s future. Featuring Next Jazz Legacy’s co-founders, NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington (Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice) and Vanessa Reed (New Music USA), with NJL Mentor/Bandleader Mary Halvorson and NJL artists Kalia Vandever and Lexi Hamner. Moderated by Melanie Charles.

5:30PM

• CITY WINERY, 25 11TH AVENUE AT HUDSON RIVER (Admission included with ticket to New Standards Live concert)

SUNDAY, January 15

AIN’T BUT A FEW OF US

A conversation with leading Black music writers who collaborated with author Willard Jenkins on his recent book “Ain’t But a Few of Us: Black Music Writers Tell Their Story.” The discussion will include how they have contended with a world of jazz writing dominated by White men, and address obstacles to access for Black jazz journalists, how to contend with the world of jazz writing dominated by white men, and discuss how these racial disparities are not confined to jazz but hamper their efforts at writing about other music genres as well.

1:00PM

• THE NATIONAL JAZZ MUSEUM IN HARLEM 58 W 129TH STREET (FREE with RSVP)

Sunday, January 15

STATE OF JAZZ RADIO IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Jazz radio stations are evolving (or not) to keep up with the unfolding of new music in the genre while navigating the commercial pressures of streaming services. A panel of jazz radio leaders will discuss recent trends, challenges, and successes in the world of jazz radio in the digital age.

4:00PM

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THE NATIONAL JAZZ MUSEUM IN HARLEM 58 W 129TH STREET (FREE with RSVP)

Tuesday, January 17

CELEBRATING MEGHAN STABILE AND REVIVE MUSIC

Friends and colleagues of Revive Music founder Meghan Stabile gather to celebrate her life, legacy and continued contributions to the music community.

4:00PM

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THE NATIONAL JAZZ MUSEUM IN HARLEM 58 W 129TH STREET (FREE with RSVP)

Tuesday, January 17

THIS IS A MOVEMENT PRESENTS

THE CURRENT STATUS OF GENDER EQUITY IN JAZZ

Join the movement! Adding to the momentum of the January 2022 convening, advocates and architects of This Is A Movement share findings and offer perspectives on the continued work towards offsetting over 100 years of patriarchy in our jazz community.

7:00pm

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THE NATIONAL JAZZ MUSEUM IN HARLEM 58 W 129TH STREET (FREE with RSVP)

For more info and to RSVP, visit winterjazzfest.com/2023jazztalks or scan the QR code. The 2023 Winter Jazzfest JAZZ TALKS series is presented in partnership with Jazz At Lincoln Center.

Washington, DC dcjazzfest.org

Capital Sounds, Global Reach #dcjazzfest

"Living Sky is a fine tribute by the indefatigable Allen to his mentor’s methods, and a remarkable late-life affirmation of his own." ★★★★, The Guardian Watch Sun Ra Arkestra live at Winter Jazzfest! 15% off on all merch with code WJF23 until 1/31 at omnisoundlabel.bandcamp.com

Morîk — Danûk

A group of exiled Middle Eastern musicians resurface centuries old Kurdish tunes rooted in their homeland.

Debut album produced by Michael League Coming in Spring 2023

My Words Are Music

Various Artists

A celebration of Sun Ra’s poetry: An inspired array of artists recite their favorite Sun Ra poems. Coming in Fall 2023

Honoring Marshall Allen

As a broadcaster, DJ and record collector, Sun Ra’s LPs have always been enticing, rare, pre-discogs–limited edition works of art. I can definitely recall the buzz we experienced when Ra, complete with wolfskin fur hat, arrived at Jazz FM in the early 90s to be interviewed by Jez Nelson. We were young and Ra was out there—mysterious, like no one else we’d ever met.

Jumping across time to 2015, it was the arrival of the Arkestra, under the direction of Marshall Allen, for a residency at Cafe Oto in Dalston that set the scene for a creative connection with the new jazz generation in London. Shabaka Hutchings was invited to join the Arkestra. He went on tour with them. He loved that they all had tasks. Marshall was in control of the sheet music. They were wild. You had the beautiful Danny Thomson on baritone, “Flying Knoel” Scott singing and dancing-–and you had Marshall. Nobody in this universe plays alto like Marshall Allen.

Over time I’ve been lucky to present the Arkestra live at my festivals—Worldwide in Sete and We Out Here in the UK this summer coming–and just to complete this vignette, I have to recall a recent conversation with Ahmet Ulug of Omni Sound. We were chatting about the new LP and he dropped a little bomb saying, “You know what, the best track isn’t even on the album!” It turns out there’s a track with that deep Lanquidity vibe—so I’m definitely hyped. I need to hear it. Basically, Marshall felt there was something not quite right about it so it’s still in the can and, for me, that’s Marshall. He’s 98 and he still gives a fuck! He’s amazing.

By Gilles Peterson

“Marshall Allen is a giant. There is no alto saxophonist I know today, or generally, hipper than Marshall. That this is not common knowledge is depressing.” Proclaimed in the early 90s by Amiri Baraka, these words still ring true in 2023, and Marshall deserves all the recognition he can get, especially during his lifetime.

