When the Harlem Renaissance was in vogue at the dawn of the 20th Century, the jazz clubs around Jungle Alley, between Lenox and Seventh Avenue – The Savoy Ballroom, Small’s Paradise, Minton’s Playhouse, Clark Monroe’s Uptown House, The Ubangi Club, Park Palace, Connie’s Inn, and others – were the place to be. These immortal nightclubs, concert halls, cabarets, speakeasies and ballrooms, will be channeled and showcased May 4 – 10 at the Fourth Annual Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival. A week-long, multi-venue partnership with the Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile, in collaboration with Columbia University, the festival revives the spirits and sounds of Harlem’s historic jazz venues with swinging live performances, jam sessions, informative panel discussions, dance parties, films and more.
Highlights of the 2014 Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival include:
- The Apollo Theater presents Arturo O’Farrill and his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and the world premiere of the Afro Latin Jazz Suite commissioned by the Apollo Theater. O’Farrill recasts his father, Chico O’Farrill’s, Afro Cuban Jazz Suite with a new generation of jazz masters, marking the 65th anniversary of this watershed work. Rounding out this red-hot program is a new composition by Arturo O’Farrill honoring Randy Weston and a selection of ALJO repertory works showcasing the 18-member orchestra’s virtuosity and breadth. The evening also includes special guests, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Freddy “Huevito” Lobatón, Café and Randy Weston with Billy Harper and Lewis Nash. (May 10)
Harlem Stage presents The Vijay Iyer Trio featuring Stephen Crump and Marcus Gilmore paying homage to the Capitol Palace, in collaboration with the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series. Labeled “brilliantly eclectic” by The New Yorker, and voted “Jazz Group of the Year” in 2012 by Downbeat magazine, the extravagantly talented trio has reached the pinnacle of the jazz world. The combo’s inventive performance features complex, rhythmically exciting compositions alongside reinvented classics, and immerses the audience in harmonic, thundering melodies. (May 9)
- Jazzmobile presents a four-night tribute to Minton’s Playhouse with Legends on the Bandstand: Late Night Jams at the recently-opened Minton’s and Ginny’s Supper Club at Red Rooster featuring Antonio Hart, Christian Sands, TS Monk, and Charenee Wade. (May 5-7, 9)
- The Apollo Theater gets into the groove with Showman’s Jazz Club for five nights to present Nathan Lucas, Kimberly Thompson, Jazmyn, Fred McFarlane, and Claudia Hayden. (May 6-10)
- Harlem Stage presents one of jazz’s most unique talents, Christian aTunde Adjuah Double Quartet’s “Stretch Music.” The performance introduces three completely new brass instruments, and extends the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic conventions of jazz to encompass a multitude of musical forms, languages and cultures. (May 8)
- Salute the Home of the Happy Feet when Jazzmobile presents Hopping at the Savoy Dance Party: Celebrating Frankie Manning’s 100th Birthday with the Harlem Renaissance Band at MIST Harlem. (May 10)
Columbia University again collaborates with the three partners to bring humanities programming to the Festival. Tipping a hat to Gladys Bentley’s gender bending at The Ubangi Club, Connie’s Inn and the Clam House, one panel on “Gender and Identity in Jazz Music” will focus on jazz and its impact on these issues. Next panel, “The Key to the Language: James Baldwin and His Muse” will present Columbia faculty in a conversation on how the music of Harlem shaped Baldwin’s writing, as part of the Year of James Baldwin celebration. Columbia University School of the Arts is also collaborating with Abyssinian Baptist Church in presenting Jazz Vespers. Abyssinian, ‘the church of jazz musicians,” will feature Brianna Thomas, showcasing the spiritual dimensions of jazz.
Celebrating the rich legacy of jazz in the uptown community while bringing both established and emerging artists to famed Harlem venues, the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival is designed to draw a diverse audience of neighborhood residents, New Yorkers and tourists. All events are free or $10 and up, and concerts are scheduled to allow people the option of attending several events each day, continuing the tradition of non-stop jazz throughout Harlem.
