#craig carpenter

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Daniela Riojas, front woman for Femina-X performing at Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia PA, 3/22/17. Concert photography by Craig Carpenter.

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Lion Babe performing at Afropunk's "Carnival of Consciousness" Atlanta, GA 10/16/16. Concert photography by Craig Carpenter

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Esperanza Spalding performing with The Revive Big Band at SummerStage at Central Park, 8/7/16. Concert photography by Craig Carpenter.

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Judith Hill performing at The Highline Ballroom, NYC, 6/22/16. Concert photography by Craig Carpenter

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When you get a chance to witness one of the true and legendary greats, you go. Neville O'Riley Livingstone, also known as Bunny Wailer is a founding member of The Wailers - without a doubt the most influential reggae groups ever. He walked onto the stage as the band played the anthemic and canonic "Rastaman Chant", steps to the microphone and lets loose his unmistakeable voice, to the delight of the max capacity NYC audience. After a more than twenty year absence, the crowd was witness to a history lesson from one of the masters that, for more than a few,, was a bucket list moment. I don't have enough superlatives for this space to explain, but suffices to say that my reservoir was filled. Bunny Wailer performing in NYC, 5/1/16. Concert Photography by Craig Carpenter

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Before last week I had never heard of Steven Bernstein before. It’s probably not possible to know all of the players in New York City’s music scene, even if they have a long history. All I know is that Antibalas, the long-time Brooklyn based afrobeat ensemble had announced him as a guest performer as part of their monthly residency at Brooklyn Bowl. They earned my trust as purveyors of good music years ago, so I’d enthusiastically lend an ear when Mr. Bernstein hit the stage. Martín Perna, the band’s founder, introduced him as one of their mentors, both musically and professionally, and expressed what a great honor it was to share the stage with him. Again, many of us in the audience were unfamiliar, but it was clear from the way he strode up to the mic stand that he’d come to play. And play, he did. Wielding a slide trumpet, he beamed mastery and confidence. My colleague, shooting photos beside me asked, “who is this guy?”, remarking on the way he served as both bandleader and guest, with a swagger - perhaps learned or earned in NYC, but utterly convincing, either way. The entirety of the great Antibalas band, ten members, looked on and played with the admiration of younger brothers being invited to hang with their coolest, eldest brother, and produced a full-on brass clinic. I could say this was as surprising as it was entertaining. But it wasn’t. It was just another night that Antibalas and their friends made Brooklyn proud.

Steven Bernstein performing with Antibalas at Brooklyn Bowl, Williamsburg, NY, 3/9/16. #concertphotography by #craigcarpenter

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I've been a Gil Scott Heron fan for my entire life. His music always reflected struggle and activism, consciousness and cultural and political awareness. Lesser known to many were the contributions of his longtime collaborator Brian Jackson, who provided songwriting, vocals, keys, and his signature flute. While I'd seen and met Scott-Heron numerous times, I'd never been able to say that about Jackson. That changed this week when he joined the stage with Antibalas for their monthly residency at Williamsburg's Brooklyn Bowl. This was a bucket list moment, for me, that for some reason I never thought would happen. He performed two of my favorites, "It's Your World" and "Home Is Where The Hatred Is". As part of their catalog, those songs represented opposite poles of the human experience; empowerment, with the former, and recovery from personal failings with the latter. These were profound songs, as was always the case from this duo. I miss Gil Scott Heron. He was an important artist playing important music. But Thursday I got to see Brian Jackson and, with the backing of Antibalas, it felt just as important, and I can't be more thankful.

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I've now seen Antibalas perform 6 or 7 times, and it's hard to ever say one show was better than the others. For those familiar with the band, whose name means "bulletproof" in Spanish, these nights are always a wonder. Williamsburg's Brooklyn Bowl hosted them again as part of a monthly residency, bringing along openers, El Imperio, as well as guests Takuya Kuroda, Brian Jackson and Steven Bernstein. For those who know what all of that means, this is quite literally as good as it can get. For those who have yet to see for themselves, there's another show next month.