Follow the Mesmerizing South American Jazz Tale of Multi-Grammy Award Nominee Gustavo Casenave Quartet

On November 22,  take a journey through South American jazz with multiple-Grammy Award nominee, pianist, and composer Gustavo Casenave, featuring his eclectic quartet in an adventurous and memorable evening of passionate music, virtuosity and talent, at Flushing Town Hall.

Together with 2018 Grammy-winning bassist Pedro Giraudo, Grammy-winning saxophonist Alejandro Aviles, and drummer guru Franco Pinna, the quartet will present new works shaped by South American musicians.

Casenave, who has called New York City home for two decades, is not only a multiple-Grammy Award nominee, but a Steinway Artist and ACE Awardee. He graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music, where he was selected as one of the ten best composers from Berklee in three decades. For 20 years he has been touring extensively across the globe, appearing at numerous venues in Europe, Asia, and South, Central, and North America, and presenting his music with different jazz, tango, and chamber ensembles. With more than 20 years of teaching experience in New York, Florida, Uruguay, and Austria, he is a current guest artist for master classes and lectures at The Juilliard School.

Casenave was Bette Midler’s Musical Director for two years and her accompanist and private teacher. He also was commissioned to do an arrangement of one of his original compositions, for the ensemble “The twelve cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic,” and co-wrote, arranged, and recorded the Tango “Volvere”; with actor Robert Duvall, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He performed and recorded with several Grammy and Oscar award winners, and many other internationally acclaimed artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Mark Egan, Jane Ira Bloom, Manolo Badrena, John Benitez, Federico Britos, Miguel Zenon, Avishai Cohen, Neil Sedaca, Charlie Persip, Pedro Giraudo, RayVega, Hector del Curto, Roland Gebhardt, Ruth Brisbane, and Curtis Lundy.

His new album “Balance” just received another Grammy nomination, and was also nominated among the Top Ten Albums of the Summer 2019, and awarded two gold medals by the Global Music Awards 2019. In 2018, Casenave was finalist in the American Prize in Composition, and during his time as a global musician Casenave received several Latin Grammy nominations. In 1999, he won the international Belgian Artistic Promotion; award at the Europe Jazz Contest 1999, and was the composer for the feature film “La Cascara,” which won many awards worldwide.

Pedro Giraudo (bass) is a Latin Grammy Award winner bassist and composer, who is among the most compelling tango artists today. After two decades performing with the most important interpreters of tango, Pedro Giraudo debuted his own Tango Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in July 2015, and since then has become an active cultural ambassador of this beautiful and passionate music of his native Argentina.

Alejandro Aviles (saxophone) is a first generation Cuban-American who comes from a long lineage of musicians. In fact, Mr. Avilés’ family is being considered by the Guiness Book of World Records for having the longest, most continuous family run musical group in the world.  The  Orquesta Hermanos Avilés was started by his great-grandfather, Manuel Avilés, in 1882 in Holguin, Cuba, and is remarkably still in existence today. Alejandro, who is based in New York, had the rare opportunity in 2015 to travel to Cuba and perform in the Havana Jazz Festival with the “Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra,” which recorded a ground-breaking album that won the 2016 Latin Grammy, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for Large Ensemble.

The performance at Flushing Town Hall presents one of the few chances to enjoy jazz originally from Uruguay, composed by a multi-awarded Uruguayan musician, and performed by an all-Latin American quartet. You can enjoy a taste here of what’s in store by the Gustavo Casenave Quartet.

Flushing Town Hall will present Gustavo Casenave Quartet: A South American Jazz Tale on Friday, November 22 at 8 PM. Tickets are $16, $10 for members and  students, and free for teens, and can be purchased at www.flushingtownhall.org or by calling (718) 463-7700 x222.Once again, Flushing Town Hall is opening its doors to teenagers—for free. Under the “Teen Access Program,” all 13- to 19-year-old teens (whether a member or not) will be welcomed to attend any performance for free. The program is designed to appeal to students and help foster a greater love for arts and culture.

Flushing Town Hall is accessible by car, bus, train and foot—located a short distance from the 7 train—at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Flushing, Queens. Access for wheelchair users and individuals with limited mobility is available.

