Naama was born in 1991 to aspiring scientists in Be’er Sheva, a southern city in the Negev desert. When she was four years old, the family relocated to Baltimore MD, for a period of four years. “When I think of it, that was where my infatuation with American culture and music was first formed” she recalls.  Her parents thought it best for her to study piano. "That was where music first entered my life, but after ten years of classical piano, I realized that I actually wanted to sing".In spite of her wish, Naama wasn’t encouraged to pursue singing right away. "To this day, my father will tell you that I couldn’t carry a note until a late age. When I asked for singing lessons, my parents offered drama classes instead”.

It was not until her senior year in high school when she decided to study voice professionally. “I used my grandparent’s graduation gift to pay for lessons with the famous Israeli singer Ricki Gal. It was such a big deal for me, a young girl from the south, taking weekly trips to Tel Aviv to study with a master!  I can recall the day she said 'You know, you should really be singing jazz.’”

In 2012 Naama was accepted to the The Center for Jazz Studies in Tel Aviv, where she spent three years studying jazz and classical voice. Exposed to new music, she was infatuated by singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. " I was seduced by the urbane lyrical style along with the beautifully constructed melodies these singers were singing. I immediately felt at home with these songs. I worked on finding my own voice within these standards and found ways to insert fresh concepts, make them interesting." 
In 2015 Naama’s ticket to NYC came in the form of a scholarship to attend the prestigious jazz program at The New School For Performing Arts. Soon after she began performing throughout the city and gaining experience as well as respect from soon to be fans and colleagues
. 
Throughout her time in NYC Naama has shared the stage with celebrated jazz musicians such as Steve Nelson, Dave Kikoski, Bruce Barth, Michael Kanan, David Wong, Ray Gallon, Carlos Abadie, Neal Miner and appears regularly in some of NYC’s major jazz venues- Birdland , Smalls, Mezzrow ( weekly residency), The Django and others.

Locobeach is cumbia pop; latin disco with a psychedelic/spaghetti western edge. This supergroup of a band is comprised of Jose Luis Pardo on guitars/vocals , Neil Ochoa on congas/percussion/electronics, Joshua Camp on accordion/keyboards/vocals and Edward Marshall on bass., Andres Fonseca Alphonso on Timbales & Drums. Dance music for your brain!  

Loco Beach is led by Cheo (aka José Luis Pardo), who is an artist, guitar player, DJ, songwriter and music producer based in Brooklyn, NY; also known for his career as founder and director of dance/funk band Los Amigos Invisibles. 

Cheo holds a Latin Grammy and has achieved another ten nominations, (seven as an artist, three as producer) making his mark and carving his own space in the dance music genre. 

He has compiled a soulful body of impressive work over the years, this is reflected in every work he does: studio recordings, live shows, DJ sets, remixes, compilation albums, mix tapes, podcasts, etc. 

Pardo started his DJ career in Caracas, Venezuela around 1995, warming up the shows with his band. Club owners immediately became interested in his eclectic taste and in his ability to fill the dance floor. 

Soon after, Cheo was hosting a weekly residence (“Super Sancocho Variety”), which ran for more than two years, and gave him the bug for making his own remixes and edits for his DJ Sets. 

In 2001, he moved to New York with his band  and soon became part of the dance scene of the city, landing opening slots in places like Centrofly, Cielo, Shine and parties like Giant Step, PS-1 warm up series, Punchy and Roots. 

His work caught the attention of legendary DJ producer Little Louie Vega who took him under his wing and made him the guitar player for a lot of his remixes as well as his album “Elements of Life”. Blue Six, Nicodemus, Sir Piers and Dimitri from Paris started calling Pardo to add his flavor as a guitar player to their music. 

In 2007, Cheo released a remix compilation called: “Will Work for Fun”. The success of the album was followed up by his first solo EP-1 and an LP called “Free”(Nacional Records) released in 2011. That same year, he started collaborating with soul singer Manchildblack releasing music under the name “The Copasetic” and started experimenting with Venezuelan music in what became his trio “Los Crema Paraiso” with Neil Ochoa and Alvaro Benavidez. They made two critically acclaimed albums: “El debut” and “De película”. NPR  declared the latter, one of the ten favorite albums of 2015. Pardo and Neil Ochoa created “Cutupra Studios” in Manhattan.

After “La que me gusta” was nominated as the best song of 2013 for the Latin Grammys, he decided to finish his work with Los Amigos Invisibles and take a different direction as musician and producer. 

In 2011, he produced Rawayana’s “Trippy Caribbean” and started working as a producer on a series of successful albums for other new artists such as Okills, La Garfield, Sofia Stainer, Simon Grossman andYordano among others. This opened a new opportunity to become a mentor for other artists. 

To keep his hand in, Cheo joined “Chicha libre” as a substitute guitar player and, eventually after splitting, the band evolved into LOCOBEACH, which has become Brooklyn’s favorite live band. This has exposed him to new horizons in the world music scene. They released an album called “Psychedelc Disco Cumbia” (Peace and Rhythm) and a second album is soon to be released. 

One winter night in 2016, Ulises Hadjis convinced Cheo to write an album with him where they sang duets, and in 2017 they released “Dónde?”. Here, he debuted as a singer and returned to writing his own music for the first time since his break up with Los Amigos. 

