Slavic Soul Party!, múm, Billy Harper Quintet and Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss Top Hudson Hall Spring 2020 Season

Experimental Icelandic outfit múm

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Experimental Icelandic band múm, Slavic Soul Party!, the Billy Harper Quintet, and 92-year-old cabaret singer Marilyn Maye headline the spring season at Hudson Hall, which also includes a three-concert tribute to jazz legend Charlie “Bird” Parker, the annual Hudson Jazz Festival, dancer/choreographers Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss, and Hudson’s own genius bandleader, composer, and drummer Bobby Previte.

The spring season features a diverse, multi-disciplinary lineup from February through June, including world premieres, original productions and co-presentations with community partners, nationally renowned and locally celebrated artists, and a full spectrum of free exhibitions, talks, films, and community workshops.

 

Season highlights include:

A centennial celebration of the life and work of legendary jazz master Charlie “Bird” Parker with a trio of performances by Keyon Harrold Band (April 4), Patrick Bartley Jr. (May 30) and Walking Distance featuring pianist Jason Moran (May 9).

Swing Step & Clog: Drawing on American tap dance, jazz, swing, lindy hop, Appalachian clogging, and Irish step dance, Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss create three breathtaking evenings of dance (April 24, 25 and 26).

Camphill Hudson Players return to the stage with an original theatrical piece exploring the challenges and obstacles that make up contemporary life – presented with equal parts love, humor and originality (April 3).

Marilyn Maye, the favorite female vocalist of late-night TV hosts Johnny Carson and Steve Allen, brings her brassy style of pop standards and show tunes (June 6).

Multimedia artist and designer Rodney Greenblat lends a great deal of color and frivolity to the walls of Hudson Hall with his solo exhibition of playful and energetic work (May 23 – July 19).

Composer, performer and master improviser Bobby Previte leads an immersive four-day workshop for musicians culminating in a workshop concert (June 17-20).

Community workshops include stilt walking, cookie baking, automatronic robot building, African drumming, chess strategizing, and funky hat construction.

 

 

 

Billy Harper

2020 Spring Season:

 

EXHIBITION

WILLIAM STONE: Apperception

February 1 – March 15, 2020

Opening reception with the artist: Saturday, February 1, 5-7pm

 

Visual artist William Stone traffics in word play to create provocative and humorous works utilizing woodworking, sculptural and painting techniques. Stone plays with audience expectations and subverts the utilitarian purpose of functional objects, like desks and chairs, to imbue them with layered meaning beyond their formal ideal. Presented in this exhibition of both old and new work is a cross-section of Stone’s keen visual wit and expert craftsmanship representing work that ArtForum referred to as “…endgame conceptualism with a bite.”

 

MUSIC

HUDSON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2020

Curated by Armen Donelian

Festival Pass: $95

Tickets start at $25

 

The 3rd annual Hudson Jazz Festival, curated by distinctive jazz pianist Armen Donelian, highlights supreme musical talent with a melodious reach that spans the globe. Adding extra spice to the festival lineup is the return of James Beard Award-winning chef Zak Pelaccio’s BackBar with a Southeast-Asian inspired daily menu.

 

AMOUREUX DU JAZZ

Friday, February 14, 7pm

Tickets: $30

Aimée Allen, vocals

Armen Donelian, piano; Jay Andersen, bass; Jeff Siegel, drums

 

The Festival opens with a romantic vibe on Valentine’s Day with singer Aimée Allen, who cut her teeth in Paris jazz clubs and presents a contemporary spin on jazz standards, bossa nova infused tunes, along with strikingly beautiful original compositions.

