WBGO and The Checkout are launching an exciting new concert series curated and presented by the program's host, Simon Rentner. The live performance series will showcase cutting-edge trends in jazz today — especially as they pertain to an intersection with electronic music scenes from around the globe. Rentner’s concept is to pair one up-and-coming jazz group with an experimental up-and-coming DJ or electronic producer or musician. The performances will be recorded by WBGO for use in The Checkout radio program and podcast.
To kick off the series, WBGO teams up with Revive Music to present the official album release party for Justin Brown’s NYEUSI. The performance will take place on June 29, 2018 in two sets, at Nublu 151. Tickets are available at WBGO.Eventbrite.com.
Justin Brown is among the most in-demand drummers in jazz and beyond. A regular collaborator of Thundercat and Flying Lotus, he’s a core member of the critically acclaimed Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet. He has also worked with artists ranging from Esperanza Spalding to Terence Blanchard to Bilal. Now the virtuosic drummer has completed his first recorded statement as a leader with NYEUSI, which means “black” in Swahili.
The Checkout from WBGO is proud to capture this historic moment in Brown’s career with special guests. NYEUSI (Biophilia Records) will be released on the day of the concert, June 29. Justin Brown has chosen a close friend from Los Angeles, the electronic producer Mono/Poly (Brainfeeder Records), as his opening act.
The second performance in the series will take place at (Le) Poisson Rouge on July 19, when The Checkout will present VENUS, a new project by singer/pianist/composer Samora Pinderhughes and producer Jack DeBoe. Pinderhughes, a Juilliard-trained rising star, recently appeared on the self-titled debut by August Greene, a cross-over jazz/R&B outfit led by Robert Glasper, Common, and Karriem Riggins. He also released a new song with Common for the HBO film The Tale. J.Period, a producer and DJ also known as the Mixtape Assassin, will be the handpicked opener for this concert.