Apollo Music Cafe
Apollo Music Café attracts intergenerational and forward-thinking artists and audiences alike. Featuring diverse performances across a myriad of genres -- R&B, hip-hop, soul, jazz, pop, funk, and rock, the monthly series showcases artists from the independent music scene; some of the most talented, under the radar artists destined to impact the way music is heard and experienced. Some Music Café presentations will complement Apollo Music Main Stage events, such as Soul of Brazil and Africa Now. This season’s Music Caféline-up includes:
January 2013
Theme: SOUL Remixed
This weekend will be bursting with truly, madly, deeply SoulFULL sound.
Friday January 11, 2013
Featuring: Maya Azucena
The Village Voice calls Brooklyn songstress Maya Azucena “the most impressive of the current hip-hop/soul/R&B diva crop.” Her four-octave, powerhouse pipes and ability to croon intimate, slow ballads and pounding hypno beats with equal finesse make her an in-demand performer. Hear her at her best – up close and personal in an intimate ambiance – highlighting tracks from her current CD, Cry Love. Curated by Lisa Yancey
Saturday January 12, 2013
Featuring: Martin Luther
Bay Area extraterrestrial soul brother Martin Luther is the real thang — a multi-talented singer, songwriter, actor, musician and producer, who’s sultry old school brand of artistry makes today’s techno driven, neo-soul sound tepid in comparison. A former member of the touring ensemble for legendary hip-hop band The Roots, Luther returns to NYC after a long hiatus flanked by a regiment of mind-blowingly gifted musicians performing classics and tracks from his recent studio release, Love Is The Hero. Curated by Lisa Yancey
February 2013
Theme: Life in Song – a celebration of musical storytellers!
Friday February 1, 2013
Featuring: Rebecca Naomi Jones
Broadway’s own Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot and Passing Strange) is a singer who emanates an emotional charge as memorable as the thrilling music she sings. This evening of storytelling through song captures with piercing intensity the dizzying roller coaster of life’s highs and lows rendered by an artist with a big Broadway voice that slides from playful to poignant. Curated by Lisa Yancey
Saturday February 2, 2013
Featuring: Patrice Covington/B. Slade
R&B, soul and Broadway songstress Patrice Covington, who has dazzled audiences in unforgettable theatrical performances, offers selections from her recent release Life Feels Good Right Now, including classic R&B, country juke joint and Motown tunes. B. Slade, formerly known as Tonex, is a two-time Grammy nominee and eight-time Stellar Award winner whose undeniable talents include being the first African American male to star in The Who’s Tommy. Curated by Lisa Yancey and Kevin-Anthony
March 2013
Theme: Cultural Eclipse
A dynamic mash-up of contemporary music from around the globe
Friday March 15, 2013
Africa Now!
Featuring: The Soil
The Music Café series celebrates Africa Now! on March 15, 2013 at 10pm with the dynamic South African act, The Soil.
The Soil, a 4-member acapella singing group whose music can best be described as ‘Kasi Soul,’ embodies the next generation of South African choral singing. Bringing soulful new anthems from the townships in lush 3-part harmonies punctuated with percussive beat boxing, the group strives to fuse their voices to deliver melodic and harmonious messages that are aimed at uplifting and healing souls all around the world. Curated by Andrea Rose Clarke
Saturday March 16, 2013
Featuring: Sofia Rei, Alsarah &The Nubatones
Sofía Rei is one of the most passionate, charismatic and inventive vocalists on the current New York music scene. Her music explores connections between the various traditions of South American folklore, jazz and electronic sounds. Singing in Spanish, Portuguese or English, Sofia's voice brings more than the depth and fullness of a riveting voice, tying together diverse influences in a program full of rhythmic complexity, and a melodic purity that haunts even as it uplifts. Her ensemble produces a range of textures as diverse as the cultural roots of its members. Alsarah (Alsarah & the Nubatones), is a Sudanese born singer, songwriter and ethnomusicologist. She performs music from different parts of the Middle East and East Africa. She has worked with The Sounds of Taraab performing classical Taraab music from Zanzibar and Kenya ranging from the 1940s-today. Heavily influenced by different styles of music from her native home to her adopted one she is putting together an album of original material to be released later this year. Curated by Lisa Yancey
April 2013
Friday April 5, 2013
Featuring: Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman is a poet, MC, oral historian, truth-teller and the first Hip-Hop Cultrual Envoy to travel with the State Department to Senegal, Ivory Coast, Congo, Ghana, Botswana, and Swaziland. The acclaimed artist has also performed alongside Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), Guru and The Roots.
