Flushing Town Announces Diverse Lineup of Comedy and Music for April

This April, Flushing Town Hall will go all out with an incredibly diverse lineup of jazz and comedy events. As New York City slowly reopens, the cultural nonprofit continues to present its programs to an all-virtual audience while livestreaming small ensembles from its stage.

Audiences can look forward to a multicultural April calendar that includes Crazy Talented Asians & Friends and the eclectic, new sounds of Moskitto Bar, plus events honoring Jazz Appreciation Month featuring David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Flushing Town Hall's Monthly Jazz Jam, and a new Jazz 101series with esteemed jazz researcher and educator Ben Young.

Crazy Talented Asians & Friends - Live Comedy

On Saturday, April 17, 2021, Flushing Town Hall presents the return of Crazy Talented Asians & Friends with a new comedy show, "Triumphing Over Quarantine." Highlighting Asian American perspectives and experiences during the global pandemic, the virtual event kicks off at 8:00 PM (ET). These rising East and South Asian American comedy talents will share their struggles and triumphs over the pandemic through the lens of sketch and stand-up comedy. Flushing Town Hall will present this special, FREE event on its YouTube channel.

Mr. Otter Lee, who plays Otter Lin on Stephen Colbert Presents: Tooning Out the News, returns to host this exciting event. He will be joined by Overstep Comedy, whose Manhattan shows frequently sell out, and other talented comedians and special guests, including Jatin Chhugani, Patricia Dinglasan, Vivek Netrakanti, Becky Yamamoto, and Angel Yau.

The event will also pay a Memorial Tribute to Corky Lee, the legendary journalistic photographer who passed away due to COVID-19 in January 2021. Furthermore, the event will also feature the NYC Chinatown small business community and Patrick Mock, the manager of 46 Mott Bakery, which has been delivering meals to hospitals and the elderly since the onset of the pandemic.

Looking ahead, Crazy Talented Asians & Friends will continue in May with an evening of animated short films selected from several hundreds of submissions to celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Jazz 101 course

Esteemed jazz researcher and educator Ben Young is returning to Flushing Town Hall for a new Jazz 101 lecture series, a survey of the history of Jazz music, held weekly over eight, two-hour sessions from April 6 to May 25. The course is designed for listeners at all experience levels and presented in a lecture format, without tests, quizzes or grades, and anyone is invited to ask any questions..

Using historic Jazz recordings, Ben Young will illustrate where the music came from, how it works, and how the styles have evolved. Participants will also explore Jazz in the socio-historical context of 20th Century America. The course is centered on enjoying great music and the rich stories of those figures who shaped the music.

The series kicks off on April 6 at 7 PM ET with a course on "Introduction & Back Story," and continues with Jazz in New Orleans (4/13/2021, 7 PM ET), The Jazz Age (4/20/2021, 7 PM ET), The Swing Era (4/27/2021, 7 PM ET), Bebop (5/4/2021, 7 PM ET), Expansion (5/11/2021, 7 PM ET), Fusions (5/18/2021, 7 PM ET) and wraps up with Jazz Today (5/25/2021, 7 PM ET). Details about each course can be found here.

Instructor Ben Young has spent 25 years doing first-person research into the history of Jazz music. On New York's WKCR-FM, he hosted programs covering the gamut of Jazz and modern improvised music. Since 2010, he has taught courses in Jazz at Lincoln Center's Swing University program. Ben Young has produced, annotated or researched several hundred historical jazz reissues, most prominently for Triple Point Records, which he founded in 2009. He is presently director of the Jazz History Database at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and his forthcoming biography of pianist Cecil Taylor will be published in 2022.

"Remembering the Past and Celebrating the Future" with David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band

In celebration of International Jazz Day on April 30, Flushing Town Hall will livestream from its stage David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band in a performance titled "Remembering the Past and Celebrating the Future" on Friday, April 30 at 7:00 PM (ET). The ticketed show will be viewable via YouTube.

David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band is perhaps best known for its more than two decades' run of weekly performances at Manhattan's Birdland and as a leading East Coast protagonist of the early Jazz music that was born in New Orleans and is now ubiquitous. Their concert "Remembering the Past and Celebrating the Future" will pay homage to Louis Armstrong, who lived in Corona, Queens, and the multitude of other great Jazz icons who made Queens their home: Chick Corea, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and many others.

The live-streamed performance additionally will honor the next generation of Jazz musicians, including participants in Flushing Town Hall's monthly Louis Armstrong Legacy Jazz Jam.

Following the performance on April 30 at 7:00 PM (ET) will be a live artist talk and Q&A moderated by Flushing Town Hall's Jazz Producer Clyde Bullard. Audience members can submit questions at any time during the show in the Youtube Live chat. The performance will be only available to ticketed viewers. Tickets are available online for $5.00 (plus a $1 convenience fee).

