Innovative Song Cycle Explores Spirituality, Nature, and Gardening

New York City based cellist, vocalist and composer Jody Redhage and her band Fire in July will perform at Boston’s Kaji Aso Studio on Friday, July 23, 2010 at 8 pm. Admission is $10. Kaji Aso Studio is located at 40 Saint Stephen Street in Boston, MA. Phone is (617) 247-1719.

Fire in July is comprised of Jody Redhage, voice & cello; Daisy Press, voice; Alan Ferber, trombone; and Tom Beckham, vibraphone. At this concert, the band will premiere Redhage’s new song cycle “The Spirit of the Garden,” using poetry that explores the nexus of spirituality and nature. The lyrics are from poets from all over the world: French, Japanese, American, and middle eastern–all different traditions that celebrate gardens as an artistic medium and a source for spiritual reflection and inspiration. Kaji Aso Studio itself has been a large source of inspiration behind the song cycle, as Fire in July performed at the Studio in July 2009 and became familiarized with the art institute’s philosophy and worldview. The Studio’s mission statement includes the statement, “The value of nature is stressed as an inspirational and endless source of material” and “Art does not come from art…art comes from life.” The evening offers audience members a chance to experience nature’s inspiration as expressed through music, poetry, the visual arts (painting and watercolor) and through gardening. Before and after the concert the audience is invited to visit Kaji Aso’s own Japanese garden behind the studio and view the paintings and watercolors in the studio’s galleries. Several of the studio’s experts on Haiku will be in attendance and available to discuss their creative processes with the audience.

Called an “adventurous cello songstress” by Time Out NY, cellist, composer, and vocalist Jody Redhage is “a new music dynamo…Redhage is cultivating a repertoire of indie art song that breaches genre boundaries and makes for stirring listening” (MusicWorks Magazine). Redhage has spent the past eight years developing the ability to simultaneously sing and play rhythmically complex and intricate lines. Her passion is setting 20th and 21st century American poetry into art song, and she principally composes for her ensemble Fire in July. Redhage’s compositions meld the detail and finesse of chamber music with the energy and drive of jazz improvisation and more popular genres. With tinges of Medieval chanson and hints of Kurt Weill, Redhage creates a captivating blend of genres that simply comes across as her own unique voice.

Fire in July released their debut album Ancient Star on Sept. 15, 2009. Ancient Star has been called “a real accomplishment, refreshing and enjoyable, music that is exploring and pioneering a new style and doing so with real thought and skill” – George Grella, The Big City. Having begun composing at age 19, Jody studied composition at the University of California Berkeley and cello performance at the Manhattan School of Music. In New York, Jody continued her composition studies with Bang on a Can founder Julia Wolfe. Redhage has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, and on NBC, CBS, and ABC. Redhage’s original compositions have also been featured on several NPR stations across the country, including a recent feature of songs from “Ancient Star” on WNYC’s Spinning on Air.

New York City based cellist, vocalist and composer Jody Redhage and her band Fire in July will perform at Baltimore’s An die Musik LIVE! on Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 8 and 9:30 pm, to kick off the group’s Summer 2010 east coast tour. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students/seniors. An die Musik LIVE! is located at 409 North Charles Street, Second Floor, in Baltimore, Maryland. Phone is 888.221.6170 or 410.385.2638.

Fire in July is comprised of Jody Redhage, voice & cello; Daisy Press, voice; Alan Ferber, trombone; and Tim Collins, vibraphone. At this concert, the band will be previewing new music that has been written for the upcoming song cycle “The Spirit of the Garden,” using poetry that explores the nexus of spirituality and nature.  The lyrics are from poets from all over the world: French, Japanese, American, middle eastern–all different traditions that celebrate spirituality through gardening.

Called an “adventurous cello songstress” by Time Out NY, cellist, composer, and vocalist Jody Redhage is “a new music dynamo…Redhage is cultivating a repertoire of indie art song that breaches genre boundaries and makes for stirring listening” (MusicWorks Magazine).  Redhage has spent the past seven years developing the ability to simultaneously sing and play rhythmically complex and intricate lines.  Her passion is setting 20th and 21st century American poetry into art song, and she principally composes for her ensemble Fire in July.  Redhage’s compositions meld the detail and finesse of chamber music with the energy and drive of jazz improvisation and more popular genres. With tinges of Medieval chanson and hints of Kurt Weill, Redhage creates a captivating blend of genres that simply comes across as her own unique voice.

Fire in July released their debut album Ancient Star on Sept. 15, 2009.  Ancient Star has been called “a real accomplishment, refreshing and enjoyable, music that is exploring and pioneering a new style and doing so with real thought and skill” – George Grella, The Big City. The band features: Jody Redhage, voice, cello, compositions; Ken Thomson, clarinet & bass clarinet; Alan Ferber, trombones; Tom Beckham, vibraphone; and Fred Kennedy, drums & percussion.

