BRIC Announces Free Outdoor Concert, Headlined By Antibalas

BRIC is pleased to announce a free concert by Brooklyn afrobeat juggernaut Antibalas on October 13,co-presented by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) at The Plaza at 300 Ashland, to kick off the 2018 BRIC JazzFest. The announcement completes the programming for the fourth edition of the celebrated Brooklyn jazz festival, called a "proudly eclectic gathering [that] remains unbounded by convention" (New Yorker), and continues a yearlong celebration to cap off four decades for the pioneering NYC arts-and-media organization and leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn.

This year's edition of the multidisciplinary festival, which takes place over the course of a week (October 13-20), features film, dance, a panel discussion, workshops, and culminates with a three-night concert marathon, with performances occurring simultaneously throughout the various spaces comprising the dynamic BRIC House (647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn). For its 40th anniversary, BRIC has commissioned rising star trumpeter Keyon Harrold to write a new piece of music which will have its world premiere at the 2018 BRIC JazzFest. Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2018, Antibalas performed an unforgettable show for 6,000 attendees at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival last July, and their BRIC JazzFest kick-off concert promises to be an equally outstanding hometown show for the band at Downtown Brookyn's newest outdoor gathering space.

The three-night jazz marathon (October 18-20) includes performances by Meshell Ndegeocello, Terence Blanchard and The E-Collective, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Cyrus Chestnut Trio, Stefon Harris & Blackout, Brownout Presents: Fear of a Brown Planet ft. Third Root, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Xenia Rubinos, The Jazz Passengers, Keyon Harrold, Deva Mahal, Madison McFerrin, Kat Edmonson, JD Allen, Lakecia Benjamin & SoulSquad, Camila Meza, Resident Alien ft. Ali Sethi & Sunny Jain, Arnetta Johnson & SUNNY, Yasser Tejeda & Palotré, Yotam Ben-Or Quartet, Noa Fort, Melanie Charles & Make Jazz Trill Again, and Michael Sarian & The Chabones. Performances take place in the state-of-the-art BRIC Ballroom, the relaxed Stoop overlooking visual artist Mary Mattingly's What Happens After exhibition in the BRIC Gallery, and the BRIC Artist Studio, which transforms into an intimate jazz club.

BRIC JazzFest has, in its four years, shown how jazz's legacy, present, and future, can be approached through a variety of means. This year, film, poetry, dance, and discourse also add to the festival's explosive musical lineup. Two films, projected onto a giant screen in the BRIC House Ballroom, will shed new light on legendary figures from jazz history. Let's Get Lost, fashion photographer Bruce Weber's 1988 documentary about trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker, will screen at 4pm in the BRIC House Ballroom, October 14. The Telegraph describes the film as"so lyrical and so eloquent," continuing, "Let's Get Lost is not just a film about jazz; it is a jazz film, one that balances storytelling with stylized digressions and near-dream sequences-much as a soloist might veer away from the rest of his band to make space for improvisation." Phillip Cox's recent documentary Betty Davis: They Say I'm Different will screen at 6:30pm that same evening. Praising the film's depiction of how funk-rock pioneer Betty Davis "revolutionized the music landscape for black women," Little White Lies called it "compassionate" and "sizzling...a cinematic interpretation of Davis' life, emulating her subversive style by blending testimony with psychedelic animation and an assortment of unconventional nonfiction techniques."

BRIC's Brooklyn Poetry Slam-"a packed night of stellar local poets" (TimeOut)-comes to JazzFest this year, October 15. Mahogany L. Browne-the poet, activist, and educator whose most recent book, Black Girl Magic, was described by Kirkus Reviews as "an emerging, beloved tome for black girls of all ages to read and share...whenever or wherever one needs an assuring word"-hosts the event, with music by DJ Jive Poetic.

Boundary-pushing, Brooklyn-based dance company Urban Bush Women and GRAMMY-winning pianist George Caldwell will host Talk 'Trane, open to everyone, with no dance experience necessary (October 16). This interactive movement experience brings participants into the creative process by which Urban Bush Women and Caldwell made their 2015 performance Walking with 'Trane, an "evening full of fire, passion, and commitment" (The Washington Post) inspired by the musical life and spiritual journey of John Coltrane.

