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Jazz vocalist and DC-native Akua Allrich (a MAAF Jazz Touring Network Artist) curates and delivers a soul-stirring tribute to two powerhouse musician-activists, Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba. This talented Howard University graduate is making a name for herself in the US and beyond with a musical style that draws from blues, soul, jazz, and panAfrican music. Akua leads a sizzling hot band in renditions of beloved songs made famous by Simone and Makeba. Dubbed 'the next big thing' ... the jazz vocalist Akua Allrich isn’t just a rising star. She’s a skyrocket. (DC MAGAZINE) Jazz vocalist and DC-native Akua Allrich has proven herself to be a musician of extraordinary talent and crowd-moving passion. With finesse and charisma, this vocalist, composer and teacher, has successfully etched out a place for her unique musical expression, electrifying audiences in and around the nation’s capital with sold-out performances. With the launch of her independently produced albums, A Peace of Mine, in 2010, Uniquely Standard, Akua Allrich Live! in 2012, and her latest release Soul Singer, the young artist’s music and concerts created a significant buzz with critics and music-lovers alike. Said Franz Matzner of All About Jazz, “Akua Allrich’s music flows with a free, natural energy as engaging as her equally ingenuous personality.” Her appeal soon reached across US borders and attained international attention. In early 2011, Allrich signed a distribution deal with Japanese record label AGATE/Inpartmaint Inc. Her debut CD, A Peace of Mine, was released in Japan during their “Golden Week” of May 2011. Music lovers and tastemakers from around the world expressed their appreciation and excitement for this new music. Allrich’s style is fluid and ever evolving. Her musical roots run deeply into blues, soul and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music. She sings in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa, and Twi. Given her ability to capture the essence of a broad range of musical genres, Allrich is often likened to legendary artists such as Oscar Brown, Jr., Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone. She has developed popular tribute programs involving the latter two women and other great African American women of jazz. Akua Allrich was educated at Howard University, where she obtained her BM in jazz vocals and a master’s degree in social work. She was taught, coached and mentored by talented musicians such as world-renowned singer Kehembe V. Eichelberger, singer/drummer Grady Tate, and pianist Charles Covington. She is the child of a musical family (her father, Agyei Akoto, was a founding member of the jazz group, Nation, and recorded two albums during Allrich’s youth). Her home held a wealth of cherished recordings that she and her siblings were invited to explore. In fact, she did not buy any albums until her second year in college because her parents had such an amazing collection of jazz records. One of the first jazz albums she bought was John Coltrane’s Live at the Village Vanguard: The Master Takes. Allrich has already proven her abilities as a performer and bandleader by producing and performing many successful solo and group programs. In addition to focusing on her own engaging compositions, she keeps an ear to the rest of the world and to other eras and artists. Akua Allrich has inspired music lovers from all walks on an international scale, who enjoy her exceptional work and expect nothing short of brilliant artistry from each of her offerings. This engagement of Akua Allrich and the Tribe is made possible through the Jazz Touring Network program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