In the spring of 2019, a production gig was canceled and he used the time to record songs he had been writing in recent years. He finished “Sorpresa” (Nacional Records) without telling anyone which, in his own words, marked his return to “being an artist”. His single “Todo el día en la cama” became viral, thanks to the lockdown.

During the pandemic, he started streaming DJ sets on weekends calling them “Casaecheo” and “Bajo Perfil” which achieved over 20,000 live viewers during his 4 hour long sets. You can still catch his sets sometimes when he is home. 

“Música para verse bien”, his second album was released in May 2023 (Nacional Records). The songs were tailored and recorded with his live band. He plays monthly in NY in an outfit where they can spread their wings playing disco, funk, jazz, salsa, Bossa nova and Pardo’s beloved Boogaloo.

After being a regular DJ at the legendary NUBLU, he partnered with them to start “LATINOS DEL MUNDO”,  a weekly celebration of Latin Rhythms where he put together “Cheo y los consentidos de la casa” a full Latin band to fill the void of live orchestras at Latin parties in Manhattan. 

It is impossible to talk about Latin dance music without mentioning Cheo or one of his songs, soon it will be impossible to mention Latin music in NYC without naming one of his bands. 

Downbeat Magazine calls New York City-based jazz trombonist Mariel Bildsten “irrepressibly spontaneous.” Mariel has earned global distinction through her performances with Jon Batiste, Roy Hargrove, Jennifer Hudson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the Mingus Big Band at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, London’s O2 Arena, the Newport Jazz Festival and the Apollo Theater. Her lyrical and swinging style has thrilled audiences around the world. Her records Backbone (2020) and Steppin' Out! (2023) received rave reviews.

Mariel Bildsten’s band has performed for sold out crowds at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Times Square, The Bickford Theatre, and the Caramoor Jazz Festival. She is featured in a monthly residency at the Django Jazz Club in New York City and released an album "Steppin' Out!" in August 2023. Mariel Bildsten’s band will be performing this year at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Perth International Jazz Festival, the Tilles Center Jazz Festival, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Samir LanGus is a Grammy nominated musician, born and raised in the city of Agadir, Morocco. Music has always been a part of the constant variety of street sounds of his city, from merchants to entertainers and calls to prayer. LanGus began learning Gnawa, a traditional, spiritual trance music, at an early age from the Gnawa masters of Morocco especially Maalem Hamid El Kasri. 

For the uninitiated, Gnawa music is the ritual trance music of Morocco’s black communities, originally descended from the enslaved people and soldiers once brought to Morocco from Northern Mali and Mauritania. Often called “The Moroccan Blues”, Gnawa music has a raw, hypnotic power that fascinated outsiders as diverse as writer/composer Paul Bowles, jazz giant Randy Weston and rock god Jimi Hendrix. The music is utterly singular, played on an array of unique instruments — from the lute-like sintir that the band leader uses to call the tune, to the metal karqaba, castanets with which the kouyos (chorus) keep time and pound out clattering, hypnotic rhythms. The music believed to heal people possessed by jinn, or spirits in all night ceremonies called lila.

But “Gnawa is not just the music,” says Samir. “It’s the culture. You can’t play just the sintir, you also need the karqaba (karakeb is the plural of karkaba) to have the Gnawa spirit.” He describes the sintir, a stringed percussion instrument made of wood and camel skin with goat gut strings, as a “powerful instrument” with an amazing sound. “You feel it in your heart,” he says.

LanGus makes great use of this traditional repertoire, and adds his own, contemporary spin with additional jazz instrumentation. Taken as a whole, this exciting new artist fuses a centuries old North African tradition with the pulse and attitude of New York City now. He would like to collaborate with diverse musicians improvising new sound that respects the Gnawa tradition.

Brooklyn’s Los Hacheros, modern-day torchbearers of the Golden Age of Latin music. Their beat revives folkloric styles like son montuno, guaracha and salsa, and often combines them with Bomba, a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico.

Their debut album Pilon was a well-received introduction to the band and received critical praise from tastemakers including Wax Poetics, Vibe Magazine, and The Washington City Paper, amongst others.  Wax Poetics states, “The groove to this music is deep,” while The City Paper boasts, “…its solid arrangements and lively original songs have impressed old-school salseros and young music fans alike.”

“Bambulaye was recorded to be gritty, driving, and infectious, with the goal to get you up and dancing from first listen.” says producer / guitarist Jacob Plasse, also founder of the Daptone-distributed Latin revival label, Chulo Records.   “I wanted this record to feel and sound the way it does when we play our final sets at 3am, exhausted in East Harlem dives.  Suddenly the band comes to life and all the old dancers are at it like it was 1970 again.  In those moments, we feel like we could play all night.”

Los Hacheros revives folkloric styles like son montuno, guaracha and salsa, and often combine them with Bomba, a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico.  “Los Hacheros has the magic of group improvisation,” adds bassist William Ash.  “We play in a style that is swing oriented and emphasizes the Cuban clave like great ones of old:  Arsenio, Reve, Ritmo…”

Los Hacheros’ new album, scheduled to release in 2023,  captures the same energy the band brings to the bandstand. The music is an interplay of the tres and violin, with the horns and vocals sitting above that, and pushing it all forward is the undeniable fire of this rhythm section. We are all coming from the same place, the magic of the afro-cuban tumbao, and Arsenio and Bény and Lavoe and we are putting that into our music.