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Celebrate Halloween with Bongsan Talchum’s Korean Mask-Making Workshop & Masked Dance Performance

This Halloween, Flushing Town Hall offers a trick and a treat with Bongsan Talchum on October 31. Attendees will learn to make traditional Korean masks and receive an introductory dance lesson before enjoying a dynamic performance by the Bongsan Mask Dance-Drama Preservation Society.

Traveling overseas from Korea, these 22 dancers and live musicians will entrance the audience through movement, song, and humorous dramatization for a truly, one-of-a-kind, masked Halloween spectacle.

“Our mission at Flushing Town Hall is to present global arts to a global community,” says Executive and Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek. “What better way to celebrate Halloween in our city’s most diverse, immigrant-rich borough than with this Korean cultural treasure? And to answer the question on everyone’s mind: Yes, there will be candy — Korean candy!”

A performance in this Korean genre of such scale and caliber has never before been presented in New York and offers an eye-opening event for adults and children alike, with opportunities for hands-on engagement.

Bongsan Talchum is designated the 17th of Korea’s Important Intangible Cultural Properties. It refers to a masked performance with dancing, miming, speaking, and music. Bongsan Talchum includes significant dramatic and often humorous content, with masked performers portraying people, animals, and supernatural beings. These folk dramas traditionally reflect the frustrations felt by the lower classes towards the Confucian literati Yangban, due to the latter’s treatment of the commoners, and depict the life of the common man as he processes societal problems.

The Bongsan masks use a striking arrangement of black, white, blue, red, and yellow. Performers conceal their social status behind the masks and express their characters through bold and rhythmic movements, accompanied by live music played on wind, string, and percussive instruments.

The mask-making workshop will accept participants on a first come, first served basis until full and begins at 6:00 PM, the open-to-all dance lesson begins at 7:00 PM, and the performance at 8:00 PM at Flushing Town Hall, located at 137-35 Northern Blvd. Flushing, Queens. Tickets —$16 / $10 Members, Students, and Children / FREE for Teens—are available at www.flushingtownhall.org.

Once again, Flushing Town Hall is opening its doors to teenagers—for free. Under the “Teen Access Program,” all 13- to 19-year-old teens (whether a member or not) will be welcomed to attend any performance for free. The program is designed to appeal to students and help foster a greater love for arts and culture.

 

Presenting DDAT: Native American Hip Hop Jazz Fusion on Nov. 16

Named by NPR as one of the top 10 bands in the United States – DDAT combines hip hop, jazz, funk, and soul with an original southwestern feel. Comprised of four talented musicians, a DDAT performance is filled with energy and excitement – and full audience participation.

You can experience this truly exceptional event when DDAT performs at Flushing Town Hall on Saturday, November 16. Preceding the 2:15 PM family performance will be a panel discussion, led by Delbert Anderson and Chris Bidtah, both Navajo, on incorporating Navajo Culture in art-making and music as medicine.

DDAT – which has been described as “funky”, “poetic”, “complex”, and “forward-thinking” – features Chris Bidtah on vocals, Delbert Anderson on trumpet, Nicholas Lucero on drums, and Mike McCluhan on bass.

Music from the quartet has been heard all over the world with features on NPR, Sirius XM, Indian Country Today, SAY Magazine, Weekly Alibi and many more. DDAT tours include several West Coast Tours, Canada’s Music is Medicine Tour, Aboriginal Music Week Tour in Canada, and Van’s Warped Tour – USA. Their first album “DDAT” was released in 2017.

Anderson told us what’s in store for the evening!

What do you hope people learn at your panel discussion on November 16?

We hope to help people understand the importance of preserving cultural music especially their own. During the panel we will try to educate and expose everyone to the idea of preserving cultural music through contemporary collaboration. There are many ways to preserve cultural music but we also want to expose the struggles one might face when dealing with cultural music.

What topics or themes will you discuss in the panel?

DDAT’s Composition Process, The Struggles of Dealing With Traditional/Culture Music, Collaborating Cultural Music with Contemporary Music – What Works For Our Listeners? We will also be open to any questions or topics the attendees may want to discuss for a short period of time.

