Arts for Art is excited to present a weekend of free outdoor concerts to celebrate the return of live in-person performances to New York City! This special summertime edition of our annual In Gardens series is a gift to our community - an opportunity to gather together again and share in the healing power of music. These events will be in compliance with all CDC and New York City Guidelines. Admission is free and donations are appreciated. 

Saturday, June 12
3:00 Sam Newsome Trio
Sam Newsome - soprano sax / Hilliard Greene - bass / Reggie Nicholson - drums
3:40 Darius Jones/ Francisco Mela
Darius Jones - alto saxophone / Francisco Mela - drums
4:20 Behroozi / Parker / Thompson 
Daro Behroozi - tenor saxophone / William Parker - bass / Michael T.A. Thompson - drums

Sunday, June 13
3:00 Trombone Insurgency
Steve Swell - trombone / Joe McPhee - trombone / William Parker - bass / Gerald Cleaver - drums
3:40 Marcelo & Carter x 2
Alexis Marcelo - keyboard / Rashaan Carter - bass / Russell Carter - drums
4:20 Knuffke / Parker / Wollesen 
Kirk Knuffke - cornet / William Parker - bass / Kenny Wollesen - drums

This program is presented with support from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and City Council Member Carlina Rivera.

​

Full Performance Schedule and Lineups

Thursday July 22
Pioneer Works - 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231    

6pm Opening Healing Ceremony
William Parker - bass / Patricia Nicholson Parker - text, movement / Jean Carla Rodea - voice / Michael T.A. Thompson - drums

7pm Dave Sewelson's Music for a Free World Septet
Dave Sewelson – baritone sax / Aquiles Navarro - trumpet / Steve Swell – trombone / Dave Hofstra - tuba / Ava Mendoza - guitar / William Parker - bass / Marvin “Bugalu” Smith - drums

8pm Cooper-Moore Solo
Cooper-Moore - piano

8:45pm Dave Burrell & Darius Jones Duo
Dave Burrell - piano / Darius Jones - alto saxophone

9:45pm Matthew Shipp String Trio
Matthew Shipp - piano / Mat Maneri - viola / William Parker - bass
    
Friday July 23 
Pioneer Works - 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231    
Amina Claudine Myers Lifetime of Achievement Celebration     

6:30pm The Amina Claudine Myers Voice Octet 

7:30pm Poet Tyehimba Jess

8 pm  Generation IV 
Amina Claudine Myers – voice, piano / Richarda Abrams – voice / Pyeng Threadgill – voice / Luna Threadgill-Moderbacher - voice 

9pm Reflections: A Portrait of Amina Claudine Myers
Documentary film by Moon Lasso, produced by Arts for Art

9:30pm The Amina Claudine Myers Trio 
Amina Claudine Myers – piano, Hammond B3 / Jerome Harris - bass 
Reggie Nicholson – drums

Saturday July 24      
The Clemente, La Plaza Outdoors - 114 Norfolk St, New York NY 10002

5pm Creative Vision Youth Ensemble

6pm Composers Workshop Ensemble    
Warren Smith – drums, percussion
Lineup TBA

7pm ElectroFLUTTER
Fay Victor – voice, compositions / Nicole Mitchell – flute / Jamaaladeen Tacuma – bass guitar

8pm Morris / Smith
Tracie Morris - poetry / Cecilia Smith - vibes

8:30pm Joe Morris & Tomas Fujiwara
Joe Morris - guitar / Tomas Fujiwara - drums

9:30pm Tony Malaby's Sabino Quartet
Tony Malaby - tenor, soprano saxophones / Ben Monder - guitar / Michael Formanek - bass / Tom Rainey - drums

Sunday July 25
The Clemente, La Plaza Outdoors - 114 Norfolk St, New York NY 10002

6pm Whit Dickey Trio
Whit Dickey - drums / Rob Brown - alto saxophone / Mat Maneri - viola 

7pm Pheeroan akLaff  Liberation Unit
Pheeroan akLaff - drums / Adegoke Steve Colson - piano / Michael Gregory Jackson - guitar 

8pm Raymond Nat Turner
Raymond Nat Turner - poetry

8:30pm Third Landing 
Ava Mendoza - guitar / Abiodun Oyewole - spoken word / Devin Brahja Waldman – horns / Alexis Marcelo – keyboards / Luke Stewart - bass / Ches Smith - drums

9:30PM James Blood Ulmer ODYSSEY
James Blood Ulmer - guitar / Charles Burnham - violin / Warren Benbow - drums

Thursday July 29    
Pioneer Works - 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231     

6pm Elder Ones
Amirtha Kidambi - voice, harmonium, synthesizer / Matt Nelson - soprano saxophone, effects / Eva Lawitts - bass, effects / Max Jaffe - drums, sensory percussion
 
7pm James Brandon Lewis Quartet
James Brandon Lewis - tenor saxophone / Aruán Ortiz - piano / Brad Jones - bass / Chad Taylor - drums

8pm Julie Ezelle Patton Rock Paper Twister
Julie Ezelle Patton - sound artist / Janice Lowe - piano / Paul Van Curen - guitar  / Nasheet Waits - drums / William Parker - bass / Special Guest - Vinie Burrows

