SummerStage This Week

DJ Kid Capri, Black Sheep, and Peter Gunz
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 7:00PM
Soundview Park

Black Sheep is a hip-hop duo from Queens, NY comprised of Andres “Dres” Titus and William “Mista Lawnge” McLean. The group was a part of Native Tounges, a collective of rising hip-hop stars headed by Afrika Bambata and also including A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, among many others. They debuted in 1991 with the hit song “Flavor of the Month” and later released the full album “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” which sold close to 900,000 copies, gaining them acclaim in the hip-hop community. The popular song from the album, “The Choice is Yours” spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.

Peter Gunz was a member of the 90s hip-hop duo, “Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz.” The duo released their only album in 1998 entitled, “Make It Reign.” The album peaked at #38 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and featured collaborations with Big Pun, Fat Joe and Cam’ron among others.

Bronx native David Anthony Love, also known by his stage name as DJ Kid Capri started dropping beats at the ripe age of 8. As a teen he already had a solid gig at famed nightclub studio 54 where he developed a grassroots following from selling mix tapes. Since then Kid Capri has grown to be one of the most recognizable djs in the world. He performed on the popular show Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jams for 7 seasons and has toured with artists such as Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, L.L. Cool J, and many more. This ambitious turntable veteran is sure to have audiences dancing anywhere he performs.

Larry Harlow and The Latin Legends Band
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 7:00PM
Soundview Park

Larry Harlow and The Latin Legends Band

With over 40 years in the music industry, Larry Harlow has made significant contributions to Afro-Cuban music, taking instruments and rhythms and infusing them with his personal musical style.

At the famed Latin music label, Fania Records, he became one of the leading Latin music producers in the world, producing over 300 CDs and garnering several Grammy nominations.

With his group, Larry Harlow and The Latin Legends Band, they have spread the infectious rhythm of Latin music to audiences around the world. The group has a famed, “thick sound” composed of high pitches from the horn section mingled with the fast, steady beats of a variety of percussions, the harmonic voice of a piano and the vocals of four or five musicians. Larry Harlow and The Latin Legends moves audiences with their music, especially “when the energy builds, the riffs, the singing, the solos, the percussion all lock in…moving at different times but for the same purpose,” according to The New York Times.

Hector Tricoche / Chris Alfinez
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 7:00PM
Soundview Park

Hector Tricoche / Chris Alfinez

One of the Original Salsa Kings, Hector Tricoche is an internationally acclaimed Latin pop and salsa musician who is noted for his impressively high and melodic voice and richly textured versatile musical compilations.

Critics have praised him for combining a harmonious voice with the creative snappiness of an improvisation artist. His live performances roar to life with a swinging brass and bass orchestra.

As one of Latin music’s rising stars, Chris Alfinez is set to conquer the music world with his silky-smooth voice combined with a traditional salsa sound. The result is a singing style that is filled with emotion and passion. By combining traditional Caribbean rhythms with a distinct modern flavor, his debut single entitled “La Distancia” puts him in line to become the next big thing in Latin music.

“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” Roy Ayers and The Jazz Mafia Symphony plus special guests
Saturday, July 2, 2011 at 7:00PM
Central Park/Mainstage

Join SummerStage as we celebrate the 70th birthday of famed jazz, funk and soul pioneer, Roy Ayers with world premieres of commissioned works from The Jazz Mafia, which has re-envisioned Ayers’ classic works. The performance will include select students from Harlem School of the Arts.

Though he has gained renown for his funky, soulful and jazzy compositions, Roy Ayers’ signature sound is the vibraphone, incorporated into virtually all elements of his music. With hits such as “Brother Green” and “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” Ayers set the stage for modern R&B artists over the course of his forty plus year career with his innovative use of synthesizers and modern production techniques. Widely considered to be one of the most sampled artists of all time, Ayers’ music continues to engage and inspire audiences of all ages.