“We will pay tribute to the Apollo’s rich history in Latin Jazz by celebrating this complex and exciting music style,” says Mikki Shepard, Executive Producer for the Apollo Theater. “The Apollo’s rich legacy goes back to 1934 when Luis Russell performed, and includes Latin bands programmed as specialty acts within the variety show format and individual performers featured as guest soloists with jazz groups. Performances at the Apollo frequently paired African American and Latin music traditions in innovative ways and fostered new experimentation and stylistic mixing. In 1947, central figures in these newer trends were master Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo who worked with Dizzy Gillespie. Cuban bandleader Frank “Machito” Grillo and his Afro-Cubans were central to creating the collaborative space between Latino and black musicians. Not to mention the incomparable Celia Cruz’s debut at the Apollo over 50 years ago and Tito Puente’s first appearance at the Apollo in 1953.”
“The Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival provides a vital outlet for building on the legacy and tradition of the art form that Harlem is most known for,” said Harlem Stage Executive Director Pat Cruz. “This year’s slate of offerings is especially exciting, allowing the audiences to see and engage with established and emerging musicians in a variety of styles. Having Vijay Iyer in our lineup, for a free concert no less, is a truly special event. Collectively, Vijay Iyer, Christian aTunde Adjuah and Aruán Ortiz prove that jazz has no boundaries. We are very happy to be reunited in our work with the Apollo, Jazzmobile and Columbia University. The Festival has been, no doubt, a boon to the contemporary jazz scene in New York City.”
“In July of 2015, we celebrate 50 years of Dr. Billy Taylor’s dream, Jazzmobile. In keeping with his community spirit, we are pleased to continue the partnership with these other important Harlem institutions,” said Robin Bell-Stevens, Director of Jazzmobile. “It is a pleasure and a challenge to step out of the City parks and streets of Harlem to bring the mood, music and memory of Minton’s Playhouse and the Savoy Ballroom inside to the elegant new Minton’s, Ginny’s Supper Club at the Red Rooster, MIST Harlem and Riverside Theatre. Our Legends on the Bandstand, Late Night Jam Sessions, dance party, discussions and other educational events, with special programs for children and seniors, are a perfect extension and celebration of Harlem’s great musical legacy.”
Tickets for many of the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival events are available now. For tickets and more information on the Festival and its partners, visit the Harlem Jazz Shrines’ website at www.harlemjazzshrines.org.
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.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
10:00 am – Jazzmobile presents “Frankie Manning Lindy Hopping at The Savoy” with the Cecil Bridgewater Quintet. Middle/High Schools. Riverside Theatre. By invitation only.
1:00 pm – Jazzmobile presents Senior’s “Dancing at the Savoy” featuring Cecil Bridgewater Big Band. Luncheon. Riverside Theatre. By invitation only.
6:00 pm – Columbia University presents Jazz in the Body: Baldwin and His Muse. Discussion on James Baldwin and Jazz Influence. Cowin Theater – Teachers College. Free.
8:30 pm, 10:00 pm & 11:30 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Showman’s Late Night Jazz featuring Nathan Lucas. Two Drink Minimum per set/per person. Showman’s Jazz Club.
10:00 pm – 1:00 am – Jazzmobile presents Minton’s Playhouse: Legends on the Bandstand: Late Night Jam Session with Christian Sands Trio. Ginny’s Supper Club at Red Rooster Harlem. One drink/appetizer minimum. $10.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
6:00 pm – Columbia University presents Jazz Shrines Dialogues Celebrates The Ubangi Club, Connie’s Inn and Clam House: Gender and Identity in Jazz Music. Cowin Theater – Teachers College. Free.
7:30 pm – Harlem Stage presents Park Palace Tribute. Latin Double Bill: Manuel Valera with vocalist Sofia Rei; and Aruan Ortiz with Henry Grimes and Don Byron. Harlem Stage Gatehouse. $10.
7:30 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Apollo Amateur Night featuring Imani, Grace Cooper, Geoff Gallante. Apollo Theater. $20 & up.