Sun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen

Photo by Richard Conde, 2018 Winter Jazzfest

Marshall Allen is a living cultural heritage icon. At 98 years old, 75 years with Sun Ra Arkestra, and the last 28 years as the director, he still lives in the now-historic Sun Ra house in Philadelphia, recording and performing. Considering Sun Ra’s beginnings with Fletcher Henderson, it is fair to claim that Marshall’s reach goes back through the last 100 years of jazz history.

I am one of those people whose life has been altered by Sun Ra, and it became my karmic duty to show my gratitude by recording the Arkestra under Marshall Allen’s leadership. First, let’s take a look back. Marshall joined the proto-Black Power movement of Sun Ra in 1958, and lived, rehearsed, recorded, and toured with Sun Ra almost exclusively.

After Sun Ra’s retreat from planet earth in 1993, Marshall became the musical director of the Arkestra. By writing new arrangements of Sun Ra’s music and composing new music, Marshall has launched the Arkestra into a dimension beyond that of a mere “ghost” band while preserving the aesthetic and distinct sound of Sun Ra.

Today, the Arkestra continues to spread Sun Ra’s philosophy of utilizing music to influence and enlighten. It is electrifying to witness the increasing popularity of the Arkestra among young generations of fans, artists, and scholars.

In 2020, at the height of Covid, I realized the urgency of needing to record the Arkestra, and make it as much about Marshall as it was about Sun Ra. I proceeded to contact Elson, the manager of the band, with the idea for an instrumental album.

With Covid restrictions easing in June 2021, the chance to record the album became more tangible, and we set the date. The day before the session, I wrote a letter to Marshall. Knowing the capacity of the Arkestra, I defined our commission with some keywords: healing, accessible, spiritual, and hypnotic. With no further discussions and no questions asked, Marshall decided on the music to record.

On June 15, 2021, the day started with a prayer. There were 20 musicians in the studio along with the spirit of Sun Ra. Marshall led the Arkestra with endless enthusiasm and energy. All musicians were in total synergy as if certain motifs were intrinsically formatted in them. At the end of the day, Marshall was happy, and everyone felt enlightened one more time. This recording became the album Living Sky. It is an homage to the legacy of Marshall Allen as well as the living heritage of Sun Ra.

By Ahmet Ulug

Celebrate 98-year old living legend Marshall Allen as he leads Sun Ra Arkestra at The Opera House in Williamsburg on Jan 14.

Saluting Pharoah Sanders

By Willard Jenkins

NEA Jazz Master and spiritual beacon, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, who joined the ancestors last September 24, was an honored Winter Jazzfest presence. He headlined a 2017 WJF bill opened by one of his acolytes, Afro-Brit quest-agent Shabaka Hutchings and one of his several assemblages, The Ancestors. Two years later, Pharoah returned to reprise his burning presence on the 50th anniversary performance of Gary Bartz’s classic recording Another Earth.

Photo by Gulnara Hamatova, 2017 Winter Jazzfest at LPR

On this WJF occasion, guitarist, guitar synthesist, and aural architect Nate Mercereau will focus on Sanders’ 1974 Impulse! Records date, Elevation. Mercereau, a committed devotee of free improvisation and spontaneous composition, addresses his core instrument with a sense of twisted adventure that brings to mind the man Rolling Stone once labeled the “Avant-Guitar Godfather,” the ancestor Sonny Sharrock. The godfather of improvised guitar skronk, Sharrock made several sessions with the great saxophonist, including on Sanders’ pivotal 1966 Impulse! session Tauhid.

Born Ferrell Lee Sanders on October 13, 1940 in Little Rock, AR, the man who became Pharoah Sanders, he of the extended, multiphonic tenor saxophone technique, was initially introduced to the broader public as a member of John Coltrane’s mid-60s extended, incendiary spiritual quest unit. In the new book Ain’t But a Few of Us: Black Music Writers Tell Their Story, (Duke University Press, 2022; edited by this writer), the Anthology section reprints a 1965 DownBeat Magazine review by A.B. Spellman headed, “Trane + 7 = a Wild Night at the Gate,” where Spellman recalls the visceral contributions of Pharoah to Coltrane’s extended assemblage:

“Sanders followed [Carlos] Ward, and he is the damndest tenor player in the English language,” Spellman enthused. “He went on for minute after minute in a register that I didn’t know the tenor had. Those special effects that most tenor men use only in moments of high orgiastic excitement are the basic premises of his presentation. His use of overtones, including a cultivated squeak that parallels his line, is constantly startling. He plays way above the upper register; long slurred lines and squeaky monosyllabic staccatos, and then closes with some kind of Bushman’s nursery rhyme. Pharoah is ready, and you’ll be hearing from him soon.” And indeed we did, starting most broadly with Sanders’ brilliant, and by turns prayerful and incendiary Impulse! recordings Tauhid (1966) and Karma (1969), which introduced Leon Thomas’ vocal hypnosis through the deeply impactful anthem “The Creator Has a Master Plan.”

