Jazz Festival

Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.”  

Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, theater, jazz, baroque, and folkloric music. She is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor.  

Salvant won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010. She has received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for The Window, Dreams and Daggers, and For One to Love, and she was nominated for the award in 2014 for her album WomanChild.  

In 2020, Salvant received the MacArthur fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award. Nonesuch Records released Ghost Song in March 2022 and has since gone onto receive two Grammy Nominations as well as appearing on a number of year end best lists for 2022. 

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, of a French mother and Haitian father, she started classical piano studies at five, sang in a children’s choir at eight, and started classical voice lessons as a teenager. 

Salvant received a Bachelor degree in French law from the Université Pierre-Mendes France in Grenoble while also studying baroque music and jazz at the Darius Milhaud Music Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence, France. 

Salvant wrote the story, lyrics, and music for her latest work, Ogresse, a musical fable in the form of a cantata that blends genres (folk, baroque, jazz, country). It is arranged by Darcy James Argue for a 13-piece orchestra of multi-instrumentalists. Ogresse — both a biomythography and an homage to the Erzulie (a goddess of love in Haitian voudou, as painted by Gerard Fortune) and Sara Baartman — explores fetishism, hunger, diaspora, cycles of appropriation, lies, othering, and ecology. It is in development to become an animated feature-length film, which Salvant will direct. 

Salvant makes large-scale textile drawings. Her visual art can now be found at Picture Room in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

To learn more about Cécile McLorin Salvant, please visit her website.  (https://www.cecilemclorinsalvant.com) 

Edmar Castañeda was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category “Best Latin Jazz Album” with his album Family.

In the fall of 2021, Castañeda’s performance was heard in Disney’s latest film, Encanto, which features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Castañeda acts on the soundtrack and serves as a music consultant on Encanto.

Upon arriving in the United States in 1994, Colombian-born Edmar Castañeda made a name for himself as the preeminent jazz harp virtuoso. Castañeda brings forth a brilliance that beautifully merges the jazz tradition with a diverse set of styles and genres while bringing unbridled attention to a somewhat unfamiliar instrument: the harp. Singlehandedly, Castañeda has cemented the harp’s place in jazz with innovative technique and heartfelt creativity from a wealth of formidable collaborations with music titans such as Sting, Bela Fleck, John Scofield, Ricki Lee Jones, Hiromi, John Patitucci, Pedrito Martinez, Marcus Miller, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Ivan Lins, The Yellowjackets, Paco De Lucia, and Paquito D’Rivera.

In the same breath as the Yo-Yo Ma’s of the world, Castañeda fearlessly stuns audiences, musicians, and critics alike with his incredible talents as a player and composer. NPR’s “Fresh Air” touts, “…his technique is the real astonishment. Castañeda juggles lead, rhythm and bass lines, using a variety of hard and soft string attacks to keep those voices distinct — all without giving up the groove…His amazing technique…raises the bar for every harpist.” The New York Times notes, “…Castaneda… engage[s] modern jazz in ways that honor…cultural origins, and [he has] the capacity to astonish by virtue of [his] fingerstyle technique.” Moses Sumney highlights his “5 Favorite NPR “Tiny Desk Concerts” and says, “My brain cracked open when I first saw this. Some classical instruments are so ingrained in our heads for sounding one way; Edmar restructures what we know of harp, defiantly expanding the bounds of the instrument.”

Castañeda follows up six acclaimed albums (Cuarto de Colores; Entre Cuerdas; Double Portion; Live at the Jazz Standard; Live In Montreal; Harp vs. Harp) with his latest recording project, Family (Release Date: May 21, 2021), featuring the artist in the trio format with Shlomi Cohen (soprano sax) and Rodrigo Villalon (drums) with special guest vocalist Andrea Tierra.

Castañeda’s renowned albums as a bandleader are interchanged with awe-inspiring symphonic works with the likes of the Orquestra Clássica de Espinho and the São Paulo Jazz Symphony Orchestra, and chamber pieces for the Israel Camerata Jerusalem and the Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia.

He was ushered into the jazz community by Paquito D’Rivera, who recognized Castañeda’s passion and took the young harpist under his wing. D’Rivera has called him “an enormous talent… [Edmar] has the versatility and the enchanting charisma of a musician who has taken his harp out of the shadow to become one of the most original musicians from the Big Apple.”

