A month of Jazz and Pop performances on four weekends in June!
Bronx River Art Center Presents:
Bronx River Sounds Performing Arts Festival June 4 – June 25
Healing, Harmony and Rejuvenation
BRAC’s House of Jazz in the Bronx is back with some good vibes to calm our minds and our lives with music that touches the soul and re-energizes the spirit, every weekend this June. For our upcoming second Saturday of performances, get ready for some Kirtan and Brazilian Jazz from some talented local composers and musicians!
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bronx-river-sounds-performing-arts-festival-tickets-343338503707
PERFORMING THIS WEEKEND…
Saturday June 11, 2022
4:30pm – Tejase
7:00pm – Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans
Saturday, June 11th
4:30 – 5:45pm — Tejase
Led by guitarist Arthur Rotfeld and vocalist Ann Casapini, TEJASE is an ensemble consisting of vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, bass, and the harmonium. The Tejase band (pronounced tay-juh-say) presents traditional Sanskrit mantras set to composer Arthur Rotfeld’s original music. “We want our
music to be a meditative experience for our listeners and participants — sharing music together is our primary focus.” Tejase’s concerts are called kirtans, which are the call-and-response singing of mantras.
Kirtan is a bhakti (or devotional) yoga practice and found throughout India and now the entire world. Kirtan is joyful community event for all to listen and sing together. Check out Ann Casapini’s website to learn more about their sound.
Saturday, June 11th
Free Opening Concert 6:15pm
Jahlil Shabazz will perform immersive beats and songs that come from the art of playing the djembe drum.
Photo: Annette A. Aguilar photo by Argenis Apolinario (courtesy of Casita Maria)
Saturday, June 11th
7:00 – 8:15pm — Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans
Annette A. Aguilar is a multi-percussionist, recording artist, educator, producer and bandleader who specializes in Latin and Brazilian percussion. A San Francisco native and a first generation Nicaraguan-American, Aguilar formed her band in 1992, which has since been a popular fixture in the East Village and Lower East Side music scene, performing at top festivals, venues, and concert halls in New York City, across the United States, and abroad as Latin Jazz Ambassadors for the U.S. State Department in affiliation with the Kennedy Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center, sharing their knowledge of music from the Americas and the Caribbean.
BRAC’s Performing Art Space, situated on our ground floor with an open air garden attached and adjacent to the newly completed Bronx River Greenway is a jewel in the heart of the Bronx. It is an inviting and affordable performance venue conveniently located one block from the 2 and 5 Subway lines, six bus lines, and easily accessible from the Cross Bronx Expressway, Bronx River Parkway, and the Bruckner Expressway to the Sheridan Boulevard.
Admission for indoor seating to each concert is $15 for adults; $10 for seniors and youth under 21; and $5 for casual seating and standing in our adjacent outdoor garden space. Combined tickets for 4:30pm and 7pm concerts on June 4th, 11th and 25th are discounted at $25 for Adult seats, $15 for Senior/Youth seats.
Discounts are available for currently enrolled BRAC students, BRAC members, NYC Jazz Record Readers and SNAP recipients: check details on Eventbrite ticket page for promo codes for reduced price tickets. You can also receive a link for our YouTube livestream.
Contact BRAC at info@bronxriverart.org with any questions about tickets or discounts.
Future Performances
Friday, June 17:
7:00 – 8:15pm Juneteenth Legacy Project (LP), music of the African Diaspora – Free concert
The Juneteenth Legacy Project (Juneteenth LP) is a musical collaborative based in NYC whose mission is to share the music of the African Diaspora through the unique lens of Black classically trained musicians with a focus on access, outreach and community building through music.
Saturday, June 18:
7:00 – 8:15pm Willie Williams, Father & Son (on Sax and Trumpet) Quartet
Willie Williams, Tenor and Soprano Saxophone, and his son, Ace Williams, Trumpet and Flugelhorn make up Willie Williams, Father and Son. Words of praise for Williams include “Jazz Royalty” by Todd Barkan, “Heavy Hitter” by Clifford Jordan, “Top Tenor” by Saxophone Journal, “Swinging on every tune” by Down Beat Magazine.
Saturday, June 25:
4:30 – 5:45pm Gabriel Chakarji (on Piano) Quintet
Gabriel Chakarji is a Latin Grammy Award nominee pianist and composer who merges the music of his native Venezuela with New York City jazz. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club, The Jazz Gallery, and Smalls Jazz Club. In 2022 Gabriel was the recipient of the renowned Jazz Gallery Residency Commission, and the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.
7:00 – 8:15pm Papo Vázquez (on Trombone) Octet
Of Papo Vázquez, Howard Mandel said in Downbeat Feb. 2021, “Papo Vázquez’s Mighty Pirates Troubadours are stirring. The precise, greased-gear ensemble moves through smartly arranged, post-boppishly interpreted jazz with a Latin tinge. Russ Musto / New York City Jazz Record, Dec. 2021 said, “Papo Vazquez once again affirms his status as one of the most important creative forces today”.
Click here to purchase tickets
This program is supported in part by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and its Coalition of Theaters of Color Initiative. Additional support is from Con Edison: The Power of Giving, BronxCare Health System, New York Community Trust and private donors.
