Jazz
Nashua Arts - Preservation Hall Jazz Band
At a moment when musical streams are crossing with unprecedented frequency, it’s crucial to remember that throughout its history, New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converge, mingle, and resurface, transformed by the Crescent City’s inimitable spirit and joie de vivre. Nowhere is that idea more vividly embodied than in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 60 years, all the while carrying it enthusiastically forward as a reminder that the history they were founded to preserve is a vibrantly living history.
PHJB marches that tradition forward once again on So It Is. The album redefines what New Orleans music means today by tapping into a sonic continuum that stretches back to the city’s Afro-Cuban roots, through its common ancestry with the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and the Fire Music of Pharoah Sanders and John Coltrane, and forward to cutting-edge artists with whom the PHJB have shared festival stages from Coachella to Newport, including legends like Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and the Grateful Dead and modern giants like Beck, The Foo Fighters, My Morning Jacket, and the Black Keys.
Groton Hill Jam Nights (5)
Friendly jams for friendly people, led by our fun faculty performers.
Music is a collaborative art form, bringing us together to listen, learn, and rip a few hot breaks. Join us as we open Groton Hill’s inspiring facilities to jammers from across the region. Pick your favorite genre and play, move from room to room, or just hang out with friends to listen over a pint. Jams will run every second Tuesday from September through June!
Ages 16+ welcome!
Groton Hill Jam Nights (6)
Friendly jams for friendly people, led by our fun faculty performers.
Music is a collaborative art form, bringing us together to listen, learn, and rip a few hot breaks. Join us as we open Groton Hill’s inspiring facilities to jammers from across the region. Pick your favorite genre and play, move from room to room, or just hang out with friends to listen over a pint. Jams will run every second Tuesday from September through June!
Ages 16+ welcome!
Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Marcus Gilmore
Join us for a rare opportunity to experience a special Concert Hall collab with three Grammy-winning jazz artists who rarely tour together.
One of the most lyrical voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau’s unique path embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism and pop allure. He has worked with artists including Pat Metheny, Renée Fleming, and Joshua Redman, and garnered awards and admiration for his own compositions and re-workings of songs by The Beatles, Cole Porter, Radiohead, Paul Simon, and George Gershwin.
Bassist, composer, and bandleader Christian McBride fronts acclaimed ensembles including Inside Straight and The Christian McBride Big Band. From a kaleidoscope of jazz styles to R&B, and pop/rock, Latin, and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, McBride’s expansive skills have produced nine Grammy awards. In addition, he is Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz Festival, Creative Chair for Jazz with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and hosts National Public Radio’s Jazz Night in America.
Drummer and composer Marcus Gilmore – grandson of iconic drummer Roy Haynes – can be heard on the soundtrack for the film “Soul.” He has worked with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Robert Glasper, Vijay Iyer, Derrick Hodge, Jill Scott, Norah Jones, Terrence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, and Terrace Martin.
Nashua Arts - iLuminate
From the moment the lights fade to darkness, you are transported into another world…another dimension, where the music moves you and the visuals are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Welcome to the world of iLuminate, named “Best New Act in America” by America’s Got Talent in 2011. A fantastic fusion of cutting edge technology and dance that has been wowing the world ever since appearing on AGT over a decade ago…to performing one of Las Vegas’ top shows to this day. iLuminate features a brilliant cast of the country’s top dancers performing to energetic music – including top Pop and Rock hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, a little jazz, a little Latin, a little hip hop and more. The dancers are outfitted with customized LED suits synced to iLuminate’s proprietary software to create extraordinary lighting effects with each of the phenomenally choreographed dance moves.
iLuminate has been featured on shows like Dancing with the Stars, The X-Factor, Good Morning America, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The American Music Awards, MTV’s Video Music Awards, BET Awards, The Nickelodeon Awards, Billboard, and Latin Billboard Awards. The dancers (and Miral’s technology) have also shared the stage with stars like Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas, and Death Cab For Cutie.