 

SOLO PIANO SUMMIT

Saturday, February 15, 2pm

Tickets: $25

Kevin Hays, Francesca Tanksley, Cidinho Teixeira

 

Saturday afternoon’s Piano Summit highlights the eclectic and singular talent of three unique and gifted pianists: NYC-based Kevin Hays is a Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist, composer, and singer/songwriter who has appeared on over 60 albums and collaborated with such artists as Al Foster and Joshua Redman and was one half of a widely-acclaimed piano duo project with Brad Mehldau (Modern Music – Nonesuch). Francesca Tanksley is an acclaimed jazz pianist and composer, who has performed with Billy Harper Quintet as well as her own trio, and is known for her “…mesmerizing, captivating and monumental music” (Jazzreview.com). Brazilian born Cidinho Teixeira has worked with Brazilian musical legends such as Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil, and has made a name for himself recording and performing within the spirited Brazilian musical community of NYC, including being one of the leaders of the popular group Terra Brasil.

 

BILLY HARPER QUINTET

Saturday, February 15, 7pm

Tickets: $35

Billy Harper, tenor saxophone

Freddie Hendrix, trumpet; Francesca Tanksley, piano; Hwansu Kang, bass; Aaron Scott, drums

 

Saturday night fires up with veteran saxophonist Billy Harper and his Quintet. “One of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists,” Harper arrived in New York in 1966 – just the right time to attract attention from some of jazzdom’s giants – Gil Evans, Max Roach, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Lee Morgan, and Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. Harper is an explosive tenor saxophonist and a distinctive hard bop composer, and this one-night-only engagement promises to be a dazzling display of the quintet’s inarguable artistry.

 

I CALLED HIM MORGAN

Sunday, February 16, 11am

Documentary film directed by Kasper Collin (2016, 92 MINUTES)

Introduction by Billy Harper

Free, reservations recommended

 

Sunday morning, Billy Harper returns to the stage to introduce a free film screening of I Called Him Morgan, a poignant and uncompromising documentary about his friend and former musical collaborator, trumpeter Lee Morgan. On a snowy night in February 1972, celebrated jazz musician Lee Morgan met his tragic end after a gig in New York City. Morgan’s sudden death sent shockwaves through the jazz community, and the memory of the event still haunts those who knew Morgan, including saxophonist Billy Harper who was there with Morgan at the time of his death.

 

Slavic Soul Party!

SLAVIC SOUL PARTY!

Sunday, February 16, 4pm

Tickets: $30

 

“Of all the NYC dance bands that draw on Eastern European music, Slavic Soul Party! is the coolest…” – Time Out NY

 

Fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Roma (Gypsy) accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! NYC’s official #1 brass band for Balkan Soul Gypsy Funk. Its Tuesday night residency in Brooklyn has become a destination for music fans from around the world and is famous for “delivering a great time.” (New York Times).

 

HUDSON JAZZ FESTIVAL WORKSHOP FOR YOUTH

Saturday, February 15, 11am

Free for youth ages 12 and up

Intermediate playing and ability to read music recommended

To register or for more information, email hello@hudsonhall.org

 

Join Hudson Jazzworks co-founders pianist Armen Donelian and saxophonist Marc Mommaas for a free, hands-on immersion in jazz and composition workshop for youth based on the methods of the annual Hudson Jazz Workshop. This workshop is open to all young musicians ages 12 and up.

 

EXHIBITION

CATA COARC: Earth People

March 12 – April 5, 2020

Opening reception with the artists:

Thursday, March 12, 12 – 2pm

 

Hudson Hall presents Earth People, an exhibit of paintings by artists with disabilities in partnership with Community Access to the Arts (CATA) and COARC. The exhibit highlights an extraordinary selection of work created by CATA artists using an adaptive painting technique called Artistic Realization Technologies (A.R.T.). Through the use of laser pointers and a trained assistant, this technique gives full artistic control to individuals with significant physical disabilities and expands the range of expressive possibilities for artists of all abilities. Earth People is a showcase, not just for arresting visual works, but for the collaborative and individual will of the artistic spirit and demonstrates the extraordinary artistic perspectives and creative vision of artists with disabilities.

