Art of Cool Festival Announces Lineup

The Art of Cool Festival will take place in Durham, NC
on April 25 & 26. Tickets are available now at $120 for a
2-day pass or $275 for VIP

Earlier this year The Art of Cool popped up on my radar due to an incredibly promising Kickstarter campaign. The project, led by Cicely Mitchell and Al Strong has been helping to increase the presence of our local jazz scene throughout the past few years. The local non-profit has been organizing events that showcase local artists along with internationally acclaimed acts at a variety of high-profile and low-key venues throughout the area.

The project got its starts at the LabourLove Gallery in Durham when trumpeter Al Strong was looking for a low-pressure, intimate venue to perform at. However, throughout the past two years it has blossomed into something that's capable of re-igniting the once vibrant North Carolina jazz scene.

While there's always been handfuls of dedicated jazz listeners and performers in the area, Art of Cool is helping to bring the rich local scene back to life with their massive festival set to take place next April in Durham. Their aforementioned Kickstarter campaign raised over $25,000 and this past Friday the festival announced their long-awaited lineup. With high hopes set, Cicely and Al certainly didn't disappoint, combining some of the most revered local acts with a Grammy Award-winning artists and internationally acclaimed icons. The festival's marquee headliner, Maceo Parker (saxophonist for James Brown and Parliament) just so happens to hail from Kinston while the five-time Grammy nominee Nnena Freelon (mother of The Beast's Pierce Freelon), has called Durham home for decades.

While acts like Nnena and Maceo feel like givens for a high-profile jazz festival, the standouts amongst the lineup are those that provide the biggest surprises. Seeing acts like Thundercat and Cody Chesnutt on the lineup beside names like Robert Glasper, The Foreign Exchange and a special arrangement by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Though the Atwood-Ferguson piece has been public knowledge since this summer, it doesn't make it any less exciting. For those that aren't aware, Atwood-Ferguson is a widely renown multi-instrumentalist/composer who has worked with a breathtaking lineup of musicians ranging from Ray Charles to Dr. Dre to Hall and Oates and pretty much everywhere in between. For the Art of Cool festival, Atwood-Ferguson has been commissioned to create a staggering tribute to North Carolina's most renown jazz musicians. An 11-person ensemble will perform Atwood-Ferguson's composition paying tribute to John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Thelonius Monk and Roberta Flack with promised special guests to join the already staggering array of musicians on stage.

For jazz aficionados this is an absolute dream come true. It's a Hopscotch-level festival that touches on an entirely different area of our state's great scene. On April 25 and 26, Durham will be filled with the entrancing sounds of some of the world's most talented musicians. The festival's headliners will perform at the gorgeous Carolina Theater while the other acts will perform amongst some of Durham's finest venues like Motorco Music Hall, The Pinhook, Beyu Cafe, Heyti Heritage Center and the Durham Arts Council. Among all of the awe-inspiring jazz, soul and experimental music on display, artists will be taking part in panel discussions and master classes throughout the area, making for a unique and immersive experience for everyone involved. Check out the full lineup below:

Art of Cool Lineup:
Maceo Parker | Robert Glasper Experiment | Miguel Atwood-Ferguson | Cody ChesnuTT | Amel Lerriux | Alice Smith | The Clayton Brothers | The Foreign Exchange | Thundercat | Mark de Clive-Lowe | Revive Big Band | Russel Gunn | The Beast | Kneebody | Nnena Freelon & Maya Freelon Asante | Lois Deloatch-Gomes | NCCU Big Band | Rafiq Bhatia | Butcher Brown | NCCU Jazz Vocal Ensemble | The Hot at Nights | Kate McGarry & Keith Ganz | Shana Tucker | Akua Alrich & Kris Funn

Show Review: Shakori Hills Spring 2013

Paperhand Puppet Parade on Saturday at
Shakori Hills

Once again, eager festival goers made the trek to the gorgeous grounds of Shakori Hills for one of the most intimate and unique festivals on the circuit today.  Through tornado warnings and rapidly changing weather conditions, fans rallied for the music.  From April 18 - 21 a diverse array of incredibly talented musicians graced the multiple stages of Shakori Hills for one of my favorite festivals in recent memory.  There's something about the unity that comes from weathering a massive storm inside of the woods that makes for an incredible festival experience.  To hell with the muddy pants, to hell with the soaked clothes, last weekend was about the beautiful experience of connecting with individuals through the power of music.

That's one of the most fantastic things about this bi-annual festival, they've shed all of the pretensions that come with the festival circuit, nobody is vying to be the hippest, nobody is trying to shed light on the most obscure bands of the weekend.  These people are out here to share the timeless experience of witnessing live music from all over the world.  Acts came from lands as far away as Zimbabwe and Brazil and as local as Pittsboro and Chapel Hill to create a wonderful festival filled with good vibes and good times.

