Curated by Cat Henry, the 2023 Hudson Jazz Festival: The Shape of Jazz Today brings together adventurous, inventive artists whose bold vision takes jazz in new directions while honoring the traditions of the past.

Schedule:

WEEKEND ONE:

Thursday, February 16, 2023

5:00pm - 7:00pm: Opening Night Party – Marine Penvern: Body & Soul with music by Ed Cherry

Featuring:  
Ed Cherry – guitar
Kyle Koehler – keyboard

From her earliest days as a scenic painter frequenting NYC jazz clubs to paint the artists to her practice as a prêt-à-porter clothing designer, French-born, Hudson-based artist and fashion designer Marine Penvern has been inspired by jazz. Her solo exhibition Body & Soul features paintings, textiles, and clothing design that seek to convey the soul through the expression of the body with the spirit of jazz improvisation and collaboration.

Friday, February 17, 2023

7:00pm: Sarah Elizabeth Charles: SEC & SCOPE

Projection design and artwork by Laetitia Kaing

Vocalist and composer Sarah Elizabeth Charles and her band SCOPE kick off the 2023 Hudson Jazz Festival hot on the heels of their fourth album release, Blank Canvas (November 2022). Described as a collaborative journey with SCOPE, the album features artwork by Laetitia Kiang that becomes part of an immersive environment for this performance.The Massachusetts native has been lauded for her “unmatched sound” (Jay Z’s Life+Times), “impeccable technical prowess” and “boldly uninhibited expression” (JazzTimes). She has been compared to Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln, yet with her impassioned blend of jazz, neo-soul, R&B and world music, has created – as DownBeat coined it – a true “genre of one”.

The lineup:
Sarah Elizabeth Charles – vocals
Jesse Fischer – piano/keyboards
Rashaan Carter – bass
John Davis – drums

Saturday, February 18, 2023

7:00pm: Marquis Hill: New Gospel Revisited

Winner of the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition, Marquis Hill has a well-deserved reputation as a leading figure among today’s crop of adventurous young jazz musicians. His music synthesizes what he describes as the essential musical elements of his proud African American heritage: contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, house, and neo-soul. For his Hudson Jazz Festival debut, Hill performs tracks from New Gospel Revisited, an extraordinary live recording that reimagines his 2012 debut as a leader with a new band, a new focus and a sharpened ear as a bandleader, composer and performer.

The lineup:
Marquis Hill – trumpet
Joel Ross – vibes and piano
Dezron Douglas – bass
Michel Piolet – drums

Sunday, February 19, 2023

3:00pm: Michael Mayo

Whether Michael Mayo is performing with his band, as a guest, or alone with a looper pedal, the LA native’s commanding and other worldly vocalese is quickly gathering critical and commercial acclaim around the globe. Born to two successful musicians, Mayo grew up just a little more than 20 feet from the likes of Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, Earth Wind and Fire, and Stevie Wonder. Like Bobby McFerrin, one of his major influences, Mayo approaches his voice as a musical instrument, but in often unexpected ways — with Brian Wilson-style pop harmonies, Stevie Wonder R&B, and drum and bass and hip-hop beats. Mayo’s debut solo album, Bones, was released in 2021.

WEEKEND TWO

Thursday, February 23, 2023

7:00pm: Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y

Presented in Partnership with Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives

Heralded as a “powerhouse of a showman” (Glide Magazine), a “legitimate jazz triple threat” (Critical Jazz) and a drummer who “take[s] a back seat to no one” (New York Times), performer, producer and educator Ulysses Owens Jr. goes the limit in the jazz world and beyond. From GRAMMY award-winning performances with Christian McBride’s acclaimed Trio and Big Band to world tours with Kurt Elling and Joey Alexander, Owens’s artistic command of percussion has earned him positions in some of the most successful jazz ensembles of the 21st century.

Generation Y is a quintet comprised of the most dynamic young jazz musicians on the scene. Mentored by Owens, this new generation of young lions is dedicated to moving the music forward with a love of the jazz tradition.

Ulysses Owens Jr. is a 2022 Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives Artist-in-Residence as part of the Armstrong Now! initiative. With the fresh addition of over 60,000 new digitized pieces in the Armstrong Collection, artists and innovators are invited to engage with the archives and legacy of Louis Armstrong through a contemporary lens. In this 2023 Hudson Jazz Festival partnership, Owens will be conducting a free masterclass with students from the Hudson City School District as part of its “Voices of Freedom” series, exploring the role of art as a vehicle for social change.

The lineup:
Ulysses Owens Jr. – drums
Anthony Hervey – trumpet
Birsa Chatterjee – saxophone
Tyler Bullock – piano
Philip Norris – bass
Milton Suggs – vocals

Friday, February 24, 2023

7:00pm: Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould : In Her Words

In Her Words – Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould

“…melodies with an exquisitely tempered, full-bodied voice tailor-made for illuminating the great torch songs of a bygone era” – DownBeat

Called “one of the most compelling and ambitious jazz vocal albums of the year” by JazzWax, up and coming New York-based vocalists Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould’s collaborative 2021 release In Her Words is described as an “unabashedly intimate recording offering a glimpse into the private lives of women told from their unique perspectives”. A mix of new compositions and interpretations of jazz standards, each artist simultaneously breaks new ground while referencing the past with their warm, 1950’s inspired vocal styles.

The lineup:
Lucy Yeghiazaryan – vocals
Vanisha Gould – vocals
Dan Pappalardo – Bass
Eric Zolan – guitar
Ludovica Burtone – violin
Kate Victor – cello

Saturday, February 25, 2023

7:00pm: Aaron Parks & Samantha Rise: Dreaming Home

World Premiere, commissioned by Hudson Hall

Featuring Meshell Ndegeocello, JK Kim and Milena Casado

Forward-thinking pianist Aaron Parks is an artist whose sound has evoked everything from indie-rock and hip-hop to the tradition that threads back through Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, and Nat Cole. He came to the public’s attention during his time with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, with whom he has recorded three albums and appeared on his soundtracks to the Spike Lee films Inside Man, She Hate Me, and When the Levees Broke.

In this special Hudson Jazz Festival commission, Parks premieres a new composition for an acoustic quartet of piano, bass, drums, and trumpet, interwoven with storytelling, questionings, and other vocal contributions from Philadelphia-based artist, activist, and community organizer Samantha Rise.

The lineup:
Aaron Parks – piano
Samantha Rise – vocals
Meshell Ndegeocello – bass
JK Kim – drums
Milena Casado – flugelhorn and trumpet

Sunday, February 26, 2023

3:00pm: Endea Owens & The Cookout

Lincoln Center’s Emerging Artist of 2019, Juilliard graduate and Detroit native Endea Owens is a vibrant up and coming bassist popularly known as a member of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s house band Stay Human, led by Jon Batiste. With her masterful band The Cookout, Owens performs joyful, head-bobbing jazz imbued with a sense of community and activism – a conviction that extends beyond the stage.

Founded by Endea Owens and birthed as the result of the pandemic, The Community Cookout is an organization that creates inclusive spaces that are accessible to anyone no matter their race, gender, or background. The Community Cookout strives to make New York a better place through music, activism, and meals.

In the spirit of Endea’s mission, Hudson Hall has partnered with Operation Unite NY to present the Hudson Jazz Festival Community Dinner, a communal viewing of Endea’s concert simulcast accompanied by a hot meal at the State Street AME Zion Church, plus meals delivered to homebound seniors and community residents along with access to the livestream.

Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023 - Sunday, February 26, 2023

Location: Hudson Hall - 327 Warren St, Hudson, NY 12534

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