Talk about your performance that day. What will take place?

All audiences should be excited because there will be something everyone can relate to whether it’s the suspense of the improvisational solos or high energy music. MC Def-i will put on an electrifying show backed up by one of the funkiest, hip hop sounding bands. Those who are brave, expect to engage with Def-i while he shows his improvisation skills by rapping about what you decide to hold up in your hands! Together we are DDAT – a music celebration sharing our positive message of hope and collaboration through music.

When was DDAT founded? Talk a bit about its evolution.

In 2013, an instrumental trio was formed. Our trio began playing jazz standards and by the 2nd week, we noticed our trio would fall into the same box as every other jazz combo on the planet. We then began to look deep into our personal influences and cultures. Delbert Anderson brought his love of improvisation and cultural music. Nicholas Lucero, our percussionist brought his childhood favorites of Latin and funk grooves. Mick McCluhan played his early jam inspirations of the Grateful Dead.

It was not until 2015 Chris Bidtah aka Def-i would collaborate with the instrumental trio. Def-i delivered intelligent poetry through the form of hip hop and combined it with the music of the trio. At the Survival of First Voices Festival, we collaborated on our final piece of the night capturing the audience with an exciting, high energy, professional music performance. Shortly after, the collaboration played it’s first festival without even having a band name. We later called our collaboration DDAT. Since then DDAT has been creating it’s own Southwest flavor using jazz, funk, hip hop and soul amplified through each member’s inspirations.

What types of music have influenced DDAT?

Jazz Improvisation, funk/Latin beats, jam music and hip hop are all the types of music that make up DDAT. As far as influences, we kept to ourselves pushing whatever music came from our collaboration. After a couple of years of playing in the style of DDAT, we began to start searching for influences and who we sounded like. Surprisingly there are none that sound like DDAT but there are many that are close. We believe we sound like the styles of Guru – Jazzmatazz, Galatic, Trombone Shorty & the New Orleans Avenue and The Roots. Other reviews have stated our sound to be: post bop/hip hop, jazz hop or hip hop with a live band.

Have you performed at Flushing Town Hall before? If so/not, what does it mean to present there?

Our performance at Flushing Town Hall will be the first appearance for DDAT in the NYC area. We are very excited and honored to be guests in the birthplace of so many legendary artists! Queens alone carried many jazz giants – Louis Armstrong, hip hop – LL Cool J, Rock – Gene Simmons/Paul Stanley and composers such as John Williams, just to name a few! With Queens carrying so much diversity in music, we feel blessed and right at home. It will be an exciting experience for everyone and an honor for DDAT to perform at Flushing Town Hall.

 

 

Sami Abu Shumays on Originality in Arabic Music

Flushing Town Hall Deputy Director Sami Abu Shumays, co-author of the new book Inside Arabic Music, offers a brief description of how the concept of originality in traditional Arabic music is viewed differently than in Western music.

Sami highlights oral tradition, learned cultural knowledge, and improvisation in this post on the Oxford University Press Blog, which you can check out at: https://blog.oup.com/2019/09/originality-in-arabic-music/.

 

Are you ready for a hot jazz time?

Queens boasts a long-held jazz tradition and has been home to countless legends, including Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong. Flushing Town Hall has honored this legacy by bringing jazz programming to Queens for decades—and will now present the genre in a rare, high-quality format at its Hot Club Jazz Listening Session on September 22.

Starting in France in the 1930s, “hot clubs” were like book clubs for jazz listening—fans would get together and play hot jazz records for each other to enjoy and even study. Today, the “neo-hot club” movement offers an opportunity to hear classic jazz records on their original 78 RPM format, which provides the best possible sound.

The Hot Club at Flushing Town Hall will be led by jazz expert and former WKCR radio host Ben Young in the intimate atmosphere of one of the venue’s smaller rooms, where he will play rare records from his own collection on a high-quality 78 turntable with a specially designed preamplifier. All the hot club sessions will focus on jazz from the 1920s to the 1950s, before 45s and LPs became the new recording standards. All the recordings are rare—78s are no longer manufactured. Some recordings are by more well-known artists, like Benny Goodman or Louis Armstrong, while others are by less-remembered geniuses.