The ensuing 57 years have hardly dampened author Spellman’s enthusiasm for Pharoah. “When I wrote that Pharoah Sanders is the damndest tenor saxophonist in the English language,” Spellman expressed recently, “I was thinking of the whole man with his country boy gait and his silent, introspective demeanor. But mostly, I was mentally replaying some sounds that he had made on his horn that wouldn’t leave me. Sounds that were exclusively his, sounds that seemed thrown out of the bell with a jet force and a shrapnel edge. If you were open to this music, these sounds could reorder your sensibilities. He always had new ones or new ways of placing them within the progressions of the band. Like Coltrane, his leader, and Albert Ayler, his peer, he was sui generis.”

Such is the sensibility Mercereau and friends will strive mightily to bring to Winter Jazzfest. Theirs will be a quest for the often ecstatic truth and intrepid furiosity Pharoah Sanders delivered on his 1973 Impulse! date Elevation. That record included the contributions of Joe Bonner on piano, harmonium, wood flute and percussion; bassist Calvin Hill, who also contributed tambura; drummer-percussionists Michael Carvin, Lawrence Killian, John Blue, and Kenneth Nash; and vocalist Sedatrius Brown. Doubtless Elevation’s extended explorations, including the opening title track, which clocks in at 18:02, and the rapturous piece “The Gathering” (13:52 on record) with Sanders emoting at Herculean levels, will be points of Mercereau’s performance given the leader’s spontaneous composition sense of sound architecture. The influence of Pharoah Sanders remains indelible, whether on key observers like A.B. Spellman and the legion of writers who encountered the saxophonist-conceptualist beyond his Coltrane entry point, or on subsequent generations of musicians, like Mercereau and his cohorts. Such is certainly the case with newly minted NEA Jazz Master, alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett. Pharoah joined Kenny on the bandstand at The Iridium for the altoist’s 2008 Mack Avenue record Sketches of MD. A mentor of sorts for Garrett, Kenny today says, “The lasting impact of Pharoah Sanders was his quest for the truth, speaking his truth through his saxophone, and allowing the listener to take part in his journey. The lasting impact of Pharoah was the sermons he spoke every time he breathed air into his saxophone. His courage to allow the listener to share his everyday ups and downs of life. His quest for the truth at whatever the cost.”

Nate Mercereau and friends perform Pharoah Sanders’ ‘Elevation’ at Public Records on Jan.

A Conversation with Terri Lyne Carrington

By Naomi Extra

On a chilly January afternoon in 2018, WJF hosted the “Jazz and Gender: Challenging Inequality and Forging a New Legacy” panel to a room jam-packed and buzzing with energy. Angela Davis, Lara Pellegrinelli, Arnetta Johnson, Vijay Iyer, and Esperanza Spalding spoke, with Terri Lyne Carrington as moderator. Since 2018, a great deal has happened in the world of “jazz and gender.” I caught up with Carrington to talk about the new book that she edited, New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers and the New Standards Live performance at WJF this year. Here, Carrington shares insights on where we are in the jazz and gender conversation in 2023, and why not just equality, but justice is crucial to this movement.

Would you mind sharing a little bit of the backstory of the book?

I had some students that had trouble finding compositions by women artists. And it’s not just the students. Over the years, people have mentioned that it’s hard to find songs written by women in the jazz canon. I hadn’t really thought about it a whole lot because we’re all just out here playing. And those of us that are performers mostly play original music.

For those who might not know, what are jazz standards and why do they matter?

Part of what makes them a standard is the form in some ways, but also that people have made it their business to learn these songs and play them over the years. And so we had the old standards from the Tin Pan Alley days. Then, we had newer standards-–Miles Davis, Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner and John Coltrane. [But] who made these decisions? Women have been left out of that canon, for the most part. So I thought, let’s put together a collection of songs. I wanted [the book] to span a long period of time. It’s about 99 years, starting with Lil Hardin Armstrong to some recent Berklee grads.

What are some of your goals for the book?

I want everyone to be invested in the future of the music and take ownership in something that doesn’t necessarily reflect their exact [identity] group. I want for my male colleagues to not just support the book because they know me. I want them to support it because they really feel it’s important, that the voices that have been left out need to be acknowledged, and [because] they think there’s some music in there that would resonate with them.

Tell me about the New Standards Live performance that will be happening at WJF. What can people expect?

It’s to highlight the music from the book. We have four sets with four different combinations of players. It’ll feature people who are composers in the book and will be rounded off by some other New York musicians. There will also be a set of the Next Jazz Legacy Emerging Artists from the apprenticeship and mentorship program that we’ve done in collaboration with New Music USA.

I remember seeing you moderate the Jazz and Gender panel at WJF back in 2018. Can you share some of your reflections on that moment and where you are with your thinking now? 2018 is the year that our [Jazz and Gender] Institute [at Berklee College of Music] started. It was all kind of new to me. I wasn’t sure what to even name the Institute. I was thinking “gender equity.” It was pointed out to me by my friends Angela Davis and Gina Dent that I needed to use the word “justice” because you can have equity without having justice, without changing the conditions that created the inequity in the first place. I started to understand more about the importance of words.

Have things progressed, in terms of the widespread call for gender justice and equity in jazz?

