Rainbow Blonde Records Announces Showcase For NYC Winter JazzFest

LA-based independent record label and multidisciplinary collective Rainbow Blonde has announced a showcase as part of NYC's Winter Jazzfest at Rough Trade on January 17. The show is a collaborative event to showcase the full roster of Rainbow Blonde Records, plus many treasured community members, featuring performances by Grammy Award winner Ben Williams (whose upcoming album I AM A MAN drops February 7), Taali, Aneesa Strings, Keyon Harrold, J. Hoard, and José James. Of the event, Rainbow Blonde co-founder Talia Billig stated "This stage is the largest and proudest example of this movement to date, live and in the moment."

Billig, Brian Bender, and José James built the label on on a few simple principles: Rainbow Blonde is run by artists for artists, it's a one-stop shop with a superstar in-house crew, music is culture - not product, and none of this works if you aren't having fun doing it. Rainbow Blonde is more than a label. It is more than a collection of artists, and it is a movement. Inspired by Janelle Monae's Wondaland Arts Society, Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder, and Solange's Saint Heron, Rainbow Blonde is a space allowing artists to be fully creative without feeling inundated by the confines of big business, and has grown into a worldwide community of creators who saw a system not made for them and built their own.

Championing diversity and inclusivity, the collective crosses culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender and sexual orientation - both their lineup and executive team, is over 50% female identifying - and represents a celebration of the whole. With an art department which, alongside legendary photographer Janette Beckman, also includes former Blue Note Records designer Hayden Miller, and in-house producer/engineer Brian Bender, whose credits span both music (Bing & Ruth, KT Tunstall) and film (Lemon, The Mars Generation), the label is releasing projects from José James, Ben Williams, Taali, Bright & Guilty and beyond, showing they are more than just musicians. They are songwriters, photographers, videographers, business managers, artists, producers, creative directors, and a worldwide community.

Photo Credit: Janette Beckman

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