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There’s no taking pianist Orrin Evans out of his comfort zone. He’s just so musically articulate. Consider all the music he’s made with a trio, with his…

Latest Jazz Media Workshop episode features a discussion about the intricacy of the connection between a human and their voice, and have that expression taken away.

One of the artists who left a mark at this year's Winter Jazzfest was newcomer Nubya Garcia. Get to know the firebrand saxophonist from the United Kingdom…

Sam Newsome - soprano saxophone / Kirk Knuffke - cornet / Hilliard Greene - bass / Satoshi Takeishi - drums To continue safely serving our community of artists and audience members, Arts for Art is filming and releasing new performances on Tuesdays and Thursdays in January, February, and March. A pay-what-you-can donation is required to view each video. All donations will go towards AFA’s Artists & Friends Campaign. About Sam Newsome: New York-based saxophonist and composer Sam Newsome often works in the medium of solo saxophone, an approach for which he gained world-wide critical acclaim with his 2009 recording, Blue Soliloquy: Solo Works for Soprano Saxophone. This recording received a five-star review in Downbeat magazine. Newsome has since released several critically acclaimed solo saxophone CDs: Sonic Journey: Live at the Red Room (2020); Chaos Theory: Song Cycles for Prepared Saxophone (2019); Sopranoville: Works for Prepared and Non-Prepared Saxophone (2017); The Straight Horn of Africa (2014); The Solo Concert: Sam Newsome Plays Monk and Ellington (2013); The Art of the Soprano, Vol. 1 (2012). Ed Enright, from Downbeat magazine, called The Straight Horn of Africa, “a modern masterpiece.” Many of the notes and sounds used in his compositions and improvisations stem from his sound palette of extended techniques and saxophone preparations. Newsome often attaches tube extensions to the neck of the soprano that significantly changes the timbre of the instrument as well as extends the soprano’s range by an octave or two. Conceptually speaking, Newsome sees himself more along the lines of a visual artist who paints with notes and sounds rather than shapes and colors. Newsome has also received numerous accolades for his adventurous work, including this year’s 2020 Instant Award in Improvised Music, along with fellow avant-gardists Peter Brotzmann and John Butcher. He was also named a nominee for Soprano Saxophonist of the Year by the 2020 Jazz Journalist Association. Past recognitions include the 2018 New Music USA Grant, the 2018 Alpert/Ragdale Prize in Music Composition and the 2016 NYFA Fellowship for Music Composition In addition to his solo work, Newsome leads a trio with Hilliard Greene and Reggie Nicholson. He is a frequent collaborator with drummer Andrew Cyrille, vocalist Fay Victor, and tours regularly with Pepperland, a music and dance work by Mark Morris and Ethan Iverson that pays tribute to The Beatles.

Echo Taunt is the hybrid electronic project of musicians Michael Alfieri and Walsh Kunkel. The duo is marking their beginnings with the release of Sudsville on the Shiny Boy Press Record Label and with live improvisatory performances. Guitarist Walsh Kunkel and drummer Michael Alfieri play in a free jazz tradition with intensely superb musicianship; crafting an immersive dimension of sound art environments. Check them out on Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp and other streaming services. Walsh Kunkel is a guitarist, composer and electronic musician hailing from Baltimore, Maryland. Walsh has spent his youth organizing and experimenting with sound and song form, writing and producing tracks of an array of styles. These abilities and interests have been augmented by the Jazz Performance program at Towson University where he studied with the likes of Anthony Pirog, Kris Davis, Drew Gress, William Parker and many more. With a focus on combining electronic and acoustic music styles, Walsh Kunkel is forging his own sound and searching for ways to express his views of the world through his work. Mike Alfieri is a drummer, percussionist and composer from New York now living in Baltimore, Maryland. Mike is a frequent collaborator and session drummer - writing, recording, and producing with Tomato Flower, Freaks No Geeks, Kinsmen & Strangers and other projects. He has worked with renowned jazz artists including John Riley, Dan Weiss, John Abercrombie, Pete Malinverni, Ralph Lalama, Richie Morales, and Tom Rainey. He’s played festivals, galleries, theaters, DIY spaces and independent venues all around the US and abroad including Brooklyn Bowl, The Ottobar, Rockwood Music Hall, Weinberg Center for the Arts, Cornelia St. Cafe, Merriman’s Playhouse, and The Count Basie Theater. Mike earned a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and a Master's degree in Jazz Studies from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. He has been a featured education writer for Modern Drummer Magazine. Showtime is 7 pm ET/6 pm CT/5 pm MT/14 pm PT/11 pm GMT A limited number of in-person seats are available for $20 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 July 7

“Mr. Valera is often relentless and blistering at the keyboard, but a shape-shifting melodicism is embedded in everything he plays.” —The New York Times

Acclaimed jazz pianist Manuel Valera brings his formidable trio to Zinc for a splendid evening of jazz piano on Tuesday, September 6. He’s supported by Hamish Smith on bass and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums.