New Camerata Opera (NCO) presents The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace by Kamala Sankaram and Rob Handel as their spring 2022 mainstage production on April 7, 8, and 9 at 8pm, and April 10 at 3pm at Dixon Place Theater on the Lower East Side. Tickets are $35 for Mezzanine, $40 for General Admission, and $60 for VIP, and can be purchased at https://www.newcamerataopera.org/the-infinite-energy-of-ada-lovelace. The one-act opera will be directed by Jennifer Williams, with music direction by Nell Flanders. Immersive cabaret elements and thematically-related repertoire will be performed before and after the opera, intertwining multiple pieces into one engaging evening. The performance will run approximately 90 minutes without intermission. This opera, composed in 2019, follows Ada Lovelace's work with Charles Babbage on the Difference Engine. Her detailed notes on revolutionary concepts about the potential for the engine to carry out an algorithm led to her recognition as the world's first computer programmer. Her story is the struggle between her work as a mathematician and upholding her reputation as a wife, mother, and public figure. The cabaret will incorporate aerialist work from performer Heather Meyer and Circus Director Nicki Miller. Utilizing the full spectrum of tools for storytelling, the evening will provide a transportive trip into the world of Ada Lovelace. Originally slated to produce Libby Larsen's Barnum's Bird this spring, NCO chose to pivot to a new piece that was safer to rehearse and perform amid the challenges of the Omicron variant. Honoring the contracts of those originally cast, the company forged ahead with a work that does not require as much physical and musical ensemble work, and can therefore be done while following stricter safety protocols. The cast includes: Brittany Fowler and Emily Hughes as Ada Lovelace, Virdell Williams and Stan Lacy as Charles Babbage, Victor Khodadad and Erik Bagger as William Lovelace, Kristin Renee Young and Barbara Porto as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Heather Meyer and Emily Solo as the The Nanny, Alonso Jordán López and Ryan Allais as The Butler, Jeff Goble and Gabriel Hernandez. Further credits include: DeAnna Howard (Lighting Designer), Lianne Arnold (Video Projection and Set Designer), Nicki Miller (Circus Director), Asa Benally (Costume Designer), Holly Thomas (Stage Manager), and Elliot Roman (Assistant Conductor).  About Dixon Place Dixon Place, an incubator for performing and literary artists since 1986, is a non-profit organization committed to supporting the creative process by presenting original works of dance, theater, music, puppetry, literature, performance and visual art at all stages of development. Presenting over 700 artists each year, this local haven inspires and encourages diverse artists of all stripes and callings to take risks and push personal and professional limits. Dixon Place's foremost priorities are to serve as a safety net for artists, and to provide vivid experiences for audiences. Dixon Place is the only non-profit theatre of its size to own and operate a full service cocktail lounge where all profits are returned to the organization to support their artists and mission. The full service cocktail lounge is open to the public from 6PM to closing with all profits supporting the Dixon Place artists and mission. About New Camerata Opera New Camerata Opera is a New York City-based, cooperative company in its sixth season. Its mission is to engage, excite, and educate through immersive performances that break down barriers and inspire fans of the future. NCO offers mainstage operas, children's operas through Camerata Piccola, and produces short operatic films with CamerataWorks. For more information, visit newcamerataopera.org.

Roseanna Vitro is an accomplished jazz vocalist, producer, educator and. recording artist. She has released fourteen critically acclaimed albums on; Concord Records, Telarc, Challenge, nl., and Motema labels, achieving a Grammy nomination in 2012 for "The Music of Randy Newman." Her recent cd on Skyline Records is the re-release of her first vinyl, "Listen Here" featuring Kenny Barron's Trio, which reached #17 on the jazz charts with rave reviews. "Sing a Song of Bird" The Music of Charlie Parker is in the Q for release at the end of this year. Vitro has toured as a featured artist on every continent but Antarctica, including two tours as a Jazz Ambassador for The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center in partnership with the US State Dept. As a teacher, she developed a four-year vocal jazz program for New Jersey City University, SUNY Purchase, and NJPAC over the course of twenty years. As a jazz advocate, she has produced records for fellow singers and musicians, chaired seminars for Jazz Times conventions, lectured and presented clinics globally, and is devoted to documenting the life experience of jazz singers through her column in JazzTimes. http://www.RoseannaVitro.com Supporting Musicians: Sheila Jordan has carried on the music of Charlie Parker since she was a teenage girl listening to Charlie play in a NYC bar. Sheila sings her stories of bebop with authentic bebop scat, soulful ballads that make you cry before she finishs a set swinging and singing "Sheila's Blues. "Following are a few of her awards : 2018 8th SATCHMO Award, 2018 Bistro Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Art of Jazz; 2017 Jazz Legends Distinguished Achievement Award from the UMass Fine Arts Center and the Valley Jazz Network. https://www.sheilajordanjazz.com/about Marion Cowings embodies and extraordinary voice, interpreting jazz music with clear diction and heart. Jon Hendricks loved Marion's scat singing and sang with Marion many times. Frequently you will see and hear Marion's workshops and concerts at Lincoln Center. We are thrilled to have Marion join,"Sing a Song of Bird." https://marioncowings.com/ Gary Bartz is one of the few alto sax players who's lived Charlie Parker's music, studied, played and teaches true bebop. McCoy Tyner preferred Gary Bartz as his alto player touring and recording, Gary's compositions and recordings are well known in the jazz world. He is a master musician. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Bartz Pianist Alan Broadbent is a two-time Grammy Award Winning Pianist, Arranger and Composer who plays with great depth in feeling and swing. He hails from Auckland, New Zealand, now residing in New Jersey and Performs in New York frequently. It is an honor to have Mr. Broadbent in the piano chair for Sing a Song of Bird. Check out his new recording! https://www.alanbroadbent.com/ Dean Johnson bassist is an extraordinary soloist and swings hard. Dean is part of several groups, notably Paul Jost's recent projects. He can be heard with Art Lande. As bassist for vocalist Roseanna Vitro, Dean has performed as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador in the Balkans, Kazahkstan and Kyrgystan, as well as a live recording at the Kennedy Center featuring pianist Kenny Werner, and a recording project celebrating the music of Randy Newman featuring Mark Soskin, nominated for a Grammy in 2012. Dean is an asset in any group! Alvester Garnett is heir to the legacy of the great Billy Higgins. He swings with joy and style. Alvester is the first call for many great artists. He has appeared on Great Performances on PBS in a tribute to Kurt Weill. Garnett has played with Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Regina Carter, Clark Terry, Pharoah Sanders, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Teddy Edwards, James Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Charenee Wade, Lou Donaldson, Benny Golson. Source:: http://www.RoseannaVitro.com

