BRIC Announces Initial Lineup For 5th Annual BRIC JazzFest

BRIC announces initial programming and other details for the 2019 BRIC JazzFest, the fifth annual edition of the celebrated Brooklyn jazz festival, which continues the 41st season for the pioneering NYC arts-and-media organization and leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn. The Festival takes place over the course of a week (October 19-26) and continues to be what the New Yorker calls "a proudly eclectic gathering [that] remains unbounded by convention." This year's edition will feature concerts, film, poetry, and conversation, culminating in a three-day music marathon, with performances taking place simultaneously in the various spaces comprising BRIC House (647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn).

With BRIC JazzFest, BRIC brings its decades of hosting the beloved summer-long BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival into its state-of-the-art home in Fort Greene, providing an experience that's true to its mission of making cultural programming genuinely accessible. Billboard writes, "[BRIC JazzFest] prove[s] an excellent argument for standing-room jazz functions in general: lower financial barrier to entry, higher population of listeners, and a more engaged audience."

The three-night jazz marathon (October 24-26), headlined by critically acclaimed GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Ravi Coltrane and his quartet, and multi-instrumentalist and producer Georgia Anne Muldrow, also features performances by percussionist Makaya McCraven, eclectic band Kneebody, drummer/composer Antonio Sanchez, multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole (Knower), saxophonist Tia Fuller, breakout vibraphonist Joel Ross' Good Vibes, drummer/vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, composer and planetary scientist Salami Rose Joe Louis, drummer/producer Kassa Overall, saxophonist Marí­a Grand, vocalist/songwriter Claudia Acuña, jazz/funk/hip-hop ensemble QNA, saxophonist Roxy Coss Quintet, and more to be announced soon. Performances take place in the intimate jazz club-like Artist Studio, the expansive Stoop overlooking the Gallery, and the state-of-the-art Ballroom - all within BRIC House.

"In five short years, we've been able to create a new, forward-looking jazz festival that has become an eagerly-awaited facet of the music scene here in Brooklyn," said Jack Walsh, BRIC's Senior Vice President of Performing Arts. "We are excited by the extraordinary lineup this year, which features so many young breakout artists, many women charting new musical directions, and incredible headliners - some of which are yet to be announced!"

Early Bird 3-Day Passes for the BRIC JazzFest Marathon, which go on sale to BRIC members on Thursday, July 11, and to the general public on Friday, July 12, are available for $70 (for a limited time) and can be purchased by visiting BRICartsmedia.org. The Box Office at BRIC House is open on performance days only, one hour prior to the event. BRIC House is located at 647 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn and is open weekdays and Saturdays at 8am and Sundays at 10am.

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. The organization presents and incubates work by artists and media-makers that reflects the diversity of New York. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

BRIC's main venue, BRIC House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park; groundbreaking media initiatives, including BRIC TV, BRIC Radio, and Brooklyn Free Speech; and renowned contemporary art exhibitions. BRIC also offers education and community-building programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences. BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables BRIC to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.