8:45pm Mara Rosenbloom Presents Flyways
Mara Rosenbloom - piano / Anaïs Maviel - voice, surdo / Rashaan Carter - bass

9:45pm Trio 3 + Special Guest
Oliver Lake - alto saxophone / Reggie Workman - bass / Andrew Cyrille - drums + Special Guest - piano
    
Friday July 30    
Pioneer Works - 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231    

6pm Brandon Lopez Trio
Brandon Lopez – bass / Gerald Cleaver – drums / Steve Baczkowski – woodwinds

7pm Ingrid Laubrock’s Monochromes
Jon Irabagon – saxophones / Ingrid Laubrock - saxophones 
/ Zeena Parkins – harp / Tom Rainey – drums / performing with pre-recorded tapes
Commissioned by NYSCA

8pm fly or die
jaimie branch - trumpet, voice, percussion / Lester St. Louis - cello, voice, percussion / Jason Ajemian- bass / Chad Taylor - drums, mbira, voice

8:45pm Moten / Lopez / Cleaver
Fred Moten - poetry / Brandon Lopez - bass / Gerald Cleaver - drums

9:30pm David Murray Octet Revival
David Murray – tenor sax, compositions / Lee Odom – alto sax, clarinet / Vincent Chancey – french horn / Josh Evans – trumpet / Mingus Murray – guitar / DD Jackson – piano / Rashaan Carter – bass / Russell Carter – drums​
Commissioned by Chamber Music America

Saturday July 31     
The Clemente, La Plaza Outdoors - 114 Norfolk St, New York NY 10002
Tributes to Milford Graves

6pm Andrew Cyrille
Andrew Cyrille - drum set

7pm Joe McPhee Octet Tribute to Milford Graves
Warren Smith – vibes / Jay Rosen – drums/ Brandon Lopez, Michael Bisio– bass
James Keepnews – guitar / Jason Kao Hwang, Rosie Hertlein – violin / Joseph McPhee – reeds, brass

8pm Shahzad Ismaily
Shahzad Ismaily - multiple instruments

8:15pm John Zorn
John Zorn - alto saxophone

8:30pm Tribute to Milford Graves
William Parker - bass / Lee Mixashawn Rozie - woodwinds / D.D. Jackson - piano  / William Hooker - drums / Francisco Mela - drums ​

9:30pm Drum, Horn, and Dance Tribute to Milford Graves

You can find the full schedule for April performances below and on our On_Line Salon page. Salons require a donation to watch, find the link on our On_Line Salon page to register to watch through Eventbrite, where you will receive a private viewing link.

Each performance will be followed by Patricia Nicholson's ongoing discussions with the artists.

Thursday April 1, 8pm
Isaiah Collier - saxophones
Lonnie Plaxico - bass
Michael Ode - drums
Kennedy Banks - dance

Tuesday April 6, 8pm
Marty Ehrlich - woodwinds
Michael Formanek - bass
Tomas Fujiwara - drums

Thursday April 8, 8pm
Reggie Nicholson - drums
Joe Fonda - bass
Daniel Carter - woodwinds, trumpet

Tuesday April 13, 8pm
Patrick Holmes - clarinet
jaimie branch - trumpet
Lester St. Louis - cello
Sarah Sandoval - dance

Thursday April 15, 8pm
Aruán Ortiz - piano
Don Byron - clarinets
Lester St. Louis - cello
Gerald Cleaver - drums

Tuesday April 20, 8pm
Melanie Dyer - viola
Shayna Dulberger - bass
Mara Rosenbloom - piano
Julie Ezelle Patton - art

Thursday April 22, 8pm
Juan Pablo Carletti - drums
Yoni Kretzmer - tenor saxophone
William Parker - bass
Keegan Monaghan - super-8 film

Tuesday April 27, 8pm
James Brandon Lewis - tenor saxophone
Rashaan Carter - bass
Chad Taylor - drums

Arts for Art Presents
 
Amina Claudine Myers
 79th Birthday Celebration Livestream Concert
Sunday, March 21 @ 3:00pm ET
 
Vision Festival 25 Confirms July 2021 In-person Dates
& Announced Lifetime Achievement Honoree,
Amina Claudine Myers

​March is Women’s History Month, so Arts for Art is declaring March Amenia Claudine Myers Month!  On Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 3:00pm ET, Arts for Art will present a live solo piano and vocal performance by 2021 Vision Festival Lifetime Achievement Honoree Amina Claudine Myers, in celebration of her 79th birthday.  Following the performance, Patricia Nicholson will talk with Ms. Myers about her art and career.  
 
The event will livestream from the Scholes Music Studio in New York City.  Tickets for the event are available at Eventbrite, and proceeds will benefit the creation of a biopic on Myers to be presented at Vision 25.
 
Save the date!  Vision Festival 25 will take place over two weekends in New York City:  July 22-23 and July 29-30 at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, and July 24-25 at The Clemente in the Lower East Side.  The performances will be outdoors, in-person and online.
 