“The Colombian plays the harp like hardly anyone else on earth. His hands, seemingly powered by two different people, produce a totally unique, symphonic fullness of sound, a rapid-fire of chords, balance of melodic figures and drive, served with euphoric Latin American rhythms, and the improvisatory freedom of a trained jazz musician…captivating virtuosity, but in no way only virtuosity for its own sake,” says Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Russell Malone’s first guitar was a plastic green toy his mother bought him. Only four years old, Malone strummed the little guitar all day long for days on end trying to emulate the sounds he had heard from guitarists at church in Albany, Georgia. As a child, Malone developed an interest in blues and country music after seeing musicians on television like Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Son Seals, and B.B. King. Then, at age 12, he saw George Benson perform with Benny Goodman on Soundstage. Malone has said, “I knew right then and there that I wanted to play this music.”

A self-taught player, Malone progressed well enough to land a gig with master organist Jimmy Smith when he was 25. “It made me realize that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was,” Malone recalls of his first on-stage jam with Smith. After two years with Smith, he went on to join Harry Connick Jr.’s orchestra, a position he held from 1990-94, appearing on three of Connick”s recordings. Malone also worked in a variety of contexts, performing with artists as diverse as Clarence Carter, Little Anthony, Peabo Bryson, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, The Winans, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Jack McDuff.

Malone is one of the most commanding and versatile guitarists performing. He can move from blues to gospel to pop to R&B and jazz without hesitation, a rare facility that has prompted some of the highest profile artists in the world to call upon him: Diana Krall, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Natalie Cole, David Sanborn, Shirley Horn, Christina Aguilera, Harry Connick, Jr, Ron Carter, and Sonny Rollins. Along the way, Malone has made a name for himself combining the bluesy sound of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell with the relentless attack of Django Reinhardt and Pat Martino. After hearing Malone play in Connick’s band, former Sony head, Tommy Mottola, brought Malone over to Columbia. Malone’s self-titled debut, Russell Malone, in 1992 quickly went to #1 on the radio charts. This album has Malone playing Electric, Acoustic, and Classical guitars. It also features Harry Connick Jr. on piano, his current employer at the time, joking around on “I Don’t Know Enough About You,” a vocal piece by Malone, not Connick. Russell Malone was quickly followed by his second album, Black Butterfly in 1993, with Paul Keller on Bass, who later became his trio mate with Diana Krall.

Diana Krall’s label, Verve Records, came calling next and released three albums by Malone: Sweet Georgia Peach (1998), Look Who’s Here (2000), and Heartstrings (2001). Hearstrings features a full orchestra with arrangements by Johnny Mandel, Don Caymmi, and Alan Broadbent, accompanied by the all-star rhythm section team of Kenny Barron (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums). Malone joined Diana Krall in 1995, contributing to Krall’s first four Grammy-nominated albums: All For You (1996), Love Scenes (1997), When I Look In Your Eyes (1999), and The Look Of Love (2001). In addition to winning for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, When I Look In Your Eyes (1999) was the first jazz album since 1976 (George Bensons’s Breezin’) nominated for Album of The Year.

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Greenville, North Carolina, Christie Dashiell is a graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music. As a member of Afro-Blue, Howard’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, Dashiell appeared on NBC’s The Sing Off. She has twice received recognition in DownBeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards as Outstanding Soloist and Best Vocalist in the Graduate College division. Dashiell tours with her own quartet, and has performed with Nancy Wilson, Geri Allen, Smokey Robinson, Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hammond. She has appeared at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival, and Winter Jazzfest in New York City. 

To learn more about Christie Dashiell, please visit her website (http://www.christiedashiell.com). 

Mariel Bildsten is a trombonist, based in New York City. Mariel currently works as a bandleader and side-woman, playing in jazz big bands and small groups, as well as Afro-Latin music, rock, funk, and R&B bands. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, London’s O2 Arena, and the Apollo Theater,  among other venues and festivals. Mariel has also performed alongside Jennifer Hudson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Hargrove, The Manhattan Transfer, Wycliffe Gordon, Brian Lynch, Cyrus Chestnut, and Frank Lacy. Her own groups, ranging from duo to septet, have headlined jazz festivals, played around the country, and perform regularly in New York City. Her debut quintet record “Backbone” (2020) received rave reviews.