I think things have changed since then [and] are in the process of changing. I go back and forth because I’d like to think that eventually one day we’ll be able to check off a box and say, “Okay, we did that in jazz. Now there’s equity, now there’s justice.” But I don’t think it works quite like that. I would be very happy to see jazz and gender get to a place where everybody can pursue their dreams and not have quite as many burdens to deal with. I do see some change and that’s really exciting and inspiring because it makes you want to keep doing the work when you see a groundswell of momentum. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

New Standards Live curated by Terri Lyne Carrington opens the festival on Jan 12 at City Winery.

Photo by Jacobs

Pictured: Bahia Watson & Liza Paul, Justin Vivian Bond, J. Hoard, Sunny Jain

Remembering Meghan Stabile:

An Interview with Igmar Thomas

Before there was Revive Music Group, its Blue Note Records imprint, or a dedicated stage at Winter Jazzfest, Revive Da Live, the presenter and promoter of progressive jazz artists and events, was Meghan Stabile’s senior project at Berklee. The way she saw it, she couldn’t believe that this wealth of music existed without more fanfare from her own generation. In shows that combined the foundations of jazz with more contemporary elements of hip-hop, Meghan created a new pathway for artists who have since become household names—Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, and Thundercat are a few—to make authentic music unbound by genre. Besides her business acumen, she was also a sweet, kind, caring and funny person. I used to sit across from her in makeshift offices—cafes, bars, and her living room—learning about the business side of music as a young, new-to-New York person trying to figure things out. Underneath the day-to-day of this figuring, Meghan was changing my life, in ways both mundane and profound. And this, I’ve learned over these last months of mourning and memorializing her, is a common story. She called herself the Supreme Uniter, and for a reason: she brought together an untold number of musicians who in turn created something that will live on long beyond her lifetime.

Igmar Thomas, trumpet player and director of the Revive Big Band, bore witness to Meghan’s vision from the very beginning, from their freshman year at Berklee, to now, as he carries on Meghan’s legacy.

By Kyla Marshell

What was unique about Meghan’s approach to working with artists?

Her passion and her determination. She was a woman that was getting it done. She was a closer. A lot of people have great ideas, but she took her ideas and many of them came true. And it wasn’t easy. I was with her, and she really put all her time into it. She was doing that more than school. She really hustled and was able to close on notable artists, and get a big enough budget to make it happen. A lot of people don’t go that far, and she kept doing that and every time it was bigger and bigger.

What do you think her influence has been on the music and jazz communities? What I was told was it shaped people’s soundtrack of New York. They’d hear the music, see the videos and want to move there. They’d come to our shows. Revive allowed people to be themselves in the 21st century. Because of the conservatism at that point—there were a lot of people that were afraid, whether you say they’re playing hip-hop, or soul, anything but swing, from a jazz perspective. Meg, with her production, made [this style of music] more normalized and widely accepted, and exposed it to the people who were not in touch. People could be themselves as opposed to getting boxed into the “jazz education system.”

Can you talk about her commitment to wellness? How can the music community incorporate this element of Meghan’s mission into their work and lives?

Music is therapy. We all realize it. She used it for herself and others and that’s what she wanted to continue to do and that’s what she was doing. There’s many different approaches. Hers was more of a world music, East Asian approach. Whether you’re listening to drones or you’re listening to a Faith Evans song, everybody has a certain subjective itch that music can scratch. She was finding another avenue for musicians to easily come in and find awareness, understanding, healing, or just give. She was very fierce about that.

What musicians can do from a creative aspect is highlight [wellness], understand it, be aware of it as opposed to writing something cool or convenient for the radio. Look at it from a film scoring perspective, almost. What emotions exactly are you trying to emote? And be moral. Be responsible. Sometimes take a song or two and heal somebody. I think that’s what the goal and the mission was.

What do you want people to remember about Meghan?

The determination, the work ethic, the vigor. Even when things weren’t working out. She turned a nickel into a dime and dime into a dollar.

How can we honor her legacy?

Live music. Live live music. Support it in all its forms. Whether it’s attending a show, or the instruments are live on the record. Supporting musicians’ creativity. Supporting the analog and the live musician, and their rights. That’s what Revive started for.

Meghan is honored twice on January 14: Future X Sounds salutes Revive at Brooklyn Bowl; and Surya Botofasina performs “Sounds for Meghan Stabile” at National Sawdust.

Fred Staton

Photo by Richard Corman

Photo by Deneka Peniston @ Winter Jazzfest 2020

H.

Memories of Winter Jazz Breezy

By Piotr Orlov

Photo by Adrien

Tillman, 2020 Winter Jazzfest

After the late trumpeter jaimie branch moved to New York in 2015, she was a regular at pretty much all Winter Jazzfests that followed. Breezy loved that, over the course of its hectic week, she could get a few different gigs in, at least one that would inevitably feature her own projects — whether the jaimie branch quartet that was soon renamed Fly Or Die, or her electronic improvisation duo Anteloper — but also because it gave her the opportunity to play with others, finding new contexts and adventures, some that would lead to lasting collaborations, some never to be heard from again.