 

FILM

INTELLIGENT LIVES

Documentary film directed by Dan Habib (2018, 70 min)

Narrated by Chris Cooper

Friday, March 13, 12:30pm

Free, reservations are strongly recommended

 

Intelligent Lives follows three young adults with intellectual disabilities: Micah, Naieer and Naomie, who, with family and community support, work toward a future of inclusion and independence. They challenge conventional notions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college and work. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper, the film tells the story of his late son Jesse to expand our understanding of an individual’s potential beyond their perceived limitations. Following the screening, Micah Failka-Feldman and Emma Failka-Feldman, featured in the documentary, lead a discussion about the film.

 

 

EXHIBITION

FOUR INSTANCE

Julie Evans, John Lippert, Lucio Pozzi, Lorenza Sannai

Curated by Lucio Pozzi

March 21 – May 17, 2020

Opening reception with the artists: Saturday, March 21, 5-7pm

 

Julie Evans, John Lippert, Lucio Pozzi, and Lorenza Sannai are four artists who happen to live and work a few doors from one another on the corner of Partition and 3rd Street in Hudson. This exhibition of paintings reveals both the common and divergent characteristics of these artists who share a locality but arrive at distinct and individual destinations.

 

múm

MUSIC

MÚM

Supporting act: Clarice Jensen

Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 7pm

Tickets: $20

 

“Aglow with creative energy and eccentricity, this is beautiful stuff.”– Guardian UK

 

The Icelandic band múm have collaborated with the likes of Kronos Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Kylie Minogue, just to name a few. Since its founding in 1998, múm have forged a sublimely bright, warm, and rich take on electronic music, imprinting it with their own unique character via expertly played live instruments like cello, melodica, and drums. Come celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band’s renowned album Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Was OK as they kick off a limited multi-city American tour.

 

Brooklyn-based composer and cellist, Clarice Jensen opens. A singular talent in her own right, Clarice is the artistic director of ACME, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has collaborated with an impressive roster of musicians including Björk and Max Richter.

 

MUSIC

THE ORCHESTRA NOW

Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn

Sunday, March 29, 2020, 3pm

Free, reservations are strongly recommended

 

James Bagwell conducts two exhilarating works by Bach and Mozart along with Mendelssohn’s third symphony, based on his tour of Scotland at age 20.

 

THEATER

CAMPHILL HUDSON PLAYERS: INNER WORLDS

Directed by Jody Brookes

Friday, April 3, 2020, 7pm

Free, reservations recommended

 

Camphill Hudson Players take to the Hudson Hall stage for their third show with another original theatrical piece. The Players, an integrated theater group, explore the challenging relationships and conflicts existing today in a series of humorous, uplifting and very real vignettes that invite you to ponder life’s intricate connections. This original mixed-media piece promises to dazzle while enlivening your sense of community as it celebrates the rich tapestry of life that weaves us all together.

 

MUSIC

BIRD FLIGHT: A CHARLIE PARKER CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

A Catskill Jazz Factory Production

 

Two World Premieres

 

Series Pass: $100 – On Sale Now

Single tickets go on sale March 12, 2020

 

Hudson Hall teams up with “regional arts think-tank” and “formidable jazz incubator” Catskill Jazz Factory in a world premiere centennial celebration of Charlie “Bird” Parker. BIRD FLIGHT features three distinct takes on the music of Parker, led by a trio of bands at the forefront of the contemporary jazz scene. Join us in honoring a legacy of unparalleled creativity, originality and masterful improvisation.

 

MILES OF BIRD

Keyon Harrold Band

Saturday, April 4, 2020, 7pm

Tickets: $30, $45

 

Miles Davis once said, “You can tell the history of jazz in four words: Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker.” It was 1944 when the eighteen-year-old Miles Davis first heard modern jazz — the music that changed his life — when Charlie Parker played in St. Louis in Billy Eckstine’s band. This moment inspired Davis to move to New York City “where the action was” and follow his idol.

