The Downtown alternative supper club Pangea hosts the first Pangea Jazz Festival, running from Friday, August 23 to Saturday, August 31—curated to be a quirky collection of jazz curios, deliberately non-doctrinaire and slightly immersive.
The shows vary from sophisticated outré cabaret by the Downtowner Joey Arias, to jazz vets Joe Giglio and Keith Loftis, to unexpected turns by tapper Felipe Galganni and indie improvisers Plaster Cramp. The Festival also hosts a number of new groups like the David Stern Quartet, The Theory Conspiracy and Marty Isenberg’s The Wes Anderson Project. Performances are as follows:
1. Jazz bassist Marty Isenberg leads The Wes Anderson Project, a band exploring the eclectic and quirky repertoire of music in Wes Anderson’s films, rearranged for jazz instrumentation. The mixtape Anderson vibe is drawn from the Velvet Underground, Nick Drake, Elliot Smith, the Zombies and others. Friday, August 23 at 7 pm. Cover $20
2. Veteran jazz guitarist and vocalist Joe Giglio paints, plays and composes in many mediums. This teacher of improvisation promises an eclectic program of forward-moving music. Friday, August 23 at 9:30 pm. Cover $25
3. Internationally known saxophonist Keith Loftis has been an integral part of the two-time Grammy nominated The Baylor Project for several years. Here he and his Keith Loftis Quartet play songs from his upcoming album “Original State,” which features all-new compositions. Saturday, August 24 at 7pm. Cover $25
4. Indie live-music improvisation group Plaster Cramp—heard weekly on Radio Free Brooklyn—and consisting of Matthew Talmadge, John Frazier and Mason Brown present Improbable Confettti. The group incorporates elements of krautrock, post-punk, minimalist techno, and other styles into their madcap musical mayhem. Saturday, August 24 at 9:30 pm. Cover $20
5. Downtown favorite Joey Arias offers “Breaking Rules,” with iconoclastic singing and stories out-of-school, accompanied by pianist and music director Jono Mainelli. Sunday, August 25 at 7 pm. Cover $25
6. Brazilian tapper Felipe Galganni, a Tap City festival star, presents Latin influences and jazz-world hybrids. Thursday, August 29 at 7pm. Cover $15
7. In their second Pangea appearance, The Theory Conspiracy features James Robbins on bass, Juan Chiavassa on drums and Carlos Homs on piano playing jazz standards and their original hip-hop and jazz-rock compositions. When not playing as a trio, the members are busy sidemen with major jazz groups. Friday, August 30 at 7pm. Cover $20
8. In the midst of their extended engagement at Pangea, the Jazz Bastards, led by Jenny Lee Mitchell, Aldo Perez and Matt Kanelos perform with the musically gifted Big Apple Circus clown Glen Heroy, hornplayer Richard Philbin and the acrobatically inclined drummer Nick Parker. Friday, August 30 at 9:30pm. Cover $15
9. Guitarist David Stern and his quartet (Lewis Porter on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Tommy Campbell on drums) perform an eclectic set of prime jazz. Saturday, August 31 at 7 pm. Cover $15
10. Joe Giglio leads the closing night JAM SESSION of free-wheeling, swinging jazz. Saturday, August 31 at 9pm. Cover $15
To purchase tickets online visit www.pangeanyc.com or for info call 212/995-0900. Pangea is located at 178 Second Avenue (between 11th & 12th Streets).
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