The NYC Winter Jazz Fest is a phenomenal annual event, embracing all styles of jazz and featuring some of the most popular and most talented jazz artists on the circuit. The festival spanned numerous venues over two days.
http://www.winterjazzfest.com/I had the great pleasure of experiencing some of the artists performing at the Hot Jazz Festival Night stage at the Greenwich House Music School on Barrow Street - a wonderful intimate venue, which soon got pretty crowded!
Jon Weber played solo piano, entertaining with his encyclopedic knowledge of artists, compositions, and his stunning ability to change key randomly and flawlessly.
Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo are supremely entertaining - not only is their world class guitar skill a thrill to experience, but their comedic shtick keeps one engrossed in their show, and laughing! They were joined by volinist Jason Anick - beautiful and clean.
Gordon Webster's Sextet featured the fantastic vocalist Brianna Thomas - her power and vocal range are stunning. With Gordon on piano, he was accompanied by Danny Lipsitz (reeds), Jake Handelman (trombone), Danny Tobias (trumpet), Rob Adkins (bass) and Kevin Congleton (drums). An audience always get a two-for-one with Gordon's performances - highly skilled jazz musicians, and the atmosphere and energy of a rock concert. The dancers loved it!
A full listing of the 2015 Artists Lineup:
AARON PARKS LITTLE/BIG
AFRO HARPING: BRANDEE YOUNGER'S TRIBUTE TO DOROTHY
ASHBY FEAT. MARK WHITFIELD
ALFREDO RODRÍGUEZ TRIO
ALICIA OLATUJA
ALLAN HARRIS
ALLISON MILLER BOOM TIC BOOM
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE QUARTET
AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS TRIO
ANDREW D'ANGELO'S SOUNDS LIKE FUN
ANTHONY PIROG
ARTURO O'FARRILL'S "BOSS LEVEL” SEPTET
THE BAYLOR PROJECT FEAT. JEAN BAYLOR & MARCUS BAYLOR
BRIA SKONBERG
BUTCHER BROWN
BUTLER, BERNSTEIN & THE HOT 9
THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS - A SACRED STEEL LOVE SUPREME
CATHERINE RUSSELL
THE CELLAR AND POINT
CHRIS WASHBURNE SYOTOS PLAYS ACID MAMBO
THE COOKERS
CYNTHIA SAYER & HER JOYRIDE BAND
DAFNIS PRIETO SEXTET
DAN LEVINSON'S GOTHAM SOPHISTICATS W/ MOLLY RYAN & BLIND BOY PAXTON
DAN WEISS LARGE ENSEMBLE
DANA LEONG TRIO
DARIUS JONES QUINTET
DAVE DOUGLAS QUINTET
DAVID MURRAY CLARINET SUMMIT W/ DON BYRON, DAVID KRAKAUER, AND HAMIET BLUIETT
DAVID MURRAY INFINITY QUARTET WITH SAUL WILLIAMS
DAVID MURRAY W/ GERI ALLEN AND TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON
DAVID OSTWALD'S LOUIS ARMSTRONG ETERNITY BAND
DERRICK HODGE
DONALD BYRD ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC SESSIONS
EDMAR CASTANEDA TRIO W/ ANDREA TIERRA
EIVIND OPSVIK'S OVERSEAS
FRANK CATALANO
FRANK VIGNOLA AND FRIENDS
GORDON WEBSTER SEXTEX WITH BRIANNA THOMAS
HADAR NOIBERG TRIO
HARRIET TUBMAN
HENRY, HAMPTON & LOW: LEVON HENRY, ALAN HAMPTON & MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
ICP ORCHESTRA
IGMAR THOMAS & THE CYPHER
ILHAN ERSAHIN’S ISTANBUL SESSIONS
JAIMEO BROWN TRANSCENDENCE
JASON MILES & INGRID JENSEN "KIND OF NEW”
JAY RODRIGUEZ SEVEN
JD ALLEN TRIO W/ GREGG AUGUST & RUDY ROYSTON
JEN SHYU’S “SOLO RITES: SEVEN BREATHS”
JOE LOCKE “LOVE IS A PENDULUM"
JON WEBER
JOSE JAMES
JOVAN ALEXANDRE & COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS
JUNGLE FUNK
KATE DAVIS
KAVITA SHAH
KELLYLEE EVANS
KEN VANDERMARK & NATE WOOLEY
KENDRICK SCOTT ORACLE
KNEEBODY + DAEDELUS
KRIS DAVIS' INFRASOUND
THE LADYBUGS
LINDA OH’S SUN PICTURES
LIONEL LOUEKE TRIO
LOSTON HARRIS TRIO
MAD SATTA
MARC RIBOT & THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS WITH STRINGS
MARCUS STRICKLAND'S TWI-LIFE FEAT. JEAN BAYLOR
MARK TURNER QUARTET
MARQUIS HILL BLACKTET
MATTHEW STEVENS
THE MAZZ
MUSE BREAKDOWN
MICHAEL BATES' NORTHERN SPY
MIKE PRIDE'S FROM BACTERIA TO BOYS
MINO CINELU WORLD JAZZ ENSEMBLE
MYRA MELFORD'S SNOWY EGRET
NASHEET WAITS EQUALITY QUARTET
NATE SMITH + KINFOLK
NICHOLAS PAYTON TRIO
OLIVER LAKE ORGAN QUARTET
ORAN ETKIN “REIMAGINING BENNY GOODMAN"
RAYMOND ANGRY - CELEBRATION OF LIFE SUITE
ROBERT GLASPER TRIO
RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA'S BIRD CALLS (THE CHARLIE PARKER PROJECT)
RUSS JOHNSON'S STILL OUT TO LUNCH (MUSIC OF ERIC DOLPHY)
RYAN KEBERLE CATHARSIS
SCOTT BRADLEE & POSTMODERN JUKEBOX
SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE: ORIGINALS AND THE MUSIC OF MICHAEL JACKSON
SILVER W/ EDDIE HENDERSON
SO PERCUSSION FEAT. MAN FOREVER
SOUL UNDERSTATED FEAT. MAVIS SWAN POOLE
STEPHANE WREMBEL BAND
STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL: THE MUSIC OF JOHN LURIE AND THE LOUNGE LIZARDS
TAYLOR EIGSTI'S FREE AGENCY
TAYLOR MCFERRIN
THEO BLECKMANN QUARTET WITH AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE
THEO HILL TRIO
TODD CLOUSER A LOVE ELECTRIC
TOMAS FUJIWARA & THE HOOKUP
TRAVIS LAPLANTE'S BATTLE TRANCE
TRIO 3 (OLIVER LAKE, REGGIE WORKMAN, ANDREW CYRILLE) W/ SPECIAL GUEST VIJAY IYER
TROKER
TYSHAWN SOREY PIANO TRIO
URI CAINE / HAN BENNINK DUO
WALLACE RONEY QUINTET
WALTER SMITH III
ZONGO JUNCTION
