For those in the New York area there are three upcoming jazz performances, taking place before Labor Day at The Garage at Chatham. Each of these is a free event.
In May 2023, Digital Journal previewed as series of classical music concerts being played out from a garage in New York, providing intimate performance in an unusual venue with great acoustics. In a new series of events, classical gives over to jazz.
“The GAC” is a summer arts series in the Hudson Valley (in the village of Chatham, NY), in the tradition of salon concerts, in that artists perform– often new works- for a small group in an intimate setting. In this case, an actual garage.
The event is the brainchild of opera singer Jon Morrell and his wife, former opera singer, Adrienne Morrell. The concept of garage based musical concerts was a product of the pandemic. The two musicians discovered the acoustic possibilities of their garage while working on it during the first months of the shutdown.
Along with their friend conductor/composer Thomas Carlo Bo, the Morrells produced an intimate, locally-sourced, free classical concert out of their garage in the summer of 2020. The response was encouraging and this led them to create their first full summer series in 2021.
Smaller rooms can create interesting and appealing acoustics. When we produce sounds, whether they come from instruments or our mouths, we create sound waves projected outward and either get absorbed by or reflected by the surfaces they come into contact with. These can be enhanced by smaller areas, creating a warm and bouncy sound.
August 19th at 6pm- Jazz Guitar with Paul Meyers
Paul Meyers has been a busy freelancer, sideman and bandleader in and around New York City since 1980. He has performed and/or recorded with a list of jazz greats such as Geri Allen, Harry Allen, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Ray Drummond, Eliane Elias, Clare Fischer, Sonny Fortune, Eddie Gomez, Annie Ross, Wynton Marsalis, Bill Mays, Rufus Reid, and Steve Wilson.
August 26th at 6pm- Jazz Vocals at The GAC
This event sees the talents of April May Webb (vocals) and Randall Haywood (piano) on show. Awarded and named “Best Jazz Group” at The 2019 New York City Reader’s Jazz Awards, the husband and wife duo known as Sounds of A&R, aka S.O.A.R. In 2023, S.O.A.R. was one of ten ensembles selected to represent the U.S. as Cultural Ambassadors a part of the American Music Abroad program.
September 2nd at 6pm- Garage Band/The GAC Nonet
An evening of Big Band and Jazz, The GAC Nonet. This event focuses on Black-American musical influences, from the 1920’s and through to beyond. A 9-piece chamber orchestra, The GAC Nonet is a nod to the birth of big bands, when the movement was new and grew into the sound that defined jazz.
For further details, see The Garage at Chatham.