 

Modern master trumpeter Keyon Harrold, known for his Grammy Award-winning performance in Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead and featured in Rolling Stone magazine as one of “10 New Artists You Need to Know Now,” pays homage to the infamous and monumental musical relationship between Davis and Bird. The evening draws inspiration from live and studio recordings of the Reboppers, the Miles Davis All Stars, and from Miles’ time with the Charlie Parker Quintet.

 

FREEBIRD

Walking Distance

with Jason Moran

Saturday, May 9, 2020, 7pm

Tickets: $30, $45

 

“Walking Distance … is freeing Charlie Parker’s music from the shackles of its comfort zone.” – JazzTimes

 

Double sax quartet Walking Distance mutates the music of Charlie Parker by smashing, stretching, and deconstructing his virtuosic melodies, creating music that is wholly new and modern. Powered by acclaimed pianist Jason Moran, Walking Distance’s latest release, Freebird (Sunnyside) liberates Parker’s repertoire from the predictable and transforms it into music that is bursting with vitality, humor and imagination.

 

LIVE BIRD

Patrick Bartley Quintet

Saturday, May 30, 7pm

Tickets: $30, $45

 

Experience a purely Parker night that encapsulates the frenetic, unstoppable energy of Bird’s most iconic live sessions and performances. Grammy Award-nominated saxophonist, composer and bandleader Patrick Bartley Jr. (featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NPR’s Jazz Nights in America) honors one of his greatest musical inspirations in this reimagining of Bird’s most extraordinary live shows, drawing from Savoy, Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall recordings among others, and reinterpreting classics like “Night in Tunisia”, “Salt Peanuts”, and “Groovin’ High” along the way.

 

 

Caleb and Nic

DANCE

CALEB & NIC – Swing, Step & Clog

April 24 -25, 7pm, April 26, 5pm

Tickets: $25, $35

 

“The more I see of Mr. Teicher & Company, the more I want to see.” – Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times

 

“The human epitome of the unbearable lightness of being…Gareiss is more fleet of foot than an Olympian sprinter and more buoyant than a helium-filled balloon” Siobhán Long, The Irish Times

 

Drawing on American tap dance, jazz, swing, lindy hop, Appalachian clogging, and Irish step dance, Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss present a new, evening-length show rooted in improvisation, song and percussive dance.

 

GALA BENEFIT

THE PROPRIETORS BALL

Saturday, May 16, 6-10pm

Named in honor of the entrepreneurial men and women responsible for establishing Hudson in 1783, The Proprietors Ball celebrates the arrival of spring with an evening of dinner, drinks and special guest performances. Proceeds benefit Hudson Hall in its mission to provide low, or no cost, arts and cultural programming to the community.

 

EXHIBITION

RODNEY GREENBLAT: Something to Look Forward to

May 23 – July 19, 2020

Opening reception with the artist: Saturday, May 23, 5-7pm

 

Rodney Alan Greenblat is a visionary artist, designer, and writer who has been making whimsical colorful artwork for over thirty years. In addition to his contribution to the downtown New York art scene, he has designed album covers, video game characters and fantastical worlds. One of Greenblat’s more notable contributions to pop culture was the 1990s Sony Playstation game PaRappa the Rapper. Greenblat’s new and archival works are on display in this playful and engaging show.

 

 

Related Events:

 

CRITIQUE & CREATE

May 26, 27, 29, 4-6pm

Ages 12-16

Free, space is limited, registration is required

 

Fellow artists Stephanie Dougherty and Alban Plotkin invite teens to experience the work of Rodney Greenblat up close, and then create their own 3D art projects in response. Please plan to attend all three sessions.