Jazz critic Nate Chinen,New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and jazz guitarist and vocalist Camila Meza will discuss the evolution of jazz, and Chinen's new book, Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century, on October 17, with a book signing following the conversation.

"In its fourth year, we curated BRIC JazzFest using the multidisciplinary and inclusive approach that BRIC is known for, creating different points of entry to experience jazz in the broadest sense through film, dance, poetry and discussion; and an immersive, multi-stage concert experience where you can discover an array of new artists and see multiple legendary performers in full sets each night with accessible ticket prices," said Jack Walsh, BRIC's Vice President of Performing Arts.

With BRIC JazzFest, BRIC brings its decades of experience hosting the beloved summer-long BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival into their state-of-the-art home in Fort Greene, providing an experience that's true to their mission of making cultural programming genuinely accessible. Billboard writes, "[BRIC JazzFest] prove[s] an excellent argument for standing-room jazz functions in general: lower financial barrier to entry, higher population of listeners, and a more engaged audience."

In support of Brooklyn's music scene, Compass, the presenting sponsor of BRIC JazzFest, will activate with exciting VIP experiences throughout the festival.

Free events require RSVP at BRICartsmedia.org. Single-day tickets for the BRIC JazzFest Marathon are $30 advance/$35 door (per day), and there is a limited number of 3-day passes available for $75. Tickets can be purchased by visiting BRICartsmedia.org. The Box Office at BRIC House is open on performance days only, one hour prior to the event. BRIC House is located at 647 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn and is open weekdays and Saturdays at 8am and Sundays at 10am.

Schedule, Tickets, and Event Details

OUTDOOR KICKOFF CONCERT: ANTIBALAS
October 13 at 3pm
FREE
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
BRIC JazzFest kicks off with a free outdoor concert at the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District's fabulous new outdoor public space, The Plaza at 300 Ashland, featuring the afrobeat sounds of Brooklyn's own Antibalas.

Where the Gods Are in Peace, released by Antibalaslast year on the storied Bushwick label Daptone Records, was praised by Rhythm Passport for "giv[ing] you energy from deep within - energy to stand up, speak up, rebel and shake up the system, all while dancing to their irresistible and cheerful grooves." The album marked the latest development for a band celebrating their 20th year of bringing the world a thunderous concoction of afrobeat, Latin dance rhythms, and good old American funk.

FILM
BRIC JazzFest features one-of-a-kind documentaries that highlight legends in the jazz world.

Let's Get Lost (1988)
Directed by Bruce Weber | 2hrs
Sun, Oct 14 | 4pm
FREE w/ RSVP

"Everyone has a story about Chet." Thus opens director and longtime jazz critic Bruce Weber's documentary feature about the legendary trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker.

Betty Davis: They Say I'm Different (2017)
Directed by Phillip Cox | 1h 32min
Sun, Oct 14 | 6:30pm
FREE w/ RSVP

Original Funk Queen Betty Davis took on 1970s establishment America and changed the course of women in music forever. Then she vanished. Forty years later, Betty, in a creative and constructed narrative, finally shares her extraordinary story.

POETRY
Brooklyn Poetry Slam
Mon, Oct 15 | 7:00PM
FREE w/ RSVP

The Brooklyn Poetry Slam will expand BRIC JazzFest into another dimension, with Brooklyn's best slam poets convening for a gathering of words, wisdom and music to highlight the crisscrossing influences and beats of jazz, poetry and hip-hop. This event, hosted by poet, activist, and educator Mahogany L. Browne and with music by DJ Jive Poetic, will feature a special, to-be-announced poet.

