In association with the New York Hot Jazz Festival
Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9 is an artistic collaboration destined to happen. Ever since New Orleans singer and pianist Henry Butler settled in Brooklyn, it was only a matter of time before the gifted pianist and vocalist hooked up with retro-futurist trumpeter and bandleader Steven Bernstein. Master musician, pianist and vocalist Henry Butler tells stories through the rise, swing, and rumble of his fingers as they channel sounds as diverse as his Louisiana birthplace: jazz, Caribbean, classical, pop, blues and R&B, among others. Together, trumpeter/maestro Steven Bernstein and the fiery unit he calls the Hot 9 use a traditional New Orleans palate as their launching point, exploring everything from early 20th century blues to thoughtful and exhilarating improvisations on the Crescent City canon.
Take a blustery brass lineup, layer it over a rhythm section led by a stride-piano virtuoso in the Fats Waller vein, and tie the whole thing together with a frontwoman with a voice from another era, and you have the Hot Sardines. It’s a great American success story worthy of the cinema. A born-and-bred NYC actor meets a Parisian-born writer at an open jazz jam over a noodle shop in Manhattan, and from there the Hot Sardines were born. Bandleader Evan “Bibs” Palazzo and lead singer Miz Elizabeth combine with the Sardine ensemble of powerhouse musicians – and their very own tap dancer – to play “hot jazz” as it was in the era when live music was king… with a little glamour, a little grit, and a lot of passion. Even while giving voice to the history-defining jazz of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, the Hot Sardines’ vibrant performances bridge generations and captivate 21st century audiences. Forbes Magazine calls them “one of the best jazz bands in NYC today.”
Trumpeter/Vocalist Bria Skonberg is “poised to be one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.”(Wall Street Journal) A specialist in classic American hot jazz, Skonberg expands the vocabulary and traditions of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet with worldly rhythms and modern jazz variance. Her US debut album “So Is The Day” peaked at #7 on the National Jazz Charts, and featured original compositions and NOLA inspired stylistic fusions. Skonberg has been awarded the Jazz At Lincoln Center Swing! Award (2015), DownBeat Magazine Rising Star (2013-15), The New York Bistro Awards Outstanding Jazz Artist (2014), Hot House Magazine Best Vocal, Best Trumpet (2014-15), a nominee for Jazz Journalists’ Association Up and Coming Artist (2013), and more. She is an educator, Co-Director/Co-Founder of the New York Hot Jazz Camp, and Co-Founder of the New York Hot Jazz Festival (2012-). Bria Skonberg is a Bach/Conn-Selmer Artist.
Bria Skonberg will perform with the New York Hot Jazz All-Stars featuring Anat Cohen on clarinet, Vince Giordano on bass, Joe Saylor (from Jon Batiste’s band) on drums, and Dalton Ridenhour on piano. Additional artists forthcoming.