The Knockdown Center in Maspeth is going to get its wings, as the fifth annual Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York is coming to the event space for its final stop in May.
Starting on April 29 and running through May 21, the Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York will take over some of the city’s biggest and most notable venues to feature performances by some of today’s biggest musical artists, conversation sessions with creative trailblazers, tributes to iconic New York City musicians, and celebrations of the many cultural influences on NYC nightlife.
The yearly festival will bring its legacy of original programming to the Knockdown Center on May 21 to honor the life and work of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda, an American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, singer, composer, and the wife of the famed saxophonist John Coltrane.
Ten years after her death, artists — including her son Ravi Coltrane — will celebrate her music in a two-part performance.
The first part of the performance will be a musical piece inspired by the Sunday ceremonies Turiyasangitananda held at her Sai Anantam Ashram in California. The music will be timed to coincide with sundown, and the powerful, spiritual music will be performed by an ensemble led by music director Surya Botofasina, who grew up at the Ashram.
For the second half of the performance, Ravi Coltrane will lead a concert featuring an all-star band playing music from throughout his mother’s career.
Other shows will be held at venues across the city including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Artists whose work will be featured through the festival include Solange, Gucci Mane, Zaytoven and Moodymann.
Lectures will feature filmmaker Werner Herzog and experimental music composer Alvin Lucier.
The festival will also bring a wide range of global and gay underground music scenes to the city with a night of Brazilian funk known as “proibidão,” house music from South Africa, and DJ crews from across the country.
Tickets for all shows during the Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York are currently on sale at the Red at https://nyc.redbullmusicacademy.com. Tickets for the May 21 event at the Knockdown Center can be purchased through the Red Bull website or the Knockdown Center’s website.