Based in New York City, Grammy-nominated artist, pianist, and composer Manuel Valera was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. Since arriving in NYC, he has become well known in the NYC modern jazz scene, garnering national reviews and lending his talents as a pianist and composer to such notable artists as Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Brian Lynch, Dafnis Prieto, Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Benitez, Samuel Torres, Joel Frahm, Yosvany Terry among many others.

Valera is also the leader of his working band Manuel Valera and the New Cuban Express, a project deeply influenced by the experiments of Cuban artists from the 70s and 80s. While inspired by artists Irakere, Emiliano Salvador, and AfroCuba, this touring band creates a unique and distinctive style that mixes elements of Jazz, R&B, fusion, and funk with Cuban music styles. Expectativas (MAVO 2013) is the follow-up and seventh recording as a leader to his 2013 Grammy-nominated New Cuban Express (MAVO 2012) which was up for Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year.

His critically acclaimed debut cd in 2004 Forma Nueva (MAVO) features John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez Bill Stewart, and Seamus Blake. Historia (Fresh Sounds New Talent 2005), a jazz quartet with Antonio Sanchez, Seamus Blake, and Ben Street. His third release, Melancolia (MAVO 2006)—employs a string quartet incorporating world rhythms and classical concepts in the jazz idiom. Vientos (Anzic 2007), representing a new working quartet, features bassist James Genus, drummer Ernesto Simpson, saxophonist Joel Frahm, and a woodwind quartet. His fifth trio recording Currents (MaxJazz 2009) features Ernesto Simpson and James Genus.

In addition, he has been awarded several grants for composition, most notably Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works and the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. Manuel has traveled the world performing in over 30 countries at some of the biggest international venues and festivals.

Showtimes are at 7:00 PM and 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25 advance / $30 day of show. For more info, visit http://zincjazzcom.

“Mr. Valera is often relentless and blistering at the keyboard, but a shape-shifting melodicism is embedded in everything he plays.” —The New York Times

Acclaimed jazz pianist Manuel Valera brings his formidable trio to Zinc for a splendid evening of jazz piano on Tuesday, September 6. He’s supported by Hamish Smith on bass and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums.

Based in New York City, Grammy-nominated artist, pianist, and composer Manuel Valera was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. Since arriving in NYC, he has become well known in the NYC modern jazz scene, garnering national reviews and lending his talents as a pianist and composer to such notable artists as Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Brian Lynch, Dafnis Prieto, Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Benitez, Samuel Torres, Joel Frahm, Yosvany Terry among many others.

Valera is also the leader of his working band Manuel Valera and the New Cuban Express, a project deeply influenced by the experiments of Cuban artists from the 70s and 80s. While inspired by artists Irakere, Emiliano Salvador, and AfroCuba, this touring band creates a unique and distinctive style that mixes elements of Jazz, R&B, fusion, and funk with Cuban music styles. Expectativas (MAVO 2013) is the follow-up and seventh recording as a leader to his 2013 Grammy-nominated New Cuban Express (MAVO 2012) which was up for Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year.

His critically acclaimed debut cd in 2004 Forma Nueva (MAVO) features John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez Bill Stewart, and Seamus Blake. Historia (Fresh Sounds New Talent 2005), a jazz quartet with Antonio Sanchez, Seamus Blake, and Ben Street. His third release, Melancolia (MAVO 2006)—employs a string quartet incorporating world rhythms and classical concepts in the jazz idiom. Vientos (Anzic 2007), representing a new working quartet, features bassist James Genus, drummer Ernesto Simpson, saxophonist Joel Frahm, and a woodwind quartet. His fifth trio recording Currents (MaxJazz 2009) features Ernesto Simpson and James Genus.

In addition, he has been awarded several grants for composition, most notably Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works and the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. Manuel has traveled the world performing in over 30 countries at some of the biggest international venues and festivals.

Showtimes are at 7:00 PM and 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25 advance / $30 day of show. For more info, visit http://zincjazzcom.

On this episode of The Third Story, host Leo Sidran chats with Nels Cline