Having begun composing at age 19, Jody studied composition at the University of California Berkeley and cello performance at the Manhattan School of Music. In New York, Jody continued her composition studies with Bang on a Can founder Julia Wolfe. Redhage has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, and on NBC, CBS, and ABC. Redhage’s original compositions have also been featured on several NPR stations across the country, including a recent feature of songs from “Ancient Star” on WNYC’s Spinning on Air.

Make Music New York, described by city officials as “one of the largest musical events in the city’s history,” is back for a fourth year of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City, all on the first day of summer.

This year, for the first time, there will be nine stages of music in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. All performances are free and outdoors.

SCHEDULE – ALL PERFORMANCES BELOW ARE IN DUMBO, BROOKLYN

The Archway – under the Manhattan Bridge
1-1:45pm Lucky Chops Brass Band - blues/hip hop/jazz
2-2:45pm William B. Johnson’s Drumadics – percussion and horns
3:15-4:45pm DJs from halcyon the shop – DJ dance music
5-5:45pm Mass Appeal Percussion: Mantra Percussion – percussion with electronics
6:30-7:15pm Mass Appeal: French Horn Nation! – french horns
7:30-9pm DJs from halcyon the shop – DJ dance music

Dumbo Arts Center - 30 Washington street
1:30-2:15pm Xenia Rubinos – experimental/pop/world
4:30-5:15pm Threefifty Duo – classical guitar duo
6-6:45pm Jody Redhage and Fire in July** –  classical/pop chamber vocal
7:30-8:15 Nathan W. McKee – live electronic

The Main Street portion of Brooklyn Bridge Park
10-10:45am Shake, Rattle & Roll** – hands on family drumming
11:30-12:15 Oran Etkin: Wake Up Clarinet! – children’s music/jazz
1-1:45pm Famous Accordion Orchestra – accordion quartet, from Bach to Kraftwerk
2:30-3:15pm Threeds – oboe trio
4-4:45pm Valerie Plauché – participatory singing
5:30-6:15pm UpBeat NYC** – kids/world/jazz/classical
7-7:45pm Shinbone Alley Stilt Band – jazz band on stilts
8:30-9:15pm William B. Johnson’s Drumadics – percussion and horns

Bubby’s - 1 Main Street
12-12:45 Rona Figueroa rock/alternative/indie
1-1:45pm Dylan Rice singer/songwriter
6-6:45pm Lale Sayoko and Kenji Williams – belly dance with violinist
7-7:45pm Raya Brass Band** world music
8-8:45pm Pete Sturman singer/songwriter

Galapagos - 16 Main St
2pm Scott Alexander nonrepetitive pop
3pm The Mighty Third Rail spoken word/hip hop
4pm Joanna Parson comedy singer/songwriter
5pm Copal world music

Jacques Torres Chocolate - 66 Water Street
11-11:45am Floanne French chansons
12:15-1:15 Hilliard Greene – jazz/bass
1:30-2:30 Fiona Crawford – singer
3-4pm Daniel Reyes Llinas – jazz quartet
5-5:45pm Vlada Tomova and Chris Rael Balkan
6:30-7:15pm Issa Cabrera** jazz/latin/world

Bargemusic - 2 Old Fulton Street
7-8:30pm Voxare String Quartet - instrumental classical

Pier one - Brooklyn Bridge Park
12-12:45 Carolyn Enger – classical piano
1-1:45pm Tomasz Halat – classical piano
2-2:45pm Opera for Humanity – opera
4:30-5:15pm Gamelan Son of Lion Javanese – Balinese percussion

Fulton Ferry landing - 2 Old Fulton Street
3-3:45pm The Petr Cancura Band - sax drums and guitar trio
4-4:45pm House of Waters – world music - hammered dulcimer
5-5:45pm Dylan Rice – singer/songwriter
6-6:45pm Voices of Gotham – a cappella choir
9-9:30pm Cassis & the Sympathies – alternative pop

68 Jay St Bar at the corner of Jay and Water Street
6 & 9:30pm The Strung Out String Band – Appalachian old time jigs
7pm The Maybelles – “Up tempo soulful country”
8pm Will Scott – Americana Hill Country Blues
9pm Special Mystery Guest

**NOTE these performers are recipients of Brooklyn Arts Council Grants.

“Make Music New York is a great example of why New York City is one of the world’s cultural capitals,” says Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “With performances ranging from beginning musicians to world-class ensembles, Make Music New York gives residents and visitors a chance to experience the City’s diverse musical riches in their own backyards or explore the sights and sounds of other neighborhoods.” As always, MMNY takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 300 cities around the world, all based on France’s Fête de la Musique. Further details can be found at www.makemusicny.org.

Major support for Make Music New York 2010 is provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Media partners include Metro New York, Time Out New York, and WNYC.