Anthony Hervey is an American trumpeter, composer, and teacher from South Florida. At the age of 18 he was admitted to The Juilliard School, graduating with his Bachelor of Music in 2019 and his Master of Music in 2020. Hailed as a “beautiful trumpet player of the first magnitude” by Wynton Marsalis, Hervey has performed at clubs, concert halls, and castles around the world with some of the best that Jazz has to offer, including Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jon Batiste, and Michael Bublé. 

In recent years, Hervey made his international debut as a bandleader at the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland. In February of 2020, he opened for the Branford Marsalis Quartet at Rose Theater with a co-led jazz quartet, Citizens of the Blues. He is also on Christian McBride’s Grammy Award-winning big band album For Jimmy, Wes, and Oliver, which was released on Mack Avenue Records, and he is prominently featured acting and playing trumpet in the anthology series, Monsterland, airing on Hulu. Hervey is an artist with firm musical roots who strives to understand the past while also giving meaning to jazz in our present time. He views music as a force that can uplift and inspire. In the same way music has changed his life and brought him joy, he strives to spread that joy and change the lives of others. 

To learn more about Anthony Hervey, please visit his website (https://www.anthonyherveymusic.com).

New Jazz Underground is a trio comprised of three Juilliard Alumni in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s inner circle of young artists who have worked closely with jazz masters ranging from Wynton Marsalis, Victor Lewis, and ELEW. 

The trio — featuring Abdias Armenteros on saxophone, Sebastian Rios on bass, and TJ Reddick on drums — met while they were students at The Juilliard School. However, it wasn’t until the summer of 2020 when they started playing as a group regularly.  

Forced out of live music venues during the pandemic lockdown, the group would meet on a weekly basis in the parks and streets of New York City to play. Still without a live audience, in January of 2021 the band started their own YouTube channel and have produced over 40 hours of new live music.  

Once the band achieved some online success it was soon time to return to live performances.  

Within a few months the band had performed at renowned venues such as Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Jazz Congress hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Smalls Jazz Club, to name a few.  

The band members currently reside in New York City and plan to release their debut record in 2023. 

To learn more about New Jazz Underground, please visit their website (https://www.newjazzunderground.com). 

Anaïs Reno is a 19-year-old LaGuardia High School graduate who is currently attending SUNY Purchase as a jazz major. Winning the Forté International Competition, Great American Songbook Competition, The Mabel Mercer Competition, the Julie Wilson award, the jazz award in the American Traditions Competition, and being a winner and Finalist in YoungArts, Anaïs has performed in New York at important venues such as Birdland, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, The Django, Dizzy’s, Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia, Madison Square Garden, and many others. Her album, “Lovesome Thing: Anaïs Reno Sings Ellington & Strayhorn”, which was recorded with Emmet Cohen when Anaïs was 16, received critical acclaim and rose to number 6 on the jazz chart. She was featured in the “New York State of Mind” video with Idina Manzel and Stephen Colbert and was on national television singing “America the beautiful” for the Mets/Yankees 9/11 game last year. She performed in Houston, Cleveland, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and London this last spring, and opened the baseball season on April 15th at Citi Field for the Mets. Additionally, Anaïs will be coming out with a new album soon, featuring Peter Bernstein, David Wong, and Joe Farnsworth, and will be releasing a live album with PizzaExpress in London in November.

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy is the premier high school program for advanced high school jazz students. This two-week program, designed and instructed by a select team of faculty, serves as a rigorous training institute for 42 of the most advanced and dedicated high school jazz students (grades 9-12). Students apply by audition and participate in one of two big bands, perform in small combos, receive private lessons, and experience classes in aesthetics, culture, history, performance practice, and pedagogy. In addition to this educational component, the institute participates in several public performances featuring the student combos, student big bands, along with the members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at Bard College during the summer of 2023.

This award-winning advanced performance ensemble is composed of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS® top improvisers. The students receive extensive instruction on small ensemble performances plus an improv class focusing on theory, transcription, and language.

Now in its 20th year, JAZZ HOUSE KiDS transforms lives using the power and legacy of jazz through world-class education and performances that create avenues of access, learning, career development, and community building. The organization and students have received more than 125 awards and honors for excellence in jazz and jazz education. Every day of the week through a series of in-school and out-of-school programs, the JAZZ HOUSE helps young people gain an artistic edge through music, mentoring, education, and apprenticeship, building thriving communities, and fostering community leaders and global citizens. The organization’s far-reaching cultural signature program is the award-winning MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL, the largest free jazz festival in the NYC area, attracting more than 25,000 attendees to downtown Montclair each year.