 

PARAPPA THE RAPPER

Arcade Games

Saturday July 11, 12-3pm

Free and open to the public

 

Hudson Hall becomes an outsized arcade arena for a day with the 1997 Sony PlayStation smash hit video game PaRappa the Rapper, co-created by artist Rodney Alan Greenblat. PaRappa is a high-energy, interactive video game taught by various cartoon rap masters that include a kung-fu master with an onion for a head, a cranky moose who administers driver’s tests, and a very stoned frog. The original PaRappa sold more than three million copies, spawning a sequel and a rock-based spin-off called Um Jammer Lammy. Come in, grab a controller, and take a turn with PaRappa on the big screen.

 

MUSIC

MARILYN MAYE & FRIENDS

Saturday, June 6, 7pm

Tickets: $25, $35

 

“The greatest white female singer in the world” – Ella Fitzgerald

 

Maye, 92, is one of the remaining geniuses from the golden age of show business. Discovered by Steve Allen and beloved by Johnny Carson who featured her on The Tonight Show no less than 76 times, the legendary singer Marilyn Maye brings her trio and enormous talent to the stage at Hudson Hall. The evening opens with selections from Opera Ebony’s Greg Sheppard and tenor John Philip, who brings new arrangements of some Sixties classics.

 

 

THEATER

PLAYS IN PROGRESS

Short Play Festival

Sunday, June 7, 3pm

Tickets: $10

 

Led by playwrights Lucile Lichtblau and Jesse Waldinger, Plays in Progress (PIP) is a collective of more than 30 professional playwrights, actors, directors, and designers who meet regularly at Hudson Hall to provide an early stage forum to read, discuss, and develop new work. Join PIP for an afternoon of staged readings of short plays.

 

Bobby Previte (photo Seth Rogovoy)

MUSIC

BOBBY PREVITE IMPROV WORKSHOP & CONCERT

June 17-June 20 – Improv Workshop

Free, by application only; space is limited

 

Saturday, June 20, 7pm – Improv Concert

Free, reservations recommended

 

Composer and performer Bobby Previte’s work explores the nexus between notated and improvised music. One of the seminal figures of the 1980s New York ‘Downtown’ scene, Previte has received multiple awards for music composition including the 2015 Greenfield Prize for Music and a 2012 Guggenheim. Led by Previte, this immersive four-day workshop for musicians is a deep dive into collaborative improvisation. At the conclusion of the course, participants each write short “scores for improvisation” for the group to perform in a workshop concert at Hudson Hall.

 

BOOK READING

SAMUEL SHEM: Man’s 4th Best Hospital

Sunday, April 19, 3pm

Free and open to the public

 

“You will double over in laughter and even cry a little. If you read one medical drama, make it this one.” – Dr. Sanjay Gupta

 

Samuel Shem is the pen name of Stephan Bergman, a psychiatrist on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine, Rhodes Scholar, author and playwright. Shem reads from his latest work of fiction, Man’s 4th Best Hospital, a sequel to the bestselling 1978 novel House of God, a mesmerizing, heartbreaking, and hilarious exploration of how the health-care industry, and especially doctors, have evolved over the past thirty years.

 

 

WORKSHOPS FOR YOUTH/COMMUNITY

 

HUDSON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB

Wednesdays, Jan 8 – June 10, 5:30-7pm (no club 2/19, 3/25 and 4/15)

Grades 8 – 12

 

In partnership with the Hudson City School District, students read a variety of award-winning books together with teacher Ellen Heummer over the course of the season. Free copies of books are provided to every student.

 

KUUMBA DANCE & DRUM

Saturdays, January 18 – April 25 (No class 2/8, 2/15, 4/11, or 5/16)

African Drum instruction for teens and adults 10:30am – 11:30am

Family African Dance: 11:45am – 1pm

Ages 12-18 free; adults $5

 

In partnership with Operation Unite NY, join our weekly African drumming and dance classes. Bring a drum or share one of Kuumba’s. For teens and adults.