Of the numerous times I saw branch perform at WJF, the after-hours jam session at Nublu in 2019 is the one that stands out most vividly. Not because it was any version of “the best” or “most unique” that she offered — those might have been at a 2018 Fly Or Die gig where the vibraphonist Joel Ross was added to the group, or her participation in the one-time-only reading of Ornette Coleman’s “Free Jazz” that paired the electric power-trio Harriet Tubman with James Brandon Lewis’ Unruly band, which branch’s trumpet helped make even rowdier. The reason that late-Friday night at Nublu has long loomed in my mind is that it gave me the greatest sense of jaimie branch as an organizer, as a charismatic magnet for other musicians, as someone who understood the creative moment, had the artistic power to both control it and let it flow, and who had the smarts and the will to make it happen. Prior, I’d already known and loved jaimie branch as a fearless player; that night I fell for her as a potential elder and a community bedrock.

The occasion was the first of a two-night bill called “Chicago Overground,” shows that I co-produced with International Anthem’s Scottie McNiece and which featured some members of the Windy City’s “new” generation of players, many of whom were jaimie’s old friends, compatriots, collaborators. So of course she wanted to be involved—except that she was booked to play elsewhere in the festival, and we were looking to feature folks who had no other gigs, and were coming in from Chi. That said, Scottie and I had already discussed having open late-night sessions as each evening’s closing programs, and wanted Chicago affiliates to lead: Breezy grabbed the chance, with bassist Luke Stewart and drummer Warren Trae Crudup III (the experimental thrashers in Blacks’ Myths who were also the rhythm section for Unruly) as her wingmen. And off they went, starting at around 1 a.m. It was the tail-end of a loooong WJF marathon night. Nublu on Loisaida Ave is a bit of a haul from the clustered congregation of Village jazz clubs, and the temperature was well below freezing, with East River gusts reaching deep below the layers and into the bones. The cynic in me wasn’t sure just how well-attended the jam was going to be–which made the steady stream of musicians who walked through the door with their various axes (horns, reeds, guitars–a keytar!) that much more surprising. As jaimie, Luke and Trae initiated a joyful noise, the wouldbe participants began lining Nublu’s stage-left staircase, beneath the painting of Miles, waiting for the cue that would signal their turn at glory. And there was Breezy, her tone a full-force gale, the witching hour driving the sorcery, turning towards the initiates and welcoming them onto the stage. With her eyes and a gesture of her horn, she conducted, coached, and paced them, first feeding them a musical worm, then making way for them to leave the nest. Or, if they were sloppy or unprepared, brutally cutting them off, as she did one drunken saxophonist, unceremoniously booting him from the stage. You did not cross her—she meant business. But this business was in the name of a greater truth. The music would take wide turns: originating in the melody-heavy changes of standards, with the central trio always moments away from galloping happily off a cliff. Before going on, the initiates’ faces held expressions somewhere between fear, adulation and eagerness. Afterward, most had the dead-eyed stare of someone disembarking a rollercoaster a little more thrilling than expected: “Do I go again?” “Will she let me?”

Of course she would let them. As Luke wrote in a wonderful poem after jaimie’s tragic passing on August 22, “Breezy is Love.” And one reason I believe that to be 100% true is that love means a belief in the future, a belief in the people helping create it, which, in jaimie’s case has always meant the community of musicians dreaming up that sonic about-to-be, together in real time. This, then, is what the “Flock Up and Fly” gathering is all about, taking place on that same stage where I saw jaimie branch participate in above-the-line community-building. Her old friends will be there, her recent ones as well, maybe even some of the initiates, the assholes and the clowns. Breezy will be there too, the angel and the devil on everyone’s shoulder. It’s at Winter Jazzfest, no way she’d miss it.

A Abraham Reunion

Cynthia Abraham - voice, Clelya Abrahampiano, Zacharie Abraham - bass, Arthur Alard - drums

Adam O’Farrill’s Stranger Days

Adam O’Farrill - trumpet, Xavier Del Castillo - tenor sax, Walter Stinson - bass, Zack O’Farrill - drums

Alfredo Colon

Alfredo Colon - saxophone & flute, Kalia Vandever - trombone, Lex Korten - keys, Steve Williams - bass, Connor Parks - drums

Alissia

Alissia - DJ

Avishai Cohen Quartet

Avishai Cohen - trumpet, Yonathan Avishaipiano, Barak Mori - bass, Ziv Ravitz - drums

B

Bada Bada

Leo Fumagali - saxophone, Arnaud Roulinpiano, Lilian Mille - piano, trumpet, Tiss Rodriguez - drums

Ben Wendel

Ben Wendel - sax, Taylor Eigsti - piano, Harish Raghavan - bass, Nate Wood - drums

Black Lives: From Generation to Generation

Stephanie McKay - vocals, Christie Dashiell - vocals, Sharrif Simmons - spoken word, Jacques Schwarz-Bart - saxophone, Federico Gonzalez Peña - Fender Rhodes & keyboards, Andy Milne - piano, Adam Falcon - guitar & vocals, David Gilmore - guitar, Reggie Washington - basses & vocals, Gene Lake - drums, E.J. Strickland - drums

Brandee Younger

Brandee Younger - harp, Rashaan Carterbass, Allan Mednard - drums

BREAK.FAST.CLUB

Jason Lindner - synths, Rajeev Maddeladigital drums, Tim Lefebvre - bass and synth

C

Caroline Davis

Caroline Davis - saxophone, Marquis Hilltrumpet, Julian Shore - piano, Chris Tordini - bass, Allan Mednard - drums

