Ben Williams News

Manchester-based lo-fi surf punk outfit KATZ- comprised of Ben Williams (vocals, guitar), James Bradbury (lead guitar), Archie Wilkinson (drums)-releases their debut six-track EP 'Dumb Songs', available on all major platforms. The EP was entirely recorded on an original Tascam Portastudio 244 four track cassette recorder, all in the name of Lo-fi bliss. Listen here. The third song on the 'Dumb Songs', 'Feed Me Seymour', employs cinematic inspiration from the bloodthirsty plant in the classic 80's Broadway musical and film adaptation, Little Shop of Horrors. (Listen to 'Feed Me Seymour' here). The EP overall is an ode to youth packed with reverb, ear catching melodies, and driving rhythms that will make you want to move.

HERE has announced its 2019-2020 season, which marks the OBIE-winning institution's 27th year of producing daring new hybrid performances by artists from all disciplines - theatre, opera, music, art, dance, puppetry, and media art.

Abrons Arts Center presents the world premiere of Minor Theater's PATHETIC, a teen-drama riff on Racine's Phedre. PATHETIC marks the much- anticipated return of Minor Theater to Abrons Arts Center after 2017's sold-out horror hit, THE TERRIFYING. OBIE Award-winning playwright Julia Jarcho directs this take on the classic tragedy of female desire. Tickets are available now for the production which will run from June 5th-23rd in the Abrons Arts Center (466 Grand Street, Manhattan).

Jazz saxophonist David Sanborn will perform with his new quintet at Kean Stage's Enlow Recital Hall at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 10.

NYU Skirball will present Elevator Repair Service's multi award-winning play, Gatz, the critically lauded performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," for eight performances, January 23 - February 3 at NYU Skirball. Gatz will be presented as a marathon eight-hour event, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

The Drama League (Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Executive Artistic Director) has announced the theater directors chosen to develop new plays and musicals as part of the 2019 Drama League Artist Residency Program. Public work-in-progress presentations of each residency will be held periodically throughout the year at The Drama League Theater Center, 32 Avenue of the Americas, in Tribeca. Schedules for the presentations, which are open to the public, will be available throughout 2019 at www.dramaleague.org or by calling (212) 244-9494.

McCarter Theatre Center will present Elevator Repair Service's multi-award-winning play, Gatz, the critically-lauded performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, for three performances, February 15 - 17 on the Berlind Stage. Gatz will be presented as a marathon eight-hour event, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

NYU Skirball will present Elevator Repair Service's multi award-winning play, Gatz, the critically lauded performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," for eight performances, January 23 - February 3 at NYU Skirball. Gatz will be presented as a marathon eight-hour event, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

There's a Theme Park of music happening on 44th street and no matter what gate you choose to enter at Birdland great music is playing behind every door. You can spend a good portion of your night shuttling between the historic Birdland Stage and the new Birdland Theater with their line up of shows.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with Dee Dee Bridgewater with the Theo Croker Quintet, Kevin Eubanks Quartet, Anita Gillette, Ron Carter's Great Big Band, Quartet and Golden Striker Trio, Alan Broadbent Trio, Capathia Jenkins & Louis Rosen, Jay Leonhart, Pasquale Grasso Trio, Ken Peplowski with Special Guest Sinne Eeg, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and more!

THE GREEN ROOM 42 - Broadway's newest intimate concert venue - will present ELEW on Thursday, August 16 at 7:00 PM. His performance "Rockjazz" fuses his classically trained piano skills with modern pop and rock music generating a new genre. After performing for Barack and Michelle Obama at The White House alongside Esperanza Spalding, on NBC-TV's "America's Got Talent" and on National Public Radio, ELEW brings "Rockjazz" back to New York at The Green Room 42 for a one night only performance.

Acclaimed jazz saxophonist Steve Wilson looks forward to an active Fall/Winter, as he confirms headlining concerts at Blues Alley in Washington D.C. and at Jazz Standard in New York City, as well as collaborations with Billy Childs and Chick Corea, and an expansion of his ongoing educational efforts.

LeChateau Earl Records releases 'The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul.' The three-disc CD features 39 tracks with more than two hours of music. 'The Three Sides of Damien Sneed' is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and all other digital retail outlets everywhere. This magnum opus showcases the broad musicality of Sneed, whose musical skills and performance credits encompass everything from jazz and show tunes to opera and R&B. The set includes original tunes composed by Sneed as well as his unique arrangements of known works.

THE OPERA IS ALWAYS ON THE TABLE - Written by Hanna Novak, co-directed by Hanna Novak and Tina Satter, and musical direction by Zach Phillips. The cast includes Emily Cass McDonnell, Ben Williams and Zoe Wilson. The show's Guest Curator is Half Straddle.

Due to popular demand, Elevator Repair Service, the Obie-award winning company that brought you Gatz ("the most remarkable achievement in theater of the decade" according to The New York Times), is pleased to extend the world premiere of Everyone's Fine with Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins, to June 30. Preview performances began on June 1 and the production is set to open on June 12.

Elevator Repair Service, "one of the city's few truly essential theater companies" (New York Times), is pleased to present the world premiere of Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins.

Elevator Repair Service, "one of the city's few truly essential theater companies" (New York Times), is pleased to present the world premiere of Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins.

International Jazz Day 2018 came to a phenomenal close this evening in St. Petersburg, following an extraordinary All-Star Global Concert at the historic Mariinsky Theatre that capped off several days of educational outreach programs across the city. The concert, led by artistic co-directors Herbie Hancock (USA) and Igor Butman (Russia), was streamed live by the United Nations and UNESCO and on www.jazzday.com. It featured performances by an international roster of artists including Oleg Akkuratov (Russia), Till Brnner (Germany), Oleg Butman (Russia), Terri Lyne Carrington (USA), Joey DeFrancesco (USA), Fatoumata Diawara (Mali), Vadim Eilenkrig (Russia), Kurt Elling (USA),Antonio Fara (Italy), James Genus (USA), Robert Glasper (USA), David Goloschekin (Russia), Hassan Hakmoun (Morocco),Gilad Hekselman (Israel), Horacio Hernandez (Cuba), Taku Hirano (Japan), Anatoly Kroll (Russia), Gaoyang Li (China), Rudresh Mahanthappa (USA), The Manhattan Transfer (USA), Branford Marsalis (USA), James Morrison (Australia), Moscow Jazz Orchestra (Russia), Makoto Ozone (Japan), Danilo Prez (Panama), Dianne Reeves (USA), Lee Ritenour (USA), Luciana Souza (Brazil) and Ben Williams (USA). John Beasley (USA) served as musical director.

The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 AFM today announced that the Roxy Coss Quintet is the winner of the union's groundbreaking Emerging Artists Project (EAP). The four-year grant program, launched in partnership with Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL), has been designed to provide support to help more firmly establish the band in New York City—and further efforts to ensure that all professional musicians can afford to live, work and raise a family in New York.