Luca Benedetti Trio with Tony Mason and Tony Scherr 

Guitarist, composer and producer Luca Benedetti is a prominent fixture on the New York City who has worked fluidly in broad array of styles and contexts. Select marquee accomplishments in his career include performances, production work, session work, and tours with such varied artists as Ron Carter, Hermine Deurloo & Steve Gadd, Jim Campilongo, Martha Redbone, Jim Keller, The Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout, Erik Deutsch, Jon Cowherd, Zephaniah & The 18 Wheelers, and The National Reserve. For his work as solo artist and a producer, Luca has garnered critical accolades from Relix Magazine, Guitar Player Magazine, Gitarre & Bass Magazine (Germany), Saving Country Music and Vintage Guitar Magazine, among others.

New York-based jazz musician Tony Scherr plays acoustic and electric bass and guitar in a variety of line-ups. He played with Woody Herman while a teenager. A prolific session musician he’s worked with John Scofield, Norah Jones, Bill Frisell, Ani DiFranco, Al Di Meola, Ana Egge, Sophie B. Hawkins, Maria Schneider and more. He’s been a member of numerous bands such as The Lounge Lizards, Sex Mob, Jesse Harris and the Ferdinados, and Chris Brown and the Citizen Band.

New York City drummer Tony Mason has toured and recorded with John Scofield, Joan Osborne, Norah Jones, Charlie Hunter, Shooter Jennings, Bernie Worrell, Bo Diddley, Martha Wainwright, Ivan Neville, Cyril Neville, George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Amy Helm, Leftover Salmon, Natalie Cole, Darlene Love, The Soup Dragons, Paula Cole, Jim Campilongo, Neil Sedaka, Connie Francis, Captain and Tennille, Baba Olatunji, Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout, Billl Sims Jr., Bloomdaddies and many others. In the studio, Tony has worked with producers Nile Rodgers, Camu Celli, Ron St. Jermaine, Matt Pierson and the legendary Russ Titleman; he has also played on many commercials and television shows.

At the age of 19, Mr. Miller stepped onto the stage of the famed Apollo Theatre, and he brought the house down. The now 5-time Grammy-nominated trombonist was proudly introduced by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), announcing that Jeffery was a recently admitted student on a full scholarship at The Juilliard School. Not his first performance on a great New York stage, when he was just 15, Mr. Miller performed at Carnegie Hall at the celebration of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s 50th anniversary.  He also performed with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for their sold out show at Madison Square Garden, while on tour with Arcade Fire. 
 
The now-28-year-old's resume already reads like the resume of an old jazz cat. 
 
There are gigs with seasoned veterans including studio sessions with Donald Harrison Jr., Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Delfeayo Marsalis, and Herlin Riley. He played trombone in the 2014 Grammy Band. Jeffery has performed with Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra since he was 14, and he even went on their 2013 New York Tour. He can be heard on the big band's debut album Make America Great Again! Jeffery Miller has been featured with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (2017 Opus Ball) and the Wynton Marsalis Septet (Abu Dhabi Festival 2017). He was also selected to be a part of the 2016 Disneyland Resort All American College Band. He's played the New Orleans VooDoo Fest, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Satchmo Summerfest, French Quarter Fest, Vail Jazz Festival and Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. Mr. Miller has opened for songstress Patti Austin in 2012 at his alma mater, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). He's done tour dates with the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra in 2015, and performed with Christian McBride's Big Band in Philadelphia.  He was featured on International Jazz Day 2016 at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, a special event curated by Jon Batiste. He was the official composer and music director for The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit production of Measure for Measure in 2019. Jeffery can lately be seen on tour with Jonas Brothers as their trombonist. 
 
Jeffery has been recognized with numerous awards and scholarships – among them, the 2014 and 2015 Young Arts Merit Awards in Jazz Trombone and he was the recipient of 2013 ASCAP Louis Prima Award. In May of 2018, Jeffery graduated from The Juilliard School with his Bachelor's in Jazz Studies. And he received one of the first-ever Joseph W. Polisi “Artist as Citizen” awards from the man himself, Joseph Polisi, who stepped down as President of The Juilliard School that year. He has been nominated for 3 Grammy award before the age of 25 (Jon Batiste, John Legend).

He’s also begun an acting career. For 3 years he played a music student of Antoine Batiste (portrayed by Juilliard Alum Wendell Pierce) on David Simon’s critically acclaimed HBO series Treme. He has appeared on local New Orleans television stations and on New Orleans’ Jazz Heritage Station WWOZ. He can even been seen in the April 2017 issue of the Wall Street Journal, featured in the 12-page spread on Juilliard students, Juilliard Students Photographed in Their Element. Jeffery is currently a proud Performing/Endorsing Artist for Denis Wick Products and Best American Craftsman (BAC) horns. He plays a custom Jeffery Miller model trombone. 
 
Jeffery is grateful for the accolades and the great opportunities. “I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many teachers.” He has been mentored by Wycliffe Gordon, the Marsalis family (Ellis, Delfeayo, Wynton), Reggie Young, Steve Turre, Curtis Fuller and so many more.  
 
Making good music is Jeffery’s primary focus. He intends to eventually earn an advanced degree in music, make albums, develop a global fan base and tour the world playing his music. 
 