Chase Elodia

Claire Dickson - voice, Theo Walentiny - keys, Kanoa Mendenhall - bass, Chase Elodia - drums

INSTRUMENTATION

Chris Lightcap’s “Superette Deluxe”

Chris Lightcap - bass, Steve Cardenas - guitar, Luca Benedetti - guitar, Brian Marsella - keys, Dan Rieser - drums

Craig

Taborn Craig Taborn - piano

D

Daniel Villarreal

Daniel Villarreal - drums, Cole DeGenova - keys, Danjuma Gaskin - congas, Nathan Karagianis - guitar, Gordon Walters - bass

Dawn Richard

& Spencer Zahn’s ‘Pigments’ Dawn Richard - vocals, Spencer Zahn - bass

Dayramir Gonzalez

Dayramir Gonzalez - piano, James Robbins - bass, Tiago Michelin - drums, Taka Mikaido - percussion

Donny McCaslin

Donny McCaslin - sax, Tim Lefebvre - bass, Jason Lindner - keys, Mark Guiliana - drums

Doug Wamble

Doug Wamble - guitar and vocals, Eric Revis - bass, Nasheet Waits - drums, Abdias Armenteros - saxophones

E

Emile Parisien ‘Louise’ feat. Theo Croker Emile Parisien - saxophone, Theo Croker - trumpet, Manu Codjia - guitar, Roberto Negro - piano, Joe Martin - bass, Nasheet Waits - drums

Endea Owens

Endea Owens - bass, TBA - piano, keys, TBA - drums, TBA - trumpet, TBA - trombone, TBA - sax, TBA - vocals

Esthesis Quartet

Elsa Nilsson - flutes and FX, Dawn Clement - piano and vocals, Emma Dayhuff - bass and FX, Tina Raymond - drums

G

Gengis Don & The Empire

Gengis Don - drums, vocals, Johnny Cola - keys, Peter Enriquez - guitar, Chris Gaskel - bass, Keenyn Omari, sax, flute, Zacchae’us Paul - vocals

GEORGE with Anna Webber, Aurora

Nealand, Chiquita Magic, John Hollenbeck Anna Webber - tenor sax/flute, Aurora Nealand - voice/sax/keyboards, Chiquita Magic - keyboards/voice, John Hollenbeck drums/piano/composition

August 25-27, 2023 Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem Tompkins Square Park, East Village

Ghost Funk Orchestra

Seth Applebaum - guitar/bandleader, Billy Aukstik - trumpet, Jeremy Stoddard Carrollbass, Stephen Chen - bari sax, Mario Gutierrez - drums, Romi Hanoch - vocals, James Kelly - trombone, Megan Mancinivocals, Joshua Park - guitar, Brian Plautzflute/sax

Gilles Peterson Gilles Peterson - DJ H

Halvorson/Courvoisier Duo “Searching for the Disappeared Hour” Mary Halvorson - guitar, Sylvie Courvoisierpiano Hera

Chelsea Baratz - sax, Anne Drummond - flute, Alexis Lombre - keys, Endea Owens - bass, Shirazette Tinnin - drums, Andromedavocals

I

Igmar Thomas & The Revive Big Band feat Special Guests

Igmar Thomas - conductor & arranger, trumpet Immanuel Wilkins

Immanuel Wilkins - alto sax, TBA - piano, Rick Rosato - bass, Kweku Sumbry - drums

Irreversible Entanglements

Camae Ayewa - voice/electronics, Luke Stewart - upright bass, Keir Neuringersaxophone/percussion/synth, Aquiles

Navarro - trumpet/conga, Tcheser Holmesdrums

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few

Isaiah Collier - saxophone, world instruments, percussion, Michael Ode - drums, Jeremiah Hunt - bass, Julian Davis Reid - piano

Ishkero

annual,

festival celebrating Charlie Parker with emerging artists and jazz legends bringing live music to the neighborhoods where he lived and worked.

Adrien Duterte - flute, Victor Gasq - guitar, Arnaud Forestier - Fender Rhodes, Antoine Vidal - bass, Tao Ehrlich - drums

J

Jamaaladeen Tacuma

Jamaaladeen Tacuma - bass, Billy Martindrums, Lee Odom - sax, Paul Geiss - trumpet, Brandon Lopez - acoustic bass

JaRon Marshall

JaRon Marshall - keys, Michael Longoriadrums, Clunis - bass, Brian Donohoesaxophone

AlanNahigian©

Joel Ross’ Parables

Joel Ross - vibraphone, Gabrielle Garo - flute, Immanuel Wilkins - alto sax, María Kim

Sterling - tenor sax, Kalia Vandever - trombone, Marquis Hill - trumpet, Sean Mason - piano, Rick Rosato - bass, Craig Weinribdrums, percussion, Nick Jozwiak - cello

Julius Rodriguez

Jan 14 Brooklyn Marathon Set

Julius Rodriguez - keys, Chris Lewis - sax, Alonzo Demetrius - trumpet, Paul Johnson - electric bass, Brian Richburg Jr - drums, Corey Sanchez - guitar

