Once again, September is swinging -- every Friday evening throughout the month, thanks to the prolific musicians from Brooklyn Music School (BMS)! These talented teachers know how to jam -- and you can join them, at these lively street jazz sessions, free and open to all. No instrument? No problem -- just pull up a chair and enjoy the show! You can even grab dinner to go from a FAB restaurant nearby and bring it to the plaza!
Opening the BMS Jazz Series at Fowler Square this year is Jeff Newell. Jeff is the Wind Instruments Chair at Brooklyn Music School, and he's accomplished on the saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Although he has played with various musical notables over the years and continues to perform and record with his own group, he is most proud of his many students, some of whom have gone on to become professional musicians. "I work to demystify music for my students, helping them perceive it as another language of human communication," Jeff says. "Learning to make music teaches us to work together and opens up channels through which we share emotional and spiritual joy." Come jam with Jeff on Friday, September 6 at 5:30 pm!
Next up in the BMS Jazz Series at Fowler Squareis Duane Eubanks! Duane almost very literally has jazz in his blood, as his mother, brothers, and uncle are all talented professional musicians. With the trumpet as his chosen instrument, Duane has studied and played with some of the most iconic artists of our time, including Wynton Marsalis, Dave Holland, and Stanley Turrentine. Always interested in jazz education, Duane is a valued member of the BMS faculty where he instructs students on the brass instruments. Do a musical "happy hour" with Duane, on Friday, September 13, at 5:30 pm!
Our weekly happy hour jazz series in Fowler Square continues with premier guitarist and composer Rafael Rosa. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rafael taught himself the guitar at age 14 and has gone on to perform at renowned venues such as the Blue Note Jazz Club, The Rainbow Room, 54 Below, Dizzy’s Coca Cola Club and many more, since his arrival in New York in 2011. He has recorded as both a sideman and bandleader and graduated from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Music with a Masters Of Music in Jazz Performance.
Rafael is currently part of the Guitar Faculty at Brooklyn Music School. If you've got some musical chops, come run with Rafael on Friday, September 20 at 5:30 pm!
Musician Brian Woodruff is the Chair, Percussion, Co-Chair of the Jazz Department and Drum Instructor at Brooklyn Music School. "Beyond passing on my love of music, I try to give students a positive, one-on-one relationship with an adult figure who can perhaps fill some of the needs their parents can’t," he says. Brian's personal drumming style has been influenced by a wide range of musical traditions, including Cuban son and mambo, New Orleans jazz, and Haitian kompa. Outside of the classroom, he plays with his own sextet and with Jeff Newell's New Trad Octet. Catch Brian leading the band, and closing out the BMS series in Fowler Square on Friday, September 27, from 5:30-7:30 pm!
The BMS jazz music series is presented in partnership between FAB Fulton and the Brooklyn Music School, a cultural district community institution since 1912. Learn more about their programs and classes on their website: www.brooklynmusicschool.org.
The 2019 season of FAB FULTON events is made possible by generous support from Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo.
Special thanks to the Volunteers of New York Cares and dozens of FABulous local Community Partners.
Location
Fowler Square
Fulton Street and Lafayette Ave.
Fort Greene11217 Brooklyn , NY