Paul Carr & Friends Juneteenth Celebration: Songs of Celebration and Hope This performance is in remembrance of the historic African American “Juneteenth” Emancipation of the former Texas slaves. The term comes from the date June 19th, 1865 when slaves in Texas were freed although slavery had been officially abolished more than two years earlier. Today, Juneteenth continues to be celebrated throughout the country as a ritual of cultural pride and historical continuity. Don't miss this concert ~ please share with all your friends Paul Carr, Saxes Allyn Johnson, Piano Amy Shook, Bass Chris Latona, Drums Paul Carr, a Houston native and 1985 Howard University graduate, has dedicated his professional career to mastering the saxophone and the art of Jazz. He carries on the Texas tenor tradition espoused by great heroes such as the late Houstonians Arnett Cobb and Don Wilkerson who served as his early idols and mentors. He grew up in inner-city Houston and was a member of the Kashmere High School Stage Band, whose director, the late Conrad Johnson, is the subject of a documentary, Thunder Soul, produced by actor Jamie Foxx. Though never having had private music lessons, Paul has received several outstanding musician awards at high school and college jazz festivals. Paul has recorded 5 CD’s, which have been well received by critics and jazz fans alike. His new CD “DC-NYC Organ Sessions” eleased in September, 2014 and hit the top 10 on the Jazz Week radio play charts. His 2013 CD, “Standard Domain,” reached #3 on the Jazz Week radio play chart and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks. Paul has toured Russia, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Central and South America and has shared the stage with many of the greatest names in jazz. Paul was a favorite of President Clinton during his term in office and Paul performed at many of the Clintons' private events. He also did a special performance for the late King Hussein and Queen Noir of Jordan at their residence in Aqaba, Jordan. Paul is passionately committed to the education of children and particularly as it relates to the preservation of jazz. In 2002, he founded the Jazz Academy of Music, which hosts summer camps and jazz ensembles for kids throughout the year. Paul has changed the lives of hundreds of his students by selflessly sharing his knowledge of music and life. Several of his students have been admitted and even received full scholarships to some of the top music schools and conservatories in the country. In fact, five of Paul's students have been admitted to the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York. Paul’s work was acknowledged in 2012 by ABC Channel 7 News when he was selected as a “Harris Hero” for his amazing work with music students across the area. Most recently in March 2014, Paul received the prestigious, Howard University, “Benny Golson Jazz Master Award”, for his outstanding work as a performer, presenter and educator. He served as a panelist at the 2014 Congressional Black Caucus where he spoke on the importance of jazz education and advocated for a Bill currently being vetted in Congress that will offer federal support toward the advancement and preservation of traditional jazz. In 2010, Paul re-established the East Coast Jazz Festival as the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival and serves as its Executive and Artistic Director. The festival enjoys over 2,000 attendees that travel from states across the U.S. and beyond. Showtime is 7 pm ET/6 pm CT/5 pm MT/4 pm PT/11 pm GMT A limited number of in-person seats are available for $25 each. Please email henry@andiemusik.com for stipulations. Streaming cost is $10 Donations are welcomed. The link will be revealed to you 15 minutes before the show and will remain active through June 25.

