Flushing Town Hall is celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month in April with an incredible lineup of jazz events, both in person and available to stream for free online for those unable to make it to the venue.
Jazz music programs have been a cornerstone in Flushing Town Hall’s programming for over 40 years and the venue has hosted many jazz legends on its stage, including present and past NEA Jazz Masters Jimmy Heath, Jimmy Owens, Barry Harris, Sheila Jordan, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Ron Carter, Cándido Camero, Paquito D’Rivera and a number of incredible female jazz artists, such as Akua Allrich, and many more.
The cultural nonprofit also founded the Queens Jazz Orchestra in 2008, published a Queens Jazz Trail map in 1998, and has hosted 15 years of NEA Jazz Master concerts and a decade of monthly Louis Armstrong Legacy Jazz Jams for novice and experienced artists to come together.
Here is a lineup of this month’s events:
Bill Charlap Trio, Friday, April 8 at 8 p.m.
In-person tickets are $25 for general admission and $20 for members. Virtual viewing is free.
One of the leading ensembles in jazz, the Grammy Award-nominated Bill Charlap Trio, will kick off Jazz Appreciation Month at Flushing Town Hall.
Featuring Grammy-winning pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, the Bill Charlap Trio was formed nearly 25 years ago in 1997 and earned Grammy nominations for “Uptown Downtown (Impulse!/Verve), Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein,” and “The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard” — both on the Blue Note label.
In November 2021, the Bill Charlap Trio released its latest album “Street of Dreams.” Jazz Times said“Street of Dreams” is simply a reminder of how terrific an album of straight-ahead piano-trio standards can be.” At their performance on April 8, the trio will play some of their new songs on Flushing Town Hall’s stage.
The Bill Charlap Trio tours all over the world and its New York engagements include regular appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Village Vanguard.
Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam, Wednesday, April 13 at 7 p.m.
In-person tickets are $10 FREE for Members, Students, & Jamming Musicians. Virtual viewing is free.
One of Flushing Town Hall’s most popular recurring jazz events, the Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam, invites jazz students, musicians, and music educators to Flushing Town Hall’s theatre to make and share music together. The house band led by saxophonist Carol Sudhalter opens each jam with the work of Louis Armstrong.
New Music Horizons, Sunday, April 24, 2:00 p.m.
In-person tickets are $10 for general admission and free for seniors, students and members. Virtual viewing is free.
New Music Horizons returns to Flushing Town Hall to present two dynamic composers: classical composer Alicia Lieu and jazz composer Mark Wade. Lieu presents new material from her opera in progress, “Unwrapping Fortune,” which follows the adventures of protagonists Ivy and Kwan Fai through the themes of love and Chinese food. The Mark Wade Trio will perform with their brand of group interplay and expressive improvisation that has brought them an international following.
Wade has been voted one of the top bassists five of the last six years by the prestigious Downbeat Magazine Readers Poll. Wade has played with notable jazz artists such as James Spaulding, Jimmy Heath, Conrad Herwig, Harry Whitaker, Pete McGuinness, Peter Eldridge, Don Byron and Stacey Kent.
Lieu is the founder of the Composers Collective, Pitches Brew, and New York Con-ducting Institute. She has conducted master classes in New York, St. Petersburg, Russia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Her teachers include Maestros John Keenan and Paul Nadler of the New York Metropolitan Opera. Lieu has won first prize in the UCSB Wind Ensemble Composition Competition.
Those unable to attend in person can join the live stream of any performance mentioned above and tune in virtually for free on Flushing Town Hall’s YouTube page but donations are greatly appreciated. For tickets and information, visit www.FlushingTownHall.org or call 718-463-7700 x222.
For the venue’s full schedule of 2022 Spring events, visit www.flushingtownhall.org/events.