DANCE
Talk 'Trane
Tues, Oct 16 | 6:30PM - 8PM
FREE w/ RSVP

Talk 'Trane is an interactive movement experience that takes participants behind the creative process of the making of Urban Bush Women's evening-length piece, Walking with 'Trane (2015). Walking with 'Trane was inspired by the musical life and spiritual journey of John Coltrane, a composer at the forefront of jazz innovation in a racially-charged America of the '50s and '60s. In this workshop, pianist George Caldwell shares excerpts of his original score and talks about his inspiration for the work, and how he interpreted the music of John Coltrane in his own voice. Urban Bush Women's dancers will informally show excerpts of process and respond to the music Caldwell plays in the moment, demonstrating the collaborative and responsive approach taken in making the piece. Participants are guided through explorations used in the choreographic process and encouraged to respond to the music with their own movement. Talk 'Trane is open to everyone, no dance experience necessary.

DISCUSSION
In Conversation with Nate Chinen
Wed, Oct 17 | 7PM
FREE w/ RSVP

In a conversation about his new book, Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century, one of jazz's leading critics Nate Chinen will discuss the evolution of jazz, and how it exists in contemporary times in both the United States and abroad, along with fellow panelists Terence Blanchard and Camila Meza. Signing will follow, with copies of the book available for sale via Greenlight Bookstore.

MUSIC MARATHON
OCT 18-20 | 7:30PM
$30 Adv / $35 Day-of-show (Per Day)
Limited-quantity 3-day passes $75 Adv
General Admission: STANDING (Limited Seating is First Come, First Served)

BRIC JazzFest culminates in a three-night marathon with ensembles performing staggered sets in multiple spaces throughout BRIC House. You can move freely among performances and catch as many artists as you like each night-all happening in the state-of-the-art Ballroom, the relaxed Stoop overlooking the Mary Mattingly: What Happens After exhibition in the Gallery at BRIC House, and our intimate jazz club in the BRIC Artist Studio.

MARATHON NIGHT 1
Thursday, October 18 at 7:30pm

Featuring Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Stefon Harris & Blackout, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Lakecia Benjamin & SoulSquad, Madison McFerrin, JD Allen, Melanie Charles & Make Jazz Trill Again, and the Yotam Ben-Or Quartet.

MARATHON NIGHT 2
Friday, October 19 at 7:30pm
Featuring Meshell Ndegeocello, Cyrus Chestnut Trio, Keyon Harrold, The Jazz Passengers, Xenia Rubinos, Camila Meza, Michael Sarian & The Chabones, and Yasser Tejeda & Palotré.

MARATHON NIGHT 3
Saturday, October 20 at 7:30pm

Featuring Terence Blanchard and The E-Collective, Brownout Presents: Fear of a Brown Planet ft. Third Root, Deva Mahal, Kat Edmonson, Arnetta Johnson & SUNNY, Resident Alien ft. Ali Sethi & Sunny Jain, Noa Fort, and Freelance.

BRIC JazzFest is also generously supported by TD Bank and The Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment, which supports advancement opportunities for women in the music industry.

BRIC JazzFest's promotional partner is WBGO 88.3FM and All Arts.

About Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that serves as the primary champion for Downtown Brooklyn as a world-class business, cultural, educational, residential, and retail destination. Working together with the three business improvement districts that it manages, the Partnership's diverse activities include attracting new businesses and improving the environment for existing companies; facilitating the construction and maintenance of public spaces and streetscapes that promote an active and cohesive community; supporting and promoting Downtown Brooklyn's cultural assets; and encouraging a unified sense of place and an engaged civic community. For more information, visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com.

About Compass
Compass is a real estate technology company with a powerful end-to-end platform that supports the entire buying and selling workflow. We deliver an incomparable experience to both agents and their clients all in service of the Compass mission: to help everyone find their place in the world. Founded in 2012 by Ori Allon and Robert Reffkin, Compass operates in cities across the United States including: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Aspen, Orange County, Westchester, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Marin, Greenwich, Naples, and The Hamptons. Learn more and find your place at compass.com

About BRIC
BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. The organization presents and incubates work by artists and media-makers that reflects the diversity of New York. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

BRIC's main venue, BRIC House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park; groundbreaking media initiatives, including BRIC TV, BRIC Radio, and Brooklyn Free Speech; and renowned contemporary art exhibitions. BRIC also offers education and community-building programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences. BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables BRIC to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.