Monthly Virtual Jazz Jam

Flushing Town Hall's popular monthly Virtual Jazz Jam: Celebrating the Legacy of Louis Armstrong is supported by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and has been led by Astoria resident Carol Sudhalter. House band members include such illustrious musicians as Joe Vincent Tranchina, Scott Neumann and Eric Lemon, who pay tribute to the great Louis Armstrong, performing songs associated with the legendary trumpeter/vocalist every month.

Marking one year since first going online amid the pandemic, Flushing Town Hall's wildly popular monthly jams continue to draw participants from far across the globe as well as close to home. This month's theme celebrates both National Jazz Appreciation Month and Poetry Month on Wednesday, April 14 at 7:00 PM (ET).

Musicians interested in participating should email education@flushingtownhall.org with the suggested three- to four-minute tune they intend to play. The performance can be live or a pre-recorded audio or video (but not a professional, edited recording such as a CD or YouTube video). Musicians who previously performed are now welcome to return. Selection is on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone is invited to listen and can simply tune in to Flushing Town Hall's Facebook page or Zoom on Wednesday, April 14 at 7:00 PM (ET) to join the live event for free, without registration.

Co-Presenting Moskitto Bar

In partnership with Ottawa's National Arts Centre's Fridays at the Fourth, Flushing Town Hall co-presents Moskitto Bar on Friday, April 23 at 7:00 PM ET.

Moskitto Bar defines the new sound that was created in the multicultural hub of Toronto with a highly original combination of Ukrainian, Balkan, Iraqi Middle Eastern, and French Celtic musical influences. The project was initiated by Tangi Ropars when he met newcomers Yura, from Ukraine, and Ahmed, from Iraq. In June 2016, during a gathering in Northern Ontario, they met every day in the woods to share and teach each other their respective melodies and rhythms. As they were playing, the rural Ontario mosquitos, were joyfully feasting on the multicultural group inspiring their eponymous name. Almost two years later, the trio connected with the notable violin player, Fethi Nadjem, freshly landed from Algeria, adding his flavor to the sound mix. More than the music and despite their diverse traditions, political and social stories, the band members share a deeper connection rooted in a mutual love and respect for each other and a common desire to spread messages of unity.

The event will be streamed on Flushing Town Hall's YouTube channel. Tickets are required to receive the live link and a reminder before the show.

DETAILS:

Tuesday, April 6 to May 25, weekly at 7:00 PM (ET)

Jazz 101 Lecture Series with Ben Young

Cost: $10/$7 Members for individual class; $56/$40 Members for all 8 classes

Beginning April 6, jazz researcher and educator Ben Young will teach a weekly Jazz 101 lecture. Held over eight two-hour sessions once/week, the course surveys the history of Jazz music and is designed for listeners at all experience levels. Using historic Jazz recordings, Ben Young will illustrate where the music came from, how it works, and how the styles have evolved.

Wednesday, April 14 at 7:00 PM (ET)

Louis Armstrong Legacy Virtual Jazz Jam

Free

Led by Carol Sudhalter and the FTH house band, the monthly jam invites up to 15 musicians from around the world and right here in Queens to play a tune on the month's theme celebrating Jazz & Poetry Month. To participate, musicians should email education@flushingtownhall.org and identify their intended three- to four-minute piece. All members of the public are welcome to join the virtual audience for this event.

Saturday, April 17 at 8:00PM (ET)

Crazy Talented Asians & Friends: An Evening of Live Comedy - Triumphing Over Quarantine!

Free

Flushing Town Hall is proud to present Crazy Talented Asians & Friends' live showcase of Asian American comedians. With the global COVID pandemic in its 2nd year, this program shares the experience of triumphing over quarantine through powerful storytelling in sketch, stand up, and other forms of comedy. The event will be streamed live on Flushing Town Hall's YouTube channel. RSVP required.

Friday, April 23 at 7:00 PM (ET)

Moskitto Bar

Cost $5

Flushing Town Hall co-streams the live performance of Moskitto Bar, an eclectic ensemble combining a beautiful mix of Ukrainian, Balkan, Iraqi Middle-Eastern and French Celtic music. The event will be streamed on Flushing Town Hall's YouTube channel. Tickets are required to receive the live link.

Friday, April 30 at 7:00 PM (ET)

David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band: "Remembering the Past and Celebrating the Future

Cost: $5 (plus a $1 convenience fee)

A livestreamed concert from the theatre at Flushing Town Hall on International Jazz Day performed by David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band in honor of the historic legacy of Jazz in Queens and celebrating new generations of Jazz musicians followed by a live Q&A with the musicians.