He also is looking out for the one who has looked out for him and who is his biggest supporter. His grandmother, Patricia, raised Jeffery and his twin sister, Justice, since they were 15 months old. She has sacrificed so much for them, and Jeffery's priority always is to make her comfortable. Jeffery would readily admit that he would not be where and who he is today without his grandmother. We know she is proud and that she, like so many others, believes in Jeffery Miller.

Argentinean born artist Sol Liebeskind has started her musical journey in 2009. She remains to be one of the most influential artists in the Jazz/ Soul scene in Buenos Aires, having participated multiple times at the Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival (2011, 2014, 2015); been an artist in residence at the prestigious Jazz Club Thelonious, having played dozens of shows in the past 10 years; she has released 3 albums as a solo artist (Soul Life Music Love in 2011, Building Bridges in 2016, and Love Child in 2019); and has also performed at some of the most important music venues in Buenos Aires such as Teatro Colón, Usina del Arte, Teatro San Martin, Anfiteatro Parque Centenario, among many others.

In 2015 she moved to New York City where she currently resides. There, in 2019 she recorded her latest album and has performed in New York countless times during the past 5 years at prestigious venues such as : Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Bowl, National Sawdust, Trinity Hip Hop Festival, Arthur's Tavern to name a few. She has also collaborated with artists such as Emanero (Argentina), Tomi Morano (Argentina), Bocafloja (Mexico) and Hache ST (EEUU) and has played shows in cities around the world such as London, Paris, Switzerland, Barcelona and San Francisco. 

You’ve heard this before, but the whimsically named Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is really tough to describe. Veering from in-your-face, jaw dropping chops and passion, to those quiet moments when the background noise disappears and you hold your breath to take in a soundscape of solitude, the power trio of electric bass (E'Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with Latin rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk. From club and festival stages across North America and Europe, and tours of Africa, Southeast and Central Asia as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring Béla Fleck, the Fourchestra’s live shows make even the most jaded listeners forget where they are… even if just for a precious moment.

This may seem an odd thing to say, but on the verge of releasing their eighth studio recording, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is only now truly embracing their identity as a group. For many years, Jonathan’s live band was a fluid lineup of top-notch musicians, and even included an “all-star” version with bassist MonoNeon (Prince, Nas), drummer Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Snoop Dogg) and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), as well as a number of other marquee players. Now, however, the Fourchestra is a decidedly indivisible band, and Jonathan is writing for the trio, not just the pans.

CHICAGO-BORN PERFORMER ADA DYER BEGAN HER MUSICAL CAREER SINGING IN LOCAL BANDS AND MUSICAL THEATER.

In 1979, jazz drummer and recording artist Norman Connors tapped her for his album Invitation; billed as “Adaritha,” she contributed lead vocals to Connors’ 1980 follow-up, Take It To The Limit. As a member of electro-funk combo Warp 9, she sang on the ‘80s club hits “Light Years” and “No Man Is An Island,” and later cut two solo albums for Motown, Meant to Be (1988) and Ada Dyer (1990). She has toured with Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack, Lenny Kravitz, and Boz Skaggs, and her studio credits include U2, Sting, Cher, Ronnie Spector, and Luther Vandross. This is her first Springsteen tour.

Rachel Therrien is a trumpet and flugelhorn player, composer and music producer working between New York City and Montreal. She is considered one of the most promising jazz musicians of her generation (Downbeat, All About Jazz, Radio-Canada). Recognized for her personal touch and her many influences of traditional jazz, afro-latin and global music, Rachel has a world class reputation, versatile and innovator. 

Rachel Therrien has won several competitions and nominations, to name a few: JUNOS nominations (2021 – VENA + 2023 – Ostara Project) “Best Jazz Album”, ADISQ nominations (2021 – VENA + 2022 – Music Producer for Noé Lira’s Latiendo la Tierra), GRAMMY AWARDS nomination (2022 – Virtual Birdland, Arturo O’farrill “Best Latin Jazz Album”), the 2015 TD Grand Prize of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the 2016 Stingray Rising Star Award, a nomination for the 2018 Independent Music Award in New York for “Best Jazz Album Producer” and the LOJIQ award at the 2018 Bourse RIDEAU to help develop her career in France.

Rachel Therrien has now produced 6 albums under her name and many more to come. The most recent, MI HOGAR  (February 10th 2023, Outside In Music), a respectfully Latin Jazz album recorded in New York City, Montreal and Toronto with about 20+ musicians. The previous one, VENA, recorded in Paris in May 2019 with her Europeen Quartet with whom she tours Europe since 2017 was launched in the spring of 2020 under the French etiquette Bonsaï Music and wins 2 nominations for Jazz Album of the Year at the ADISQ and JUNO Awards as well as 4 stars at Downbeat. With her Montreal Quintet, Therrien produced 3 albums under the labels Multiple Chord Music (CA), and Truth Revolution Records (USA) including Why Don’t You Try (2017), winner of a critique in the Downbeat Editor’s Pick. In 2016, Rachel launches a first ethnomusicology research project with the world album Pensamiento: Proyecto Columbia (2016), recorded with 13 musicians in Bogota, Colombia. She is now working on her 6th album, this time purely Latin Jazz with about 20 special guests. This last project was recorded in Montreal, Toronto and New York in January 2022. The impressive press kit of Rachel Therrien includes a Grammy nomination as a side woman of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and gratifying critics from many recognized news outlets (Le Devoir, La Presse, All About Jazz, New York Hot House, Downbeat, Latin Jazz Corner, …)

Carrying her project solo since 2009, Rachel Therrien performed her music in many festivals, theater and jazz clubs throughout the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean. To see the list of all concerts: http://racheltherrien.com/past-shows/

Rachel obtained her first cycle Jazz diploma at Université de Montréal, an artistic management certificate, a music certificate from Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba and participated in 2012 at the Banff Center Jazz and Creative Music workshop where she met Dave Douglas and Vijay Iyer.