“The hot club scene at its best gives us a chance to review the masterpieces of jazz, frame them with the stories of the artists and the times, field questions to contextualize the music, and maybe replay a solo to accentuate the details and craft,” says Ben Young “Most of all, it’s a great way to connect with great music and others who dig the sounds.”

“We’re honored to be part of the growing neo-hot club movement, led by Phil Schaap of WKCR, Melissa Jones, and a number of other jazz experts. I’m not a record collector myself, but I can tell you the music sounds amazing in this format!” says Flushing Town Hall Deputy Director Sami Abu Shumays.

Jazz lovers of all ages are invited to attend, bring jazz 78s from their own collections for the open-spin at beginning and end of the session, and enjoy the convivial atmosphere of those who share a passion for this great music, heard at its best!

For 40 years, Flushing Town Hall has celebrated jazz’s history, founding the Queens Jazz Orchestra starring NEA Jazz Masters, publishing a Queens Jazz Trail map, and holding monthly Jazz Jams, where novice and experienced artists come to jam together.

Attendance is free, with no RSVP required. A second listening session will be held on Saturday, November 23. For questions, contact the box office at (718) 463-7700 x222.

 Flushing Town Hall is accessible by car, bus, train and foot—located a short distance from the 7 train—at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Flushing, Queens. Access for wheelchair users and individuals with limited mobility is available.

JUNO Award Winner Kobo Town Brings Trinidadian Calypso Music to Our Stage on Oct. 11

On October 11, Toronto-based Kobo Town will dazzle audiences when it brings its award-winning, Trinidadian, calypso-inspired tunes – described by The Guardian as “an intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dancehall reggae and trombone-heavy brass” – to Flushing Town Hall’s stage.

Founded and fronted by Trinidadian émigré and songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town’s music is a “unique, stylistic, transnational composite of rhythm, poetry and activist journalism,” says Exclaim! In his songs, Gonsalves explores 500 years of history through his post-colonial, Trinidadian lens, armed with his trademark wit and gift for melody. Part poet, part correspondent, Gonsalves delivers compelling dispatches from events, both real and imaginary.

You can watch Kobo Town perform here.

Flushing Town Hall will present Kobo Town on Friday, October 11, starting with an interactive Calypso workshop at 7 PM followed by a performance at 8 PM. Tickets are $16, $10 for members and students, and free for teens, and can be purchased at www.flushingtownhall.org or by calling (718) 463-7700 x222.

Kobo Town is named after the historic neighborhood in Trinidad’s biggest city, Port of Spain, where calypso was born amid the boastful, humorous, and militant chants of roaming stick-fighters. Gonsalves grew up in a middle-class neighborhood just outside Port of Spain, and moved with his mother and siblings to Ottawa, Canada at age 13. The sudden move to a new (and cold) world where he didn’t fit in led Gonsalves to cultivate a deep nostalgia for the land of his birth. He started writing his own calypsos and visiting calypso tents every time he visited Trinidad.

In 2004, Gonsalves launched Kobo Town with some fellow Trinidad expats in Toronto. The band’s 2006 debut album, Independence, quickly made the band a crowd favorite on the festival circuit. He later collaborated with Belizean producer Ivan Duran, which led to Jumbie in the Jukebox, a masterful record that topped the European world music charts and brought the band back to Europe. The album also climbed to #5 on the Billboard Reggae charts and was nominated for multiple awards, including a JUNO (Canada’s Grammy equivalent) and the prestigious Polaris Music Prize.

Kobo Town’s latest album, Where the Galleon Sank, won the Canadian Folk Music Award for World Group of the Year 2017, and the 2018 JUNO Award for Best World Music Album. Additionally, one of the songs on the record—a reprise from the group’s first release in 2006—was covered and released by Carlos Santana as “Breaking Down the Door”.Once again, Flushing Town Hall is opening its doors to teenagers—for free. Under the “Teen Access Program,” all 13- to 19-year-old teens (whether a member or not) will be welcomed to attend any performance for free. The program is designed to appeal to students and help foster a greater love for arts and culture.

