Groundbreaking artist-focused non-profit Giant Step Arts creates Walk With The Wind a free series of performances in Central Park honoring the legacy of U.S. Representative and civil rights leader John Lewis
The 2020 season started with the following concerts:
August 28th: Wayne Escoffery Trio with Ugonna Okegwo-Bass & Mark Whitfield Jr. on Drums
Sept. 5th: Marquis Hill Quartet with Tivon Pennicott-Tenor sax Russel hall-Bass & Michael Ode-Drums
Sept. 6th: Michael Thomas Trio with Edward Perez-Bass & E.J. Strickland-Drums
Sept. 12th: Eric McPerson Trio with Abraham Burton-Tenor Sax & Dezron Douglas-Bass
“Giant Step Arts [is] a nonprofit dedicated to giving underappreciated but visionary jazz musicians the support they need to make quality live albums. Palmer is a…thrifty improviser with a vast dynamic range and an ambitious composer.” – Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times
Finding new ways to support musicians during the pandemic
When the pandemic hit, Jimmy and Dena Katz, creators of Giant Step Arts, the groundbreaking, artist-focused non-profit dedicated to supporting visionary jazz musicians as they create adventurous new music, realized that it would be a while before they could continue their work commissioning, showcasing and recording music by some of modern jazz’s most innovative artists.
Now they’ve created Walk with the Wind, a series of free concerts in Central Park honoring the memory of John Lewis. Concerts, which are acoustic and feature small groups, take place at 1 p.m. on The Mall in Central Park. In the event of bad weather, concerts will be rescheduled. They will continue as long as the weather allows. Upcoming concerts include:
• Saturday, September 19 – Leap Day Trio with drummer Matt Wilson, bassist/vocalist Mimi Jones and saxophonist Jeff Lederer
• Sunday, September 20 – Vibraphonist and Blue Note recording artist Joel Ross Quartet with saxophonist Sergio Tabanico, drummer Craig Weinrib and bassist Rashaan Carter
• Saturday, September 26 – Drummer Nasheet Waits with saxophonist Mark Turner and bassist Rashaan Carter
• Sunday, September 27 – Saxophonist and Blue Note recording artist Immanuel Wilkins with drummer Nazir Ebo and bassist Burniss Earl Travis
• Saturday, October 3 – Saxophonist Melissa Aldana with her trio
• Sunday, October 4 – Saxophonist Darius Jones with drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist Dezron Douglas
• Saturday, October 10 – Saxophonist Nicole Glover with her trio
• Sunday, October 11 – Saxophonist Chris Potter with drummer Nasheet Waits and bassist Joe Martin
“The pandemic has been disastrous for musicians, many of whom normally earn a living through live performances and tours,” says Katz. “We’ve presented and recorded music in various venues, including partnering with the non-profit Jazz Gallery, but the current circumstances have forced us to improvise. We wanted to find a way to continue supporting musicians, bring them together with audiences, safely, and enable them to have a payday! Walk with the Wind, honoring the legacy of the great American John Lewis, is one way we are accomplishing this, and the response has been tremendous. Our goal is to raise enough money from foundations and donors so that we can have performances each spring and fall.”