Rachel Therrien is a Schilke Artist.

The Mandingo Ambassadors was founded in New York City by griot-guitarist Mamady Kouyaté in 2005.  As a veteran of the great orchestras of the golden age of Guinean dance bands, Mamady is a living library of musical science inherited from his ancestors and from a half century of experience as an arranger, band leader, accompanist and soloist.

Mamady Kouyaté carried this heritage with him to New York  where he has collaborated with members of the West African diaspora and Western musicians to continue the great tradition and sound of Guinean Afro-jazz.
Since the summer of 2008 the group has been in residence at Barbes, performing every Wednesday night at this well-known Brooklyn venue.  In addition, they have performed at many clubs, events and festivals including Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Celebrate Brooklyn, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

The Dirt Whisperers are Eric Simons on guitar and vocals and Bradford Reed on pencilina and drums. Simons has played with Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets, Brian Jackson of Gil Scott Heron, The Dukes of Brooklyn, Tractor Supply and Revel in Dimes. A Kansas native, Eric is heavily influenced by his home state’s blues, country, gospel and early jazz, but his style can sound as rooted in the Mississippi Delta as anywhere else.

Bradford Reed’s pencilina, his own invention, is an electric ten-stringed collision of the hammer dulcimer, slide guitar, koto and fretless bass. Reed played with King Missile III (and produced 4 of their records) and in the original band of The Blue Man Group as well as Satellite and The Harpoonist. Reed has also scored numerous films and TV shows, including Superjail! on Adult Swim and Ugly Americans on Comedy Central.

Stylistically the music of The Dirt Whisperers is grounded in traditional blues and classic soul, but it traverses many genres, adding in touches of gospel and Americana, while never losing track of good old American rock and roll. Eric’s guitar can growl or whisper or even call on the steely sounds of a National Resonator. Both drums and bass are simultaneously covered by Bradford on a minimal drum kit and the pencilina which constantly adds in unexpected tones and textures that are often difficult to explain. There might be a bow tantalizing the strings or harmonics ringing from the sticks, which act as movable bridges, riding the strings like a ship on the high seas. While the collaboration of Simons and Reed may seem experimental (and it can be!), The Dirt Whisperers pride themselves on singing and playing melodies that will hook your eardrums while their beats get your ass shaking.

https://linktr.ee/thedirtwhisperers

https://soundcloud.com/user-393434657-462379043

Orlas draws its name from the Portuguese word for 'shores' or 'coasts.' Crafted by the dynamic collaboration of Victor Chicri and Vic Delnur, a father-and-son musical journey unfolds. This fusion encompasses, samba-jazz, bossa nova, disco-funk, and more, resulting in a captivating and genre-defying musical experience.

Starting out in the vibrant '70s, Chicri, both maestro and pianist, has been a true musical dynamo. From recording to producing and performing live on stage alongside Brazilian greats like Gal Costa, Seu Jorge, Bebel Gilberto, Simone, Emilio Santiago, and more. He's taken his music worldwide, with a noteworthy performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he shared the stage with the Quincy Jones orchestra. Along with celebrating many productions that received gold and platinum awards, he has been recognised with a Latin Grammy.

Throughout his career, Vic Delnur, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, has toured the world with former psychedelic indie rock band, Water and Man. He has distinguished himself as a producer and live performer, collaborating with notable artists such as Sessa, Mahmundi, Luciane Dom, and Trella.

In their live performances, they are joined by Sarah Maciel (vocals), Felipe dos Santos (bass, percussion), Eric Maciel (electric guitar) and Thiago Dom (drums). Together, this ensemble blends Brazil's musical heritage with a bold, modern sound that transcends borders.

PANGARI AND THE SOCIALITES are a classic ska, soul and rocksteady group paying homage to the music of legendary Jamaican artists such as the Skatalites,Jackie Mitto, Alton Ellis and more. The large band includes a rotating cast of New York’s finest musicians and is led by bassist  Ari Folman-Cohen.

Nathan Dies is a multi instrumentalist, singer songwriter and producer from São Paulo, Brazil, currently based in Brooklyn, NY. They fuse their cultural background from acapela prayers to popular Brazilian music and early 2000’s Pop to create an expressive mix of dreamy plastic synths with acoustic instruments. 

Binky Griptite knew he had an aptitude for music at an early age. He could harmonize melodies, had good rhythm, had no desire for a day job, and carried a very strong desire to be remembered after his death. They say art is the easiest route to immortality.

Binky was born and raised in Milwaukee, and lived in Minneapolis for a bit before moving to NY. He took a break from music for a couple of years, but when he was ready to jump back in, he happened to meet Gabe Roth (co-founder of Daptone Records), and did a couple of sessions for a Lee Fields album. They started doing gigs, and the rest is history.

