*Artist Bios Below*
BRIC JazzFest culminates in a three-night marathon with ensembles performing staggered sets in multiple spaces throughout BRIC House. You can move freely among performances and catch as many artists as you like each night—all happening in the state-of-the-art Ballroom, the relaxed Stoop overlooking the current exhibition in the Gallery at BRIC House, and our intimate jazz club in the BRIC Artist Studio.
BRIC JazzFest Marathon Night 3 will feature Terence Blanchard ft. The E-Collective, Brownout Presents: Fear of a Brown Planet ft. Third Root, Deva Mahal, Kat Edmonson, Arnetta Johnson & SUNNY, Noa Fort, Freelance, and Tongues in Trees. More information about each performer and the set times are listed below.
Tickets on sale now! Click to see the performers for Night 2 and Night 3!
All tickets are General Admission: STANDING*
Freelance
7:30-8:30PM
A Harlem-based band with influences in electronic fusion, jazz, alternative rock, and neo soul, Freelance, in name, defines their music style. The band began at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where founding leaders, Tim "Smithsoneon" Smith (Vocals) and Chad Selph (Keyboards), along with Craig Hill (saxophone), Yasser Tejeda (guitar), Justin Tyson (drums), and David Ginyard (bass) developed their craft and established a close friendship. Propelled to create, the band performed around Boston before relocating to New York in 2012.
Noa Fort
7:40-8:40PM
Israeli born vocalist, pianist, songwriter, improviser, and painter of sounds Noa Fort was recently regarded as “one of New York’s more interesting and original artists.” (New York Music Daily) She draws inspiration from different musical worlds, integrating her background of classical and jazz piano, jazz singing, and free improvisation into her original music. She also uses music in her work with youth at risk, adults with developmental disabilities, and people who suffer from mental illnesses, and believes in the power of music to heal.
Deva Mahal
8-9PM
Deva Mahal was born with the blues in her blood. The daughter of GRAMMY Award-winning blues musician Taj Mahal, she "comes by her searing vocals and powerful songwriting naturally" (Billboard) and made her professional debut at 12. A genre-defying artist, powerhouse vocalist, and astute songwriter, Mahal moved to New York City in 2007, where she became a fixture at Brooklyn jam sessions, earning significant buzz as half of the duo Fredericks Brown with Steph Brown. She’s also collaborated with a wide-ranging array of artists, including members of TV on the Radio, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Fat Freddy’s Drop, performing at such renowned venues and festivals as Sonar, Womad, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, The Atlanta Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Montreux Jazz Festival.
Tongues in Trees
9-10:05PM
Samita Sinha, Sunny Jain, and Grey Mcmurray met as a trio in spring of 2013. But the story of Tongues in Trees began in 2004, when Sunny and Samita had their first session in Sunny’s Harlem studio. Samita had just returned to New York from immersive study of Hindustani classical music in India, and was poised to dive into musical experimentation. Sunny was active in the city as a bandleader and drummer and was looking for a vocalist. Sunny knew Grey and had the thought to invite him in for a session—not because they needed a guitarist, but because Grey’s musical sensibility and personality were compelling. Grey had performed with Meshell Ndegeocello, Tyondai Braxton and Colin Stetson and was, and still is, a frequent collaborator with So Percussion. After many months of improvising, composing, developing, rehearsing, and performing shows in New York City, Tongues in Trees released their debut album, Parallel, in October 2015.
Brownout Presents: Fear of a Brown Planet ft. Third Root
9:20-10:25PM
A nine-piece outfit formed fifteen years ago by members of GRAMMY Award-winning Latin revival orchestra Grupo Fantasma, Brownout has evolved into a musical force all its own. After garnering their third Austin Music Award last year, the band continues to produce music that is unflinchingly progressive, while evoking the classic influences of artists such as WAR, Cymande, and Funkadelic.
Arnetta Johnson & SUNNY
9:30-10:45PM
Arnetta Johnson and the trumpet began their relationship at age 13. Poised to intersect a new young musical audience with the sage jazz aficionados around a hot new musical experience, Johnson has worked with some of the best including Ralph Peterson, Buster Williams, Mimi Jones, Victor Lewis, Esperanza Spalding, Shamie Royston, Aaron Spears, Geri Allen, Warren Wolf, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris Stevens, Eric Roberson, Christian McBride, and Solange. The Berklee College of Music alum has even performed alongside Beyoncé at the 2016 Super Bowl.
Kat Edmonson
10:25-11:40PM
Critically acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Kat Edmonson has played major stages across the United States, Europe, and Japan. A Texas native, Edmonson grew up in Houston and sang in the local club scene in Austin for several years before self-releasing her first album, Take To The Sky, in 2009. Along with her own headline tours, Edmonson has gone on the road in support of Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Gary Clark, Jr., Jamie Cullum, and Shawn Colvin, and has opened shows for such luminaries as Smokey Robinson, George Benson, Michael Kiwanuka, Nick Lowe, and Willie Nelson.
Terence Blanchard ft. The E-Collective
10:45PM-12AM
Early on, Terence Blanchard made a name for himself as a top-tier jazz trumpeter, and he has gone on to enjoy a multifaceted career in the jazz world and beyond. He’s not only a four-time GRAMMY Award winner, but he’s also been recognized by US Artists, the MAPFund, and the NEA for his work in the jazz idiom and beyond. As a film composer, Blanchard has more than 50 scores to his credit, including receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Spike Lee's 25th Hour, and he’s also added to those achievements recent successes composing for Broadway, including for The Motherf**ker With a Hat, starring Chris Rock and Bobby Canavale, and the revival of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire. After serving as the artistic director of the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz for a decade since 2000, Blanchard was also named Artist-in-Residence at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2015.
Now in its fourth year, BRIC JazzFest includes film, dance, panel discussions, workshops, and a three-stage, three-night live music marathon that celebrates some of the most exciting global legends in jazz, and groundbreaking new jazz artists from Brooklyn and beyond.
*We can always accommodate wheelchair/mobility device accessible seating, please purchase your ticket(s) online, and call 718-683-5608 to give us notice.
Venue Information:
BRIC House is Brooklyn’s cultural living room: a 40,000 square foot multi-disciplinary arts and media complex in the former Strand Theatre, where emerging and established artists can create work that deepens their practice and engages the diverse communities of the borough.
Beginning Nov. 1, 2022, attendees of any BRIC House programming will no longer have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter the building. Masks are encouraged but not required in all BRIC operated spaces. If you have questions regarding this protocol, please email Safety@bricartsmedia.org
BRIC is committed to welcoming people of all abilities. BRIC's main entrance, located on Rockwell Street, is fully accessible. In addition the main floor of BRIC House has an accessible, all-gender bathroom. The BRIC Media Center, located on the 2nd floor, is accessible via elevator. The Gallery level is accessible via a wheelchair lift. Portable FM assistive listening devices are available for programs on the Stoop and in the Ballroom upon request. To make a specific access request, or to let us know other ways we can provide you with a welcoming experience, please contact Benno Orlinsky at borlinsky@bricartsmedia.org or (718) 683-5637.