BRIC JazzFest Announces Pedrito Martinez Group for Outdoor Kickofff Concert

New Student Workshops For Elementary and Middle School Students to Engage with World-Class Jazz Artists and Educators A New EVIDENCE Community Dance Class by Master Artist/Choreographer Ronald K. Brown

BRIC is pleased to announce full programming and set times for the 2017 BRIC JazzFest, the third annual edition of the celebrated week-long Brooklyn jazz festival, conceived and curated by Jack Walsh, Lia Crockett and Brice Rosenbloom. The Festival kicks off on October 14 with a free concert by Afro-Cuban jazz masters Pedrito Martinez Group co-presented by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) at Downtown Brooklyn's newest outdoor public space, The Steps at 300 Ashland, as part of DBP's Culture Forward festival. The BRIC JazzFest continues through October 21 at BRIC House (647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn), featuring film, dance, poetry, a panel discussion and student workshops, and culminates with a three-day concert marathon.

As it expands even more in its third year, the Festival continues to deliver on the promise Nate Chinen suggested in The New York Times when he wrote, "Given what's still a limited infrastructure for jazz in Brooklyn, BRIC JazzFest could be an important force for good." With BRIC JazzFest, BRIC brings its decades of experience hosting the celebrated summer-long BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival into their state-of-the-art home in Fort Greene, providing an experience that's true to their mission of making cultural programming genuinely accessible. Billboard writes, "[BRIC JazzFest] prove[s] an excellent argument for standing-room jazz functions in general: lower financial barrier to entry, higher population of listeners, and a more engaged audience."

The three-night jazz marathon includes performances by Maceo Parker, The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen, Regina Carter, Vijay Iyer, Terri Lyne Carrington Band, GoGo Penguin's Koyaanisqatsi A New Score (performed live), Harriet Tubman, Rudresh Mahanthappa Indo-Pak Coalition, Samora Pinderhughes, Miles Mosley & The West Coast Get Down, Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirate Troubadours, Theo Croker Escape Velocity, Troker, Butcher Brown, Braxton Cook, Miramar, Imani Uzuri: Wild Cotton, Dave Douglas Meets The Westerlies, Kavita Shah Quintet, Matana Roberts and many more. Performances take place throughout the various performance spaces at BRIC House, including the state-of-the-art Ballroom, the relaxed Stoop overlooking the Brooklyn Photographs art exhibition in the BRIC Gallery, and the BRIC Artist Studio which transforms into an intimate jazz club.

For the second year, two nights of film on two giant screens in BRIC House will feature an array of classic films that shed light on influential artists and historical moments in jazz, including John Scheinfeld's Chasing Trane (2016)and Kasper Collins' I Called Him Morgan (2016).

The Festival adds another genre this year with a free, all-ages and skill levels EVIDENCE Community Dance Class taught by master artist/choreographer Ronald K. Brown.

Also new this year is a free Jazz & Justice panel discussion on the growing number of jazz elders and newcomers who are creating music that indicts, confronts and critiques, without pretending to provide easy answers. Moderated by author and musician Greg Tate, whose writings on culture and politics have been published in The Village Voice, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Artforum, Rolling Stone, VIBE, and many others; Tate is widely praised for his groundbreaking work on music's social, political, economic and cultural implications.

Elementary and middle school students are invited to new Student Workshops, where they will engage with world-class jazz artists and educators in a workshop that opens the minds and ears of our youth to the history and wonder of jazz music.

BRIC President Leslie G. Schultz said, "BRIC is thrilled to present the third annual BRIC JazzFest, offering an extraordinary array of jazz programming throughout the engaging spaces in BRIC House. Connecting New Yorkers from all backgrounds to world class live arts experiences in Brooklyn is core to BRIC's mission."

"This is not your traditional jazz festival," said Jack Walsh, BRIC's Vice President of Performing Arts. "The BRIC JazzFest is curated using a broad, multidisciplinary, and inclusive approach that BRIC is known for and which connects this all-important musical genre to a range of audiences as diverse as Brooklyn-from curious newcomers to die-hard fans."

Free events require RSVP at BRICartsmedia.org. Tickets for the BRIC JazzFest Marathon are $25 advance/$30 door (per day), with limited 3-day passes available for $65. Tickets can be purchased by visiting BRICartsmedia.org. The Box Office at BRIC House is open on performance days only, one hour prior to the event. BRIC House is located at 647 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn and is open weekdays and Saturdays at 8am and Sundays at 10am.

BRIC JazzFest is generously supported by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Kim Soule/Compass, and TD Bank. The media sponsor is WBGO Jazz88.