In addition to playing with the Dap-Kings, Binky has played on platinum selling records by Janet Jackson and Amy Winehouse and toured extensively with Amy in 2007. In 2013, Binky produced the first single by the Impressions in over 30 years, the Curtis Mayfield-penned “Rhythm”.

He is the host of The Boogie Down on WFUV 90.7 FM in New York, which airs Saturday nights at EST 8-11pm. Stream at WFUV.org

Oskar Stenmark is a flugelhorn and trumpet player from Gothenburg, Sweden, but is currently residing in New York. Oskar has studied with: Lew Soloff, Phil Markowitz, Dave Liebman, Jim McNeely, Jan Allan, Gregory Gilbert, Anders Jormin, Dominic Derasse, Scott Wendholt, Per Ivarsson, Tony Padlock, Luis Bonilla, Lars Lindgren, Peter Asplund, Frank Green, Johan Åkervall, & Klas Nilsson. Oskar leads his trio, quartet and octet, and has worked with Maria Schneider Orchestra, David Byrne, Timbuktu (SWE), Bohuslän Big Band and La Barriada (Havana).

Oskar Stenmark NYC Quartet plays traditional melodies from Sweden, inherited from Oskar’s ancestors mixed with New York jazz. The lyrical melodies will give you a Nordic flavor, but the rhythm, harmony and feel can only be found in New York City. Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, Oskar is the 7th generation in a family of professional musicians. He eventually picked up the trumpet and received a Bachelor in Improvisation from the University of Gothenburg in 2013. Oskar moved to New York a year later to pursue his musical dreams, he received a Master’s in Jazz Performance and composition from the Manhattan School of Music in May 2016.

Stenmark has performed with stars such as Chris Potter, Dave Liebman and the multiple GRAMMY award recipient Maria Schneider Orchestra. The quartet features some of the most sought after musicians in New York, hailing from the U.S. and Sweden. Oskar plays flugelhorn exclusively, an instrument that blends better with the traditional melodies. Oskar has recorded an album with the original melodies at Studio Epidemin (Gothenburg), it was released in May 2014 and is available on Spotify and iTunes. Oskar currently resides in New York, working with the tradition and music of his ancestors.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and based in New York City, Emiliano Messiez , a Latin Grammy Nominee composer, pianist and music director, is one of the most in-demand tango pianists in the US. With a versatile and unique style, he is equally adept in classical music, jazz, tango, rock and Latin American Rhythms. He has performed worldwide including such venues in the United States as Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The Houston Opera Theater, among others.

Most recently, (October 2021), Messiez released a new CD as the pianist for Underground Tango Ensemble, a quartet based in New York City. The CD, "El Charrúa," is a Tango tribute to the music of Latin Grammy winner, legendary composer and master bandoneonist Raúl Jaurena, his close, personal friend. All the music on the album was composed by Jaurena and arranged by Underground Tango Ensemble. It was launched at Merkin Hall in New York City and at the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School.

​Messiez is the pianist for the Broadway and West End hit show “Forever Tango”, a show that has been seen by more than eight million people worldwide. He has also served as the music director and pianist for the successful shows "Impact" and "Tango Buenos Aires", created by Mario & Daniel Celario, and is the creator of "Barolo Tango," a live tango show based in Argentina.

A prolific composer of original music, Messiez has created the music for the musicals “The Guava Tree,” that was commissioned by Creede Repertory Theater in Colorado and “Bordello,” which is still in development but has already received recognition from the National Alliance of Musical Theater with the 2020 Writers in Residence Award, the 2021 Eugene O’Neil Theater Center Festival and The Broadway Bound Theater Festival. He is currently composing the music for "Casa Alfonsa" the second musical commissioned by Creede Repertory Theater in Colorado. Emiliano is the orchestrator of the musical "Ghost in the Machine" by Janine Robledo. 

A highly respected musician, Messiez has created several different projects since coming to the United States. They include the "Típica Messiez" (a 10-piece Tango Orchestra), the "Romo-Agri-Messiez Trio" (Latin Grammy Nominated), a Tango trio formed by Horacio Romo on bandoneon, Pablo Agri on violin and Messiez on piano, "Cello & Piano" a duet of original music with cellist Amy Kang, the "Tango Duet" with Bass-Baritone Federico De Michelis, and the "Tango Dueling Pianos" a unique and never-seen-before concept featuring two tango pianists, a show that he shares with pianist Pablo Estigarribia.

​Messiez has performed with some of the world’s top musicians such as 14-time Latin Grammy winner Paquito de Rivera, Diego El Cigala, Dino Saluzzi, Concha Buika, Raul Jaurena, Fernando Otero, Diego Urcola and Pedro Giraudo, among others. With Jose Luis Infantino, he recorded an album titled "Silencio" in 2004 which received a UNESCO Prize for music, given to musicians whose work has contributed to the enrichment and development of Latin-American Music. 

​His natural musical talent was apparent at a very early age. Messiez began playing the piano by ear at the age of 3. From there, he dedicated his life to the piano, studied and graduated from the National University of the Arts (UNA - Universidad Nacional de las Artes) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He later joined the faculty there, teaching courses in Counterpoint, Harmony and Music History in the Department of Composition. He also attended and graduated from Berklee College of Music’s Escuela de Music Contemporánea (EMC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was honored to receive two different scholarships to study with the distinguished Spanish composer Antón García Abril at the University of Santiago de Compostela.