The New York City based Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble, a genre bending ensemble that performs original music rooted in jazz, classical, folk, and pop, will kick off its east coast tour with a performance at The Stone Church in Brattleboro, Vermont on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 7:30 pm. The Ensemble’s tour continues with performances at Kaji Aso in Boston on Friday, June 11 and at Baltimore’s An Die Musik on Saturday, June 12.

Poised to release their first CD, The Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble has received enthusiastic praise from music fans and critics alike. The group features Jody Redhage on cello and vocals, violinist Zach Brock, and pianist Steve Hudson.

Praised by Keyboard Magazine for his “exquisite compositions” and for the “quest for beauty in his lines that evoke the masters,” Steve Hudson maintains a busy performance schedule with performances in the US, Canada, and Europe with his chamber ensemble and other projects. Steve is cofounder of Outer Bridge Ensemble (OBE), a collective of musicians whose experimental yet groove oriented works are featured in three recordings. In 2004 and 2009 the group received funding from the Canada Council to tour Canada. Hudson was a finalist in the International Song Writing Competition for his composition “Mingus Moon.” Several of his original works for OBE were recently recorded and featured on CBC radio’s web site. He is presently composing an extended suite with saxophonist Claire Daly to be premiered in 2011 at the Juneau Jazz Classics in Alaska. For the summer of 2010, Steve will be touring Canada with OBE, opening for Cedar Walton and Roy Hargrove at the Calgary Jazz Festival, and Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. In addition to performance work, Hudson teaches music at Raritan Valley Community College, the Arts Council of Princeton, and performs outreach concerts in NYC for Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Violinist Zach Brock has collaborated with artists such as bassist Stanley Clarke, Alice Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette, Mose Allison, Kurt Elling, Chris Potter, and The Mahavishnu Project. Cellist Jody Redhage is a rising star on the chamber and new music scene and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She has collaborated with members of the Tokyo String Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Neil Diamond. Drummer/percussionist.

Trombonist Alan Ferber‘s new CD “Alan Ferber Nonet with Strings: Chamber Songs” is being released on Sunnyside Records next week. He is having a CD launch party/show on Thursday May 13th at 9pm and 10:30pm at the Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street (West Village). The show features the tunes from the new album for his nonet plus string octet.

Cellist/vocalist/composer Jody Redhage and her band Fire in July will be the third featured performing ensemble in the inaugural season of Music at First on April 16th, 2010 at 7:30pm. Music at First is a new music series held at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn through May, 2010. First Presbyterian Church is located in Brooklyn Heights at 124 Henry St. Directions are at www.fpcbrooklyn.org. There is a $10 suggested donation at the door with no advance reservations or ticket sales. Contact musicatfirst@gmail.com for more info.

This series, curated by Wil Smith (composer who also serves as organist at First Presbyterian), occurs monthly, featuring one performer or ensemble per evening. Smith describes Music at First as “a diverse mix of New York City’s best new music ensembles and performers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned new music listeners.” Flute/percussionist duo Conor Nelson and Ayano Kataoka will close the season with a performance on May 28 (CD release). The series began in February, 2010 with a performance by Threefifty Duo and continued in March with a “critic’s choice” (Time Out NY) performance by pianist Kathleen Supové.

Called an “adventurous cello songstress” by Time Out NY, cellist, composer, and vocalist Jody Redhage is “a new music dynamo…Redhage is cultivating a repertoire of indie art song that breaches genre boundaries and makes for stirring listening” (MusicWorks Magazine).  Redhage has spent the past seven years developing the ability to simultaneously sing and play rhythmically complex and intricate lines.  Her passion is setting 20th and 21st century American poetry into art song, and she principally composes for her ensemble Fire in July.  Redhage’s compositions meld the detail and finesse of chamber music with the energy and drive of jazz improvisation and more popular genres. With tinges of Medieval chanson and hints of Kurt Weill, Redhage creates a captivating blend of genres that simply comes across as her own unique voice.

Fire in July released their debut album Ancient Star on Sept. 15, 2009.  Ancient Star has been called “a real accomplishment, refreshing and enjoyable, music that is exploring and pioneering a new style and doing so with real thought and skill” – George Grella, The Big City. The band features: Jody Redhage, voice, cello, compositions; Ken Thomson, clarinet & bass clarinet; Alan Ferber, trombones; Tom Beckham, vibraphone; and Fred Kennedy, drums & percussion. At this concert, the band will be previewing some new music that is being written for the upcoming song cycle “The Spirit of the Garden,” using poetry that explores the nexus of spirituality and nature.

Having begun composing at age 19, Jody studied composition at the University of California Berkeley and cello performance at the Manhattan School of Music. In New York, Jody continued her composition studies with Bang on a Can founder Julia Wolfe. Redhage has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, and on NBC, CBS, and ABC. Redhage’s original compositions have also been featured on several NPR stations across the country, including a recent feature of songs from “Ancient Star” on WNYC’s Spinning on Air.