 

Kuumba Spring Recital

April 16, 6:00pm

Free and open to the public

 

BINDLESTIFF CIRKUS AFTER SCHOOL

Mondays, Feb 3 – Apr 9, 3 -4:30pm (no meetings 2/17 and 4/13)

Hudson Youth Center, 18 South 3rd Street

Grades 2 – 5

Free. Space is limited, registration required. Email hello@hudsonhall.org to register.

 

Learn to juggle, spin a diabolo, use stilts, spin plates, and practice tumbling, acrobatic balance and more from Hudson’s very own Bindlestiff Family Cirkus.

 

 

HUDSON JAZZ FESTIVAL WORKSHOP FOR YOUTH

Saturday, February 15, 11am

Free for youth ages 12 and up

Intermediate playing and ability to read music recommended

 

Join Hudson Jazzworks Co-founders, pianist Armen Donelian and saxophonist Marc Mommaas, for a free, hands-on immersion in jazz and composition workshop for youth based on the methods of the annual Hudson Jazz Workshop. This workshop is open to all young musicians ages 12 and up. Bring your instrument!

 

CHESS CLUB

Wednesdays, February 26 – May 27, 5:30 -7pm (no meetings 3/25 and 4/15)

Drop-in Chess, All ages and abilities welcome

 

Join us for a weekly drop-in chess club, guided by instructor Alec Butterfield. Come to learn the game, refresh your skills, and engage in play with your community. Beginners and more accomplished players are welcome. Alec Butterfield will be on hand to provide instruction, insight and guidance.

 

  1. POOKY’S COOKIE MAKING WORKSHOP

Mondays, April 20 – June 8, 3-4:30pm (no class May 25)

Grades 2 – 5

Free. Space is limited, registration required.

 

Ms. Pooky’s Kitchen Science leads to great tasting and looking projects. Please join Pooky Amsterdam of PookyStudio for a 9-week course that will teach and touch on a variety of fun topics, including baking basics, sugar alchemy, kitchen craft constructions and other exciting activities made in the oven!

 

 

AUTOMATRONIC TOYS WITH RACHEL D.

Thursdays, April 23 – June 11, 3-4:30pm

Grades 2 – 5

Free. Space is limited, registration required. Email hello@hudsonhall.org to register.

 

Come create interactive cardboard automata toys with Rachel Drozdowicz, including robotic arms, flying bees, and spouting whales! Rachel, conceiver and creator of the Winter Walk puppet snow bird, takes students in a new direction with interactive toy making.

 

 

MAD HAT SLAMS

Wednesdays, April 1 – May 6, 4-7pm

May 2-3, Noon-5pm

Free and open to the public

 

What will YOU be wearing in the 2nd Annual Mad Hatters’ Parade? Drop in to create your own wearable art on Wednesday evenings in free, Mad Hat Slams. Workshop sessions are guided by veteran parade artists Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles of Processional Arts Workshop. Basic tools, materials, and hat armatures are on hand to get you started (BYO bling and accessories). Then join the fray when Hudson’s homegrown art parade steps off on May 9. Learn more at madhattersparade.org.

 

CRITIQUE & CREATE

May 26, 27, 29, 4-6pm

Ages 12-16

Free, space is limited, registration is required

 

Fellow artists Stephanie Dougherty and Alban Plotkin invite teens to experience the work of artist Rodney Greenblat up close, and then create their own 3D art projects in response.

 

PARAPPA THE RAPPER

Arcade Games

July 11, 12-3

Free and open to the public

 

Hudson Hall becomes an outsized arcade arena for a day with the 1997 Sony PlayStation smash hit video game PaRappa the Rapper, co-created by artist Rodney Alan Greenblat. PaRappa is a high-energy, interactive video game taught by various cartoon rap masters that include a kung-fu master with an onion for a head, a cranky moose who administers driver’s tests, and a very stoned frog. The original PaRappa sold more than three million copies, spawning a sequel and a rock-based spin-off called Um Jammer Lammy. Come in, grab a controller, and take a turn with PaRappa on the big screen.

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