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BRIC JAZZFEST - October 14-21, 2017, conceived and curated by Jack Walsh, Lia Crockett and Brice Rosenbloom.

OUTDOOR KICKOFF CONCERT: PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP
October 14 at 3pm
FREE
The Steps at 300 Ashland

BRIC JazzFest kicks off with a free outdoor concert at the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District's fabulous new outdoor public space, The Steps at 300 Ashland, featuring the Afro-Cuban sounds of Pedrito Martinez Group.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Pedro Pablo "Pedrito" Martinez founded Pedrito Martinez Group in 2005 and their Grammy-nominated first album was released October 2013. Habana Dreams, PMG's second album, was released in June 2016, garnering accolades including #1 Latin Jazz Album in NPR's Jazz Critics Top Jazz Albums for 2016 and being named among the Boston Globe's World Music Albums for 2016.

This concert is co-presented as part of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership's Culture Forward festival.

FILM
The festival begins with two-nights of film featuring titles that shed light on some of the most influential artists and historical moments in jazz.

Chasing Trane (2016)
Oct 14 at 7pm & Oct 15 at 4pm
Written & Directed by John Scheinfeld | 1h 39min
FREE w/ rsvp
BRIC House Stoop
The film explores the global power and impact of the music of John Coltrane and reveals the passions, experiences and forces that shaped his life and revolutionary sounds, "leading us through the mystery of his lyric celestial saxophone wail, and how it emerged from the complex person he was." - Variety

I Called Him Morgan (2016)
Oct 14 at 9pm & Oct 15 at 2pm
Written & Directed by Kasper Collin | 1h 32min
FREE w/ rsvp
BRIC House Stoop
On a snowy night in February 1972, celebrated jazz musician Lee Morgan was shot dead by his common-law wife Helen during a gig at a club in New York City. The murder sent shockwaves through the jazz community, and the doubles as a seductive tribute to its subject's jazz passion as well as an absorbing look at a fatally doomed relationship. "One of the best films of the year" - (Los Angeles Times) it is a film about love, jazz and America.

EVIDENCE Community Dance Class
Oct 16 at 6:30pm
FREE w/ rsvp
BRIC House Ballroom
All ages and skills levels are welcome to join this Community Dance Class taught by master artist/choreographer Ronald K. Brown

BROOKLYN POERTY SLAM
Oct 16 at 7:00pm
FREE w/ rsvp
BRIC House Stoop
For this special JazzFest edition of the Brooklyn Poetry Slam, our guest poet and hosts Mahogany L. Browne and DJ Jive Poetic highlight the criss-crossing influences and beats of jazz, poetry and hip-hop.

JAZZ & JUSTICE PANEL DISCUSSION
Oct 17 at 7pm
FREE w/ rsvp
BRIC House Stoop
A panel discussion on the growing number of jazz elders and newcomers who are creating music that indicts, confronts and critiques, without pretending to provide easy answers. Moderated by author and musician Greg Tate, whose writings on culture and politics have been published in The Village Voice, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Artforum, Rolling Stone, VIBE, and many others; Tate is widely praised for his groundbreaking work on music's social, political, economic and cultural implications.

Panelists include composer Samora Pinderhughes, who has created many multidisciplinary works used to examine sociopolitical issues, and Imani Uzuri, vocalist and creator of Revolutionary Choir, a community singing group dedicated to preserving songs of resistance.

STUDENT WORKSHOPS
Lafre Sci Groove Diplomacy
Oct 18 at 10am & 1pm
FREE for invited elementary and middle school groups
BRIC House Ballroom
Drummer/composer LaFrae Sci believes music can heal the world and is trying to do her part one day at a time. In addition to being a founding teaching member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls and a faculty member of the Middle School Jazz Academy at Jazz at Lincoln Center; LaFrae has toured, recorded and worked with a myriad of Jazz, Blues, Pop, Rock, world music and Hip-hop artists.??