Flushing Town Hall is accessible by car, bus, train and foot—located a short distance from the 7 train—at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Flushing, Queens. Access for wheelchair users and individuals with limited mobility is available.

Step Into Our Gallery to Experience Threads & Pigments

This Friday night, we unveiled Threads & Pigments, a group exhibition of nine Korean-American artists who have been living and working in the United States. Their artworks embody diverse and dynamic philosophies that depict using materials such as colorful pigments and stitched threads that symbolize diversity and represent a connection between cultures.

“Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the U.S. And Koreans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in Queens,” says our Teaching Artist, Stephanie Lee, who curated the exhibition. “With the K-Wave trend, Korean Pop music and entertainment programs became popular among the young generation of U.S. However, not many contemporary Korean visual art has been introduced in Queens.

The works were created by Dong Kyu Kim, Jake Seo, Jayoung Yoon, Jeong Min Park, Kyung Han Kim, Stephanie S. Lee, Sueim Koo, Sui Park, and Wonju Seo.

“It is essential to understand other cultures while living in a multi-ethnic environment. And art is one of the effective way to understand and adopt different culture. Exhibiting one of the popular cultures in a form of visual art in the historical building near main street Flushing will help both the general public and younger generations to have a new cultural experience that transcends language and race. Exposed to high-quality art introducing a new perspective will enrich the audience,” she says.

“With a project like this, I hope the audience in Queens and beyond can be more open to other cultures and step forward to accept and understand differences and aware values in cultures they didn’t know before.”

You can enjoy the exhibition through September 29. The Gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 5:00 PM, and weekdays by appointment. The suggested contribution is $5.

Design a Shadow Puppet & Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival!

 The harvest season full moon is said to be the biggest and brightest in the year, so you can celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with shadow puppet making on September 22!

Join Flushing Town Hall Teaching Artist Spica Wobbe in the world of shadow play, when participants will learn how to design and construct a simple shadow puppet and stage, and tell their family version of a moon story.

What can be better than using the ancient Chinese Art form– shadow puppetry, to celebrate the Moon Festival?

With its bold shapes, vivid colors, and dramatic movement, it is a perfect tool for storytelling. During the workshop, participants will design and make a shadow stage of their own. They will then learn how to use simple paper cut out, joints and control rods to create their shadow puppets. As a team, they will bring their puppets to life on their shadow stage with movement, dialogue and music to tell a story about the moon.

Spica Wobbe (Shu-yun Cheng) is a puppetry artist from Taiwan. Her work has been seen in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Holland, Germany, Israel, Austria and the U.S. Based in NYC, she works as a puppetry designer, performer, and educator.

She tells all about what audiences can expect at the event.

How did you get involved with shadow puppetry?

I started to get involved with shadow puppetry when I worked with Chinese Theater Works in 2001. I learned how to use modern techniques to perform traditional Chinese shadow puppets from them. The experience was very inspiring. In order to learn more about shadow theater, I traveled to Indonesia, Nederland and Germany to take workshops from shadow puppetry masters and I truly fell in love with the art form. I established Double Image Theater Lab in 2011 to create cross-cultural productions that explore the world of the past and the present and using shadow, light, and music to tell stories.

What is a shadow puppet?

Thousands of years ago, before any other styles of puppets were created people were using shadows to tell stories all around the world. As long as there is a light, you can create shadows. Everyone has the experience of playing hand shadows under the sun or in front of a lamp. Besides using our own hands, we can also use objects or flat articulated cut-out figures which are held between a source of light and a screen for storytelling.

How do shadow puppets bring these stories to life?

Shadow Theater became my favorite art form because its nature of abstraction offers the audience multiple layers of space for imagination. A shadow puppet is not complete until it’s shown in the light. By changing the distance or the angle of the puppet, the size and the look of the shadow will change as well, this creates a wonderful effect and is great for storytelling.

Tell us what attendees will experience on September 22.