Thursday

Keller Williams and The Travelin' McCourys

You couldn't ask for more perfect weather to kick off this long weekend of festivities.  I arrived just before the opening ceremony and got to catch a bit of the opening act of the festival Cyril Lance, but the first group that I was truly excited for was Hindugrass, an invigorating and fresh blend of bluegrass and Indian-fusion featuring string players from Lost in the Trees backing up the insanely talented John Heitzenrater as he took listeners on a musical adventure through various cultures.  Hindugrass was a fantastic start to the festival and served as a wonderful way to get prepared for the weekend's events.  Shortly after Hindugrass ended I made the quick transition to the main stage to check out Keller Williams & The Travelin' McCourys.  A sizable crowd gathered to see this blistering bluegrass crew that features of one of the jam-band scene's most adored guitar players.  It was fantastic to get the chance to see Keller work his acoustic magic live, but I stayed for a few brief songs before taking in the sounds from the comfort of my camp site.  Being able to relax in the woods and still have all of the music be perfectly audible is just another one of the fantastic perks of Shakori.  Shortly after Keller and The McCoury's ended I headed back to Carson's Grove to see Onward, Soldiers as their raw Americana tunes provided a sharp burst of energy to the evening.  Rambling through favorites like "Watery Grave" and "Monsters" Onward, Soldiers captivated the crowd with their energetic set of gritty and powerful tunes.  After Onward, Soldiers tore down the house at Carson's Grove I passed on the festival's staple set of Donna The Buffalo and headed back to the campsite where I ended up making the biggest mistake of the weekend and falling asleep before I got the chance to see Diali Cissokho.  I was kicking myself all weekend for missing this Dance Tent set, but thankfully I got to make it up with their second set later on in the weekend.

Shakori Spotlight: The Beast

The Beast will be performing at Meadow Stage
on Friday night at 12:30 and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

If one were to give out awards for outstanding performances at Shakori Hills, we might as well go ahead and hand over the weekend's MVP award to The Beast.  It's hard not to be impressed by the jazz driven hip-hop crew, their unrestrained live act is filled with sharp lyricism and tight rhythms.  The Beast makes music for the mind and the body as their lively instrumentation compels concertgoers to let the music flow through them.  MC Pierce Freelon's words seem to morph into an instrument of their own, careening through adventurous vocal patterns that are lined with exuberant imagery.   And this is The Beast on a regular night!  The two sets that the group will be playing at this Spring's Shakori will be far from, "regular".

On Friday night the group will be returning to the Meadow Stage for a performance of massive proportions.  The Beast will be joined by a special Big Band, adding in horns, strings and percussion to the already eclectic mixture of sounds.  A Big Band performance sounds like the ideal experience for an act as expansive as this one.  The Beast's dynamics are already a huge part of their music, and with a wider spectrum of sounds to cover, all of the group's nuances will be more defined.  The group will take the stage at 12:30 on Friday night and will most likely play until the wee hours of the morning for a crowd of anxious listeners.  Whether you're at the foot of the stage or at fireside in the woods, these accomplished jazz musicians will eloquently weave together the introspective intelligence of their lyricism with the primal appeal of their bombastic rhythms to make festival goers dance their night away.

Shakori Hills announces spring lineup

Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music
and Dance is on April 18-21, 2013

Twice a year festies from all over the area travel to their mecca, the four-day paradise in Pittsboro, NC known as Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival.  The spring and fall installments fall within the perfect timeframe, six months apart and right as the weather is finally settling in to a consistent temperature.  To be honest the lineup barely matters at this point for me, Shakori Hills is a guaranteed great time filled with old and new friends and fantastically diverse music.  This spring gives us much of the same, as Shakori Hills announced their lineup yesterday much to my excitement.  While Shakori always brings in a couple of unique headliners, this year's pull feels like a truly special event.  From April 18-21 festival goers will be enjoying the sounds of Keller Williams & The Traveling McCourys, Oliver Mtukudzi & The Black Spirits and countless local and international acts that will get your feet stompin' and your hands clapping.

Known for it's wide-spread diversity, this year's festival brings back some Grassroots favorites and welcomes some new members to the family as well.  Late night sets from acts like Noot d'Noot, Dirty Bourbon River Show and Equanimous Minds have given way to vivacious dance parties while local standouts like The Tender Fruit and Sarah Shook & The Devil provide intimate shows that showcase the connections that these artists are capable of making with their music.  Sitting on the floor of the Dance Tent or Cabaret Tent while listening to a stripped down set from your favorite local folk artist is a feeling that's absolutely incomparable.  Shakori offers the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, with wild sets from Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba and The Beast (a special big band performance with trumpets, saxophones, trombones and more!) fitting in perfectly alongside the deep country acts and low-key folk artists that are found throughout the festival.