HOWARD FISHMAN AND THE BITING FISH BRASS BAND to Launch Jewish Museum's Summernights Series

Howard Fishman and the Biting Fish Brass Band will kick off The Jewish Museum's popular SummerNights series with a July 12 concert beginning at 7:30 pm. The band presents an exuberant blend of jazz, soul, country, blues, gospel and experimental music. This event also includes an open bar with beer and wine, and free ice cream courtesy of Chozen. The Jewish Museum is located at Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, Manhattan.

Upcoming SummerNights concerts include Slavic Soul Party!, mixing Balkan, Gypsy, Mexican and Asian sounds with American jazz and soul, on July 19; and One Ring Zero, featuring unique Balkan-inspired sounds, including songs with lyrics by Paul Auster, Margaret Atwood, and other writers, on July 26.

Tickets for the July 12 concert are $15 for the general public; $12 for students and seniors; and $10 for Jewish Museum members. Visit The Jewish Museum's website to purchase online tickets. For additional information, the public may call 212.423.3337. Digital images are available upon request.

Critically-acclaimed singer, guitarist, composer and bandleader Howard Fishman's infectious, spontaneous, and unvarnished music has made him a favorite of audiences and critics alike. According to The New York Times, he "transcends time and idiom" performing his particular blend of jazz, pop, blues and experimental music. Fishman will be joined by Roland Barber, trombone; Kenneth Bentley, tuba; Etienne Charles, trumpet; and Mark McLean, drums.

Howard Fishman filters a passion for New Orleans jazz, Brooklyn soul, open-hearted country, blues and gospel music through an original, experimental aesthetic, to create a sound entirely his own. He has headlined in some of the most prestigious venues in the United States and abroad, including Lincoln Center, The Steppenwolf Theatre, The Blue Note, The Pasadena Playhouse, Joe's Pub, The Great American Music Hall, and Le Petit Journal in Paris. Fishman has performed with such diverse artists as Odetta, Yo Yo Ma, Maceo Parker, Robyn Hitchcock, Madeleine Peyroux, Allen Holdsworth and Nellie McKay. He is a frequent NPR guest, making feature-length appearances on Fresh Air, World Café, The Leonard Lopate Show and Soundcheck. Fishman's latest recording, The Howard Fishman Quartet Vol. III: Moon Country, was released in October 2011.

The 2012 SummerNights concert series has been funded by a generous endowment from the William Petschek Family.

Public programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the New York State Council on the Arts. The stage lighting has been funded by the Office of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer. The audio-visual system has been funded by former New York Assembly Member Jonathan Bing.

Widely admired for its exhibitions and collections that inspire people of all backgrounds, The Jewish Museum is one of the world's preeminent institutions devoted to exploring the intersection of art and Jewish culture from ancient to modern times. The Museum organizes a diverse schedule of internationally acclaimed and award-winning temporary exhibitions as well as broad-based programs for families, adults, and school groups. The Jewish Museum was established in 1904, when Judge Mayer Sulzberger donated 26 ceremonial art objects to The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as the core of a museum collection. Today, the Museum maintains a collection of 26,000 objects - paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, archaeological artifacts, ceremonial objects, and broadcast media. The collection is among the three largest of its kind in the world and is distinguished by its breadth and quality. It is showcased in the vibrant, two-floor permanent exhibition, Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey, examining the Jewish experience as it has evolved from antiquity to the present.

Museum hours are Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, 11am to 5:45pm; Thursday, 11am to 8pm; and Friday, 11am to 4pm. Museum admission is $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for senior citizens, $7.50 for students, free for children under 12 and Jewish Museum members. Admission is free on Saturdays. For general information on The Jewish Museum, the public may visit the Museum's website at http://www.thejewishmuseum.org or call 212.423.3200. The Jewish Museum is located at 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, Manhattan.