At the Mid-Autumn Moon Shadow Play workshop on September 22, participants will design and make a shadow stage of their own. They will then learn how to use simple paper cut out, joints and control rods to create their shadow puppets. As a team, they will bring their puppets to life on their shadow stage with movement, dialogue, and music to tell a story about the moon.

What does Flushing Town Hall mean to you?

I have been working with Flushing Town Hall since 2009 as a teaching artist.  My shows were part of the Shadow Puppet Slam at Flushing Town Hall twice. Since 2017, my partner Karen Oughtred and I have worked together with Flushing Town Hall for the SU-CSASA creative aging program. I love working with Flushing Town Hall and feel honored to be part of this multicultural big family.

 

Jane Bunnett: “It’s our premiere performance in Queens!”

On Friday, September 20, three-time Grammy nominee and five-time JUNO Award (aka Canada’s Grammys) winner, soprano saxophonist and flutist Jane Bunnett and her sextet Maqueque will bring the soul of Cuba to NYC. Flushing Town Hall will celebrate this 8 PM concert by Jane Bunnett & Maqueque with a season-opening party, starting with a dance lesson at 7 PM. Dubbed the “new queens of Afro-Cuban jazz,” Jane Bunnett and Maqueque features all-star female Cuban musicians in a rich Afro-Cuban gumbo with dynamic rhythms, melodies, spirited playing and singing. Cuban-style food and drinks will be available to purchase at the event.

(You can get tickets still right here!)

Jane Bunnett gave us some insight into what audiences will experience!

So how did Jane Bunnett and Maqueque come to be?

My partner of 40 years Larry Cramer, a trumpet player/producer, and l have had a group called Spirits of Havana for many years. This group has launched many  young emerging talents from Cuba, but they have always been GUYS!!! Pedrito Martinez, Dafnis Prieto, Elio Villa Franca, David Virelles, etc., all who have gone on to amazing careers in music. I have always been the only woman in the band. Five years ago, we thought it was time to try to assist some of the wonderful women musicians that we were meeting while visiting and working in Cuba’s Conservatories.

What has it meant to mentor young Cuban female musicians? Any messages you want to send to young female musicians in the US about how they can thrive in the business?

You just have to persevere… if you love the music…it’s a long road… going from a student to making a living off your art…..but if you put the music first… It will sustain you…you have to try and have fun along the way/ Surround yourself with like-minded people. That love the music, too. Try to find your own voice. There are many folks trying to survive in this music world, but if you are unique and have something special to say…you will stand out.

What can audiences/attendees expect to experience at your concert?

An exciting and visually entertaining show, all the vocalists/musicians in Maqueque are unique and have their own distinct personalities. Each one stands out on their own but collectively we are a powerful force. The music is a mix of Afro Cuban Rhythms, Jazz, and vocal harmonies. And we have been told by many—DownBeat Magazine, for example—that no other band out there sounds like us, and that we are one of the best bands out there touring at this time.

How often have you performed in the U.S., and in NYC?

Many times in the last three years. It’s not easy for us to come to the USA. We have to Petition the State Department a year in advance. Then the petition has to be approved. Then we have to set up Visa appointments at the US embassy in Toronto, as there is no US embassy anymore in Cuba. Then we have to pay for the visas for the band. But the kicker is that we are only able to receive one entrance into the US, meaning if there are days off with no work we cannot return to Canada as we veto our next entrance. So we are constantly having to apply for new visas, constantly moving people from Cuba to Toronto, which is where l am based. Then entering the US, return, do it all again. So the point is we would like people to know that there are a lot of sacrifices made by the group to get from A to B. It’s a lot of work. When we get on stage, it makes it all worth it because there has been this a lot of effort involved .

What does it mean to perform/present in Queens at Flushing Town Hall?

It’s our premiere performance in Queens and it’s an honor to play at this prestigious venue and open the fall season. Flushing Town Hall!!!

What’s on the horizon for Jane Bunnett and Maqueque?

The moon!!!!!! More tours to Europe, Latin America, and Asia, and a documentary film… and Maqueque Big Band!!!!!! But here we come now, with our third and brand new CD, ON FIRM GROUND.