On Friday July 23, at Pioneer Works, Amina Claudine Myers will be honored for her Lifetime of Achievement. 

​Beginning in March, AFA will be charging a minimum donation to watch On_Line Salon live stream performances. You can find the full schedule for March performances below and on our On_Line Salon page. Also on our On_Line Salon page, find the link to register to watch through Eventbrite, where you will receive a private viewing link.

Each performance will be followed by Patricia Nicholson's ongoing discussions with the artists.

Tuesday March 2, 8pm

jaimie branch - trumpet
Luke Stewart - bass
Mike Pride - drums
Theo Darst - video

Thursday March 4, 8pm

Ava Mendoza - guitar
Luke Stewart - bass
Ches Smith - drums
Keegan Monaghan - super-8 films

Tuesday March 9, 8pm

Ken Filiano - bass
Michaël Attias - alto saxophone
Michael TA Thompson - drums
William Mazza - video art

Thursday March 11, 8pm

Darius Jones - alto saxophone
Cooper-Moore - piano
Gerald Cleaver - drums
Shara Lunon - poetry

Tuesday March 16, 8pm

William Parker - bass
Rob Brown - alto saxophone
AnnMarie Sandy - mezzo-soprano
Eri Yamamoto - piano
Miriam Parker - film montage, movement

Thursday March 18, 8pm

Devin Brahja Waldman - alto saxophone
James Brandon Lewis - tenor saxophone
Gerald Cleaver - drums
Ala Dehghan - live painting

Thursday March 25, 8pm

Newman Taylor Baker - washboard
Matthew Shipp - piano
Stomu Takeishi - bass
Trashina Conner - dance

Tuesday March 30, 8pm

Matt Lavelle - trumpet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet
Larry Roland - bass, poetry
Ryan Sawyer - drums

Milford lived every moment of his life using all of his god-given abilities and instincts; searching and discovering his purpose in life. Then, living inside that purpose: music healing, singing a song inspired by the elders from Africa to South Carolina to Jamaica, Queens. A grandfather’s song. In this last period he didn’t stop exploring — he never gave up. Baba Milford Graves was something else; as anyone who met him could attest to. His creative spirit was unstoppable. An extraordinary human being who in his last period moved into visual art which was always there if you checked out the house and the colorful hieroglyphics on his drum set. We knew a little, but there so much we didn’t know about him that was just being revealed. - William Parker

Arts for Art’s On_Line Salon series features live streaming performances and conversations by artists in the Free Jazz community. Events take place twice per week on the Arts for Art website, YouTube, and Facebook. On_Line Salons are free to watch, but donations are encouraged to fund artist fees. ​

​February performances will introduce a visual art element to many of the performances. The full schedule and details for each performance is below.

In May 2020, we introduced the On_Line Salon series to provide performance opportunities for our artists who lost all in-person gigs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, we've presented over 30 performances featuring 100 artists. Starting in January 2021, we will be presenting two livestream performances per week. See the schedule below, or go to our On_Line Salon webpage to watch and make donations. These streams are free, but donations are encouraged and go towards funding artist fees. 

All January performances will reflect on themes from R&B music.

January 5

James Brandon Lewis - tenor saxophone
Kirk Knuffke - cornet
Gerald Cleaver - drums

January 7
Fay Victor's Chamber Trio
Fay Victor - voice, compositions
Darius Jones - alto sax
Marika Hughes - cello

This special group feels connected to that school of music growing up in a time when R&B was as innovative as ever. We will perform a selection or two from the late-60’s-early seventies, representative of the period I know and love the best in R&B. - Fay Victor

January 12
Tony Malaby's Turnpike Trio
Tony Malaby - tenor, soprano sax
John Hébert - bass
Billy Mintz - drums

January 14
Mara Rosenbloom Affinity Trio
Mara Rosenbloom - piano
special guest LaFrae Sci - drums, electronics
Melanie Dyer - viola

Holy Water: Improvisations on Erykah Badu
also known as The Cypher Keeps Moving
also known as Analogue Meditations on a Digital World

January 19
Cooper-Moore Trio
Cooper-Moore - instruments
Matthew Mottel - keyboard
Francisco Mela

January 21
Dave Sewelson Fat Foot R&B Revue
Dave Sewelson - baritone sax
Dave Hofstra - bass
Mike Neer - lap steel guitar
Bernice "Boom Boom" Brooks - drums

The pure ineffable joy of R&B has lifted my spirit since my youth and that music continues to flow through the world as truth. Our band will share the joy and freedom that have been so freely shared with us in this special concert. - Dave Sewelson

January 26
Gerald Cleaver Quartet Plays the Music of Stevie Wonder and Burt Bacharach
Gerald Cleaver - drums
Darius Jones - alto sax
Brandon Seabrook - guitar
​Brandon Lopez - bass

January 28
The Soul of Freedom
Luke Stewart - bass
Jaimie Branch - trumpet
Devin Brahja Waldman - alto sax

Presenting renditions of sweet soul music in the style of New York R&B. Dedicated to the spirit of Cecil Taylor.

Artists, please help us collect information on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on working musicians. This information will help us apply for funding to support programs to present more performances.