8:30 pm, 10:00 pm & 11:30 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Showman’s Late Night Jazz featuring Kimberly Thompson. 2 drink Minimum per set/per person. Showman’s Jazz Club.
10:00 pm – 1:00 am – Jazzmobile presents Minton’s Playhouse: Legends on the Bandstand Late Night Jam with TS Monk. Ginny’s Supper Club at Red Rooster Harlem. One drink/appetizer minimum. $10.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
7:30 pm – Harlem Stage presents Christian aTunde Adjuah Double Quartet’s “Stretch Music” in tribute to Clark Monroe’s Uptown House. Harlem Stage Gatehouse. $10.
8:30 pm, 10:00 pm & 11:30 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Showman’s Late Night Jazz featuring Jazmyn. 2 drink minimum per set/per person. Showman’s Jazz Club.
10:00 pm – 1:00 am – Jazzmobile presents Minton’s Playhouse: Legends on the Bandstand Late Night Jam with TK Blue “Latin Bird.” Ginny’s Supper Club at Red Rooster Harlem. One drink/appetizer minimum. $10.
Friday, May 9, 2014
11:30 am – The Apollo Theater presents Apollo School Day Live featuring Grammy nominated Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band. Apollo Mainstage. $7.
7:00 pm – Jazzmobile presents Tribute to Churches: From Fields to the Church to the Bandstand. A discussion with historians, performers and composers. The Riverside Theatre. $10.
7:30 pm – Harlem Stage presents The Vijay Iyer Trio featuring Stephen Crump and Marcus Gilmore, in homage to the Capitol Palace. Marian Anderson Theater at Aaron Davis Hall. Free with RSVP.
9:00 pm & 11:00 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Showman’s Late Night Jazz featuring Fred McFarlane. Two drink minimum per set/per person. Showman’s Jazz Club.
10:00 pm – 1:00 am – Jazzmobile presents Minton’s Playhouse: Legends on the Bandstand Late Night Jam with Charenee Wade. Ginny’s Supper Club at Red Rooster Harlem. One drink/appetizer minimum. $10.
10:00 pm – The Apollo Theater honors Small’s Paradise with a special evening with Lakecia Benjamin & Soul Squad with Motéma guests. Curated by Motéma. Apollo Music Café/Soundstage. $10 & up.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
1:00 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Apollo Family Showtime featuring Bobby Sanabria & Ascension. Apollo Soundstage. $10.
7:00 pm – Jazzmobile Vocal Competition. MIST Harlem. Two drink minimum. $10.
8:00 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Freddy “Huevito” Lobaton, Café and Randy Weston with Billy Harper and Lewis Nash. Apollo Theater – Main Stage. $10, $35-$45.
9:00 pm & 11:00 pm – The Apollo Theater presents Showman’s Late Night Jazz featuring Claudia Hayden. Two drink minimum per set/per person. Showman’s Jazz Club.
10:00 pm – The Apollo Theater honors Small’s Paradise with jazz ensemble, Water Seed.
Apollo Music Café/Soundstage. $10 & up.
10:00 pm – 1:00 am – Jazzmobile presents Hopping at the Savoy Dance Party: Celebrating Frankie Manning’s 100th Birthday with the Harlem Renaissance Band. MIST Harlem. Two drink minimum. $10.
Schedule and Artists Subject to Change
Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival Venues
Abyssinian Baptist Church
132 Odell Clark Place (West 138th Street)
(212) 862-7474
Apollo Theater
253 West 125th Street
(212) 531-5305
Cowin Auditorium
Teacher’s College
525 West 120th Street
(212) 678-3000
Ginny’s Supper Club
310 Lenox Avenue (between 125th and 126th Streets)
(212) 421-3821
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
150 Convent Avenue (@135th Street)
(212) 281-9240, ext. 19
MIST Harlem
46 West 116th Street and Lenox Avenue
(646) 688-5886
Showman’s Jazz Club
375 West 125th (between Morningside & St. Nicholas Avenues)
(212) 864-8941
The Riverside Theatre
91 Claremont Avenue at 120th Street
(212) 870-6784
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