Julius Rodriguez

Jan 16 LPR Set

Julius Rodriguez - keys, Brian Richburg Jrdrums, Jermaine Paul - bass

K

Kassa Overall

Kassa Overall - DJ

L

Lakecia Benjamin

Lakecia Benjamin - alto sax, Victor Gould - piano, Elias Bailey - bass, E.J. Stricklanddrums, Brandee Younger - harp

Linda May Han Oh

Sara Serpa - voice, Greg Ward - alto sax, Fabian Almazan - piano/effects, Linda May Han Oh - bass, Obed Calvaire - drums

LNDFK

LNDFK - vocals, keys, Dario Bass - keys & synths, Jason Lindner - synths, TBA - drums

Louis Cato

Louis Cato - vocals, guitar

M

Makaya McCraven

Makaya McCraven - drums, Junius Paul - bass, Matt Gold - guitar, Marquis Hill - trumpet

Mark Guiliana

Mark Guiliana - drums, Jason Rigby - sax, Jason Lindner - piano, Chris Morrissey - bass

Marta Sanchez Quintet

Marta Sanchez - piano, Alex LoRe - alto saxophone, Morgan Guerin - tenor saxophone, Matt Brewer - bass, Allan Mednard - drums

Maurice Brown

Maurice Brown - trumpet, James Francieskeys, Mike Mitchell - drums, plus guests TBA

Miho Hazama

TBA - reeds, Jason Rigby - reeds, Andrew Gutauskas - reeds, Josh Deutsch - trumpet, TBA - french horn, Tomoko Akaboshi - violin, Ben Russell - violin, Saki Uetsuhara - viola, Meaghan Burke - cello, James Shipp - vibraphone, TBA - piano, Edwards Perez - upright bass, Jake Goldbas - drums

NNate Mercereau

Jan 13 Nublu Set

Nate Mercereau - guitar, synthesizer, sampler, Surya Botofasina - keys, Carlos Niño - percussion

Nate Mercereau

Jan 17 Public Records Set

Take Two with Nate Mercereau - guitar, synthesizer, sampler, Surya Botofasina - keys, Will Logan - drums, Carlos Niño - percussion

Nate Smith / Jason Lindner / Tim Lefebvre

Nate Smith - drums, Jason Lindner - keys, synths, Tim Lefebvre - bass

Nathalie Joachim

Nathalie Joachim - flute

Next Jazz Legacy

Kalia Vandever - trombone, Alexis Lombre - piano, Loke Risberg - guitar, Lexi Hamnervocals, trombone, Anastassiya Petrova - piano , keys, Keyanna Hutchinson - guitar, Ivanna Cuesta - drums

Nicole Glover

Nicole Glover - saxophone, Tyrone Allenbass, Kayvon Gordon - drums

O

Orrin Evans Trio

Orrin Evans - piano, Bob Hurst - bass, Marvin “Smitty” Smith - drums

P

Paris Jazz Sessions feat. Jeanne Michard

Jeanne Michard - saxophone, Noé Codjia - trumpet, Noé Huchard - piano, Edouard Pennes - bass, David Paycha - drums

Pete Rock & The Soul Brothers

Pete Rock - MC, Amxxr - MC, Marcus Machato - guitar, Jermaine Holmes - vocals

Photay with Carlos Niño feat. Randal Fisher and Celia Hollander

Photay - synth, electronics, Carlos Niñopercussion, Randal Fisher - tenor saxophone, flute, Celia Hollander - keys, temporal sound expansion

R

Ray Angry presents Producer Mondays

Feat. Nomaad

Ray Angry - keys, Thaddaeus Tribbett - electric bass, George “Spanky” McCurdy - drums

DJ Raydar Ellis

Raydar Ellis - DJ, emcee Razor-N-Tape presents A Joyful Noise

JKriv - bass, electronics, Jason Lindner - keys, Peter Matson - guitar, electronics, Jim Orsodrums, Carter Yasutaki - trumpet, Stuart Bogie - saxophone, Olatunji Barton Richardsoncongas, percussion

Reid Anderson Reid Anderson - electronics, Gregg BelisleChi - guitar, Tina Priceman - violin

Rich Ruth

Michael Ruth - synths, guitar, Cameron Carrus - bass, Taylor Floreth - drums, Sam Que - saxophone, Mark Sloan - pedal steel

Richie Goods & Chien Chien Lu “Connected” Richie Goods - bass, Chien Chien Lu - vibraphone, Miki Hayama - piano, Quentin Zotoguitar, Smithsoneon - drums

Roxana Amed Quartet

Roxana Amed - vocals, Martin Bejeranopiano, Edward Perez - upright bass, Eric Doob - drums

S

Samara Joy

Samara Joy - voice, Luther Allison - piano, Felix Moseholm - bass, Evan Sherman - drums

Samora Pinderhughes ‘Grief & Process’

Samora Pinderhughes - piano/vocals, Argus Quartet - strings, Nio Levon - vocals, Jehbreal Jackson - vocals, Dani Murcia - vocals, Elliott Skinner - vocals, Jack DeBoe - drums, Joshua Crumbly - bass with special guests TBD, Choreography by Amanda Krische, Visuals by Christian Padron and Samora Pinderhughes

Sara Serpa ‘Intimate Strangers’

