DJ/producer, percussionist, and vocalist Gingee is known for her unique take on electronic music—blending elements of global bass, world music, and hip-hop. Her work is a reflection of the sounds and cultures she has been exposed to growing up in Los Angeles as well as the musical world of her Filipino ancestors and beyond. Her productions incorporate the sounds of percussion instruments such as the kulintang (gongs native to the Philippines), kettle drum, and cowbells with rap and poetry.
Gingee’s 2015 EP Tambol made waves in the global music community, and she recently created a four-part yearlong EP series released on every solstice and equinox. She has performed at Coachella, South By Southwest, Malasimbo Festival (Philippines), Grand Performances, and Magic Garage (an art and music festival she founded); she has been featured on KPFK, Red Bull Radio, BBC Radio, LA Weekly, and KCET.
“A star of New York’s new-music scene.”—Los Angeles Times
The morning after the 2016 presidential election, singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane took a two-week train trip across the United States with no phone or internet, embracing 8,980 miles of monkish Amtrak existence. The result is this hymn to the analog intimacy of American rail culture as antidote to the fragmentation and efficiency of modern life. Alone at the piano, Kahane draws from dining-car conversations he had with dozens of strangers—cowboys, postmasters, religious luddites, software engineers—to sing of his own upended assumptions about the body politic as revealed through his unplugged railroad exile.
“Harrold’s pop sensibilities and activist leanings shine through on the album, which is tied together by its catchy melodies—a rarity in critically acclaimed circles of modern jazz.”—Rolling Stone
Raised from the fires of (now infamous) Ferguson, Missouri, Keyon Harrold has developed a reputation as one of the world’s most sought-after, emotionally electric young trumpeters on the scene. His latest album, The Mugician, examines our troubled times through a far wider lens than any one tragedy. Sweeping and cinematic, the music draws on elements of jazz, classical, rock, blues, and hip-hop to create something uniquely modern, unmistakably American, and triumphantly cohesive—thanks to Harrold’s virtuosic skill as a trumpeter and songwriter, and his relentlessly optimistic belief in brighter days to come.
Keyon Harrold chats with Jazz88’s Dave Drexler on Inside Arts. Stream here >
“As a modern day Jazz musician and millennial at the same time, I like to blend the lines between genres and styles while still maintaining elements of the tradition.”—Braxton Cook
One of this generation’s emerging voices on the alto saxophone, Braxton Cook is also a talented vocalist and songwriter, whose sound blends soul, R&B, and jazz. Raised in Prince George’s County, MD, Cook’s upbringing helped to shape his unique style, which captures the spirit of the Jazz Age while continuing to push the genre forward for his generation.
A graduate of Juilliard, Cook has played alongside Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jon Batiste, and Robert Glasper; toured with Grammy-nominated trumpeter Christian Scott; performed with Rihanna at MTV’s 2016 Video Music Awards and on America’s Got Talent 2015 and 2016 seasons; and recorded with renowned rappers Mac Miller and Anderson .Paak on the song “Dang!,” from Miller’s album The Divine Feminine. Cook and his newly formed band will perform their latest album, Somewhere in Between, which aims to inspire artists and people from all walks of life to embrace their uniqueness.
“Maria de Barros opens a window to Cape Verde.”—Seattle Times
An invitation into the musical realm of Maria de Barros calls for an intriguing geography lesson. The charismatic young chanteuse is a native of Dakar, Senegal, and lived the first 13 years of her life in Nouakchott, Mauritania, in Northwest Africa. De Barros’s creative heart, however, lies in the culturally rich land of Cabo Verde, a former Portuguese colony located 350 miles off the coast of Senegal, the birthplace of her parents and her godmother, Cesária Évora, also known as the “barefoot diva.” It’s the island’s incredible melting pot of music—which includes everything from African and Portuguese to Argentine and Cuban influences—that has always inspired de Barros to set her heart on home.
“All elegance and awe.…Utterly captivating.”—Billboard
Singing in English and a wide range of African languages, Somi has had a fascinating artistic evolution. Born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, she has spent the last decade building a career as a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and activist through transatlantic sonicism and storytelling. Her newest album, Petite Afrique—a daring, relevant refashioning of what “jazz” and “African music” mean—is inspired by the vibrant African immigrant community that has become a vital part of Harlem.
A former member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla ventured out on a solo career to pursue a personal sound. A New York–born Haitian American living in New Orleans, McCalla is deeply influenced by traditional Creole, Cajun, and Haitian music, as well as by American jazz and folk. Her music is at once earthy, elegant, soulful, and witty. It vibrates with three centuries of history, yet also feels strikingly fresh, distinctive, and contemporary.
McCalla’s latest album, A Day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey, explores issues of social justice and pan-African consciousness. She has spent the last year and a half touring extensively around North America and Europe, and plans to release her third album in 2018.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Msaki & the Golden Circle show at ArtPower on February 12 has be cancelled. The concert will be rescheduled for the 2019–20 season. Questions or concerns: please contact the UC San Diego Box Office 858-534-TIXS (8497), Mon–Fri from 10 am to 4 pm.
Trailblazing vocalist and guitarist Msaki creates a sound that combines soulful folk, Xhosa lyrics, and African polyrhythms with moments of sincere improvisation. Her raw delivery disrupts your senses as she weaves subtle tales of love, loss, home, revolution, and hope. For this performance, Msaki plays with the Golden Circle, an ever-evolving and expanding band of incredible musicians from different backgrounds that was created to retain and promote Africa’s identity and culture through soulful music.
Sammy Miller and the Congregation are on a mission to put generosity back into jazz and bring art back to the people. A native of Los Angeles, Grammy-nominated drummer, singer, and bandleader Sammy Miller has become known for his unique maturity and relentless focus on making music that feels good. Upon completing his master’s at Juilliard, Miller formed his ensemble, the Congregation. As a band, they are focused on sharing the power of community through their music—joyful jazz, a style that enriches, entertains, and uplifts.
Independently, the band members have performed and recorded with notable artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Lady Gaga, and Queen Latifah, at venues such as the White House, Lincoln Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. As the Congregation, they have opted to stick together to create globally conscious music with the intention to spread joy throughout the world.
Grammy-nominated artists, pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and percussionist Pedrito Martinez first worked together on Rodríguez’s 2012 release The Invasion Parade. Since that initial recording session, they have had the rare occasion to perform together as a duo, leaving audiences completely mesmerized by their fearless and virtuosic playing.
A protégé of Quincy Jones, Rodríguez was schooled in the rigorous classical conservatories of Havana, while Martinez’s musical training came directly from the streets of the Cayo Hueso neighborhood of Old Havana, where he was raised. Bringing different approaches to their joint performance, the master musicians take listeners on a unique and exciting journey.