Greg Banks is a New Orlean native who is being described as “The Saint of Soul”. His most recent track ‘Tell Me’ is an eclectic and unexpected fusion of funk, soul, and rock-n-roll. Banks’ exuberant sound masterfully pays homage to guitar heroes Jimi Hendrix and Lenny Kravitz and the R&B and funk sounds that originated in his hometown. And, like, I’m not going to say Banks is the next Prince (because that’s blasphemous), but the vibes on this one are pretty purple to me.

“We are cooking audio gumbo…our special recipe includes some funk, jazz, hip hop mixed with brass band traditions spiced up with African and other world rhythms…MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE!"

Underground Horns is a Brooklyn based brass band playing Afro Funk Latin New Orleans grooves and beyond. AllAboutJazz called their 2009 debut record FUNK MONK "kick-ass dance music…that brushes up against psychedelia…with shots of funky brass juice."

Their second album BIG BEAT (2010) was reviewed by Ken Waxman in The New York Jazz Record calling them "an unapologetic party band with brains...with tonal inflections from the Big Easy, central Africa, the Maghreb and the Baltic states" and on their third record ALMOST BLUE (2014) they were "expanding the sonic range while never leaving the groove behind." (Sam Spokony, The Villager)

Underground Horns performed internationally in Egypt, Germany and at Tudo é Jazz in Brazil, stateside at the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival, NYC Winter Jazz Festival, Dizzy's (Jazz at Lincoln Center) and various Jam Band Festivals, sharing the bill with Rebirth Brass Band, Big Sam's Funky Nation and B.B. King.
In the big city they make people dance in subway stations, parks and at their club dates at nublu, the Blue Note and Brooklyn Bowl, among others. They also have been playing as a marching band, namely at the spectacular NYC Village Halloween Parade.

"Last Saturday, a woman came up and said that we touched her soul." is the pull quote of a New York Magazine feature about them (2011).

Underground Horns is led by alto saxophonist Welf Dorr, who, originally from Munich (Germany), moved 1995 to New York where he played/recorded with Sonny Simmons, Frank Lacy, Sabir Mateen, Butch Morris, Kenny Wollesen, Jojo Kuo and Vernon Reid a.o. He performed in the US, Europe, Mexico, Brazil and Egypt including festivals such as Willisau (Switzerland) or Central Park SummerStage as well as places as City Hall of New York.

Welf Dorr - alto sax
Patrick Adams - trumpet
Justus Heher - trombone
Evan Jaffa - sousaphone
Clemens Grassmann - drums
Michael Glanzer / Okai Fleurimont - percussion

An electric and upright bassist Ari performs in New York City and around the world. Equally at ease in many different musical worlds, Ari tends towards experimental projects as well as many jazz and world music collaborations. His solo project navigates the improvisational and textural world of pedals and looping devices, mixing composition and spur of the moment improvisation into dreamy trance inducing soundscapes or terse disturbing cacophony between ear catching melody.

Ari is an eclectic and open minded musician and his repertoire and stylistic approach fuse the varied experiences he finds himself in. As bass player for Grammy award winning guitarist Stephane Wrembel he holds down exciting and sturdy gypsy jazz bass lines. In avante punk mambo group Gato Loco he thrashes melodically on the electric bass. When playing with his ska and rocksteady project Pangari and The Socialites he supplies the  melodic foundations. In addition he has performed extensively with with theatre visionary Taylor Mac, piano virtuoso Jean-Michel Pilc, gospel phenoms Harlem Gospel Choir and shared the stage one bizarre new years eve with Jimmy Buffet. In addition to musical pursuits he works on his own film creation, as well as forays into short stories, cartoons and script writing. 

Gerardo Contino is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist, cultural producer, and philanthropist. A classically trained singer, Gerardo Contino began performing professionally in Havana, Cuba at the age of 19. Gerardo has toured the world with his music and now calls New York City home. He is the founder and director of Camino al Arte, a non-profit arts organization that connects and produces cutting edge cultural and educational opportunities for young and established artists across the United States and the Caribbean. 

A versatile singer and bandleader, Gerardo has performed with Cuban and American salsa, jazz, and big orchestra bands. In Cuba, Gerardo was lead singer for NG La Banda, the legendary timba and jazz band directed by Jose Luis Cortes. In the United States, Gerardo was a lead singer for the Max Weinberg Orchestra and Grammy-award winning Larry Harlow's Latin Legends Band. Gerardo has also acted and performed opera, most notably in the Peak Performances’ Hatuey: Memory of Fire, a Yiddish-Cuban opera production.  

Gerardo created and directed Los Habaneros, which went on to become the 2015 "Best Band in Manhattan" (WNYC/NPR), and the 2017 "Best Cuban Dance Band" (NY Latin Culture Magazine). With Los Habaneros, Gerardo has performed at The Kennedy Center for the Arts, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, top music venues in New York City, and numerous festivals in the United States and around the world.  

As a cultural producer and community organizer, Gerardo has created multi-disciplinary public artistic productions in the U.S. and Cuba. He received the Manhattan Community Arts Fund for his productions in 2014, 2015, and 2018. Gerardo has also been a board member of the National Council for the Traditional Arts since 2020. 

In addition to his musical career, Gerardo is a graduate of the University of Havana with a law degree and holds a Master's in Law from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, where he specialized in Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law.