Sara Serpa - voice, Erin Pettigrew - spoken word, Aubrey Johnson - voice, Yoon Sun Choi - voice, Fabian Almazan - piano, Qasim Naqvimodular synth

Sarah Elizabeth Charles

Sarah Elizabeth Charles - voice/effects, Jesse Fischer - keys/piano, Jordan Peters - guitar, TBA - electric bass, Curtis Nowosad - drums/ spd

Sun Ra Arkestra

Marshall Allen - alto sax, EWI, Knoel Scottsaxophones, Cecil Brooks - trumpet, Michael Ray - trumpet, Dave Davis - trombone, Robert Stringer - trombone, Elson Nascimento - surdo, percussion, D. Hotep - guitar, Tyler Mitchell - bass, James Stewart - tenor sax / flute, David Lee Jones - baritonem m sax, Chris Hemingway - alto sax, soprano sax, Wayne Smithdrums, Tara Middleton - vocals

Sungazer

Adam Neely - bass, Shawn Crowder - drums

Surya Botofasina

Surya Botofasina - keys and synths, Carlos Niño - percussion and earth elements, Nate Mercereau - guitar, synth, live sampling

Susan Carol

Susan Carol - vocals

T

Takuya Kuroda

Takuya Kuroda - trumpet, Craig Hill - sax, Taka Izumikawa - keys, Rashaan Carter - bass, Christian X. M. McGhee - drums

TISS+

Tiss Rodriguez - drums, Auxane Cartignykeys, Galawesh Heril - vocals, Adrian Edeline - guitar

Vincent Peirani ‘Jokers’

Vincent Peirani - accordion, clarinet, keys, music box, glockenspiel, voice, Federico Casagrande - guitar, Ziv Ravitz - drums

W

William Parker Piano Trio

William Parker - bass, Dave Burrell - piano, William Hooker - drums

Y

Yamandu Costa

Yamandu Costa - guitar

Yessaï Karapetian

Milena Casado - flugelhorn, Salim Charvet - alto, Stephen Byth - tenor, Mwanzi Harriottguitar, Yessaï Karapetian - piano, Marc Karapetian - bass, Brian Richburg Jr. - drums

Z

Zoh Amba Zoh Amba - saxophone, Chris Corsano - drums

PORTLAND OREGON’S HOME TO JAZZ

THE BIRTH OF BOP: THE SAVOY 10-INCH LP COLLECTION

An essential introduction to this vital period in jazz music, The Birth of Bop: The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection features 30 choice cuts from many of the genre’s pioneers, including Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Milt Jackson, Allen Eager, Fats Navarro and more. This collection is presented on 5 10” LPs, 2-CD and digital formats with audio restoration by Joe Tarantino and new liner notes by GRAMMY®winning writer and broadcaster Neil Tesser.

EDDIE “LOCKJAW” DAVIS WITH SHIRLEY SCOTT COOKIN’ WITH JAWS AND THE QUEEN: THE LEGENDARY PRESTIGE COOKBOOK ALBUMS

Released to celebrate tenor jazz saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis’ centennial, “Cookin’ With Jaws and the Queen” showcases the influential soul-jazz partnership of Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and organist Shirley Scott . Bringing together the Prestige albums Cookbook, Vols. 1–3 and Smokin’. This 4-LP set is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI and newly remastered from the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman . The package features new liner notes by journalist Willard Jenkins . Also available on 4-CD and Digital formats.

VINCE GUARALDI TRIO

JAZZ IMPRESSIONS OF BLACK ORPHEUS (SMALL BATCH SERIES)

Vince Guaraldi Trio’s GRAMMY®-winning breakthrough album, Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus , is the latest release in Craft Recordings’ Small Batch series —a carefully curated collection devoted to creating the highest quality reissues of legendary recordings. Cut from the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed at RTI on Neotech’s VR900 compound using an exacting one-step lacquer process , the set features new liner notes by the foremost Guaraldi historian, Derrick Bang Numbered and limited to 3,000 copies worldwide.

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS SUPPORT RESOURCES:

Mental Health Emergency

For mental health resource assistance and mental health treatment options, call 211 to speak with a live person who can help. 211.org

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

The new three-digit dialing code that routes to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call, text, or chat 988 for trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. 988lifeline.org

Backline

Backline is a hub for music industry professionals and their families to quickly and easily access mental health and wellness resources. Backline.care

The Trevor Project: LGBTQ Suicide Prevention: The leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ and questioning young people under 25. 1.866.488.7386 / thetrevorproject.org

JED Foundation: Emotional Health and Suicide Prevention: The Jed Foundation (JED) empowers teens and young adults with the skills and support to grow into healthy, thriving adults. 1.800.273.TALK (8255) / Jedfoundation.org

Trans Lifeline: Trans Peer Support Hotline: Trans Lifeline is a trans-led organization that connects trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive. 1.877.565.8860 / translifeline.org

MusicCares

MusiCares provides a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community including mental health and addiction recovery, medical crisis financial assistance, and support for basic living expenses. musicares.org/get-help

Jazz Foundation of America

For jazz and blues musicians in need of emergency services, financial support, work opportunities and community connection. jazzfoundation.org

&

FRANK LACY JAZZGAZER