The New York Gypsy All-Stars Band showcases some of New York City’s finest musicians playing jazz-inflected Turkish, Balkan, and Mediterranean Romany (Gypsy) songs with a personal touch as well as original compositions. This performance is supported by TAFSUS (Turkish American Friendship Society of US).

 

Pianist Yoko Miwa was a student of Minoru Ozone, the father of renowned jazz pianist Makoto Ozone. She was also the personal accompanist for Grammy Award–winning jazz singer Kevin Mahogany and was a featured performer at the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival.

 

Saxophonist Sonny Fortune, who has played with Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner and subsequently made a series of diverse and imaginatively arranged solo albums, is a Philadelphia native and living legend.

 

Inspired by the classic and passionate sounds of bolero and Argentinean tango, Federico Aubele infuses his distinctive Spanish guitar sound with sultry vocals and subtle electronic beats to create a unique collage of intimate love songs.

 

Celebrate the Day of the Dead with friends and family! Brooklyn-based Colombian band Cumbiagra plays the classic cumbias of Colombia and Mexico. Spooky art tours, costume contests, face painting, and tarot card readings round out this special evening.

 

This evening of music inspired by the Armenian experience and culture features jazz pianist and composer Armen Donelian with bassist David Clark and drummer George Schuller. The trio will perform original compositions and jazz interpretations of Armenian folk songs.

This performance is being held in conjunction with Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective. This exhibition celebrates the Armenian-born artist Arshile Gorky, a seminal figure in the movement toward abstraction that transformed American art. Admission to the Gorky retrospective is free with Museum admission.

 

Join guitarist and vocalist Jon Dichter, French guitarist Stephane Wrembel, and Philadelphia’s Underwood Family for a night of Gypsy heat and Philly beat.

 

Led by Warren Oree, some of the city’s most popular band leaders come together as one unified jazz ensemble to create a collage that reflects the Philly jazz sound.

 

Broadway/recording artist (and wife of Latin superstar Rubén Blades) Luba Mason is blessed with “a celestial voice” (Los Angeles Times). She mixes Latin and jazz rhythms with the raw emotionality of folk and pop on her latest recording, Krazy Love.

 

Richard Hagopian leads a concert of Armenian music, including folk songs from Gorky’s birth village, Khorkom. He and his band will perform on instruments that date back to the sixteenth century: Hagopian on oud (Middle Eastern fretless lute), Harold Hagopian on kanun (ancient seventy-six stringed harp), and Paul Aljian on dap (traditional handheld percussion).

This performance is being held in conjunction with Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective. This exhibition celebrates the Armenian-born artist Arshile Gorky, a seminal figure in the movement toward abstraction that transformed American art. Admission to the Gorky retrospective is free with Museum admission.

 

Combining jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms, Afro Bop Alliance offers enticing grooves and exciting improvisation. Also appearing is Dave Samuels, widely acknowledged as the top mallet player of his generation. Their last collaboration, under the umbrella of Caribbean Jazz Project featuring Dave Samuels, won a Latin Grammy Award for the album entitled Afro Bop Alliance.

 

Saxophonist Tim Warfield has been praised by The New York Times and has performed with such names as Christian McBride, Isaac Hayes, Orrin Evans, and others. This holiday concert features Philadelphia vocalist Joanna Pascale.

 

Recover from the previous night’s festivities with a nice quiet evening of jazz standards.

 

Israeli folk band HaBanot Nechama built a huge and dedicated following from their live shows before releasing even one single. Reggae influences, soul-folk melodies, one of a kind harmonies, and impeccable song-craft are highlights of this perfect showcase of how English and Hebrew can co-exist. Their single “Lovers” was featured on the acclaimed show “The L Word.”

 

Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger Manuel Valera is in the forefront of contemporary modern jazz. He represents the next generation of great performers and composers with his fresh, inviting, and evocative sound. Bringing together Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian, and various jazz styles and forms, Valera brings a vitality and newness to the idioms of jazz and Latin jazz.

 

Canadian saxophonist and composer Jeff Antoniuk, and his Washington, D.C.-based band, the Jazz Update, bring their critically acclaimed original songs and lush covers of Ellington, Monk, and Golson to the Museum. The quartet features bassist Tom Baldwin, pianist Wade Beach, and drummer Tony Martucci.

 

Since 2008, PRISM Quartet has released no fewer than five recordings, encompassing an astonishing range of musical styles, from Middle Eastern laments to progressive rock to Highland bagpipes to Chinese folk music. To celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary, PRISM performs a CD release concert featuring music from each of the five albums, including compositions by Steven Mackey, Roshanne Etezady, Jacob TV, Lei Liang, and William Albright. You've never heard saxophones quite like this!

This concert is co-presented by New Sounds Music, Inc.

 

Brooklyn Qawwali Party, an eleven-piece ensemble of New York City-based jazz musicians, was formed in honor of the legendary qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. By reworking Nusrat’s approach to Pakistani folk music and the devotional music of the Sufis, Brooklyn Qawwali Party is one of the most exciting and dynamic groups performing today.

 

Ever wish you could relive your prom? Art After 5 provides the music and the dance floor. Love themed tours of the galleries, and a photo booth to capture the memories, too! Prom wear encouraged.

 

Philadelphia bassist Gerald Veasley's soulful approach to jazz has helped him garner a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim. He has been voted “Best Electric Bassist” by Jazziz magazine and named in Down Beat magazine's Critic's and Reader's Polls.

 

Argentinean bass player and arranger Pedro Giraudo has captivated listeners around the world with his unique blend of South American grooves, Argentine folk songs, and the passion of tango and jazz improvisation, masterfully weaving together pre-composed and improvised elements.

 

Miho Hatori—former member of Cibo Matto, original voice of the Gorillaz member Noodle, and Handsome Boy Modeling School and Beastie Boys collaborator—fuses her eclectic musical interests with her Japanese heritage, creating a unique and organic blend of music. Bossa nova, hip-hop, funk, metal, and rock all find their way into her musical styling.

 

Sofía Rei Koutsovitis, “one of the most versatile and in-demand singers on the New York music scene” (All About Jazz), a Buenos Aires native, is a vocalist and composer who mixes and uniquely fuses South American rhythms with a jazz aesthetic. Singing in Spanish, Portuguese, or English, Sofía's voice is graceful and sophisticated, reflecting her immersion in modern and progressive jazz while also responding to the pull of ancestry and the appeal of organic, pan-musical connections.

Sponsored by the Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

 

Martha Graham Cracker, the spectacularly unmatched queen of the Philadelphia drag cabaret, creates a special night at the Museum. An unabashed diva, her vocal range is matched only by her witty banter—and she takes requests!

 

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Alexandre Kautz is a jazz drummer and graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Based in New York City, he has shared the stage with Tim Ries, Ingrid Jensen, Jorge Molina, and wife Magos Herrera.