The NPR Music concert at Joe's Pub will be a dynamic, if unexpected, mix of three diverse groups and sounds - inspired by the eclectic curatorial vision represented at npr.org/music The concert will be hosted by NPR Music staff, together with Josh Jackson of NPR Member station WBGO in Newark, NJ. Jackson will later broadcast Fight the Big Bull's performance on The Checkout, WBGO/Jazz88.3FM's new program featuring what's happening on the New York jazz scene: www.CheckoutJazz.org
Up first is Fight the Big Bull, an emerging jazz nonet from Richmond, VA, that brings new energy to the traditions of jazz, blues, gospel, soul and funk. The band is a spirited congregation of saxophone, clarinet, trombones, trumpet, guitar, bass and drums - creating music that incorporates punk, funk, downtown-style jazz and soul...as well as a strong allegiance to Charles Mingus' earthy folk forms," says TimeOut New York. For the NPR Music show, Fight the Big Bull will be joined by Steven Bernstein, who mentored the group this winter on its forthcoming sophomore album.
A favorite at South by Southwest this year, New York-based musicians and artists The Phenomenal Handclap Band fills venues with a mesmerizing sound and eight-person stage presence. The band is equal parts psychedelia, proto-disco, heavy rock'n'roll, '60s soul and hip-hop - what NPR Music calls a perfect mix of everything from the past 40 years of popular music." These musical influences collide on The Phenomenal Handclap Band's self-titled debut, which when performed live, guarantees that audiences wont stand still for long.
Soul survives on My World, an album four years in the making from bona-fide soul singer and consummate performer Lee Fields & The Expressions. Fields' music is steeped in '60s and '70s sweet soul, with heavy beats, deep ballads and smooth vocal harmonies. My World was produced by the New York production and writing team, Truth & Soul (Adele, Gabriella Cilmi), and released by its label of the same name. Fields performs with The Expressions, Truth & Soul musicians who also work with The Dap Kings, Amy Winehouse and El Michels Affair.
Tickets are available online at joespub.com, by phone at (212) 967-7555 and in person at the Public Theatre Box Office (1PM to 6PM) or at the Joe's Pub Box Office (6PM to 10PM), both located at 425 Lafayette Street, New York.
NPR Music, a free, multimedia music site with content from NPR and 12 station partners, offers original programs such as All Songs Considered, JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater and World Caf, live concerts, studio and video sessions, interviews, reviews, music lists and blogs - curated and aggregated for audiences to explore, experience and enjoy. The site expands constantly, with sections dedicated to rock/pop/folk, classical, jazz/blues, world and urban music. More than 250 new features are added each month; the site's popular Concert" section offers hundreds of streaming concerts in every genre. This March, NPR Music webcast and broadcast some of the most anticipated performances from SXSW in Austin, TX, including The Decemberists, Heartless Bastards, KNAAN, Dirty Projectors, Blitzen Trapper and BLK JKS. Those concerts are archived at: npr.org/sxsw
For more information contact All About Jazz.