At the #NYCWJF this year, we're thrilled to have The Jamie Baum Septet + "Bridges" playing on our marathon's first night (1/12/18) @subculture_nyc at 7:40 PM. Baum has toured the US and over 30 countries performing at major festivals and concert halls throughout the world to much acclaim. She's been a regular on the DownBeat's Critics poll annually since 1998 in the “Top Flutists” category and was # 1 Rising Star Flutist in 2012. Her band is really top shelf and features some Winter JazzFest regulars – Amir ElSaffar (trumpet, vox), Sam Sadigursky (alto sax/bass clarinet), Chris Komer (French horn), Brad Shepik (guitar), John Escreet (piano), Zack Lober (bass, singing bowl), Jeff Hirshfield (drums). Don't miss this fantastic group!
We asked Jamie some questions which she was kind enough to answer – 1: How do you see your music as a catalyst for inspiration and social change? Our music represents a “bridge”, highlighting the similarities found in diverse religious music traditions that connect us, expressed in a modern jazz/improvisatory format played by musicians of those various backgrounds. Including influences from Jewish, Arabic/Muslim and HIndu/South Asian music, the band transforms Baum’s 2014 Guggenheim Award composition project into a unique, high-energy, exciting tapestry taking the listener into territory that feels both familiar and unknown. Compositions include “Song Without Words”, a gentle, soulful ballad influenced by “Kol Nidre” (an Aramaic declaration recited in the Jewish synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur) sung by Amir ElSaffar; “Mantra”, a composition co-composed by Baum and Nepali musician Navin Chettri, based on a Hindu chant to help overcome the fear, and “Joyful Lament”, a high-energy, rock-tinged arrangement of the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan song. The Jamie Baum Septet+ CD "Bridges," conceived in 2013, before there was any mention of a “Border Wall," feels more relevant, vital and necessary today then could have been anticipated!
2: What is Jazz? Jazz - a musical tradition that expands and embraces all influences.