MIGGUEL ANGGELO BRINGS ENGLISH WITH AN ACCENT TO LINCOLN CENTER’S CLARK STUDIO THEATER, DECEMBER 1-3

THE PRODUCTION COMBINES ORIGINAL MUSIC WITH DANCE AND THEATER; EXPLORES THE INTERSECTIONS OF HIS QUEER, LATINO AND IMMIGRANT IDENTITIES

WATCH A PERFORMANCE TRAILER HERE

ALBUM OF THE SAME NAME OUT ON DECEMBER 2; WATCH THE “SO IRONIC” MUSIC VIDEO HERE

Migguel Anggelo is a Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter, multidisciplinary performing artist and countertenor, dancer, actor and painter. His work explores the intersections of his queer, Latino and immigrant identities using music, physical theater, dance, text and costume. As a theater creator, he has been awarded residencies to develop new works at MASS MoCA, the Kimmel Center, the Miami Light Project and beyond.

English with an Accent is an original musical production of dance-theater, helmed by Migguel Anggelo and a company of 10 dancers. These performances at Lincoln Center’s Clark Studio Theater, December 1-3 - which celebrate the project's album release - follow an immigrant caterpillar's arrival in New York City with hopes of becoming a butterfly. English with an Accent explores the attainability of the American dream through themes of freedom, safety, and self-worth. Directed, choreographed, and developed by Avihai Haham, the production boasts original music and lyrics composed by Migguel Anggelo and his longtime collaborator and music director Jaime Lozano. English with an Accent, the album, will be released on December 2. Watch the first music video for “So Ironic” here.



Migguel Anggelo: “I am very excited to bring English with an Accent to Lincoln Center – I’m so thankful for their generous support and for co-commissioning the piece. After sixteen long years, I am now (finally!) a naturalized U.S. citizen, so this work is especially meaningful to me. It represents my quest for safety, for happiness, for self-worth – and finding that in the United States, I can now call this country my home. Home and safety matter to everyone, regardless of where they are from, and it’s my hope that people who don’t normally see their stories reflected on stage, find theirs in our work.”



Tickets are available now on a choose-what-you-pay basis.

English with an Accent credits:

Conceived and Written by Migguel Anggelo
Music and Lyrics by Migguel Anggelo and Jaime Lozano
Musical Direction and Arrangements by Jaime Lozano
Directed, Choreographed, and Developed by Avihai Haham
Associate Director and Choreographer: Jakob Karr
Costume Design: Ryan Park
Lighting Design: Scott Davis
Recorded Music Production and Sound Design: Jaime Lozano and Demián Cantú
Executive Creative Producer and Production Design: David Stark
Production and Stage Management: Jessi Cotter
Identity and Graphic Design: Studio Usher
Casting: Mungioli Theatricals, Inc.
Management and Booking: Greg Kastelman / Unbound Artists

Press quotes:

“A Migguel Anggelo performance is guaranteed to entertain and enthrall.” – Broadway World

"Migguel Anggelo exhilaratingly recalls the showmanship of Desi Arnaz and the performance art of Klaus Nomi" – Theater Scene

“[Migguel] was born to be on stage and delivers a performance with incredible honesty, humor, and flair… Anggelo forces his audiences to think and feel — and ultimately connects with them in a way that leaves an indelible and remarkable imprint.” – The Broadway Blog

About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is the steward of the world’s leading performing arts center, an artistic and civic cornerstone for New York City comprised of eleven resident companies on a 16-acre campus. The nonprofit’s strategic priorities include: supporting the arts organizations that call Lincoln Center home to realize their missions and foster opportunities for collaboration across campus; championing inclusion and increasing the accessibility and reach of Lincoln Center’s work; and reimagining and the strengthening the performing arts for the 21st century and beyond, helping ensure their rightful place at the center of civic life.

Grupo Niche is a Colombian salsa orchestra formed in 1980, recognized by critics and the public alike as the most successful in Latin America during the last four decades. It was started in the city of Bogotá by Jairo Varela Martínez, a native of the department of Chocó. With the passage of time and in search of inspiration, they decided to travel to the city of Buenaventura on the Colombian Pacific coast, and finally, in 1983, they settled in Cali, in the western region of the country, which would become their base of operations.

In 1990, Jairo Varela produced "Cielo de Tambores", the group's most successful album. Songs like "Una Aventura", "Busca por Inside", "It looked so much like you", "Sin Sentimiento", "Cali Ají" and "Debiera Olvidarla" broke new ground and were an undeniable success throughout Latin America. Through their tours, the group used their newfound influence to entertain their fellow immigrants and ethnic groups in each country.

On August 8, 2012, teacher Jairo Varela suffered another heart attack that caused his death. There was great grief over his passing in Colombia and several other countries. His funeral lasted four days due to the love of his fans. Numerous tributes were received from governments and individuals, and the legend of "Jairo" began.

