Jazz at Atlas

09/03/2020

03/12/2020

Dear Friends of Jazz at Atlas — It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that Atlas Studios has decided, given the pandemic we're all facing, to cancel all scheduled events until further notice, including this weekend's performance by Fay Victor's Barn Songs Trio. We were completely prepared to forge ahead with this concert Saturday but it simply will not be able to take place under the circumstances.

Please note that this also impacts the concert by Bobby Previte's Music from the Dune Shacks quartet on April 18.

We are looking to reschedule these outstanding groups sometime in the fall, in the hopes that we will be well out of a contagion zone by then. Please watch the J@A page for more updates.

Sincere apologies to one and all, most especially to the wonderful artists impacted. Please stay safe, folks!!!

Peace,
Jazz at Atlas

02/19/2020

With just under a month before Jazz at Atlas kicks off its 2020 season at Atlas Studios in Newburgh with the incomparable Fay Victor and her Barn Songs project, it's high time we share some of this ensemble's exceptional music. In the 90's, Fay moved to Amsterdam to hone her voice and develop her improvisational instincts—a move that transformed her from a straight ahead jazz singer into a daring vocal improviser. Over 20 years later, she has revisited the compositions she created during her time there for Barn Songs, her tenth album as a bandleader. Recording alongside cellist Marika Hughes and returning J@A champion, alto saxophonist Darius Jones, the project came to fruition in a tumble-down barn Hughes owns in the northern foothills of the bucolic Catskills Mountains. The trio turned the building into an organic recording compound for three days, complete with passings birds and squirrels adding naturalistic ambience to the mix. Remarkably, the songs FV wrote while living another life in another country reveal themselves to be prescient commentary on the modern way we live today. We also think they are hauntingly beautiful and make exquisite use of these three superb musicians' sensitive command of color and dynamic to craft these gorgeous tone poems. Give them a listen and be sure join us for Fay and Barn Songs at Atlas Studios on March 14 — more details can be found in the event link in the comments below:

7 track album

02/14/2020

We'd like to thank to John Burdick and Almanac Weekly for this really generous and thoughtful piece about Jazz at Atlas' co-director and his work presenting music in the Hudson Valley. Though focused on our sister series Elysium Furnace Works, J@A and Atlas Studios get their propers. Get to know James and mark your calendars for the first concert of our upcoming season, Fay Victor's Barn Songs on Saturday, March 14.

James Keepnews of Elysium Furnace Works is one of the region’s most energetic and least discouraged advocates for some kinds of music that we can’t seem to agree on a name for.

12/21/2019

"Derived from separate Latin and French words, the playful name of drummer Devin Gray’s group translates as “leading from the beat.” That he does...But in the Maine-born, Brooklyn-based Gray’s eloquently controlled sound, the beat is rarely pronounced. His strong suit as a drummer is creating vibrant undercurrents that reflect his strength as a composer, which is devising strategies to keep the music in constant motion." — Lloyd Sachs, JazzTimes

Jazz at Atlas' 2020 season continues to grow and we're excited to announce the latest addition: the phenomenal drummer/composer Devin Gray, leading his Dirigo Rataplan band, a brilliant quartet featuring (from l. to r.): Gray (permit us to further acknowledge the bandleader's thoroughly badass socks ✊), Ellery Eskelin on tenor saxophone, Dave Ballou on trumpet and Michael Formanek returning to J@A on bass. Dirigo Rataplan will perform at Atlas Studios in Newburgh on Saturday, June 6 at 8 PM. Stay tuned for more updates about our 2020 season coming soon.

12/10/2019

Jazz at Atlas is proud to announce the opening concerts for our 2020 season at Atlas Studios in Newburgh. Kicking off the season on March 14 will be the incomparable vocalist and composer Fay Victor, performing with her Barn Songs trio featuring Marika Hughes on cello and Darius Jones returning to J@A on alto saxophone. The following month on April 18 we'll be presenting the return to J@A of another outstanding musician, the phenomenal drummer/composer Bobby Previte and his Music from the Dune Shacks quartet, with Keith Pray on alto and baritone saxophones, Marcus DeGrazia on alto and baritone saxophones, Michael Kammers on Moog synthesizer and Mr. Previte on trap drums and compositions. Stay tuned for more announcements about our upcoming season.

10/27/2019

Many thanks to Peter Aaron and Chronogram for their continued support of Jazz at Atlas with their highlighting of our final concert of 2019 featuring the James Emery Trio on Nov. 2. Advance tickets are still on sale -- please purchase yours now and see you all next Saturday!

On the ticket in the coming weeks: modern dance, locally made artisan gifts, surreal puppetry, fine jazz, and one of the area’s longest-running food festivals.