A high priestess of today's poetry scene, she kicks off the Apollo's month-long celebration of poetry with trumpeter, Muneer Nasser. Curated by Lisa Yancey Buy Tickets
Saturday April 6, 2013
Featuring: Carolyn Malachi
with opening act Muhsinah
Carolyn Malachi’s unique approach to music combines Jazz, Hip Hop, Spoken Word, and lots of imagination. Dubbed “sweet songstress” by BET, the independent, Grammy nominated artist and great-granddaughter of pianist John Malachi counts Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), Radiohead, and Sarah Vaughan among her greatest influences. She released Revenge of the Smart Chicks in 2008 and Revenge of the Smart Chicks II in 2009. Both albums reveal the inner workings of Smart Chicks which Carolyn Malachi defines as “decidedly authentic women.” Her 2010 release, the “Lions, Fires & Squares” EP, earned a 2011 Best Urban / Alternative Performance GRAMMY Award nomination for the single, “Orion.” Curated by Lisa Yancey Buy Tickets
May 2013
Friday May 10, 2013
Apollo Tribute to the Baby Grand Café with Lezlie Harrison
(Harlem Jazz Shrines)
Featuring: Lezlie Harrison
The Baby Grand located at 319 West 125th Street between St. Nicholas and 8th Avenue (1947 to 1989) was owned by a former Cotton Club dancer and played host to Ruth Brown, Jimmy Scott, Dakota Staton, Jimmy Smith, Etta James, Horace Silver, Charlie Mingus and many others. The Apollo will pay tribute to the club and its legendary artists with jazz vocalist, Lezlie Harrison. Lezlie Harrison’s burnished, soulful alto, striking beauty and distinctive blend of jazz, classic 70's soul, and original music has become a fixture on the New York jazz scene. Curated by Linda Walton Buy Tickets
Saturday May 11, 2013
Featuring: Eisa Davis
A classically trained pianist with an unforgettable voice, Eisa Davis makes passionate, minimalist soul. She moves audiences everywhere she goes with her unique alloy of catharsis and restraint. With a presence dubbed "fierce" by The New Yorker, yet tempered with "wry warmth" according to The New York Times, Eisa is a songstress who has forged an organic artistry on her own terms. Curated by Lisa Yancey Buy Tickets
June 2013
Friday June 7, 2013
Featuring: Jessica Betts
Originally from Chicago, Jessica Betts is perhaps best known as the winner of the “Road to Stardom” reality television show where she beat out thousands of contestants and captured the hearts and admiration of judges such as Teena Marie, Dallas Austin, Madonna, and Missy Elliot with her amazing voice. Recently inducted as a BET Music Matters artist, Jessica is currently wrapping her next project to be released early 2013. The buzz around her re-introduction has grown as insiders are experiencing her new and innovative direction bringing back true soul with a contemporary and edgy twist. Curated by Lisa Yancey Buy Tickets
Saturday June 8, 2013
Featuring: The Rebel Ship
Pure unfiltered funk - The Rebel Ship has captivated fans with their unique, eclectic, 21st century sound otherwise described as “electronic-dance-rock infused with hip-hop with a strong latin twist.” As soon as that first chord is strung, you know you’re in for an amazing and unforgettable time. It’s all in the music—the heavy beats, gritty bass lines, dissonant strings, and high energy. On a scale of 1-10, the energy is 20! Curated by Lisa Yancey Buy Tickets
Doors open at 9 p.m. and all shows begin at 10 p.m. on the Apollo Soundstage.
Tickets for Apollo Music Café are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $20 and $15 in advance for the Apollo’s A-List (Sign up at www.apollotheater.org).
Supported in part by the Ford Foundation Fund for Global Programs and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
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NEXT SEASON!
Apollo Music Cafe runs from October 4, 2013 - June 7, 2014!
Next season, the Apollo Music Café season will include 18 performances featuring Martha Redbone, Stephanie McKay, B. Steady, Chris Turner, Alecia Chakour, Jason Walker and many more!