BRIC JAZZFEST MARATHON
The festival culminates Oct 19-21 in a three-stage, three-night marathon with ensembles performing staggered sets in multiple spaces throughout BRIC House so 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 Brooklyn Photographs exhibition in BRIC Gallery, and our intimate jazz club in the BRIC Artist Studio.
$25 Adv / $30 Door (per day) - General Admission: STANDING*
Limited 3-day passes $65 Adv

MARATHON THURSDAY
Oct 19 at 7:30pm
$25 Adv / $30 Door (per day)
BRIC Arts | Media House

• The Sun Ra Arkesta under the direction of Marshall Allen (Ballroom, 10:45pm-12am)
• Matthew Stevens (Studio, 10:35pm-11:50pm)
• Troker (Gallery, 10:15pm-11:30pm)
• Miles Mosley & The West Coast Get Down (Ballroom, 9:20pm-10:25pm)
• Kavita Shah Quintet (Studio, 9:10pm-10:15pm)
• Binky Griptite Orchestra (Gallery, 8:50pm-9:55pm)
• Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science (Ballroom, 8:00pm-9:00pm)
• Mike Casey Trio (Studio, 7:50pm-8:50pm
• Sharel Cassity (Gallery, 7:30pm-8:30pm)

MARATHON FRIDAY
Oct 20 at 7:30pm
$25 Adv / $30 Door (per day)
BRIC Arts | Media House

• Regina Carter: Simply Ella (Ballroom, 10:45pm-12:00am)
• Samora Pinderhughes (Studio, 10:35pm-11:50pm)
• Braxton Cook (Gallery, 10:15pm-11:30pm)
• Vijay Iyer (Ballroom, 9:20pm-10:25pm)
• Jazzmeia Horn (Studio, 9:10pm-10:15pm)
• Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirate Troubadours (Gallery, 8:50pm-9:55pm)
• Dave Douglas Meets The Westerlies (Ballroom, 8:00pm-9:00pm)
• Miramar (Studio, 7:50pm-8:50pm)
• LaFrae Sci and the Groove Diplomacy Youth Ensemble (Gallery, 7:30pm-8:30pm)

MARATHON SATURDAY
Oct 21 at 7:30pm
$25 Adv / $30 Door (per day)
BRIC Arts | Media House
General Admission: Standing

• Maceo Parker (Ballroom, 10:20pm-12:00am)
• Rudresh Mahanthappa Indo-Pak Coalition (Studio, 10:35pm-11:50pm)
• Harriet Tubman (Gallery, 10:15pm-11:30pm)
• GoGo Penguin: Koyaanisqatsi A new score (performed live) (Ballroom, 8:30pm-10:00pm)
• Imani Uzuri: Wild Cotton (Studio, 9:10pm-10:15pm)
• Theo Croker Escape Velocity (Gallery, 8:50pm-9:55pm)
• Matana Roberts (Studio, 7:50pm-8:50pm)
• Butcher Brown (Gallery, 7:30pm-8:30pm)

About Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the Culture Forward festival

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that serves as the primary champion for Downtown Brooklyn as a world-class business, cultural, educational, residential, and retail destination. Working together with the three business improvement districts that it manages, the Partnership's diverse activities include attracting new businesses and improving the environment for existing companies; facilitating the construction and maintenance of public spaces and streetscapes that promote an active and cohesive community; supporting and promoting Downtown Brooklyn's cultural assets; and encouraging a unified sense of place and an engaged civic community. The Partnership celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016. For more information, visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com.

Culture Forward is a 10-day celebration of Downtown Brooklyn's arts and cultural institutions. The 10-day festival pays tribute to the incredible depth of cultural offerings in the Downtown area, with a calendar of events that highlights original programming from over 15 cultural organizations. Visit http://downtownbrooklyn.com/cultureforward for more information.

About BRIC

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. We present and incubate work by artists and media-makers who reflect the diversity that surrounds us. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Our main venue, BRIC Arts | Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio, and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.

BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables us to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.

Support for BRIC

BRIC's programs benefit from generous private funding from 66 Rockwell, Alloy, American Express, Astoria Bank, The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Bay and Paul Foundations, Bloomingdale's, City Point, Con Edison, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, The Educational Foundation of America, Ford Foundation, Forest City Ratner Companies, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Hearst Foundations, Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, Lambent Foundation, Robert Lehman Foundation, M&T Charitable Foundation, New Music USA, New York City Cultural Agenda Fund in the The New York Community Trust, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Oppenheim Family Foundation, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Kim Soule/Compass, The Shubert Organization, TD Bank, Tiger Baron Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and Pia and Jimmy Zankel, as well as numerous individual supporters. BRIC's media programs are made possible by generous funding from Verizon, Optimum, RCN, and Spectrum.

Generous public support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts; The Institute of Museum and Library Services; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; Mayor Bill de Blasio, Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl; Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams; New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council; New York City Council Members Inez Barron, Robert Cornegy, Laurie Cumbo, Rafael L. Espinal, Jr., Mathieu Eugene, Vincent Gentile, Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, Alan Maisel, Darlene Mealy, Mark Treyger, and Jumaane Williams; and the Theater Subdistrict Council.

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