Zacchae’us Paul was born on November 20, 1998, in Atlanta, Georgia. During his high school years, he excelled in the chorus and Jazz band. He has toured the US and Canada with Puerto Rican singer-songwriter “ILE” and has worked with “Music in the Park ATL” music festival from 2015 till present day. In 2017 he started his own festival called “Come Back Jazz Festival”. After high school, he decided to study Latin music in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and now Full Sail University in Winter park, Florida. In late 2017 he founded a company entitled “WETHEHANG LLC”. With this company, he began to start monthly jam sessions and midnight shows with his big band that featured local artists/bands. Inspired by the likes of Snarky Puppy, Kendrick Lamar and Marvin Gaye. Paul self-released his debut EP “TWLG” in late 2016, followed by a few singles in 2017 - 2019 such as GMM, Autumn Leaves, Might Not Get it, Hadiya’s Idea and Colored Girls World.

Make Music New York is pleased to announce the return of Mozart’s Requiem!

In past years, these performances of Mozart’s Requiem, organized by conductor Douglas Anderson and producer Melissa Gerstein, have proven both popular and profoundly moving. This season, they invite singers and instrumentalists from across New York City and beyond to celebrate the Summer Solstice and remember lost loved ones by performing Mozart’s profound and solemn work, the Requiem, K626, at a new location: 601 Lexington Avenue at 53rd Street (NE corner).

From Maestro Anderson: “We will gather again this year as part of the Make Music New York annual festival to perform and present this great piece of music with its original intention: to honor loved ones who have passed.  Participating in this event, and performing simultaneously with this group of like-minded performers, provides a much-needed lift to the spirits of all engaged in the endeavor.  An hour of your time spent in the solemn exercise on your part in performing this exceptional piece of music will be a lasting tribute to the family, friends, acquaintances, and fellow citizens we have all lost.  We, the world, and history will know that we performed in their memory.”

The performance will begin at 7:00 pm sharp on June 21 with an introduction and notes from Douglas Anderson and will conclude at approximately 8:15 pm.  

The always popular participatory program affectionately known as “Sousapalooza” returns this season with a special afternoon performance from the plaza at 601 Lexington Avenue (at the corner of E 53rd St.)

All brass, woodwind and percussion players, of all backgrounds and skill levels, are invited and encouraged to join us by sight reading the marches of the incomparable John Philip Sousa on the spot, in a pop-up performance directed by Conductor Oscar Wiley Thorp

Described as “...the unknown queen of Americana…” (Feedback, Norway), “..a Black Lucinda Williams…” and a “...brutal, original, explosive singer…” (Vanity Fair, Spain), Queen Esther’s creative output musically is the culmination of several critical Southern elements, not the least of which are years of recording and touring internationally as frontwoman for several projects with her mentor, harmolodic guitar icon James “Blood” Ulmer, including a stint in his seminal band Odyssey. Raised in Atlanta, GA and embedded in Charleston, SC’s Lowcountry – a region with African traditions and Black folkways that span centuries and constantly inform her work – Queen Esther uses her Southern roots as a touchstone to explore cultural mores in America, deconstructing well-worn historical narratives while creating a reclamation-driven soundscape.

A member of SAG/AFTRA, Actors Equity, Dramatists Guild and the Recording Academy, her work as a vocalist, lyricist, songwriter, actor, solo performer, playwright and librettist has led to creative collaborations in neo-vaudeville, alt-theater, various alt-rock configurations, (neo) swing bands, trip-hop DJs, spoken word performances, jazz combos, jam bands, various blues configurations, original Off-Broadway plays and musicals, experimental music/art noise and performance art. Thanks to an admin publishing deal with Bug Music (now BMG Rights Management) instigated by the esteemed guitarist/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo, Queen Esther started her imprint EL Recordings and has released five critically acclaimed albums, including the internationally lauded Black Americana project Gild The Black Lily (2021).

Queen Esther’s most recent work includes headlining Lincoln Center’s 2022 Summer for the City with her western swing collective The Black Rose of Texas (featuring Queen Esther, Kat Edmonson and Synead Cidney Nichols on vocals, and the legendary Cindy Cashdollar on pedal steel guitar) that was augmented by a performance workshop at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and later that year, a sold out weekend of shows at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola; and a grant from The 2022 New York City Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theater for Blackbirding, an alt-country album – written during an All Media Artist Residency at Gettysburg National Military Park.

Currently, Queen Esther is a playwright-in-residence in the 2022 - 2024 WP Theater Pipeline PlayLAB, with a full length play scheduled for an Off Broadway staged reading in April 2024. She is a member of Joe's Pub Working Group, Western Arts Allilance's Performing Artist Discovery program and Keychange US Talent Development Program. Queen Esther's pandemic album Rona (released June 2, 2023) is climbing the folk charts while garnering airplay and reviews worldwide as her 2018 TED Talk about the true origins of country and bluegrass steadily reverberates throughout the Americana community.

Coming in 2024: Things Are Looking Up, a jazz album of original songs and Lady Day's lost classics, and the alt-Americana album Blackbirding.

Moses Patrou is a singer and songwriter with a distinct and warm baritone voice that he compliments with his Hammond organ playing that seamlessly blends Blues, Soul, Country and Jazz, much like one might be accustomed to hearing in places like Memphis or New Orleans, creating a cozy atmosphere, sometimes subtle, sometimes exciting, always entertaining.