The Jazz Mafia Symphony, an intricately woven collective of jazz virtuosos, top MCs, singers, arrangers, and composers that include many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most innovative and prolific musicians, had a break-through year in 2010. Performing their critically acclaimed 45 piece symphony, “Brass, Bows & Beats” in front of tens of thousands at major festivals including the Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals. They return to the road in 2011 to premiere the Jazz Mafia Symphony #2, “The Emperor Norton Suite.” The Jazz Mafia Symphony is bravado post-modern orchestration, blistering solos, spoken-word, Latin poly-rhythms, boom-bap rhymes, and emotive ballads, all spun together with the spirit of improvisational jazz.

RAM / Group Doueh / Baloji / GlobeSonic Sound System
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 3:00PM
Central Park/Mainstage

RAM / Group Doueh / Baloji / GlobeSonic Sound System

RAM, a long-running band from Port-au-Prince, Haiti exemplifies Haiti’s love of its uptempo Carnival melodies known as meringues.

Unifying the sounds of Africa with its Creole influences, RAM’s musical style has been described as “Voodoo rock and roots,” a mixture of traditional Voodoo folk music rhythms, lyrics, and instrumentation into a new sound that incorporates elements of rock and roll and American pop music.

Group Doueh plays raw and unfiltered Saharawi music infused with western pop and rock music influences from the former colonial Spanish outpost of the Western Sahara. The band’s leader, Doueh is a master of the electric guitar who is influenced by music greats such as such as Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. Playing SummerStage as their US debut, Group Doueh’s sound is distorted, loud and unhinged with an impressive display of virtuosity and style.

Baloji’s sound is a riot of pan-African sounds and musical styles consisting of acoustic/electric and hip-hop. Effortlessly switching between singing and rapping in French, Swahili and other African languages, his words seem to travel across continents as he tells the personal story about his life between Belgium and the Congo. His first release, a biographic album entitled, Hôtel Impala debuted to critical acclaim and his follow up, Kinshasa Succursale has further established him as a powerful emcee and boundary crumbling artist.

With the support of Wallonie-Bruxelles International Avec le soutien de Wallonie-Bruxelles International.

For over a decade, the DJs of GlobeSonic Sound System have connected the dots between global traditions and dancefloor beats at nightclubs and festivals throughout the world.

Bronx Family Day Featuring: BILL HARLEY / MOONA LUNA / ILLSTYLE & PEACE PRODUCTIONS / SECRET AGENT 23 SKIDOO / DAVID GONZALEZ
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 3:00PM
St. Mary’s Park

Bronx Family Day Featuring: BILL HARLEY / MOONA LUNA / ILLSTYLE & PEACE PRODUCTIONS / SECRET AGENT 23 SKIDOO / DAVID GONZALEZ

Featuring a lively mix of Latin and American inspired music, hip-hop dance, puppetry, story tellers, and art workshops; the entire family will be engaged and entertained!

Grammy winner Bill Harley is considered a premier storyteller for his celebrations of humanity through comic narrative songs and spoken works. Called “the Mark Twain of contemporary children’s music,” by Entertainment Weekly, Harley will tell stories from his Grammy nominated CD, The Best Candy in the Whole World.

Moona Luna offers family-friendly music that shares the simple messages of joy and discovery. Piñata Party, Moona Luna’s 2011 release of bouncy, Latin-inspired, bilingual music offers chunks of delicious ear candy to engage and satisfy all ages.

Illstyle & Peace Productions is a multicultural dance company that creates works rooted in hip-hop blended with an eclectic mix of performance disciplines including tap, DJing and beatboxing. With a mix of gravity defying moves and upbeat music, families will be captivated.

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo introduces kids to hip-hop without compromising either one. With fat beats, witty lyrics and magnetic storytelling, it’s no wonder USA Today dubbed his debut, “…one of the best family CDs of the last decade.” Expect an old school dance party!

With speech, sound, mime, dance and above all, inspired imagination, nationally acclaimed master storyteller/performer David Gonzalez is keeping the ancient art of storytelling alive.Gonzalez is applauded for his vocal, physical and narrative talents and gift for mimicry, comic timing, and wordplay.