2012 Cary awardee Connection Works (formed in 2007 by jazz musicians) engages the Brooklyn community with performances, presentations, development, and education of jazz and other creative music. It has since earned a reputation as a premiere organization that values its performers and their work. Connection Works’ programs promote and facilitate new work by established and up-and-coming artists alike providing alternatives to the jazz nightclub experience in forums that nourish the astonishing number of brilliant artists in our borough.
Connection Works has presented over 200 concerts, master classes and workshops, propelling the organization to the forefront of the Brooklyn jazz scene. In six seasons, its premiere concert series Brooklyn Jazz Wide Open, has presented 40 concerts and musical dialogues meriting large-scale international attention, maintaining the highest standards in performance and education, presented in a community-based format. This past season’s lineup included luminaries such as the Fred Hersch & Ralph Alessi Duo, the Mivos Quartet, Scott Colley, David Binney, Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble, Michel Gentile Quintet, Daniel Kelly Trio, and the Rob Garcia 4. For the past 3 years, Connection Works has partnered with the Brooklyn Jazz Underground in producing and curating a weekly concert series called Underground Works which provides a platform to hundreds of gifted musicians from the Brooklyn Jazz scene and beyond.