Aficionados of jazz and folk music can enjoy a great weekend of their favorite genres with live and livestreamed shows from acclaimed and upcoming artists in the field.
NY PopsUp, the statewide initiative designed to reinvigorate the arts in New York, will present two pop-up performances this weekend in NYC and upstate New York. The third in a series of Jazz Clubs curated by jazz vocalist and Artist Council Member Cécile McLorin Salvant will take place at a park in Brooklyn, and the folk trio Bonny Light Horseman will play at the Woodstock Public Library. And the good news for fans who can’t be there in person: the shows aren’t limited to those in attendance; both performances will be livestreamed on the festival’s Instagram feed.
Each week, the Jazz Clubs series features a band of the best up-and-coming young jazz players in the city for consecutive Friday nights in May, from 5-7 pm, at a different Brooklyn park. Though the players and locations are new, the performances are designed to harken back – and to look forward – to the feeling of being at one of the city’s best jazz clubs. On Friday, May 7, the show will be led by Godwin Louis (saxophone), and will feature artists Savannah Harris (drums), Jonathan Michel (upright bass), Joel Ross (vibraphone), and Axel Tosca (piano), who will play as the sun sets over the harbor at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1.
On Saturday, May 8, NY PopsUp goes upstate to the Woodstock Public Library, where the folk band Bonny Light Horseman, whose eponymous debut album is now available on vinyl, CD, and streaming platforms, will perform a set for locals, and for worldwide viewers on Instagram, from 10 pm-midnight. The group is led by Tony Award winner Anaïs Mitchell (Hadestown) and features members of The National and Fruit Flies, Eric D. Johnson and Josh Kaufman.
The multi-talented musical icon Marilyn Maye makes her highly anticipated return to Feinstein’s/54 Below on Saturday, May 8, beginning at 7 pm, with an all-new cabaret concert Marilyn Maye: Broadway, the Maye Way. Backed by a world-class jazz trio (pianist/conductor Tedd Firth, bassist Tom Hubbard, and drummer Mark McLean), Maye’s set list features songs in the Great American Songbook’s collection of numbers from popular Broadway musicals, including her hit recording of “Cabaret” – all in her signature jazz arrangements and unmistakable style. The show is also filled with memories and anecdotes about the shows in which she appeared, for an up-close-and-personal evening with the legendary star.
In addition to the debut livestream (which includes a live chat for viewers and a VIP option with access to a live Q&A with Marilyn Maye after the performance), the show will be available on demand May 9-June 19, 2021, through BroadwayWorld Events.
