Roy Haynes / Rene Marie’s ‘Experiment In Truth’ / Derrick Hodge / ERIMAJ

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the beloved late summer jazz favorite, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. Come celebrate with a day’s worth of jazz legends and rising stars.

Roy Haynes is the pulse of legendary jazz. For over fifty years Haynes has influenced and innovated, shaping some of the greatest recordings in jazz, while his joyous drumming with the legends of the genre has altered the very fabric and direction of jazz improvisation. Haynes’ unrelenting “hard swing” sound has graced a who’s-who list of jazz icons like Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie. His newest project, the Fountain of Youth Band, assembles Jaleel Shaw, Martin Bejerano and David Wong with Haynes at the forefront, proving that he is influencing the next generation of jazz artists just as he has those of the past.

Rene Marie, the award winning singer whose style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and Gospel, has quickly become a heroine to many. Since the release of her recording debut Renaissance, this Colorado based heroine has evolved into one of the greatest and most sensuous vocalists of our time. Rene Marie shows her skill as she sings in three languages on her latest album, Voice of My Beautiful Country, winning a spot on NPR’s Best Jazz Albums of 2011 list. With a passionate, powerful voice, Rene Marie has drawn a legion of fans and music critics who find themselves not only entertained, but encouraged and deeply impacted by her performances. http://www.renemarie.com 

Bassist Derrick Hodge represents something inventive and refreshing, fronting the wave of a unique generation of renaissance musicians working across all genres without borders. Hodge has spent his youthful career transcending musical trends. He composes and performs throughout various genres of hip-hop, Gospel, R&B, chamber orchestra, pop, funk, singer/songwriter and jazz, and has performed and/or recorded with Grammy nominated and awarded artists such as Maxwell, Common, and Sade.  His debut recording, Live Today, which will be released on Blue Note Records in 2013, is a melting pot of sound and emotions and a showcase of his widely respected versatility and melodic sensitivity. Produced by Jill Newman Productions

Jamire Williams is a thriving, world renowned musician, producer and composer on the New York City music scene. With an extensive background and education routed in jazz and the performing arts, Williams heads his band, ERIMAJ, a progressive, jazz influenced but genre defying group of musicians. The New York Times has referred to Williams’ drumming as “fluid narrative improvising, as well as beats like fragmented hip-hop.”

In celebration of the 20th anniversary, we will be presenting 5  word artists / poets between sets who will help celebrate the legacy of Charlie Parker and further illuminate jazz in a diverse way. Saturday’s artists include: Edwin Torres and LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs.

Edwin Torres is a bi-lingual poet, native of New York City, and a member of the groundbreaking poetry collective “Nuyorican Poets Café Live” that helped revitalize Spoken Word back in the 1990′s. He’s included in the forthcoming anthology, American Poets in the 21st Century: The New Poetics Vol. 2,and the author of seven poetry collections, including, Yes Thing No Thing (Roof Books), and most recently a book of children’s poems, One Night: Poems For The Sleepy(Red Glass Books). He’s received fellowships from NYFA, The Foundation For Contemporary Performing Arts, and The Poetry Fund.

LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs is a writer and musician.  Her poetry has been published in Ploughshares, Jubilat,Fence, Rattapallax, Nocturnes, and LA Review. She has received awards from Cave Canem, Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center, VCCA, New York Foundation for the Arts, Harlem Community Arts Fund, Jerome Foundation, Barbara Deming Memorial Grant and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She is the co-editor of YoYO/SO₄ magazine. Her poetry collection, TwERK, is forthcoming on Belladonna Books.

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