Mana Contemporary is pleased to present, The You Voice, a nine-channel video installation by filmmaker Derrick Belcham. This powerful work explores the often-contradictory inner voice that both drives and stalls creativity and personal agency. Filmed in black and white, nine performers speak directly and candidly to the camera. Using texts drawn from journals and memories, the nine actresses perform characterizations of this voice, their own self-critic. By inviting an audience to engage with them in a physical space, their individual thoughts are universalized, transforming self-criticism into a practical process of work creation and exhibition.

Each actress is filmed against a stark, black background with a single soft light source that flutters on and off in a sound-reactive relationship to the volume of the speakers’ voices. Each performs three pages of material in a single long take, referred in the film and theater industry as an “impossible monologue,” in order to elicit authentic emotion and capture improvisation based on the material. They speak in their native languages of either English, Spanish or German.

Created during the pandemic, this work meaningfully grapples with the isolation, grief, hope, and revelation that we, as a society, both collectively and individually, experienced. Visitors to The You Voice may determine for themselves whether these monologues are meant as soliloquies, confessions, or invitations into intimate conversations. By courageously sharing their vulnerabilities, the performers foster connection and resilience with the audience.

Trio featuring vocalist Kendra Shank, guitarist Pete McCann, and bassist Dean Johnson perform 2 sets (7 & 8:30) at "Room 623" - Harlem's Speakeasy. Located in the basement at 271 W 119th St, look for the blue light above the door. Full bar + lite bites. Tix: $15 advance/$18 door + $15 food/drink. (Livestream: $12).

Dubbed “imaginative and daring” by The New Yorker, Kendra Shank combines jazz originals, standards, world music, French songs, folk/pop tunes, and open improvisation in a “delectable voice” (Time magazine) that “intoxicates with a combination of power and perfume" (Chicago Reader). She prizes spontaneous, improvisational interplay with her bandmates, inviting listeners on an in-the-moment musical journey. Since her 1992 debut at the Village Vanguard with Shirley Horn, Shank has become a prominent figure on New York's jazz scene and has toured in Europe, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and across the U.S. Her seven critically acclaimed CDs have received numerous “Best of the Year” citations and national radio play. “Working her voice like a horn, she phrases inventively, whether crisp and sizzling or sensuously smoky. She’s definitely an original.” -Jazz Times

“Rachel Z is a consistently adventurous player.” —The Los Angeles Times

Acclaimed jazz pianist Rachel Z brings her trio to Zinc for a splendid evening of jazz piano on Saturday, June 10. She’s supported by bassist Jonathan Toscano and drummer Ben Perwosky.

The stunning Rachel Z and her piano trio have audiences captivated from the moment they hit their seats. With recording and performing credits, including Peter Gabriel, Al Di Meola, Wayne Shorter, Steps Ahead, and Stanley Clarke, Rachel’s magnificent and exquisite song poems are beautiful and demanding.

Manhattan-born and raised Rachel Nicolazzo (aka Rachel Z) had music practically ingrained in her genetic code. Groomed to follow in her mother’s operatic footsteps, she began voice lessons at two, started classical piano lessons at seven, and attended the opera by age nine. “Then I heard Miles Smiles.”

Listening to Herbie Hancock’s harmonies over Wayne Shorter’s compositions helped her bridge the gap from her classical training to jazz. Rachel Z graduated from the New England Conservatory with a “Distinction in Performance” award.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $30 in advance / $35 at the door. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

"a tough, intensely rhythmic player." —The New York Times

Acclaimed jazz guitarist Ron Affif brings his formidable trio to Zinc. He's supported by bassist Neil Caine and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts.

Ron Affif has gained a reputation for his personal approach to jazz, playing with a muscular realism as he looks for new expression in tunes from the Great American Songbook.

The nephew of guitarist Ron Anthony (who played with George Shearing and Frank Sinatra), Ron Affif received his first guitar lesson from his uncle when he was 12. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles in 1984, playing with Dick Berk, Dave Pike, Pete Christlieb, and Jack Sheldon and recording a quartet date for the R.A. Records label in 1987. Two years later, he moved to New York and has since worked mostly as a leader. Affif, an excellent bop-based guitarist whose style was influenced a bit by Joe Pass and George Benson (both of whom, in turn, enjoyed his playing), has recorded several impressive albums for Pablo.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25 in advance / $30 day of show. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.